Notes v3i3 by Museum of Making Music

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museum of making music 1

a division of the

Foundation.

director’s note

unleash

create risk

connect

explore

feel

move play

discover provoke

listen

give. The photo of Graham Nash that graces the cover of notes was taken right here at the Museum of Making Music a couple of months ago during an evening that will not soon be forgotten. Not only did Graham tour our museum and see his own photographs on display within our galleries, he participated in a “meet and greet,” and then performed a full concert of his music. We were honored and inspired by his presence at this, our Play it Forward benefit event. To read more about the magical evening, see page 10 of this newsletter! Two additional activities will round out this year’s Play it Forward fundraising campaign. First, Albert Lee and Cindy Cashdollar will perform at a benefit concert on September 9 (see page 11 for full details). And, in just a few short weeks, we will be mailing out our Annual Giving Campaign brochure. We hope you will take some time to read the brochure (a colorful piece full of updated statistics), reflect on the impact that music has in our lives—and then support MoMM through a financial gift. Of any amount. We encourage you to take your place in the movement to find understanding, goodwill, beauty, meaning and purpose through music and music making.

On the next page, you will read about some staffing changes that are occurring around the Museum. We know that change is inevitable and ongoing. We see it as a time not only for looking back but for looking forward as well. And so we wish a happy retirement to Mike Hendrickson and thank him for doing his job so well—with camaraderie, generosity, humor, and heart. As Mike leaves, new team members come on board, and we welcome them with excitement and openness, knowing they will make important contributions to the Museum just as Mike did during his tenure here. Finally, a note of sincere thanks. To you, our supporters. You inspire us—and we hope our work here inspires you. Whether exhibitions to broaden your awareness, concerts to bring you joy, or programs to inspire a deeper connection to music, all our work is for you. And so we thank you for your participation, your support, your friendship, and your steadfastness in the belief that music and music making can change the world for the better. c a r o ly n g r a n t , e x e c u t i v e d i r e c t o r

staff notes

Hello and Good-bye We have lots of news to report regarding the Museum’s staff. As of February, Jillian Harrington switched to part-time status and focused her responsibilities on our live music programming. So, she will still be booking all of the exciting concerts which have been consistently selling out these days! The change meant that we could bring on Julia Fister as a part-time Museum Education Specialist. Julia will be working with our facilitators and docents on all educational tours for students and adults, developing interpretive materials and activities related to special exhibitions, evaluating and expanding our outreach programs, and much more. Julia was born and raised in St. Louis, MO. She has an undergraduate degree in finance from the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, which led to an early career in investment banking in Houston and St. Louis. (That’s an unusual background, we know, but keep reading!) Julia figured out that while finance had its strong points, the arts were definitely more fun and fulfilling. She then attended Fontbonne University in St. Louis and received a degree in art, which led her into graphic design work. After a move to California in 2001, she obtained her Masters in art history from San Diego State University. She began lecturing in art history for several senior programs, and continues to lecture for OASIS, a senior adult program, at various locations around San Diego.

Fister started her museum career at the Oceanside Museum of Art (OMA) as a volunteer in 2010. They soon asked her to develop an on-site student tour program for fifth-graders in the Oceanside Unified School District and surrounding areas. Promoted to Director of Education a few years later, she continued to build an education department to strengthen adult and children’s programming. Her time at OMA ignited a passion for ensuring that children and families have access to the arts. Fister now works part-time for the City of Carlsbad’s Cultural Arts Office, teaching at the Cannon Art Gallery and Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park, in addition to taking on this challenge as MoMM’s new Museum Education Specialist. Finally, we say farewell to Mike Hendrickson, our Manager of Operations and Exhibitions, who is retiring after 9 years here at the Museum. While we are happy for him as he enters a new life phase, we will miss him tremendously. One of the things Mike was most known for is his work on our special exhibitions. Mike was especially instrumental (no pun intended) in helping us organize and present Banjos: A New Day for an Old Instrument; What Music Means to Me; LOW: The Power and Beauty of Bass; Dreadnought: 100 Years of a Mighty Martin Guitar; and Summer of Innovation. Mike was also directly involved in presenting spotlight exhibitions such as the current Graham Nash photo display and the Casio products show. Will Mike be hard to replace? We’d need a whole page to list all the things he did here at the Museum. And did so well.

Mike Hendrickson

Julia Fister

exhibitions

Summer of Innovation Now on display in the Museum’s special exhibition gallery through August 31: Summer of Innovation. And when we say “innovation,” we mean it. No familiar banjos or guitars in this show! Instead, you’ll find groundbreaking products such as the ROLI Seaboard Rise MIDI Controller, ROLI Blocks, Aerodrums, Stylophones, Phonotonic, Ableton Push, ATV aFrame, and Jamstik+. These are just some of the innovative instruments on the market today and just some of the new—and perhaps surprising—ways that music is currently being made. And the entire exhibition is interactive—so you can get in on the action, and the music. In addition to these new products, San Diego’s own Dr. Chris Warren has installed a few of his own inventions including a Body Theremin (which uses your whole body to make music!) and the EchoThief Impulse Response Library. The EchoThief includes detailed sonic snapshots of resonant spaces that are paired with panoramic photographs so that the user experiences diverse spaces through both sight and sound.

Related Programs Come to the Museum and experience some of these innovative instruments and music in person! Friday, July 28 @ 7:00 PM Ableton Push virtuoso and multi-instrumentalist JNTHN STEIN and vocalist Sherry St. Germain present a night of groundbreaking new music. Saturday, August 26 @ 7:00 PM Theremin virtuoso Randy George presents an evening of music showcasing the beauty and “musical voice” of this innovative and pioneering instrument. For tickets, order online at museumofmakingmusic.org or call (760) 304-5844. JNTHN STEIN

Sherry St. Germain

Randy George

The Photography of Graham Nash Twenty-nine lyrical and poignant, black-and-white photographs by famed artist and musician Graham Nash continue on display at the Museum through August 31. Graham Nash is certainly known worldwide for his music: he is a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee—with Crosby, Stills, and Nash and with the Hollies. He is a Grammy Award winner and was also inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame twice. In recognition of his contributions as a musician and philanthropist, Nash was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth.

Joni Mitchell, 1969

But Nash is also an internationally renowned, award-winning photographer and visual artist. His work has been shown in galleries and museums worldwide and his 1969 portrait of David Crosby is now housed in the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution. In these photographs we get a chance to see how the visual arts and music can share common ground. Motion, repetition, mood, texture—these are themes you will find in many of Nash’s photographs… and the same themes we find in much of the music we listen to and enjoy. No surprise though: these are universal emotions and expressions and whether in a photograph or a piece of music, these themes speak to us directly. In this case, the medium is not the message, but rather a vehicle to deliver the message.

Neil Driving Home, 1988

Also no surprise: you’ll find images in the exhibition of Joni Mitchell, Stephen Stills, and other famous musicians of Nash’s era. But you’ll find many other images as well. Taken as a whole, these photographs present a life well-lived, a life of making art—in many different forms—that has enriched the lives of many of us as well. One final note. Want to own one of these amazing photographs? You can… and you will be helping the Museum at the same time, since 50% of the proceeds from the sale will be donated to the Museum’s fundraising efforts. Contact AlisaA@museumofmakingmusic.org for details. 5

Neil Young, Studio City, CA, 1970

upcoming exhibition

To Fret or Not to Fret Our next special exhibition entitled Floating Strings: The Remarkable Story of the Harp Guitar in America opens in early October. The exhibition will be developed and designed by museum staff along with very special guest curator, Gregg Miner—one of the world’s foremost harp guitar scholars—and will include more than 40 beautiful examples of this unique instrument. In addition to the stunning display of instrumental craftsmanship, the exhibition also looks at the history of the harp guitar, from its beginnings in Europe to its current status and use in the United States today. Before we get into that history though…we better define what a harp guitar is! Basically, it’s a guitar (which has fretted strings), with any number of floating strings (unfretted, like a harp) added. Thus, harp guitar. But no need to fret about the definition (sorry about that)! There will be no quizzes, just a delightful exhibition experience. The harp guitar had been around Europe since the late 1700s, with sporadic experiments dating as far back as 1659. Continually sprouting up in one form or another, some types were so common that they didn’t even warrant a special term; they were simply guitars, described by their number of strings. Other instruments had fantastical forms with strange new shapes. Some of the distinctive designs and inventions launched new, if temporary, traditions while others died a quick and ignoble death. It’s unknown how much awareness of these instruments there was in America. Beyond a couple rare occurrences, 19th century American musicians remained seemingly oblivious to the long and varied European history of guitars with floating strings. Thus, while there were many precursors to our American harp guitars, there may have been few direct influences—nothing that can be proven. Incredibly, Americans may have created many of this country’s harp guitars independently.

Stahl Patent guitar-within-guitar c.1909 –1912 On loan from Gregg Miner

At the same time, it was Americans who came up with the romantic name of “harp guitar.” And it would prove a surprisingly durable romance indeed. For over three decades—predominantly between 1890 and 1920—harp guitars in all their fresh 6

variety would remain popular with American fretted instrument builders and players, from amateurs to professionals. Though they subsequently disappeared for several decades, a rekindled love affair with the American harp guitar began to blossom in the 1980s and continues today in a worldwide renaissance. Including this new exhibition here at the Museum of Making Music! As always with our special exhibitions, there will be an extensive complementary line-up of concerts and presentations. So look for those in the next issue of notes and in groove, the Museum’s event calendar. One special event we can tell you about right now though: The 15th Anniversary Harp Guitar Gathering (the largest celebration of all things harp guitar in the US!) will take place October 13 to October 15, right here at the Museum. It’s Coachella and Burning Man for the harp guitar. (Okay, we made that part up.) But the “Gathering” is for real and quite an amazing weekend of music. Go to www.harpguitars.net for more details and make your plans to attend.

Michihiro Matsuda Harp Guitar On loan from Michael Simmons

J. W. Jenkins’ Sons “Harwood Harp Guitar” c.1890 –1900 On loan from Gregg Miner

programs

Opportunities – Just Waiting For You North Coastal New Horizons Band

North Coast Strings

The national New Horizons Band program was developed by professor Roy Ernst of the Eastman School of Music in 1991. The program offers adults the chance to learn to play a concert band instrument and perform with other amateur musicians. The program has introduced thousands of people to the joys and benefits of music making.

North Coast Strings is a musical ensemble designed to be an entry point for adults (age 21 and up) who would like to learn a stringed instrument (violin, viola, cello, bass) or for those who have played in the past, but haven’t picked up their instrument in a number of years. The orchestra is hosted—that’s right— by the Museum of Making Music and directed by Paula Simmons. And again (no coincidence), a new session begins in the fall (October to be exact).

The local North Coastal New Horizons Band is the Carlsbad affiliate of the National program—and hosted right here at the Museum of Making Music. Conducted by Allison Hargis, the band typically adds new members in the fall. Which means… the time is right for you to contact Allison for more information about participating. Hargis received her Bachelor’s degree in music education (flute) from Baylor University and a Master’s degree in educational administration from United States International University. She also taught band in the Poway Unified School District (where she met her band director husband) and has been with the North Coastal New Horizons Band since 2002. So you are in good hands!

Paula Simmons, our founding North Coast Strings conductor, received her Bachelor’s degree in music education from Viterbo College, a fine arts college in La Crosse, WI, and her Master of Music in viola performance from Florida State University in Tallahassee. Paula has played with many professional groups and is currently the violist with Quartetto Sorrento. Along with her partner, Kevin Smith, she owns and operates The Violin Shop right here in San Diego. She also maintains a busy private teaching studio. For more information on both of these programs, contact Carolyn Grant at carolyng@museumofmakingmusic.org

Volunteer Program As a nonprofit organization, the Museum of Making Music relies heavily on the support of dedicated volunteers. Volunteers can serve as docents, gallery attendants, store clerks, event staff, and office support. And if you have other interests or talents, we can probably find a spot for you as well. By joining the volunteer team, you not only help the Museum achieve its mission, you also meet fellow music-lovers and become a member of a supportive community. Ask Betty, a volunteer who says, “By volunteering at MoMM, I’ve found a group of people I can share my deep involvement and love of music with… But best of all, I enjoy giving tours to children, which keeps me in touch with young folks after retiring from my teaching career. Where else could I find all this?” Volunteers have monthly meetings, education sessions, and annual appreciation events. But best of all, volunteers have fun. And feel great knowing they are helping to make music come alive in peoples’ lives. All are welcome to apply to be a volunteer. We currently have over 60 active volunteers whose ages range from teens to 9

seniors! The first step in becoming a volunteer is to take part in our volunteer training program. The training program is conducted once a year, beginning in the summer, but if you miss that start-up date, there are still plenty of opportunities to participate until the next volunteer training session comes around. So don’t wait. Get involved. Contact Bill Kilpatrick (aka “Mr. Bill”) at (760) 304-5819 to discuss volunteer opportunities at the museum! Or complete our volunteer interest form online, and we’ll contact you.

development

An Evening with Graham Nash April 8, 2017— what a night here at the Museum of Making Music! A sold-out crowd of 160 guests heard music icon Graham Nash, one of the great singer-songwriters of our time, in concert. Guests of the event first enjoyed a cocktail and dessert reception, the opportunity to preview the exhibition The Photography of Graham Nash, and the chance to bid on live auction items that were donated by generous museum patrons. The evening’s main event included an hour-long concert performance by Nash, accompanied by guitarist Shane Fontayne (Lone Justice, Sting, Bruce Springsteen). Nash, a two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Grammy Award winner (Crosby, Stills and Nash; The Hollies), performed hits spanning his career, including “Bus Stop,” “Marrakesh Express,” “Teach Your Children,” and many others. Thanks to Graham and the Museum members, patrons, NAMM members and local businesses who supported this memora-

ble event, the Museum raised more than $70,000—funds that will help support our museum-based and community-wide education programs for both children and adults. Major sponsors for this gala evening included Securematics, Zuza Marketing/Printing/Mailing, South Coast Winery, Stone Brewing Co., and Morrison Hotel Gallery Fine Art and Photography. Additional support was provided by Birch Aquarium, Carlsbad Fire Department, Cobra/Puma Golf, Disneyland, Fratelli’s, Fortis Fitness and Strength Training, Fundraising Rides, H2Odyssey, Pamela Underwood Expressive Arts Studio, Sandy Radom Photography, Stellaluna, The Country Club at Rancho Bernardo, The Crossings at Carlsbad, Vista Valley Country Club, Fortis/YOGALUX, and many other generous donors who helped make the evening a great success.

For all of us who believe in music’s power to heal, this museum is a very important place. There are many studies today that prove that music actually has therapeutic properties, and that’s why I’m so happy to be affiliated with the Museum of Making Music. They understand the power and importance of music. Not just for the sheer joy that it gives us, but how it can help us too.

GRAHAM NASH

Lee and Cashdollar Play It Forward The Museum of Making Music invites you to join us for a very special Play It Forward benefit concert featuring the guitarist Albert Lee and slide guitarist Cindy Cashdollar. Albert and Cindy will be backed by a stellar band (to be announced soon on our website) for this sure-to-be memorable, one-night event. Some of you may remember Lee and Cashdollar performing at the Museum in the summer of 2015. But only about 160 of you…because that’s our concert seating limit at MoMM. This upcoming concert will be something very special and very different, because we are presenting these world-class musicians in the world-class performance space at The Irwin M. Jacobs Qualcomm Hall, a state-of-the-art, 534-seat concert and performance venue located in Sorrento Valley and operated by Qualcomm. The facility features premium acoustics and comfortable seating. A dedicated 700-space parking garage makes this venue easily accessible and user friendly. But don’t let that “534-seat” number fool you. This concert will sell out for sure, so don’t wait to get your tickets. Play It Forward The Museum’s education programs impact thousands of adults, seniors, students, and children from a variety of economic and cultural backgrounds. The Title One Fieldtrip Program provides free access to the Museum for low-income students from neighboring communities, our scholarship program enables fixed-income adults and seniors the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, and upgrades to the interactive stations throughout the galleries impact all our visitors. This benefit concert helps cover the costs—some $100,000 annually—of these important programs. About the Musicians Albert Lee is a Grammy Award-winning British guitarist, multiple recipient of Guitar Player magazine’s Best Country Guitarist, and celebrated by fans and musicians the world over for his hybrid picking technique. Known for his use of the Fender Telecaster, signature Ernie Ball guitar, and lightning speed playing, Albert has not only worked in the studio and on tour with some of the biggest names in world music, but he has also maintained a successful solo career of his own. 11

Concert and ticket details Saturday, September 9, 2017 Irwin M. Jacobs Qualcomm Hall 7 – 9 pm $75 orchestra • $50 parterre • $35 balcony Call to order tickets: (760) 304-5844 Or online: www.museumofmakingmusic.org

Cindy Cashdollar plays the dobro, steel guitar, and lap steel guitar player—and has played these various instruments, in various genres, with the likes of artists such as Ryan Adams, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Rod Stewart, Albert Lee, Asleep At The Wheel, Marcia Ball, Jorma Kaukonen, Leon Redbone, BeauSoleil, Peter Rowan, and many others.

NON-PROFIT ORG U . S . P O S TA G E PA I D PERMIT NO. 245 CARLSBAD, CA

5790 ARMADA DRIVE CARLSBAD CA 92008 OF MAKING

Global Cross-Strings Mark your calendars for the four concerts in this groundbreaking series highlighting cross-cultural string duos from around the world. Expanded descriptions can be found on our website. All concerts begin at 7pm.

Derek Gripper & Debashish Bhattacharya Saturday, September 23, 2017

Ballaké Sissoko & Vincent Ségal Thursday, November 2, 2017

This historic show features South African kora guitarist Derek Gripper and Indian slide guitarist Debashish Bhattacharya as they make their North American touring debut.

Everything about this duo is unexpected: the Malian master of the traditional harp, or kora; the French cellist with the unlikely background in trip-hop; and the elegant, soulful music they make together.

Wu Man & Bill Bradbury Saturday, December 9, 2017 Recognized as the world’s premier pipa virtuoso, Wu Man has carved out a new role in both traditional and contemporary music with her lute-like instrument. She will be joined on mandolin by Cal State Marcos professor and multiinstrumentalist Bill Bradbury.

Germán López & Antonio Toledo Friday, January 19, 2018 Germán López is an esteemed timple player, blending the ancient traditions of the Canary Islands with musical virtuosity. He will be accompanied by guitarist Antonio Toledo.

www.museumofmakingmusic.org design : Leah Roschke, StudioGrafik general info 760.438.5996 photography : Tim Whitehouse, cover and p 10; Sonny Portacio, p 3; Rob Buck, p 11 (Cindy Cashdollar) tickets 760.304.5844 THE MUSEUM OF MAKING MUSIC, A 501(C)(3) NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION, IS A DIVISION OF THE FOUNDATION