The results of the annual Domingo talent show:
Adela Zaharia, soprano – Romania
Levy Sekgapane, tenor – South Africa
2nd Prize
Kristina Mkhitaryan, soprano – Russia
Davide Giusti, tenor – Italy
3rd Prize
Maria Mudryak, soprano – Kazakhstan
Leon Kim, baritone – South Korea
Birgit Nilsson Prize
Oksana Sekerina, soprano – Russia
Boris Prýgl, bass-baritone – Czech Republic
At her skimpiest yet, she plays Tchaikovsky with the National Youth Orchestra of China, conducted by Ludovic Morlot.
Fabulous playing.
The death has been announced of Gilles Tremblay, an inventive composer who studied in Paris with Olivier Messiaen and in Darmstadt with Stockhausen and Boulez. He died on July 27, aged 85.
A shy man, heedless of publicity and French-Canadian political agendas, he taught at the Montreal Conservatoire and composed only those pieces that he felt needed to be composed.
When he wrote a piece called Fleuves, he spcified that it refers to all rivers on earth, not just those in Canada.
From the Wigmore Hall:
We are very sorry to announce that soprano Ruby Hughes is indisposed.
But we found a solution very close to home.
22 year-old Milly Forrest has studied at the Royal Academy of Music and will start her Masters at the Royal College of Music in September. She is also a member of Front of House staff at the Wigmore Hall and very kindly agreed to save the day.
Milly will jin us in ensemble works by Schubert, Chabrier and Vaughan Williams, and as the soloist for ‘If Music be the Food of Love’.
We are very grateful to Milly for standing in.
The Sunday Times has taken down the online version of Kevin Myers’ column today.
In it, Myers writes: ‘I note that two of the best-paid women presenters in the BBC – Claudia Winkelman and Vanessa Feltz, with whose, no doubt sterling work I am tragically unacquainted – are Jews. Good for them. Jews are not generally noted for their insistence at selling their talent for the lowest possible price…’
This is a breathtaking act of racial stigmatisation, one of the worst we have seen in a British broadsheet in decades.
UPDATE: The editors of both the Irish and the UK editions of the paper have apologised. It’s still unclear why this smear was ever passed for publication.
UPDATE: Myers has been sacked.
Our violin diarist Anthea Kreston returned to the Curtis Institute this week as a teacher. She finds it’s even tougher now than it was in her day.
I am sitting backstage at the Curtis Institute of Music, my Alma Mater, waiting for the concert to begin. I have spent a remarkable week here in Philadelphia – in awe of students, faculty, and the amazing school which has nurtured and inspired generations of musicians, and provided a welcome home to many of the past century’s finest performers, who found here a place to continue their life’s love of music through teaching, passing on their legacies to the next generations of musicians.
Curtis is different now – they have a new building – with 5 levels of dorm rooms, a cafeteria, 3 floors of rehearsal/teaching space and a large concert hall. In addition there are the original buildings – three mansions which belonged to Mary Louis Curtis Bok Zimbalist. The only child, and heiress to a fortune built from the publishing industry, she purchased three neighboring mansions in the 1920’s to house a tuition-free school for musicians. The school she founded is still tuition-free to all 175 students – ensuring that artistic promise, and not financial situation, is the sole consideration for acceptance.
With Leopold Stokowski, conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra from 1912 to 1941, and the Polish pianist Josef Hoffmann, the Curtis Institute of Music was born. The violinist Carl Flesch and opera star Marcella Sembrich joined the faculty. From the first moment until closely before her death at age 93, Mary Luise Curtis Bok Zimbalist was a daily presence at Curtis – it was her vision which created this international, inclusive school where musicians learn by doing (over 200 concerts a year are produced at Curtis). Every morning, it is said, Mary was dropped off at Curtis in her maroon limousine, with her chauffeur decked out in matching colours. Her tradition of Wednesday Tea and the decadent Christmas Ball are still a beloved part of the Curtis experience.
My time here has been spent teaching private lessons (the level is incredible – 120 students from age 14-22 who have been accepted into this three-week summer program) – these kids come in slinging the big guns – Brahms and Bartok concertos are no sweat for them. Afternoons are chamber music coaching, masterclasses and orchestra. This program is six years old. Only seven students have moved from this camp to being accepted as students at Curtis. It makes me wonder – how good do you really have to be – how can your Brahms Concerto rise above the others? Today, a young violinist from England asked me for advice on how to get into Curtis – this year there are only 2 violin openings. I encouraged him to continue to search for his truth – to follow his heart and find his voice.
When I flew here to audition as a young woman, I was full of vim and vigor – having passed the first round (a video of Bach, Paganini, Mozart and Sibelius concerti), I was eager to play in person. I had experienced enough success to have confidence in my abilities – to know I knew how to prepare and be able to lay down a solid and passionate performance. It all turned out well – I got one of the few coveted spots, and was heading to Curtis in the fall, to work with Felix Galimir and be immersed in the true European traditions of classical music.
Sitting here, backstage, talking to the other alumni and performers on tonight’s mixed program, I began to ask questions. As a student, the confidence that brought me through that audition process quickly disappeared. I felt lonely, isolated, insecure, and unworthy. Surrounded by a swath of seemingly larger-than-life superstars, who entered Curtis with recording contracts, management, first prizes from the Tchaikovsky Competition, I was frozen and unable to even practice at school, afraid that I would be exposed as a charlatan.
It turns out that all of us backstage felt the same way – these incredible musicians with whom I have played and taught beside all week – they were crushed by self-doubt, overwhelmed by the newness. But, they said, maybe going through this then was good for us – toughened us up and gave us the tools we needed to succeed. Maybe everyone goes through this, but we just did it a little earlier than other people. They, like I, pushed through these feelings and forced ourselves to perform, to go out there, and learned to curb fear, to harness our doubts and use this to our advantage. You learn to stop caring what other people think at some point – you are forced to become a clearer and more defined and honest version of yourself. I guess, in the end, that is what Curtis is looking for. The germ of individuality, the determination, the ability to think for yourself.
The concert is over – I have not been that nervous in many many years – my bow was even shaking at one point during the Janacek Sonata. But, I decided at that moment to use that sound, develop it – it was such a tender and frail sound, just as Janacek might have wanted at that moment. I owned my shaky bow, and was proud of it.
The violinist Wuilly Arteaga, who has been out every day playing in protests against Government oppression, was seized by police on Thursday and beaten with his own instrument, according to his friends.
‘They burned his hair with a lighter, beat him very hard, meaning that he can’t hear through his right ear,’ said Alfredo Romero, head of the Penal Forum rights group.
More than 100 civilians have been killed in the present unrest.
The country goes to elections today to vote on the president’s plan to change the constitution.
The viola player Camille Bonamy has issued an appeal to watch out for four stolen instruments. They were burgled from Camille, 18, and three other players – Elie Hackel, Luka Ispir, Lisa Strauss – while they appeared with the French Youth Orchestra (Orchestre francais des jeunes) at the Casals Festival at Prades on the night of 28-29 July.
The instruments are:
A 1903 Italian Monterumuci violin, on loan from a German foundation. Stolen wthout its case.
A Polish made violin, Krupa Fecit, 2016.
A French viola, Friedrich Alber, 2015, avec deux archets dont un de Doriane Bodart (2014). Grey case.
A French cello, Frank Ravatin, 2001. White case.
Camille asks for this message to be shared ‘to the maximum’.
From the president of Rider University:
Dear Rider Community,
I’m writing today to provide you with an update on our ongoing process to find an
interested partner to operate Westminster Choir College programs and purchase the
campus in Princeton.
Rider’s Board of Trustees, management team and our external firm,
PricewaterhouseCoopers Corporate Finance (PwC CF), have been diligently pursuing this
important work for months. I am happy to report that since our initial announcement in
March, we have made great progress.
PwC CF has identified and communicated with approximately 280 potential partners. We
received multiple proposals in the following three categories:
1. A partner who is interested in purchasing the property and the Choir College with the
purpose of continuing to operate the Choir College in Princeton;
2. A partner who is interested in acquiring and relocating the Choir College programs to
another location; and
3. A partner interested in acquiring the property.
A careful and detailed review of all initial proposals has been completed and select parties
have been asked to refine their proposals as we move into the next phase of the process. To
allow sufficient time for the Board to fully consider each of these amended proposals, it is
likely that a final partner or partners will not ultimately be selected to move forward until
the fall.
We’ve been extremely encouraged by the tremendous interest we have received and are
confident that we will find a partner to take over this world-renowned program. As such,
we are pleased to announce that we will begin recruiting the Class of 2022 for the Choir
College very soon. Additionally, we have committed to each potential partner that we will
work hand-in-hand with them to ensure a successful transition.
This is an important process and I appreciate the interest that our entire University
community has in the future of the Choir College. As I have said before, I will continue to
share important updates with you as this process continues.
Until then, I hope you enjoy the remainder of your summer.
All the best,
President Gregory Dell’Omo
Roger Nierenberg runs courses in which commercial executives sit inside an orchestra and learn about all the things that can possibly go wrong – in art, as in business.
It’s about making the right decisions, he says. Like the way Carlos Kleiber changed the way the Met orchestra played.
Roger demonstrates his method to Zsolt Bognar on Living the Classical Life.
A CNN report on the never-ending mystery.
