Violinist: Anne Akiko Meyers in Recital with Pianist Fabio Bidini
I am not often moved to tears at a violin recital.
However on Saturday night, through a combination of fine playing, sincere music-making and thoughtful programming, violinist Anne Akiko Meyersand pianist Fabio Bidini had audience members dabbing their eyes and sighing "ah," during their recital at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Violinist
By Laurie Niles
I am not often moved to tears at a violin recital.
However on Saturday night, through a combination of fine playing, sincere music-making and thoughtful programming, violinist Anne Akiko Meyers and pianist Fabio Bidini had audience members dabbing their eyes and sighing "ah," during their recital at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, Calif.
For me tears came from a feeling of connection, after all the isolation of the last two years. This wasn't the first concert I'd seen since the pandemic - though it was the first indoor concert back at the Wallis and the first for many in the audience.
But somehow this was the first where I felt connected to everything they played - connected as a violinist, as teacher, as a person living in Los Angeles, as a mother, as a human. Let's say it put me in a state of COVID catharsis that I'd probably been avoiding. Sometimes you don't want to cry, don't want to think about it all. For the first few concerts after things started opening up again, I just wanted to hear some music, to feel assured that live music still existed and would continue. I didn't necessarily want to "go there" and think about the sadness of the last few years.
Read more here.
Inside Edition: Composer Karen LeFrak's 'Gratitude' Is Dedicated to COVID-19 Frontline Workers
Karen LeFrak speaks with Inside Edition’s Deborah Norville
Inside Edition
Deborah Norville
Eleanor McCain Releases “I Can See Hope From Here” Album and Music Video
As the world slowly emerges from an unimaginable and often surreal time that profoundly affected humanity as a whole and dealt a seismic blow to the performing arts community, acclaimed Canadian singer Eleanor McCain releases I Can See Hope From Here as an offering of solace, comfort, and hope for the future. Distributed by eOne, the album provides a fresh take on 14 favourite tracks from McCain’s most ambitious project to date – True North: The Canadian Songbook. Her silky vocals fuse seamlessly with orchestras from across Canada to create a powerful message of inspiration. Pre-orders are available now here, with the full album releasing on September 24.
Canadian music offers hope in the wake of a global pandemic
As the world slowly emerges from an unimaginable and often surreal time that profoundly affected humanity as a whole and dealt a seismic blow to the performing arts community, acclaimed Canadian singer Eleanor McCain releases I Can See Hope From Here as an offering of solace, comfort, and hope for the future. Distributed by eOne, the album provides a fresh take on 14 favourite tracks from McCain’s most ambitious project to date – True North: The Canadian Songbook. Her silky vocals fuse seamlessly with orchestras from across Canada to create a powerful message of inspiration. Pre-orders are available now here, with the full album releasing on September 24.
I Can See Hope From Here not only offers a cross-section of the many musical flavours of Canada’s vast songbook, but also serves as an apt reflection of the country’s spirit and strength. “The honest emotion and powerful spirit of Canadian music has always inspired me,” says McCain, “especially now as we begin to emerge from a very dark and uncertain time. Though I’m not a songwriter, as a long-time interpreter I have the deepest admiration and respect for those who can capture and convey deep feeling through music and words.”
On September 10, McCain is set to release a video for the title track, I Can See Hope from Here, the album’s sole original track, penned by award-winning producer and songwriter Don Breithaupt and his brother Jeff. Ironically, the song’s genesis was quite literal – a partial view of Hope Island on Canada’s iconic Georgian Bay – but its words take on a much deeper and more universal meaning during this time of restoration and healing. Filmed in Nova Scotia on Canada’s stunning east coast, the video – a visual poem that dreamily captures the song’s strong emotional message – is directed by celebrated Canadian filmmaker and producer Joel Stewart.
In an effort to offer support and to shine a light on the devastation caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic, proceeds from I Can See Hope From Here, to a total of $25,000, will benefit The Unison Fund—Canada’s music industry charity, which provides counselling and emergency services to the Canadian music community.
TRACKLIST
Hallelujah featuring the National Arts Centre Orchestra
I’ll Always Be There featuring Roch Voisine and the National Arts Centre Orchestra
A Case Of You featuring the National Arts Centre Orchestra
Run To You featuring the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
Angel featuring the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
Constant Craving featuring Jens Lindemann and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
Undun featuring the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
Get Me Through December featuring the National Arts Centre Orchestra
Aujourd’hui, je dis bonjour à la vie featuring l’Orchestre symphonique de Québec
I Can See Hope From Here featuring the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra
Heart Like A Wheel featuring the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra
Still Believe In Love featuring Symphony Nova Scotia
Up Where We Belong featuring the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
O Siem featuring l’Orchestre symphonique de Québec
ABOUT ELEANOR MCCAIN
Eleanor McCain has dazzled audiences for more than a decade with a voice that has been described as “lovely...full and expressive” (Halifax Chronicle Herald). Hailing from New Brunswick, Canada, this multiple East Coast Music Award-nominated classical crossover artist has recorded six albums, toured with noted JUNO-nominated jazz singer Matt Dusk, and appeared with orchestras across Canada. She’s also had the honour of collaborating with artists such as Roch Voisine, Jens Lindemann, Natalie MacMaster, Liona Boyd, John McDermott, Chantal Kreviazuk, the Elmer Iseler Singers, and Carlos Nunez.
In 2017, Eleanor McCain released True North: The Canadian Songbook—featuring 32 iconic songs as reimagined by 14 Canadian arrangers and recorded by 10 Canadian orchestras, with guest appearances by 28 celebrated Canadian artists. An award-winning bilingual coffee-table book, which includes a stunning series of portraits by noted photographer V. Tony Hauser and showcases the dramatic and majestic Canadian landscape through a curated collection of images by 22 photographers, accompanies the CDs.
Based in Toronto, Eleanor McCain is also an active philanthropist. The launch of True North: The Canadian Songbook supported five $20,000 commemorative BandAid Grants honoring the 20th Anniversary of MusiCounts, Canada’s music education charity.
Website: EleanorMcCain.ca
Twitter: @Eleanor_McCain
Facebook: @EleanorMcCainMusic
Instagram: @EleanorMcCainMusic
YouTube: @EleanorMcCainMusic
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Gala with World-Renowned Piano Virtuoso Orli Shaham
Maestro Brotons and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Celebrates the Generosity of the Community and the Resiliency of Music
Maestro Brotons and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Celebrates the Generosity of the Community and the Resiliency of Music
[Vancouver, WA. August 11, 2021] – Following one of the most dramatic, artistically ambitious and critically acclaimed seasons in its history, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra will kick-off its 43rd season with the highly anticipated hybrid Gala. VSO Music Director, Maestro Salvador Brotons and the Orchestra’s Board of Directors will welcome in-person guests at the beautiful Discovery Ballroom of the Hilton Hotel in historic downtown Vancouver, Washington. The entire event will also be live-streamed on the VSO website.
Internationally acclaimed pianist Orli Shaham will return by popular demand as the Gala’s Guest of Honor. Shaham will team up with VSO concertmaster and principal players in live performances of music by Mozart, Dvorak, Chopin and others.
What: Gala 2021: Resiliency Through the Arts
When: Friday, September 17, 2021
12:00pm - 6:00pm PDT: Virtual Music Celebration from the VSO Archive
6:30pm PDT: Live Event/Streaming (pre-show begins at 6:00pm PDT)
Where: The in-person event will be held at the Vancouver Hilton, 301 W. Street Vancouver, Washington. Virtual guests can enjoy the live-streamed event on any viewing device.
Tickets: In-person tickets are available for $100. Space is limited, RSVP by September 8. Virtual tickets are free to anyone around the world at www.vancouversymphony.org
Gala festivities will begin at 12:00pm PDT with a virtual music celebration featuring past performances from the VSO archive. During this free event, available on the VSO website, guests will be able to bid on auction items, donate, and support the VSO while enjoying some of Orchestra’s best performances of all time.
The 2021 auction features five, once-in-a-lifetime VIP experiences which includes tickets and VIP backstage access to the Metropolitan Opera, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Seattle Symphony and amazing trips to New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Barcelona, and Hawaii. All proceeds raised at the Gala will support the VSO’s artistic programming and will help advance the Symphony’s educational outreach initiatives.
About the VSO
The VSO, now in its 43rd season, has been a cornerstone of Southwest Washington's arts community, providing symphony music of the highest caliber in live performances and through music education in schools, concert halls, and throughout the community. For more information, please visit vancouversymphony.org.
About Orli Shaham
The 2021 Gala will be Orli Shaham’s fourth appearance with the VSO. Shaham has established an impressive international reputation as one of today’s most gifted pianists. Praised by critics on four continents, Shaham is hailed for her interpretations of both traditional and modern repertoire. The New York Times called her a “brilliant pianist”, the Chicago Tribune referred to her as “a first-rate Mozartean”, and the London Guardian said Shaham’s playing at the Proms was “perfection”. Shaham has performed with most major orchestras in the United States, and many significant ensembles internationally, including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, and Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
Orli Shaham is on faculty at The Juilliard School, Artistic Director for Pacific Symphony’s Chamber Music Series in Costa Mesa, California, and Artistic Director of “Bach Yard”, an interactive children’s concert series. She also serves on the juries of the Cliburn International Piano Competition and the Honens International Piano Competition. She has previously served on the juries of the Cliburn International Junior, New York International, Sydney International, Virginia Waring International, and Hilton Head International piano competitions.
About Salvador Brotons
Maestro Salvador Brotons returns to Vancouver for his 31st season as Music Director and Conductor of the VSO. In addition to the VSO, he has been the Music Director and Conductor of the Orquestra Simfònica de les Illes Balears “Ciutat de Palma” (1997-2001, 2009-2013) and the Orquesta Sinfónica del Vallés (1997-2002). He is presently the Conductor of the Barcelona Symphonic Band. In 2005, he received the “Arts Council” award from Clark County and the City of Vancouver as well as the Kiwanis Rose Award. Brotons has guest-conducted orchestras in countries such as the United States, Israel, France, Germany, China, Poland, South Korea, Mexico, Uruguay, and Colombia.
About our Sponsors
The VSO is generously supported by individual donors, The M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust, All Classical Portland, Oregon Public Broadcasting, The Community Foundation of Southwest Washington, The Columbian, Dick Hannah, PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center Foundation, Propel Insurance, MedicareHelpNow, Opsahl Dawson CPAs, Burnt Bridge Cellars, Clark Public Utilities, the VIC, Realvest Corporation, and Michelle’s Pianos.
Memeteria: A Homecoming for the Grand Teton Music Festival
It’s only my first time in these parts, but already I can understand the deep, magnetic sense of connection that draws people back here again and again. Upon passing through the elk antler arch at Jackson Hole Airport (the only U.S. airport located within a national park, incidentally), I soon began to feel the charm of a place that hasn’t been flattened out by plastic predictability. Even with lingering smoke from the latest Western fires imposing a thin pall, the capacity for this landscape to inspire awe was undimmed.
Memeteria
Thomas May
It’s only my first time in these parts, but already I can understand the deep, magnetic sense of connection that draws people back here again and again. Upon passing through the elk antler arch at Jackson Hole Airport (the only U.S. airport located within a national park, incidentally), I soon began to feel the charm of a place that hasn’t been flattened out by plastic predictability. Even with lingering smoke from the latest Western fires imposing a thin pall, the capacity for this landscape to inspire awe was undimmed.
With its marriage of valley and dramatic, looming scarps, it’s obvious how the Jackson Hole area beckoned as an ideal spot to make music. The Grand Teton Music Festival opened on 2 July, following the all-too-familiar hiatus, and is now into Week 4 of a seven-week season — which also marks the Festival’s 60th anniversary.
Read more here.
Violinist: Live and In-Person, from Bravo! Vail, Colorado: New York Phil Quartet Review
Greetings from Vail, Colorado! For the next few days I'm going be exploring the Bravo! Vail Music Festival, a summer event that has been bringing together fine orchestras and artists from all over the world to this ski town in Colorado's Rocky Mountains for some 34 years.
Violinist.com
Laurie Niles
Greetings from Vail, Colorado! For the next few days I'm going be exploring the Bravo! Vail Music Festival, a summer event that has been bringing together fine orchestras and artists from all over the world to this ski town in Colorado's Rocky Mountains for some 34 years.
After last year's limits due to the pandemic, this year brings a full schedule of in-person concerts, and they have quite a prestigious and impressive lineup. Bravo! Vail kicked off in June with a week-long visit from The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and Joshua Bell, followed by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. After that came the Philadelphia Orchestra, and this week I'm lucky enough to be here for the New York Philharmonic. Guest artists this summer have included some of the best, with violinists Joshua Bell, James Ehnes, Gil Shaham and Augustin Hadelich; as well as pianists Conrad Tao, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Daniil Trifonov, and Yefim Bronfman.
Read more here.
The Strad: Opinion: Relaxed body, focused mind
All art forms are mirrors of our inner selves. From writers to composers, from dancers to musicians, from artists to actors – the moment we are touched by inspiration, time stands still and we focus inward to create a transcendent artistic experience. It is every musician’s goal to communicate from the soul through music.
The Strad
Hsin-Yun Huang
The art of Chinese calligraphy has much to teach us about playing a stringed instrument, writes violist Hsin-Yun Huang
All art forms are mirrors of our inner selves. From writers to composers, from dancers to musicians, from artists to actors – the moment we are touched by inspiration, time stands still and we focus inward to create a transcendent artistic experience. It is every musician’s goal to communicate from the soul through music.
Ancient Chinese ideology taught that a cultured person was expected to study in six areas: etiquette, musicology, archery, chariot driving, literacy, and quantitative methodology and cosmology.
To explain each area further:
1. Etiquette encompasses human and social behavior. It includes law, management and communication sciences
2. Musicology includes music performance, popular culture, ceremonies, rituals and spirituality
3. Archery broadly represents martial skills, sports and gentlemen’s competition
3. Chariot driving stands for martial arts and physical culture
4. Literacy includes reading, writing, literature, history and philosophy
5. Quantitative methodology and cosmology stands for physics, arithmetic and mathematics.
Read more here.
CBS News Denver: Live Music Is Back In Vail!
Bravo! Vail Music Festival will host the first in-person concert in over a year, featured on CBS News Denver.
Bravo! Vail Music Festival will host the first in-person concert in over a year, featured on CBS News Denver.
Read more here.
Billboard: No. 1 Traditional Classical Album — Music From the Promised Land by Duo Mantar
Music From the Promised Land — No. 1 Traditional Classical Album
Billboard
Duo Mantar makes their #1 Billboard Debut on the Traditional Classical Album chart this week with Music From the Promised Land, edging out Yo-Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax's latest album, Hope Amid Tears.
Purchase or stream the album through your favorite platform here.
The New Criterion: Ending the Palm Beach season
The Palm Beach Symphony closed out its forty-seventh season on May 22 with a concert of Ravel and Brahms featuring the Georgian piano soloist Alexander Toradze. Steeped in the international Romantic tradition, Toradze approached Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major, part of the composer’s foray into multi-movement orchestral works, with a sparkling combination of wit and grace, ending the introductory Allegramente movement with a raised hand and faux-serious inquiry to the audience, “Was it any good?”
The New Criterion
Paul du Quenoy
On a live concert of Ravel & Brahms at the Palm Beach Symphony.
The Palm Beach Symphony closed out its forty-seventh season on May 22 with a concert of Ravel and Brahms featuring the Georgian piano soloist Alexander Toradze. Steeped in the international Romantic tradition, Toradze approached Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major, part of the composer’s foray into multi-movement orchestral works, with a sparkling combination of wit and grace, ending the introductory Allegramente movement with a raised hand and faux-serious inquiry to the audience, “Was it any good?”
Read more here.