Strings: The Majestic Sights & Musical Moments at the Grand Teton Music Festival

Strings
By James Ehnes

Writing about my experiences over the years at the Grand Teton Music Festival is a daunting prospect. How to describe the magic of a place where the physical beauty is beyond description, and where the quality of the music making defies rational explanation?

I first met maestro Donald Runnicles, music director of the Grand Teton Music Festival, about a decade ago in Miami, where we performed the Walton Violin Concerto together with the New World Symphony. He invited me to perform at the Grand Teton Music Festival shortly thereafter—my first performance at the festival was of the Barber Concerto, with Steven Sloane conducting. In the years since, I’ve performed the Sibelius, Mozart’s Fourth, Brahms concerti, and the Beethoven Violin Sonata in D major, Op. 61, with Donald, as well as various chamber-music works—some with Donald at the piano.

I’ve also joined Donald and the orchestra for performances of Mahler’s Symphony No. 6, sitting in the second-violin section—one of the highlights of my musical life. The atmosphere within the orchestra is unique; I can think of few situations that blend relaxed fun with extremely focused and committed work in such a successful combination. The well-known expression of the orchestra as a whole being greater than the sum of its parts is very apt here, and when one considers the incredible assortment of distinguished musicians that make up this orchestra, that becomes high praise indeed! A huge amount of the credit must be given to Donald. We have become very close friends over the years, so perhaps I am biased, but I think he is a musical genius, and his commitment to musical excellence is absolute. He maintains a totally friendly, relaxed, and fun attitude, while at the same time the intensity of his music making is infectious. The performances I have heard or taken part in at the Grand Teton Music Festival have been, without exception, electrifying.

Teton Village, where the festival takes place, is located right on the edge of Grand Teton National Park. I am not a skier, but from what I’m told, this is one of the greatest ski destinations in the world. In the summer, the scenery is staggering. The mountains seem to come out of nowhere; one can admire what looks like endless prairie in one direction and craggy, spectacular peaks in the other. Wildlife is everywhere; I have seen herds of bison and elk, bears, moose, and birds of all sorts. There is a relaxed, “old west” atmosphere in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and the surrounding villages. People are friendly and laid-back. Many are of course part-time residents, and one gets the sense that everyone is aware of how special the area is both in terms of natural beauty and relaxed atmosphere, and everyone tries to do their part to keep it that way.

If I were to make an itinerary of “must-sees” for visitors to the festival, Jenny Lake would be a good place to start. Located only a 40-minute drive from Teton Village, the lake offers canoeing, hiking, and some of the most spectacular views in America. One of my favorite nonmusical Grand Teton Music Festival memories is an hour-long adventure on a rowboat with my wife in 2012. Before a performance a few years later, I went for a jog around the lake and was a bit alarmed to find a moose blocking my path about a half-mile from the trail exit, having a leisurely snack and seemingly (and luckily!) unaware of my presence. I was very relieved when she decided to move along!

The orchestra itself is an ensemble unlike any other. Made up of a rather unorthodox combination of instrumentalists from major orchestras both foreign and domestic, chamber musicians, and distinguished pedagogues, the players are united by their commitment to musical excellence and their love of the Grand Teton Music Festival experience. For many of my friends in the orchestra, Grand Teton Music Festival is the highlight of their season, both musically and socially. Many players come back year after year, bringing their families and sometimes even purchasing homes. Lifelong friendships are formed, and generations of “festival kids” grow up in the magical fairytale land of Teton Village. I have friends who tell me that although they spend only a few weeks at Grand Teton Music Festival each summer, Teton Village is their family’s true “home.”

This summer was a special one for me, as my parents were joining me at the festival for the first time. Runnicles’ wife, pianist Adelle Eslinger, is from my hometown of Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, and though my parents have known her since she was a little girl, this was their first time seeing her in years. It was an honor to introduce them to the Jackson Hole area, Grand Teton National Park, my dear friend Donald, and the incredible and inimitable atmosphere of the Grand Teton Music Festival, one of my favorite places on earth. 

Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra Hosts Two-Day China Orchestra Administration & Management Forum

The two-day China Orchestra Administration & Management Forum was held in Guangzhou on September 25th and 26th September 2017. From Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Shandong, Zhejiang, Fujian, Yunnan, Sichuan, Hubei and Hong Kong and Macao Taiwan's nearly 30 orchestras and art institutions attended the 3rd annual forum organized by the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra and YL Consulting. The China Orchestra Administration & Management Forum was launched by Maestro Yu Long in 2015 to create a platform for Chinese orchestras to explore and to discuss future development and best-practices for Chinese orchestras. Previously held in 2015 and 2016 in Shanghai, the Forum is jointly produced by the "China Art Development Program (AEP-China)" and Volkswagen Group (China).

For the first time, the Forum arranged the keynote speeches on four main topics: orchestra management, copyright issues, cooperation and positioning of concert halls / theaters and orchestras, and educational programs.

The Council of the Forum decided that the 4th China Orchestra Administration & Management Forum will be hosted by the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra in 2018.

Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra Celebrates 60th Anniversary with World Premiere of Penderecki’s Symphony No. 6

In celebration of the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra’s 60 th anniversary, the GSO launched its opening program of the 2017/18 season on September 24 with the world premiere of Krzysztof Penderecki’s Symphony No. 6 (“Chinese Poems”) featuring celebrated baritone Chen-Ye Yuan. The Polish master Penderecki, praised for decades as the Beethoven of our time, remains an eminence in contemporary music. His Symphony No. 6, co-commissioned by the GSO and the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra, is inspired by Chinese literary culture, with German translations of Tang Dynasty poetry.

The sold-out season-opening celebratory program at the Xinghai Concert Hall was led by GSO Music Director Maestro Long Yu and featured such frequent internationally-renowned collaborators as cellist Jian Wang, baritone Chen-Ye Yuan, pianist Haochen Zhang and violinist Gao Can. The evening also included the Guangzhou Symphony Youth Orchestra (GSYO) appearing on stage.

The September 24th concert opened with a work by one of the 20th century’s most iconic composers, Shostakovich’s Festive Overture, followed by well-loved works “Song to the Moon” (from Dvorak’s Rusalka) and Sarasate’s Ziguenerweisen, Chopin’s Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Brillante (featuring GSYO), and Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.

GSO60—Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra: The Archive Recordings was released on
September 15 at the 2017 Guangzhou AV Fair. On the occasion of its 60th anniversary,
the GSO has selected 60 works from its recording archive of the past two decades,
covering such genres and styles as operas, symphonies, Chinese compositions
(including GSO commissions and premieres), concertos, song cycles, suites, overtures
and symphonic poems, spanning such diverse styles as European baroque and Chinese
contemporary. GSO60 has already been considered for the GRAMMYs in the “Best
Boxed or Special Limited-Edition Package” and “Best Orchestral Performance” categories.

About the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra (GSO)
Since its founding in 1957, the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra (GSO) has
developed into one of China’s most prestigious orchestras in its breadth of
organization and standard in performance. It is the first and only Chinese symphony
orchestra to have toured and performed on five continents. The GSO is also one of the
very first orchestras in China to institute a professional concert season. 2017/18
season marks the GSO’s 21st season.

For more information, please visit: http://www.gso.org.cn

WCNY: Anne Akiko Meyers

WNYC with host Diane Jones

Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers stopped by the WCNY studios to chat with mid-day host Diane Jones about her upcoming performance with Symphoria.  She talked about “Archeopteryx,” the violin concerto she commissioned from composer Mason Bates, as well as finding the emotion in new works.

More information about Symphoria can be found here.

Violinist.com: Applications Open for Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition 2018, with $100,000 top prize

Violinist.com
By Laurie Niles

The Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition is accepting applications for its second-ever competition, which will take place in late summer 2018 in Shanghai, offering considerable prizes including top prize of $100,000.

This year the competition lowered its eligibility age from 18 to 16, with a top age of 32. Applications are due Jan. 31, 2018. Click here for the application. The competition will take place Aug. 8– Sept. 1, 2018.

Mayu Kishima, first prize winner in the Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition 2016

Repertoire requirements will focus on the musical over the virtuosic, including string quartet music; sonatas and Kreisler’s works; and a Mozart concerto with originally improvised cadenza. Participants also will be required to learn a newly-written violin concerto, La Joie de la Souffrance by Chinese composer Qigang Chen. The concerto will be premiered Oct. 29 by violinist Maxim Vengerov at the closing gala concert of the 20th Beijing Music Festival, with the China Philharmonic conducted by Long Yu. Based on a Chinese melody dating from the Tang Dynasty, the concerto was co-commissioned by the Beijing Music Festival, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse and New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.

The jury for the SISIVC 2018 will be co-chaired by conductor David Stern, son of Isaac Stern, and Vera Tsu Weiling, who is professor of violin at both Shanghai and Beijing Conservatories. Other members of the jury will include Lina Yu; Siqing Lu; Maxim Vengerov; Augustin Dumay; Zakhar Bron; Dora Schwarzberg; Daniel Heifetz; Weigang Li; Philip Setzer; Glenn Dicterow and Sreten Krstic; Martin Campbell-White and Emmanuel Hondré. Contestants will be required to clarify if there is any immediate family or pupil relationship with any jury member upon arrival.

Winners in the 2016 competition included first prize winner Mayu Kishima of Japan, with Sergei Dogadin of Russia coming in second and Serena Huang of the United States third.

Gramophone: Record of a Lifetime

Gramophone
By Andrew Farach-Colton

Gerard Schwarz is celebrating his 70th birthday with a 30-disc retrospective, and yet the conductor's desire to reach new audiences remains undimmed...

His autobiography, Behind the Baton, published earlier this year by Amadeus Press, traces the trajectory of his career from the eureka moment in the cinema through his appointment as co-principal trumpet of the New York Philharmonic aged 24, his 26-year tenure as Music Director of the Seattle Symphony, and the founding of the Emmy-winning All-Star Orchestra TV series.

To read the full article, get the September 2017 issue here.

BBC Music Magazine: Sunwoo Shines at the Cliburn Competition

BBC Music Magazine

Following his victory in the 15th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Texas, pianist Yekwon Sunwoo says that he is 'extremely delighted and a little bit overwhelmed' by a success that will no doubt change the course of his career...

Read the full article in the August issue.

The New Criterion: Taking the Baton

The New Criterion
By John Check

On “Behind the Baton: An American Icon Talks Music”by Gerard Schwarz and Maxine Frost. Amadeus Press, 2017, pp. 378, $27.99

One of the oldest musical jokes in the book involves a young man from the provinces freshly arrived in New York. He has a ticket, acquired at considerable cost, to hear Jascha Heifetz in concert that evening and he wants to be sure of the location of the venue. Heading uptown on Seventh Avenue, awestruck to be in this city that has always boasted so robust a musical life, he spots an old violinist with his battered instrument case tucked under one arm. “Excuse me, sir,” the young man asks, confident that here was someone who would know the way, “can you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?” The old violinist looks him over, shakes his head, and wearily replies, “Practice, practice, practice.”

Gerard Schwarz may have had this joke in mind when, as he reveals in his lucid autobiography, he was asked how to become a conductor. “It’s simple,” he answered, “by being a great musician.” Schwarz, a longtime director of the Seattle Symphony (1985–2011), was a great musician indeed, a trumpet player of the first class. For instance, his recording of the Haydn Trumpet Concerto features a deep, dark sound, reverberant in overtones; soft entrances, emerging as if from nothing, that have no perceptible attack; dynamics that are expansive yet controlled; and an overall flair that demonstrates what the music theorist Eugene Montague has termed “performerly agency.”

Schwarz, born in New Jersey in 1947, grew up in a house filled with music. His parents—doctors both, Jewish émigrés from Vienna—were serious amateur pianists who saw to it that their children received excellent training in the instrument. Schwarz soon became enchanted by the trumpet, and began to practice (practice, practice) diligently. While a student at New York’s Performing Arts High School, he participated in a variety of ensembles, learning the orchestral repertoire from the inside. As a teenager he played his first professional jobs. Work soon interfered with school as demand for his services grew: it would take him seven years to complete his bachelor’s at Juilliard. Securing a permanent job with the New York Philharmonic was for Schwarz a “lifelong dream”—which he achieved at the age of twenty-five, when he was hired in 1972 as a co-principal trumpeter.

Naturally, a new dream began to form. Finding that some of the orchestra’s guest conductors “did not delve deeply enough” into the music, Schwarz wondered if he had the makings of a conductor. He would learn that he did in what he calls his defining moment. It happened in 1973 at the Aspen Music Festival, and it came about because Schwarz, hired to teach trumpet, made good on an opportunity.

A performance of Elliot Carter’s Concerto for Piano was scheduled, but the slated conductor cancelled his appearance. Substitutes were sought, yet none was willing to tackle so formidable a piece on such short notice. Not wanting to see his preparation wasted, the piano soloist Samuel Lipman (later the founding publisher of The New Criterion) asked Schwarz to fill in. The resulting performance was a hit, and Lipman thereafter “pushed [him] very hard” to strike out as a conductor.

To become the kind of conductor he had in mind to be, Schwarz realized he had to leave the Philharmonic. In the meantime, he continued to scrutinize all the conductors for whom he played. He would look back on his relatively short career with the orchestra as his “greatest education in conducting.” As he writes, he “watched the conductors, saw their techniques, saw what worked, heard the words they chose.” He knew, in his new endeavor, that he had to be responsible for “every note, every part, every phrase, every nuance, every marking in the score.” His education as a conductor would be broadened by directing the Waterloo Music Festival (of which he was a co-founder) and the Mostly Mozart festival (whose reputation he was instrumental in burnishing). It would acquire added depth during his years at the helm of the New York Chamber Symphony and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. While leading all of these groups, he would, in the early 1980s, make his first appearance as a guest conductor of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.

Schwarz had been looking to set his mark upon a large orchestra. Seattle’s, he grants, had the reputation of being “second-tier”: its subscription season was short, its performance space deficient. Management pursued him assiduously, but his was an enviable position—other orchestras were interested in him, too. Before finally committing to Seattle, Schwarz asked “everyone—the board, the staff, and the orchestra’s leadership” whether there was “100 percent buy-in” with his plans for the organization. Assured that there was, he set to work, honing the sound of the ensemble and inspiring the musicians to raise their standards. Progress came quickly under Schwarz’s directorship; a series of Wagner recordings that the orchestra produced in the early period of his run earned favorable press, and soon plans were underway for the construction of a new hall. As music director, Schwarz, capitalizing on his reputation, played a key role as a fundraiser. Benaroya Hall opened in 1998, and for the next dozen years, accolades would rain down upon both orchestra and conductor. Wanting to write “another chapter” in his artistic life, Schwarz stepped down in 2011; since then, he has been busy composing music, furnishing online lectures for Khan Academy, and appearing as a guest conductor.

Behind the Baton is rich in anecdotes, especially about conductors and soloists. With discretion, the book also captures something of Schwarz’s life as a husband and father. Short chapters toward the end, one of them entitled “Vignettes,” convey in capsule form his point of view on a range of artistic topics. Unfolded in the pages of this absorbing book is the story of a great musician who made himself an even greater conductor.

Strings: Prague Summer Nights Festival

Strings Magazine
By Heather K. Scott

The Prague Summer Nights (PSN) Festival is a monthlong opportunity for conservatory-level students to learn and perform opera music in some of the most music-rich cities in Europe. It’s also much like taking lessons within a living, breathing music-history museum. If you think it sounds both dreamy and intense, you’re 100 percent correct. “You walk around, from rehearsals to your hotel, and see the cafes and the canals. It is different than playing the same music anywhere else,” says cellist Amit Peled, who joined PSN in Salzburg, Austria, to perform the Dvorak Cello Concerto this summer.

Encompassing 18 performances over the course of just one month, and triangulating three grand European cities (Prague, Salzburg, and Tabor), PSN is a heavy mix of learning, culture, and performance all stirred together in one big bowl. Sprinkle in long rehearsals, tight schedules, ever-changing concert programs, and loads of travel, and you’ve got the recipe for a challenging—and uniquely stylized—learning experience.

To successfully devour this musical feast, students must tackle the gritty nuts and bolts of daily rehearsals and simultaneously develop some serious time-management skills. As violinist and past PSN attendee Kristen Morrill explains, “Time is everything. If we don’t use our time efficiently, then we lose precious details and stylistic embellishments that are crucial to the success and power of each piece.”

Another PSN participant, bassist Harrison Dilthey, concurs, declaring that the biggest lesson he’s learned from PSN is just how much work and time it takes to be a professional musician. “Not just in terms of playing ability, but in terms of the hours of rehearsal required to pull together a concert in less than a week,” he says. “It’s a mentally exhausting process, and physically draining as well. But it is a high-level professional organization, and the wonderful faculty at PSN give me the tools needed to be able to play two three-hour opera performances in one day.”

Preparation Is Key
Knowing that schedules are packed and study is intense, what is the best way for students interested in participating in PSN to prepare? Peled suggests doing more than just reviewing YouTube videos, recordings of other players auditioning, or performing the same pieces slated for PSN performances. Instead, he recommends finding ways to go above and beyond playing accurately. “[Sometimes,] people are efficient and play the right notes, but there’s something musically lacking [that’s needed] to give them context.” He reports that this is one of the challenges so many music educators face today. “As a teacher, helping students fill in that missing piece is important to me,” he says. “I want to encourage students to become curious, because that doesn’t happen much anymore.”

PSN gives participants an opportunity to be curious and immerse themselves in music, culture, and living history as well. “[Participants] can look back at this experience and smile because they will know what it looked and felt like when the music was created and first performed,” Peled says.

Another consideration while preparing for the festival is less esoteric and much more physical. The human body can handle only so much, and practicing for the rigors of a festival like this can be not just exhausting and challenging—but painful, too. “It was really important for me to prepare my body for playing six to eight hours each day without injuring myself,” says Morrill (who has struggled with tendinitis). The solution: Morrill focused on balancing practicing with self-care during the time leading up to the festival. She shaped her practice sessions by working through fundamentals. As she says, “It only takes one person to completely derail a rehearsal, resulting in loss of time and frustration for the other members of the orchestra.”

Life Lessons
Undoubtedly, preparation is key. But the bigger question for students interested in PSN may be more about what they stand to get out of the experience. “What we teach at the festival can shape players and students in new ways,” Peled says. It makes students think more personally, rather than copying to learn.

The program, only in its third year, is already garnering accolades. The true sign of success? Students who want to come back again . . . and again. This is the case with Morrill and Dilthey, two of the program’s inaugural students who are happy to apply and participate again and again. As Morrill explains, “After having an amazing experience in 2015, I decided to return. There are even more opportunities for orchestra players—including our final concert on the stage of the Mozarteum University of Salzburg, so when I was asked to consider coming back to the festival, I decided to apply again.”

For Dilthey, who was inspired to apply for PSN after a fair amount of time spent in youth orchestras (and a deep-seated passion for opera), the decision to go back was simple: He looked forward to more opportunities to work with vocalists. After participating in PSN once, he was sold. “Seeing the opportunity to perform Don Giovanni on the same stage where it was premiered by Mozart so many years ago seemed to be exactly what I was looking for,” he says. “And it ended up being so much more. This is my third summer with PSN, and it has brought something new for me, year after year. I’m excited to go to Salzburg and have the opportunity to perform Mozart’s operas in the city where he is from.”

The program is rich in opportunity for faculty as well, particularly for newcomer Peled, who looks forward to connecting his love for opera with his passion for teaching and performing. “There’s something incredible about playing music in the place in which it was composed—particularly in Prague,” he says. There are also rare opportunities for string players to learn from being part of a vocal performance, Peled adds. He has his students take voice lessons so that they can learn how to accompany singers from both sides of the fence.

It’s All About Opera
During the days of Dvorak and Mozart, opera was the entertainment—the TV-social media-radio-newspaper of the day. And musicians and vocalists were the storytellers who drew in audiences, night after night. Instrumentalists were tasked with translating emotion without words. “When students perform The Marriage of Figaro, they’re part of creating not just the music, but the story and words, too,” Peled says. “Being a musician and having a chance to work with vocalists together to deliver that story offers a unique learning experience.”

Playing with an orchestra is one thing, but performing with vocalists who are also actors on a stage is quite another thing. “When working in any live performance, nothing will be exactly the same each time,” Morrill says. “Specifically, working with a live opera at this festival has helped me learn to collaborate with players and singers alike. An opera setting requires the orchestra to take on the role of accompaniment, meaning that we have to listen and react to the soloists.

“Working in such long and demanding operas also challenges the orchestra to adapt quickly to any changes or deviations.”

Additionally, PSN participants are stationed in the same opera houses in which the pieces were performed hundreds of years ago. The smaller spaces and less-comfortable seating can be eye opening. “The sticky summertime temperatures make the music making more authentic,” Peled explains. “This is part of what Mozart had in mind when he wrote this music and it is important for musicians to see these spaces and feel what it is like to play in them.”

Peled, like many students, is inspired and excited by all that PSN has to offer. “This inspires me, and I hope I have time to talk with the students about it. I want them to know that they are important and this music is important. I hope I am able to do that and give them a good experience,” he says. “Our grandfathers played this music, and I want participants to feel that, too. These instruments and music—we are the new caretakers.” 

Favorite memories from Prague Summer Nights alums

“One of my favorite memories from my first year at PSN was performing Don Giovanni at the Estates Theatre. Mozart is easily my favorite composer, so having the chance to perform this opera where Mozart premiered it in 1787 was truly overwhelming. The sheer history that lies within the building seemed tangible. The most intense moment for me was during our fourth and final performance as we reached the recapitulation in the finale of Act II. Hearing the culmination of the opera and realizing our time in Prague was coming to an end sent tears streaming down my face. Music truly has the ability to move us to the core of our being, and I can only hope that this emotion reaches not just the musicians performing, but the audience.”

—Kristen Morrill

“In the first installment of PSN, we performed Suor Angelica by Giacomo Puccini. James Burton (now Tanglewood’s festival chorus director) had a way of pulling every musician into the intensity of Puccini’s story. At the end of the opera, when Suor drifts off to heaven, it was the most magical musical experience I had ever been a part of. There was not a dry eye in the building, and most of the audience didn’t even speak
the language of the opera. It was a moment of universal peace that I’ll never forget."

—Harrison Dilthey

1843 Magazine: Music in the Mountains

1843 Magazine

At the foot of the Grand Teton mountain range, you’ll hear the wind whispering through the pine trees, trumpeter swans tooting their horns, moose shuffling through the forest – and, for seven weeks this summer, the strains of Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart and Rachmaninov. This enchanting spot is where some of the world’s best musicians congregate and perform together. This year, Yo Yo Ma is on the bill, along with Garrick Ohlsson, a pianist, and conductor Fabien Gabel. The dress code is informal: bring hiking boots and a cowboy hat. That’s the headwear of choice of the season’s musical director, Donald Runnicles.
Grand Teton Music Festival, until August 20th