KNEISEL HALL NEWS. have meaningful conversations (!!!), because there are no electronic distractions

Transcription

1 KNEISEL HALL NEWS kneisel hall chamber music blue hill maine fall 2017 An Incredible Adventure Katherine Kyu Hyeon, Strauss Shi, violin; Robert Erhard, cello; Robert Donowick, viola Arriving upon the grounds of Kneisel Hall this summer, which is neatly tucked away in the wholesome little town of Blue Hill, ME, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. I had heard from so many colleagues and teachers that I was about to embark upon an incredible summertime adventure at one of the most highly regarded chamber festivals for training musicians, but no one was able to accurately describe what added up to this alleged life-changing experience. When I arrived on campus, I was immediately struck by the already forming sense of an intimate community. I was greeted so kindly by Ellen Werner and those students who had begun to move into their summer home. This community, I later realized, not only extended to the young artists and faculty of this festival, but the patrons who were so active in attending both the faculty and student concerts, as well as hosting recreational events for all of the young artists. I found it to be so fascinating and extremely humbling to hear the stories of those community members who have been supporting Kneisel Hall and coming to performances for years and I loved seeing the personal relationships that have been formed between so many faculty and audience members. From a musical perspective, Kneisel Hall provided me with so many opportunities to make chamber music with some of the greatest young musicians around the world. I am very fortunate to go to a school with an organized chamber program and have the privilege to work with some incredible players year round. However, Kneisel Hall s intensive environment allows you to completely immerse yourself in chamber music without the added stress of fulfilling school assignments and attending other required events and classes. It is so satisfying to work with other players who have such an intense passion for chamber music and want to prepare some of the most eloquent works in the repertoire to the highest level possible in a mere three and a half weeks. I enjoyed having the opportunity to play with other artists from most major conservatories in the United States and Canada, as well as perform with musicians from my own school who I otherwise might not get a chance to work with. Finally, the unique physical setting of Kneisel Hall is a huge catalyst for meaningful friendships and conversations. After being in New York City for the majority of the year, I found the trees, waters and hills of coastal Maine to be extremely refreshing. On campus, one can only receive wifi in a couple of spaces, which means that students actually have meaningful conversations (!!!), because there are no electronic distractions to get in the way. To fill time that might otherwise be taken by streaming movies Hannah Burnett or surfing the web, students enjoy sight reading music, laying in hammocks, playing badminton and hiking. Kneisel Hall is easily the most musically fulfilling experience I have ever had. Its rich history and still flourishing sense of companionship, craftsmanship and development is ever present in the students, faculty, supporters and patrons. I am so grateful for the seven weeks I spent in Blue Hill this summer and I hope to have seven more formative weeks in the future. Hannah Burnett 2017 Festival Concerts Laurie Smukler, Qing Jiang, Joel Krosnick This was a summer of refined and passionate music-making, the first summer completely planned by our new Artistic Director, Laurie Smukler. The faculty was enriched by her appointment of the violinist Axel Strauss and the pianists Matti Raekallio and Ieva Jokubaviciute. They joined two of the faculty who were new in 2016, the pianist Qing Jiang and the violinist Joel Smirnoff and the many fine musicians who have spent their summers at Kneisel Hall for many years. The pianist Robert McDonald came again as a guest artist for the last week of the season. One of Smukler s plans is to include a new instrument each summer in order to expand the repertoire. This year guest artist double bassist Donald Palma joined the faculty for Schnittke s Hymnus II for cello and bass and Dvořák s String Quintet No 2 in G major, Op. 77. A bassist joined the young artists and was in four ensembles over the course of the summer. The faculty concerts were rich and varied, combining old Kneisel Hall favorites with new pieces by composers like Mieczyslaw Weinberg, Shulamit Ran and George Walker. The Young Artist concerts were also consistently riveting. Each year they seem somehow to be better than the year before. And the concert hall was usually full, even deep into the night. Local audiences as well as faculty, parents and Board members have come to look for- continued on page 3...

2 KHBH This September marked the fourth season of the Kneisel Hall Blue Hill Together in Music residency program. KHBH Teaching Artists (and alums) Katherine Liccardo, Emily Kruspe violin; Matthew Consul, viola and Clara Abel, cello presented Quartet Quirks: Exploring the Unique Voices of Composers through the History of the String Quartet. Using selections from string quartets written across the centuries as a vehicle to discover the changing language of composers, the KHBH team presented interactive performances and workshops for the Blue Hill Consolidated School, the Bay School, Parker Ridge Retirement Community and local music students. The week culminated with an evening performance on September 22 at Kneisel Hall featuring the works of Mozart, Beethoven, Bartók and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer (and Kneisel alum!) Caroline Shaw Faculty SESSION ONE: Doris Lederer, Ronald Copes, Jane Coop, Matti Raekallio, Ira Weller, Laurie Smukler, Dmitry Kouzov, Joel Krosnick, Axel Strauss, Lisa Strauss An immersive outreach program initiated in 2014, the mission of KHBH is to foster a creative dialogue and invite everyone in the Blue Hill community to participate in music making at the Hall. Each KHBH residency pairs a team of outstanding teaching artists with local schools and other community organizations and is funded through generous contributions by Terry and Amy Britton. To read more about these efforts and see pictures and videos from past residencies, please visit togetherinmusic. tumblr.com. One may wonder if a program such as KHBH really works wonder no more. Bill Schubeck, instrumental music teacher at the Consolidated wrote, I loved how you (KHBH) took on the fugue and brought such clarity to our 8th graders. It is a terrific experience for all our students to hear you and see the love and passion you bring to your playing. I know it certainly inspires my band students as well as being very informative! SESSION TWO: Back: David Bowlin, Katherine Murdock, Qing Jiang, Ieva Jokubaviciute, Jerry Grossman; Middle: Joel Smirnoff, Joel Krosnick, Laurie Smukler, Doris Lederer, Robert McDonald; Front: Ira Weller, Barbara Mallow Franz Kneisel Refreshed Two years ago when we had to repair the chimney we were stunned when we took the picture of Franz Kneisel down. The picture had been damaged by moisture and the back was covered with mold. It sat in the library for two years as we pondered our next move. Where could we take it? This summer it was suggested that the picture go to photographer Billy Brehm at Riverside Studio in Ellsworth. He took one look at our sorry Franz and didn t offer much hope. I could try this, he suggested. What did we have to lose? He tried with spectacular results! Next Franz went to Serge Liros who matted and framed the print. It looks better than new. Franz Knesiel will be in place for the first concert next summer. Thank you to Billy Brehm, Serge Liros and Thurmond Smithgall and Paula Deitz, who were determined to get the picture back where it belonged. Dates to Remember November 1, 2017 Applications open ( January 20, 2018 Kneisel Hall Reunion (festival@kneisel.org) February 2, 2018 Applications close March 10, 2018 Kneisel Hall Benefit / University Club NYC This evening will feature a not-to-be-missed performance by Laurie Smukler, Nicholas DiEugenio, violin; Jesse Morrison, Doris Lederer, viola; Joel Krosnick, Gwen Krosnick, cello. It will include two beloved string sextets: Brahms String Sextet No. 2 in G major, Op. 36 and Schönberg s Verklarte Nacht. Festivities begin at 6:00 p.m. with drinks and hors d oeuvres; concert follows at 7:30. Tickets are $150 per person. (festival@kneisel.org) page 2 - Kneisel Hall News

3 Kneisel Hall Program for Maine Students Held this year June 17 23, the Program for Maine Students brings together Maine student musicians who are eager to meet other musicians and to improve their chamber music skills. There is no better model than our program where students are mentored by both the Young Artists and faculty. Numbers were up this year, with a total of 42 students hailing from as far as Montville, Damariscotta, Yarmouth and Freeport, Maine. Word has spread that excellent chamber music experience can be found in the town of Blue Hill on a priceless campus. What is especially pleasing is seeing the upcoming students in the 2-day program for 9- to 12-year-olds. The younger musicians handled the long morning rehearsals plus afternoon ear training and sight singing with ease. It helped to have a quick bonding time with their mentors whose technical prowess wowed them. We introduced a music history class, which gave them a sense of the eras to which their selections belonged. With a few more breaks than the older students have, the shorter 2-day program serves the younger students effectively and provides an excellent feeder to the 5-day program. On the final concert, there were six ensembles that performed in addition to the music that mentors shared on the same program. Parents were impressed with their children s playing and were awestruck by the music presented by the Young Artists. Also satisfying was the larger number of advanced students who were capable of playing the mainstream literature Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann and Borodin, to name a few that were performed. One ensemble worked throughout the school year a testament to the fruits of Kneisel Hall s inspirational work. By week s end, four of the twelve ensembles had prepared 2 movements rather than the required single movement, which conveys their enthusiasm, ambition and capability to prepare more music. This is measurable progress and a clear sign of Kneisel Hall s success. Our aim is to develop students musicianship and their ability to enjoy ensemble playing now and in the future. Applications for 2018 may be found on Concerts continued from page 1 ward to these exciting evenings and find them a high point of their summers. The summer also reflected some of Laurie Smukler s new goals for Kneisel Hall. In her Composers NOW series, a student group played a new quartet by Mario Davidovsky, written for the Juilliard Quartet, in a Master Class conducted by Ron Copes, and a faculty trio played his Chacona in one of the faculty concerts. Though Davidovsky was unable to come to Blue Hill at the last minute, the students and faculty had a chance to immerse themselves in his innovative music. Her Continuum series including Kneisel alumni/ae in the regular faculty concerts gave us string sextets by Brahms and Schönberg in the first concert of the season (alumni/ae Nicholas DiEugenio, Jesse Morrison and Gwen Krosnick, playing with faculty members Joel Krosnick, Doris Lederer and Laurie Smukler), as well as the Krosnicks playing a new piece written for them by Richard Wernick. At the end of the season three groups, mostly former Kneisel students, each gave a fine concert: the Telegraph Quartet, A Far Cry and the Ulysses Quartet. And before and after the season a group of alumni/ae came to Blue Hill to work with local students and musicians: Solon Gordon, Hannah Collins, Alex Fortes and Jen Chang in May; Katherine Liccardo, Emily Kruspe, Matt Consul and Clara Abel in September. Our former students with the faculty and guest artists are now contributing to the ongoing history of extraordinary music making that Kneisel Hall represents. Betsey Harries, Board member and KH alumna Continuum: Nicholas DiEugenio, Joel Krosnick, Laurie Smukler, Gwen Krosnick, Doris Lederer, Jesse Morrison Kneisel Hall News - page 3

4 Alumni News Founded by Kneisel alumni violinist Wayne Lee and pianist Juliana Han, the Piedmont Chamber Music Festival (PCMF) enjoyed its second season. The centerpiece of this year s festival was three performances by members of the Formosa Quartet (violinists Jasmine Lin, Wayne Lee and cellist Deborah Pae are alumni). PCMF expanded its community engagement programming, with a special concert for children and a series of free concerts at various community institutions in the area org. The Formosa Quartet will be at Kneisel Hall September 2, The Center for Musical Excellence (www. cmemusic.org) has announced pianist/ conductor Euntek Kim as one of the winners of its 2017 International Performing Arts Grant (formerly the Birte Moller Young Artists Award). Through this grant, the organization helps fund the dream projects of talented young musicians from around the world with individual amounts up to $10,000. Meredith Crawford was just named principal violist of the Pacific Symphony; the Symphony will be in NY April 21 Carnegie Hall. Meredith is still playing chamber music was recently in Los Angeles for string quartet concerts. Kneisel Hall 2018: Chamber Music Program: June 24 August 12 Festival Concerts: June 22 September TBA KHBH Together in Music: May and September TBA Program for Maine Students: June 15 June 23 Master Classes: July 5, 9, 11, 30; August 1, 6 From Chicago: violinists Elise Dalleska and Irene Quirmbach met playing in concert and discovered they had a lot in common. Irene writes, We both attended Boston University, Kneisel Hall and now play and teach in the same area of the city. I last visited Kneisel Hall on the occasion of Roman Totenberg s 85th Birthday celebration. I flew in with Mitsuyo Akino, I am a violin instructor at a private school in Chicago I am also a busy freelancer playing with many of the orchestras that exist in the Chicagoland area. I also perform with several chamber groups in the summers and I am the music librarian at the Festival institute at Round Top in Texas. I thought it would be good for you to hear that I am one of many alumni from Kneisel who are active working musicians, doing what we love!!! Elise has a message for all Kneisel Hall alumni in the Chicago area If you are interested in a Chicago Reunion let her know dalleska@gmail.com. Lora Tchekoratova, piano faculty in Kneisel Hall ACMI and the newly appointed Artistic Director of Salon de Virtuosi, announced that Kneisel Hall alumna violinist Ania Filochowski was awarded a Salon de Virtuosi $5,000 grant. Jen Chang and Solon Gordon are the new parents of Casey Albert Chang-Gordon. Clara Lyon, cello, has recently been appointed sub in the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Joel Krosnick master class Carroll Young Artist Concerts: July 14, 16, 17; August 8, 9, 11 ACMI: August 12 August 19 Applications: Chamber Music Program Maine Students ACMI Irene Quirmbach and Elise Dalleska THANK YOU to ALL our friends and supporters who make the season possible: The ENTIRE board for the opening picnic to welcome the new young artists, which is held at Marilyn Heineman s lakefront home. Libbie and Mark Cluett, Robin Clements and Amy and Terry Britton for providing housing to Kneisel Hall visiting guest artists. Betsey Harries, Ellen Harris, Mollie Heron, Deborah Little, Eric Chase, Norm Alt, Marilyn Heineman and Jon Dullnig for rides to and from Bangor. Marcia Thompson for the beautiful flowers from her garden for the stage. Connor Kim and Zach Maccarone for inventing the FUSION DOG, a Hebrew National hot dog topped with kimchee and sesame seeds. They are offered Friday before concerts be sure to try one next season. Robin Rilette (Maine Public Radio) and Barry Darling for presenting the Kneisel Hall music on MPR. Danielle Harriman (office/business manager), Wilt Jones (grounds), Zach Maccarone (chef), Ed Power (librarian), Susan Guilford (box office) and Alan Bise (recording) Kneisel Hall s spectacular backstage team! page 4 - Kneisel Hall News

5 April is Alum Month April is the month when we aim to have ALL Kneisel Hall alums tip their hats to Kneisel Hall the festival that inspired so many and helped them become the musicians they are today. Alums: Make sure you have Kneisel Hall in your biography. Wear your Kneisel Hall shirt, hoodie or button. Send us a picture and we ll post it. Dedicate a concert in April to Kneisel Hall just a tag line in the program will do. If you have the opportunity, stand up and sing our praises! Send us those dates, we ll post them. Send in memories; send in testimonials we ll post them all. Easy ways an alum can ensure that the Kneisel Hall experience will ALWAYS be there for other young artists go to www. kneisel.org and CLICK. If you are one to five years out, send Kneisel Hall $5.00. New Studios There is never enough space to practice never! Scheduling large groups is a nightmare we don t have enough large studios! Those laments were heard time and again from students, faculty and administration. No more! Four new practice studios are being built and will be ready for musicians in the spring. Three will be big enough for sextet and piano quintet rehearsals. The fourth will easily hold quartet and piano quartet rehearsals. One of the studios is 2017 Outreach Kneisel Hall young artists and alumni participated in outreach concerts from Boulder, CO to Southwest Harbor, ME: being donated by the entire board in honor of Robin Clements, one by Jose Soriano in memory of his late wife Liliane Soriano, one in memory of Artistic Director Seymour Lipkin and one whose dedication is yet to be disclosed. Every musician on campus young artists, faculty, Maine students, ACMI participants and the administrative scheduler THANK all the donors. If you are six to ten years out, send Kneisel Hall $ If you are eleven years+ out send at least $25. If you are out twenty+ years, please consider joining the Kneisel Hall Encore Society. Thurmond Smithgall, NYC and Mollie Heron, Orland, ME gave house concerts for their friends. Neil and Trudie Prior hosted the elegant Quarry Concert, in yes, a granite quarry. Bert and Suzie Zbar threw a concert for the entire town of Southwest Harbor. The Claremont Hotel in Southwest Harbor invited the young artists to play in their music series. Ellen and Fred Harris, Robin and Beth Clements and Amy and Terry Britton each hosted an April is Alum Month Concert. Bill Lenoci hosted the young artists in a Deer Isle Concert at Stonington Opera s Burnt Cove Church. Kneisel Hall in Southwest Harbor the Bangor Symphony hosted a Bangor Concert. If you are interested in hosting a young artist ensemble, let us know and we ll send great music your way. (Ellen Werner, ellen@kneisel.org, ) The moment we leave campus Beth Israel, All Souls Church and Kneisel Hall at the Claremont Kneisel Hall News - page 5

6 ACMI The Adult Chamber Music Institute (ACMI) at Kneisel Hall is one of the truly unique summer programs available today to amateurs of all proficiency levels. What makes it so compelling for many is the opportunity to work, study and play with Young Artists from some of the country s finest conservatories. Their guidance, support and good cheer adds a quality to the chamber music experience that, to my knowledge, is unmatched by other summer programs anywhere. For one glorious week in August, these adult enthusiasts join them as peers, together puzzling through some of the finest musical literature available. The additional overlay of daily coaching sessions by a series of highly skilled faculty help to round out this musical immersion experience. Kneisel Hall PO Box 648 Blue Hill, ME festival@kneisel.org Here is my/our donation in honor of the exceptionally successful 2017! $ Please contact me for ways I can help sponsor the music and students in Name: Address: Fun Run 2017 Kneisel Hall took the Blue Hill Fun Run by storm! Thirty-seven Kneisel Hall runners sported tie-dyed Team Kneisel shirts. Days before the Fun Run, KH young artists gathered and chose their patterns and colors some decided on classic tie-dye designs while others adopted a freestyle approach. It was great to see everyone express creativity outside the world of music and, in a way, each shirt managed to capture a part of the student s personality. Not only did the shirts look amazing together but also it was a beautiful display of Kneisel spirit and support for the Blue Hill community. We hope it becomes a Kneisel tradition! Everyone finished and Matt Woodard was the Kneisel Hall star he finished first in his age group. Rosemary Nelis, violist and tie-dye master The atmosphere is relaxed, the playing opportunities numerous and the additional programming lectures, concerts, master classes and workshops is a delight. The staff is both responsive and friendly, singularly focused on ensuring that all participants glean the most from their ACMI experience. Kneisel s lovely campus-like grounds sited on a rise just overlooking the Maine seaside village of Blue Hill feature numerous private woodland studios nestled next to a stunning century-old concert hall. The program also maintains an impressive number of musical scores, overseen by a full-time staff librarian. ACMI visit at the Bagaduce Music Lending Library performance hall. Campus living quarters are provided, along with three meals per day, expertly prepared by ACMI s own chef in a separate dining facility where faculty, Young Artists, staff and participants meet informally to eat, to get to know each other and in the true spirit of Kneisel to form friendships that endure for years. Steve Logowitz, clarinetist, 7-year ACMI participant YOU DON T HAVE TO BE A GAZILLIONAIRE! A full-scholarship-festival was the goal of the late Artistic Director Seymour Lipkin. He knew in order to attract the most gifted young artists offering a full scholarship to each and every one was the only way to go. In 2002 we took the plunge and ever since Kneisel Hall has offered full scholarships to all participants. Seymour was right our classes are consistently strong; their concerts are the proof. Thank you, Seymour Lipkin and thank you donors. Donors make it all possible their generosity brings the musicians to Maine and helps put their spectacular music on stage. City/Zip: Phone: page 6 - Kneisel Hall News You don t have to be a gazillionaire to support Kneisel Hall scholarships. If your annual donation is $100 a year a simple sentence in your will I bequeath Kneisel Hall endowment $2,500 will ensure that Kneisel Hall young artists have your support, $100 each year, in perpetuity. How simple is that? If you have questions about making a gift, call us we d love to discuss an endowment gift with you

7 Board At their annual meeting in August the board honored retiring president Robin Clements. During his presidency the endowment grew 20%, we renovated the porch, we put in a new kitchen and air-conditioned the Hall. Most important, he led the successful transition from the late Artistic Director Seymour Lipkin to the new Artistic Director Laurie Smukler. We are all deeply grateful. At the meeting the Trustees voted in new officers: President Ellen Harris, Vice President Jeffrey Kehl, Treasurer Susan Richardson, Recording Secretary Nancy Hoppin and Clerk Margery Irvine. Wanting to get to know Ellen Harris better we asked her a few questions When did you become a Kneisel Hall devotee? Schubert, Schumann, Mozart and Brahms have long been my heroes, my solace and my inspiration. When did you return to Maine? My husband and I bought our Brooksville house fifteen years ago so that our family could be near Kneisel Hall. What a joy to now be able to pay back those years of musical revelation and pleasure as President of the Board of Trustees!! I am thrilled with the first two seasons organized by our new Artistic Director, Laurie Smukler and grateful that we can still count on the wisdom and skill of our long-time Executive Director, Ellen Werner. want your own faith restored, join me at the young artist marathon concerts next summer in Blue Hill. That experience sustains me all year. Just leave a seat for me! String Quartet No. 6 (Davidovsky) Soyoung Choi, Matthew Woodard, violin; Rosemary Nelis, viola; Samuel DeCaprio; cello During the summer of 1955 I spent the summer with my aunt and uncle in Surry. Among the many vivid memories I have of that summer was sitting in the front row of a weekend concert at Kneisel Hall. I credit that summer and the many Surry summers that followed, with planting and feeding the seeds of a lifelong love of classical music, especially chamber music. My uncle Pete used to wax poetic about Beethoven s late quartets, a preference I never fully understood until recent years. Do you have any thoughts for the future? If I can leave you with one thought as we go into fall, spring and the 2018 season it is this: As crazy and frightening as the world and our own country can seem today, the talent and dedication of KH s young artists are evidence that all is not lost. Far from it! If you Telegraph Quartet, Laurie Smukler, Ellen Werner 2018 Faculty Artistic Director Laurie Smukler announces the faculty and guests for next season we can t wait! Violin: David Bowlin, Ronald Copes, Joel Smirnoff, Laurie Smukler, Axel Strauss Viola: Cello: Doris Lederer, Katherine Murdock, Ira Weller Natasha Brofsky, Jerry Grossman, Dmitry Kouzov, Joel Krosnick, Barbara Mallow Piano: Jane Coop, Qing Jiang, Robert McDonald, Anna Polonsky Guests: Formosa String Quartet Spektral String Quartet Shattered Glass (self-conducted string orchestra) Roger Tapping, viola Ann Rodiger, Alexander Technique Alan Kay, clarinet Composer Now, TBA Alumni: Michelle Ross, violin; Jesse Yukimura, viola; Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir, cello Kneisel Hall News - page 7

8 KNEISEL HALL CHAMBER MUSIC PO Box 648 Blue Hill, Maine NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION US POSTAGE PAID ELLSWORTH, ME PERMIT NO. 73 Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival 2017 Laurie Smukler artistic director Kneisel Hall PO Box 648 Blue Hill, ME 04614