Joomla! site syndication http://myrtlehart.org 2010-03-12T07:51:44+01:00 http://myrtlehart.org http://myrtlehart.org/images/M_images/joomla_rss.png text/html 2009-12-05T08:46:30+01:00 http://myrtlehart.org http://myrtlehart.org/content/view/306/166/ Jade Simmons has effectively revolutionized the University of Chicago. I don't think that anyone else could tell an all-white and Asian orchestra that they were playing really white and get away with it like she did. What she meant, of course, was that the musicians were stuck in the mode of trying to get the notes right, but were missing the rhythmic playfulness of what will be tonight's performance of Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. But then again, there's no one quite like Jade.Jade was invited to the University of Chicago by Director of Performance Programs, Barbara Schubert (great name for a female conductor/musician, right?), who perhaps unwittingly programmed one of the most revolutionary concerts the 107-year-old academic institution has probably ever seen ... as far as race-relations are concerned. Also on the program, hearin-impaired Beethoven and lesbian composer Jennifer Higdon, who had interesting things to say when asked whether her sexual orientation or gender played into her compositions. (Google it. It's everywhere.) Overcoming these so-called hindrances may be what this concert is all about. It's a topic Maestra Schubert (ahem, female conductor) knows something about.Anyway, the UChicago community is buzzing about Jade.The campus paper recently published a story on Jade (http://news.uchicago.edu/news.php?asset_id=1803), which included her sister, Isis, a second-year student at the University. While some exhibit not-so-nice behavior (really, defacing posters is sooo juvenile), others see Jade's week-long residency as a way to forge the topic of race and classical music -- or simply racism. On Tuesday, December 1, the Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture sponsored a discussion/lecture/performance featuring Jade, who disclosed information from her childhood (including a white man who told her that if the rest of her race was like her, the world would be a better place) and the dangers of elitism in classical music. Dispelling cultural myths about Blacks, Latinos, and Asians, Jade displayed humor and intelligence, never succumbing to conspiracy-theories about how classical music is trying to keep the Black man down! Jade is one of the most personable artists to grace the UChicago campus. She speaks to students and seniors with the same respect that she deserves. In addition to being a masterful musician, she is an amazing human being. Tonight's concert is sure to be unforgettable.Saturday, December 5, 2009 at 8 pmMandel Hall, 1131 E. 57th Street, Hyde ParkJade Simmons, guest pianistBarbara Schubert, conductorRachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of PaganiniBeethoven's Symphony No. 3, EroicaJennifer Higdon's SkyLine from City ScapeRead more about Jade on her website, jademedia.org. text/html 2009-09-30T23:00:00+01:00 http://myrtlehart.org http://myrtlehart.org/content/view/303/ MHS caught up with Stanford Thompson (http://www.stanfordthompson.com/), one of nine inaugural Abreu Fellows that will spend the year studying Venezuela's highly acclaimed El Sistema program and working to implement their success here in the United States. El Sistema USA (http://www.elsistemausa.org/) recently launched at the New England Conservatory in Boston, MA, and is an impressive music education program throughout the country of Venezuela that runs hundreds of youth orchestras and choirs that reach over 300,000 of the country's most vulnerable children. El Sistema's mission is focused on using music as a vehicle for social change and 90% of its children come from the poorest socio-economic backgrounds. A side effect of the program has produced some of the world's most prominent musicians on the international music scene today: Most notably, Gustavo Dudamel, 28, recently began his first season as music director of the Los Angels Philharmonic and the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra, which is arguably one of the world's most exciting and promising orchestras performing today. Read what the rising star had to say in the FEATURED ARTISTS (content/view/305/166/) section.