Health & Safety updates from your Charlotte Symphony >> CLICK HERE

Sound of Charlotte Blog

Sneak peek: 'Off the Rails' with Kari Giles and Kirsten Swanson

We're trying something a little different this season. On October 15, a quartet of CSO musicians are going "Off the Rails" with a performance of contemporary music at Snug Harbor in Plaza Midwood. We caught up with two members of the quartet, Assistant Concertmaster Kari Giles and Acting Assistant Principal violist Kirsten Swanson, to get a sneak peek of the program.


Have you ever played a concert like CSO Off the Rails before? 
Kari Giles: I've never been fortunate to play a concert quite like Off the Rails! I have always been passionate about new music and putting together creative programs. It is so fun to search and discover new composers, bring their works to life, and then share them with an audience for the first time. [So] having the freedom to create a program and literally being told to "get wild" and "out there" was thrilling. I knew immediately that I wanted to partner with Jenny Topilow and Kirsten Swanson. On top of being amazing musicians, they are dear friends, and we have a long history of playing chamber music together. Jeremy Lamb has also been involved in many local new music collaborations and is a composer himself, so I knew he would be perfect addition.
Assistant Concertmaster Kari Giles

Kirsten Swanson: I have been very fortunate to have spent a lot of my career playing contemporary music, and I absolutely love the creativity of 20th and 21st Century string quartet writing. I did a similarly programmed concert last year, but what I especially love about these pieces is that the composers play around with the Western musical tradition of a steady, toe-tappable, rhythm and sends the listener's inward pulse "off the rails."

What kind of music is on the program? How was it selected?
KG: The concert will open with John Adams' "John's Book of Alleged Dances." When it was suggested by my husband Mark Lewis, who is also a composer, I instantly loved it and knew we had to program it. Next on the program is "Carrot Revolution" by young and upcoming composer Gabriella Smith. The words "Rock Out" are literally marked into all of our parts in the opening, and the piece is filled with fiddle, blues, and rock riffs. Listen closely to hear her homage to The Who! A friend recommended I check out our third featured composer, Pamela Z. As an artist and composer, Pamela Z creates eclectic works using voice, live electronic processing and sampled sound. I don't want to give too much away, so I will just say that this work is dreamy and super cool. We have a few more surprises as well, so I hope everyone will come out ready to hear some new music they've never heard before!

Acting Assistant Principal violist Kirsten Swanson
KS: The works on the program toy with our sense of pulse and rhythm, one of the most essential elements of music. In the Adams work, he has the quartet playing with a pre-recorded track played on a player piano. The track is sort of our metronome, except it's not quite steady (or is it?), which is a trip for us as players and for the audience! Adams is making such fun of the idea of what makes a dance a dance and how we each frame our sense of pulse. I'll be so curious to hear what the audience feels throughout these.

Which do you think is the coolest or most fun piece on the program?

KG: The part of the program that is most personal to me is a movement of the Adams work called "Judah to Ocean."
Adams is from San Francisco, and this movement is a musical picture of the N Judah train. It also happens to be one of the trains I took quite frequently when I was a student at the San Francisco Conservatory! Lots of good memories there.

KS: Carrot Revolution is totally the most fun! Anything that says "Rock Out" is going to be my favorite piece! 

What kind of music do you listen to for fun?
KG: Currently my go-to musical companions are Prince, Rhianna, Tori Amos, and The Cure. I am also really going through a traditional Irish phase, and Dervish is just magical. My all-time favorite band, though, is Jump Little Children, who I went to school with when I was at NCSA.

KS: Oh man. My playlist is embarrassing. Last week I listened to Lizzo (butchered the lyrics); Raffi because he has a beautiful voice and the lyrics still get me as an adult (I mean! Robin in the rain/what a saucy fellow); Anderson .Paak because he's just amazing; and the oldies...because my parents did, and it's the music I listened to growing up.

What do you think people need to know about the concert before they show up?
KG: Just put on your coolest (or uncoolest) outfit, grab a drink at the bar, and have fun!

CSO Off the Rails will rock Snug Harbor on October 15 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased online in advance or at the door.
Read more

Posted in Community. Tagged as community, CSO Musicians, interview, Musicians.

Dr. Samuel C. Davis - Always About the Music



It is with a heavy heart that we share former Charlotte Symphony cellist Dr. Samuel Craig Davis passed away on July 2, 2019. Dr. Davis was a musician, CMS educator, and trailblazer as one of the first African Americans to integrate into the Symphony in 1963. Current Charlotte Symphony musicians gathered at his funeral service on July 6 at First Baptist Church-West and played Bach's
Air as he was laid to rest.

Dr. Davis's grandson, Derrick Eure, shares the main details of his life's work and how his perseverance made an impact on the symphony, and the greater Charlotte community. 

Dr. Samuel Craig Davis's, life was highly dedicated to music education. As an African American Orchestra teacher in the Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools System in the early 1960's, Dr. Davis was already a trail blazer for introducing classical music into the world of a segregated Charlotte at the junior high and high school level. It wasn't until 1963, on his third attempt auditioning for the symphony, that himself and lifelong friend, Leroy Sellers (also a Violin teacher with CMS) were selected to be apart of the symphony under the direction of Richard Cormier. Following Cormier as Director, Jacques Browman would direct the two friends for the next 13 years. 

Let it never be about your skin, or where you're from or where you studied. Instead, let it always be about the music. 

During that time, Dr. Davis went on to foster a plethora of friendships with symphony friends, further crossing the racial divide with the common love for the music. Quartets were formed, and so many recitals took place as the symphony played in the home my grandfather masterfully built. In fact, Aurdrey Browman, wife of the director Jacques Bowman, even gave a piano recital, with notable members of the symphony performing, time and time again as he opened the doors to his home. 

Names of famous opera singers like Dorothy Manor (NYC), & Gloria Davey even shared in the beautiful parties my grandfather put on, because he truly understood what magic could come when people no longer saw difference, but instead - simply, the music. That, is what I believe Dr. Samuel C. Davis's life work has shown us us all that we sometimes forget even still today. Let it never be about your skin, or where you're from or where you studied. Instead, let it always be about the music. 

Our thoughts and prayers are with Dr. Davis's loved ones during this difficult time. 
  Read more

Tagged as CSO Musicians, Musicians.

Welcome New Musician: Samuel Sparrow

A North Carolina native, Samuel Sparrow joined the Charlotte Symphony as Section and E-flat Clarinet in September 2017. Mr. Sparrow has performed with the New York Philharmonic, New World Symphony, and Verbier Festival Orchestra in Switzerland. As a soloist, he has appeared with the Raleigh Symphony, Garner Sinfonia, and Triangle Youth Philharmonic. Other performance highlights include a featured appearance with Sting at the Main Assembly Hall of the United Nations and the West Coast premiere of Matthew Aucoin's chamber opera, Second Nature. The recipient of the Leon Russianoff Memorial Scholarship, Mr. Sparrow earned his bachelor's in music performance from Manhattan School of Music. His primary teachers include Mark Nuccio, Anthony McGill, and Pascual Martinez. During his summers, he has attended the Brevard Music Center's Orchestral Institute and the Music Academy of the West in California. In addition to performing, Mr. Sparrow enjoys teaching and maintains a small private studio.

Hometown: Durham, North Carolina

Why did you select your instrument?
My parents said the drums were too loud, and my band had too many flutes already, so the clarinet seemed like the next coolest instrument.

What would most surprise people about you?
I love a good adrenaline rush! I'm a big rollercoaster fan, and recently rode the world's largest free-fall swing.

If you could meet one composer, who would it be and what would you ask him/her? Shostakovich. How did you find the courage to keep composing after falling out of favor with the Soviet government?

What's your funniest/most compelling on-stage moment?
I once fell off the stage during a performance. We were playing Haydn's Farewell Symphony. Every musician's part ends at a different time, so to emphasize this, we played in the dark with stand lights and walked off the stage quietly after our part ended. As I turned off my light and starting walking off stage, there was one more stair on my riser than I realized. My instrument was okay, but my pride ... not so much.

Any pre-performance rituals?
A light meal and breathing exercises to relax

Other than your instrument, what would we find in your instrument case?
Pencils, reeds, earplugs, sheet music ...the occasional grocery list

What do you love most about being a professional musician?
Hearing from audience members about how the music positively impacts their life. Music-making is very personally rewarding, but reaching someone else is what really makes this job meaningful. Read more

Tagged as CSO Musicians, Musicians.

Welcome New Musician: Brice Burton

Originally from San Diego, CA, Brice Burton, principal percussion, has played percussion since age 8. Before joining the Charlotte Symphony, Mr. Burton received both his bachelor's and master's degrees in Percussion Performance at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where he graduated summa cum laude. Mr. Burton has been a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center, Music Academy of the West, National Orchestral Institute, and Round Top Festival Institute. In 2014 he won first place in the Atlanta Modern Snare Drum Competition.

He has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Diego Symphony, and Santa Barbara Symphony, as well as New World Symphony in Miami Beach, FL.

Outside of orchestral performances, Brice was also an active freelancer. He can be seen on productions such as FOX's 'Grease Live!' and SPIKE's 'Coaching Bad' and can be heard alongside actor Jack Black on one of LACMA's 'Sundays Live' radio broadcasts.

Hometown: San Diego, CA
 
Why did you select your instrument?
When I was 7 I had just quit playing piano and saw a percussionist performing with an orchestra. They looked really active and like they were having lots of fun so I begged my mom for lessons for my birthday!

Does your instrument have a special story?
My favorite snare drum I won as a prize from a snare drum competition.

What would most surprise people about you?
I've been fishing multiple times and never caught a fish - something I mean to change out here in NC!

If you could meet one composer, who would it be and what would you ask him/her?
I would like to meet Anton Bruckner. He had an incredible work ethic, but I would like to ask: what is the deal with only one cymbal crash in his 7th Symphony? (It's debated whether he really wanted it or not.)

What's your funniest/most compelling on-stage moment?
I was at a summer program in high school and was playing timpani on Elgar's Enigma Variations when the pedal on the lowest drum got stuck and the pitch would only go up. This happened right before a part where the percussionist comes over and plays on the timpani with snare drum sticks, and because it's an interesting sound people in the audience always look (it's also lightly orchestrated there). The pedal wouldn't budge with my foot so I crouched down on the floor and started pulling on it, somewhat unaware of what was going on around me. Apparently I was making a bunch of noise and the guy playing my drum had to bend over and whisper to me "just let it go". I looked back up and the whole audience was looking at me and the conductor looked furious.

Any pre-performance rituals?
I like to have a full stomach and make sure I use the bathroom before long concerts. There's nothing worse than sitting there uncomfortably during a long tacet moment with nothing else to focus on.

Other than your instrument, what would we find in your instrument case?
Earplugs, a towel, and contact lenses (in case I break my glasses).

What do you love most about being a professional musician?
Making beautiful music with my colleagues and the freedom of making my own musical decisions. I also love the opportunities that music provides - I've had some incredible experiences and met many interesting people (both musicians and classical music fans). People light up when you tell them you're a musician and I love hearing their stories.
Read more

Tagged as CSO Musicians, Musicians.

Welcome New Musician: Jason McNeel

Jason McNeel, section bass, began playing bass as a junior in high school. Mr. McNeel has since played with some of the best orchestras in the country, including the Cincinnati Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic, and Rochester Philharmonic. As a regular performer with the Cincinnati Sympony, he was able to participate in international tours to Asia and Europe. As a student. Mr McNeel has studied at the University of Cincinnati (Bachelor of Music) with Albert Laszlo and Carnegie Mellon (Master of Music) with Micah Howard. Additionally, he has studied regularly with Solen Dikener, Jeff Turner, and Owen Lee.

Hometown: Winfield, WV
Why did you select your instrument?
The bass is very versitale instrument that can be played in several different genres of music. Early on and still I've had an interest in playing jazz, classical, and many other styles.

Does your instrument have a special story?
My first instrument was made my my father. He is a very dedicated amateur woodworker and took a year of his free time to make a bass that I still love playing to this day.
 
What would most surprise people about you?
I have spent most of my childhood summers working on the family farm in eastern West Virginia. One of my favorite chores was milking the cow.

If you could meet one composer, who would it be and what would you ask him/her?
Haydn, I'd ask him for another copy of the Concerto for Violone that has been lost.
 
What's your funniest/most compelling on-stage moment?
The time when I was playing an outdoor barge concert in West Virginia and a beaver ran from backstage, through the orchestra, and into the audience!
 
Any pre-performance rituals?
I have a good, light meal.

Other than your instrument, what would we find in your instrument case?
Whatever book I'm reading.
 
What do you love most about being a professional musician?
It's one of the great professions in the world. In studying music, you gain knowledge of culture, science, psychology, physical, and emotional well being, history, and the list could go on forever. I can honestly say that being interested in music has had a direct positive effect on my health and happiness.
Read more

Tagged as CSO Musicians, Musicians.

Charlotte Symphony Musicians Stay Busy This Summer!

As soon as the Charlotte Symphony's Summer Pops series ends on July 3, many of the CSO's musicians head out of Charlotte for exciting and highly sought-after gigs elsewhere in the U.S. Keep tabs on where these talented musicians are headed! 

Benjamin Geller, principal viola

For the first time, Benjamin Geller will be performing at Greensboro's Eastern Music Festival for six weeks, from June 27 through August 1. For more information on the Triad's annual festival, visit easternmusicfestival.org.

Aubrey Foard, principal tuba

From mid-July through early August, Aubrey Foard will serve for the second year as an artist faculty member at Brevard Music Center in Brevard, NC. He then heads out west to perform as principal tubist at Britt Festival in Jacksonville, Oregon. 

Jon Lewis, cello

Jon Lewis will be performing principal cello for Central City Opera for 6 weeks from July 1 to August 9. Central City Opera is the fifth oldest opera company in the country, located in Central City, Colorado.

Calin Lupanu, concertmaster & Monica Boboc, violin

Husband-and-wife Calin Lupanu and Monica Boboc will again join the Colorado Music Festival as violinists in the orchestra in Boulder, Colorado. Lupanu serves as concertmaster and Chamber Music Coordinator. 

Tim Hudson, acting second trumpet

Tim Hudson will spend part of his summer as artist/faculty for the Grand Valley International Trumpet Seminar in Michigan. 

Cynthia Frank, viola

For the last 25 years, Cynthia Frank has spent her summers at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York, playing with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, which she refers to as her "second family." The nearly 200-year-old institution is a learning center with courses in art, music, dance, theatre, writing, and more.

Learn more about Charlotte Symphony musicians and conductors.

Posted in Summer. Tagged as CSO Musicians, Musicians.

CSO Clarinetist Gene Kavadlo Honored at Alma Mater

Congratulations to our longtime principal clarinetist, Gene Kavadlo, who has been named this year's John Castellini award winner!

The award is named for John Castellini, founder of the Queens College Choral Society, and it is presented annually to a distinguished alumnus or alumna who, as an undergraduate, performed with the Choral Society.

Kavadlo earned his music degree from Queens College in New York in 1967.
During his time at the college, John Castellini was one of his professors. "Castellini had a very long and distinguished career at Queens College," says Kavadlo. "Several times during my college career, when I had received some sort of recognition, Castellini's response was always, 'They've made a terrible mistake.'"

When Castellini retired to Jacksonville, Florida, Kavadlo was principal clarinetist for that orchestra and the two became close. "I actually got to know him as an adult, rather than the formal student/teacher relationship," Kavadlo says, "and I discovered that he was charming, witty, and had a great sense of humor."

Kavadlo and his wife, Ali, took a road trip to New York to attend the Choral Society performance on Saturday, May 16, where he was recognized. He closed his acceptance remarks that evening by telling the audience that he was sure Castellini was looking down on the event, thinking the school had made a terrible mistake!

When he's not busy performing with the Charlotte Symphony, Kavadlo enjoys spending time with his family, seeing movies, and performing klezmer music with his band, Viva Klezmer! Kavadlo and his klezmer music were recently featured in an issue of Charlotte magazine.

Tagged as CSO Musicians, Musicians.

What Does a Concertmaster Do?

What exactly goes into the role of concertmaster? Here, we pick Concertmaster Calin Lupanu's brain about the job.
What exactly is the job?
The Concertmaster is the first violinist seated to the conductor's left. He or she is the leader of the first violin section, the string section, and the entire ensemble. In some instances the concertmaster serves as the conductor's assistant. The concertmaster must be an excellent violinist and musician, but also a very good diplomat, able to help with the conductor's interpretation of the musical score. 

What else is different about what you do versus the other violinists?
By setting the standards, through a professional attitude, and very thorough preparation, a concertmaster is also a spokesman of the orchestra. 

Are your hands insured, like a basketball player or a surgeon?
No, but judging by the amount of times that I get this question, maybe I should think about it!

What's your favorite part of the job?
Just really loving what I am doing. I love being part of an orchestra. 

What's the hardest part of the job?
Sometimes I'm so busy that I can't spend enough time with my family or friends.

Well, I'm sure a lot of people can relate to that, but you have to learn a lot of music quickly and work with touring Pops groups and guest conductors, etc. How do you adapt?
I am able to adapt to any conductor pretty quickly. I think that one never stops learning, and that is what guides me in my career.

What if you disagree with their interpretations of a piece? 
It's not my job to agree or disagree with any interpretation or with any conductor. I am more of an enabler I help the conductor submit his or her vision of a work. Having said that, I do have strong feelings about how a piece of music should be played ... but I save those feelings for when I play a solo or to some extent in chamber music performances.

What does a typical non-rehearsal/non-performance day entail for you?
There are very few of those! But I do teach a lot. I am currently on the faculty at both Gardner-Webb University and University of North Carolina at Greensboro. I also love chamber music, and I try to perform a lot of quartets, quintets, piano trios ... I have also been appointed as Chamber Music Director of the Colorado Music Festival, so I have to do programming and choose the personnel for those concerts. When I do have the occasional day off, I tend to stay with my family and maybe watch a soccer game with my 7 year old.

Posted in Classics. Tagged as Classical, concertmaster, CSO Musicians, interview, Musicians, Violin.

Meet the Musician: Hollis Ulaky

Hollis Ulaky has been principal oboist with the Charlotte Symphony since 1974. Originally from Pittsburgh, she grew up in a musical family. Following her graduation from Carnegie Mellon University, she joined the CSO. She is currently a faculty member of Winthrop University and a Yamaha Performing Artist. In her free time, she enjoys Zumba and Pilates, visiting her children, and playing with her trio, RHODORA, along with CSO colleagues Amy Orsinger Whitehead (flute) and Drucilla DeVan (clarinet).

How were you introduced to classical music?
My family introduced me. Growing up, I was the youngest of six siblings, all of whom played instruments. This led me to believe that everyone played an instrument! Today, five of us are professional musicians, and one of my siblings used to play the flute and piano. My father was also a jazz musician.

Why did you chose the oboe?
It was unusual, and I loved the sound.

If you weren't a professional musician, what would you be?
I might have been a nurse. I'm interested in people and their care.

What music do you listen to when you are not practicing or performing?
Some classical, some jazz

Where can we find you when you're not rehearsing or performing?
I spend lots of time making reeds. It's a necessary part of being an oboist and an important part of my preparation for the orchestra. I also enjoy teaching. Besides my students at Winthrop, I have 10 private students, three of whom are in the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestra program.

What's one thing you can't live without?
My family. My husband, Jim, is in the CSO's percussion section. We have two sons together, Joe, 27, who's an architect in Philadelphia, and Mike, 25, who is a Broadcast Engineer for Turtle Entertainment in Los Angeles.

What have your favorite pieces been thus far this season and what are you most looking forward to?
I really enjoyed Beethoven's Symphony No. 3. The slow movement solos suit the mournful sound of the oboe. And, of course, the Brahms German Requiem, since it was my mother's favorite piece. I'm looking forward to Barber's Violin Concerto, which includes another beautiful oboe solo. Barber writes such touching melodies.

Which composer or composition most inspires you?
Bach inspires me the most. His music contains so much emotion and intensity. 

What is your earliest musical memory?
Watching my sister play the flute when I was 2 years old and trying to play the piano with her. 

Tagged as CSO Musicians, Musicians.

Meet the Musician: Ben Geller

In January's performance of Don Quixote, Principal Violist Ben Geller will bow alongside guest cellist Julian Schwarz, representing his loyal, bumbling sidekick in the Strauss work. Here, Geller, who joined the Charlotte Symphony in January 2014, shares stories (along with a sense of humor) about studying Suzuki as a child, his custom-made viola, and love of naps...and chicken.  

Does your instrument have an interesting story?
My viola was custom made for me in 2007 by Theodore Skreko of Indianapolis Violins, modeled after the Breacian master Gaspar da Salo. My bow is also fantastic and made by the incomparable Matthew Wehling from St. Paul, Minnesota.

How did you get introduced to the viola?
I'd flirted with viola a few times in different ensembles in high school, but I fully committed from the violin the summer after my undergraduate sophomore year at Butler University when I studied with Michael Isaac Strauss. I really haven't looked back since.

If you weren't a professional musician, what would you be?
I've never had a real plan B. Maybe acting? Or something in ceramics...I loved throwing pottery in high school. I'd probably just farm somewhere in Canada.

How do you mentally prepare for a performance?
Naps. Also, long baths. Seriously though, the only way to prepare mentally for a performance is by learning the music inside and out. Once I've made technical decisions about every note from informed knowledge of the score with a few recordings for reference, the performance takes care of itself. Also, deep breaths and I try not to slouch. 

What kinds of music do you listen to when you are not practicing or performing?
Jazz, Prog Rock, Classic R&B and Hip Hop, and whatever is on NPR or WDAV.

Where can we find you when you're not rehearsing or performing?
Swimming at MAC, biking around on my '89 Schwinn, playing Frisbee somewhere, but I'm probably just practicing at home.

What's one thing you can't live without?
Oxygen. Also, food. Specifically chicken.

Which composer or composition most inspires you?
Bela Bartok. He combined mathematic formulas found in nature, folk music he researched from all over Hungary and Eastern Europe, and modern art music techniques to bring the listener and the player a wild and interesting experience. He's one of my very favorites. 

Are there any other musicians in your family?
I come from a very musical family. Everyone played something at some point, however my cousin Noah Geller (Concertmaster of the Kansas City Symphony) and I are the only professional orchestral musicians.

What is your earliest musical memory?
Suzuki class sometime in the late 80s. I had a cardboard pizza circle that I was supposed to stand on properly in designated foot outlines that was much more fun to throw like a Frisbee.

Posted in Classics. Tagged as CSO Musicians, interview, Musicians.

« Newer Posts Older Posts »

Archives