MAY 2019 • VOLUME XXXVI #2 MandoLincoln: the 2019 CMSA Convention in Normal, Illinois By Sarah Curtis host committee co-chair After a long hard Midwestern winter, we are finally beer list. The Normal Theater, connected to the emerging into springtime. It won’t be long until Marriott, is a restored art-deco theater that shows October when friends from far and wide will gather independent films, documentaries, and classic for the 2019 CMSA Convention. Orpheus Mandolin films. If you have kids in tow, the Children’s Dis- Orchestra is ready to host a fantastic convention on covery Museum is three stories of hands-on fun. October 9-13. Why are we so excited to bring the convention to Normal? Because we’re pretty sure you’ve never been this close to Normal! (We get this joke a lot. A LOT.) Uptown Normal has everything you will need within a few walkable blocks. The Marriott is sur- rounded by shopping, dining and entertainment. The Normal Theater To stock your hotel room with basic groceries and sundries, CVS is a few steps away. Jesse’s Grille We are located in Central Illinois along Interstates restaurant is located in the Marriott. Around the 55, 74, and 39. Only 2 hours from Chicago and St. corner, Medici offers dining, domestic microbrews, Louis. The Marriot has a special CMSA group rate an outdoor patio, and a 30-foot Mulberry tree in the of $129 per night for convention attendees arriving atrium. For vegetarian and vegan options and all- from 10/6/2019 and departing 10/13/2019. Onsite day breakfast, try The Coffeehouse. And speaking parking (normally $10 per day) is complimentary of coffee, you can grab it in the lobby café, there’s a for those booking online. Travel tips and the Mar- Starbucks across the street, and the locally-owned riott booking link are on the CMSA website. favorite The Coffee Hound is just around the cor- ner. The convention will be a great time to connect with friends, explore workshops, chat with vendors, and There is a lot of fast dining: Middle Eastern at get to know our 2019 guest artists. The Rock, Chicago-style hot dogs at Windy City Wieners, calzones at D.P. Dough, Irish pub food at CMSA is pleased to announce those guest artists: Maggie Miley’s. Uptown Normal is adjacent to Il- mandolinist Sebastiaan De Grebber and guitarist linois State University, and as with most college Naeim Rahmani. towns, there are number of student bars with cheap (continued on page 4) beer and burgers. For a more “mature” vibe, Stave Wine Bar has a carefully curated wine and craft 2 MANDOLIN JOURNAL CMSA EDITOR’S NOTE Greetings, OFFICERS Sue Lesser - Co-President ‘20 Thanks to everyone who contributed to this issue Susan McLaughlin - Co-President ‘20 of the Mandolin Journal. Tarisa Tognetti - Treasurer ‘20 Joane Rylander - Secretary ‘20 Lots of interesting news from CMSA in this issue BOARD OF DIRECTORS - grants, scholarships, convention videos, and a Nancy King ‘19 Nora Morgenstern ‘21 preview of the upcoming convention in Illinois. Dave Cohen ‘19 Fred Pike ‘21 Robert Margo ‘20 Jim Bates ‘21 If you would like to share news about your Michael Tognetti ‘20 mandolin orchestra, please send articles and photos to me for the Orchestra News column. MANDOLIN JOURNAL Jackie Zito - Editor The deadline for the next issue of the Robert Margo - Review Editor Mandolin Journal is July 1st. Please email WEBMASTER submissions to me at Joane Rylander [email protected] HONORARY BOARD OF DIRECTORS Jackie Zito Carlo Aonzo Keith Harris Caterina Lichtenberg Ken Tanioka Michael Troester Gertrud Weyhofen CONTENTS PAST PRESIDENTS 1 2019 CONVENTION Norman Levine (1987-1989) founder CMSA Antonina Nigrelli (1990-1996) 3 PRESIDENTS MESSAGE Michael Schroeder (1997-2002) Bruce Graybill (2003-2007) 6 ORCHESTRA NEWS Lou Chouinard (2008-2014) 6 CMSA STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS The Mandolin Journal is published quarterly (February, 8 CMSA GRANT PROGRAM May, August, November) and sent as part of membership in the CMSA. Individual and household memberships are available. Individual: $35; Household membership: $35 10 CMSA 2018 WORKSHOP, MIGNANO-CRAWFORD plus $10 for each additional membership in a household. Orchestra subscriptions are accepted only for foreign 11 IN MEMORIUM: YVETTE COTE orchestras. Dues should be sent to CMSA, 3925 30th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55406-3108. 14 ANOTHER VIDEO PROJECT IN THE CAN Advertisement Rates: $60 per full page, $30 per half page, $17.50 per quarter page. Ads should be grayscale/black & 15 REVIEW: ROBIN BULLOCK white and in pdf or jpeg format. Please email ads to the editor at [email protected]. Send payment to CMSA, 3925 30th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55406-3108. 15 RESERVATIONS FOR MARRIOTT BLOOMINGTON Back Issues of the CMSA Newsletter of last year are available 16 SOMETHING HAPPENED AT HUNGRY MONK for $3.00 each. As long as copies last, our introductory issue of 1986 is $1.00 each. We invite suggestions and written 18 SHORT REVIEWS, VOL. 10 contributions to the Newsletter please email them to [email protected]. 20 DESERT ISLAND DISCS, VOL. 4 All material (items, notes, editorials and advertising) must be submitted by the deadline stated within the Newsletter. 21 2018 CONVENTION, FINANACIAL RECAP Items not received by the deadline will appear in subsequent issues. www.classicalmandolinsociety.org©2005 MAY 2019 3 PRESIDENTS MESSAGE By the time you receive this issue of the MJ, some of opening of the convention. The purpose of this class is you may be wrapping up another musical season. to extend the ‘care and feeding of mandolin orchestras’ Performance opportunities seem to be plentiful in the through honing the conducting skills of the many early spring, then drop off. While it’s nice to have some down time, most of us will quickly start looking forward Contractamateur musicnegotiations directors are (or moving their alongstand-ins!) swiftly in and CMSA. musical activity already planned for the summer? If so, smoothly for the 2020 Convention, and the formal to our next ‘fix’ of music! Do you have an interesting announcement will be made in Bloomington. Asplease many don’t of you be shyknow, about this sharing year’s annual it with gathering us! of There are still two key areas of CMSA activity where we CMSA members will be held in Bloomington, Illinois. could use some volunteers: Grants & Scholarships and Martha Tyner, Sara Curtis and Bruce Bergathon, all the Education Committee. seasoned veterans at managing large events, are co- chairing the Host Committee. This is shaping up to be a The Technology Committee, headed by Michael very unique convention experience, with many special Tognetti, has sorted out the issue of data storage, and touches that only a smaller center, such as Bloomington, being available through the website. For example, weover exchange the coming newsletters months you’ll with thefind British more material Mandolin Marthacould offer! & Sarah have contributed an article that will & Guitar Federation, so you will have access to those go into greater detail about this year’s convention newsletters from your account on the CMSA website. In activities. Needless to say, we are thrilled to have the meantime, take a moment to check out the recently Guitar and mandolin are natural partners, and this browse the music available for your ensembles, or use particularSebastiaan convention de Grebber will as our have headliner an increased on mandolin! focus theposted directories videos of to Santa contact Rosa’s other Open members Mic performances, or teachers on guitar, so please pass this information on to the in your area. Our thanks to Bob Margo for updating the web listing of active orchestras & ensembles. The rising star in the guitar world, will be giving a pre- Mandolin Journal continues to expand with great conventionplayers in your Masterclass home orchestra! in addition Naeim to his Rahmani, other duties. a articles, and between issues, we’ve been testing the waters by sending out occasional e-newsletters. We to be an accomplished guitar player. And we hope to includeOur Composer-in-Residence, an evening performance Rob from Lunn, some also ofhappens the guitar students at Illinois State University. hope you find value in this information. or performances you would like to highlight in our One new activity we want you to know about is a pre- Let us know if you have news about your group, with music, and we look forward to seeing you in newsletters or Journal. Have a fantastic summer, filed isconvention limited to Masterclass 15 participants, on Conducting, and will take given place by on Dr. the Jim TuesdayBates. This evening masterclass, and Wednesday which may morning be a ‘first’ prior for to CMSA, the SusanOctober! & Sue CMSA WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS Annette Young - Sparrows Point, MD Jim Williams - Denver, CO Tiffany Senkow - Falcon Heights, MN David Perkins - Asheville, NC Raul Enrique Palomo Ochoa - Toronto ON, CA Lauri Kloepfer - Durango, CO Michelle Mancia - Normal, IL Holly J. Gregory - Montclair, NJ John Fitzgerald - Woodside, NY Bruce Bergethon - Bloomington, IL Ann H. Wilson - Flowood, MS William “Ed”ward Davis - Stockbridge GA 4 MANDOLIN JOURNAL (continued from page 1) At the age of eight, Sebas- Naeim has performed throughout the US and tiaan de Grebber started internationally. He enjoys bringing his music to to play the mandolin in small community or arthouse spaces where he can his hometown of Zwolle interact with the audience. His performance ven- (The Netherlands). He at- ues have included everything from private homes tended the Conservatory and community churches, to a renovated industrial at the Constantijn Huy- space in Oaxaca, Mexico, ancient churches along gens College of the Arts the Camino Santiago in Spain, and arthouses in to study music education Berlin.