Short Takes for 6/24/08


Whats Cookin Saxophone Quartet.png

MYA Saxophone Quartet featured on From The Top
The What’s Cookin’ Saxophone Quartet, made up of Midwest Young Artists members Amanda Peterson, Mira DeJong, Kateri Tumminello, and Joshua Plotner, was recently featured of NPR’s program From The Top. I do a lot of work with this metropolitan Chicago program–I host their weekly podcast at WMYA.fm, and many of my students play in the various ensembles.

Bass Bridge.png

MYA bassist Dan Bergren on being podcasted

I recently featured a group of bass players that are involved with the Midwest Young Artists program (many of whom also happen to be my students) on the Contrabass Conversations podcast. Bassist and blogger Dan Bergren, a sophomore at the University of Illinois and one of the featured bassists on this podcast, wrote a post about being podcasted, plus a little about his experiences with MYA. Dan’s got a great blog–check it out!


Alana Vegter.pngAnd the Band Honked On

Did you know that the New York City public school system employs 958 music teachers….and has 1.1 million students? Did you know that 20% of New York City public schools have no full-time arts teacher? This interesting piece from a recent NYT edition covers the educational adventures of several music performers in a middle school educational environment, including DePaul University and Civic Orchestra of Chicago alum Alana Vegter (pictured here). This piece strikes very close to home for me, since I just wrapped up a teacher training program here in Chicago myself (at DePaul), and have been working in the Chicago public schools this past year.

This story also discusses the glut of musicians that graduate from music school every year to a world where classical music plays an ever-diminishing role–a tope that I discuss in great depth in my book Road Warrior Without an Expense Account. (photo credit: Suzanne DeChillo/The New York Times)


Don Palma performs Elliot Carter’s “Figment III” Don Palma.png

The New York Times covers bassist Don Palma’s performance of Elliot Carter’s “Figment III.” Don commissioned this solo bass work and performed it in a recent concert by the new music ensemble Speculum Musicae, of which he is a long-time member. (photo credit: G. Paul Burnett/The New York Times)

June 24, 2008 · Filed Under Contrabass Conversations, bass, education, music news, orchestra news

Comments

One Response to “Short Takes for 6/24/08”

  1. Carlos Rengifo on July 12th, 2008 10:55 am

    Hi.
    I attended Mr. Palmas´s peformance of FIGMENT III at the IFCP and it was wonderful.
    Any ideas where I could get the part of Elliot Carter´s new piece for bass solo…??
    Thanks for the help.
    C. Rengifo

Leave a Reply




  • NHSMI

  • DoubleBassBlog.org – An Inside the Arts Blog

    Inside The Arts Your cultural blogging exchange
    Adaptistration Drew McManus on orchestra management
    Brian Dickie Life as General Director of Chicago Opera Theater
    Butts In The Seats Musings on Practical Solutions For Arts Management (Joe Patti)
    Double Bass Blog Jason Heath on all things bass and culture from the ground up
    Neo Classical Holly Mulcahy on the future of classical music
    non divisi Frank Almond writes a column instead of practicing
    Scanning The Dial Marty Ronish and Jack Allen on classical music in broadcasting
    Sticks and Drones Two conductors, on the beat with Bill Eddins and Ron Spigelman
    There's Always Room For Cello The adventures of Rosin Hood; he stays on the pitch and gives you the score (Lynn Harrell)

  • Categories

  • Sponsors

  • Free online Musicians Friend coupon from dealtaker.com