I rarely attend concerts. It is not that I have no interest in music but rather than I have interest in things besides music. Being “seen” by the appropriate people is definitely not on that list. Playing with my kids is. So it takes a lot to get me out the door for an evening of classical fun. Thank God it happened Tuesday…..
Programming
Getting my Kicks…….
Next weekend is the last concert of the season and it’s a program I have been planning since arriving in Springfield four seasons ago. It’s part of our mission to make the orchestra a community cornerstone by creating programs once in a while that truly celebrate where we are, which in this case is a couple of blocks from Route 66……
Revolution for an Evolution part 4 – Vision
For me there are are three big things that music students should be engaged in discovering: Vision, Initiative and Sincerity. I say discovering only because I don’t believe these elements can be taught by wrote as they are not skills. They can however be learned, and colleges can play a big role by creating an institutional vision that helps to create an ideal environment to facilitate the learning of these elements…..
Revolution for an Evolution part 3 – To always gain and never lose!
Last week the Boise Philharmonic appointed Robert Franz to be their next Music Director. I know Robert well, he succeeded me in Buffalo and I showed him around before he moved there. We have been in touch from time to time. I was a candidate in Boise also (although not in the final running) and upon hearing the news I was very happy for him and for them…wait a second I’m not supposed to feel this way, aren’t we all supposed to be competitors, fierce rivals, we are conductors, surely there must be some mistake…..have I lost my competitive streak?…..
Birth of the New
For today’s post I have a very special guest: Allan Gilliland is a composer based in Edmonton, and tonight the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra is giving the World Premiere of his newest work – Dreaming of the Masters II: Rhapsody GEB. In Allan’s own words this is what it’s all about………
What’s in a Name?
It is funny – as a Music Director you’re responsible for putting together a season that is coherent and musically fulfilling. But then it’s thrown into the hopper of PR/Marketing and God only knows what is going to come out. You’re thinking one thing and then you catch a glimpse of what is going out to the public and – “that’s not what I had in mind!” So, what’s in a name?
Surprise Gifts of the Season….
Catching my breath from the busiest holiday concert season I have ever had, there were some unexpected moments in different performances that I will forever remember, moments that truly made me feel so lucky to be doing what I do….
CONDUCTOR SMACKDOWN! – More Musical Mistletoe Please!
How is it even possible that I like Christmas music? I am Jewish and I grew up (well the jury is still out on that one!) in Sydney Australia where at this time of year it’s 100 degrees. There, none of the songs such as Let it Snow, White Christmas but especially Baby It’s Cold Outside make any sense whilst having a Christmas barbecue on the beach! By the time this weekend is over, I will have conducted 30 Holiday concerts since November 23 including 2 productions of the Nutcracker and 5 … Continue Reading