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Missed a month? MHS eNewsletter archives

Boston Symphony harpist Ann Hobson Pilot retires after 40 years.

Friends,

Not only an informative resource, the MHS eNewsletter honors all of my musical ancestors and my contemporary heroes, who push the boundaries and raise the bar, so that I and future generations may know what success looks like and how to attain it.

They challenge and inspire us to become our generations' pioneers. To them I say, thank you. Thank you for advancing society. Thank you for your struggle and for your persistence. I am so grateful to be able to produce this publication in your honor.

And thanks to all of the readers whose collective energy strengthens the community.

Be part of the mission. Make a tax-deductible contribution. Or send checks payable to Myrtle Hart Society to: Myrtle Hart Society, 4800 S. Chicago Beach Drive, Suite 2008S, Chicago IL 60615. If you want to be included in an upcoming edition of the eNewsletter, just email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or click reply to the sender.

MHS recently caught up with cellist Tahirah Whittington, who is giving a solo cello recital on Saturday, June 6th at 6:15PM in Regenstein Hall, Northwestern University, and has a new web site tahirahcello.com.

Inquiring minds wanted to know about her recital program and her summer plans. Here's what the international artist had to say:

After being on tour for the past eight years with three chamber music ensembles (Core Ensemble, The Young Eight, and Ritz Chamber Players) as well as performing with a local chamber ensemble in Jacksonville, FL, where I was based two years ago (Chamber Music Society at the Church of the Good Shepherd), I felt a need to focus on my individual playing and performance and only do unaccompanied works this academic year. It was a chance for me to hone self-reliance and self-awareness in my performance.

The Jeffrey Mumford work, variazioni elegiaci, was introduced to me through working with my trio, Core Ensemble. I had previously performed a chamber work by Jeffrey Mumford that the group had commissioned, a window of resonant light, that I thought was an amazing piece for cello, piano, and percussion. Our pianist had done music research for another one of our chamber music theater projects and had found the unaccompanied cello work mentioned above. Although we didn't end up using it in the project, I was very fond of it and wanted to perform it at some point.

The Bach Suite #2 in d minor was a piece that I had studied as a youngster but had not performed. The Bach Suites have been called "the Bible" for cellists, and it is an honor and a privilege to have these works as a major part of our solo repertoire.

The Kodaly Solo Sonata is just an amazing piece of music. It is a treat for both the performer and the listener - stretching one's imagination of what's possible on the cello. Although it doesn't use an already existing Hungarian folk song as its basis, it does have that Hungarian folk flavor that is unmistakable. The piece is written scordatura, so the regular tuning of the cello from low to high strings: C G D A is changed to B F# D A, so you get an interesting timbre from the instrument that is unusual and soul-pleasing.

As for being in school at Northwestern University's Bienen School of Music, finishing up my first year as a doctoral student under the tutelage of Hans Jensen, it has been a confirmation that I made a great choice to halt my touring for a while to study with a wonderful pedagogue. I've learned so much this year. And being back in school, not ever having been enrolled at a university, only conservatories, has been a beautiful experience, with its natural high's and low's and its natural tendency to encourage growth. It's been quite a transformation for my cello-playing - one I'm enjoying.

This summer, I plan to rest and practice, which would include working on Prokofieff's Sinfonia Concertante and Bach Suite No. 6. I'll also visit friends on the west coast.

Xian Zhang

When can we say that we have arrived, that we've finally made it, and who is included in the "we?" Many folks stated such sentiments when Condoleezza Rice assumed her position as Secretary of State, a visible indication that she had somehow superseded society's limitations on racial minorities and gender. We rejoiced thinking that she was just the first and that others would surely follow. But inevitably came the backlash. Haters said, 'Yeah, she's a successful minority...but her education accounts for her exceptional intelligence, which puts her in a different class economically. Therefore, we can't say that WE have arrived because that type of education and that type of wealth is not afforded to ALL Blacks or to ALL females.' Being the first African American woman in the position was not enough. The general public needed some connection to the larger population, some way to identify...a common struggle. Apparently, being Black or being female was only scratching at the surface...Ms. Rice's success being so isolated was not considered a communal "we."

Let's compare that story to the May 10, 2009 article entitled Female conductors crack the glass podium: Though women are making progress, music directors of big-league orchestras still are overwhelmingly male. The article, sent to me by a female Chicago conductor whose attitude was more like, "okay, AND?" posits women as minority podium dwellers, who have finally arrived! Oh good, thought I, assuming that the arrival would be all-inclusive. Unfortunately, I did not see Sebrina Maria Alfonso, Kay George Roberts, Tania Léon, Jeri Lynne Johnson, Sonia De Leon de Vega, Karan Morrow among other names in the editorial.

Instead, LA Times columnist Chloe Veltman's article addressed Xian Zhang appointment to The Giuseppe Verdi Orchestra in Milan. Despite her youth (she is 35), her femininity (she wears glittery lip gloss) and her gender, Zhang became the first woman to earn that title with an Italian symphony orchestra. I wondered whether I was supposed to celebrate a woman succeeding in the male-dominated field of conducting simply because she was female--I mean, are women even considered minorities in classical music anymore?--or because she was a Chinese American in a high-power position in Italy? Veltman states, "Female instrumentalists are no longer a novelty in the country's top orchestras, which has helped audiences and industry insiders to accept that women are as capable of the highest levels of musicianship as their male counterparts." Okay, So then for what purpose am I to be glad that the glass podium has cracked?

National vs. International. Social vs. Economic. Race vs. Gender. Orchestra vs. Chorus. We can get into conversations about sexual orientation, physical disability, even martial status, all of which can be and have been used as a means to discriminate. The tapestry of access to opportunity and adversity is so tightly woven...

So while I was indeed happy for Zhang's success and hoped that her visibility would further expand minds, something in my psyche countered my happiness with the assumption that neither she, nor any of the other women mentioned in the article, struggle with the sub-categories of discrimination that restrict so many others. It seems pathetic that those nuances would restrict the career of fine musicians, but music is a business where politics get as much play as instruments. Therefore, my knowledge of these sub-categories caused me not to see Zhang's success as one for the team. But was I being overly critical?

Veltman quotes Henry Fogel, the League of American Orchestra's former president, on his blog in 2007 as stating, "It is safe to say that until the past 15 or so years, there simply was no woman with an important international conducting career." There's the gold. Fogel's last four words indicate that women need international recognition in order to claim success. The bar has risen. Zhang, a music director in Italy, has succeeded in doing just that and so I am to thrust my pompoms skyward? I want to and yet I find myself echoing my friend Kim's sentiments: Okay...AND? The "we," at least for me, has still not been realized. I need more! But is market saturation or complete gender equality necessary for satisfaction and at what pace?

Veltman asserts that "classical music institutions throughout the world are embracing the notion of female conductors more than ever." I hope that she's right. I would certainly like to see more Black and Latino women and men making this kind of news, reaching global status. I believe that if "international" is the new measure of success, we all need to work together in planning ways to nurture our rising stars so that they meet and exceed the prescribed standards. Only then will the success of a few be shared with the "we."

Please share your thoughts or email me This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

John Malveaux

For over ten years, John Malveaux (right) has tried to convince every major symphony orchestra and numerous other orchestras to perform Roy Harris "Bicentennial Symphony." After concluding that he would not be able to generate a performance through an existing orchestra, Malveaux decided to organize The new MusicUNTOLD Orchestra & Chorale for the purpose of performing the piece. The result of his determination culminates on Juneteenth, the oldest celebration in the nation commemorating the ending of slavery. This year marks the bicentennial year of Abraham Lincoln, as well as the birthday of composer Roy Harris.

The new MusicUNTOLD Orchestra & Chorale is a freelance orchestra and choir conducted by Joseph R. Taylor, conductor of the Bellflower Symphony and Compton Unified School District music teacher, who contracted the musicians. Choral Director, Zanaida Robles, held auditions to select singers for the Chorale, all of which are paid volunteers.

Malveaux writes, "It is my opinion that the 'Bicentennial Symphony' has been boycotted my major orchestras since the 1976 premiere (to celebrate the 200th birthday of our nation) because the elite Washington audience misinterpreted the statement of the composition. To celebrate our nation's 200th birthday, they were shocked that the composer presented text that spoke to the darker side of American history instead of something like walking on the moon. However, the composer did not intend to indict America put celebrate overcoming the dark side of history. As you know, sometimes composers are misunderstood in one period and embraced in another."

Indeed, the second movement speaks of the "disagreement about slavery between the North and the South"--
North: Our forefathers found freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom to own property.
South: We demand the right to own slaves: men slaves, women slaves, child slaves.

Malveaux adds, "Many are uncomfortable with the subject of slavery and when it is presented in an unflinching manner, this is very problematic for many people and unheard of in the hall of major symphony orchestras. Fortunately, this project has been endorsed by the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, a federal agency. The inspiration for the composition was of course Abraham Lincoln."

When asked by he chose Juneteenth as the day of performance, he answered, "We celebrate Juneteenth to learn and appreciate American history; to promote the common humanity of mankind in a multicultural family oriented environment with diverse music, information booths, children activities, food & clothing vendors along with some art."

Saturday June 13, 12:00pm until 5:00pm at Martin Luther King Park, 1950 Lemon Ave. in Long Beach. Additional entertainment include international blues artist Mighty Mo Rodgers and Latin jazz giant Bobby Rodriguez. Chairs, blankets and umbrellas are welcome. For more information contact 562 570-3150 or www.lbparks.org.

REVIEW OF SOUND WAVES by siohban gregory

As a newcomer to Chicago, I am discovering a specific kind of boldness in its creative culture and artistic production. I feel incredibly fortunate that my introduction to musical reviewing is for the dynamic and memorable season close for the Chicago Sinfonietta. The May 11, 2009 performance of Sound Waves was my second experience with the Sinfonietta. The first was Global Voices which unabashedly combined traditional Indian music and the vocals of Kiran Ahluwalia with opera sung by mezzo-soprano Carolyn Sebron. I left with the impression that this is an orchestra not afraid to stretch the boundaries of their field, and one that you can expect a degree of vibrancy and surprise. This impression was reinforced with Sound Waves. READ MORE

The program concluded with the premiere of Michael Abels' Aquadia, commissioned for the Oceanarium exhibit at the Shedd Aquarium. The piece is contemporary, dynamic, and, dare I say it, fun. In combining fresh Tropical Island sounds from the xylophone and rhythmic drums, the music had a truly aquatic feel. Mirroring the function and experience of aquariums, the music seemed to reflect the distance and wonderment associated with our human relationship with ocean life, while allowing us a view into the teaming life deep in the waters.

The musical performance was accompanied by an underwater video presentation on a massive screen installed above the stage. The video showed images from the Shedd aquarium and provided underwater scenes to parallel the theme of the music. The experience of this performance confirmed my newly found assumptions of the potential for boldness and creativity that comes with a Chicago Sinfonietta performance. As I continue to explore this fabulous city, I look forward to my next season of classical music in Chicago.

siobhan gregory is an industrial designer, who moved to Chicago last September to attend the University of Illinois.

Chicago Sinfonietta's next season will feature piano virtuoso Jeremy Jordan, conductors Michael Morgan and Kazem Abdullah, soprano Jonita Lattimore, Sphinx award-winning cellist Tony Rymer, the Harlem Quartet and many more!

The South Shore Opera Company of Chicago hosts its second free concert on June 20^th at 5:30 p.m. The concert will feature scenes: arias, duets, trios, ensembles from La Bohème, The Marriage of Figaro, La Traviata, Carmen, Cosi Fan Tutti, Don Giovanni and Porgy and Bess.

The concert will take place at the historic South Shore Cultural Center located at 7059 S. South Shore Drive in Chicago and is free and open to the public. No tickets or reservations are required.

The cast includes a group of stunning professional artists including critically acclaimed Sopranos Anisha McFarland, Kimberly Jones and Joelle Lamarre along with Tenor Cornelius Johnson and Baritone Kirk Walker. Mistress of Ceremonies is Elizabeth Norman Sojourner. Also in the cast: Tenor Jeffrey Burish, Soprano Dana Campbell, Baritone Marvin Lynn, Baritone Bill McMurray, and Tenor Kiel Williams.

Measha Brueggergosman - Detroit Symphony

Terrence Wilson - Elgin Symphony

Victor Ryan Robertson - Cleveland Opera

The 2009-2010 season begins with Janinah Burnett and Alyson Cambridge at Cleveland Opera. See you then!

Ebony Strings

The 90th Annual Meeting of The National Association of Negro Musicians, Inc. (NANM) will be July 25-30, 2009 at The Doubletree Hotel Chicago, Magnificent Mile, 300 East Ohio Street Chicago, IL 60611.

CMA members Maurice Collins, Marvin Lynn, Dolores White, Lena McLin, Robert L. Morris, Keith T. Hampton, SugarStrings, former Scholarship winners Anisha McFarland and Arthur D. Griffin, Jr. will be featured prominently during NANM 2009.

Award recipients for NANM 2009 are Dr. Toni-Marie Montgomery, Dean of the Bienen School of Music, Northwestern University; Charles G. Kendrick, "Dean of Chicago Organists;" Simon Estes, internationally renowned bass-baritone; and Mrs. Isabel Brazier, Patron of the Arts and wife of Bishop Arthur M. Brazier, Pastor Emeritus of The Apostolic Church of God, Chicago.

The International Award for Outstanding Musicianship will be awarded to Stan Ford, a "Lena Rivers Dancy" Youth member of NANM originally from St. Louis, MO and now Professor of Piano at the Mozarteum, Salzburg, Austria.

Please remember to register early for NANM Inc. even if you don't plan to check into the Doubletree Hotel. The registration fee covers the cost of all events held at the hotel. This includes workshops, presentations, scholarship contest, master classes, the vesper and nightly concerts, the Gala Concert, the Awards Banquet and the Closing Luncheon. It is more economical to register for the conference than to purchase individual tickets for the events. The deadline for early registration at $185 per person is May 31. After that date, the fee is increased to $235 per person.

Dictionary of African Composers. The site takes a while to load, so be patient. Once it comes up, you'll be able to search alphabetically through decades of composers, read their biographies and access their discographies. You may send additions, corrections and suggestions to Alexander Johnson [ This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ].

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUND FOR EMERGING ARTS LEADERS OF COLOR
www.AmericansForTheArts.org

Americans for the Arts is pleased to announce that Chicago-based Joyce Foundation has renewed its support for Americans for the Arts' Professional Development Fund for Emerging Arts Leaders of Color. A total of five Joyce Fellows from the Great Lakes region (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin) will be selected to participate in this program. Fellows will receive stipends of $3,000 to support their attendance at the 2009 National Arts Marketing Project Conference, Arts Advocacy Day 2010, and the Americans for the Arts 2010 Annual Convention. In addition, fellows will have special opportunities to meet field leaders, work alongside mentors, and receive individualized career coaching. An additional five fellows will be selected in summer of 2010. Application materials and eligibility information will be available June 20, 2009, at www.AmericansForTheArts.org. For more information on this program, contact Animating Democracy Co-Director Barbara Schaffer Bacon at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

This recruitment is open until filled; first applicant review takes place on June 22, 2009.

The Perlman Music Program provides world class training to exceptionally talented music students. Focused summer and winter sessions are designed to provide students with a supportive and noncompetitive environment in which to develop and grow, while frequent events throughout the year provide students continuity and a sense of community.

The Development Office is seeking a part-time Development Records Assistant to work 24 hours per week. This individual is primarily responsible for the maintenance and support of the Raiser's Edge (RE) database.

Responsibilities will include:
* Enter and process all gifts and grants in Raiser's Edge.
* Automate and produce all gift receipts and acknowledgements, and maintain the integrity of the database.
* Design and implement training for all PMP staff members who use RE
* Provide bi-weekly income reports to staff and volunteers on fundraising progress; design new reports as needed; Reconcile Raiser's Edge income reports against income reports from Bookkeeping on a monthly basis
* Write and update documentation of data entry and reporting protocols; produce procedures manuals
* Develop and enforce policy on the proper access and use of RE database
* Manage data operations in the RE system, including data entry, maintenance of constituent demographic data, data queries, creating reports, mail merges, mass mailings, mailing list imports, Excel imports and exports, and other data management assignments.
* Support users, both by troubleshooting issues directly and contacting Blackbaud and/or our consultant, when necessary;
* Other duties as assigned

Requirements:
* Bachelor's degree and at least 1 year of previous Raiser's Edge database administration experience preferred.
* Experience in a non-profit and/or cultural environment highly desirable
* Excellent communications skills
* Strong organizational and database administration skills
* Service orientated mentality
* Ability to work as part of a team

The Perlman Music Program, 19 West 69th Street, Suite 304, New York, NY 10023. Compensation commensurate with experience. Please send a cover letter, resume, and salary requirements to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . No phone calls please.

Website: http://www.perlmanmusicprogram.org

The Executive Director shall be the "Chief Executive Officer" and as such, provide the leadership and direction necessary to enable the orchestra to achieve its on-going mission of providing high quality symphonic music to diverse audiences throughout the Greater Charleston community. The CSO makes orchestral music a vital part of the region's cultural life by introducing its audiences to a large repertoire of classics, pops, chamber and choral music during a season beginning in September and ending in June.

The Executive Director shall oversee all aspects of management and operations including: concert production, contracts, marketing, public relations, community relations, budget preparation, financial controls, human resources, staff supervision, fund raising, development, planning and board operations.

The Executive Director shall report directly to the CSO Board of Directors, shall work closely, cooperatively and collaboratively with the Music Director who also reports directly to the Board of Directors. The Executive Director shall be responsible for hiring and supervising all managerial and administrative staff.

NOTES: Additional Salary Information: Compensation, including benefits, is competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE / CONTACT INFORMATION: Send resume/CV, cover letter and references to the address listed below:

ATTN: Chairman, Executive Director Search Committee, Charleston Symphony Orchestra, 145 King Street, Suite 145, Charleston, SC 29401; Phone: (843) 720-3885.