Behind Bars:
… but so is SHE! Here is Irene Dalis, founder of Opera San José:
Irene Dalis from Beautiful Minds on Vimeo.
Follow your first instinct. Unless that instinct is to play Oboe.
Classical music is one style of music that works to calm the savage beastie in all of us.
It seems that those who call for the end of classical music, or at the very least are saying that it is too elitist are actually being elitist themselves. They are calling orginizations with very poorly paid musicians unnecessary, when millions is spent on sports which are equally or less important culturally. Perfection does not exist, and in music quality is in the ear of the listener.
In Mr. Teachout’s article for the Wall Street Journal he states that why pay to listen to a mediocre performance of an old warhorse when you can get a copy of the piece on iTunes for next to nothing. Somehow he feels that the live experience is of no value; strange seeing as he is a theatre advocate. As a musician and parent I have been to many performances of school ensembles when things have been less than perfect. That doesn’t mean that I was not moved by what I heard or profoundly touched by the enthusiasm of the performers.
Please do read the whole thing!
This Thursday, the Houston Symphony will be pioneering a new form of communication with its audience, providing up to the minute Tweets about the music being performed.
Programme notes for the ‘Tweetcert’ have been written by conductor Brett Mitchell in 140 character snippets, and will be published via Twitter at a rate of one per minute.
Mitchell says of the project: “Engaging one or two more of the senses, I think, is a fabulous way of interesting people who might not come to a concert on a regular basis. It might entice them to come.”
I know some folks really love this idea. Thoughts?
I read about it here where I was also happy to read that they are doing this for an outdoor concert. If they bring these sorts of things indoors I hope they have a special seating area for the people who want to take part so others aren’t distracted by the bright screens.
does anybody know an oboe/clarinet/accordian player in town?
Greetings once again, Chamber Music Fans!
I’m sending a final reminder about the upcoming Willow Ensemble Concerts. If you’ve already requested tickets in advance, GREAT! If not, now’s your chance!
Concert Time: 8PM
Concert Dates: June 18 & 19
Concert Location: Grace Church Chantry at 10th and BroadwayProgram Details
For woodwind quintet:
Mozart: Overture to Marriage of Figaro
Ravel : Pavane pour une Infante Defunte
Holst: Suite No. 2 in F**************************************
For string quartet:
Brahms: String Quartet Op. 51 No. 1 in C minorPlayers:
Jorge Avila: violin
Alexander Sharpe: violin
David Gold: viola
Sarah Hewitt-Roth: cello
Reva Youngstein: Flute
Melanie Feld: Oboe
Dan Spitzer: Clarinet
Anthony Cecere: French HornTickets:
$20 at the door
$15 in advance (Please email Timothy Emerson at emerst [at] gmail [dot] com, indicating which show you’d like to attend and the number of tickets need – we’ll put your name on a list at the door and you’ll get the $15 ticket price.)Cheers!
–Timothy Emerson, Bassoon, Artistic Director
A critic should always strive to recapture the sense of wonder and surprise with which he first beheld a now-familiar work of art.
-Terry Teachout
[insert name here] needs to buy new oboe reeds. It feels like I’m playing on notebook paper… without the blue lines.
I’m rather late on this one … I kept meaning to blog about it but put it off. So most folks already know that Canadian conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin has been named music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra.
He’s not all THAT young; he’s thirty five.
Remember that “don’t trust anyone over thirty”? I mean … thirty used to be old. Right?
;-)
Here are a few videos:
An interview:
conducting snippets
Played right, the oboe really can be the saddest of all instruments. Debussy’s music for oboe and harp is making me feel well mournful
I watched one game, and it’s possible I’ll tune in again. I’m not really a soccer fan, but hey, it’s the World Cup! When I watched that one game I was astounded by the now infamous sound of the vuvuzelas. Yes, they bug me. Sounds like a swarm of bees to me. I hate bees.
But you HAVE (yes, that word is bold & yelling at you) to go here and appreciate the humor. (I’d post the picture here, but I think that’s stealing, right?)
And of course it’s a B flat. Not an A. Figures.
Algebra, according to the Great Schools website, “is frequently called the gatekeeper subject.” It provides a solid foundation for later learning by teaching abstract reasoning skills. What’s more, its lessons apply to an increasing number of jobs in our technologically sophisticated society.
So how can you increase the chances your son or daughter will excel at algebra? A new study provides a surprising answer: Have them learn a musical instrument.
Researcher Barbara Helmrich of Baltimore’s College of Notre Dame examined a sample of 6,026 ninth-graders enrolled in six Maryland school districts. All had completed an introductory algebra course in either eighth or ninth grade and taken the HSA, a test that assesses how well they learned the subject.
Helmrich divided the students into three groups: Those who had received formal instruction on a musical instrument during the sixth, seventh and eighth grades; those who received choral instruction during those same years; and those who received no formal musical training.
She found the students who studied music significantly outperformed their peers. “Formal instrumental instruction impacted algebra scores the most,” she reports. “Choral instruction also affected scores, but to a lesser extent.”
That being said, I feel it necessary to admit that I and algebra were never friends. Ever.
(Many thanks to Janice Sinclair who sent me this link.)
