ASO Valentine’s Pops: Great Show!
February 12, 2012
“Valentine’s In New York”
-Dawn Scott
Bravo and, simply, “wow” to Associate Conductor Geoffrey Robson and the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra!
This weekend, love was in the air at Robinson Center Music Hall, and it was absolutely perfect.
I saw couples on dates, some of them looked to have been together decades. Others seemed as if they were out for the first times. I watched dads hold their daughters hands. And I saw others alone. It didn’t matter because everyone was smiling. Including me.
Although I was more mesmerized than anything else. It was as if Broadway made it’s way to Arkansas with two brilliant soloists on stage throughout the show.
Soprano Melissa Errico and tenor Ryan Silverman literally shut people up. Often you hear whispers in the crowd, and when I glanced across the hall, I only saw jaws dropped. They were fabulous.
Typically, I take to the crowds at intermission, but this time, I sat quietly, soaking in what I had just heard: “Maria” from West Side Story, crowd favorite “No Business Like Show Business,” and Errico’s own rendition of “The Summer Knows.”
After the break, it was more brilliance. I soaked it in, dreaming of “Valentines in New York” (as the POPS performance was called), having to gently pinch myself to remind that I was still in Little Rock.
Music Director Philip Mann told me in my recent interview with him that Errico and Silverman were “singular artists that speak with a unique voice.” He nailed it. Previously unfamiliar with each performer, I am now a new fan. And of course, I fall more and more in love with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra following each show.
That’s not what your hear at the symphony!
November 18, 2011
“Beethoven & Blue Jeans”
-Dawn Scott
Before I carry on, let me just say…. I LOVED IT! Whew… Now that that’s off my chest….
The first thing I overheard at intermission was this from a grandmother: “I bet that’s not what you were expecting to hear at the symphony!” Upon which I witnessed two grandchildren shake their heads with very wide eyes!
Then later, in line for a Sprite, another comment: “That is the most unusual thing I’ve ever heard from a violinist!”
Indeed, “unusual,” “funky,” “electric,” and “inspiring” (words I heard repeatedly inside Robinson Center Music Hall) barely touched the surface of what Philip Mann and Daniel Bernard Roumain (a.k.a. DBR) brought to Arkansas this weekend with crowd favorite “Beethoven & Blue Jeans.”
I didn’t really know what to expect, as I’m a symphony newbie this year. But I started to figure it out when I saw that the cops had the streets blocked off in front of the music hall. I had no idea it would be such a fabulous “jam session,” as Charlotte Moore called it. She and her daughter, Jordan, watched as DBR, alongside a jeans-clad symphony orchestra, rocked the house.
“He’s crazy!” exclaimed Jordan. I wasn’t sure if she was speaking of DBR or Philip! (I didn’t ask.)
The show started with Beethoven’s “Leonore Overture No. 3, Op. 72b.” But little else was very typical or traditional. Symphony-goers wore paper hats with photocopies of Philip’s hair in honor of his birthday. And Philip himself was presented a chocolate birthday cake.
Then it all got crazy when DBR took stage.
“This is a world-class orchestra,” he commented. “And I wouldn’t play this Voodoo Concerto improv with just any group of musicians.”
Improv it was… and what a treat not knowing what was coming next! I noticed a foot-tapping, hand-clapping, swaying audience. I saw smiles and heard cheers and watched a standing ovation for a musician who not only raised the roof, but seemed to raise spirits as well. You absolutely could not –not- smile listening to such a performance.
DBR signed autographs and shook hands at intermission before the orchestra went on to Leonard Bernstain’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story and Beethoven’s Egmont overture.
But I noticed something great just after intermission… I saw DBR slip quietly into the concert hall, unnoticed. He took a seat alone amongst the crowd, taking in our orchestra’s talents, and I watched, as he smiled and swayed to the music.
Upon seeing that sight, I sat back, for a moment so proud of the talent and beauty that chimes so consistently and beautifully from Arkansas’ great orchestra.
Symphonic Fire and Light
October 25, 2011
- Dawn Scott
What a delight Saturday night was!
And looking back, I know now that it was no coincidence that I attended “Fire and Light” with my beloved aunt Mary.
She is a two-time cancer survivor, still not out of the woods. Two years after surviving breast cancer, she traveled to Arkansas from California to visit. That was in June of this year. She hasn’t been home to California since.
That’s because she was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. I was with her the day the doctor said she maybe had days left to live and wouldn’t make it home alive unless she started treatment immediately. Treatment is five vicious rounds of chemotherapy over six months, with only a few weeks out of the hospital here and there.
On her sojourn from the hospital, she accompanied me to Robinson Center Music Hall Saturday night. Earlier that same Saturday tens of thousands of women ran and walked the streets outside in a united fight against breast cancer. We had a nice dinner, and cancer was not really on our minds. After our routine ten minute “vent session,” we laughed and talked our way through the bizarre, sometimes tough twists and turns of life. After dinner, we rushed downtown, ran inside, and found our seats just before the conductor took stage (can I just say I LOVE Philip Mann, by the way?). We took a deep breath, and settled in for an unexpected surprise.
Haydn’s Symphony No. 59 in A Major (“Fire”) was a fabulous way to open the truly exceptional performance. But when Torke’s Lucent Variations began and Mann described it as a “parade of light,” we found ourselves taking a deep breath and quietly smiling. I read that Torke himself says his goal is not to focus “on the darkness and sadness of life, but rather the bright, the light.” That bright, that light was palpable, and I knew that my aunt & I were right where we needed to be that night.
Such an amazing metaphor for life! I love that Torke describes music as “meant to offer meaning, and spiritual uplift… a kind of celebratory prayer.” So true…
Moments later, listening to one of the most romantic, powerful pieces with Norman Krieger on the piano, we were transfixed and in absolute delight at his brilliance.
For that sweet moment in time, all our cares were forgotten. Cancer and all that it has stolen. All the sadness we’ve shared. The treatments, tears, and fear… All gone.
Instead, it was symphonic fire and light. Just one night of our lives, in perfect harmony.
The Best Kind of Letter
October 20, 2011
-Christina Littlejohn
This is the best kind of letter to get!
——————————————-
Dear Mrs. Littlejohn,
I wanted to take a few minutes to tell you how much my family and I enjoyed our trip to see the Music of John Williams. I don’t normally write letters or gush but in this case I think that I must. When my son ask me to take him to the symphony for his 15th birthday I confess I was a bit surprised, the music he normally listens to is just awful. When I saw that the music was from John Williams it kind of made since as we are all pretty much geeks in the family. I confess I did try to change his mind at first thinking that he would not enjoy it and I wanted him to have a good birthday. My own past experiences with “the symphony” were really not that great. I always enjoyed the music but it was mostly stuffy old people in tuxes and I had to sit still for what seemed like forever. I popped online and watched the video with Philip Mann and Dawn Scott, then watched it again. I was not really sure what to expect anymore but I did know the there was going to be Jedi and I get to wear a superman t-shirt to the symphony. How bad could it be? That was my state of mind going in. I was going to suffer through it because my son wanted to go.
After seeing the performance I must say WOW! This was nothing like the trips to the Symphony of my childhood. There was flying shark, Darth Vader made an appearance, there was energy and excitement. The positively festive environment was a delight the conductor was engaging and educational, in a good way. The most impressive part was the MUSIC amazing, just unbelievable. The amount of emotional content conveyed was staggering. Keep in mind this was all music that we all knew by heart. We had heard it literally hundreds of times. I was moved, we all were and we fully intend on going back again and again. We are planning on attending Beethoven & Blue Jeans. My son started downloading some of the music that will be preformed then from Itunes and today I caught my son listen to Vivaldi. For that I wanted to thank you and the entire staff and especially Philip Mann. His energy, enthusiasm and clear love of music is absolutely contagious.
With greatest thanks,
Mark Conover
My goal – a good concert!
October 12, 2011
–Drew Irvin
A good concert?
I am not a writer. I am a violinist. So kindly bear with me if you find any grammar, spelling or writing errors. I hope you know I am fumbling through my thoughts and hope they enlighten, engage or otherwise interest our ASO community.
This weekend I was honored by Philip and the ASO musicians when I got to play two very fun and challenging little solos in our Pops 1, The Music of John Williams. Our ASO is aways a gift and pleasure for me to get to play with as a featured artist.
When I found out I had such great parts, I had to call Mom and Dad. They have been great fans, and as one can imagine, show absolutely no bias for their baby and his violin playing. The car trip to see me is now a perfect vacation for them, as Mom and Dad are 76 and 75 respectively (sorry Mom if you read this!).
When I told them, Mom said immediately “We will be there!!!! Maybe for both performances!” Mom loves travel, especially when it’s a fun concert like this weekend! I always feel a special excitement knowing they will be listening! After all, they are each 1/2 responsible for the genetics that lead to my unique profession. Not to mention all that other support, schooling and other stuff it takes to make a professional musician!
So I dig in, practice, prepare my musical ideas, and try make something enjoyable for the audience, my fellow musicians, and Mom and Dad. My goal—a good concert!!
So what was the result of that practice and preparation this weekend? I had some decent fun while working on the stage and I’m most happy if my playing pleases the audience! My love for music can’t exist in a vacuum and energy from the audience makes every performance more intense~! From the applause and comments from the audience this weekend, I was fortunate my hard work was enjoyed. YAAAY!!! That is a good concert experience for me when the audience is happy!!!!! All in all….. a good concert!!
When all is said and done with the audience and my peers on stage, I do like to check in with Mom and Dad and get their points of view (surprisingly, they don’t always agree with each other, especially after 56 years of marriage!). Dad and Mom both have things they like and don’t like in my playing and I can feel like a child when I ask them what they think about it. For example, they will say, “You should have used more portamento” or “more vibrato in that one measure,” and I will feel angry or frustrated that I didn’t do better.
I was lucky enough that, being the doting parents they are, they did hear both the Saturday and Sunday concerts, and were parentally proud of both.
So, I walked out of the Sunday performance in a good place. The work was done, the audience was happy, and my peers backstage were supportive and warm after I played. A good concert! I asked them about the concert while we were in the car. Our paraphrased conversation:
Drew: So how were your seats?
Dad: Good!
Drew:Where were you this time?
Mom: WAY up in the balcony! There were so many kids around us, and they were all so quiet and well behaved!
Drew: What did you think? Today felt easier!
Dad: Yeah, I could hear that you sounded more relaxed.
Drew: How was Schindler’s List?
Dad: I almost cried…a grown man my age shouldn’t cry”
silence…………………
(my eyes well up)
silence….
A good concert, yes it was.
So. Freakin’. Cool.
October 12, 2011
–Dawn Scott
I was apprehensive. It was my 4-year old son Jackson’s first trip to the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. He’s almost 5, he is fascinated with music, and he loves being inside any type of theater or concert hall. So, I felt confident walking up the steps, hand-in-hand, to introduce him to a live orchestra performance.
Still, I was a bit nervous. Thoughts kept creeping into my head, like, “children at the Symphony? Really?” And what if he blurted out something embarrassing or started running up and down the aisles? Orchestra music is for adults anyway, right? Was I ever wrong…
I’d been hearing about free concerts for children on Sunday afternoons, and I’d seen many children enjoying the live music. So I thought I’d give it a try.
Turns out, it was an experience I’ll never forget.
The Symphony opened it’s Pops Live! series this weekend at Robinson Center Music Hall with favorites from film music composer John Williams.
As my boy took in all the sights and sounds , his jaw dropped at the sight of all the instruments and the glorious Philip Mann at the podium. But when the orchestra played the Jaws theme, he was in awe. It was probably because of the life-sized inflatable shark that floated through the hall!
And when it came time to hear music from Star Wars, Darth Vader and the stormtroopers’ appearances were enough to blow his mind. All night, he kept saying, “Mommy, tell the story again about when the stormtroopers took the conductor away and Darth Vader stood in front of the musicians.”
He wasn’t the only child transfixed.
Stasia Burk’s 7-year old twins, Cade and Doug came in costume, which the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra encouraged. Cade was dressed as a fox stormtrooper and Doug wore a Jedi outfit.
“They have really enjoyed this,” says Burk. “They’ve been humming along the whole time! This was our first trip to the Symphony, and we will definitely come back.”
From the excited Raiders of the Lost Ark March to the solemn Schindler’s List theme, the entire audience was mesmerized.
Mann described the entire performance as having a “youthful exuberance and enthusiasm, almost like reading a comic book..”
The final portion of the program amazed my boy. Not only is his favorite color green, his favorite pastime is learning about dinosaurs. When the lights dimmed and the backdrop turned green, he literally squealed out loud. Then, when the score from Jurassic Park was played, with rolling film footage of dinosaurs above, Jackson thought he was in heaven.
The fact that the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra allows children to attend free concerts on Sunday afternoons is genius. If you don’t take advantage of this, take it from me, you are truly missing out.
My son said it all as we were leaving Robinson Center, “Mom. That was… SO. Freakin’. Cool.”
It really was.
My Italian Vacation
October 3, 2011
–Dawn Scott
I haven’t had a vacation in months.
Until last Sunday, when I walked into Robinson Center Music Hall.
For me, it was like a flashback to the year 2001 all over again. That was the year I visited Italy for the first time.
First, let me say I am not a regular symphony-goer. I can count the number of times I’ve attended a symphony program on one hand. So I can’t blog about the carefully-selected pieces or how overtures were performed, but I can write about how it felt to be there and what a wonderful experience it was.
“Italian Vacation” was simply fabulous. When I interviewed Music Director Philip Mann recently, he told me he wanted to start the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra’s 2011-2012 season off in “the right way,” setting a “feeling and emotion for the season.” If Sunday’s performance was any indication of what’s to come, expect the months ahead to be spectacular.
“The great talents and virtuosity of our musicians are really on display” in “Italian Vacation,” Mann points out, with the start of the season being a “a renewal, a rejuvenation.”
The audience felt it, too.
Retiree Ruth Clemens, of Hot Springs, is an organist herself. “Each section was brought out so well,” she notes. “The violins, the flutes. Little Rock is so fortunate to have such a talented orchestra.”
For 9-year old Sydnee Owens and her 7-year old sister Ava, the afternoon performance was their first symphony experience, and for them, it was all about Philip Mann. “I like the music, I like watching the conductor,” says Sydnee. “His movements,” she beams, “they’re fierce!” Her younger sister just liked “the sound of it,” referring to the music.
Mann kicked off the program with Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4, “Italian” and ended with Ottorino Respighi’s The Pines of Rome. But Mann added a fun, exuberant, joyful twist in the middle with Giochino Rossini’s obscure The Italian Girl in Algiers and rarely performed Chrysanthemums by Giacomo Puccini.
Clemens commented that with the exception of Rossini and Puccini, “it’s all very familiar, they’re my favorites.” Even so, she loved the added surprise in the middle.
As for me, it was a splendid afternoon. I caught myself at one point closing my eyes, dreaming of the Italy I remember, envisioning bustling Rome and her beautiful trees vividly lining the streets. When the music paused, my eyes opened. It was then, I realized I wasn’t in Italy at all, but at Robinson Center Music Hall, listening to a beautiful symphony orchestra.
Boy did we open last night!
October 2, 2011
–Drew Irvin
So boy did we open last night!!! (Yes three exclamation marks!) After a extremely busy full week of rehearsals last night was some much needed performing! (for the uninitiated if you rehearse well the concert is like releasing built up momentum!) I’m so hyped up I can’t sleep so instead I’m writing this little blog entry for the ASO.
It was so much fun, and quite the workout for us on the stage! Judging by the audience response, the audience really enjoyed our “Trip to Italy”! (I kinda felt like a rock star based on the response at the end!)
This program had something amazing and challenging for everyone. We strings had tons of notes that had to be playful virtuosic in both the Mendelssohn and the Rossini. Last night the fast notes seemed practically SLOW I was so excited!
The beautiful creamy tone colors in winds and strings of the Respighi made me want a pasta dish with heavy cream sauce. Beth Wheeler and her english horn playing got the last bit of the creamy sound toward the end of the Respighi! Way to go Beth! Also, in the Respighi David Gerstein’s GLORIOUS 15 second solo deserves mention for it’s beauty!
The dancing and singing of our woodwinds with their many solos thru the Rossini and Mendelssohn was so tight and clean and light! They were sparkling!! Bravi winds! I also have to say, Philip really pulled a touch of romantic sadness from the strings in the Puccini.
The capper was, of course, the end of the Respighi with enough extra brass and percussion on stage to truly march a whole army home thru the Alps! I don’t ever remember such a full, glorious sound from this orchestra!
The Boccherini encore seemed simple and so delicate. To me it was like a little after dinner mint after an amazing full italian meal! Talk about a contrast from the huge sound in Respighi, the string elegance in the Boccherini was just the right touch of sweet to end the night! (hmmmm, do I have any chocolate here at home?………..Be right, back!)
Found some! Time for me to try and sleep!
I am so glad to be back with Philip and this group of fine players making great music! Come hear us tomorrow (later today..?) You can’t miss this great show!!!!
Opening Night
September 26, 2011
–Geoffrey Robson 
As I sit down to write this blog entry just a few days after my 30th birthday, there are plenty of topics to reflect upon, but certainly the start of my 4th season with the Arkansas Symphony is something exciting on the agenda- It has been a busy summer of mostly performing chamber music, so it is going to be great to get back onto the stage of Robinson and perform some great orchestra works! The ASO has already performed two concerts in northern Arkansas this month, so everybody is primed and ready to go for the first Masterworks and Pops series of the season.
When I start preparing and practicing for an orchestra week, for which I will be in the violin section, past performances of the pieces on the program usually start to come to mind. It is always exciting when there are pieces on the program that I have never performed before, which is the case with one of the short works we’ll be playing this week, Puccini’s Chrysanthemums. It is a gorgeous short piece for strings- kind of like Italy’s version of Barber’s Adagio for Strings. In fact, they were both originally written for string quartet only, but are often played by a whole string orchestra.
But the big pieces on the program this week are great standard works, familiar to many and thrilling whether it is the first or hundredth time one has heard them. The Pines of Rome, by Respighi, is a piece of music that can turn someone into a fan of the symphony for life. It is powerful, loud, soft, fast, fun, somber, eerie, beautiful, bombastic, and triumphant. It takes the listener on a half-hour long journey through sound worlds that you may have never heard. It is the kind of piece that composers imitate in writing dramatic film music. It calls for a rather huge orchestra, including six extra brass players who perform from off-stage. I remember vividly the first time I performed this piece- I was 15, and a member of the World Youth Symphony at the Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan. It was probably the first time anybody in that orchestra had performed that piece, and it was truly a formative experience. It is interesting to think about how many of the people involved in that performance are now playing in professional orchestras around the world. Quite a few, I would venture to say.
The other highlight of this concert is Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony. This is an electrifying, virtuosic romp of a symphony that definitely has the members of the string section glued to their practice stands and metronomes this week. Mendelssohn’s music always bursts with youthful energy (he was in his teens and 20’s when he wrote many of his famous pieces!), and this one might be the most exciting of them all. I do happen to recall a couple rather harrowing performances in the past, including one at the lovely Good Shepherd-Faith Church on 66th St. in Manhattan, where I was asked to play viola, and there was only one rehearsal…terrifying. I’m very happy NOT to replicate that experience this week, where we will have time to put together a brilliant concert and season opener.
Also on the program is the ever fun Overture to An Italian in Algiers, by Rossini. Nowadays, when I play or conduct a Rossini overture, I get to think about the very first subscription concert I conducted with the ASO in 2008, which opened with Rossini’s Overture to La Gazza Ladra. That definitely makes me smile, as does the fact that Rossini’s Barber of Seville was the first opera I ever saw performed live, and it was also a Rossini overture that I conducted to open the inaugural concert of the Chelsea Symphony in New York in 2006, which was another fun moment.
This is such an exciting program, and it looks ahead to a great ’11-’12 season. I’m also delighted to be performing on the opening concert of the River Rhapsodies chamber music series as well, which is next Tuesday, October 4th (at the Clinton Library). Also underway already is my first full year as director of the Arkansas Symphony Youth Orchestra, which will have its first performances in November, during Beethoven and Blue Jeans weekend (Stay tuned for more details!!! That will be a great weekend too!!).
Don’t forget to check out my concert previews on KLRE Classical 90.5 as well! At the Symphony airs during all Masterworks weeks, and you’ll get to hear highlights of the program, and learn a bit about the music- it’s a great way to get acquainted with what you’ll hear at the concert hall. Go to KLRE.org for more information and the complete schedule.
Looking forward to seeing you all downtown at the Robinson Center Music Hall this weekend!!
From the Maestro
July 18, 2011
-by Philip Mann
When the Arkansas Symphony asked me to contribute to a blog, we had just finished a storybook first year together. The idea was to give people a chance to keep tabs on my whereabouts and work as a conductor, especially when traveling this summer. It seems appropriate then, that as I write this first entry, I’m sitting on the Eurostar from Rome to Florence- watching the Italian countryside whisk by at Presto tempo.
The window is a blur of wildflowers, vineyards, olive trees, cypress trees, and helplessly charming hilltop towns. For anybody who has spent time in Italy, a high-speed train-view of the country is quite a contrast to the real tempo of life here. People here take the time to enjoy food, friends, music, wine, and other fine things. However, all is not leisurely. We know their cars are made for a different tempo. In the nation that brought us Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Maserati, I find it incredible how you can pass 20 or more speed cameras on a short drive. I’ll spare all the rant, but contradictions do make life interesting.
It has already been a whirlwind summer and this is my second trip to Italy in less than a month. Since May, I’ve been in California three times, Cyprus, Italy, and, of course, Arkansas. I guess that means we have some catching up to do!
As I sit here thinking of how this will take shape, I’m struck by how much this may read like a travel blog. That is one of the great things about being a musician, the travel and all the new friends it can bring.
July 14, 2011: What am I doing today? Where haven’t I been today? I started off in Little Rock, then to Houston, then to Washington D.C., then to Rome FCO airport, then a train to Rome, and, after multiple flight cancellations due to weather, hydraulic problems on my plane, and lots of adventure, now I am headed to Florence, where mercifully Tatiana and I will spend two days before heading to Milan and the Casalmaggiore International Festival. Florence is one of my favorite cities, and I can’t wait to find some time to go out and explore some of my favorite spots, piazze, and walks on the river. We’ll probably have to eat at some point too…… pistachio gelato is always my favorite.
For the Casalmaggiore festival, I’m doing a program with Beethoven’s 8th Symphony, his 5th Piano Concerto “Emperor,” and Rossini’s Overture to Barber of Seville. Italian pianist Giacomo Battarino will be the soloist and the Adrian Ensemble and festival symphony orchestra are collaborating to form the forces. I’ve heard great things about Giacomo as a musician, and I’m looking forward to our first experience sharing a stage. It is always exciting to work with an artist for the first time, especially when it comes on an important gala like this one, which is in memory of the festival founder, Mario delli Ponti. The program is on July 25 at 9:15pm at the Chiesa di San Francesco in Casalmaggiore.
At the end of May (16-28), I spent an unbelievable two weeks in Cyprus working with their National Symphony Orchestra. We had performances in Nicosia, Larnaca, and Limassol, and all three were quite successful. The first performance in Nicosia took place in a beautiful new concert hall to a full and extremely enthusiastic house. Pianist Elisso Bolkvadse was outstanding in a Mozart’s C Major Concerto, K. 467—the 2nd movement was sublime. The orchestra and I got along famously, helped along by a beautiful program which was an elegant sojourn back to our roots with Haydn’s Symphony No. 101 ‘The Clock,” and Beethoven’s Overture to Prometheus, Op. 43. It was an incredibly refreshing time spent in the classical style, and something I hope to do regularly. It was a healthy thing for the soul.
The country was full of colorful food, warm people, beautiful mountains, emerald Mediterranean waters, and heat. I was greeted on the island with a little gift from Kaddafi, a sandstorm from the Sahara blowing all the way across from Libya that darkened the sky and turned every surface red. Beautiful excursions around the coast, some hikes in the north, and many new friends capped off a lovely time there.
Early June- Italy: Following my concerts in Cyprus, I spent some time with good friends and musicians Cristian Cimei (Italian opera conductor) and Emma-Jane Murphy (Irish/Australian Cello Soloist) at Cristian’s family home in Casperia, Italy. Casperia is in the Sabina region outside of Rome and it is one of the most spectacular places on earth. The highlight was a meal prepared by Cristian’s family with wine from their own vineyard, olive oil from their own olive trees, fruits and vegetables from their estate, and sublimely prepared wild boar, which was caught by the host and prepared using an old family recipe. For me, this is quintessentially Italy and it was a beautiful respite between gigs.
San Diego, California: California International Young Artists Competition: June 23-27
A brief trip to California to serve on the Jury of the California International Young Artists Competition was an uplifting and invigorating experience. A great joy of being a conductor is being able to see young talent develop, and on occasion, helping to nurture and cultivate a promising young artist’s career. It is incredible to think of the number of gifted pianists out there right now. A conversation with upcoming ASO soloist Dmitri Alexeev, who is on the juries of the Van Cliburn and Tchaikovsky competitions, reveals the same thing. There are over 10 million piano students just in China at the moment. While classical music may be affected by economics like everything else, it is thriving now in ways it never has.
July 5: One of the highlights of the summer, by far, was the Arkansas Symphony’s Pops on the River performance on the 4th of July. It was an extraordinary evening where it seemed even Mother Nature herself wanted to enjoy the concert. At around 80 degrees, with a blazing sunset in the background, I took the stage to find an orchestra excited to play and an audience that was waiting in anticipation of a great time. The “4 Reps” opened the program with the national anthem as winners of the “Oh Say Can You Sing?” Competition. In the business we might say “they killed.” The audience loved it, and we had a nice time chatting about things both back stage and for all to hear. I was more than pleased when the timing of the first firework explosion came in perfect timing with the rhythm of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. I’m already excited to plan next year’s program.
While I was at home in Arkansas, I had the opportunity to spend a wonderful evening at the home of Melissa and Martin Thoma, who hosted an incredible dinner with Tatiana and me, along with Cliff Baker and Leslie Golden from Wildwood Park for the Arts. It was a fantastic night of friends and food with great conversation on the possibilities that lie ahead for us. With the ASO and Wildwood considering lots of collaborations and ideas, I can hardly wait to see what is in store for Arkansas.
With collaboration in the air, I should also mention that one of the most welcoming and generous people I have met in Little Rock has been Bob Hupp from the Rep. His work has been so important to the cultural life of the state and I’m so happy to call him a friend. These new friendships around the state will be what continue to break down barriers and create memorable and defining arts projects in the future.
I also had my first Arkansas lake experience with a day on the boat of Susan and Nick Brown at DeGray Lake. I now see what everyone is talking about. It was a great day and I look forward to many more afternoons on the water around Arkansas. Actually, to people that didn’t know, I grew up in Durango, Colorado. My home was right above the Animas River and 15 minutes north of the San Juan. These are great trout-fishing rivers, and I can’t wait to try my hand on some of the storied rivers of Arkansas.
What is next? On July 30th, I’ll be headed to Australia for four weeks where I’ll be doing a number of things. First off, I’ll be conducting a special set of
performances for the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with their symphony orchestra. The programs will be broadcast nationally on ABC (that’s the Australian equivalent of the BBC) radio. I think people in Arkansas can also listen with the streaming audio broadcast online, details on that to follow. The concerts will be my second major collaboration with the Sydney Conservatorium but my fifth program I have performed at their famed Verbrugghen Hall.
The first collaboration two years ago was a very memorable project with American composer and icon, John Corigliano. Always great company, Mark Adamo was there as well and it was smashing good fun. We worked on a world premiere of John’s which we eventually gave and broadcast from Verbrugghen Hall. It is a smaller hall when compared to our cavernous Robinson Auditorium and its acoustics make artists feel as comfy as singing in the shower. It is an incredible thing when a hall has the ability to allow musicians and guest soloists feel so good about the way they sound that they start to take risks and give everything without playing it safe. Halls are instruments, vibrating in sympathy like a drum. Just like a great violinist deserves a Strad or Guarneri del Gesù, I look forward to one day helping our Arkansas Symphony Orchestra to have a great instrument of its own.
Getting back to the upcoming program, it will have a decidedly American flavor. We open with John Adams’ Chairman Dances from his opera Nixon in China. This is followed by another great living American composer, Jennifer Higdon’s Blue Cathedral, and we finish with a bang in Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. Of course, audiences around the world are familiar with West Side Story, but I can’t wait to hear the Australian audience’s reaction to Adams and Higdon!
If I get some free time, I’ll probably sojourn around Australia a bit, revisit the Sydney aquarium, and find some of my favorite Asian restaurants. There is an unbelievable Singaporean place that I always hit when in Sydney, and I’ll probably go with my usual Dim Sum options in China Town—they are the best outside of Hong Kong.
I should mention that by a stroke of fortuitist timing, Tatiana is also appearing as a soloist with Sydney’s Marrickville Symphony Orchestra in August and we’ll be able to travel together! Her concert is on August 7th, and she’s playing the piano solo for Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy. More to come from Sydney and Little Rock!………
