CSO photo page updated

Also updated is the Photo page for CSO.
Includes back stage look at Bailey Hall and fixed the problem with photos from March 11. If you have photos for the website send them on to me.

CCO photo pages update

Here is a link to the updated CCO photo page. Includes pictures from the March 5 and April 15 concert. If you have pictures from the John Cleese you'd like to submit for the website, please send them to me.

notes for Mahler from Bob

Here are Program notes for the Mahler for the May 7th concert by orchestra percussionist and Symphony Board president Bob Whalen.
Mahler was recognized as an extraordinary talent at the piano upon entering the Vienna Conservatory when he was fifteen. He was given influential positions as a conductor in his adult life, and gained the support of fellow composers, including Arnold Schönberg, who proclaimed Mahler a saint. Yet his symphonies rarely won wide favor with critics or audiences until well after his death – first, with Bruno Walter and Dmitri Mitropoulos, and later with Leonard Bernstein. Today, Mahler’s symphonies are staples in the orchestral repertoire and are heard in performance all over the world.
A trademark of Mahler's symphonic style is the use of quotation, mostly of Mahler's own songs. Yet none of his ten (or eleven, if you count Das Lied von der Erde) relies on quotation as much as his First Symphony. The “Titan,” as Mahler’s First Symphony is popularly known, opened to cool audiences and disparaging critics on November 20th, 1889 as a five-movement symphonic poem. The attacks from critics came in large part in response to his revolutionary orchestrations. The concept of using a “vulgar town band” playing klezmer-style music in turn-of-the-century Berlin drew many appalled reviews, souring what might otherwise have been a triumphant premiere.
Lost on the audience accustomed to Romantic extroversion were the ironies pervading the work, resulting from the use of pervasive quotation. His quotations begin in the first movement of the First Symphony, drawing from his song cycle Lieder eines fahrenden Gessellen (Songs of a Wayfarer). Another song from his Lieder und Gesänge provides the basis for the second movement. Originally titled Maitanz im Grünen, the second movement owes a substantial amount to Hans und Grethe.
The third movement, infamous at its time for the parody of “Brüder Martin” (Frère Jacques) and for the use of klezmer-style interpolations with the instruction to play Mit Parodie (Parodically), is yet another field in which Mahler sows tunes from Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen. In this movement, Mahler quotes material from the final song from his cycle, Die zwei blauen Augen von meinem Schatz.
The final case of Mahler’s self-quotation in the First Symphony is from his song, Hochzeitsstück. However, he also references, And He Shall Reign Forever and Ever from the Hallelujah Chorus of Handel's Messiah. The Messiah quotation, though not taken from Mahler's own output, is significant because it is a major-mode version of the minor descending melodic fourths statement in the woodwinds that begins the symphony, lending a cyclical structural unity to the work.

violin search schedule

In the next few weeks we will be conducting a violin professor search for 2006-2007 academic year.
There are three final candidates and here is the audition schedule. I encourage all string players to attend as many sessions as you can.

Sunday April 30, in ROOM B21:
1:30 pm mini-recital and masterclass by Benjamin Sung (all auditions, 90 minutes max)

Monday, May 8th in ROOM B-20:
12 noon, mini-recital and masterclass by Shem Guibbory.
5 p.m., mini-recital and masterclass by Stephen Miahky.

Thanks to Miri Yampolsky and Alvin Lee for agreeing to play the Beethoven C Minor
sonata in the masterclasses.

Music of Remembrance

A worthy organization in the Seattle area exploring music of the persecuted and also commissioning new music.
Music of Remembrance is a Seattle-based nonprofit organization dedicated to remembering Holocaust musicians and their art through musical performances, educational activities, musical recordings, and commissions of new works.

Former visiting professor of music Yehudi Wyner wins Pulitzer

So last year was Steven Stucky winning the Pulitzer with his Second Concerto and this year it is Yehudi Wyner a former visiting lecturer winning the Pulitzer for his piano concerto "Chiavi in mano," a piece commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) and premiered by soloist Robert Levin and the BSO in February 2005. Here are a couple more links

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5347962

Another John Cleese picture on Cornell Chronicle

Here is a link to the April 20 the edition of the Cornell Chronicle. It features on the front page a very nice picture of John Cleese during the dress rehearsal in State theater on the 15th of April narrating Peter and the Wolf. Picture is by Robert Barker who has photographed many musical events for us in the past.

Terezin Article

Here is an amazing article about life in Terezin.
"They were really the next generation of leading figures in classical music...," says Mark Ludwig, who runs the Terezin Chamber Music Foundation in Boston, which ensures that the works from the camp are still performed. "And they disappear off the face of the Earth."

Week of full concerts in Ithaca

Here are some concerts in our area.

Tuesday 4/25 8 pm in Barnes Hall
Student Chamber Music Recital. [Support your fellow musicians]

Wenesday 4/26 - Saturday various venues
15TH ANNUAL JAZZ FESTIVAL; Paul Merrill, director. Concert I: Bissett and Trommer Jazz Combos

Wednesday 4/26 - 8 pm State Theatre
Cornell Concert Series: Roby Lakatos Ensemble. Features Hungarian classical/gypsy/jazz violin with piano, guitar, bass, and cimbalom. Admission: General $28, 23, 18; Students $18, 15, 12.

Thursday 4/27 815 pm Ford Hall
ITHACA WIND ENSEMBLE 27th APRIL 2006
Conductor Timothy Reynish
Secret Rites (Japan) Akira Miyoshi
Reflections on a 16th Century Tune (UK) Richard Rodney Bennett
Conductor Andrew Krus
L’Homme Armé: Variations (New Zealand) Christopher Marshall
intermission
Conductor Timothy Reynish
Resonance (New Zealand)World Premiere Christopher Marshall
Dances from Crete (UK) Adam Gorb
Marsch (Luxembourg) Marcel Wengler

Time: 8:15 pm
Venue: Ford Hall, Ithaca
Both 'L'homme armé: Variations for Wind Ensemble' and 'Resoncance' were
commissioned by Timothy and Hilary Reynish in memory of their son
William.

Some sound advice

This is from a youth orchestra hand book on;

How To Get The Most From Your CYSO Experience
Come to rehearsals prepared physically and mentally.
You will gain the most from CYSO if prior to rehearsals you;
Have had enough rest
Have eaten properly
Have studied your parts with your teacher
Have practiced your assignments between rehearsals
Use practice time efficiently.
Maximize the effect of your practice with good habits;
Schedule a time during the day when your are not pressured to do other tasks, like homework
Work with your teacher to highlight areas that you need to concentrate on
Be consistent in your practice time. How long you practice is as important as what you practice.
Be focused
Set goals and keep notes on your progress
Use a metronome
Be open to the music at rehearsal.
Come to rehearsal to ‘experience’ the music not just play the notes;
Listen to how your part relates and fits to the other sections
Play as a member of your section and a member of the whole ensemble
Learn what the music is about and what the composer is saying
Think about how the music make you feel and why

Do you use these important techniques?
These techniques are just as important to a beginner as they are to a professional;
Breathe, especially before each phase and allow the music to flow from you
Sing the music to hear exactly how it sounds, before playing it. With your instrument duplicate
what you hear in your mind.
Subdivide the beats and keep the beat even and accurate
Watch the conductor, your section leader and concertmaster. Be aware of cues that give you
dynamics, vibrato, bow speed and placement. Cues are essential to each entrance, tempo change,
accents, and cutoff!
Listen to where you are in the ensemble. Balance your part in the ensemble and your intonation
Sustain your sound in intensity, intonation and quality. This is a skill that takes work to develop,
but one that distinguishes great players. No other player or section can carry your part. You
must commit to follow through.
Feel the music. The ultimate goal of music is the expression of the music through you and your
instrument. Tell the story of the music, your feelings about the music, and share that feeling with
your audience

The Gospel of New Music, According to the Violinist Midori

"It excites me that I live in the same world as these composers," she said. "We're breathing the same air. The things I'm experiencing are things they're expressing through their music." - Midori
Excellent article about what Midori has been doing lately to promote new music.

Watch out for the lightning conductor

Young conductor signed for City of Gothenburg orchestra.
A new Simon Rattle?

Soloist's violin mishap upstages CSO concert

Joshua Bell breaks his violin while performin Tchaikovsky but recovers to finish his performance.

Airline played instrumental role in orchestral woes

Here is a story about how a group of high school students traveling on Northwest had a disaster with their instruments.
Yikes!

poster design for May 7th concert

Here is the poster design for May 7th concert. The concert will feature the combined forces of Cornell Symphony Orchestra, members of Cornell Chamber Orchestra, the Cornell Chorus and the Glee Club.

summer orchestral position

Are you looking to improve your playing over the summer?
Check this out.

The College Light Opera Company (CLOC) of Falmouth, Cape Cod,
Massachusetts, is accepting applications for college and graduate
student STRING PLAYERS (especially double bass), FLUTISTS,
CLARINETISTS, and HORN players for the orchestra pit for the Summer
2006 seasons. Shows to include: HMS Pinafore, Robert & Elizabeth,
Oklahoma!, Jane Eyre, Mikado, Wonderful Town, The New Moon, Call Me
Madam, and The Pajama Game. Position is paid, and includes 3
meals/day and room on Cape Cod. Schedule is as follows-

SUMMER ORCHESTRAL POSITION

I am returning this summer for my second season at CLOC as associate
conductor, and can personally speak volumes for the educational value of
this program for orchestra players, as well as to the high level of
professionalism the company holds itself to every summer.

The way it's set up is this: it's a 501(c) non-profit, educational
theater program, so it is not involved with equity or unions at all. it
is simply a summer stock theater company in cape cod, in their 38th season i
think this summer.

Orchestra players are paid a "scholarship" (ie an "endowed chair" from
specific donors, modeled after professional orchestras) usually around
$1000 or more, depending on duties and positions (ie concertmasters get
extra, orchestra managers/librarians as well).

They rehearse every day of the week from 10-12:30, then have afternoons
off while they play a performance every night from 7:30 until usually
10:30 or 11. they have sundays off, and get free room and board. they get to
work under some very good college directors (band, choral, orchestral,
accompanists, opera conductors, everything) as well as learn lots of good
rep, and experience the reality of playing in pits every night, while
rehearsing all day. it is not a lucrative summer job by any means, but
provides free room and board, is in cape cod, and if you enjoy playing in
pits, it is a dream job.

Anyways, thought i'd throw in my two cents and info on the place. a lot
of orchestral players are returning again for this summer, some after 3 or
4 years. but it is not for everyone. i personally hope to continue going
there as many summers as possible!

Hope this helps,

Dave Moschler

Rocky Ridge Music Center

And here is a post about a program in Colorado.

For those of you with youth orchestras or students, Rocky Ridge Music
Center in gorgeous Estes Park, Colorado still has some openings for
summer camp. In particular there are openings on French Horn,
Trumpet, Trombone and Bassoon. There's a strong chamber music focus
(daily), as well as 2 lessons per week and orchestra.

I hope that you will encourage your students to check it out at:

http://www.rockyridge.org/programs.htm

Thank you!

Cynthia Katsarelis, Music Director
Youth Orchestra of the Rockies
Fort Collins, Colorado
Phone: (970) 310-7998
E-mail: yor@fortnet.org
Website: http://www.fortnet.org/yor

Orchestra Conductor
Rocky Ridge Music Center

Summer orchestra opportunity in Boston

Hi everyone,
Here is a request from a conductor in Boston.

If you are in Boston for the summer there is an opportunity to perform in Sanders Theater in Cambridge.

Notice of Open Orchestra Auditions

The Harvard Summer School Orchestra is pleased to announce its 21st season under music director,
Judith Zuckerman.
Orchestral musicians of all ages are invited to audition.
(A Harvard affiliation is NOT required).

Auditions for the Harvard Summer School Orchestra will be held on a
first-come, first-served, walk-in basis (no appointments)
Tuesday-Thursday, June 27-29, 2006
5-9 pm (location TBA)

To audition, you will need to do a little sight-reading and play one prepared piece (this can be
anything you love to play
and feel you play very well without accompaniment).

The whole audition will last no more than eight minutes.
If your chosen prepared piece is long, please select a short section or sections
that you feel best display your musicianship.
It is not necessary to memorize your audition piece.

Regular rehearsals are Mondays, 6:30-9 pm, July 3-August 7-- Dress rehearsal on Wednesday, August
10. The performance will take place on Saturday, August 12. The call rehearsal will begin at
6:30 PM. All rehearsals and the performance will be held in Harvard’s famed Sanders Theater.

The performance will begin at 8 PM and is free and open to the public.
A ticket is required for admission—tickets may be obtained in advance from the Sanders Theater box
office or at the door the on night of the concert.

Concert dress for the orchestra will be as follows:
WOMEN--Black skirt or slacks, black shoes, white blouse.
MEN--Black suit, black shoes, white shirt, tie.

For more information, please contact Judy Zuckerman at judyzuckerman@yahoo.com
[Posted 4/18/06]

Daily Sun review of CCO concert on 4/15

Here is a nice article on the Daily Sun about the CCO concert on Saturday, April 15, featuring Nicholas Walker, Bass and John Cleese, narrator and some nice pictures from Theresa, a cellist in CCO.

Must read NYtimes article on Rostropovich

A very moving article; I especially like the following quotes in the article;
"He was the most important man in my life, after my father," Mr. Rostropovich said. "Sometimes when I'm conducting, I see his face coming to me. Sometimes it's not really a happy face — I conduct maybe a bit too slow, so I conduct faster, and the face disappears."

Also
"When he played the concerto for me in St. Petersburg, I was so impressed," Mr. Rostropovich said, "and he told me: 'Slava, do you really like this composition, or not so much like it? Because if you tell me you like, then I dedicate to you this composition.' I was in so deep shock.

"After that I so loved him, I learned it by memory in four days. I then came with my pianist to Shostakovich and said, 'I would like to play your concerto for you.' He tells me, 'Slava, one second, I give you some music stands.' I tell him, 'Not needed, my friend.' It was the most fantastic moment in my life."

And
"Extremes are absolutely needed for Shostakovich," Mr. Rostropovich said. "He once told me something that I tell to all orchestras when I am rehearsing. 'Slava,' he said, 'if I want to insult some musician, I tell him, "You are not a real musician, you are just a mezzo-fortiste." ' "

I love that!

more violins

violins

violas

cellos and basses

Right before the start of the dress rehearsal, I got camera happy. Here is the Cello and bass section.

Our graduating senior

Stephen Palmer pictured here is a senior. Thus the concert with John Cleese and Nicholas Walker was his last with the orchestra at Cornell. We shall miss him terribly.

Thank you Graeme

In the picture Graeme Bailey is giving Nicholas Walker feedback about sound levels. Graeme was not only our narrator for the March 5th concert that featured Peter and the Wolf, he was invaluable in giving feedback to the soloists and helped with the tricky matter of amplifying both a bass soloist and a narrator.

Dress rehearsal at State theater

Here are some photos from our dress rehearsal at the State theater on April 15.
The concert was a sold out event. 1624 tickets were all taken. It was great to play for such a large and appreciative audience. Here our soloist, Nicholas Walker, is checking the sound level before the dress rehearsal.

Bob Whalen being coached by H. Bob Reynolds

Here is Bob Whalen, a percussionist in the CSO getting a conducting lesson from H. Bob Reynolds on April 8. He is being coached on Dvorak's Wind Serenade. There were masterclasses taught various members of Detroit Chamber winds ranging from conducting to trombone masterclass.

masterclass with H. Bob Reynolds

Here is a photo of the participants of the Masterclass with H. Bob Reynolds when the Detroit Chamber Winds gave a concert on April 8 in Statler Auditorium.

John Cleese on campus

We had a wonderful rehearsal with John Cleese yesterday afternoon with the Chamber Orchestra.
He was so easy to work with. Here is an article from the Daily Sun about his dinner at the Becker House after our rehearsal.
The concert at April 15 featuring John Cleese as narrator for Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf and also Nicholas Walker with his bass concerto is completely sold out. All 1624 seats are taken at the State Theater.
There are no more tickets.

letter from David Schober

Article for Cornell Orchestra newsletter
2006.4.11
It dawned on me as I glanced through a program from a recent concert given by the Cornell Orchestra: Biology, Communications, Pre-Veterinary, Hotel Management. All of these musicians are majoring in something else, I realized. I knew that Cornell has no undergraduate music major, but I was still struck by the contrast to the conservatories and big-university music schools where I studied. I am extremely fond of my students at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College in New York, who truly come from every corner of the globe and every walk of life. However, few of them are pursuing music as a secondary interest on their way to, say, a degree in physics.

The Orchestra’s music director, Chris Kim, programmed a movement of Split Horizon, my concerto for six soloists and orchestra, for the October concert. The piece is a reflection upon nature, boundaries, and oppositions. I came across a 18th-century wallscroll in Cornell’s Johnson Art Museum (Shen Yinghui’s “Landscape in the Style of Wang Meng”) that perfectly illustrates the split-perspective Chinese painting that is one source of the title; a volume of poetry by Thomas Lux entitled Split Horizon is the other. The piece was originally written for eighth blackbird, a young professional sextet, the members of which were classmates of mine at Oberlin. The intrepid Cornell soloists are the only other sextet so far to have performed the concerto. Chris and I have been friends ever since our grad school days at Michigan, and he made a point of bringing me to Ithaca two weeks before the concert to work with the soloists and, in effect, build a new collaborative relationship with them.

For me, as both a performer and a composer, music-making has always been about these relationships. By the weekend of the concert, the soloists’ parts were seasoned and secure, and I felt like I was returning to old colleagues. Chris’s conducting assistant, Sean Shepherd, who is fine composer himself, deftly led the full Cornell Orchestra in rehearsals and performance of the concerto.

I am tremendously grateful to the soloists, to Chris and Sean, and to the entire Cornell Orchestra for bringing this music to life.

Music for the people

Here is a link to the story of William Harvey. An inspiring example of what we can do as musicians to make this world a better place to live through music.
Check out his website.
http://www.musicforthepeople.org/

High Schoolers Learn About Campus Life at Cornell Days

Here is a Cornell Daily Sun article about Cornell Days. Many perspective students who have been accepted to Cornell will be visiting Cornell until April 17. For perspective students who would like to speak to me, I can be reached via email or my office phone is 255-8614.

I invite perpective students to visit our two websites;
Symphony Orchestra [85 members]
http://www.arts.cornell.edu/orchestra
Chamber Orchestra [35 members]
http://www.arts.cornell.edu/orchestra/ccohome.htm

Currently the orchestras are working on the following pieces;
Gustave Mahler Symphony No. 1
Sergei Prokofiev Peter and the Wolf
Nicholas Walker pop bass concerto

Lost youth becomes seed for Kurdish dream

Here is an article about one man's efforts to bring music to Kurdish Youth.

San Francisco Conservatory of Music gets ready to make its move

San Francisco Conservatory gets a new $80 million facility.
Story after the jump.

Who’s Filling In For James Levine?

Here is a list of five conductors who are filling in at the MET for the injured James Levine.

Rostropovich Says He Will No Longer Perform on the Cello

The legendary cellists says he has played his last public concert as a cellists. He is booked for the next two years as a conductor however.

BSO Conductor, Orchestra Wired For Brain Study

Here is a link to an article about a McGill University study which required wiring and measuring brain activities of the conductor, trumpet player in the orchestra and a few audience members at a recent Boston Symphony concert.
The video of the report is on the website.

building boom for performing arts?

Here is an interesting article regarding a recent building boom for the performing arts across college campuses.
We are in dire need of a new concert hall also.
Here is a quote from Leon Botstein in the article;
"When you have a great building, you are inspired to do something great," said Leon Botstein, conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra and president of Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, which opened a new arts center in 2003. "For us, the building had the immediate impact of raising the aspirations of everyone involved in the arts."

And here are a short list of buildings; The most unusual include Bard's Fisher Center, a Frank Gehry-designed, soaring, silver wing-like structure, and a new, $50-million theater complex that opened this fall at Williams. Other schools christening new theaters recently include Emory University in Atlanta ($37 million), and the universities of Denver ($70 million), Notre Dame ($64 million), Maryland ($128 million) and California, Davis ($46 million).

The University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, Miami of Ohio and Sonoma State in California are among the many schools in various stages of planning and fundraising for new buildings. Princeton has opened a new theater and recently announced a $101 million gift for the arts.

Festival Chamber Orchestra

A reminder about the Festival Chamber Orchestra concert today [Sunday April 9] at 3 pm.
I will be conducting a premiere of four works by Cornell Composers;
Nobert Palej, Kay Rhie, Sean Shepherd, and Spencer Topel.
Here are also their respective websites;
Nobert
http://www.bmop.org/musicians/composer_bio.aspx?cid=241
Kay
http://www.people.cornell.edu/pages/kkr6/
Sean [former Orchestra TA]
http://www.seanshepherd.com/
Spencer Topel
http://www.spencertopel.com/

Concert is free and open to the Public and it is in Barnes Hall
The picture is from a celebration party when Steven Stucky won the Pulitzer for his Second Concerto last year.

Condoleezza Rice on Piano

While not everyone may agree with her politics it is good to hear that chamber music is enjoyed by people in Government.
I have great hope in the future as all of you will carry on your love for music and all thing beautiful.
Here is a link to the NY times article.

masterclass schedule

Here is the masterclass schedule with Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings
Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings Master Class Musicians and Participants
Saturday, April 8 1:00 p.m.—2:00 p.m.
* indicates performer

Oboe/English Horn with Donald Baker
Lincoln 107 Anna Herforth *
Abbie Morgan
Julie Kaplan
Ashley Cagle
Julia Capurso*

Flute with Philip Dikeman
Lincoln 140 Rebecca Morrow *
Lindsay Parham
Christine Marschilok
Alex Tsiatas*
Jane Kim
Lisa Raylesberg
Melanie Gudesblatt
Nicole Rodia
Katherine Skovira

Clarinet with Laurence Liberson
Lincoln 124 AnnMarie Williams*
Tim Graham
Tom Jackson
Matthew Fontana
Giselle Gurm
Michael Heinz*
Jennie Lavine*

Bassoon with Christine Prince
Lincoln 340 Farid Ben Amor
Noah Flaks

French Horn with Corbin Wagner
Lincoln 117 Lauren Kimball
Renee Grinnell
Lucy Ooi
Mark Sandeen*
Elizabeth Howes

Trombone with David Jackson
Lincoln 149 Josh Lubner
Colette Kopon
Kyle Story*
Dan Lepage

Trumpet with David Kuehn
Lincoln B20 Katie White
Mike Barany
Neil Stevens
Dan Saper
Mark DeLuca
Jill McCoy
Anthony Clark

Violin with Kimbery Kaloyanides Kennedy
Lincoln B08 Stephanie Chu*
Brian Vaccaro
Alex Teney

Conducting with H. Robert Reynolds
Lincoln B21 Robert Whalen*
Daniel Nelson
Jonathan Baulista
Brian Steiner
Beth Karp*
Wang Xi*

alumni returns and gives concert

An alumni concert

The Catherine Marie Charlton Trio in Concert
Monday, April 10, 2006
7:30 PM
WSH Memorial Room
Free and open to all!
Light refreshments will be served.

Catherine Marie Charlton is a 1995 graduate of Cornell Engineering with a self-designed major in Engineering Acoustics and a minor in Music. While at Cornell, she played regularly as part of the Willard Straight Hall Noontime and Coffeehouse Concert Series. On April 10, she will play on the same piano and in the same room as her first solo recital in 1992.

Charlton's four albums have received numerous accolades. Both River Dawn and The Undershore debuted at No. 3 on worldwide instrumental music radio charts. During her improvisational concerts, Charlton melds musical elements of jazz, classical, funk, new age, and the avant-garde into an organized framework within which she can work spontaneously.

For more information about the artist go to http://www.CatherineMarieCharlton.com or call Catherine Holmes at 255-3513.

concerts this weekend

These are the list of masterclasses and concerts this weekend in Ithaca.
First on Saturday the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings will give masterclasses on practically every instrument. There will even be a conducting masterclass with H Bob Reynolds a legend in the Band world. All masterclasses will be in Lincoln Hall saturday afternoon.
Then they will give a concert at the Statler Auditorium on Saturday evening at 8 pm.
Program: Mozart’s Overture to The Marriage of Figaro, Stravinsky’s Pastorale, Dvořák’s Serenade in D Minor, Op. 44, Mendelssohn’s Notturno in C, Op. 24, Hartmann’s Serenade in B-flat Major, Op. 43, as well as a piece originally premiered in 1998 by the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings, Timothy Kramer’s Mimetic Variations.
Here is a link to the Cornell Concert Series page.
http://www.cornellconcertseries.com

Sunday at 3 pm is the Festival Chamber Orchestra concert featuring world premieres of four Cornell Composers;
Kay Rhie, Nobet Palej, Sean Shepherd, and Spencer Topel.
I will be conducting the concert.
It should be a great concert. The concert is free and open to the public and it will be in Barnes Hall.

No more tickets

Here is a message from Gerri Jones, who were in charge of ticket distribution today.

"All tickets were distributed by 11:25 this morning."

That means State theater which seats 1624 will be full for the April 15th concert.
Yay!

Yo Yo Ma testifies in Congress

Here is a link to an article about Yo Yo Ma testifying in Congress.

Arts Presenters President/CEO Sandra Gibson and world-renowned musician, Yo-Yo Ma, testified on visa challenges in the performing arts as part of the U.S. House of Representatives Government Reform Committee's hearing on balancing security and openness in the visa process.
"There is a real desire, even a need, for cultural richness and diversity today. American audiences are thirsty for new cultural experiences and are eager to understand the inside of these foreign places," said Ma.

Also here is a quote from the Peabody opp bulletin;
April 6 Yo-Yo Ma testifies on Capitol Hill about artists' visa problems. - In Wednesday's (4/5) Washington Post, Christopher Lee reports that cellist Yo-Yo Ma testified before the House Committee on Government Reform on Tuesday, urging the committee "to simplify a visa process that he says has stifled cultural exchanges by creating 'extraordinarily high' barriers to bringing artists to the United States." Lee writes that Ma, whose Silk Road Ensemble "organizes international tours of musicians from all over the world," told the committee: "Encouraging artists and institutions to foster these artistic exchanges -- bringing foreign musicians to this country and sending our performers to visit them -- is crucial ... But the high financial cost and the lengthy timeline make these programs difficult to execute and to maintain." Lee adds that "other witnesses from the business and arts worlds sounded the same note," noting that "visa applicants in many parts of the world have had to endure months-long delays in obtaining interviews." Lee writes: "Tony Edson, deputy assistant secretary of state for visa services, said the State Department is devoting more resources to meet growing demand, especially in China and India." (Daniel J. Wakin also reports on Yo-Yo Ma's testimony in Wednesday's New York Times.)

Cello and Harp recital tonight in Barnes

Here is a message from Sarah [our concerto winner for the March concert and Mary who will play the harp part in the Mahler]

You are warmly invited to the joint senior recital of Sarah Rice (cello)
and Mary Elizabeth Sutherland (harp) Thursday evening (today!) at 8 pm,
Barnes Hall.
The event is free and welcome to all - we hope to see you there.
~ Mary and Sarah

midday chamber music

Don't miss the midday chamber music concert at 1230 pm in B20.
Here is the program.
Beethoven- Piano trio Op.1 No.1 in E Flat Major (first two movements)
Stefania Neonato- piano, Esther Kim- violin, Sarah Rice- cello
Bartok- Contrasts for violin, clarinet and piano (Recruiting Dance)
Adam Neumann- piano, Jennie Lavine- clarinet, Bernadette Meyler- violin
Schumann- Piano quartet Op.47 (first movement)
Benjamin Dorfan- piano, Brightin Schlumpf- violin, Kimberly Wong- viola,
Stephen Palmer- cello

directions to Willard Straight hall

Here are directions to Willard Staight Hall.
Tickets will be distributed from 730 am, April 6 thursday.

Directions to Willard Straight Hall

From Collegetown:
Take College Avenue into the Cornell campus. At the Main Quad, turn left onto Campus Road. The Willard Straight parking lot is your second right.

From Downtown:
Take Buffalo Street up the hill to Stewart Avenue (flashing yellow light). Turn left on Stewart. At Campus Road, bear right. Head up Campus Road to the Willard Straight Hall parking lot on your left (just after the Cornell Cinema marquee). Enter Willard Straight Hall through the doors at the end of the Parking Lot. The Theatre is just ahead!

One more reminder

One more reminder about tomorrow. [April 6th]
Beginning at 730 am in the lobby of Willard Straight hall there will be tickets distributed for the April 15th Chamber Orchestra concert with A.D. White house professor John Cleese. The concert will also feature Nichlas Walker performing his own bass concerto. Tickets will be free but each person will be limited to 2 tickets per person. We expect tickets will be gone in about 3 or 4 hours. The State theater seats 1624. If you need more than two tickets than bring a friend with you.
Here is the website for the A.D. White House program.
http://web.cornell.edu/Professors-at-Large/

Eastman School's dean back for five more years

Louisiana Philharmonic back in business in New Orleans

Here is an article about the LPO coming back to life.
There website is www.lpomusic.com

I spent two seasons there as an assistant conductor. I loved every minute of living and making music in New Orleans.
Let's hope that the orchestra and the city can come back even stronger.

Big demand for classical downloads is music to ears of record industry

Chamber Society bows out on high note

Trouble and cost of visas halts Hallé's US tour

New York Phil broadcasts 52 weeks every year

hotel info

Here is the hotel info gathered by Michael;


Berlin, 4th april 2006

Dear Mr Klees,

tks for your E-Mail and the roomrequest.

Arriving: 11th january - Departing: 17th january 2007

Here our offer: 9 x 3-bed. rooms Euro 111.-- 27 person
3 x 4-bed. rooms Euro 148,-- 12 "
18 x 2-bed rooms Euro 84,-- 36 "

The 3-bed-rooms are all suites, the couch will be turned into a bed.
The 4-bed-rooms are large rooms with 4 comfortable beds.

Above rates are per room and day and include the
Breakfast-Buffet,Service
and the VAT.Deposit can be paid, 100% or 2 x 50%.
Option will be until: 18th april 2006. Cancellation 30th april,
10% can be cancelled 4 Weeks before Arrival , free of charge.
To get more Information about this beautiful hotel , pls look into
our Homepage: www.filmhotel.de
We are looking forward to hear from you.
Kind regards from Berlin
Herbert Ebner ( Manager)

Ensemble X's first concert

Here is a link to an article in the Cornell Chronicle about Ensemble X's first concert.

Ensemble X's last concert

I made it back in time to catch the last Ensemble X concert. What a fantastic group of musicians. It will be big loss to the Ithaca community to lose this series.

100 years of Orchestral music in Ithaca high school

Recently, Neal Zaslaw gave me an article in the Ithaca times about the Ithaca High school orchestra which will celebrate its 100 years of music making this June.
Here is a link to the online version of the article. It is great to hear stories like this especially in a climate in which less and less high schools have an orchestra program. Bravo to George Myers!

Article about Slatkin in Chicago?

Reminder about John Cleese tickets

The Chamber Orchestra concert with A.D. White house professor John Cleese is April 15th. Altough this is a free concert, one must have a ticket in order to attend the concert in State theater. Tickets will be distributed on April 6th starting at 730 am in the lobby of Willard Straight hall. There is a limite of 2 tickets per person, so if you need more than two I suggest bringing a friend. Last year's John Cleese lecture on religion filled Barton Hall which has more than twice the capacity of the State Theater.
Here is the website for the A.D. White House program.
http://web.cornell.edu/Professors-at-Large/

Berlin proposed activities from Wesley

http://www.berlin-tourist-information.de/english/berlin-infos/index.php

SIGHTSEEING PLACES
Bradenburg Gate – symbol of German reunification, the place where the wall was
The Reichstag – German parliament
Judisches Museum – Jewish Museum, the biggest in Europe
Charlottenburg Palace and Park – Built form 1695-1699 for a summer residence for Queen Sophie Charlotte, was once an independent and wealthy city
Schloss Sanssouci – Frederick the Great’s summer residence, he advocated liberal reform and artisitic patronage
Nearby Postdam
Ägyptisches Museum – Egyptian Museum
Kurfürstendamm – popular area full of shops, department stores, restaurants, entertainment, etc.
Tiergarten – beautiful 630-acre park – surrounded by Reichstag and Brandenburg Gate
Scheunenviertel – best to experience Mitte, with narrow streets and courtyard mazes
ARTS

Performances at
Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin
Deutsche Oper Berlin
Komische Oper Berlin

Possible Slots
1.) Brandenburg Gate
2.) The Reichstag
3.) Judisches Museum
4.) Charlottenburg Palace and Park
5.) Schloss Sanssouci
6.) Candy Shop
7.) Berlin Philharmonic Performance
8.) Deutsche Oper Berlin
9.) Free walk around Potsdam
10.) Ägyptisches Museum
11.) Kurfürstendamm
12.) Tiergarten
13.) Scheunenviertel

concerts this week in Ithaca

Another packed week of concerts in Ithaca.

4/6, Thursday 1230 pm in B20
Midday Music at Lincoln: features groups from the Chamber Music Ensembles program playing works by Schumann, Beethoven, and Bartok.

4/6, Thursday 515 pm in Johnson Museum
Join Us for a Concert of Japanese Koto and Shakuhachi
At the Johnson Museum on April 6, 2006

The Cornell East Asia Program and the Johnson Museum of Art are pleased to announce that the international virtuouso, Ryuko Mizutani, will perform on the koto (Japanese zither) in a free concert at the Johnson Museum on April 6, 2006 at 5:15 PM.

Ryuko Mizutani graduated from the NHK (Japanese National Broadcasting Company) School for Performers of Traditional Japanese Instruments. Since 1987 she has studied both classical and modern koto music under the world renowned koto masters Tadao and Kazue Sawai. Ryuko explores new musical possibilities for the koto by collaborating with western musicians and artists. Ryuko has toured all over Europe and Asia, and she regularly performs and teaches in Japan and the United States. She currently resides in Rochester, NY. For more information about Ryuko: www.geocities.com/ryukomizutani2002

In this concert Ryuko will be accompanied on the shakuhachi (bamboo flute) by Sahoko Ichikawa, who teaches Japanese in Cornell's intensive FALCON program.

The program will include pieces from the traditional, early modern and modern repertoire. The concert is free and open to all.
For details: http://www.einaudi.cornell.edu/eastasia/calendar/index.asp?id=6000

4/6 Thursday 8 pm in Barnes Hall
Joint senior recital: Sarah Rice, cello, and Mary Elizabeth Sutherland, harp.

4/8, Saturday 8 pm in Statler Auditorium
Cornell Concert Series: Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings; H. Robert Reynolds, conductor. Works by Stravinsky, Dahl, Kramer, Hartmann, and Mozart. Admission: General $22, 15; Students $12, 9.
also don't forget the masterclass they are teaching on Saturday morning 4/8

4/9, Sunday 3 pm in Barnes Hall
Festival Chamber Orchestra; Chris Younghoon Kim, conductor. Music by Cornell graduate composers Norbert Palej, Kay Rhie, Sean Shepherd, and Spencer Topel.

Artec's website

Artec is handling the renovation of Bailey hall.
Here is an artist rendering of the renovated Bailey hall which is due to re-open for Fall 2006. Cornell Symphony Orchestra will rehearse and perform in Bailey hall. Next fall's first concert in Bailey hall with both CSO and CCO will be September 30, 2006.

Article in Cornell Chronicle about John Cleese

Here is a link to an article about Ad White House professor John Cleese's collaboration with the Chamber Orchestra.
Be sure to get your ticket on April 6 starting at 730 am.

following is quoted from the March 31st article;
"Cleese -- a movie actor and performer in the legendary TV comedy show "Monty Python's Flying Circus" -- also will narrate Sergei Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf" with the Cornell Chamber Orchestra, Saturday, April 15, at 3 p.m. in the State Theatre. Free tickets will be distributed Thursday, April 6, starting at 7:30 a.m. in the lobby of Willard Straight Hall and are limited to two tickets per person.

This will be Cleese's final visit as an A.D. White Professor-at-Large, and while on campus he will participate in classes and meet with student groups and Cornell faculty members. He originally was appointed for a six-year term in 1998 and proved so popular, the Cornell Board of Trustees extended his appointment for an additional two years."