A Bias for the Violin
Symphony is always on the lookout for gifted music writers, and three young journalists with a love of classical music recently submitted articles for consideration. At McVey Elementary School in East Meadow, Long Island (N.Y.), students in Mr. Targove’s fifth-grade class were assigned to write an essay on the topic of “bias.” Rather than discuss the negative connotations of the term, three students—Arianna Calabrese, Gillian Ramirez, and Juvaria Zahid—focused on “bias” in the sense of personal preference. And their personal preferences, it turns out, are for the violin, which they are learning to play. The girls’ parents say that their children are passionate about the instrument and classical music; one mother says that her daughter “hates to put her violin down, even when doing homework.” Kerry Dunne, principal at McVey, reports that culture is included as part of the school’s language-arts program. The articles are printed with permission.
VanBesien Begins New Post
Matthew VanBesien assumed leadership of the New York Philharmonic on March 1, succeeding Zarin Mehta, the orchestra’s executive director since 2000. He will work with Mehta at the Philharmonic during a transitional period through the end of the 2011-12 season. VanBesien’s new post follows a two-year stint as managing director of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in Australia. Prior to Melbourne, the St. Louis native had spent seven years at the Houston Symphony, first as general manager and subsequently as chief executive officer. A graduate of Indiana University with a bachelor’s degree in French horn performance, VanBesien began his orchestral career as a member of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, serving as second horn from 1992 to 2000. The switch to management was prompted by his participation in the League of American Orchestras’ Orchestra Management Fellowship Program in 2001-02. Philharmonic Chairman Gary Parr remarked that VanBesien’s “knowledge, creative passion, and reverence for Philharmonic tradition will be remarkable assets to the orchestra and the institution. The synergy of his ideas and the vision of [Music Director] Alan Gilbert for the future of the Philharmonic make him the ideal choice.”
James Penlidis
Matthew VanBesien
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