Our newly appointed Assistant to the Guest Conductors, 17-year-old wunderkind Alexander Prior, talks about his American Dream. Read on.
In October 2008, I went to Miami, Florida to audition several amazing young soloists as part of a TV series I was leading, which was rather non-empathetically entitled The World’s Greatest Musical Prodigies. I had to audition and choose 4 young soloists, and then write a quadrouple concerto for them (it ended up being called Velesslavitsa). I was quite amazed by the level of playing of the American players I met — it was almost absurd! It wasn’t their technical side, but rather their ability to express so much, such deep feeling, and their ability to connect. It also was great to see tat they were such charming people, as well as amazing musicians.
I started to look into American players in general, orchestras and, not least, composers. Since then, I’ve developed a fascination — verging on obsession — with everything American. Well, perhaps everything is an overstatement, but certainly the cultural, rural, Romantic, Americana, and Human side to this vast and great land.
I quickly realized that the passion for arts, the vastness of the countryside and of people’s thinking, and most of all the positive, can-do attitude, made America the place I wanted to live, breathe and work, both as a conductor and as a composer.
So, now, thanks to Seattle Symphony, I have been given the chance to start my chosen path — and what a start it’s been! Just landing at the SeaTac airport is an experience in itself: what, with the Olympics, Mt. Rainier and the Puget Sound…such a beautiful place! I am lucky enough to look north over the Space Needle and beyond from my apartment, when every now and then the mountains show themselves behind their veil of cloud and rain.
I’ve already had the joy to personally meet many of the Orchestra members, each and every one of whom are extraordinary personalities and musicians. I’ve met many of the visionary administrative and Board staff, and have already had a chance to discuss and propose many of my ideas. And, most important, I’ve been given the extraordinary chance to rehearse Mahler’s Fourth Symphony with the Orchestra, an opportunity which is by no means given to anyone, and they sure did do a fantastic job.
Anyhow, these are my first, albeit romantic impressions, and I am sure that they are just the beginning!
See Alex lead Seattle Symphony in Prokofiev’s woodland adventure, Peter and the Wolf , this Saturday, March 13, at 11am. Limited tickets available! Get yours now.
The musicians of the Seattle Symphony and Opera Players’ Organization (SSOPO) have kicked off the 2010 Challenge, a community fundraising campaign with the goal of raising an additional $1 million for the Seattle Symphony’s Annual Fund. In a generous move, the musicians launched the campaign with a contribution of $168,840, representing a donation of $2,010 for each of the 84 musicians of the Orchestra.
“The musicians see this as an opportunity to take a leadership role in our future. As we celebrate our achievements with our Music Director, Gerard Schwarz, and look forward to new successes with our next Music Director, we offer this gift as a catalyst toward ever-greater artistic success. We invite our entire community to join us,” explains Timothy Hale, violist and chair of the SSOPO.
Following this major gift from the Orchestra, members of the Symphony’s Board of Directors began to make special contributions of $2,010 in an effort to raise another $168,840 in honor of the musicians.
To further inspire Board giving, Symphony donors Becky and Jack Benaroya challenged the Board with a matching gift of up to $168,840, bringing the total in gifts and pledges to just over half a million dollars.
“The mission of our organization is to produce great art, and the musicians’ gift is a powerful statement of their commitment to that goal,” says Board Chair Leslie Jackson Chihuly. “Our musicians are an inspiration not only to our Board, but to our entire community, and we hope that everyone will get involved in helping us to reach the $1 million mark, and beyond.”
Join the effort! It’s easy to give: just click hereand follow the simple steps.
Seattle Symphony’s got loads of history — 107 years of it, to be exact. (That’s a lot of scrapbooks.)
Thanks to a grant from the Mellon Foundation, plus support from archivists and library science gurus from the University of Washington, Seattle Symphony is cleaning up its act, from printed music and business files to historic collateral and other ephemera.
Uweek.org reports: “The team has found news clips about George Gershwin and the music from his 1936 Symphony performance of Concerto in F. They’ve found symphony parts hand-copied by Works Project Administration [workers] and other parts used in concerts during the Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition.” And this shot of Benny Goodman, taken during his appearance with the Symphony in 1960:
Read the rest of the article. Then, watch the cool video, made by Seattle Symphony Associate Principal Librarian Robert Olivia.
Seattle Symphony musicians are busy people. Most perform not only as part of our awesome Orchestra, but also as members of countless chamber groups.
Case in point: the Seattle Chamber Players, comprised of three Seattle Symphonists — violinist Mikhail Shmidt, cellist David Sabee and clarinetist Laura DeLuca — and flutist Paul Taub.
This weekend and next, the group performs its Icebreaker V: Love and War Festival at On the Boards (100 W. Roy in Lower Queen Anne), featuring new works by contemporary European composers in three days packed with performances and seminars. The fest kicks off tonight at 8pm. Check out the Seattle Times performance preview for a sneak peek of what you’ll hear.
Meine Damen und Herren! Ladies and Gentlemen! Join Max Raabe & Palast Orchester tomorrow night at 7:30pm for A Night in Berlin at Benaroya Hall, featuring cabaret classics, film music, and new favorites. Check out Raabe’s mellifluous version of that 1930s fave, “Cheek to Cheek”:
Tune in to KCTS on Monday, February 15, at 7pm for an interview with and footage of Itzhak Perlman working with our Orchestra. Undeniably the reigning virtuoso of the violin, Itzhak Perlman enjoys superstar status rarely accorded a classical musician. Perlman performed with and conducted Seattle Symphony on January 27 and 28 as part of the Mainly Mozart series.
Says Soundbridge Operations Coordinator Jessica Blackwood: “Our patrons (mostly of the 2 to 5 year old set) tend to go through bow hair more quickly than we can afford to replace it, so Elisabeth’s donation could not be more welcome.”
To try out the bows, visit Soundbridge, located in Benaroya Hall at the corner of Second Ave. & Union St. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for kids ages 5 to 18, and free for those under 5. The hands-on musical exploration center is open Sunday through Wednesday, 10am to 2pm, and Thursday through Saturday, 10am to 4pm. Come on in!
In light of the recent tragedy in Haiti, Seattle Symphony accepted donations at this past week’s community concerts. With the help of patrons and Jonathan Green’s Family Foundation, we have collected $3,823.42 thus far.
Community concert soloist Amber Archibald, whose relatives live in the Dominican Republic, appeals to you for your support in the relief efforts. She writes, “The devastation in Haiti is putting a strain on resources in both Haiti and Dominican Republic. The hospitals are beyond capacity in the border towns of Dominican Republic. People really cannot get the help they need. Both are poor third world countries that really could use any aid that people are willing to give.”
If you would like to help with the Haitian relief efforts, please donate to the Red Cross. Any amount will help in this time of need.
Seattle Symphony Composer in Residence talks with Education & Community Programs Director Nancy Gosen. Topics? Growing up musical, his road to composing, and his piece Benediction, which the Orchestra will perform at tonight’s FREE concert at South Seattle Community College at 8pm.
Nancy Gosen: When you were in school, late elementary and high school, what were your interests?
Samuel Jones: Mainly music. I started piano lessons in the summer between second and third grade and just loved it. My mother didn’t even have to make me practice. My piano teacher insisted that I get up an hour early and do my practice before school, instead of after the school day. She said one hour when you are fresh will be the same as two when you’re tired. She was right, but I shudder now to think of my parents putting up with my piano waking them up early every day in our small house. And they never once complained.
NG: Did you play any other instruments?
SJ: Yes, I played baritone horn in the school band. But I loved all the instruments. I would pick them up and learn a little about how they worked.
NG: Did you spend all your time with music?
SJ: No, no…I always had some kind of job. My first job was in fourth grade, sweeping floors in an office and a jewelry store. I delivered newspapers for several years, and then I became a printer’s assistant; then (in high school) the circulation manager for our town’s little daily newspaper. I loved sports, but I only played in informal, neighborhood games. I wasn’t very good in football, but I was fast, the fastest runner in the school. My buddies used to say, if you can ever get the ball in his hands it’s an automatic touchdown.
NG: How and when did you discover you liked to compose and that you were good at it?
SJ: Almost immediately. I started writing little pieces right away, in the fourth grade, I think. Of course those little pieces pretty much reflected the music I was hearing and studying. And that’s natural, that’s the way it happens. Then later you begin to find the sounds that are special to you and that express your own voice.
NG: Anything you want to tell us about Benediction?
SJ:It’s one of those pieces that have a single mood, in this case quiet and reflective. It’s what’s known as a “chorale prelude.” Bach used to write a lot of them. It’s a piece based on another piece. You set up a basic theme of your own music (you’ll hear it immediately in the muted strings) then you quote the other piece but with your own music as accompaniment. The composer of the other piece in “Benediction” is a man named Peter Lutkin, who lived over 100 years ago, and his piece was a choral work called “The Lord Bless You and Keep You.” You can hear it in the woodwinds and brasses. At the end of his piece Lutkin wrote a sevenfold “Amen.” I expanded and wrote variations on his “Amen,” and it brings my piece to a quiet and prayerful conclusion.
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