Resounding Runout</h1> <article> <h1>Resounding Runout</h1> <p>eburnett — Wed, 12 Feb 2020 20:49:06 +0000</p> <span>Resounding Runout</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2020-02-12T15:49:06-05:00" title="Wednesday, February 12, 2020 - 15:49">Wed, 02/12/2020 - 15:49</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>It’s been a whirlwind ride that landed the Kulas String Quartet in the embassies of Argentina, Brazil, and Colombia for enthusiastically received performances in January.</p> <p>The four musicians, all first-year students at �鶹��Ƶ, formulated plans for a winter term tour shortly after connecting during orientation week on campus just four months earlier.</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>The Kulas Quartet: Jasper de Boor, Lourdes de la Peña, Matt Cone, and Natalie Hsieh (from left).<br> Photo credit: Courtesy Kulas Quartet</figcaption> </figure> <p>“We decided to sight-read string quartets together as a way to get to know each other,” recalls Lourdes de la Peña, a cello student from northern Virginia. “We did that for two and a half hours each day for a week.”</p> <p>When it came time for fall semester ensemble assignments, they were the rare first-year students to show up as a fully formed unit, which they dubbed in honor of the �鶹��Ƶ recital hall that bears the same name.</p> <p>Financial support from �鶹��Ƶ's <a href="/innovation-and-impact/grants/figs">Flint Initiative Grant</a> program enabled them to round out a 12-date itinerary that included performances at the three embassies in Washington, D.C., the Inter-American Defense Board, and the District of Columbia Public Library, as well as D.C.-area retirement homes, an elementary school, a homeless shelter, and other nonprofits.</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>The Kulas Quartet takes a bow before the Inter-American Defense Board. Photo credit: Courtesy Kulas Quartet</figcaption> </figure> <p>At each embassy, they performed works by composers hailing from the host nation—which in some cases necessitated a rather steep learning curve. In December 2019, the Brazilian Embassy engaged a young Brazilian-born composer, Gustavo Brinholi, to provide a piece that would be performed the following month. The composer met with an enthusiastic response from de la Peña when he suggested writing a new work for them mere weeks before the scheduled performance.</p> <p>“She immediately accepted,” Brinholi later said, “and I have to say this promptitude was very important, bringing me even more confidence and joy to compose.”</p> <p>In advance of the performances, the quartet was coached by former teachers of de la Peña, violinist Natalie Hsieh, and violist Jasper de Boor, all of whom were raised around the Beltway. (First violinist Matt Cone calls Buffalo home.)</p> <p>Not surprisingly, effusive thanks followed them everywhere they went.</p> <p>“The fresh, vibrant way of playing of Kulas Quartet comes not only because they are young, but certainly has to do with their love and discipline regarding the music,” Brinholi says. “It is what brings their technique to a very high level. The fact that they were already touring in the last 15 days almost nonstop made everything more special.”</p> <p>Sebastián Di Luca, the Argentine Embassy’s head of cultural affairs and public diplomacy, echoed Brinholi’s sentiments in a letter of thanks to Dean of the Conservatory William Quillen.</p> <p>“The ensemble did excellent research to gather the most recognized Argentine musicians, and they played with solid professionalism,” Di Luca wrote. “The presence of young artists like Lourdes de la Peña, Matt Cone, Natalie Hsieh, and Jasper de Boor in events of the Embassy is an important contribution to build stronger relationships between Argentina and the United States, as well as to promote the best of our country's culture.”</p> <p>The quartet also sensed the impact of its music in more personal ways.</p> <p>“The homeless shelter was one of the most touching experiences,” says de la Peña, describing the calming effect their playing had on residents. “Your teachers always tell you that music is powerful, but I think you have to experience it firsthand to truly know.”</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">First-year students complete a winter term tour, bridging cultures along the way.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2020-02-12T12:00:00Z">Wed, 02/12/2020 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Erich Burnett</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2402">Winter Term</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2365">Chamber Music</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35116">Violin</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=36206">Viola</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35261">Cello</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/strings" hreflang="und">Strings</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">The Kulas String Quartet’s January tour included a performance at the residence of the U.S. Ambassador to Brazil.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Courtesy Kulas Quartet</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>In the Studio with Viola Professor Kirsten Docter</h1> <p>eburnett — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 22:00:28 +0000</p> <span>In the Studio with Viola Professor Kirsten Docter</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2020-12-04T17:00:28-05:00" title="Friday, December 4, 2020 - 17:00">Fri, 12/04/2020 - 17:00</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Chamber music announces the end of every semester, with <a href="https://calendar.oberlin.edu/search/events?past=1&search=%22small+jazz+ensembles%22">small jazz ensembles at the Cat in the Cream</a> and the <a href="https://calendar.oberlin.edu/search/events?past=1&search=%22chamberfest%21%22">two-day ChamberFest!</a> showcasing a semester’s worth of hard work by dozens of conservatory students. </p> <p>ChamberFest! presents programs on Friday, April 26, at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 27, at 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. in Stull Recital Hall.<br> <br> We had the chance to chat with �鶹��Ƶ viola professor <a href="/node/6971">Kirsten Docter</a>, a coordinator of ChamberFest! and a 1992 �鶹��Ƶ grad.</p> <p><br> <strong>What made you fall in love with chamber music and make it a focus of your life’s work?</strong></p> <p>I started playing chamber music first with my sister (cellist with the Met Opera Orchestra) and my brother (then a violinist) when I was in grade school. Throughout high school and college, I usually had two chamber groups going and liked the challenge of one-on-a-part, but in collaboration with friends or colleagues. I have always been attracted to the very personal and intimate nature of the music, and the way it represents relationships in all aspects. Greg Fulkerson and <a href="/node/6986">Marilyn McDonald</a> were very influential coaches while I was a student at �鶹��Ƶ, and I had the chance to work with Felix Galimir while studying at Curtis. When I joined the Cavani String Quartet (pictured), they were in their 10th year as an ensemble. I learned so much from them, and from other individuals and ensembles we collaborated with, in particular Donald Weilerstein and Peter Salaff (both of the Cleveland Quartet).</p> <p><strong>You’ve played a lot of it—do you have a favorite piece of chamber music? </strong></p> <p>I will cheat and say I usually fall in love with whatever piece I’m working on at the moment. My overall favorites are Beethoven and Bartók string quartets.</p> <p><strong>What are some of the most important skills you learned from your work in chamber music that made you a more rounded classical musician and teacher? Why is chamber music such a crucial part of an �鶹��Ƶ undergrad education? </strong></p> <p>We are so lucky at �鶹��Ƶ to have both world-class private teachers and a thriving and lively orchestral program. I see chamber music studies as a synthesis of these two aspects of study. One must perform their chamber part as if it is a solo, and then—somewhat differently than a solo—one must be flexible and open to making changes to accommodate the other parts. One has to be willing to give it their all, but then be able to commit to trying other ideas as if they are one’s own, even if they severely disagree with the ideas. </p> <p>This semester, the YB Center for Dialogue has hosted “Empathy Cafés,” in which students get advice on how to deal with relational conflict and receive information about communication. I love that this is happening on our campus. I think it could be a great way to help our chamber ensembles have positive, constructive rehearsals. Not that all of our groups get into heated arguments every week, but it’s great to have this as a resource!</p> <p><strong>What are some goals you have for �鶹��Ƶ’s chamber music program? What do you hope students will take away from the program?</strong></p> <p>Chamber ensembles are the perfect musical entity to take on the road: They're not too large, you don’t need special equipment except a piano, they represent more than one instrument and often families of instruments, and they are great for educational settings and can be a source of comfort. Along with ongoing master-class and performance opportunities, I am hoping to start working with a few ensembles to do more with community engagement in the area and beyond. (More to come soon!)<br> <br> <em>Interested in reading more about chamber music at �鶹��Ƶ? See how �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory musicians <a href="/news/great-screen-test">trade paper scores for iPad Pros</a>.</em></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2019-04-15T12:00:00Z">Mon, 04/15/2019 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Conservatory Communications Staff</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The coordinator of ChamberFest! shares her love of small ensembles.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2370">Ensembles & Orchestras</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2365">Chamber Music</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=36206">Viola</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35116">Violin</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35261">Cello</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/kirsten-docter" hreflang="und">Kirsten Docter</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/strings" hreflang="und">Strings</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Walter Novak</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Brentano String Quartet Performs March 30 in �鶹��Ƶ</h1> <p>eburnett — Thu, 15 Mar 2018 14:37:57 +0000</p> <span>Brentano String Quartet Performs March 30 in �鶹��Ƶ</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2018-03-15T10:37:57-04:00" title="Thursday, March 15, 2018 - 10:37">Thu, 03/15/2018 - 10:37</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The Brentano String Quartet consistently captivates audiences and critics with extroverted interpretations of traditional quartet repertoire, and adventurously expands beyond that world with performances of much older and much newer music.</p> <p>When the quartet visits �鶹��Ƶ this month as part of the <a href="http://www2.oberlin.edu/artsguide/artist-recital-series/">Artist Recital Series</a>, it will perform works spanning more than 400 years—from Renaissance-era madrigals to a 21st-century composition by �鶹��Ƶ Professor <a href="/stephen-hartke">Stephen Hartke</a>, and finally a detour into the 20th-century Soviet Union.</p> <p>The Brentano String Quartet performs at 8 p.m., Friday, March 30 in Finney Chapel.</p> <p>The program opens with a series of instrumental settings of vocal madrigals written by Gesualdo and Monteverdi and arranged by Brentano first violinist Mark Steinberg. It continues with Hartke’s 2016 commission for Brentano, <em>The Fifth Book</em>, itself a set of madrigals intended for string quartet, written shortly after relocating from Southern California to �鶹��Ƶ. The evening concludes with Shostakovich’s 1968 foray into twelve-tone serialism, the appropriately numbered String Quartet No. 12 in D-flat Major, Op. 133.</p> <p>The ensemble’s penchant for shuffling eras can be heard in a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj-MUNkokHw">Café Concert</a> presented by New York’s WQXR radio: It opens with a nod to a Schubert quartet before transitioning into <em>Fra(nz)g-mentation</em>, a piece composed by Bruce Adolphe that was written in reaction to the Schubert.</p> <p>Founded in 1992, the Brentano Quartet—which includes violinists Steinberg and Serena Canin, violist Misha Amory, and cellist Nina Lee—quickly earned acclaim as winners of the first Cleveland Quartet Award and a Naumburg Chamber Music Award, along with an invitation to the inaugural class of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Chamber Music Society Two. It was the first ensemble in residence at Princeton University, where it taught and performed for 15 years. Brentano has served as quartet in residence at the Yale School of Music since fall 2014.</p> <p>“The Brentano Quartet is without a doubt one of the greatest quartets of our time, as performers/interpreters, teachers, and mentors alike,” says David Bowlin, associate professor of violin at �鶹��Ƶ. “I am thrilled that they will be sharing their gifts and insights with the �鶹��Ƶ community.”</p> <p>Hartke describes <em>The Fifth Book</em> as the fifth in a series of madrigals he has composed, three of which are for string instruments rather than voices. “I suppose that this largely has to do with the inherent singing quality of the strings,” he has written, “but also…with the fluid structural character of the madrigal as a genre that often responds in quite mercurial ways to the emotional unfolding of its text. These five movements are thus abstract madrigals whose larger outlines, shifts in mood, and various internal reminiscences are intended to convey a private, unspoken drama.”</p> <h4>Tickets Available Now</h4> <p>Tickets for the Brentano String Quartet at �鶹��Ƶ are $35 ($30 for seniors, military, and �鶹��Ƶ faculty, staff, and alumni), with $10 tickets available to all students. They can be ordered <a href="https://oberlinconservatory.secure.force.com/ticket/#sections_a0F0L00000Rt3CnUAJ">online</a>, by calling 800-371-0178, or by visiting �鶹��Ƶ’s Central Ticket Service at <a href="/node/3796" target="_blank">Hall Auditorium</a>, between noon and 5 p.m., weekdays.</p> <p>In addition, the ensemble’s members will lead four free, public master classes with �鶹��Ƶ student chamber music ensembles between 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Saturday, March 31, in locations around the conservatory. For master class locations, refer to the <a href="https://calendar.oberlin.edu/event/master_classes_brentano_quartet#.Wqliz5PwaL4">�鶹��Ƶ events calendar</a>.</p> <hr> <p>An �鶹��Ƶ tradition since 1878, the Artist Recital Series brings the world’s most acclaimed musicians to the Finney Chapel stage each year. It is one of the longest-running continuous concert series in America. The final concert of the 2017-18 Artist Recital Series takes place April 17 with a program featuring bass/baritone <a href="/events/artist-recital-series-gerald-finley-baritone-and-michael-mcmahon-piano">Gerald Finley and pianist Michael McMahon</a>. Legendary mezzo-soprano <a href="/marilyn-horne">Marilyn Horne</a> will lead her annual master classes with conservatory singers Friday and Sunday, April 20 and 22.</p> <p><a class="view-more" href="http://www2.oberlin.edu/artsguide/artist-recital-series/">�鶹��Ƶ Arts Guide</a></p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2018-03-15T12:00:00Z">Thu, 03/15/2018 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Erich Burnett</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Artist Recital Series program includes inventive settings of Renaissance madrigals plus a 21st-century twist.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2364">Artist Recital Series</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2365">Chamber Music</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/stephen-hartke" hreflang="und">Stephen Hartke</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/strings" hreflang="und">Strings</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Members of Brentano Quartet</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Juergen Frank</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>The Great Screen Test</h1> <p>eburnett — Fri, 26 Jan 2018 20:13:01 +0000</p> <span>The Great Screen Test</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2018-01-26T15:13:01-05:00" title="Friday, January 26, 2018 - 15:13">Fri, 01/26/2018 - 15:13</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>As an early December snow fell outside the third-floor windows of Stull Recital Hall, a string quartet warmed the space inside with a performance of Peruvian composer Celso Garrido-Lecca’s Cuarteto No. 2.</p> <p></p> <p>The emotionally charged piece, which honors a former colleague of the composer who was murdered by Chilean government officials, has likely never been played at �鶹��Ƶ in the 30 years since it was written—and certainly never quite like this: In place of the usual music stands were four slender tripods supporting iPads.</p> <p>The quartet, made up of conservatory violinists Molly Tucker ’20 and Riley Calcagno ’21, violist Emily Edelstein ’18, and cellist Raffi Boden ’19, is piloting a new initiative to incorporate the technology in the practice room and on the stage—a relatively new phenomenon that has begun to gain traction among musicians since the advent of Apple’s largest-ever iPad Pro in 2015.</p> <p>The ensemble’s early rehearsals revealed the great challenges in Garrido-Lecca’s score. “We kept joking that with the music we were using, we needed iPads,” Edelstein recalls.</p> <p>And they had company at �鶹��Ƶ. In recent years, several faculty members and numerous guest artists have used iPads in performance on campus. With a 12.9-inch screen that approximates the size of a single page of sheet music, the device can be equipped with music apps like forScore, which allows musicians to “turn” pages with the click of a Bluetooth-enabled foot pedal or a quick tap on the screen, in addition to offering essential tools such as tuners, metronomes, and recording capability. The device’s available stylus makes it easy to mark up scores, and since each iPad is backlit, no cumbersome stand lights are required—making them particularly useful in low-light settings.</p> <p>The potential benefits of iPad use had already been discussed among conservatory administrators and �鶹��Ƶ’s <a href="/cit">Center for Information Technology</a>. CIT, in fact, spearheaded the purchase of 12 iPads for the conservatory’s newly renovated piano lab in 2014 and was supportive of the notion of expanding the technology.</p> <p>As the quartet prepared to take on Garrido-Lecca’s dense score, the timing seemed right for a trial run. With support from CIT, four iPad Pros with forScore, custom stands, and necessary accessories were purchased and shared with the ensemble.</p> <p></p> <p>“People have performed this work before without iPads, but the numerous and fast page turns were the initial problem the quartet had to figure out,” says Professor of Conducting <a href="/timothy-weiss">Timothy Weiss</a>, who coached the ensemble for two December performances of Garrido-Lecca. “The iPad solves all of that with the foot pedal. The ease in visual communication—especially with chamber music groups—is also one of the biggest challenges the iPad addressed for this quartet. The students using the iPads are finding all kinds of subtle advantages while learning parts and performing.”</p> <p>The quartet began its pilot program by becoming acclimated to the software and test-driving several kinds of foot pedals. Though the new technology came with a discernible learning curve, the benefits were very quickly evident.</p> <p>“It’s a really helpful tool for organizing our music in the way we want to,” says Tucker. “In some places, we wanted to be able to see the entire score when all the parts are on one page, rather just our own part, and with the iPads it was easy to have it pop up when we wanted that.”</p> <p>The devices’ many useful functions, as well as their slimmer profile, also enabled the musicians to more freely interact with each other—and their audiences.</p> <p>“It was one of those things that just fell into place,” says Edelstein. “Being able to make eye contact and see each other’s instruments—and getting closer to another level of reading each other’s minds and anticipating next moves, rather than just reacting—really helps you connect.”</p> <p></p> <p>“The thing that I’m working on a lot in chamber music is being able to get my energy from and interact with the people I’m playing with,” says Tucker. “Because the iPads were smaller [than sheet music stands], we were able to get a lot closer, and I felt like in the end, the physical music wasn’t a barrier to me interacting with the others.”</p> <p>In the near future, the conservatory plans to invest in additional iPad Pros that will be available for use by students throughout the conservatory.</p> <p>“I'd say that 50 percent of the music we perform comes from self-published composers who send us PDFs,” says Weiss, who directs the Contemporary Music Ensemble and Sinfonietta. “It's easy to upload all that into iPads. For the first time, we can now easily edit the score and individual parts during the rehearsal process on the way to the end product. The forScore app allows you to make a change on one iPad, and that edit goes to every other person's device in the ensemble. And it's not just from the conductor's score: A section leader can also change a bowing or a rhythmic grouping pattern, and the changes appear throughout the section.</p> <p>“Note-taking on an individual part can sometimes get very dense,” he adds. “The iPad makes it easier to make notes on layers that can easily be removed once those rehearsal or practice notes are absorbed, ultimately making the part cleaner and easier to read by the time you get to performance.”</p> <p></p> <p>Like many musicians, Weiss empathizes with those who cling to paper scores and who value the penciled-in markings that pile up over the years like so many rings on a tree. Plus, he adds, his 50-year-old eyes haven’t quite adapted to reading notes on a screen.</p> <p>But now that he has begun uploading scores into his own iPad, Weiss also finds benefit in not being weighed down by cumbersome texts. He has yet to conduct a performance from an iPad, but plans to do so for the first time this spring.</p> <p>“The iPad can so easily remove some of the challenges we face in rehearsal and performance,” he says. “Rehearsals would be much easier. There are pieces where you need to see how your part fits in. Having everyone just pull up the score on their iPad in the middle of a rehearsal would make things understandable more quickly. If everyone had the score on their stand, it would be amazing!”</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2018-01-26T12:00:00Z">Fri, 01/26/2018 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>�鶹��Ƶ Conservatory musicians trade paper scores for iPad Pros.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2365">Chamber Music</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2497">Information Technology</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35261">Cello</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35116">Violin</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=36206">Viola</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/timothy-weiss" hreflang="und">Timothy Weiss</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/strings" hreflang="und">Strings</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Julie Gulenko '15</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Sept. 10 Faculty Concert to Include André Previn Premiere</h1> <p>eburnett — Wed, 06 Sep 2017 15:41:13 +0000</p> <span>Sept. 10 Faculty Concert to Include André Previn Premiere</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2017-09-06T11:41:13-04:00" title="Wednesday, September 6, 2017 - 11:41">Wed, 09/06/2017 - 11:41</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The first Faculty Chamber Series performance of the 2017-18 season includes the world premiere of a piece by pianist and composer André Previn. <em>Montfort</em> was written by Previn for oboe and piano in August 2016. Professor of Oboe and English Horn <a href="/robert-walters">Robert Walters</a> was offered the world premiere by the composer’s publisher. He will be joined by Professor of Instrumental Accompanying <a href="/james-howsmon">James Howsmon</a>.</p> <p>The free performance takes place at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, September 10, in Warner Concert Hall (77 W. College St.). It will be <a href="https://new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/webcast/Stream_WarnerConcertHall.dot">live streamed at oberlin.edu.</a></p> <p></p> <p>“I have always loved Previn’s music, and for my forthcoming solo CD on the �鶹��Ƶ Music label, I had just finished recording his <em>Wedding Waltz</em> for two oboes and piano with Mingjia Liu ’08, the principal oboist of the San Francisco Opera,” says Walters (pictured). <em>Montfort</em> will also appear on the recording, which is due out in 2018.</p> <p>The September 10 concert will also include Jacques Ibert’s Deux Interludes with faculty flutist <a href="/alexa-still">Alexa Still</a>, violinist <a href="/marilyn-mcdonald">Marilyn McDonald</a>, and pianist Monique Duphil, who retired from the conservatory faculty in spring 2017 after a 25-year career at �鶹��Ƶ.</p> <p>Still, Howsmon, and faculty bassoonist <a href="/drew-pattison">Drew Pattison ’09</a> will perform Charles Koechlin’s Trois pièces, Op. 34bis, and piano faculty<a href="/robert-shannon"> Robert Shannon ’72</a> and <a href="/haewon-song">Haewon Song</a> close the evening with Ferruccio Busoni’s <em>Duettino concertante nach Mozart</em>, K. 459 and Debussy’s <em>Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune</em> and the second movement of <em>Nocturnes</em>.</p> <p>“The faculty at �鶹��Ƶ are all world-class performers on their instruments,” says Walters, who is also a member of the Cleveland Orchestra. “It's a huge privilege to be able to play chamber music together. The opportunity to perform with both colleagues and students is one my favorite things about teaching here.”</p> <p>For more information on this concert and all performances at �鶹��Ƶ, visit the <a href="https://calendar.oberlin.edu/event/faculty_chamber_series_401#.Wa689YqQxyo">online events calendar</a>.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2017-09-06T12:00:00Z">Wed, 09/06/2017 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">By Erich Burnett</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p><em>Montfort</em>, written for oboe and piano, features Robert Walters and James Howsmon.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2365">Chamber Music</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=37361">Oboe</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/robert-walters" hreflang="und">Robert Walters</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/alexa-still" hreflang="und">Alexa Still</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/drew-pattison" hreflang="und">Drew Pattison</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/robert-shannon-72" hreflang="und">Robert Shannon</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/haewon-song" hreflang="und">Haewon Song</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/winds-brass-and-percussion" hreflang="und">Winds, Brass, and Percussion</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Artist Recital Series Welcomes St. Lawrence String Quartet Nov. 11</h1> <p>eburnett — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 20:25:42 +0000</p> <span>Artist Recital Series Welcomes St. Lawrence String Quartet Nov. 11</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2017-01-31T15:25:42-05:00" title="Tuesday, January 31, 2017 - 15:25">Tue, 01/31/2017 - 15:25</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The St. Lawrence String Quartet, hailed for energetic and innovative performances since its founding in 1989, will perform a program at �鶹��Ƶ thematically centered around the legendary artistic statements of Beethoven. The concert takes place at 8 p.m. Friday, November 11, in historic Finney Chapel.</p> <p>Part of �鶹��Ƶ's 139th annual <a href="/node/113621">Artist Recital Series</a>, the performance will include the fifth of Haydn's genre-defining opus 20 quartets—works that Beethoven studied before ever writing his own. The St. Lawrence has also programmed Beethoven's epic opus 132 A minor quartet. These pieces bookend John Adams' Second Quartet, the American composer's 2014 homage to Beethoven created for the ensemble.</p> <p>“What I appreciate about my friends in the St. Lawrence is their willingness to let me literally ‘improvise’ on them as if they were a piano or a drum and I a crazy man beating away with only the roughest outlines of what I want,” Adams has said. “They will go the distance with me, allow me to try and fail, and they will indulge my seizures of doubt, frustration and indecision, all the while providing intuitions and frequently brilliant suggestions of their own.”</p> <p>(Hear the breathtaking results of that process <a href="http://www.earbox.com/second-quartet/">here</a>.)</p> <p>Collaborations such as these inspired the <i>Los Angeles Times</i> to praise the quartet for its “dramatic fire and … hint of rock ’n’ roll energy.” The quartet consists of founding members Geoff Nuttall, first violin, and Lesley Robertson, viola, as well as second violinist Owen Dalby and cellist Christopher Costanza.</p> <p>Tickets for the St. Lawrence String Quartet are $35 ($30 for seniors, military, and �鶹��Ƶ alumni and staff), with $10 tickets available for all students. Get yours by calling 800-371-0178, by visiting oberlin.edu/artsguide, or by stopping by �鶹��Ƶ’s Central Tickets Services (in Hall Auditorium, 67 N. Main St.) from noon to 5 p.m. weekdays.</p> <p>The 2016-17 Artist Recital Series continues in February with master classes featuring opera legend Marilyn Horne (Feb. 17 and 19) followed by a multimedia ode to Bach with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra (Feb. 28). Pianist Richard Goode visits April 9, and The Cleveland Orchestra closes the season with its annual visit to �鶹��Ƶ on April 21.</p> <p>Learn more about the arts at �鶹��Ƶ using our online <a href="/node/85721">Arts Guide</a>.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2016-10-31T12:00:00Z">Mon, 10/31/2016 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Erich Burnett</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2364">Artist Recital Series</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2365">Chamber Music</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Eric Cheng </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>�鶹��Ƶ Music CD Showcases Music by Michael Strauss' Jackson Trio</h1> <p>eburnett — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:01:35 +0000</p> <span>�鶹��Ƶ Music CD Showcases Music by Michael Strauss' Jackson Trio</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:01:35-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:01">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:01</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Poetry and lost love serve as the common threads of inspiration for <i>Wordless Verses</i>, a collection of atmospheric chamber music from the late 19th and early 20th centuries for the uncommon scoring of oboe, viola, and piano.</p> <p>Available together for the first time, these evocative pieces make up the newly released debut recording of the Jackson Trio, whose members are longtime colleagues and active performers and educators in university and festival settings across America. <i>Wordless Verses</i> is produced by �鶹��Ƶ Music, the official recording label of the �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory of Music.</p> <p>The Jackson Trio consists of �鶹��Ƶ Associate Professor of Viola Michael Isaac Strauss, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra English hornist and assistant principal oboe Roger Roe, and Illinois Wesleyan University piano professor R. Kent Cook.</p> <p>The poetry that serves as the programmatic foundation for each work comes from a diverse group of voices including American Victorian poet Edgar Allan Poe, Austrian lyric poet Nikolaus Lenau, 17th-century metaphysical English poet Andrew Marvell, and French musician and decadent poet Maurice Rollinat. The work most widely known and recorded is Charles Martin Loeffler’s 1901 Deux Rhapsodies for oboe, viola, and piano. The others are by three relatively unknown composers who wrote exceptionally well-crafted music. Felix Harold White’s 1921 composition <i>The Nymph’s Complaint for the Death of Her Fawn</i> won the 1922 Carnegie Award and the praise of Ralph Vaughan Williams. August Klughardt composed his Schumannesque <i>Schilflieder</i>, Five Fantasy Pieces After Lenau’s Poems, Op. 28 in 1872. Excerpts of Lenau’s poetry written directly into the score explicitly illuminate the instrumental passages. Josef Holbrooke’s lifelong obsession with Poe’s poetry inspired 30 works including <i>Nocturne: Fairyland</i>, Op. 57, No. 1, written in 1917 after one of Poe’s earliest published poems by the same name.</p> <p>"The trio is honored and excited about this CD release,” says Strauss. “It has been 15 years of patient exploration of repertoire, rehearsal, and performance for the three of us, and we are thrilled with the results. It was truly a labor of love between the best of friends, and I believe that character is shared with the listener in this release."</p> <p>Distributed by Naxos of America, <i>Wordless Verses</i> is available through select retailers and digital music channels worldwide. Learn more at oberlin.edu/oberlinmusic.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2016-05-17T12:00:00Z">Tue, 05/17/2016 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Conservatory Communications Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2375">�鶹��Ƶ Music Label</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2365">Chamber Music</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/strings" hreflang="und">Strings</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> </main></body></html>