A community concert series with heart and purpose

In 2022, as we were all coming out of the COVID crisis and craving a return to performing and music-making, the trio I’m fortunate to be in, the Alma Ensemble, sat down and after much discussion breathed life into a dream I’ve had since I was a little girl. “Alma del Core,” our community concert series, is now in its third season and has found its way into the heart of performers and audience alike, garnering the attention and support of the Roanoke Arts Commission and the Virginia Commission for the Arts. In case anyone else has had a similar idea brewing, I’ll note here what this series is all about, some basics about how it works, and some ideas we’ve had for future seasons. I’ll also follow-up with some posts in the weeks to come to address more specifics about funding,  feedback we’ve received from the community and our participants, and some hints we give our participants about what they might consider sharing with the audience before they play.

And as always, I welcome any thoughts or questions in the comments for this post. My hope is that we can all learn from and inspire one another with the goal of ensuring that sharing music with one another and with our community will continue to have an important place in our world. 

First, here is the description of the series on our website:

“Alma Del Core is a chamber music concert series that unites musicians from across our region - students, amateurs, and professionals - who wish to share music they love, both old and new. Our aim is to provide new opportunities for musicians to perform collaboratively and to present the music of historically underrepresented composers. 

This series was founded in keeping with Alma Ensemble's mission to create community through great music. We look forward to spending time exploring all of these new works and greeting new performers as they join us in this collaboration.”

Something that is not stated in this description is that another goal of ours is to create a safe space for all musicians to perform in without feeling like they’re being judged but rather that they have cheerleaders in us, the members of the Alma Ensemble, and in the other participants. We make it clear that we ourselves aren’t perfect so we don’t ever aim for or deliver “perfect” performances. We instead aim to deliver a gift to ourselves through music and to get more and more comfortable performing in public. What’s happened over the years is that the performers also find cheerleaders in our audiences. We have so many that make a point of attending as many concerts as they can because they have grown to love them. That is exactly our point in doing what we do. Our audiences wouldn’t return time and time again if they didn’t see the performances as something nourishing and valuable. Seeing and feeling that enthusiasm in turn feeds each musician that performs. 

Here are some other points that seem worth mentioning:

• We don’t expect anyone to perform by memory. That is up to each performer.
• We ask performers to consider saying just a few words about the music they are performing prior to playing, encouraging them to keep it simple, make it personal, and to not necessarily delve into nerdy, academic points unless that’s something that appeals to them. We feel the audience enjoys an extra glimpse into the music and the performer and also can help the performer feel less alone on stage. It’s a good way to calm nerves (once they can get over any qualms about public speaking) and feel like a part of the community as a whole.
• Whenever we can we pick pieces that combine professionals with students and/or amateurs so that we are performing side by side. When I was young I frequently had opportunities to perform with professionals. It was in those moments I learned much more than I ever learned in lessons. To ride the performance wave with a professional can be a powerful, exhilarating, and dare I say addictive endeavor. And inspiration flows in multiple directions. For a professional, playing with a young musician or with an enthusiastic amateur can be a great reminder of why we do what we do. 
• We keep our performances to one hour in length, with no intermission. Intermissions can pop the magical bubble that is created the moment a performance begins so we try to avoid that.
• We do not stipulate which style of music to perform. We welcome any genre. To us it is all music. 
• We encourage performances of compositions composed by the performers themselves. 
• Our dress rehearsals and sound checks are treated as open rehearsals. We use this time to do our cheerleading bit, sprinkled, if we think it would be helpful and well-received, with constructive feedback. 
• All of our performers are paid. We believe strongly in the importance of doing that so that we are acknowledging that what we do has value. At this point we pay $75 to any student 18 and above, amateur, and professional. For students under the age of 18 we give them a gift card.
• We stress to participants that a value of performing more is to have more than one experience to perform any given piece. We, as a trio and as soloists, use these concerts as a first-go for pieces that are new to us and it gives us the opportunity to explain to younger musicians and amateurs that even professionals can feel uncomfortable time performing something for the first time; that is takes multiple performances to feel like we really know what we’re doing and to hammer out the tricky spots that need more work. It reminds us all that each performance is a step in the journey we have with any given piece. No performance should feel like our only chance to get it right.

Some ideas for the future of our series:

• So far we’ve held our concerts in the same space but I think it would be great for us to take a version of what we do out into the community as well. Giving participants who wish to do so more opportunities to perform the same piece in close succession. And of course it would also expand our reach. 
• I’d also love to invite professionals from outside our community to join us. Perhaps a soloist that comes into town to perform with the symphony or other organization. Tricky scheduling-wise and would require more funding, but I think it would be even more inspiring and empowering for all of our participants. 
• I would love to see others take on something similar to this idea. We truly believe that the future of live performing is in the hands of not only the professionals, but of anyone who is willing to put themselves out there to perform. 

Do you do something similar in your area? Do you have any additional thoughts or ideas? Do you have any interest in trying something similar? 

Let me know in the comments! 

Tweet

The thrill and terror of being Opera Roanoke's rehearsal pianist

I'm sitting here in my home, doing the only thing I can do at the moment - eating a piece of cake accompanied by a glass of white wine at 4pm in the afternoon. 

I think it's called for. 

Every so often I'm called upon by our local opera company, Opera Roanoke, to serve as their rehearsal pianist. I think this is one of those invisible music roles that most people, even many pianists, don't realize even exist. Perhaps that's because it's a role that can literally just last a couple of hours. Or perhaps it's because there simply aren't a lot of us out there willing to do this kind of work. 

In my opinion it's an example of extreme musicking and it's one that I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with. The work is daunting much of the time, requiring a lot of time to prepare, the experience involves combination of humility and bravery, and often the job doesn't include a performance in front of an audience. On the flip side, I get to work with a brilliant conductor, Steven White, and amazing soloists (who are sitting only feet away from me I might add!) I also inevitably end up having my mind changed about more challenging monumental works (shout-out here to Bartók's Bluebeard's Castle and this most recent venture, Britten's War Requiem.) I love being proven wrong about music. It helps me understand that just like with some people, art sometimes needs to be probed, lived with, and given numerous chances, to win me over. 

So what does being a rehearsal pianist for productions like this entail? 

I'm usually given the score, which is a reduction of the orchestra part, reduced down (sort of) to a piano part, a few months in advance so that I can prepare. The reduction is much easier than reading a full orchestra score with all of its many lines of music, one for each instrument; I don't know how many pianists could actually play for a rehearsal off the orchestral score. Much of the reduction is somewhat playable but there are always pages that are quite frankly nightmares. There can be extra lines of music in addition to the left hand and right hand lines, the texture can be really dense, lines can cross and be on top of one another...it's enough to sometimes make my eyes cross or my stomach churn at first (or second, third, etc...) glance. There are often parts in which there's no possible way a pianist could play everything. I would say that much of the time this is the case. Which leads to one of the greatest challenges - deciding what to play and what to leave out. 

Making this decision means knowing exactly what's going on in the orchestra - knowing which line represents which instrument, knowing whether or not that instrument is heard in that particular spot, and deciding if it's a line that should be played in order to help the soloists pick up their entrance notes or to know when to come in. I do a lot of listening to recordings while following along in the piano reduction. I then make a lot of decisions regarding what I think I should/can play or not play and mark up the score to reduce the temptation to try and do any more than that at rehearsal time.

As a rehearsal pianist I am also very careful to understand the meter and to guess as well as I can how the conductor is going to conduct it. When I'm practicing I make it a point to count out loud while playing to ensure that I know exactly what's going on rhythmically. Of course there's no way to accurately predict exactly how the conductor is going to conduct any given spot, but if I understand what's going on and have pictured what the possibilities are it gives me a much better chance to save some time since rehearsal time is very limited. Doing a lot of this rhythmic prep and visualization also makes it more likely that I'll keep one part of my vision glued to the conductor during the rehearsal. Often times, when sections are really challenging note-wise, I ditch worrying about the pitches I'm playing in order to convey rhythm, pulse, and mood. 

Another goal of mine in this type of work is knowing the piece so well that I can try to mimic as many aspects of the orchestra as I can so that in the rehearsal the conductor and soloists can feel like they're getting a glimpse of what they're going to get with the orchestra. This goes back to listening to recordings over and over again and playing around with different articulation, pedaling, approaches to touch on the keyboard, and dynamics. My goal is to not just sound like I'm playing a Reader's Digest version on the piano.

After all the preparation I do, and here I should add that no matter what I do I never feel fully prepared, it's time for a rehearsal with just me and the conductor. Maestro White and I have worked together enough that we both have said we like to have this initial meeting, which is usually a week or so before the soloists' rehearsal. For me it helps me to find out if there are any lines I should be playing rather than leaving out and to be aware of tempos that might be faster than I had anticipated so that I know what final prep I need to do. It's also a really incredible opportunity for me to glean from him what he feels about the piece. I learn so much from seeing what he finds challenging himself and sensing his enthusiasm and love for the music is always infectious. It's often in these one-on-ones that I find myself inescapably falling in love with the music myself. Last but not least, these rehearsals usually have me falling flat on my face at some point. There's nothing quite like doing that in front of a brilliant conductor to help get over nerve and perfection issues. If I can see that he's fine with some of my more colorful note snafus and imperfections, sometimes even laughing about them together, it makes me a little less nervous for what comes next.

After final touch-ups on my own we come to the rehearsal with the conductor and soloists. After all that work leading up to this moment, it is often shocking how short these rehearsals can be. Today's rehearsal lasted just about 2 hours. With the most difficult sections, which I've often spent hours and hours of work on, we may only go over it once. Today for instance the most demanding (I think it's pretty insane, really) sections took about 5 minutes of rehearsal time. All of that work...for 5 terrifying/exhilarating minutes!! Sometimes I also get frustrated at not getting second chances to get something tricky right. I frequently find myself wanting another go but it's not about me and my ego or desire to show that I can play a particular passage. We often just move on and that's that. It's good practice for one's psyche. 

Another aspect I find amusing about these rehearsals is how much focus it takes to get through it with grace. I'm always somewhat torn because here I am in the midst of such amazing musicians, with singers whose voices are phenomenal, yet I'm so focused on the task at hand I'm not really able to take it all in. 

To be honest, I often walk out of these rehearsals wondering if it's really worth it for me. It's a lot of time, a lot of stress, a lot of pressure...and in the end I never get to perform the work as I've prepared it for these rehearsals. 

But my goodness, I have to say I do love it too. It makes my heart race, it dumps me into the middle of remarkable music, and it surrounds me with inspiring talent. I also really enjoy watching the soloists and conductor cheer each other on in rehearsal. So often they end up really moving one another with what they can do technically and artistically. To see them react to one another's art and to hear them talk of how much they love the music heightens my love for this type of collaboration and motivates me to keep doing this type of work. And in the end, when I've survived it all, it makes me realize how unbelievable the whole process really is and what we, as pianists, are capable of pulling off.

It's also a really good excuse for a piece of cake and glass of wine.

Tweet

Celebrating one year of my sightreading show!

A year ago, in the spring of 2020, as we were all adjusting to being confined to our homes more, I kept trying to figure out how I was going to personally deal with this new scenario, especially since the majority of my income from musical jobs was cut off and I had a lot more free time on my hands. I was also struggling with not getting the regular bursts of adrenalin that come with being a performer and having the interactions with my audience that I so love and feed off of. 

One of the crazy ideas I came up with was to live-stream myself sightreading piano music for one hour. Why do that, one might ask? My answer?  I love sightreading, I'm pretty good at it and I figured I could use this time to explore solo piano repertoire. The only down-side I could think of was that I would be also be setting myself up for falling on my face publicly on a regular basis. But since I have a bit of a reputation for being stubborn and for wanting to be transparent as a musician, I decided the down-side could possibly be turned into an up-side. I wanted other musicians, pianists especially, to discover the joys that can come from being a good sight-reader:

• moments of struggle can actually be pretty amusing
• we can sightread musically if we approach it with skill and the right mindset
• there's a lot we can learn about ourselves as musicians from doing it on a regular basis
• that there are things we can do as musicians to help ourselves be set up for more success prior to jumping in
  
• oftentimes what we think was a disaster in the moment really wasn't so bad
  
  

A year after live-streaming the first episode it's safe to say that Sightreading Maverick is now one of the things I look forward to most in my week. I don't have a lot of regular viewers, at least not that I know of, but I have a faithful crew that regularly watches live and chats via messaging during the show. There's also one viewer who routinely watches at night, after the show is done, messaging me his reactions the whole time. That is always hilarious. I also have several who regularly send in requests. I'm very grateful for their suggestions. 

Every now and then I'll get feedback from people who have watched that they've added pieces to their repertoire that they discovered through the show - that brings me such joy to hear that. At times I  sightread works by composers who are friends or acquaintances of mine on Twitter - that's also been wonderfully rewarding. For me that gives me a completely different glimpse into who they are as people, artists, and friends. I should add here that I'm grateful that they've all been willing to let me subject their music to the risks that a part of sight-reading. They too are brave! 

So almost a year later, with 47 episodes in the books, 2 guest appearances (thanks to Tracy Cowden and the Ivory Duo Piano Ensemble), almost 300 different piano pieces sightread, I'm going to keep at it until I run out of music. If you've never watched before, please do check it out and pass on the word about the show. The easiest way to be reminded about it is to subscribe to my YouTube channel. 

You can also watch episodes whenever you wish. Here's the playlist of everything that's on YouTube.

Tweet

Standing on my soapbox on another blog

A few weeks ago on Twitter I shared a story about an interesting conversation I had with a colleague where I teach. The conversation that ensued after I posted that story was a brief but important one that led to the wonderful composer, piano pedagogue, and writer Melanie Spanswick asking if I'd write up a post based on the topic. How could I say no?

The thoughts I wrote about in this blog post, "Flipping Musical Misperceptions on their Heads," are near and dear to my heart in many ways so please do take a read and contribute your own experiences and thoughts if you wish.

Tweet

My journey down a wonderful rabbit hole - discovering music composed by women

It all started several years ago, in the summer of 2017. I had been asked by a flute player, Sarah Wardle Jones, if I would play piano for a recital she had put together of music composed by women, a particular interest of hers. I of course said yes, not because of the program itself, but simply because I rarely turn down an opportunity to perform. I very quickly realized after saying yes, much to my puzzlement and embarrassment, that I had never, in my entire schooling and career covering 39 years (!) performed anything written by a woman. I couldn't even name on one hand the names of female composers. Fanny Hensel, Clara Schumann, and Cécile Chaminade. That was it. 

The recital was a joy. It was refreshing to peer into a world I hadn't previously known and Sarah's enthusiasm for the composers (Anna Bon, Cécile Chaminade, Lili Boulanger, Sofia Gubaidulina, and Jennifer Higdon), was inspiring. I found myself feeling like Alice by the end of the experience, standing at the very top of a very deep but thrilling hole that contains a new musical cornucopia of creativity and expression I had yet to discover. 

I jumped in. 

I'm still on my long journey down. 

I'm constantly discovering new wonders along the way. 

At the end of 2018, Sarah and a friend of hers, clarinetist Michelle Smith Johnson, and I put together a fun Halloween concert. I don't believe in that particular performance we performed anything written by a woman, but that project brought the three of us together. Over wine and appetizers one evening we found ourselves chatting about the possibility of forming an ensemble and we all decided that what we wanted was to focus on shining a light on works written by women and commissioning new works. It was shortly thereafter that our trio, at the beginning of 2019, The Alma Ensemble, was born, named in honor of Alma Mahler.

Farther down the rabbit hole, at the beginning of 2020, I was thrilled to be able to finally meet in person Sandra Mogensen, a pianist who had long been a friend of mine on Twitter. She was in the United States to present some recitals and presentations to celebrate and announce the release of her first recordings in a series she's doing called "En pleine lumière" which features all works composed by women. In talking with her during her visit I think we both realized that we shared many of the same frustrations, especially in terms of finding scores for these composers whose voices really need to be heard. When they can be found they are often significantly more expensive, sometimes prohibitively so. Another point we also found ourselves frustrated by is that many anthologies and method books for pianists just beginning their journey don't feature female composers. At that point in our discussion we started trying to figure out what we could do and it dawned on us that both of us had regularly been looking to the online resource, IMSLP to find scores. We decided that perhaps we could both comb through the listings and create a shareable spreadsheet that would list all of the piano pieces composed by women on the site. With IMSLP being a free resource, this would ensure that anyone who had access to a computer could also have access to the music that's there. Sandra agreed to start at "A," I started at "Z" working backwards, and we eventually met in the middle. By the summer we had our spreadsheet roughly put together.  Part I was complete.

Part II of our project started at the end of the summer. We created a YouTube channel, Piano Music, She Wrote, and started posting our own recording of works we've discovered in our IMSLP quest. So far we've faithfully posted 2 every week. We now stand at over 40 videos and have many, many more to go! 

We now find ourselves in Part III. We set ourselves the goal of releasing our spreadsheet publicly once our YouTube channel reached 300 subscribers. Last weekend our goal was achieved! So now, if people want an easy, quick way to discover the piano pieces written by women that have scores on IMSLP available to download for free, folks can head to our Ko-Fi store. We are asking for a minimum donation of $10.00 US to get the url for our spreadsheet. That is to cover the hundreds of hours we've already put into this project and will continue to put into it. This spreadsheet is a living, breathing one. We'll regularly be updating it as new works are added to the score database. We are also donating 10% of every donation back to IMSLP since without them, none of this would have been possible.  

We've had several people mention that purchasing access to the spreadsheet on behalf of others, like piano students or teachers, would make a great virtual stocking stuffer, holiday gift, or graduation gift and we couldn't agree more. To make that possible, when purchasing access, any quantity can be selected. If people have 10 pianists they'd like to send the url to, they can simply select "10" as the quantity and then voilá, they'll be all set. 

Here's our video announcement about our spreadsheet in case you want to learn more: 

And here's a shorter, 2 minute version of the same video if you're short on time:

Sandra and I have many more stages forthcoming so stay tuned! We'd also like to start planning a world tour once this pandemic is all said and done so if anyone wants us to come share what we've learned, both through recitals and presentations, let us know! 

Back to the rabbit hole analogy. I feel like I'm still only a fraction of the way down this hole and I couldn't be more thrilled about that. There is clearly much more to discover. Often I find myself researching one composition and am led to another fantastic one...and then another...and another. It never seems to end. So much music I've never heard, so many composers I've never heard of but should have!  Thankfully there are many others out there who are also on this same journey. I encourage anyone else who's interested to join in the fun and to share what you find. Let's get more of this fantastic music accessible and available to all. I think Für Elise and The Happy Farmer would be happy to step aside for a while. 

Tweet

New YouTube series - Bach in 5 Minutes!

Video editing has always intimidated me but I've been determined, especially after putting up my Patreon page, to start working on doing more of them. Here's the first hopefully of many. A Bach friend of mine recently recommended I take a break from Book II of Bach's Well-Tempered Klavier to learn Book I. I was hesitant at first but after reading through it I realized that for the most part, it's a breath of fresh air compared to the second book. So I thought, why not try to learn them as quickly as possible? I most likely will regret those words but I do always like a good challenge. So I'm going to try to spend as little as possible time learning as many as I can, relying on my typical pattern-hunting and analysis method, then spending around 5 minutes walking through each one, one at a time, and then recording a "first performance" of them. My goals for the project are:  

• Learn the Preludes and Fugues in Book I quickly
• Help folks see what I mean by learning music via pattern hunting and analysis
• Show how fun, musical, and rewarding it can be to learn music in this way

We'll see what happens! Enjoy!! 

Tweet

At a fork in the road

I find myself at a fork in the road yet again, as are so many others. But in all honesty, I'm actually excited about the possibilities, especially with what I'm announcing today, because in doing this I am pushing myself way past my comfort zone, which is not something I tend to do.

In the past few weeks, as I've been grappling with what comes next for me as a musician, or maybe as someone returning to the non-artist workforce, I've had several quotes visit me that are all pointing me towards one path.

"Do one thing every day that scares you"  - Mary Schmich

I'm doing that.

For quite a while now I've toyed around with the idea of creating a Patreon site for myself. What is Patreon? Patreon is a web platform that enables creative people to ask their fans for help and support so that they can continue doing what they do. People interested in supporting an artist can sign up to donate an amount every month and in return, based on which tier is signed up for, patrons get access to various perks.


So why is this so scary? To answer that, let me share the second quote that has graciously visited me this week by way of the beautiful, poignant story, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, written by Charlie Mackesy. (I highly, highly recommend everyone have a copy on their coffee table, especially right now during this crazy time.)

"What is the bravest thing you've ever said?" asked the boy.

"Help." said the horse.

"Asking for help isn't giving up," said the horse. "It's refusing to give up."

Most people who know me already know that I am incredibly passionate about music, and more specifically about the art of learning music in a way that fosters success, pride, joy, and the desire to share music with others. About 7 or 8 years ago I started my practice coaching business, Beyond the Notes, because of this passion. I've had some clients and have presented many workshops to both teachers and students, and each time has been received with a lot of positive feedback but honestly it's been difficult - I simply haven't had enough work come my way. I've spent many a sleepless night trying to figure out what's standing in my way. I've made some changes, I've consulted with a lot of people, and I continue to try new things but one of the most difficult hurdles to overcome has to do, I believe, with people being embarrassed to ask for help - and that's challenging. I also think a lot of teachers also don't know quite what to make of me - to some I seem to be a threat. I am not planning on abandoning my business - I will continue to work on making it a success, but in the meantime, Patreon is, I'm hoping, a solution to keep me from having to ditch it all to get another "regular" job.

So why Patreon?

People come to me all the time on social media for help. It it crystal clear to me that for whatever reason, that is a safer place for them to ask me questions about practicing, performance anxiety, sightreading, and anything else that I regularly talk about. And social media is, for me, an excellent place to teach in way that impacts a lot of people all at once. I regularly livestream my daily practice to hundreds of people every day in addition to also livestreaming sightreading sessions. In both I discuss a lot of why I do what I do so that it's a learning experience for anyone watching. Often times questions arise from viewers that lead to discussions that end up pulling in many others. It's a dynamic, exciting, informative, and more importantly, a safe place to learn, which is why I love it. I also regularly post motivational quotes and tips on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. I'd love to also return to writing more blog posts and to post shorter instructional videos but all of this takes a lot of time - time that I'm not currently getting paid for.

During all this time at home I've been continuing to do all this same work but because of the current situation I'm not making any money through freelancing; that all came to a halt several months ago and gigs are regularly getting wiped off my calendar. We are thankfully doing fine, but I'm feeling more and more like something needs to change. I feel guilty putting so much time into what I consider my "mission-oriented" work when I'm not bringing home a paycheck. That's why I'm asking for help. I'm asking for support and for cheerleaders who understand what it is I do to stand up and to say, "Yes! Keep doing what you're doing! We see the value in it!"

So if you're at all interested, please head on over to my Patreon site:

https://www.patreon.com/EricaSipes

Take a look around and let me know if you have any questions.

And thanks for reading if you made it this far. Stay safe, everyone!

Tweet

A gathering of musical minds!

I get a lot of interesting emails thanks to this blog. Most of them are not ones I end up responding to. Fortunately a few months ago I got one that did very much interest me. It was a request from the website www.sheetmusicnow.com to contribute a tip about musical success for an infographic they were wanting to put together for their website and social media accounts. Of course coming up with just one was painful so I ended up sending them a handful to choose from. (Honestly I don't know why I like Twitter so much since I obviously have a difficult time editing my brain.)

They sent me the final result today and I couldn't be more honored. I hope you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom from these other musicians, some of whom I know but most are new for me to discover too. Click here to see it.

And if you're curious about the other tips I sent them that they didn't use, here they are...

• Constantly check in to see who you are as a person and as an artist. What you find is what you should share, in the music you perform, with your colleagues, with your audience. Also be open and eager to learning about your colleagues and their music. It is through people and connections that you’ll find success and happiness.

• You will excel as a human and as a musician if you learn the art of giving yourself objective, constructive feedback on a regular basis. Constantly check the language you use with yourself with the goal to use the same language on yourself that you’d use with someone else.

Tweet

A taste of something different - Annie Moses Band's Fine Arts Summer Academy

As a long-time blogger I frequently receive emails from people in the music industry who are wanting to know if I'd be willing to feature them on my blog.  I always check everyone out that contacts me but rarely do I agree to do a post because I consider this platform a place for my own ideas.  But last December I received a query from the Director of Development for the Annie Moses Band, a musical organization I hadn't yet heard of.  After doing some initial research I found myself unable to write my typical, "Sorry, but no thank you" response.  One of the first things I discovered was that the band and summer music academy they host are located in Nashville, Tennessee.  They're not exactly our neighbors, but now that I've lived in southwest Virginia for almost a decade, I feel somewhat of a connection to their crossover style that is a fusion of classical, bluegrass, folk, and jazz.  The second thing I discovered was this video they had on their website that gave a taste of what the Annie Moses Band does during the summer to inspire young musicians.



I was amazed by the unbridled enthusiasm that was palpable both on and off the stage.  Upon reading more about the summer academy I decided I wanted to find out more.

In January I spent an hour or so speaking with Ben and Alex Wolaver, the cellist and violist of the Annie Moses Band.  It was clear to me that we all share many of the same beliefs about music-making and how it can transform young people as musicians, offering them a voice for who they are as individuals.  I was impressed by their flexibility to work with many different types of musicians and talents regardless of their prior experience, and their desire to create shows that energize not only the performers themselves but also their audiences.  The Fine Arts Summer Academy is a different type of summer experience that seems to speak to so many of the ideas I believe in myself.  It is for that reason that I decided to ask Annie Wolaver Dupre, the group's violinist and lead singer, some questions as a way of introducing them to all of you.  My hope is that this might spark some interest in the hearts of some adventurous young musicians out there!  I'm so intrigued I may have to pretend to be a kid again to experience it for myself.

Beyond the Notes: Tell us a little about the Annie Moses Band - who you are, your background, and how you came to form your band.

Annie Wolaver Dupre: The Annie Moses Band is a classical crossover artist made up of me and my 5 siblings. Instrumentally, we are a string quartet with a rhythm section as well as harp, guitar and mandolin.  Vocally, I take the lead while several of us sing BGVs [background vocals]. The total package is 12 players and about 16 instruments. Yes, it’s a big crew!

We grew up in Nashville, TN where our parents are award-winning songwriters and composers. They wanted us to have the best musical education and started us at about 4 years old on our respective instruments. Initially we intended to pursue classical careers and the family moved to the NYC area while we studied at Juilliard. That was when we started the Annie Moses Band.

We wanted to perform music that was personal in its style, message and creativity. Our love of genres - folk rock, jazz, fiddle fusion, Americana and classical became the springboard for a sound that was naturalistic but innovative.  We love what we create and that we get to share it with audiences. 

BtN: How did the Fine Arts Summer Academy (FASA) come about?

AWD: The Fine Arts Summer Academy started at almost the same time as the Annie Moses Band. As we began touring around the nation, many parents asked us questions about navigating the musical development of their children. Around that time, we served as the artistic directors for a small arts academy in North Carolina. Through that experience, we saw the tremendous need for programs that combine classical training, commercial music development and great performance opportunities. FASA became our outlet to develop that kind of program.

BtN: What is your mission through your summer academy?

AWD: To provide life-changing performance experiences in elite venues, allowing students to develop as both musical technicians and engaging performers. Our students are featured in a series of festival style performances in Nashville, TN on world-class stages like the The Grand Ole Opry House and the Bluegrass Underground.

Music is one of the greatest spheres of influence in our culture. We believe that artists have a responsibility to be people of integrity. So there is also a focus at FASA upon the heart of the student and teaching them that their character is the wellspring from which they communicate through their art.

Ultimately, we want to take young students from the practice room to the concert hall alongside professional musicians so they can taste the thrill of high-level music making. 

BtN: Unlike many traditional music camps, FASA doesn’t have a typical audition process since students are only required to have had one year of music study prior to attending.  I’m curious about how and why you came to the decision to be so inclusive.

AWD: So often summer academies and their classes are divided into “haves” (those with money and support) and “have-nots” (those with no money or support).  We wanted to operate on a different model - an inspirational model - where people at various skill levels perform together.   

The music performed at FASA is orchestrated and arranged by our musical director, Bill Wolaver, in three tiers of skill. Intermediate and beginning players can perform alongside very advanced players with each student being challenged at their own level.

In addition to the orchestra, every student is placed in small ensembles or bands that perform in commercial music settings i.e. fiddle, rock, Celtic, etc. These groups perform music that is specifically designed to showcase the skills of the students involved. The level of customization we provide is unmatched.

Much of this vision comes from our Artistic Director, Robin Donica Wolaver. She grew up with very few musical opportunities but went far with music as both a performer and educator. She knew that there is a great injustice when often the hardest workers don’t have access to the best education.

We grant access to high-level education and performance to everyone, provided you can meet our high standards with courage and hard work.

BtN: You teach students about much more than just how to play their instrument.  Can you please share with us what else the students learn?

AWD: This is the best part of FASA! Because our classes are focused on preparation for elite and challenging performances, there is a strong focus on what it means to perform! How to command the stage, emote the feeling of the song or piece, capture the heart of the audience! For many students their entire musical education has been a technical focus. We are really good at practicing, but we want to be performers. So coaches work on stage deportment, the musical arc of a piece, choreography and movement, in addition to technical execution. 

BtN: In watching the video clip of the final performance it seems that there is an amazing amount of energy on the stage and in the audience.  What do you think is the formula for that type of enthusiasm?

AWD: That enthusiasm comes from the top down. The Annie Moses Band, the artistic and musical directors, Maestro Pak and the 80 faculty and mentors who instruct and perform create an environment that is highly demanding, but also supportive, loving, and joyful. We have a lot of fun at FASA! The friendships that spring up during the event are often deep. And when the audience sees the performance, they are witnessing excellent creators giving from the overflow of their heart, both love and joy for the music and each other.

BtN: Can you describe a typical day at FASA?  

AWD: During week 1 students have classes in technique, orchestra or chorus, commercial ensembles and bands, master classes, and private lessons. We also have evening workshops on music business and taking your artistry to market as a professional. 

During week 2 all the tracks of study combine to put on a line up of performances culminating with the Gala at the Grand Ole Opry House!

BtN: Something unique about your festival is that professionals perform side by side with students   What do you and the other professionals involved gain from those experiences?

AWD: The level of faculty at FASA is exceptional.  We pull from many of the brightest graduates and performers coming out of the nation’s best schools: Juilliard, Berklee School of Music, Cincinnati Conservatory and others. These performers are young, enthusiastic, high-skilled, and a great inspiration to the students.  

In numerous conversations, I hear first hand how much our faculty enjoy seeing growth in our students.  Because of the flexibility in our performance material, our teachers and mentors are able to engage students in an unparalleled way - using a different key, simplifying a passage or adding complexity to make a part more challenging.  This is all due to our in-house arranger, Bill Wolaver.  Growth in our students isn’t something we hope works out - we create the environment that makes growth happen.

As an experienced performer and instructor I can say that the final performance hits a level of energy that is exceptional even for me. 150+ performers collaborating in this kind of concert is just exhilarating. I am always astonished by how much students grow in such a short time. 

BtN: What would you say to students that have only received classical training and haven’t had much experience delving into different genres?  Will they feel like they have a place at FASA and what do you think they will get out of such an experience?

AWD: You won’t be alone! Every year we have students who come from a strict classical world and are nervous about jumping into alternative styles, but have no fear! We have incredible mentors who come from many backgrounds- studio musicians, commercial performers, as well as classical educators, and we will place you with players and music that will be super fun.  

BtN: What are 3 things that students attending FASA walk away with? 

AWD:  A knowledge of their own capacity for greatness.
The inspiration to work hard and find the best opportunities back at home. 
That music is about communicating love and joy to the audience and each other.

BtN: Is there anything else you would like to say to anyone who might be interested in the Fine Arts Summer Academy?

AWD: We can’t wait for this year! Come out and perform alongside us! Go to www.FineArtsSummerAcademy.com for information and to register.

Tweet

Creativity Discovered: The Norwegian Chamber Orchestra's choreographed "Holberg Suite"

It's been 4 years since I last posted a "Creativity Discovered" post.  That's not to say that nothing creative has happened during this time - quite the opposite really!  But recently I came across a series of YouTube videos that has made me realize that I should get back to posting about some of the inspiring performances I've been hearing about and seeing.

© laufer - Fotolia.com

To kick off this series again, I want to share the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra's partially choreographed performance of Edvard Grieg's Holberg Suite, Op. 40.  Written in 1884, the composer based the 5 movements on 18th century dance forms.  I think it can be tempting as musicians to perform these older dances in a somewhat restrained fashion which might befit some dances but when we consider that many of them originated from folk dances it makes me wonder if we could stand to loosen up and to treat the music in a more carefree way.

That's what the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra did with their performance.  Their choice of clothing, their approach to the music and each other, along with the choreography, work together to give me the impression that I'm at a country fair, sitting on a fence to take in or even join in the festivities.  I just love it!  And I have a sneaking suspicion the musicians enjoyed it too.  That is evident from their body language and the expressions on their faces throughout.

But enough of me jabbering on about them, here they are.  My favorite, in case you're interested or if you only have a little time to watch, is the last movement, the Rigaudon.  If nothing else, watch that one!   And if you want a link to my playlist of all of them, click here.

Enjoy!

And if anyone knows of any other inspiring, creative performances I should watch, please do let me know by leaving a comment.

Praeludium



Sarabande



Gavotte



Air



Rigaudon





Tweet

Impressions from the stage: University of Maryland's choreographed production of "Appalachian Spring"

About a month ago I saw a post on a young friend's Facebook page about participating in an event at the University of Maryland that immediately grabbed my attention.  A violinist and a dancer attending the school, Lillian Cannon, performed in a memorized, conductor-less, and here's the clincher, choreographed version of Aaron Copland's Appalachian Spring.  After reading the brief but ecstatic post on Cannon's page as well as Anne Midgette's wonderful article for the Washington Post  I was eager to see it for myself.  Only a few weeks after the performance the YouTube video was up and I watched, moved the entire time by the intimacy of the rendition but also by the incredible bravery of the students who challenged themselves in so many ways in order to present something unique and powerful.

If you haven't yet watched it, here it is.  I would recommend watching it before reading the rest of this post.




I was so excited to know someone who had participated I decided that I wanted to find out more from her about what the experience was like for the students.  Lillian graciously accepted my request to answer some questions so that we could all soak in the experience and perhaps gain courage and ideas from this project.  Many thanks to her for taking the time to answer so thoughtfully.

ES:  Were you at the University’s first performance like this where they performed a choreographed version of Debussy’s “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun?” or had you watched it prior to working on “Appalachian Spring?”   If you did, what were your thoughts, reservations, reactions? 

LC: UMSO performed the choreographed Debussy the year before I was there so I never saw the live performance but I watched the video on YouTube before beginning Appalachian Spring. I thought it was beautifully done and they sounded very good but (maybe because I’m biased) but I thought Appalachian Spring was at a whole other level than the Debussy. I think we took many more risks because the Debussy was such a success and both James Ross and Liz Lerman thought our orchestra was capable of doing so. Appalachian Spring was also almost twice as long as Debussy which was a project all on its own.

ES: What was the process for getting involved with this particular production?  Was it required participation or did you audition, sign up, etc.?  If you had a choice about whether or not to be involved, why did you choose to be a part of it? 
 

LC:  If you watch the video of Appalachian Spring, you will probably notice that it is not a full orchestra performing it. Our orchestra was split up for this past semester, with half of us working on Appalachian Spring and the other half working with opera students to perform “Die Fledermaus “. We came back together as a whole to perform the second half of the spring concert. Back in August at the beginning of the school year, we got our orchestra audition music, and with that, we got a survey sheet that asked if we would be willing to participate in a Copland music/movement collaboration and we could either put our interest in for the project or decline. I chose to put my interest in for it because it was something I have never done before and it was extremely out of my playing comfort zone.

ES:  How many months were spent preparing for this event?   What was the process like for putting it together?   How much of the choreography was given to you?  Did the orchestra members have a say in what you did? 

LC: We started rehearsals almost right after we got back from winter break, so probably the first week of February. The first rehearsals were definitely the hardest because we were looking at the music for the first time and it was just all very overwhelming for everyone I think. I think what helped a lot was having a chamber group of 13 people (4 violins, 2 violas, 2 celli, 1 double bass, a flute, clarinet, bassoon, and pianist) who were basically the leaders of this project. They met for extra rehearsals every week and began learning and memorizing the music before the rest of us did (in the video, they are the first and last players to play). This group helped guide the rest of us and kind of grounded the whole process I think. I know one of the biggest problems we had as a group (that the chamber group definitely helped with), was the amount of times we had to switch time signatures in that piece. Switching meters conductor-less was not easy to say the least. It forced us all to listen and feel the music much more than simply memorizing it. Most of the choreography was a collaboration of the idea Liz Lerman and our conductor, James Ross had envisioned, with the some of the ideas from the orchestra members thrown in. I think a lot of our ideas though, were more geared towards restrictions that we had with some of the movements and also having to play our instruments. A lot of the original ideas for this piece were modified so that we could also still play while doing them. 

ES: I am so impressed that this was done all by memory.  Were you given guidance as to how to go about memorizing such a large work?  Did you feel that having the choreography helped or hindered with the process of memorizing?

LC: At the first rehearsal we all had together, Professor Ross gave us all a little guide on tips for memorizing such a big work. It included things such as turning in a circle while you had your music in front of you, closing your eyes at more familiar sections, etc. At every rehearsal, we also had a huge projector up with the score so that we could get out of our own parts more and look at the score for guidance (I personally don’t think the projected score helped much though). We basically memorized the entire piece in sections, starting with the easier ones such as “Simple Gifts”. We would kind of start by memorizing one section, learning the section before or after it, then trying to put the two together until we had the whole thing memorized. I think at first, the choreography hindered the process of memorizing the piece, because we were so focused on learning that particular choreography, that we couldn’t remember the notes. Once we started getting real chunks of things choreographed and pieced together is when it began aiding the memorization process.

ES: Since you also had the choreography to deal with in this performance did you find performing a different experience than a typical orchestra or solo performance?   If so, how was it different?

LC: This performance was so beyond any other orchestra or solo playing experience. We were trying to tell a story with this piece and it not only had to come through in our music, but also our movement. It became so much more breathtaking to me when we all got out of our heads and committed to getting our story across to an audience. Ms. Lerman and Professor Ross wanted a lot of our emotion to come from the inside, so I think what made this piece so amazing is the fact that the audience wasn’t seeing the same emotions and the same story from every person performing. We were all performing from an emotion that was personal to us.

ES: Since you have had a lot of experience dancing yourself, do you think that helped you in this situation? 

LC:  Definitely. Memorizing choreography is something I’ve been doing my whole life so that part came so easily to me. It gave me more time to work on memorizing the music (which was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be). I think a lot of people struggled because memorizing a large chunk of choreography in a short amount of time is something they’ve never had to do before, let alone play music at the same time.

ES:  What was the dynamic of the orchestra as a whole as a result of being a part of such a unique performance?  Do you think you were more eager to promote others to come to the event?  Why or why not?

LC:  I think at first we were all really apprehensive about the whole thing, and I know none of us thought this was actually all going to come together (we were still having these doubts in April). At the same time, I think we were able to connect much more as an orchestra because we were forced to interact with every person on stage, whether they played the same instrument as you or not. You couldn’t rely on the rest of your section for guidance or to help you out on a section that maybe you weren’t as comfortable with because chances are, you were not standing around any of them for the majority of the performance. It took me a long time to really feel like this was going to be a worthwhile performance for people to see, but when it finally came together, I was so excited to be able to share it with an audience because I knew it was going to be beautiful.

ES:  What did you enjoy most about the experience?

LC:  My favorite part of the whole thing was seeing the audience at the very end when we were all laying our instruments down at the front of the stage as our “final offering”. I had always thought that was such a neat idea but I had no idea it was going to make such an impact on people. Seeing people moved to tears is really a powerful moment.

ES:  What did you not like as much or what did you struggle with, if anything?

LC:  Like I said before, I really did not enjoy the first month or so of rehearsals. We didn’t have it memorized enough to start learning solid choreography so there wasn’t much we could really do in terms of bringing this piece to life. I think it was pretty disorganized for a while because we were all trying to figure out how we were going to pull the entire thing off.

ES:  Would you do an event like this again?  Why or why not?

LC:  I would do it again in a heartbeat. It turned out to be such a neat experience and being able to pull off a performance like that is unforgettable. I think we were all able to connect with the music on a much deeper level and play together as a group better than we ever have.

Tweet