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THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Comings and Goings
October 5, 2024
For some time now, over a century at least, there has been a lot of fuss made about when to clap at a classical music concert. This, along with what to wear, have apparently been two obstacles for people to enter the concert hall audience for the first time. None of us on stage are happy about that. We just want you to come and enjoy the music, wear what you want, clap when the spirit moves you.
Thursday night was the Lansing Symphony’s season opener, our 95th!. On the program was Mozart’s Symphony No. 31, the “Paris.” One of my favorite anecdotes about that work is that, at the Paris premiere, the audience actually started clapping during the music after passages they found especially exciting. That’s an engaged audience! Mozart was surprised and pleasantly so.
When our guest artist for the evening, the Cuban-American cellist Tommy Mesa launched into his encore, a famous movement from a Bach cello suite, the audience cheered in recognition after the first few notes. I loved that. It was like a rock concert, just as when a crowd who has come to hear Neil Young starts cheering as soon as he plays the first few notes of “Harvest Moon.”
Speaking of Tommy, the encore was much deserved. He had just delivered a captivating and soulful rendering of Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations. My love for that work grows with each engagement with it. Tommy found the sweet spot in each of those variations. He is a deeply expressive musician, and his joy of music making can be felt in the back row of the balcony. His star is rising.
The notion of variations was the unofficial theme of the whole concert. Tchaikovsky’s Rococo was preceded by Mozart’s Paris which is one of the composer’s symphonies written in the Rococo style. Mozart was Tchaikovsky’s guiding light as a composer, and the Rococo Variations were written as something of an homage to his idol of a century earlier, so that was a nice connection to make and made for a nice flow to the evening.
More variations followed after intermission, Elgar’s masterful Enigma Variations. For as familiar as it is, this warhorse is unique in the orchestral canon, and it’s easy to forget that. I don’t know another work quite like it.
For starters, there is the “people” element…I should say the “people and one dog” element. It’s a work about relationships, each variation a tribute to a friend or family member. Some are touching, some are clever, some whimsical…all brilliant.
Then there is that element of cleverness and mystique…what is the enigma? Certainly it extends beyond the easily decipherable initials with which the composer identifies each movement. It’s work full of quirks, musical and otherwise. Why is there a quote (in actual quotation marks ) from Mendelssohn’s Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage Overture. Why are some seemingly innocuous passages indicated to be played prominently? What other mysteries does the work hold? Much ink and breath has been spent on that topic, but some secrets went to the grave with Mr. Elgar, leaving us to contemplate and speculate.
Then there is the purely musical element. It takes a special compositional skill to make the theme and variations form work. The challenge lies creating a work where the listener’s experience of the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. While each variation of Elgar’s are beautiful on their own, it’s the arc of the work that puts it into the “masterpiece” category.
Gala Flagello’s “Bravado”, which opened our program, is also built on a variation idea. This engaging work presents a theme, rich in bravado itself, that then undergoes a series of transformations over the course of the piece…each exploring a different flavor of bravado. The audience clearly resonated with this work and responded with great enthusiasm. I was wonderful to have Gala with us in rehearsal and concert as well. She is one to watch.
Next up
November 1, 2024
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Willis Delony, piano
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
East Lansing, Michigan
7:30 p.m.
William Grant STILL Symphony No. 2 “Song for a New Race”
Greg YASINITSKY Jazz Concerto for Piano and Orchestra
GERSHWIN Rhapsody in Blue
#tommymesa #galaflagello
August 23, 2024
My list of “life’s most memorable musical experiences” got a new entry this week. Last night was the second of two performances of Wynton Marsalis’ epic cantata “All Rise” with Chautauqua’s Music School Festival Orchestra, the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus, soloists, and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra of which Mr. Marsalis is the Artistic Director and a member of the trumpet section.
As memorable as the performances were, the rehearsals were equally enlightening. It’s always great to have the composer on hand at rehearsals, but when the composer is also performing and highly involved in the rehearsal process, some real magic can happen, especially when that composer is Mr. Marsalis.
This work is written in a unique musical language. Naturally, there is the element of jazz, but there are also many other musical cultures and styles woven into its fabric. This work is not just a “jazzy symphony” with standard stylistic clichés and a swinging style. This is a work of great profundity and artistic intent. The jazz element, the folk element, the world music elements are all deeply baked into the language in a similar way that the USA is a melting pot of world cultures. It is work of integration, introspection and celebration of the rich cultural fabric in which we live. It is also reflection on the journey of life itself, its joys, sorrows, trials and triumphs.
Sharing the stage with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra was its own kind of thrill too. These guys are phenomenal players, great musicians and wonderful colleagues. I feel so fortunate to have been able to stand in front of them and soak up such artistry.
I also want to give a shout out to the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus and Adam Leubke, their director. This work is immensely challenging for the singers. They brought great style, a beautiful sound and wonderful energy to the evening.
If you are interested in hearing our performance, it will be featured in an upcoming PBS documentary on the Chautauqua Institution, and the entire concert will be broadcast in a separate program.
This concert was the final one for the 2024 MSFO, a bittersweet moment for sure...sweet in the reflections on a wonderful summer of music making, but melancholy in that we are all going our separate ways today. While many of our paths will cross individually again in the years to come, that specific orchestra, those people, will never again gather in its entirety to make music. Such is life…
Next up for me, the 2024-25 season opener of the Lansing Symphony!
October 3, 2024
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Tommy Mesa, cello
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
East Lansing, Michigan
7:30 p.m.
Gala FLAGELLO Bravado
MOZART Symphony No. 31 “Paris”
TCHAIKOVSKY Variations on a Rococo Theme
ELGAR Enigma Variations
#chautauquamsfo #chautauquamusicschool #jazzatlincolncenter #wyntonmarsalis
August 6, 2024
I remember in my student days and the early years of my career, some music “professionals” would diss Rachmaninoff…too sappy, too saccharine, too syrupy (I suppose those are all redundant), nothing “inventive”, too old-fashioned.
In Donald J. Grout’s “A History of Western Music” at the time the standard textbook for college sophomore music history, Rachmaninoff was allotted a whopping 1 paragraph, and a short one at that, only two sentences. The first sentence begins “Of some interest is the music of Sergei Rachmaninoff….” The second sentence just lists of few of his popular works. Even Rimsky Korsakov got a page and half.
Most audience members seem to have known better. They love him, and I think those of us actually performing his music know better too. We can leave those negative opinions to the ivory towers.
True, Rachmaninoff was very conservative for a composer living into the 20th century, but he was by no means un-original. He developed his own unique style: unique in color, texture, ambience, and expression. He even has his own harmonic language, however rooted in tonality. He reaches the audience in a powerful way, and keeps them coming back.
His music is also challenging to perform with its intricate details, free-flowing pulse, complex textures and expressive demands. Chautauqua’s Music School Festival Orchestra rose to the occasion in usual form and brought all the precision, clarity, style and expression to the composer's Third Symphony one expects in Rachmaninoff’s music. They also were wonderful in the other two works of the evening, Gala Flagello’s Bravado, and Richard Strauss’ Death and Transfiguration, the latter beautifully conducted by our conducting fellow Samuel Hollister.
Next for me is a very interesting project indeed. Still in Chautauqua, the final concert of our season will be with Wynton Marsalis, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus. We will be performing Mr. Marsalis’ epic All Rise. PBS will be on hand as they are filming a documentary on Chautauqua and this performance and our rehearsals will be featured. Should be a memorable time!
NEXT UP
August 21 and 22, 2024
Music School Festival Orchestra
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis
Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus
Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater
8:15 p.m.
MARSALIS All Rise
#wyntonmarsalis #chautauquamusicfestival
July 30, 2024
I can’t possibly count the number of times I have said to myself (and others), I just wish we could do it one more time.
So much goes in to preparing a concert, not just the rehearsals, but the individual practice and study on the part of all of us. When it’s an opera, multiply all that by 10 at least, and multiply the reward by 10 or more, maybe 100. There is nothing like opera.
Last night, in a tribute to our dear Marlena Malas whom we lost at the end of 2023, we did a performance of some music from Der Rosenkavalier of Strauss and Rota’s very engaging one-act opera I due Timidi. Marlena would have been so pleased and proud of the artistry and professionalism of all of her students who graced that stage last night. It was such a joy to make music (and drama!) with them.
I just wish we could do it one more time.
Not because it didn’t go well, it did. It was fantastic. I want to do it again to have one more chance to enjoy the fruits of our labors, one more opportunity to be immersed in the music and the experience. But, that is not in the cards…on to the next program, and that’s exciting too.
Next for me, a symphony from Rachmaninoff and a work by an emerging American composer! My conducting fellow, Samuel Hollister will take the orchestra through one of Strauss’ tone poems.
NEXT UP
August 5, 2024
Music School Festival Orchestra
Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater
8:15 p.m.
Gala FLAGELLO Bravado
STRAUSS Death and Transfiguration
RACHMANINOFF Symphony No. 3
July 19, 2024
Sometimes you just gotta pull out all the stops….full throttle, no holding back.
Several months ago, the Chautauqua Symphony invited me to do a concert with them. I was told the soloist would be the wonderful guitarist Bokyun Byun playing Rodrigo’s classic, “Conceirto Aruanjez.”
It doesn’t get more Spanish than Aruanjez, so we had the idea to create a Spanish-themed program. This is where the stop pulling comes in.
The most famous Spanish classical music is, ironically, written by the French, think “Bolero” of Ravel as one example…cultural appropriation at its best, and yet another way classical music is confusing. These French composers wrote out of sheer love, admiration and fascination with Spanish culture though, and since they are neighbors, it’s not too much of a stretch to reach something approaching authentic, or at least adjacent.
Along with “Bolero”, Ravel also wrote a work called “Alborada del Gracioso” first conceived in a set of piano works and later orchestrated by the composer. This work opened our program, all stops full on. Bo delivered a stunning Aruanjez to follow, some actual Spanish music, by an actual Spaniard. We stayed in that vein, Spanish Music by a Spanish composer, with a suite from Manuel da Falla’s ballet “Three Cornered Hat” or “Sombrero des Tres Picos” in Falla’s native Spanish….again, all stops open.
The French connection returned to close the concert with Chabrier’s classic “España” a work I heard one of my colleagues wryly describe backstage as “the best piece of Spanish music ever written.”
It’s always a pleasure for me to make music with my friends and colleagues in the CSO, some of whom I have known for over a quarter of a century. It was a wonderful evening.
Next for me is another program with Chautauqua’s Music School Festival Orchestra, a program in remembrance of my dear friend and colleague Marlena Malas you passed away last year.
NEXT UP
July 29, 2024
Music School Festival Orchestra
Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater
8:15 p.m.
SMYTH Overture to “The Wreckers”
STRAUSS A Suite from Der Rosenkavlier
ROTA I due Timidi
#chautauquasymphony #bokyunbyun
July 16, 2024
The Chautauqua Institution's Music School Festival Orchestra kicked off our 2024 season last night. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the annual gathering called the Chautauqua Institution, so we opened the program with Roger Brigg’s evocative work “Gathering Together.” We used this work for a slightly similar occasion in the Lansing Symphony, namely the first concert after Covid lockdowns, to celebrate gathering again. It was wonderful to revisit this work in somewhat less extraordinary times (if there is such a thing).
The music is inspired by a poem by Patricia Goedicke called “The People Gathering Together”. We were thrilled to have the #1 NY Times best-selling author of over 40 books, poet and Emmy winner, Kwame Alexander join us on stage for a beautiful reading of the poem prior to the orchestral performance. Kwame is the Artistic Advisor of Literary Arts at CHQ, and having him there made it a very “Chautauqua” moment, celebrating not only gathering, but also interdisciplinary artistic connections which are one of the hallmarks of the place.
The program continued with a Haydn symphony, beautifully conducted by my conducting fellow, Sam Hollister. We finished with Elgar’s Enigma Variations. The orchestra was in fine form for just one week together and sounded glorious all night. A shout-out also to CHQ’s Director of Religious Music and Organist Joshua Stafford who joined us on the fabulous Massey Organ for the Elgar.
I’ll be with the Chautauqua Symphony next, in just two days, a colorful program of Spanish and Spanish-inspired music.
NEXT UP
July 18, 2024
Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra
Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater
8:15 p.m.
Bockyun Byun, Guitar
RAVEL Alborado del Gracioso
RODRIGO Concierto de Aruanjez
FALLA Suite No. 2 from “Three Cornered Hat”
CHABRIER “España”
#chautauquainstitution #kwamealexander #joshuastafford
May 23, 2024
Having a young person’s concert as the final event of an orchestra’s season is a nice way to close things out before we all go our separate ways for the summer, and Lansing Symphony had ours yesterday. YPC’s are such important work for us, and you can tell there is a collective recognition of that in the group.
Also, these concerts are a bit more casual than presenting a Rachmaninoff Symphony which requires us to muster our top form in execution, endurance and concentration, leaving us usually quite spent at their conclusion. Not that YPC’s don’t present their own kind of challenge, they do! The music is mostly uncompromising in technical and musical demands, and we have very limited rehearsal time to put it all together, but still there is a more casual vibe to the whole thing.
Perhaps the lunch break is one of the defining features of the season-closer YPC experience. We often say an orchestra is a family, but in terms of a family gatherings, rehearsals and concerts don’t allow for much time to connect about anything other than the music itself. There is not much space for chit-chat. Most players arrive and go directly into warmup mode, and when rehearsal is over, most are out the door and on their way home within minutes…you’d think there had been a fire alarm. The lunch break between the two YPC”s (provided by the LSO) gave us all a chance and an excuse to hang out a bit, bond, get caught and enjoy each other’s company before we don’t see each other for a few months.
The concert itself is always a joy too. The kids come so well prepared by their teachers for the concert. You can tell they are really engaged and getting a lot from the experience. We love playing for them, we love sharing with them, we love knowing that this moment, this slice of time in their growth is one full of joy, learning and inspiration. How lucky we are to play that part in their young lives.
Up next for me is our season opener at Chautauqua…hard to believe that time is here again.
NEXT UP
July 16, 2024
Chautauqua Music School Festival Orchestra
Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater
8:15 p.m.
Roger BRIGGS Gathering Together
HAYDN Symphony No. 95
ELGAR Enigma Variations
#lansingsymphony
May 11, 2024
I’m a few decades into my career now, ok maybe more than a few. For many of us with this much “experience” it’s always a bit of a surprise to come upon a new, old work, especially one by a hugely famous and popular composer.
My colleagues in the Lansing Symphony and I took on Rachmaninoff’s Third Symphony last night. From the conversations I had this week, I think it was a first for a lot of us. That so few of us had performed it before is a bit hard to wrap one’s head around, especially given that it’s his best symphony IMHO.
His second symphony is the popular one…so popular, themes from it were used in actual Popular Music in the 70’s and even earlier. Yes, classical music can be popular, but Classical music by definition is not Popular. It’s a tough row we hoe in the business.
The Second Symphony of Rachmaninoff is one of the greatest hits of the symphonic genre, but the Third is seldom played. He only wrote three, so why the neglect? That’s a question that’s has long been asked, usually by people who have just listened to the Third.
The Third has all the qualities we love in Rachmaninoff, and it’s even a bit shorter than 2. For my tastes, it’s a distillation of his style, a purification, an intensification. I love the Second Symphony as well, but it seems watered down compared to the Third….sort of the difference between having your bourbon on the rocks or neat. It’s great both ways, but the Third is decidedly “neat.”
The audience seemed to embrace it last night. I think they were especially wowed by the spectacular playing of the Lansing Symphony’s players. It’s a demanding work. They delivered and then some.
The first half of the program opened with music by LSO’s Composer-in-Residence, Jared Miller, a piece called “Luster.” It’s an impactful and engaging work, full of color and rich sonorities and a very satisfying arc to the drama. It’s only 7 minutes long, but it feels like a complete and fulfilling journey. I look forward to doing this music again sometime as soon as possible. The audience let us know that Jared (and the LSO) hit the mark with this one.
Our guest artist for the evening was the wonderful young pianist Harmony Zhu who played Mozart Concerto 23. She brought grace, elegance, and energy to this wonderful concerto (perhaps my fave of the Mozart concerti…certainly one of them at least). Harmony is in the early years of her career, but she is one to watch. It was a joy to have her with us!
Next up for me is Lansing Symphony’s Young People’s Concerts in a few weeks, some of the most important, and exciting work we do. Thousands of young people from the area will be joining us at the Wharton center for a wonderful concert designed especially for them.
NEXT UP
May 22, 2024
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
“Link Up” Young People’s Concert
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
East Lansing, Michigan
10:00 am and 12:30 a.m.
“The Orchestra Moves”
#jaredmiller #harmonyzhu #lansingsymphony
March 24, 2024
The violin concerto repertoire is an embarrassment of riches. Think of the two Prokofiev concerti, the Sibelius, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Bruch, Stravinsky, Berg, Shostakovich, and newer ones from Adams, Corigliano, Marsalis and so many others spanning over 5 centuries (Vivaldi’s aren’t too shabby either). Of all of them, I think there is one work that stands alone. A person doesn’t usually make such pronouncements in the world of art, I mean, how do we really quantify such things? But in some cases, it seems obvious.
Beethoven wrote his violin concerto in 1806, the period during which many of his most popular works were composed. He wrote the work for a violinist named Franz Clement who was among the most highly regarded violinists of the day. The work was not especially well received, however. Published reviews of the premiere were tepid at best and rather derogatory at worst. It would be decades before the work gained any momentum in the public’s enthusiasm.
Sometimes that’s how it goes with art, though. A work has to find its time and place, which this work certainly has. IMHO, it is the pinnacle of the genre, (with Sibelius and Brahms right up there). From the elemental opening of 4 timpani strokes on which an entire 20-minute movement is built, to the introspective and almost dreamy slow movement, and through the infectious and joyous rondo of the final movement, this work, in its symphonic proportions and conception, is an unparalleled, epic experience for the listener and the musicians.
It is also a work that requires a very special soloist. The tool kit one needs to play this piece is different from what one might bring to a Tchaikovsky or Glazunov. There is something of a tight-rope walk in finding the essential qualities for Beethoven. It requires an element of exquisite balance…balancing focus and intensity, allowing room for breath, but not distorting the formal elements. It takes a tone that is strong, deep, rich but controlled and pure. To be honest, it’s not a work that is in every violinist’s wheelhouse, even some of the greatest can miss the mark on this.
The mark was hit dead center last night by the magnificent Bella Hristova at the Wharton Center with the Lansing Symphony. She brought transcendent playing to this transcendent work, and I am sure that all of us there, either on stage or in the audience, are enjoying the warm glow of memories of that performance. I wish we could do it again.
I also want to mention the orchestra who, in their usual form, were magnificent last night. They definitely delivered on Beethoven, a work that might appear deceptive simple but requires supreme musicianship. The rest of the program was also demanding, including a new and unique work of Sarah Gibson’s and two iconic works of late Romanticism, Wagner’s Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde, and Strauss’ virtuoso orchestral masterpiece, Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks. What a joy it was to be a part of it all.
Next for me is a return trip to the Cleveland Institute of Music to work with some of their conducting students. After that, the season closer in Lansing, some music of Mozart, Rachmaninoff and our wonderful Composer-in-Residence, Jared Miller.
NEXT UP
May 10, 2024
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Harmony Zhu, piano
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
East Lansing, Michigan
7:30 p.m.
Jared MILLER Luster
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 23
RACHMANINOFF Symphony No. 3
#bellahristova #lansingsymphony #sarahgibson #jaredmiller
March 4, 2024
The music world is blessed with many truly wonderful performing artists, musicians who have total command of their instrument and a real gift for making a piece of music speak to an audience in a special way. Today, there are more people in that category than ever before.
Within that category, however, there are but a few who create an experience that transcends the purely musical. One person who comes to mind in this category is Lang Lang. Lang Lang is an extraordinary musician and pianist who has a decidedly outsized impact on an audience. Anyone who has witnessed this live, first-hand, will know of what I speak. As I write this, Elvis comes to mind as a comparison. I have never seen an audience so enthralled with the raw charisma and talent of a classical musician. His concerts are unforgettable.
Saturday night, those of us in Baton Rouge’s River Center Theater for the Baton Rouge Symphony’s Pennington Great Performers in Concert 2024 installment experienced one of the other members of this most rarified club. I had an especially good seat, btw….standing, actually.
I’m referring to Yo Yo Ma. Yo Yo is the most famous classical musician alive today. Of classical musicians whose names are household words, he is in the most households, probably by a long shot.
Yo Yo’s secret sauce is humanity, which he exudes from every pore. Whether it is in a one-on-one conversation, or a small group of people backstage, or a concert hall full of 2000 people, we all feel the same thing: Yo Yo is singularly focused on us. Whomever it may be in that moment, that is where his focus unflinchingly lies.
When he walks on stage, every person in the hall feels him connect with them individually. He is there to play for you, and if there were just one of you in the hall, he would give everything he has for you.
His interactions with the other musicians on stage is really something to be experienced. He connects with every player on that stage, even those behind him….not sure how that happens, but it does.
Backstage before the dress rehearsal, does he sequester himself in his dressing room? No, he makes a point to have meaningful contact with as many of the orchestral musicians as possible. You feel like his best friend in the moment you are with him. Is it fake? contrived? A put-on? No. It’s just who this guy is, a lovely human being.
Great music making is about a connection with the listener. It’s about taking ink spots on the page that represent a composer’s inspiration and turning them into something that resonates at the emotional core of the listener. Much of that is simply how we play, but then there is the “je ne sais quoi” of an artist like Yo Yo. (sorry…I know that's super pretentious to drop that in here, but it kinda works). I think it comes back to the humanity, and the bandwidth of his humanity. It’s just bigger than what most of us mortals have. We can be inspired by it. We can try to emulate it, but there is no duplicating it.
Oh, and he plays the cello very well too.
On a personal note, it was such a joy to be back with my friends in Baton Rouge, both on stage and off. I miss you all and look forward to our next time together.
NEXT UP
March 23, 2023
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Bella Hristova, violin
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
East Lansing, Michigan
7:30 p.m.
Sarah GIBSON to make this mountain taller
BEETHOVEN Violin Concerto
WAGNER Prelude and Liebestod from “Tristan and Isolde”
STRAUSS Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks
#yoyoma #batonrougesymphony #lansingsymphony #penningtongreatperformers
February 17, 2024
Well that was certainly fun....we had the guys from “Classical Mystery Tour” with us in Lansing on Friday. They have been doing their symphonic Beatles show for nearly 30 years, and there is a reason for that longevity. It is a great show!
We had a terrific turnout at the Wharton Center, and they clearly loved it. I think for those of us in the orchestra, a big part of the appeal was that the orchestral arrangements were nearly verbatim from what was done on the original recordings, so there was a great authenticity to the sound, and it is, of course, wonderful music.
A big shout out to our Principal Trumpet, Neil Mueller for his spectacular Penny Lane trumpet solo. Also kudos to our Principal Second Violin, Florina Petrescu (who played Concertmaster for this), Ben Penzner, Principal Viola, and our Principal Saxophonist Joe Lulloff for the great solos in “Twist and Shout.” Feel free to fact check me on this, but I have a strong hunch that may have been the first time for a viola feature in that tune.
Next for me, a trip back to see my friends in Baton Rouge for a concert with Yo Yo Ma…looking forward to that!
NEXT UP
Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra
Yo Yo Ma, cello
Pennington Great Performers in Concert
Saturday, March 2, 2024, 8:00 p.m.
River Center Theater for the Performing Arts
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
CHABRIER Espana Rhapsody
MENDELSSOHN Fingal's Cave Overture
WG STILL Lenox Avenue: The Crap Game and The Flirtation
COPLAND El Salon Mexico
DVORAK Cello Concerto
#yoyoma #classicalmysterytour #batonrougesymphony #lansingsymphony
February 7, 2024
One of my new favorite things at the Lansing Symphony is our “Winterlude” Concert. “Winterlude” is free to the public and presented in the glorious Sanctuary of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in downtown Lansing. It is a stunning space visually, acoustically and spiritually.
We just did our second “Winterlude” last weekend. These concerts allow us to explore repertoire we might not otherwise program. For example, last year we did two Bach cantatas and two Mendelssohn string symphonies, works we would probably not include in typical Wharton Center programs.
This year we brought the LSO brass and percussion sections, added an organist for good measure, and had a musical and sonic experience that will not likely be forgotten anytime soon. Like last season’s concert with Bach cantatas, this program was also largely music with spiritual roots, which added to power of the experience in that space. We did Tomasi’s Fanfare Liturgiques, Hovhaness Prayer of St. Gregory, of course some Gabrielli, works written for the St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, which translated perfectly into the St. Paul’s acoustic space. We had a capacity crowd for the second year in a row. I think “Winterlude” is a keeper.
It was a joy to dive into this music with my brass, percussion and organ colleagues. We don’t normally get to “go there”, but “go there” we did, and it’s still ringing in my memory in a most beautiful way.
….oh, and a shout out to former LSO librarian, Nick Buonanni for coming up with the name “Winterlude”. It’s perfect!
NEXT UP
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Classical Mystery Tour: Music of the Beatles
Friday, February 16, 2024
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
East Lansing, Michigan
7:30 p.m.
January 13, 2024
The trumpet is truly a familiar sound. The instrument’s ancestry can be traced back thousands of years to many parts of the globe. Early ancestors of the instrument we made from clay, or wood, bone, animal horns and eventually brass. Its abundant tone and strong character led the instrument to take on ceremonial and religious functions as well as simply a form of communication over great distances.
It is an instrument largely defined to the general public by its iconic uses…think of a bugle playing taps or reveille, a shofar sounding the commencement of Rosh Hashana, or the call at the start of the Kentucky Derby.
There are certainly no shortage of iconic moments for the trumpet within an orchestra too. How about Rossini’s William Tell Overture, the opening cock crow of Rimsky Korsakov’s Le Coq d’Or, or Beethoven’s Leonore Overture calls? Strauss’s Also Sprach Zarathustra comes to mind as does Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man. Take a step off the beaten path and we find the unique opening to Janacek’s Sinfonietta with 10 trumpets in solemn, lyrical fanfare.
Each of these, however, are really single-dimensional applications of the instrument. What happens when composers dig a bit deeper, stretch beyond the stereotype? That path leads us to something like the tragic opening of Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, Respighi’s evocative off-stage solo in the Pines of Rome or the ballerina’s dance from Stravinsky's Petrouchka and virtually every trumpet moment in his L’histoire du Soldat. Now we are getting somewhere, and we haven’t even touched on the realm of jazz. Consider what Miles Davis did for expanding the instrument’s expressive scope.
I dare say the expressive scope of the trumpet took a quantum leap last Friday night with the premiere of David Biedenbender’s concerto for trumpet to which he gave the title River of Time. Dave sought inspiration for this work from many sources, some new, some old, some bright, and some dark. What came forth was a work unlike any other I have heard, certainly in the realm of the trumpet, but also beyond. It takes the listener on a rich and expansive emotional journey in a language that uniquely adapts and molds the trumpet’s extensive possibilities into music that is decidedly of our time--powerful, appealing and immediately engaging to the audience.
Without human contact, the trumpet is but a piece cold brass, (yes…elegantly shaped. I’ve seen good table lamps made from them). Add the warmth of human breath, a strong artistic sensibility, years of experience and commitment and the instrument comes to life in ways no other instrument can. LSO’s Principal Trumpet, Neil Mueller brought the breath, experience and artistry to the equation on Friday and delivered a most memorable performance of the work, bringing it into the world for the first time. Dave and Neil are good friends, btw, and I think we could hear that in this music. As we were performing it, I was wishing it wouldn’t end. It’s one of those pieces.
The program also included Mozart’s spirited and graceful Symphony 35 “Haffner” and the Symphony in C of Bizet, his one and only work in the genre and real gem.
The overly-hyped winter storm news had a somewhat negative impact on our attendance, but those who were there let us know they enjoyed it. In reality we only had about 2 inches of snow on the ground by the end of the concert, nothing any hardy Michigander can’t handle, but the fear invoked by attention-starved media made it sound like a winter Armageddon was upon us. What will they do when we have a really bad storm some day?
Next for me is something completely different, our fairly new concert offering we call Winterlude, a concert in Lansing’s St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. This year’s Winterlude is music for organ, brass and percussion. It will be a wonderful burst of warmth to the bleak midwinter.
NEXT UP
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
WINTERLUDE
Music for Brass, Percussion and Organ
February 4, 3:00 p.m.
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
#LansingSymphony #DavidBiedenbender #NeilMueller
#trumpetconcerto
December 18, 2023
The Lansing Symphony’s annual Holiday Pops concert is in the books now. We had a festive and capacity crowd at the Wharton Center yesterday afternoon, and I think they left happy. It feels great to be a part of a community’s holiday traditions, and as such we look forward to this concert every year.
The famous phrase “make hay when the sun shines” has a slightly different application to the professional musician. The sun tends to shine in December as their calendars are booked with one holiday engagement after another through most of the month. Many will work on New Year’s Eve too.
The impressive thing to me is that one never senses a casual approach from these musicians as a result of that schedule. They know that, while this might be holiday concert No. 15 for them this month, it’s concert No. 1 for the audience. These concerts are not easy. There is a lot of work to do in a short amount of time to deliver a professional quality product, and what I see from our musicians is that they give 100% every single time…the focus is on the audience experience as it should be. It is a pleasure and honor for me to work with musicians like those of the LSO.
Kudos to our guest artist, Teri Hansen, for her engaging presence yesterday afternoon. She brought a remarkably wide range of styles in her repertoire and the audience loved it.
Kudos also to the young people that joined our concert, with a guest appearance from members of the Lansing Children’s Choir and our wonderful “Side By Side” participants, area high school students who joined us for a few works yesterday. You all sounded wonderful.
Next up for me is LSO’s January Masterworks, music of Mozart, Bizet and a world premiere of David Biedenbender!
NEXT UP
January 12, 2024
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Neil Mueller, trumpet
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
East Lansing, Michigan
7:30 p.m.
MOZART Symphony No. 35 “Haffner”
BIEDENBENDER River of Time, concerto for trumpet WORLD PREMIERE
BIZET Symphony in C
#terihansen
December 3, 2023
No one wrote magic into music like Tchaikovsky. No one wrote fantasy like he did, or defined character in sound so eloquently and in such technicolor detail. To know the ballets of Tchaikovsky is an important start to the understanding of his brilliance and unique contribution to music.
Yes, there is Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty, two masterpieces, but of course today, being December, I’m referring to The Nutcracker. I just had the privilege of doing it again with the Flint Symphony and the Flint Institute of Music in Flint's gorgeous Whiting Auditorium.
I love this production. It is a beautiful mix of professional, student and community dancers that brings Tchaikovsky’s ballet to life with nuance, depth and virtuosity. The artistic team, headed by Tara Gragg, knows exactly how to get the most from each dancer and ensemble. It is a feast for the eyes and ears, full of character and life.
While I am not a fan of the tradition of ballet audiences applauding in the middle of the music when a dancer executes a difficult step or sequence, I do have a soft spot for the spontaneous combustion applause that happens at the emotional high points of this work, those moments of cataclysmic release following a build up like only Tchaikovsky can muster. There are a handful of these between the two Pas de Duex where the audience simply cannot contain their enthusiasm for the power, beauty and grandeur of the music and movement. No need to hold back folks…bring it on.
It's obvious that the people of Flint value this production, now in it’s 48th season. I learned today that both performances in this grand theater of over 2000 seats were sold out back in August.
Next up for me is more holiday music, namely the Holiday Pops of the Lansing Symphony. I’m looking forward to it. If you want to come, best get your tickets right away!
NEXT UP:
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Holiday Pops with Teri Hansen
December 17 at 3:00 p.m
Wharton Theater
East Lansing, Michigan
#lansingsymphony #flintsymphony
November 12, 2023
If there was ever a “perfect storm” in music, it would be Carl Orff’s cantata Carmina Burana which the Lansing Symphony performed this weekend. This work is the result of a combination of powerful elements, namely, inspiration, ancient but timeless, falling into the hands of the right composer at the right time. It is a work grounded in fundamental human experiences. I would go more into the detail of the content, but this is a family show. A quick internet search will yield the texts for those looking for some excitement.
And dare I say it is the most popular piece of “classical” music? Yes, Beethoven Symphony 9 is popular too, but Orff brings an audience like no other…they are ready for an epic experience. The energy of the audience, awaiting the first “O Fortuna” is palpable.
“Why is it so popular,” one might ask. The answer is that Orff knew exactly what he was doing in setting these ancient, evocative texts. He found a voice that echoes their middle-ages origin, yet frames them in a contemporary language that heightens their impact. He mainlines the essence of the message directly to the heart of the listener--- no frills, no just pure, unadulterated, expressive content that flows from the joys, torments, and desires of the anonymous souls who wrote these poems centuries ago.
Kudos to our chorus for the program, 250 voices made up the Michigan State’s University Chorale, State Singers and Choral Union. Our magnificent soloists were Penelope Shumate, soprano, Babatunde Akinboboye, baritone and David Shaler, tenor as the roasting swan, complete with costume and props befitting a night in the tavern. The orchestra was in fine form as well…such an exciting evening for a capacity crowd.
We opened the program with a work by the American composer, Valerie Coleman called “Umoja: Anthem of Unity.” The title says a lot of course. This work is one of the great gifts to the orchestral repertoire we have received in recent decades, and I look forward to the next opportunity to perform this new masterpiece.
Up next for me, Nutcracker with the Flint Symphony and Flint Institute of Music. Yes…it’s that time of year!
NEXT UP:
Flint Symphony Orchestra
Guest artists from Collage Dance Collective
Dancers from Flint School of Performing Arts
The Whiting, Flint Michigan
December 2 at 7:30 p.m. and December 3 at 3:00 p.m.
Tchaikovsky The Nutcracker
#lansingsymphony #flintsymphony #valeriecoleman
September 15, 2023
Another Lansing Symphony Orchestra season is now officially underway with last night’s season opener at the Wharton Center. One of the highlights was the introduction of the LSO’s new Composer-in-Residence, Jared Miller. We began the concert with his work “Surge and Swell”, a work inspired by the sounds of New York’s night club scene, especially the EDM (Electronic Dance Music) element.
Pianist Claire Huangci joined us for Ravel’s Concerto in G, and we closed the program with Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 “From the New World”. With the American jazz roots of Ravel’s work, the Native American and African American influences on Dvorak's along with Jared’s work, it was an “All-American” program albeit from many different perspectives.
Also notable was the reception that followed the concert. This was an event designed for the musicians of the orchestra and composers from the area to meet and mingle with Jared. One of our objectives of LSO’s Composer-in-Residence program is to further strengthen the bonds within the extraordinary community of composers in Michigan…and it is a remarkable community for sure. I was so pleased to see so many composers here, and most importantly, making plans to connect and work with Jared during his time with us.
Next up is Orff’s epic Carmina Burana in Lansing, and an uplifting and inspiring work of Valerie Coleman.
NEXT UP
November 10, 2023
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
MSU University Chorale, State Singers and Choral Union
Penelope Shumate, soprano
David Shaler, Tenor
Babatunde Akinboboye, Baritone
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
East Lansing, Michigan
7:30 p.m.
Valerie Coleman Umoja
Carl Orff Carmina Burana
#jaredmillercomposer #clairehuangci #lansingsymphonyorchestra #valeriecoleman #babatundeakinboboye #penelopeshumate #davidshaler
August 8, 2023
Goodbyes are often difficult. Saying farewell to the musicians of Chautauqua’s Music School Festival Orchestra is always one of the tough ones. Each summer we spend several weeks together in a high-pressure situation, presenting very demanding concerts back to back. It becomes a very close working relationship. The orchestra personnel changes every summer, but the conductor has been the same for 26 years.
The last concert is always a mixed bag of emotions as is often the case in the music profession. On the one hand, there is a sense of relief that the intense run is over and successful, but then there is also some sadness that it has ended. We’ve just begun this relationship in June, gotten into a nice flow, and now it is no more. But we all know that going into it. It’s part of the design, and as it should be.
We closed the season with two works. The first was Copland’s suite from his ballet Billy The Kid. Conducting Fellow Ryo Hasegawa led the orchestra through a polished and lively reading. I took the second half of the concert with Mahler’s epic Symphony No. 5. The orchestra rose to the occasion and then some.
I’ve got a little breathing room now. I’ll use that time to start learning, or re-learning the repertoire for the coming months. Also, we have auditions for some openings in the Lansing Symphony in early September, then we kick off the new LSO season shortly after. First on that program will be a work by our new Composer-in-Residence Jared Miller…a lot to look forward to!
NEXT UP
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
East Lansing, Michigan
Claire Huangci, piano
September 14, 2023
Jared MILLER Surge and Swell
RAVEL Piano Concerto in G
DVORAK. Symphony No. 9 “From the New World”
#lansingsymphony #clairehuangci #chautauqua #musicschoolfestivalorchestra
July 18, 2023
Once a year I get invited into a very special world, one created by the legendary voice teacher Marlena Malas. In this world, Marlena surrounds herself with the finest people: top notch coaches, teachers, stage directors and of course she attracts the finest students. I always feel very fortunate when I have the opportunity to be a part of that team.
The annual event is our collaboration between her program and mine that results in a staged opera in Chautauqua’s Amphitheater. This is a tradition that Marlena and I started just a few years after I started my position at CHQ back in the 20th Century. We felt, and rightly so, that this could be an excellent experience for our students and the audience. The fact that I love to conduct opera might have had something to do with it as well.
I don’t know the exact year off the top of my head, but we are well into two decades of these productions. The last 10 or so have been with John Giampietro doing the stage production. I love working with John. He brings a truly inspired vision to all of his work. These productions are always done on a shoe-string budget, minimal props, no sets and just very basic lighting. I joked last night that, give John a flashlight and a roll of duct tape and he’ll give you a beautiful opera.
Our production was a double bill of two of Puccini’s Il Trittico: Gianni Schicchi and Suor Angelica. Everything came together beautifully for the performance. I wish we could do them again. Like I said, I love to conduct opera.
Back to Marlena’s remarkable students. when I first started this job, I used to be surprised when I would see her former and current students show up in reviews in the NY Times, Washington Post or Wall Street Journal at least weekly mentioning their successes in the major opera houses of the world. I soon realized that was not something about which to be surprised. Many of the world’s greatest singers have come through her studio. I hesitate to single out any singers from last night for fear of leaving someone out. Suffice it to say that the entire cast was fabulous, but I do feel compelled to say keep an eye on Marquita Richardson who sang the title role of Suor Angelica. She is on her way to something very big.
Bravo to all involved in last night…what a thrill it was to be a part of it.
My next concert here will be our final of the season. My conducting fellow, Ryo Hasegawa will bring Copland’s wonderful Billy the Kid to life, and I’ll wrap up with Mahler Symphony No. 5.
#ChautauquaOperaConservatory #MarlenaMalas #JohnGiampietro #ChautauquaInstitution #marquitarichardson
NEXT UP
Chautauqua Institution
Music School Festival Orchestra
August 7, 2023 8:15 p.m.
Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater
Chautauqua, New York
COPLAND Billy the Kid Suite (Ryo Hasegawa, conducting)
MAHLER Symphony No. 5
July 10, 2023
Julimar Gonzalez is a name to remember and watch. I’ve known Julimar for many years. She started coming to Chautauqua’s Music School as a highly-gifted, but very young violinist and tonight appeared as soloist with our orchestra as a polished and accomplished young artist. All along that journey she has been under the nurturing guidance of Almita Vamos, CHQ faculty and among the great violin teachers in this country.
Julimar played Shostokovich’s 1st concerto…no mean feat for any one, and immensely challenging for the orchestra as well. The work is a remarkable journey from darkness, not to light as one might expect, but to some kind of frenetic, frenzied, frantic energy (pick the f-word that resonates for you). It is a work that whips the audience into a froth unlike hardly any other that I know. It is also one that plumbs the depths of despair, agony and hopelessness. There are times that the work is simply frigid like only Shostakovich can produce.
Not only does this work take extraordinary technical ability of the part of everyone on that stage, but it takes emotional maturity, poise, and focus. Julimar and the Music School Festival Orchestra brought all of the above and then some to the occasion. As they say, “the audience went wild.”
Also notable on this program was the CHQ premier of conductor Ryo Hasegawa, our 2023 conducting fellow. Ryo led the orchestra through a rousing and beautiful “Carnival Overture” of Dvorak. It was an exceptional performance.
We finished the program with Hindemith's “Symphonic Metamorphosis”, a work that demands a unique style of playing, even unique among Hindemith’s works. It is a different style than his "Symphonie Mathis Der Maler" or "Konzertmusic for Strings and Brass". To me this work is something of a musical manifestation of the Bauhaus movement…geometic, mechanical, engineered, architectural…but in all that, beautiful, an artistic descendent of JS Bach. This orchestra hit the mark!
Congratulations to all involved!
NEXT UP
Chautauqua Institution
Music School Festival Orchestra and Opera Conservatory
July 17 2023 8:15 p.m.
Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater
Chautauqua, New York
PUCCINI Gianni Schicchi
PUCCINI Suor Angelica
#julimargonazles #chautauquamusicfestival #shostakovich
July 7, 2023,
What a pleasure it was to again make music as a guest with my long-time friends and colleagues of the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra. At Music Director Rossen Millenov’s request, we took on one of Florence Price’s Symphonies for this program. Of the three extant, I chose the first of her symphonies thinking it would be a good introduction to her work for the CHQ audience. The attention the work has garnered recently as a result of a Grammy nod to a recording of the work by the Philadelphia Orchestra strengthened the case. (As an aside, CSO percussionist Tom Blanchard played on that recording with Philly...congrats Tom!)
The players of the CSO made a strong case for this beautiful and inspired music and the audience clearly enjoyed it. One has to imagine, had Ms. Price not faced the immense obstacles in her path of being a woman composer of color in the early 20th century, what else might she have achieved as such a gifted and inspired artist?
We also played Stravinsky's Firebird 1919 on this, and the orchestra was electrifying. What a joy to be a part of that! Thank you my dear friends for such a beautiful evening.
I’m back to the Music School Festival Orchestra next for a program of Shostakovich, Hindemith and Dvorak featuring former MSFO member Julimar Gonzalez as violin soloist and CHQ’s 2023 Conducting Fellow, Ryo Hasegawa conducting Dvorak.
NEXT UP
Chautauqua Institution
Music School Festival Orchestra
July 10, 2023 8:15 p.m.
Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater
Chautauqua, New York
Julimar Gonzalez, violin
Ryo Hasegawa, conductor*
SHOSTAKOVICH Violin Concerto No. 1
DVORAK Carnival Overture *
HINDEMITH Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber
July 3, 2023
The first concert of Chautauqua’s Music School Festival Orchestra of 2023 in now in the books. We opened our season with Strauss’s iconic“Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks” “Umoja” of Valerie Coleman and Haydn’s Symphony 100 "The “Military.”
To say this was an auspicious beginning would be an understatement. A week ago, these 83 people didn’t even know each other and tonight they came together in remarkable fashion to deliver a breathtaking and spirited “Till”…an uplifting and inspiring “Umoja” and a graceful and energized “Military”
If you will indulge me for a moment to wax, if not poetically, certainly in a most heart-felt manner about Ms. Coleman’s work “Umoja.” This is a important and powerful work of and from it’s time. The subtitle is “anthem of unity”…what more could we ask for from a composer in these times.?
IMHO, “Umoja” is among that small handful of works of our today, along with Chris Theofanidis's “Rainbow Body” that, upon hearing, the listener says, “wait, what was that? What just happened there? And can I do that again, like right now?” “Umoja” is a powerful, inspiring ,and uplifting work.
It was interesting to me that, in speaking with some "younger people" in the audience, that cherished demographic of arts organizations, that "Umoja" was their favorite work on the program. Could it be that composers like Ms. Coleman have found their audience? Could it be that music of our time is finding its time? Looking at the programming trends of the Metropolitan Opera and other significant arts organizations suggests this may very well be the case.
Next for me comes up quickly, as in Thursday night, with the Chautauqua Symphony, two 20th Century works-- music of Florence Price and Stravinsky. I'm looking forward to it!
#chautauquainstituion #valeriecoleman
NEXT UP
Chautauqua Institution
Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra
July 6, 2023 8:15 p.m.
Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater
Chautauqua, New York
FLORENCE PRICE Symphony No. 1
IGOR STRAVINSKY Firebird Suite (1919)
June 3, 2023
Season finales are often times of mixed emotions. There is the “relief” factor of having gotten through another season. There is the sense of sorrow in its ending and wanting to do it all over again, and then there is the excitement of the season to come.
This season’s Lansing Symphony finale was especially bittersweet. We said official goodbyes to some retiring long-time members of the orchestra (one of which was an old college buddy of mine, timpanist Andrew Spencer. We were at Eastman together back in the previous century). There were also other departures, not officially recognized last night but still sad for me, of some of our top-notch young talent who have been with us just a few years, now moving on in their careers. I wish them well and will miss their artistry and commitment.
Another farewell was to Patrick Harlin, LSO’s first-ever Composer-in-Residence. His three-year residency (which was Covid-extended to four years) ended last night with the world premiere of his uplifting piano concerto he called “The Fourth Pedal.” I can’t say enough good things about Patrick’s work with us over that time. He exceeded all expectations in this role and had a wonderful and memorable impact on this community.
Pianist Clayton Stephenson was the soloist for the premiere. Clayton played Florence Price’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with us last season on a program that also featured a premiere of Patrick’s. The two got to know each other during that time, and Patrick was so taken with Clayton’s artistry that it was a no-brainer for Patrick in deciding who would premiere his new concerto. Clayton knocked this unique, and engaging concerto out of the park and the audience went wild for it. I think this work will have an interesting life ahead as it gets discovered.
We opened the program with Grieg’s Lyric suite, a Nordic balancer for the Sibelius Second Symphony that finished it. The players of the Lansing Symphony were in their usual top form all night. It was a great pleasure to share the music with them.
My operations move to New York State soon where I begin my summer series at the Chautauqua Institution. As always, I look forward to my time there.
NEXT UP
Chautauqua Institution
Music School Festival Orchestra
July 3, 2023, 8:15 p.m.
Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater
Chautauqua, New York
STRAUSS Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks
VALERIE COLEMAN Umoja: Anthem of Unity
HAYDN Symphony No. 100 “Military”
#patrickharlin #claytonstephenson #lansingsymphony #thefourthpedal
May 11, 2023
The world premiere of a new piano concerto from Lansing Symphony Composer-in-Residence Patrick Harlin is just weeks away, coming up June 2. He calls it "The Fourth Pedal" and it is a beautiful and exciting work. We are thrilled to be inviting pianist Clayton Stephenson back to play the premiere. Clayton played with us last season, wowed the audience and Patrick, so it was a perfect match for a return engagement.
It will be the last concert for Patrick as our Composer-in-Residence. His three-year appointment has come to an end. He will be greatly missed as he far exceeded all expectations in every way.
Sibelius Second Symphony and Grieg's Lyric Suite will round out the program. I hope you can join us if you are in the area.
NEXT UP
June 2, 2023, 7:30 p.m.
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Clayton Stephenson, piano
Final Masterworks Concert of 22-23
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
East Lansing, Michigan
GRIEG Lyric Suite
HARLIN The Fourth Pedal
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 2
#lansingsymphony #patrickharlin #claytonstephenson
April 21, 2023
…still riding high off of last night’s LSO @The Robin performance. The Contempus Quartet, a group largely from within LSO ranks, was joined by harpist Emily Henley in the final concert of this season’s series at Lansing's Robin Theater.
Once again, we had a sold out crowd for the concert, and once again a program of vital, engaging, and beautiful music of our time. The program was called “Planet Earth” in honor of Earth Day. We heard from LSO Composer-in-Residence Patrick Harlin with two movements from his “Wilderness Anthology”, a work that featured soundscapes he and his wife had recorded in the Amazon.
“Queen’s Bath, Kauai” was a world premiere from Audrey Kelley that left the audience breathless...no one wanted to do anything to disrupt the atmosphere she created. It was stunningly beautiful in its rich harmonies and striking textures. I wanted to hear it again right away.
Also especially beautiful was Han-Ki Kim’s Blue, Bird, Blue Bird, a setting of a Korean folk tune.
We also heard wonderful works from Victor Marquez-Barrios, Kiara Glekler, Dan Temkin, Brett Mullins along with two icons, Glass and Cage.
Thanks to all involved for a wonderful, moving evening!
April 16, 2023
I remember coming out of my small-town movie theater one night in 1977 rather awestruck by what I had just experienced. I had never seen or heard anything like it. Special effects had been ramped up to an entirely new level. The depth of imagination and creativity that went into the story, the characters, the scenes, seemed like we were entering a new era of cinema. And then, there was the music…that music!... so powerful, so dramatic, so appropriately other worldly…or should I say other galactically (probably not a real word, I know).
It was the first Star Wars movie, and of course we now know the composer was the fabulous John Williams.
Star Wars was not Mr. Williams’ first, far from it. He had written for many films and television shows, some going back to the 1950’s. A few of the more famous include Valley of the Dolls, Goodbye Mr. Chips, The Poseidon Adventure, Towering Inferno, and Jaws among many, many others. He was a well-known entity in Hollywood, but Star Wars really brought him to the public’s attention.
A concert of music from Harry Potter, which the LSO performed last night, is as much about the genius of John Williams as anything else. Yes, J.K. Rowling, questionable social opinions aside, is also a remarkable artist, someone who created this wondrous world of Harry’s and, in so doing, instilled a love, or should I say craze, of reading in countless young people. These concerts, though, are really about the music and Williams proves himself a master yet again.
Mr. Williams could easily have been just coasting in his creative process when these films came out. He was world famous. He had the skills and experience from which he could have just cranked out stock musical gestures that would have fit the bill and still been better than anyone else could create. Yet, in doing a deep dive in these scores, it is apparent that he was not coasting at all. One senses he continues to search, evolve and grow, looking for the subtleties and nuances that would best enhance a character, story or a scene.
He has a total command of orchestration comparable to the greats like Ravel, Strauss and Wagner, from whom he clearly learned. Yet he is not simply resurrecting old musical styes. His music is solidly of our time, yet informed from the masters who preceded him.
For those of us making the music on stage, we don’t take this responsibility lightly. His music is quite challenging and unforgiving. When he wrote it, he was not thinking that it would be performed in a continuous fashion over the course of a two-hour concert. He wrote this music for short movie scenes, after the recording of which, the orchestra could pause and regroup. He was not concerned, nor should he have been, with the mental and physical endurance it would take to string all those short scenes together into a concert suite. So performing this music in concert is a challenge, but one that my wonderful colleagues in the Lansing Symphony rose to magnificently last night.
There were a few other composers represented on this program as well. Comparing them to JW thought is a bit like comparing Telemann to Bach. Telemann was a excellent composer, hugely popular in his day, and one who wrote highly effective and appealing music. Bach was a genius.
I will also say it was wonderful to play to a sold-out Wharton Center, over 2000 people there to hear a symphonic concert. The energy and excitement in the house was palpable, and we could all feel it on stage…such a thrill.
Next up for me is one of the most important concert initiatives we do in a season, our Young Peoples’ Concerts where a few thousand kids get out of school for a couple of hours to come hear the orchestra. Bringing those young people into our realm of great orchestral music is always a highlight of our year.
NEXT UP
Lansing Symphony Orchestra,
Link-Up, a partnership with Carnegie Hall
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
East Lansing, Michigan
May 3, 2023 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
March 26, 2023
Twenty years ago, the Baton Rouge Symphony embarked on a new and exciting journey. What began as a conversation between two friends, one them then BRSO Board Chair Johnny Tate and the other Paula Pennington de la Bretonne, Chairman of BR’s Pennington Foundation, with time became the Pennington Great Performers in Concert Series.
The first concert was with the legendary Itzhak Perlman in 2003. He played Tchaikovsky. Since that premiere of the series, many of the world’s greatest artists have shared the stage with the BRSO: Yo Yo, Van, Renee, Kiri, Denyce, Lang Lang and on and on. Last night we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the series with the incomparable violinist Hilary Hahn who, like Perlman 20 years earlier, also played Tchaikovsky.
While I would like to say that symmetry of repertoire was planned, I will confess it was a happy coincidence, but in pursuing that coincidence it is interesting to think back upon Mr. Perlman’s Tchaikovsky and compare it to Ms. Hahn’s. Both were deep, thoughtful, convincing interpretations of this iconic work, but they couldn’t have been more different. Each brought elements of musical conservatism (by this I mean fidelity to the written score) and each brought their own brand of musical freedom.
Mr. Perlman’s fidelity is tied to his signature style of playing which tends toward a relatively straightforward reading of a work with minimal rubato (spontaneous changes of tempo outside of what the composer indicates) and using focused beauty and subtle expressive nuance to bring out the inner magic of a piece. His “liberalism” comes from cutting extended passages in the final movement and re-writing some of the solo violin parts, both of which are long-standing traditions in the work.
Ms. Hahn on the other hand, plays all the notes Tchaikovsky wrote, exactly as written, and even includes observance of some of the larger scale tempo indications that are often disregarded by other violinists. Within that strict framework, her freedom comes in the form of a very free approach to the rhythmic flow of the work making for some breathtakingly beautiful moments.
Do I have a favorite? No. Both were beautiful, memorable and powerful in their own ways. Comparing them is just testimony to the broad spectrum of musical interpretation. There is no right or wrong, there us just authenticity, a strong musical vision and the skill to pull it off. I feel so very fortunate to have shared the stage with these two remarkable artists and all the others that have come through the Pennington Series.
The Tchaikovksy concerto was the second half of the program. The first half was all music of Latin America. We opened with Mexican composer Arturo Marquez’s now very famous Danzon No 2; the Peruvian Gabriella Lena Frank’s “Coqueteos” from “Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout”; Argentine Oslvaldo Golijov’s “Siderius” and back to Mexico for Moncayo’s block buster “Huapango”.
The impact of the 20-year run of this series (and its future) extends far beyond those who attend the concerts. It has become a calling card for the city, bringing it into national and international focus and setting it apart from other similar-sized Southern cities. We are all most grateful to the Pennington Foundation for their continued generosity and support of the arts and of Baton Rouge.
Next up for me is something completely different…an evening of Harry Potter!
NEXT UP
The Magical Music of Harry Potter
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
East Lansing, Michigan
April 15, 2023, 7:30 p.m.
#hilaryhahn #batonrougesymphony
March 18, 2023
Great orchestral playing is really great chamber music playing on a grand scale. We conductors are up there indicating tempo, but the real glue holding the ensemble together is each player listening to all the others. Our conducting gestures are mere approximations of the split-second timing necessary for superb ensemble playing.
Some works are especially dependent upon an orchestra’s chamber music skills to fully realize the composer’s intentions. Such is the case with the Symphony No. 7 of Dvorak which I had the pleasure of conducting with the Ann Arbor Symphony Saturday night.
It is a deceptively difficult work. Dvorak weaves lines between strings, winds and brass constantly, often at musically inconvenient times. For the work to speak, not only does the timing need to be right, but so does the intensity, color and character. This can only be achieved through intense listening on the part of the players. The AASO met the challenge and then some. It was an immensely satisfying performance to be a part of from my perspective.
I also had the chance to get to know violinist KyungSun Lee who played Prokofiev’s fabulous Second Violin Concerto with us. She really delivered with a powerful and beautiful performance.
We opened with Debussy’s iconic “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun”, another supreme test of an orchestra’s prowess but in a very different way than the Dvorak. Kudos to principal flute Alaina Bercilla for her beautiful portrayal of the work and to the entire orchestra as well.
Next up for me, I’m back to Baton Rouge for a program featuring Hilary Hahn in Tchaikovsky. The first half is a Latin-American musical fiesta with music of Moncayo, Marquez, Golijov and Gabriella Lena Frank. I am looking forward to being back in BR with all my friends of the BRSO and of course to working with the magnificent Ms. Hahn!
NEXT UP
Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra
River Center Theater
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
March 25, 2023, 8:00 p.m.
Hilary Hahn, violin
Arturo MARQUEZ Danzon No. 2
Gabriela Lena FRANK Coqueteos from "Leyendas"
Osvaldo GOLIJOV Sidereus
Jose Pablo MONCAYO Huapango
TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto in D
March 12, 2023
It was wonderful to be back with my old friends of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra in New Orleans this week. I am happy to say I’ve had a long, actually very long, and meaningful relationship with this ensemble, dating back to its first season of existence back in the 20th Century. One of the great things about working in the field of music is the regular rhythm of crossing paths with friends, and deepening that relationship through sharing musical experiences.
I’ve been at this job for a while now, and as a result I can’t remember the last time I did a guest engagement and didn’t know at least a few people in the orchestra, but the LPO is a different situation. Having done I’m sure a few hundred concerts with them over the years, it was a very moving experience for me to see and share the stage with them again.
While many of the old friends I saw were from decades past, it was equally exciting to see new friends, namely former member of my orchestra at Chautauqua who are now employed by the Louisiana Philharmonic. As someone who enjoys nurturing young talent, seeing them gainfully employed with their careers underway is a great thing. They also sounded wonderful!
It was also a joy to make new friends with the three fabulous young soloists who, as winners of the New Orleans International Piano Competition, were featured in last night’s program. Congratulations and best wishes to Tatiana Dorokhova, Seho Young, and Elia Cecino. It was a pleasure making music with you.
I’m back to Michigan for a concert this coming weekend. This one is with the Ann Arbor Symphony, a wonderful program with music of Dvorak, Debussy and Prokofiev…a nice lineup. This will be my first time working the fabulous violinist Kyung Sun Lee. I am very much looking forward to it!
NEXT UP
Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra
Michigan Theater
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Saturday, March 18, 8:00 p.m.
Kyung Sun Lee, violin
DEBUSSY Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
PROKOFIEV Violin Concerto No. 2
DVORAK Symphony No. 7
March 5, 2023
What a pleasure to have Ara Gregorian (an East Lansing High School alum!) and his wife Hye-Jin Kim as soloists with the Lansing Symphony last night. They played Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola. I think the uniqueness of the musical connections possible in a husband-and-wife duo is a real thing, and these two demonstrated that thing at its finest.
Certainly, the two cadenzas in this work were just a few of the high points. To witness them following each other around through all the twists and turns Mozart writes was truly something to behold and savor. I can still hear it in my head this morning.
We had a nice crowd last night....very appreciative. There was a fair amount of applause between movements which I know annoys some people, sadly. To me that is a good sign. It lets me know that those people are new to the classical music experience, and I’m thrilled they are there.
I often get questions about that from more seasoned concert goers. Am I offended, or bothered? The short answer is “no.”
The long answer is that these people are venturing out and trying a new, deep, challenging and powerful experience. Let’s welcome them to our world with open arms so that they come back and participate in the support and nurturing of the performing arts in our communities.
Besides, it’s not really that big of a deal is it? Audiences did applaud between movements in Mozart’s time and beyond, and the composers and performers appreciated it. These “hold your applause” rules are a construct of some mid-19th century German ideals whose time I think, frankly, can be allowed to expire. True, we don’t want a full-throated, 5-minutes of applause between movements, but a bit of appreciation never hurt anyone.
I’m off to New Orleans next week to conduct Louisiana Philharmonic in the Musical Arts Society of New Orleans’ Piano Concerto Showcase, a program that features winners of MASNO’s International Piano Competition. The program is Mozart K. 488 (on of my faves of his. It seems a unique style in his piano concerto output), the colorful and jazz-inspired G major concerto of Ravel and Tchaikovsky’s warhorse Concert No. 1. I’m looking forward to seeing and making music with my old friends of the LPO and being back in that uniquely soulful city.
NEXT UP
Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra
Rousell Hall
New Orleans, Louisiana
Saturday, March 11, 7:30 p.m.
Winners of the New Orleans International Piano Competition
MOZART Piano concerto in A, K. 488
RAVEL Piano concerto in G
TCHAIKOVSKY Piano concerto No. 1 in B-flat
#Lansingsymphony #Louisianaphilharmonic #nola #MASNO
February 17, 2023
At our Lansing Symphony board meeting yesterday, my colleague Courtney Millbrook, LSO's Executive Director, shared some findings from a recent study showing that, post lockdown, younger people are tending to return to live music events before other kinds of events and that those attending more “challenging” concerts tend to be “stickier” in terms of becoming returning patrons.
Well, that axiom held true at our second LSO@The Robin last night. This is now the 4th program that we have done in this series, a series featuring contemporary chamber music in a small theater in Lansing’s REO Town. These audiences are definitely trending young, and the concert was again sold out.
Our partners in this program were members of Lansing’s All Of The Above Hip Hop Academy, and they knocked it out of the park. We have partnered with them before in some classes, but this was our first performance together. I hope we can do more.
We called this program “Crossovers” as it featured classical music influenced from non-classical styles like indie rock, bluegrass, hip hop and a work with roots in Yiddish culture. It was quite a broad spectrum of styles, and it was very rewarding to hear the audience’s enthusiastic response to all the works.
We have two more LSO @The Robin concerts this season, and I’ll be interested to see the makeup of the audience. I think we can expect another capacity crowd, given the pattern we are seeing.
Next up for me is a Masterworks program with the LSO, music of Shostakovich, Beethoven and Mozart.
NEXT UP
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
East Lansing, Michigan
March 4, 2023 7:30 p.m.
Ara Gregorian, viola and Hye-Jin Kim violin
BEETHOVEN Coriolan Overture
MOZART Sinfonia Concertante
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 9
#Lansingsymphony
February 12, 2023
Music is the ultimate time machine. Pictures can bring back memories. A movie can be transportive, but those characters aren’t us. There’s an element of vicariousness that, while powerful, in terms of personal time travel slightly misses the mark. The same could be said of a poem or novel. Music however, releases our own feelings, our own experiences, our own memories, and while times (and we) change, a song sounds the same as we remembered it.
Last night’s Lansing Symphony Pops, “Music of the 80’s,” was a transportive event for those in the audience with memories of that decade. The energy in the room from the large and enthusiastic audience was palpable. The sea of cell-phone flashlights (the 21st-Century’s version of Bic lighters) coming from the audience was just one clue as to the joy they were experiencing. The audience chorus of well over 1000 people singing “Don’t Stop Believing” at the top of their lungs (and in tune!) was another. BTW…there were many audience members who weren’t even born yet in the 1980’s, and they were right there with us. Perhaps last night will be a memory someday unleashed by a musical time machine 40 years into their futures.
I’ve always enjoyed pops concerts and have done hundreds in my career. I like that we are reaching a different demographic of our community. I like the visceral response and direct interaction with the audience as well. I’ve noticed a change though since emerging from pandemic lockdowns. These concerts have a deeper impact. It’s not just “fun”, it’s celebration. There is a new-found appreciation for the joy live music can bring, especially when in the company of a thousand or so of your closest friends. Live music rules.
From here we turn this week to The Lansing Symphony @ The Robin, our series featuring contemporary chamber music. Thursday night our guest artists will include musicians from Lansing’s All The Above Hip Hop Academy collaborating with several of our musicians. It’s a program of crossover music--classical music mixed with hop hop, pop, bluegrass, Yiddish music and others! These programs have been selling out, so if you want to hear it, you'd better get your ticket now!
NEXT UP
Lansing Symphony Orchestra Chamber Players
Robin Theater 7:30 p.m.
February 16, 2023
Music of Son Lux, Jeremy Crosmer, composers from All the Above Hip Hop Academy, and Adam Har-Zvi
#Lansingsymphony #RobinTheater #alltheabovehiphopacademy
February 6, 2023
Yesterday was a first for me…my first time conducting cantatas of J.S. Bach. That might seem surprising, but given the nature of the music it is rare for such works to show up in the regular fare of the modern symphony orchestra, an ensemble that had not yet been invented in Johann’s time. Yes, there are “orchestras” in his cantatas, but they tend to be small and often have an unusual instrumentation. The Cantata BWV 106 that we did yesterday, for example, doesn’t use any violins. It was an orchestra of violas, cellos, bass and two flutes…such interesting colors and atmosphere created by that combination. We also performed BWV 196, which employs a string orchestra.
For conductors of my generation who are not Baroque specialists, Bach just doesn’t come across our desks often, aside from a Brandenburg here and there, or maybe an orchestral suite. Early in my career, when the period performance practice movement was really gaining momentum, I felt like we should, for the most part, leave this repertoire to the early music folks, and just focus on music written for our modern instruments and practices.
I think things have changed. For decades now, today’s performing musicians have all been listening to and admiring the extraordinary work being done by the period bands, and we, as modern instrument performers, have that period instrument style so firmly in our collective ears that we more easily and intuitively can adapt those concepts to modern instrument playing. I noticed immediately in our rehearsal last week how quickly the players came into the Baroque realm, and how a once elusive style seemed much closer to our grasp.
The gloriousness of this music deserves mention. Yes, we all know Bach was great, one of the “Three B’s” and all that, but it’s bigger than that. The more one dives in to his music, the more his genius and inspiration is revealed. His expressive language is simply unparalleled in his era. IMHO, even the great Handel doesn’t approach Bach’s profundity and expressive nuance. The process of learning these two cantatas was rather mind blowing for me. Two such masterpieces they are, and to think he cranked those out nearly every week of his career for church services. By the way, his congregation had no idea that they were in the presence of a GOAT…he was just another church musician to them.
This concert was Lansing Symphony’s “Winterlude”, a program in between our standard masterworks and played in Lansing’s beautiful Episcopal Church downtown rather than our usual Wharton Center. The concept apparently resonated with the community as we had a sold-out venue.
Along with the Bach, we also did two string symphonies of Felix Mendelssohn. Mendelssohn, born nearly 60 years after Bach’s death, was partly responsible for a resurgence of interest in Bach’s music which had fallen out of fashion. Bach’s influence is felt strongly in these two works written by the 12-year-old Felix. Mendelssohn’s love of the master was conspicuously represented by the melodic spelling of Bach’s name—the notes B-flat-A-C-B-natural in the 14th bar of the b-minor symphony. To really take this into the weeds, I’ll share that “14” is a favorite number of Bach’s as it was the numeric equivalent of the sum of the alphabetic placement of the letters of his name (A=1, B=2, C=3, H=8…all adds up to 14)…but I digress. The bottom line, it was a great pleasure to be part of this special concert!
Next up for me, “Music of the 80’s”…the 1980’s that is, Lansing Symphony Pops. Should be fun!
NEXT UP
Lansing Symphony Orchestra Pops Concert
Music of the 80’s
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
February 11, 2023 7:30 p.m.
#Bach #Bachcantata #Lansingsymphony
January 20, 2023
Let me set the scene: a small club in downtown Lansing, a largely hipster, sold out crowd, glasses of beer being sipped (or gulped), music of the 1990’s, 2000’s 2010’s and today. What instruments do you expect to see on stage? Guitars perhaps, maybe a drummer?
Actually, it was piano, violin, cello and clarinet (with a big feature for the fabulous bass clarinet). Ok, maybe it wasn’t the “greatest hits” of those eras, but it was some of the greatest classical chamber music of those times. This was the scene for the 1st “LSO@ the Robin” concerts of the season, one of four such concerts of chamber music of our time, played in the super-hip Robin Theater.
Since it was just chamber music, I had the night off and could just sit back and listen to our fabulous musicians knock this concert out of the park. It was so exciting for me to see so many new people in our audience and hear them respond to this music with such enthusiastiasm. It was great to see how they were caught up in the energy of the music in this intimate setting.
The entire program was made up of music by composers who had roots in Michigan. Three of them were in attendance and spoke with the audience a bit about their music, namely Michael Daugherty, Paul Dooley and our Composer-In-Residence Patrick Harlin. Also on the program we heard works from Carlos Simon, Gabriela Lena Frank, Meg Okura and Derek Bermel.
Our next installment of LSO@The Robin will be next month. It’s a program of crossover music... works of classical music with roots in bluegrass, or rock and roll, or hip hop, even some Yiddish! I hope you can join us!
January 14, 2023
Piano concerti are always a big part of our repertoire in the orchestral world. It is common for us as conductors to do a few every season, but this is proving to be quite a banner season for me in terms of the piano concerto repertoire. Last night’s concert in Lansing has given me cause for reflection, and I just want to take a moment to share some gratitude for some especially wonderful opportunities that have come my way this season.
For starters, I have now done both of the Brahms concerti in one season. I think that’s a first for me. It’s always difficult with absolutes in art, but I would not hesitate to say that the Brahms Second Concerto is among the greatest works of music ever written (that’s a big list btw), and it is the greatest piano concerto ever written to date…there, I’ve said it. (His first isn’t too shabby either).
I have also had the opportunity to do two different concerti with the wonderful pianist Jon Nakamatsu this season. We did Tchaikovsky last fall in Baton Rouge, and we just did the Brahms Second last night, which he played exquisitely. Jon and I have known each other a long time, and it is always a great pleasure to share the stage with him. Speaking of great pianists, the Brahms First Concerto was in November with Emanuel Ax…also wonderful experience as I mentioned at the time.
In March I will head to New Orleans to conduct the Louisiana Philharmonic for the Musical Arts Society of New Orleans Concerto Showcase, a concert featuring winners of the New Orleans international Piano Competition. On that program, Mozart Concerto 23, Ravel G Major and Tchaikovsky… again!
This on top of two great piano experiences this past summer at Chautauqua one with Cuban pianist Aldo López-Gavilán playing his own music and Chengcheng Yao playing the magnificent Bartok Second piano concerto.
Lastly, in June I’ll conduct the world premiere of Patrick Harlin’s new piano concert he calls “The Fourth Pedal” with Clayton Stephenson and the Lansing Symphony. Bringing a new work into the piano concerto realm seems a fitting closing to this rather epic season.
Along with Jon’s performance of Brahms Friday, the LSO also played the First Symphony of Adolphus Hailstork and Strauss’s Serenade for Winds. It was a beautiful program, and the orchestra sounded wonderful. We also were pleased to see a very nice audience for this concert.
Next up for me is LSO’s “Winterlude”…a chamber orchestra program of Bach and Mendelssohn in Lansing’s beautiful St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. Before that though, I will be in the audience for LSO @ the Robin, “Made in Michigan”, a concert of chamber music of our time, all by composers who have lived in Michigan.
NEXT UP
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
“WINTERLUDE”
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
Lansing, Michigan
February 5, 2023
Katy Green, soprano, Colleen Chester, Alto, Dalan Guthrie, Tenor, Michael Carter, Baritone
FELIX MENDELSSOHN. Sinfonia No. 10 in b minor
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH Cantata No. 106: Gottes Zeit is die all Zeit (Actus Tragicus)
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH Cantata No. 19: Der Herr Denket an us BWV 196 (The Wedding Cantata)
FELIX MENDELSSOHN Sinfonia No. 7 in d minor
#MASNO #jonnakamatsu #lansingsymphony #patrickharlin #claytonstephenson #emanuelax
December 29, 2022
Was it just me, or was last night a rather significant evening for classical music? I’m referring to the Kennedy Center Honors show on prime-time network TV.
Among all the televised awards shows, the Kennedy Center Honors do seem to stand apart for the emphasis put on art itself and the importance of art in society. As such, the classical music component has seemed to get a greater than usual share of the programming spotlight over the years as compared to other awards shows.
Last night, composer Tania León was honored along with U2, George Clooney, Gladys Knight, and Amy Grant. To be honest, I was wondering how they would work Ms. León’s music into a program featuring performances of people like Garth Brooks, Brandi Carlisle, Sheryl Crow and other mega-pop stars.
The answer was, they brought it head on. We heard significant portions of three works of hers, performed live and very compellingly. The works selected were perfect for the occasion. Dance was brought into the mix at one point, not only as an artistic element, but also as a nod to Ms. León’s work as a founding member of the Dance Theater of Harlem. I have to think everyone in the hall and those (like my wife and me) watching at home on TV were captivated by the power of this music and the performances.
Also significant was the ethnic diversity of the performing forces. The overwhelming majority of the performers of her music that night were of African descent which not only served to acknowledge Ms. León’s ancestry (she is the first person of color as a classical composer to be honored), but also to show the world the wealth and depth of talent in the Black classical music community.
It was a beautiful evening and an offering well worth noting and remembering for those of us presenting classical music events in the 21st century. Congratulations to Ms. León and to the Kennedy Center for such compelling and engaging television, during prime time no less!
#kennedycenter #kennedyscenterhonors # TaniaLeón #tanialeon #classicalmusic
December 12, 2022
Well yesterday was a blast…Holiday Pops with Lansing Symphony. We had a great turnout. I couldn’t see up into the balcony, but the main floor looked to be at, or near, capacity. All of us in the performing arts are keeping a close eye on concert attendance these days, so a nice full house was a very encouraging sign.
LaKisha Jones was our guest artist and she really delivered. She has sung with us before as part of a group of soloists, so this was her second appearance with the LSO, but her first as the headliner. The audience loved her! (and so did the orchestra!)
I am very excited about our January program coming up next. One of my favorite pianists and a good friend, Jon Nakamatsu joins us for Brahms epic Piano Concerto No. 2. Also exciting is the First Symphony of Adolphus Hailstork, also on the program. Hailstork’s music is uniquely wonderful. His is a style that is vibrant, colorful, profound and immediately engaging…and, as and MSU alum, the Lansing area is his old stomping grounds. I am really looking forward to sharing his work with our audience.
NEXT UP
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Jon Nakamatsu, piano
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
January 13, 7:30 p.m.
STRAUSS Serenade for Winds
HAILSTORK Symphony No. 1
BRAHMS Piano Concert No. 2
#LaKisha Jones #Lansingsymphony #jonnakamatsu #adolphushailstork
December 6, 2022
What a pleasure it was to again be a part of the Nutcracker with the Flint Symphony, dancers from the Memphis, Tennessee-based Collage Dance Collective and dancers from the Flint School of Performing Arts. This production, held at Flint’s fabulous Whiting Auditorium, has been an annual event for decades now under the superb artistic direction of Karen Mills Jennings. I found out during the run this was Ms. Jenning’s final performance. She is an exceptional artist/teacher and will be greatly missed I’m sure.
Tchaikovksy’s Nutcracker, as one might imagine, is part and parcel of many a professional musician’s life. Some of my colleagues have played the complete ballet literally hundreds of times...to the point where they have their entire part memorized for this nearly two-hour-long score. Even those who are past the point of over saturation would be the first to acknowledge the brilliance of this music. Beyond it’s sheer beauty, it is masterful in its characterization, creation of ambience and drama.
Next up for me is Holiday Pops with the Lansing Symphony. Flint native and American Idol star, LaKisha Jones will be joining us....should be fun!
NEXT UP
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
LaKisha Jones, soprano
SEASON’S GREETINGS
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
December 11, 3:00 p.m.
#flintsymphony #karenmillsjennings #collagedancecollective #thewhiting #lansingsymphony #lakishajones
November 7, 2022
I don’t think it’s a stretch to call Paul Hindemith’s Symphony, Mathis der Maler iconic. While it is not often performed anymore, and it may be off the radar of the lay person, musicians and enthusiasts know this piece, or at least know of it. It has a weighty presence in its standing among orchestral repertoire of the 20th century, specifically in the genre of the “symphony”. Mathis was featured on our Lansing Symphony concert Saturday night.
Aside from decidedly Romantic-era composers who happened to live into the 20th Century, (think Rachmaninoff, Sibelius, Vaughan Williams and a few others) not many 20th-century composers wrote works that they actually called “symphonies.” Stravinsky has a few, as do Copland, Roy Harris, William Schumann and a few others, but by and large composers were looking for other means of organizing their musical expression rather than this form which dates back to the mid 18th century. Maybe Modern composers thought the genre of the symphony was too old fashioned.
As someone who still wrote works called “symphony” or “sonata” Hindemith was, in a way, the Brahms of the 20th century. When others were exploring new directions in music post-Beethoven, Brahms stuck to very traditional forms and structural concepts. He was innovative, original and forward looking in his own way, but the architecture tended to the conservative. The same can be said of Hindemith.
So what does all this mean to the listener? At a time (the early 20th century) when musical boundaries and norms were being shattered in every direction, how does a traditionalist make an impact? In the case of Hindemith, using traditional frameworks made his non-traditional elements all the more powerful. When he stepped out expressively, it was especially prominent heard in relief to the traditional musical surroundings.
This all seemd to register with our audience Saturday whose response was most enthusiastic. Aside from just the natural reaction to a great work, I feel they also knew that hearing this work live was a rare privilege for which they clearly expressed their gratitude….much appreciated on stage!
I last conducted Mathis back in the 20th century, and from talking with other LSO musicians, I heard similar personal histories with the work. Most had just played it once a long time ago, if at all. It’s one I hope to come back to again soon.
Saturday’s program was built around Hindemith, creating a kind of “time capsule” concert. All the works were written within 40 years of each other. Respighi’s gorgeous Suite No. 1 of Ancient Airs and Dances (1917) opened the program, leading into Hindemith (1934). After intermission Debussy’s Prelude to ‘The Afternoon of a Faun ’(1894) began the second half..another iconic work to be sure, and Stravinsky’s Firebird (1910) brought the evening to a close. What a pleasure it was to share the stage with my LSO colleagues for this musical journey! Bravo to each of them for a spectacular performance.
With the holidays just around the corner, next up for me is Nutcracker with the Flint Symphony. This is a return engagement, and I’m thrilled to be coming back to this masterpiece with them. We will be in the pit, and onstage dancing will be guest artists from Collage Dance Collective and ballet students from the Flint School of Performing Arts. Can’t wait!
NEXT UP
Flint Symphony Orchestra
Guest artists from Collage Dance Collective
Dancers from Flint School of Performing Arts
The Whiting, Flint Michigan
December 3 at 7:30 p.m. and December 4 at 3:00 p.m.
Tchaikovsky The Nutcracker
#lansingsymphony
October 21, 2022
I am very proud of our Lansing Symphony for being chosen as one of thirty orchestras to take part in the League of American Orchestras’ Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation Orchestral Commissions Program. The unprecedented national consortium ensures that new works by women composers, each commissioned by the League, will be infused in orchestra seasons to come, with multiple performances throughout the country. The consortium’s initial six lead orchestra-composer pairings were previously announced, with more than eighty orchestras applying for the additional twentyfour spots. The new consortium, comprised of orchestras from nineteen U.S. states and Canada, includes the following orchestra-composer pairs:
Akron Symphony Orchestra (OH) and Gity Razaz
Aspen Music Festival and School (CO) and Wang Lu
Berkeley Symphony (CA) and Gity Razaz Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra (Ottawa, ON) and Gity Razaz
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (OH) and Wang Lu
Columbus Symphony (OH) and Anna Clyne Dallas Symphony Orchestra (TX) and Arlene Sierra
Des Moines Symphony (IA) and Wang Lu Detroit Symphony Orchestra (MI) (lead orchestra) and Arlene Sierra
Idaho State-Civic Symphony and Sarah Gibson Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra and Arlene Sierra
Jacksonville Symphony (FL) and Angel Lam Kansas City Symphony (MO) (lead orchestra) and Angel Lam
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra (TN) and Sarah Gibson
Lansing Symphony Orchestra (MI) and Sarah Gibson
Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and Arlene Sierra
National Symphony Orchestra (DC) and Anna Clyne
New York Philharmonic (lead orchestra) and Wang Lu
Orchestra Lumos (CT) and Angel Lam
Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra (FL) and Anna Clyne
Pensacola Symphony Orchestra (FL) and Wang Lu
The Philadelphia Orchestra (PA) (lead orchestra) and Anna Clyne
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PA) and Sarah Gibson
Portland Columbia Symphony (OR) and Anna Clyne
Quad City Symphony Orchestra (IA) and Angel Lam
Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (NY) and Gity Razaz
San Diego Symphony (CA) (lead orchestra) and Gity Razaz
Sarasota Orchestra (FL) (lead orchestra) and Sarah Gibson
Utah Symphony & Opera and Angel Lam Wheeling Symphony Orchestra (WV) and Arlene Sierra
October 10, 2022
We opened our Lansing Symphony season last Friday night at the Wharton Center. I was encouraged to see a relatively large audience by Covid standards. It seems more people are feeling comfortable venturing out. We of course welcome them, and to those who aren’t ready yet, we certainly understand that too. We will be here when you are ready.
This season marks our final season for the LSO’s first ever Composer-in-Residence, Patrick Harlin. The search will soon be on for Patrick’s successor in the position.
It is a three-year residency that, in Patrick's case, extended to 4 years given the “lost year.” We opened Friday with a world premiere of Patrick’s entitled “bloom,” a work inspired by our shifting perceptions of the passage of time. The performance came off beautifully, and the audience was very appreciative.
This work seemed a bit of a departure in style for Patrick, at times emphasizing elemental qualities of music, allowing the listener to just bask in the glow of lush sonorities. At other times the orchestra exploring layers of music, much like layers of flower petals unfolding as it blooms. It is a very compelling work. We will close the season with another premiere from Patrick, a concerto for piano called “The Fourth Pedal.”
We followed Patrick’s work with violinist Ade´ Williams in Barber’s Violin Concerto. I’ve known Ade´for many years now and have watched her bloom from a young phenomenon into an outstanding mature artist. Barber’s concerto challenges the soloist (and the orchestra) in myriad ways and Ade´ delivered, winning the audience over.
Tchaikovsky’s Symphony 5 brought the program to a close, and the orchestra embraced the work with subtlety, power, style and grace. What a pleasure it was to be a part of that.
Next up for us is what I might call a “time capsule” concert. The decades around the turn of the 20th century were unprecedented (and unrivaled since) in terms of the range of musical thought and styles. Our November concert looks at a snapshot of about 35 years surrounding that Fin de siècle. It samples four of the prominent musical movements of the day, featuring music of Debussy, Hindemith, Respighi and Stravinsky. I hope you can join us!
NEXT UP
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Wharton Center, East Lansing, Michigan
November 5, 2022
7:30 p.m.
Debussy Prelude to the afternoon of a faun
Hindemith Symphonie: Mathis der Maler
Respighi Ancient Airs and Dances, Suite 1
Stravinsky Firebird Suite, 1919
#patrickharlin #lansingsymphony #adewilliams
September 16, 2022
I’ve been back in Baton Rouge this week, and it has been an exciting one. Piano icon Emanuel Ax joined the orchestra this week as part of the BRSO’s Pennington Great Performers in Concert series. Manny brought not one, but two concertos with him—Mozart’s K. 456 and Brahms’ epic d minor.
It was interesting how the two concertos complemented each other on the program. Mozart added a nice dimension, both in the character of the work, and that it is a work not frequently played relative to some of his other 27 concertos for piano. It is also an unusual work harmonically and rhythmically in a way that almost anticipates some of the very compositional techniques that Brahms would later adopt in creating his own unique musical voice. Whether or not Brahms knew this concerto, I don’t know, but the coincidence is worth noting.
The concert was definitely one to remember as these works are squarely in Manny’s “wheelhouse” and he delivers like few others can. His style reflects a generation of musicians where less is more, and the music is freed to speak for itself. It was a great pleasure to share the stage with him and my friends of the BRSO.
Those of you who have followed my posts here may remember that my “farewell” concert with the BRSO was last May. The irony that I am back conducting a few months later is not lost on me. This program was set originally to happen in the early months of 2022, but the remodeling of the concert hall was not yet complete, so it was postponed until last night. I guess that is sometimes the nature of the business, and frankly, I was just happy to be back in BR with my good friends and colleagues of the orchestra.
Next up for me is the season opener of the Lansing Symphony in October. The concert will include a world premiere from our Composer-in-Residence, Patrick Harlin as well as Barber’s Violin Concerto and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5.
NEXT UP
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Wharton Center, East Lansing, Michigan
October 7, 2022
7:30 p.m.
Ade´Williams, violin
HARLIN Bloom
BARBER Violin Concerto
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 5
#emanuelax #batonrouge #batonrougesymphony
August 16, 2022
Our season at Chautauqua wrapped up with our final concert last night. Our conducting fellow Yeo-Ryeung Ahn led the orchestra in a wonderful reading of Carlos Simon’s “Tales: A Folklore Symphony”. This is a powerful and very appealing work that I have a feeling will be showing up on symphony seasons across the country regularly in coming years. I know it will be on one of mine sometime soon.
I had the immense privilege to join the orchestra in Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5, a work that turned out to be probably the best possible piece for the moment. This has been a hard summer. Of concern throughout the season was keeping Covid at bay. Hearing of so many festivals cancelling performances and even sending musicians home to prevent further spread kept us on edge for the 8 weeks of our program. Miraculously, we made it through and played the final program with all but one musician.
The real challenge came last Friday however, with the unthinkable and senseless attack on Salman Rushdie on our stage. This plunged the entire institution into a dark place the likes of which I had never seen first hand. Through mutual support, openness, honesty, empathy and a belief in the power of art, we dug ourselves out of that emotional hole enough to find a way to reclaim a place marked by violence as a place for the sharing of art. As one might imagine, it was a powerful and emotional evening.
Prokofiev wrote his Fifth Symphony in 1944, during another dark time for humanity world wide. Somehow, amidst all that tragedy, he found inspiration to pen this work that is, at it’s core, one of optimism, beauty and a celebration of the human spirit…as I mentioned, a most fitting work for the occasion.
Our thoughts are with Mr. Rushdie, his colleague Ralph Henry Reese and their friends and families as they recover. We are certainly not over the shock and pain of tragedy, but we have taken significant and important steps towards the healing process. I am, and will be forever, grateful for my colleagues at the Chautauqua Institution and the members of our orchestra for the support and inspiration they showed each other and the community and as we tried to find our way forward.
That way forward for me musically will be heading back to Lansing for a free outdoor park concert with some of classical music’s greatest hits on August 26th. It will be wonderful to take the stage again with my LSO colleagues and share this exciting program.
From there I’ll head to Baton Rouge for a concert with Emanuel Ax and the BRSO. He will be playing Brahms First Piano Concerto and Mozart’s K. 456. I look forward to sharing the stage again with my colleagues there and Mr. Ax.
NEXT UP:
BATON ROUGE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Emanuel Ax, piano
River Center Theater for the Performing Arts
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
September 15, 2022
MOZART The Marriage of Figaro Overture
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 18 in B-flat, K 456 (Paradis)
BRAHMS Piano Concerto No. 1
August 9, 2022
It was the summer of 2019 when my colleague Marlena Malas approached me with the idea of doing Janacek’s opera The Cunning Little Vixen for our annual Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater opera production in 2020. It was a work I knew by name, but nothing more. One listen and I was hooked. This work is unique, glorious, profound and as fresh today as it was when it premiered in the 1920’s. I was thrilled for us to take this on.
Well, we all know what happened to opera plans for 2020. When Chautauqua’s music festival reconvened in 2021, we had reduced our overall numbers of students for Covid safety reasons, so Vixen was not possible. An exciting Marriage of Figaro occupied our season that year. Vixen was shelved for a hopeful future.
That future arrived in 2022. We were back to our full forces and thrilled to have Vixen finally on our plate. Some of the cast started work last fall, as did I. The staging rehearsals were a series of discoveries for all of us, deepening our understanding of this unusual story and watching John Giampietro’s masterful staging take shape. When orchestra rehearsals commenced, one could feel the excitement among the instrumentalists as we embraced this beautiful, evocative (and wickedly difficult!) score.
We put these productions together quicky…just about 2 weeks of staging and only three orchestral rehearsals before the sitzprobe and dresses. The work is immensely challenging for each individual and for the company as a whole. The cast had worked tirelessly to learn these challenging roles and had been meticulously prepared by our coaches Martin Dube and Kanae Matsumoto. It was stressful, but rewarding as the work progressed. We could see the exciting direction in which it was headed
As we approached the performance, it was clear this would be a memorable event. All was coming together. It seemed, however, Covid was not done wreaking havoc on our Vixen plans. We had lost a few instrumentalists from the orchestra late in the week, but we were fortunate to find replacements (by “lost” I just mean they were sick and couldn’t play). But the big blow came just two days out from the performance. As I was preparing to leave the house for the sitzprobe Saturday morning, I saw that I had missed two calls from John Giampietro--not a good sign.
It turns out The Forester, the male lead in Vixen, had tested positive for Covid that morning. I was heartbroken for him and for all of us. I knew how much time he had spent learning this role, and he was fantastic. He had thoroughly digested the part, made it his own, and embodied the intelligent artistry necessary to bring it to life.
There was no understudy for him. The always resourceful Giampietro however, made a plan. It involved two singers (CHQ faculty Jonathan Beyer and student Phillip Stoddard) learning the part, and singing offstage, while John himself, walked the part on stage for the first two acts and Philip walked the third. The stage production was so creative and engaging, and the audience so caught up in it, I don’t think it hampered the effect of the work one bit.
The performance transcended expectations. It was spectacular. Kudos to our cast, orchestra and all the teachers, coaches and crew who worked behind the scenes to make it so beautiful. A special shout out to Nicole Koh (The Vixen) and Hope Nelson (The Fox) for their wonderful performances.
As we approached the final bars, I had a familiar experience to which I know my fellow musicians can relate. Vixen is a work about the cycle of life. It concludes with hope, celebration, and gratitude for life on this planet, music of indescribably beauty. Also mixed in was also some sadness…sadness that this project would soon be behind us. For me, there was another element. Vixen, while a masterpiece, is not a commonly performed work, and I knew that in my cycle of life, it’s entirely possible this may have been my only chance to conduct it. I guess I’ll find some comfort in the famous line attributed to our friend Dr. Seuss “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”
Our season finale is next Monday, two works on the program: Carlos Simon’s “Tales: A Folklore Symphony,” and Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5. As is often the case in this profession, the consolation for the conclusion of a special project lies in the excitement and anticipation of the next one in the pipeline.
NEXT UP:
Chautauqua Institution Music School Festival Orchestra
Chautauqua Amphitheater
Chautauqua, New York
August 15, 2022
8:15 p.m.
CARLOS SIMON Tales: A folklore symphony
SERGEI PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 5
#chautauquainstitution #carlossimon #johngiampietro #nicolekoh #philipstoddard #jonathonbeyer #hopenelson #janacek #cunninglittlevixen #marlenamalas #martindube #kanaematsumoto
July 12, 2022
Our second concert with Chautauqua’s Music School Festival Orchestra was last night. Our soloists were the wonderful Cuban musicians, pianist Aldo Lopez Gavilan and his brother violinist Ilmar Gavilan performing works of their own composition. To complement that, we made the whole evening a musical celebration of Latin America with music of Moncayo, Ginastera, and Ilmar and Aldo’s father Guido.
It was a hot night both meteorologically and musically. Words can’t explain what Aldo and Ilmar bring to their music making, but it is not something to be missed if given the opportunity. These works are a of a unique musical language, a mix of Latin, jazz and classical styles. The audience loved it.
It was interesting to notice the subtle stylistic differences of composers from Mexico, Argentina and Cuba. Certainly a common Latin style thread runs through each work, but at the same time, the styles were distinct. Aldo writes with a great deal of rhythmic complexity that is quite challenging for the performers, but the listener just feels it as the vibe of the music. On the printed page the complexity was a bit daunting, but to the listener it just flowed naturally.
As usual, the MSFO played with style, energy and polish…a great evening.
Next up, I go into rehearsals for Janacek’s opera “The Cunning Little Vixen.” I’m looking forward to getting started on that uniquely beautiful work.
NEXT UP:
Chautauqua Institution Music School Festival Orchestra and Voice Conservatory
Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater
Chautauqua, New York
August 8, 2022
8:15 p.m.
JANACEK The Cunning Little Vixen
#chautauquainstitution #janacek #aldolopezgavilan #ilmargavilan
July 6, 2022
Last night opened the season for the Chautauqua Institution’s Music School Festival Orchestra. It was a high-energy program and the orchestra delivered in a big way.
Things kicked off with rock-star composer Zhou Tian’s celebration in music called “Gift.” Among Zhou’s many gifts as a composer is his ability to grab the audience from “hello” and then deliver a high-impact, breath-taking experience. He also just knows how to make an orchestra sound amazing, so take an amazing orchestra and music of Zhou, and you have quite a curtain raiser. This was a total thrill ride.
Pianist Chengcheng Yao, winner of CHQ’s 2019 SAI Concerto Competition, joined the orchestra in Bartok’s Second Piano Concerto. This work is unlike any other concerto in the repertoire, and the demands on all involved are huge, expressively and technically. Chengcheng has a great feel for this work and total command of the part. She took us on a exciting and moving journey. Especially powerful was the second movement, a classic example of Bartok’s “night music” style…full of atmosphere, striking effects and mystery.
Chautauqua’s relatively new Director of Sacred Music and virtuoso organist, Joshua Stafford joined the MSFO for Saint-Saen’s Symphony No. 3 to close the program. The Massey Organ is a perfect fit for this work with its broad range of color and depth, and Joshua is fully at home with the instrument and this music. It was a powerful finish to the program.
The players of the MSFO outdid themselves last night. This was an especially demanding program and they rose to the occasion in an impressive fashion. It was a thrill to be a part of it.
The concert was dedicated to the memory of Joshua’s predecessor, and my good friend and colleague Jarod Jacobsen. Jared was loved by the CHQ community. We lost him in 2019 and he is deeply missed. We felt you there with us last night my friend.
NEXT UP:
Chautauqua Institution Music School Festival Orchestra
Chautauqua Amphitheater
Chautauqua, New York
8:15 p.m.
Aldo-Lopez Gavilan, piano, Ilmar Gavilan, violin
MONCAYO Huapango
GINASTERA Dances from the ballet “Estancia”
GUIDO LOPEZ GAVILAN Guanguanco´
ALDO LOPEZ GAVILAN Viernes de Ciudad
ALDO LOPEZ GAVILAN Emporium
#chautauquainstitution #chengchengyao #zhoutian #aldolopezgavilan #ilmargavilan
May 22, 2022
We have a certain way of doing things in Louisiana that’s, well, often different than what one might find elsewhere. Friday night was my “farewell” concert as Music Director of the Baton Rouge Symphony, a position I held for 21 years. It was a program that was to have been done in the spring of 2020. After a two-year Covid postponement, we finally took to the stage for Beethoven’s epic and iconic Symphony No. 9. There are many great symphonies out there, and many that would qualify as “epic”, but there is nothing that compares to this work. It stands alone in the symphonic repertoire.
So, with what does one follow Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9? Well, in South Louisiana, for a special celebration such as this, the Ninth Symphony is followed by a brass band, decked out in their black and whites, filling the concert hall with the sounds and spirit only such a group can create. It is actually not the non sequitur it might seem at first. Beethoven’s work is a celebration of joy and brotherhood, and those two concepts are also at the root of the Louisiana brass band tradition.
Here’s how it went down: We finished the symphony, and I came off stage after the bows. The band was collected back stage and they started in with “The Second Line” (aka Joe Avery’s Blues) from the wings. I was handed the obligatory umbrella and instructed to lead the band from backstage, down into the seating area, forming a parade that went into the lobby then out the doors onto the plaza,…a classic “Second Line”.
Now, mind you, one does not normally get a brass band of their own except at their funeral, so I made the most of it. Living in south Louisiana as long as I did, I learned a few things. For a guy born in Connecticut, leading a Second Line came surprisingly naturally to me if I do say so myself. It was outrageously fun, and the best part was seeing so many old friends as the parade moved through the concert hall. Once on the plaza, another band, a fabulous dance band, kicked off an outdoor dance party that went on into the night. What a way to go out!
I am grateful for so much from my 20+ years with the BRSO. I am grateful for the wonderful musicians with whom I had the privilege of sharing the stage so many times. I am grateful for the close friendships developed over the years. I am grateful for the opportunity to, along with my colleagues, bring great music to a wonderful city. I am grateful to all of those who supported our efforts. I am also grateful for all the kind and generous words shared with me in public and private this week. They mean more to me than I can express.
It was a very moving evening for me, and kudos to the musicians of the BRSO, the chorus and our soloists for a compelling performance of Beethoven’s masterpiece. I will cherish the memories and friendships I have made over the years and look forward to creating more. It’s not the last time I will be in BR, but I will miss being there more. I love Louisiana. I love the people, the culture and the breathtaking natural beauty of this place. I am so fortunate that my life’s path intersected with this magical, mysterious, joyous and soulful place we call Louisiana.
#batonrougesymphony #brso
May 16, 2022
It was a great pleasure, as always, to share the stage with my colleagues of the Lansing Symphony last Friday. Season closer concerts are always bittersweet. I am sorry to see the season end but very much looking forward to what next season has in store for us.
It was a great pleasure getting to know pianist Clayton Stephenson who played the Florence Price Concerto with us Friday night. He was scheduled to play the Beethoven First Concerto, but upon recently learning of his advancement to the finals of the Van Cliburn competition, he asked for a change in repertoire, and the Price fit the bill perfectly. He really drew us all into the work, especially the beautiful and soulful second movement and the audience was generously exuberant in their response.. His two encores brought down the house again and again.
The world premiere of LSO Composer-in-Residence Patrick Harlin’s “Earthrise” also garnered a powerful response of approval from our audience. I heard from many in the orchestra that they loved it too. I think this work will have a wonderful life in the orchestral repertoire.
I’m in Baton Rouge as I write this with the BRSO for a Beethoven Symphony No. 9 on Friday. It is always a very special experience to prepare and perform this iconic work, especially so with my long-time friends and colleagues of Baton Rouge Symphony and Chorus. We had two terrific rehearsals yesterday, and I look forward to the remainder of the work this week.
NEXT UP:
Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Rebekah Howell, Soprano
Marquita Raley-Cooper, Mezzo-soprano
Dominic Armstrong, Tenor
Timothy Jones , Bass-Baritone
River Center Theater
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
7:30 p.m
#batonrougesymphony #batonrouge
May 10, 2022
It’s a big week for us in Lansing. This Friday will be our final Masterworks concert of the season, and it is an exciting one. We will begin with a world premiere of LSO’s Composer-in-Residence Patrick Harlin. Patrick’s piece is called “EARTHRISE” and takes its inspiration from the iconic photograph of the same name taken from Apollo 8 in 1968. We have our first rehearsal tonight, and I can’t wait to hear it outside of my head. The work strikes me as a celebration of the grandeur and beauty of our planet and the mystery and vastness of the universe in which it hangs….all a reminder of how we must care for our home such that it can continue to support the life it has miraculously offered us.
Another very special and important work will follow, Florence Price’s Piano Concerto in One Movement. Our soloist is Clayton Stephenson, a Gilmore Young Artist and just recently announced finalist for Cliburn. I’m looking forward to sharing the Price with our audience as they will love the late-romantic style infused with flavors from Ms. Price’s African-American heritage. It is a beautiful and engaging work.
We finish the concert and the season with Brahms' Symphony No. 2. What can be said about this sublime work that hasn’t been already?
It’s a quick turnaround for me. This concert is Friday, and Sunday I am off to Baton Rouge to start rehearsals for Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with my friends and colleagues of the BRSO…an exciting two weeks!
NEXT UP
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Wharton Center, East Lansing, Michigan
May 13, 2022
7:30 p.m.
Clayton Stephenson, piano
HARLIN EARTHRISE
PRICE Piano Concerto in One Movement
BRAHMS Symphony No. 2
#patrickharlin #florenceprice #claytonstephenson #lansingsymphony #batonrougesymphony #lansing
April 8, 2022
Last night was another exciting night for the Lansing Symphony. It was our second installment of “LSO at the Robin,” our series of concerts at Lansing’s Robin Theater in REO Town. Again, the place was sold out, and again the audience was hanging on every note. Since it was chamber music, I could sit back and enjoy, and part of the enjoyment was observing the audience response.
The program consisted entirely of works from living Michigan composers, and one can see what a font of musical creativity this state really is. Three were on hand and offered remarks on their works. LSO Composer-in-Residence Patrick Harlin opened the program with his “Molasses” a look at how a musical idea might respond to different densities of resistance. Alexis Bacon, a member of Michigan State’s faculty, joined us for a vibrant performance of her “Capriccio,” and Michael Daugherty came over from Ann Arbor for two of his works, “Six Riffs after Ovid” (kudos to oboist Stephanie Shapiro for her very engaging performance of this work), and “Walk the Walk.”
Also on the program, we heard Carlos Simon’s moving “Catch on Fire,” and Eve Beglarian’s “I will not be sad in this world” (kudos here to Bryan Guarnuccio for his mesmerizing performance). The concert closed with David Beidenbender’s mashup of funk, Motown, dub-step, music of the French Renaissance, folk, death metal and pointillistic music (not even kidding about that) called “Refractions”. The movement titles say a lot about that work 1)Death Metal Chicken 2) Kyrie 3) Goat Rodeo. It was a blast to say the least.
Many thanks to our fantastic musicians for their outstanding performance last night. I would gladly listen to the whole thing again.
#michaeldaugherty #alexisbacon #carlossimon #lansingsymphony #robintheater #lansingmichigan #evebeglarian #davidbiedenbender #bryanguarnuccio #stephanieshapiro
March 20, 2022
I’m sure the word “phenomenal” has been attached to pianist Conrad Tao many times in his career. Beyond his artistry at the keyboard, he has also garnered significant attention as a composer and an advocate for music. But his performance of Mozart’s profound, yet mercurial, K. 491 with the Lansing Symphony last night brought a slightly different meaning of the word than its customary generic application in music.
The phenomenon came from his approach to this work that I can only describe as “spontaneous.” It felt as if he was composing the work as he played it and, by some magical connection, the orchestra knew what notes to play and when. This had to do with things like, how he tossed off ornamentation, not in some labored, affectual way, but it a totally natural, effortless way. It was from his pacing of the flow of the energy of the work, his use of tempo and atmosphere.
The irony, of course, is that to create the effect of spontaneity, we as artists usually have to work a piece within an inch of its life such that our understanding, technical tools and concept are so clearly formed that we can make it sound as if we are making it up. I didn’t get to ask Conrad about his preparation process, but it’s a conversation I would love to have with him some time.
The other two works on the program also had their own kind of spontaneity. We opened with Poulenc’s Suite Francaise, a Renaissance-inspired work for winds, percussion and harpsichord. I sat this one out as it seemed that a true chamber music approach (without conductor) would best allow the piece to blossom. I also think it’s good for our players to connect with each other in the way that chamber music requires. It was a beautiful performance. I could have listened to it again as soon as they finished.
The one work I actually conducted on the evening (Conrad conducted Mozart from the keyboard), was Haydn’s gem, the Symphony No. 90. Kudos to the players who brought such great energy and joy to this work, and kudos to the audience who didn’t fall for Haydn’s devious, but well-intentioned, applause traps that are but one part of this work's wit and charm.
Up next for us is the second installment of our prototype of what we hope will become a concert series next season, LSO at the Robin. These are programs of music of our time in a cozy used book store/concert venue in Lansing’s Reo Town. The bar next door, from which you can bring refreshments into the concert, does provide even more appeal to the concert. Our March installment was a huge success and sold out, so if you are interested in coming, you should get your tickets now. All of these composers have a Michigan connection, and some will be at the concert. I hope you will be there too!
NEXT UP
Lansing Symphony Chamber Players
Robin Theater, Lansing, Michigan
April 7, 2022
7:30 p.m.
Patrick Harlin Molasses
Alexis Bacon Capriccio
Michael Daugherty Six Riffs after Ovid
Carlos Simon Catch on fire
Eve Beglarian I will not be sad in this world
Michael Daugherty Walk the Walk
David Biedenbender Refraction
#conradtao #lansingsymphony #alexisbacon #michaeldaugherty #carlossimon #evebeglarian #davidbiedenbender #patrickharlin
March 4, 2022
I’m still riding high from last night’s fabulous concert of the Lansing Symphony's Chamber Players at the Robin Theater in Lansing’s REO town. I didn’t conduct this one, just got to sit back and enjoy the evening.
It was all music of today…the oldest composer was Bartok, otherwise they were all living and breathing. Two of the composers were actually living and breathing at the concert, David Biedenbender and Zhou Tian. LSO’s Composer in Residence Patrick Harlin was living and breathing at the concert too. We closed the program with an arrangement of his.
Along with Bartok, we did Zhou’s fabulous “Viaje” for piano, flute and cello. Zhou shared a beautiful introduction that brought us right into the world of his piece. The players brought it to life with all its brilliance, passion and energy…fabulous music, fabulously played.
Dave then told us a bit about his work “Spending the Night,”a duet for flute and clarinet, and then introduced Robert Fanning, who’s poem inspired the music. After Robert’s powerful reading of his poem, a heart-wrenching memory of the passing of his sister, the audience was primed emotionally for Dave’s musical reflection. The combination of the two works was profoundly moving…not a dry eye in the house.
Music of Jesse Jones, Adolphus Hailstork and Piazzolla followed and the sold-out house ate it all up. We had an overwhelmingly positive response to this concert of contemporary music, and I can’t wait until the next one…April 7th if you are going to be around.
The Robin Theater is a perfect venue for this kind of concert. There is a bar right next door, so patrons can grab a beverage and bring it in. The hall is intimate, with beautiful acoustics, so the performance has the kind of immediacy that makes live music “live.”
Congratulations to all involved!!
NEXT UP
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Conrad Tao, piano
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
East Lansing, Michigan
March 19, 2022
7:30 p.m.
POULENC Suite Francaise
HAYDN Symphony No. 90
MOZART Piano Concerto in C minor, K. 491
#lansingsymphony #davidbiedenbender #zhoutian #robintheater #robertfanning
February 1, 2022
Well, this is disappointing. As I mentioned in my previous post, my next engagement was to be with the incomparable Emanuel Ax as part of the Pennington Great Performers in Concert Series with the Baton Rouge Symphony. We were scheduled to be the “Grand Re-Opening” of Baton Rouge’s River Center Theater after it has been closed for renovation.
News flash: it’s not done yet. The contractor's blame supply chain issues. Just for the record, the BRSO and everyone else who used the facility vacated the place nearly four years ago in the spring of 2018, a full year and a half before Covid became an issue, so I think there may be factors other than Covid and supply chain that are weighing on this. Honestly, for reasons I won’t go into here, I can’t say I’m surprised.
The concert has been postponed until September. Maybe the hall will be finished by then, or not.
On a positive note, I am very much looking forward to the next Lansing Symphony concert with another great pianist, Conrad Tao. Conrad is playing Mozart K. 491 (c minor) with us. This one is a bit off the beaten Mozart Concerto path (he did write 27 of them), but wow, is it special. It is unique among the Mozart concertos for its harmonic richness, intricate orchestral writing, and overall expressive depth. It is a joy to study, as I feel like I am really exploring new territory and discovering new facets of Mozart. I have not conducted it before, and I actually won’t conduct it at the concert either! Conrad will conduct from the keyboard, but since I will prepare the orchestra prior to his arrival, I am deep in study.
Also on the program is Haydn’s brilliant Symphony 90 (I could spend every day with Haydn and not tire of it), and Poulenc’s Suite Francaise featuring the fabulous and virtuoso winds and keyboardist of the LSO. It will be a wonderful evening of classical and neo-classical wit, elegance, grace and a bit of drama mixed in for good measure.
In the meantime, I am working on programming two chamber music concerts for the LSO made up of music of our time. The works are primarily from composers with a Michigan connection. These programs will be performed in a very “alternative” and super-cool venue in a part of Lansing called REO Town. The concerts will be early March and early April….more to come on that. It’s going to be very exciting!
NEXT UP
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Conrad Tao, piano
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
East Lansing, Michigan
March 19, 2022
7:30 p.m.
POULENC Suite Francaise
HAYDN Symphony No. 90
MOZART Piano Concerto in C minor, K. 491
#lansingsymphony #conradtao #robintheater
January 15, 2022
I knew Suren would be great, especially in Shostakovich, but what he unleashed from his instrument in last night’s concert with the Lansing Symphony left all of us a bit breathless. Suren Bagratuni’s ability to create a white-hot intensity in his sound made me think the instrument would spontaneously combust at any moment. It is rare to hear this kind of playing, playing that is not afraid to push the instrument to it’s limits. This is not to say he doesn’t also find the rich, warm and tender sides when needed, or the hollow, cold, and desolate character called for at the end of the slow movement of this masterpiece, the Concerto No. 1. It was a spectacular reading of this work from beginning to end. I just wish we could do it again.
We opened the program with a very evocative work of LSO’s Composer-in-Residence Patrick Harlin. The work is called “River of Doubt” and was inspired by Teddy Roosevelt’s ill-fated trek down the Amazon after losing a presidential re-election bid. The work incorporates soundscapes that Patrick himself recorded on his own trip down the Amazon, this one not ill-fated fortunately, but one full of wonderful stories and resulted in a very engaging piece of music. The audience loved it.
Speaking of the audience, thanks to those of you who braved a very chilly night and Omicron fears to share in this night of music making with us. We appreciated your enthusiastic support!
The concert closed with Dvorak’s Symphony No. 6. It was a welcome immersion in pure beauty and joy after what was a very intense 1st half. It felt like the works balanced each other nicely that way. More often than not, Dvorak’s music is deceptively challenging, sometimes not even deceptively so, just plain challenging. Kudos to the LSO players for bringing this difficult work to life with such grace and style.
Next for me is a trip back to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Although I left my position as Music Director there a few years ago, they keep asking me back and I am very grateful for that! It is always a pleasure to see my friends and colleagues and visit a city and state that I love. We have Emanuel Ax on the program, the Pennington Great Performers in Concert Gala, so that will be a wonderful experience for sure. Rumor has it, the concert will be in the newly-renovated concert hall. Time will tell on that one.
NEXT UP
Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra
Emanuel Ax, piano
River Center Theater for the Performing Arts?
February 12, 2022
8:00 p.m.
TORKE Javelin
BERNSTEIN On the Town: Three Dance Episodes
GERSHWIN An American In Paris
CHOPIN Piano Concerto No. 2
#lansingsymphony #surenbagratuni #patrickharlin #teddyroosevelt #emanuelax
December 20, 2021
Yesterday’s Holiday Pops with the Lansing Symphony was a wonderful time. Lansing’s own Travis Leon shared his fabulous vocal talents with us ranging from Handel’s “Comfort Ye” to “White Christmas” and he delivered! The audience loved him. It is always exciting to feature our local talent.
For me an “un-sung” star of the show was an arranger named Jim Stephenson. We did several works from his catalog, and they are some of the freshest and most engaging holiday arrangements I have encountered. I heard many comments from the orchestra players themselves about how great the arrangements sounded and how much they enjoyed playing them. It was obvious the audience enjoyed them too.
I am very excited about what’s next on my calendar, and that is the Lansing Symphony’s January Masterworks. Cellist Suren Bagratuni will join us in Shostakovich’s First Concerto, and I can’t wait. Suren is a truly wonderful musician with whom I have been looking forward to working for some time now, and I have a feeling Shostakovich is right in his “wheelhouse” as they say.
That program will open with a work by our Composer-in Residence, Patrick Harlin, called River of Doubt, a highly evocative work inspired by Teddy Roosevelt’s treacherous excursion down the Amazon. The work features soundscapes collected by Patrick’s on his own trip down that storied river (accompanied by his wife, and fellow composer, Audrey). It is a work unlike any other, and one that I know will engage the audience in a powerful way.
NEXT UP
LANSING SYMPHOHY ORCHESTRA
Suren Bagratuni, cello
January 14, 2022
Wharton Center
HARLIN River of Doubt
SHOSTAKOVICH Cello Concerto No. 1
DVORAK Symphony No. 6
#SurenBagratuni #Patrickharlin #TeddyRoosevelt #TravisLeon #LansingSymphony #JamesStephenson
December 10, 2021
Holiday Pops is coming up soon for the Lansing Symphony. I always look forward to our holiday programs because we tend to see new audience members for these concerts, and it is a nice opportunity to get acquainted. These concerts are quite "interactive."..I tell some bad jokes and people politely laugh. I especially appreciate the laughs that follow the jokes I have used every year for the last 15 years...those are nice, generous people out there.
We mix the program up with a lot of variety from classical to popular. This year we are featuring tenor Travis Leon, a Lansing native who is now out making a name for himself in the world. It will be Mr. Leon's first time with the orchestra, and we are looking forward to it. He will present a nice range of styles ranging from some music from Handel's Messiah to Winter Wonderland and others.
This concert is always a wonderful community event and leaves everyone's spirits uplifted. Tickets are going quickly, so if you want to come you should call soon. Also, be sure to check out the Covid protocols. We are working hard to keep everyone safe.
NEXT UP:
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Travis Leon, tenor
December 19, 2021 3:00 p.m.
Wharton Center
HOLIDAY POPS!!
#lansingsymphony #holidaypops #travisleontenor
November 13, 2021
No one plays like Lucia. Of course, there are many great violinists who provide spectacular renderings of the repertoire, but there is something fresh, unique and deeply personal in what Lucia Micarelli brought to Sibelius last night in our concert with the Lansing Symphony. She is a musician who works in a broad range of styles, and I think that experience informs her approach to the masterworks. Aside from her ability to dispatch this monster of a work with flawless execution, among her other many wonderful attributes in a remarkable ability to connect with the audience, to draw them in to her world, and that is exactly what she did last night. I have had the pleasure of conducting the Sibelius concerto many times, all wonderful, but none like this one.
We opened the program with one of the “Top 40” in classical music right now, Jessie Montgomery’s “Strum.” This work is enjoying huge success in the US right now and for good reason. The players love it, the audience loves it. It is wonderful American music of today.
Schumann Symphony 4 brought the concert to a close. Schumann’s orchestral music is among the most difficult because of the degree of nuance needed to make the music come alive. I was so impressed with the way the LSO players found the spirit and style of this work and delivered a performance full of life, grace, drama and joy. What a pleasure it was to share the stage with them. Bravo!
November 7, 2021
What a thrill it was to once again share the stage with my long-time friends and colleagues of the Baton Rouge Symphony, joined by the brilliant pianist Jon Nakamatsu and a cameo appearance from the Louisiana Youth Orchestra!
The occasion was a sold-out concert celebration the BRSO’s 75th anniversary. We chose a program that highlighted some of the musical legacy of the orchestra including the work they played to open their Carnegie Hall concert in the 1980’s (Chadwick’s Jubilee), two works the orchestra had commissioned for their 40th and 50th anniversaries by Kenton Coe and Stephen Paulus, and a work from the orchestra’s first concert in 1947 (Borodin, Polovtsian Dances). Members of the Louisiana Youth Orchestra joined us for some music from Carmen to celebrate the wonderful contributions of that very successful program. Mr. Nakamatsu, a frequent guest of the orchestra over the years, joined us in Tchaikovsky’s First Concerto to bring the concert to a close (although he did add a very poetic Chopin encore to round out the evening).
BRSO also announced the much-anticipated Pennington Great Performer for 2022. Emanuel Ax will be joining the orchestra for Chopin’s Second Concerto…very exciting!
The concert was originally scheduled to be held in Baton Rouge’s newly remodeled River Center Theater. The work has not been completed though (imagine that…a construction project that’s behind schedule, who knew??). Instead, we held the program in a ballroom of the River Center, and it worked surprisingly well, even acoustically. Kudos to the River Center crew who made all that happen and exceeded expectations.
This week is an exciting one for me as well back in Lansing. The Lansing Symphony presents our second masterworks program of the season, joined by the fabulous violinist Lucia Micarelli. Lucia will be playing Sibelius with us (the whole thing…not morphing into Kashmir this time, although I must say I’m a big fan of that version too!! If you don’t know of what I speak, it’s on YouTube. Check it out). I have been trying to get Lucia in the concerto slot for years. We had her on board for 2019-20, and well we all know how that turned out. So we are thrilled to have her this season as we return to live music. Also on the program, “Strum” of America’s new classical rock-star composer Jessie Montgomery and Schumann’s wonderful Fourth Symphony. It’s going to be a great week.
NEXT UP
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
November 12, 2021
Lucia Micarelli, violin
MONTGOMERY. Strum
SIBELIUS. Violin Concerto
SCHUMANN Symphony No. 4
#jonnakmatsu #batonrouge #batonrougesymphony #stephenpaulus #kentoncoe #emanuelax #luciamicarelli #jessiemontgomery
October 27, 2021
I just came off two exciting concert weeks. For starters, the Lansing Symphony opened its season this month with our first indoor performance since things shut down. It was beyond beautiful to share the stage with my fabulous colleagues and share music with our wonderful audience.
Pianist Michael Brown brought elegance, grace, (and power when needed) to Tchaikovsky’s 1st Concerto. Is was a great pleasure to have him with us. The other highlight of the program was Roger Brigg’s work “Gathering Together.” It was written in 1996, but perfect in every way for the occasion of our first gathering since early 2020.
From there I was off to Baton Rouge for the fifth annual installment of “Bachtoberfest.” The name says it all, beer, brats, and Bach (with a few friends added for good measure). It is exciting to see this new series be so successful, selling beyond capacity, and it was great to make music again with my long-time friends in the orchestra.
I head back to BR next week for a concert celebrating the orchestra’s 75th anniversary. We have a great program exploring some of the ensemble’s musical legacy including a work from it’s very first program in 1947 (Polovstian Dances), the work with which they opened their concert in Carnegie Hall (Chadwick Jubilee), and two works the orchestra had commissioned from composers Kenton Coe and Stephen Paulus. Also joining the program will be members of the Louisiana Youth Orchestra for a side-by-side performance of some music from Carmen, and the great Jon Nakamatsu closes the program with Tchaikovsky’s First Concerto. It promises to be a wonderful night!
For some time now, over a century at least, there has been a lot of fuss made about when to clap at a classical music concert. This, along with what to wear, have apparently been two obstacles for people to enter the concert hall audience for the first time. None of us on stage are happy about that. We just want you to come and enjoy the music, wear what you want, clap when the spirit moves you.
Thursday night was the Lansing Symphony’s season opener, our 95th!. On the program was Mozart’s Symphony No. 31, the “Paris.” One of my favorite anecdotes about that work is that, at the Paris premiere, the audience actually started clapping during the music after passages they found especially exciting. That’s an engaged audience! Mozart was surprised and pleasantly so.
When our guest artist for the evening, the Cuban-American cellist Tommy Mesa launched into his encore, a famous movement from a Bach cello suite, the audience cheered in recognition after the first few notes. I loved that. It was like a rock concert, just as when a crowd who has come to hear Neil Young starts cheering as soon as he plays the first few notes of “Harvest Moon.”
Speaking of Tommy, the encore was much deserved. He had just delivered a captivating and soulful rendering of Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations. My love for that work grows with each engagement with it. Tommy found the sweet spot in each of those variations. He is a deeply expressive musician, and his joy of music making can be felt in the back row of the balcony. His star is rising.
The notion of variations was the unofficial theme of the whole concert. Tchaikovsky’s Rococo was preceded by Mozart’s Paris which is one of the composer’s symphonies written in the Rococo style. Mozart was Tchaikovsky’s guiding light as a composer, and the Rococo Variations were written as something of an homage to his idol of a century earlier, so that was a nice connection to make and made for a nice flow to the evening.
More variations followed after intermission, Elgar’s masterful Enigma Variations. For as familiar as it is, this warhorse is unique in the orchestral canon, and it’s easy to forget that. I don’t know another work quite like it.
For starters, there is the “people” element…I should say the “people and one dog” element. It’s a work about relationships, each variation a tribute to a friend or family member. Some are touching, some are clever, some whimsical…all brilliant.
Then there is that element of cleverness and mystique…what is the enigma? Certainly it extends beyond the easily decipherable initials with which the composer identifies each movement. It’s work full of quirks, musical and otherwise. Why is there a quote (in actual quotation marks ) from Mendelssohn’s Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage Overture. Why are some seemingly innocuous passages indicated to be played prominently? What other mysteries does the work hold? Much ink and breath has been spent on that topic, but some secrets went to the grave with Mr. Elgar, leaving us to contemplate and speculate.
Then there is the purely musical element. It takes a special compositional skill to make the theme and variations form work. The challenge lies creating a work where the listener’s experience of the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. While each variation of Elgar’s are beautiful on their own, it’s the arc of the work that puts it into the “masterpiece” category.
Gala Flagello’s “Bravado”, which opened our program, is also built on a variation idea. This engaging work presents a theme, rich in bravado itself, that then undergoes a series of transformations over the course of the piece…each exploring a different flavor of bravado. The audience clearly resonated with this work and responded with great enthusiasm. I was wonderful to have Gala with us in rehearsal and concert as well. She is one to watch.
Next up
November 1, 2024
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Willis Delony, piano
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
East Lansing, Michigan
7:30 p.m.
William Grant STILL Symphony No. 2 “Song for a New Race”
Greg YASINITSKY Jazz Concerto for Piano and Orchestra
GERSHWIN Rhapsody in Blue
#tommymesa #galaflagello
August 23, 2024
My list of “life’s most memorable musical experiences” got a new entry this week. Last night was the second of two performances of Wynton Marsalis’ epic cantata “All Rise” with Chautauqua’s Music School Festival Orchestra, the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus, soloists, and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra of which Mr. Marsalis is the Artistic Director and a member of the trumpet section.
As memorable as the performances were, the rehearsals were equally enlightening. It’s always great to have the composer on hand at rehearsals, but when the composer is also performing and highly involved in the rehearsal process, some real magic can happen, especially when that composer is Mr. Marsalis.
This work is written in a unique musical language. Naturally, there is the element of jazz, but there are also many other musical cultures and styles woven into its fabric. This work is not just a “jazzy symphony” with standard stylistic clichés and a swinging style. This is a work of great profundity and artistic intent. The jazz element, the folk element, the world music elements are all deeply baked into the language in a similar way that the USA is a melting pot of world cultures. It is work of integration, introspection and celebration of the rich cultural fabric in which we live. It is also reflection on the journey of life itself, its joys, sorrows, trials and triumphs.
Sharing the stage with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra was its own kind of thrill too. These guys are phenomenal players, great musicians and wonderful colleagues. I feel so fortunate to have been able to stand in front of them and soak up such artistry.
I also want to give a shout out to the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus and Adam Leubke, their director. This work is immensely challenging for the singers. They brought great style, a beautiful sound and wonderful energy to the evening.
If you are interested in hearing our performance, it will be featured in an upcoming PBS documentary on the Chautauqua Institution, and the entire concert will be broadcast in a separate program.
This concert was the final one for the 2024 MSFO, a bittersweet moment for sure...sweet in the reflections on a wonderful summer of music making, but melancholy in that we are all going our separate ways today. While many of our paths will cross individually again in the years to come, that specific orchestra, those people, will never again gather in its entirety to make music. Such is life…
Next up for me, the 2024-25 season opener of the Lansing Symphony!
October 3, 2024
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Tommy Mesa, cello
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
East Lansing, Michigan
7:30 p.m.
Gala FLAGELLO Bravado
MOZART Symphony No. 31 “Paris”
TCHAIKOVSKY Variations on a Rococo Theme
ELGAR Enigma Variations
#chautauquamsfo #chautauquamusicschool #jazzatlincolncenter #wyntonmarsalis
August 6, 2024
I remember in my student days and the early years of my career, some music “professionals” would diss Rachmaninoff…too sappy, too saccharine, too syrupy (I suppose those are all redundant), nothing “inventive”, too old-fashioned.
In Donald J. Grout’s “A History of Western Music” at the time the standard textbook for college sophomore music history, Rachmaninoff was allotted a whopping 1 paragraph, and a short one at that, only two sentences. The first sentence begins “Of some interest is the music of Sergei Rachmaninoff….” The second sentence just lists of few of his popular works. Even Rimsky Korsakov got a page and half.
Most audience members seem to have known better. They love him, and I think those of us actually performing his music know better too. We can leave those negative opinions to the ivory towers.
True, Rachmaninoff was very conservative for a composer living into the 20th century, but he was by no means un-original. He developed his own unique style: unique in color, texture, ambience, and expression. He even has his own harmonic language, however rooted in tonality. He reaches the audience in a powerful way, and keeps them coming back.
His music is also challenging to perform with its intricate details, free-flowing pulse, complex textures and expressive demands. Chautauqua’s Music School Festival Orchestra rose to the occasion in usual form and brought all the precision, clarity, style and expression to the composer's Third Symphony one expects in Rachmaninoff’s music. They also were wonderful in the other two works of the evening, Gala Flagello’s Bravado, and Richard Strauss’ Death and Transfiguration, the latter beautifully conducted by our conducting fellow Samuel Hollister.
Next for me is a very interesting project indeed. Still in Chautauqua, the final concert of our season will be with Wynton Marsalis, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus. We will be performing Mr. Marsalis’ epic All Rise. PBS will be on hand as they are filming a documentary on Chautauqua and this performance and our rehearsals will be featured. Should be a memorable time!
NEXT UP
August 21 and 22, 2024
Music School Festival Orchestra
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis
Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus
Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater
8:15 p.m.
MARSALIS All Rise
#wyntonmarsalis #chautauquamusicfestival
July 30, 2024
I can’t possibly count the number of times I have said to myself (and others), I just wish we could do it one more time.
So much goes in to preparing a concert, not just the rehearsals, but the individual practice and study on the part of all of us. When it’s an opera, multiply all that by 10 at least, and multiply the reward by 10 or more, maybe 100. There is nothing like opera.
Last night, in a tribute to our dear Marlena Malas whom we lost at the end of 2023, we did a performance of some music from Der Rosenkavalier of Strauss and Rota’s very engaging one-act opera I due Timidi. Marlena would have been so pleased and proud of the artistry and professionalism of all of her students who graced that stage last night. It was such a joy to make music (and drama!) with them.
I just wish we could do it one more time.
Not because it didn’t go well, it did. It was fantastic. I want to do it again to have one more chance to enjoy the fruits of our labors, one more opportunity to be immersed in the music and the experience. But, that is not in the cards…on to the next program, and that’s exciting too.
Next for me, a symphony from Rachmaninoff and a work by an emerging American composer! My conducting fellow, Samuel Hollister will take the orchestra through one of Strauss’ tone poems.
NEXT UP
August 5, 2024
Music School Festival Orchestra
Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater
8:15 p.m.
Gala FLAGELLO Bravado
STRAUSS Death and Transfiguration
RACHMANINOFF Symphony No. 3
July 19, 2024
Sometimes you just gotta pull out all the stops….full throttle, no holding back.
Several months ago, the Chautauqua Symphony invited me to do a concert with them. I was told the soloist would be the wonderful guitarist Bokyun Byun playing Rodrigo’s classic, “Conceirto Aruanjez.”
It doesn’t get more Spanish than Aruanjez, so we had the idea to create a Spanish-themed program. This is where the stop pulling comes in.
The most famous Spanish classical music is, ironically, written by the French, think “Bolero” of Ravel as one example…cultural appropriation at its best, and yet another way classical music is confusing. These French composers wrote out of sheer love, admiration and fascination with Spanish culture though, and since they are neighbors, it’s not too much of a stretch to reach something approaching authentic, or at least adjacent.
Along with “Bolero”, Ravel also wrote a work called “Alborada del Gracioso” first conceived in a set of piano works and later orchestrated by the composer. This work opened our program, all stops full on. Bo delivered a stunning Aruanjez to follow, some actual Spanish music, by an actual Spaniard. We stayed in that vein, Spanish Music by a Spanish composer, with a suite from Manuel da Falla’s ballet “Three Cornered Hat” or “Sombrero des Tres Picos” in Falla’s native Spanish….again, all stops open.
The French connection returned to close the concert with Chabrier’s classic “España” a work I heard one of my colleagues wryly describe backstage as “the best piece of Spanish music ever written.”
It’s always a pleasure for me to make music with my friends and colleagues in the CSO, some of whom I have known for over a quarter of a century. It was a wonderful evening.
Next for me is another program with Chautauqua’s Music School Festival Orchestra, a program in remembrance of my dear friend and colleague Marlena Malas you passed away last year.
NEXT UP
July 29, 2024
Music School Festival Orchestra
Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater
8:15 p.m.
SMYTH Overture to “The Wreckers”
STRAUSS A Suite from Der Rosenkavlier
ROTA I due Timidi
#chautauquasymphony #bokyunbyun
July 16, 2024
The Chautauqua Institution's Music School Festival Orchestra kicked off our 2024 season last night. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the annual gathering called the Chautauqua Institution, so we opened the program with Roger Brigg’s evocative work “Gathering Together.” We used this work for a slightly similar occasion in the Lansing Symphony, namely the first concert after Covid lockdowns, to celebrate gathering again. It was wonderful to revisit this work in somewhat less extraordinary times (if there is such a thing).
The music is inspired by a poem by Patricia Goedicke called “The People Gathering Together”. We were thrilled to have the #1 NY Times best-selling author of over 40 books, poet and Emmy winner, Kwame Alexander join us on stage for a beautiful reading of the poem prior to the orchestral performance. Kwame is the Artistic Advisor of Literary Arts at CHQ, and having him there made it a very “Chautauqua” moment, celebrating not only gathering, but also interdisciplinary artistic connections which are one of the hallmarks of the place.
The program continued with a Haydn symphony, beautifully conducted by my conducting fellow, Sam Hollister. We finished with Elgar’s Enigma Variations. The orchestra was in fine form for just one week together and sounded glorious all night. A shout-out also to CHQ’s Director of Religious Music and Organist Joshua Stafford who joined us on the fabulous Massey Organ for the Elgar.
I’ll be with the Chautauqua Symphony next, in just two days, a colorful program of Spanish and Spanish-inspired music.
NEXT UP
July 18, 2024
Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra
Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater
8:15 p.m.
Bockyun Byun, Guitar
RAVEL Alborado del Gracioso
RODRIGO Concierto de Aruanjez
FALLA Suite No. 2 from “Three Cornered Hat”
CHABRIER “España”
#chautauquainstitution #kwamealexander #joshuastafford
May 23, 2024
Having a young person’s concert as the final event of an orchestra’s season is a nice way to close things out before we all go our separate ways for the summer, and Lansing Symphony had ours yesterday. YPC’s are such important work for us, and you can tell there is a collective recognition of that in the group.
Also, these concerts are a bit more casual than presenting a Rachmaninoff Symphony which requires us to muster our top form in execution, endurance and concentration, leaving us usually quite spent at their conclusion. Not that YPC’s don’t present their own kind of challenge, they do! The music is mostly uncompromising in technical and musical demands, and we have very limited rehearsal time to put it all together, but still there is a more casual vibe to the whole thing.
Perhaps the lunch break is one of the defining features of the season-closer YPC experience. We often say an orchestra is a family, but in terms of a family gatherings, rehearsals and concerts don’t allow for much time to connect about anything other than the music itself. There is not much space for chit-chat. Most players arrive and go directly into warmup mode, and when rehearsal is over, most are out the door and on their way home within minutes…you’d think there had been a fire alarm. The lunch break between the two YPC”s (provided by the LSO) gave us all a chance and an excuse to hang out a bit, bond, get caught and enjoy each other’s company before we don’t see each other for a few months.
The concert itself is always a joy too. The kids come so well prepared by their teachers for the concert. You can tell they are really engaged and getting a lot from the experience. We love playing for them, we love sharing with them, we love knowing that this moment, this slice of time in their growth is one full of joy, learning and inspiration. How lucky we are to play that part in their young lives.
Up next for me is our season opener at Chautauqua…hard to believe that time is here again.
NEXT UP
July 16, 2024
Chautauqua Music School Festival Orchestra
Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater
8:15 p.m.
Roger BRIGGS Gathering Together
HAYDN Symphony No. 95
ELGAR Enigma Variations
#lansingsymphony
May 11, 2024
I’m a few decades into my career now, ok maybe more than a few. For many of us with this much “experience” it’s always a bit of a surprise to come upon a new, old work, especially one by a hugely famous and popular composer.
My colleagues in the Lansing Symphony and I took on Rachmaninoff’s Third Symphony last night. From the conversations I had this week, I think it was a first for a lot of us. That so few of us had performed it before is a bit hard to wrap one’s head around, especially given that it’s his best symphony IMHO.
His second symphony is the popular one…so popular, themes from it were used in actual Popular Music in the 70’s and even earlier. Yes, classical music can be popular, but Classical music by definition is not Popular. It’s a tough row we hoe in the business.
The Second Symphony of Rachmaninoff is one of the greatest hits of the symphonic genre, but the Third is seldom played. He only wrote three, so why the neglect? That’s a question that’s has long been asked, usually by people who have just listened to the Third.
The Third has all the qualities we love in Rachmaninoff, and it’s even a bit shorter than 2. For my tastes, it’s a distillation of his style, a purification, an intensification. I love the Second Symphony as well, but it seems watered down compared to the Third….sort of the difference between having your bourbon on the rocks or neat. It’s great both ways, but the Third is decidedly “neat.”
The audience seemed to embrace it last night. I think they were especially wowed by the spectacular playing of the Lansing Symphony’s players. It’s a demanding work. They delivered and then some.
The first half of the program opened with music by LSO’s Composer-in-Residence, Jared Miller, a piece called “Luster.” It’s an impactful and engaging work, full of color and rich sonorities and a very satisfying arc to the drama. It’s only 7 minutes long, but it feels like a complete and fulfilling journey. I look forward to doing this music again sometime as soon as possible. The audience let us know that Jared (and the LSO) hit the mark with this one.
Our guest artist for the evening was the wonderful young pianist Harmony Zhu who played Mozart Concerto 23. She brought grace, elegance, and energy to this wonderful concerto (perhaps my fave of the Mozart concerti…certainly one of them at least). Harmony is in the early years of her career, but she is one to watch. It was a joy to have her with us!
Next up for me is Lansing Symphony’s Young People’s Concerts in a few weeks, some of the most important, and exciting work we do. Thousands of young people from the area will be joining us at the Wharton center for a wonderful concert designed especially for them.
NEXT UP
May 22, 2024
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
“Link Up” Young People’s Concert
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
East Lansing, Michigan
10:00 am and 12:30 a.m.
“The Orchestra Moves”
#jaredmiller #harmonyzhu #lansingsymphony
March 24, 2024
The violin concerto repertoire is an embarrassment of riches. Think of the two Prokofiev concerti, the Sibelius, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Bruch, Stravinsky, Berg, Shostakovich, and newer ones from Adams, Corigliano, Marsalis and so many others spanning over 5 centuries (Vivaldi’s aren’t too shabby either). Of all of them, I think there is one work that stands alone. A person doesn’t usually make such pronouncements in the world of art, I mean, how do we really quantify such things? But in some cases, it seems obvious.
Beethoven wrote his violin concerto in 1806, the period during which many of his most popular works were composed. He wrote the work for a violinist named Franz Clement who was among the most highly regarded violinists of the day. The work was not especially well received, however. Published reviews of the premiere were tepid at best and rather derogatory at worst. It would be decades before the work gained any momentum in the public’s enthusiasm.
Sometimes that’s how it goes with art, though. A work has to find its time and place, which this work certainly has. IMHO, it is the pinnacle of the genre, (with Sibelius and Brahms right up there). From the elemental opening of 4 timpani strokes on which an entire 20-minute movement is built, to the introspective and almost dreamy slow movement, and through the infectious and joyous rondo of the final movement, this work, in its symphonic proportions and conception, is an unparalleled, epic experience for the listener and the musicians.
It is also a work that requires a very special soloist. The tool kit one needs to play this piece is different from what one might bring to a Tchaikovsky or Glazunov. There is something of a tight-rope walk in finding the essential qualities for Beethoven. It requires an element of exquisite balance…balancing focus and intensity, allowing room for breath, but not distorting the formal elements. It takes a tone that is strong, deep, rich but controlled and pure. To be honest, it’s not a work that is in every violinist’s wheelhouse, even some of the greatest can miss the mark on this.
The mark was hit dead center last night by the magnificent Bella Hristova at the Wharton Center with the Lansing Symphony. She brought transcendent playing to this transcendent work, and I am sure that all of us there, either on stage or in the audience, are enjoying the warm glow of memories of that performance. I wish we could do it again.
I also want to mention the orchestra who, in their usual form, were magnificent last night. They definitely delivered on Beethoven, a work that might appear deceptive simple but requires supreme musicianship. The rest of the program was also demanding, including a new and unique work of Sarah Gibson’s and two iconic works of late Romanticism, Wagner’s Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde, and Strauss’ virtuoso orchestral masterpiece, Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks. What a joy it was to be a part of it all.
Next for me is a return trip to the Cleveland Institute of Music to work with some of their conducting students. After that, the season closer in Lansing, some music of Mozart, Rachmaninoff and our wonderful Composer-in-Residence, Jared Miller.
NEXT UP
May 10, 2024
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Harmony Zhu, piano
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
East Lansing, Michigan
7:30 p.m.
Jared MILLER Luster
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 23
RACHMANINOFF Symphony No. 3
#bellahristova #lansingsymphony #sarahgibson #jaredmiller
March 4, 2024
The music world is blessed with many truly wonderful performing artists, musicians who have total command of their instrument and a real gift for making a piece of music speak to an audience in a special way. Today, there are more people in that category than ever before.
Within that category, however, there are but a few who create an experience that transcends the purely musical. One person who comes to mind in this category is Lang Lang. Lang Lang is an extraordinary musician and pianist who has a decidedly outsized impact on an audience. Anyone who has witnessed this live, first-hand, will know of what I speak. As I write this, Elvis comes to mind as a comparison. I have never seen an audience so enthralled with the raw charisma and talent of a classical musician. His concerts are unforgettable.
Saturday night, those of us in Baton Rouge’s River Center Theater for the Baton Rouge Symphony’s Pennington Great Performers in Concert 2024 installment experienced one of the other members of this most rarified club. I had an especially good seat, btw….standing, actually.
I’m referring to Yo Yo Ma. Yo Yo is the most famous classical musician alive today. Of classical musicians whose names are household words, he is in the most households, probably by a long shot.
Yo Yo’s secret sauce is humanity, which he exudes from every pore. Whether it is in a one-on-one conversation, or a small group of people backstage, or a concert hall full of 2000 people, we all feel the same thing: Yo Yo is singularly focused on us. Whomever it may be in that moment, that is where his focus unflinchingly lies.
When he walks on stage, every person in the hall feels him connect with them individually. He is there to play for you, and if there were just one of you in the hall, he would give everything he has for you.
His interactions with the other musicians on stage is really something to be experienced. He connects with every player on that stage, even those behind him….not sure how that happens, but it does.
Backstage before the dress rehearsal, does he sequester himself in his dressing room? No, he makes a point to have meaningful contact with as many of the orchestral musicians as possible. You feel like his best friend in the moment you are with him. Is it fake? contrived? A put-on? No. It’s just who this guy is, a lovely human being.
Great music making is about a connection with the listener. It’s about taking ink spots on the page that represent a composer’s inspiration and turning them into something that resonates at the emotional core of the listener. Much of that is simply how we play, but then there is the “je ne sais quoi” of an artist like Yo Yo. (sorry…I know that's super pretentious to drop that in here, but it kinda works). I think it comes back to the humanity, and the bandwidth of his humanity. It’s just bigger than what most of us mortals have. We can be inspired by it. We can try to emulate it, but there is no duplicating it.
Oh, and he plays the cello very well too.
On a personal note, it was such a joy to be back with my friends in Baton Rouge, both on stage and off. I miss you all and look forward to our next time together.
NEXT UP
March 23, 2023
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Bella Hristova, violin
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
East Lansing, Michigan
7:30 p.m.
Sarah GIBSON to make this mountain taller
BEETHOVEN Violin Concerto
WAGNER Prelude and Liebestod from “Tristan and Isolde”
STRAUSS Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks
#yoyoma #batonrougesymphony #lansingsymphony #penningtongreatperformers
February 17, 2024
Well that was certainly fun....we had the guys from “Classical Mystery Tour” with us in Lansing on Friday. They have been doing their symphonic Beatles show for nearly 30 years, and there is a reason for that longevity. It is a great show!
We had a terrific turnout at the Wharton Center, and they clearly loved it. I think for those of us in the orchestra, a big part of the appeal was that the orchestral arrangements were nearly verbatim from what was done on the original recordings, so there was a great authenticity to the sound, and it is, of course, wonderful music.
A big shout out to our Principal Trumpet, Neil Mueller for his spectacular Penny Lane trumpet solo. Also kudos to our Principal Second Violin, Florina Petrescu (who played Concertmaster for this), Ben Penzner, Principal Viola, and our Principal Saxophonist Joe Lulloff for the great solos in “Twist and Shout.” Feel free to fact check me on this, but I have a strong hunch that may have been the first time for a viola feature in that tune.
Next for me, a trip back to see my friends in Baton Rouge for a concert with Yo Yo Ma…looking forward to that!
NEXT UP
Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra
Yo Yo Ma, cello
Pennington Great Performers in Concert
Saturday, March 2, 2024, 8:00 p.m.
River Center Theater for the Performing Arts
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
CHABRIER Espana Rhapsody
MENDELSSOHN Fingal's Cave Overture
WG STILL Lenox Avenue: The Crap Game and The Flirtation
COPLAND El Salon Mexico
DVORAK Cello Concerto
#yoyoma #classicalmysterytour #batonrougesymphony #lansingsymphony
February 7, 2024
One of my new favorite things at the Lansing Symphony is our “Winterlude” Concert. “Winterlude” is free to the public and presented in the glorious Sanctuary of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in downtown Lansing. It is a stunning space visually, acoustically and spiritually.
We just did our second “Winterlude” last weekend. These concerts allow us to explore repertoire we might not otherwise program. For example, last year we did two Bach cantatas and two Mendelssohn string symphonies, works we would probably not include in typical Wharton Center programs.
This year we brought the LSO brass and percussion sections, added an organist for good measure, and had a musical and sonic experience that will not likely be forgotten anytime soon. Like last season’s concert with Bach cantatas, this program was also largely music with spiritual roots, which added to power of the experience in that space. We did Tomasi’s Fanfare Liturgiques, Hovhaness Prayer of St. Gregory, of course some Gabrielli, works written for the St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, which translated perfectly into the St. Paul’s acoustic space. We had a capacity crowd for the second year in a row. I think “Winterlude” is a keeper.
It was a joy to dive into this music with my brass, percussion and organ colleagues. We don’t normally get to “go there”, but “go there” we did, and it’s still ringing in my memory in a most beautiful way.
….oh, and a shout out to former LSO librarian, Nick Buonanni for coming up with the name “Winterlude”. It’s perfect!
NEXT UP
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Classical Mystery Tour: Music of the Beatles
Friday, February 16, 2024
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
East Lansing, Michigan
7:30 p.m.
January 13, 2024
The trumpet is truly a familiar sound. The instrument’s ancestry can be traced back thousands of years to many parts of the globe. Early ancestors of the instrument we made from clay, or wood, bone, animal horns and eventually brass. Its abundant tone and strong character led the instrument to take on ceremonial and religious functions as well as simply a form of communication over great distances.
It is an instrument largely defined to the general public by its iconic uses…think of a bugle playing taps or reveille, a shofar sounding the commencement of Rosh Hashana, or the call at the start of the Kentucky Derby.
There are certainly no shortage of iconic moments for the trumpet within an orchestra too. How about Rossini’s William Tell Overture, the opening cock crow of Rimsky Korsakov’s Le Coq d’Or, or Beethoven’s Leonore Overture calls? Strauss’s Also Sprach Zarathustra comes to mind as does Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man. Take a step off the beaten path and we find the unique opening to Janacek’s Sinfonietta with 10 trumpets in solemn, lyrical fanfare.
Each of these, however, are really single-dimensional applications of the instrument. What happens when composers dig a bit deeper, stretch beyond the stereotype? That path leads us to something like the tragic opening of Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, Respighi’s evocative off-stage solo in the Pines of Rome or the ballerina’s dance from Stravinsky's Petrouchka and virtually every trumpet moment in his L’histoire du Soldat. Now we are getting somewhere, and we haven’t even touched on the realm of jazz. Consider what Miles Davis did for expanding the instrument’s expressive scope.
I dare say the expressive scope of the trumpet took a quantum leap last Friday night with the premiere of David Biedenbender’s concerto for trumpet to which he gave the title River of Time. Dave sought inspiration for this work from many sources, some new, some old, some bright, and some dark. What came forth was a work unlike any other I have heard, certainly in the realm of the trumpet, but also beyond. It takes the listener on a rich and expansive emotional journey in a language that uniquely adapts and molds the trumpet’s extensive possibilities into music that is decidedly of our time--powerful, appealing and immediately engaging to the audience.
Without human contact, the trumpet is but a piece cold brass, (yes…elegantly shaped. I’ve seen good table lamps made from them). Add the warmth of human breath, a strong artistic sensibility, years of experience and commitment and the instrument comes to life in ways no other instrument can. LSO’s Principal Trumpet, Neil Mueller brought the breath, experience and artistry to the equation on Friday and delivered a most memorable performance of the work, bringing it into the world for the first time. Dave and Neil are good friends, btw, and I think we could hear that in this music. As we were performing it, I was wishing it wouldn’t end. It’s one of those pieces.
The program also included Mozart’s spirited and graceful Symphony 35 “Haffner” and the Symphony in C of Bizet, his one and only work in the genre and real gem.
The overly-hyped winter storm news had a somewhat negative impact on our attendance, but those who were there let us know they enjoyed it. In reality we only had about 2 inches of snow on the ground by the end of the concert, nothing any hardy Michigander can’t handle, but the fear invoked by attention-starved media made it sound like a winter Armageddon was upon us. What will they do when we have a really bad storm some day?
Next for me is something completely different, our fairly new concert offering we call Winterlude, a concert in Lansing’s St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. This year’s Winterlude is music for organ, brass and percussion. It will be a wonderful burst of warmth to the bleak midwinter.
NEXT UP
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
WINTERLUDE
Music for Brass, Percussion and Organ
February 4, 3:00 p.m.
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
#LansingSymphony #DavidBiedenbender #NeilMueller
#trumpetconcerto
December 18, 2023
The Lansing Symphony’s annual Holiday Pops concert is in the books now. We had a festive and capacity crowd at the Wharton Center yesterday afternoon, and I think they left happy. It feels great to be a part of a community’s holiday traditions, and as such we look forward to this concert every year.
The famous phrase “make hay when the sun shines” has a slightly different application to the professional musician. The sun tends to shine in December as their calendars are booked with one holiday engagement after another through most of the month. Many will work on New Year’s Eve too.
The impressive thing to me is that one never senses a casual approach from these musicians as a result of that schedule. They know that, while this might be holiday concert No. 15 for them this month, it’s concert No. 1 for the audience. These concerts are not easy. There is a lot of work to do in a short amount of time to deliver a professional quality product, and what I see from our musicians is that they give 100% every single time…the focus is on the audience experience as it should be. It is a pleasure and honor for me to work with musicians like those of the LSO.
Kudos to our guest artist, Teri Hansen, for her engaging presence yesterday afternoon. She brought a remarkably wide range of styles in her repertoire and the audience loved it.
Kudos also to the young people that joined our concert, with a guest appearance from members of the Lansing Children’s Choir and our wonderful “Side By Side” participants, area high school students who joined us for a few works yesterday. You all sounded wonderful.
Next up for me is LSO’s January Masterworks, music of Mozart, Bizet and a world premiere of David Biedenbender!
NEXT UP
January 12, 2024
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Neil Mueller, trumpet
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
East Lansing, Michigan
7:30 p.m.
MOZART Symphony No. 35 “Haffner”
BIEDENBENDER River of Time, concerto for trumpet WORLD PREMIERE
BIZET Symphony in C
#terihansen
December 3, 2023
No one wrote magic into music like Tchaikovsky. No one wrote fantasy like he did, or defined character in sound so eloquently and in such technicolor detail. To know the ballets of Tchaikovsky is an important start to the understanding of his brilliance and unique contribution to music.
Yes, there is Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty, two masterpieces, but of course today, being December, I’m referring to The Nutcracker. I just had the privilege of doing it again with the Flint Symphony and the Flint Institute of Music in Flint's gorgeous Whiting Auditorium.
I love this production. It is a beautiful mix of professional, student and community dancers that brings Tchaikovsky’s ballet to life with nuance, depth and virtuosity. The artistic team, headed by Tara Gragg, knows exactly how to get the most from each dancer and ensemble. It is a feast for the eyes and ears, full of character and life.
While I am not a fan of the tradition of ballet audiences applauding in the middle of the music when a dancer executes a difficult step or sequence, I do have a soft spot for the spontaneous combustion applause that happens at the emotional high points of this work, those moments of cataclysmic release following a build up like only Tchaikovsky can muster. There are a handful of these between the two Pas de Duex where the audience simply cannot contain their enthusiasm for the power, beauty and grandeur of the music and movement. No need to hold back folks…bring it on.
It's obvious that the people of Flint value this production, now in it’s 48th season. I learned today that both performances in this grand theater of over 2000 seats were sold out back in August.
Next up for me is more holiday music, namely the Holiday Pops of the Lansing Symphony. I’m looking forward to it. If you want to come, best get your tickets right away!
NEXT UP:
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Holiday Pops with Teri Hansen
December 17 at 3:00 p.m
Wharton Theater
East Lansing, Michigan
#lansingsymphony #flintsymphony
November 12, 2023
If there was ever a “perfect storm” in music, it would be Carl Orff’s cantata Carmina Burana which the Lansing Symphony performed this weekend. This work is the result of a combination of powerful elements, namely, inspiration, ancient but timeless, falling into the hands of the right composer at the right time. It is a work grounded in fundamental human experiences. I would go more into the detail of the content, but this is a family show. A quick internet search will yield the texts for those looking for some excitement.
And dare I say it is the most popular piece of “classical” music? Yes, Beethoven Symphony 9 is popular too, but Orff brings an audience like no other…they are ready for an epic experience. The energy of the audience, awaiting the first “O Fortuna” is palpable.
“Why is it so popular,” one might ask. The answer is that Orff knew exactly what he was doing in setting these ancient, evocative texts. He found a voice that echoes their middle-ages origin, yet frames them in a contemporary language that heightens their impact. He mainlines the essence of the message directly to the heart of the listener--- no frills, no just pure, unadulterated, expressive content that flows from the joys, torments, and desires of the anonymous souls who wrote these poems centuries ago.
Kudos to our chorus for the program, 250 voices made up the Michigan State’s University Chorale, State Singers and Choral Union. Our magnificent soloists were Penelope Shumate, soprano, Babatunde Akinboboye, baritone and David Shaler, tenor as the roasting swan, complete with costume and props befitting a night in the tavern. The orchestra was in fine form as well…such an exciting evening for a capacity crowd.
We opened the program with a work by the American composer, Valerie Coleman called “Umoja: Anthem of Unity.” The title says a lot of course. This work is one of the great gifts to the orchestral repertoire we have received in recent decades, and I look forward to the next opportunity to perform this new masterpiece.
Up next for me, Nutcracker with the Flint Symphony and Flint Institute of Music. Yes…it’s that time of year!
NEXT UP:
Flint Symphony Orchestra
Guest artists from Collage Dance Collective
Dancers from Flint School of Performing Arts
The Whiting, Flint Michigan
December 2 at 7:30 p.m. and December 3 at 3:00 p.m.
Tchaikovsky The Nutcracker
#lansingsymphony #flintsymphony #valeriecoleman
September 15, 2023
Another Lansing Symphony Orchestra season is now officially underway with last night’s season opener at the Wharton Center. One of the highlights was the introduction of the LSO’s new Composer-in-Residence, Jared Miller. We began the concert with his work “Surge and Swell”, a work inspired by the sounds of New York’s night club scene, especially the EDM (Electronic Dance Music) element.
Pianist Claire Huangci joined us for Ravel’s Concerto in G, and we closed the program with Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 “From the New World”. With the American jazz roots of Ravel’s work, the Native American and African American influences on Dvorak's along with Jared’s work, it was an “All-American” program albeit from many different perspectives.
Also notable was the reception that followed the concert. This was an event designed for the musicians of the orchestra and composers from the area to meet and mingle with Jared. One of our objectives of LSO’s Composer-in-Residence program is to further strengthen the bonds within the extraordinary community of composers in Michigan…and it is a remarkable community for sure. I was so pleased to see so many composers here, and most importantly, making plans to connect and work with Jared during his time with us.
Next up is Orff’s epic Carmina Burana in Lansing, and an uplifting and inspiring work of Valerie Coleman.
NEXT UP
November 10, 2023
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
MSU University Chorale, State Singers and Choral Union
Penelope Shumate, soprano
David Shaler, Tenor
Babatunde Akinboboye, Baritone
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
East Lansing, Michigan
7:30 p.m.
Valerie Coleman Umoja
Carl Orff Carmina Burana
#jaredmillercomposer #clairehuangci #lansingsymphonyorchestra #valeriecoleman #babatundeakinboboye #penelopeshumate #davidshaler
August 8, 2023
Goodbyes are often difficult. Saying farewell to the musicians of Chautauqua’s Music School Festival Orchestra is always one of the tough ones. Each summer we spend several weeks together in a high-pressure situation, presenting very demanding concerts back to back. It becomes a very close working relationship. The orchestra personnel changes every summer, but the conductor has been the same for 26 years.
The last concert is always a mixed bag of emotions as is often the case in the music profession. On the one hand, there is a sense of relief that the intense run is over and successful, but then there is also some sadness that it has ended. We’ve just begun this relationship in June, gotten into a nice flow, and now it is no more. But we all know that going into it. It’s part of the design, and as it should be.
We closed the season with two works. The first was Copland’s suite from his ballet Billy The Kid. Conducting Fellow Ryo Hasegawa led the orchestra through a polished and lively reading. I took the second half of the concert with Mahler’s epic Symphony No. 5. The orchestra rose to the occasion and then some.
I’ve got a little breathing room now. I’ll use that time to start learning, or re-learning the repertoire for the coming months. Also, we have auditions for some openings in the Lansing Symphony in early September, then we kick off the new LSO season shortly after. First on that program will be a work by our new Composer-in-Residence Jared Miller…a lot to look forward to!
NEXT UP
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
East Lansing, Michigan
Claire Huangci, piano
September 14, 2023
Jared MILLER Surge and Swell
RAVEL Piano Concerto in G
DVORAK. Symphony No. 9 “From the New World”
#lansingsymphony #clairehuangci #chautauqua #musicschoolfestivalorchestra
July 18, 2023
Once a year I get invited into a very special world, one created by the legendary voice teacher Marlena Malas. In this world, Marlena surrounds herself with the finest people: top notch coaches, teachers, stage directors and of course she attracts the finest students. I always feel very fortunate when I have the opportunity to be a part of that team.
The annual event is our collaboration between her program and mine that results in a staged opera in Chautauqua’s Amphitheater. This is a tradition that Marlena and I started just a few years after I started my position at CHQ back in the 20th Century. We felt, and rightly so, that this could be an excellent experience for our students and the audience. The fact that I love to conduct opera might have had something to do with it as well.
I don’t know the exact year off the top of my head, but we are well into two decades of these productions. The last 10 or so have been with John Giampietro doing the stage production. I love working with John. He brings a truly inspired vision to all of his work. These productions are always done on a shoe-string budget, minimal props, no sets and just very basic lighting. I joked last night that, give John a flashlight and a roll of duct tape and he’ll give you a beautiful opera.
Our production was a double bill of two of Puccini’s Il Trittico: Gianni Schicchi and Suor Angelica. Everything came together beautifully for the performance. I wish we could do them again. Like I said, I love to conduct opera.
Back to Marlena’s remarkable students. when I first started this job, I used to be surprised when I would see her former and current students show up in reviews in the NY Times, Washington Post or Wall Street Journal at least weekly mentioning their successes in the major opera houses of the world. I soon realized that was not something about which to be surprised. Many of the world’s greatest singers have come through her studio. I hesitate to single out any singers from last night for fear of leaving someone out. Suffice it to say that the entire cast was fabulous, but I do feel compelled to say keep an eye on Marquita Richardson who sang the title role of Suor Angelica. She is on her way to something very big.
Bravo to all involved in last night…what a thrill it was to be a part of it.
My next concert here will be our final of the season. My conducting fellow, Ryo Hasegawa will bring Copland’s wonderful Billy the Kid to life, and I’ll wrap up with Mahler Symphony No. 5.
#ChautauquaOperaConservatory #MarlenaMalas #JohnGiampietro #ChautauquaInstitution #marquitarichardson
NEXT UP
Chautauqua Institution
Music School Festival Orchestra
August 7, 2023 8:15 p.m.
Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater
Chautauqua, New York
COPLAND Billy the Kid Suite (Ryo Hasegawa, conducting)
MAHLER Symphony No. 5
July 10, 2023
Julimar Gonzalez is a name to remember and watch. I’ve known Julimar for many years. She started coming to Chautauqua’s Music School as a highly-gifted, but very young violinist and tonight appeared as soloist with our orchestra as a polished and accomplished young artist. All along that journey she has been under the nurturing guidance of Almita Vamos, CHQ faculty and among the great violin teachers in this country.
Julimar played Shostokovich’s 1st concerto…no mean feat for any one, and immensely challenging for the orchestra as well. The work is a remarkable journey from darkness, not to light as one might expect, but to some kind of frenetic, frenzied, frantic energy (pick the f-word that resonates for you). It is a work that whips the audience into a froth unlike hardly any other that I know. It is also one that plumbs the depths of despair, agony and hopelessness. There are times that the work is simply frigid like only Shostakovich can produce.
Not only does this work take extraordinary technical ability of the part of everyone on that stage, but it takes emotional maturity, poise, and focus. Julimar and the Music School Festival Orchestra brought all of the above and then some to the occasion. As they say, “the audience went wild.”
Also notable on this program was the CHQ premier of conductor Ryo Hasegawa, our 2023 conducting fellow. Ryo led the orchestra through a rousing and beautiful “Carnival Overture” of Dvorak. It was an exceptional performance.
We finished the program with Hindemith's “Symphonic Metamorphosis”, a work that demands a unique style of playing, even unique among Hindemith’s works. It is a different style than his "Symphonie Mathis Der Maler" or "Konzertmusic for Strings and Brass". To me this work is something of a musical manifestation of the Bauhaus movement…geometic, mechanical, engineered, architectural…but in all that, beautiful, an artistic descendent of JS Bach. This orchestra hit the mark!
Congratulations to all involved!
NEXT UP
Chautauqua Institution
Music School Festival Orchestra and Opera Conservatory
July 17 2023 8:15 p.m.
Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater
Chautauqua, New York
PUCCINI Gianni Schicchi
PUCCINI Suor Angelica
#julimargonazles #chautauquamusicfestival #shostakovich
July 7, 2023,
What a pleasure it was to again make music as a guest with my long-time friends and colleagues of the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra. At Music Director Rossen Millenov’s request, we took on one of Florence Price’s Symphonies for this program. Of the three extant, I chose the first of her symphonies thinking it would be a good introduction to her work for the CHQ audience. The attention the work has garnered recently as a result of a Grammy nod to a recording of the work by the Philadelphia Orchestra strengthened the case. (As an aside, CSO percussionist Tom Blanchard played on that recording with Philly...congrats Tom!)
The players of the CSO made a strong case for this beautiful and inspired music and the audience clearly enjoyed it. One has to imagine, had Ms. Price not faced the immense obstacles in her path of being a woman composer of color in the early 20th century, what else might she have achieved as such a gifted and inspired artist?
We also played Stravinsky's Firebird 1919 on this, and the orchestra was electrifying. What a joy to be a part of that! Thank you my dear friends for such a beautiful evening.
I’m back to the Music School Festival Orchestra next for a program of Shostakovich, Hindemith and Dvorak featuring former MSFO member Julimar Gonzalez as violin soloist and CHQ’s 2023 Conducting Fellow, Ryo Hasegawa conducting Dvorak.
NEXT UP
Chautauqua Institution
Music School Festival Orchestra
July 10, 2023 8:15 p.m.
Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater
Chautauqua, New York
Julimar Gonzalez, violin
Ryo Hasegawa, conductor*
SHOSTAKOVICH Violin Concerto No. 1
DVORAK Carnival Overture *
HINDEMITH Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber
July 3, 2023
The first concert of Chautauqua’s Music School Festival Orchestra of 2023 in now in the books. We opened our season with Strauss’s iconic“Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks” “Umoja” of Valerie Coleman and Haydn’s Symphony 100 "The “Military.”
To say this was an auspicious beginning would be an understatement. A week ago, these 83 people didn’t even know each other and tonight they came together in remarkable fashion to deliver a breathtaking and spirited “Till”…an uplifting and inspiring “Umoja” and a graceful and energized “Military”
If you will indulge me for a moment to wax, if not poetically, certainly in a most heart-felt manner about Ms. Coleman’s work “Umoja.” This is a important and powerful work of and from it’s time. The subtitle is “anthem of unity”…what more could we ask for from a composer in these times.?
IMHO, “Umoja” is among that small handful of works of our today, along with Chris Theofanidis's “Rainbow Body” that, upon hearing, the listener says, “wait, what was that? What just happened there? And can I do that again, like right now?” “Umoja” is a powerful, inspiring ,and uplifting work.
It was interesting to me that, in speaking with some "younger people" in the audience, that cherished demographic of arts organizations, that "Umoja" was their favorite work on the program. Could it be that composers like Ms. Coleman have found their audience? Could it be that music of our time is finding its time? Looking at the programming trends of the Metropolitan Opera and other significant arts organizations suggests this may very well be the case.
Next for me comes up quickly, as in Thursday night, with the Chautauqua Symphony, two 20th Century works-- music of Florence Price and Stravinsky. I'm looking forward to it!
#chautauquainstituion #valeriecoleman
NEXT UP
Chautauqua Institution
Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra
July 6, 2023 8:15 p.m.
Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater
Chautauqua, New York
FLORENCE PRICE Symphony No. 1
IGOR STRAVINSKY Firebird Suite (1919)
June 3, 2023
Season finales are often times of mixed emotions. There is the “relief” factor of having gotten through another season. There is the sense of sorrow in its ending and wanting to do it all over again, and then there is the excitement of the season to come.
This season’s Lansing Symphony finale was especially bittersweet. We said official goodbyes to some retiring long-time members of the orchestra (one of which was an old college buddy of mine, timpanist Andrew Spencer. We were at Eastman together back in the previous century). There were also other departures, not officially recognized last night but still sad for me, of some of our top-notch young talent who have been with us just a few years, now moving on in their careers. I wish them well and will miss their artistry and commitment.
Another farewell was to Patrick Harlin, LSO’s first-ever Composer-in-Residence. His three-year residency (which was Covid-extended to four years) ended last night with the world premiere of his uplifting piano concerto he called “The Fourth Pedal.” I can’t say enough good things about Patrick’s work with us over that time. He exceeded all expectations in this role and had a wonderful and memorable impact on this community.
Pianist Clayton Stephenson was the soloist for the premiere. Clayton played Florence Price’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with us last season on a program that also featured a premiere of Patrick’s. The two got to know each other during that time, and Patrick was so taken with Clayton’s artistry that it was a no-brainer for Patrick in deciding who would premiere his new concerto. Clayton knocked this unique, and engaging concerto out of the park and the audience went wild for it. I think this work will have an interesting life ahead as it gets discovered.
We opened the program with Grieg’s Lyric suite, a Nordic balancer for the Sibelius Second Symphony that finished it. The players of the Lansing Symphony were in their usual top form all night. It was a great pleasure to share the music with them.
My operations move to New York State soon where I begin my summer series at the Chautauqua Institution. As always, I look forward to my time there.
NEXT UP
Chautauqua Institution
Music School Festival Orchestra
July 3, 2023, 8:15 p.m.
Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater
Chautauqua, New York
STRAUSS Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks
VALERIE COLEMAN Umoja: Anthem of Unity
HAYDN Symphony No. 100 “Military”
#patrickharlin #claytonstephenson #lansingsymphony #thefourthpedal
May 11, 2023
The world premiere of a new piano concerto from Lansing Symphony Composer-in-Residence Patrick Harlin is just weeks away, coming up June 2. He calls it "The Fourth Pedal" and it is a beautiful and exciting work. We are thrilled to be inviting pianist Clayton Stephenson back to play the premiere. Clayton played with us last season, wowed the audience and Patrick, so it was a perfect match for a return engagement.
It will be the last concert for Patrick as our Composer-in-Residence. His three-year appointment has come to an end. He will be greatly missed as he far exceeded all expectations in every way.
Sibelius Second Symphony and Grieg's Lyric Suite will round out the program. I hope you can join us if you are in the area.
NEXT UP
June 2, 2023, 7:30 p.m.
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Clayton Stephenson, piano
Final Masterworks Concert of 22-23
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
East Lansing, Michigan
GRIEG Lyric Suite
HARLIN The Fourth Pedal
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 2
#lansingsymphony #patrickharlin #claytonstephenson
April 21, 2023
…still riding high off of last night’s LSO @The Robin performance. The Contempus Quartet, a group largely from within LSO ranks, was joined by harpist Emily Henley in the final concert of this season’s series at Lansing's Robin Theater.
Once again, we had a sold out crowd for the concert, and once again a program of vital, engaging, and beautiful music of our time. The program was called “Planet Earth” in honor of Earth Day. We heard from LSO Composer-in-Residence Patrick Harlin with two movements from his “Wilderness Anthology”, a work that featured soundscapes he and his wife had recorded in the Amazon.
“Queen’s Bath, Kauai” was a world premiere from Audrey Kelley that left the audience breathless...no one wanted to do anything to disrupt the atmosphere she created. It was stunningly beautiful in its rich harmonies and striking textures. I wanted to hear it again right away.
Also especially beautiful was Han-Ki Kim’s Blue, Bird, Blue Bird, a setting of a Korean folk tune.
We also heard wonderful works from Victor Marquez-Barrios, Kiara Glekler, Dan Temkin, Brett Mullins along with two icons, Glass and Cage.
Thanks to all involved for a wonderful, moving evening!
April 16, 2023
I remember coming out of my small-town movie theater one night in 1977 rather awestruck by what I had just experienced. I had never seen or heard anything like it. Special effects had been ramped up to an entirely new level. The depth of imagination and creativity that went into the story, the characters, the scenes, seemed like we were entering a new era of cinema. And then, there was the music…that music!... so powerful, so dramatic, so appropriately other worldly…or should I say other galactically (probably not a real word, I know).
It was the first Star Wars movie, and of course we now know the composer was the fabulous John Williams.
Star Wars was not Mr. Williams’ first, far from it. He had written for many films and television shows, some going back to the 1950’s. A few of the more famous include Valley of the Dolls, Goodbye Mr. Chips, The Poseidon Adventure, Towering Inferno, and Jaws among many, many others. He was a well-known entity in Hollywood, but Star Wars really brought him to the public’s attention.
A concert of music from Harry Potter, which the LSO performed last night, is as much about the genius of John Williams as anything else. Yes, J.K. Rowling, questionable social opinions aside, is also a remarkable artist, someone who created this wondrous world of Harry’s and, in so doing, instilled a love, or should I say craze, of reading in countless young people. These concerts, though, are really about the music and Williams proves himself a master yet again.
Mr. Williams could easily have been just coasting in his creative process when these films came out. He was world famous. He had the skills and experience from which he could have just cranked out stock musical gestures that would have fit the bill and still been better than anyone else could create. Yet, in doing a deep dive in these scores, it is apparent that he was not coasting at all. One senses he continues to search, evolve and grow, looking for the subtleties and nuances that would best enhance a character, story or a scene.
He has a total command of orchestration comparable to the greats like Ravel, Strauss and Wagner, from whom he clearly learned. Yet he is not simply resurrecting old musical styes. His music is solidly of our time, yet informed from the masters who preceded him.
For those of us making the music on stage, we don’t take this responsibility lightly. His music is quite challenging and unforgiving. When he wrote it, he was not thinking that it would be performed in a continuous fashion over the course of a two-hour concert. He wrote this music for short movie scenes, after the recording of which, the orchestra could pause and regroup. He was not concerned, nor should he have been, with the mental and physical endurance it would take to string all those short scenes together into a concert suite. So performing this music in concert is a challenge, but one that my wonderful colleagues in the Lansing Symphony rose to magnificently last night.
There were a few other composers represented on this program as well. Comparing them to JW thought is a bit like comparing Telemann to Bach. Telemann was a excellent composer, hugely popular in his day, and one who wrote highly effective and appealing music. Bach was a genius.
I will also say it was wonderful to play to a sold-out Wharton Center, over 2000 people there to hear a symphonic concert. The energy and excitement in the house was palpable, and we could all feel it on stage…such a thrill.
Next up for me is one of the most important concert initiatives we do in a season, our Young Peoples’ Concerts where a few thousand kids get out of school for a couple of hours to come hear the orchestra. Bringing those young people into our realm of great orchestral music is always a highlight of our year.
NEXT UP
Lansing Symphony Orchestra,
Link-Up, a partnership with Carnegie Hall
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
East Lansing, Michigan
May 3, 2023 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
March 26, 2023
Twenty years ago, the Baton Rouge Symphony embarked on a new and exciting journey. What began as a conversation between two friends, one them then BRSO Board Chair Johnny Tate and the other Paula Pennington de la Bretonne, Chairman of BR’s Pennington Foundation, with time became the Pennington Great Performers in Concert Series.
The first concert was with the legendary Itzhak Perlman in 2003. He played Tchaikovsky. Since that premiere of the series, many of the world’s greatest artists have shared the stage with the BRSO: Yo Yo, Van, Renee, Kiri, Denyce, Lang Lang and on and on. Last night we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the series with the incomparable violinist Hilary Hahn who, like Perlman 20 years earlier, also played Tchaikovsky.
While I would like to say that symmetry of repertoire was planned, I will confess it was a happy coincidence, but in pursuing that coincidence it is interesting to think back upon Mr. Perlman’s Tchaikovsky and compare it to Ms. Hahn’s. Both were deep, thoughtful, convincing interpretations of this iconic work, but they couldn’t have been more different. Each brought elements of musical conservatism (by this I mean fidelity to the written score) and each brought their own brand of musical freedom.
Mr. Perlman’s fidelity is tied to his signature style of playing which tends toward a relatively straightforward reading of a work with minimal rubato (spontaneous changes of tempo outside of what the composer indicates) and using focused beauty and subtle expressive nuance to bring out the inner magic of a piece. His “liberalism” comes from cutting extended passages in the final movement and re-writing some of the solo violin parts, both of which are long-standing traditions in the work.
Ms. Hahn on the other hand, plays all the notes Tchaikovsky wrote, exactly as written, and even includes observance of some of the larger scale tempo indications that are often disregarded by other violinists. Within that strict framework, her freedom comes in the form of a very free approach to the rhythmic flow of the work making for some breathtakingly beautiful moments.
Do I have a favorite? No. Both were beautiful, memorable and powerful in their own ways. Comparing them is just testimony to the broad spectrum of musical interpretation. There is no right or wrong, there us just authenticity, a strong musical vision and the skill to pull it off. I feel so very fortunate to have shared the stage with these two remarkable artists and all the others that have come through the Pennington Series.
The Tchaikovksy concerto was the second half of the program. The first half was all music of Latin America. We opened with Mexican composer Arturo Marquez’s now very famous Danzon No 2; the Peruvian Gabriella Lena Frank’s “Coqueteos” from “Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout”; Argentine Oslvaldo Golijov’s “Siderius” and back to Mexico for Moncayo’s block buster “Huapango”.
The impact of the 20-year run of this series (and its future) extends far beyond those who attend the concerts. It has become a calling card for the city, bringing it into national and international focus and setting it apart from other similar-sized Southern cities. We are all most grateful to the Pennington Foundation for their continued generosity and support of the arts and of Baton Rouge.
Next up for me is something completely different…an evening of Harry Potter!
NEXT UP
The Magical Music of Harry Potter
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
East Lansing, Michigan
April 15, 2023, 7:30 p.m.
#hilaryhahn #batonrougesymphony
March 18, 2023
Great orchestral playing is really great chamber music playing on a grand scale. We conductors are up there indicating tempo, but the real glue holding the ensemble together is each player listening to all the others. Our conducting gestures are mere approximations of the split-second timing necessary for superb ensemble playing.
Some works are especially dependent upon an orchestra’s chamber music skills to fully realize the composer’s intentions. Such is the case with the Symphony No. 7 of Dvorak which I had the pleasure of conducting with the Ann Arbor Symphony Saturday night.
It is a deceptively difficult work. Dvorak weaves lines between strings, winds and brass constantly, often at musically inconvenient times. For the work to speak, not only does the timing need to be right, but so does the intensity, color and character. This can only be achieved through intense listening on the part of the players. The AASO met the challenge and then some. It was an immensely satisfying performance to be a part of from my perspective.
I also had the chance to get to know violinist KyungSun Lee who played Prokofiev’s fabulous Second Violin Concerto with us. She really delivered with a powerful and beautiful performance.
We opened with Debussy’s iconic “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun”, another supreme test of an orchestra’s prowess but in a very different way than the Dvorak. Kudos to principal flute Alaina Bercilla for her beautiful portrayal of the work and to the entire orchestra as well.
Next up for me, I’m back to Baton Rouge for a program featuring Hilary Hahn in Tchaikovsky. The first half is a Latin-American musical fiesta with music of Moncayo, Marquez, Golijov and Gabriella Lena Frank. I am looking forward to being back in BR with all my friends of the BRSO and of course to working with the magnificent Ms. Hahn!
NEXT UP
Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra
River Center Theater
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
March 25, 2023, 8:00 p.m.
Hilary Hahn, violin
Arturo MARQUEZ Danzon No. 2
Gabriela Lena FRANK Coqueteos from "Leyendas"
Osvaldo GOLIJOV Sidereus
Jose Pablo MONCAYO Huapango
TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto in D
March 12, 2023
It was wonderful to be back with my old friends of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra in New Orleans this week. I am happy to say I’ve had a long, actually very long, and meaningful relationship with this ensemble, dating back to its first season of existence back in the 20th Century. One of the great things about working in the field of music is the regular rhythm of crossing paths with friends, and deepening that relationship through sharing musical experiences.
I’ve been at this job for a while now, and as a result I can’t remember the last time I did a guest engagement and didn’t know at least a few people in the orchestra, but the LPO is a different situation. Having done I’m sure a few hundred concerts with them over the years, it was a very moving experience for me to see and share the stage with them again.
While many of the old friends I saw were from decades past, it was equally exciting to see new friends, namely former member of my orchestra at Chautauqua who are now employed by the Louisiana Philharmonic. As someone who enjoys nurturing young talent, seeing them gainfully employed with their careers underway is a great thing. They also sounded wonderful!
It was also a joy to make new friends with the three fabulous young soloists who, as winners of the New Orleans International Piano Competition, were featured in last night’s program. Congratulations and best wishes to Tatiana Dorokhova, Seho Young, and Elia Cecino. It was a pleasure making music with you.
I’m back to Michigan for a concert this coming weekend. This one is with the Ann Arbor Symphony, a wonderful program with music of Dvorak, Debussy and Prokofiev…a nice lineup. This will be my first time working the fabulous violinist Kyung Sun Lee. I am very much looking forward to it!
NEXT UP
Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra
Michigan Theater
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Saturday, March 18, 8:00 p.m.
Kyung Sun Lee, violin
DEBUSSY Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
PROKOFIEV Violin Concerto No. 2
DVORAK Symphony No. 7
March 5, 2023
What a pleasure to have Ara Gregorian (an East Lansing High School alum!) and his wife Hye-Jin Kim as soloists with the Lansing Symphony last night. They played Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola. I think the uniqueness of the musical connections possible in a husband-and-wife duo is a real thing, and these two demonstrated that thing at its finest.
Certainly, the two cadenzas in this work were just a few of the high points. To witness them following each other around through all the twists and turns Mozart writes was truly something to behold and savor. I can still hear it in my head this morning.
We had a nice crowd last night....very appreciative. There was a fair amount of applause between movements which I know annoys some people, sadly. To me that is a good sign. It lets me know that those people are new to the classical music experience, and I’m thrilled they are there.
I often get questions about that from more seasoned concert goers. Am I offended, or bothered? The short answer is “no.”
The long answer is that these people are venturing out and trying a new, deep, challenging and powerful experience. Let’s welcome them to our world with open arms so that they come back and participate in the support and nurturing of the performing arts in our communities.
Besides, it’s not really that big of a deal is it? Audiences did applaud between movements in Mozart’s time and beyond, and the composers and performers appreciated it. These “hold your applause” rules are a construct of some mid-19th century German ideals whose time I think, frankly, can be allowed to expire. True, we don’t want a full-throated, 5-minutes of applause between movements, but a bit of appreciation never hurt anyone.
I’m off to New Orleans next week to conduct Louisiana Philharmonic in the Musical Arts Society of New Orleans’ Piano Concerto Showcase, a program that features winners of MASNO’s International Piano Competition. The program is Mozart K. 488 (on of my faves of his. It seems a unique style in his piano concerto output), the colorful and jazz-inspired G major concerto of Ravel and Tchaikovsky’s warhorse Concert No. 1. I’m looking forward to seeing and making music with my old friends of the LPO and being back in that uniquely soulful city.
NEXT UP
Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra
Rousell Hall
New Orleans, Louisiana
Saturday, March 11, 7:30 p.m.
Winners of the New Orleans International Piano Competition
MOZART Piano concerto in A, K. 488
RAVEL Piano concerto in G
TCHAIKOVSKY Piano concerto No. 1 in B-flat
#Lansingsymphony #Louisianaphilharmonic #nola #MASNO
February 17, 2023
At our Lansing Symphony board meeting yesterday, my colleague Courtney Millbrook, LSO's Executive Director, shared some findings from a recent study showing that, post lockdown, younger people are tending to return to live music events before other kinds of events and that those attending more “challenging” concerts tend to be “stickier” in terms of becoming returning patrons.
Well, that axiom held true at our second LSO@The Robin last night. This is now the 4th program that we have done in this series, a series featuring contemporary chamber music in a small theater in Lansing’s REO Town. These audiences are definitely trending young, and the concert was again sold out.
Our partners in this program were members of Lansing’s All Of The Above Hip Hop Academy, and they knocked it out of the park. We have partnered with them before in some classes, but this was our first performance together. I hope we can do more.
We called this program “Crossovers” as it featured classical music influenced from non-classical styles like indie rock, bluegrass, hip hop and a work with roots in Yiddish culture. It was quite a broad spectrum of styles, and it was very rewarding to hear the audience’s enthusiastic response to all the works.
We have two more LSO @The Robin concerts this season, and I’ll be interested to see the makeup of the audience. I think we can expect another capacity crowd, given the pattern we are seeing.
Next up for me is a Masterworks program with the LSO, music of Shostakovich, Beethoven and Mozart.
NEXT UP
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
East Lansing, Michigan
March 4, 2023 7:30 p.m.
Ara Gregorian, viola and Hye-Jin Kim violin
BEETHOVEN Coriolan Overture
MOZART Sinfonia Concertante
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 9
#Lansingsymphony
February 12, 2023
Music is the ultimate time machine. Pictures can bring back memories. A movie can be transportive, but those characters aren’t us. There’s an element of vicariousness that, while powerful, in terms of personal time travel slightly misses the mark. The same could be said of a poem or novel. Music however, releases our own feelings, our own experiences, our own memories, and while times (and we) change, a song sounds the same as we remembered it.
Last night’s Lansing Symphony Pops, “Music of the 80’s,” was a transportive event for those in the audience with memories of that decade. The energy in the room from the large and enthusiastic audience was palpable. The sea of cell-phone flashlights (the 21st-Century’s version of Bic lighters) coming from the audience was just one clue as to the joy they were experiencing. The audience chorus of well over 1000 people singing “Don’t Stop Believing” at the top of their lungs (and in tune!) was another. BTW…there were many audience members who weren’t even born yet in the 1980’s, and they were right there with us. Perhaps last night will be a memory someday unleashed by a musical time machine 40 years into their futures.
I’ve always enjoyed pops concerts and have done hundreds in my career. I like that we are reaching a different demographic of our community. I like the visceral response and direct interaction with the audience as well. I’ve noticed a change though since emerging from pandemic lockdowns. These concerts have a deeper impact. It’s not just “fun”, it’s celebration. There is a new-found appreciation for the joy live music can bring, especially when in the company of a thousand or so of your closest friends. Live music rules.
From here we turn this week to The Lansing Symphony @ The Robin, our series featuring contemporary chamber music. Thursday night our guest artists will include musicians from Lansing’s All The Above Hip Hop Academy collaborating with several of our musicians. It’s a program of crossover music--classical music mixed with hop hop, pop, bluegrass, Yiddish music and others! These programs have been selling out, so if you want to hear it, you'd better get your ticket now!
NEXT UP
Lansing Symphony Orchestra Chamber Players
Robin Theater 7:30 p.m.
February 16, 2023
Music of Son Lux, Jeremy Crosmer, composers from All the Above Hip Hop Academy, and Adam Har-Zvi
#Lansingsymphony #RobinTheater #alltheabovehiphopacademy
February 6, 2023
Yesterday was a first for me…my first time conducting cantatas of J.S. Bach. That might seem surprising, but given the nature of the music it is rare for such works to show up in the regular fare of the modern symphony orchestra, an ensemble that had not yet been invented in Johann’s time. Yes, there are “orchestras” in his cantatas, but they tend to be small and often have an unusual instrumentation. The Cantata BWV 106 that we did yesterday, for example, doesn’t use any violins. It was an orchestra of violas, cellos, bass and two flutes…such interesting colors and atmosphere created by that combination. We also performed BWV 196, which employs a string orchestra.
For conductors of my generation who are not Baroque specialists, Bach just doesn’t come across our desks often, aside from a Brandenburg here and there, or maybe an orchestral suite. Early in my career, when the period performance practice movement was really gaining momentum, I felt like we should, for the most part, leave this repertoire to the early music folks, and just focus on music written for our modern instruments and practices.
I think things have changed. For decades now, today’s performing musicians have all been listening to and admiring the extraordinary work being done by the period bands, and we, as modern instrument performers, have that period instrument style so firmly in our collective ears that we more easily and intuitively can adapt those concepts to modern instrument playing. I noticed immediately in our rehearsal last week how quickly the players came into the Baroque realm, and how a once elusive style seemed much closer to our grasp.
The gloriousness of this music deserves mention. Yes, we all know Bach was great, one of the “Three B’s” and all that, but it’s bigger than that. The more one dives in to his music, the more his genius and inspiration is revealed. His expressive language is simply unparalleled in his era. IMHO, even the great Handel doesn’t approach Bach’s profundity and expressive nuance. The process of learning these two cantatas was rather mind blowing for me. Two such masterpieces they are, and to think he cranked those out nearly every week of his career for church services. By the way, his congregation had no idea that they were in the presence of a GOAT…he was just another church musician to them.
This concert was Lansing Symphony’s “Winterlude”, a program in between our standard masterworks and played in Lansing’s beautiful Episcopal Church downtown rather than our usual Wharton Center. The concept apparently resonated with the community as we had a sold-out venue.
Along with the Bach, we also did two string symphonies of Felix Mendelssohn. Mendelssohn, born nearly 60 years after Bach’s death, was partly responsible for a resurgence of interest in Bach’s music which had fallen out of fashion. Bach’s influence is felt strongly in these two works written by the 12-year-old Felix. Mendelssohn’s love of the master was conspicuously represented by the melodic spelling of Bach’s name—the notes B-flat-A-C-B-natural in the 14th bar of the b-minor symphony. To really take this into the weeds, I’ll share that “14” is a favorite number of Bach’s as it was the numeric equivalent of the sum of the alphabetic placement of the letters of his name (A=1, B=2, C=3, H=8…all adds up to 14)…but I digress. The bottom line, it was a great pleasure to be part of this special concert!
Next up for me, “Music of the 80’s”…the 1980’s that is, Lansing Symphony Pops. Should be fun!
NEXT UP
Lansing Symphony Orchestra Pops Concert
Music of the 80’s
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
February 11, 2023 7:30 p.m.
#Bach #Bachcantata #Lansingsymphony
January 20, 2023
Let me set the scene: a small club in downtown Lansing, a largely hipster, sold out crowd, glasses of beer being sipped (or gulped), music of the 1990’s, 2000’s 2010’s and today. What instruments do you expect to see on stage? Guitars perhaps, maybe a drummer?
Actually, it was piano, violin, cello and clarinet (with a big feature for the fabulous bass clarinet). Ok, maybe it wasn’t the “greatest hits” of those eras, but it was some of the greatest classical chamber music of those times. This was the scene for the 1st “LSO@ the Robin” concerts of the season, one of four such concerts of chamber music of our time, played in the super-hip Robin Theater.
Since it was just chamber music, I had the night off and could just sit back and listen to our fabulous musicians knock this concert out of the park. It was so exciting for me to see so many new people in our audience and hear them respond to this music with such enthusiastiasm. It was great to see how they were caught up in the energy of the music in this intimate setting.
The entire program was made up of music by composers who had roots in Michigan. Three of them were in attendance and spoke with the audience a bit about their music, namely Michael Daugherty, Paul Dooley and our Composer-In-Residence Patrick Harlin. Also on the program we heard works from Carlos Simon, Gabriela Lena Frank, Meg Okura and Derek Bermel.
Our next installment of LSO@The Robin will be next month. It’s a program of crossover music... works of classical music with roots in bluegrass, or rock and roll, or hip hop, even some Yiddish! I hope you can join us!
January 14, 2023
Piano concerti are always a big part of our repertoire in the orchestral world. It is common for us as conductors to do a few every season, but this is proving to be quite a banner season for me in terms of the piano concerto repertoire. Last night’s concert in Lansing has given me cause for reflection, and I just want to take a moment to share some gratitude for some especially wonderful opportunities that have come my way this season.
For starters, I have now done both of the Brahms concerti in one season. I think that’s a first for me. It’s always difficult with absolutes in art, but I would not hesitate to say that the Brahms Second Concerto is among the greatest works of music ever written (that’s a big list btw), and it is the greatest piano concerto ever written to date…there, I’ve said it. (His first isn’t too shabby either).
I have also had the opportunity to do two different concerti with the wonderful pianist Jon Nakamatsu this season. We did Tchaikovsky last fall in Baton Rouge, and we just did the Brahms Second last night, which he played exquisitely. Jon and I have known each other a long time, and it is always a great pleasure to share the stage with him. Speaking of great pianists, the Brahms First Concerto was in November with Emanuel Ax…also wonderful experience as I mentioned at the time.
In March I will head to New Orleans to conduct the Louisiana Philharmonic for the Musical Arts Society of New Orleans Concerto Showcase, a concert featuring winners of the New Orleans international Piano Competition. On that program, Mozart Concerto 23, Ravel G Major and Tchaikovsky… again!
This on top of two great piano experiences this past summer at Chautauqua one with Cuban pianist Aldo López-Gavilán playing his own music and Chengcheng Yao playing the magnificent Bartok Second piano concerto.
Lastly, in June I’ll conduct the world premiere of Patrick Harlin’s new piano concert he calls “The Fourth Pedal” with Clayton Stephenson and the Lansing Symphony. Bringing a new work into the piano concerto realm seems a fitting closing to this rather epic season.
Along with Jon’s performance of Brahms Friday, the LSO also played the First Symphony of Adolphus Hailstork and Strauss’s Serenade for Winds. It was a beautiful program, and the orchestra sounded wonderful. We also were pleased to see a very nice audience for this concert.
Next up for me is LSO’s “Winterlude”…a chamber orchestra program of Bach and Mendelssohn in Lansing’s beautiful St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. Before that though, I will be in the audience for LSO @ the Robin, “Made in Michigan”, a concert of chamber music of our time, all by composers who have lived in Michigan.
NEXT UP
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
“WINTERLUDE”
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
Lansing, Michigan
February 5, 2023
Katy Green, soprano, Colleen Chester, Alto, Dalan Guthrie, Tenor, Michael Carter, Baritone
FELIX MENDELSSOHN. Sinfonia No. 10 in b minor
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH Cantata No. 106: Gottes Zeit is die all Zeit (Actus Tragicus)
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH Cantata No. 19: Der Herr Denket an us BWV 196 (The Wedding Cantata)
FELIX MENDELSSOHN Sinfonia No. 7 in d minor
#MASNO #jonnakamatsu #lansingsymphony #patrickharlin #claytonstephenson #emanuelax
December 29, 2022
Was it just me, or was last night a rather significant evening for classical music? I’m referring to the Kennedy Center Honors show on prime-time network TV.
Among all the televised awards shows, the Kennedy Center Honors do seem to stand apart for the emphasis put on art itself and the importance of art in society. As such, the classical music component has seemed to get a greater than usual share of the programming spotlight over the years as compared to other awards shows.
Last night, composer Tania León was honored along with U2, George Clooney, Gladys Knight, and Amy Grant. To be honest, I was wondering how they would work Ms. León’s music into a program featuring performances of people like Garth Brooks, Brandi Carlisle, Sheryl Crow and other mega-pop stars.
The answer was, they brought it head on. We heard significant portions of three works of hers, performed live and very compellingly. The works selected were perfect for the occasion. Dance was brought into the mix at one point, not only as an artistic element, but also as a nod to Ms. León’s work as a founding member of the Dance Theater of Harlem. I have to think everyone in the hall and those (like my wife and me) watching at home on TV were captivated by the power of this music and the performances.
Also significant was the ethnic diversity of the performing forces. The overwhelming majority of the performers of her music that night were of African descent which not only served to acknowledge Ms. León’s ancestry (she is the first person of color as a classical composer to be honored), but also to show the world the wealth and depth of talent in the Black classical music community.
It was a beautiful evening and an offering well worth noting and remembering for those of us presenting classical music events in the 21st century. Congratulations to Ms. León and to the Kennedy Center for such compelling and engaging television, during prime time no less!
#kennedycenter #kennedyscenterhonors # TaniaLeón #tanialeon #classicalmusic
December 12, 2022
Well yesterday was a blast…Holiday Pops with Lansing Symphony. We had a great turnout. I couldn’t see up into the balcony, but the main floor looked to be at, or near, capacity. All of us in the performing arts are keeping a close eye on concert attendance these days, so a nice full house was a very encouraging sign.
LaKisha Jones was our guest artist and she really delivered. She has sung with us before as part of a group of soloists, so this was her second appearance with the LSO, but her first as the headliner. The audience loved her! (and so did the orchestra!)
I am very excited about our January program coming up next. One of my favorite pianists and a good friend, Jon Nakamatsu joins us for Brahms epic Piano Concerto No. 2. Also exciting is the First Symphony of Adolphus Hailstork, also on the program. Hailstork’s music is uniquely wonderful. His is a style that is vibrant, colorful, profound and immediately engaging…and, as and MSU alum, the Lansing area is his old stomping grounds. I am really looking forward to sharing his work with our audience.
NEXT UP
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Jon Nakamatsu, piano
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
January 13, 7:30 p.m.
STRAUSS Serenade for Winds
HAILSTORK Symphony No. 1
BRAHMS Piano Concert No. 2
#LaKisha Jones #Lansingsymphony #jonnakamatsu #adolphushailstork
December 6, 2022
What a pleasure it was to again be a part of the Nutcracker with the Flint Symphony, dancers from the Memphis, Tennessee-based Collage Dance Collective and dancers from the Flint School of Performing Arts. This production, held at Flint’s fabulous Whiting Auditorium, has been an annual event for decades now under the superb artistic direction of Karen Mills Jennings. I found out during the run this was Ms. Jenning’s final performance. She is an exceptional artist/teacher and will be greatly missed I’m sure.
Tchaikovksy’s Nutcracker, as one might imagine, is part and parcel of many a professional musician’s life. Some of my colleagues have played the complete ballet literally hundreds of times...to the point where they have their entire part memorized for this nearly two-hour-long score. Even those who are past the point of over saturation would be the first to acknowledge the brilliance of this music. Beyond it’s sheer beauty, it is masterful in its characterization, creation of ambience and drama.
Next up for me is Holiday Pops with the Lansing Symphony. Flint native and American Idol star, LaKisha Jones will be joining us....should be fun!
NEXT UP
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
LaKisha Jones, soprano
SEASON’S GREETINGS
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
December 11, 3:00 p.m.
#flintsymphony #karenmillsjennings #collagedancecollective #thewhiting #lansingsymphony #lakishajones
November 7, 2022
I don’t think it’s a stretch to call Paul Hindemith’s Symphony, Mathis der Maler iconic. While it is not often performed anymore, and it may be off the radar of the lay person, musicians and enthusiasts know this piece, or at least know of it. It has a weighty presence in its standing among orchestral repertoire of the 20th century, specifically in the genre of the “symphony”. Mathis was featured on our Lansing Symphony concert Saturday night.
Aside from decidedly Romantic-era composers who happened to live into the 20th Century, (think Rachmaninoff, Sibelius, Vaughan Williams and a few others) not many 20th-century composers wrote works that they actually called “symphonies.” Stravinsky has a few, as do Copland, Roy Harris, William Schumann and a few others, but by and large composers were looking for other means of organizing their musical expression rather than this form which dates back to the mid 18th century. Maybe Modern composers thought the genre of the symphony was too old fashioned.
As someone who still wrote works called “symphony” or “sonata” Hindemith was, in a way, the Brahms of the 20th century. When others were exploring new directions in music post-Beethoven, Brahms stuck to very traditional forms and structural concepts. He was innovative, original and forward looking in his own way, but the architecture tended to the conservative. The same can be said of Hindemith.
So what does all this mean to the listener? At a time (the early 20th century) when musical boundaries and norms were being shattered in every direction, how does a traditionalist make an impact? In the case of Hindemith, using traditional frameworks made his non-traditional elements all the more powerful. When he stepped out expressively, it was especially prominent heard in relief to the traditional musical surroundings.
This all seemd to register with our audience Saturday whose response was most enthusiastic. Aside from just the natural reaction to a great work, I feel they also knew that hearing this work live was a rare privilege for which they clearly expressed their gratitude….much appreciated on stage!
I last conducted Mathis back in the 20th century, and from talking with other LSO musicians, I heard similar personal histories with the work. Most had just played it once a long time ago, if at all. It’s one I hope to come back to again soon.
Saturday’s program was built around Hindemith, creating a kind of “time capsule” concert. All the works were written within 40 years of each other. Respighi’s gorgeous Suite No. 1 of Ancient Airs and Dances (1917) opened the program, leading into Hindemith (1934). After intermission Debussy’s Prelude to ‘The Afternoon of a Faun ’(1894) began the second half..another iconic work to be sure, and Stravinsky’s Firebird (1910) brought the evening to a close. What a pleasure it was to share the stage with my LSO colleagues for this musical journey! Bravo to each of them for a spectacular performance.
With the holidays just around the corner, next up for me is Nutcracker with the Flint Symphony. This is a return engagement, and I’m thrilled to be coming back to this masterpiece with them. We will be in the pit, and onstage dancing will be guest artists from Collage Dance Collective and ballet students from the Flint School of Performing Arts. Can’t wait!
NEXT UP
Flint Symphony Orchestra
Guest artists from Collage Dance Collective
Dancers from Flint School of Performing Arts
The Whiting, Flint Michigan
December 3 at 7:30 p.m. and December 4 at 3:00 p.m.
Tchaikovsky The Nutcracker
#lansingsymphony
October 21, 2022
I am very proud of our Lansing Symphony for being chosen as one of thirty orchestras to take part in the League of American Orchestras’ Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation Orchestral Commissions Program. The unprecedented national consortium ensures that new works by women composers, each commissioned by the League, will be infused in orchestra seasons to come, with multiple performances throughout the country. The consortium’s initial six lead orchestra-composer pairings were previously announced, with more than eighty orchestras applying for the additional twentyfour spots. The new consortium, comprised of orchestras from nineteen U.S. states and Canada, includes the following orchestra-composer pairs:
Akron Symphony Orchestra (OH) and Gity Razaz
Aspen Music Festival and School (CO) and Wang Lu
Berkeley Symphony (CA) and Gity Razaz Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra (Ottawa, ON) and Gity Razaz
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (OH) and Wang Lu
Columbus Symphony (OH) and Anna Clyne Dallas Symphony Orchestra (TX) and Arlene Sierra
Des Moines Symphony (IA) and Wang Lu Detroit Symphony Orchestra (MI) (lead orchestra) and Arlene Sierra
Idaho State-Civic Symphony and Sarah Gibson Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra and Arlene Sierra
Jacksonville Symphony (FL) and Angel Lam Kansas City Symphony (MO) (lead orchestra) and Angel Lam
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra (TN) and Sarah Gibson
Lansing Symphony Orchestra (MI) and Sarah Gibson
Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and Arlene Sierra
National Symphony Orchestra (DC) and Anna Clyne
New York Philharmonic (lead orchestra) and Wang Lu
Orchestra Lumos (CT) and Angel Lam
Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra (FL) and Anna Clyne
Pensacola Symphony Orchestra (FL) and Wang Lu
The Philadelphia Orchestra (PA) (lead orchestra) and Anna Clyne
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PA) and Sarah Gibson
Portland Columbia Symphony (OR) and Anna Clyne
Quad City Symphony Orchestra (IA) and Angel Lam
Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (NY) and Gity Razaz
San Diego Symphony (CA) (lead orchestra) and Gity Razaz
Sarasota Orchestra (FL) (lead orchestra) and Sarah Gibson
Utah Symphony & Opera and Angel Lam Wheeling Symphony Orchestra (WV) and Arlene Sierra
October 10, 2022
We opened our Lansing Symphony season last Friday night at the Wharton Center. I was encouraged to see a relatively large audience by Covid standards. It seems more people are feeling comfortable venturing out. We of course welcome them, and to those who aren’t ready yet, we certainly understand that too. We will be here when you are ready.
This season marks our final season for the LSO’s first ever Composer-in-Residence, Patrick Harlin. The search will soon be on for Patrick’s successor in the position.
It is a three-year residency that, in Patrick's case, extended to 4 years given the “lost year.” We opened Friday with a world premiere of Patrick’s entitled “bloom,” a work inspired by our shifting perceptions of the passage of time. The performance came off beautifully, and the audience was very appreciative.
This work seemed a bit of a departure in style for Patrick, at times emphasizing elemental qualities of music, allowing the listener to just bask in the glow of lush sonorities. At other times the orchestra exploring layers of music, much like layers of flower petals unfolding as it blooms. It is a very compelling work. We will close the season with another premiere from Patrick, a concerto for piano called “The Fourth Pedal.”
We followed Patrick’s work with violinist Ade´ Williams in Barber’s Violin Concerto. I’ve known Ade´for many years now and have watched her bloom from a young phenomenon into an outstanding mature artist. Barber’s concerto challenges the soloist (and the orchestra) in myriad ways and Ade´ delivered, winning the audience over.
Tchaikovsky’s Symphony 5 brought the program to a close, and the orchestra embraced the work with subtlety, power, style and grace. What a pleasure it was to be a part of that.
Next up for us is what I might call a “time capsule” concert. The decades around the turn of the 20th century were unprecedented (and unrivaled since) in terms of the range of musical thought and styles. Our November concert looks at a snapshot of about 35 years surrounding that Fin de siècle. It samples four of the prominent musical movements of the day, featuring music of Debussy, Hindemith, Respighi and Stravinsky. I hope you can join us!
NEXT UP
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Wharton Center, East Lansing, Michigan
November 5, 2022
7:30 p.m.
Debussy Prelude to the afternoon of a faun
Hindemith Symphonie: Mathis der Maler
Respighi Ancient Airs and Dances, Suite 1
Stravinsky Firebird Suite, 1919
#patrickharlin #lansingsymphony #adewilliams
September 16, 2022
I’ve been back in Baton Rouge this week, and it has been an exciting one. Piano icon Emanuel Ax joined the orchestra this week as part of the BRSO’s Pennington Great Performers in Concert series. Manny brought not one, but two concertos with him—Mozart’s K. 456 and Brahms’ epic d minor.
It was interesting how the two concertos complemented each other on the program. Mozart added a nice dimension, both in the character of the work, and that it is a work not frequently played relative to some of his other 27 concertos for piano. It is also an unusual work harmonically and rhythmically in a way that almost anticipates some of the very compositional techniques that Brahms would later adopt in creating his own unique musical voice. Whether or not Brahms knew this concerto, I don’t know, but the coincidence is worth noting.
The concert was definitely one to remember as these works are squarely in Manny’s “wheelhouse” and he delivers like few others can. His style reflects a generation of musicians where less is more, and the music is freed to speak for itself. It was a great pleasure to share the stage with him and my friends of the BRSO.
Those of you who have followed my posts here may remember that my “farewell” concert with the BRSO was last May. The irony that I am back conducting a few months later is not lost on me. This program was set originally to happen in the early months of 2022, but the remodeling of the concert hall was not yet complete, so it was postponed until last night. I guess that is sometimes the nature of the business, and frankly, I was just happy to be back in BR with my good friends and colleagues of the orchestra.
Next up for me is the season opener of the Lansing Symphony in October. The concert will include a world premiere from our Composer-in-Residence, Patrick Harlin as well as Barber’s Violin Concerto and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5.
NEXT UP
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Wharton Center, East Lansing, Michigan
October 7, 2022
7:30 p.m.
Ade´Williams, violin
HARLIN Bloom
BARBER Violin Concerto
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 5
#emanuelax #batonrouge #batonrougesymphony
August 16, 2022
Our season at Chautauqua wrapped up with our final concert last night. Our conducting fellow Yeo-Ryeung Ahn led the orchestra in a wonderful reading of Carlos Simon’s “Tales: A Folklore Symphony”. This is a powerful and very appealing work that I have a feeling will be showing up on symphony seasons across the country regularly in coming years. I know it will be on one of mine sometime soon.
I had the immense privilege to join the orchestra in Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5, a work that turned out to be probably the best possible piece for the moment. This has been a hard summer. Of concern throughout the season was keeping Covid at bay. Hearing of so many festivals cancelling performances and even sending musicians home to prevent further spread kept us on edge for the 8 weeks of our program. Miraculously, we made it through and played the final program with all but one musician.
The real challenge came last Friday however, with the unthinkable and senseless attack on Salman Rushdie on our stage. This plunged the entire institution into a dark place the likes of which I had never seen first hand. Through mutual support, openness, honesty, empathy and a belief in the power of art, we dug ourselves out of that emotional hole enough to find a way to reclaim a place marked by violence as a place for the sharing of art. As one might imagine, it was a powerful and emotional evening.
Prokofiev wrote his Fifth Symphony in 1944, during another dark time for humanity world wide. Somehow, amidst all that tragedy, he found inspiration to pen this work that is, at it’s core, one of optimism, beauty and a celebration of the human spirit…as I mentioned, a most fitting work for the occasion.
Our thoughts are with Mr. Rushdie, his colleague Ralph Henry Reese and their friends and families as they recover. We are certainly not over the shock and pain of tragedy, but we have taken significant and important steps towards the healing process. I am, and will be forever, grateful for my colleagues at the Chautauqua Institution and the members of our orchestra for the support and inspiration they showed each other and the community and as we tried to find our way forward.
That way forward for me musically will be heading back to Lansing for a free outdoor park concert with some of classical music’s greatest hits on August 26th. It will be wonderful to take the stage again with my LSO colleagues and share this exciting program.
From there I’ll head to Baton Rouge for a concert with Emanuel Ax and the BRSO. He will be playing Brahms First Piano Concerto and Mozart’s K. 456. I look forward to sharing the stage again with my colleagues there and Mr. Ax.
NEXT UP:
BATON ROUGE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Emanuel Ax, piano
River Center Theater for the Performing Arts
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
September 15, 2022
MOZART The Marriage of Figaro Overture
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 18 in B-flat, K 456 (Paradis)
BRAHMS Piano Concerto No. 1
August 9, 2022
It was the summer of 2019 when my colleague Marlena Malas approached me with the idea of doing Janacek’s opera The Cunning Little Vixen for our annual Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater opera production in 2020. It was a work I knew by name, but nothing more. One listen and I was hooked. This work is unique, glorious, profound and as fresh today as it was when it premiered in the 1920’s. I was thrilled for us to take this on.
Well, we all know what happened to opera plans for 2020. When Chautauqua’s music festival reconvened in 2021, we had reduced our overall numbers of students for Covid safety reasons, so Vixen was not possible. An exciting Marriage of Figaro occupied our season that year. Vixen was shelved for a hopeful future.
That future arrived in 2022. We were back to our full forces and thrilled to have Vixen finally on our plate. Some of the cast started work last fall, as did I. The staging rehearsals were a series of discoveries for all of us, deepening our understanding of this unusual story and watching John Giampietro’s masterful staging take shape. When orchestra rehearsals commenced, one could feel the excitement among the instrumentalists as we embraced this beautiful, evocative (and wickedly difficult!) score.
We put these productions together quicky…just about 2 weeks of staging and only three orchestral rehearsals before the sitzprobe and dresses. The work is immensely challenging for each individual and for the company as a whole. The cast had worked tirelessly to learn these challenging roles and had been meticulously prepared by our coaches Martin Dube and Kanae Matsumoto. It was stressful, but rewarding as the work progressed. We could see the exciting direction in which it was headed
As we approached the performance, it was clear this would be a memorable event. All was coming together. It seemed, however, Covid was not done wreaking havoc on our Vixen plans. We had lost a few instrumentalists from the orchestra late in the week, but we were fortunate to find replacements (by “lost” I just mean they were sick and couldn’t play). But the big blow came just two days out from the performance. As I was preparing to leave the house for the sitzprobe Saturday morning, I saw that I had missed two calls from John Giampietro--not a good sign.
It turns out The Forester, the male lead in Vixen, had tested positive for Covid that morning. I was heartbroken for him and for all of us. I knew how much time he had spent learning this role, and he was fantastic. He had thoroughly digested the part, made it his own, and embodied the intelligent artistry necessary to bring it to life.
There was no understudy for him. The always resourceful Giampietro however, made a plan. It involved two singers (CHQ faculty Jonathan Beyer and student Phillip Stoddard) learning the part, and singing offstage, while John himself, walked the part on stage for the first two acts and Philip walked the third. The stage production was so creative and engaging, and the audience so caught up in it, I don’t think it hampered the effect of the work one bit.
The performance transcended expectations. It was spectacular. Kudos to our cast, orchestra and all the teachers, coaches and crew who worked behind the scenes to make it so beautiful. A special shout out to Nicole Koh (The Vixen) and Hope Nelson (The Fox) for their wonderful performances.
As we approached the final bars, I had a familiar experience to which I know my fellow musicians can relate. Vixen is a work about the cycle of life. It concludes with hope, celebration, and gratitude for life on this planet, music of indescribably beauty. Also mixed in was also some sadness…sadness that this project would soon be behind us. For me, there was another element. Vixen, while a masterpiece, is not a commonly performed work, and I knew that in my cycle of life, it’s entirely possible this may have been my only chance to conduct it. I guess I’ll find some comfort in the famous line attributed to our friend Dr. Seuss “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”
Our season finale is next Monday, two works on the program: Carlos Simon’s “Tales: A Folklore Symphony,” and Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5. As is often the case in this profession, the consolation for the conclusion of a special project lies in the excitement and anticipation of the next one in the pipeline.
NEXT UP:
Chautauqua Institution Music School Festival Orchestra
Chautauqua Amphitheater
Chautauqua, New York
August 15, 2022
8:15 p.m.
CARLOS SIMON Tales: A folklore symphony
SERGEI PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 5
#chautauquainstitution #carlossimon #johngiampietro #nicolekoh #philipstoddard #jonathonbeyer #hopenelson #janacek #cunninglittlevixen #marlenamalas #martindube #kanaematsumoto
July 12, 2022
Our second concert with Chautauqua’s Music School Festival Orchestra was last night. Our soloists were the wonderful Cuban musicians, pianist Aldo Lopez Gavilan and his brother violinist Ilmar Gavilan performing works of their own composition. To complement that, we made the whole evening a musical celebration of Latin America with music of Moncayo, Ginastera, and Ilmar and Aldo’s father Guido.
It was a hot night both meteorologically and musically. Words can’t explain what Aldo and Ilmar bring to their music making, but it is not something to be missed if given the opportunity. These works are a of a unique musical language, a mix of Latin, jazz and classical styles. The audience loved it.
It was interesting to notice the subtle stylistic differences of composers from Mexico, Argentina and Cuba. Certainly a common Latin style thread runs through each work, but at the same time, the styles were distinct. Aldo writes with a great deal of rhythmic complexity that is quite challenging for the performers, but the listener just feels it as the vibe of the music. On the printed page the complexity was a bit daunting, but to the listener it just flowed naturally.
As usual, the MSFO played with style, energy and polish…a great evening.
Next up, I go into rehearsals for Janacek’s opera “The Cunning Little Vixen.” I’m looking forward to getting started on that uniquely beautiful work.
NEXT UP:
Chautauqua Institution Music School Festival Orchestra and Voice Conservatory
Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater
Chautauqua, New York
August 8, 2022
8:15 p.m.
JANACEK The Cunning Little Vixen
#chautauquainstitution #janacek #aldolopezgavilan #ilmargavilan
July 6, 2022
Last night opened the season for the Chautauqua Institution’s Music School Festival Orchestra. It was a high-energy program and the orchestra delivered in a big way.
Things kicked off with rock-star composer Zhou Tian’s celebration in music called “Gift.” Among Zhou’s many gifts as a composer is his ability to grab the audience from “hello” and then deliver a high-impact, breath-taking experience. He also just knows how to make an orchestra sound amazing, so take an amazing orchestra and music of Zhou, and you have quite a curtain raiser. This was a total thrill ride.
Pianist Chengcheng Yao, winner of CHQ’s 2019 SAI Concerto Competition, joined the orchestra in Bartok’s Second Piano Concerto. This work is unlike any other concerto in the repertoire, and the demands on all involved are huge, expressively and technically. Chengcheng has a great feel for this work and total command of the part. She took us on a exciting and moving journey. Especially powerful was the second movement, a classic example of Bartok’s “night music” style…full of atmosphere, striking effects and mystery.
Chautauqua’s relatively new Director of Sacred Music and virtuoso organist, Joshua Stafford joined the MSFO for Saint-Saen’s Symphony No. 3 to close the program. The Massey Organ is a perfect fit for this work with its broad range of color and depth, and Joshua is fully at home with the instrument and this music. It was a powerful finish to the program.
The players of the MSFO outdid themselves last night. This was an especially demanding program and they rose to the occasion in an impressive fashion. It was a thrill to be a part of it.
The concert was dedicated to the memory of Joshua’s predecessor, and my good friend and colleague Jarod Jacobsen. Jared was loved by the CHQ community. We lost him in 2019 and he is deeply missed. We felt you there with us last night my friend.
NEXT UP:
Chautauqua Institution Music School Festival Orchestra
Chautauqua Amphitheater
Chautauqua, New York
8:15 p.m.
Aldo-Lopez Gavilan, piano, Ilmar Gavilan, violin
MONCAYO Huapango
GINASTERA Dances from the ballet “Estancia”
GUIDO LOPEZ GAVILAN Guanguanco´
ALDO LOPEZ GAVILAN Viernes de Ciudad
ALDO LOPEZ GAVILAN Emporium
#chautauquainstitution #chengchengyao #zhoutian #aldolopezgavilan #ilmargavilan
May 22, 2022
We have a certain way of doing things in Louisiana that’s, well, often different than what one might find elsewhere. Friday night was my “farewell” concert as Music Director of the Baton Rouge Symphony, a position I held for 21 years. It was a program that was to have been done in the spring of 2020. After a two-year Covid postponement, we finally took to the stage for Beethoven’s epic and iconic Symphony No. 9. There are many great symphonies out there, and many that would qualify as “epic”, but there is nothing that compares to this work. It stands alone in the symphonic repertoire.
So, with what does one follow Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9? Well, in South Louisiana, for a special celebration such as this, the Ninth Symphony is followed by a brass band, decked out in their black and whites, filling the concert hall with the sounds and spirit only such a group can create. It is actually not the non sequitur it might seem at first. Beethoven’s work is a celebration of joy and brotherhood, and those two concepts are also at the root of the Louisiana brass band tradition.
Here’s how it went down: We finished the symphony, and I came off stage after the bows. The band was collected back stage and they started in with “The Second Line” (aka Joe Avery’s Blues) from the wings. I was handed the obligatory umbrella and instructed to lead the band from backstage, down into the seating area, forming a parade that went into the lobby then out the doors onto the plaza,…a classic “Second Line”.
Now, mind you, one does not normally get a brass band of their own except at their funeral, so I made the most of it. Living in south Louisiana as long as I did, I learned a few things. For a guy born in Connecticut, leading a Second Line came surprisingly naturally to me if I do say so myself. It was outrageously fun, and the best part was seeing so many old friends as the parade moved through the concert hall. Once on the plaza, another band, a fabulous dance band, kicked off an outdoor dance party that went on into the night. What a way to go out!
I am grateful for so much from my 20+ years with the BRSO. I am grateful for the wonderful musicians with whom I had the privilege of sharing the stage so many times. I am grateful for the close friendships developed over the years. I am grateful for the opportunity to, along with my colleagues, bring great music to a wonderful city. I am grateful to all of those who supported our efforts. I am also grateful for all the kind and generous words shared with me in public and private this week. They mean more to me than I can express.
It was a very moving evening for me, and kudos to the musicians of the BRSO, the chorus and our soloists for a compelling performance of Beethoven’s masterpiece. I will cherish the memories and friendships I have made over the years and look forward to creating more. It’s not the last time I will be in BR, but I will miss being there more. I love Louisiana. I love the people, the culture and the breathtaking natural beauty of this place. I am so fortunate that my life’s path intersected with this magical, mysterious, joyous and soulful place we call Louisiana.
#batonrougesymphony #brso
May 16, 2022
It was a great pleasure, as always, to share the stage with my colleagues of the Lansing Symphony last Friday. Season closer concerts are always bittersweet. I am sorry to see the season end but very much looking forward to what next season has in store for us.
It was a great pleasure getting to know pianist Clayton Stephenson who played the Florence Price Concerto with us Friday night. He was scheduled to play the Beethoven First Concerto, but upon recently learning of his advancement to the finals of the Van Cliburn competition, he asked for a change in repertoire, and the Price fit the bill perfectly. He really drew us all into the work, especially the beautiful and soulful second movement and the audience was generously exuberant in their response.. His two encores brought down the house again and again.
The world premiere of LSO Composer-in-Residence Patrick Harlin’s “Earthrise” also garnered a powerful response of approval from our audience. I heard from many in the orchestra that they loved it too. I think this work will have a wonderful life in the orchestral repertoire.
I’m in Baton Rouge as I write this with the BRSO for a Beethoven Symphony No. 9 on Friday. It is always a very special experience to prepare and perform this iconic work, especially so with my long-time friends and colleagues of Baton Rouge Symphony and Chorus. We had two terrific rehearsals yesterday, and I look forward to the remainder of the work this week.
NEXT UP:
Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Rebekah Howell, Soprano
Marquita Raley-Cooper, Mezzo-soprano
Dominic Armstrong, Tenor
Timothy Jones , Bass-Baritone
River Center Theater
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
7:30 p.m
#batonrougesymphony #batonrouge
May 10, 2022
It’s a big week for us in Lansing. This Friday will be our final Masterworks concert of the season, and it is an exciting one. We will begin with a world premiere of LSO’s Composer-in-Residence Patrick Harlin. Patrick’s piece is called “EARTHRISE” and takes its inspiration from the iconic photograph of the same name taken from Apollo 8 in 1968. We have our first rehearsal tonight, and I can’t wait to hear it outside of my head. The work strikes me as a celebration of the grandeur and beauty of our planet and the mystery and vastness of the universe in which it hangs….all a reminder of how we must care for our home such that it can continue to support the life it has miraculously offered us.
Another very special and important work will follow, Florence Price’s Piano Concerto in One Movement. Our soloist is Clayton Stephenson, a Gilmore Young Artist and just recently announced finalist for Cliburn. I’m looking forward to sharing the Price with our audience as they will love the late-romantic style infused with flavors from Ms. Price’s African-American heritage. It is a beautiful and engaging work.
We finish the concert and the season with Brahms' Symphony No. 2. What can be said about this sublime work that hasn’t been already?
It’s a quick turnaround for me. This concert is Friday, and Sunday I am off to Baton Rouge to start rehearsals for Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with my friends and colleagues of the BRSO…an exciting two weeks!
NEXT UP
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Wharton Center, East Lansing, Michigan
May 13, 2022
7:30 p.m.
Clayton Stephenson, piano
HARLIN EARTHRISE
PRICE Piano Concerto in One Movement
BRAHMS Symphony No. 2
#patrickharlin #florenceprice #claytonstephenson #lansingsymphony #batonrougesymphony #lansing
April 8, 2022
Last night was another exciting night for the Lansing Symphony. It was our second installment of “LSO at the Robin,” our series of concerts at Lansing’s Robin Theater in REO Town. Again, the place was sold out, and again the audience was hanging on every note. Since it was chamber music, I could sit back and enjoy, and part of the enjoyment was observing the audience response.
The program consisted entirely of works from living Michigan composers, and one can see what a font of musical creativity this state really is. Three were on hand and offered remarks on their works. LSO Composer-in-Residence Patrick Harlin opened the program with his “Molasses” a look at how a musical idea might respond to different densities of resistance. Alexis Bacon, a member of Michigan State’s faculty, joined us for a vibrant performance of her “Capriccio,” and Michael Daugherty came over from Ann Arbor for two of his works, “Six Riffs after Ovid” (kudos to oboist Stephanie Shapiro for her very engaging performance of this work), and “Walk the Walk.”
Also on the program, we heard Carlos Simon’s moving “Catch on Fire,” and Eve Beglarian’s “I will not be sad in this world” (kudos here to Bryan Guarnuccio for his mesmerizing performance). The concert closed with David Beidenbender’s mashup of funk, Motown, dub-step, music of the French Renaissance, folk, death metal and pointillistic music (not even kidding about that) called “Refractions”. The movement titles say a lot about that work 1)Death Metal Chicken 2) Kyrie 3) Goat Rodeo. It was a blast to say the least.
Many thanks to our fantastic musicians for their outstanding performance last night. I would gladly listen to the whole thing again.
#michaeldaugherty #alexisbacon #carlossimon #lansingsymphony #robintheater #lansingmichigan #evebeglarian #davidbiedenbender #bryanguarnuccio #stephanieshapiro
March 20, 2022
I’m sure the word “phenomenal” has been attached to pianist Conrad Tao many times in his career. Beyond his artistry at the keyboard, he has also garnered significant attention as a composer and an advocate for music. But his performance of Mozart’s profound, yet mercurial, K. 491 with the Lansing Symphony last night brought a slightly different meaning of the word than its customary generic application in music.
The phenomenon came from his approach to this work that I can only describe as “spontaneous.” It felt as if he was composing the work as he played it and, by some magical connection, the orchestra knew what notes to play and when. This had to do with things like, how he tossed off ornamentation, not in some labored, affectual way, but it a totally natural, effortless way. It was from his pacing of the flow of the energy of the work, his use of tempo and atmosphere.
The irony, of course, is that to create the effect of spontaneity, we as artists usually have to work a piece within an inch of its life such that our understanding, technical tools and concept are so clearly formed that we can make it sound as if we are making it up. I didn’t get to ask Conrad about his preparation process, but it’s a conversation I would love to have with him some time.
The other two works on the program also had their own kind of spontaneity. We opened with Poulenc’s Suite Francaise, a Renaissance-inspired work for winds, percussion and harpsichord. I sat this one out as it seemed that a true chamber music approach (without conductor) would best allow the piece to blossom. I also think it’s good for our players to connect with each other in the way that chamber music requires. It was a beautiful performance. I could have listened to it again as soon as they finished.
The one work I actually conducted on the evening (Conrad conducted Mozart from the keyboard), was Haydn’s gem, the Symphony No. 90. Kudos to the players who brought such great energy and joy to this work, and kudos to the audience who didn’t fall for Haydn’s devious, but well-intentioned, applause traps that are but one part of this work's wit and charm.
Up next for us is the second installment of our prototype of what we hope will become a concert series next season, LSO at the Robin. These are programs of music of our time in a cozy used book store/concert venue in Lansing’s Reo Town. The bar next door, from which you can bring refreshments into the concert, does provide even more appeal to the concert. Our March installment was a huge success and sold out, so if you are interested in coming, you should get your tickets now. All of these composers have a Michigan connection, and some will be at the concert. I hope you will be there too!
NEXT UP
Lansing Symphony Chamber Players
Robin Theater, Lansing, Michigan
April 7, 2022
7:30 p.m.
Patrick Harlin Molasses
Alexis Bacon Capriccio
Michael Daugherty Six Riffs after Ovid
Carlos Simon Catch on fire
Eve Beglarian I will not be sad in this world
Michael Daugherty Walk the Walk
David Biedenbender Refraction
#conradtao #lansingsymphony #alexisbacon #michaeldaugherty #carlossimon #evebeglarian #davidbiedenbender #patrickharlin
March 4, 2022
I’m still riding high from last night’s fabulous concert of the Lansing Symphony's Chamber Players at the Robin Theater in Lansing’s REO town. I didn’t conduct this one, just got to sit back and enjoy the evening.
It was all music of today…the oldest composer was Bartok, otherwise they were all living and breathing. Two of the composers were actually living and breathing at the concert, David Biedenbender and Zhou Tian. LSO’s Composer in Residence Patrick Harlin was living and breathing at the concert too. We closed the program with an arrangement of his.
Along with Bartok, we did Zhou’s fabulous “Viaje” for piano, flute and cello. Zhou shared a beautiful introduction that brought us right into the world of his piece. The players brought it to life with all its brilliance, passion and energy…fabulous music, fabulously played.
Dave then told us a bit about his work “Spending the Night,”a duet for flute and clarinet, and then introduced Robert Fanning, who’s poem inspired the music. After Robert’s powerful reading of his poem, a heart-wrenching memory of the passing of his sister, the audience was primed emotionally for Dave’s musical reflection. The combination of the two works was profoundly moving…not a dry eye in the house.
Music of Jesse Jones, Adolphus Hailstork and Piazzolla followed and the sold-out house ate it all up. We had an overwhelmingly positive response to this concert of contemporary music, and I can’t wait until the next one…April 7th if you are going to be around.
The Robin Theater is a perfect venue for this kind of concert. There is a bar right next door, so patrons can grab a beverage and bring it in. The hall is intimate, with beautiful acoustics, so the performance has the kind of immediacy that makes live music “live.”
Congratulations to all involved!!
NEXT UP
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Conrad Tao, piano
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
East Lansing, Michigan
March 19, 2022
7:30 p.m.
POULENC Suite Francaise
HAYDN Symphony No. 90
MOZART Piano Concerto in C minor, K. 491
#lansingsymphony #davidbiedenbender #zhoutian #robintheater #robertfanning
February 1, 2022
Well, this is disappointing. As I mentioned in my previous post, my next engagement was to be with the incomparable Emanuel Ax as part of the Pennington Great Performers in Concert Series with the Baton Rouge Symphony. We were scheduled to be the “Grand Re-Opening” of Baton Rouge’s River Center Theater after it has been closed for renovation.
News flash: it’s not done yet. The contractor's blame supply chain issues. Just for the record, the BRSO and everyone else who used the facility vacated the place nearly four years ago in the spring of 2018, a full year and a half before Covid became an issue, so I think there may be factors other than Covid and supply chain that are weighing on this. Honestly, for reasons I won’t go into here, I can’t say I’m surprised.
The concert has been postponed until September. Maybe the hall will be finished by then, or not.
On a positive note, I am very much looking forward to the next Lansing Symphony concert with another great pianist, Conrad Tao. Conrad is playing Mozart K. 491 (c minor) with us. This one is a bit off the beaten Mozart Concerto path (he did write 27 of them), but wow, is it special. It is unique among the Mozart concertos for its harmonic richness, intricate orchestral writing, and overall expressive depth. It is a joy to study, as I feel like I am really exploring new territory and discovering new facets of Mozart. I have not conducted it before, and I actually won’t conduct it at the concert either! Conrad will conduct from the keyboard, but since I will prepare the orchestra prior to his arrival, I am deep in study.
Also on the program is Haydn’s brilliant Symphony 90 (I could spend every day with Haydn and not tire of it), and Poulenc’s Suite Francaise featuring the fabulous and virtuoso winds and keyboardist of the LSO. It will be a wonderful evening of classical and neo-classical wit, elegance, grace and a bit of drama mixed in for good measure.
In the meantime, I am working on programming two chamber music concerts for the LSO made up of music of our time. The works are primarily from composers with a Michigan connection. These programs will be performed in a very “alternative” and super-cool venue in a part of Lansing called REO Town. The concerts will be early March and early April….more to come on that. It’s going to be very exciting!
NEXT UP
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Conrad Tao, piano
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
East Lansing, Michigan
March 19, 2022
7:30 p.m.
POULENC Suite Francaise
HAYDN Symphony No. 90
MOZART Piano Concerto in C minor, K. 491
#lansingsymphony #conradtao #robintheater
January 15, 2022
I knew Suren would be great, especially in Shostakovich, but what he unleashed from his instrument in last night’s concert with the Lansing Symphony left all of us a bit breathless. Suren Bagratuni’s ability to create a white-hot intensity in his sound made me think the instrument would spontaneously combust at any moment. It is rare to hear this kind of playing, playing that is not afraid to push the instrument to it’s limits. This is not to say he doesn’t also find the rich, warm and tender sides when needed, or the hollow, cold, and desolate character called for at the end of the slow movement of this masterpiece, the Concerto No. 1. It was a spectacular reading of this work from beginning to end. I just wish we could do it again.
We opened the program with a very evocative work of LSO’s Composer-in-Residence Patrick Harlin. The work is called “River of Doubt” and was inspired by Teddy Roosevelt’s ill-fated trek down the Amazon after losing a presidential re-election bid. The work incorporates soundscapes that Patrick himself recorded on his own trip down the Amazon, this one not ill-fated fortunately, but one full of wonderful stories and resulted in a very engaging piece of music. The audience loved it.
Speaking of the audience, thanks to those of you who braved a very chilly night and Omicron fears to share in this night of music making with us. We appreciated your enthusiastic support!
The concert closed with Dvorak’s Symphony No. 6. It was a welcome immersion in pure beauty and joy after what was a very intense 1st half. It felt like the works balanced each other nicely that way. More often than not, Dvorak’s music is deceptively challenging, sometimes not even deceptively so, just plain challenging. Kudos to the LSO players for bringing this difficult work to life with such grace and style.
Next for me is a trip back to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Although I left my position as Music Director there a few years ago, they keep asking me back and I am very grateful for that! It is always a pleasure to see my friends and colleagues and visit a city and state that I love. We have Emanuel Ax on the program, the Pennington Great Performers in Concert Gala, so that will be a wonderful experience for sure. Rumor has it, the concert will be in the newly-renovated concert hall. Time will tell on that one.
NEXT UP
Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra
Emanuel Ax, piano
River Center Theater for the Performing Arts?
February 12, 2022
8:00 p.m.
TORKE Javelin
BERNSTEIN On the Town: Three Dance Episodes
GERSHWIN An American In Paris
CHOPIN Piano Concerto No. 2
#lansingsymphony #surenbagratuni #patrickharlin #teddyroosevelt #emanuelax
December 20, 2021
Yesterday’s Holiday Pops with the Lansing Symphony was a wonderful time. Lansing’s own Travis Leon shared his fabulous vocal talents with us ranging from Handel’s “Comfort Ye” to “White Christmas” and he delivered! The audience loved him. It is always exciting to feature our local talent.
For me an “un-sung” star of the show was an arranger named Jim Stephenson. We did several works from his catalog, and they are some of the freshest and most engaging holiday arrangements I have encountered. I heard many comments from the orchestra players themselves about how great the arrangements sounded and how much they enjoyed playing them. It was obvious the audience enjoyed them too.
I am very excited about what’s next on my calendar, and that is the Lansing Symphony’s January Masterworks. Cellist Suren Bagratuni will join us in Shostakovich’s First Concerto, and I can’t wait. Suren is a truly wonderful musician with whom I have been looking forward to working for some time now, and I have a feeling Shostakovich is right in his “wheelhouse” as they say.
That program will open with a work by our Composer-in Residence, Patrick Harlin, called River of Doubt, a highly evocative work inspired by Teddy Roosevelt’s treacherous excursion down the Amazon. The work features soundscapes collected by Patrick’s on his own trip down that storied river (accompanied by his wife, and fellow composer, Audrey). It is a work unlike any other, and one that I know will engage the audience in a powerful way.
NEXT UP
LANSING SYMPHOHY ORCHESTRA
Suren Bagratuni, cello
January 14, 2022
Wharton Center
HARLIN River of Doubt
SHOSTAKOVICH Cello Concerto No. 1
DVORAK Symphony No. 6
#SurenBagratuni #Patrickharlin #TeddyRoosevelt #TravisLeon #LansingSymphony #JamesStephenson
December 10, 2021
Holiday Pops is coming up soon for the Lansing Symphony. I always look forward to our holiday programs because we tend to see new audience members for these concerts, and it is a nice opportunity to get acquainted. These concerts are quite "interactive."..I tell some bad jokes and people politely laugh. I especially appreciate the laughs that follow the jokes I have used every year for the last 15 years...those are nice, generous people out there.
We mix the program up with a lot of variety from classical to popular. This year we are featuring tenor Travis Leon, a Lansing native who is now out making a name for himself in the world. It will be Mr. Leon's first time with the orchestra, and we are looking forward to it. He will present a nice range of styles ranging from some music from Handel's Messiah to Winter Wonderland and others.
This concert is always a wonderful community event and leaves everyone's spirits uplifted. Tickets are going quickly, so if you want to come you should call soon. Also, be sure to check out the Covid protocols. We are working hard to keep everyone safe.
NEXT UP:
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Travis Leon, tenor
December 19, 2021 3:00 p.m.
Wharton Center
HOLIDAY POPS!!
#lansingsymphony #holidaypops #travisleontenor
November 13, 2021
No one plays like Lucia. Of course, there are many great violinists who provide spectacular renderings of the repertoire, but there is something fresh, unique and deeply personal in what Lucia Micarelli brought to Sibelius last night in our concert with the Lansing Symphony. She is a musician who works in a broad range of styles, and I think that experience informs her approach to the masterworks. Aside from her ability to dispatch this monster of a work with flawless execution, among her other many wonderful attributes in a remarkable ability to connect with the audience, to draw them in to her world, and that is exactly what she did last night. I have had the pleasure of conducting the Sibelius concerto many times, all wonderful, but none like this one.
We opened the program with one of the “Top 40” in classical music right now, Jessie Montgomery’s “Strum.” This work is enjoying huge success in the US right now and for good reason. The players love it, the audience loves it. It is wonderful American music of today.
Schumann Symphony 4 brought the concert to a close. Schumann’s orchestral music is among the most difficult because of the degree of nuance needed to make the music come alive. I was so impressed with the way the LSO players found the spirit and style of this work and delivered a performance full of life, grace, drama and joy. What a pleasure it was to share the stage with them. Bravo!
November 7, 2021
What a thrill it was to once again share the stage with my long-time friends and colleagues of the Baton Rouge Symphony, joined by the brilliant pianist Jon Nakamatsu and a cameo appearance from the Louisiana Youth Orchestra!
The occasion was a sold-out concert celebration the BRSO’s 75th anniversary. We chose a program that highlighted some of the musical legacy of the orchestra including the work they played to open their Carnegie Hall concert in the 1980’s (Chadwick’s Jubilee), two works the orchestra had commissioned for their 40th and 50th anniversaries by Kenton Coe and Stephen Paulus, and a work from the orchestra’s first concert in 1947 (Borodin, Polovtsian Dances). Members of the Louisiana Youth Orchestra joined us for some music from Carmen to celebrate the wonderful contributions of that very successful program. Mr. Nakamatsu, a frequent guest of the orchestra over the years, joined us in Tchaikovsky’s First Concerto to bring the concert to a close (although he did add a very poetic Chopin encore to round out the evening).
BRSO also announced the much-anticipated Pennington Great Performer for 2022. Emanuel Ax will be joining the orchestra for Chopin’s Second Concerto…very exciting!
The concert was originally scheduled to be held in Baton Rouge’s newly remodeled River Center Theater. The work has not been completed though (imagine that…a construction project that’s behind schedule, who knew??). Instead, we held the program in a ballroom of the River Center, and it worked surprisingly well, even acoustically. Kudos to the River Center crew who made all that happen and exceeded expectations.
This week is an exciting one for me as well back in Lansing. The Lansing Symphony presents our second masterworks program of the season, joined by the fabulous violinist Lucia Micarelli. Lucia will be playing Sibelius with us (the whole thing…not morphing into Kashmir this time, although I must say I’m a big fan of that version too!! If you don’t know of what I speak, it’s on YouTube. Check it out). I have been trying to get Lucia in the concerto slot for years. We had her on board for 2019-20, and well we all know how that turned out. So we are thrilled to have her this season as we return to live music. Also on the program, “Strum” of America’s new classical rock-star composer Jessie Montgomery and Schumann’s wonderful Fourth Symphony. It’s going to be a great week.
NEXT UP
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
November 12, 2021
Lucia Micarelli, violin
MONTGOMERY. Strum
SIBELIUS. Violin Concerto
SCHUMANN Symphony No. 4
#jonnakmatsu #batonrouge #batonrougesymphony #stephenpaulus #kentoncoe #emanuelax #luciamicarelli #jessiemontgomery
October 27, 2021
I just came off two exciting concert weeks. For starters, the Lansing Symphony opened its season this month with our first indoor performance since things shut down. It was beyond beautiful to share the stage with my fabulous colleagues and share music with our wonderful audience.
Pianist Michael Brown brought elegance, grace, (and power when needed) to Tchaikovsky’s 1st Concerto. Is was a great pleasure to have him with us. The other highlight of the program was Roger Brigg’s work “Gathering Together.” It was written in 1996, but perfect in every way for the occasion of our first gathering since early 2020.
From there I was off to Baton Rouge for the fifth annual installment of “Bachtoberfest.” The name says it all, beer, brats, and Bach (with a few friends added for good measure). It is exciting to see this new series be so successful, selling beyond capacity, and it was great to make music again with my long-time friends in the orchestra.
I head back to BR next week for a concert celebrating the orchestra’s 75th anniversary. We have a great program exploring some of the ensemble’s musical legacy including a work from it’s very first program in 1947 (Polovstian Dances), the work with which they opened their concert in Carnegie Hall (Chadwick Jubilee), and two works the orchestra had commissioned from composers Kenton Coe and Stephen Paulus. Also joining the program will be members of the Louisiana Youth Orchestra for a side-by-side performance of some music from Carmen, and the great Jon Nakamatsu closes the program with Tchaikovsky’s First Concerto. It promises to be a wonderful night!
NEXT UP
Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra
Jon Nakamatsu, piano
November 5, 2021
CHADWICK Jubilee
KOE Ischiana
PAULUS Age of American Passions
BORDIN Polovtsian Dances
BIZET Selections from Carmen (with LYO)
TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No. 1
#lansingsymphony #batonrougesymphony #rogerbriggs #michealbrownpianist #jonnakamatsu #lansingmichigan #batonrouge #kentoncoe #stephenpaulus #michaelbrownpiano
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