Message from the President
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Dear Friends,
One of the aims of these newsletters is to highlight music programs featuring our students, music faculty, and artist affiliates and I am very grateful to our music faculty for supplying information about the programs featured below that you won’t find anywhere else. Because classes have just begun for this semester, there are no concerts featuring our undergraduates, but listed below you will find concerts featuring our faculty, two artists in residence, and a concert with finalists of a national competition for young pianists. I hope you will have the opportunity to hear at least some of them.
There are of course many outstanding concerts at Emory that aren’t mentioned here (but are listed in the
Music at Emory Calendar
above). Foremost among those including Emory faculty and artist affiliates are the many concerts given by the
Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta
. They are embarking on their exciting Beethoven 2020 series in a few days, and if you want to see the complete schedule,
you can click here
.
The support of the Friends of Music is enormously important in helping create the beautiful music we all love at Emory. Your contributions make a real difference for the activities that we fund, which include music students and the programs that support them. You can read reports about some of our awards below.
We welcome your feedback!
Just hit reply to the email that brought you this newsletter and let us know what additional articles or features you would like to see in the newsletter, how you would like to participate in Friends of Music, or any other suggestions you might have.
Many thanks to June Scott for help with editing this newsletter.
With best wishes,
Gray
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Bradley Howard FoM Grant Report
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J. J. Penna and Beth Roberts
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Vocal Studies Report on 2018-19 Friends of Music Grants
Dear Emory Friends of Music,
I'm writing to thank you for your generous support and to report on the events sponsored by FOM this year. Without your support we would be unable to offer so many wonderful opportunities to Emory students. Thank you.
Last year, you granted Vocal Studies $3000 total for the following projects:
$1500 for Schubert Lieder Symposium
$1500 for Master Classes with Beth Roberts
In the fall, our Schubert Lieder Symposium led by
J.J. Penna
of Westminster Choir College and The Juilliard School proved a wonderful success. Students in vocal studies learned and performed songs by Schubert to add to his lecture. Given his many years of experience with advanced and professional singers around the world and his love for the songs of Schubert, Professor Penna worked excellently with our students. We couldn't have found a better presenter for this type of workshop with our students. Students commented that they were motivated to work harder and to give their very best by Professor Penna. We now have more information about another genre to add to the mix in our programming in student recitals. Thank you for making this possible. The grant covered his fee. The additional accompanist fees were covered in the vocal studies budget. It was wonderful to watch students observe our presenter and each other in the symposium.
In February, we hosted master classes given by internationally renowned teacher
Beth Roberts
from Mannes Conservatory at the New School in Manhattan. Our students learned her perspective on singing while participating in two days of master classes with her. These extra performance opportunities help to create better singers and performers on stage. The grant covered her fee. Vocal Studies paid for the accompanists. We also thank you for your continued support for next year and look forward to seeing you at those events. The vocal studies program will be in touch about upcoming events as we approach the new academic year.
Gratefully,
Bradley Howard
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Thank You from Emory Students
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Emory music students are able to take lessons from world-class professionals. Those of you who have heard our students perform can hear the results--our students are amazingly accomplished.
However, the cost of these lessons presents a formidable burden for many. FoM is pleased to be able to offer scholarship support for some students. Below are thank you notes from a few recipients.
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My name is Nicole and I am a current freshman at Emory! I come from Taiwan and have been playing the oboe since the beginning of high school. Music has always been a part of my life from playing the recorder in elementary school, learning piano from a private tutor, and singing English and Chinese songs during my free time. Through music, I was able to express myself and find lifelong friends. Being part of the Wind Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra in my high school not only made me realize how much music means to me, but also solidified my determination to continue my passion in college. However, I do not have my own instrument and do not have the financial support to continue playing the oboe. It really depresses me to think about the possibility that my oboe career would have to end once I graduate from high school! This is why I would like to thank you and the Friends of Music for providing me the aid I very much needed to continue playing the oboe at Emory. The scholarship really means a lot to me!
Sincerely,
Nicole Lu
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Thank you very much for your generosity in providing this award. I am grateful that this award will let me focus solely on improving my music. My music has allowed me to meet new people and explore new avenues, giving me confidence. I appreciate the Friends of Music and all their donors for all their volunteer work and making this scholarship possible and allowing me to further my musical journey free of concern.
Sincerely,
Jack Li
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Sunday, January 19, 4 pm Bradley Howard Faculty Recital
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I would like to especially invite the Emory Friends of Music to my upcoming recital next Sunday, January 19th at 4pm in Emerson Concert Hall at the Schwartz Center.
This concert is important to me, since it is during the Martin Luther King holiday weekend and the day before we celebrate MLK and the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S. With this in mind, Lee Thompson, pianist, and I have chosen our repertoire around the subjects of struggle and hope. Each of the songs represents some perspective of struggle and/or hope. Also, in keeping with the spirit of the holiday, we’ve programmed many different composers and poets to represent those who have been underrepresented. We’ve also included some more popular arias and songs that are in line with the theme. I think the audience will enjoy the variety in this program with music ranging from the Baroque period to the 21st century.
Sincerely,
Brad
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Friday, January 24, 8 pm, Lomazov Rackers Piano Duo
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Through the Schwartz-Artist-in-Residence Program, Emory's Department of Piano Studies will partner with the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts on this two-day residency including the Emory Young Artist Piano Competition and this public performance. (There may also be a masterclass on January 24 at 10 am; if interested in attending, please check with the Music Department.)
The Lomazov/Rackers duo will perform a two piano concert on Jan 24. Here is their program:
Fantasy in F Minor, D. 940 - Schubert
Sonata in C Major, K 521, for one piano, four hands - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
—Intermission—
Sonata for Two Pianos, op. 34 bis
I. Andante, un poco Adagio II. Scherzo. Allegro molto - Brahms
Trois mouvements de Pétrouchka - Stravinsky
The Serpent’s Kiss from The Garden of Eden- William Bolcom
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Saturday, January 25, 7 pm,
Piano Competition Final Concert
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The winner’s concert will feature 3 or 4 of the students competing at the Emory young artist competition chosen by the jury during the day; therefore neither the performers nor the pieces they play will be known until that evening. The level of playing is extraordinary.
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Sunday, February 2, 4 pm Faculty Recital: The Bach Bowl
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Regarding next month’s Bach Bowl, 2020 is Bach Bowl XII - I suppose that already is newsworthy, extending 4 years beyond my earlier beloved Scary Ride run of 8 years at Halloween.
If asked why we have had such good audience following these past dozen years of The Bach Bowl, I would credit three things: Surely, high on the list is the jaw-dropping talent of my top-tier Emory music (strings, vocal, keyboards) collaborators, who truly enjoy performing Bach together! There is no greater music than Bach and what a joy it is to get to play with such friends!
Then, there is the generosity and support of the Schwartz Center, each year underwriting the huge expense and lavish care in making not only available but also “road-worthy” (including tuning!) so many keyboards on our concert stage for one 60-minute event (see above photo).
Finally, I think this program is unique in our “low-ego” format: Show me another concert where all seven bios are so short and where the presentation moves effortlessly from one Bach chamber music gem to the next, unfolding without even mentioning who performs the next piece!
--Timothy Albrecht
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Emory Friends of Music
Schwartz Center for Performing Arts
1700 N. Decatur Rd, Suite 206
Atlanta, GA 30322
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