DOCSLIB.ORG

What It Takes to Be a Successful Concert Artist: Conversations with World Renowned Musicians by Rebecca Jackson

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
What It Takes to Be a Successful Concert Artist: Conversations with World Renowned Musicians by Rebecca Jackson What it Takes to be a Successful Concert Artist: Conversations with World Renowned Musicians By Rebecca Jackson Introduction How does one become a successful concert artist? During my twenty one years of studying and performing as a violinist I continue to witness many like myself spend tireless hours trying to master the great works. Besides the obvious requirement of work on your craft I have always been curious of other factors present in the journey musicians take to establish their success. Why become a classical musician in the first place? Odds don't seem to be stacked in our favor. At first glance, what you see on stage may seem glamorous. Hundreds of people flock to watch and listen to beautiful music performed effortlessly. Paganini, Liszt, Heifetz, and Horowitz are some of the legendary performers that come to mind. Despite the initial attraction, the life of a musician is strewn with difficulties and unpredictabilities. Leila Josefowicz said, “The lifestyle of this whole business is awful. I'll not mince words about that.”1 The unattractive aspects I have observed create a substantial list: (1) It is a life led in solitude within the four walls of a practice room. While I was studying at Juilliard the average daily practice session was between five and eight hours. And this is a ritual that begins very early in life. (2) Musicians spend equal if not more time studying than doctors and yet “starving artist” depicts the characteristically little money we earn. (3) One endures constant scrutiny. Even the note-perfect Heifetz made Dallas front-page news, “HEIFETZ FORGETS,” when music came to a stop during the Sibelius Violin Concerto.2 (4) Perfectionism is a common trait making it rare to feel completely satisfied with one's performance. (5) Often times musicians live life out of a suitcase, in and out of hotel 1 Violin Virtuosos, Mary VanClay ed. (California: String Letter Publishing, 2000): 20. 2 Joseph Horowitz, Classical Music in America: A History of Its Rise and Fall (New York: W.W. Norton, 2005): 338. 1 rooms and airports. And finally, (6) much of the public fear death more than public speaking.3 Musicians handle such stress of public performance on a regular basis. Cliburn, in retirement, was once told by an interviewer that his friends “didn't see how Cliburn could be happy unless he returned to the concert stage”; he “roared with laughter” and shouted “Try me!” Asked how it felt to play his final concert, in 1978, Cliburn replied, “The one thing I felt when I got off the stage was: I don't have to do this anymore.”4 Job availability in orchestras is rare and with the growing number of musicians the competition is fierce. During my December 2006 audition for the San Francisco Opera Orchestra there were two openings in the first violin section and approximately seventy people auditioned. Not only are the openings rare, many orchestras are on the verge of bankruptcy, many having collapsed already. In chamber music, specifically string quartets, there are only about three groups that can solely live off of what they make from performances. The string quartet repertoire is some of the most beloved but unfortunately the demand is not very high. In the most competitive world of soloist, many go to the top international competitions to get try to get their start. In the case of the Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competition, violinists are required to prepare an amount of repertoire that most musicians struggle to learn in a lifetime. They also must learn a new commissioned piece in two weeks. Even with all these seemingly insurmountable circumstances I can say without a doubt I feel privileged to be a musician and whole-heartedly love what I do. Aside from the obvious necessity to practice my instrument, I have found it invaluable to converse with some of the 3 Emily Krone “Studies Show Public Speaking Tops Death on Lists of People's Greatest Fears,” Daily Herald [Arlington Heights, IL]. 13 December 2005, p. 3. 4 Joseph Horowitz, Classical Music in America: A History of Its Rise and Fall (New York: W.W. Norton, 2005): 356. 2 world's most successful about their personal paths. In the following pages you will hear mostly from violinists but also conductors, singers, and a cellist. Many of the musicians came from abroad to study and expand their careers in the United States. In a recent article one discovers the continued dominance of non-American's in this field. Baltimore Symphony named Marin Alsop music director... This has been big news in the usually somnolent world of classical music for a number of reasons: First, Alsop, 48, is the first woman to take the top artistic job at a major American orchestra. Second, she's American born and trained, in a field still dominated by Europeans. Third, she's made her reputation conducting new, unusual and often American music. Fourth, she's a working jazz violinist and has boldly crossed over idioms in the inner sanctum of classical subscription series.5 Returning to the quote by Ms. Josefowicz I add her next few words, “The lifestyle of this whole business is awful. I'll not mince words about that. So what you end up truly living for is the music.”6 Background In an attempt to quench my curiosity I conducted a series of personal, phone and email interviews with world renowned musicians. In addition to those I conducted, I have also added extra interviews whenever I found answers addressing questions I asked in this study. Following are the dates that I conducted the interviews along with the musicians' biographies. I conducted a personal interview with Laura Albers on May 6, 2007. 5 Tom Strini. “All ears turn to new director of Baltimore Symphony,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Online, (July 24, 2005), <http://www.jsonline.com/> (accessed 12 May 2007). 6 Violin Virtuosos, Mary VanClay ed. (California: String Letter Publishing, 2000): 20. 3 Colorado native, Laura Albers, is the Associate Concertmaster of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra. She began studying Suzuki violin with her mother, Ellie LeRoux, at the age of two. Laura performed regularly with her parents and three siblings, and at the age of eight spent a month in Japan studying with Dr. Suzuki. From an early age, she loved the stage and soloed with many Denver-area orchestras. Laura received her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music and The Juilliard School, where she studied with Donald Weilerstein and Ronald Copes. In Cleveland she worked extensively with the Cavani Quartet and Peter Salaff in the Intensive Quartet Seminar and as an assistant music therapist in the Cleveland University Hospitals. Laura also spent time in Cuernavaca, Mexico playing viola in pianist Sergei Babyon’s festival. While attending Juilliard, Laura toured with the Astor String Quartet and the Wild Ginger Philharmonic, and taught Suzuki violin at the Diller-Quaile School of Music. During the summertime, Laura returned to the mountains for the Aspen Music Festival and the National Repertory Orchestra in Breckenridge. She and her sister, cellist Julie Albers, performed the Brahms Double Concerto with the NRO. They also recorded the Kodaly Duo together in Munich for the Bayerischer Rundfunk. More recently she has spent summers performing in Rhode Island’s Newport Music Festival and the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in Santa Cruz, California. Laura began her job at the San Francisco Opera the fall after she graduated from Juilliard. In addition to the opera, she is a member of the Albers Trio, a string trio with sisters Becca and Julie. In addition to the opera, Laura performs in the bay area with the Broderick Ensemble and the Empyrean Ensemble, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in New York City and Sarasota Opera in Florida. Laura volunteers for California Pacific Medical Center’s Soothing Sounds program, bringing music to patients, visitors and employees. She enjoys studying languages and creating culinary delights. Laura is an age group triathlete and spends most of her free time training. I conducted a personal interview with David Arben on May 10, 2007. 4 David Arben, associate concertmaster emeritus of the Philadelphia Orchestra, obtained his early musical education at the Chopin Academy of Music in his native Warsaw, Poland. He continued his studies at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria and the Geneva Conservatory of Music in Switzerland. He is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music where he studied with Efrem Zimbalist. Mr. Arben's solo career has taken him to many European countries, the far east, Mexico and South America, as well as the United States. His numerous solo appearances with orchestras includes those with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, the Orchestra de la Suisse Romand, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Chamber Orchestra, and others. He was heard as joint soloist with Henryk Szeryng in the Bach Double Concerto in Nice, France and also with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Mann Music Center. Mr. Arben has given many solo recitals, radio and television broadcasts, and chamber music performances, and has been acclaimed by the press as an artist of the highest calibur. I conducted a personal interview with Luis Biava on May 12, 2007. Luis Biava has been associated with The Philadelphia Orchestra since 1968, when he joined the ensemble as a member of the second violin section. He was first asked to act as a cover conductor in 1985, and has served as conductor in residence since 1994. He stepped down as principal second violin at the end of the 1999-2000 season, having played as a member of the Orchestra for more than three decades.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Gershwin, from Broadway to the Concert Hall SONGS
    Gershwin, from Broadway to the Concert Hall americaSONGS | RHAPSODY IN BLUE | CONCERTO IN F | SUMMERTIME . ! Volume 1 Volume 2 GEORGE GERSHWIN (1898-1937) ORCHESTRAL MUSIC PIANO SOLO 1 “I Got Rhythm” Variations for Piano and Orchestra (1934) 8’29 Original orchestration by George Gershwin Song Book (18 hit songs arranged by the composer) 2 4’05 1 The Man I Love. Slow and in singing style 2’25 Summertime George Gershwin, DuBose Heyward. From Porgy and Bess, 1935 2 I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise. Vigorously 0’44 3 ‘s Wonderful. Liltingly 1’00 3 Rhapsody in Blue (1924) 15’31 4 I Got Rhythm. Very marked 1’05 Original ‘jazz band’ version 5 Do It Again. Plaintively 1’38 © Warner Bros. Music Corporation 6 Clap Yo’Hands. Spirited (but sustained) 0’56 Lincoln Mayorga, piano (1-3) 7 Oh, Lady Be Good. Rather slow (with humour) 1’04 8 Fascinating Rhythm. With agitation 0’51 Harmonie Ensemble / New York, Steven Richman 9 Somebody Loves Me. In a moderate tempo 1’17 10 My One and Only. Lively (in strong rhythm) 0’51 11 That Certain Feeling. Ardently 1’36 Piano Concerto in F 12 Swanee. Spirited 0’38 4 I. Allegro 13’18 13 Sweet and Low Down. Slow (in a jazzy manner) 1’05 5 II. Adagio 12’32 14 Nobody But You. Capriciously 0’53 6 III. Allegro agitato 6’48 15 Strike Up the Band. In spirited march tempo 0’56 7 Cuban Overture 10’36 16 Who Cares? Rather slow 1’30 © WB Music Corp.
    [Show full text]
  • Select – 1Er Número – Museos
    EDITORIAL e BIENVENIDOS A UNA NUEVA EXPERIENCIA SELECT Con esta edición inauguramos mucho más que una revista: e aquí nace un lugar de encuentro que te brindará información Juan Carlos Chomali A. y oportunidades únicas, un espacio Country Head donde podrás vivir la experiencia Santander Uruguay de ser un cliente Select. Queremos que disfrutes cada una de nuestras entregas, elaboradas de forma exclusiva. Nos ilusiona ser capaces de sumar valor a tu vida. Veremos dónde convergen la genialidad arquitectónica, el arte, el mundo gourmet y todas aquellas cosas que mueven tus sentidos. Es un gran orgullo que seas nuestro cliente y cada día nos elijas. Tu preferencia nos inspira a seguir avanzando en brindarte el servicio que mereces. EDITORIAL e os expresiones con las que nos codeamos con frecuencia en estos tiempos vertigino- sos, como «el tiempo es el nuevo lujo» o «la vida está hechaD de momentos», nos recuerdan que es necesario hacer una pausa para reencontrarnos con lo que realmente disfrutamos, para llenarnos de más momentos que nos den felicidad. A partir de hoy, The Select Experience Magazine es una invitación a en- contrarnos con los placeres de la vida, a explorar y reconectarnos con nuestros cinco sentidos. Una invitación a llenarnos de vida, gracias a per- sonas, actividades, lugares y experiencias con alma. Será un lugar de encuentro bimestral, en el que proponemos diferentes opciones para que inviertan el tiempo en el arte del saber vivir. El recorrido de la revista se propone como un viaje por diferentes ter- renos: la moda, un estilo de vida saludable, el placer de viajar, la sen- e sibilidad por el arte, el dinamismo de la tecnología, el entretenimiento que nos emociona, los temas de actualidad y las tendencias, que nos permiten entender mejor el presente y el futuro, y las historias de vida de Cecilia Camors personajes fascinantes.
    [Show full text]
  • A Successful Season--So Far a P a PLACE for JAZZ O R
    A P A PLACE FOR JAZZ O R J Website: http://www.timesunion.com/communities/jazz/—Updated daily A Successful Season--so far by Tim Coakley The 2005 season is rolling Dan Levinson and his along, and so far the con- Summa cum Laude Or- certs have been as suc- chestra re-created some cessful as they have been Bud Freeman Chicago- Inside this issue: varied. In addition, we style classics with verve attracted reviewers from and precision. Dan played Metroland and the Times both clarinet and sax, and M and M’s 3 Union, as well as The Daily Randy Reinhart led the Gazette. Here's a brief run- way with some sparkling down of the series to date: Calendar 4-5 cornet. Features 9 & 11 Dynamic pianist Hilton Ruiz and his Quintet pro- vided a mixture of Latin Jazz Times 6-7 music and bebop that got some members of the audi- Who IS this youthful drum- ence mer? (see page 3 for his dancing. Drummer Sylvia identity) Cuenca captured every- one's attention with her percussionistic pyrotech- nics. John Bailey & Gregg August VOLUNTEER HELP with kids at HHAC WANTED Hilton also worked with (photo by Jody Shayne) student musicians at SCCC, and showed We need help: Hamilton Hill youngsters Labeling newsletters (1 hour every how different styles of jazz 3 months…can be done at home) Bassist Gregg August and his sextet challenged us piano sounded. Musician John Bailey shows his Writing music reviews horn to young people at HHAC with some original and pro- Working on a young people’s (photo by Jody Shayne) project at the Hamilton Hill Art vocative compositions, At press time, we were get- Center along with fiery solos by ting ready to enjoy the vo- Check out our update monthly saxophonists Myron Wal- cal stylings of Roseanna calendar.
    [Show full text]
  • Impex Records and Audio International Announce the Resurrection of an American Classic
    Impex Records and Audio International Announce the Resurrection of an American Classic “When Johnny Cash comes on the radio, no one changes the station. It’s a voice, a name with a soul that cuts across all boundaries and it’s a voice we all believe. Yours is a voice that speaks for the saints and the sinners – it’s like branch water for the soul. Long may you sing out. Loud.” – Tom Waits audio int‘l p. o. box 560 229 60407 frankfurt/m. germany www.audio-intl.com Catalog: IMP 6008 Format: 180-gram LP tel: 49-69-503570 mobile: 49-170-8565465 Available Spring 2011 fax: 49-69-504733 To order/preorder, please contact your favorite audiophile dealer. Jennifer Warnes, Famous Blue Raincoat. Shout-Cisco (three 200g 45rpm LPs). Joan Baez, In Concert. Vanguard-Cisco (180g LP). The 20th Anniversary reissue of Warnes’ stunning Now-iconic performances, recorded live at college renditions from the songbook of Leonard Cohen. concerts throughout 1961-62. The Cisco 45 rpm LPs define the state of the art in vinyl playback. Holly Cole, Temptation. Classic Records (LP). The distinctive Canadian songstress and her loyal Jennifer Warnes, The Hunter. combo in smoky, jazz-fired takes on the songs of Private-Cisco (200g LP). Tom Waits. Warnes’ post-Famous Blue Raincoat release that also showcases her own vivid songwriting talents in an Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Déjá Vu. exquisite performance and recording. Atlantic-Classic (200g LP). A classic: Great songs, great performances, Doc Watson, Home Again. Vanguard-Cisco great sound. The best country guitar-picker of his day plays folk ballads, bluegrass, and gospel classics.
    [Show full text]
  • View PDF Online
    MARLBORO MUSIC 60th AnniversAry reflections on MA rlboro Music 85316_Watkins.indd 1 6/24/11 12:45 PM 60th ANNIVERSARY 2011 MARLBORO MUSIC Richard Goode & Mitsuko Uchida, Artistic Directors 85316_Watkins.indd 2 6/23/11 10:24 AM 60th AnniversA ry 2011 MARLBORO MUSIC richard Goode & Mitsuko uchida, Artistic Directors 85316_Watkins.indd 3 6/23/11 9:48 AM On a VermOnt HilltOp, a Dream is BOrn Audience outside Dining Hall, 1950s. It was his dream to create a summer musical community where artists—the established and the aspiring— could come together, away from the pressures of their normal professional lives, to exchange ideas, explore iolinist Adolf Busch, who had a thriving music together, and share meals and life experiences as career in Europe as a soloist and chamber music a large musical family. Busch died the following year, Vartist, was one of the few non-Jewish musicians but Serkin, who served as Artistic Director and guiding who spoke out against Hitler. He had left his native spirit until his death in 1991, realized that dream and Germany for Switzerland in 1927, and later, with the created the standards, structure, and environment that outbreak of World War II, moved to the United States. remain his legacy. He eventually settled in Vermont where, together with his son-in-law Rudolf Serkin, his brother Herman Marlboro continues to thrive under the leadership Busch, and the great French flutist Marcel Moyse— of Mitsuko Uchida and Richard Goode, Co-Artistic and Moyse’s son Louis, and daughter-in-law Blanche— Directors for the last 12 years, remaining true to Busch founded the Marlboro Music School & Festival its core ideals while incorporating their fresh ideas in 1951.
    [Show full text]
  • Guarneri String Quartet
    Presents Guarneri String Quartet ARNOLD STEINHARDT, Violin MICHAEL TREE, Viola JOHN DALLEY, Violin DAVID SOYER, Cello SUNDAY AFTERNOON, OCTOBER 10, 1976, AT 2 :30 RACKHAM AUDITORIUM, ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN PROGRAM Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 127 BEETHOVEN Maestoso-Allegro Adagio, rna non troppo e rnolto cantabile Scherzando vivace Finale Quartet in D major, Op. 18, No.3 BEETHOVEN Allegro Andante con rnoto Allegro Presto INT ERM ISSION Quartet in E minor, Op. 59, No. 2 BEETHOVEN Allegro Molto adagio Allegretto Finale: presto This concert is the first program of the complete Beetho ven quartet cycle being performed by the GlIameri Quartet during this 1976-77 seaso n. RCA Red Seal R ecords Added Concert Complete Programs 4008 Ludwig van Beethoven (BORN D ECEMBER 16, 1770, I N BON N ; DIED MARCH 26 , 1827 , IN V IENNA) Quartet No. 12 in E-fiat major, Op. 127 The last five string quartets of Bee thoven-Opp. 127, 130, 131, 132, and 135, together with the Grosse Fuge, Op. 133 , are generally regarded not only as the compose r's supreme achievement in this or any other genre but as the grea test masterpieces ever written for four stringed instruments. Even today, with each new hea ring, this music reveals new wonders, while simultaneously con­ founding its interpreters with fresh challenges . "A fundamental difference of outlook separates the last quartets fr om those that preceded them," wrote J oseph de Marliave. " .. Impassioned they may be, these earlier quartets, but they are primarily obj ec tive, and the later works are stamped with a profound and undeniable subjectivity j the mind that fo rmed them is no w wholly independent of external things for its inspira ti on, de­ tached from outside interests and careless of traditional form j the last quartets are essentially the di rect expression of Beethoven's most intimate spirit, the channel of inspi ration flo wing from another sphere." Quartet No.
    [Show full text]
  • The Playlist!
    THE SOUNDS OF THE SEASON NOON, DECEMBER 24 - MIDNIGHT, DECEMBER 25, 2020 PRESENTED BY JAZZ 88.3 KSDS Number Name Artist Album Time Hour #01 NOON TO 1 PM DECEMBER 24 001 The Sounds of the Season - Open 0:45 002 ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas Chuck Niles 3:46 003 Jingle Bells Duke Ellington Jingle Bell Jazz (rec. 1962) 3:02 004 Frosty the Snowman Roy Hargrove & Christian McBride Jazz for Joy - A Verve Christmas Album (rec. 1996) 3:56 005 Sleigh Ride Ella Fitzgerald Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas! (rec. 1960) 2:59 006 Winter Wonderland The Ramsey Lewis Trio Sound of Christmas (rec. 1961) 2:08 007 O Tannenbaum Vince Guaraldi A Charlie Brown Christmas (rec. 1964) 5:09 008 Home for the Holidays Joe Pass Six-String Santa (rec. 1992) 4:00 009 The Sounds of the Season ID 0:45 010 Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Brynn Stanley Classic Christmas (rec. 2019) 3:44 011 Line for Santa Octobop West Coast Christmas (rec. 2012 4:07 012 White Christmas Booker Ervin Structurally Sound (rec. 1966) 4:28 013 Deck the Halls Gerry Beaudoin & The Boston Jazz Ensemble A Sentimental Christmas (rec. 1994) 2:39 014 I’ll Be Home for Christmas Tony Bennett The Tony Bennett Christmas Album 2:14 015 The Christmas Song Scott Hamilton Christmas Love Song (rec. 1997) 5:44 016 Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Ron Affif Christmas Songs (rec. 1992) 5:01 017 The Christmas Waltz Beegie Adair Trio Jazz Piano Christmas (rec. 1989) 2:42 HOUR #02 1 PM TO 2 PM DECEMBER 24 018 The Sounds of the Season ID 0:45 019 A Holly Jolly Christmas Straight No Chaser Social Christmasing (rel.
    [Show full text]
  • Honors Concerts 2015
    Honors Concerts 2015 Presented By The St. Louis Suburban Music Educators Association and Education Plus St. Louis Suburban Music Educators Association Affiliated With Education Plus Missouri Music Educators Association MENC - The National Association for Music Education www.slsmea.com EXECUTIVE BOARD – 2014-16 President 6th Grade Orchestra VP Jason Harris, Maplewood-Richmond Heights Twinda, Murry, Ladue President-Elect MS Vocal VP Aaron Lehde, Ladue Lora Pemberton, Rockwood Valerie Waterman, Rockwood Secretary/Treasurer James Waechter, Ladue HS Jazz VP Denny McFarland, Pattonville HS Band VP Vance Brakefield, Mehlville MS Jazz VP Michael Steep, Parkway HS Orchestra VP Michael Blackwood, Rockwood Elementary Vocal Katy Frasher, Orchard Farm HS Vocal VP Tim Arnold, Hazelwood MS Large Ensemble/Solo Ensemble Festival Director MS Band VP David Meador, St. Louis Adam Hall, Pattonville MS Orchestra VP Tiffany Morris-Simon, Hazelwood Order a recording of today’s concert in the lobby of the auditorium or Online at www.shhhaudioproductions.com St. Louis Suburban 7th and 8th Grade Treble Honor Choir Emily Edgington Andrews, Conductor John Gross, Accompanist January 10, 2015 Rockwood Summit High School 3:00 P.M. PROGRAM Metsa Telegramm …………………………………………………. Uno Naissoo She Sings ………………………………………………………….. Amy Bernon O, Colored Earth ………………………………………………….. Steve Heitzig Dream Keeper ………………………………………………….. Andrea Ramsey Stand Together …………………………………………………….. Jim Papoulis A BOUT T HE C ONDUCTOR An advocate for quality musical arts in the community, Emily Edgington Andrews is extremely active in Columbia, working with children and adults at every level of their musical development. She is the Fine Arts Department Chair and vocal music teacher at Columbia Independent School, a college preparatory campus. Passionate about exposing students to quality choral music education, she has received recognition for her work in the classroom over the years, most recently having been awarded the Charles J.
    [Show full text]
  • Ambassador Auditorium Collection ARS.0043
    http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt3q2nf194 No online items Guide to the Ambassador Auditorium Collection ARS.0043 Finding aid prepared by Frank Ferko and Anna Hunt Graves This collection has been processed under the auspices of the Council on Library and Information Resources with generous financial support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Archive of Recorded Sound Braun Music Center 541 Lasuen Mall Stanford University Stanford, California, 94305-3076 650-723-9312 [email protected] 2011 Guide to the Ambassador Auditorium ARS.0043 1 Collection ARS.0043 Title: Ambassador Auditorium Collection Identifier/Call Number: ARS.0043 Repository: Archive of Recorded Sound, Stanford University Libraries Stanford, California 94305-3076 Physical Description: 636containers of various sizes with multiple types of print materials, photographic materials, audio and video materials, realia, posters and original art work (682.05 linear feet). Date (inclusive): 1974-1995 Abstract: The Ambassador Auditorium Collection contains the files of the various organizational departments of the Ambassador Auditorium as well as audio and video recordings. The materials cover the entire time period of April 1974 through May 1995 when the Ambassador Auditorium was fully operational as an internationally recognized concert venue. The materials in this collection cover all aspects of concert production and presentation, including documentation of the concert artists and repertoire as well as many business documents, advertising, promotion and marketing files, correspondence, inter-office memos and negotiations with booking agents. The materials are widely varied and include concert program booklets, audio and video recordings, concert season planning materials, artist publicity materials, individual event files, posters, photographs, scrapbooks and original artwork used for publicity.
    [Show full text]
  • GERSHWIN by GROFÉ Symphonic Jazz Original Orchestrations & Grofé/Whiteman Orchestra Arrangements
    NB: Since the cd booklet program notes are abridged, we have provided the complete notes with more detailed information below: GERSHWIN by GROFÉ Symphonic Jazz Original Orchestrations & Grofé/Whiteman Orchestra Arrangements STEVEN RICHMAN, conductor Lincoln Mayorga, piano Al Gallodoro, alto sax, clarinet, bass clarinet Harmonie Ensemble/New York Harmonia Mundi CD 907492 Program Notes During the 1920s, there existed a symbiotic relationship between George Gershwin, Paul Whiteman, and Ferde Grofé that was both fascinating and fruitful. This remarkable trio had had some association during the 1922 edition of the George White Scandals, for which Gershwin composed the score, with lyrics by Buddy DeSylva and, in the case of the hit song, “I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise,” George’s brother Ira as well (as Arthur Francis). But their only other collaboration, and the one upon which a significant chapter of American music turned, occurred during the creation of the Rhapsody in Blue for the historic concert at Aeolian Hall in New York City on February 12, 1924, which Whiteman called “An Experiment in Modern American Music.” Each of the three made a significant contribution to the birthing of this landmark piece which epitomized, and indeed was the arguably the finest example of, the genre of music known as “symphonic jazz.” For nearly ten years, Whiteman, who had been classically trained, and formerly a violinist in the San Francisco Symphony, had contemplated the amalgamation of classical music and jazz. Beginning with the organization of his hotel bands in California in 1918, he began to experiment with this concept, which he termed “symphonic jazz.” By the fall of 1920 he had come east, and the nine-piece band that he had assembled quickly took New York by storm.
    [Show full text]
  • THE SHANGHAI QUARTET Quartet-In-Residence
    University of Richmond UR Scholarship Repository Music Department Concert Programs Music 3-30-1994 The hS anghai Quartet Department of Music, University of Richmond Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.richmond.edu/all-music-programs Part of the Music Performance Commons Recommended Citation Department of Music, University of Richmond, "The hS anghai Quartet" (1994). Music Department Concert Programs. 897. https://scholarship.richmond.edu/all-music-programs/897 This Program is brought to you for free and open access by the Music at UR Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Music Department Concert Programs by an authorized administrator of UR Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. UNNERSITY OF RICHMOND DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC CONCERT SERIES THE SHANGHAI QUARTET Quartet-in-Residence Weigang Li, violin Honggang Li, violin Zheng Wang, viola Jrunes Wilson, cello March 30, 1994, 8:15 PM Cannon Memorial Chapel Since its New York debut at Town Hall in the spring of 1987, the Shanghai String Quartet has been hailed by the press and the public . alike as one 9f the leading quartets of its generation. It now performs annuallyto exceptional critical acclaim in major music centers throughout the United States and abroad.· Shortly after the Quartet was formed at the Shanghai Conservatory in 1983, it won a top prize at the Portsmouth International Quartet Competition. In 1987 the ensemble won the prestigious Chicago Discovery Competition and embarked on an extensive touring career. It has been Ensemble-in-Residence at the Tanglewood and Ravinia Festivals and has appeared on three occasions at Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival.
    [Show full text]
  • GULDEN-DISSERTATION-2021.Pdf (2.359Mb)
    A Stage Full of Trees and Sky: Analyzing Representations of Nature on the New York Stage, 1905 – 2012 by Leslie S. Gulden, M.F.A. A Dissertation In Fine Arts Major in Theatre, Minor in English Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Texas Tech University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Approved Dr. Dorothy Chansky Chair of Committee Dr. Sarah Johnson Andrea Bilkey Dr. Jorgelina Orfila Dr. Michael Borshuk Mark Sheridan Dean of the Graduate School May, 2021 Copyright 2021, Leslie S. Gulden Texas Tech University, Leslie S. Gulden, May 2021 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I owe a debt of gratitude to my Dissertation Committee Chair and mentor, Dr. Dorothy Chansky, whose encouragement, guidance, and support has been invaluable. I would also like to thank all my Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. Sarah Johnson, Andrea Bilkey, Dr. Jorgelina Orfila, and Dr. Michael Borshuk. This dissertation would not have been possible without the cheerleading and assistance of my colleague at York College of PA, Kim Fahle Peck, who served as an early draft reader and advisor. I wish to acknowledge the love and support of my partner, Wesley Hannon, who encouraged me at every step in the process. I would like to dedicate this dissertation in loving memory of my mother, Evelyn Novinger Gulden, whose last Christmas gift to me of a massive dictionary has been a constant reminder that she helped me start this journey and was my angel at every step along the way. Texas Tech University, Leslie S. Gulden, May 2021 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS………………………………………………………………ii ABSTRACT …………………………………………………………..………………...iv LIST OF FIGURES……………………………………………………………………..v I.
    [Show full text]