Pianist Magazine: Tianxu An’s time is here: The pianist talks about his quest for success

Pianist Magazine
By Ellie Palmer

Tianxu An’s time is here: The pianist talks about his quest for success

In 2019, Tianxu An fell victim to a terrible error in the final of the International Tchaikovsky Competition. With the pianist expecting to play one piece, the accompanying orchestra started playing a completely different piece. Two years on, he's back and ready to aim for the stars.

Can you tell us a little bit about your musical background and what led you to pursue a career as a solo pianist?

I come from a non-musical family. My parents initially thought that playing piano would be a good way to help us kids develop our intelligence so they enrolled us in lessons. Since I had no musical knowledge at that time, my attitude was neutral. Thanks to my studies at the elementary and the middle school affiliated to Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, I began to love music and became more interested in playing the piano.

I am currently studying at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, which gives me a closer connection with the western culture and environment. My experiences have showed me how music is a powerful language which establishes the deeply emotional bond among people that surpasses the limits of verbal language on its own. Because people’s lives nowadays are more occupied by electronic devices, the emotional bond mentioned above is rarer and thus more valuable. I want to use the piano as a tool to reconstruct that intimate connection with people, which is why I have continued pursuing this career. 

While many musicians were still in quarantine, your new China-based manager Armstrong Music & Arts/Poly Armstrong organised a 19-city recital tour. Can you tell us about your recital programme and experience returning to performing for live audiences?

I prepared two programmes with some overlapping pieces. The repertoire includes Beethoven Op 110, Brahms Sonata Op 1 and Prokofiev Sonata No 6. Other works include selections from Rachmaninov's and Debussy’s preludes. I have been so lucky to have consistent performance engagements throughout this difficult time and I treasure each opportunity to play onstage. I give each of my performances my all and feel so grateful for the enthusiasm I’ve received from audiences. 

Read more here.

Musical America: New Artist of the Month: Violist Jesús Rodolfo

Musical America
By Thomas May

At heart, Jesús Rodolfo is a storyteller who uses four strings and a bow to give voice to his restless imagination. The young Spanish violist constantly returns to the model of narrative—even when discussing music as formally abstract as Paul Hindemith’s sonatas for the instrument, which rank among his favorites. Two of his albums to date are devoted to the composer’s sonatas (those with piano accompaniment and the solo viola sonatas).

Read more here.

The All-Star Orchestra Wins 8th and 9th EMMY Awards

The multi-Emmy® Award-winning All-Star Orchestra received its 8th and 9th awards at the 64th Annual New York Emmy® Awards Ceremony of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Award: Special Event - Edited
The All-Star Orchestra’s “From Italy and Hungary with Love,” a program featuring Mendelssohn’s beloved “Italian” Symphony No. 4, and Kodály’s orchestral showpiece, Dances of Galánta was awarded in the category: Special Event - Edited with Gerard Schwarz as Music Director, Abib Azar as Director, Dmitriy Lipay and Sascha Lipay as Audio Producers, and Andrew Mayatskiy as Editor. Co-Producers are Gerard Schwarz and Paul Schwendener. The program is part of the acclaimed classical music series featuring top musicians from across the country performing major symphonic masterpieces and works from leading contemporary American composers. The series has been broadcast nationwide on public television since September 2013, and has won Emmy® awards in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019. National broadcasts of Season Five began in July, 2020, in partnership with WNET/Thirteen, American Public Television, and Oregon Public Broadcasting.

Award: Audio - Post Production
The program “From Italy and Hungary with Love,” was also awarded this year in the category Audio Post- production, with Dmitriy Lipay and Sascha Lipay as Audio Engineers/Editors.

Music Director Gerard Schwarz said, “For all of us at the All-Star Orchestra receiving these awards is confirmation of the importance of making great music accessible to all, especially in these challenging times of the pandemic. Great music brings hope and inspiration. It builds a sense of community. We are so grateful to WNET/Thirteen and to all of the remarkable public television stations in our vast country for believing in classical music.”

Maestro Schwarz’s All-Star Orchestra is comprised of top players from some of the country’s greatest orchestra’s including Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Florida, Houston, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Nashville, New Jersey, New York (the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra), Oregon, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Seattle, St Louis, Utah, Washington D.C., and more. Together these musicians perform on one stage under the leadership of Maestro Schwarz who serves as Music Director of the All-Star Orchestra, Eastern Music Festival, Palm Beach Symphony, and Mozart Orchestra of New York and is Conductor Laureate of the Seattle Symphony and Conductor Emeritus of the Mostly Mozart Festival. He holds the position of Distinguished Professor of Music; Conducting and Orchestral Studies of the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami and Music Director of the Frost Symphony Orchestra.

The series features classical masterpieces as well as new works from leading contemporary American composers. The series aims to expose classical music to an even broader audience while keeping the listening experience informative and accessible. In addition to performances of classical and contemporary works, the programs also feature musical excerpts, images, interviews and educational commentary by Maestro Schwarz, the All-Star Orchestra musicians, and special guests.

The All-Star Orchestra’s Music Education Academy - in partnership with the Khan Academy – was founded in 2014 to bring great classical music to millions of students (over five million students as of March 2021). Online features and lessons present unique content including award-winning HD video, and enable self-learning via the Khan Academy– the world’s leading free education website.

The Strad: Back to business: Postcard from Sun Valley

The Strad
By Laurence Vittes

Following 2020’s Summer Season of broadcasts, this year’s Sun Valley Music Festival returned to free live performances, much to the delight of its thousands of fans, writes Laurence Vittes

Although the ski and summer resort area of Sun Valley, Idaho, is noted for the rich and famous celebrities who have been flocking here since the 1930s – from Ernest Hemingway and Marilyn Monroe to Oprah Winfrey, Tom Hanks and Matt Damon – it boasts a thriving cultural life, including the Sun Valley Writers’ Conference and Sun Valley Film Festival, and the brand new state-of-the-art Argyros Performing Arts Center. And then there is the 37-year-old Sun Valley Music Festival, led by music director Alasdair Neale, which draws 50,000 concertgoers annually to its free Winter and Summer Season events.

After reinventing its 2020 Summer Season – with 14 original concert broadcasts brought to life by artists and production crews across North America – and receiving $2.8 million in donations to keep the concerts (including the Winter Season performances) free for everyone, the Summer 2021 Season came to full bloom as Covid-19 seemed to be retreating.

Read more here.

Violinist: Anne Akiko Meyers in Recital with Pianist Fabio Bidini

Violinist
By Laurie Niles

I am not often moved to tears at a violin recital. 

However on Saturday night, through a combination of fine playing, sincere music-making and thoughtful programming, violinist Anne Akiko Meyers and pianist Fabio Bidini had audience members dabbing their eyes and sighing "ah," during their recital at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, Calif.

For me tears came from a feeling of connection, after all the isolation of the last two years. This wasn't the first concert I'd seen since the pandemic - though it was the first indoor concert back at the Wallis and the first for many in the audience.

But somehow this was the first where I felt connected to everything they played - connected as a violinist, as teacher, as a person living in Los Angeles, as a mother, as a human. Let's say it put me in a state of COVID catharsis that I'd probably been avoiding. Sometimes you don't want to cry, don't want to think about it all. For the first few concerts after things started opening up again, I just wanted to hear some music, to feel assured that live music still existed and would continue. I didn't necessarily want to "go there" and think about the sadness of the last few years.

Read more here.

Inside Edition: Composer Karen LeFrak's 'Gratitude' Is Dedicated to COVID-19 Frontline Workers

Inside Edition
Deborah Norville

Eleanor McCain Releases “I Can See Hope From Here” Album and Music Video

Canadian music offers hope in the wake of a global pandemic

As the world slowly emerges from an unimaginable and often surreal time that profoundly affected humanity as a whole and dealt a seismic blow to the performing arts community, acclaimed Canadian singer Eleanor McCain releases I Can See Hope From Here as an offering of solace, comfort, and hope for the future. Distributed by eOne, the album provides a fresh take on 14 favourite tracks from McCain’s most ambitious project to date – True North: The Canadian Songbook. Her silky vocals fuse seamlessly with orchestras from across Canada to create a powerful message of inspiration. Pre-orders are available now here, with the full album releasing on September 24.

I Can See Hope From Here not only offers a cross-section of the many musical flavours of Canada’s vast songbook, but also serves as an apt reflection of the country’s spirit and strength. “The honest emotion and powerful spirit of Canadian music has always inspired me,” says McCain, “especially now as we begin to emerge from a very dark and uncertain time. Though I’m not a songwriter, as a long-time interpreter I have the deepest admiration and respect for those who can capture and convey deep feeling through music and words.”

On September 10, McCain is set to release a video for the title track, I Can See Hope from Here, the album’s sole original track, penned by award-winning producer and songwriter Don Breithaupt and his brother Jeff. Ironically, the song’s genesis was quite literal – a partial view of Hope Island on Canada’s iconic Georgian Bay – but its words take on a much deeper and more universal meaning during this time of restoration and healing. Filmed in Nova Scotia on Canada’s stunning east coast, the video – a visual poem that dreamily captures the song’s strong emotional message – is directed by celebrated Canadian filmmaker and producer Joel Stewart.

In an effort to offer support and to shine a light on the devastation caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic, proceeds from I Can See Hope From Here, to a total of $25,000, will benefit The Unison Fund—Canada’s music industry charity, which provides counselling and emergency services to the Canadian music community.

TRACKLIST
Hallelujah featuring the National Arts Centre Orchestra
I’ll Always Be There featuring Roch Voisine and the National Arts Centre Orchestra
A Case Of You featuring the National Arts Centre Orchestra
Run To You featuring the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
Angel featuring the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
Constant Craving featuring Jens Lindemann and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
Undun featuring the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
Get Me Through December featuring the National Arts Centre Orchestra
Aujourd’hui, je dis bonjour à la vie featuring l’Orchestre symphonique de Québec
I Can See Hope From Here featuring the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra
Heart Like A Wheel featuring the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra
Still Believe In Love featuring Symphony Nova Scotia
Up Where We Belong featuring the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
O Siem featuring l’Orchestre symphonique de Québec

ABOUT ELEANOR MCCAIN
Eleanor McCain has dazzled audiences for more than a decade with a voice that has been described as “lovely...full and expressive” (Halifax Chronicle Herald). Hailing from New Brunswick, Canada, this multiple East Coast Music Award-nominated classical crossover artist has recorded six albums, toured with noted JUNO-nominated jazz singer Matt Dusk, and appeared with orchestras across Canada. She’s also had the honour of collaborating with artists such as Roch Voisine, Jens Lindemann, Natalie MacMaster, Liona Boyd, John McDermott, Chantal Kreviazuk, the Elmer Iseler Singers, and Carlos Nunez.

In 2017, Eleanor McCain released True North: The Canadian Songbook—featuring 32 iconic songs as reimagined by 14 Canadian arrangers and recorded by 10 Canadian orchestras, with guest appearances by 28 celebrated Canadian artists. An award-winning bilingual coffee-table book, which includes a stunning series of portraits by noted photographer V. Tony Hauser and showcases the dramatic and majestic Canadian landscape through a curated collection of images by 22 photographers, accompanies the CDs.

Based in Toronto, Eleanor McCain is also an active philanthropist. The launch of True North: The Canadian Songbook supported five $20,000 commemorative BandAid Grants honoring the 20th Anniversary of MusiCounts, Canada’s music education charity.

Website: EleanorMcCain.ca 
Twitter: @Eleanor_McCain
Facebook: @EleanorMcCainMusic
Instagram: @EleanorMcCainMusic
YouTube: @EleanorMcCainMusic

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Gala with World-Renowned Piano Virtuoso Orli Shaham

Maestro Brotons and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Celebrates the Generosity of the Community and the Resiliency of Music

[Vancouver, WA. August 11, 2021] – Following one of the most dramatic, artistically ambitious and critically acclaimed seasons in its history, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra will kick-off its 43rd season with the highly anticipated hybrid Gala. VSO Music Director, Maestro Salvador Brotons and the Orchestra’s Board of Directors will welcome in-person guests at the beautiful Discovery Ballroom of the Hilton Hotel in historic downtown Vancouver, Washington. The entire event will also be live-streamed on the VSO website.

Internationally acclaimed pianist Orli Shaham will return by popular demand as the Gala’s Guest of Honor. Shaham will team up with VSO concertmaster and principal players in live performances of music by Mozart, Dvorak, Chopin and others.

What: Gala 2021: Resiliency Through the Arts
When: Friday, September 17, 2021
12:00pm - 6:00pm PDT: Virtual Music Celebration from the VSO Archive
6:30pm PDT: Live Event/Streaming (pre-show begins at 6:00pm PDT)
Where: The in-person event will be held at the Vancouver Hilton, 301 W. Street Vancouver, Washington. Virtual guests can enjoy the live-streamed event on any viewing device. 
Tickets: In-person tickets are available for $100. Space is limited, RSVP by September 8. Virtual tickets are free to anyone around the world at www.vancouversymphony.org

Gala festivities will begin at 12:00pm PDT with a virtual music celebration featuring past performances from the VSO archive. During this free event, available on the VSO website, guests will be able to bid on auction items, donate, and support the VSO while enjoying some of Orchestra’s best performances of all time.

The 2021 auction features five, once-in-a-lifetime VIP experiences which includes tickets and VIP backstage access to the Metropolitan Opera, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Seattle Symphony and amazing trips to New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Barcelona, and Hawaii. All proceeds raised at the Gala will support the VSO’s artistic programming and will help advance the Symphony’s educational outreach initiatives.

Media available

About the VSO

The VSO, now in its 43rd season, has been a cornerstone of Southwest Washington's arts community, providing symphony music of the highest caliber in live performances and through music education in schools, concert halls, and throughout the community. For more information, please visit vancouversymphony.org.

About Orli Shaham

The 2021 Gala will be Orli Shaham’s fourth appearance with the VSO. Shaham has established an impressive international reputation as one of today’s most gifted pianists. Praised by critics on four continents, Shaham is hailed for her interpretations of both traditional and modern repertoire. The New York Times called her a “brilliant pianist”, the Chicago Tribune referred to her as “a first-rate Mozartean”, and the London Guardian said Shaham’s playing at the Proms was “perfection”. Shaham has performed with most major orchestras in the United States, and many significant ensembles internationally, including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, and Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

Orli Shaham is on faculty at The Juilliard School, Artistic Director for Pacific Symphony’s Chamber Music Series in Costa Mesa, California, and Artistic Director of “Bach Yard”, an interactive children’s concert series. She also serves on the juries of the Cliburn International Piano Competition and the Honens International Piano Competition. She has previously served on the juries of the Cliburn International Junior, New York International, Sydney International, Virginia Waring International, and Hilton Head International piano competitions.

About Salvador Brotons

Maestro Salvador Brotons returns to Vancouver for his 31st season as Music Director and Conductor of the VSO. In addition to the VSO, he has been the Music Director and Conductor of the Orquestra Simfònica de les Illes Balears “Ciutat de Palma” (1997-2001, 2009-2013) and the Orquesta Sinfónica del Vallés (1997-2002). He is presently the Conductor of the Barcelona Symphonic Band. In 2005, he received the “Arts Council” award from Clark County and the City of Vancouver as well as the Kiwanis Rose Award. Brotons has guest-conducted orchestras in countries such as the United States, Israel, France, Germany, China, Poland, South Korea, Mexico, Uruguay, and Colombia.

About our Sponsors

The VSO is generously supported by individual donors, The M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust, All Classical Portland, Oregon Public Broadcasting, The Community Foundation of Southwest Washington, The Columbian, Dick Hannah, PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center Foundation, Propel Insurance, MedicareHelpNow, Opsahl Dawson CPAs, Burnt Bridge Cellars, Clark Public Utilities, the VIC, Realvest Corporation, and Michelle’s Pianos.

Memeteria: A Homecoming for the Grand Teton Music Festival

Memeteria
Thomas May

It’s only my first time in these parts, but already I can understand the deep, magnetic sense of connection that draws people back here again and again. Upon passing through the elk antler arch at Jackson Hole Airport (the only U.S. airport located within a national park, incidentally), I soon began to feel the charm of a place that hasn’t been flattened out by plastic predictability. Even with lingering smoke from the latest Western fires imposing a thin pall, the capacity for this landscape to inspire awe was undimmed.

With its marriage of valley and dramatic, looming scarps, it’s obvious how the Jackson Hole area beckoned as an ideal spot to make music. The Grand Teton Music Festival opened on 2 July, following the all-too-familiar hiatus, and is now into Week 4 of a seven-week season — which also marks the Festival’s 60th anniversary.

Read more here.

Violinist: Live and In-Person, from Bravo! Vail, Colorado: New York Phil Quartet Review

Violinist.com
Laurie Niles

Greetings from Vail, Colorado! For the next few days I'm going be exploring the Bravo! Vail Music Festival, a summer event that has been bringing together fine orchestras and artists from all over the world to this ski town in Colorado's Rocky Mountains for some 34 years.

After last year's limits due to the pandemic, this year brings a full schedule of in-person concerts, and they have quite a prestigious and impressive lineup. Bravo! Vail kicked off in June with a week-long visit from The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and Joshua Bell, followed by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. After that came the Philadelphia Orchestra, and this week I'm lucky enough to be here for the New York Philharmonic. Guest artists this summer have included some of the best, with violinists Joshua Bell, James Ehnes, Gil Shaham and Augustin Hadelich; as well as pianists Conrad Tao, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Daniil Trifonov, and Yefim Bronfman.

Read more here.