SEWANEE SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVAL Newsletter
Dear Friends,
August always feels strangely quiet here on the mountain! I can’t tell you how many community members have come up to me since the Festival ended to commend our students and artists on their fine performances. To all who contributed, a hearty congratulations! We had some truly remarkable performances. Visit us at www.sewaneemusicfestival.org to see. To quote a student returning after a few summers away, “the magic is still here!” Music roots us where we are. Music takes us places we’ve never been. Above all, it connects us to each other. Each of these elements has its place in making Sewanee truly unique. We bring students here from Poland and from rural Tennessee, from small middle schools to the top conservatories. is year we gave out over $150,000 in scholarship assistance to bring the class of 2012 here. Many of our students worked long and hard to earn the money for tuition. Friendships begun here bring the world closer together and often last for years. Our lively Facebook page attests to the connections our students feel long after they’ve left the mountain. A Sewanee summer brings an unbelievable amount of learning. Over 750 lessons were taught this season. How many flute master classes did Patricia George teach, anyway?! Eli Matthews worked with Cumberland Orchestra violins nearly every day. Eric Bubacz put together a fabulous brass concert. Sō Percussion made our students stand up and sing…and had us use our cell phones in a concert! Victor Yampolsky showed Sewanee Symphony students that Prokofiev is more beautiful, and more challenging, than they ever imagined. One day I made a list of all the learning opportunities I saw that day—it filled a page in small handwriting. is summer we undertook a project that truly rooted us to Sewanee—“Hike to a Concert”. If you were there, you may have tripped over a few of those roots on your way in! We wanted to combine the inspiration of Sewanee’s natural environment with our students’ inspired music making. “Hike to a Concert” took us to the foot of Morgan’s Steep, at the base of a stunning sandstone bluff which created a natural acoustic shell. ere we pre-
sented a chamber orchestra performing Schubert and Respighi for an audience of some 200 intrepid hikers. e next day I wrote a friend,
“As they started the Schubert, in this beautiful remote place with early evening sunlight filtering through the trees, kids and dogs and cicadas buzzing, I knew we had made a kind of small miracle. You could see it on the faces all around—the players, audience, my Forestry Dept. colleagues who led hikers, the camera crew, Yaniv (our conductor). All smiling as if we were sharing a secret. Schubert 5 in the woods…who knew? It's been a while since I was moved to tears by music, but this little concert did it.” Timeless music in a timeless place. Music has a vital place in our world, now more than ever. Economic stress and uncertainty about the future affect each of us these days. But while some people see music as a frivolous “extra” to be set aside until better times, the rest of us know our music is a powerful force for unity, glue for our social fabric, and a great source of joy in any time of difficulty. At Sewanee we want our students to see there is no time like right now to compose and perform and teach the music we love! In the relative quiet of the next few months, much planning for Sewanee 2013 will occur. Many exciting new plans are underway! Watch our website and social media for updates. And please share your ideas for the SSMF. If you can, consider making a gift to the SSMF to support next year’s talented students. ey are our foundation and our future. I will leave you with one last reminder of the 6 “P’s” of Sewanee: practice, persevere, be prepared, polite, professional, and prompt, …and never come to rehearsal without a pencil! Sincerely,
Katherine Lehman Director
Festival Synopsis From June 23 to July 22, 2012, the Sewanee Summer Music Festival hosted 186 students from around the globe on the University of the South’s mountain top campus to collaborate, inspire, and transform their musical lives. Each student came to the mountain with an instrument, some clothing, and an appetite to learn from our outstanding faculty artists, guest conductors, and each other. is year was the most musically and logistically challenging music festival in the history of the SSMF. Over 28 concerts at five different venues, including the middle of the woods, kept students engaged with the community during the month-long festival. Over 3000 patrons, through online broadcasts and physical attendance, watched the future music professionals of the world perform challenging repertoire. Beethoven, Bach, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, and faculty composers Manly Romero and Sidney King were represented as listeners followed the 2012 season of “Stories through Time.”
Dinkins Remembered: e 56th annual Sewanee Summer Music Festival began with a concert on Saturday, June 23 honoring former Cumberland Orchestra conductor Bruce Dinkins. Dinkins’ family, friends, former students, and colleagues joined the Festival Orchestra in honoring the memory of a man who touched the lives of thousands throughout his prolific and extensive career.
Dinkins’ favorite teaching pieces were performed by the Festival Orchestra, along with the exquisite Méditation by Jules Massenet. e piece featured Eli Matthews, violin, a student and colleague of Dinkins’, who performed the piece with such passion and devotion to his former teacher that all in attendance responded with an emotional standing ovation.
Community Engagement: In addition to the outstanding regular concerts by faculty and students at Guerry Hall, the SSMF performed in surrounding communities, including the Monteagle Sunday School Assembly, the Cowan Center for the Arts, Beersheba Springs Assembly, and the Sewanee Angel Park. It is a goal of the SSMF to bring music to our region in many ways and always to advocate for music performance and education.
July 4th: On July 4th, the SSMF participated in Sewanee’s celebration of the nation’s Independence. Beginning at 8 a.m., brass players Nathan Hudson, John Burson, Bowen Dungen, Trey English, and Eric Hale, led by tuba faculty artist Eric Bubacz, performed a patriotic collection of music while members of the community raised the American flag at Juhan Bridge in Abbo’s Alley. At 2 p.m., students participated in Sewanee’s annual parade,
seated on two flat bed trailers being towed through the heart of town. e SSMF students enjoyed many community events including a Mutt Show, a dunking book, food stands, and a book signing. at evening, SSMF faculty and students presented a special concert in honor of the Fourth. Conductors Bruce Heim and Mark Babbitt organized the evening to include many patriotic compositions. After the concert, a firework presentation was given at Lake Cheston for the entire city to enjoy.
Hike to a Concert: e Hike to a Concert performance, by far the most innovative and unique concert of the season, was held in a remote wooded location near the landmark known as Morgan’s Steep. An entire chamber orchestra of SSMF students hiked into the woods and performed an hour of classical music directly below a natural rock formation. Conductor Yaniv Dinur led the group in Schubert’s Symphony No. 5 and Respighi’s Ancient Airs and Dances. Over 20 volunteers, including University faculty and staff, helped move chairs, stands, instruments, and equipment down the hike trail, climbing down steep stairs, down a rock path, and finally settling on the rocky terrain below the bluff. e result was a historic concert combining the beauty of the music with the breathtaking views and nature of Sewanee’s domain.
Sō Percussion: e 2012 Artist in Residence was Sō Percussion, a quartet that has exploded onto the music scene with its innovative ideas about music making. e four work out of Brooklyn, commissioning new works and composing their own music, collaborating with artists from other fields and pushing the boundaries of their art. In their three days at Sewanee, Sō met with students in a variety of settings, from percussion classes to conversations to coaching a Beethoven string quartet! eir concert brought the audience to its feet, literally in one work, as concertgoers were led in using their voices, car keys and cell phones. Above all, Sō showed our students to think outside any box when considering how to build their careers and express their musical selves.
Concerto Night: Sewanee’s closing weekend began with the Jacqueline Avent Concerto Competition. Six finalists were chosen: Caroline Zhao, Harp; eo Lineberry, double bass; Nathan Raderman, clarinet; Dylan Barber, percussion; Leah Craft, oboe; Helen Verchota, Clarinet. On this night, with Maestro Victor Yampolsky at the helm, Leah Craft took first prize with her performance of the first movement of the Mozart Oboe Concerto in C Major, K. 314. Second prize was given to eo Lineberry for his performance of the Johann Baptist Vanhal Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra. Both students won full scholarships to the 2013 SSMF season. e Faculty Artist Series ended with a concert in honor
of Peter and Ann Spurbek. Affectionately known as “Papa Cello”, Pete, along with his wife Ann, taught and mentored at the SSMF for many years. In honor of Pete, who passed away earlier this year, cellists Paul York, Anthony Kitai, and student Ben Stoehr performed the David Popper Requiem, Op. 66. A cello choir of 25 students and alumni offered a fitting tribute to a dear friend. Ending the night according to long Sewanee tradition, at 10 p.m. the Festival Brass Concert was held at the All Saints’ Chapel, a breathtaking, neo-Gothicc space with cathedral acoustics. Brass faculty and students performed arrangements of Rachmaninoff, Respighi, Elgar, and many others to a delighted crowd.
Going out with a Bang: On the final symphony Sunday, the students presented the accumulation of all their hard work and dedication. e Cumberland Orchestra, led by conductor Octavio MásArocas, offered Mason Bates’ “e B-Sides” from Warehouse Medicine, Malcolm Arnold’s Four Scottish Dances, and Aram Khachaturian’s Spartacus. Sewanee Symphony, led by Victor Yampolsky, performed Carlyle Sharpe’s
Repertoire for the SSMF 2012: • Holst, The Planets, Op. 32, Jupiter • Suppé, Morning, Noon, Night in Vienna • Herold, Zampa Overture • Beethoven, Egmont, Op. 84 • Massenet, Thais, Act II Scene 2, Meditation • Tchaikovsky, Symphony 4 in F minor, Op. 36, Finale • Antonin Dvořák, Slavonic Dance No. 8 in G Minor, Op. 46, No. 8 • Franz Schubert, Symphony No. 8, in B minor, D. 759, Unfinished • Arturo Márquez, Danzon No. 2 • Guiseppe Verdi, Overture to La Forza del Destino • Ottorino Respighi, Feste Romane (Roman Festivals), P. 157 • Johann Sebastian Bach (orch. Seber), Toccata in D “Dorian”, BWV 538 • John Corigliano, Elegy • Antonin Dvořák, Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88, B. 163, • Leonard Bernstein, Symphonic Dances from West Side Story • Maurice Ravel, Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2 • Igor Stravinsky, The Firebird Suite • Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky, Swan Lake Suite, Op. 20a • Jean Sibelius, Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 43
Native Movements and Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5. At the conclusion, a wave of emotion emanated from the students as they took their last bows on Guerry stage and proceeded to pack up, say goodbye, and leave the Mountain. e SSMF 2012 season was a triumph of great repertoire, intense study, and the sheer joy of making music shared by 186 students, 22 faculty artists, seven guest conductors, and many more visiting artists. New venues and the webcasting of all concerts brought our music to more listeners than ever. e energy of our students is infectious, and all of Sewanee catches the bug as we experience a month of learning and music making together. To quote Sewanee Vice-Chancellor John McCardell at the conclusion of Hike to a Concert, “What are you going to do to top this next year?!” • William Walton, Suite from Henry V • Hector Berlioz, Roméo et Juliette, Op. 17 • Mason Bates, The B-Sides: Five Pieces for Orchestra & Electronica • Malcolm Arnold, Four Scottish Dances, Op. 59 • Aram Khachaturian, Spartacus • Carlyle Sharpe, Native Moments • Sergei Prokofiev, Symphony No. 5 in B flat major, Op. 100 Renowned conductors that visited the SSMF this year include: • Kenneth Kiesler, University of Michigan • Yaniv Dinur, Conservatory of the Jerusalem Academy of Music • Courtney Lewis, Minnesota Orchestra • Victor Yampolsky, Northwestern University • Perry Holbrook, Walton High School • Jason Seber, Louisville Youth Symphony • Octavio Mas-Arocas, Lawrence Conservatory of Music Visiting Artist in Residence: • Sō Percussion
Please consider supporting the Sewanee Summer Music Festival with your time, gifts, and attendance. Investing your time and resources in these future musicians will ensure the survival of the arts for generations to come. Ways to help: Scholarship: The SSMF has a number of needs but none is more important than scholarship. For the 2012 season, over $150,000 was given to students. Any amount you donate ensures that another worthy student will have the opportunity to come to Sewanee and learn from some of the best music teachers in the world. Chairs: We are purchasing ergonomic chairs for the students. These special chairs are the top technology in spinal health, posture, and accommodation for musical instruments. Each donation of $200 allows the SSMF to purchase a chair. Our goal is to have enough for a full orchestra to be seated comfortably during their month-long experience at Sewanee. Sheet Music: Purchasing sheet music and allowing students to perform standard repertoire along with new works is vital to the training these musicians experience at the SSMF. Any donation towards sheet music ensures that an array of music can be learned and performed in chamber ensembles and by the main orchestras. Visiting Artists: Every year a professional artist or artist group is brought to the SSMF to perform, collaborate, and encourage the young musicians. They bring real life experiences from the professional music industry and teach the students things that could never be learned in a practice room. These artists come to the SSMF to make sure that the next generation of musicians is prepared and inspired. You may designate a donation to help bring in the best and the brightest starts in music and also adds a spectacular concert to the festival series.