Music Academy of the West’s 2013 summer festival opens June 17
The Music Academy of the West, whose annual summer festival is often described as “classical music on America’s Riviera,” opens its 66th season on June 17 in scenic Santa Barbara, California. More than 200 events will be presented through August 10 by the Academy, one of the nation’s pre-eminent summer music schools and festivals. The rich slate of seminars, masterclasses and starry performances in June alone includes a Vocal Masterclass on June 19, led by Marilyn Horne and Warren Jones, to introduce the 2013 Voice and Vocal Piano Fellows. The Takács String Quartet is overseeing a new String Quartet Seminar, and this Gramophone Hall of Fame ensemble will perform a concert of Haydn, Brahms and Bartók on June 20. Academy faculty member and distinguished pianist Jerome Lowenthal introduces 10 Solo Piano Fellows in recital on June 21. Baritone Vladimir Chernov – the first of this summer’s Mosher Guest Artists – gives a recital on June 24. There is a Masterclass Sampler on June 27, featuring an introduction to the Music Academy’s ongoing summer “learning through performance” events. The first Academy Festival Orchestra concert of the summer takes place on June 22, followed by a June 29 performance led by Bernard Labadie, founding director of Canada’s Les Violons du Roy and a specialist in 17th- and 18th-century repertoire.
The Music Academy of the West has been hailed as “a magnet for some of the country’s most gifted young musicians” (Santa Barbara News-Press), and it is the only one of its kind on the West Coast. Academy President Scott Reed says: “Every year, the Music Academy team aspires to present a transformative experience for our Fellows, as well as unparalleled music-making for our festival-goers to enjoy. This summer’s line-up of musical experiences will allow festival attendees to engage, absorb and celebrate the many aspects of classical music at its best.” The Academy’s Summer Festival and School offers a variety of distinctive programs and events for 2013, including engaging new offerings.
String Quartet Seminar
The Music Academy of the West’s innovative String Quartet Seminar provides 16 string Fellows with intensive ensemble coaching over seven days with the acclaimed Takács String Quartet. The seminar, which began a week before the official opening of the summer festival, will culminate in a public recital by participating Fellows (forming four quartets) at the Academy’s Hahn Hall on June 19. The Takács Quartet, which was recently inducted into Gramophone magazine’s Hall of Fame and is the only string quartet to be so honored to date, will perform its own concert on June 20.
Mosher Guest Artist Program
Generous support from the Samuel B. and Margaret C. Mosher Foundation is enabling the Music Academy to host four world-class guest artists over the course of this year’s summer festival. Their residencies will involve public masterclasses and performances, as well as private interaction with Academy Fellows. The Academy’s first 2013 Mosher Guest Artist is baritone Vladimir Chernov (June 20-24), followed by the quartet Brooklyn Rider (July 3-5), pianist Jeremy Denk (July 15-19) and violinist Midori (July 28-Aug 1).
Orchestral Concerts
The Academy Festival Orchestra will present seven concerts this season, including four at Santa Barbara’s Granada Theatre. Larry Rachleff, who serves as music director of the Rhode Island Philharmonic and Rice University’s Shepherd School orchestras, will launch the orchestra’s season on June 22 with the suite from Bartók’s The Miraculous Mandarin, Debussy’s La mer and Ravel’s La valse. Canadian early-music expert Bernard Labadie will lead members of the Academy Festival Orchestra in a program consisting of Gluck’s Don Juan, the overture to Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito and Haydn’s Symphony No. 101 (“The Clock”) on June 29 in Hahn Hall. Other conductors who will lead the Academy Festival Orchestra this summer will include composer-conductor Matthias Pintscher in the West Coast premiere of his Bereshit; Leonard Slatkin, music director of the Detroit Symphony; Tito Muñoz, music director of the Opéra national de Lorraine and New York City’s Ensemble LPR (Le Poisson Rouge); James Gaffigan, chief conductor of the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra; and Nicholas McGegan, music director of San Francisco’s Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra.
Opera
The Music Academy Voice Program will present a fully staged new production of The Magic Flute – Santa Barbara’s first in 15 years – at the Granada Theatre on August 2 and 4. Academy faculty member Warren Jones will conduct; David Paul, a Juilliard faculty member who oversaw the Music Academy’s well-received production of The Rake’s Progress last summer, will direct. The 23 Academy Fellows who will perform in the production – chosen from among more than 600 applicants as part of the Academy’s Voice Program audition process – represent some of today’s finest young singing talent. The 45-member opera orchestra will consist of Music Academy instrumental Fellows.
Chamber Music and Solo Recitals
Presented in Hahn Hall, Tuesdays @ 8 concerts showcase Academy faculty artists performing beloved favorites and undiscovered treasures of the chamber music repertoire. Among the guest artists this season are New York Philharmonic Concertmaster Glenn Dicterow, New York Philharmonic Principal Violist Cynthia Phelps, violist Karen Dreyfus, and violinists Jorja Fleezanis, Erin Keefe, and Brian Lewis.
Masterclasses
The masterclass is one of the hallmarks of the Music Academy experience. All Fellows participate in the Music Academy’s extensive masterclass program, which is designed to complement individual private instruction. Faculty and guest artists present more than 100 public masterclasses over the eight weeks, including vocal masterclasses with Music Academy Voice Program Director Marilyn Horne and Vocal Piano and Interpretation Director Warren Jones. Members of the string, woodwind, brass, percussion, voice, and piano faculty also present weekly masterclasses. The public is invited to attend these daily classes, which provide unique insight into the music teaching process at its most dynamic and intimate. A Masterclass Sampler on June 27 in Hahn Hall provides an introduction through performances by Violin, Trumpet, and Voice Program Fellows coached by faculty artists.
Academy Alumnus in Residence
Celebrated cellist Joshua Roman will inaugurate a new alumni residency program at the Academy this summer. From July 15-25 he will curate his own curriculum to inspire Fellows, teaching a masterclass, performing, and participating in special projects. Since attending the Music Academy in 2002, Roman has enjoyed remarkable success both as a performing artist and as a programmer committed to engaging and expanding the classical music audience. The San Francisco Chronicle has described him as “a cellist of extraordinary technical and musical gifts.”
About 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). Based in Santa Barbara, the Music Academy of the West presents more than 200 public events annually, including performances by faculty, visiting artists, and Fellows; masterclasses; orchestra and chamber music concerts; and a fully staged opera.
Music Academy of the West alumni number more than 6,000 and represent a veritable “who’s who” of the classical music world. Many are members of major symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras, ensembles, opera companies, and university and conservatory faculties throughout the world. Others enjoy careers as prominent solo artists, with such luminaries as 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); Lotfi Mansouri (’57), General Director Emeritus of the San Francisco Opera; Cynthia Phelps (’79 & ’83), Principal Violist with the New York Philharmonic; David Shifrin (’68), clarinetist and former Artistic Director of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center; and Laurence Lesser (’53), former President of the New England Conservatory.
A list of the Music Academy of the West’s upcoming events can be found below, and further details are available on the web by visiting www.musicacademy.org.
Music Academy of the West Summer Festival: June 17 – August 10, 2013
2013 Festival Highlights
“Magic, Legend, and Ritual”
June 20: Takács Quartet
June 21: PianoFest
June 22: Larry Rachleff w/Academy Festival Orchestra
June 24: Vladimir Chernov, baritone
June 29: Warren Jones Masterclass
June 29: Bernard Labadie w/Academy Festival Orchestra
July 1: Matthias Pintscher w/Academy Festival Orchestra (Bereshit West Coast premiere)
July 3: Brooklyn Rider
July 8, 10: Opera Scenes
July 13: Leonard Slatkin w/ Academy Festival Orchestra
July 17: Jeremy Denk, piano
July 20: Tito Muñoz w/ Academy Festival Orchestra – “Concerto Night”
July 20: Marilyn Horne Song Competition
July 22: Academy Percussion Ensemble
July 27: Marilyn Horne Masterclass
July 29, 31: Midori, violin
Aug 2, 4: The Magic Flute – new production (David Paul, director; Warren Jones, conductor)
Aug 3: Nicholas McGegan w/Academy Festival Orchestra
Aug 10: James Gaffigan w/Academy Festival Orchestra
Full Season Calendar of Events
June 17
Solo Piano Masterclass 1 with Jerome Lowenthal
Flute Masterclass with Jeanne Baxtresser
Violin Masterclass with Kathleen Winkler
Brass Ensemble Masterclass with Mark H. Lawrence
June 18
Trombone & Tuba Masterclass with Mark H. Lawrence
String Chamber Masterclass with Takács Quartet
Viola Masterclass with Donald McInnes
June 19
Cello Masterclass with Alan Stepansky
Oboe Masterclass with Cynthia Koledo DeAlmeida
Vocal Masterclass: Introduction of Singers with Marilyn Horne and Warren Jones
Double Bass Masterclass with Nico Abondolo
String Quartet Recital
June 20
Bassoon Masterclass with Dennis Michel
Piano Chamber Masterclass with Jerome Lowenthal
Collaborative Piano Masterclass with Jonathan Feldman
Percussion Masterclass with Edward Atkatz
Takács Quartet Recital
Haydn: String Quartet in B-flat Major, Op. 76, No. 4
Bartók: String Quartet No. 1
Brahms: String Quartet in A Minor, Op. 51, No. 2
June 21
Clarinet Masterclass with Richie Hawley
Trumpet Masterclass with Paul Merkelo
Vocal Masterclass with Vladimir Chernov
Horn Masterclass with Eric Reed
PianoFest with Jerome Lowenthal
June 22
Academy Festival Orchestra with Larry Rachleff, conductor
Bartók: Suite from The Miraculous Mandarin
Debussy: La mer
Ravel: La valse
June 24
Solo Piano Masterclass 2 with Jerome Lowenthal
Flute Masterclass with Timothy Day
Brass Ensemble Masterclass with Mark H. Lawrence
Violin Masterclass with Jorja Fleezanis
Mosher Guest Artist Recital with Vladimir Chernov
June 25
String Chamber Masterclass with Jorja Fleezanis
Viola Masterclass with Donald McInnes
Trombone & Tuba Masterclass with Mark H. Lawrence
Tuesdays @ 8 Concert 1
Wagner: Ride of the Valkyries
Desenclos: Incantation, Thrène et Danse
Respighi: Violin Sonata in B Minor
Franck: Piano Quintet
June 26
Cello Masterclass with Alan Stepansky
Oboe Masterclass with Cynthia Koledo DeAlmeida
Vocal Masterclass with Fred Carama
Double Bass Masterclass with Nico Abondolo
June 27
Piano Chamber Masterclass with Jerome Lowenthal
Bassoon Masterclass with Dennis Michel
Percussion Masterclass with Edward Atkatz
Collaborative Piano Masterclass with Jonathan Feldman, director
Masterclass Sampler with Kathleen Winkler, Paul Merkelo, and Warren Jones
June 28
Clarinet Masterclass with Richie Hawley
Trumpet Masterclass with Paul Merkelo
Horn Masterclass with Julie Landsman
June 29
Warren Jones Masterclass
Members of the Academy Festival Orchestra with Bernard Labadie, conductor
Gluck: Don Juan
Mozart: Overture to La clemenza di Tito
Haydn: Symphony No. 101 “The Clock”
July 1
Solo Piano Masterclass 3 with Jerome Lowenthal
Flute Masterclass with Timothy Day
Violin Masterclass with Glenn Dicterow
Brass Ensemble Masterclass with Mark H. Lawrence
Members of the Academy Festival Orchestra with Matthias Pintscher, conductor
Ravel: Le tombeau de Couperin
Pintscher: Bereshit (West Coast Premiere)
Stravinsky: Pulcinella
July 2
Viola Masterclass with Donald McInnes
Trombone & Tuba Masterclass with Mark H. Lawrence
Tuesdays @ 8 Concert 2
Martinu: Nonet
Danzi: Quintet in B-flat Major
Tchaikovsky: Piano Trio in A Minor
July 3
Vocal Masterclass with Marilyn Horne
Cello Masterclass with Alan Stepansky
Double Bass Masterclass with Nico Abondolo
Oboe Masterclass with Cynthia Koledo DeAlmeida
Mosher Guest Artist Recital with Brooklyn Rider
Mozart: String Quartet in D Minor, K. 421
Colin Jacobsen: Three Miniatures for String Quartet
Ljova: Budget Bulgar
Bartók: String Quartet No. 2
Colin Jacobsen: Brooklesca
July 4
Piano Chamber Masterclass with Jerome Lowenthal
Bassoon Masterclass with Dennis Michel
Collaborative Piano Masterclass with Jonathan Feldman, director
String Chamber Masterclass with Brooklyn Rider
July 5
Vocal Masterclass with Gregory Fortner
Clarinet Masterclass with Richie Hawley
Trumpet Masterclass with Paul Merkelo
Horn Masterclass with Julie Landsman
Picnic Concert 1
July 6
Concerto Competition Finals (9:30 a.m.)
Concerto Competition Finals (1:45 p.m.)
July 8
Solo Piano Masterclass 4 with Jerome Lowenthal
Flute Masterclass with Timothy Day
Brass Ensemble Masterclass with Mark H. Lawrence
Violin Masterclass with Kathleen Winkler
Opera Scenes with Gregory Fortner, Jonathan Kelly, and John Churchwell
July 9
String Chamber Masterclass with Erin Keefe
Trombone & Tuba Masterclass with Mark H. Lawrence
Viola Masterclass with Donald McInnes
Tuesdays @ 8 Concert 3
Brahms: Five Songs arr. for Horn and Trombone
Brahms: Piano Trio No. 3
Mendelssohn: Concert piece for Clarinet, Bassoon and Piano
Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 8, arr. for Brass Quintet
July 10
Cello Masterclass with Alan Stepansky
Opera Scenes with Gregory Fortner, Jonathan Kelly, and John Churchwell
Double Bass Masterclass with Nico Abondolo
Oboe Masterclass with Cynthia Koledo DeAlmeida
July 11
Bassoon Masterclass with Benjamin Kamins
Percussion Masterclass with Edward Atkatz
Collaborative Piano Masterclass with Jonathan Feldman
Harp Masterclass with JoAnn Turovsky
Piano Chamber Masterclass with Jerome Lowenthal
Masterclass Sampler with Jerome Lowenthal, Edward Atkatz, and Carrie-Ann Matheson
Downtown Community Concert
July 12
MERIT Recital
Trumpet Masterclass with Paul Merkelo
Vocal Masterclass with John Churchwell
Horn Masterclass with Julie Landsman
Clarinet Masterclass with Richie Hawley
Picnic Concert 2
July 13
Academy Festival Orchestra with Leonard Slatkin, conductor
Roberto Sierra: Fandangos
Beethoven: Symphony No. 8
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5
July 15
Solo Piano Masterclass 5 with Jeremy Denk
Flute Masterclass with Timothy Day
Brass Ensemble Masterclass with Mark H. Lawrence
Violin Masterclass with Brian Lewis
July 16
String Chamber Masterclass Cynthia Phelps
Trombone & Tuba Masterclass with Mark H. Lawrence
Viola Masterclass with Donald McInnes
Tuesdays @ 8 Concert 4
Edward Atkatz: Turn Key Hotel
Ravel: Sonatine
Britten: Lachrymae
Debussy: Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp
Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
July 17
Cello Masterclass with Joshua Roman, Academy Alumnus in Residence
Oboe Masterclass with David Weiss
Vocal Masterclass with Carrie-Ann Matheson
Double Bass Masterclass with Nico Abondolo
Mosher Guest Artist Recital with Jeremy Denk
July 18
Piano Chamber Masterclass with Jeremy Denk
Bassoon Masterclass with Benjamin Kamins
Percussion Masterclass with Michael Werner
Collaborative Piano Masterclass with Jeremy Denk
Downtown Community Concert
Academy Brass Ensemble in Concert with Mark H. Lawrence, conductor
Strauss: Vienna Fanfare
John Williams: Sound the Bells
Jan Koetsier: Brass Symphony
July 19
Trumpet Masterclass with Paul Merkelo
Clarinet Masterclass with Richie Hawley
Vocal Masterclass with Warren Jones
Horn Masterclass with Eli Epstein
Picnic Concert 3
July 20
Marilyn Horne Song Competition (10 a.m.)
Marilyn Horne Song Competition (1 p.m.)
Concerto Night with Tito Muñoz, conductor
July 21
Academy Fellows Concert, curated by Joshua Roman, Academy Alumnus in Residence
July 22
Flute Masterclass with Timothy Day
Brass Ensemble Masterclass with Eli Epstein and Ralph Sauer
Solo Piano Masterclass 6 with Jerome Lowenthal
Violin Masterclass with Kathleen Winkler
Academy Percussion Ensemble in Concert
July 23
String Chamber Masterclass with Peter Salaff
Trombone & Tuba Masterclass with Ralph Sauer
Viola Masterclass with Roger Myers
Opera Covers Performance (The Magic Flute)
Tuesdays @ 8 Concert 5
Mozart: String Duo No. 1 in G Major
Brahms: Sonata in E Minor
Britten: Phantasy Quartet
Weber: Clarinet Quintet
July 24
Cello Masterclass with Alan Stepansky
Oboe Masterclass with David Weiss
Double Bass Masterclass with Nico Abondolo
Cello Recital with Joshua Roman, Academy Alumnus in Residence
July 25
Piano Chamber Masterclass with Jerome Lowenthal
Bassoon Masterclass with Benjamin Kamins
Downtown Community Concert
Percussion Masterclass with Michael Werner
Collaborative Piano Masterclass with Jonathan Feldman
Vocal Chamber Music Concert with Warren Jones, director
Vaughan Williams: Selections from Ten Blake Songs
Previn: Four Songs
Donizetti: “Dirti addio”
Ponchielli: “Eternamente” and “Piangea”
Crumb: Madrigals, Book IV
Britten: Canticle III: Still Falls the Rain
Chausson: “Chanson perpetuelle”
July 26
Clarinet Masterclass with Richie Hawley
Horn Masterclass with Eli Epstein
Opera Preview: The Magic Flute (new production)
Trumpet Masterclass with Paul Merkelo
Picnic Concert 4
July 27
Chamber Music Marathon (10 a.m.)
Chamber Music Marathon (1 p.m.)
Masterclass with Marilyn Horne, voice program director
July 29
Solo Piano Masterclass 7 with Jerome Lowenthal
Flute Masterclass with Jeanne Baxtresser
Brass Ensemble Masterclass with Barbara Butler and Charles Geyer
Viola Masterclass with Roger Myers
Mosher Guest Artist Recital with Midori
J.S. Bach: Sonata No. 1 in G Major
Sonata No. 3 in C Major
Partita No. 2 in D Minor
July 30
String Chamber Masterclass with Karen Dreyfus and Glenn Dicterow
Trombone & Tuba Masterclass with Ralph Sauer
Violin Masterclass with Midori
Trumpet Masterclass with Barbara Butler
Tuesdays @ 8 Concert 6*
Vivaldi: Concerto RV 103
Bach/Vivaldi: Concerto in D Major
Shostakovich: Viola Sonata*
Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor
*Baroque chamber music performed by Academy faculty artists and Nicholas McGegan
July 31
Cello Masterclass with David Geber
Oboe Masterclass with David Weiss
Double Bass Masterclass with Nico Abondolo
Mosher Guest Artist Recital with Midori
J.S. Bach: Sonata No. 2 in A Minor
Partita No. 1 in B Minor
Partita No. 3 in E Major
August 1
Piano Chamber Masterclass with Jerome Lowenthal
Bassoon Masterclass with Benjamin Kamins
Collaborative Piano Masterclass with Jonathan Feldman
Downtown Community Concert
Picnic Concert 5
August 2
Trumpet Masterclass with Charles Geyer
Horn Masterclass with Eli Epstein
Clarinet Masterclass with Richie Hawley
Mozart: The Magic Flute with David Paul, director and Warren Jones, conductor (new production)
August 3
Members of the Academy Festival Orchestra with Nicholas McGegan, conductor
Rameau: Suite from Platée
Vivaldi: Concerto for Violin and Echo
Vivaldi: Concerto for Violin, 2 Flutes, 2 Oboes, 2 Bassoons
Haydn: Symphony No. 100 “Military”
August 4
Mozart: The Magic Flute with David Paul, director and Warren Jones, conductor (new production)
August 5
Solo Piano Masterclass 8 with Jerome Lowenthal
Flute Masterclass with Jeanne Baxtresser
Brass Ensemble Masterclass with Ralph Sauer and Eli Epstein
Violin Masterclass with Glenn Dicterow
August 6
Trombone & Tuba Masterclass with Ralph Sauer
Viola Masterclass with Roger Myers
Tuesdays @ 8 Concert 7
Bartók: Out of Doors
Bach: Contrapunctus and Chorale for Brass Quintet
Klein: String Trio
Dohnányi: Piano Quintet No. 1
August 7
Cello Masterclass with David Gerber
Vocal Masterclass with Marilyn Horne
Double Bass Masterclass with Nico Abondolo
Oboe Masterclass with David Weiss
August 8
Bassoon Masterclass with Dennis Michel
Downtown Community Concert
Percussion Masterclass with Michael Werner
Collaborative Piano Masterclass with Jonathan Feldman
Harp Masterclass with JoAnn Turovsky
Cabaret, the Music Academy’s Signature Gala
August 9
Clarinet Masterclass with Richie Hawley
Trumpet Masterclass with Josef Burgstaller
Horn Masterclass with Eli Epstein
Solo Piano Studio Presentation with Jerome Lowenthal
Picnic Concert 6
August 10
Festival Finale: Academy Festival Orchestra & Academy Voice with James Gaffigan, conductor
Wagner: Overture to Rienzi
Mahler: Songs from Des Knaben Wunderhorn
Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique
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For further information, contact:
Glenn Petry, 21C Media Group: [email protected]; 212-625-2038
Tim Dougherty, Music Academy of the West Communications Manager: [email protected]; 805-695-7908
© 21C Media Group, June 2013