Musicians
It has been all over the news since Monday, but the CSO is still buzzing with excitement after the announcement that Riccardo Muti will take over as Music Director in 2010/11. Andrew Patner was on WTTW talking about the appointment. Steve Lester from the CSO's bass section and chair of the Members Committee of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra also discussed the partnership on NPR's Performance Today. Steve also talked about how fortunate we've been to also have established such a wonderful connection with Bernard Haitink. His leadership has been and continues to be rewarding and enriching for the orchestra and institution overall and the recordings we've made with Mr. Haitink document that great legacy. The CSO goes on tour with Mr. Haitink to Carnegie Hall next week and he will also take them to China for the first time in early 2009.
While great things are on the horizon, great things are happening right now.
Click here to continue reading
Posted in
Last Saturday (April 5) marked the premiere of Introductions, a brand-new weekly program on 98.7 WFMT (Saturdays from 11:00am-12:00pm) which features Chicago-area pre-collegiate musicians doing what they love most; playing classical music.
"It's important to reach out specifically to this younger audience which is enthusiastic about classical music, that we hadn't tried to explicitly attract until now," said David Polk, the show's producer. "I'm excited that I get to expand WFMT's reach and pioneer new ways to connect with audiences via the airwaves and also the internet."
Read more about Introductions and Polk in this article in the recent TimeOut! Magazine.
Click here to continue reading
Posted in
Submitted by Jim Hirsch on Tue, 03/18/2008 - 4:10pm.
I was driving to work one morning a few weeks ago and NPR ran a story about violinist Tasmin Little. The story was about a 
series of recordings she has made that feature solo, or naked violin, if you will, that she is offering as free downloads on her website. Check out the NPR broadcast and then hit Tasmin’s site for some wonderful music – at no charge!
Speaking of wonderful music made by talented women, the Sinfonietta’s March 30-31 concerts are dedicated to music made, conducted, and composed by women. Chicagoclassicalmusic.org has a “hot deal” listed for this concert that you can access if you are a registered user of this site.
Click here to continue reading
Posted in
This blog entry comes "hot off the press" or "hot from the studio" from guest blogger Betsy Grizzell, a longtime mezzo-soprano with Chicago a cappella. She writes:
Chicago a cappella comes alive in front of an audience. Audiences regularly comment on how we seem so accessible and at ease. From the stage, we talk to them, we joke, we look them in the eye. But there's none of that at a recording session! Just unforgiving technology and a critical ear in the booth.
One of the hardest things about recording is the strain on the voice. A nighttime session means you're coming from whatever it is you do during the day (teaching, "regular job", wrangling infant twins...) into a demanding, every-mistake-is-recorded-for-posterity gig. Last week was the first session for our current CD project, and at least half of us were sick. And the blowers for heat were loud, so they had to be turned off. So now we're tired, sick, and shivering, trying to sing shimmery soft passages. We managed two shimmery pieces, and moved on to maybe our toughest piece of the whole project, Carol Barnett's Hodie. Hodie starts very softly, and gradually gets louder and louder, higher and higher, with a relentless tempo. Exhausting. If you're sick, you might start losing your ability to phonate on some pitches. Or that floaty E you've always had sinks like the Titanic. So you figure out how to make it happen. Kathryn Kamp & I often swap parts when her soprano passaggio is raw and my alto break is wasted. Susan Shcober will oomph her volume to help cover my dead zone, and I might hum along with her to help when she's tired.
Click here to continue reading
Posted in
I just returned from New York and had an opportunity to talk with my counterpart at the NY Phil about their performance in North Korea. While the general press has been great, they have been criticized in some circles, which is completely misplaced.
I lived in Romania for four years after the fall of communism. They had every bit as cruel a leader in Nicolae Ceausescu who in fact implemented many of his cruelist policies after a visit to Kim Il Sung, the former North Korean leader. I talked with many of my friends there about music and they shared stories about the bootleg Led Zeppelin albums among others that they kept hidden. It was to them just a taste of music and inspiration that was beyond their borders (a place very few of them had the opportunity to see).
I also had the pleasure of meeting many of the young musicians that comprise Daniel Barenboim's West-Eastern Divan Orchestra when they came through Chicago. This is the youth orchestra of Arabs and Israelis that Barenboim established to bring together young people from these different cultures to show how music can truly bridge cultural chasms. Every one of them was delighted with the experience. To see a Lebanese violinist, a Syrian Clarinet player and an Israeli bass player play together in a late-night open jam session was something to behold. Making music together broke down all the perceived barriers and they all reveled in their new friendships.
I tip my hat to the NY Phil for reaching across the divide. Music can't solve the grand problems of our time, but it can be a way to bring people together, even if for a short respite.
Click here to continue reading
Posted in
Submitted by Jim Hirsch on Tue, 02/26/2008 - 9:00am.
I don’t know how many of you saw Gustavo Dudamel’s recent appearance on 60 Minutes. If you didn’t see it, use the link enclosed in this post. It takes about 13 minutes and is well worth the time.
It seems to me that Dudamel is the type of charismatic artist who will attract people to the concert hall, get people to purchase recordings/downloads, and make the concert experience attractive and exciting for diverse audiences. I predict that the Los Angeles Philharmonic will be seeing some new faces in the seats when he begins his tenure as their music director. He may be the Bernstein of our time.
Kudos to the very smart people at the Los Angeles Philharmonic for hiring this budding superstar. I’m guessing that a fair number of orchestras who are looking for music directors will end up wishing they had gotten Gustavo.
Click here to continue reading
Posted in
Tonight at 7:30pm, a new recording project by Chicago a cappella will take its first steps in the studio. We don't have a title for the new release, but the album will be a "Holidays a cappella" compilation of the best from our popular December concerts. Jim Ginsburg of Cedille Records will be in the booth as executive producer, and our music director Patrick Sinozich will be leading the sessions. We don't have a conductor, so the ensemble will be self-led as we are on stage.
The recording will take place at a secret location, because we don't want people knocking on the doors; we need our concentration. Recording is hard work! There are sessions this month and next, and we anticipate a fall 2008 release. Watch this page for more on the recording and editing process, and thanks to Cedille Records for taking us on for a second CD release on that fabulous label.
Click here to continue reading
Posted in
Submitted by Jim Hirsch on Mon, 02/18/2008 - 2:41pm.
As most of you know, we made some changes to this website in December. We now offer registered users free music downloads thanks to our member organizations, NAXOS, and Music Giants, access to some special offers from member organizations under the “Hot Deals” section, and a few other enhancements. We would love to hear how feel about these changes. At some point I’m sure we will ask you to provide more detailed information via a survey, but as a quick check-in, I’m hoping that some of you will share some anecdotal feedback right now.
Please hit the reply link and let us know if you like the free downloads, the “Hot Deals”, the periodic emails, and be sure to mention anything you think is missing. Thanks for the feedback!!
Click here to continue reading
Posted in
Some months ago, in a moment that at a certain point I thought was one of weakness - or maybe madness, I agreed to be Master of Ceremonies and Auctioneer for the benefit that Midwest Young Artists hold annually at this time of year. Well the moment arrived yesterday and the morning after I am now reporting that the whole thing was not a mistake at all - I really enjoyed myself and got through my debut in this role with people threatening to ask me to do it again. For me that is quite something! I now know first hand what it feels like for it even to be suggested that I might be asked back. Maybe in my dotage I will do this more often - it was fun. And I do it for free.Typically professional auctioneers are employed for this kind if thing. They cost real money - believe me! I have seen a number of them in action and they are really good. No doubt I was a pallid imitation - but I managed to talk the talk and the hands went up. No problem!
MYA is a remarkable institution led and inspired by a unique character Allan Dennis. He has a dedicated board and a small staff - but above all a remarkable collection of young people who populate the various ensembles, chamber groups, orchestras bands etc that provide a multiplicity of thrilling activities for young musicians of all ages and levels. The best are very good indeed as was displayed last night by a variety of chamber groups playing String Quartets in the entrace lobby as we arrived, and the Schubert Trout Quintet in the silent auction room. We then had wind and brass ensembles during the rest of the evening between speeches and delicious food and my "performance" And the grand finale was the Big Band playing through to midnight. A great evening and a successful fund raiser most certainly.
Click here to continue reading
Posted in
Submitted by Jim Hirsch on Thu, 01/31/2008 - 3:23pm.
There has been some nice coverage of a few events that relate to diversity in classical music recently. Last week John von Rhein of the Chicago Tribune wrote an
article about a Chicago Sinfonietta diversity initiative entitled Project Inclusion that we launched on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. day. There has been further coverage of this important new initiative in the
Chicago Sun-Times and The Strad Magazine will soon print an article, as well.
The Sphinx Organization, headquartered in Detroit, also made an announcement about a consortium of orchestras they have pulled together (including the Chicago Sinfonietta) that will award a major commission each year to a composer of color. Check out this
article from Crain’s Detroit Business for more details.
Click here to continue reading
Posted in
