Piano diva IeSeul Yoen (R) with friends

Two divas gave their final piano performance at Idyllwild Arts Academy yesterday evening, April 12, amongst a backdrop of a late snow. The cherry blossoms, lilacs and daffodils were in full bloom, and by day’s end, there was snow all over the ground.

Those students, faculty and friends who braved the cold and attended the senior recital were treated to a warm and entertaining evening showcasing the talents of Georgina Bertheau and IeSeul Yoen.

Bertheau, who appeared in a long, silky, sleeveless burgundy gown and strappy silver pumps, began her five-song lineup with “Prelude and Fugue in D Major,” from “The Well Tempered Klavier,” Book II, by Johan Sebastian Bach.

For those who know, “The Well Tempered Klavier” was created by Bach in two books of keyboard preludes and fugues in all 24 major and minor keys, starting with C major, then C minor, then C-sharp major, and so on. The rising chromatic pattern continues until every key has been represented, finishing with a B-minor fugue.

This piece was a nice warm-up for Bertheau.

Her next piece, “Sonata in G Major, Op. 31, No. 1” by Ludwig von Beethoven, was moody, and intense and the dark sound filled the room. At times, it appeared that Bertheau was angry because she wore a serious expression on her face, as she worked her way through this complex piece.

“Piano Sonata No. 1” by Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera, is not so unusual a selection, giving the fact that Bertheau comes from Costa Rica and Ginastera is considered one of the most important Latin American classical composers.

Like the others, this song was moody and complex, but Bertheau played it with more vitality, showcasing her talents across the keyboard, as the audience enjoyed it.

By the time she returned for her fourth piece, “Etude in G-flat, Op. 25, No. 9,” “Butterfly” by Frederic Chopin, Bertheau had her long hair tied back in a ponytail and her cheeks and chest were flushed crimson. Early on in the piece, she showed real emotion in her face, as she presented this piece known for its staccato and macchiato alterations (resembling the erratic flight of a butterfly.)

Her final piece, “Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23,” also by Chopin, was a perfect ending to a senior recital.

After Bertheau took her final bows, her boyfriend, Connor Merritt, gave her a bouquet of red roses.

Like her name suggests, IeSeul Yoen is a native of Seoul, South Korea. She’s attended Idyllwild Arts for four years, and plans to go to the prestigious Manhattan School of Music in the fall.

Yoen wore a strapless, long black gown with a black jacket. Braided in her hair was a sparkling pin.

Just like Bertheau, Yoen began her recital with “Prelude and Fugue in F Minor,” from “The Well-Tempered Klavier. However, Yoen’s book was created by Bach in 1722, 22 years before the one played by Bertheau. At first, Yoen was concentrating with her head down, and her eyes closed.

By the time Yoen played her second selection, “Sonata in D Major, Op. 10, No. 3,” by Beethoven, she was relaxed and confident, leaning back on the bench as she played. It was an intense and long piece, but Yoen played it with a delicate touch tempered by dramatic pauses.

Afterwards, Doug Ashcraft, her piano teacher at Idyllwild Arts, who also heads the Music department, clapped the loudest and longest. Perhaps he knew of the challenges she faced along the way?

For her third piece, “Alternating Current, Second Movement,” by the American composer Kevin Puts, Yoen relied on sheet music, and the help of the other diva, Bertheau, as page turner, who had changed into a black, knee-length dress.

According to Puts’ web site, the title refers to the alternating meter and flowing nature of the piece.

“It’s a slow dance in which contrasts descending triads with Beethovian pedal points,” Puts said. “My aim was a sense of quiet nobility.”

As an accomplished pianist, Puts knew how to entertain an audience with this piece, and Yoen played it beautifully.

For her fourth and final piece of her high school year, Yoen played “Polonaise in F Sharp Minor, Op. 44,” by Chopin. It was a jazzy, showoff piece, that was dramatic from its introduction. At times, it went round and round, sounding like carousel music. Yoen allowed herself a few confident head turns and smiles throughout the piece, clearly enjoying it.

Afterwards, by the time, she returned for her second bow, everyone was on their feet, hooting and hollering in appreciation. Camille Liu ran up and gave Yoen a colorful bouquet of paper flowers created by her good friend, A-Tao Liu.

Although “diva” is generally attributed to a celebrated female singer, it is also given to women with outstanding musical talent. Such is the case of the two divas, Yoen and Bertheau, in their final performance at Idyllwild Arts. Brava!

Custom Search

Marni Nixon (4th from L) & Master Class students

href=”https://www.statcounter.com/tumblr/”
target=”_blank”>

By Marcia E. Gawecki

She was the singing voice of Audrey Hepburn in “My Fair Lady,” and Natalie Wood in “West Side Story,” and Deborah Kerr in both “The King and I” and “An Affair to Remember.” She sang Opera, performed on Broadway and won two Emmys along the way. At age 80, one would think that Marni Nixon would rest on her laurels and retire like many legends. However, recently, she performed with other Broadway singers at a “One Night Only” concert in Palm Springs, and then gave a two-hour Master Class at the Idyllwild Arts Academy (IA).

“We were so lucky to get her,” said Doug Ashcraft, head of the Music Department at Idyllwild Arts. “Darren (Schilling, PR) saw that she was appearing nearby, and e-mailed her to see if she’d do a Master Class for us.”

Ashcroft added that Nixon had hosted a Master Class at IA about six years ago.

“I love what I do,” Marni Nixon said when asked why she is still performing. “And I still have to set a good example for my grown children.”

Her son, Andrew Gold, followed Nixon into the music business. She said he is best known for creating the theme song for the TV sitcom, “The Golden Girls.” Her daughters, Martha Carr, became a psychologist and Melanie Gold is a massage therapist. All three live in LA, and Nixon planned on visiting them that weekend.

On April 9, Stephens Recital Hall was packed to capacity with students, faculty and even some Nixon fans who live in Idyllwild.

“I’ve been following you throughout your career,” one woman said later as Nixon was autographing her CD.

Each of the students took turns performing a song of their choosing (with special meaning to them). They included: Everett Ford, Samuel Chan, Preston Pounds, Ruby Day, Joey Jennings, Paulina Kurtz, Becca Goldberg, and Melissa Haygood

“I wasn’t as nervous as I am performing,” said Samuel Chan, a classical voice major, who performed “Loveliest of Trees.” “I knew that she was there to help me.”

For Chan, Nixon suggested that he enunciate his consonants more, and then visualize while he was singing.

“Try and visualize that tree,” Nixon suggested. “Is it old? Is there snow on the branches?” She also said to put emotion behind the discovery of the tree. “Imagine that your rooomate has just died, or something just as traumatic, then you go to the woods to get away, and you come upon this tree.”

Chan performed the song for Nixon again, visualizing the tree.

“I can see you smelling the branches,” Nixon exclaimed, as Chan blushed.

“Can you see the difference?” Nixon asked everyone in the audience and they clapped in response. She added that it was good for classical voice majors to take some acting classes to help them visualize, and for musical theater students to take classical voice for the discipline.

Everett Ford sang a song in German, and Nixon asked him to translate the first and second verses. He said that it was about death and passing away freely.

“Just because the song is sung in German, doesn’t mean you don’t have to enunciate,” she said. “Be Italian, without being ‘fake.’ It will feel strange at first, but then it’ll become more natural. We need to hear the distinction of the words.”

As he performed the song over again, Nixon announced that she was going to “poke” and “pry” at him. She prodded him to stand up straight, and came up behind him, and held onto his rib cage.

“That’s where your voice needs to come from,” she said.

With other students, she mentioned posture, confidence, and the Tai Chi way of  firmly planting your feet on the ground.

After Becca Goldberg sang, “I Never Knew His Name,” about a young girl who didn’t know her father, Nixon was complimentary in her delivery, but critical of her posture.

“This might sound a bit cruel, but the way you’re standing up here says, “Oh poor me, pity me,'” Nixon said. Immediately, she went over to Goldberg and straightened out her spine.

As Goldberg was singing it again, Nixon commanded her  to push against her with all her strength. “You need to get that strength and emotion into your song,” she said. Goldberg sang another song for Nixon, a sassier, jazzier one, and her posture greatly improved.

Throughout her critique, Nixon would always ask the title and composer of the songs. Most of the students didn’t know, and referred to their sheet music at the piano. When Joey Jennings announced his second song, “Bring Home My Youth,” by Oscar Levant and Edward Heyman, Nixon asked Jennings what he knew about them.

“These are famous people,” she said. “Oscar Levant was bitter and funny and honest about his putdowns of people. This is kind of his signature song.”

When Jennings finished the song, he wiped away tears and “flipped the bird.”

“That was a good exercise,” Nixon responded. “Now, next time, instead of being angry underneath, try another emotion.”

When Paulina Kurtz sang, “My Brother Lives in San Francisco,” Nixon said that she wasn’t familiar with it.

“It’s new, and never been performed on Broadway or anything,” Kurtz said. She explained that it was about a girl recollecting her gay brother who moved to San Francisco, and the effects of AIDS.

Afterwards, some of the students in the audience were brought to tears.

“Can you give me a copy of that song?” Nixon asked. “I’d like to share it with some of my students.”

Nixon answered questions from the audience

“These Master Classes are a great way for me to stay in touch with modern music,” Nixon said later.

“Just perfect,” Nixon told Melissa Heygood, the last one to perform.

“I don’t think I say it perfectly,” Melissa said later. “I think she was just a little tired.”

After the last performance, Nixon told a little bit about her career, and answered questions from the audience.

“What advice would you give to young people who are just starting their careers, knowing what you know now?” asked Ella Walker, a dance major.

“Have lots of money,” Nixon quipped, as everyone laughed. “You need to have a job at night like computer programming or something, because you need to be up and ready for auditions during the day.”

Others asked if she had travelled to Europe or Asia (because of her Suzuki teaching method) and what type of music genre she preferred.

Nixon talked about her youth, when she and her sisters would sing at local events to make money for their voice lessons.

“Sometimes the teachers would feel sorry for us and give us a break on their rates,” she said.

She said she began singing seriously, with regular performances, at age 10 or 11. Remarkably, at age 17, she performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

“She seems like one of those rare individuals who came out of the womb singing,” said Jessica Scales, a theater major, later.

“I wish we could have heard her sing,” added Andie Hubsch, another musical theater major. “But was nice just being in the presence of a legend.”

Afterwards, Nixon posed for pictures, signed autographs, and sold copies of her CDs and new book, “I Could Have Sung All Night.”

Copyright 2010 Idyllwild Me. All rights reserved.

Custom Search

Mariya & Chris, LA Phil's bass principal

By Marcia E. Gawecki

“We don’t want just to listen to dead composers,” said Peter Askim, music director and composer-in-residence, Idyllwild Arts Academy. That’s why he took 10 music students to see the Los Angeles Philharmonic on March 12, which included “Five Elements,” a contemporary piece by Qigang Chen, a Chinese composer.

The piece focused on music that sounded like the five elements–water, wood, fire, earth and metal—and changed in two-minute intervals.

“You could really hear the water,” said Sebastian, an Idyllwild Arts music student from Heidelberg. “I’m not a big fan of ‘program’ music, but this one was very good.”

“It was hard to hear it as one piece,” Askim added, “but it had its moments.”

During the “Five Elements,” Askim nudged Yu-Wei “Una” Cheng, a percussionist, to pay attention to the LA Phil percussionists as they played the timpani (kettle drums) and marimbas.

To get authentic wooden and metal sounds, the percussionists relied on several wooden and metal instruments, including a xylophone, a vibraphone and two large marimbas.

Una said that the school has a marimba that she’s played before, and they’re very old instruments.

“Before they make the marimbas, they age a special kind of wood for about 50 years,” Una explained. Only two countries make them, including the U.S. and Japan. She thinks that the one at the school was made in Japan.

Besides Chen’s “Five Elements,” LA Phil’s two-hour program included works by Beethoven and Strauss. For Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op 37, Joyce Yang, a young Korean pianist (not much older than the students) impressed the audience.

“She’s a student at Julliard now, but has a great career ahead of her,” added Askim.

According to the brochure, Yang is considered “the most gifted young pianist of her generation.” She has won numerous awards and has played with the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Hong Kong Philharmonic, among others.

Under the direction of Edo de Waart, the chief conductor and artistic director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Yang and the orchestra played Beethoven’s Piano Concerto to the liking of most of the students in the group.

“She played it beautifully and didn’t pound the keys. There was less ‘pomp’ and more romance in her version,” said Andrew Leeson, an instructor and Summer Program coordinator at Idyllwild Arts.

Sebastian agreed. “Beethoven is always played so heavy handed.”

Mariya-Andoniya Andonova, a bass player who was celebrating her birthday that day, came to hear Strauss’ “Ein Heldenleben” or “A Hero’s Life.” There were nine bass players in the LA Philharmonic that day, including a woman from the San Diego Symphony, whom Askim knew.

“They always make me play ‘A Hero’s Life’ during my auditions,” said Mariya, a senior from Bulgaria, who is applying to colleges. “It’s really a difficult piece to play.”

Askim, who is also a bass player, agreed that the bass part of “A Hero’s Life” was challenging, yet good to watch professionals play it. That’s why he encouraged Mariya and Michael Minor, another bass student at Idyllwild Arts, to attend the show.

“No one else will notice (the bass part) because everyone else is playing, but you’ll see Mariya give it her full attention,” Askim teased.

Martin Chalifour, principal violinist, who had solos during “A Hero’s Life,” Chris Hanulik, principal bassist, and Carrie Dennis, principal violist, chatted with the students outside Disney Hall afterwards. Martin and Carrie had recently played with the Idyllwild Arts Academy Orchestra, and Chris is Mariya’s bass instructor.

Connor Merritt, an Idyllwild Arts trombonist, was happy to attend the event. “It’s great to get away from Idyllwild for the day and hear some New Age music,” he said.

Copyright 2010 Idyllwild Me. All rights reserved.

Li-An Tsai, an IA semi-finalist

By Marcia E. Gawecki

Out of the thousands of Southern California students who entered the Music Center Spotlight Awards this year, six Idyllwild Arts students have made it to the semifinals. Besides an opportunity to win thousands in scholarship money, Spotlight winners are also invited to summer music festivals, meet influential people and perform before large audiences. In short, it’s a big deal.

For more than two decades, the Spotlight Awards have been providing meaningful recognition, encouragement and advancement for high school students studying music and visual arts. The categories include: ballet, non-classical dance, classical voice, non-classical voice, classical instrumental, jazz instrumental, photography and two-dimensional art.

The six Idyllwild Arts semi-finalists for 2010 include: Martin Peh, Ru Guo “William” Wang and Shen Liu, classical instrumental; Caleb Hensinger, jazz instrumental; Kayla Tuggle, non-classical dance; and Li-An Tsai, for two-dimensional art. Some, like the dancers were eliminated earlier, while the four music students will find out if they made the finals today, Saturday, March 13.

Caleb Hensinger, jazz semi-finalist

“I’m happy, but it’s hard when you’re up against your best friends,” said Martin Peh, who plays the violin. His friends, William and Shen, both play the clarinet, and are just as stoic.

When William was congratulated recently, he smiled and looked down. “He’s happy, but he’s holding back his emotions,” said his girlfriend, Ai-Ching Huang, an Idyllwild Arts violist.

Last year, two Idyllwild Arts students made it to the Spotlight Finals: Tian-Peng “Timmy” Yu, a sophomore pianist, who won his classical instrumental category and Samuel Chan, a junior, who took second place in classical voice.

Timmy, who won his category, agreed that it could be nerve wrecking. “When they announced the two finalists (from the classical instrumental category) last year, they put us all in the same room,” he said. “Everyone was looking at me. It was kind of awkward.”

“But when you’re one of the two finalists, you’re already won,” Timmy added. For first place in the classical instrumental, he earned a $5,000 scholarship, while Samuel got a $4,000 scholarship. They both have been invited to attend the Aspen Summer Music Program this summer on scholarship.

Timmy Yu beams as Spotlight Winner 2009

Timmy said it was exciting to be a finalist. “A Hollywood director takes a video of you, and you get to talk to the media,” he said.

At last year’s Spotlight Awards at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in LA, many Idyllwild Arts students and faculty showed up to support Timmy and Samuel. The short videos depicted their life at Idyllwild Arts with interviews with their music teachers, family and friends. It’s a memento they will treasure for a lifetime, Timmy said, and was later posted on You Tube for all to see.

After the videos were shown, each of the finalists got to perform before the large audience at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

“I can’t wait to find out who made the finals this year,” said Samuel. “I want to pass on the torch.”

There were no Idyllwild Arts students in Sam’s classical voice category, but one visual artist made it to the Spotlight semi-finals this year, Li-An Tsai. She said her small watercolor depicts two people listening to music, she said.

When she received her congratulatory letter this year, Li-An didn’t celebrate for at least two hours. She had entered the Spotlight Awards last year and got a rejection letter. She was sure it was the same thing, but she waited to show her roommate, Geneva Winters, just to be sure.

“She knows English better than I do, and she said that I made it,” Li-An said. By making the semi-finals, Li-An also received $500 towards summer arts classes.

As part of the Spotlight semi-finals process, Li-An was invited to the Bergamot Station Arts Center in Santa Monica with the other finalists from the 2-D art and photography categories on March 6. For two hours, she and her IA friend, Sana Liu, toured four galleries, and talked about art with their sponsor.

“He asked us questions like, ‘What message do you want others to walk away with?’” Li-An said. “It makes you think about what you want your art to say to people.”

Li-An & Sana Touring Galleries

On March 20, Li-An will know if she made the Spotlight Finals at a gala the Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena, in which they’ll showcase all of the arts student’s entries.

“When I told my mom that I made it to the Spotlight Semi-finals, she said, ‘Oh good!’” added Li-An. “I don’t think she knows what an honor it is yet.”

For more information on the Music Center Spotlight Awards, visit www.musiccenter.org.

Copyright 2010 Idyllwild Me. All rights reserved.

Violinists Henry Chi and Minyeong Kim kicked off the Idyllwild Arts’ Junior Recital music series at 7:30 p.m. this evening (Feb. 23) at Stephens Recital Hall.  Each took turns showcasing their musical depth and adept fingering techniques.

Henry’s recital was first, and he warmed up to it by playing Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet, seated in a semi-circle onstage with four of his friends: Ruo Gu “William” Wang, clarinet; Xian Fan “ShaSha” Liu, violin; Ai-Ching Huang, viola and Anais “XO” Liu, cello.

Since this piece was a clarinet quintet, William got more standout playtime, while Henry competed with another violin and viola.

“The students don’t get to pick the pieces for their recitals,” explained Douglas Ashcroft, Idyllwild Arts Music Chair, who was also a piano accompanist that evening. “It’s up to their teachers to decide.”

For his second piece, Mozart’s Rondo, Henry was alone onstage, except for Nelms McKelvain, playing the piano. This piece was up tempo and played very fast, and showed Henry’s fast-fingering technique.

The audience, comprised mostly of Idyllwild Arts students and faculty members, clapped and hooted enthusiastically after it was over. They marveled at Henry’s ability to play long songs from memory.

“The juniors have to prepare for this recital, in addition to doing all of their regular schoolwork, and attending classes, orchestra and small group practices,” Doug added.

As the title suggests, Henry’s third violin piece, Beethoven’s Romance in F, Op. 11, was romantic. With his haircut that hung in his eyes, Henry started to show emotion on his face during this piece.

His final, Sarasate’s Zigeunerweisen, showed off his ability to pluck with his bow and entertain the audience. Doug accompanied him on this piece, which also featured long, dramatic pauses. A couple of students in the audience began to clap before the piece was over because they thought the long pause was the end of the song.

Henry didn’t crack a smile during the recital, but bowed deeply in appreciation of the audience after his final piece. He received a bouquet of flowers from a friend, and a standing ovation.

After a 15-minute intermission, it was Minyeong Kim’s turn. She walked boldly onstage in a red satin floor length gown with sequins and her hair in a ponytail. She nodded to Nelms, her accompanist, and immediately a big sound came out of her violin. Her first piece, Paganini’s Caprice No. 16, was very short, and powerful, but more edgy than Henry’s friendlier Mozart and Beethoven choices.

For her second piece, Prokoviev’s Concerto No. 1, Op. 19, Minyeong changed accompanists. Xue “Maxine” Gong, a fellow Idyllwild Arts student, took over the piano in a red, knee-length dress with roses. This piece by Prokoviev was a little lighter in tone and intensity, but definitely showed off Minyeong’s fast fingering abilities.

“It’s not surprising that her last piece came from a Russian composer,” said Yu-Wei “Una” Cheng, Minyeong’s best friend, who had helped her memorize her notes. “Minyeong’s (former) teacher in Korea was Russian.”

For her third piece, Minyeong chose Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 28, by the French composer Saint-Saens. According to various web sites, it was commissioned by a 15-year-old violin prodigy at the time, and features virtuoso arpeggios and and chromatic scalar passages. Yet, the key remains in the darker lower range. Like Joan of Arc with her bow in battle, Minyeong played the edgy, dark music, while the audience remained transfixed.

During her final piece, however, Minyeong chose a more popular one that the audience could recognize, the Theme from Schlinder’s List by the American composer, John Williams. The piece was heartbreakingly sad (about a German businessman who saved 1,000 Polish Jews during the Holocaust), and earned Williams an Academy Award in 1993 for Best Original Music Score. Only during this piece did Minyeong show emotion by furrowing her brows.

Afterwards, the audience clapped, hollared and gave Minyeong a standing ovation. She walked away with three bouquets of flowers, including one from her mother and another from her best friend.

This evening’s Junior Recital was the first of many to come this year at Idyllwild Arts. Following the junior recitals, come senior recitals with a large graduating class. For those who like to hear outstanding classical music from young musicians, Idyllwild Arts is your (free!) ticket.

Custom Search

By Marcia E. Gawecki

Hours before their Feb. 17 concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall (presented by the Los Angeles Philharmonic), several principal players from the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra agreed to give 12 Idyllwild Arts students master classes.

“The players at the Gerwandhaus Orchestra have a very special way of thinking about music and playing phrases,” said Peter Askim, music director and composer-in-residence at the Idyllwild Arts Academy. “The students get a different perspective on music making, and each teacher has a different way of explaining the same concepts.”

The fortunate Idyllwild Arts students who took classes that day included Seann Trull and Rachael Hill, French horn; Ruo Gu Wang and Shen Liu, clarinet; Ting Yu “Monica” Yang, Lei Shao, and Anais “XO” Liu, cello; Xiao Fan Liu, Minyeong “Stephanie” Kim, Martin Peh, Lea Hausmann, and Dorisiya Yosifova, violin.

The four principals from the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra included Bernhard Krug, French horn; Andreas Lehnert, clarinet; Christian Geiger, cello; and Concertmaster Frank Michael Erben, violin.

Peter said that he chose the guest musicians based on their reputations as players and teachers, and he tried to give the most number of students the opportunity to experience the master classes.

Lei Shao, an Idyllwild Arts cellist, said that he chose the music for his hour-long session with Christian Geiger at the Colburn Center across from Disney Concert Hall. Lei said that he was excited, but nervous when he played for the professional cellist.

“He gave me some good advice on how to improve my playing, and I will apply it right away,” Lei said enthusiastically. The best part, he admitted, was when he got to hear Christian play on his own instrument.

Peter said the master classes were not easy to arrange, but he has connections with two American musicians who used to play for the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. “Usually the musicians are very happy to teach and meet students from other places when they travel,” he said.

During the concert at 8 p.m. that night at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the students got to choose from seats located in the top balcony or behind the orchestra.

“I like to sit behind the stage and watch the conductor,” Peter admitted. “A lot of the students appreciated almost feeling like a part of the orchestra.” However, he wanted the pianists to sit in the balcony so that they could experience the piano soloist from that perspective.

“A lot of people don’t realize that at these concerts, it’s all about the music. You don’t have to sit where you can see the musicians,” said Samuel Chan, an Idyllwild Arts vocal student. Although Samuel sat behind the orchestra this time, he said the best place to hear was in the balcony.

For the students, their eyes were glued to the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra during the entire performance, which included two pieces by Ludwig van Beethoven: The Piano Concerto No. 5 in E Flat Major, Op 73 “Emperor,” and Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op 92.

Peter said that the Idyllwild Arts Student Orchestra performed Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 during their first concert in Idyllwild last year, and it was good for them to hear a professional version.

“The tempos that the conductor (Riccardo Chially) chose were different,” Peter said. “They have also been playing this music their whole life, and they are from the German culture that Beethoven is from. But I think our students did a very good job on the symphony last year, though!”

He thought the Leipzig Orchestra did a nice job that night. “Many students think that just playing the notes of a piece is enough, but seeing an orchestra like Gewandhaus shows them that the notes are just the beginning. Taking the notes on the page and turning them into such a moving musical experience, full of emotion and subtlety is beyond their imagination, and shows them how much they have to learn and grow.”

Kathryn Schmidt, an Idyllwild Arts jazz vocals student, said that Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 was one of her favorites because it was later adapted to include vocals. “The story is about a boy who loses his father,” Kathryn said. “It’s so beautiful and sad.”

Like Peter, she was particularly impressed with the Gewandhaus Orchestra’s ability to play very soft and loud.

According to the LA Phil materials, “Movement II (of the Piano Concerto No. 5) is one of the composer’s most sublime inspirations. The muted strings play a theme of incomparable beauty and sad tenderness, with the piano responding in hushed, descending triplets, creating subtle tension until the theme is fully exposed.”

The pianist who was supposed to accompany the Leipzig Orchestra was Nelson Freire from Brazil. However, for reasons unknown, Canadian pianist Louis Lortie replaced Nelson, and did an outstanding job. Lortie, who lives in Berlin, has received accolades for his Beethoven interpretations, stated LA Phil materials.

After the orchestra received a standing ovation before intermission, Louis came out and performed Beethoven’s Prometheus Overture, Op 43, for an encore.

“It’s ironic that he chose the Prometheus Overture as his encore, because that’s the piece that our orchestra played as an encore after they played Beethoven’s 7^th Symphony last year,” said Samuel Chan, who is also Canadian. “We were rolling in the aisles and couldn’t believe that we chose the same music.”

According to the Disney Concert brochure, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the oldest civic concert orchestras in the world. It was founded by 16 merchants in 1743.

During his lifetime, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra performed all of Beethoven’s symphonies. This orchestra has an exceptionally wide repertoire and more than 200 performances each year. This is because of its multidisciplinary function as an orchestra, an opera orchestra and a chamber orchestra that performs cantatas with the St. Thomas Boys Choir.

Sheila Bernhoft had tears in her eyes after the concert, but she was not the only one. “The students were very, very inspired and had many new ideas to explore in their own music making,” Peter said. “They were also very appreciative, which makes me feel good and happy to do this kind of thing for them in the future.”

This was the last major trip that the music department will make this year. They plan to take a few small trips to see the Los Angeles Opera and the LA Philharmonic.

Copyright 2010 Idyllwild Me. All rights reserved.