Members' Newsletter Fall 2015 by Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts

Members’ Newsletter Fall 2015

Chinese Arts & Culture Program

ne of the pillars of Caramoor’s mission is to offer students quality arts education. Since 1986, Caramoor has provided elementary and secondary school children with music-focused arts enrichment opportunities that utilize our exceptional facilities, visiting artists, and dedicated staff. Developed in collaboration with teachers and school administrators, our programs meet state standards and complement students’ classroom education in the arts, social studies, and career development. This school year, 6,000 students will participate in our hands-on, interactive programs including: What’s in a House?, A Day in the Renaissance, Chinese Arts & Culture, and Student Strings. The majority of our participants come from schools in Westchester Country; students from schools in the Bronx, Yonkers, as well as Connecticut also participate.

Continued on page 8

Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts P.O. Box 816, Katonah, NY 10536

Inquisitive students explore Chinese arts & culture at Caramoor

For nearly fifteen years Ming Fong has been the artist presenter as well as moderator for the Chinese Arts & Culture program at Caramoor. Awed by how quickly that time has gone by, Mr. Fong explains, “It is extremely rewarding for us, the musicians, and school children alike to see how the Chinese Arts & Culture program has evolved over the years: from a oneman show with myself performing Chinese music on piano and discussing Chinese culture to the inclusion of Chinese traditional instruments like Erhu (two-string fiddle) and Pipa (Pear-shaped lute), and later the additions of brush painting and tea tasting; from having a couple of sessions in the very first year to almost thirty sessions annually in recent years.”

Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts Board of Trustees

In This Issue:

James A. Attwood, Jr., Chairman* Peter Kend, Vice Chairman* Paul S. Bird, Treasurer* Angela Haines, Secretary* Judy Evnin, Chairman Emerita* Barry J. Alperin* James L. Amine Jon Bauer Gail A. Binderman Jonathan M. Clark* William Cordiano* Jane Phillips Donaldson Lawrence Elow Patricia Falkenberg Susan W. Freund* Michael E. Gellert* E. Robert Goodkind Stephen J. Jones Sandra S. Joys* Floy B. Kaminski Cecilia Tay Kellie-Smith Peter Nager* Nancy Offit* Richard H. O’Leary* David C. Oxman* Mrs. Andrew Saul Elaine Schroeder* elementary-and secondary-school Paul Sekhri students to Caramoor Nina Stanton Mary Ann Stein Richard Zinman*

Pages 1 & 8

Pages 6

Chinese Arts & Culture Program

Reflections: My Summer at Caramoor

Enriching the lives of our audiences Pages 3

Pages 7

Coming Indoors, Caramoor’s Music Room

2015 Evnin Rising Stars: Mentoring the Next Generation of Musicians

Pages 4–5

Pages 8

Membership

Scenes from Caramoor

Captivating the minds of school-age students through music and art education

Welcomed

54%

*Executive Committee Member

Advisory Council

KATONAH

From various parts of the Donations at tri-state area including Work and Orange County, Westchester Fairfield (CT), The Bronx, and Yonkers

OF THESE STUDENTS PARTICIPATE THROUGH OUR

UNDERSERVED ARTSwe’d INITIATIVE, Members, love to hear from you! CONSISTING OF FEE WAIVERS AND BUS TRANSPORTATION SUPPORT

Judy Aydelott You often hear from us, and we welcome the opportunity to hear from you! David Barber Have a question? An idea about a prospective Membership perk? Perhaps you’d like to tell Maria Brand us about what you like about your current Membership benefits or what you feel we could Patricia F. Carey improve on. Or maybe you just want to share your favorite Caramoor moments with us … Melissa Eisenstat Please feel free to be in touch, we’d love to hear from you: Isabelle Harnoncourt Feigen Effie Fribourg Email: membership@caramoor.orgNumber of Francis Goldwyn Phone: 914.232.5035 ext. 261, Jennifer Pace, Director of Individual Giving Hélène Grimaud Ellen Grimes Mail: Caramoor, PO Box 816, Katonah, NY 10536, In-School Visits by Attn: Membership Susan G. Groner Artists-in-Residence during the Student Strings Program Maureen Hanagan In turn, these artists reach out to the community Alexia Jurschak Olga Kagan Bim Kendall E R S, Dr. Lewis Kohl ORS Susan Morgenthau Abigail and Sundip Murthy Over USE, Edward Pla ENS Rochelle Rosenberg Faith Rosenfeld Zita G. Rosenthal Ann Scheuer Alden L. Toevs Lisa Welch Catherine Ziegler

Mentoring Emerging Professional Musicians

Number of Artists Mentored

700

Number of Students impacted by the Student Strings Program

Coming Indoors, Caramoor’s Music Room

usical performances at Caramoor are not just a warm weather occurrence; in fact, we pride ourselves on being a year-round destination. As the days get shorter and the air a bit cooler, we come indoors to host a series of concerts and lectures in one of our most intimate and unique performance venues, the Music Room in the beautiful historic Rosen House.

Originally, the massive space was the Rosens’ greenhouse, which was incorporated into a farm complex that was the first of many buildings Walter Rosen built on the estate in the 1920s. Subsequently, several modifications to the entire house occurred, and in 1938 the roof of the Music Room, that we see today, was erected. In a letter to his son, (young Walter, who was studying at Harvard), Walter Sr. wrote on January 20, 1938: “When I was in Katonah last Saturday the workmen had put a little tree on top of the roof of the music room indicating the house was now under roof quite safely. I am going out tomorrow and have asked all workmen to have a glass of beer and some sandwiches to celebrate this event. I wish you could be with me on this occasion.”

Used by Caramoor’s founders, Walter and Lucie Rosen, as a living room, salon, and especially as a place for performances, the Music Room was an integral part of the Rosens’ life. Spanning some 4,000 square feet, with incredible acoustics for a space of this type, visitors and audience members alike can marvel at the room’s adornments which include most of the Rosens’ Renaissance art collection.

upon entering the Rosen House,

through the East Foyer, arrival to the Music Room is marked by a set of intricately designed 16th-century wrought iron gates, acquired by Walter Sr. in Paris in 1926. The gates came from the Abbey of Saint Denis, sacred ground and burial place for the French Monarchy.

once inside the Music Room, it is hard not to immediately look up at the handsome carved walnut ceiling, also dating back to the 16th century. The piece was procured from a palazzo in Lecce, southern Italy. Subtle variations in color at both ends of the carving were crafted by Italian artisans at the request of Walter Sr. using painted and molded Plaster of Paris. The 20th-century replica was intentionally left in a lighter shade than the original so that visitors would be able to distinguish the original Renaissance ceiling.

adjacent to the ceiling, the

rectangular glass in the roundels is 16thcentury French and Swiss, representing either Angels of the Passion or Trumpeting Donors. Encircling these Renaissance symbols is glass made especially for this room in the 20th century. And, as the eye is drawn to the performance space, flanking the stage, the pink marble twisted columns also date to the Renaissance period, coming from Verona, Italy. Before the Walter and Lucie acquired them, they belonged to William Randolph Hearst.

With hundreds of incredible items to see, we hope you will join us in the coming weeks and months for a performance in the Music Room or take a tour of the Rosen House, which is free of charge for active Members. Tours are available by appointment Monday – Friday, last about an hour, and are geared toward older children and adults. To schedule, contact the Rosen House at 914.232.5035 ext. 221 or via email: rosenhouse@caramoor.org.

Reflections: My Summer at Caramoor By Harry Rose

If you were to ask any student what their favorite time of year is, I guarantee you that most of them would say summer. Summer for many represents a time to relax, reorient, and recharge for the upcoming school year. But for the local students like me that come to staff Caramoor’s Box Office during the summer, a new level of excitement and business starts as soon as the school-year ends, and we would have it no other way.

else could I have been inspired by the innovation of PROJECT Trio or mystified by Carolina Eyck’s performance on the theremin? For those of us behind the counter, it’s always a joy to share Caramoor’s diverse programming with our patrons because, in addition to interacting with music lovers who share our enthusiasm, we learn so much as well. Highlights of my time spent at the Box Office are the instances when patrons tell us about how this might be their 25th or so year coming to Caramoor or when they engage with us about the programming: “That Hélène Grimaud is really something special, isn’t she?”; “Did you hear that tuba solo on the 4th of July concert? Wow!” Caramoor has become a place where all music lovers can meet on an even playing field, and it’s just as exciting to be a part of the behind-the-scenes effort as it is to be a concertgoer.

This summer brought a wide variety of shows to Caramoor. From our festive Opening Night to the congenial atmosphere of the American Roots Festival (which hit new records in attendance this year), to the moving and virtuosic pair of operas presented, to smaller events like the launch of the “I’m With Her” tour and Jon Batiste’s rhythmically fun concert in the Spanish Courtyard, I was exposed to new types of music and new methods of performance. For somebody who’s always been both fascinated and enthralled by opera, this summer gave me an opportunity to revisit works I was familiar with through Bel Canto at Caramoor’s presentations of La Favorite and Dialogues of the Carmelites, but also an opportunity to learn about music that I might not have otherwise come upon had it not been for Caramoor. Where

Our Members and patrons are what makes the summer of a seasonal Caramoor employee special — without you, our positions might not exist. Thank you for making our summers special. Harry Rose is a senior at Fox Lane High School; he has worked in the Caramoor Box Office since 2014.

Harry Rose, second from right

Together, we make great music! Without our Members Caramoor could not flourish. Thank you to those of you who have already made a contribution to Caramoor this year. We are grateful. The last three months of the year at Caramoor are a critical time for our annual fundraising efforts. If you have not yet made a contribution in 2015 or if you would like to make an additional contribution to our annual fund, we hope you will consider doing so on or before December 31.

2015 Evnin Rising Stars: Mentoring the Next Generation of Musicians

n the fall of each year, a highly talented slate of emerging classical musicians come to Caramoor for a week-long chamber music residency led by the Evnin Rising Stars Artistic Director, Pamela Frank. Beginning on Monday, October 26 Caramoor will welcome the following artists in residence: Paul Huang, violin; Kenneth Renshaw, violin; Danbi Um, violin; Matthew Lipman, viola; Shira Majoni, viola; Jiyoung Lee, cello; Sarah Rommel, cello; and, Kuok-Wai Lio, piano. These musicians will be mentored by distinguished artists: Pamela Frank, violin; Kim Kashkashian, viola; and, Peter Wiley, cello. Mentors and Rising Stars end the week with two concerts — October 31st and November 1st. To get us acquainted with this year’s roster, Caramoor’s Manager of Artistic Planning, Ellie Gisler, and Artistic Coordinator, Timothy Coffey have provided us with the score on this year’s class: This year’s mentors Kim Kashkashian and Peter Wiley were both mentors in 2011 during which, a snowstorm forced the cancellation of both performances. Kim was also a mentor in 2006 and Peter mentored in 1997 and 2012. Rising Stars Paul Huang and Matthew Lipman are 2015 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipients. This award is given to outstanding instrumentalists. Paul and Matt join an A-list team of past winners including Gil Shaham, Joshua Bell, Alisa Weilerstein, a former Rising Star, and Kuok-Wai Lio, a current Rising Star. Six out of eight Rising Stars are returning for their second consecutive year to participate in the program. Our two newcomers are violinist Paul Huang, and cellist Sarah Rommel. This year marks Pam Frank’s eighth as the Artistic Director of the Evnin Rising Stars program.

Under the tutelage of Peter Wiley, Sarah Rommel earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music. At age 10, Danbi Um was admitted to the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where she received a Bachelor of Music. While earning her Master of Music at The Juilliard School, Jiyoung Lee served as principal cellist of the Juilliard Orchestra. She is currently enrolled in the prestigious Artist Diploma Program at Juilliard. Kenneth Renshaw has studied with Donald Weilerstein at the New England Conservatory, Itzhak Perlman at the Perlman Music Program, and Li Lin at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music; quite the cast of instructors!

Shira Majoni recently graduated with a Master’s Degree from the New England Conservatory as a student of Kim Kashkashian.

Farewell, Sal! After 16 years of directing audience services, hundreds of concerts seated on time, even more Box Office employees, ushers, volunteers and greeters trained, and countless smiles shared, we bid our Director of Audience Services, esteemed colleague, and all around great man, Sal Vaccaro a very fond farewell as he begins the next chapter of his life. Best wishes!

Scenes from Caramoor Photo Credits: Gabe Palacio Photo: Chansoda Rouen

Giuseppe Fusco and Lynette Wardle perform at the Annual Friends Garden Party / June 7

Opening Night Gala Honorees Morris and Nancy Offit with Amanda and Ned Offit / June 20

PROJECT Trio with Third Street Chamber Camp / July 2

Jazz Festival picnickers enjoying a meal / July 18

Aspiring Jazz Festival artists / July 18

Jon Batiste at the VIP reception / July 24

Continued from page 1 As a budding classically trained pianist, Mr. Fong was first introduced to Caramoor by former Executive Director Howard Herring. “I was doing a lot of performance in standard repertoire every opportunity I had, but once in a while, I would also throw in a Chinese traditional piece which had been transcribed for the Western piano as an encore. I believe Marilyn Reynolds (former Director of the Education Program) must have heard me play it on one occasion, and that ignited her interest for something completely original and unique for the education program.”

opportunities to hear the sounds Chinese Music (with the inclusion of Chinese Folk instruments) is an essential part of the program, Mr. Fong has profound aspirations that go beyond the time school children are on Caramoor’s campus. “I sincerely hope that by hosting a unique program like Chinese Arts & Culture at Caramoor, it enhances young generation’s understanding of Chinese culture and advocates Chinese learning among American children to promote cultural exchanges between China and the United States. As music transcends all race and religion, it is truly an honor for me to be the Cultural Ambassador of China!”

Many of the students who experience the Chinese Arts & Culture program come from underserved schools. “We musicians often feel very proud and satisfied to perform in the program because this experience could very well be the first exchanges between these young children and Chinese culture,” said Mr. Fong. And, while providing all students with rare

To learn more about Caramoor’s Arts in Education programs, please contact Scott Ellison, Education Programs Coordinator, at 914.232.5035 ext. 242 or education@caramoor.org.

Ming Fong