“The first half of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra’s 2020-21 season will have neither the full corps of musicians on stage nor a full audience,” writes David Burke in Sunday’s (9/20) Wichita Eagle (KS). “What it will have in its ‘reimagined’ season is smaller-scale performances for socially distanced audiences at its longtime concert hall, on-demand video versions of those concerts, and community outreach that includes Saturday afternoon concerts in Wichita parks beginning next weekend. [For] concerts scheduled for Oct. 24, Nov. 14 and Dec. 6 … 300 tickets will be sold for the 1,669-seat main floor of Century II [concert hall]…. The maximum number of players on stage is 30….’WSO Connect’ will offer those concerts on-demand for a 30-day viewing period, beginning a week after the concert…. Next weekend … the symphony, in conjunction with Wichita Park & Recreation, presents the first of two ‘Playing Across the Parks’ Saturday afternoon concerts … Since the pandemic shut down operations in mid-March, WSO staff and performers have branched out [with] Facebook Live videos from [Music Director Daniel] Hege … and concertmaster Holly Mulcahy’s regularly scheduled concerts over Zoom. ‘It broadened our base, particularly with Facebook and Holly’s Zoom recitals,’ CEO Don Reinhold said.”
Author: Joanna Bettelheim
Cincinnati Symphony and Pops set seven fall concerts, simulcast and streamed live
“The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops are producing a new series of reprogrammed performances that will be livestreamed on their website and social media channels, as well as via giant screens at Fountain Square and Washington Park,” writes Maija Zummo in Wednesday’s (9/23) CityBeat (Cincinnati, OH). “The CSO is now offering four concerts beginning Sept. 26 and the Pops will present three concerts, including a December holiday show, all produced live at Music Hall’s Springer Auditorium. All seven concerts will be free…. CSO artistic director Louis Langrée … is conducting programs on Sept. 26, Oct. 4, Nov. 21 and Dec. 5. The CSO’s digital season opener at 8 p.m. Sept. 26 will feature soprano Angel Blue and the Catalyst Quartet performing Jessie Montgomery’s Banner, Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 and Copland’s Suite from Appalachian Spring…. The Pops will also be producing an Oct. 31 Halloween show…. Pops Principal Guest Conductor and actor Damon Gupton will narrate The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” Says Pops Conductor John Morris Russell, “We’re really excited about two world premiere orchestrations—The Legend of Sleepy Hollow we commissioned from James Stephenson III and a new reduced scoring of Rhapsody In Blue from Tim Berens.”
Tucson Symphony Orchestra expands virtual programming, plans to continue digital presence post-pandemic
“For some arts organizations, taking their 2020-21 seasons digital is a stopgap to protect their bottom lines and connect with their audiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. For Tucson Symphony Orchestra, it might be a game-changer,” writes Cathalena E. Burch in Wednesday’s (9/24) Arizona Daily Star (Tucson). “The orchestra, which launches its 2020-21 season on Friday, Sept. 25, plans to continue its digital presence long after the coronavirus pandemic is no longer a threat. ‘We are going to stay connected this year, but it’s going to inform us how we can use digital platforms going forward,’ said TSO President and CEO Steven Haines…. ‘I don’t want this to go away after this year.’… The orchestra in August postponed its 2020-21 season, announcing that it planned to create digital programming that would conform with COVID-19 health recommendations. The result was the orchestra’s ‘Up Close’ 2020-21 season, which includes four digital series.… Haines said the orchestra also has begun construction of a mobile stage for its ‘TSO On the Go’ series that will feature small ensemble concerts before limited outdoor audiences…. Still to come: plans to take the TSO’s vast educational outreach programs to the digital realm.”
Omaha Symphony woodwinds and brass perform free pop-up concerts, Sept. 24-27
“For all the summer concerts and festivals being canceled and postponed to next year, there’s some joy coming into Fall with pop-ups of live music around the city,” writes Taleisha Newbill on Wednesday (9/23) at TV station KPTM (Omaha, NE). “The Omaha Symphony Woodwind Quintet and Omaha Symphony Brass Quintet are having free outdoor concerts. Here are the dates and locations of the shows: Thursday, Sept. 24: Dandelion Pop-Up, 1301 Howard Street, 6:00 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 26: The Highlander Accelerator, 2112 North 30th Street, 11:00 a.m.; Sunday, Sept. 27: Capitol District, 1022 Capitol Ave., 4:00 p.m. The concerts will be about an hour long. Chairs and blankets are welcome and there will be a standing room available as well. Again, they’re free and open to everyone. Officials say the concerts will work with Nebraska’s Directed Health Measures (DHM) and the protocols were approved by the Douglas County Health Department.”
Shreveport Symphony musicians head to the library for free drive-up concerts, Sept. 25-Nov. 6
“If you have been missing live music, you’ll have a chance to enjoy some this fall. The Shreveport Symphony is teaming up with Shreve Memorial Library to present a series of drive-in concerts,” writes Erin McCarty on Tuesday (9/22) at radio station KEEL (Shreveport, LA). “Concerts begin this Friday night [Sept. 25] and will continue until November 6th. The first show … at the Hamilton/South Caddo Branch … will feature the brass section of the orchestra. These outdoor concerts are free and open to the public. You can either sit in your car and enjoy the music or picnic outside in appropriately social distance spaces. Here are the other scheduled performances: Saturday, September 26 at 11:00 a.m. at the Broadmoor Branch … featuring the woodwind section. Tuesday, October 13 at 4:00 p.m. at the Cedar Grove-Line Avenue Branch … featuring the string section. Friday, November 6 at 4:00 p.m. at the North Shreveport Branch … featuring the brass section.” Lois Robinson is executive director of the Shreveport Symphony, and Michael Butterman is music director.
Facing pandemic, U.S. conservatories start fall semester with multiple approaches to learning
On September 12, Manhattan School of Music students gathered on the Ades Performance Space terrace for a reading of Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, conducted by MSM alumnus Benjamin Grow.
“The music world has been devastated by the effects of the global pandemic. But for all of the challenges facing professional musicians during this time, an equally herculean obstacle has been facing another part of the music industry: our conservatories,” writes Heather O’Donovan last Friday (9/18) at New York classical station WQXR. “Music schools around the country are opening their doors—whether literally or figuratively—for the new semester…. Leadership at conservatories across the country [have] adapted to these unprecedented times [with] ingenuity, creativity, and resilience…. In New York City, three conservatories—the Manhattan School of Music, The Juilliard School, and The College of Performing Arts at The New School—decided upon three distinct plans,” ranging from fully remote to hybrid models with remote and in-person instruction. Also included in the article are the Thornton School of Music at USC and Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University (fully remote), the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Yale School of Music, Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, and New England Conservatory (hybrid). The article covers issues that include working across time zones, adapting to Zoom instruction, ensuring access to technology, performing in remote and socially distanced settings, and continuing adaptability.
Las Vegas Philharmonic musicians to perform six live-streamed chamber programs
The Las Vegas Philharmonic will present the first of six live-streamed chamber concerts on September 24 from The Space LV performance and event venue. Principal Flute Christina Castellanos and pianist Lisa Maresch will perform Stacy Garrop’s Phoenix Rising, Otar Taktakishvili’s Sonata for Flute and Piano in C Major, Ian Clarke’s Deep Blue and Orange Dawn, and Mike Mower’s Sonata Latino. The live-streamed concerts will be presented as $30 pay-per-view events, with Music Director Donato Cabrera hosting each performance and curating onstage conversations with musicians. Concerts on October 8, 22, November 5, 19, and December 17 will feature Hui Lim, violin; Tiantian Lan, viola; Mira Khomik, violin; Cory Tiffin, clarinet; Janis McKay, bassoon; Alexandria Le, piano; De Ann Letourneau; Shakeh Ghoukasian, violin; Jason Bonham, viola; Andrew Smith, cello; Tom Wright, trumpet; Joe Durk, trumpet; Bill Bernatis, horn; Nathan Tanouye, trombone; and Zachary Jackson, tuba. Featured composers will include Abreu, Almashi, Bach, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, del Aguila, d’Rivera, Guastavino, Ginastera, Halvorsen, Higdon, Kreisler, Mozart, Piazzolla, Price, Skalsky, Skoryk, and Ysaye.
Obituary: Ann Getty, arts and orchestra philanthropist, 79
“Ann Getty, a leading San Francisco philanthropist devoted to the arts and sciences, died Monday, Sept. 14, of a heart attack suffered during a family dinner Sunday night at the Getty home on Outer Broadway in San Francisco,” writes Sam Whiting in Tuesday’s (9/15) San Francisco Chronicle. “According to a family representative, Getty was rushed to the hospital, where she died several hours later. She was 79. On the arm of her husband, the delightfully eccentric music composer and oil heir Gordon Getty, the tall and striking Ann Getty was a fixture at every S.F. Opera ball and Symphony gala for more than 40 years. But she was also an author and publisher with her own imprint, an interior designer with her own client list, a preschool headmistress, and a warm and humble personality who never forgot where she came from.… She lent her energy, resources and charm to any number of philanthropic activities.… Ann Gilbert was born in Wheatland (Yuba County, California) on March 11, 1941. She attributed her drive to a Puritan work ethic that came from her parents, who farmed peaches and walnuts.… Survivors include husband Gordon; sons Peter, John and William Getty,” and six grandchildren.
The League of American Orchestras stated, “We mourn the loss of Ann Getty. Her generosity to the League, devotion to the arts, and support for orchestras across the country will not be forgotten. We offer our deepest sympathy to her husband and family.”
Celebrating the impact and value of arts in education
“September 13 through 19 is National Arts in Education Week, a nationwide celebration recognizing the transformative power of the arts in education,” writes Keith Martin in Monday’s (9/14) Charlotte Observer (NC). “The healing and unifying power of the arts has been evident as the pandemic swept the country. We have seen and heard it play out through works of art on sidewalks, shared musical moments from porches, in theatre and dance performances, and every other imaginable iteration of art making. As states and schools work through multiple challenges in the months and years ahead, arts education must remain central to a well-rounded education and fully funded to support the well-being of all students …. The arts, through a rich partnership among certified arts educators, teaching artists, and community arts providers, play a valuable role in helping students and their families build and sustain community and cultural connections…. According to a decades-long study, youth who participate in the arts are more likely to be successful in school, college, and career than their peers who did not. However, this same research found a racial gap indicating that arts education is an equity issue and a matter of racial justice in America.”
Residency, visa, and pandemic issues put OKC Philharmonic violinist in limbo
“A native of Colombia, Oklahoma City violinist Angelica Pereira has become entangled in immigration issues complicated by the coronavirus pandemic,” writes Brandy McDonnell in Sunday’s (9/13) Daily Oklahoman. “Her application for permanent residency has been denied, her work visa has expired, and she is legally required to leave the U.S. and return to her native country—which she can’t do because international flights to Colombia are currently grounded…. She spent 10 years on a student visa…. The last two years, she has lived in the U.S. on a work visa. For seven years, Pereira has worked as a lead teaching artist at El Sistema Oklahoma…. For the past 10 years, Peireia also has been a violinist with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, and she is the principal second violinist in the Oklahoma Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra…. Pereira’s work visa expired Aug. 10; she didn’t get her response back on her green card application until Aug. 28…. In March, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced the immediate and temporary suspension of its premium processing service due to the COVID-19 outbreak…. As Pereira is working with legal counsel … OKC Philharmonic Executive Director Agnieszka Rakhmatullaev has offered ‘whatever support is at our disposal to help her.’ ”