Barber's Hermit Songs 1-8 Performed by Helen Semple and Polina Gerasimenko

Here is some really fine playing and singing - from a lunchtime concert at St. Martin-in-the-Fields earlier this year, the first eight of Samuel Barber's Hermit Songs performed by soprano Helen Semple and pianist Polina Gerasimenko:





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Thomas Quasthoff and Hélène Grimaud Perform Hör ich das Liedchen klingen at Verbier

From the 2007 Verbier Festival, here are pianist Hélène Grimaud and baritone Thomas Quasthoff performing Hör ich das Liedchen klingen from Robert Schumann's Dichterliebe:



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Tapestry's 30th Anniversary Celebration This Wednesday at the Distillery

This coming Wednesday, I will be performing with Theresa Tova at Tapestry New Opera's 30th Anniversary Celebration in the Distillery's Fermenting Cellar. Also appearing are Jean Stilwell, Patti Loach, the Gryphon Trio, Xin Wang, Carla Huhtanen, and Peter McGillivray. I've been working with Tapestry since 2002, and it's still weird to think of a company that specializes in cutting-edge artistic work to have been around so long. Join us as we both celebrate the past 30 years and look forward to the next 30. Tickets are $130 for this fund-raising event.

Update: A short article about Theresa Tova is featured in this week's NOW Magazine.

The Ringed Earth

What better music than Schubert's Ave Maria as performed by Barbara Bonney and Geoffrey Parsons to contemplate what the earth might look like if it had rings:



(Via Real-Time Rendering)

Collaborative Piano Internships at the Banff Centre

From June 28 until July 16, 2010, eight pianists will have the opportunity to participate in the Collaborative Piano Internship program at the Banff Centre. From the Banff website:

This unique internship opportunity allows eight collaborative pianists the opportunity to interact with a diverse group of musicians in the master class program on a wide range of repertoire and projects.

The collaborative pianists will have their own studio space with grand piano, access to mentoring by the director and visiting guest artists, countless performance opportunities, and opportunities to network with talented artists from all over the world.

Proven ability in solo repertoire and in chamber music is essential. Of equal importance is an amiable personality, efficient time-management skills, and an interest and desire to be a part of a collegial music environment.

Collaborative Piano Internship at the Banff Centre
Faculty
Program Fees
Application Requirements
Apply Online

All materials are due by January 15, 2010.

(Image by pinkcanoe on Flickr)

Vadim Repin and Nikolai Lugansky Play Arvo Pärt's Fratres

From a 2004 performance in Tokyo, here are violinist Vadim Repin and pianist Nikolai Lugansky playing Arvo Pärt's Fratres for violin and piano:

The Accompanist: A Poem by William Matthews

The Google Books entry on Billy Collins' Poetry 180 Anthology features William Matthews' The Accompanist, which makes for some interesting reading:



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A question: is there a tendency in poets who write poems about accompanists to stereotype what we do by poetically exploring our (wrongly or not) perceived servitude?

More links to poems about accompanists on the Collaborative Piano Blog:

Arnie Ibsen's Accompanist Poem
Accompanist for Florence Foster Jenkins, a Poem by Darren Morris
Ken Weisner's Accompanist Poem
Dick Allen's Accompanist Poem

The 2010 Tanglewood Season Listings

For the second year in a row, here is the complete schedule for the Tanglewood Festival, released one minute after the end of the press embargo. These listings are taken directly from the press release, with only some minor formatting changes made to the original text. The Mahler Symphonyies # 2 and 3 look to be season highlights, but I always have a soft spot for programs like Audra MacDonald's New American Songbook on July 18th, the Brahms/Schumann recital by Matthis Goerne and Andreas Haflinger on July 29th, and Bernarda Fink's August 5 song recital with Anthony Spiri. Be sure to check out the full calendar of events for more detailed info on concerts and ticket availability.

The 2010 Tanglewood Season

All programs and artists are subject to change.

Saturday, June 26, 5:45 p.m. Shed

A Prairie Home Companion at Tanglewood with Garrison Keillor - Live broadcast

Sunday June 27, times to be announced, Theatre
Monday June 28 times to be announced, Theatre

Tanglewood Music Center Instrumental Fellows
String Quartet Marathon
Three 2-hour concerts

Sunday, June 27, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall Monday, June 28, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall

Mark Morris Dance Group
Tanglewood Music Center Fellows
Mark Morris, choreographer
Program to include Grand Duo, with music by Lou Harrison, and a new work choreographed to Beethoven arrangements of traditional folk songs

Friday, July 2, 8:30 p.m. Shed

Boston Pops Concert
Keith Lockhart, conductor
A tribute to the legacies of Arthur Fiedler, John Williams, and Keith Lockhart, in celebration of the 125th Anniversary of the Boston Pops.

Saturday, July 3, 7 p.m. Shed Sunday, July 4, 7 p.m. Shed

James Taylor and Carole King return to Tanglewood for two spectacular evenings as part of their 2010 World Tour, featuring a band of legendary musicians.

Fireworks to follow the July 4 concert.
Proceeds from the July 4 concert to benefit Tanglewood

Monday, July 5 8pm Ozawa Hall

Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra
Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, conductor
Tanglewood Music Center Conducting Fellows

FALLA Suite from El amor brujo
ALBÉNIZ Three pieces for orchestra
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Capriccio espagnol
DEBUSSY La Mer

Tuesday, July 6, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall

Emerson String Quartet
David Shifrin, clarinet

J.S. BACH (arr. MOZART) Fugues from The Well-Tempered Clavier, K.405
MOZART Quartet No. 19 in C, K.465, Dissonance
MOZART Clarinet Quintet in A, K.581

Friday, July 9, 6 p.m. Ozawa Hall

Prelude Concert
Tanglewood Festival Chorus,
John Oliver, conductor

Friday, July 9, 7:15 p.m. Shed

This Week at Tanglewood
Panel discussion with moderator Martin Bookspan and guest artists

Friday, July 9, 8:30 p.m. Shed

Opening Night at Tanglewood
Boston Symphony Orchestra
James Levine, conductor
Layla Claire, soprano˚
Stephanie Blythe, mezzo-soprano˚
Tanglewood Festival Chorus,
John Oliver, conductor

MAHLER Symphony No. 2, Resurrection

Fireworks to follow the concert

Saturday, July 10, 9:30 a.m. Shed

Pre-Rehearsal Talk

Saturday, July 10, 10:30 a.m. Shed

Open Rehearsal, Sunday program

Saturday, July 10, 8:30 p.m. Shed

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, conductor
Gerhard Oppitz, piano

ALL-BEETHOVEN PROGRAM

King Stephen Overture
Piano Concerto No. 3

Symphony No. 5

Sunday, July 11, 2:30 p.m. Shed

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, conductor
Pinchas Zukerman, violin

MOZART Serenade No. 6 in D, Serenata notturna
MOZART Violin Concerto No. 5 in A
STRAUSS Ein Heldenleben

Monday, July 12 8p.m. Ozawa Hall

Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra
James Levine, conductor
Tanglewood Music Center Conducting Fellows
Works for chamber orchestra

Wednesday, July 14, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall

Boston Symphony Chamber Players

MOZART Oboe Quartet in F, K.370
VILLA-LOBOS Bachianas brasileiras No. 6, for flute and bassoon
GANDOLFI˚ Plain Song, Fantastic Dances
BRAHMS Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op. 115

Thursday, July 15, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall

Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio
HAYDN Piano Trio No. 44 in E, Hob. XV:28
SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor, Op. 67
MENDELSSOHN Piano Trio No. 2 in C minor, Op. 66

Friday, July 16, 6 p.m. Ozawa Hall

Prelude Concert
Members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra

Friday, July 16, 7:15 p.m. Shed

This Week at Tanglewood
Panel discussion with moderator Martin Bookspan and guest artists

Friday, July 16, 8:30 p.m. Ozawa Hall

Boston Symphony Orchestra
James Levine, conductor
Soile Isokoski, soprano
Kristine Jepson, mezzo-soprano
Russell Thomas, tenor
Jordan Bisch, bass
Tanglewood Festival Chorus,
John Oliver, conductor

STRAVINSKY Symphony of Psalms
MOZART Requiem

Saturday, July 17, 9:30 a.m. Shed

Pre-Rehearsal Talk

Saturday, July 17, 10:30 a.m. Shed

Open Rehearsal, Saturday program

Saturday, July 17, 8:30 p.m. Shed

The Leonard Bernstein Memorial Concert
Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra
James Levine, conductor
Karen Cargill, mezzo-soprano
Women of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, John Oliver, conductor
American Boychoir, Fernando Malvar-Ruiz, music director

MAHLER Symphony No. 3

Sunday, July 18, 2:30 p.m. Shed

Boston Pops Orchestra
Keith Lockhart, conductor with special guest Arlo Guthrie

Sunday, July 18, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall

Audra McDonald
A New American Songbook

Singer/actress Audra McDonald blends classical training with an extraordinary dramatic sensibility, appearing with equal acclaim as opera singer, television actress, recording artist, and Broadway superstar. Her first Ozawa Hall concert offers an eclectic mix of standard favorites and songs written expressly for her by today's finest music theater composers.

Wednesday, July 21, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall

Benjamin Bagby, voice and harp

Beowulf: The Epic in Performance

Through song and speech, and accompanying himself on a six-stringed harp, medievalist Benjamin Bagby vividly recreates his version of the epic Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf - the oldest extant complete poem in English, a narrative that tells the story of the chieftain Beowulf who defeats the monster Grendel in battle. Sung in old English as it may have been heard 1000 years ago, Beowulf draws us back into the world of tribal society and Nordic legend.

Performed in old English with modern English supertitles

Thursday, July 22, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall

Pieter Wispelwey, baroque cello and violoncello piccolo

J.S. BACH Complete Suites for solo cello

This is an extended concert with two intermissions.

Friday, July 23 6 p.m. Ozawa Hall

Prelude Concert
Members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra

Friday, July 23 7:15 p.m. Shed

This Week at Tanglewood
Panel discussion with moderator Martin Bookspan and guest artists

Friday, July 23 8:30 p.m. Shed

Boston Symphony Orchestra
James Levine, conductor

Cast to include :
Lisette Oropesa, soprano (Konstanze)
Ashley Emerson, soprano (Blonde)
Morris Robinson, bass (Osmin)
Tanglewood Music Center Vocal Fellows

MOZART The Abduction from the Seraglio
Sung in German with English supertitles

Saturday, July 24, 9:30 a.m. Shed

Pre-Rehearsal Talk

Saturday, July 24, 10:30 a.m. Shed

Open Rehearsal, Sunday program

Saturday, July 24, 8:30 p.m. Shed

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Seiji Ozawa, conductor˚
Peter Serkin, piano

ALL-BRAHMS PROGRAM

Piano Concerto No. 1
Symphony No. 2

Sunday, July 25, 2:30 p.m. Shed

Boston Symphony Orchestra
James Levine, conductor
Lynn Harrell, cello
Steven Ansell, viola

R. STRAUSS Don Quixote
Joh. STRAUSS II Overture to Die Fledermaus
Joh. STRAUSS II Amid Thunder and Lightning
Joh. STRAUSS II Roses from the South
Joh. STRAUSS II Free-shooter
Jos. STRAUSS Free from Cares!
Jos. STRAUSS Delirium
Joh. STRAUSS I Radetzky March

Sunday, July 25 8p.m. Ozawa Hall

Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra
Seiji Ozawa, conductor˚
Tanglewood Music Center Conducting Fellows

Program to include RAVEL Daphnis et Chloé, Suite No. 2

Thursday, July 29, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall

Matthias Goerne, baritone
Andreas Haefliger, piano

Songs by BRAHMS and SCHUMANN

Friday, July 30, 6 p.m. Ozawa Hall

Prelude Concert
Members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra

Friday, July 30, 7:15 p.m. Shed

This Week at Tanglewood
Panel discussion with moderator Martin Bookspan and guest artists

Friday, July 30, 8:30 p.m. Shed

The Serge and Olga Koussevitzky Memorial Concert
Boston Symphony Orchestra

Charles Dutoit, conductor˚
Kirill Gerstein, piano

GLINKA Overture to Ruslan and Ludmila
TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No. 1
PROKOFIEV Suite from Romeo and Juliet

Saturday, July 31, 9:30 a.m. Shed

Pre-Rehearsal Talk

Saturday, July 31, 10:30 a.m. Shed

Open Rehearsal, Saturday program

Saturday, July 31, 8:30 p.m. Shed

Boston Symphony Orchestra
James Levine, conductor
Soprano to be announced

BERG Three Pieces for Orchestra
STRAUSS Four Last Songs
MAHLER Symphony No. 4

Sunday, August 1, 2:30 p.m. Shed

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Charles Dutoit, conductor˚
Yo-Yo Ma, cello

SIBELIUS Karelia Suite
ELGAR Cello Concerto
MUSSORGSKY (orch. RAVEL) Pictures at an Exhibition

Sunday, August 1, 7:30 p.m. Theatre
Monday, August 2, 7:30 p.m. Theatre
Wednesday, August 4, 7:30 p.m. Theatre

Tanglewood Music Center Vocal Fellows and Orchestra
James Levine, conductor (August 1 and 4)
Tanglewood Music Center Conducting Fellow (August 2)

STRAUSS Ariadne auf Naxos
Sung in German with English supertitles

Tuesday, August 3, 8:30 p.m. Shed

Tanglewood on Parade
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Boston Pops Orchestra
Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra
James Levine, Keith Lockhart, and John Williams, conductors

Always a highlight of the season, Tanglewood on Parade this year salutes John Williams on the occasion of his 30th Tanglewood summer. The program will include some of Mr. Williams’ most popular concert and film scores, as well as the traditional TOP finale, Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. Fireworks to follow the concert

Thursday, August 5, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall

Bernarda Fink, mezzo-soprano
Anthony Spiri, piano

Program to include songs by SCHUMANN, GRANADOS, and RODRIGO

Friday, August 6, 6 p.m. Ozawa Hall

Prelude Concert
Members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra

Friday, August 6, 7:15 p.m. Shed

This Week at Tanglewood
Panel discussion with moderator Martin Bookspan and guest artists

Friday, August 6, 8:30 p.m. Shed

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Christoph von Dohnányi, conductor˚
Richard Goode, piano

MENDELSSOHN Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 14 in E-flat, K.449
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 6, Pathétique

Saturday, August 7, 9:30 a.m. Shed

Pre-Rehearsal Talk

Saturday, August 7, 10:30 a.m. Shed

Open Rehearsal, Sunday program

Saturday, August 7, 8:30 p.m. Shed

Boston Symphony Orchestr
Shi-Yeon Sung, conductor
Hilary Hahn, violin

WAGNER Prelude to Lohengrin, Act III
SIBELIUS Violin Concerto
COPLAND Quiet City
STRAVINSKY Suite from The Firebird (1919 version)

Sunday, August 8, 2:30 p.m. Shed

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Christoph von Dohnányi, conductor˚
Violinist to be announced

BEETHOVEN Violin Concerto
DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 8

Sunday, August 8, 8:30 p.m. Shed

Silk Road Ensemble
Yo-Yo Ma, cello

The celebrated Silk Road Ensemble and the incomparable Yo-Yo Ma return to Tanglewood in an extraordinary presentation marking their 10th anniversary. Featuring virtuoso musicians from around the globe, the Ensemble will perform a special program that reflects the diversity of its membership, combining styles and genres (Persian, Asian, Azerbaijani, and more) with Western and non-Western instruments to create a musical experience that defies classification and transcends cultural boundaries.

Tuesday, August 10, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall

Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano
Members of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe

Program to include works by J.S. BACH and CARTER

Friday, August 13, 6 p.m. Ozawa Hall

Prelude Concert
Members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra

Friday, August 13, 7:15 p.m. Shed

This Week at Tanglewood
Panel discussion with moderator Martin Bookspan and guest artists

Friday, August 13, 8:30 p.m. Shed

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor˚
Elizabeth Rowe, flute˚
Alisa Weilerstein, cello

Caminos del Inka: A Musical Journey

Miguel Harth-Bedoya leads a musical journey through the ancient Inca empire with specially created videography by the renowned Peruvian photographer Gabriela Fit. The breathtaking images of Machu Picchu, floating island villages, and the expanses of the Peruvian plains are matched to stirring and evocative music, from the time of the Conquistadores to the sounds of the first new classical voices of 21st-century Latin America.

Program to include
ROBLES El cóndor pasa
FRANK Illapa, for flute and orchestra
GOLIJOV˚ Mariel, for cello and orchestra

Saturday, August 14, 9:30 a.m. Shed

Pre-Rehearsal Talk

Saturday, August 14, 10:30 a.m. Shed

Open Rehearsal, Sunday program

Saturday, August 14, 8:30 P.m. Shed

Film Night at Tanglewood
Boston Pops Concert

One of the season's most popular traditions, the annual Film Night concert is a celebration of music from the movies. In his 30th summer at Tanglewood, John Williams presents a memorable evening that recreates some of the great musical moments in Hollywood history.

Sunday, August 15, 2:30 p.m. Shed

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Robert Spano, conductor
Thomas Martin, clarinet˚
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano

GERSHWIN An American in Paris
SCHULLER Seven Studies on Themes of Paul Klee
BERNSTEIN˚ Prelude, Fugue, and Riffs, for clarinet and jazz ensemble
GERSHWIN Piano Concerto

Sunday, August 15, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall

The Fromm Concert at Tanglewood
Tanglewood Music Center Vocal Fellows and Orchestra
Stefan Asbury, conductor˚

HARBISON˚ Full Moon in March
KNUSSEN˚ Where the Wild Things Are
Concert performances, presented as part of the 2010 Festival of Contemporary Music

Monday, August 16 8p.m. Ozawa Hall

Tanglewood Music Center Conducting Fellows and Orchestra
Robert Spano, conductor

Wednesday, August 18, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall

Australian Chamber Orchestra
Richard Tognetti, violin and leader
Steven Isserlis, cello

ELGAR Introduction and Allegro for strings
SCHUMANN Cello Concerto
VASKS Vox amoris, for violin and strings
MOZART Symphony No. 41, Jupiter

Thursday, August 19, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall

Ébène String Quartet

MOZART Divertimento in D, K.136
BARTÓK Quartet No. 1 in A minor, Op. 7
BEETHOVEN Quartet No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 131

Friday, August 20, 6 p.m. Ozawa Hall

Prelude Concert
Members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra

Friday, August 20, 7:15 p.m. Shed

This Week at Tanglewood
Panel discussion with moderator Martin Bookspan and guest artists

Friday, August 20, 8:30 p.m. Shed

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Ludovic Morlot, conductor˚
Dawn Upshaw, soprano˚

MOZART Symphony No. 31, Paris
CANTELOUBE Selection from Songs of the Auvergne
GOLIJOV˚ Three Songs for Soprano and Orchestra
RAVEL Mother Goose (complete)

Saturday, August 21, 9:30 a.m. Shed

Pre-Rehearsal Talk

Saturday, August 21, 10:30 a.m. Shed

Open Rehearsal, Sunday program

Saturday, August 21, 8:30 p.m. Shed

Boston Symphony Orchestra

Susanna Mälkki, conductor
Joshua Bell, violin
Jeremy Denk, piano

MENDELSSOHN Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream
MENDELSSOHN Double Concerto in D minor for violin, piano, and strings
BEETHOVEN Romance No. 2 in F, for violin and orchestra
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 4

Sunday, August 22, 2:30 p.m. Shed

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor
Gil Shaham, violin
Adele Anthony, violin (Bach, Navarra)

HIGDON blue cathedral
J.S. BACH Concerto in D minor for two violins and strings
SUPPÉ Poet and Peasant Overture
SARASATE Navarra, for two violins and orchestra
SARASATE Zigeunerweisen, for violin and orchestra
BIZET Suite from Carmen

Tuesday, August 24, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall

Garrick Ohlsson, piano

ALL-CHOPIN PROGRAM

Impromptu No. 2 in F-sharp, Op. 36
Ballade No. 3 in A-flat, Op. 47
Fantasia in F minor, Op. 49
Two Nocturnes, Op. 27
Scherzo No. 3 in C-sharp minor, Op. 39
Twenty-four Preludes, Op. 28

Thursday, August 26, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall

Garrick Ohlsson, piano

ALL-CHOPIN PROGRAM

Three Nocturnes, Op. 9
Scherzo No. 4 in E, Op. 54
Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23
Variations brillantes in B-flat, Op. 12, on a rondo from Halévy's Ludovic
Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58

Friday, August 27, 6 p.m. Ozawa Hall

Prelude Concert
Members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra

Friday, August 27, 7:15 p.m. Shed

This Week at Tanglewood
Panel discussion with moderator Martin Bookspan and guest artists

Friday, August 27, 8:30 p.m. Shed

Boston Symphony Orchestra
David Zinman, conductor˚
Soprano to be announced
Tanglewood Festival Chorus, John Oliver, conductor

POULENC Gloria
HOLST The Planets

Saturday, August 28, 9:30 a.m. Shed

Pre-Rehearsal Talk
Saturday, August 28, 10:30 a.m. Shed

Open Rehearsal, Sunday program

Saturday, August 28, 8:30 p.m. Shed

Boston Symphony Orchestra
David Zinman, conductor˚
Emanuel Ax, piano

BRAHMS Piano Concerto No. 2
DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 9, From the New World

Sunday, August 29, 2:30 p.m. Shed

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Kurt Masur, conductor
John Oliver, conductor (Bach)
Nicole Cabell, soprano
Marietta Simpson, mezzo-soprano
Marcus Haddock, tenor˚
John Relyea, bass-baritone
Tanglewood Festival Chorus, John Oliver, conductor

J.S. BACH Jesu meine Freude, for chorus
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 9

˚ Indicates Former TMC Fellow, at Tanglewood to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Tanglewood Music Center.

Stefani Germanotta aka Lady Gaga Live at NYU in 2005

This footage just came out a few days ago - Lady Gaga in a 2005 live performance singing and playing piano (barefoot!) during her time at New York University:



(Via Mary Lou)

Previously on the Collaborative Piano Blog:

Lady Gaga Sings and Plays Paparazzi
The Extreme Piano Guide, or 30+1 Ways To Improve Your Practice Time
Wolfgang Muhr's Nahandove Music Video

Quote of the Day

don't pity the accompanist too much... those dudes make serious cash!

@neddaahmed, in response to @noelrk

(if only it were true)

The Boston Trio Plays the Ravel Piano Trio 1st Movement

I've already posted the second movement of the Boston Trio's recent performance of the Ravel Piano Trio in Boston's Jordan Hall. Here they are playing the first:

Yamaha Birmingham Accompanist of the Year Finals on November 22

The tenth running of the Yamaha Birmingham Accompanist of the Year competition is near an end, with the final round happening on Sunday, November 22nd at 2pm in Adrian Boult Hall in the Birmingham Conservatoire (tickets are £6/4). The four finalists are Nana Hizumi, Amy de Sybel, Yshani Perinpanayagam, and Jonathan Fisher. The judge for the final round will be none other than Roger Vignoles, pictured at left.

From the competition's press release (which also has bios for the finalists):

Whether setting a mood, negotiating incredibly difficult pianistic writing, or playing the part of an entire orchestra, the role of the accompanist requires a range of skills and, above all, the ability to communicate with a duo partner at the same time.

Each of the finalists chosen to compete for the title of ‘Accompanist of the Year’ and a prize of £1500 has already displayed an ability to work collaboratively with their partners, as well as to play beautifully. The judges for the Preliminary Round were John Humphreys and Simon Nicholls, both of whom teach accompaniment at Birmingham Conservatoire, and pianist Graham Lloyd, Worcester-based pianist, accompanist and teacher.

Update 11/22: According to @YamahaEducUK on Twitter, the first prize in the competition was won by Yshani Perinpanayagam.


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Creating a Studio Blog on MTH

My latest article for Music Teacher's Helper looks at how you can take advantage of MTH's functionality to create a constantly updating stream of information tailored to the needs of your studio, all in the password-protected area of your studio website:

Turn Your Studio Announcements into a Blog for Students and Parents

Piano Quartet Lists and Resources

So many wonderful musical works have been written for the combination of violin, viola, cello and piano. Here are some lists and resources dedicated to the art of the piano quartet:

• Wikipedia article on the Piano Quartet
• Alphabetical listing of published piano quartets on Sheet Music Plus
  
• Piano Quartet Repertoire - A Comprehensive Listing from the New Zealand Piano Quartet
• Pianoquartet.nl - An ongoing project by Reurt C. Gisolf, who is currently assembling a catalog of works organized by country
• Links to free piano quartet score downloads on the Internet Music Score Library Project
• Recommended piano quartets: an article by William Horne on the Chamber Musicians of Northern Califonia site
• Canadian Works for Piano Quartet (Note: search results are not linkable on the CMC site, so enter "piano quartet" in the Keyword field and choose "Score, All" in the Format of Material dialog box)

Here is the second movement of the Gabriel Fauré second piano quartet as played by pianist Gloria Chien, violinist Cindy Tien-Hsin Wu, violin, violist Youming Chen, and cellist Dmitri Atapine. (NB: that long, shallow stage looks familiar....might that be the Kresge Auditorium at Bowdoin College in Maine?)



Previously on the Collaborative Piano Blog:

Trading Cards for Schubertians
Nico Castel Libretti Series
Theatre Postcards from Around the World
The CPB Top 10
The Boston Trio Performs the Ravel Trio (2nd Movement)

(Image by Guus Krol at Kammermusicfest Lockenhaus)

How To Play the Piano Like Philip Glass

Torley's 10-minute tutorial on how to to play piano in the style of Philip Glass begs an important question: is the ease with which one can imitate Glass' piano style a symptom of cliché-ridden gimmickry or a genuinely populist style that can be a springboard for young pianist/composers to explore in the hope of eventually finding their own voice?



(Via Kottke)

Collaborator, Emissary

Whether you're playing with seasoned professionals or Suzuki beginners, what you get out of your time spent working with others depends largely on what you put into it. Erica Ann Sipes writes about the need to create memorable musical experiences in Accompanists as Emissaries:

Perhaps I'm putting too much pressure on myself to turn such a simple job into a life-transforming one. But you know what? I think I'll go ahead and take that risk. Because what I do know is that in the past couple years of working with these young kids in this way, with a lot of heart, care, and passion, I have witnessed a lot of moments that have brought me to tears. I see little kids, every week, moved by classical music and that, to me, is hopeful. And that drives me on.

Well said, Erica - the young musicians that have the privilege of making music with you must be very lucky indeed.

Further Commentary on McLaughlin/I Furiosi's Piangero

A year ago, I mentioned a fascinating recording and video of Gabrielle McLaughlin and I Furiosi performing Handel's Piangero. A recent thread on the New Forum for Classical Singers linking to the original post (thanks, coloraturaminx!) shows that there is both support for and resistance to the growing practice of historically informed vocal performance. In spite of a little rudeness here and there, the full comment thread does make for some interesting reading.

And for the record, I absolutely loved the video.

Collaborative Pianists in the News

The latest installment of collaborative pianists mentioned in various media outlets:

• James Pitts in recital with flutist Christina Guenther at Stephen F. Austin University
• Adam Clark, Joan Conway, and Lora Kolean inaugurated a new Mason & Hamlin piano at First Reformed Church in Holland, Michigan with 4-hand and 6-hand piano works
• an interesting look at the career of Jerry Steichen, principal pops conductor of the Utah Symphony
• ETA3 (consisting of flutist Emily Thomas, clarinetist Alexey Gorokholinsky, and pianist Tomoko Nakayama) performs at the Trinity Concert Series in Watertown, New York.
• Scott Stein performs with actress/singer Rachel York in a cabaret fundraiser at the Akron-Summit County Main Library Auditorium in Akron, Ohio
• Ryan Wigglesworth's song cycle Augenlieder at the Barbican in London
• Finally, a remembrance of pianist Barbara J. Puckett, active in both Kansas City and Wichita (Update: a memorial service will be held at the University of Kansas' Swarthout Recital Hall on Nov. 16 at 4:30pm.)

Previously on the Collaborative Piano Blog:

Stephen Harper Performs with Yo-Yo-Ma: Canada is Governed by a Collaborative Pianist

More Than a Coach

Caroline MacPhee and Joseph Middleton Backstage at Wigmore Hall

Yefim Bronfman on Iron Chef

Remembering Bob Mitchell, 1912-2009

A Career in Parentheses?

Musical America's 2010 Collaborative Pianist of the Year: Warren Jones

Musical America has just announced its lineup of top musicians of the year for 2010, and congratulations go to Warren Jones for winning the award for Best Collaborative Pianist. From the Musical America press release:

Warren Jones compares partnering soloists to playing doubles tennis because the endeavor has to be an equal relationship. Few collaborative pianists—a term now preferred to “accompanist”—have enhanced the performances of so many of the world’s greatest singers and instrumentalists. Among those benefitting from his nuanced, insightful, and virtuosic artistry are Marilyn Horne, Kathleen Battle, Samuel Ramey, Kiri Te Kanawa, and Stephanie Blythe. In soprano Ruth Ann Swenson’s words, “He’s one of the greatest musicians I’ve ever known. I trust him completely.”

The other 2010 winners:

• Riccardo Muti, Musician of the Year
• Louis Andriessen, Composer of the Year
• Joshua Bell, Instrumentalist of the Year
• Elina Garanca, Vocalist of the Year

Lady Gaga Plays and Sings Paparazzi

This is one very pleasant surprise: Lady Gaga is also an accomplished pianist, as this acoustic performance shows. Her piano transcription of the song shows harmonic imagination, played with a fine sense of pacing and note-perfect accuracy.



Previously on the Collaborative Piano Blog:

The Dresden Dolls' Coin-Operated Boy

Gabrielle McLaughlin and I Furiosi Perform Handel's Piangero

2008 End of Summer Link Extravaganza Part 1

Rufus Wainwright Sings La Spectre de la Rose

Viola FAIL

Collaborative Piano Studies at California State University, Fullerton

The Department of Music at California State University, Fullerton offers a concentration in Accompanying as part of its Bachelor of Music program in piano. The only documentation available online is the Keyboard Department page - for more information you can email the Department of Music at musicinfo [at] fullerton dot edu.

Complete list of Degree and Diploma Programs in Collaborative Piano

Building Musicians, Building Neural Pathways

When we play a musical instrument or sing, we are developing the capability of our brains. When we teach those skills to others, we are enabling those neural pathways in our students' brains. Brainstorm is a week-long series in the Toronto Star by Alanna Mitchell, who traveled to several countries investigating the confluence of education and neuroscience.

What I find interesting is looking at Alanna's list of which teaching processes have been found to actually stimulate and strengthen the synapses of students' brains:

What BUILDS connections

• Learning by doing
• Physical movement
• Using more than one sense to learn
• Having fun learning
• Being emotionally calm and open to learning
• Building on information already there
• Discerning patterns
• Taking some risk, but not too much
• Having a positive connection with the teacher
• Knowing why you’re learning

Another diagram details Education and the learning brain, with five implications for learning that are extremely relevant to music education:

1. A prerequisite for learning is to be calm.
2. Emotion is not separate from logic.
3. Learning must involve some risk-taking
4. Using more than one sense makes blood flow to more than one part of the brain.
5. Moving and learning at the same time is better.

Here are links to the complete series of Alanna Mitchell's articles in the Toronto Star. This is fascinating reading. I'll update with more info on the field as I investigate.

2009 Atkinson Series: Brainstorm home page

7 Brain Myths

How schools get it wrong

Doing the education dance

Part 1: Brains: the secret to better schools

The three R's and neuroscience: A love story

Major players seeking to know "the brain basis of teaching"

Part 2: Teaching kids to soar

Part 3: How a marshmallow can predict your future

At the frontiers of education

Part 4: Newborn brains are similar, so nurture makes the difference

Aussie school tries to liberate teen brains

Aligning teacher and student goals

Cuban system leads the way

It's not brain surgery

(Thanks, Melodie!)

The Collaborative Piano Blog is 4!

On November 7, 2005, I took a massive leap of faith and started a brand-new blog about the art of the piano in ensemble, a field that at the time had almost no presence on the internet. I had no idea that four years later, the Collaborative Piano Blog would have achieved such a large reach in the profession, nor that I would have derived such satisfaction from writing it.

Thanks for four great years, everyone!

How To Become An Accompanist?

Ever wonder about the exact nature of the accompanist stereotype that caused pianists from Gerald Moore onwards to react so violently to the traditional image of the meek and docile assistant at the piano? A quick look at the entry on How To Become An Accompanist in the 1910-12 Everywoman's Encyclopaedia offers a rather disquieting glimpse. The most egregious passages are quoted below - readers on mobile devices may wish to sit down before reading:

To many girls the work of an accompanist appeals in several ways. It does not entail a quarter the strain of solo work; it does not need the big memorising feats expected from a pianist proper; and it gives nervous workers a feeling of security.

An accompanist, once she takes her place at the piano, is working not for herself, but for somebody else; and the whole of her mind and ability has to be concentrated on the person whom she is accompanying. The accompaniment of a song or instrumental number is, after all, a secondary thing; but it needs perfection in its execution or it becomes unbearable. The perfect accompanist - of whom England numbers very few - is an artist who gains little credit from any save those who know. For her art lies in the utter subjection of herself to her principal. The accompaniment that thrusts its presence at an audience is invariably bad.

A good accompanist is soon discovered, especially if she has that wonderful feeling of sympathy and self-obliteration, that is as welcome as water in the desert to singers...for many singers are thankful to practise out of hours with a sympathetic assistant.

What a distance the profession has come in 100 years. You can read the entire article here.

A Visual Dichterliebe

In order for the art song to survive in the coming years, the genre needs to find ways to re-imagine itself, to discover new ways of looking at the core repertoire. For one of his song recitals, Chad Smyser asked photographer Tasha Roth to take pictures that would encapsulate the meanings of the 16 songs in the cycle. Chad writes about Tasha's process:

She was able to capture a mood which settled between two worlds: nature and the urban environment. The photos conjured up a mythical place where the Black Forest meets Roosevelt Island. They added an evocative dimension to the performance of the cycle, letting the audience find a visual destination to reference during each of the musical miniatures.

Schumann's Dichterliebe: A Cycle in Photographs


Previously on the Collaborative Piano Blog:

Sparks and Wiry Cries Podcast Launches - Long Live Art Song on the Internet
10 Ways to Translate Song and Aria Texts into English
Erlkönig Hacks for the Schubertian Pianist
The Top Ten Song Cycles
Trading Cards for Schubertians

LEGO Grand Piano Set

(Via P@u! +ox's photostream on Flickr)

Quote of the Day

Why is it, then, so wonderful? Well, once in a while, we just click into place: there comes a fleeting moment when each of us, playing highly individuated and often wildly complicated parts, actually become an ensemble. We … blend. This is a tremendously intense feeling, and hard to describe. There's a kind of "whoosh" to it – the sensation that you are part of something immensely powerful, something bigger than your own individual capability. The idea that you are part of not only what you yourself are making, but also what the others are creating. Out of our normal human isolation, we make a single, complex voice. This is strangely emotional, and when it happens, I think we all feel it.

--Charlotte Higgins, from How chamber music changed my life

Collaborative Piano Studies at The Boston Conservatory

The Boston Conservatory is offering a new Master of Music Degree in Collaborative Piano for the 2010-11 academic year. Created by Karl Paulnack (whom many will know from his now-legendary freshman address) the program will start small, accepting only two students for each of the first two years of the program. This program and its curriculum aims to prepare pianists with concrete skills for the professional world, as the Outcome Proficiencies suggest:

Partner a vocalist or instrumentalist in recital, or in advanced study situations, such as a high-profile master class

Prepare an operatic score sufficiently to partner a conductor in staging, musical or coaching rehearsal

Play a piano rehearsal for a soloist and conductor of a symphony orchestra

Command language proficiency sufficient to permit an informed rubato and accurate ensemble, and continue to grow towards fluency or near-fluency in the major art song languages

Collaborative Piano Degree Program at The Boston Conservatory
Complete list of Degree and Diploma Programs in Collaborative Piano

Looking for a School of Music? Find Your Answers at the Upstate New York Music College Fair Nov. 4 in Rochester

On Wednesday, Nov. 4 from 5:30-7:30pm, the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY will be hosting the Upstate New York Music College Fair. If you live in the upstate area and are in the market for a music degree, this is definitely the event to check out, with over 70 schools of music presenting. The Juilliard School and Ithaca College are co-hosting the event.

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Marie-Nicole Lemieux and Daniel Blumenthal Perform Hahn's L'heure exquise

More people should study and perform the art songs of Reynaldo Hahn, some of the most charming and exquisite French mélodies in the repertoire. This performance of L'heure exquise is from mezzo soprano Marie-Nicole Lemieux and pianist Daniel Blumenthal.

(Via Sound Mind)