lated into Russian. A few of the best-loved cartoons drew rapturous singalongs from the crowd. The entire audience was treated to free blintzes in the lobby during intermission. “One thing that’s come more into focus for me this season is the whole experience of a concert,” says Pierson. “That’s something Richard and I talk about a lot. It’s not just about the music we play and how we play it, but from the time the audience member walks in the hall to the time they leave, really filling that whole experience.” The orchestra’s March 24 “Brooklyn Village” program at Roulette in downtown Brooklyn featured the Brooklyn Youth Chorus and a tapestry of projected images, poetry of Brooklyn resident Walt Whitman, and music that ranged from doo-wop and Broadway to shape-note singing, all presented “in a near-seamless flow,” according to New York Times reviewer Steve Smith.
The Shepherd School of Music is pleased to announce the world premiere of William Bolcom’s Ninth Symphony: A Short Symphony in One Movement by The Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra October 11 and 12, 2012 Commissioned by Rice University in honor of its Centennial Year
William Bolcom, composer “William Bolcom’s impeccable professional credentials and his 35 years at the University of Michigan make him an ideal candidate for crafting a work for its intended recipient: the Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra” -Robert Yekovich, Dean, The Shepherd School of Music
Work In Progress
americanorchestras.org
“If the 'Ninth [Symphony]' has a subject (if music indeed ever really has one), it would be this: Ours is both a dark and a hopeful time. Today our greatest enemy is our inability to listen to each other, which seems to worsen with time. All we hear now is shouting, and nobody is listening because the din is so great. Yet there is a 'still, small voice' that refuses to disappear, though often drowned out, that requires us to listen for it. I pin my hope on that voice. I search for it daily in life and in music -- and possibly the 'Ninth Symphony' is a search for that soft sound.” –William Bolcom, Pulitzer Prize, Grammy, and National Medal of Arts Winner
The Shepherd School of Music Rice University, Houston, TX music.rice.edu
Kelly Hall-Tompkins “Beyond technique…expressively wrought... rich tone colors...intense flowing finale… searing intensity… In brief, she compels you to listen.” —American Record Guide
photo© Jan Roehrmann
violinist
Chris Lee
The Brooklyn Philharmonic’s new approach is not without its challenges, of course. Pierson acknowledges that traveling from Bed-Stuy to Brighton Beach to downtown Brooklyn—a combined distance of nineteen miles—is a strain on everyone. The orchestra must adjust to new halls for each concert series—Pierson describes the Millennium Theater as “incredibly dry.” But with proper preparation, Pierson and the musicians are more than making do. “So far everything I’ve done with Alan and the Brooklyn Philharmonic has been on such a high level of music-making because he’s planned so carefully,” says Deborah Buck, who began subbing with the orchestra in 1999 and became a permanent member in 2004. “So it’s shown the musicians in the best light.” Among Pierson, Dare, and board members, there seems to be a sense that their Brooklyn experiment could have lasting implications for other orchestras and organizations around the country. Dare characterizes New York City, and Brooklyn in particular, as a place where trends begin before catching on in other parts of the country, even the world. Says Pierson, “If there’s one thing that we’ve done so far that might be applicable in other places, it would be the questions we’ve been asking, both artistically and organizationally. I don’t know yet how well our answers are
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