North Carolina Symphony Blog

A Few Minutes with Steve Lippia

Wed, 09 May 2012 11:09:52 -0400

Meet Steve Lippia, joining us for Simply Sinatra, May 18 & 19, 2012 at 8pm. There is no better modern interpreter of the Frank Sinatra songbook!

Tell us a little about yourself: where did you grow up, go to school and so on.

I grew up in the small town of Southington, Connecticut with my parents and four siblings. My mom sang professionally for a few years in her later teens. When she and my dad got married, she didn’t pursue her interest in singing, but sang around the house and I guess that is where I first grew to love the “Standards” – through her early influence.

After graduating from St. Paul Catholic High School, I earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a concentration in English literature at Central Connecticut State College (now “University”).

Following my graduation from CCSU, I attended Western New England College, School of Law for two years.

After WNEC, I worked in the financial services industry, primarily as a stock broker for Kidder Peabody. After several years in the financial services industry, I started my own contracting business, since I was very familiar with that industry after having worked for my father’s contracting business, in between high school, college and my foray into the financial world.

From a music standpoint, I was virtually always involved in music, in some form. I sang in elementary school glee club, in church choir, in high school chorus, was selected for the All National Catholic Chorus, All State Chorus, performed with our high school acting troupe and was featured in my high school variety show.

After high school, I started working with a Hartford, CT. based regional big band, the Bobby Kaye Orchestra. During the years I performed with this band, I developed a greater appreciation and deeper understanding of “Standards,” also referred to as “The Great American Songbook.”

It’s kind of a long story, but after having moved to South Florida to start a new contracting business, and after a long hiatus from music, I began singing again (around 1995)….mostly with big bands in the area. Soon, I was invited by the famous Woody Herman Orchestra to perform in the U.S. and Europe. About that time, I was also invited to perform in my first symphony show, with the Boca Pops Symphony (since closed).

By the late 90s, I had a big break and some very important people in the national entertainment scene got behind me and helped launch my career on a national basis. Within a year, I was contracted in a long term engagement with the Rio Suites Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, with a 21-piece orchestra, conducted by Vincent Falcone, Jr., Frank Sinatra’s former music director and conductor.

When did you become interested in singing? Were you involved in singing in any formal way growing up?

I think my life has been like that of most singers: I don’t remember a time when I first became interested in music; the interest was always there. I have had very little formal training in music and singing. While I have been very fortunate to make a good living doing what I love, I still wish I had invested more of my time in learning more about music theory and arranging…but, frankly, I never thought I was going to pursue singing for a career. Singing was a serious hobby between and during other entrepreneurial pursuits of mine.

How did you discover you could sing like Sinatra and how did this aspect of your career develop?

Because my voice is naturally similar to that of Frank Sinatra’s and because so many people “do” Sinatra or do some kind of impersonation, impression or “tribute” to his music, a lot of people are very mistaken as to just what I do. I am a singer. I don’t do any impressions or impersonate anyone. I don’t try to act or look or sound like anyone.

Just like Celine Dionne, Keely Smith, Michael Bolton, Tony Bennett and Michael Buble, I sing a lot of different types of music but I also have one of several shows where I focus on the music of Frank Sinatra. I just naturally sound like more like Mr. Sinatra, than, say, Celine Dionne. When these artists sing Sinatra songs, they aren’t impersonating him…even a little bit; same thing for me.

What music do you like to listen to in your free time (assuming you have free time!)?

I like to listen to classic rock, the music of my generation: Blood, Sweat and Tears, Chicago, the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Marvin Gaye, Pink Floyd, the Four Tops, Temptations, James Taylor, Eagles, America, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Steely Dan, Moody Blues. I also like classical chamber music…especially Vivaldi, a capella music, classical choral music, techno, jazz, R & B.

What are your five favorite Sinatra songs?

“All The Way”

“I’ve Got You Under My Skin”
“I Guess I’ll Hang My Tears Out To Dry”

“The Way You Look, Tonight”

“Come Fly With Me”

“Simply Sinatra” is just one of several shows I perform. I sing a lot of NON-Sinatra songs, now in another show the I present titled “Simply Swingin.” In it I perform songs made famous by artists such as Tony Bennett, Vic Damone, Bobby Darin, Nat King Cole and Sammy Davis, Jr.

Do you have any performance rituals or superstitions?

No. I just show up and sing. I spend a little time, of course, focusing and mentally preparing by going over the list of songs (I change my music program, a lot) and peek out at the audience, from the wings, to kind of “get my show head on.”

What is your idea of a perfect day?

I can think of a lot of “perfect day” scenarios but being in our beautiful back yard on a sunny afternoon, with my wife, son and dogs, lounging in our pool, listening to golden oldies Rock ‘N Roll, barbecuing on our grill sounds pretty close to perfect to me.

What is your fantasy career?

Lucky for me, I embarked on my fantasy career, thirteen years ago, when I decided to pursue singing.

Most recent book read?

“1776” by David McCulloch.

You must travel a great deal. Any tricks you’ve learned to make it easier?

Fly on one airline as much as possible so you can get free first class upgrades, bring good reading materials, keep an open mind about meeting interesting people along the way, buy a cool smart phone that allows you to surf the web, catch up on emails and amuse yourself with games (I’m hooked on Scrabble)…the bigger the screen, the better.

On the Road with the NCS

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 15:21:23 -0400

The North Carolina Symphony recently finished its Western Tour, a five-day trip to communities in the western part of the state. Double Bass Robert Anderson filed this report from one of those towns:

There we were in Lexington at a Days Inn, off the road, sort of in the woods and not near much. We had to take a bus to dinner. Afterwards, with 45 minutes to kill, I took a walk. Behind the motel was a narrow paved road in the woods. Fifty yards up the road I spotted a dirt road, unused for ages, heading into the trees. It couldn't go too far, since the interstate highway could be heard behind the woods. Ten yards into the woods there was a narrow break and an old cemetery visible, all overgrown with trees.

There were 15 graves recently marked with slabs of rough cut slate, perhaps evidence of some history buffs marking old graves. In one corner two stones still stood: "BARBARA Wife of John Cox, born Aug. 18, 1810, died July 2, 1855, Age 44 years, 11 months, 18 days." Next to Barbara was a tiny stone: "HENRY C., Son of J & B Cox, Feb. 8, 1829, Feb 18, 1829," poor little guy.

Most amazing was the only other standing marker, 3 feet tall, 18 inches wide, with this inscription:

WILLIAM KINNEY
PVT. NORTH CAROLINA TROOPS
REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
Born in Scotland, about 1733
"Tradition"
He fired the first shot at the
Battle of Guilford Courthouse.
The bullet moulded from a
pewter plate in his home
near this spot. Killed a
British sentry.

That night at our concert I asked the policeman about this. He said there was a plaque in downtown Lexington about Kinney, and this event. Sometimes wandering can be interesting.

We say "Viva Italia!" And for good reason.

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:00:49 -0400

One of my favorite vacations was to Italy, about ten years ago. During that trip, I visited all the locations that are described in Respighi's Roman triptych; The Fountains of Rome, The Pines of Rome and The Festivals of Rome, all of which I performed with the North Carolina Symphony. Respighi was a Roman native writing musical valentines to his place of birth. I thought it would be fun to construct a program of musical mementos by some of the famous composer/tourists that visited Italy.

For centuries, especially for people of the North, Italy has represented an almost a mythical land of bright sun, vivid colors and uninhibited emotions. All of the composers on this concert visited Italy and were charmed by what they heard and saw and created these brilliant musical post cards which became some of their most popular works.

Within the Italian theme I wanted to have as much variety as possible, so the program includes a symphony, an overture, a waltz, a work for chamber orchestra (Wolf), a piece originally written for six solo strings (Souvenir de Florence), and one of the great orchestral sonic spectaculars of all time (Capriccio Italien). Within this variety, there are similarities. For instance, four of the five pieces feature the characteristic quick triple meter of the popular Neapolitan folk dance called the Tarantella. (According to popular legend, the dancing of which would cure the victim of the poisonous bite from a tarantula spider.)

Johann Strauss Jr. wrote his "Where the Citrons Bloom" for a concert in Italy. The original title was "Bella Italia" (Beautiful Italy). When he later performed and published it in Vienna he changed the title to its present one. The title is a quotation from Goethe's “The Sorrows of Young Werther" that describes Italy.

Italy was Tchaikovsky's favorite escape from Russian winters and gloomy personal situations. On one occasion he was staying in a hotel next to an army barracks and was prematurely awakened every morning by a military bugler. However, there was a positive outcome; he realized the bugle call was the perfect melody to begin his Capriccio Italien.

New Music Raleigh: A Personal Perspective

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:11:04 -0400

It's really hard for me to believe, but it was five years ago this month that I won my position with the NC Symphony. I was reminded of that this past weekend as I listened to young violinists compete for an open position with the orchestra. The memories of my audition came flooding back to me. Of course, I remembered clearly the nervousness during the audition and the elation when I was named the winner, but I found myself thinking mostly of our curiosity of what it would be like to live in North Carolina.

My husband Shawn and I drove away from Raleigh that day wondering what our new life would be like. Would we like North Carolina? Would there be as many exciting arts offerings and opportunities as we had in Washington D.C.? Were we making the right decision?

The answer is yes, we love it here. We found in the Triangle an arts community that is so vibrant that we were inspired to begin our own project. New Music Raleigh had its first concert in September 2009, and from its inception, the goal has been to perform music that is hard to classify into genres, featuring composers that are living. We've partnered with organizations like Burning Coal Theatre Company, holding most of our concerts in their beautiful theatre; we performed a show at King's, a rock club on Martin Street; our next concert is a collaboration with the new Contemporary Art Museum of Raleigh and the Mallarme Chamber Players of Durham; this summer, we'll work with the Cross Currents Festival in Cary; and, of course, many of my colleagues from the NC Symphony are kind enough to spend their free time playing more music with New Music Raleigh.

The Triangle has a rich arts scene because its arts organizations are willing to collaborate and support each other. There is no sense of competition - we are all united by the desire to bring beauty and culture to as many North Carolinians as we can.

I am proud to call Raleigh my home. I'm proud of the vastly talented artists of all mediums that are my friends and neighbors. And I'm extremely grateful to live in a state that values and supports the arts.

I'm so glad I won my job with the NC Symphony! I hope our new violinist finds as much artistic fulfillment here as I have.

New Music Raleigh will perform at CAM Raleigh on April 30, at 7:30 pm. Tickets are available at the door or from CAM Raleigh's website. The program will be repeated on May 6, at 7 pm, at Motorco Music Hall in Durham.

News You Can Use: New Music Raleigh Coming Up Monday, April 30

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:00:43 -0400

New Music Raleigh is a collective of dynamic musicians dedicated to presenting outstanding performances of music by living composers. North Carolina Symphony assistant concertmaster Karen Galvin and her husband, percussionist Shawn Galvin are its curators. Here's news about their next concert.

New Music Raleigh will present an exciting program of contemporary music at
Raleigh's home for contemporary art, CAM Raleigh on Monday, April 30th at 7:30PM. “NMR and CAM Raleigh share a fundamental commitment to contemporary art, and we're excited to present a program that will highlight that shared mission,” said Shawn Galvin, Curator of New Music Raleigh. The program will feature a
performance of Workers Union by the celebrated Dutch composer, Louis Andriessen. Andriessen is often ompared to Steve Reich and Philip Glass because of his advancement of minimalist principals in music composition. The program will also include works by two Duke University Professors Scott Lindroth and John
Supko as well as works by Judd Greentein and David Stock. Tickets are available in advance through the CAM Raleigh website or at the door on the day of the show.
Performers will include: Karen Strittmatter Galvin, Violin; William Robin, Saxophone; Eric Hirsh, Piano; Marc Faris, Guitar; Keith Miller, Bass; and Shawn Galvin,Percussion. This show is presented in partnership with the Mallarme Chamber Players of Durham, NC.

Workers Union (1975), written for "any loud sounding group of instruments," is an assault of repetition anddynamics. Andriessen replaces the pretty hypnosis of American Minimalism with jerky rhythms and dissonance. His music springs from his political idealism, his challenge of the status quo, his belief in struggle. He takes the
influences of Stravinsky, the obsessively rhythmic form of Boogie Woogie jazz, and early Minimalism to create his own style; his music sounds like Steve Reich with his hand in a meat grinder. The score of Workers Union gives performers specific rhythms without specific pitches; the challenge of choosing their own notes for the 15-
20 minute duration is part of the way the piece acts out his political intensity.
- Jessie Rothwell

Louis Andriessen - Born into a musical family (1939), Louis Andriessen received the early influences of Stravinsky and jazz from his older brother Jurriaan. He studied with Luciano Berio in the mid-’60s and wrote pieces that drew on the styles and techniques of European modernism, before he began responding to American
minimalism in the 1970s. He creates music of great energy and unusual color from spare materials, often exploring political and social issues, as well as aspects of physics, such as time and velocity. He began to teach composition at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague (his alma mater) in 1973, and also has lectured widely in
the U.S.

New Music Raleigh is a collective of dynamic musicians dedicated to presenting outstanding performances ofmusic by living composers. NMR fills a gap in Raleigh’s vibrant music scene, serving as a catalyst for creation and presentation of new music. Whether its through offering works of well established composers, up-andcoming
composers, or cross-genre collaborations, NMR creates concert experiences that challenge tradition, engage and inspire diverse audiences, and give voice to today’s most innovative and relevant modern music. Since its founding, NMR has presented music by Steve Reich, John Luther Adams, Missy Mazzoli, Paul Lansky, Sarah Kirkland Snider, Judith Shatin, Belinda Reynolds, and has collaborated with the celebrated indie rock artists, Lost in the Trees and Shara Worden. NMR's Curators are Karen Strittmatter Galvin and Shawn Galvin.

Seen Through a Lens: John Dancy's Look at the NCS

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:31:30 -0400

When former NBC correspondent and anchor John Dancy retired after 27 years of reporting the events of the world from London, Berlin, Moscow and Washington, DC, he and his wife, Ann, decided to make their home in Durham. Luckily for the NC Symphony, the Dancys soon discovered the orchestra. We hope you have followed John's wonderful pieces about the NCS that have aired on WUNC-TV's "North Carolina Now' over the past few years. If you haven't seen them all, or just want to watch again, you can find them here: ncsymphony.org/media/social.cfm. In this blog, John tells us about his experiences following the North Carolina Symphony and what he learned about us.

To the casual symphony-goer, who attends once or twice a season, the North Carolina may seem like a group of talented strangers. Maybe the right analogy is a public utility…there when you need it. As a retired journalist and full-season subscriber to the symphony, I have always been curious about who these people are, from tuba to tympani, bassoon to bass. How do they do what they do? What are their routines? What do they do other than rehearse and perform?

When the Great Recession hit in 2009, I proposed to the orchestra management and to the players themselves, a series of television feature stories under the umbrella title of “backstage at the North Carolina Symphony.” I wanted to put faces on the players for symphony-goers and viewers of UNC-TV’s “North Carolina Now.” The pieces would also go on the symphony’s website for Internet visitors.

Music Director Grant Llewellyn and members of the orchestra were enthusiastic supporters of the idea, and gave me and a UNC-TV cameraman great freedom to hang around during rehearsals, and get to know the players.

What I discovered is that this orchestra is wonderfully diverse and talented. As Resident Conductor William Henry Curry told me, “American orchestras can play anything, from rap to rock to Rachmaninoff. It comes from the music in the schools programs all across America.”

Indeed, I found it so. Over the last three years, UNC-TV and I have produced pieces featuring the orchestra and a talented troupe of circus performers, the “Cirque de la Symphonie,” gone along on a trip to Wilmington to chronicle the long, long days of your orchestra members when they travel to North Carolina cities to play for audiences there. We detailed the exquisite and detailed preparation that goes on in the schools before classes visit Meymandi Hall for education concerts. We saw the inner workings of the orchestra members and staff as they all – from Grant Llewellyn to the stage managers -- agreed to take salary cuts to keep the orchestra playing a full season despite the recession.

Because the cameraman and I were in rehearsals so often, the players and their conductors probably forgot we were there. Once, when Sarah Hicks was new as Associate Conductor, I was shooting a profile of her at rehearsal. When there was a musical bobble at one point, one of the players asked Sarah about it. “Yeah,” she said. “That was my fault. I screwed that up.” Everyone laughed, and the rehearsal went on.

The one story I always wanted to do was an audition for an empty position in the symphony. Orchestra positions are highly sought, and attract a mass of talented musicians – some secretly trying to jump from other orchestras. They must first play for a committee of sharp-eared orchestra staff and players. The auditions themselves are cloaked in secrecy. Candidates play behind a screen, so members of the audition committee cannot determine their age, gender, or ethnic background. The floor of the stage is even carpeted so the candidate-players footsteps won’t give the committee any information about the prospective players. With all this passion for maintaining confidentiality, it was no wonder to me that the orchestra did not agree to my repeated requests to do the story.

How a Harp is Like a Bicycle and a Word about Catrin Finch

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:36:20 -0400

In the earliest stages, the harp had just a few strings strung on an open-bowed frame. We call it a “bow harp.” Somewhere in Ireland, a post was added to the frame. This triangular shape can withstand more pressure allowing additional strings to be added. These early models were diatonic—meaning a harp could only play the “white keys” on the piano without re-tuning. Over the next few hundred years, inventors all over the world attempted to fix this problem. We have cross-string harps, double strung harps, triple strung harps, dials, digits, and levers to make the harp a chromatic instrument. In 1811 in Paris France, piano-maker Erard introduced the double-action pedal harp and the first truly chromatic harp made its way into the orchestra with 47 strings. Over the next 200 years the harp stayed largely the same.

In the 1990s the harp was re-born, once again, in Paris, France. Camac produced the first ever electric harp with a collaboration between harpist Deborah Henson-Conant and harp maker Joel Garnier. Later, they worked with bicycle enthusiasts to make improvements. Harpists strap electric harps to their bodies to support the instrument and the first model was quite heavy at a whopping 22 pounds! Using carbon-fibre, the same material used for light weight bicycles, reduces the weight of the electric lever harp to 11 pounds. So now you know, harps and bikes are made from the same material.

Electric harps are gaining in popularity. Walking and dancing while playing the harp, incorporating loops pedals, synthesizers and amplification are a few new techniques that harpist Deborah Henson-Conant and this weekend’s guest soloist Catrin Finch enjoy exploring. Click here to check out a performance of Catrin playing the electric harp and come to Meymandi Concert Hall to hear her perform live.

VIDEO: Grant Llewellyn's 'Two Days in Wales'

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 07:47:43 -0400

Earlier this year, we gave our music director, Grant Llewellyn, a camera to take on his next trip home to Wales. See what catches his eye during "Two Days in Wales," as he takes you to his childhood hang outs in Saundersfoot, Wales, introduces you to his family and catches a rugby match in Dinas Powys. [More]

Five Things Music Man Director Peggy Taphorn Wants You to Know

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 09:21:37 -0400

Don't miss this weekend's concerts: Friday and Saturday, April 13 & 14 at 8pm and April 15 at 3pm.

1. The orig. Music Man won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and the cast album won the first Grammy Award for Best Original Cast Album.

2. After years of development, a change of producers, almost 40 songs (22 were cut), and more than 40 drafts, the original Broadway production was produced!

3. In the 1987 revival, Christian Slater played Winthrop!

4.Meredith Willson was inspired by his boyhood in Mason City, Iowa to write and compose his first musical, The Music Man.

5. I have really enjoyed working with Maestro Bill Curry & collaborating on this hybrid evening of songs and scenes for the NC Symphony!

How a North Carolina Harp Met a British Descendent of Its Original Owner in Canada

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 09:10:15 -0400

This intriguing story of a harp belonging to NC Symphony harpist Anita Burroughs-Price appeared in The U.K. Guardian recently.

Extraordinary story of the Nonsuch harp

By Sophia Sleigh

A chance meeting in Canada has revealed the extraordinary story of a 200-year-old harp once housed in Nonsuch.

The harp was bought two centuries ago by Samuel Farmer, the original owner of Nonsuch Mansion House, for his wife Elizabeth.

Mr Farmer, a wealthy merchant, began a period of 130 years of Farmer history at the mansion.

However, this ended in 1936 when the Nonsuch Estate and the Mansion House were sold to the local authorities for use by the public.

Meanwhile, the harp had made its way across the Atlantic.

At the World Harp Congress in Canada, in July 2011, Catherine Dunlop, 84, a professional harpist and a descendent of Samuel Farmer went for dinner with some friends.

Mrs Dunlop got into conversation with Anita Burroughs-Price; an American woman who owned an Erard harp.

It emerged that Mrs Burroughs-Price had the original bill of sale for her harp and the provenance showed it had been bought by an English gentleman called Samuel Farmer of Nonsuch in the early 19th century.

Mrs Dunlop, said:"[Mrs Burroughs-Price] has been in touch ever since.

"It’s really extraordinary - I think it was meant to happen."

Mrs Burroughs-Price said: "I had done research and was amazed and thrilled that my harp was purchased by her family only 5 generations ago.

"Out of over 900 harpists at the World Harp Congress, I believe that God's grace brought us together.

"I have played many concerts on this lovely harp, often in stately homes in the US."

After the meeting Mrs Dunlop telephoned one of the trustees from the Friends of Nonsuch to tell her story.

The Friends of Nonsuch arranged for Mrs Dunlop and Mrs Burroughs-Price to come to the mansion for a special harp performance.

However, due to flight cancellations and time constraints, Mrs Burroughs-Price cannot make the event.

She said: "I am very disappointed but plan to return to England to play or visit Nonsuch as soon as possible."

Members of the Farmer family will still return to the mansion, harps will be played and the story of the Nonsuch harp will still be told.

The event will take place on Tuesday, May 1, doors open at 7pm and the performance starts at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £15, call Joyce Shaw on 0208 642 2845.

Learn About Aurora Musicalis' Next Concert

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 14:58:50 -0400

On April 7, 2012, Aurora Musicalis String Quartet will perform Haydn’s Seven Last Words of Christ, Op. 51, accompanied by poetry by Mark Strand (Poem after the Seven Last Words) and words from the Gospel at Church of the Nativity, 8849 Ray Rd. in Raleigh, at 7pm. The Quartet comprises violinists Rebekah Binford and Ariadna Ilika, violist Christine Martin and me, Elizabeth Beilman. Readers will include Waltye Rasoulala, Jimmy Gilmore, Deacon David Lynch and Reverend Stephanie Allen.

Here's the back story:

The Seven Last Words of Christ is a work originally written for orchestra by Franz Joseph Haydn in 1785 and revised in 1787 for string quartet. Haydn also composed an oratorio version for soloists, chorus and orchestra a few years later. It was first performed at a Spanish cathedral during the season of Lent. The church setting was quite dramatic, with darkened windows and doors and a very solemn atmosphere. This was a work and theme which held great interest for Haydn and he labored to create a masterpiece. An interesting note is that the first violin notes of each adagio movement "speak" the Latin texts in inflection. The Latin text is included in the part. The original format included music alternating with Gospel readings.

Haydn's work is full of pathos, warmth and drama and I have long wished to play it. My chamber ensemble, Aurora Musicalis, is a flexible ensemble composed of North Carolina Symphony players and other area professionals and our string quartet was very keen to join me in our exploration of the piece. We were fortunate to find a great space to perform: Church of the Nativity in North Raleigh. This Episcopal Church presents a far-reaching series called Spirituality in the Arts (I serve on the committee which plans these events).

Although this great piece can stand on its own, I had hoped to find a way to incorporate the other arts in our presentation. So I was thrilled to find a cycle of poetry written by Mark Strand (Poem After the Seven Last Words from his collection Man and Camel). These poems were commissioned by the Brentano String Quartet. They are absolutely beautiful works of contemplation and serve to amplify the music to an amazing degree.

Special lighting will heighten the drama of the presentation.

A preview program will be given at Quail Ridge Books on March 31 at 4:00 P.M. Copies of Strand's poetry collection, Man and Camel and Aurora Musicalis recordings with be available. Members of Aurora Musicalis will be available to sign CDs of our recording, Echoes of America.

A Few Minutes with Christina and Michelle Naughton

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 10:57:16 -0400

This week, on March 29 in Southern Pines and March 30 & 31 in Raleigh, twenty-something twin sisters Christina and Michelle Naughton join forces with conductor Andrew Grams for an incomparable performance of Mozart’s Concerto No. 20 for Two Pianos. Meet these talented sisters before you go.

Tell us a little about yourselves—where did you grow up? Was it a musical household?

Christina: We were born in Princeton, New Jersey, but soon moved to Madison, Wisconsin. We had a childhood surrounded by love from family, friends, and a nurturing community that formed us as people and musicians. The older we get the more we appreciate this gift. Our parents, while not professional musicians, were very devoted music lovers. We have our mother to thank for bringing music into our lives - she was our first piano teacher when we were four years old, and she was the one who, through sharing her love of the art with us, first awakened our own musical spirit.

Other than piano, what were the things that interested you when you were children?

Michelle: We were introduced to a variety of experiences (athletic, academic, and artistic) when we were young, our favorite probably being ballet. I guess one could also say we each had our own unique and peculiar interests as well; Christina’s being writing/reading poems and mine being gasp….reading medical texts! (This even lead me to correctly diagnosing a classmate’s rash when we were in 4^th grade) But as much as we liked everything we did when we were young, nothing ever spoke to us as strongly and meaningfully as music.

We hear that twins often develop a sort of secret, private language to communicate that others cannot understand. Did the two of you do this?

C: This is surprisingly hard to answer as I’ve never known what it’s like not being a twin! But from what we’ve heard from people who’ve watched us (particularly rehearse together, apparently when we interact we use very few words. In fact, people who have seen us practice have said that what we say to each other makes absolutely no sense and they’re mystified as to how we could possibly understand each other.

Are you identical or fraternal twins?

M: We’re actually not 100 % sure. Probably identical, though…everyone says we look really alike (although honestly the two of us have never noticed it!)

How and when did you become interested in the piano? Did either of you have an interest in a different instrument?

C: I think we were interested in the piano since before we were born! The Goldberg Variations (still one of our favorite pieces of music today) was what our mom listened to almost every waking hour every single day while she was pregnant with us. We did study violin (me) and cello (Christina).

Where did you each study?

M: We both studied at the Curtis Institute of Music.

Did you always play music together, or did that come later?

C: We never even played together until about 7 years ago! We’re trained as solo pianists. The reason we started playing together was simply that someone asked us to play something for a particular concert. After that concert, Michelle and I turned to each other and said. “That was so fun!” We’ve never looked back.

Do you ever perform separately?

M: Yes, but more and more we are choosing to perform together. We prefer it for many reasons, the main ones being 1) having your best friend/closest musical companion with you makes traveling so much less lonely, and 2) we simply love performing together.

What is the best thing about having a career as a classical pianist? What is the down side?

M: Best thing: the music itself. Worst thing: jet lag.

Who do you think is the most underrated classical composer?

C and M: Felix Mendelssohn

Some critics are concerned that classical music is a dying art form. How do you respond to that?

M: I don’t believe it. I suspect that if one really counted, one would find that there are more people listening to, say, Beethoven today than listened to Beethoven when he was alive. I suspect that there are more children studying classical music today than studied it at any time in the past, especially when you consider the explosion of interest in Asia.

What is your practice routine? And do you have any performance rituals or superstitions?

C: I’m not sure that we really have a regular practice routine. We try as hard as possible not to rely on any particular pre-performance ritual or superstition as circumstances don’t always allow for these things. But if it’s possible, we always like to have a warm-up piano backstage and very warm hands directly preceding a performance!

Do you ever disagree about your schedules—when or how much to practice, which works to perfect, etc?

M: Of course!

Historical figure you wish you could meet:

C and M: Bach

What is your fantasy career?

C and M: To be a musician!

Beethoven Septet/Brahms Quintet, Manning Chamber Music Series, March 19th

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 16:53:37 -0400

Why perform chamber music? With the full and erratic schedule of a North Carolina Symphony musician including statewide travel, the added dedication to teaching a full studio of students, on top of the many hours per week dedicated to honing skills and preparing upcoming music, who has the extra time or energy to prepare a full length chamber recital? The answer must be that chamber music is a quintessential “labor of love.”

Perhaps the crucial aspect that drives a symphony musician to play chamber music is that each member has a say in how to interpret and shape a piece. Each participant is both a soloist and an accompanist. Chamber music is a true democratic process. There is no single authoritative artistic viewpoint, but as many as there are participants. For this recital, the musical and intellectual wealth of eight musicians is available. This provides a richness of interpretations which must be considered, negotiated and finally meshed into a cohesive artistic expression. When there are two to four musicians this can be accomplished relatively efficiently. With each additional participant the process complicates, sometimes exponentially! With the seven artists required by the Beethoven, rehearsals turn into, at times intense, negotiating sessions. To complicate matters, instrument families are mixed, strings with winds. This contributes another range of technical challenges to rehearsals. The process is a daunting task but a truly enriching process, both to the final musical product and to each individual artist. As a violinist and frequent chamber music performer, I have often sought out ensembles that are outside of the standard string quartet. I find the challenge of adding winds to strings gives a complexity and special interest to the listening texture.

The journey to a chamber performance involves many steps. A musician, usually in consult with others must create a program. There are many angles to consider. Compositions: should there be a theme, or should the pieces contrast? Instrumentation: how many, what combination of instruments, what combination of personalities? Then comes the hard part—scheduling rehearsals. Coordinating the seven musicians required by the Beethoven Septet is a logistical nightmare! This undoubtedly contributes to the rarity of performances of such a great work. Several musicians in the chosen ensemble are on staff of universities and teach the entire day we have off. Other members are less comfortable with extensive rehearsals on days with evening performances. Most of us fit in lessons with students whenever there is a window in the symphony schedule. Then there must be individual practice time and for the winds, reed making time. We all have families to balance as well who must be acknowledged for their forbearance and sacrifice because without their support we musicians would not be able to share our passion for the more intimate chamber art with our audience. We end up with several rehearsals without one or another instrument. This is actually beneficial as it lessens the complexity of the texture and reveals details otherwise we might have missed. Coordinating rehearsals for the Brahms's five musicians in contrast seems a breeze, a good thing considering the complexity of the work.

One would be hard pressed to find more contrasting pieces of music than the Brahms Quintet and Beethoven Septet. Composed one hundred years apart these two works are opposites in style, emotional reach and require very different approaches. The Beethoven Septet was the most popular Beethoven composition of his time. In fact Beethoven was reputedly disgruntled that such a light hearted piece should garner so much attention when he felt he had composed many more profound works. The Septet, an early youthful work, is an uplifting, positive piece that at times reminds one of a Mozart Opera (at the beginning) or one of the Divertimentos. It has great energy and is very tuneful. It is not possible to play or listen to this piece without it elevating your mood. In fact there was some discussion about placing it last on the program so the audience would depart on an uplifting note, after all the piece ends with a great flourish. However the musicians decided to stay with chronological order and end the program with the Brahms Quintet. A mature work, this is a truly profound piece of music and some have said that if Brahms had written only this one piece it would have established his position as a superior composer. A composition of great introspection, with profound spirituality, the Brahms ends on a dark note as a heartbeat (cello) slowly fades away and the clarinet and strings give their last breaths.

One final acknowledgment must be made. Without the vision and support of arts enthusiasts like Sara Jo Manning, who enable the communing of performers with audience in the Manning Chamber Music Series, the experience of the unique spontaneity of live performance would be rare. It is that realtime communication with our audience that ultimately makes the whole process worthwhile. It is during that moment of live performance that we experience artistic creation and that is a definite reflection of our audience.

Karel Husa: A Very Personal View

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 13:48:53 -0400

When I was four years old, my grandfather gave me a 1/16^th sized violin in hopes that I would enjoy learning to play music on the instrument he had played as a boy. He has been listening to me play since Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and apparently I used to think I was so good that I tried to teach him how to play (this always made my family laugh). I fondly remember the winter vacations when my family would drive up to Ithaca, NY, where my grandparents lived and, along with my cousins and siblings, we would play Christmas carols- two violins, viola, cello, and flute, and piano with my grandfather sharing the bench with my cousin- and all the adults would sing along. I also always brought my violin along for summer vacation at their cottage on Cayuga Lake, which was a place of inspiration and hard work for my grandfather. Although I am the only one in the family to pursue a career in music, my grandfather certainly passed down his love and appreciation of music to all his daughters and grandchildren. I knew he was a “famous” composer, but, at that time, I didn’t really comprehend his importance or legacy as one of the major composers of our time.

Now, as I’m preparing a concert to celebrate his 90^th birthday and honor his incredible career, I am getting to know so much more about his life and his creative genius. I learned about how the Nazi occupation of his native Prague in 1941 led him to an unexpected career in music. I heard all about Paris after World War II, where so much was happening in the musical world—my grandfather’s studies with Honegger, dinners with Nadia Boulanger and her esteemed guests, hearing premieres of Stravinsky and others, a missed opportunity to study at Tanglewood with Koussevitzky due to illness (but that temporary illness put him in a hospital where he met my grandmother, so I’d say it all worked out for the best). He was enjoying life in Paris, starting a family, and was attracting international attention, both as a composer and conductor. He conducted the first recording of Bartok’s Miraculous Mandarin and had conducting engagements across Europe. Then in 1952, he was offered a temporary position at Cornell University to teach theory and conduct the orchestra. Thinking that a university position would give him more time to compose, and wanting to travel to America, he accepted. Three years turned into 38 and when he wasn’t teaching, he travelled around the world conducting his compositions. Even when all the major orchestras were playing his music, he still made time to guest conduct at schools across the country and loved working with youthful students. So many of my colleagues here in the NC Symphony have told me their own memories about the time when my grandfather conducted a performance of Music for Prague 1968 at their school. I believe he made a great impression on many generations of music students. (Someone even started a fan page on facebook as a way of sharing these stories.) Now he has retired just outside Raleigh and I have the pleasure of visiting him weekly.

This past week, though, I was at his house nearly every day. In the final weeks of preparation for Sunday’s concert, I, along with my colleagues, have been playing his music for him. His ears are still unbelievable. We can’t get away with any mistakes! He helps us understand exactly what he was thinking in terms of phrasing, mood, and tempo. The years on the podium are apparent with the way he gestures while we play, and as orchestral musicians, we immediately understand. He reminds us that modern music must still be played romantically and with great feeling and to really give ourselves to the music. For all the rhythmic complexity, dissonance, and different instrumental techniques, the depth of emotion is equal to that of any other great composer. Only the language is maybe a little less familiar at the beginning.

I would really like to thank my colleagues in this concert for the considerable amount of time they’ve dedicated to learning this difficult music. It has been a pleasure discovering the intricacies of String Quartet No. 3 together with Dovid Friedlander, David Marschall, and Bonnie Thron. Three Studies for Solo Clarinet was written in 2007 for a clarinet competition in Prague, and the way Andrew Lowy plays it, you would never guess that it’s so challenging. I’ve also enjoyed relearning the youthful Sonatina for Violin and Piano from 1945 with Olga Kleiankina, and she and Gregg Gelb are also doing a great job with Elegie et Rondeau for Alto Saxophone and Piano.

I could literally write pages and pages about my grandfather’s fascinating life, his meticulously crafted, and yet still powerfully expressive music, and what a wonderfully kind and generous man he is. But that would take all day and night and I’ve still got a lot of violin practicing to do. I’d just like to end with one of my favorite family stories: before the days of email spam and caller ID, companies used to call people at home with the news that they’ve won a contest and to claim the prize, they just needed to get some personal information. Well, one day in 1969, my grandmother got a call from a stranger who asked to speak with Mr. Husa. He wasn’t home, and my grandmother asked to take a message. The caller claimed that Mr. Husa had won the “Pull-It Surprise” and my grandmother replied in her lovely French accent, “Thank you very much, but he’s not interested.” The caller insisted that he have some way to get in touch with my grandfather, but my grandmother wouldn’t budge. The caller managed to find my grandfather’s office phone number at Cornell through other means and reported that his wife said he wasn’t interested in receiving the Pulitzer Prize for his String Quartet No. 3! As I’ve learned the piece myself, I can see why it won—it utilized new techniques for the instruments and a different way of approaching quartet writing, while still creating captivating atmospheres and a wide range of color combinations. In studying the score, brilliantly intricate details come to light, but what is most important, I think, is that the listener follows the emotional journey of this intense piece. In my grandmother’s defense, the Fine Arts Quartet (for whom the piece was written) had submitted the Quartet No. 3 for the Prize without ever telling him, so that call truly was a Pulitzer Prize surprise!

A Retirement Retrospective

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 10:46:23 -0400

NCS violist Jeffry Moyer recently retired after thirty-seven years of extraordinary service with the orchestra.

A native of Tennessee, Jeff lived in many parts of the United States while growing up. His parents, accomplished amateur musicians, nurtured his budding musical interests. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music performance at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and received further professional training at Kneisel Hall and the Music Academy of the West. Among his distinguished viola teachers were Peter Mark, Milton Thomas, Raphael Hillyer, Paul Doktor and Albert Gillis of the Paganini Quartet.

Prior to joining the North Carolina Symphony in the 1974/75 season, Jeff lived in France, where he was a tenured member of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Strasbourg and a frequent substitute in Strasbourg’s Radio Orchestra. During his time with the North Carolina Symphony, Jeff performed as a soloist or chamber musician with the North Carolina Symphony Chamber Orchestra, North Carolina Bach Festival and North Carolina Chamber Players.

Jeff and his wife, Carol, raised their three sons in Raleigh: Benjamin, a meteorologist; Jonathan, a concert pianist; and Abraham, a mechanical engineer.

Here, he considers his years with the North Carolina Symphony.

Some time after my retirement from the North Carolina Symphony, I am still transported by the last sound I heard as a member of our viola section—that cosmic low E produced in primeval purity by my esteemed colleagues in our double bass section—concluding a memorable performance of Mahler’s Fourth Symphony. I can’t imagine a more satisfying way to end to an orchestral career!

Reflecting on my 37 years with the orchestra, I am amazed at my incredible good fortune to have had the privilege of working among such a truly wonderful group of people who just happen to be incredibly talented musicians. I am also struck by our ensemble’s growth—not in size (due to tight budgets, our roster is actually smaller today than when I joined during the 1974–75 season), but rather both in artistry and in our stature among American symphony orchestras. Our recent auditions to fill my chair attest to this; there were so many highly skilled competitors that our audition committee had great difficulty narrowing the field to a manageable number of finalists.

There are, of course, many factors behind the North Carolina Symphony’s rise to its present artistic stature. One that is often overlooked is the steady improvement in our concert venues. In my early years here, the vast majority of our concerts were given on tour. All too often, after traveling for hours on cramped, stuffy, smelly buses, we performed on cramped, stuffy, poorly-lit stages—or in smelly gymnasiums—with abysmal acoustics. Since then, across the state many new auditoriums have been built, and some existing ones have been much improved. For just a few examples, think of the Roanoke Rapids Theater, Lee Auditorium in Southern Pines, Minnie Evans Performing Arts Center in Wilmington, Paramount Theater in Goldsboro, Cherokee’s Cultural Arts Center, the Performing Arts Center at Kinston High School—and of course the stunning transformation of Memorial Hall in Chapel Hill.

Although we have undeniably benefitted from better road venues, by far our biggest gain came with our move into Meymandi Concert Hall here in Raleigh. This beautiful new hall, blessed with world-class acoustics, was an utter game-changer. With all of our rehearsals and many of our concerts now taking place in an environment conducive to making beautiful sounds (an environment that makes even our undersized string sections sound good!) a new way of hearing ourselves—individually and collectively—began to alter the way we produce our sounds, and before long we blossomed as a performing ensemble in a way that we could only have dreamed of before. Take away this blossoming, and the essence of that exquisite low E remains within the confines of Mahler’s cranium.

As I transition from the stage to the audience, I look back on numerous symphonic performances that have afforded me enormous satisfaction; and I look forward to experiencing our wonderful sound from a new perspective. Dare I dream of the day when we will hear Meymandi Concert Hall filled with the incredibly rich sound of a fully-staffed North Carolina Symphony—60 string players strong—performing Mahler symphonies as the composer conceived them?