The Music Academy of the West’s 2014 Summer Festival Opens June 16; June Highlights Include Takács String Quartet and eighth blackbird
Hailed as “a magnet for some of the country’s most gifted young musicians” (Santa Barbara News-Press), the Music Academy of the West opens the 67th season of its annual summer music school and festival on June 16. With more than 200 events to be presented through August 9 at the Academy’s beautiful Miraflores campus and in venues throughout scenic Santa Barbara, the Academy has often been described as “classical music on America’s Riviera.” The Takács String Quartet is in residence in June to oversee the String Quartet Seminar, and this Gramophone Hall of Fame ensemble performs Beethoven, Barber and Dvorák on June 18. The rich slate of seminars, masterclasses and starry performances this month also includes the first of this summer’s Mosher Guest Artists – the multi-Grammy Award-winning new music sextet eighth blackbird – in concert on June 26. The Academy Festival Orchestra plays its opening concert at the newly renovated Lobero Theatre on June 21; a highlight of that program is a new arrangement for brass of Richard Strauss’s An Alpine Symphony by the Chicago Symphony’s Principal Trombonist Jay Friedman. Academy faculty members Marilyn Horne and Warren Jones introduce the 2014 Voice and Vocal Piano Fellows (June 18), and Jerome Lowenthal showcases his eight Solo Piano Fellows at Pianofest (June 27) in the Academy’s ongoing “learning through performance” events.
“We have one goal in mind for our Summer Festival: to provide a rich and involving array of events that enable patrons and Fellows alike to engage, absorb, and celebrate the many aspects of classical music at its best,” said Music Academy President Scott Reed. Two of this summer’s Academy “firsts” will unfold in July and August: the inauguration of an unprecedented new partnership with the New York Philharmonic, and a new production of Carmen, in honor of Marilyn Horne’s 80th birthday. Additionally, Glenn Dicterow joins the Academy’s distinguished faculty, following his final concerts in June as the New York Philharmonic’s longtime concertmaster.
The first of the Music Academy’s multiple “Carmen Celebration” events to honor Horne, who has headed the Academy’s Voice Program since 1997 and is herself a 1953 alumna, is a screening of the film Carmen Jones on June 11. The legendary mezzo-soprano was discovered in what would become her signature role of Carmen as the singing voice of Dorothy Dandridge in the 1954 film.
A Solo Piano Masterclass with Jerome Lowenthal on June 16 signals the launch of one of the hallmarks of the Music Academy experience, its extensive masterclass program, which complements individual private instruction. For the 2014 Summer School and Festival, 140 Fellows from thirteen countries and ranging in age from 18 to 33 will participate in the multitude of masterclasses presented by members of the string, woodwind, brass, percussion, voice, and piano faculty.
On June 18, the Takács String Quartet, described as “matchless” by The Guardian, performs a program of Beethoven, Barber, and Dvorák. The Takács once again oversees the Academy’s innovative String Quartet Seminar, which provides 16 string Fellows with intensive ensemble coaching over the course of seven days, culminating in a public recital by four quartets of participating Fellows at Hahn Hall on June 20.
Support from the Samuel B. and Margaret C. Mosher Foundation enables the Music Academy to continue to host stellar guest artists such as the imaginative contemporary chamber sextet eighth blackbird, termed “polished, personable, [and] routinely dazzling” by the New York Times (June 26). As the San Francisco Chronicle proclaimed: “There seems to be nothing they can’t do, musically or otherwise.” Each of the Mosher Guest Artist recitals, as well as chamber music concerts by Academy faculty and Fellows, take place in the Academy’s intimate Hahn Hall, which the Los Angeles Times describes as “perfect for chamber music and recitals [because] the acoustics are unobtrusive; nothing gets between music and the ear.”
In another June highlight, Larry Rachleff, music director of the Rhode Island Philharmonic and Rice University’s Shepherd School orchestras, joins Chicago Symphony Principal Trombonist Jay Friedman for the season’s opening Academy Festival Orchestra concert at Santa Barbara’s Lobero Theatre on June 21. Celebrating the 150th anniversary of Strauss’s birth, Friedman will conduct his own arrangement for brass of An Alpine Symphony; Rachleff will be on the podium for Prokofiev’s “Classical” Symphony and Beethoven’s Second Symphony. The following week at the Granada Theater, Rachleff will lead the orchestra in Strauss’s Vienna Philharmonic Fanfare, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, and Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 (June 28).
After last season’s finale by the Academy Festival Orchestra, the Santa Barbara News-Press stated, “For eight weeks each summer, the Music Academy blithely and blissfully takes over our town, presenting a thicket of classical music for our listening pleasure, spoiling us with a high caliber of music and celebrated visitors.” On June 16 the listening pleasure begins again.
About the Music Academy of the West
Founded in 1947 by a group of Southern California arts patrons and musicians that included Lotte Lehmann and Otto Klemperer, the Music Academy of the West is among the nation’s preeminent summer schools and festivals for gifted young classical musicians. The Academy provides these promising musicians with the opportunity for advanced study and frequent performance under the guidance of internationally renowned faculty artists, guest conductors and soloists. Admission to the Academy is strictly merit based, and Fellows receive full scholarships (tuition, room and board).
Music Academy of the West alumni number more than 6,000, representing a veritable “who’s who” of the classical music world. They include Metropolitan Opera stars Marilyn Horne (’53), Grace Bumbry (’56), Thomas Hampson (’78), Juan Diego Flórez (’95), Isabel Leonard (’05), and Alek Shrader (’08); pianist Orion Weiss (’00); the late Lotfi Mansouri (’57), General Director Emeritus of the San Francisco Opera; Cynthia Phelps (’79 & ’83), Principal Viola of the New York Philharmonic; clarinetist David Shifrin (’68), former Artistic Director of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center; Laurence Lesser (’53), former President of the New England Conservatory; and singer-songwriter Burt Bacharach (’55).
An audio introduction
“The Future of Classical Music on America’s Riviera” is a two-hour radio special about the Music Academy of the West, hosted by Carol Burnett and produced and distributed by the WFMT Radio Network. A 23-minute excerpt from the program can be heard here.
The Music Academy of the West’s summer festival continues through August 9 with the wide array of offerings outlined below. For more information, visit www.musicacademy.org. High-resolution photos may be downloaded here.
Music Academy of the West 2014
Summer Festival: June 16–August 9
Santa Barbara, CA
Festival highlights “at a glance”
June 18: Takács Quartet
June 21: Larry Rachleff and Jay Friedman with members of the Academy Festival Orchestra
June 26: eighth blackbird in recital
June 27: PianoFest
June 28: Marilyn Horne Masterclass
June 28: Larry Rachleff with Academy Festival Orchestra
July 5: Daniel Hope in concert
July 5, 7: Opera Scenes
July 9: Warren Jones Masterclass
July 12: Edward Gardner and Jeremy Denk with Academy Festival Orchestra
July 17: Deborah Voigt in recital
July 19: Joshua Weilerstein with Academy Festival Orchestra – “Concerto Night”
July 19: Marilyn Horne Song Competition
July 21: Academy Percussion Ensemble
July 26: Alan Gilbert with members of the Academy Festival Orchestra
August 1, 3: Carmen (David Paul, stage director; James Gaffigan, conductor)
August 2: Joshua Roman with Academy Fellows
August 4: Jonathan Biss in recital
August 7: Cabaret, the Academy’s Signature Gala
August 9: Thomas Adès with Academy Festival Orchestra
Chronological listing of events
June 11 (pre-season event)
Film screening: Otto Preminger’s Carmen Jones (1954)
With Marilyn Horne as the singing voice of Dorothy Dandridge
June 16
Solo Piano Masterclass with Jerome Lowenthal
Flute Masterclass with Timothy Day
Violin Masterclass with Kathleen Winkler
June 17
String Chamber Masterclass with Tákacs Quartet
Trombone and Tuba Masterclass with Mark Lawrence
Viola Masterclass with Donald McInnes
June 18
Vocal Masterclass: Introduction of the 2014 Singers and Vocal Pianists with Marilyn Horne and Warren Jones
Cello Masterclass with Alan Stepansky
Oboe Masterclass with David Weiss
Double Bass Masterclass with Nico Abondolo
Brass Ensemble Open Rehearsal with Jay Friedman
Takács Quartet Recital
Beethoven: Quartet No. 8, Op. 59, No. 2, “Rasumovsky”
Barber: Adagio from String Quartet, Op. 11
Dvorák: Quintet in G, Op. 77 (with Nico Abondolo, double bass)
June 19
”The Path to Optimal Performance” workshop with Bill Williams
Percussion Masterclass with Edward Atkatz
Collaborative Piano Masterclass with Jonathan Feldman
June 20
Vocal Masterclass with Marilyn Horne
Bassoon Masterclass with Dennis Michel
Clarinet Masterclass with Richie Hawley
Trumpet Masterclass with Barbara Butler
Horn Masterclass with Michelle Baker
String Leadership Masterclass with Jorja Fleezanis
String Quartet Seminar Recital by the four quartets coached by the Takács Quartet
June 21
Members of the Academy Festival Orchestra with Jay Friedman and Larry Rachleff, conductors
R. Strauss, arr. by Jay Friedman: An Alpine Symphony, Op. 64
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 in D Major, “Classical,” Op. 25
Beethoven: Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 36
June 23
Solo Piano Masterclass with Jerome Lowenthal
Flute Masterclass with Timothy Day
Brass Ensemble Open Sectional with Paul Merkelo
Violin Masterclass with Sylvia Rosenberg
June 24
Mosher Guest Artist Contemporary Music Masterclass with eighth blackbird
String Chamber Masterclass with Peter Salaff
Trombone & Tuba Masterclass with Mark Lawrence
Viola Masterclass with Donald McInnes
Tuesdays @ 8 Concert with faculty artists
Tower: Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman, No. 5
Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 3 in D minor
Stravinsky: Octet
Beethoven: Piano Trio in E-flat, Op. 70, No. 2
June 25
Cello Masterclass with Alan Stepansky
Oboe Masterclass with David Weiss
Vocal Masterclass with Warren Jones
Bassoon Masterclass with Dennis Michel
Double Bass Masterclass with Nico Abondolo
Masterclass Sampler with Jorja Fleezanis, Barbara Butler, and Jerome Lowenthal
June 26
Percussion Masterclass with Matthew Duvall of eighth blackbird
Piano chamber Masterclass with Jerome Lowenthal
Collaborative Piano Masterclass with Jonathan Feldman
Mosher Guest Artist Recital with eighth blackbird
June 27
Clarinet Masterclass with Richie Hawley
Trumpet Masterclass with Charlie Geyer
Horn Masterclass with Julie Landsman
String Leadership Masterclass with Jorja Fleezanis
PianoFest with Jerome Lowenthal, featuring eight Solo Piano Fellows
June 28
Marilyn Horne Masterclass at UCSB
Academy Festival Orchestra with Larry Rachleff, conductor
R. Strauss: Vienna Philharmonic Fanfare
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat, Op. 100
June 30
Solo Piano Masterclass with Choong Mo Kang
Flute Masterclass with Timothy Day
Violin Masterclass with Elmar Oliviera
July 1
String Chamber Masterclass with Jorja Fleezanis
Trombone & Tuba Masterclass with Mark Lawrence
Viola Masterclass with Donald McInnes
Tuesdays @ 8 Concert with faculty artists
Mozart: Quintet for Piano and Winds, K. 452
Ravel: Tzigane
Tchaikovsky: Piano Trio, Op. 50
July 2
Brass Ensemble Open Rehearsal with Mark Lawrence
Cello Masterclass with Alan Stepansky
Oboe Masterclass with Eugene Izotov
Vocal Masterclass with John Fisher
Bassoon Masterclass with Dennis Michel
Double Bass Masterclass with Nico Abondolo
Concerto Competition Finals, Part One (strings)
July 3
Piano Chamber Masterclass with Jerome Lowenthal
Percussion Masterclass with Edward Atkatz
Collaborative Piano Masterclass with Jonathan Feldman
Harp Masterclass with JoAnn Turovsky
Concerto Competition Finals, Part Two (winds, brass, percussion, solo piano)
July 4
Mosher Guest Artist Masterclass with Daniel Hope, violin
Clarinet Masterclass with Richie Hawley
Trumpet Masterclass with Paul Merkelo
Horn Masterclass with Julie Landsman
String Leadership Masterclass with Jorja Fleezanis
Picnic Concert featuring Academy Fellows
July 5
Opera Scenes with director Gregory Fortner and conductors Warren Jones, John Churchwell, and John Fisher
Mosher Guest Artist Concert with violinist Daniel Hope, leading a chamber orchestra of Academy faculty and Fellows
Max Richter: Recomposed: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons
July 7
Solo Piano Masterclass with Jerome Lowenthal
Flute Masterclass with Timothy Day
Brass Ensemble Open Sectional with Paul Merkelo
Violin Masterclass with Kathleen Winkler
Opera Scenes with director Gregory Fortner and conductors Warren Jones, John Churchwell, and John Fisher
July 8
String Chamber Music Masterclass with Peter Salaff
Trombone and Tuba Masterclass with Mark Lawrence
Viola Masterclass with Donald McInnes
Tuesdays @ 8 Concert with faculty artists
Mark O’Connor: Chief Sitting in the Rain, College Hornpipe
Busoni: Carmen Fantasy
Dvorák: Serenade for Winds, Op. 44
Bartók: Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion
July 9
Cello Masterclass with Alan Stepansky
Oboe Masterclass with David Weiss
Vocal Masterclass with Warren Jones
Bassoon Masterclass with Dennis Michel
Double Bass Masterclass with Nico Abondolo
July 10
Academy Open House
All events free and open to the public
Collaborative Piano Masterclass with Jeremy Denk
Piano Chamber Masterclass with Jerome Lowenthal
Percussion Masterclass with Edward Atkatz
“The Path to Optimal Performance” workshop with Bill Williams
Downtown Community Concert with Academy Fellows
Opera Preview: Carmen
July 11
MERIT Recital (local musicians aged 11 to 17)
Clarinet Masterclass with Richie Hawley
Trumpet Masterclass with Paul Merkelo
Vocal Masterclass with Fred Carama
Horn Masterclass with Julie Landsman
String Leadership Masterclass with Alexander Treger
Picnic Concert
July 12
Academy Festival Orchestra with Edward Gardner, conductor
Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra
Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 3 (with Jeremy Denk, piano)
Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé, Suite No. 2
July 14
Solo Piano Masterclass with Jeremy Denk
Flute Masterclass with Timothy Day
Violin Masterclass with Alexander Treger
Academy Brass Ensemble in Concert
July 15
String Chamber Masterclass with Glenn Dicterow
Trombone & Tuba Masterclass with Mark Lawrence
Viola Masterclass with Richard O’Neill
Tuesdays @ 8 Concert with Jeremy Denk and faculty artists
Milhaud: Scaramouche
Rebecca Clarke: Viola Sonata
Ives: Piano Sonata No. 2, Concord, Mass., 1840-60
July 16
Cello Masterclass with Alan Stepansky
Oboe Masterclass with Cynthia Koledo DeAlmeida
Vocal Masterclass with John Churchwell
Bassoon Masterclass with Benjamin Kamins
Double Bass Masterclass with Nico Abondolo
July 17
Piano Chamber Masterclass with Jeremy Denk
Collaborative Piano Masterclass with Jonathan Feldman
Downtown Community Concert
Mosher Guest Artist Recital with Deborah Voigt
July 18
Mosher Guest Artist Masterclass with Deborah Voigt
String Leadership Masterclass with Glenn Dicterow
Clarinet Masterclass with Richie Hawley
Trumpet Masterclass with Paul Merkelo
Horn Masterclass with Julie Landsman
Picnic Concert
July 19
Marilyn Horne Song Competition (10 am)
Marilyn Horne Song Competition (1 pm)
Concerto Night with Joshua Weilerstein, conductor
Concertos to be announced on July 4
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64
July 21
Solo Piano Masterclass with Stephen Hough
Violin Masterclass with Glenn Dicterow
Flute Masterclass with Timothy Day
Orchestral Repertoire for Brass Players with Paul Merkelo
Academy Percussion Ensemble in Concert
July 22
String Chamber Masterclass with Martin Beaver
Trombone and Tuba Masterclass with Ralph Sauer
Viola Masterclass with Richard O’Neill
Opera Covers Performance: Carmen sing-through
Tuesdays @ 8 Concert with Stephen Hough, faculty artists, James Gaffigan, conductor
Debussy/Sachs: Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune
Stephen Hough: Piano Sonata No. 2, “Nottourno Luminoso”
Mahler, arr. Klaus Simon: Symphony No. 4
July 23
Cello Masterclass with Joshua Roman
Oboe Masterclass with Cynthia Koledo DeAlmeida
Bassoon Masterclass with Benjamin Kamins
Double Bass Masterclass with Nico Abondolo
July 24
Piano Chamber Masterclass with Alan Gilbert
Percussion Masterclass with Michael Werner
Collaborative Piano Masterclass with Jonathan Feldman
Downtown Community Concert
Vocal Chamber Music Concert
Vivaldi: Motet “O qui coeli terracque”
Vaughan Williams: “Four Hymns”
Respighi: “Il Tramonto”
Barber: “Dover Beach”
Lori Laitman: “Daughters”
Jon Deak: “The Ugly Duckling”
July 25
String Leadership Masterclass with Glenn Dicterow
Clarinet Masterclass with Richie Hawley
Trumpet Masterclass with Paul Merkelo
Horn Masterclass with Julie Landsman
Picnic Concert
July 26
Alan Gilbert & Members of the Academy Festival Orchestra
Thomas Adès: Chamber Symphony
Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony No. 1
Schubert: Symphony No. 2 in B-flat, D. 125
July 28
Solo Piano Masterclass TBA
Viola Masterclass with Cynthia Phelps
Flute Masterclass with Jim Walker
Violin Masterclass with Kathleen Winkler
Mock Audition for Brass Players with Julie Landsman, Paul Merkelo, and Ralph Sauer
July 29
Tuesdays @ 8 Concert with faculty artists
Ravel: Sonatine
Matthias Pintscher: Uriel
Mendelssohn: Octet
Masterclass Sampler with New York Philharmonic musicians Eric Bartlett, cello; Robert Langevin, flute; Joseph Alessi, trombone
July 30
Brass Ensemble Open Rehearsal with Joseph Alessi
Cello Masterclass with David Geber
Oboe Masterclass with Cynthia Koledo DeAlmeida
Bassoon Masterclass with Benjamin Kamins
Double Bass Masterclass with Nico Abondolo
OperaNow! Live Podcast with Marilyn Horne, Michael Rice, Oliver Camacho, and Jennifer Rivera (new)
July 31
String Chamber Masterclass with Peter Salaff
Percussion Masterclass with Michael Werner
Downtown Community Concert
Picnic Concert
August 1
String Leadership Masterclass with Glenn Dicterow
Clarinet Masterclass with Richie Hawley
Trumpet Masterclass with Paul Merkelo
Horn Masterclass with Julie Landsman
Bizet: Carmen with James Gaffigan, conductor, and David Paul, director (new production)
August 2
Chamber Music Matinee
Joshua Roman and Academy Fellows in Concert
Includes John Adams’ Shaker Loops and world premiere of Life on Mars by Joshua Roman on poems
by Tracy K. Smith
August 3
Bizet: Carmen with James Gaffigan, conductor and David Paul, director (new production)
August 4
Violin Masterclass with Glenn Dicterow
Flute Masterclass with Jim Walker
Mosher Guest Artist Recital with Jonathan Biss
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 2
Janácek: Selections from On an Overgrown Path
Chopin: Nocturne No. 1 in B Major, Op. 62
Chopin: Polonaise Fantasie in A-flat Major, Op. 61
Janácek: Sonata 1.X.1905, “From the Street”
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57, “Appassionata”
August 5
Solo Piano Masterclass with Jonathan Biss
Trombone and Tuba Masterclass with Ralph Sauer
Viola Masterclass with Donald McInnes
Tuesdays @ 8 Concert with faculty artists
Hermann: Clarinet Quintet
Brahms: Piano Quintet, Op. 34
August 6
Vocal Masterclass with Marilyn Horne
Cello Masterclass with David Geber
Oboe Masterclass with Cynthia Koledo DeAlmeida
Bassoon Masterclass with Dennis Michel
Double Bass Masterclass with Nico Abondolo
August 7
Percussion Masterclass with Michael Werner
Collaborative Piano Masterclass with Jonathan Feldman
Harp Masterclass with JoAnn Turovsky
Downtown Community Concert
Cabaret, the Academy’s Signature Gala
Santa Barbara, CA
Double Tree Resort
Marilyn Horne, Voice Program Director
Carol Burnett, Cabaret Creative Contributor; Gerald Sternbach, Cabaret Director
Featuring 2014 Voice Program Fellows in classical, Broadway and pop favorites
All proceeds from Cabaret directly benefit the Academy’s full-scholarship training program
August 8
String Leadership Masterclass with Glenn Dicterow and Martin Chalifour
Clarinet Masterclass with Richie Hawley
Trumpet Masterclass with Josef Burgstaller
Horn Masterclass with Julie Landsman
Solo Piano Studio Presentation
Picnic Concert
August 9
Academy Festival Orchestra with Thomas Adès, conductor
Ives: Variations on “America”
Britten: “Four Sea Interludes” from Peter Grimes
Thomas Adès: Polaris
Stravinsky: Petrushka
For further information, contact:
Louise Barder
21C Media Group
(646) 532 4372
Tim Dougherty
Communications Manager
Music Academy of the West
805-695-7908
www.facebook.com/MusicAcademyoftheWest
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© 21C Media Group, June 2014
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21C Media Group
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