Quarter NOTES Newsletter of the InterSchool Orchestras of New York • Fall 2013 Welcome to Our 42nd Season

The InterSchool Orchestras of New Carnegie Hill performing at PhilharMONSTER 2012 York’s 2013/2014 season got off to a great start with retreats for each large ensemble. These extended weekend rehearsals allowed for detailed work on repertory and for the students to get used to performing together. This addition to programming reflects ISO’s renewed commitment to education, a dedication that also can be seen in the qualifications of the three new conductors (see page 2). give a masterclass on January 14 and perform along with winners in the annual It’s at the weekly rehearsals that the magic perform with the Symphony on January Constance Mensch Concerto Competi- happens, where notes become music and 22. Originally from Bulgaria, she studied tion. The Symphony will be performing instrumentalists become musicians. at the Curtis Institute and has won many the concert they will repeat in August at awards including the 2013 Avery Fisher the Aberdeen International Youth Fes- Performances present an opportunity Career Grant. This season she has other tival in Aberdeen, Scotland. It will be the

for our talented musicians to dem- performances at Photo: Andrew Chiciak first youth orchestra to represent the U.S. onstrate their achievements. And by Carnegie Hall and in that festival since 2006. While in Scot- performing in various venues and for dif- with the Chamber land, the Symphony will perform a total ferent audiences, the students’ work can Music Society of of four concerts and tour historic sites. It’s be appreciated in different ways. Sym- Lincoln Center, but a great honor to have been accepted to phony Space will present ISO ensembles you get to hear her perform in this festival, and it will be an in two concerts to two very different perform for free unforgettable experience for our students. audiences. In October, the Carnegie Hill with ISO! The ISO Orchestra and the Symphonic Band per- Flutes, Carnegie All of our ensembles will also play formed in the Just Kidding series for kids Hill and Concert at least two concerts in community Bella Hristrova, two to eight years old, and on February Orchestras will share artist-in-residence venues or in the public schools. High- 1, the Band and the ISO Symphony will that program, while lights scheduled so far include holiday open Symphony Space’s annual Music of the Symphonic Band and the Morning- concerts on the Upper East Side (Con- Now marathon concert, which focuses side, Queens East, Trinity Florentine, and cert Orchestra, December 12) and in on music by living composers. In the Turtle Bay Orchestras will perform on Bay Ridge, Brooklyn (Symphonic Band, Symphony’s case, that composer is ISO’s January 15. December 15). ISO Flutes will perform at Executive Director Waddy Thompson, the Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care who when not working at ISO, composes Spring concerts take us back to Lincoln Center (January 26), and the Band will for a variety of ensembles. Center and Symphony Space. Carnegie perform its annual Memorial Day Concert Hill Orchestra, ISO Flutes, and the four at Green-Wood Cemetery on May 26. Young Concert Artists’ violinist Bella beginner orchestras will perform on May Hristova will be artist-in-residence in 18 at Symphony Space. Then on May 28 Details on all concerts and activities can January 2014, made possible by Young at the Rose Theatre at Jazz at Lincoln be found at isorch.org. Come hear the Concert Artists’ Annaliese Soros Edu- Center, the Symphonic Band, Concert results of rehearsal magic! cational Residency Program. She will Orchestra, and ISO Symphony will 2 ISO Quarter Notes • Fall 2013

Three New Conductors Join the ISO Artistic Staff

We are proud to welcome three new of the NJ Band Association and is proud forms chamber music with the trio Project conductors to the artistic staff this season. to be one of the co-chairs of the Inaugural Emme and maintains a private cello studio. These three talented conductors bring NJMEA Wind Band Academy. Barry Stern, an ISO alumnus, many years of experience and great Matthew Rotjan comes to the brings to ISO at Turtle Bay a career in passion for music education. They are a Morningside Orchestra with five years of music that dates back thirty years. As a fantastic addition to the ISO family! experience as a music educator with the conductor, he has previously served on Lawrence C. Markiewicz has South Orangetown Central School District the faculty of the New York State Music joined ISO as conductor of the Concert in Blauvelt, New York. He is also Assis- Camp and Institute at Hartwick College Orchestra. He is also the tant Conductor of the and has been a guest conductor with the conductor of the critically Southern Hudson Valley Lenox Hill Chamber Orchestra and the acclaimed Imperial Brass, Youth Symphony, an Manhattan School of Music. He previ- an all brass British-style executive board member ously was Director of Orchestral Studies band in New Jersey, of the New York American at Manhattan School of Music and artistic director and con- String Teachers Associa- Director of the Bronx House School for ductor of the Somerset tion, and a member of the the Performing Arts. Mr. Stern now serves Valley Orchestra, and the Raritan Valley New York State School Music Association as Orchestra Director at Fort Hamilton Symphonic Band. For the last 20 years and National Association for Music Educa- High School. He has also been a con- he was a NJ public school educator. He tion. Matt graduated from Ithaca College tributor to the Blueprint for Teaching and is much in demand as a guest conductor/ with a B.M. in Music Education and Perfor- Learning in the Arts and serves on the clinician and brass pedagogy specialist mance, and then earned a M.A. in Music writing committee for the New York City across the United States, Japan, and and Music Education at Teachers College, Comprehensive Exam in Music. n England. He is a founding board member Columbia University. He frequently per- Edward I. Altman Appointed President Emeritus ISO’s Board of Directors recently elected Board from 1992 through Dr. Altman has an international Edward I. Altman President Emeritus for 1998, and then serving reputation as an expert on corpo- his long and outstanding service to ISO. as its Chairman until rate bankruptcy, high yield bonds, It was also decided that a major concert 2002. During that time, distressed debt, and credit risk each year be designated the “Edward and ISO grew steadily, made analysis. He is Director of Research in Elaine Altman Concert” in their honor. possible in part by Dr. Alt- Credit and Debt Markets at the NYU Dr. Altman is stepping down from active man’s tireless fundraising Salomon Center for the Study of Board service after 22 years with ISO. and generous personal Financial Institutions. Prior to serving When he joined ISO’s Board in 1991, his gifts. He also helped build in his present position, Professor son, Gregory, was playing French horn the ISO Board by recruiting colleagues Altman chaired the Stern School’s MBA in the ISO Symphony. But even after from the financial services industry. ISO Program for 12 years. Dr. Altman was Gregory went on to college, Ed stayed would simply be a different organization named to the Max L. Heine endowed with ISO, serving as President of its today had it not been for his leadership. professorship at Stern in 1988. n

USA Network/Ali Goldstein ISO Symphony Television Debut on “Royal Pains”

On July 17 members of the ISO Symphony appeared on the cable TV series “Royal Pains.” In the episode, they are the stands-ins for a fictional youth orchestra whose conductor is one of the patients-of-the-week. The Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov excerpts heard on the soundtrack are from live ISO performances. ISO’s musicians took part in three days of taping, both in a Brooklyn studio and on location on Long Island. It was a real education in how many people it takes to create a TV show (seemingly hundreds) and how each scene is worked on separately — not to mention how to do the instrumental equivalent of lip synching to your own performance. We are very proud of how it all came together! The episode (Season 5, Episode 5, “Vertigo”) can be viewed by logging in at ISO Symphony members playing the role USA Network with your cable provider username and password (FREE), or it can be of the “Symphony in the Park” on USA purchased from the iTunes store or Amazon ($1.99-$2.99 for the single episode). n Network’s “Royal Pains”. www.isorch.org 3

The 2012/2013 Season by the Numbers

4,520 Attendance at free concerts 2,555 Attendance at paid-admission concerts 7,075 Total concert audience 329 Record number of students enrolled in ensembles 42 Students receiving free lessons through TIP Students receiving free lessons through Endangered Instruments 7 and Janet Wolfe Funds 4 Administrative and program staff 34 Music staff 306 Hours spent rehearsing or performing Uncountable Hours students spent practicing $2,143 Average cost per student $193,000 Total scholarships and financial aid awarded 52% Students receiving scholarships and financial aid 58% Contributions as percentage of budget $705,185 Total budget

2013/2014 Calendar of Events

December 12 – Concert Orchestra Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway, 2PM *More community concerts will be added Holiday Concert at Stanley Isaacs Neigh- throughout the season. See our website borhood Center, 1700 Third Ave., 4:45PM April 7 – ISO Gala Benefit with a perfor- (www.isorch.org) for the most updated mance by ISO Symphony, Chelsea Piers, events calendar. December 15 – Symphonic Band Holiday The Lighthouse, 6:30PM Concert at St. Patrick’s Church, 9511 4th The InterSchool Orchestras of New York’s Avenue, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, 7PM May 4 – Concert Orchestra Commu- programs are made possible in part with nity Concert at Terence Cardinal Cooke public funds from the New York City January 15 – ISO Winter Concert fea- Health Care Center, 1249 Fifth Avenue, Department of Cultural Affairs, in part- turing Morningside, Queens East, Trinity 2:15PM nership with the City Council; the New Florentine, and Turtle Bay Orchestras and York State Council on the Arts with the Symphonic Band, Julia Richman Educa- May 18 – ISO Spring Concert at Sym- support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and tion Complex, 317 East 67th Street, 7PM phony Space featuring ISO Flutes, the New York State Legislature; and many Carnegie Hill, Morningside, Queens East, generous foundations and individuals. January 22 – ISO Winter Concert fea- Trinity Florentine, and Turtle Bay Orches- turing ISO Flutes, Carnegie Hill, Concert tras, 2537 Broadway, 7PM Orchestra, and the ISO Symphony with guest artist Bella Hristrova, Julia Richman May 26 – Symphonic Band Memorial Day Education Complex, 317 East 67th Street, Concert at Green-Wood Cemetery, 500 7PM 25th Street, Brooklyn, 2:30PM

January 26 – ISO Flutes Community May 28 – First Annual Edward and Concert at Terence Cardinal Cooke Elaine Altman Concert featuring Concert Health Care Center, 1249 Fifth Avenue, Orchestra, Symphonic Band, and ISO 2:15PM Symphony, Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Broadway and West 60th Street, February 1 – ISO Symphony and Sym- 7PM phonic Band, Music of Now Marathon at Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID 121 West 27th Street, Suite 902 Long Island City, NY New York, NY 10001 Permit No. 1153

ISO Board of Directors Advisory Council ISO Staff Annabelle F. Prager, Founder David Bernard Waddy Thompson, Executive Director Barbara B. Tracy, President Joanne Bernstein-Cohen Jeffrey Grogan, Artistic Director Jane Ross, Executive Vice President Deborah Buck Gary Tigner, Program Director Carmel Fromson, Vice President Christopher Coletti Carlie Kilgore, Administrative Director Cynthia Mencher, Treasurer Thomas Crawford Mitchell McCarthy, Orchestra Administrator Jacob Bousso, Secretary Matt Dine Jonathan Strasser, Music Director Emeritus Betsy Alderman Tim Fain Etty Bousso James Gaffigan Design & Layout by Concepcion Design Studio Theresa Dolak Stefán Ragnar Höskuldsson Martin S. Fridson Lowell Liebermann Eva Gerard Lydia Kontos Maria Herrera-Chomnalez Lee Koonce Viola Kanevsky Anthony Mazzocchi Brenda Kuehne Anthony McGill Pearl Lau Craig Mumm Nancy Lee Mary Ann Mumm Beatrice Mitchell Tito Muñoz Gretchen Nicholas Bärli Nugent J. Craig Oxman Mark O’Connor William Pinzler, Esq. Julie Rulyak Adrian Ross Midge Woolsey InterSchool Orchestras of New York Alfred Ross 121 West 27th Street, Suite 902 New York, NY 10001 Rita F. Salzman Tel: 212-410-0370 • Fax: 212-410-1606 Ronald Schaefer Email: [email protected] • www.isorch.org Join us on Facebook! Edward I. Altman, President Emeritus