Author: Joanna Bettelheim

“Admittedly, as holiday seasons go, this one’s a real lump of coal,” writes Michael Andor Brodeur in Wednesday’s (12/2) Washington Post. “But … December’s online musical offerings are enough to fill in just about every gap left by your canceled plans….  This month, the Library of Congress concludes its valiant virtual effort to salvage Ludwig Van’s ruined 250th birthday with ‘(Re)hearing Beethoven,’ a streaming festival.…National Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Nurit-Bar Josef joins [pianist Efi] Hackmey for a program of Prokofiev … Fauré … and Indian American composer Reena Esmail’s ‘Jhula Jhule.’ Paola Prestini … co-founder and artistic director of National Sawdust … has … teamed with the acclaimed Mexican vocalist Magos Herrera for ‘Con Alma,’ a genre-crossing blend [premiered] as a live digital experience from Mexico City and New York City [featuring] the Young People’s Chorus of NYC, the Mexican Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería, Silk Road Ensemble clarinetist Kinan Azmeh, and arrangers Gonzalo Grau and Diego Schissi.… Montgomery County pandemic restrictions nixed the possibility of the National Philharmonic offering its annual presentation of Handel’s ‘Messiah,’ but they’re still going full stream ahead into December…. On Dec. 20, freshly appointed concertmaster Laura Colgate performs the entirety of Vivaldi’s ‘Four Seasons’—in case you’re already craving spring.”

Young Concert Artists and Concert Artists Guild—two non-profit organizations dedicated to discovering and promoting the careers of talented young classical musicians—have each announced winners of their competitions and auditions this fall. Chinese pianist Zhu Wang, American bass-baritone William Socolof, and American mezzo-soprano Megan Moore are the winners of Young Concert Artists 2020 International Auditions held earlier this month. The winners will join the YCA roster and receive management services for a minimum of three years, concert engagements including debuts in New York and Washington, D.C., publicity, and career guidance. Grand-prize winners of the 2020 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition are cellist Gabriel Martins and violinist Geneva Lewis, who will receive performances in New York and London, professional career development and coaching, and international management jointly with CAG and London-based Young Classical Artists Trust. Percussionist Britton-René Collins, crossover trio Empire Wild (multi-instrumentalist Brandon Ilaw and cellists Ken Kubota and Mitch Lyon), and violinist Ariel Horowitz are inaugural winners of CAG’s Ambassador Prize, awarded “to a contestant from the semifinal and/or final round who has demonstrated a clear dedication to making an impact in the world through music.”

“Covid-19 has thrown huge challenges at Australia’s major arts festivals this summer, not least the maintenance of audience physical distancing at crowded events and border closures excluding most international artists,” writes Steve Dow in Tuesday’s (11/17) Guardian (U.K.). “This January, Sydney festival will build a large stage for several shows … designed to keep people seated at safe distances…. At Perth festival, held in February, artistic director Iain Grandage says large-scale events of previous years … will not be possible due to Covid-19…. The Covid-19 outbreak in Adelaide in mid-November has forced the Adelaide festival to indefinitely delay releasing details of its full program … because of Covid safety concerns…. Adelaide festival still plans to … bring several international guests from the US and the UK on … temporary activity visas, paying for their 14-day quarantine in Australia … and taking responsibility for the artists remaining in the state…. Confining itself to just West Australian-based artists, Perth festival is still premiering 10 commissions in theatre and dance, four in classical music and 30 in visual arts. In addition … Sydney-based [comedian] Tim Minchin … will premiere his new album Apart Together with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra in Kings Park.”

“ ‘Lifting as We Learn’ is a diversity, equity, inclusion and access (DEIA) commitment that ArtsWave adopted in June 2020,” writes ArtsWave Chief Operating Officer Kate Kennedy in Monday’s (11/16) Cincinnati Business Courier. ArtsWave is a Cincinnati-based nonprofit that supports local arts projects and organizations. “ ‘Lifting as We Learn’ calls for increased investment in arts organizations and artists of color…. The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra has begun the work of integrating a DEIA initiative into their 10-year strategic plan. This summer, they crafted a 10-point action plan and created a new position (chief diversity and inclusion officer) … In Cincinnati’s Price Hill [neighborhood], the MYCincinnati youth orchestra and their parent organization, Price Hill Will, also drafted a DEIA plan…. Already, MYCincinnati has seen major movement.… Several local leaders have now joined the organization’s board after having previously been, according to Development Director Samantha Lane, ‘in orbit but not deeply engaged’ with the youth orchestra…. ArtsWave has asked 30 arts organizations that receive annual operating support to create their own board-approved DEIA plans by January 2021…. As we … work toward rebuilding a better arts sector after pandemic-related restrictions are lifted, ArtsWave made ‘Ensuring Cultural Diversity’ a key pillar of the Arts Vibrancy Recovery Fund.”

“In March of this year, as the pandemic shut performances down all over the world, [violinist and conductor] Daniel Hope began a series of 14 daily concerts live from his living room called Hope@Home,” writes Janos Gereben in Tuesday’s (11/17) San Francisco Classical Voice. “The music director of San Francisco’s New Century Chamber Orchestra is also working with orchestras in Berlin and Zürich … but he kept Hope@Home going … and raised tens of thousands of Euros for artists in need…. Now, Hope … and NCCO will be featured in six free ‘delayed-live’ episodes of the Hope@Home digital TV series seen daily, beginning Nov. 18.… All six episodes will be archived and available for viewing 30 days after the air date…. The first episode streams on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 10 a.m. PST on the ARTE website…. Among the series highlights: Jennifer Higdon’s ‘Quiet Art’ from Impressions, Carlos Simon’s An Elegy: A Cry From the Grave, Philip Glass’s Echorus, and George Walker’s Lyric for Strings, as well as works by Aaron Copland, Gabriela Lena Frank, Florence Price, and Kurt Weill [plus] music of Edward Elgar and Antonín Dvořák, Grażyna Bacewicz, and Hans Krása.”

“The Port Angeles Symphony Orchestra has suspended its performance activities due to heightened safety precautions across Washington state, conductor and music director Jonathan Pasternack announced this week,” reads an unsigned article in Wednesday’s (11/18) Peninsula Daily News (Port Angeles, WA). “ ‘We were so fortunate to have had the opportunity to prepare and record our Nov. 7 program, before having to suspend our activities again,’ Pasternack said. Earlier this month, a Symphony ensemble produced a special concert video that is now available for viewing online.… The concert, along with an interview with guest soloists, the Sempre Sisters—[violinist] Charlotte Marckx and [cellist] Olivia Marckx—are free … The ensemble recorded an hour-long performance of Brahms’ Double Concerto and Mendelssohn’s Octet for Strings while practicing safety protocols…. Pasternack had planned a Dec. 12 concert with a slightly larger chamber orchestra … to be offered online. But with the restrictions on gatherings imposed this week through Dec. 14, rehearsals and the video recording aren’t possible. Pasternack’s hope is that members of the Symphony, including musicians from Port Townsend, Sequim and Port Angeles, will meet again on Jan. 25 to start rehearsals for a Feb. 20 concert” featuring string scores by Vivaldi and Tchaikovsky.

“When COVID called a halt to their fall 2020 concerts, the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra found another way to connect with their audiences,” writes Pamela Espeland in Thursday’s (11/19) Minn Post (Minneapolis). “On Oct. 11 … they released ‘The Mahler Project,’ a self-produced, hour-long video about Mahler’s life, with selections from the symphony and interviews with experts. On Sunday, Nov. 22 … the MSO will release a new video, ‘A Few Words About Argento.’ … The MSO and Dominick Argento, a Pulitzer Prize- and Grammy-winning composer who died in February 2019, had a special relationship. The orchestra’s music director, William Schrickel, loves Argento’s music and has programmed it often. Argento enjoyed hearing the MSO play his music. He lived in Minneapolis, and whenever the MSO played one of his pieces, he attended a rehearsal or two and came for the concert. It must have been a bit like having his own personal orchestra…. Now in its 39th year, the MSO is a community orchestra that performs for free throughout the [Twin Cities] metro area. All of its musicians are volunteers…. Along with … stories from Schrickel,” “A Few Words About Argento” includes interviews with Metropolitan Symphony musicians and others.

Michigan’s Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra has launched an online platform of educational materials designed for music teachers, called the A²SO Teacher Resource Hub. The program currently consists of a Google Drive collection of PDF documents, presentations, and videos organized by grade level. Tyler Rand, the orchestra’s executive director, said in a press release, “We are thrilled to offer this rich array of music curriculum support to educators navigating the virtual classroom environment. As we continue to adapt to the challenges this year has presented, our education and community engagement programs remain a top priority for the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra. We look forward to continuing to deliver new and innovative ways to engage our community of music lovers of all ages.” Vera Schwankl, a music teacher at Mitchell Elementary School, said, “I really appreciate all [that the orchestra does] for our musical community in Ann Arbor. Teaching music online is a brave new world, and we’re all still figuring it out.” For more information, visit the Ann Arbor Symphony’s A²SO Teacher Resource Hub.