February 4, 2011

Welcome to the Winter 2011 electronic edition of the Charlotte Symphony newsletter, Encore! In this issue, you’ll read fascinating interviews with guest artists, get updates on Symphony events, and learn more about Symphony programs. Enjoy!

Contents:

• Concertmaster Tackles Tchaikovsky Concerto
  
  
• A Conversation with Video Games Live Creator Tommy Tallarico
  
  
• Duke Energy Grant Boosts Music Education
  
  
• Oratorio Singers Perform Howells Requiem
  
  
• Reach Out for the Legendary Four Tops
  
  
• Jeanne Brayboy to Receive Marie R. Rowe Award
  
  
• You’ll Like Green Eggs and Ham at the Symphony
  
  
• Bringing Classics to the Classroom
  
  
• Meet Tatiana Krzesicki, Junior Youth Orchestra Concertmaster
  
  
• Students from Winterfield Elementary Perform with the CSO

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CSO Concertmaster Tackles Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto

For Valentine’s weekend, February 11 and 12, the Charlotte Symphony brings to life the beloved Shakespearean love story, Romeo and Juliet, with luscious music by Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev. Surely, Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Overture is among the most romantic of all orchestral pieces. But equally passionate is the Russian composer’s famous Violin Concerto in D major, notorious for some of the most technically challenging passages ever written for violin. The performance highlights the Charlotte Symphony’s own Concertmaster, Calin Lupanu.

Lupanu’s rendition of the piece has been a long time in the making. He first heard the concerto performed by violin virtuoso Henryk Szeryng as a young boy. “I was probably 7 or 8 years old, and I remember listening to, and hoping to one day play, such beautiful music,” says the violinist.

Lupanu first began working on Tchaikovsky’s concerto in the 10th grade, leading to a solo performance of the work at age 20. February’s concert marks the first time that he has performed the violin concerto with an orchestra.

Though Szeryng’s performance was monumental, Lupanu admits, “It was too long ago to remember his technique and what I really liked about his performance specifically.” Now, Lupanu especially admires performances by Julia Fisher and David Oistrakh.

The concerto runs 35 minutes, and Lupanu has worked hard to build the stamina and endurance that it takes to perform this piece well. Even after years of work, he admits that he still finds Tchaikovsky’s passages very demanding and technically difficult.

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A Conversation with Video Games Live Creator Tommy Tallarico

On Saturday, February 19, the Charlotte Symphony presents Video Games Live, an interactive, multimedia celebration of video games and their music. Creator and video game composer Tommy Tallarico spoke with Encore! about what makes this show special.

This marks the first time Video Games Live has come to Charlotte. What excites you about coming to a new city, particularly Charlotte?

“We have gotten so many e-mails over the last 7 or 8 years from North Carolina – Raleigh, you guys in Charlotte – it’s the first time that we’ve brought the show to the state. The great thing about going to a place like Charlotte, besides bringing the show to a new place, is the excitement is always a little bigger in smaller cities. People appreciate it more, and that’s always the fun part for us. We want to make this a yearly thing.”

For those who know nothing about the gaming world, what do you want them to know about Video Games Live? Why should they come?

“The great thing about Video Games Live is that you have all of the power and emotion of a symphony combined with the energy and excitement of a rock concert. My goal with creating Video Games Live was to prove how culturally significant video games have become. And the show isn’t just for the hardcore gamers – you don’t have to know anything at all to come. In fact, non-gamers are usually the ones most blown away. They have no idea about the intriguing storylines, beautiful graphics, powerful music, and they go, ‘I get it now, it’s a whole world I didn’t even know existed.’ It’s amazing how artistic video games have become, and when you listen to the music it’s profound and beautiful. Our main goal is just to say ‘Hey, if you have a gamer in your family, this is something that you can go to with them. Don’t just get a ticket for your kids because they’re into Halo. GO with them.’ It’s a great way to get families at the symphony.” 

Tell us about the creative process. What is different about composing for video games versus composing in general?

“It’s a lot different from film and television industries for example. Those mediums are really linear because you have to match it exactly to the picture, and there is this constant stream of sound and dialogue going on in addition to the music. What we do with video games is very interactive. Since the music isn’t exactly timed out for what’s going on, we have a lot more freedom and versatility. Someone may say, ‘Write me a three-minute piece of music where there are a bunch of people on horses coming to attack you.’ I can just imagine the scene in my head. I might write or arrange the same piece of music in three or four different ways using different layers. For instance, maybe there are 100 people coming to attack, but then the player fights them off and there are only 10 people left – the music changes. And if more guys show up, I might add a layer of percussion to the music to show the chaos. You don’t think in terms of one song, you think about how the song can branch. In film they call it background music or incidental music. With video games, we write foreground music -- we drive the action and the interactivity of the scene. We are in direct control of the player’s emotions. It’s very important to really go on emotion when you write for games, and it’s for all these reasons that I’ve always said that if Beethoven were alive today he wouldn’t write film music… he would write video game music!”

What is it like to work with orchestras?

“You can sense when we work with a symphony for the first time that there is a level of apprehension. They’re going, ‘Sonic the Hedgehog? What is this? This is not Stravinsky!’ But when we play together as a group, people recognize that it’s really good music. Carl Orff, Mozart, Holst – video game composers draw on these composers for inspiration. Any composer is going to be inspired by the masters that came before. We’re just classical music in a different package. The best part is when the show is underway and the symphony musicians hear 3,000 people screaming and cheering at the top of their lungs. I think that’s when it hits them. That’s what is fun for me to watch. And backstage someone will say, ‘I’ve been playing the oboe for over 40 years and I’ve never heard an audience like this before.’ They’re rock stars."

How is Video Games Live inspiring people?

“I get 20 or 30 e-mails a day from people who have been impacted by the show. We usually get about 2 or 3 e-mails from parents after a performance, and it will say something like, ‘My family was so blown away from the show, and as we were talking about it over breakfast, my daughter asked me if she could start taking violin lessons because she wants to play the music from the concert.’ I was inspired by Star Wars. It was the first time that I had really heard orchestral music, and that’s what got me interested in symphonic music. We’re seeing the exact same thing happen 30 years later with Video Games Live where people are inspired to pick up instruments because they want to learn the music. On Youtube, you will literally see tens of thousands of people playing their favorite video game music on guitar, piano – even marching bands are doing this.”

As far as the future of Video Games Live goes, what do you have up your sleeve for making it even better?

“We change the show every year. Every year we add more special effects, special guests, videos, and interactive elements. It’s tough each year to top yourself from the year before, but we’ve achieved it consistently every year. It’s great because I’ve created over 70 segments for Video Games Live, but we can only play 18-20 of them. Video Games Live never has the same set list. Just this year alone we’ve added new music from five games, even from franchises we’ve already had. We’ve done Halo from the beginning, but the new game just came out -- Halo Reach -- so we’re playing music from that. We’re not only looking at the modern games, but the classic games as well, because there’s so much great stuff that people remember growing up with. It’s great when Frogger comes on the screen and the parents say to their kids, ‘That’s what I played when I was a kid.’ The kids are amazed that they ever even played video games!”

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Duke Energy Grant Boosts Music Education

A recent grant from The Duke Energy Foundation is helping the Charlotte Symphony and Opera Carolina reach more students with the power of great music. The Duke Energy “Power of Music” Opera/Symphony Partnership grant underwrites each institution’s reduced-price student ticket program and supports an array of educational programs for local school children in the 2010-2011 academic year. “The reduction of public funding for arts education has challenged local arts organizations’ ability to serve students,” said Charlotte Symphony Executive Director Jonathan Martin. “The Charlotte Symphony and Opera Carolina are grateful to The Duke Energy Foundation for ensuring that thousands of local students will have access to excellent musical experiences this year.”

CSO violinist Kathy Jarrell works with orchestra students at Randolph IB Middle School.

With “The Duke Energy Power of Music Student Discount,” the Symphony provides student tickets at a deep discount -- as much as 75-85% -- to encourage attendance by students of all ages at performances. Since the season opened in September, the Symphony has sold more than 500 student tickets.

A popular component of the student discount program is “College Night at the Symphony.” Each semester, the CSO invites students from local colleges and universities to attend a regular series concert at the Belk Theater, preceded by refreshments, a meet and greet with Symphony musicians, and the “Musically Speaking” pre-concert talk. The Charlotte Symphony will host the second College Night of the 2010-2011 season on Friday, February 11 with a romantic program that features Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy and excerpts from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet ballet score.

Also funded by the grant is the “Instrumental Music Initiative,” which places Charlotte Symphony musicians into selected Charlotte-Mecklenburg middle or high schools to work intensively with band and orchestra students. CSO musicians are headed into 15 local schools this semester, including Alexander Graham Middle School, Randolph IB Middle School, Piedmont Middle School, and Ardrey Kell, South Mecklenburg, and Hough High Schools. The Symphony also continues extensive work with both the Winterfield Elementary after-school strings program and the Northwest School of the Arts.

The Charlotte Symphony remains grateful that it is able to continue its strong support of music education thanks to the generous support provided by The Duke Energy “Power of Music” Opera/Symphony Partnership grant.

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Oratorio Singers of Charlotte Perform Howells Requiem

Concert also features music by Brahms, Wood
Friday, February 25 @ 8 p.m.
Myers Park Baptist Church

The Oratorio Singers of Charlotte will perform an evening of choral music at an Oratorio-only concert on Friday, February 25 at Myers Park Baptist Church. Oratorio Director Scott Allen Jarrett will conduct.

The concert’s centerpiece is a Requiem composed in 1936 by the British composer Herbert Howells following the death of his nine-year-old son, Michael Kendrick Howells, from polio.  The story behind the piece is one that the Oratorio Singers have become very familiar with.

“One of many perks of singing with the Oratorio Singers, and of performing music like Howells’s Requiem, is the chance to explore the origins of the music, the composer's motivations, and some history about its performance,” says ensemble member John Pinter. “A bonus for the OSC is to have an exceptionally talented and motivated conductor in Dr. Scott Jarrett, who helps us learn more than just the notes; we're motivated to collect other information on our own.”

The hauntingly beautiful a cappella Requiem is not a traditional setting of the Roman Catholic Mass for the dead, but is instead a six-movement work that includes settings of Psalms 23 and 121, Salvator Mundi, Requiem aeternam, and I heard a voice from heaven. The work features soprano, tenor, and baritone soloists, who will be drawn from the Oratorio Singers roster.

Also on the program is Hail, Gladdening Light, by the Irish composer Charles Wood, with words by John Keble. The piece is an anthem for double chorus and highlights the exquisite beauty found in the fullness of eight-part texture.

Brahms’s Nänie, which will be performed with the Charlotte Symphony in April, receives a preview performance here. The rarely performed Nänie is a setting of a poem by Friedrich von Schiller and was composed as a tribute to painter Anselm Feuerbach, who was a personal friend of Brahms.

The hour-long concert will be performed without intermission. Tickets are $10 and are available by calling the Symphony ticket office at 704-972-2000.

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Reach Out for the Legendary Four Tops

Few things have remained the same since 1954, but you can bet that the soulful and satisfying harmonies of The Four Tops haven’t changed a bit.  Charlotte Symphony conductor Albert-George Schram will team up with the chart-topping quartet March 18-19 at Ovens Auditorium for an evening of Motown musical memories.  

The Four Tops began their journey as a band of soulful Detroit-area high school students in 1954. Founders Levi Stubbs, Abdul “Duke” Fakir, Renaldo “Obie” Benson, and Lawrence Payton had their first impromptu performance at a friend’s birthday party – the rest is history. Looking to “aim for the top,” the group called themselves The Four Tops and scored a record deal with Chess Records in 1956.

The Four Tops spent 10 years perfecting their vocal blend before landing their first hit, “Baby I Need Your Loving,” after switching to Motown Records. They landed their first number-one single in the spring of 1965 with “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch),” and blazed through the 1960s and 1970s with a streak of R&B hits including “Reach Out, I’ll Be There,” "Standing in the Shadows of Love,” and “Ain’t No Woman (Like the One I’ve Got).”

The Four Tops' smooth moves and timeless tunes brought the group success well after the peak of Motown. The quartet toured with the Temptations and released its final Top 40 hit, appropriately titled “Indestructible,” in 1988. Just a few short years later The Four Tops were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the group of friends continued to tour the United States, Europe, and Asia.

While the group’s talent and professionalism have remained consistent throughout the decades, the performers have changed; the legendary Abdul “Duke” Fakir remains the last founding member of The Four Tops. Seasoned entertainer Theo Peoples, previously lead singer for the Temptations, joined the group in 1998 upon the death of Lawrence Payton, stepping in to fill the shoes of founding “Topper” Levi Stubbs as The Tops’ lead vocalist a couple of years later. Ronnie McNeir, a well-known producer and musician, joined in 1999. Talented songwriter, pianist, and vocalist Lawrence Roquel Payton, Jr., son of original Four Tops member Payton, grew up in the Motown sound and joined The Tops in 2005.

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Symphony Board Member Jeanne Brayboy to Receive Marie R. Rowe Award

The Symphony Guild of Charlotte, Inc. has named Jeanne Martin Brayboy recipient of its annual Marie R. Rowe Award. This prestigious award, which recognizes leaders who have had a positive impact on the local arts community, will be presented at The Symphony Guild’s The Power of Women gala and fashion show on Friday, March 4 in the Wells Fargo Atrium. The show will feature the fashions of Nitsa’s and Our Place boutiques located in Phillips Place.

The Marie R. Rowe Award was established in 1999 to honor beloved Charlotte arts patron Marie R. Rowe. It is given annually to a member of the Charlotte community who has shown a strong support of the arts through volunteerism.

A longtime supporter of the arts in Charlotte, Jeanne Martin Brayboy is a former elementary music teacher for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, where she was recognized as an exemplary educator. Since retiring, she has volunteered for cultural organizations around the city, including the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, North Carolina School of the Arts, Central Piedmont Community College, the Afro-American Cultural Center, Friendship Trays, the Mint Museum of Art, the Foundation for the Carolinas, and the Levine Museum of the New South. Ms. Brayboy also serves as a board member for the Charlotte Symphony, the Discovery Place, and the African-American Community Foundation.

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You’ll Like Green Eggs and Ham at the Symphony this March

Would you eat them at the Symphony? Would you eat them with a…hmmm…What rhymes with Symphony? The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra brings the deliciously delightful rhymes of Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham to audiences of all ages at its upcoming Lollipops concert on March 26.

The Symphony is teaming up with the artists of “Really Inventive Stuff” for the concert. Inspired by the legends of vaudeville and silent film, “Really Inventive Stuff” combines music, miming, and puppetry to open the imaginations of its audiences as it creatively shares some of literature’s best tales.

Green Eggs and Ham features Kimberly Schroeder as the Soprano, and Michael Boudewyns as the persistent Sam-I-Am. “We’ve designed this so that the soprano, or the person who does not like green eggs and ham, is living in kind of a black and white world,” says Boudewyns. “And in contrast, Sam-I-Am is very colorful. I just love Dr. Seuss. I think that what Dr. Seuss has given the world is a giant gift, and all of this is in celebration of Dr. Seuss.”

Boudewyns is the co-founder of “Really Inventive Stuff.” He has performed with theater companies around the nation and has been creating literature-based performances since 1997. Kimberly Schroeder is currently the co-director of the Delaware Dance Company’s Youth Dance Ensemble. She has been in many productions, including Fiddler on the Roof, La Boheme, and Cinderella.

This orchestral adaptation of the classic Dr. Seuss tale features music by Robert Kapilow. “Kapilow’s score for Green Eggs and Ham is a lot like ‘Looney Tunes’ music, where the scores are like patchwork – constantly changing melodies and illustrating a cartoon,” says Boudewyns. “The music catches you by surprise and really forces you to pay attention.”

The concert is sure to be fun for all, Boudewyns says: “We want to make sure that a sense of playfulness exists. People forget that when you see a performance, you are there to play. Actors perform in a play; musicians play instruments –audiences need that same experience. They need the opportunity to play.”

Find out how much you like green eggs and ham on Saturday, March 26 in the Belk Theater. A pre-concert festival begins at 10 a.m. and puts the musical experience into kids' hands, with crafts, activities, and instrument exploration in The Symphony Guild of Charlotte’s “Musical Petting Zoo.”

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Bringing Classics to the Classroom

Between education concerts, a blossoming strings program at Winterfield Elementary School, in-school performances, and much more, the Charlotte Symphony is starting the New Year off with a multitude of educational offerings.

The Charlotte Symphony continues its Debbie Phillips Classical Concerts for Students series with concerts on Wednesday, February 16 at 10 a.m. and 11:20 a.m. The theme for the 2010-2011 season is ‘Rhythm Around the World.” Concerts and the accompanying teacher’s guide will expose students to percussion instruments, beat patterns, and unique meters found in music from all over the world. This concert is open to all students – public, private, and homeschooled – in grades 3 through 8.

“Rhythm Around the World” will be performed at Ovens Auditorium, conducted by the CSO’s new Assistant Conductor, Jacomo Rafael Bairos. A tubist and passionate music education advocate, Bairos has developed and conducted educational concerts in Portugal, in addition to serving as Director of Orchestras for the Baltimore School for the Arts.

Local teachers are also bringing students to the CSO’s final open rehearsal, Romeo and Juliet, on February 11 at 10 a.m. Students are able to experience the tale of two “star-crossed lovers” through the profound music of Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky, with Christopher Warren-Green conducting. The CSO provides teachers with supplementary educational curriculum materials for grades 9-12.

As always, Charlotte Symphony musicians continue to be a presence in local schools by offering coaching sessions and master classes. These opportunities, in addition to small ensemble performances in elementary schools such as Blythe, Shamrock Gardens, Eastover, and Cornelius Elementary Schools, give students rich musical experiences.

Symphony musicians and violinist Rosemary Warren-Green continue to work with students at the Winterfield Elementary after-school strings program. The program, supported by a grant from the N.C. Arts Council and generous gifts from Charlie and Nancy Robson and Lynn and Elliot Crutchfield, serves 25 students grades 2-5 with free general music, violin, and cello instruction. Winterfield is an ethnically diverse, high-poverty school in east Charlotte.

The Symphony also maintains its ongoing partnership with the Northwest School of the Arts. In addition to the weekly coaching of advanced students in the Recital Seminar course at NWSA, CSO musicians will lead a three-hour master class with students at the school’s upcoming Symphonic Camp in March.

Meet Tatiana Krzesicki, Junior Youth Orchestra Concertmaster

At just three and-a-half years old, Tatiana Krzesicki was using a cardboard violin with rubber band strings to learn how to properly hold her instrument. Fast-forward through nine years of lessons and a continuous love for music, and Tatiana is now the concertmaster for the Charlotte Symphony Junior Youth Orchestra.

There is no doubt that concertmaster is a high-pressure position. “As concertmaster, you’re a leader,” says Tatiana. “You’re relied on to lead the violins. If you’re doing something wrong, or the first violins aren’t doing well, then that can be frustrating.”

To Tatiana though, the positives far outweigh the good. “One of the best parts of working your way up to concertmaster is that you get this great title, and are recognized as a special person. That’s pretty cool. I also love when I am chosen to play solos as concertmaster – I really enjoy playing solos. And the conductor (CSO violinist Ernest Pereira) is also really great to work with.”

When it comes to having a favorite composer, Tatiana can’t choose just one. “I have a lot of composers that I love, but I can’t say that I have an all-time favorite. I like Mozart, but if I listen to him all the time I get tired of his music, so I think it’s important to switch up my favorites.” Narrowing down her favorite piece of music to play is much easier: Sarasate’s Romanza Andaluza. “It’s a Spanish dance with this fun Spanish flavor to it. The piece has a beautiful beginning, followed by a dramatic second page that is really fun to play emotionally.”

The leadership skills that she has gained working with the JYO have made Tatiana an excellent volunteer at the Winterfield Elementary after-school string program, a free music education program of the Charlotte Symphony. “I love the Winterfield kids. They’re all really into learning the violin. I’ve formed friendships with all of the little girls, and they’re really sweet. We teach them little songs, tabletop fingers, duets, technique, and how to read music. It’s great to see them so interested in learning.” The students at Winterfield are currently hoping that Tatiana can teach them “the finger wiggle,” which is their term for vibrato. Tatiana admits that recently she has caught herself unknowingly using some of the Winterfield lingo like “finger wiggle” at her own rehearsals with the JYO.

Tatiana studies violin with UNC Charlotte professor David Russell and takes voice lessons at Queens University of Charlotte. But at 12 years old, Tatiana has many other hobbies, in addition to her musical pursuits.  “I love being outdoors,” she explains. “I love going exploring in creeks, or looking at trees. I just love being in nature.” And music isn’t the only art form dear to Tatiana’s heart. “I love reading – give me a good book and you won’t see me for a while! I also love art – I go upstairs in my free time and make little clay people and villages, and give them little hats. Art is so much fun.”

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Classical Collaborations: Students from Winterfield Elementary Perform with the Charlotte Symphony

Concertgoers were treated to a very special symphonic debut last month. Students from the Winterfield Elementary after-school strings program performed alongside the Charlotte Symphony at its Scottish Night extravaganza on January 14 and 15 at the Belk Theater. In the first moments of the concert, Winterfield students became stars as cheers and thunderous applause from the Blumenthal crowds greeted them.

Members of the Charlotte Symphony Junior Youth Orchestra joined the Winterfield violinists onstage. Together, these young musicians played a repeating harmonic line in the Symphony performance of “Farewell to Stromness” by British composer Peter Maxwell Davies.

Backstage, CSO Assistant Conductor Jacomo Bairos joked with students and taught them the proper way to bow (count “one one-thousand two one-thousand). Rosemary Warren-Green ran a quick rehearsal with the children, offering them last-minute tips and tuning their instruments. Many of the JYO members, including concertmaster Tatiana Krzesicki, entranced the Winterfield students by playing passages from “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik.” And though the Winterfield kids had expressed being nervous about their first performance, one would never have guessed it by watching the lively games of tag in the dressing room!

After their big debut, the students were even more thrilled to learn that guest violinist Caroline Goulding had raced to the wings of the stage to catch their performance. Students hugged Goulding as they left the stage.

The Winterfield after-school strings program serves 28 students in grades 2-5, and was founded by second-grade teacher Courtney Hollenbeck. Winterfield Elementary is an ethnically diverse, high-poverty school in east Charlotte. This program, supported by a grant from the N.C. Arts Council and generous private gifts, offers students the opportunity to work weekly with CSO musicians and violinist Rosemary Warren-Green, wife of Music Director Christopher Warren-Green. It also provides children at Winterfield with instruments and supplies and enables them to experience the magical sounds of the symphony through both performances at Winterfield and free tickets to Charlotte Symphony concerts and rehearsals.