Podcast appearances and mentions of ida kavafian

The Jazz Session No.403 from RaidersBroadcast.com as aired in February 2025, featuring 2015 electro-jazz album “This Is Not A Miracle”, from the excellently named ‘Food'. TRACK LISTING: Belleville - Django Reinhardt; Take the "A" Train - George Benson; Spiral - The Crusaders; Books & Water - Ian Dury & The Blockheads; Sinking Gardens of Babylon - Food; Death of Niger - Food; Straight, No Chaser - Oscar Peterson; Nica's Dream - Art Farmer; Karner Blue - Joshua Jaswon Octet; Keo - Fat-Suit; Old-Fashioned Love - Bechet-Mezzrow Feetwarmers; The Chase - Dexter Gordon & Wardell Gray; Gammal Bröllopsmarsch - Jan Johansson; Children's Songs Addendum - Chick Corea, w. Ida Kavafian, Fred Sherry; Without the Laws - Food; This is Not a Miracle - Food; My Funny Valentine - Chet Baker; You're My Everything  - Freddie Hubbard; Clockmaker  - The Impossible Gentlemen; Son of Mr. Green Genes - Frank Zappa.

The Jazz Session No.341 from RaidersBroadcast.com as aired in December 2023, featuring the 1985 ECM special ‘Works', from jazz master Chick Corea. TRACK LISTING: Samba Triste - Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd; September 13 - Deodato; Got Butter On It - Banjo' Ikey Robinson & His Band; Nobody's Sweetheart - Eddie Condon ; Noon Song - Chick Corea; Brasilia (Lyric Suite for Sextet) - Chick Corea; Just the Way You Are {Billy Joel] - Diana Krall; Piano Man - Billy Joel; Django - The Gil Evans Orchestra; The Severn Vales - Peter Long; Gareth - Flightless Birds; Hangover - Guthrie Govan; You Go To My Head - Bill Holman; Mona's Mood - Jimmy Heath Orchestra; Slippery When Wet, w. Miroslav Vitous, Roy Haynes - Chick Corea; Children's Songs Addendum, w. Ida Kavafian, Fred Sherry - Chick Corea; Bubbles - Count Basie & His Orchestra; Groovin' High - Dizzy Gillespie & Charlie Parker; Potter's Field - Tom Waits; Leaving Trunk - Taj Mahal.

SynopsisAngel Fire is a village in the Rocky Mountains of New Mexico, home to ski slopes and hiking trails, plus a summer mountain-bike park and zip line. And, since 1983, it's also the home of a late summer music festival called “Music from Angel Fire.”Early on, violinist Ida Kavafian was invited to serve as the Festival's Artistic Director, a position she maintained through 2019.   Kavafian returned on today's date in 2001  to perform in the premiere of a newly commissioned trio by Libby Larsen – along with cellist Peter Wiley And pianist Melvin Chen – this just one of over 45 premieres that have taken place at the Festival to date.Libby Larsen's Trio is a classically-proportioned work in three movements: the first movement, titled Sultry, and the third, titled Burst, are very rhythmic, fast, and hauntingly jazz-like. In between, the second movement, titled Still is quite serene, free flowing, and very quiet.Libbuy Larsen said, “I compose music for the concert hall. I chose this type of music because I love physics. Flutes, cellos, trumpets, tubas, all of the orchestral instruments emit natural sound, and they operate on the laws of physics. I can hear those laws working in the air when those instruments play.”Music Played in Today's ProgramLibby Larsen (b. 1950) – Mvt 3 (Bursts), fr Trio for Violin, Cello, and Piano (Curtis Macomber, vn; Norman Fischer, vcl; Jeanne Kierman, p.) Navona Records NV-6014

Deputy DeanYale School of Music Professor in the Practice of PianoYale School of Music DirectorNorfolk Chamber Music Festival At YSM Since: 2012 Melvin Chen A native of Tennessee, Dr. Melvin Chen has received acclaim for solo and chamber performances throughout the United States, Canada, and Asia. Chen's performances have been featured on radio and television stations around the world, including KBS television and radio in Korea, NHK television in Japan, and NPR in the United States. As a Professor in the Practice of Piano, Chen teaches a studio of graduate and undergraduate piano students. In addition, he is the Deputy Dean at the Yale School of Music, a role that involves overseeing academic affairs and general institutional management, and also serves as Director of the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival–Yale Summer School of Music, where he also performs. Previously, Chen was Associate Director and on the piano faculty at the Bard College Conservatory of Music and served as Artistic Director of the chamber music program at the Hotchkiss School Summer Portals. Chen earned a doctorate in chemistry from Harvard University and holds a double master's degree from The Juilliard School in piano and violin. He received his bachelor of science degree in chemistry and physics from Yale University, where he studied with Boris Berman, Paul Kantor, and Ida Kavafian. Chen's notable solo recordings include Beethoven's “Diabelli” Variations (Bridge Records), which the American Record Guide described as “a classic,” piano music by Joan Tower (Naxos Records), and sonatas and other pianos works by Shostakovich (Bridge Records), among others. 2022 SEASON For over 100 years, music lovers have enjoyed concerts performed on the stage of the superb Music Shed. This summer is no exception. Festival Artist Concerts Performances featuring a spectacular array of the Festival's outstanding artists and Fellows. VIEW Musical Bridges Special Event Wu Man―GRAMMY-nominated pipa virtuoso and founding member of Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road project―in a new work by celebrated composer Angel Lam. VIEW Piano Extravaganza Special Event A concert featuring music for multiple pianos. VIEW Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra Special Event The Grammy-winning PBO return to Norfolk with a program featuring works of Handel. VIEW Emerging Artist Series Catch a rising star as the Emerging Artist Series features performances by the next generation of professional chamber artists. VIEW New Music Recital A performance featuring premieres by the Fellows of the New Music Workshop. Part of the Emerging Artist Series. VIEW

Instagram: @noemiechemali_music • French-Lebanese-American violist Noémie Chemali graduated from McGill University's Schulich School of Music, where she received her Bachelor's degree. She received her Artist Diploma from the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University where she studied with Becca Albers and Hsin-Yun Huang. She currently lives in New York City where she is a Master's Degree student at the Juilliard School studying under Carol Rodland. Some performance highlights from her time at McGill include playing a concert with clarinetist David Krakauer in a program of Klezmer music, being selected to perform a chamber work by John Rea in a concert presented by the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec (SMCQ) alongside Schulich faculty and students, and participating in the 2018 Musical Chairs Chamber Music Festival, where she collaborated with students from the Mozarteum (Austria) and the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (Singapore). During her time at the McDuffie Center for Strings, she performed alongside faculty members of the Cavani and Ehnes String Quartets. In 2019, she also performed in “A Night of Georgia Music,” a tour of the American South with violinist Robert McDuffie, guitarist Mike Mills of the band R.E.M., and pianist Chuck Leavell of the Allman Brothers Band/Rolling Stones. Noémie has spent her summers at music festivals such as The Music Academy of the West, Sarasota Music Festival, Orford Musique, The Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance (LAMP), Scotia Festival of Music, Manhattan in the Mountains, and Green Mountain music festivals. While Ms. Chemali was a fellow at the Music Academy of the West, she played under the baton of esteemed conductors Larry Rachleff, Stéphane Denève, Gustavo Dudamel, and James Conlon. While at Sarasota Music Festival, she served as principal violist of the festival orchestra under the baton of Jeffrey Kahane and performed in a faculty concert as a member of a quintet with bassoonist Frank Morelli. She has, throughout the years, participated in various masterclasses with artists such as Joseph Silverstein, Ida Kavafian, Cynthia Phelps, Karen Dreyfus, Richard O'Neill, James Dunham, Jutta Puchhammer, and the Pacifica String Quartet. Passionate about diversifying musical audiences, she co-founded the Hildegard Project, which aims to bring music written by women composers to women's shelters in the greater Montreal area, and was invited to speak about her work at the Classical Evolution/Revolution Conference in Santa Barbara, CA. Most recently, she founded Music@Daybreak, an interdisciplinary performance and research project which features performances at homeless shelters in collaboration with the Sociology department at Mercer University. Noémie is the recipient of a Juilliard Career Grant, George J. Jakob Global Enrichment Grant, and Gluck Community Engagement Fellowship. In August 2022, she will be releasing Opus 961, her debut album of music written by contemporary Lebanese composers.

Listen to four specially selected works from David's recordings, discussions about each work and, of course, all things six strings!Guest:David LeisnerAn extraordinarily versatile musician with a multi-faceted career as an electrifying performing artist, a distinguished composer, and a master teacher.“Among the finest guitarists of all time”, according to American Record Guide, David Leisner's career began auspiciously with top prizes in both the 1975 Toronto and 1981 Geneva International Guitar Competitions. His recent seasons have taken him around the US, including his solo debut with the Atlanta Symphony, a major tour of Australia and New Zealand, and debuts and reappearances in China, Japan, the Philippines, Germany, Hungary, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Ireland, the U.K., Italy, Czech Republic, Greece, Puerto Rico and Mexico. An innovative three-concert series at Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall included the first all-Bach guitar recital in New York's history, and currently he is the Artistic Director of Guitar Plus, a New York series devoted to chamber music with the guitar. He has also performed chamber music at the Santa Fe, Music in the Vineyards, Vail Valley, Crested Butte, Rockport, Cape and Islands, Bargemusic, Bay Chamber, Maui, Portland, Sitka and Angel Fire Festivals, with Zuill Bailey, Tara O'Connor, Eugenia Zukerman, Kurt Ollmann, Lucy Shelton, Ida Kavafian, the St. Lawrence, Enso, Escher and Vermeer Quartets and many others. Celebrated for expanding the guitar repertoire, David Leisner has premiered works by many important composers, including David Del Tredici, Virgil Thomson, Ned Rorem, Philip Glass, Richard Rodney Bennett, Peter Sculthorpe, Osvaldo Golijov, Randall Woolf, Gordon Beeferman and Carlos Carillo, while championing the works of neglected 19th-century guitar composers J.K. Mertz and Wenzeslaus Matiegka.A featured recording artist for Azica Records, Leisner has released 9 highly acclaimed CDs, including the most recent, Arpeggione with cellist Zuill Bailey, and Facts of Life, featuring the premiere recordings of commissioned works by Del Tredici and Golijov. Naxos produced his recording of the Hovhaness Guitar Concerto with Gerard Schwarz and the Berlin Radio Orchestra. Other CDs include the Koch recording of Haydn Quartet in D with the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and Hovhaness Spirit of Trees for Telarc with harpist Yolanda Kondonassis. And Mel Bay Co. released a solo concert DVD called Classics and Discoveries. Mr. Leisner is also a highly respected composer noted for the emotional and dramatic power of his music. Fanfare magazine described it as “rich in invention and melody, emotionally direct, and beautiful”. South Florida Classical Review called him “an original and arresting compositional voice.” Recent commissioners include the Rob Nathanson for the New Music Festival at UNC Wilmington, Cavatina Duo, baritone Wolfgang Holzmair, Arc Duo, Stones River Chamber Players (TN), Fairfield Orchestra (CT), Red Cedar Chamber Music (IA), and the Twentieth Century Unlimited Series (NM). Recordings of his works are currently available on the Sony Classical, ABC, Dorian, Azica, Cedille, Centaur, Town Hall, Signum, Acoustic Music, Athena and Barking Dog labels. The Cavatina Duo's recording of his complete works for flute and guitar, Acrobats (Cedille) was released to exceptionally strong reviews. His compositions are mostly published by Merion Music/Theodore Presser Co., as well as AMP/G. Schirmer, Doberman-Yppan and Columbia Music.David Leisner has been a member of the guitar faculty at the Manhattan School of Music since 1993, and also taught at the New England Conservatory from 1980-2003. Primarily self-taught as both guitarist and composer, he briefly studied guitar with John Duarte, David Starobin and Angelo Gilardino and composition with Richard Winslow, Virgil Thomson, Charles Turner and David Del Tredici. His book, Playing with Ease: a healthy approach to guitar technique, published by Oxford University Press, has received extraordinary acclaim.Website: www.davidleisner.com

Musicians for Equality is a student-led non-profit that advocates for equality and equity across the globe. Musicians for Equality strives to bring justice to unheard voices, educate ourselves and each other, and spread awareness through music. https://musiciansforequality.org/ About Isabelle Wolpert: Eighteen-year-old classical pianist Isabelle Wolpert is from Stillwater, Minnesota. She currently studies with her one and only teacher, Dr. Reid Smith. Wolpert has taken masterclasses from Alexander Yakovlev and participated in his international piano festival, Grand Piano in the Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia during the summer of 2019. While in St. Petersburg, Wolpert received masterclasses from notable Russian and Japanese pianists. Isabelle is a senior at St. Paul Academy and Summit School where she is the founder and co-president of The Music Lab, a student club that experiments and exposes students to different types of music, and continues to be a section leader for four years in Honors Sinfonia and Academy Symphony. This fall, Isabelle was planning on being the music director for a student-directed musical along with assistant music director for one in during the summer of 2021. Outside of music, Isabelle is an avid downhill ski racer, ultimate frisbee player, and enjoys spending time with her dogs, Ivan and Igor. About Nate Strothkamp: Nate Strothkamp is a sixteen year-old violinist from Portland, Oregon. He serves as co-concertmaster in the Portland Youth Philharmonic and plays with the PYP Camerata chamber orchestra. Nate participated in the 2019 Boston University Tanglewood Institute, where he was a concertmaster of the Young Artists Orchestra and selected to play in a masterclass with Hilary Hahn. He has also had the opportunity to play for renowned artists including Ida Kavafian, Bella Hristova, Charlie Castleman, Janet Guggenheim, and Mimi Zweig. Nate was chosen as the winner of the 2019 PYP Concerto Competition and performed the entire Korngold Violin Concerto with PYP at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. He won the Beaverton Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition and will be performing with the orchestra in 2021. Nate is the Executive Director of Project Prelude, an organization that aims to expand the accessibility of music education to students from economically disadvantaged schools through free music lessons. He is currently a junior at the Oregon Episcopal School where he enjoys running cross-country and track. If you have any questions or topics you would like covered on the show please contact me at b4thestage@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/b4thestage/ https://www.instagram.com/b4thestage/ Find your host, Grace Lamb, on social media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gracesviolin/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/gracesviolin Website: https://gracecolbylamb.com/ --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/b4thestage/message

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In this episode I'll be talking to one of the greatest living orchestral violinists my colleague Nathan Cole, who is an author, a podcaster, a trailblazer in the online teaching space, and happens to be the First Associate Concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He's kind of a busy guy. We're going to cover how technology has impacted our perception of perfectionism, going into debt to get a music degree, how being an orchestral musician is a lot like being a professional basketball player, and how many hours it actually takes to record 60 seconds of music. Nathan is even going to hook you up with his favorite barbeque resource, so you are going to want to listen all the way to the end of this one. About Nathan First Associate Concertmaster NATHAN COLE, who joined the LA Phil in 2011, has appeared as guest concertmaster with the orchestras of Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Houston, Ottawa, Seattle, and Oregon. He was previously a member of the Chicago Symphony and Principal Second Violin of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. A native of Lexington, Kentucky, he made his debut with the Louisville Orchestra at the age of ten while studying with Donna Wiehe. After eight years working with Daniel Mason, Cole enrolled at the Curtis Institute of Music. In addition to his studies there with Pamela Frank, Felix Galimir, Ida Kavafian, and Jaime Laredo, Cole formed the Grancino String Quartet, debuting in New York's Weill Hall. Several summers at Marlboro enriched his love of chamber music. Nathan's articles and videos on practicing, performing, teaching, and auditioning have helped thousands of violinists worldwide. Visit natesviolin.com for the complete collection. In addition to his online teaching, Nathan is currently on faculty at the Colburn School for the Performing Arts, with classes at the Colburn Conservatory and USC. His articles and photographs have also appeared in Strings, Symphony, and Chamber Music magazines. Links Website: https://www.natesviolin.com/ Facebook: Nates Violin Instagram: @natesviolin   Honesty Pill Links Free Resource Library Facebook Group Mailing List

In this week's episode we'll hear Ottorino Resphighi's Il Tramonto for Soprano and String Quartet featuring soprano Heather Harper, violinists James Buswell and Daniel Phillips, violist Ida Kavafian, and cellist Fred Sherry.

On this week's lecture, resident lecturer Bruce Adolphe discusses Stravinsky's L'Histoire du soldat (The Soldier's Tale), Trio Version for Violin, Clarinet, and Piano. Featuring a performance by Ida Kavafian, violin; Jose Franch-Ballester, clarinet; and Anne-Marie McDermott, piano.

This wee's edition of the Phenomenal 50 features the trio version of Igor Stravinsky's L'histoire du soldat in a performance by clarinetist David Shifrin, violinist, Ida Kavafian, and pianist Lukas Foss from 1989.

In today's episode, the Phenomenal 50 features sisters Ani and Ida Kavafian from 1989 performing the Duo No. 1 for Violin and Viola in G major, K. 423 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

New Mexico can claim an important role in the career of Ida Kavafian. Every summer, the acclaimed violinist travels here from her home on the East Coast. First, she performs as part of the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and from there she heads north to lead Music From Angel Fire , intimate concerts in the mountain communities of Northern New Mexico. The 2019 season, August 16-September 1, will be Ida's 35th as Artistic Director.

Bella Hristova used to be a gamer. Bella and Kai discuss her time playing World of Warcraft (1:45), what Bulgaria is like (13:40), and her relationship with her mentor, Ida Kavafian (26). They also discuss finding her long lost brother (32:30) and her fierce love for her two cats, Schmoopy and Uni (40:05). 

Bruce Adolphe talks about Ludwig van Beethoven's fiery Sonata in A major for Violin and Piano, Op. 47, "Kreutzer" with musical examples performed by violinist Angelo Xiang Yu and pianist Gloria Chien. Also featuring a performance of the first movement by violinist Ida Kavafian and pianist Gilles Vonsattel.

First Associate Concertmaster with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the creative mind behind Natesviolin, Nathan Cole has incredible insight on practice and performance preparation!  In this episode, he discusses:   His path, from Suzuki beginner, to Curtis student, to the LA Phil, via the St-Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony How he organizes his time for productivity The importance of scheduling Utilize small pockets of time Know when you are the most productive How he prepares for practice – the importance of having the right environment Not separating the warm up from “playing” Not separating practicing from performing The importance of paying attention every time you are about to start a note The importance of choosing repertoire suited to our level How he takes a piece from start to ready The importance of practicing etudes and to understand what the point of each etude is so we can focus on the proper skill to be worked on How he problem-solves difficult passages The importance of paying close attention to how things sound and feel – being present Why it's important to develop good communication skills with colleagues   ALL ABOUT guest: Website: https://www.natesviolin.com/ Podcast Stand Partners for Life: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/stand-partners-for-life/id1328799919?mt=2 Nathan on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/natesviolin/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natesviolin/ The Inner Game of Golf by W. Timothy Gallwey The Inner Game of Tennis, also by Gallwey The Inner Game of Music by Barry Green     Nathan Cole, First Associate Concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, has appeared as guest concertmaster with the orchestras of Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Houston, Ottawa, Seattle, and Oregon. He was previously a member of the Chicago Symphony and Principal Second Violin of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. A native of Lexington, KY, he made his debut with the Louisville Orchestra at the age of ten while studying with Donna Wiehe. After eight years working with Daniel Mason, Cole enrolled at the Curtis Institute of Music. In addition to his studies there with Pamela Frank, Felix Galimir, Ida Kavafian, and Jaime Laredo, Cole formed the Grancino String Quartet, debuting in New York's Weill Hall. Several summers at Marlboro enriched his love of chamber music. While in Chicago, Nathan taught at Roosevelt University and coached the Chicago Civic Orchestra. He is currently on the faculty at the Colburn School for the Performing Arts, with classes at the Colburn Conservatory and USC. His articles and photographs have appeared in Strings, Symphony, and Chamber Music magazines. Nathan's articles and videos on practicing, performing, teaching, and auditioning have helped thousands of violinists worldwide. In addition to his online teaching, Nathan is currently on faculty at the Colburn School for the Performing Arts, with classes at the Colburn Conservatory and USC. His articles and photographs have also appeared in Strings, Symphony, and Chamber Music magazines. Nathan is married to Akiko Tarumoto, the LA Phil's Assistant Concertmaster. Together they host the weekly podcast Stand Partners for Life, an inside look at orchestra life, which can be heard at standpartnersforlife.com. Nathan and Akiko live in Pasadena with their three children.   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. 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 producer, Bella Kelly!   MIND OVER FINGER: www.mindoverfinger.com https://www.facebook.com/mindoverfinger/   (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, which helps cover some of the costs associated with the production of the podcast.  Thank you for your support.)

Ida Kavafian loves the color purple. Ida talks to Kai about growing up in Istanbul and going through the Cyprus Riots with her family, playing the same instrument as her sister, and how she started breeding and training Hungarian Vizsla dogs. They also discuss the importance of having a hobby, the time she played for Olivier Messiaen, and what is happening with immigrants in this country. 

Steven Tenenbom is a passionate golfer. Steven talks to Kai about his upbringing in Phoenix, how golf helps keep him in shape, and the moment he knew he wanted to be in music for the rest of his life. They also discuss his obsession with the Guarneri Quartet and its violist Michael Tree, the state of music education in public schools, and how he and his wife Ida Kavafian started training and breeding Vizsla dogs. 

We’re chatting with violinist Nathan Cole on today’s podcast.  Nathan is a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and has just released a new podcast called Stand Partners for Life.  Nathan and his wife Akiko (also a member of the LA Phil) have all sorts of exciting plans for this new venture.  We dig into Nathan’s journey through music, getting into tech, the motivations behind launching a podcast, and much more.  Enjoy, and be sure to subscribe to this new podcast! About Nathan Cole: First Associate Concertmaster Nathan Cole, who joined the LA Phil in 2011, has appeared as guest concertmaster with the orchestras of Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Houston, Ottawa, Seattle, and Oregon. He was previously a member of the Chicago Symphony and Principal Second Violin of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. A native of Lexington, KY, he made his debut with the Louisville Orchestra at the age of ten while studying with Donna Wiehe. After eight years working with Daniel Mason, Cole enrolled at the Curtis Institute of Music. In addition to his studies there with Pamela Frank, Felix Galimir, Ida Kavafian, and Jaime Laredo, Cole formed the Grancino String Quartet, debuting in New York’s Weill Hall. Several summers at Marlboro enriched his love of chamber music. Nathan’s articles and videos on practicing, performing, teaching, and auditioning have helped thousands of violinists worldwide. Visit natesviolin.com for the complete collection. In addition to his online teaching, Nathan is currently on faculty at the Colburn School for the Performing Arts, with classes at the Colburn Conservatory and USC. His articles and photographs have also appeared in Strings, Symphony, and Chamber Music magazines. Nathan is married to Akiko Tarumoto, the LA Phil’s Assistant Concertmaster. Together they host the podcast Stand Partners for Life, which is a weekly “inside look” at the symphony life. Visit standpartnersforlife.com to listen. Nathan and Akiko live in Pasadena with their three children Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle! Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by: Robertson & Sons Violins For more than four decades, Robertson & Sons has specialized in providing the highest quality stringed instruments and bows to collectors, professional musicians, music educators, and students of all ages. Their modern facility is equipped with three instrument showrooms as well as a beautiful Recital Hall available to our clients to in their search for the perfect instrument and/or bow. D'Addario Strings This episode is brought to you by D'Addario Strings! Check out their Kaplan strings, which have versatility and control throughout the dynamic spectrum, rich tonal color palette, superb bow response, and beautiful balance. Upton Bass String Instrument Company Upton's Karr Model Upton Double Bass represents an evolution of our popular first Karr model, refined and enhanced with further input from Gary Karr. Since its introduction, the Karr Model with its combination of comfort and tone has gained a loyal following with jazz and roots players. The slim, long “Karr neck” has even become a favorite of crossover electric players. A440 Violin Shop An institution in the Roscoe Village neighborhood for over 20 years, A440's commitment to fairness and value means that we have many satisfied customers from the local, national, and international string playing communities. Our clients include major symphony orchestras, professional orchestra and chamber music players, aspiring students, amateur adult players, all kinds of fiddlers, jazz and commercial musicians, university music departments, and public schools. Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!

Work for string quintet by Mozart performed by the Orion String Quartet with Ida Kavafian on October 15, 2006. Work for string orchestra by Mozart performed by A Far Cry on April 21, 2013.Mozart: Viola Quintet in B-flat No. 1 K. 174Mozart: Serenade in G, Eine kleine Nachtmusik, KV. 525“Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” is probably Mozart’s most famous composition– and arguably one of the most famous pieces of classical music today. The phrase does translate literally as “A Little Night Music,” but in Mozart’s day, the word “nachtmusik” was a fairly common musical description, often substituted for the more familiar “Serenade.” Indeed, the piece most of us know as “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” is more properly known as the Serenade in G, K. 525.This work is inherently appealing and supremely fun to listen to. We’ll hear it played by A Far Cry, the Gardner’s chamber orchestra in residence.Beforehand, we’ll hear another lovely little ditty of Mozart’s, the first viola quintet, in B-flat, performed by the Orion String Quartet and guest violist, Ida Kavafian. This string quintet is often referred to as a “viola quintet” because the violist is the “special guest”. It was a somewhat unconventional choice (other composers more often added an extra cello, rather than a viola) but Mozart returned to this quintet configuration several more times.We’ll hear the quintet first, followed by that very famous serenade.

VIDEO: Richard and Mika Stoltzman play in the WQXR Cafe Richard Stoltzman really wants to feel that he's connecting with his audiences – even if it means resorting to nudity. In an interview with Naomi Lewin, the veteran clarinetist at first rebuffed a question about a mid-concert streaking incident from his past. But the interrogation began with a remark he made before his WQXR Café Concert, which featured jazzy duets with his wife, the marimba player Mika Stoltzman. In introducing the concert, Stoltzman recalled a recent school outreach performance, in which he found himself before a room of distracted students, all glued to their iPhones and other electronic devices. "First of all, you don’t perform until you have the attention of the people who you are going to perform for,” Stoltzman explained. "These kids, they came because they were told to. And nobody told them, ‘by the way, take off your earphones and don’t use your cellphones.’” The clarinetist has long been known for getting audiences to pay attention through non-traditional means, particularly through occasional crossover projects with artists like Judy Collins, Wayne Shorter, Mel Tormé, Gary Burton and George Shearing. His latest such effort, which he calls "New Genre," takes place on Thursday at Weill Recital Hall and features a host of jazz artists including Mika Stoltzman, whom he married last year. But there was a moment, in a 1974 concert at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, that has entered clarinet lore. After some pressing by Lewin, Stoltzman explained why he decided to streak naked across the stage. "It was a very frustrating motivation, having played these great concerts with Felix Galimir,” Stoltzman said, referring to the great Viennese violinist. “We were playing the Adagio from Alban Berg’s Kammerkonzert. We were playing in a very establishment kind of chamber music concert and I know how hard we had worked on the Alban Berg piece.” Stoltzman and his colleagues had barely left the stage before the applause had ended. “I saw Felix backstage and he looked so slumped over. Here I am in my own city. Here we were playing these great composers and the response is so dispiriting – there was no visceral reaction from the audience. Are they alive? What’s going on here?” “So that’s what got me started.” The incident was hardly covered in the local news media, and aside from a 1979 article in People magazine, it has seldom been mentioned since. But to a large extent, it was indicative of Stoltzman’s free-spirited early years, when he was a member of TASHI, classical music's answer to a progressive rock supergroup. Also comprised of violinist Ida Kavafian, pianist Peter Serkin and cellist Fred Sherry, the quartet's members shunned ties and gowns for ponytails and love beads (its name is a Tibetan word meaning "good fortune.") Like a '70s rock band, TASHI had a reunion tour, in 2008, which Stoltzman recalls fondly. “Our first one was in Portland,” he said. “I saw it was packed with all people that looked like me, with gray hair. Some of the guys still had headbands and they had their LPs with them. They wanted us to sign their LPs. “I thought, 'this is unbelievable.' We sat down and they wouldn’t stop clapping. I think they were clapping more for themselves than for us. I think they felt like, ‘we went through a lot. We love music and we wanted to have our own champions and people who carried the torch that we believed in and you guys did it.’" Video: Amy Pearl; Sound: Edward Haber; Text & Production: Brian Wise

We’re continuing our chat with Cincinnati Symphony principal bassist Owen Lee today on Contrabass Conversations. Check out the first segment of this conversation on episode 55 of the program. Owen played for the New World Symphony and the Houston Symphony prior to his appointment with the Cincinnati Symphony, and it was a real pleasure to do this interview along with Contrabass Conversations regular collaborator John Grillo. John, Owen, and I chat about Owen’s experiences recording his solo CD, key selection for the Bach Suites and his use of solo tuning for the recording, his performances of the less popular but extremely engaging Bottesini Concerto No. 1, performing the Tubin Concerto with orchestra, the Harbison Bass Concerto project (which Owen performed with the Cincinnati Symphony), and his practicing habits and exercises. We also feature the first movement from the Cello Suite No. 5 by Johann Sebastian Bach from Owen’s Boston Records CD, plus listener feedback, bass news, and a link of the week. Find Owen Lee on Twitter here. Enjoy!   About Owen: Described as “a true virtuoso” by legendary pianist Gary Graffman and praised by The New York Times for his “deft and virtuosic solo performance” at his New York debut at Alice Tully Hall, double bassist Owen Lee has earned acclaim as a soloist, chamber musician and since 1996, at the age of 26, as Principal Bass of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Lee is heard regularly as a soloist with orchestras including the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Paavo Järvi and Jesús López-Cobos, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra under John Harbison, and the New World Symphony under Michael Tilson-Thomas in Miami and on tour to New York’s Lincoln Center. During the 2006-07 season, Mr. Lee and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, along with a consortium of other soloists and orchestras, will present the world premiere of John Harbison’s Concerto for Bass Viol and Orchestra. Mr. Lee’s prizes in competitions include First Prize at the 1995 International Society of Bassists Competition and Fourth Prize at the 1992 Irving M. Klein International String Competition in San Francisco. He has been presented in recitals throughout the United States, and in Geneva. For the Boston Records label, he has recorded the Misek Sonata No. 2 and Bach Unaccompanied Suites No. 3 and No. 5. American Record Guide praised this disc for its “tasteful phrasing, polish and verve” while The Strad wrote “Owen Lee is a fine player with strong musical ideas. A dark and austere sound is produced for Suite No. 5 and the architecture of each suite is carefully considered and shaped. I look forward to his next recording.” Mr. Lee’s extensive international chamber music experience includes three summers as the bassist of the Marlboro Festival. While there, he performed extensively with such artists as Richard Stoltzman, Midori, Nobuko Imai, Bruno Canino, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, and members of the Beaux Arts Trio, Guarneri Quartet and Juilliard Quartet. He also collaborated with composers Gyorgy Kurtag, Leon Kirchner and Richard Danielpour preparing performances of those composers’ works. Mr. Lee has also performed with the Tokyo String Quartet on tour to Mexico, John Browning, Anne-Marie McDermott, Jaime Laredo, Ida Kavafian, Steven Tenenbom, Peter Wiley, Eugenia Zukerman, the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival, San Diego’s Mainly Mozart Festival, Ojai California Festival, Chamber Music L.A. Festival, Tanglewood Festival, Texas Music Festival, and on tour throughout China. With the Rossetti String Quartet he performed the world premiere of Melinda Wagner’s Concertino at the 2005 Bravo! Vail Festival. Mr. Lee was born in Berkeley, California in 1969 to Chinese parents. He began playing bass at age 15 after previous study of the piano. A graduate of the University of Southern California, Mr. Lee’s principal teachers were Dennis Trembly, Edwin Barker and Paul Ellison. Prior to his appointment in Cincinnati, Mr. Lee was a member of the Houston Symphony under Christoph Eschenbach. In addition to his position with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Lee serves as Principal Bass of the Shanghai Festival Orchestra. Owen is married to CiCi Lee. He enjoys bicycling, snowboarding, cigars, auto repair and playing drums and writing songs with his rock band Toe (Eric Bates, CSO 2nd Assistant Concertmaster is Toe’s guitarist and lead singer, and Ted Nelson, CSO cellist is Toe’s bassist).  

We’re speaking with Cincinnati Symphony principal bassist Owen Lee today on Contrabass Conversations. Owen played for the New World Symphony and the Houston Symphony prior to his appointment with the Cincinnati Symphony, and it was a real pleasure to do this interview along with Contrabass Conversations regular collaborator John Grillo. Find Owen Lee on Twitter here. Enjoy!  About Owen: Described as “a true virtuoso” by legendary pianist Gary Graffman and praised by The New York Times for his “deft and virtuosic solo performance” at his New York debut at Alice Tully Hall, double bassist Owen Lee has earned acclaim as a soloist, chamber musician and since 1996, at the age of 26, as Principal Bass of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Lee is heard regularly as a soloist with orchestras including the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Paavo Järvi and Jesús López-Cobos, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra under John Harbison, and the New World Symphony under Michael Tilson-Thomas in Miami and on tour to New York’s Lincoln Center. During the 2006-07 season, Mr. Lee and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, along with a consortium of other soloists and orchestras, will present the world premiere of John Harbison’s Concerto for Bass Viol and Orchestra. Mr. Lee’s prizes in competitions include First Prize at the 1995 International Society of Bassists Competition and Fourth Prize at the 1992 Irving M. Klein International String Competition in San Francisco. He has been presented in recitals throughout the United States, and in Geneva. For the Boston Records label, he has recorded the Misek Sonata No. 2 and Bach Unaccompanied Suites No. 3 and No. 5. American Record Guide praised this disc for its “tasteful phrasing, polish and verve” while The Strad wrote “Owen Lee is a fine player with strong musical ideas. A dark and austere sound is produced for Suite No. 5 and the architecture of each suite is carefully considered and shaped. I look forward to his next recording.” Mr. Lee’s extensive international chamber music experience includes three summers as the bassist of the Marlboro Festival. While there, he performed extensively with such artists as Richard Stoltzman, Midori, Nobuko Imai, Bruno Canino, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, and members of the Beaux Arts Trio, Guarneri Quartet and Juilliard Quartet. He also collaborated with composers Gyorgy Kurtag, Leon Kirchner and Richard Danielpour preparing performances of those composers’ works. Mr. Lee has also performed with the Tokyo String Quartet on tour to Mexico, John Browning, Anne-Marie McDermott, Jaime Laredo, Ida Kavafian, Steven Tenenbom, Peter Wiley, Eugenia Zukerman, the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival, San Diego’s Mainly Mozart Festival, Ojai California Festival, Chamber Music L.A. Festival, Tanglewood Festival, Texas Music Festival, and on tour throughout China. With the Rossetti String Quartet he performed the world premiere of Melinda Wagner’s Concertino at the 2005 Bravo! Vail Festival. Mr. Lee was born in Berkeley, California in 1969 to Chinese parents. He began playing bass at age 15 after previous study of the piano. A graduate of the University of Southern California, Mr. Lee’s principal teachers were Dennis Trembly, Edwin Barker and Paul Ellison. Prior to his appointment in Cincinnati, Mr. Lee was a member of the Houston Symphony under Christoph Eschenbach. In addition to his position with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Lee serves as Principal Bass of the Shanghai Festival Orchestra. Owen is married to CiCi Lee. He enjoys bicycling, snowboarding, cigars, auto repair and playing drums and writing songs with his rock band Toe (Eric Bates, CSO 2nd Assistant Concertmaster is Toe’s guitarist and lead singer, and Ted Nelson, CSO cellist is Toe’s bassist).