Performance
Yesterday I guest-conducted the Jewish Community Singers of Metro Chicago, a terrific volunteer civic group of about 70 singers called (in Hebrew) Kol Zimrah. I was brought in to lead KZ for a half-dozen weekly rehearsals and then the final concert, performed at the lovely Weinberg center at the corner of Lake Cook Road and I-294. The house was packed, with people overflowing to the patio outside, which fortunately had been supplied with speakers from the audio system that was carrying us on microphones.
The program lasted about an hour. Would you believe that there was a connection between one of the songs and my own grandmother? Oy! As it turned out, the program contained a "niggun" in Yiddish. A "niggun" [plural "niggunim"] is a wordless tune, which in this case sounded like "tschiribim-bam-bam," and so on. This particular niggun was arranged by Alice Parker, who was Robert Shaw's longtime collaborator, and a brilliant arranger in her own right.
However, more interesting to me was the composer of the original tune, Lazar Weiner. I learned from a friend that Lazar Weiner, who wore many hats in the NYC Jewish-music scene a hundred or so years ago, was the music director of the Freyheyt Gezang Vereyn (Freedom-Song Union), basically the choral-music arm of the Communist Party in New York City in the 1920s. Here is a picture of Weiner conducting.
And who sang with Lazar Weiner in the Freyheyt Gezang Vereyn? None other than my father's mother, Lillian Cohen, born Leah Krikun in Minsk, what is now Belarus. Now THAT is a small world!
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Submitted by Jon Weber on Wed, 06/20/2007 - 12:23pm.
Greetings from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra! At long last, I am happy to make my debut in the blogosphere as a new contributor to Chicago Classical Music.
As the Education Manager of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association, I am afforded a constant stream of opportunities to be inspired by the music performed at Symphony Center--a haven for the transcendental experiences created by the world's greatest collective of classical musicians and the best guest artists anywhere.
But what gives me the greatest charge of excitement is seeing young people witness--and be captivated by--the expressive capacity demonstrated by our musicians.
Such was the case at the June 5 culminating performance to our Silk Road season.
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The envelope, please...
I am happy to announce that we finished our recent round of callback auditions, and I have offered a spot on the Chicago a cappella roster to both of the talented baritones who made it to the final round.
Brian Streem will sing the first and fourth programs in our 07-08 season, and Michael Boschert will sing the middle two.
For more on the upcoming season, take a look at:
http://www.chicagoacappella.org/concerts/Brochure_200708.pdf
I hope that each of you will have a chance to hear the ensemble as constituted with these terrific baritones.
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Submitted by Jim Hirsch on Thu, 05/31/2007 - 11:17am.
I was getting ready to play golf last Friday when I received a call from the Chicago Sinfonietta's Founder and Music Director, Paul Freeman. Paul had just returned from an arduous 14-city tour with his Prague orchestra and was getting ready for our June 4 and 10 performances with Poi Dog Pondering. Everything seemed normal.
Paul called early 
on Friday to inform me that some urgent personal business required his attention in Victoria and that he would miss his first concert in 20+ years. What to do? After a series of discussions, we reached out to André Raphel Smith, a young, dynamic conductor who currently leads the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra. Thanks to Paul Freeman, our production manager, Christina Harris, and André's Manager, Tom Parker, we were able to secure Maestro Smith's services by 2 p.m. that afternoon - just as I was teeing off on the 4th hole at Lake Shore Country Club. He had the music in his hands by the next day and I ended up shooting a pretty horrible round - though I did win $8!
We are looking forward to working with this talented conductor and to Maestro Freeman's return.
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Submitted by Jim Hirsch on Wed, 05/23/2007 - 9:38am.
Scott Spiegelberg, an Assistant Professor of Music at DePauw University and author of the blogsite, Musical Perceptions, has published his annual list of the top 50 classical music blogs. Loyal readers of chicagoclassicalmusic.org will be pleased to know that our humble little site has been listed at the 42nd ranked blog site for classical music. Thank you Scott!
Number 1? The Rest Is Noise, authored by Alex Ross topped Scott's list. Scott, what can we do to crack the top 25?
Other fun news from the Chicago Sinfonietta includes a trip with Paul 
Freeman to New York on June 6th to accept an award for the Chicago Sinfonietta's contributions to diversity in classical music given by the World Diversity Leadership Summit at the United Nations. Other honorees include Mr. Lee-Chin, a Canandian billionaire and philanthropist, Bud Selig, Commissioner of Major League baseball, HSBC, P & G, and others. Nice company! Are they really inviting me to the same party as a billionaire philanthropist? Someone, wake me up!
Finally, please indulge me one more shameless plug for our
upcoming concerts with alternative rockers, Poi Dog Pondering, on June 4
th at Symphony Center and June 10
th at Lund Auditorium. For those of you who are looking for something a little different, you've found it! Check out how Poi Dog's reinterpretation of themes from Carmen play out complete with video images over what will be a fun and interesting concert.
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I am eagerly anticipating the
Chicago Opera Theater’s opening night performance (tonight) of Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle and Schönberg’s Erwartung. Wearing my Chicago and COT cheerleader outfit today, here are my top eight reasons you should see these operas:
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Auditioning is a strange and wonderful thing. We decided to hold open auditions this spring for the first time. This "y'all come" audition allowed anyone to send in materials for review. We have to do this to fill the baritone vacancy created by Aaron Johnson's departure after 9 years, and we decided to broaden the audition opportunity to all voice parts.
Last week we heard the first group of 6 singers -- lots of basses and a soprano. I found myself in the usual position I have been in since starting Chicago a cappella.
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Listener Memories, Recordings and Rare Interviews Pre-empt Regular Music Schedule
98.7WFMT, Chicago's Classical Experience, is paying tribute to Russian musician and human rights activist
Mstislav Rostropovich who died this morning in Moscow. Today, Friday April 27, and tomorrow morning, Saturday April 28, the station is airing recordings from its archives of Rostropovich cello performances and conducting various orchestras around the world. In addition, the station is airing voicemails and reading emails from listeners recounting memories of the world-renowned musician, who visited Chicago many times during his lifetime. Rare interviews have also been posted on wfmt.com.
The special tribute pre-empts previously scheduled musical programming. "Today represents a major loss for the classical music world" said WFMT Program Director
Peter Whorf, "and it's only appropriate that we use our archives to pay tribute." On his blog, Whorf posted a rare audio clip of composer
Dmitri Shostakovich speaking of his friend Rostropovich as well as a recent interview producer
Jon Tolansky conducted with him in 2002. One Internet listener remarked via email that "the great significance of Mstislav Rostropovich to the music world and the world in general is tremendous. As you played his recording of what he played at the [collapse of the] Berlin Wall, I was deeply touched. Your efforts all morning to honor this great person is just one more reason what we love your station. "Thanks so much for all you do daily to enrich our lives." More information about 98.7WFMT and 98.7WFMT Streaming is available at www.wfmt.com .
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See my last blog post. Transpose to London. The Independent ran an article yesterday about the popular young Brit violinist Tasmin Little who took her Strad to the streets, a la Josh Bell, too see if anyone would notice. The long and short was, not many did. Jessica Duchen’s piece isn’t nearly as interesting from a pseudo psychological perspective as Gene Weingarten’s in the Washington Post, but in the end, the message was the same.
After 45 minutes, Tasmin earned £14.10, which was about $28 the last I checked the exchange rate. Hmmm…Comparing that to Josh Bell’s $32, I guess you can say he outclassed his British counterpart. 
I think both of these two have it wrong. What really would have attracted the attention of an unsuspecting public in the train station at 8:30 a.m.? Full out concert garb – tux and tails for Josh and a low cut strapless number for Tasmin. After all, it’s about competing with the hustle and bustle of everyday life in order to make an impression.
Who would have missed them in their normal concert attire?
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I am elated. "The Wanderer" by Ezequiel Viñao went very well. The second performance in particular, in Oak Park, was astounding. We seem to have really made an impact on our audiences. I am so proud of the Chicago a cappella singers who worked so very hard to master the most difficult piece I have ever programmed.
We had programmed very difficult music before, but never a piece (1) this monumental or (2) one of such difficulty to which I was so fiercely committed that we would do it complete justice. I guess there is a form of tenacity that comes out in a situation like this.
I told the singers afterward, "I feel a great sense of confidence. After learning this piece, there is nothing we can't do -- bring it on, world!"
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