Podcasts about oratorio society

Scott Elliff of DuCard Vineyards, Michael Slon & Christine Fairfield of The Oratorio Society of Virginia, and Matthias John of Matthias John Realty joined Michael Urpí & Xavier Urpí On “Today y Mañana!” “Today y Mañana” airs every Thursday at 10:15 am on The I Love CVille Network! “Today y Mañana” is presented by Emergent Financial Services, LLC, Charlottesville Opera and Matthias John Realty, with Forward Adelante.

In this episode of One Symphony, Devin Patrick Hughes interviews Lucas Richman, a Grammy winning composer and conductor, exploring his career and insightful perspectives on music and its role in society.  Richman recounts his early exposure to music through composer biographies, sharing an anecdote about writing to Aaron Copland and receiving an encouraging postcard in return, which served as an early inspiration. The discussion moves to Richman's experiences with Leonard Bernstein, highlighting a masterclass on the Academic Festival Overture and the profound impact Bernstein had on his understanding of music and life. Richman emphasizes Bernstein's ability to infuse everything with love and teaching, noting his preference for discussing music with doctors rather than musicians due to their focus on the art rather than business.  Richman discusses his approach to composition, emphasizing his commitment to bringing social issues and awareness into the concert hall. He describes his symphony inspired by Bernstein's words, "This will be our reply to violence is to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before," with movements embodying intensity, beauty, and devotion. He also discusses "The Warming Sea," a piece addressing climate change, and Paths to Dignity, a violin concerto inspired by the issue of homelessness. In Paths to Dignity, Richman musically portrays the word "dignity" using specific notes, aiming to create a conversation and raise awareness. He collaborated with Mitchell Newman, a violinist and advocate for the unsheltered community, to bring attention to the human stories behind homelessness.  Richman reflects on his time as an assistant conductor, which instilled in him the importance of clarity and efficiency. He describes his experience conducting film scores for movies such as Seven and The Village, noting the collaborative nature of the work. Richman also shares his perspective on conducting his own music, expressing that others often bring fresh interpretations that he appreciates. Transitioning to the evolution of the conducting field, Richman acknowledges the influence of mentors like Daniel Lewis and Herbert Blomstedt, emphasizing the significance of respect, intent, and honesty. He expresses concern that some contemporary conductors prioritize showmanship over serving the music and fostering leadership skills. Turning to the role of a music director, Richman underscores the importance of community engagement, fundraising, and collaboration with the board and staff. He highlights initiatives such as streaming concerts, expanding educational programs, and forging relationships with local organizations. He also touches on his involvement in music education, including his piece Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant, which introduces children to classical music through imaginative characters. Thank you for joining us on One Symphony. Special thanks to Lucas Richman for sharing his music and story. Musical selections from today's episode: Brahms: Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80 (Live). Lucas Richman conducting. The Warming Sea composed by Lucas Richman. Performed by the Bangor Symphony Orchestra, Divisi Women's Choir, and the Bangor Area Youth Choir. Conducted by Jayce Ogren. Commissioned by the Maine Science Festival. Excerpts from Concerto for Violin: Paths to Dignity composed and conducted by Lucas Richman. Featuring Mitchell Newman on violin and the Bangor Symphony Orchestra. “The Gravel Road” from the film The Village. Composed by James Newton-Howard and conducted by Lucas Richman featuring Hillary Hahn on violin. “Tikkun Olam (Heal the World)” from Symphony: This Will Be Our Reply. Text and music by Lucas Richman. Performed by the Bangor Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Richman. Featuring the Oratorio Society and University of Maine Singers under the direction of Francis John Voight. For more information on Lucas, see www.lucasrichman.com. You can always find more info at OneSymphony.podbean.com or DevinPatrickHughes.com, including a virtual tip jar if you'd like to support the show. Please feel free to rate, review, or share the podcast! Until next time, thank you for being part of the music.

"I think in many ways the pattern is the least important part of conducting. It's much more about showing what the music should be doing, not beating four. If it were just a matter of keeping time, we could use a flashing red light. That's not what your job is. Your job is to encourage and show the music physically. I believe very strongly that the conducting gesture is nothing more than your vocal process externalized.”Chester L. Alwes holds degrees in music from Hanover College, Union Theological Seminary School of Sacred Music, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Before joining the University of Illinois faculty in 1982, he taught at the College of Wooster and the University of Rochester/Eastman School of Music. Prior to his retirement in 2011 from the University of Illinois, Dr. Alwes taught graduate courses in choral literature, seminars on the works of J. S Bach and Henry Purcell and graduate and undergraduate conducting. From 1982-2009, he was conductor of the U. of I. Concert Choir, taking over the Women's Glee Club prior to his retirement. In addition, he frequently conducted the University's Oratorio Society, Summer Chorus, and the Illinois Summer Youth Music Senior Chorus.In 1996, he founded the Baroque Artists of Champaign-Urbana (BACH), an ensemble drawn from the University and local community that specialized in music of the 17th and 18th centuries. As a choral conductor, Dr. Alwes was known for his innovative programming, his sensitivity to tone and musical line, and his dedication to the musical growth of his singers. He is the author of A History of Western Choral Music (2 vols., Oxford University Press, 2015-16), Handel's Messiah: the Complete Solo Variants (Roger Dean Music, 2009), the chapter on Choral Music of the Romantic era in the Cambridge Companion to Choral Music, Andre De Quadros, ed. (Cambridge University Press, 2012), articles on choral music and numerous choral compositions and arrangements (70+).To get in touch with Chet, you can find him on Facebook (@calwes) or email him at calwes@illinois.edu.Email choirfampodcast@gmail.com to contact our hosts.Podcast music from Podcast.coPhoto in episode artwork by Trace HudsonSights N Sounds with Allen KigerInterviewing music and racing royalty.Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Christine Fairfield & Michael Slon of The Oratorio Society of Virginia joined Alex Urpí & Nickolas Urpí On “Today y Mañana!” “Today y Mañana” airs every Thursday at 10:15 am on The I Love CVille Network! “Today y Mañana” is presented by Emergent Financial Services, LLC, Craddock Insurance Services Inc, Charlottesville Opera and Matthias John Realty, with Forward Adelante.

Michael Slon of The Oratorio Society of Virginia and Bridgid Eversole of Charlottesville Opera joined Alex Urpí & Michael Urpí On “Today y Mañana!” “Today y Mañana” airs every Thursday at 10:15 am on The I Love CVille Network! “Today y Mañana” is presented by Emergent Financial Services, LLC, Craddock Insurance Services Inc and Matthias John Realty, with Forward Adelante.

Dr. Leanne Clement & Brigid Eversole of Charlottesville Opera and Michael Slon & Christine Fairfield of The Oratorio Society of Virginia joined Alex Urpí & Michael Urpí On “Today y Mañana!” “Today y Mañana” airs every Thursday at 10:15 am on The I Love CVille Network! “Today y Mañana” is presented by Emergent Financial Services, LLC, Craddock Insurance Services Inc and Matthias John Realty, with Forward Adelante.

SynopsisAt Carnegie Hall on today's date in 1908, Gustav Mahler conducted the New York Symphony, the 200-voice Oratorio Society chorus and two vocal soloists in the American premiere of his Symphony No. 2, his Resurrection Symphony.These days, Mahler's Second ranks among his most popular works. But how was this new music received by New Yorkers back in 1908? An unsigned review in the New York Daily Tribune noted:“It was by demonstrations of far more than mere politeness that the large audience found vent for its feelings of interest and pleasure in this new music. ... After the Schubertian second movement, there was long continued applause, and at the close of the composition … there was cheering and waving of handkerchiefs until Mr. Mahler was compelled to appear several times to bow his thanks and appreciation.”As for the music itself, the review opined: “Of the beauty and insight of certain episodes, there can be no doubt. … There seems, however, a lack of significant and commanding originality. It is more cerebral than passionate, more intellectual than compellingly emotional.”Music Played in Today's ProgramGustav Mahler Symphony No. 2 ("Resurrection"); New York Philharmonic; Leonard Bernstein, cond.

Harvey Mayorga, Co-Owner of Guajiros Miami Eatery, Christine Fairfield, Executive Director at The Oratorio Society of Virginia, and Michael Slon, Conductor at The Oratorio Society of Virginia, joined Alex Urpí & Xavier Urpí On “Today y Mañana!” “Today y Mañana” airs every Thursday at 10:15 am on The I Love CVille Network! “Today y Mañana” is presented by Emergent Financial Services, LLC, Craddock Insurance Services Inc, Castle Hill Cider, and Matthias John Realty, with Forward Adelante.

We are delighted to kick off our new season of LLChat with our series, French Musicians, Composers, and Discoveries. Our guest, Renée Anne Louprette, is an internationally renowned organist associated with distinguished music programs in New York City, the Arts at Trinity Wall Street, the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola. She is Assistant Professor of Music at Bard College. She has directed the organ program at Rutgers University, served as a faculty member at the Manhattan School of Music, and is director of the National Competition in Organ Improvisation for the American Guild Organists. Louprette has performed with the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, Voices of Ascension, Clarion Music Society, American Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Dance Project, Disney Hall in Los Angeles, and the Oratorio Society of New York. She was awarded a Premier Prix - mention très bien from the Conservatoire National de Région de Toulouse, France and a Diplôme Supérieur in organ performance from the Centre d'Etudes Supérieures de Musique et Danse de Toulouse. We are grateful to our magnificent team of hosts, Dr. Peter Schulman and Alexis Osipovs.

Alyssa Corbin, Owner of The Glitter Bee, Christine Fairfield, Executive Director of the The Oratorio Society of Virginia, Michael Slon, Music Director of the The Oratorio Society of Virginia, and Charlie Rogers of Charlottesville Scholarship Program, joined Alex Urpí & Xavier Urpí On “Today y Mañana!” “Today y Mañana” airs every Thursday at 10:15 am on The I Love CVille Network! “Today y Mañana” is presented by Emergent Financial Services, LLC, Craddock Insurance Services Inc, Castle Hill Cider and Charlottesville Opera, with Forward Adelante.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://theoryofmusic.wordpress.com/2022/07/20/oratorio-society-of-new-york-announces-2022-23-season-with-performances-in-stern-auditorium-perelman-stage-at-carnegie-hall/

Synopsis The German composer Richard Wagner tried to limit performances of his final opera, “Parsifal,” to his own theater in Bayreuth, hoping it would provide a source of income for his family after his death. “Parsifal” premiered at Bayreuth in 1882, and after Wagner died the following year, his widow forbade rental of the music for performances elsewhere. Naturally, Wagner enthusiasts all over the world were eager to hear the new work. One of them was a German-born American named Walter Damrosch, who, at the tender age of 23, headed both the New York Symphony and Oratorio Society, and was a conductor at the Metropolitan Opera. While visiting London in 1885, Damrosch had bought a miniature score of “Parsifal.” The purchase gave him no right to perform the work, but he discovered the monetary fine for doing so was so small that he hired copyists to prepare orchestral parts for a concert performance in America at the old Metropolitan Opera House on today's date in 1886. Unfortunately for Damrosch, Anton Seidl, a close friend of Wagner's widow was hired as the new music director of the Met. Seidl apparently took offense at Damrosch's audacity, and so limited Damrosch to only non-Wagnerian repertory! Music Played in Today's Program Richard Wagner (1813–1883) — Parsifal (excerpt) (SW German Radio Symphony; Erich Leinsdorf, cond.) Hannsler 93.040 On This Day Births 1891 - Spanish composer Federico Moreno Torroba, in Madrid; Deaths 1768 - Italian composer Nicola Porpora, age 81, in Naples; 1824 - Italian composer and violin virtuoso Giovanni Battista Viotti, age 68, in London; 1932 - British-born German composer and pianist Eugène d'Albert, age 67, in Riga; Premieres 1793 - Haydn: Symphony No. 101 ("The Clock"), conducted by the composer, at the Hanover-Square Concert Rooms in London; 1842 - Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 ("Scottish"), by the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, with the composer conducting; 1853 - revised version of R. Schumann: Symphony No. 4, with the Düsseldorf Municipal Orchestra, conducted by the composer; An earlier version of this symphony premiered in Leipzig in 1841 as Schumann's Symphony "No. 2," but the composer withdrew the score and composed and premiered a new Symphony No. 2 and Symphony No. 3 before revising and reintroducing this symphony as "No. 4"; 1870 - Brahms: "Alto Rhapsody," by the singer Pauline Viardot-Garcia, in Jena, Germany; 1875 - Bizet: opera "Carmen," in Paris at the Opéra-Comique; 1893 - George Templeton Strong, Jr.: Symphony No. 2 ("Sintram"), at a public afternoon rehearsal by the New York Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall, with Anton Seidl conducting; The "official" premiere concert took place the following evening; 1899 - R. Strauss: tone-poem "Ein Heldenleben" (A Hero's Life), in Frankfurt, with Strauss conducting; 1918 - Bartók: String Quartet No. 2, Op. 17, in Budapest, by the Waldbauer Quartet; 1944 - Barber: Symphony No, 2, by the Boston Symphony, Serge Koussevitzky conducting; 1951 - Otto Luening: "Kentucky Concerto" by the Louisville Orchestra, with the composer conducting; 1959 - Cowell: Symphony No. 13 ("Madras") in Madras, India; 1963 - Menotti: television opera "Labyrinth," broadcast over the NBC network; Others 1886 - American premiere (in a concert version) of Wagner's "Parsifal" at the Old Metropolitan Opera House, by the New York Symphony and Oratorio Society conducted by the 24-year old Walter Damrosch; The soloists included soprano Marianne Brandt, who had alternated the role of Kundry with soprano Amalie Materna in the premiere staged performances of the opera in Bayreuth in July of 1882; The first fully staged presentation of "Parsifal" in the U.S. did not occur at the Met until Dec. 24, 1903; 1922 - U.S. premiere of concert version of Stravinsky's ballet score, "The Rite of Spring," in Philadelphia, with Leopold Stokowski conducting. Links and Resources On Wagner's "Parsifal" On Walter Damrosch

In today’s first Patreon-fueled shout-out, WTJU 91.1 FM invites you to tune in next week for the annual Classical Marathon. It’s a round-the-clock celebration of classical music, specially programmed for your listening pleasure. Throughout the week there will be special guests, including Oratorio Society director Michael Slon; UVA professor I-Jen Fang; Charlottesville Symphony conductor Ben Rous; early music scholar David McCormick; and more. Visit wtju.net to learn more and to make a contribution. On today’s program: Virginia receives over $85 million in the latest carbon credit auction A community group gets a look at the next phase of Habitat for Humanity’s development at Southwood Council gets a budget update and decides to donate the Lee Statue for future artistic purposesCharlottesville Community Engagement is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Lee statue voteCharlottesville City Council had a full meeting last night that will take a few newsletters to get through. We begin at the end with a vote to remove one of three statues removed in July. Here’s City Councilor Heather Hill reading the motion. “Be it resolved by the Council of the City of Charlottesville that the statue of Robert E. Lee is hereby donated and ownership transferred to the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, a charitable institution organization in accordance with the provisions of Virginia Code 15.2-953,” Hill said. “This disposition is final.” Vice Mayor Sena Magill was not present at the virtual meeting, citing a family emergency. To read more on the statue and the Center’s desire to melt it down to create new public works of art, check out Ginny Bixby’s article in today’s Daily Progress. The further disposition of the Stonewall Jackson and Lewis, Clark, and Sacagewea statues will wait for another day. Possibly on December 20. The vote took place after midnight. Council had begun their day at a work session that began at 4 p.m. at which they discussed reform of the Housing Advisory Committee and the way projects are selected for to be funded through the Charlottesville Affordable Housing Fund. I’ll get to that in a future installment of the show. FY21 year-end balanceAlso in the work session, Council learned how the city fared as the books for fiscal year 2021 closed. Readers and listeners may recall there had been a concern the city would have a shortfall. Chris Cullinan is the city’s director of finance. “I’m pleased to report that we finished fiscal year 2021 in the general fund at surplus revenues of $5.5 million,” Cullinan said. Cullinan reminded Council that the pandemic hit just as the budget for fiscal year 2021 was being finalized. At the time, there was uncertainty about the long-term financial impact but the shutdowns immediately affected the city’s meals and lodging tax collection. Property and sales tax collection performed a bit better than expected. The city also didn’t spend as much as expected.“Several of our larger departments had vacancy savings over the course of the year as well as reduced levels of service or closed facilities during COVID and that resulted in expenditures being less than expected,” Cullinan said. Cullinan said the $5.5 million does not include any federal funding through the CARES Act or the American Rescue Plan. Those funds are accounted for separately. “But what it did allow us to do was instead of utilizing our general fund projects or eligible activities, we were able to use the CARES money instead so that CARES money stepped in the place of the city’s own revenues,” Cullinan said. Staff will return to Council on December 20 with a suggested year-end appropriation. Cullinan said they will make two recommendations that will affect the next year’s budget preparation. One involves a $6.7 million economic downturn fund that was set aside for a reserve fund at the beginning of the pandemic. “We didn’t have to tap into that money through the course of the fiscal year, and so that $6.7 million is outside of the $5.5 million,” Cullinan said. Cullinan said the $6.7 million had been taken by withholding cash funds to the capital improvement program. Now staff is recommending returning that money back to the capital budget. “Obviously as we all know there are several large capital needs both in the upcoming year but also in the five-year plan,” Cullinan said. Outgoing Charlottesville Mayor Nikuyah Walker said she wanted would prefer the money be used in some other way, especially if there is the possibility of funding coming from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act as well as future federal legislation. “And I don’t know if CIP is where we should be considering allocating that with the fact that there may be funding coming in the future,” Walker said. Outgoing City Council Heather Hill said Council has agreed to proceed with a $75 million investment in upgrading Buford Middle School and would support Cullinan’s recommendation. “I think that any contributions we can put into the CIP right now are going to be needed if we’re going to do any of our other priorities,” Hill said. “And again, this is where those funds were intended to be when this fiscal year began.”For the second recommendation, said staff proposes that the $5.5 million be used for employee compensation adjustments including a one-time bonus related to the pandemic, as well as a six-percent mid-year salary increase to try to retain employees in a tight job market. Deputy City Manager Sam Sanders said the bonuses will cost $3 million and the salary increase will cost $2.5 million. “The plan is to make it effective in January so this would be immediate relief to folks seeing an increase in pay beginning January of 22 and we are already looking forward to how we sustain this going forward and feel comfortable that the projections for revenues are such that we can sustain this as a permanent increase,” Sanders said. Before the meeting, Walker had directed staff to see if they could find a way to vote to approve this before January 6, 2022 when a potential second reading would be held. Walker will not be on Council at that time. Sanders said did not know yet but staff would be looking on whether they could do so under Virginia law. “It’s based on the size of the appropriation that dictates how many days we’re required so we’ll be able to take a look at that in the morning as I did get that later today and we need to dig into that to figure out if we can move faster,” Sanders said. Under state code, localities that make a budget amendment in excess of one percent of the total budget must hold a public hearing, which must be advertised seven days in advance. Take a look at § 15.2-2507 yourself and let me know your interpretation.  The FY21 budget was $192.2 million. RGGI auctionThe latest auction of carbon emission credits held by the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) will result in Virginia receiving another $85.6 million to help fund programs to mitigate the impact of climate change. Virginia joined the program in the summer of 2020 and became the first state in the southeast to join the compact. Through 54 auctions, RGGI has brought in $4.7 billion from power companies.“RGGI is the first market-based, cap-and-invest regional initiative in the United States,” reads the website. “Within the RGGI states, fossil-fuel-fired electric power generators with a capacity of 25 megawatts or greater (‘regulated sources’) are required to hold allowances equal to their CO2 emissions over a three-year control period.”Virginia has now brought in $227.6 million from the program across four auctions. Around half of the funding goes to pay for flood control and mitigation. In October, Governor Ralph Northam announced Charlottesville would receive $153,000 in RGGI-funded grants to create a model of the city’s portion of the Moores Creek watershed to assist with flood prevention. (October 6, 2021 story) You’re listening to Charlottesville Community Engagement and it is time now for another subscriber-supported shout-out. Filmmaker Lorenzo Dickerson has traced the 100 year history of the libraries in the Charlottesville area, including a time when Black patrons were restricted from full privileges. The film Free and Open to the Public explores the history of library service from the Jim Crow-era until now. If you missed the premiere in November, there’s an online screening followed by a Q&A with Dickerson this Thursday at 7 p.m. Register at the Jefferson Madison Regional Library site to participate in this free event that’s being run with coordination from the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society. Visit jmrl.org now to sign up! Southwood updateHabitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville has filed an application to extend an existing rezoning application to cover all of the Southwood Mobile Home Park. The 5th and Avon Community Advisory Committee got a look at the details in a community meeting on November 18. (watch the meeting)Rebecca Ragsdale is now the county planner overseeing the implementation of the initial rezoning and the preparation for the next one, taking over from Megan Nedostup who now works as a planner for the firm Williams Mullen. “It does include 93.32 acres and is the remainder and is the existing mobile home community along with a couple of smaller parcels,” Ragsdale said. “There’s three parcels in total. And the code of development proposes a minimum of 531 units or up to a maximum of 1,000 units.” There’s also a request to allow up to 60,000 square feet of non-residential uses in this second phase. Speaking nearly three weeks ago, Ragsdale said the review was just getting underway. Lori Schweller is an attorney with Williams Mullen and she provided additional details. Technically, this application is to amend the existing zoning approval granted by the Board of Supervisors in August 2019. “The current trailer park is located in the largest parcel right in the center and the first development is happening outside that area to minimize disruption from development and construction in phase 1 as much as possible,” Schweller said. Habitat purchased the 341-trailer Southwood Mobile Home Park in 2007 with the intent toward preserving affordable living spaces. The rezoning approved in phase 1 is to the county’s Neighborhood Model District, intended to create walkable communities. “As a neighborhood model development, the plan for phase 1 incorporated included a block plan logically organizing the areas of the development in accordance with the uses, forms, and density set out in the code of development. Density will range from green space at the lowest level of density upward through neighborhood, urban residential, neighborhood mixed-use, urban density mixed-use, to neighborhood center special area in that area designated for a center by the Comprehensive Plan.” Phase two extends the code of development across the whole property. Dan Rosensweig, Habitat’s CEO, said the plan has crafted with input from residents of Southwood. “Not trying to get buy-in but to elevate them to be the engineers and architects of their future,” Rosensweig said. “As such, they created a form-based code that regulated the basic formal characteristics of particular blocks in synch with the land itself, with the contours of the land and with a general pattern of development for the neighborhood.” Rosenseig said Habitat hopes to exceed the county’s affordable housing requirements as it seeks to not displace existing residents.“They all live in dramatically substandard housing on infrastructure that has failed,” Rosensweig said. “And so, to non-displace we have to at least replace the amount of housing that’s there but that’s not enough. We want to overperform that because there’s such an acute shortage in the region.” Rosenweig said 50 units were proffered to be affordable in phase one, but that phase will now include 207 affordable units. That’s in part because the Piedmont Housing Alliance is using low-income housing tax credits to subsidize rents in an apartment complex for households witj between 30 and 80 percent of the area median income. There are 128 market rate units in the first phase. “So 62 percent of the units in phase one are affordable,” Rosenweig said. Rosensweig said residents have led the charge to make sure the neighborhood is mixed-income. “They really wanted to make sure that every block had a mixture of Habitat homes and market rate homes so you can’t tell the difference between the two,” Rosensweig said. The number of units that will be built in the second phase is not yet know. Melissa Symmes is the residential planning and design manager with Habitat.“Based on the concept plan, we can build a minimum of 531 units as Rebecca mentioned, but we hope to build closer to a thousand units,” Symmes said. “If we were able to build a thousand units in phase two, this would result in a gross density of 10.71 dwelling units per acre and then a net density of 13.5 dwelling units per acre.”Symmes said the total for the entire Southwood redevelopment would be a range of between a minimum of 681 units and a maximum of 1,450 units.  “One thing to note is that we are not building the maximum permitted units allowed in phase one,” Symmes said. “We’re building about 100 units less than what the phase one code of development would actually permit.” The first phase allowed up to 50,000 square feet of non-residential space, but Symmes said only up to 10,000 square feet will be built. “So with that in mind there will likely be about 70,000 square feet of non-residential space in Southwood phases one and two total,” Symmes said. Symmes said Habitat will guarantee that 231 of the housing units in the second phase will be affordable and that will be enough to replace the existing trailers. Rosensweig said it may take up to a decade to fully develop the park. Guaranteeing affordability?After the discussion, CAC Chair James Cathro asked several questions including this one.Cathro: “What happens after a family is sold an affordable rate home and they pay it off, can they immediately sell it at market value? Is it their asset to use as they like or are there conditions or restrictions?”Rosensweig:“Great question. The latter. There are 30 to 40 years of deed restrictions on all Habitat homes. In the affordable housing space, there are programs where all of the equity is invested in, it’s really about the unit. On the other side of the spectrum, it’s all about the family. Habitat kind of splits the difference.”That means Habitat has the right of first refusal on purchasing units for a period of 40 years. “They put it on the market, they get a bona fide offer, we have a week to match that offer,” Rosensweig said. “Additionally there are significant incentives in the deed restrictions that incentivize families for staying for an extended period of time.” Rosensweig said Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville has sold about 300 homes and all but a handful have remained either under original ownership, were passed on to other family members, or were repurchased by Habitat. In the first village under construction, Rosenseigh said Habitat is building 49 units and 40 families are in line to purchase them. The rest are being reserved for Southwood families who want to rent rather than purchase. “Village 2 immediately adjacent to that will have another 25 Habitat homes and then Block 10 will have another 16 so there will be another 41 Habitat homes,” Rosensweig said.Impact on traffic and schools5th and Avon CAC members had questions about what Habitat might contribute to address potential traffic congestion. Steve Schmidt is a traffic engineer with the Timmons Group who is working with Habitat on the project. “You’re absolutely right, there’s a significant amount of traffic out there today, and there’s more coming,” Schmidt said. “There was a reason study done by VDOT to look at the whole corridor to kind of identify improvements that are coming. One of the improvements that we know is coming online is the roundabout at Old Lynchburg and the county complex there. That’s a funded improvement that will be in place in the coming years.” Schmidt was referring to a funded $7.26 million Smart Scale project in which Albemarle put up $2 million from the capital improvement program to help make this submission more attractive under the funding criteria. The Commonwealth Transportation Board approved the project in June. Construction is not anticipated to begin until at least October 2025, according to the application. Schmidt said VDOT and the county are both reviewing the traffic study. Another issue is the amount of additional children that will need spaces in the county school system. Schweller addressed those concerns and said the county is working to identify capital solutions in addition to the $6.25 million expansion of Mountain View elementary that was added to the current capital budget earlier this year. “What the schools are doing now is doing a new master plan analysis and we’ll have more recommendations coming up,” Schweller said. “Those capacity solutions could include a new school, redistricting, grade level reconfigurations. So we’ll wait and see what study reveals.”Schweller also said it is difficult to come up with an estimate of how many students would be generated by a mixed-use development with many types of housing.“It’s very difficult to estimate the number of students,” Schweller said. “If you have a thousand units, for example, in phase 2 that could yield from 40 and 470 students given the wide range of multipliers.” Schweller said there had been initial talk about providing land at Southwood for a new school, but that didn’t pan out. “Dan had discussions with the schools early on to offer a location for an elementary school and the schools at that time decided that was not what they wanted,” Schweller said. “At this point design and planning have moved on so there simply isn’t room in phase two for a school site and still accommodate all the homes that need to be built there.” Another attendee asked if Habitat would sell some of the land for the school, especially if the development does generate more need for elementary school seats. Rosensweig explained further why he would not proffer giving land over for a school. “You have to think about the purpose of a mixed-income community,” Rosensweig said. “There are really two purposes of a mixed-income community. One is to deconcentrate both wealth and poverty and create a neighborhood where people of all walks of life can live together. That’s very different from the last 150 years in our country which has become more segregated and intentionally so. So that’s one purpose. So if we take lots off line for market rate sales then we don’t concentrate wealth or poverty quite as much.”Rosensweig said the sale of market rate units subsidized the affordable units, and a balance has been worked out. He also said the architecture used for schools currently might not be compatible with the urban form of Southwood.“It would take a little bit of a frame shift in the way schools are planned to create the form of a school that would fit the context and character of this neighborhood,” Rosensweig said. “Something like a traditional Albemarle County ten-acre that has ballfields next to it that’s sprawling and on one level, I can’t in any shape or way or form seeing that fit this neighborhood but if the county were looking at something creative like a three-level school with minimal parking.”As an example, Rosenweig pointed to Rosa Parks Elementary School in Portland Oregon, which was built in the mid-2000’s as part of a public housing redevelopment project. The building is shared with the Boys and Girls Club and also functions as a community center.“So something like that if people were interested in thinking outside the box and you could pull some partners together, I think it would be a huge addition,” Rosensweig said. One community member who served on the Planning Commission from 2016 to 2019 noted that there appeared to be a lot of loose ends in the process about what would actually be built in the second phase.“I’m trying to figure out what level of certainty that the community, not just the legacy residents but the overall community, what level of certainty can be provided that the descriptions in the code of development by block are going to be built out in a way that those permitted uses and locations and appearance and everything, that there is some certainty about what’s going to be built,” Riley said. Symmes listed in the Code of Development said the blocks will clearly lay out what can be built where, but said she would follow up with Riley to get on the same page. There’s nothing new to report since November 18, but this item will eventually go to the Planning Commission for a public hearing. I’ll be there when it happens. Eventually! Special announcement of a continuing promo with Ting! Are you interested in fast internet? Visit this site and enter your address to see if you can get service through Ting. If you decide to proceed to make the switch, you’ll get:Free installationSecond month of Ting service for freeA $75 gift card to the Downtown MallAdditionally, Ting will match your Substack subscription to support Town Crier Productions, the company that produces this newsletter and other community offerings. So, your $5 a month subscription yields $5 for TCP. Your $50 a year subscription yields $50 for TCP! The same goes for a $200 a year subscription! All goes to cover the costs of getting this newsletter out as often as possible. Learn more here! This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

Friday’s come and go, but this one hasn’t yet. There’s still time to write out a few things about what’s been happening in and around Charlottesville in recent days. But we’d be better quick because the world we live upon will not stop turning.  Charlottesville Community Engagement is a reader-supported newsletter and podcast. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.On today’s show:Charlottesville hires two department heads and one from Albemarle gets a promotionAlbemarle’s Supervisors are briefed on the county’s stream health initiativeA campaign finance update for City Council and the Board of SupervisorsAn update on COVID-19 in VirginiaSome development news, a familiar new owner for Wintergreen, and USDA grantIn today’s first Patreon-fueled shout-out, WTJU 91.1 FM invites you to tune in next week for the annual Classical Marathon. It’s a round-the-clock celebration of classical music, specially programmed for your listening pleasure. Throughout the week there will be special guests, including Oratorio Society director Michael Slon; UVA professor I-Jen Fang; Charlottesville Symphony conductor Ben Rous; early music scholar David McCormick; and more. Visit wtju.net to learn more and to make a contribution. COVID updateA small surge of COVID-19 is under way in Virginia, with a seven-day positive test rating of 7.2 percent. That’s up from 5.9 percent on November 24. The Virginia Department of Health reports another 2,598 cases today, with the seven-day average increasing to 1,836 new cases a day. Sixty-five point four percent of the adult population is fully vaccinated and there is a seven-day average of 28,534 shots administered. Over 1.3 million Virginians have had a booster or third dose.In the Blue Ridge Health District, there are 67 new cases reported today, and the percent positivity is 6.7 percent. There are now confirmed cases of the Omicron variant in the United States. Dr. Amy Mathers is an associate professor of medicine and pathology in the University of Virginia Health system. She’s part of statewide efforts to sequence the various variants. “We’re contributing about 250 to 300 sequences a week,” Dr. Mathers said. “But we can only sequence what tests positive by PCR.” That means the rapid antigen tests do not collect the same biological information required for gene sequencing, which could limit efforts to identify the spread of the new variant. In the meantime, Dr. Costi Sifri urges calm while research is conducted. “There’s more that we don’t know about the Omicron variant than we do know about the Omicron variant,” said Dr. Costi Sifri, the director of hospital epidemiology at UVA Health. “What we do know is that its a variant that carries a lot of mutations. More than 30 in the spike protein as well as 20 or more additional mutations spread across the genome.” Dr. Sifri said some of these mutations relate to greater transmissibility and infection rates, but the emergence of Omicron is not unexpected. He said time will tell the impact on public health. “It’s not surprising that we’re seeing it around the world at this point, in more than two dozen countries,” Dr. Sifri said. “What is the efficacy of vaccines against the omicron variant? We really don’t know right now. We have heard of breakthrough infections but of course we’ve heard about breakthrough infections with Delta as well.” Dr. Sifri said it appears vaccinations will continue to provide benefits and more information and time will help test that assumption. He said in the meantime the best thing to do is get vaccinated and to continue to practice mitigation strategies. “We are seeing an increase in cases and it’s important since we were just talking about Omicron to understand that right now, 99.9 percent of cases are due to the Delta variant,” Dr. Sifri said. “What we have been seeing this fall and now heading into the holiday is Dela.”The major difference between this holiday season and last year is the widespread availability of vaccines. Dr. Mathers urged anyone who is ill to take precautions. “If you’re symptomatic, get tested,” Dr. Mathers said. “The only way we’re going to see emergence of new virus is to get tested. So following up exposure or symptoms with testing is an additional way to help limit the spread of this virus.Dr. Sifri said people who do get tested should limit contact with others until the result comes back. “Don’t go to work, don’t go to school, don’t go to holiday parties,” Dr. Sifri said. “If you’ve gotten tested, wait for your test result before you go out into the community.” New Charlottesville personnel Charlottesville has hired two people to serve as department heads. Arthur Dana Kasler will serve as the new director of Parks and Recreation and Stacey Smalls will be the new director of Public Works. Both positions have been open since September and were filled despite the transition at the city manager position when Chip Boyles resigned in October. Kasler comes to Charlottesville after serving as the director of Parks and Recreation in Louisville where he oversaw over 14,000 acres of parks, natural areas, and other services. According to a profile on Linkedin, he’s held that position since April 2019. Prior to starting work in Louisville, he was parks and recreation director in Parkland, Florida. According to the Lane Report, he’s also worked in Pittsburgh, Ponte Verde Beach in Florida, Kingsland, Georgia, and Athens, Ohio. Kasler takes over a position in Charlottesville in which he may oversee creation of a  new master plan for recreational programs in the city. Stacey Smalls recently worked as director of the Wastewater Collection Division in the public works department in Fairfax County. Smalls has been in that position since February 2016. Prior to that, she served in similar capacities for the U.S. Air Force, including serving as deputy public works officer for the Joint Base at Pearl Harbor. She’ll oversee a public works in Charlottesville that took on responsibility for transportation design from the Department of Neighborhood Development Services during the administration of former City Manager Tarron Richardson. Both Kasler and Smalls will start work on December 20. They join Deputy City Managers Ashley Marshall and Sam Sanders, as well as NDS director Jim Freas, as relative newcomers to municipal government in Charlottesville. Albemarle personnel, development infoIn other personnel news, this week Albemarle County announced that planning director Charles Rapp will be promoted to Deputy Director of Community Development, succeeding Amelia McCulley who is retiring from the county after more than 38 years of service. Rapp began work in Albemarle in March 2020 after serving as director of planning and community development for the Town of Culpeper. A search for a new planning director is underway. Rapp’s immediate boss is Jodie Filardo, the director of Community Development Department. She’s been in that position since September 2019. This week, the Community Development Department sent out a notice for two site plans of note. One is to construct a 1,300 square foot addition at the North Garden Fire Department. Earlier this year, Supervisors approved a budget that includes five full-time staff at the station to be there during the daytime to improve response times in the southern portion of Albemarle County. In the second, the owners of Stonefield have put forth a site plan for a seven-story 112-unit apartment building in what’s known as Block C2-1. You may also know this as the intersection of Bond Street and District Avenue, two of the public streets created as part of the initial development of Stonefield. Republican House Majority confirmedThe Associated Press is reporting that a recount in Virginia’s 85th House District has reaffirmed a narrow victory by Republican Karen Greenhalgh over Democrat Alex Askew. The certified election results recorded a 127-vote majority for Greenhalgh. A panel of three judges oversaw the recount and found this morning that the certified results stand. A recount is still underway in the 91st district. That gives Republicans at least 51 seats in the next General Assembly. In the 91st District, Republican A.C. Cordoza has a 94-vote lead over Democrat Martha Mugler, though there is an independent candidate in that race. Incoming speaker of the House Todd Gilbert (R-15) issued a statement welcoming Greenhalgh to the Republican caucus. Campaign finance The final campaign finance reports are in this year’s elections, covering a period from October 22 to November 25. City Councilor-elect Brian Pinkston raised an additional $3,325 during that time, and spent $8,938.04, leaving a balance of $1,227.76. He’s also repaid himself $7,231.24 in loans. In all, Pinkston raised $115,095.77 in the campaign. (report)Fellow City Councilor-elect Juandiego Wade raised $5,265 during the final period and spent $2,702.86, resulting in a balance of unspent funds of $17,728. In all, Wade raised $101,806.45 during the campaign. (report)In Albemarle County, Samuel Miller District Supervisor-elect Jim Andrews raised an additional $250, spent $2,015.74, and ended the campaign with a balance of $17,515.74. In all, Andrews raised $38,366.77 during the campaign. (report)Jack Jouett District Supervisor Diantha McKeel raised $250, spent $1,783.07, and her end-of-year bank balance is $20,652.76. McKeel began the year with $14,971 on hand and raised $19,127.99 during the 2021 campaign. (report)Rio District Supervisor Ned Gallaway has not yet filed a report for this cycle and missed the deadline. In the first three weeks of October raised an additional $3 and spent nothing. He began 2021 with a balance of $7,293.28, raised $10,150, and had a balance of $14,806.40. All three Supervisors ran in uncontested races. In today’s second Patreon-fueled shout-out: The Rivanna Conservation Alliance is looking for a few good volunteers for a couple of upcoming events. On Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the RCA will team up with the James River Association to plant trees along the Rivanna River and Town Branch in the Dunlora neighborhood to serve as a riparian buffer. In all, they’re hoping to put in 9 acres of trees. On Sunday, the Rivanna Greenbelt Marathon takes place, and the Rivanna Conservation Alliance is the beneficiary! They’re looking for people to help put on the race. Learn more about both events and the organization at rivannariver.org. Wintergreen ownerThe resort company that has been running Wintergreen now owns the Nelson County property. Pacific Group Resorts of Utah had been leasing Wintergreen since 2015 but finalized acquisition from EPR Properties in October. “PGRI now owns the real estate, lifts, and snowmaking systems at the [resort] in addition to the operating equipment which it previously owned through its operating subsidiaries,” reads the release. Pacific Group Resorts also owns several other ski areas, including the Ragged Mountain resort in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Albemarle stream healthVirginia and many of its localities are responsible for taking steps to improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay. That includes Albemarle County, which is in the midst of an initiative to create policies to encourage, incentivize, or mandate the installation of vegetated buffers on the many tributaries of the James River. The Board of Supervisors was updated on the Stream Health Initiative on December 1. (materials)Kim Biassioli is the Natural Resources Manager in Albemarle County. She said the initiative is intended to advance the goals of the Climate Action Plan, the Biodiversity Action Plan, and the Comprehensive Plan itself. “Of course the focus of our work here today is on water quality and stream-health, but in protecting stream health and water quality, we’re likely to be providing so many other benefits for climate, for scenic value, for wildlife, for public health, and so on,” Biassioli said. This past summer, Supervisors asked staff to come up with more information about what it would take to fully adopt the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act, which gives localities more options to enforce and require stream buffers. Albemarle is not within the Tidewater region as defined by the Act. “We found that full adoption is an extremely resource and time intensive option relative to the anticipated benefits that we feel might be received,” Biassioli said. The first proposal under consideration would reintroduce a requirement that property owners retain buffers by creating a stream overlay district. “And I say reintroduce because this language which was originally modeled after the original language in the Bay Act was in our water protection ordinance prior to 2013 but currently retention of stream buffers is required during a land disturbing activity,” Biassioli said. Biassiloi said this would not require property owners to expand existing buffers if they are not to the requirement established. The zoning overlay would establish a list of existing uses allowed in the buffer areas. Other ideas under consideration include a program to fund riparian buffers, more oversight of septic fields, and greater incentives for installing Best Management Practices for mitigating the effect of agriculture on the watershed. USDA climate change grantsFinally today, Virginia will receive $778,000 in grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture from the Rural Energy for America program. According to the USDA website, this initiative “provides guaranteed loan financing and grant funding to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements.”Recipients are:Waverly RB SPE LLC  - $500,000 (4th House District)Zion Crossroads Recycling Park LLC - $139,671 (5th House District)Twin Oaks North LLC - $52,225 (6th House District)Railside Industries LLC - $21,424 (6th House District)Mill Quarter Plantation Inc - $64,680 (7th House District)Thanks to Resilient Virginia for pointing this out!Special announcement of a continuing promo with Ting! Are you interested in fast internet? Visit this site and enter your address to see if you can get service through Ting. If you decide to proceed to make the switch, you’ll get:Free installationSecond month of Ting service for freeA $75 gift card to the Downtown MallAdditionally, Ting will match your Substack subscription to support Town Crier Productions, the company that produces this newsletter and other community offerings. So, your $5 a month subscription yields $5 for TCP. Your $50 a year subscription yields $50 for TCP! The same goes for a $200 a year subscription! All goes to cover the costs of getting this newsletter out as often as possible. Learn more here! This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

Hailed by the New York Times as a "striking mezzo soprano" and by the San Francisco Chronicle for her "electrifying sense of fearlessness," Raehann Bryce-Davis opens the 2019/20 season singing Verdi’s Requiem with conductor Kent Nagano and the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal at the Olympic Stadium. She then returns to Opera Vlaanderen for her role debut as Eboli in Verdi’s Don Carlos and makes her LA Opera debut in the World Premiere of Aucoin and Ruhl’s Eurydice, a coproduction with The Metropolitan Opera, and sings Sara in Roberto Devereux opposite Angela Meade and Ramon Vargas. Further performances of the season include: Unknown, I Live With You at the Kurt Weill Festival Dessau, A Nation of Others at Carnegie Hall with the Oratorio Society New York, Nathaniel Dett’s The Ordering of Moses with the Harlem Chamber Players, Mendelssohn's Elijah with St. George’s Choral Society, and a recital series for the Art Song Preservation Society in New York with pianist Mark Markham. Last season she made her role debuts as Leonor in Donizetti’s La Favorite at the Teatro Massimo di Palermo, Marguerite in Berlioz’s La Damnation de Faust conducted by Maestro John Nelson with the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Costa Rica, Ms. Alexander in Satyagraha at Opera Vlaanderen, Kristina in The Makropulos Affair at the Janáček Brno Festival, Verdi's Requiem with the Oratorio Society of New York at Carnegie Hall, Martinů’s Julietta with the American Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra. Find out more about Raehann Bryce-Davis at http://www.raehann.com/ Do you like these masterclass episodes? You'll probably like the 29 Days to Diva series on The Sybaritic Singer too. Check it out here: https://sybariticsinger.com/category/29-days-to-diva/ A big thank you to Juanitos for the music featured in this episode. Be on the Studio Class Podcast Megan Ihnen is a professional mezzo-soprano, teacher, writer, and arts entrepreneur who is passionate about helping other musicians and creative professionals live their best lives. Studio Class is an outgrowth of her popular #29DaystoDiva series from The Sybaritic Singer. Let your emerging professionals be part of the podcast! Invite Megan to your studio class for a taping of an episode. Your students ask questions and informative, fun conversation ensues. Special Guest: Raehann Bryce-Davis.

At Carnegie Hall on today’s date in 1908, Gustav Mahler conducted the New York Symphony, the 200-voice Oratorio Society chorus, and two vocal soloists in the American premiere of his Symphony No. 2, his “Resurrection Symphony.” These days, Mahler’s Second ranks among his most popular works. But how was this new music received by New Yorkers back in 1908? An unsigned review in the New York Daily Tribune noted: “It was by demonstrations of far more than mere politeness that the large audience found vent for its feelings of interest and pleasure in this new music ... After the Schubertian second movement there was long continued applause, and at the close of the composition… there was cheering and waving of handkerchiefs until Mr. Mahler was compelled to appear several times to bow his thanks and appreciation.” As for the music itself, the review opined: “… of the beauty and insight of certain episodes there can be no doubt… there seems, however, a lack of significant and commanding originality. It is more cerebral than passionate, more intellectual than compellingly emotional.”

At Carnegie Hall on today’s date in 1908, Gustav Mahler conducted the New York Symphony, the 200-voice Oratorio Society chorus, and two vocal soloists in the American premiere of his Symphony No. 2, his “Resurrection Symphony.” These days, Mahler’s Second ranks among his most popular works. But how was this new music received by New Yorkers back in 1908? An unsigned review in the New York Daily Tribune noted: “It was by demonstrations of far more than mere politeness that the large audience found vent for its feelings of interest and pleasure in this new music ... After the Schubertian second movement there was long continued applause, and at the close of the composition… there was cheering and waving of handkerchiefs until Mr. Mahler was compelled to appear several times to bow his thanks and appreciation.” As for the music itself, the review opined: “… of the beauty and insight of certain episodes there can be no doubt… there seems, however, a lack of significant and commanding originality. It is more cerebral than passionate, more intellectual than compellingly emotional.”

Music Director of the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh and the Oratorio Society of Minnesota. Mattew Mehaffey, spoke with WQED-FM about the choirs' collaborative Candid Conversations series and the difficulty around conversations about disenfranchised groups and the canon.

This is Episode #200 with Interview guest, international Opera Singer and long time friend John Brancy! In this episode we talk about the last 100 episodes, the life happenings in between and times of global pandemic. We unpack Johns celebrations for winning a GRAMMY in 2020 for the Fantastic Mr.Fox Opera. And we dive quite a bit deeper into Johns fascination with what he calls the SING SENSE. Our ability to connect with sound, sensing our own voice and the impact of our sound in the vibratory field around us. Grammy Winning Baritone John Brancy‘s intense musicality and communicative power place him among the finest of baritones of his generation. Hailed by the New York Times as “a vibrant, resonant presence,” Brancy won First Prize in the Art Song Division of the 2018 Concours Musical International de Montreal. A win that recognized him as a premiere interpreter of Art Song repertoire in our time. The New Jersey native also won First Prize in the 2018 Lotte Lenya Competition in New York, Second Prize at the 2017 Wigmore Hall Competition in London and prior to that won the media prize in the 2017 Belvedere International Singing Competition in Moscow and first prize in the Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition in 2015. He is also a past winner of the Marilyn Horne Song Competition and the Sullivan Foundation Grand Prize. Brancy recently debuted with the Los Angeles Philharmonic (Meredith Monk’s Atlas) and San Francisco Opera (Billy Budd) and looks forward to premiering a new work by Michael Gandolfi with the Boston Symphony which will also mark Brancy’s debut at Tanglewood. Also on his 19/20 schedule are performances of Messiah for the US Naval Academy and the Florida Orchestra, Jonathan Dove’s Flight for Pacific Opera Victoria, Rameau’s Platee for his Des Moines Metro Opera debut, Brahms’ Deutsches Requiem for Opera National de Bordeaux and Puccini’s Messa di Gloria with the Rundfunkchor of Berlin. He has also been engaged by Semperoper Dresden, Paris’s Théâtre du Chatelet, Florida Grand Opera, The Carmel Bach Festival, San Francisco Symphony, Oper Frankfurt, Opera de Lorraine, Carnegie Hall, the Oratorio Society and Musica Sacra in New York. An alumnus of The Juilliard School in New York, Brancy has toured extensively with his collaborator, pianist Peter Dugan, they will receive their Wigmore Hall recital debut in fall of 2020. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/julian-guderley/support

Long time no podcast MOCs! We are in the middle of the world pandemic of COVID-19; therefore, Notes From Her is airing a special Season 2: Self-Isolation Edition! In Season 2’s first episode, I interview international opera star Raehann Bryce Davis and PART ONE is ALL ABOUT HER, her ethnic background, and what it means for her to identify as a Black artist. We discuss pushing the status quo of opera as she encourages artists to create new music/stories, include diversity, and explore how to make opera champion every gender, ethnicity, and community worldwide. As an artist who primarily performs in Europe she provides some very interesting insights on differences and similarities between how opera is presented in the United States and how opera is presented in Europe!Tune in April 25th for PART TWO of Raehann’s interview where she discusses great career advice/tips for singers in regards to young artist programs, how to gain connections/scholarships/money, and the impact of competing in competitions. 1. Raehann singing O Don Fatale in her debut at Opera Vlaanderen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNk262JvKBc2. Sanctuary Road: No. 1, Write (Live) composed by Paul Moravec with librettist Mark Campbell performed with Oratorio Society of New York Orchestra (performers: Laquita Mitchell, Raehann Bryce-Davis, Joshua Blue, Malcolm J. Merriweather, Dashon Burton, and Kent Tritle) open.spotify.com/album/2NCIzBNrmH…utoplay=true&v=L3. Sanctuary Road: No. 14, Rain (Live) composed by Paul Moravec with librettist Mark Campbell performed with Oratorio Society of New York Orchestra (performers: Laquita Mitchell, Raehann Bryce-Davis, Joshua Blue, Malcolm J. Merriweather, Dashon Burton, and Kent Tritle) open.spotify.com/album/2NCIzBNrmH…utoplay=true&v=LFor more information on Raehann go to http://www.raehann.com/Need something to do while we are in isolation? Watch Raehann’s living-room recital where she sings some classics, African American spirituals, and those Jamaican folk song she talked about on April 27, 2020 at 4pm PST here https://www.laopera.org/discover/laoathome/living-room-recitals/Be sure to check out LA Opera At Home series during this quarantine for broadcasts of past performances, sing-alongs, and living-room recitals from the world’s opera stars! https://www.laopera.org/discover/laoathome/Need something to educate and entertain your kiddos during this time? Go to LA Opera Connects to view educational resources, lesson plans, activities for kids, performance videos, sing-alongs, and podcasts! https://www.laopera.org/community/whats-new-in-la-opera-connects/Follow Notes From Her on Instagram and Twitter @notesfromher_ and like Notes From Her on Facebook!Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @xochimilcaaa Stay musical, STAY SAFE, and stay empowered.

The Travelling Entertainer goes to the opera! Our guest is non other than Robert Pomakov, musician and internationally performing Opera Singer!In the 2019-2020 season, Canadian bass Robert Pomakov makes a number of important house debuts including debuts with Opéra National de Paris as the Bonze in Madama Butterfly directed by Robert Wilson, Den Norske Opera as Gremin in Christof Loy’s production Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin , and Cincinnati Opera as Vodník in Rusalka. He returns to the Metropolitan Opera to cover the roles of Fiesco in Simon Boccenegra and Timur in Turandot. Concert engagements include Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with the Calgary Philharmonic under the baton of Music Director Rune Bergmann.Mr. Pomakov has been a prize winner in several of the world's premier singing competitions: a finalist in the Queen Elizabeth Competition in Belgium, second place at the Belvedere Competition in Vienna and third place in Plácido Domingo's Operalia. Mr. Pomakov was decorated with the Simeon, the First Honorary Medal from the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Bulgaria, and with a diploma from the Minister of Culture for his achievements in opera's art and special merit to Bulgarian culture and its dissemination all over the world, an encouragement award in the George London Foundation Competition, an world. Other prizes have included first prize in the Oratorio Society of New York's completion, an award from the Marilyn Horne Foundation Competition, the Victoria Scholars Grant, Second Prize in the Canadian Music Competition, and First Prize in the Kiwanis Music Festival in Toronto. Pomakov is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music.

The Oratorio Society of Minnesota presents a program entitled The French Connection at the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis on Friday November 15 at 8pm. The performance includes the 100-voice Oratorio Society Chorus with a professional chamber orchestra. Artistic Director Matthew Mehaffey was working with the chorus when Phil Nusbaum attended.

The Oratorio Society of Minnesota exists to dynamic and diverse choral music performed with skill and passion. On April 13 at St mark’s Episcopal Cathedral in Minneapolis, and March 14 at Hamline Church in St Paul, this group presents Victoria: A Life in Music. Phil Nusbaum visited the group and its artistic director.

Conductor Malcolm J. Merriweather is Music Director of New York City's The Dessoff Choirs, known for performances of choral works from the pre-Baroque era through the 21st century. An Assistant Professor, he is Director of Choral Studies and Voice Department Coordinator at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, Artist in Residence at Union Theological Seminary, and Artistic Director of Voices of Haiti, a 60-member children's choir in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, operated by the Andrea Bocelli Foundation. Merriweather is also in demand as a baritone soloist, often performing throughout the eastern United States. During the summer of 2017, Merriweather led Voices of Haiti in performances with Andrea Bocelli at Teatro del Silenzio in Lajatico, Italy and for Pope Francis at the Vatican. Other conducting highlights of the 2017-18 season include: David Lang's The Little Match Girl Passion, Vaughan Williams's Dona nobis pacem, Bach's Singet dem Herrn, BWV 225, and Komm, Jesu, komm, BWV 229 with The Dessoff Choirs; Handel's Messiah at Brooklyn College and the Harvard Club of New York; and Leonard Bernstein's Mass (Concert Selections) and Honegger's King David at Brooklyn College. Recent conducting highlights have included Mozart's Requiem, Vivaldi's Gloria, Bernstein's Chichester Psalms, and Orff's Carmina Burana. Solo engagements for the 2017-18 season include the premiere of Sanctuary Road by Pulitzer Prize-winner Paul Moravec with Kent Tritle and the Oratorio Society of New York at Carnegie Hall; and Fauré's Requiem and Ralph Vaughan Williams's Dona nobis pacem​ with Christopher Shepard and The Masterwork Chorus. Recent performances have included the baritone solos in Rautavaara's Vigilia as a part of the Great Music in a Great Space series at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine; the music of William Byrd with Parthenia; and Vaughan Williams's Dona Nobis Pacem with the Grace Choral Society. Additionally, Merriweather has been featured as a soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, The Dessoff Choirs, the New York Choral Society, and Bach Vespers Choir and Orchestra at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in New York City. The baritone has also premiered contemporary solo works by Eve Beglarian, John Liberatore, Ju Ri Seo, Douglas Fisk, and James Adler, and he has been a fellowship recipient at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival and Tanglewood Music Center. Merriweather holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Conducting from the studio of Kent Tritle at the Manhattan School of Music, where his doctoral dissertation, Now I Walk in Beauty, Gregg Smith: A Biography and Complete Works Catalog, constituted the first complete works list for the composer and conductor. He received Master of Music degrees in Choral Conducting and in Vocal Performance from the studio of Rita Shane at the Eastman School of Music, as well as a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from Syracuse University, summa cum laude. Merriweather's professional affiliations include membership in Pi Kappa Lambda, the American Choral Directors Association, and Chorus America, and he sits on the Board of Directors of the New York Choral Consortium. In this episode, Malcolm shares his one way ticket to join the Fisk University Jubilee Singers on their first tour in 1871! He also talks about his work with the Voices of Haiti, the life of a Conductor, and his eclectic play list. Malcolm is just one of the extraordinary guests featured on The One Way Ticket Show, where Host Steven Shalowitz explores with his guests where they'd go if given a one way ticket, no coming back! Destinations may be in the past, present, future, real, imaginary or a state of mind. Steven's guests have included: Nobel Peace Prize Winner, President Jose Ramos-Horta; Legendary Talk Show Host, Dick Cavett; Law Professor, Alan Dershowitz; Broadcast Legend, Charles Osgood; International Rescue Committee President & CEO, David Miliband; Grammar Girl, Mignon Fogarty; Journalist-Humorist-Actor Mo Rocca; ; Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr.; Abercrombie & Kent Founder, Geoffrey Kent; Travel Expert, Pauline Frommer, as well as leading photographers, artists, writers and more.

On this date in 1938, Benny Goodman and his band played the first jazz concert at Carnegie Hall in New York. Here are some things you may not have known about the concert, the landmark recording of it and Carnegie Hall in general. Until 1938, Carnegie Hall had been been a venue exclusively for classical music. It opened in 1891, built by Andrew Carnegie, who pronounced his name slightly different from the common name of the hall. It was built as the venue for the Oratorio Society of New York and the New York Symphony. Its original name, which remains above the marquee was simply “Music Hall.” After two years, the directors of the hall persuaded Carnegie to allow the theater to be renamed “Carnegie Hall.” The New York Symphony eventually merged with the Philharmonic Society of New York to form the New York Philharmonic.  Benny Goodman was a clarinetist whose band was one of the first well-known racially integrated bands.  The idea of playing at the Carnegie Hall started as a publicity stunt by Goodman’s publicist. Goodman seized on the idea and canceled several already-set concerts to work toward the landmark performance. The concert was sold out weeks in advance with a top price of $2.75, which is equivalent to about $50 today. The concert began with three contemporary songs, followed by a chronological history of jazz.  The show featured performances by Goodman’s big band, his trio, his quartet and guests including Count Basie and Duke Ellington. The highlight of the night was probably Goodman’s signature tune “Sing, Sing, Sing,” which featured solos by Goodman, along  with Babe Russin on tenor sax, Harry James on trumpet, Gene Krupa on drums and an unexpected piano solo by Jess Stacy. Stacy, who usually played rhythm on the song, said he was unprepared for the solo, but what he ended up playing has been hailed as a masterpiece linking jazz and classical music, which was quite appropriate for the venue. Stacy was glad he didn’t have warning of his solo. He said he would have gotten nervous and screwed it up. The concert was recorded for personal use, and the original masters gathered dust until 1950, when Goodman brought them to Columbia Records. The resulting album, “The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert” was the first double album and has never been out of print since its release. It’s one of the best selling jazz albums of all time. Carnegie Hall had its first rock and roll show in 1955, when Bill Haley and His Comets played a benefit show. In 1964, The Beatles played two shows on their first tour of the United States. The New York Philharmonic moved to the new Lincoln Center in 1962. Carnegie Hall was saved from the wrecking ball in 1960 when the City of New York purchased it. Our question: In which country was Andrew Carnegie born? Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the United States.  It’s unofficially Elementary School Teacher Day, National Fig Newton Day, and National Day of Service. It’s the birthday of singer and actress Ethel Merman who was born in 1908; zoologist Dian Fossey, who was born in 1932; and playwright, songwriter and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda, who is 37. Because our topic happened before 1960, we’ll spin the wheel to pick a year at random. This week in 1977, the top song in the U.S. was “I Wish” by Stevie Wonder. The No. 1 movie was “The Enforcer,” while the novel “Trinity” by Leon Uris topped the New York Times Bestsellers list.  Weekly question: What is the name of the current venue of the New York Philharmonic? Submit your answer at triviapeople.com/test and we’ll add the name of the person with the first correct answer to our winner’s wall … at triviapeople.com. We'll have the correct answer on Friday’s episode.   Links Follow us on Twitter, Facebook or our website. Also, if you’re enjoying the show, please consider supporting it through Patreon.com Please rate the show on iTunes by clicking here. Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Famous_1938_Carnegie_Hall_Jazz_Concert https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnegie_Hall https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Carnegie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benny_Goodman#Carnegie_Hall_concert https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Symphony_Orchestra https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Philharmonic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorio_Society_of_New_York http://www.allmusic.com/album/live-at-carnegie-hall-1938-complete-mw0000671550 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sing,_Sing,_Sing_(With_a_Swing) https://www.checkiday.com http://www.biography.com/people/groups/born-on-january-16 http://www.bobborst.com/popculture/numberonesongs/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_1977_box_office_number-one_films_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times_Fiction_Best_Sellers_of_1977 iOS: http://apple.co/1H2paH9  Android: http://bit.ly/2bQnk3m

Soloman Howard joins the show to speak about his trajectory in the arena of opera.  The Morgan University and Manhattan School of Music graduate is currently one of Washington National Opera's rising stars and is set to make his Metropolitan Opera debut this fall!  Currently a member of Washington National Opera’s Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program,a program of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Soloman Howard is garnering superlatives from the press for his vivid performances on the opera and concert stages.  His voice is called “sonorous” by TheNew York Times, “superhuman” by The Denver Post, and “spectacular” by Maryland Theatre Guide.  Performances of the 2013-14 season include Sarastro in The Magic Flute conducted by Washington National Opera’s Music Director Philippe Auguin, Moser in Verdi’s I Masnadieri with Washington Concert Opera led by Music Director Antony Walker, Mendelssohn’s Die erste Walpurgisnacht at Carnegie Hall with Kent Tritle and the Oratorio Society of New York, and a role debut as Colline in La bohème with North Carolina Opera conducted by Robert Moody.  Read more  

Matthew Mehaffey of the Oratorio Society mounts a classic version of the holiday classic