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The Trombone Corner Podcast is brought to you by Bob Reeves Brass and The Brass Ark. Join hosts Noah and John as they interview Dr. Brittany Lasch, trombone soloist and professor at Indiana University. About Brittany: A winner of the S&R Foundation Washington Award and Astral Artists National Auditions, trombonist Brittany Lasch brings authenticity and unshakeable commitment to all aspects of her music-making. Increasingly in demand as a soloist with orchestras and brass bands alike, Brittany balances an intensive performance career with her role as a sought-after educator and newly appointed Assistant Professor of Trombone at the renowned Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. As a serial collaborator and commissioner of composers, Brittany is a musical explorer creating new repertoire for her instrument from some of today's most compelling voices, and true ambassador in expanding recognition for the trombone as a powerful solo voice for today. Brittany has appeared as a soloist with ensembles ranging from the U.S. Army Band “Pershing's Own”, Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass, and for concerto performances with the Queens Symphony, National Repertory Orchestra, Bucks County Symphony, Bowling Green Philharmonia, Manhattan School of Music Philharmonia, and others across the country. With playing described as “masterful” (Syracuse Post-Standard), American Record Guide recently hailed Brittany as an "excellent soloist" across a diverse range of repertoire. Brittany has been a featured guest artist at numerous festivals, including the International Trombone Festival, the International Women's Brass Conference, and the American Trombone Workshop. She was a winner of the National Collegiate Solo Competition hosted by the U.S. Army Band, the Eisenberg-Fried Brass Concerto Competition at the Manhattan School of Music, the Zulalian Foundation Award in Boston. Her trombone quartet Boston Based won the 2017 International Trombone Association's Quartet Competition. In 2018, Brittany was awarded 2nd place in The American Prize Solo Instrumentalist competition. A prizewinner in numerous other competitions, she received the coveted John Clark Award upon graduation from the Manhattan School of Music for outstanding accomplishment in brass performance. For six seasons, Brittany was the Principal Trombone of the Detroit Opera Orchestra at the Detroit Opera House. She has performed with orchestras nationwide, including the San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Indianapolis Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Nashville Symphony, The Florida Orchestra, Toledo Symphony Orchestra, ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, Rhode Island Philharmonic, the Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra, the Vermont Symphony, Albany Symphony, Syracuse Symphony, and the New World Symphony in Miami Beach. She participated in the Verbier Festival Orchestra for two summers, and has also appeared at the Spoleto USA Festival, the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan, the Castleton Festival, and the Aspen Music Festival. An active presence in the global trombone community, Brittany's performances for the current and past seasons include Argentina's Trombonanza, Portugal's Gravíssimo Festival, as well as appearances in Japan and Korea. As an advocate for new music, Brittany has commissioned and performed several new pieces for the trombone, including acclaimed composer Reena Esmail's major Sonata for Trombone and Piano, which she commissioned for her Astral Artists recital in Philadelphia. Brittany gave the premiere of the orchestrated version of Martin Kennedy's Theme and Variations for Trombone and Orchestra with the BGSU Philharmonia under the direction of Dr. Emily Brown. She also recorded the work with the BGSU Philharmonia, which was recently released on the Albany Records label. Other recent projects include collaborations with composers Inez McComas, Adam Har-zvi, and David Miller. Her debut solo album Dark Horse features works by Samuel Adler, Tony Plog, Reena Esmail, Shawn Davern, and the album's pianist, Thomas Weaver. A native of Park Ridge, Illinois, Brittany earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Boston University, where she received the Brass Department Award. She also holds a Master of Music degree from Yale School of Music. With a deep commitment to education, she has previously served as faculty at the College of Musical Arts at Bowling Green State University and the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. She has also been a featured teacher and performer at summer festivals, including the Sewanee Music Festival and the DC Trombone Workshop. Recent residencies include those at the University of Central Arkansas, James Madison University (Tromblow'in), University of Iowa, Oklahoma State University, Stetson University, the University of Florida, and as the guest artist at the 2023 Frühling Posaunen hosted at Ithaca College. She has presented masterclasses at universities across the country and internationally. Brittany Lasch is an Edwards Trombone Performing Artist. She also proudly uses and endorses ChopSaver Lip Care. Outside of music, Brittany has recently completed her eleventh full marathon and loves spending time with her cats, Clove and Poppyseed.
The GRAMMY Award-winning team of composer Michael Daugherty, conductor David Alan Miller and the Albany Symphony returns with a new album comprising a set of remarkable works exploring associations with flight and space exploration, both tragic and triumphant. In this podcast, the composer explains the context and inspiration behind the three works on the programme: from aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart's mysterious disappearance in 1937, to rock 'n roll legend Buddy Holly's tragic death in a plane crash just hours after his final performance in 1959, and Neil Armstrong's role in the triumphant Apollo 11 moon mission in 1969.
In this episode of Broadway Drumming 101, we sit down with Andrew Beall, an accomplished percussionist, composer, and Broadway musician whose career spans international performances, musical theater orchestration, and a deep love for percussion. From his early days in Ohio to working on some of Broadway's biggest productions, Andrew shares insights into his journey, his influences, and his passion for composition.We dive into the art of orchestration, the challenges of subbing on Broadway, and how he balances multiple musical roles—including running Bachovich Music Publications and managing orchestras. Andrew also talks about adapting to technological advancements in music, the impact of Finale's discontinuation, and how biking in NYC keeps him in rhythm with the city's fast pace.Whether you're an aspiring Broadway musician or just love behind-the-scenes stories from the theater world, this episode is packed with wisdom, humor, and practical advice.Episode Highlights:
The Albany Symphony's February Concerts Celebrate Valentine's Day and Maestro David Alan Miller's Birthday, and feature Rachmaninoff's Romantic, Sensual Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, performed by 19-year-old pianist, Harmony Zhu.
This Sunday, December 8, The Albany Symphony Orchestra will perform its annual holiday celebration “The Magic of Christmas.” The Palace Theatre will be filled with festive holiday music, family fun, and special guests. Later this month, on December 21 and 22, The ASO will perform a world premiere guitar concerto by Nicky Sohn – along with holiday music by Mozart and Vivaldi.
On November 16 and 17, the two-time GRAMMY Award-winning Albany Symphony will present a dazzling program at the Troy Savings Banks Music Hall in Troy, New York. The concerts will include Smetana's “Moldau,” Joan Tower's Cello Concerto, “A New Day,” and Dvořák's Symphony No. 9, “From the New World.” To tell us more we welcome Music Director David Alan Miller.
The two-time Grammy award-winning Albany Symphony is presenting extraordinary, captivating and stunning works by composers of our time at the 2024 American Music Festival: Water Music NY More Voices. The weekend event also celebrates 30 years of Dogs of Desire. The concerts will take place June 7th through June 9th at the gorgeous EMPAC concert hall located on the RPI campus, and at locations throughout Troy, NY.
The two-time Grammy award-winning Albany Symphony will present three new and recent works by Viet Cuong and Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 4. The pair of concerts will take place on Saturday, April 13th at 7:30pm and Sunday, April 14th at 3:00pm at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall and will also feature Grammy nominated ensemble, Sandbox Percussion.
Lois Hicks-Wozniak is an active concert saxophonist and educator in the New York Metropolitan and the Hudson Valley region, committed to community engagement through new music and Global Music styles. A D'Addario Woodwinds Artist, her many awards include winning the Special Presentation Winners Recital Series, sponsored by Artists International Presentations; earning her a New York Recital Debut at Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall. She is described in performance as having “tremendous technique and fidelity to tone without sacrificing musical line,” and a “beautiful soprano saxophone sound...preserving the beauty and consistency of her sound regardless of the technical or musical demands of the moment” (Saxophone Symposium).From 1996-2004 she served active duty in the U.S. Army as a saxophonist with the United States Military Academy Band at West Point, the West Point Saxophone Quartet and as a featured soloist at the World Saxophone Congress 2000 in Montreal, where she performed the Glazunov Concerto with the West Point Concert Band. She resigned her position in the Army to take on her most prized role as proud mom of four terrific children. (two sets of twins!)She can be heard on her recording Playback: Music for Saxophone and Bass Trombone with Matthew Wozniak, bass trombone and Nadine Shank, piano and on the West Point Saxophone Quartet CD, Fault Lines. Her performances have been broadcast on New York public radio and she has an educational YouTube channel called “TheSaxophoneLady,” featuring frequent audition material for elementary and junior high students. As a subscription series soloist with the New Jersey Wind Symphony, she presented the east coast premiere of the Concerto for Soprano Sax and Wind Ensemble by John Mackey. An artist-in-residence at Mississippi State University, she performed the Mississippi premiere of Dream Dancer for Alto Saxophone and Wind Ensemble by Michael Colgrass, and she has been a guest of the Ithaca College Saxophone Society. She served as principal saxophonist with the New Jersey Wind Symphony from 2005-2018, and has performed and recorded with the Albany Symphony; along with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic Orchestra, the Greater Newburgh Symphony, the Lawton Philharmonic, the Pone New Music Ensemble and the Dallas Wind Symphony, to include their recording, Fiesta! She maintains an active schedule as a performer and clinician, appearing as guest soloist with high school, university and community ensembles. As a freelance musician, she has shared the stage with diverse acts from Manhattan Transfer to Milton Berle. She has commissioned and championed many new works for saxophone.With a passion for World Music, Ethnomusicology, and Diversity, she has studied South Asian Carnatic percussion and has recorded with Pat Waing master, Kyaw-Kyaw Naing and the first Burmese-American Hsiang Waing ensemble. She is a featured professor in the textbook, World Music Pedagogy Vol VII: Teaching World Music in Higher Education (Routledge 2020), holds a certification in Smithsonian Folkways World Music Pedagogy, and teaches classroom courses in Global Music Studies.An advocate of new chamber music, she and her husband, Matt Wozniak, comprise the saxophone and bass trombone duo, The Wozniak Duo. During the 2020 pandemic, Lois and Matt created “Music Tells a Story,” a recorded local library program for children and care-givers featuring story-telling, enactive music involvement, global music and incorporation of new music. Championing new works for this unique ensemble, they have commissioned and premiered works by Kevin Ames, Rob Deemer, Zae Munn, Carter Pann, and Gregory Wanamaker, most recently presenting the world premiere of Zae Munn's Gnashing of Teeth at the North...
Karen Birch Blundell is a New York City based performer and teaching artist. She is English horn of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic and the Associate Principal Oboe/English horn of the Eastern Music Festival. She performs with ensembles throughout the Northeast including; the American Symphony Orchestra, Albany Symphony, Hartford Symphony, New Jersey Festival Orchestra, Norwalk Symphony and Springfield Symphony Orchestra.Prior to her time in NY, Karen was Second Oboe/English horn with the Sarasota Orchestra. While in Florida, she regularly performed with neighboring orchestras including the Florida Orchestra and the Naples Philharmonic. She has been a guest musician with The Houston Symphony, The Houston Ballet Orchestra and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Beyond the Classical realm, Karen has toured the US with the New Sousa Band and performed with mega stars including Bernadette Peters, Idina Menzel, Mannheim Steamroller and The Who.Karen holds a Bachelor of Music from Oberlin Conservatory where she studied with James Caldwell. She completed her Master of Music at the Hartt School of Music with Humbert Lucarelli. She also studied with Robert Atherholt, Alex Klein and John Mack. She also held a fellowship at the New World Symphony under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas. To learn more about Karen, and follow her journey, visit the link https://www.karenbirchblundell.com/ Visit the Self-Care Institute at https://www.selfcareinstitute.com/ Support the showVisit www.creativepeacemeal.com to leave a review, fan voicemail, and more!Insta @creative_peacemeal_podcastFB @creativepeacemealpodBonfire https://www.bonfire.com/store/creative-peacemeal/Redbubble CPPodcast.redbubble.comCreative Peacemeal READING list here Donate to AhHa!Broadway here! Donate Dachshund Rescue of Houston here Interested in the Self-Care Institute with Dr. Ami Kunimura? Click here Interested in Corrie Legge's content planner? Click here to order! Looking for custom orthotics? Foot and Shoe Solutions is your answer. Click here for more.
This Saturday and Sunday, the Albany Symphony presents Vivaldi's “The Four Seasons” - plus two brilliant recent works, “The History of Red” by Reena Esmail and “Murmurations” by Derek Bermel. Both concerts will be performed at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall and will feature Baroque violin superstar soloists Ravenna Lipchik, Edson Scheid, Amelia Sie and Shelby Yamin.Music Director and conductor David Alan Miller joins us now along with two of the violinists Amelia Sie and Ravenna Lipchick.
Two-time GRAMMY Award-winning Albany Symphony is throwing a gigantic 100th birthday-party concert for Rhapsody in Blue, featuring Kevin Cole, the world's foremost interpreter of George Gershwin's piano music. The program also includes An American in Paris, Carlos Simon's AMEN! and Simon Says, a world premiere trombone concerto by Jack Frerer. The concert takes place on Saturday, February 10th at 7:30pm at Proctors Theatre.
The two-time Grammy Award-winning Albany Symphony will showcase two of Mozart's greatest works, Haydn's Symphony No. 80, and a world premiere by Harriet Steinke on Saturday, January 13th at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, January 14 at 3 p.m. at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall.
The two-time GRAMMY Award-winning Albany Symphony, will provide some extra sparkle this holiday season at two of the Capital Region's favorite concert venues.On Sunday, December 3, The Magic of Christmas fills The Palace Theatre with gorgeous holiday music, family fun, and special guests. On December 9th and 10th, world-acclaimed pianist Yefim Bronfman will perform Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 in the legendary Troy Savings Bank Music Hall. The concerts on the 9th and 10th will also feature composer Loren Loiacono's work Beanie's Chapbook, a world premiere commissioned by the Albany Symphony.
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The two-time Grammy Award-winning Albany Symphony, led by Music Director David Alan Miller will present a concert this weekend that includes one of the most beloved works in the repertory and a soon-to-be new favorite “dance symphony” evoking early rock ‘n' roll at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall.
Gregory Landes is a versatile musician, excelling as a drummer, percussionist, composer, educator, and arranger. His impressive orchestral credits include serving as a timpanist and percussionist for esteemed ensembles such as The New Jersey Symphony, Garden State Philharmonic, The New Haven Symphony, The American Symphony Orchestra, New York Chorale Society, The Brooklyn Philharmonic, Princeton Symphony, Albany Symphony, Little Orchestra Society of New York, Greenwich, Stamford, and Westchester Symphonies, Masterwork Chorale Orchestra, Goldman Band, and The New Jersey Wind Symphony.For the past three decades, Gregory has demonstrated his musical prowess as both a drummer and percussionist in over 50 Broadway and Off-Broadway productions. Notable mentions include his involvement in the 2019 Lyrics and Lyricists show "Live and in Living Color" at the 92nd St. Y, with Andy Einhorn and Rob Berman as musical supervisors, as well as his contributions to the 2018 musical "The Beast in the Jungle" by John Kander, directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman. He has also been involved in Director John Doyle's productions of "Pacific Overtures" and John Kander's "Kid Victory." Gregory played a crucial role in creating the drum and percussion book for John Kander's musical "The Landing."Gregory has an extensive list of credits in the world of theater, having performed as the original drummer and percussionist in productions of "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" on Broadway, in Chicago, Boston, and Madison Square Garden. He has also showcased his drumming and percussion skills in various other productions, including "Avenue Q," "Newsies," "In The Heights," "Curtains," "Wicked," "42nd Street," "Play Without Words," "Ragtime," "Les Miserables," "Falsettos," "Putting It Together" (with Julie Andrews), and many more.Additionally, Gregory Landes is a founding member of The Pit Stop Players, a chamber ensemble composed of highly sought-after freelance musicians in New York City. The group is dedicated to performing new works by emerging composers. Gregory's arrangements and pieces written for percussion ensemble can be found in publications by Bachovich Music Publications. He held the position of director of percussion studies at The Calhoun School in New York City and was involved with The Calhoun Percussion Ensemble. Furthermore, he serves as a drum and percussion instructor in the Encore Program at Ridgewood High School in New Jersey and has taught General Music and Percussion at The Pingry School.Gregory's talent has gained recognition from renowned musical instrument manufacturers, as he is endorsed by Paiste cymbals and is an Innovative Percussion artist. Since 1997, he has been performing alongside his brother Garah Landes, a pianist, as the duo Synchronicity. To learn more about their extensive performance history, interested individuals can visit their Facebook page, watch their videos on YouTube, or explore their website at www.synchronicitymusic.com. Get full access to Broadway Drumming 101 at broadwaydrumming101.substack.com/subscribe
It's March 24, 2023. Jasper, Jarvis, and Clementine are back. Today they are teaching kids about The Albany Symphony recording the work of David del Tradici; a professor being fired for showing a painting of Muhammed; the death of Alberto Zamperla, Amusement Park Impresario; a robot lawyer that was scheduled to appear in traffic court; and how studies show that repeating lies causes people to believe them.
Two-time Grammy Award winning conductor David Alan Miller is the Music Director of The Albany SymphonyOn March 11 and 12, The Albany Symphony Orchestra will perform its next concerts of the season at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall. The program for the concerts includes a world premiere by composer Viet Cuong and Anton Bruckner's 5th symphony.
The Albany Symphony, led by Music Director David Alan Miller, celebrates the New Year with the return of Scottish soloist Dame Evelyn Glennie on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 7:30pm and Sunday, Jan. 15, at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall.
Albany Symphony Orchestra Music Director David Alan Miller joins us with a preview of this December's concerts.
The Albany Symphony Orchestra's Music Director and Conductor, David Alan Miller, joins us to discuss the beginning of the 2022-2023 season.
Haley Taylor talks with Grammy nominated composer and clarinetist Derek Bermel about his new album Migrations. The album includes his Migration Series for Jazz Ensemble and Orchestra (2006); the song cycle Mar de Setembro (2011), with texts by Eugénio de Andrade; and the three-movement orchestral A Shout, a Whisper, and a Trace (2009), in performances by the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra, saxophonist Ted Nash, clarinetist Bermel, Brazilian jazz vocalist Luciana Souza, and the Albany Symphony under its music director, David Alan Miller.
Composer Nina Shekhar joins us to chat about her work exploring identity, vulnerability, love, and laughter in her work and her process for exploring such complex aspects of humanity in seemingly mundane experiences, such as the car horns on the streets of India. We talk about how she approaches the business side of a professional career in composition, and how her work as a flutist, saxophonist, and pianist has informed her comfort with a wide array of compositional styles. And we speak about how we can all be more mindful to empower and promote the agency of composers and performers from marginalized communities and avoid the risks of exploiting any individual's otherness. Nina Shekhar is a composer who explores the intersection of identity, vulnerability, love, and laughter to create bold and intensely personal works. Described as “tart and compelling” (New York Times), “vivid” (Washington Post), and “surprises and delights aplenty” (LA Times), her music has been commissioned and performed by leading artists including LA Philharmonic, Albany Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, New World Symphony, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Eighth Blackbird, International Contemporary Ensemble, JACK Quartet, New York Youth Symphony, Alarm Will Sound, The Crossing, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, ETHEL, violinist Jennifer Koh, saxophonist Timothy McAllister, Ensemble Échappé, Music from Copland House, soprano Tony Arnold, Third Angle New Music, The New York Virtuoso Singers, Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, Lyris Quartet, Ray-Kallay Duo, New Music Detroit, and Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra. Her work has been featured by Carnegie Hall, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Walt Disney Concert Hall (LA Phil's Noon to Midnight), Library of Congress, National Gallery of Art, National Sawdust, National Flute Association, North American Saxophone Alliance, I Care If You Listen, WNYC/New Sounds (New York), WFMT (Chicago), and KUSC and KPFK (Los Angeles) radio, ScoreFollower, and New Music Detroit's Strange Beautiful Music. Upcoming events include performances by the New York Philharmonic, LA Philharmonic (joined by soloists Nathalie Joachim and Pamela Z), Minnesota Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, and her Hollywood Bowl debut with the LA Philharmonic. Current projects include commissions for the Grand Rapids Symphony, 45th Parallel Universe Chamber Orchestra (sponsored by GLFCAM), and Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA) (sponsored by LA Phil and New Music USA). Nina is the recipient of the 2021 Rudolf Nissim Prize, two ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards (2015 and 2019), and the 2018 ASCAP Foundation Leonard Bernstein Award, funded by the Bernstein family. The transcript for this episode can be found here. For more information about Nina Shekhar, please visit her website, Facebook, and Instagram.
Synopsis On today's date in 1992, Joel Revzen conducted the Albany Symphony in the premiere of the Third Symphony of American composer Libby Larsen. Larsen subtitled her new work a “Lyric Symphony.” Now, the early 20th century Viennese composer Alexander Zemlinsky had written a “Lyric Symphony,” one that involved vocal soloists. As a composer, Libby Larsen is noted for her songs and choral works, but for her own “Lyric Symphony” she opted for a purely instrumental work that would be somehow quintessentially “American.” In program notes for her new symphony, Larsen wrote: “As I struggle with the definition of ‘American' music, it occurs to me that in all of our contemporary American genres, the dominating parameter of the music is rhythm. Rhythm is more important than pitch. This is a fundamental change in the composition of music in the 20th century. Here we speak American English, an inflected, complex, rhythmic language. “What is lyric in our times?” continued Larsen. “Where is the great American melody? Found, I would say, in the music of Chuck Berry, Robert Lockwood, Buddy Guy, George Gershwin, Dolly Parton, Hank Williams, James Brown, Aaron Copland, Walter Piston, and those composers who create melodies that are defined more by the rhythm than their pitch. My Symphony No. 3—the Lyric, is an exploration of American melody.” Music Played in Today's Program Libby Larsen (b. 1950) — Symphony No. 3 (Lyric) (London Symphony; Joel Revzen, cond.) Koch 7370
May the 4th be with you. You know, it Stars Wars Day. But, if you wait just a few days – what a musical celebration we can have.The music of John Williams has transported us beyond our imagination. To new worlds. Through heart-pounding adventures. On Saturday Night, The Albany Symphony Orchestra will be at the Palace Theatre where David Alan Miller conducts all your John Williams favorites: "Superman," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Harry Potter," "E.T.," and of course, "Star Wars."
Maestro and Albany Symphony Orchestra Music Director David Alan Miller, the musicians of the Albany Symphony and the members of Albany Pro Musica will be performing this weekend at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall – performing Mozart's Symphony No. 41, “Jupiter.” Two-time Grammy Award winning conductor David Alan Miller has established a reputation as one of the leading American conductors of his generation. As music director of the Albany Symphony since 1992, Mr. Miller has proven himself a creative and compelling orchestra builder. Through exploration of unusual repertoire, educational programming, community outreach, and recording initiatives, he has reaffirmed the Albany Symphony's reputation as the nation's leading champion of American symphonic music and one of its most innovative orchestras.
This month, just in time for Valentine's, Music Director David Alan Miller and the Albany Symphony welcome back two favorite virtuoso pianists for weekends of hot and thrilling music sure to make for perfect date nights. On Saturday, February 12th at 7:30pm at the Palace Theatre they will perform Serge Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3. The Valentine's Weekend program also includes Tchaikovsky's masterful Symphony No. 6, “Pathétique,” and New York City-based British composer Hannah Kendall's The Spark Catchers. On Saturday Feb. 26 at 7:30pm and Sunday Feb. 27 at 3pm, Kevin Cole—the foremost interpreter of the music of George Gershwin—makes his long-awaited triumphant return for a special program including a rare presentation of an iconic favorite. David Alan Miller and Kevin Cole join us this morning.
Synopsis Composers can be quite superstitious about numbers. Gustav Mahler, for example, was reluctant to assign the number “9” to his song cycle symphony, “Das Lied von der Erde,” fearing it would turn out to be his last: after all, Beethoven and Bruckner had only completed nine symphonies. Ironically, Mahler DID go on to complete a ninth, but died before he could finish work on his tenth. Most American composers have avoided this problem by rarely if ever producing more than one or two symphonies of their own. Naturally there are exceptions. On today's date in 1963, the Ninth Symphony of the American composer Roy Harris was given its premiere by the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Eugene Ormandy, who had commissioned it. Like many other symphonies by Harris, his Ninth has a patriotic program, with each movement having a subtitle from either the American Constitution or Walt Whitman's “Leaves of Grass.” Harris went on to write thirteen Symphonies in all – although, perhaps submitting to a bit of numerological superstition himself – when his symphony No. 13, a Bicentennial Commission, was first performed in Washington, D.C. in 1976, it was billed as his Symphony Number Fourteen! Music Played in Today's Program Gustav Mahler (1860 - 1911) — Symphony No. 9 (New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein, cond.) Sony 60597 Roy Harris (1898 - 1979) — Symphony No. 9 (Albany Symphony; David Alan Miller, cond.) Albany 350
American composer Derrick Skye is known for integrating music practices from different cultural traditions around the world into his work with classical music communities. The Los Angeles Times describes Derrick's music as “something to savor” and “enormous fun to listen to.” During his studies at the USC and the California Institute of the Arts, music across many cultures became an integral part of his musical vocabulary. Skye's music has been commissioned and/or performed by ensembles including Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Albany Symphony, Berkeley Symphony, Dayton Philharmonic, Los Angeles Master Chorale among many. He serves as Artistic Director of the new music collective and arts organization Bridge to Everywhere. I really enjoyed hearing Derrick's insights and perspectives on how and why he feels called to incorporate the music of many parts of the world into his composition. Connect with Derrick via his website https://www.derrickskye.com/ Intro Music by Derrick Skye "Prisms Cycles Leaps" from the Album Bridge to Everywhere. Available on all major streaming platforms. the World Music Podcast Jingle- composed by Will Marsh featuring musicians Josh Mellinger (tabla) and Misha Khalikulov (cello). Do you know someone who would enjoy this Podcast? Please take a moment to share and spread the inspiration! COPY THIS LINK TO SHARE! https://anchor.fm/will-marsh This is a master link that allows you to choose which platform to listen on. See below for more offerings from your host, Will Marsh. “Raga for All Instruments” is an online course for musicians/vocalists from any musical background with a desire to explore the magic of Hindustani Raga music. Begin your raga journey now! The first four lesson videos of this course are free. https://willmarshmusic.thinkific.com/courses/raga-for-all-instruments Visit my website to connect with me - https://willmarshmusic.com/ Check out my original world-inspired music - https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/willmarsh/the-integration Book a lesson with me https://www.willmarshmusic.com/product-category/lessons/ For the finest electric sitar on the market, travel sitars and tanpuras visit - https://www.willmarshmusic.com/shop/ To access written transcriptions of these episodes, go to my blog - https://www.willmarshmusic.com/blog/ Visit my youtube channel for free lesson and music performance videos - https://www.youtube.com/c/WillMarsh Become a Patron and receive exclusive access to patron only content - https://www.patreon.com/WillMarsh?fan_landing=true --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/will-marsh/support
Music Director David Alan Miller and the musicians of the Albany Symphony are set to deck the halls of the Palace Theatre on back-to-back weekends with sounds of the season!
Reena Esmail joins us to chat about integrating her Western and Hindustani roots in her composition and throughout her work as artistic director of Shastra. We chat about how she prepares listeners with less experience for musical experiences that are new to them. She speaks about her work as composer-in-residence of Street Symphony, a non-profit organization bringing music to Los Angeles-based homeless and incarcerated populations on Skid Row and beyond. And, we talk about her methods for introducing Western musicians to primarily aural traditions. Indian-American composer Reena Esmail works between the worlds of Indian and Western classical music, and brings communities together through the creation of equitable musical spaces. Esmail's work has been commissioned by ensembles including the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Kronos Quartet, Imani Winds, Richmond Symphony, Town Music Seattle, Albany Symphony, Chicago Sinfonietta, River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, San Francisco Girls Chorus, The Elora Festival, Juilliard415, and Yale Institute of Sacred Music. Upcoming seasons include new work for Seattle Symphony, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Amherst College Choir and Orchestra, Santa Fe Pro Musica, and Conspirare. Esmail is the Los Angeles Master Chorale's 2020-2023 Swan Family Artist in Residence, and Seattle Symphony's 2020-21 Composer-in-Residence. Previously, she was named a 2019 United States Artist Fellow in Music, and the 2019 Grand Prize Winner of the S & R Foundation's Washington Award. Esmail was also a 2017-18 Kennedy Center Citizen Artist Fellow. She was the 2012 Walter Hinrichsen Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters (and subsequent publication of a work by C.F. Peters). Esmail holds degrees in composition from The Juilliard School (BM'05) and the Yale School of Music (MM'11, MMA'14, DMA'18). Her primary teachers have included Susan Botti, Aaron Jay Kernis, Christopher Theofanidis and Martin Bresnick, Christopher Rouse and Samuel Adler. She received a Fulbright-Nehru grant to study Hindustani music in India. Her Hindustani music teachers include Srimati Lakshmi Shankar and Gaurav Mazundar, and she currently studies and collaborates with Saili Oak. Her doctoral thesis, entitled Finding Common Ground: Uniting Practices in Hindustani and Western Art Musicians explores the methods and challenges of the collaborative process between Hindustani musicians and Western composers. Esmail was Composer-in-Residence for Street Symphony (2016-18) and is currently an Artistic Director of Shastra, a non-profit organization that promotes cross-cultural music connecting music traditions of India and the West. The transcript for this episode can be found here. For more information about Reena Esmail, please visit her website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Composer Viet Cuong joins us to discuss the role that marching band played in his formative years and the impact it continues to have on his current career. He shares his approach to composing for small ensembles, preparing students to take advantage of new and innovative tools, and the skills vital for success as a freelance musician. We finish with a conversation about what it means to “sound like tomorrow”. Called “alluring” and “wildly inventive” by The New York Times, the “irresistible” (San Francisco Chronicle) music of American composer Viet Cuong (b. 1990) has been commissioned and performed on six continents by musicians and ensembles such as the New York Philharmonic, Eighth Blackbird, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Sō Percussion, Alarm Will Sound, Atlanta Symphony, Sandbox Percussion, Albany Symphony, PRISM Quartet, Orchestra of St. Luke's, and Dallas Winds, among many others. Viet's music has been featured in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, National Gallery of Art, and Library of Congress, and his works for wind ensemble have amassed hundreds of performances worldwide, including at Midwest, WASBE, and CBDNA conferences. He was recently featured in The Washington Post‘s “21 for '21: Composers and performers who sound like tomorrow.” In his music Viet enjoys exploring the unexpected and whimsical, and he is often drawn to projects where he can make peculiar combinations and sounds feel enchanting or oddly satisfying. His recent works thus include a percussion quartet concerto, tuba concerto, snare drum solo, and, most recently, a concerto for two oboes. This eclecticism extends to the range of musical groups he writes for, and he has worked with ensembles ranging from middle school bands to Grammy-winning orchestras and chamber groups. Viet is also passionate about bringing different facets of the contemporary music community together, and he will have opportunities to do so with an upcoming concerto for Eighth Blackbird with the United States Navy Band. He recently began his tenure as the California Symphony's 2020-2023 Young American Composer-in-Residence, where he and the symphony will develop three new orchestral works together over three years. Viet is currently on the music theory and composition faculty at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He holds degrees in music composition from the Curtis Institute of Music (Artist Diploma), Princeton University (MFA), and the Peabody Conservatory (BM/MM). His mentors include Jennifer Higdon, David Serkin Ludwig, Donnacha Dennehy, Steve Mackey, Dan Trueman, Dmitri Tymoczko, Kevin Puts, and Oscar Bettison. During his studies, he held the Daniel W. Dietrich II Composition Fellowship at Curtis, Naumburg and Roger Sessions Fellowships at Princeton, and Evergreen House Foundation scholarship at Peabody, where he was also awarded the Peabody Alumni Award (the Valedictorian honor) and Gustav Klemm Award. The transcript for this episode can be found here. For more information about Viet Cuong, please visit his website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and SoundCloud.
Albany Symphony Music Director David Alan Miller and the musicians of the ASO return to the Palace Theatre stage on Saturday, October 9 at 7:30 p.m. for the start of Miller's 30th Anniversary Season.
4-H students got to explore a Vietnam Era military helicopter at Mission Make-It; A long time Bainbridge pediatrician advises parents to trust science over politics when deciding on vaccines; And the Albany Symphony Orchestra prepares to bring the sounds of Italy to Albany. #AlbanyGA #SWGA #Georgia #LocalNews #RalphNader - - - - Subscribe today, so you don't miss an episode! Register Here for your essential digital news. This Podcast was produced and published for the Albany Herald by BG Ad Group on 9-29-21 For advertising inquiries, please email j.southerland@bgadgroup.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode, we discuss recordings of “Female” by Lucie Bartholomäi & Verena Louis, “Farrenc: Symphony Nos. 1 & 3” by Insula Orchestra & Laurence Equilbey, “Joan Tower: Strike Zones” by Evelyn Glennie, Blair McMillen, Albany Symphony & David Alan Miller, “Mirror Mirror” by Eliane Elias, “What I Meant to Say” by Steve Million, and “Then and Again, Here and Now” by Todd Cochran. The Adult Music Podcast is featured in: Feedspot's Top 25 Jazz Podcasts Episode 28 Deezer Playlist “Female” (Genuin) Lucie Bartholomäi, Verena Louis https://open.spotify.com/album/44nPQNZVn29SvDmBXjsVkb https://music.apple.com/us/album/female/1561646184 “Farrenc: Symphony Nos. 1 & 3” (Erato) Insula Orchestra, Laurence Equilbey https://open.spotify.com/album/4DFXGZXd8AxxrWKiL1aADq https://music.apple.com/us/album/farrenc-symphonies-nos-1-3/1569256510 “Joan Tower: Strike Zones” (American Classics) Evelyn Glennie, Blair McMillen, Albany Symphony, David Alan Miller https://open.spotify.com/album/4y3SX8nPTGBvhT6A0JUHEU https://music.apple.com/us/album/joan-tower-strike-zones-small-still-rapids-ivory-and-ebony/1572314319 “Mirror Mirror” (Candid) Eliane Elias https://open.spotify.com/album/7fY6WeLxNht7kRepoOKxOX https://music.apple.com/us/album/mirror-mirror/1579956195 “What I Mean to Say” (Origin) Steve Million https://open.spotify.com/album/3XHmrFNa5WpLLgpV4XkDwg https://music.apple.com/us/album/what-i-meant-to-say/1576280546 “Then and Again, Here and Now” (Sunnyside Records) Todd Cochran https://open.spotify.com/album/7w1JlVevT9L1os7vfABdGz https://music.apple.com/us/album/then-and-again-here-and-now/1568346446
Composer Jack Frerer joins conductor Devin Patrick Hughes on One Symphony today. They speak about the secret sauce to writing great music, conducting and composing teachers, comedy in music, how rock guitar and music theory make a great classical composer, and much more! The music of Australian composer Jack Frerer has been performed around the world, including the Arapahoe Philharmonic, Nashville Symphony, and Albany Symphony. Although still a young composer at the age of 26, Jack has received numerous awards, including a Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a Morton Gould Composers Award from ASCAP, the Suzanne and Lee Ettelson Composers Award, the Brian Israel Prize from the Society for New Music, and was winner of both the Juilliard Orchestra and Gena Raps Chamber Music competitions. He was a Tanglewood fellow for 2019, a composer for New York City Ballet's, and is currently Composer-in-Residence with the Arapahoe Philharmonic. Jack studied with John Corigliano and Robert Beaser at Juilliard, and is currently a graduate student at the Yale. Thank you for joining us on One Symphony and thanks to Jack Frerer for sharing his music and insights. Thank you to all the incredible performers that made this episode possible. Downloads was played by KJ Mcdonald, Philip Sheegog, Ning Zhang, Viola Chan and Joey Chang. On-Again, Off-Again was performed by The Juilliard Orchestra. Spiral Sequences by the Azure Quartet: Kj McDonald, Brenden Zak, Hannah Geisinger and Yifei Li. Stutter Step was played by Kevin Zhu, Philip Sheegog and Tengku Irfan. The Present Hour was performed by The Albany Symphony's ‘Dogs of Desire' ensemble, featuring vocalists Lucy Dhegrae and Lucy Fitzgibbon, and texts by Ayla Sullivan, Dominic Huey, Emily Brontë and Amy Ludwig VanDerwater. Brahms's Symphony no. 1 was performed by Paavo Berglund and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe on the Ondine label. You can check out Jack's music online at jackfrerer.com. You can always find more info at OneSymphony.org including a virtual tip jar if you'd like to support the show. Please feel free to rate, review, or share the show! Until next time, thank you for being part of the music!
Two-time GRAMMY award-winning Albany Symphony launches its annual American Music Festival celebrating cutting-edge composers and musicians Thursday, June 10 through Sunday June 13 at the Palace Theatre in Albany, New York. The four-day event will feature William Kanengiser and Scott Tennant of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet as well as composers Clarice Assad, Molly Joyce, Christopher Theofanidis, Alexis Lamb, Nina Shekhar, and other outstanding musicians. The Festival also includes a performance by the popular Dogs of Desire; the First Draughts reading session, which give the public a glimpse into the weeklong Composer Workshop for emerging creators; outdoor neighborhood performances and family activities. ASO Maestro David Alan Miller joins us.
In this episode, we discuss the 2021 GRAMMY Awards nominations for the eight classical categories. 2021 GRAMMYs Awards Show: Complete Nominees List Episode 4 Deezer Playlist "Destination Rachmaninov - Arrival" (Deutsche Grammophon) Daniil Trifonov; Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor (The Philadelphia Orchestra) https://open.spotify.com/album/1CjlWmQhGgkAKFiikkzEqL https://music.apple.com/us/album/destination-rachmaninov-arrival/1471110293 "Rouse: Symphony No. 5" (Naxos American) Christopher Rouse, composer (Giancarlo Guerrero & Nashville Symphony) https://open.spotify.com/album/7If1lZT7b3ydVRxl0dbOeY https://music.apple.com/us/album/1520661821?aId=KHRW062020&lId=21961798 "Theofanidis: Concerto for Viola and Chamber Orchestra" (Albany) Richard O'Neill; David Alan Miller, conductor (Albany Symphony) https://open.spotify.com/album/3FCfJD7Vkk1rBVVk7HTgYs https://music.apple.com/us/album/theofanidis-concerto-for-violin-orchestra-concerto/1525400428 "Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonatas" (Chandos) Jean-Efflam Bavouzet https://open.spotify.com/album/66X2J8jELWMVIq9zIBcIrZ https://music.apple.com/us/album/beethoven-complete-piano-sonatas/1302178201
Called "ardent and assured" and a first-class pianist by the New York Times, he has appeared in partnership with many of the worlds leading singers and instrumentalists, including over five dozen artists on the roster of the Metropolitan Opera. Passionately committed to the performance of chamber music, he is a founding member of the Palisades Virtuosi, the Janus Consort, the Hudson Trio, Kaleidoscope, the New World Trio and the Manchester Chamber Players. He has been the pianist and harpsichordist of the Oberlin Orchestra, the New Jersey Philharmonic and the Westchester Symphony and is currently keyboardist of the Albany Symphony and its contemporary chamber ensemble "Dogs of Desire". Since 1985 he has been associated with the Southern Vermont Arts Center and its resident Manchester Music Festival. ln 1991 during Carnegie Hall's Centennial Week celebration he recreated the earliest known piano recital by Franz Rummel to have been played there. That same year, he made his international debut in Iceland, playing two recitals, one all-Grieg, the other all-Russian.His performance was reviewed by Dagbladid-Visir, Reykjavik Iceland as “...performed with considerable assurance . . tremendous speed ... A very special atmosphere was established, which was maintained throughout." It is my honor to introduce today's guest, Ron Levy. Welcome to our show Ron.
Listen to Dr. Allie in conversation with Ryan Roberts, an oboist and one of the youngest members of the NY Philharmonic, as they speak on coping as a musician during the COVID-19 pandemic. This episode was recorded on April 28, 2020. Noted for his “beautiful”, “eloquent” and “exquisite” playing by the New York Times, RYAN ROBERTS is the newly appointed English horn/Oboe of the New York Philharmonic. Ryan has performed with many of the country's leading orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, and the Ft. Worth Symphony. An award-winning oboist, Ryan received first prize at the International Double Reed Society's 2018 Young Artist Competition and the National Society of Arts and Letters' 2018 Woodwind Competition. Before joining the Philharmonic, Ryan spent one season as a member of the New World Symphony under the direction of Michael Tilson-Thomas. Ryan recently premiered Michael Torke's Oboe Concertino with the Albany Symphony and recorded the work for Albany Records. An avid chamber musician, Ryan performs at the Marlboro Music Festival during the summer under artistic directors Mitsuko Uchida and Jonathan Biss; he has also collaborated in recitals with the Pacifica Quartet and Emanuel Ax. As a Kovner Fellow graduate of The Juilliard school, Ryan studied with Elaine Douvas and appeared frequently as principal oboist of the Juilliard Orchestra. Ryan has been a member of the New York String Orchestra Seminar and spent three summers as the oboe fellow at the Aspen Music Festival. In 2016, Ryan was featured as a recital soloist aboard the Crystal “Symphony" cruise line touring Portugal, Spain, France and England. Ryan has studied piano since age 5 and made his concerto debut at age 11. When he isn't busy making reeds, Ryan enjoys practicing piano and running with his retired racing Whippet named Malley. You can follow Ryan on Instagram at @ryanjroberts and his website is www.ryanrobertsoboe.com. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Ryan's website - www.ryanrobertsoboe.comRyan's Instagram - www.instagram.com/ryanjrobertsNoted for his “beautiful”, “eloquent” and “exquisite” playing by the New York Times, Ryan Roberts is the newly appointed English horn/Oboe of the New York Philharmonic. Ryan has performed with many of the country's leading orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, and the Ft. Worth Symphony. An award-winning oboist, Ryan received first prize at the International Double Reed Society's 2018 Young Artist Competition and the National Society of Arts and Letters' 2018 Woodwind Competition. Before joining the Philharmonic, Ryan spent one season as a member of the New World Symphony under the direction of Michael Tilson-Thomas. Ryan recently premiered Michael Torke’s Oboe Concertino with the Albany Symphony and recorded the work for Albany Records. An avid chamber musician, Ryan performs at the Marlboro Music Festival during the summer under artistic directors Mitsuko Uchida and Jonathan Biss; he has also collaborated in recitals with the Pacifica Quartet and Emanuel Ax.As a Kovner Fellow graduate of The Juilliard school, Ryan studied with Elaine Douvas and appeared frequently as principal oboist of the Juilliard Orchestra. Ryan has been a member of the New York String Orchestra Seminar and spent three summers as the oboe fellow at the Aspen Music Festival. In 2016, Ryan was featured as a recital soloist aboard the Crystal “Symphony" cruise line touring Portugal, Spain, France and England.Ryan has studied piano since age 5 and made his concerto debut at age 11. When he isn’t busy making reeds, Ryan enjoys practicing piano and running with his retired racing Whippet named Malley.Support the show (https://thatsnotspit.com/support/)
Haley Taylor talks with Grammy nominated composer and clarinetist Derek Bermel about his new album Migrations. The album includes his Migration Series for Jazz Ensemble and Orchestra (2006); the song cycle Mar de Setembro (2011), with texts by Eugénio de Andrade; and the three-movement orchestral A Shout, a Whisper, and a Trace (2009), in performances by the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra, saxophonist Ted Nash, clarinetist Bermel, Brazilian jazz vocalist Luciana Souza, and the Albany Symphony under its music director, David Alan Miller.
Haley Taylor talks with Grammy nominated composer and clarinetist Derek Bermel about his new album Migrations. The album includes his Migration Series for Jazz Ensemble and Orchestra (2006); the song cycle Mar de Setembro (2011), with texts by Eugénio de Andrade; and the three-movement orchestral A Shout, a Whisper, and a Trace (2009), in performances by the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra, saxophonist Ted Nash, clarinetist Bermel, Brazilian jazz vocalist Luciana Souza, and the Albany Symphony under its music director, David Alan Miller.
In this episode, I discuss with solo violinist Arnaud Sussmann. He elaborates on the mindsets and strategies to adopt when working on sound quality, the importance of having a strong concept of phrasing and of bow distribution in musicality, the importance of creating fluency in his playing and how he achieves it, the importance of purpose in our practice, warming up during busy periods, the value of recording ourselves when we practice, and why he believes it's important to work hard. Nous avons aussi une discussion en francais! Nous vous offrons un retour sur certains point abordés en anglais en ce qui a trait à la production du son et du phrasé, et une conversation sur l'importance de la curiosité dans la pratique et sur comment il aborde une œuvre nouvelle. MORE ABOUT ARNAUD SUSSMAN: Website: http://arnaudsussmann.com/ YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/violinice Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arnaudsussmannviolin/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arnaudsussmann/ Boris Garlitsky: http://www.talentmusicmasters.it/boris-garlitsky Winner of a 2009 Avery Fisher Career Grant, Arnaud Sussmann has distinguished himself with his unique sound, bravura and profound musicianship. Minnesota's Pioneer Press writes, “Sussmann has an old-school sound reminiscent of what you'll hear on vintage recordings by Jascha Heifetz or Fritz Kreisler, a rare combination of sweet and smooth that can hypnotize a listener. His clear tone [is] a thing of awe-inspiring beauty, his phrasing spellbinding.” A thrilling young musician capturing the attention of classical critics and audiences around the world, Arnaud Sussmann has appeared with the American Symphony Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic, New World Symphony, Pacific Symphony, Paris Chamber Orchestra, Jerusalem Symphony and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Further solo appearances have included a tour of Israel and concerts at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, Dresden Music Festival in Germany and at the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. Mr. Sussmann has been presented in recital in Omaha on the Tuesday Musical Club series, New Orleans by the Friends of Music, Tel Aviv at the Museum of Art and at the Louvre Museum in Paris. He has also given concerts at the OK Mozart, Chamber Music Northwest and Moritzburg festivals and appears regularly at the Caramoor, Music@Menlo, La Jolla SummerFest, Seattle Chamber Music, Moab Music and Saratoga Springs Chamber Music festivals. Recent concerto appearances include performances with Maestro Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra at the White Nights Festival in St Petersburg, the Santa Rosa Symphony, the Albany Symphony, the Jacksonville Symphony and the Grand Rapids Symphony. This past season, chamber music performances included tours with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center to Korea's LG Arts Center, Shanghai's Oriental Center and Hong Kong's Music Academy. Arnaud Sussmann has performed with many of today's leading artists including Itzhak Perlman, Menahem Pressler, Gary Hoffman, Shmuel Ashkenazi, Wu Han, David Finckel, Jan Vogler and members of the Emerson String Quartet. He has worked with conductors such as Cristian Macelaru, Marcelo Lehninger, Rune Bergmann and Leon Botstein. A dedicated chamber musician, he has been a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center since 2006 and has regularly appeared with them in New York and on tour, including a recent concert at London's Wigmore Hall. A frequent recording artist, Arnaud Sussmann has released albums on Deutsche Grammophon's DG Concert Series, Naxos, Albany Records and CMS Studio Recordings labels. His solo debut disc, featuring three Brahms Violin Sonatas with pianist Orion Weiss, was released in December 2014 on the Telos Music Label. He has been featured on multiple PBS' Live from Lincoln Center broadcasts alongside Itzhak Perlman and the Perlman Music Program and with musicians of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Born in Strasbourg, France and based now in New York City, Arnaud Sussmann trained at the Conservatoire de Paris and the Juilliard School with Boris Garlitsky and Itzhak Perlman. Winner of several international competitions, including the Andrea Postacchini of Italy and Vatelot/Rampal of France, he was named a Starling Fellow in 2006, an honor which allowed him to be Mr. Perlman's teaching assistant for two years. Mr. Sussmann now teaches at Stony Brook University on Long Island and was recently named Co-Artistic Director of Music@Menlo's International Music Program. If you enjoyed the show, please leave a review on iTunes! I truly appreciate your support! Visit www.mindoverfinger.com for information about past and future podcasts, and for more resources on mindful practice. Join the Mind Over Finger Tribe here! https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindoverfingertribe/ THANK YOU: Most sincere thank you to composer Jim Stephenson who graciously provided the show's musical theme! Concerto #1 for Trumpet and Chamber Orchestra – Movement 2: Allegro con Brio, performed by Jeffrey Work, trumpet, and the Lake Forest Symphony, conducted by Jim Stephenson. Also a HUGE thank you to my fantastic producer, Bella Kelly! MIND OVER FINGER: www.mindoverfinger.com https://www.facebook.com/mindoverfinger/ https://www.instagram.com/mindoverfinger/
Acclaimed young composer Viet Cuong joins the show to share his thoughts about band music, his work as a composer, and how growing up in the Lassiter band helped him fit in and find his place in the world. Topics: Viet’s background and how he got his start as a musician, percussionist, and composer. How band and music helped Viet “find his place” in the world and the importance of band as a place where kids who are struggling to feel accepted have a place where they can fit in and grow. Growing up in the legendary Lassiter Band Program under the baton of Alfred Watkins. Thought about what band directors can do to support young musicians who are writing music or want to become composers. Thoughts about academic music, new music for band, and some insights into building design at Princeton. The Blue Dot Collective Links: Viet Cuong, Composer The Blue Dot Collective Cuong: Diamond Tide Cuong: Moth Stravinsky: Rite of Spring Biography: Called “alluring” and “wildly inventive” by The New York Times, the “ingenious” and “knockout” (Times Union) music of Viet Cuong (b. 1990) has been performed on six continents by musicians and ensembles such as Sō Percussion, Eighth Blackbird, Alarm Will Sound, Sandbox Percussion, the PRISM Quartet, JACK Quartet, Gregory Oakes, Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra, Albany Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, and Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, among many others. Viet’s music has been featured in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Library of Congress, Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, Aspen Music Festival, New Music Gathering, Boston GuitarFest, International Double Reed Society Conference, US Navy Band International Saxophone Symposium, and on American Public Radio’s Performance Today. He also enjoys composing for the wind ensemble medium, and his works for winds have amassed over one hundred performances by conservatory and university ensembles worldwide, including at Midwest, WASBE, and CBDNA conferences. Viet holds the Curtis Institute of Music’s Daniel W. Dietrich II Composition Fellowship as an Artist Diploma student of David Ludwig and Jennifer Higdon. Viet received his MFA from Princeton University as a Naumburg and Roger Sessions Fellow, and he is currently finishing his PhD there. At Princeton he studied with Steve Mackey, Donnacha Dennehy, Dan Trueman, Dmitri Tymoczko, Paul Lansky, and Louis Andriessen. Viet holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, where he studied with Pulitzer Prize-winner Kevin Puts and Oscar Bettison. While at Peabody, he received the Peabody Alumni Award (the Valedictorian honor) and the Gustav Klemm Award for excellence in composition. Viet has been a fellow at the Mizzou International Composers Festival, Eighth Blackbird Creative Lab, Cabrillo Festival’s Young Composer Workshop, Copland House’s CULTIVATE emerging composers workshop, and was also a scholarship student at the Aspen, Bowdoin, and Lake Champlain music festivals. Additionally, he has received artist residencies from Yaddo, Copland House, Ucross Foundation, and Atlantic Center for the Arts (under Melinda Wagner, 2012 and Christopher Theofanidis, 2014). Viet is a recipient of the Barlow Endowment Commission, Copland House Residency Award, ASCAP Morton Gould Composers Award, Suzanne and Lee Ettelson Composers Award, Theodore Presser Foundation Music Award, Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra Call for Scores, Cortona Prize, New York Youth Symphony First Music Commission, Boston GuitarFest Composition Competition, and Walter Beeler Memorial Prize, among others. In addition, he received honorable mentions in the Harvey Gaul Composition Competition and two consecutive ASCAP/CBDNA Frederick Fennell Prizes. Scholarships include the Evergreen House Foundation scholarship at Peabody, a 2010 Susan and Ford Schumann Merit Scholarship from the Aspen Music Festival and School, and the 2011 Bachrach Memorial Gift from the Bowdoin International Music Festival.
Commentary from David Alan Miller, conductor and music director of the Albany Symphony Orchestra. From the Gala opening night concert from Albany Symphony, recorded 10/13/18 at Palace Theater in Albany.
Last month I had the pleasure of chatting with Inbal Segev, a young cellist from Israel, who has been making a mark in contemporary music and the classics. She was discovered by Isaac Stern as a high school student in Israel, and he arranged for her to come the United States to study at Yale and Juilliard. On this occasion we talked about her upcoming performance of Christopher Rouse's cello concerto with the Albany Symphony under David Allan Miller and a very interesting—and successful—contemporary music festival sponsored by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Marin Alsop. It held its inaugural season just last summer. The post Inbal Segev talks to Michael Miller about Christopher Rouse’s Cello Concerto, Coming Up February 10 and 11th at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s New Music Festival appeared first on New York Arts.
Christopher Still, second trumpet with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, is the featured guest on this episode. Chris joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2007. Before coming to California, Chris performed as Principal Trumpet of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. Chris has also held the positions of Associate Principal Trumpet of the Dallas Symphony and Principal Trumpet of the Charleston Symphony. Additionally, he has served as Assistant Principal Trumpet with the Grant Park Festival Orchestra in Chicago's Millenium Park. He has performed with the Boston Symphony, Boston Pops, Portland Symphony, Boston Philharmonic, Vermont Symphony, and the Orquesta Sinfonica de Galicia in La Coruna, Spain. Chris has appeared as a soloist with the Colorado and the Littleton Symphonies. He can be heard on recordings with the Grant Park, Dallas, and Albany Symphony orchestras. Chris is a dedicated educator and an active clinician. The show notes for this episode are available at www.bobreeves.com/37.
We are featuring double bassist Gaelen McCormick on today’s episode. Gaelen is a member of the Rochester Philharmonic, teaches at Nazareth College and the Eastman Community Music School and is the author of Mastering the Bow, a two-part series for bass. Part one is based on the violin studies of Franz Wohlfahrt, and part two features off-the-strings strokes. We had a wonderful conversation about her early years in music, studying with Jeff Turner for graduate school (and you can listen to Jeff on the podcast—he was a guest back on episode 26), structuring practice time, the George Vance Progressive Repertoire series, and many other topics. Before and after the interview, we feature Gaelen and Ed Paulsen performing a couple of Dave Anderson’s wonderful duets, and you can check out our interview with Dave on episode 75 of the podcast. About Gaelen: Ms. McCormick has been a member of the Rochester Philharmonic’s bass section since 1995. Before joining the RPO, she held positions with regional orchestras such as the Erie (PA) Philharmonic, the Binghamton Philharmonic and the Albany Symphony. Ms. McCormick has performed regularly with other major orchestras, including the Buffalo Philharmonic and the Syracuse Symphony. She holds degrees in performance from the Eastman School and Carnegie Mellon University. Teaching the double bass to students of all ages has become a significant part of Gaelen’s life. She joined the faculty of Nazareth College in 2010, and has been the bass instructor for the Eastman Community Music School since 2001. She enjoys working with talented high school aged string players in the summer at Eastman’s Music Horizons program where she teaches chamber music and gives bass lessons. In 2003, she was invited to teach for the year at Duquesne University’s City Music Center, a program for talented, pre-college students. Gaelen has given masterclasses and recitals at Ithaca College, Williams College, the College of St. Rose, and Roberts Wesleyan College. In 2013, she gave classes on double bass technique at both the International Society of Bassists convention in Rochester and the NYSSMA Winter Conference. “Mastering the Bow”, the first of three books on double bass bow technique, was published by Carl Fischer in 2013, and the second will be published during the 2014 season. Playing chamber music has been a passion for Ms. McCormick. Before moving to Rochester, she often performed with the St. Cecilia Chamber Orchestra (Albany, NY) as their sole bassist. During her tenure in Pittsburgh, she became the founding bassist of the Pittsburgh Live Music Chamber Orchestra. She was the founding member of the innovative string quintet “Gibbs and Main”, and recorded a cd of tango standards with them, and commissioned a new work for the ensemble by Judd Greenstein. In recent summers, she has been performing with the Music in the Mountains chamber orchestra, a festival based in Durango, Colorado. She is frequently invited to play chamber music with musicians from around the country in festivals such as the Roycroft Chamber Music Festival and the Syracuse New Music Ensemble. This summer, Ms. McCormick will make her debut appearance at the Canandaigua Lake Chamber Music Festival. Gaelen has been involved in volunteering and arts advocacy, and is proud to be the representative for the RPO in the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians. She is honored to be a member of Phi Kappa Phi and Pi Kappa Lambda, groups recognizing and supporting excellence in the humanities and in music specifically. In her spare time, Gaelen enjoys kayaking, Argentine tango and West Coast swing dancing, and spending time with her toddler Clara.
Barber’s Violin Concerto, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Copland’s Appalachian Spring are among a small handful of American works that have become staples of the orchestra repertoire. Since the United States has nurtured a good century-and-a-half of orchestral compositions, there are those who feel that this is not just an oversight, but a disgrace. Earlier this month, a group of composers and academics decided to confront the issue where it starts: with the major orchestra in their city. They wrote a letter to the Cleveland Plain-Dealer accusing the Cleveland Orchestra of “blatantly ignoring music of its own country” by programming only one work by an American composer next season. “We looked at this and said, this is approximately one percent of the programming and really, we have to say something about this,” said Keith Fitch, head of the composition department at the Cleveland Institute of Music, who was one of the letter’s co-signers. Fitch argues that the problem is not limited to Cleveland, nor is it even confined to living composers. There is a wide swath of “diverse and compelling” American repertoire, he says, that is seldom represented on orchestra programs, including pieces by William Schuman, Howard Hanson, Roy Harris, Walter Piston and even Charles Ives – “the music that has defined us as a culture.” The Cleveland Orchestra did not respond to invitations to participate in this segment, nor did it respond to the letter, which has been widely circulated on social media. Ed Harsh, the president and CEO of the advocacy organization New Music USA, notes that a number of orchestras are making an effort to program American works, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic and Albany Symphony. The upcoming Spring for Music festival of American orchestras at Carnegie Hall is due to feature major works by Hanson and John Adams (WQXR will broadcast the six-concert festival live). "It’s by no means a blanket problem,” Harsh said. “But in some ways this is such an old, agonizing story.” In 2011, the League of American Orchestras, a national service organization, reported that just two out of the top 20 most-performed composers were American that year: Barber and Leonard Bernstein (at numbers 17 and 20, respectively). A ranking of the top 20 works performed did not bring up a single American piece. Harsh believes that living American composers should be essential to orchestras' community outreach and audience-building efforts; they can personalize and talk about the music in a way that long-dead composers can't. “It may seem expedient to become a museum of immutable masterpieces that everyone loves,” he said. “That’s long-term suicide.” To some extent, orchestras must persuade audiences to try unfamiliar music of whatever era or nationality, said Simon Woods, the executive director of the Seattle Symphony, in the second part of this podcast. Seattle has recently launched an in-house record label with an album of music by Ives, Gershwin and Elliott Carter. But Woods also believes there are no absolutes. "I start getting nervous when I hear discussions about whether there should be some kind of moral imperative to play American music," he added. "What's interesting about orchestras in this country is this huge diversity of repertoire that they play, and each one has a different personality." Listen to the full segment above and share your comments below: should orchestras program more American works? Why or why not?
Timo is a Brooklyn based composer and pianist who is part of the composer collective Sleeping Giant. He has had commissions and performances from the New World Symphony, Albany Symphony, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. You can check out his blog and music at www.andres.comIn our conversation we talk about a composer having a sense of consistency, different ways style can evolve and change over time, and the DIY aspect of an artist’s own image.
Albany Symphony concert #4 from the 2007-08 season.
Albany Symphony concert #2 from the 2007-08 season.
Albany Symphony was joined by Albany Pro Musica in A Night in Old Russia