Author: BFC

The inaugural concert of the U.S./Mexico Youth Philharmonic Orchestra will take place on January 28, 2017 at the Plaza Theatre in El Paso, Texas. The concert was announced by the El Paso Symphony Youth Orchestras, which will join the Orquesta Sinfónica Esperanza Azteca Ciudad Juárez (OSEA) to form an orchestra of more than 300 musicians, led by Dr. James Welsch, El Paso Symphony Youth Orchestras’ music director. On the program: Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, with pianist Robert Auler, and Verdi’s “Triumphal March” from Aida. Also included will be Canto a la Música by Mexican composer and Juilliard faculty member Samuel Zyman, with the OSEA Chorus, violinist Julio Saldaña, and EPSO Principal Cellist James Carney. The program will be repeated on January 29 in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. Said Ruth Ellen Jacobson, executive director of the El Paso Symphony Orchestra, “The El Paso and Cd. Juárez region is one of the largest bi-national communities in the world. Our histories, families and personal stories are tightly linked. The creation of this bi-national youth orchestra will continue to strengthen the bond our two cities share. We are excited about the growth our young musicians will encounter as we explore this musical partnership across borders.”

Posted December 14, 2016

“A new, ambitious plan to boost Ireland’s cultural creativity has been launched today by the Taoiseach [head of government], Enda Kenny,” writes Aoife Barry on Thursday (12/8) at thejournal.ie (Ireland). “Under the plan, Irish schoolchildren will have access to music tuition, communities will come together to create cultural plans, and Ireland’s ‘global reputation’ will be unified as it becomes a ‘global hub’ for film and TV production. The Creative Ireland programme … described as the Government’s legacy programme for Ireland 2016, is a five-year initiative running from 2017–2022.… The plan is built around five pillars: Enabling the creative potential of every child, enabling creativity in every community, investing in our creative and cultural infrastructure, Ireland as a centre of excellence in media production, and unifying our global reputation.… Under Creative Ireland, an annual County of Culture will be named each year from 2018…. The plan to enable all Irish school children to access tuition and participation in art, music, drama and coding will begin in September 2017. The plan will also see the Charter for Arts in Education being fast-tracked and resourced.”

Posted December 14, 2016

“As we begin our perennial task of reviewing the year passed, we remember all the moments that have made the year memorable,” writes Michael Rosin on Monday (12/12) at NYC classical radio station WQXR. “Below we have gathered 12 reasons why this is the case in the classical music world.” Among the standout items were the discovery of a lost work by Igor Stravinsky that was given its first performance in 108 years; the deaths of influential conductors and composers Pierre Boulez and Peter Maxwell Davies; James Levine stepping down as music director of the Metropolitan Opera after four decades; strikes that started on the same day by the musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra; the release of pianist Daniil Trifonov’s recording of all of Liszt’s etudes; and the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Kaija Saariaho’s opera L’Amour De Loin—the first opera by a female composer at the Met in a century. Several of the items are accompanied by videos or links to complete articles about the events.

Posted December 14, 2016

“Ravi S. Rajan, the dean of the School of the Arts at Purchase College, State University of New York, was named president of the California Institute of the Arts on Tuesday,” writes Carolina Miranda in Tuesday’s (12/13) Los Angeles Times. “Rajan, a musician, teacher and administrator who has also worked in computer animation, will be CalArts’ fourth president—and its first Asian American head…. At SUNY Purchase College … he launched a $100-million capital renovation of the art and design facilities and helped strengthen the college’s philanthropic efforts. He also spearheaded the creation of a master’s degree titled Entrepreneurship in the Arts.… Rajan, the son of Indian immigrants, was born in Seattle and raised in Norman, Okla…. Rajan is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, where he studied education, and Yale University, where he earned a degree in music. A trumpet player, he has performed in musical ensembles of all sizes, including theater productions on and off Broadway…. Rajan will take over from longtime president Steven Lavine, who announced his retirement in 2015. Lavine, who has run the school for almost three decades, helped transform CalArts into an internationally renowned center … Rajan begins his tenure in June.”

Posted December 14, 2016

“In its first ruling on a matter involving a musical instrument, a German panel established to mediate disputes over cultural objects looted during the Third Reich has decided that a Nuremberg foundation should compensate the heirs of a man whose prized 18th-century violin is thought to have been confiscated by the Nazis or lost following a forced sale,” write Graham Bowley and Carla Shapreau in Friday’s (12/9) New York Times. “In its decision Wednesday, the Limbach Commission said the violin … reportedly by Cremonese violin-maker Giuseppe Guarneri … found that the heirs of Felix Hildesheimer were entitled to a remedy. Mr. Hildesheimer, a German Jew who had run a music business in Speyer, Germany, purchased the Guarneri from Stuttgart violin dealer Fridolin Hamma in 1938. Unable to escape from Nazi Germany, Mr. Hildesheimer committed suicide in 1939 and his family’s property was confiscated…. In 1974, [the violin] was purchased in good faith by violinist Sophie Hagemann in Cologne. She bequeathed it to the Franz Hofmann and Sophie Hagemann Foundation in Nuremberg in 2010…. The commission valued the violin at $158,000 and recommended that the foundation compensate Mr. Hildesheimer’s [two] grandsons for two-thirds of its value, but retain the violin for use and performances.”

Posted December 14, 2016

“There may not be an official ‘happy one-year since you arrived in Canada’ song, but the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra has something special planned for the city’s newcomers nevertheless,” writes Braeden Jones in Monday’s (12/12) Winnipeg Metro News (Canada). “On Feb. 19, the WSO will host a special ‘Welcome Refugees’ celebration by offering a free concert to as many as 1,000 refugees…. The Sunday matinee performance of Once Upon a Dance [will feature] several dance troupes performing in front of the WSO’s musical ensemble…. [WSO Community Engagement Manager Brent] Johnson said everything about the event … was deliberate to make sure it was as accessible as possible for families…. ‘Syrian refugees come from such a war-torn place many don’t want to let their kids out of their sight…. We thought okay—we have to make this something parents can bring their whole family to.’ … Five of the province’s leading dance companies will showcase a few different styles including Irish, French and Ukrainian.… [Johnson] said the ‘timing was not intentional,’ as it aligns fairly close with the first anniversary of government-sponsored Syrian refugees arriving in Canada, but adds ‘it certainly does work as a kind of celebratory opportunity.’ ”

Posted December 14, 2016

On December 18, Michigan’s Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra will perform the world premiere of The Night Before Christmas with music by Daniel Capelletti and a script by playwright Adam Pasen, as part of the orchestra’s Family Discovery Series of concerts. Resident Conductor Daniel Brier will lead the semi-staged performance at Kalamazoo’s Chenery Auditorium, Ben Zylman will serve as director, and the cast will include Carly Koch, Jay Kurtis Oetman, Britain Schumacher, and Lou Price. Also included are a pre-concert instrument petting zoo and a Meet the Conductor event.

Posted December 13, 2016