2010: A Technology Odyssey

Today is a great day at EMF…if you’re the Marketing Director, that is!  Thanks to UPS, our new Flip Video has arrived just in time for Eric Robertson’s Listening Room performance tomorrow night.  (At the UpStage Cabaret at Triad Stage, Tix: $10.  Call down there now and get your tickets!)

I have big plans for the Flip...recording audience feedback, student interviews, Q&A's with guest artists and conductors, faculty interviews and clips from our various performances.  I played around with it and uploaded a video of my office to my personal YouTube page and was shocked at how easy it was!  I literally plugged the Flip into the computer and clicked three buttons and ta da!  Video on YouTube.  For a 27 year old I'm slow with technology, but man even I can't mess that process up.  This is going to help you guys get closer connected to EMF throughout the season(s) - and hopefully you'll be able to learn more about our students and artists.

Tomorrow at Triad Stage don't be surprised to see me running around with this thing...despite being a practical marketing tool it's a really awesome gadget and I think it's going to be a fun one for the entire office.  When you see me with it, stop by and share with me what EMF means to you!

Sinatra, Muse AND Rachmaninoff?

Tomorrow kicks off The Listening Room – a new concert series presented by EMF and Triad Stage.  I’ve talked about The Listening Room in posts before so I won’t repeat the same information again, but this event is going to be stellar - if you haven’t gotten tickets to Saturday’s performance, then you better get on it!  Well…maybe I’ll overload you with the information just ONE more time….

Laurelyn Dossett with Scott Manring AND Anne and Pete Sibley
UpStage Cabaret at Triad Stage
Saturday, October 23 at 8:00pm
Tickets: $20

…and don’t forget that the Listening Room will feature Eric Robertson of the Boston Boys on October 30th.  Here’s a link to their website so you can learn more about Eric.  If you’re like me and you’d rather your ears do the work, check out their YouTube page instead.  This isn’t my EMF-FF for the day, but it’s a pretty good FF nonetheless (that’s Fun Fact for those of you new to the blog).  Eric was a member of the Beautiful Star band back in 2006, when the play premiered at Triad Stage, alongside Rhiannon Giddens of the Carolina Chocolate Drops.  Now…go buy your ticket!  I’ll be at the show on the 30^th (unfortunately I have to miss the 23^rd do to a previously scheduled wedding) so you’d better be there too!  It’s Halloween Weekend…why wouldn’t you want to be downtown for some good music and a little pointing-and-laughing at crazy costumes?

And now the moment you’ve been waiting for…a little EMF-FF!  This past season, pianist Barry Douglas performed Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, op. 18 (below).  If you were there, or if you’ve heard the piece before, you might have noticed that it sounded kind of “familiar”.  Listening to Barry Douglas performing on July 10, 2010 was my first introduction to Rachmaninoff’s second concerto, so you can imagine my surprise when I started imagining Celine Dion singing along.  Well, I wouldn’t have been too far off!  In 1975, Eric Carmen composed “All By Myself,” which was inspired by the Adagio Sostenuto (second movement).  If Celine Dion and Eric Carmen aren’t your cup of tea, then no worries – Frank Sinatra and the rock band Muse also have songs which were inspired by this piece!  Sinatra’s songs “I Think of You” and “Ever and Forever” were influenced by the Moderato; “Space Dementia (below),” Butterflies and Hurricanes,” “Megalomania,” and “Ruled by Secrecy” by Muse each contain quotes from the Moderato as well.  Click the links and see for yourself!

No Vivaldi in the Garage

It’s a gorgeous autumn Friday and from what I hear, this weekend is going to equally as beautiful.  I don’t know about you guys, but I was ready for fall temperatures back on September 1^st!  The EMF offices were busy this past week – I’ve been meeting people and organizations EMF works with or would like to work with, just introducing myself as the “newbie” and learning the ropes.  Melissa has been making updates to the School pages on the website and they look amazing!  New photos and updated information…go check it out when you have a spare moment.

I’m glad to hear you guys liked the EMF-FF from last week.  Today I wanted to share a little bit about Sheldon “Shelly” Morgenstern, the founder of Eastern Music Festival.  (So really, you’re getting a handful of FF’s in one!)  Recognizing the importance of orienting the study of music toward the student rather than the teacher, as was the tradition, Shelly sought to create a music camp that would put the needs of the music student first.  In 1961 he founded “the Guilford Musical Arts Center,” as it was then known, at Guilford College.  With a budget of $22,000, the first season featured 14 faculty members and 72 students. 

Shelly was well-known throughout the world, as both a former member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and as a respected guest conductor throughout Europe, especially in countries formerly behind the Iron Curtain.  He led the Eastern Music Festival as conductor and music director for 36 years, retiring in 1998. 

  

In 2001, Morgenstern published a book entitled “No Vivaldi in the Garage: A Requiem for Classical Music in North America.”  A proponent of music education and an outspoken critic of performing arts boards, the book discusses everything from Shelly’s biography to his views on outspoken boards, arts political groups, and what he viewed as an “increasing mediocrity of classical music.”  According to Amazon.com, “In a work rich with colorful anecdotes about family, friends, and colleagues, Sheldon Morgenstern reflects on his childhood in Cleveland, Ohio, summers at the Brevard Music Festival, and years at Northwestern University. He recounts his experiences playing French horn in the Atlanta Symphony, studying conducting at the New England Conservatory, his long tenure as artistic director at the Eastern Music Festival at Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina, and performances as guest conductor with dozens of orchestras around the world…. Filled with vivid behind-the-scenes descriptions and highlighting such well-known figures as Leonard Bernstein, Glenn Gould, Wynton Marsalis, and others, No Vivaldi in the Garage offers a refreshingly candid insider's perspective on the classical music scene.”  The book is still for sale and – no kidding – I’m going to Barnes and Noble's to find it tonight!  

Sheldon Morgenstern passed away from stomach cancer in 2007 in Geneva, Switzerland – just a few miles from his home in Collognes, France, where he moved upon retiring from EMF.  

I hope I didn't end this EMF-FF on a downer, but Shelly was definitely an amazing guy.  Most of his family still live in the area and are active with EMF…at the next EMF concert you attend, say a little “Thank You” to Shelly for founding such a great organization and school! 

Enjoy your weekend!

A Piano, a Composer and a Pop Singer Walk Into a Bar...

In preparation for the 50th Anniversary Festival Season, I thought it might be nice to share some "Fun Facts" with everyone! The Festival has such a rich history, not to mention a plethora of talented artists who have come through the doors at Dana, that I'm sure our Facebook fans, blog readers and Twitter followers would be interested in learning more about what makes EMF so valuable to our community.  This might even turn into a competition with prizes down the line...not sure yet. :)

So, what fun fact (I think I'll call them EMF-FF's from now on) should I start with - there are so many!  Since I'm learning all about the classical world myself, I think I'll share one of the first EMF-FF's I learned upon joining the organization.

On June 24, 2006, the World Premiere of Symphonic Fantasies for Piano and Orchestra debuted at Eastern Music Festival.  Held at the War Memorial Auditorium of the Greensboro Coliseum, the composition was arranged by Jeffrey Biegel from solo piano pieces off of this composers "Fantasies & Delusions" album.  The conductor was Stuart Malina, who won a 2003 Tony Award for best orchestrations with this composer.  Winding up the group was Phillip Keveren, who did the orchestrations for Symphonic Fantasies.  But who was the composer!? 

The photo on the right was taken at the performance, and features Malina as conductor and Biegel on the piano.

The composer, you ask?  Well, maybe you can guess!  He has 23 Grammy nominations with six wins under his belt, along with 33 Top 40 hits.  He has sold over 100 million albums worldwide.  In 1992 he was inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame; in 1999 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; in 2006 into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame; and in 2009 the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.  As mentioned, he won a 2003 Tony Award with Stuart Malina for best orchestrations on the musical "Moving Out."  Yup - the composer is Billy Joel! 

And there's your EMF-FF for the day...in 2006, Billy Joel premiered the composition Symphonic Fantasies for Piano and Orchestra, with arrangements by Jeffrey Biegel and Phillip Keveren.

Autumn Has Arrived @ EMF

Hey everyone - sorry for the delay in posting since September.  We're working hard over here in the beginning stages of the 2011 festival and I keep getting more and more excited.  I started with EMF three days before the 2010 festival opened, so this has been a giant learning experience - seeing how much hard work and dedication goes into making the best five-weeks for you guys that we possibly can.  When I'm allowed to start sharing artist information with you guys, I will!  Until then, I'll try to leave hints and "bread crumbs" to get ya'll as excited as we are :)

How many of you guys have noticed the changes to the website?  I finally learned (Thanks to Melissa, our Director of Admissions) how to use our software and have been trying to update our press releases, news stories and schedule gradually over the past few days.  It's still a work in progress!  We've also updated our way of doing Constant Contact emails...each week (Thursday's to be exact) EMF will be sending out a "Musical News" email that  features upcoming events in the area - both EMF and non-EMF programs.  The Piedmont community features so many talented arts organizations that we believe it's just a important to support and promote them as it is Eastern Music Festival.  "Musical News from EMF" doesn't want to overload you with information, or bombard your inbox - rather, we want to keep you informed of all the wonderful activities, organizations and news going on during all year. 

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In EMF School news, we have condensed our Admissions pages - instead of having a separate "Admissions" twitter, Facebook, and blog accounts they will be incorporated into the main EMF accounts (listed at the bottom).  So that means this blog will also feature school information - which I think will be educational and entertaining to anyone interested in EMF. 

As the Marketing Director for EMF, I'm also responsible for getting advertisements from organizations (both local and national) for our playbill.  In case you've always wondered about advertising with EMF, check out the information here.  Is your business/organization looking to reach a new audience?  EMF's audience is one of the best...I'm always here to answer questions so feel free to contact me anytime!  carrie@EasternMusicFestival.org

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Enjoy the rest of your Tuesday...and especially enjoy the lovely autumn weather outside!  It's the perfect time for football, pumpkins and a little Listening Room music....