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Great things are happening at the Colburn Community School of Performing Arts.
September 17, 2016
From the Deans
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We would like to warmly welcome all of our new and returning students to the Community School for a new school year! This fall, we are so pleased to have a number of fantastic new faculty join our community, as well as the addition of new classes like Introduction to Orchestral Conducting and two new percussion ensembles.
The Community School offers a full and dynamic curriculum with offerings that can enhance a student's primary area of study. We encourage our music students to consider classes like music theory to help develop a more intimate knowledge of the music they are studying, for students singing in choir or playing in the band to consider one-on-one instruction with our skilled faculty, and for dance students to explore additional dance classes in genres other than the style they may already be studying. If parents would like to discuss their child's curriculum and ways to enhance their studies at the Community School, please don't hesitate to contact the office and make an appointment with either one of us.
An astounding 99% of the Community School's graduating high school seniors are accepted to four-year universities and conservatories, with more than half majoring in the arts. We firmly believe that an education in the arts helps students in their academic and future professional aspirations.
We look forward to the year ahead, and being a part of your students' continued artistic development.
Robert C. McAllister, Dean Sara Hiner, Assistant Dean
In this Issue Carnegie Hall's NYO2 101 Pianists at Walt Disney Concert Hall Next Generation Jazz Orchestra New Faculty From the Students Ovations Calendar of Events Follow Us
Carnegie Hall's NYO2
By Sara Hiner
Three Community School students were placed in the inaugural year of Carnegie Hall’s NYO2, a two-week, intensive summer training program for outstanding young American instrumentalists ages 14–17. NYO2 focuses on attracting talented students from groups underserved by, and underrepresented in, the orchestral field.
Clarinetist Javier Morales-Martinez, violist Brenda Wong, and violinist Katherine Zhu were all accepted into the program. Both Javier and Brenda are students in the Colburn School's Herbert Zipper Scholarship program, which provides access for exceptionally promising students with financial need to a custom curriculum of applied lessons, ensemble participation, and music theory courses. Herbert Zipper Scholars receive a full music education curriculum until their high school graduation. Javier is involved in a number of programs at the Community School, including the Colburn Youth Orchestra directed by Maxim Eshkenazy, the Honors Woodwind Quintet coached by Karen Lundgren, and his applied clarinet studies with Michael Yoshimi. Brenda also plays in the Colburn Youth Orchestra, in a piano quintet coached by Ida Levin, and studies viola with Ingrid Hutman. Katherine studies violin with Sam Fischer and received the honor of being named concertmaster of NYO2.
Running in conjunction with NYO-USA’s annual summer residency at State University of New York at Purchase, NYO2 offers an opportunity for participants to play alongside exceptionally skilled peers and learn from a world-class faculty. NYO2's goal is to ultimately expand the pool of young musicians across the country equipped with the tools to succeed at the highest level, particularly those who will bring greater diversity to classical orchestral music, or who have not had access to highly selective training opportunities through major youth orchestra programs, summer festivals and camps, or similar experiences outside of their local community. The program is free for all participants, including all rehearsals, teaching, performance activities, and room and board.
This summer, participants had the opportunity to work closely with select members of The Philadelphia Orchestra, and the two-week session culminated with the young musicians performing in a side-by-side performance with members of The Philadelphia Orchestra at Verizon Hall in Philadelphia. The program included Respighi's Pines of Rome, Tchaikovsky's Capriccio italien, and encores by Gershwin and Copland.
Click here to learn more about Carnegie Hall's education programs, including NYO2 and the National Youth Orchestra.
101 Pianists at Walt Disney Concert Hall
By Sara Hiner
This summer, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Lang Lang International Music Foundation, Colburn School, Steinway & Sons, and the Roland Corporation presented 101 Pianists at Walt Disney Concert Hall. First launched in 2009, 101 Pianists is a performance and educational workshop that has appeared around the globe in cities like, Paris, Berlin, London, Hong Kong, and Rome. “I started 101 Pianists to give piano students an opportunity to play together,” said Lang Lang. “It started about 15 years ago at one of my concerts where I invited students to join me on stage for an encore and we had a wonderful time, so I wanted to do more of these events as a workshop and also a performance for the community. It’s now one of the key programs of my foundation.”
On July 11, nearly 100 piano students from the Colburn School's Community School of Performing Arts and Music Academy came together on stage at Walt Disney Concert Hall to perform side-by-side with Lang Lang. Piano Chair of the Community School Jeffrey Lavner and piano faculty Dr. Gideon Rubin led the rehearsals leading up to the event, and served as conductors of the ensemble. "Piano is too often a solitary activity, and students can sometimes feel disconnected from the rest of their musical peers," said Mr. Lavner. "To bring so many of our piano students together on one stage, at many ages and skill levels, was quite the undertaking, but completely worth it."
Lang Lang's foundation recognized this need for young pianists, and through 101 Pianists has created an outlet to celebrate the beauty and social nature of the piano. The foundation's mission is to share classical music with young people around the world, and to offer piano students a way to perform as a group in more of a social setting, similar to the experience had by their peers who participate in bands and orchestras. "It was a pleasure to work with Lang Lang and to be a part of this exciting event," said Dr. Rubin. "He was charming with the students and they responded immediately to his coaching. It was clear that the students, parents, and audience members all had a very good time."
Steinway & Sons and the Roland Corporation supplied the 50 pianos and keyboards for Southern California's first-ever 101 Pianists event. “Our company has always been a big advocate of music education," said Jay Wanamaker, Roland Corporation's President and Chief Executive Officer. "We are proud to align with an organization that shares our dedication.” The Colburn School's students made good use of these pianos, performing Schubert's Marche Militaire No. 1, Mozart's Rondo alla turca, and Brahms's Hungarian Dance No. 5.
Click here for more information about the Lang Lang International Music Foundation.
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Next Generation Jazz Orchestra
By Sara Hiner
Community School student Evan Abounassar was one of five trumpet players in the country selected to participate in the Monterey Jazz Festival’s Next Generation Jazz Orchestra. Fellow student Luca Mendoza was selected as the pianist for the group. Both students are members of the Colburn Jazz Workshop’s Monday Night Band directed by Lee Secard, and Luca also studies piano with Rina Dokshitsky. This is the second year Evan was selected for the jazz orchestra and the first year for Luca.
Each year the Monterey Jazz Festival selects 21 of the brightest high school jazz musicians from across the country to form an all-star big band. This summer, the group toured Japan from July 24 to August 8. "My favorite part of the trip was being introduced to the Japanese people and their culture," said Evan. "I learned a lot about compassion and how to love one another from my Japanese host families. I know my relationship with them will last a lifetime and I hope to visit again soon."
As part of their involvement in the ensemble, Evan and Luca participated in workshops, rehearsals, and performances with Monterey Jazz Festival artists and developed a set of cutting-edge repertoire. And their trip to Japan gave them practical on-the-road experience as artists in a touring ensemble. "The people in the band became family to me almost immediately," said Luca. "They are such wonderful people and I will always be bonded to them through this trip and through the music."
The group will also appear at the Monterey Jazz Festival on September 18, in a main stage performance with 2016 Artist-in-Residence Terri Lyn Carrington. The group will also play Omnibus, by Luca Mendoza, who will be awarded the 2016 Gerald Wilson Award for composing the winning piece for the Next Generation Jazz Festival’s composition competition. Both students will also receive backstage passes, where they will hear and meet some of the best jazz musicians performing today.
Evan also won the Outstanding Soloist Award at the 2016 Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival, where the Colburn Jazz Workshop’s Monday Night Band won third prize in the conglomerate combo division. And Evan was recently one of two winners for Best Jazz Soloist in the Performing Arts High School Division of the DownBeat Magazine Student Music Awards. Luca was one of two winners for Best Original Composition for a Small Ensemble for his composition, Los Olivos, as well as a Grand Prize Winner of The Music Center's 2016 Spotlight Awards.
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New Faculty
Gillian Gamboa first joined the early childhood faculty at the Colburn Community School of Performing Arts in the 2008, and is happy to be returning to teaching again at the Colburn School this fall. Ms. Gamboa grew up in the Boston area. She graduated from State University of New York, Potsdam with a bachelor's degree and teaching credentials in Music and Special Education. She then entered the Graduate School of the Eastman School of Music at University of Rochester, where she researched the use of music with deaf students until she joined the national touring company of Cats. Ms. Gamboa earned her Bachelor in Business from Berklee College of Music, interned for the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), and started the nonprofit Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation. While she was working to develop school music programs, she rediscovered her love of teaching and returned to the classroom. Ms. Gamboa has a master's degree in special education from Western Governors University and another master's degree in public policy and educational administration from California State University, Northridge. She is certified by the American Orff-Schulwerk Association in Level 1 and 2 Orff Training. Ms. Gamboa has a wide array of teaching experience, including special education for students in elementary through high school, in math and science, and assisting with formalizing a district’s home schooling and independent study program.
Vera Ivanova joined the Community School's music theory faculty this fall. Dr. Ivanova graduated with a Bachelor of Music and and a Master of Music in composition from the Moscow Conservatory, a Master of Music in composition from Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, and a PhD in composition from the Eastman School of Music. Her works have been performed in Russia, Europe, and the United States. In addition to the Community School, Dr. Ivanova is on the faculty of the Colburn School’s Conservatory of Music and Music Academy, and she has been teaching at the College of Performing Arts at Chapman University since 2007, where she currently serves at the rank of Associate Professor of Music. Dr. Ivanova is a recipient of the Sproull Fellowship at Eastman, Gwyn Ellis Bequest Scholarship at Guildhall School, Honourable Mention at the 28th Bourges Electro-Acoustic Competition, third prize at the Eighth International Mozart Competition, first prize in Category A of the 2004 International Contest of Acousmatic Compositions Métamorphoses in Belgium, the ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composers Award, André Chevillion-Yvonne Bonnaud Composition Prize at the Eighth International Piano Competition at Orleans (France), and the winner of 2013 Donald Aird Composition Competition. Her music is available on her website, in print from Universal Edition, on CDs from Navona Records, Ablaze Records, Quartz Music Ltd., Centaur Records, and Musiques & Recherches.
Kenneth McGrath joined the Community School's faculty as a percussion teacher and is a regular contributor to Southern California’s diverse musical landscape. With the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pacific Symphony, and San Diego Symphony, he has toured throughout Europe, Asia, and North America. His contributions can be heard on numerous recordings including John Adams's Naïve and Sentimental Music, Phillip Glass’s The Passion Ramakrishna and Gustavo Dudamel-Los Angeles Philharmonic: The Inaugural Concert. Mr. McGrath also appears frequently with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and serves as section percussionist with New West Symphony. His work with the Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group has included concerts at Lincoln Center, the Ojai Music Festival, and the Green Umbrella Series. In 2008, he commissioned, performed, and recorded the world premiere of William Kraft’s Encounters XIII: Concertino for Percussion & Woodwind Quintet with Southwest Chamber Music. He has performed on motion picture soundtracks for composers including John Williams, Alan Silvestri, Danny Elfman, and Hans Zimmer, in addition to national touring productions of Motown: The Musical, Wicked, Curtains, The Lion King, and Phantom of the Opera. In addition to the Colburn School, Mr. McGrath serves on the music faculties of California State University, Fullerton, and Riverside City College. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Music, summa cum laude, from the University of California, Los Angeles, and his Master of Music from the Eastman School of Music. Mr. McGrath is also an Educational Artist for Marimba One. Visit his website to learn more about him.
Danielle Ondarza joined the Community School as a horn teacher this fall. As a freelancer, she has performed with many orchestras in Southern California, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and Los Angeles Master Chorale, as well as concert series and festivals such as Jacaranda and Hear Now. She has performed as principal in musicals at major venues such as the Pantages Theatre and Segerstrom Center for the Arts. In film and television, her credits include Finding Dory, Deadpool, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Suicide Squad, Once Upon a Time, Penny Dreadful, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Ms. Ondarza played principal horn for Josh Groban on his Straight to You Tour, traveling for six months throughout the United States and Europe. She has also performed live with a variety of artists, including Andrea Bocelli, Mariah Carey, Natalie Cole, Frank Sinatra Jr., Lenny Kravitz, Alicia Keyes, Queen Latifah, Idina Menzel, Kanye West, and Juan Gabriel. Recording credits include dates for Mary J. Blige, Barry Manilow, Madonna, Sia, and Justin Timberlake. As a dedicated teacher, Ms. Ondarza is also on the faculties at Pasadena Conservatory of Music, Pomona College, and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. She also coaches music students on the campuses of Oakwood Secondary School and Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, and has served as a brass instructor for the Young Musician’s Foundation Mentor Program. Her students are regularly placed in local youth orchestras and honors groups, such as the Colburn Youth Orchestra, Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestra, Claremont Youth Orchestra, All-Southern Honor Orchestra, and the All-Southern and All-State Honor Bands. Her graduates have been accepted to schools such as the Eastman School of Music and University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music. Ms. Ondarza's principal teachers were Richard Todd, Jerry Folsom, Vince DeRosa, Dr. Kristy Morrell, and James Decker. She earned her Bachelor of Music in horn performance and a master's in communication management from the University of Southern California.
Elizabeth Upton joined the Community School as a horn instructor. Praised by the Cleveland Plain Dealer for her “haunting sound,” she has performed around the world, playing in operas, symphonies, and chamber music concerts throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia. After growing up outside of Chicago, Illinois, she received her Bachelor of Music from Oberlin Conservatory, studying with former principal horn of the St. Louis Symphony Roland Pandolfi, and her Master of Music from the Yale School of Music under the tutelage of William Purvis. Ms. Upton is an alumna of the Colburn Conservatory of Music, where she completed a Professional Studies Certificate and studied with former principal horn of the San Francisco Symphony David Krehbiel and principal horn of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Andrew Bain. As an orchestral performer, Ms. Upton has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, has appeared with the Macau Orchestra in China and Portugal as guest third horn, and in Los Angeles as principal horn of the Young Musician’s Foundation’s Debut Orchestra. Her summers have been spent playing at such festivals as Spoleto USA, Festival Mozaic, Aspen Music Festival, Sarasota Music Festival, Banff Institute, Colorado College Music Festival, and the Norfolk Chamber Festival. An avid contemporary music supporter, Ms. Upton is a founding member of the new music ensembles NOVUS NY and Le Maintenant Duo, with whom she has performed at Le Poisson Rouge, Zankel Hall, and Trinity Church in New York City. Additionally, she has always had a passion for community engagement and outreach. While at Oberlin, she traveled to Brazil to participate with Alex Klein in the Festival of Music of Santa Catarina and created a month long brass residency in El Salvador, during which she traveled throughout the country and performed in a variety of venues ranging from school concerts to governmental ceremonies.
Astrid Voss Lew is the newest addition to the Community School's ballet faculty. Ms. Voss Lew grew up in Switzerland and received her professional training at the Geneva Dance Center in Switzerland. She also studied on scholarship at the School of American Ballet in New York. During her training, she competed in numerous international ballet competitions with several gold medal performances, including in Houlgate, France; Geneva, Switzerland; Grasse, France; and NÎmes, France. Ms. Voss Lew has danced professionally with Pennsylvania Ballet in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and was hired by the Royal Danish Ballet in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1999 under the Directorship of Colleen Neary and Aage Thordal-Christensen. At the Royal Danish Ballet, she performed in works by Bournonville, Balanchine, Peter Martins, and others. Since her retirement from performing, Ms. Voss Lew received her bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California, graduating magna cum laude from the Marshall School of Business. She was a Founding Board Member and faculty of the Los Angeles Ballet and has taught at The Marat Daukayev School of Ballet, Everybody Dance!, and Los Angeles Ballet School.
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From the Students This summer, the Colburn Youth Orchestra embarked on their inaugural tour, visiting the Czech Republic, Austria, and Germany. Hear in their own words, a little more about their experience.
By Nathania Hartojo, oboe
I visited Europe once when I was 14. Coincidentally, it was with another orchestra that toured and played in Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. I have fond memories of that now long ago tour, but it pales in comparison to the Europe tour I went on with Colburn.
Traveling with a middle school orchestra usually means that the tour will be mostly focused on entertaining the children instead of focusing on the musical and historical education offered by such tours. I was lucky enough that my orchestra was intent on offering an incredible musical experience, but they failed to really explore the history and culture of the cities we visited. During Colburn’s tour, however, I learned more about the history of Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic than I could ever have imagined, thanks to the combination of wonderful tour guides and self-guided exploration we were given. We not only performed in the cities, we explored their histories and learned their secrets. Combined, it was almost like traveling back in time. Being so completely immersed in European culture was a shock at first, but it quickly became enjoyable. And before I realized it, I began to love Europe.
Not only did I experience the culture, I also fell in love with the beauty of the countryside. The trees seemed more green, the flowers more vibrant, and the cities more enjoyable. As someone who does not explore the world outside of Los Angeles very often, the huge expanses of fields and forests was shocking. I had never been anywhere with so much nature. The cities themselves were also exotic. Every building looked like it had stories to tell and there was an aura of history that I had never experienced before. I loved how, even within the same city, the architecture could vary so wildly. In Los Angeles, most of the buildings are similar. But in Europe, it is obvious that generations of people
contributed to mold the cities into what they are today. It added another layer to the beauty and history of what I was seeing.
Playing in the same venues as the great composers I idolize was probably my favorite aspect of the trip. Walking into every concert venue was indescribable. I couldn’t believe I was walking the same halls that held so many great classical musicians, composers, and conductors. Since I hope someday to join those ranks, performing in those venues only furthered my ambition to become the best musician I can be. And of course, playing with so many other amazing musicians only heightened the experience.
Words cannot explain how grateful I am that I was able to participate in such an educational, life-changing trip. It would not be an exaggeration to say those twelve days in Europe were some of the best of my life. I came away from that trip with treasured memories and lifelong friends. I can only hope that if, somehow, I have a third opportunity to return to Europe with an orchestra, the experience will be as great as this one.
By Kevin Kim, cello
To say that a high schooler would be given the opportunity to travel to the birthplace of musical ingenuity is in itself a statement of awe and near disbelief. When the initial plans of the Colburn Youth Orchestra traveling to Europe were first formulated, there was an ineffable sense of insatiable excitement and necessity that stirred up inside me. As preparations drew near and the last week of June approached, I realized that this trip would enable me to explore the history behind the ingenuity of music and stand upon the shoulders of the geniuses of human emotion-Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, JanĂĄÄ?ek, and Richard and Johann Strauss-while exploring what it means to be a musician. Thus started the journey, a journey that explored the true power of camaraderie, inexplicable human
emotion, and beauty of the European culture that inspired composers and me alike.
The ventures of the Colburn Youth Orchestra through the musical hubs of Prague, Vienna, Salzburg, and Munich revealed to me-and I’m sure this applies to my peers as well-the true purpose of what it means to love and play music. Music is a deep and wonderful aspect of what it means to be human. In one way or another, it plays a constant part in the lives of all of us, and some musical works are among the greatest accomplishments of humankind. Our experiences in filling churches and the Mozarteum with our own unique emotional expressions and approach to the third movement of the Mozart Symphony No. 33, grinning at our principal cellist’s facial expressions during The Games of Light, letting the D minor key change wrench the hearts of the audience in Ode, exploring every crevice of Prague’s town center, and continuously eating schnitzel were part of an immeasurably profound list of our musical journey, all playing a part in our perspective geared towards why music matters. Being able to reflect upon the greatest of works of human ingenuity while giving the audience the taste of modern musical expression in the enduring legacy of Mozart to Moffitt created a sense of euphoria and honor, emotions that could have been elicited only through the life-changing experience of touring the roots of human artistic revolution, Europe.
The richness and beauty of music appeals heavily to the human senses, enabling one to attain an independent identity and unique approach to appreciating or disliking music. The European experience fomented within me the ability to further reflect on the reason why music from different countries heals and shapes the human psyche in unique ways. Whether I listen to the heavy emotional contrast from a mood of darkness and fear to a sense of lightness and relief in the G-flat violin solo in Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht or ponder the memorable melodies of Czech nationalism in Dvořák, the Europe tour has ingrained in me and my peers a level of musical maturity and greater appreciation for the opportunity to perform our own renditions and interpretations of compositions rooting from the brilliance of humankind. The time in Europe was ephemeral, but the experiences and influence from the trip are that of permanence.
By Ethan Moffitt, bass
When I first heard about the possibility of a Colburn Youth Orchestra tour to Europe, I was filled with sensations of necessity and desire to go. An opportunity like this doesn’t happen at just any time or place, but it happened this past summer at the Colburn Community School of Performing Arts. As a performer and student of music, it would be
incredible to walk the streets that great performers and musicians from the centuries walked, but as a composer, I would walk in the footsteps of the likes of Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, JanĂĄÄ?ek, and Richard and Johann Strauss, and many other great minds. I thought to myself that I must write a piece for this orchestra, designed for this orchestra so that it could potentially come to Europe with us. And thankfully, our wonderful music director, Maxim Eshkenazy, allowed us to bring it.
The orchestra that left for Europe was neither the Colburn Chamber Orchestra nor the Colburn Youth Orchestra, but a combination of the both, creating a diverse orchestra tasked with the challenge of developing a sound with unfamiliar participants. After several consecutive rehearsals and a mock-performance, we were ready to perform and spread our music to European music enthusiasts. As we all arrived at the airport, we were exhilarated, nervous, and anxious; a slew of emotions and raw energy filled the room with a positive, youthful air. We got onto the plane to land in our first stop in Europe: Prague.
Armed with our instruments, we all loaded into a bus that would be taking us around Europe on tours and cross-continental journeys. Led by our phenomenal tour guide, Mary, and our exceptional bus driver, Gernot, nothing was impossible (except for moving the basses and cellos). We settled in our Prague hotel, in which we would stay in for a few days, and immediately fell asleep.
When we awoke, we were greeted with the stretching blue skies and the rolling green hills of the Czech Republic. While walking through the streets, we came across old buildings and new, large churches, and of course, the Prague Castle. The castle sat atop the highest hill in Prague and overlooked a sea of green mounds stretching forever. I was instantly moved and a theme for a quartet came into my head, which I would later decide to dedicate to the trip through Europe. After touristic musings, we had to get back to business: making good music. The hall we played in was a small cathedral where Mozart often had his pieces played. I was ecstatic and honored to have a piece of mine played in the same hall. The concert opened with two movements from the wonderful wind octet composed by Carl Reinecke. Following that piece was my own. I was very nervous; what if no one liked my piece? But the minute the orchestra played its first note, I knew it would be a successful, convincing performance. The sound swelled into the walls of the room, filling every crevice with its mass. After my piece came Mozart’s Symphony No 33. And closing the concert was the world premiere of a piece commissioned for the tour by composer and conductor Roger Przytulski. All in all, a successful performance.
After Prague we started our drive to Vienna, the capital of Austria and Western Classical music. On the long bus ride to Vienna, I worked on the quartet I began in Prague. I named it Europa and each of the four movements would represent a city we would visit in Europe. The first movement came flowing so quickly, I was scared I would become sloppy
and careless. I continued working on this piece for the remainder of the trip and thereafter. As we arrived in Vienna, we again checked into a hotel that sat across the street from a large cathedral, one of the many sprawled across the city. The next day, we went on more tours, and as we walked through Vienna, it was almost as if we were in a different time. The buildings were palacelike and had a "grandioso" stature that permeated the city. It felt like roaming through the roads and alleys of the 18th century. The group played in yet another cathedral with the same program as the one in Prague. However, the orchestra had taken their level of play up a notch and the music became livelier than it had ever sounded in any of the rehearsals and performances. After a successful and satisfying performance, we went back to the hotel to sleep and prepare to move across the country to another significant musical city.
We arrived in Salzburg, my favorite of the four cities, and the most memorable experience (if you don’t count the sausages with cheese filling) was walking through the house that a young Mozart called his home. Since Salzburg is so small, our group became very familiar with the cobbled streets, the winding alleys, and the large plazas of the onceindependent city state known mostly for its salt production. The main attraction nowadays, of course, is Mozart’s childhood home. When we performed in Salzburg, we participated in a music festival consisting of other musical organizations from countries such as Australia, Hungary, and Sweden. The festival took place in the Mozarteum, and the Salzburg Cathedral, both very significant halls in the town of Salzburg. The Mozarteum was perfectly acoustically designed for Mozart symphonies to be played in, and our rendition shimmered and shone in this hall. The morning after the Mozarteum performance, we and the choruses from the festival played as a part of the ecumenical mass in Salzburg Cathedral. The singers’ voices rang after each note, creating a reverb that was so unique that it could not be replicated anywhere else. The high-ceilinged cathedral was perfect for the human voice. The next day we would go to our final stop: Munich.
Although our time in Munich was much shorter than the other cities, it was no less memorable. We visited a school nearby the city and performed for a group of German students who were our age. We played our program for them and afterwards had the opportunity to talk to a few of the students after the concert. The students had very nice things to say and asked us a lot of questions about music and America, and we also asked them questions about their way of life in Germany. After this meet up, we returned to Munich to eat in the same dining hall where Adolf Hitler drew up his plans to take over Germany. The morbid history of this building was masked by the festivities of laughter, dance, and traditional folk music. We happily ate our last European dinner and rested peacefully to get ready for the long flight the next day.
The flight back was long, boring, and tiring; it does not make for a good story. But as we landed we were left with a sense of relief, and disbelief that we had just shared our music
with Europe. It had felt like a dream, almost too good to be true. When we landed, we said our goodbyes, never to forget the friendships we made during this trip. Some of these friendships would continue through the new school year at Colburn, and others would be continued long-distance, as some of the members were graduating seniors. My experience in Europe was one of great value and I will never forget the lessons I learned and the friendships I formed.
By Athena Sferas, bassoon
One of the strongest emotions I feel when I think of the Europe tour is gratitude: gratitude for such an amazing opportunity at the tender age of 16, gratitude for the musical knowledge and improvement in my playing that occurred, and gratitude for the internal maturity which seemed to have taken leaps and bounds the moment the plane left the tarmac at LAX. Not all kids my age have the opportunity to play an instrument or participate in a program as amazing as those at Colburn’s, nor will many teenagers have the opportunity to go to Europe, or any foreign country, for that matter. But I got to experience both. Words can't quite capture what this experience meant to me, nor can they properly illustrate the plethora of exciting adventures I partook of, so I hope this article captures at least half of the joy that I have as a result of this trip.
My favorite concert was in the Mozarteum in Salzburg. I was initially awestruck by the fact that I would be playing on the stage of a hall that the “wunderkind� Mozart frequently performed on. This amazement turned into plain admiration as I wandered around before the rehearsal, channeling my concentration for the rehearsal and performance as I did not want to disrespect Mozart with a wrong note or incorrect phrasing. The concert went well, and afterwards I realized a couple of things. Firstly, my musical maturity had taken huge strides within the last couple of days. I noticed completely new things in the music
and found my playing to be much more consistent. I also found myself able to hone in my focus and block out the fatigue from travel and lack of sleep, as well as nervousness about the performance. Thanks to the situations surrounding the concerts during the tour, I am now both a better bassoonist and musician as a whole.
Before this trip, I hadn’t spent so much time away from my family, nor had I been so far from them. In turn, I will admit that I was a bit nervous the night preceding the flight. I was worried about how homesick I would become, and whether I would be able to overcome being shy around people I didn’t know very well. But the moment the wind section got in line for bag checks, we all began conversation, and soon a mass amount of kibitzing and joke telling began. The friendship as a group, and between each and every one of us, grew throughout the trip as we all learned how to live with one another (something that can prove difficult to some personalities). I was able to improve upon my ability to help friends gel-over differences and issues and maintain the peace. I also discovered and expanded my humorous side as we all were constantly tired, and usually needed a good joke or roast session to pick us up (and this helped increase my patience as well). In addition, I acquired a much needed confidence boost, for which I am eternally grateful. I now think to myself and laugh about how unnecessary my worrying proved to be.
I will always have a large and unending amount of gratitude for the Europe tour, and am privileged to have been able to be a part of such an eye opening experience at a young age. It excites me to know that I will be using everything I have learned and was taught on this trip, and at Colburn, for the rest of my life. These memories will last a lifetime, and I feel so privileged to have participated in such an amazing tour.
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Natalie Boberg was a first prize winner for her age group in the Great Composers Competition’s 2016 Art of Instrumental Performance Competition Series. Natalie studies violin with Aimée Kreston, plays in the Colburn Youth Orchestra directed by Maxim Eshkenazy, and plays in a piano quartet coached by Tina Qu.
Alexander Fried is a finalist for his age group in the Classics Alive Artists’ 2016 Young Artist Auditions. Alexander studies violin with Sam Fischer and plays in a piano trio coached by Ida Levin.
Brendon Gong is a finalist for his age group in the Classics Alive Artists’ 2016 Young Artist Auditions and won second prize in the East Valley branch of the MTAC’s Scholarship Competition. Brendon studies piano with Gideon Rubin.
David Hung is a finalist for his age group in the Classics Alive Artists’ 2016 Young Artist Auditions. David studies violin with Sam Fischer.
Connor Lee is a finalist for his age group in the Classics Alive Artists’ 2016 Young Artist Auditions. Connor studies violin with Cheryl Kim and plays in the String Orchestra directed by Margaret Shimizu.
Luca Mendoza was awarded the Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival's 2016 Gerald Wilson Award for Omnibus, which was the winning piece for their composition competition. The Monterey Next Generation Jazz Orchestra will perform the piece on the main stage at the Monterey Jazz Festival on September 18.
Alumna Elizabeth Oka has been selected as a Viola Fellow at the New World Symphony. Elizabeth played in the Colburn Chamber Orchestra and studied viola with Margaret Shimizu and Ingrid Hutman.
Claire Park was awarded the Sierra Summer Festival’s 2016 Horton-Kohl Award and made her solo debut with the Eastern Sierra Symphony this summer. Claire studies cello with Dr. Richard Naill and plays in a piano trio coached by AimÊe Kreston.
Alumna Rachel Sandman has been selected as a Violin Fellow at the New World Symphony. She joined the Community School at the age of six, where she went on to become concertmaster of the Colburn Chamber Orchestra and played in the Honors String Quartet. Rachel studied violin with Sherry Cadow and Chan Ho Yun.
Robert Shlyakhtenko is a finalist for his age group in the Classics Alive Artists’ 2016 Young Artist Auditions and won first prize in District VIII of the CAPMT Sonata Festival’s Elementary Division. Robert studies piano with Teresa de Jong Pombo.
Victor Shlyakhtenko was awarded a $1,000 scholarship from the Chopin Foundation of the United States, is a finalist for his age group in Classics Alive Artists’ 2016 Young Artist Auditions, and is one of four semifinalists for The American Prize’s Lorin Hollander Award in Piano Performance. He also won second prize for the piano division of the ENKOR International Music Competition, making him the highest ranking American in his age group. Victor studies piano with Theresa de Jong Pombo.
Amy Sze is a finalist for her age group in the Classics Alive Artists’ 2016 Young Artist Auditions. Amy studies violin with Aimée Kreston.
Angie Villela performed for and was interviewed on 405 Direct TV's Dante Night Show, which airs in Argentina. She was also a winner in the voice category of the 2016 Mariachi Nationals sponsored by Mariachi Sol de Mexico, and performed at Viva Mexico sponsored by the Valle de Guadalupe Baja Mexico Opera Foundation. Angie studies voice with Dr. Rose Beattie, piano with Dr. Vanessa Fadial, and music theory with Kathy Sawada.
Giselle Wu won first prize in her division of the 2016 American ProtĂŠgĂŠ International Piano and Strings Competition and performed in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. Giselle studies piano with Inga Kapouler Gartner.
Calendar of Events
Friday, September 23 Friday Night Recital 7:30 pm, Mayman Hall Free, no reservations required
Friday, September 30 Friday Night Recital 7:30 pm, Mayman Hall Free, no reservations required
Friday, October 7 Friday Night Recital 7:30 pm, Mayman Hall Free, no reservations required
Friday, October 14 Friday Night Recital 7:30 pm, Mayman Hall Free, no reservations required
All artists, programs, dates, and prices subject to change. All Colburn School students can receive up to four complimentary tickets, and nonColburn students can receive up to two tickets, for the Colburn Conservatory of Music's Colburn Orchestra concerts at Ambassador Auditorium and Colburn Chamber Music Society's concerts in Zipper Hall. Use the code STUDENT when reserving tickets. Visit colburnschool.edu/calendar for details.
Campus Improvements
Construction is underway on the new Starbucks location at the Colburn CafĂŠ, and will continue until mid-November. We expect the Starbucks to open for business in late November.
Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to improve our campus and better serve the Colburn community.
Follow Us Colburn Community School of Performing Arts
Sara Hiner, Assistant Dean
Community School of Performing Arts Office Hours Monday-Wednesday, 10 am-7 pm Thursday-Friday, 10 am-6 pm Saturday, 8 am-5 pm Sunday, Closed 200 South Grand Avenue Los Angeles, California 90012 213-621-4548 cspa@colburnschool.edu colburnschool.edu/cspa
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