I hope that your summer was restful and filled with fun! It is going to be a very exciting new year. Many of our programs have new Members chairing for the 2010-2011 school year. We welcome a new member on the board, we have a new CM Chair, a new Benefit recital Chair, a new Composer Today Chair and the biggest news is new changes in our Margaret B. Davis Competition.
You can find the new levels and repertoire list for the Margaret B. Davis Competition under the Branch Activities heading on our webpage: http://www.mtacmarin.org/activities.htm
Even if you haven’t taken advantage of this competition before, please take a look at it now that it has been reworked. This will be our first year in this new format, we want to serve a wide range of students.
Christina Bradley is the new Certificate of Merit Chairperson. Helen Konowitz has done such a wonderful job running the program for the last several years that we can expect a smooth transition. Thank you Helen for all your hard work!
Elenor Barcsak is now in charge of the Scholarship Benefit Recital and has been spending the summer planning an exciting program for this year’s show. Our new Board Member, Darcy Reynolds, is also our new Composers Today Chairperson.
Member Helen Paul wants to thank everyone for their thoughts, flowers and support for herself and family with the loss of her husband.
Fall Potluck 10/3/10 4:00 pm
Carol LaRusso will be able to host the Fall Potluck this year. We are meeting in first week of October this year. Directions to Carol La Russo: Take HWY #1 to Novato. EXIT San Marin/ Heatherton go west on San Marin Drive approx. 2 miles to a Shopping Center at San Ramon Way and turn left. Go 4 blocks and turn Left on San Benito Way. #14 San Benito Way is the forth house on the right. Let her know that you are coming and what you will be bringing.
Carol’s email: steinwaylit@aol.com
Phone number: 892-8815
Discovery Scholarship
Chris Bradley is has one full or two partial scholarships for low-income families. Contact her if you have anyone interested in this program at: MusicaMarin@pacbell.net
Phone: 302-0396
Monthly Recital
The first Monthly Recital will be at JB Piano on October 10th, 2010 at 2:00 pm. Karen Rogers will chair and you will find the information under the Branch Activities heading on our webpage: http://www.mtacmarin.org/activities.htm
Certificate of Merit Dates
C/M INFORMATION MEETING FOR TEACHERS WHO HAVE ENTERED STUDENTS IN C/M
Sunday, September 19th
Time: 2:00 PM
Hostess: Chris Bradley
Address: 40 Elizabeth Way, San Rafael, 94901
Refreshments provided.
Google map link: 40 Elizabeth Way, SR
RSVP on or before September 17th to Chris Bradley at musicamarin@pacbell.net or 415-302-0396
DEMYSTIFYING CERTIFICATE OF MERIT: WORKSHOP FOR TEACHERS WHO ARE NEW TO C/M
Sunday, September 26th
Time: 2:00 PM
Hostess: Chris Bradley
RSVP on or before September 24th to same information as above.
Wednesday, September 15th is the first day to begin registering your students for the 2011 Certificate of Merit Evaluation.
Certificate of Merit will be Saturday, March 26, 2011 at the College of Marin in Kentfield.
Teacher 2 Teacher
The first Teacher 2 Teacher gathering of the new school year will be on Friday, October 1, 2010 from 9:30-11am. It will be hosted by Marie Carbone.
Topics will include "Do you have/are you looking for ways to enliven your teaching for yourself and your students?"
RSVP to mmarguerite@yahoo.com by Sept. 27th.
Interested in hosting a Teacher 2 Teacher at your home or studio?
Please let us know!
From Member Elenor Barcsak
Elenor Barcsak will be performing with her colleagues on Monday October 25th, 7:00pm at SFSU Knuth Hall
in an Alumni Concert to honor Robert Schumann's 200th BD. She will play his Arabeske,
the Intermezzo from The Carnival in Vienna, and the Prophet Bird from Forest Scenes.
Admission? Priceless.
From Member John Boyajy
On the weekend of October 16th-17th, I will be performing the Beethoven Fourth Piano Concerto and will also be the featured piano soloist in Beethoven s Choral Fantasy, with the Bay Area Classical Harmonies Orchestra (B.A.C.H.) under the baton of B.A.C.H. founder/director Andrew J. Chung. In addition, Andrew and his combined forces will be presenting the Mozart Requiem.
In his brilliant book, The Art of the Piano, pianist David Dubal asserts that Beethoven’s Fifth Concerto (the Emperor )It will forever be the favorite of the public. He goes on to say, however, that the Fourth is the most difficult interpretively and perhaps the most difficult technically of the cycle [and is] a supreme masterpiece of classical concerto form, indescribably linking drama and lyricism. Preparing this monumental work has been an incredibly humbling experience, and I look forward to sharing it with you.
Here are the specifics:
Saturday, 16th October at 7:30 p.m.: Mt. Tamalpais United Methodist Church, 410 Sycamore Avenue, Mill Valley
Here is the link to purchase Mill Valley tickets: http://mozartbeethovenoct16.eventbrite.com/
Sunday, 17th October at 4:00 p.m.: St. John is Armenian Church, 275 Olympia Way, San Francisco.
Tickets are $28 in advance, $35 at the door; student tickets are $20.
For those of you who are unable to attend either of these performances but have a sincere desire to do so, please contact me directly about other options.
Iranian pianist Sara Daneshpour launches the 8th season with a big program: Scarlatti Sonatas, Rachmaninoff 2s fetching Corelli Variations, the Abegg Variations by Schumann, a Prokofiev Toccata, Debussy 2s Estampes and the most popular of all 20th Century piano sonatas, Prokofiev 2s thunderous 7th in B Flat, Op. 83.
Message sent from Donna Kline
She would like to call to your attention to the new one-hour documentary film
Virtuoso: The Olga Samaroff Story. It is available for review!!!
Virtuoso is the compelling almost forgotten story about the life and times of Texas-born pianist, Lucy Hickenlooper (1880-1948). She overcame not only anti-American sentiments towards Americans as musicians, but also Old World biases towards women. She had to reinvent herself as Olga Samaroff to become America’s first and perhaps the most famous woman pianist of the early 20th Century. Overshadowed by her soon-to-be husband, conductor, Leopold Stokowski, whose talent she first recognized and career she actively promoted, Samaroff is largely responsible for catapulting his conducting career to international acclaim. Virtuoso is not only the story of the highly talented woman pianist, but also the story of a woman who—against tremendous odds--was a musical progressive, an achiever and an innovator.
Based on An American Virtuoso on the World Stage, Texas A and M University Press, 1996, by Donna S. Kline Virtuoso: The Olga Samaroff Story is targeted for musicians, music teachers, general interest, and music history education. As the first American woman on the piano faculty at Juilliard (1924), she was the beloved artist/teacher to hundreds of talented American conservatory students. Samaroff was also a champion for equal rights for women, a prolific author, lecturer, music critic and recording pioneer.
Virtuoso: The Olga Samaroff Story premiered at the Tiburon International Film Festival, March 2010, and is the recipient of the Remi Award--WorldFest Film Festival, Houston, Texas. More than a dozen Samaroff students, family, and colleagues were filmed for this project. Kline and co-director/editor, Wendy Slick, also benefited from the Stokowski family’s personal photograph collection, the Juilliard School of Music, Lincoln Center for the Arts, Carnegie Hall, the International Piano Archives at the University of Maryland, and historical archival footage from this era.
Garrick Ohlsson, International concert pianist:”…a riveting, beautiful film…reveals the
incredible story of a woman of immense talent, charisma and influence…”
Sonya Stokowski Thorbecke: “I loved it. You really brought my mother’s life back to life.”
AMICA Bulletin—May/June 2010—“This DVD documentary is excellent, evoked a rare emotional response. Great research, delightful music, a remarkable artist we all need to know much more about.”
Please send newsletter items to Paul Agricola
Marin Branch President pagricola@hotmail.com
415-383-2027
