July Highlights at Music Academy of the West Include Alban Gerhardt, Leon Fleisher, Thomas Adès and JACK Quartet; Masterclasses with Jeremy Denk and Marilyn Horne; Osmo Vänskä Conducting Academy Festival Orchestra; and Cinderella
The Music Academy of the West — which recently announced its $17.5 million Finale capital campaign to support the final phase of a long-term campus renovation and renamed its Main House on the Miraflores campus for legendary mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne with a $6 million gift — continues in fine style this July with a typically wide range of performances and masterclasses from some of the finest musicians in the world. Several renowned performers take up their residencies as Mosher Guest Artists this month: Alban Gerhardt (July 6-10), Leon Fleisher (July 13-19), and the JACK Quartet (July 19-22). Celebrated Finnish conductor Osmo Vänskä comes to Santa Barbara to lead the Academy Festival Orchestra (July 11), which also performs under Courtney Lewis (July 18) and Nicholas McGegan (July 25). The Music Academy Voice Program presents a fully staged production of Rossini’s Cinderella (July 30 and August 1) and fellows perform in OperaFest (July 6 and 8). There are inspiring masterclasses with Thomas Adès (July 20), Marilyn Horne, Director of the Voice Program, (July 11), and Jeremy Denk (July 1), who also performs an all-Mozart program with the orchestra and members of the Vocal Program (July 3). There is also be some friendly rivalry during the month, with the Marilyn Horne Song Competition (July 18) and the Concerto Competitions Finals (July 1 and 2).
In July, sixteen events will be streamed live online with select videos subsequently available to watch on demand. A complete list of livestreamed events, which include the Academy Festival Orchestra and vocal fellows under Nicholas McGegan (July 25, 8pm PDT), Marilyn Horne Song Competition (July 18, 10am and 1pm PDT), and masterclasses with Jeremy Denk (July 1, 3:15pm PDT), Leon Fleisher (July 13, 1pm PDT), Julie Landsman (July 17, 3:15pm PDT), and Thomas Adès (July 20; 1pm PDT) is listed below. All livestreamed events can be accessed at http://www.musicacademy.org/Live_Stream.
Mosher Guest Artists-in-Residence: Alban Gerhardt, Leon Fleisher, JACK Quartet
The Music Academy has once again been able to host guest artists throughout the summer thanks to generous support from the Samuel B. and Margaret C. Mosher Foundation. July’s Mosher Guest Artists are cellist Alban Gerhardt (July 6-10), pianist Leon Fleisher (July 13-19), and the JACK Quartet (July 19-22). Gerhardt, praised by The Guardian as “one of finest cellists around – expressive, unshowy, and infinitely classy,” perform with pianist and Music Academy faculty member Natasha Kislenko in Hahn Hall on July 9. Fleisher appears with piano duo partner Katherine Jacobson Fleisher in Hahn Hall on July 15. The award-winning JACK Quartet, whose members include Music Academy alumnus Ari Streisfeld (violin, ’01-’03), performs in Hahn Hall on July 20.
Opera: Rossini’s Cinderella
The Music Academy Voice Program presents a fully staged production of Rossini’s Cinderella at the Granada Theatre on July 30 and August 1. Jayce Ogren, former music director of the New York City Opera, conducts the Academy Festival Opera Orchestra; David Paul, a faculty member at Juilliard and the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, returns to direct. “Rossini’s bel canto style of opera is difficult to perform, but beautiful to hear,” said Marilyn Horne, who has directed the Music Academy’s renowned Voice Program since 1997. “Everyone will enjoy the vocal fireworks and the charming libretto.”
Academy Festival Orchestra
Fellows gain insight into the professional music career through their work in the Academy Festival Orchestra, playing under some of the world’s leading conductors. On July 11 they appear with Minnesota Orchestra Music Director Osmo Vänskä, who leads Kalevi Aho’s Gejia and Mahler’s Symphony No. 5. New York Philharmonic Assistant Conductor Courtney Lewis, who was also recently appointed Music Director of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, takes up the baton on July 18 for this year’s Concerto Celebration, featuring winners of the Music Academy’s 2015 Concerto Competition. Jeremy Denk appears as pianist and leader in an all-Mozart program alongside members of the Academy Festival Orchestra and Voice Program fellows on July 3. And Nicholas McGegan, the effervescent music director of the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra in San Francisco, conducts fellows in selections from Handel’s Italian opera Orlando and Mendelssohn’s “Scottish” Symphony on July 25.
Masterclasses
All fellows participate in the Music Academy’s extensive schedule of masterclasses, one of the hallmarks of the curriculum and designed to complement individual private instruction. Among the highlights of July’s masterclasses will be Marilyn Horne (July 11), Jeremy Denk (July 1), Leon Fleisher (July 13), and Thomas Adès (July 20).
Competitions
This year’s Concerto Competition Finals, in which Academy solo pianists and other instrumentalists vie for the honor of performing with the Academy Festival Orchestra as part of the annual Concerto Celebration (July 18), take place over consecutive evenings in Hahn Hall on July 1 and 2. The Marilyn Horne Song Competition, one of the most popular events of the summer season at the Music Academy, is a showcase for Academy singers and vocal pianists. Top awards, presented in memory of longtime Music Academy vocal accompaniment faculty member Gwendolyn Koldofsky, are given to the Academy singer and vocal pianist who demonstrate both excellence in the performance of song repertoire and an exceptional gift for audience communication. Winners receive full underwriting from the Music Academy for recital appearances, $2,500 Regina Roney Prizes, and individual consultations with New York-based communications firm 21C Media Group.
About the Music Academy of the West
The Music Academy of the West is among the nation’s preeminent summer schools and festivals for gifted young classical musicians. At its ocean-side campus in Santa Barbara, the Academy provides these musicians with the opportunity for advanced study and performance under the guidance of internationally renowned faculty artists, guest conductors, and soloists. Admission to the Academy is strictly based on merit, and fellows receive full scholarships (tuition, room, and board). The Academy’s distinguished faculty roster has included famed soprano Lotte Lehmann, composers Darius Milhaud and Arnold Schoenberg, cellist Gregor Piatigorsky, and current Voice Program Director Marilyn Horne. Academy alumni are members of major symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras, ensembles, opera companies, and university and conservatory faculties throughout the world. Many enjoy careers as prominent solo artists. In 2014 the Music Academy entered into a four-year partnership with the New York Philharmonic, resulting in unprecedented training and performance opportunities for Academy fellows, and Summer Festival residencies for Philharmonic musicians.
The Music Academy of the West cultivates discerning, appreciative, and adventurous audiences, presenting more than 200 public events annually, nearly half of them free of charge. These include performances by faculty, visiting artists, and fellows; masterclasses; orchestra and chamber music concerts; and a fully staged opera. The 2015 Summer School and Festival takes place from June 15 to August 8 at the Academy’s scenic Miraflores campus and in venues throughout Santa Barbara. For more information, visit www.musicacademy.org.
“For eight weeks each summer,” states the Santa Barbara News-Press, “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.”
High-resolution photos may be downloaded here, and a PDF of the Music Academy’s 2015 season brochure may be downloaded here.
Music Academy of the West 2015
Summer Festival: June 15–August 8
Santa Barbara, CA
July highlights “at a glance”
July 1
Oboe Masterclass: Eugene Izotov
Cello Masterclass: Robert deMaine
Double Bass Masterclass: Nico Abondolo
Bassoon Masterclass: Dennis Michel
Vocal Masterclass: Jeremy Denk *Livestream at 3:15pm PDT
Concerto Competition Finals: Strings
July 2
Chamber Music Masterclass: Jerome Lowenthal
Collaborative Piano Masterclass: Jonathan Feldman
Concerto Competition Finals: Winds, Brass, Percussion, Piano
July 3
MERIT concert: MERIT Fellows
Clarinet Masterclass: Richie Hawley
Trumpet Masterclass: Paul Merkelo *Livestream at 1pm PDT
Horn Masterclass: Julie Landsman
Vocal Masterclass: Martin Katz
Denk Leads Mozart with Academy fellows
Mozart: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in D Minor, No. 20, K. 466
July 6
Flute Masterclass: Timothy Day *Livestream at 1pm PDT
Solo Piano Masterclass: Jerome Lowenthal
Violin Masterclass: Kathleen Winkler
OperaFest with John Churchwell, Christopher Ocasek, conductors; Bruce Donnell, director; Academy fellows
July 7
Trombone/Tuba Masterclass: Mark Lawrence
Viola Masterclass: Donald McInnes
Percussion Masterclass: Michael Werner
Music Academy Festival Artists Series: Sonatafest
Weiner: Sonata No. 2
Pierre Jalbert: Sonata
Kogan: Hassidic Suite
Brahms: Sonata in D Minor
July 8
Oboe Masterclass: Eugene Izotov *Livestream at 1pm PDT
Cello Masterclass: Alban Gerhardt
Double Bass Masterclass: Nico Abondolo
Bassoon Masterclass: Benjamin Kamins
OperaFest with John Churchwell, Christopher Ocasek, conductors; Bruce Donnell, director; Academy fellows
July 9
Chamber Music Masterclass: Peter Salaff
Academy Fellows Chamber Concert
Collaborative Piano Masterclass: Jonathan Feldman
Mosher Guest Artist Recital with Alban Gerhardt, cello and Natasha Kislenko, piano *Livestream at 8pm PDT
July 10
Clarinet Masterclass: Richie Hawley
Trumpet Masterclass: Paul Merkelo
Horn Masterclass: Julie Landsman
Vocal Masterclass: Fred Carama
Picnic Concert with Academy Fellows *Livestream at 7:30pm PDT
July 11
Vocal Masterclass: Marilyn Horne
Academy Festival Orchestra, Osmo Vänskä, conductor
Kalevi Aho: Gejia (Chinese Images for Orchestra)
Mahler: Symphony No. 5
July 13
Flute Masterclass: Timothy Day
Solo Piano Masterclass: Leon Fleisher *Livestream at 1pm PDT
Violin Masterclass: Glenn Dicterow
July 14
Trombone/Tuba Masterclass: Mark Lawrence
Viola Masterclass: Cynthia Phelps
Percussion Masterclass: Michael Werner
Music Academy Festival Artists Series: Vive la France!
Couperin: Concert Royaux No. 1
Ravel: Sonata
Pierre Boulez: Une page d’ephéméride
Fauré: Piano Quartet in C Minor
July 15
Oboe Masterclass: Cynthia Koledo DeAlmeida
Cello Masterclass: Alan Stepansky
Double Bass Masterclass: Nico Abondolo
Bassoon Masterclass: Benjamin Kamins
Vocal Masterclass: Martin Katz *Livestream at 3:15pm PDT
Mosher Guest Artist Recital with Leon Fleisher, piano and Katherine Jacobson Fleisher, piano
July 16
Chamber Music Masterclass: Philip Setzer
Academy Fellows Chamber Concert
Collaborative Piano Masterclass: Jonathan Feldman
BrassFest with Mark Lawrence, conductor; Academy fellows *Livestream at 7:30pm PDT
July 17
Clarinet Masterclass: Richie Hawley
Trumpet Masterclass: Paul Merkelo
Horn Masterclass: Julie Landsman *Livestream at 3:15pm PDT
Vocal Masterclass: John Churchwell
Picnic Concert with Academy Fellows
July 18
Marilyn Horne Song Competition *Livestream at 10am and 1pm PDT
Concerto Celebration: Academy Festival Orchestra, Courtney Lewis, conductor
Concerto Competition Winner Performances
Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra
July 20
Solo Piano Masterclass: Thomas Adès *Livestream at 1pm PDT
Flute Masterclass: Timothy Day
Violin Masterclass: Alexander Treger
Mosher Guest Artist Recital with JACK Quartet
July 21
Trombone/Tuba Masterclass: Ralph Sauer
Chamber Masterclass: JACK Quartet
Viola Masterclass: Karen Dreyfus
Percussion Masterclass: Michael Werner
Music Academy Festival Artists Series: Two, Five, and Nine
James Stephenson: Vignettes
Thomas Adès: Piano Quintet
Spohr: Nonet
July 22
Oboe Masterclass: Cynthia Koledo DeAlmeida
Cello Masterclass: David Geber *Livestream at 1pm PDT
Double Bass Masterclass: Nico Abondolo
Bassoon Masterclass: Benjamin Kamins
Vocal Masterclass: Rossini’s Cinderella Covers in Concert
July 23
Chamber Music Masterclass: Karen Dreyfus
Academy Fellows Chamber Concert
Collaborative Piano Masterclass: Jonathan Feldman
An Evening of Vocal Chamber Music with Academy Instrumental and Voice Fellows
July 24
Clarinet Masterclass: Richie Hawley
Trumpet Masterclass: Paul Merkelo
Horn Masterclass: Julie Landsman
Picnic Concert with Academy Fellows
July 25
Academy Festival Orchestra with Voice Program Fellows and Nicholas McGegan *Livestream at 8pm PDT
Handel: Orlando (Selections)
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3, “Scottish”
July 27
Flute Masterclass: Jim Walker
Solo Piano Masterclass: Robert McDonald
Violin Masterclass: Stephen Bryant
July 28
Trombone/Tuba Masterclass: Ralph Sauer
Viola Masterclass: Richard O’Neill *Livestream at 3:15pm PDT
Music Academy Festival Orchestra and Nicholas McGegan
Bach: Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 6
July 29
Oboe Masterclass: Cynthia Koledo DeAlmeida *Livestream at 1pm PDT
Cello Masterclass: David Geber
Bassoon Masterclass: Benjamin Kamins
Bass Masterclass: Nico Abondolo
July 30
Chamber Music Masterclass: David Geber
Academy Fellows Chamber Concert
Collaborative Piano Masterclass: Jonathan Feldman *Livestream at 3:15pm PDT
Rossini’s Cinderella
Academy Festival Opera Orchestra
Voice Program Fellows
Jayce Ogren, conductor
David Paul, director
Sandra Goldmark, designer
Marilyn Horne, Voice Program director
Sung in Italian with English supertitles
July 31
Clarinet Masterclass: Richie Hawley
Trumpet Masterclass: Paul Merkelo
Horn Masterclass: Julie Landsman
Picnic Concert with Academy Fellows
August 1 – 8: New York Philharmonic Visiting Faculty Residency
August 1
Rossini’s Cinderella (see July 30)
PercussionFest with Ted Atkatz and Michael Werner, faculty artists; Academy Percussion Fellows
August 3
Solo Piano Masterclass: Alan Gilbert
Flute Masterclass: Jim Walker
Violin Masterclass: Sheryl Staples
New York Philharmonic debut at the Santa Barbara Bowl
Alan Gilbert, music director
Julia Bullock, soprano
Ben Bliss, tenor
Barber: The School for Scandal Overture
Copland: Appalachian Spring Suite
Leroy Anderson: Fiddle-Faddle
Rodgers: The Carousel Waltz
Bernstein: West Side Story Suite
Gershwin: Lullaby
August 4
Trombone/Tuba Masterclass: Ralph Sauer, Alan Baer
Viola Masterclass: Cynthia Phelps *Livestream at 3:15pm PDT
Percussion Masterclass: Daniel Druckman
Music Academy Festival Artist Series: Music Academy & New York Philharmonic Artists
Steve Reich: Quartet
Ponchielli: Il Convegno, Divertimento for two clarinets
Joseph Turrin: Fandango
Dohnányi: Serenade
August 5
Oboe Masterclass: Eugene Izotov
Cello Masterclass: Carter Brey
Double Bass Masterclass: Nico Abondolo *Livestream at 3:15pm PDT
Bassoon Masterclass: Dennis Michel
Vocal Masterclass: Marilyn Horne
August 6
Academy Fellows Chamber Concert
Collaborative Piano Masterclass: Jonathan Feldman
Picnic Concert with Academy Fellows
August 7
Clarinet Masterclass: Richard Hawley
Trumpet Masterclass: Paul Merkelo
Horn Masterclass: Julie Landsman
Cabaret: The Music Academy’s Signature Gala
August 8
Von Dohnányi Conducts Brahms *Livestream at 8pm PDT
Academy Festival Orchestra, Christoph von Dohnányi, conductor
Webern: Im Sommerwind
Ligeti: Atmosphères
Wagner: Prelude to Lohengrin (Act I)
Brahms: Symphony No. 2
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