JUNE 2008
MTAC MARIN BRANCH NEWSLETTER
OUTGOING PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Dear MTAC Marin Branch members,
First of all, I’d like to say a big “thank you” to the all the teachers who volunteered to make the past year go so smoothly, especially the officers and board of directors and all the teachers who served as program chairs, committee chairs, etc. We have a great depth of talent in Marin County and the Marin Branch MTAC sincerely appreciates the fact that many of our members carve time out of their busy schedules to help us out.
Last year we produced our first-ever Yearbook and Membership Directory. We had good feedback on it and the consensus seems to be that we should continue printing and distributing it each year. We will make one small change next year – teachers’ addresses will be added to the contact list.
Over 220 children participated in Certificate of Merit last March and of those about 109 were chosen for Branch Honors. A big shout out to C/M Chair Helen Konowitz for making sure that everything ran like clockwork.
Speaking of Branch Honors, on June 8th the Board voted to change the criteria for acceptance into Branch Honors. We voted to increase the sightreading requirement to Good or Excellent. Additionally, we decided to limit Branch Honors only to those students in Level 1 or higher. Preparatory students will no longer be eligible.
Any teacher new to Certificate of Merit who is interested in entering students next year should contact Helen Konowitz over the summer. Her email address is helenkonow@aol.com
As far as student performances go, we successfully completed five Monthly Student Recitals, an Adult Recital, a Teen Recital and a Spring Festival. In addition, we offered the Margaret Bean Davis Memorial Music Scholarship Competition. The Winners’ Recital on May 17th was truly wonderful and featured an extremely high level of piano performance both by our local winners and by YAG member Ashley Hsu. Current chair Carol LaRusso did a great job with this program, but she will be bowing out next year. I’m delighted to announce that our new competition chair will be Kuei-Ling Pomerleau.
We had two Teacher-to-Teacher Workshops – a “share your favorite pieces” meeting and a wonderful lecture on pedaling by James Marchand. Each workshop, sadly, only attracted about four member teachers each. Along these lines, we were forced to cancel one Monthly Student Recital, the Improvisation/Composers Today workshop and the Deborah Clasquin Master Class – all for lack of student enrollments.
In the upcoming year, we are designing an online survey that will help us to prioritize somewhat better. It will be very brief. We will let you know as soon as it’s completed and we encourage all of our teachers to take a few minutes answer the questions so we can better meet the needs of our membership.
We still lack chairs for Composers Today, Cal Plan, Solo and Concerto Competition and the Branch Honors Recital. Additionally, we need teachers to volunteer to serve as program chairs for at least one monthly student recital. If you think you’d be interested, please contact Paul Agricola.
The Discovery Scholarship program accepted three new students last year. We were awarded $5,000 from Marin Music Chest, for which we are truly grateful. This means that we will be able to take on four (or more) new scholarship students next year. Thank you, thank you, thank you to Marin’s very own Music Chest!!
At the General Meeting on May 17th, the 2008-09 slate of officers was approved unanimously, as follows:
President: Elenor Barcsak
Vice-President: Paul Agricola
Recording Secretary: Cristina Marcu
Membership Secretary: Marie Carbone
Treasurer: Mariko Heenan
Board of Directors: Christina Bradley. Mary Fleming, Helen Konowitz, Karen Rogers
We would especially like to express our gratitude to Cristina Marcu, Karen Rogers and Mary Fleming for volunteering to serve for the very first time!
In closing I just want to say what a wonderful, vibrant, amazing organization this is and how honored I’ve been to serve as your President for the past year. I hope you all have a restful, refreshing summer!
Christina Bradley
MTAC STATE CONVENTION
The Convention will be held in Riverside
from June 27th to July 1st.
Kuei-Ling Pomerleau is pleased to announce that her student, Daria Hoang, will perform in the Festival Recitals. Congratulations to both Kuei-Ling and Daria!
IN MEMORIAM
Irene Kunzelman Picker, former Mill Valley resident, passed away at her Santa Rosa home on May 30, 2008. Pianist, teacher, wife and mother, she devoted her 80 years to family and music. Born in Syracuse, New York, Irene received BA and MA (Performance) degrees from Syracuse University, where she studied with pianist/composer George Mulfinger. She performed extensively throughout the Midwest and taught piano and music theory at the College of Wooster, and other Ohio schools. Irene moved to California with her husband, Dr. Robert Picker, SFSU Geography professor. With the births of their children, she became full-time mother and busy piano teacher. She served as president of the Marin County Music Teachers Association in 1975 and was actively involved in THUMB, the Tamalpais High United Music Boosters. In the summer of 1982, the Tam Orchestra was invited to participate in the Youth and Music Festival in Vienna, Austria. Always supportive of her children's musical activities, Irene coordinated preparation for the trip, working with parents, students, community groups and school administrators. Thanks to her organizational skill and enthusiasm, the trip was a success, as the orchestra won first place in the international competition. Irene is survived by her husband, Robert, sons Jonathon (March) and Todd (Laura), daughter Leslie (Michael Tinsley) and nine grandchildren. She will be sorely missed by friends, former students, and the Mill Valley music community. Memorial tributes are suggested to Marin Music Chest Scholarship Fund, PO Box 468, Ross, CA 94957.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
TIBURON MUSIC FESTIVAL
TIBURON CHAMBER PLAYERS
TUESDAY, JUNE 24, 7:30 PM
Barbara Bogatin, San Francisco Symphony cellist and Tiburon resident, leads her fellow San Fancisco Symphony musicians with Marin roots-Chen Zhao and Amy Hiraga, violins; Nancy Ellis, viola; Janet Ketchum, flute; and Stephen Paulson, bassoon; in:
Beethoven, String Trio, op. 9, no. 3 in C minor Mozart, Flute Quartet in D major
Vaughan Williams, Quintet for Bassoon and Strings Haydn, String Quartet, op. 20, no. 4
LONDON & MOSCOW
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25, 7:30 PM
Scipio's Dream, British composer Judith Weir's masterful updating of Mozart's opera, presents the hapless office worker Scipio torn by the affections of the goddesses Fortune and Constancy as well as a surprise heavenly visit by his grandfather. Cast features Louis Weiner, Linda Noble Brown, Valentina Osinski, Boyd Jarrell, and a chorus of angels.
Rayok, a samizdat (underground) opera by Dmitri Shostakovich, was never presented in his lifetime. This comic opera presents the Soviet Politburo in its politically misguided best and features Michael Crozier, Michael Irvine, Louis Weiner, Rick Wallace, and a large chorus of Communist functionaries. No, really, it is far funnier than you could imagine! Both works, sung in English, are staged by Rick Wallace.
Total program length is approximately 75 minutes.
TWO FROM TIBURON
FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 7:30 PM
Contemporary Opera Marin presents two works by Tiburon composers Ron McFarland and Vincent Stadlin.
Tamsen Donner, Ron McFarland's riveting psychological drama, to a libretto by Maria Woodward, relives the last few days of the Donner family in this important chapter of California history. The production, directed by Rick Wallace, features Carole Klein, Boyd Jarrell, Michael P. Mendelsohn, Liza Wallace, and Mackenzie Adams.
Erik by Vincent Stadlin is a coming-of-age drama set during the Vietnam War. This world premier, directed by Shelley Lynn Johnson, features Linda Noble Brown, Stefan Schermerhorn, and Michael Crozier.
THREE FOR PIANO & STRINGS
SATURDAY, JUNE 28, 7:30 PM
Festival Director Paul Smith performs two piano maSterpieces of the classical era, Haydn's Concerto in D major and Beethoven's Fourth Concerto, in G major, in the form in which they were most often heard at the time-with string quintet. Pamela Carey leads the Festival Strings in a program which also includes Aulis Sallinen's Introduction and Tango Overture.
LONDON & MOSCOW (repeat of June 25)
SUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2:00 PM
All performances take place at:
St. Hilary Church, 761 Hilary Drive, Tiburon.
From Highway 101 take Mill Valley/Tiburon exit toward Tiburon Boulevard. Turn left at Rock Hill Drive and right at Hilary Drive. Online directions here.
GENERAL ADMISSION: $20
STUDENTS AND SENIORS: $15
UNDER 10 YEARS: $5
FESTIVAL PASS: $75
Tickets are available at the door, by calling the Tiburon Music Festival at (415) 457-5226, or online by clicking <a href=http://www.brownpapertickets.com/producer/8826>here</a>.
Operas are performed in the beautiful acoustic of the Parrish Hall, and chamber concerts are in the equally lush acoustic of the church. All performances are followed by a reception by the Trinity Fountain.
CHAMBER MUSIC BY THREE WOMEN
June 28th
Carolyn Tewari and Friends Present Chamber Music by Three Women Composers (Amy Beach, Rebecca Clarke, and Clara Schumann).
Coffee Catz, 6761 Sebastopol Avenue, Sebastopol
Suggested donation: $12 ($10 seniors/students)
No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Performers: Arden Sugarman, soprano; Pam Otsuka, violinist; Loria Rolander, pianist; Carolyn Tewari, pianist.
Tax-deductible donations may be made to "MTAC Foundation", to support educational programs of the Sonoma County branch of the Music Teachers' Association of California.
GINI WILSON TRIO
July 8th and July 30th
Shanghai 1930
133 Steuart Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
Tel: (415) 896 5600 Fax: (415) 896 5688
http://www.shanghai1930.com
Deadline for next newsletter: August 15th
Please send items to new President Elenor Barcsak zenezest@aol.com
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