Posts filed under 'Uncategorized'
This is a picture from the Island of Mozia which is located just off the the coast of Sicily in the Mediterranean. This picture depicts a field of Grillo vines. Many acres of the Grillo grape are planted and harvested on the island. This specific grape vine was brought to Sicily from Greece during a tumultuous time of the Phoenician wars in 800 B.C. As stated in my previous blog post, Grillo is well documented in the history of making Mamertino wine. Mamertino wine is a combination of Sicilian grapes and is one of the most famous wines in Italian history. Julius Caesar is documented as having a very fond taste for Grillo wine. It is thought that he preferred the Mamertino Bianco, which is 35-55% Grillo. Sicily’s famous Marsala wine is also made using the Grillo grape as a predominant ingredient.
For more information on the island of Mozia click here. For more info on Julius Caesars’s Grillo Grape preference click here.
Pictures of Grillo on the vine as well as a bottle of Grillo.
April 22nd, 2010
This is a new series I am starting on the blog. “Orchestra Confidential” will focus on symphonic musicians and all things that permeate the backstage of the concert hall. I have always thought that the backstage lives of performing arts groups are an exciting place percolating with many different things. There are always two doors to every event. The public walks through the front doors under the marquis. The artists, musicians, stage crew, and make-up people all walk through the stage door. The public at large is relatively separated from this underworld of frenetic artistic activity. ”Orchestra Confidential” is going to highlight this behind the scenes culture and everything that pertains to the performance aspect of the business. In one my other series “The Art of the Deficit”, the focus is on orchestra managements and the difficult economic realities of running arts organizations.
Having played in over 30 professional orchestras to date, I have seen and experienced a wide range of things that I think are never really talked about to the general public. From the perspective of the audience, an orchestra looks like a relatively normal institution. A stage full of people in elegant formal tails and black dresses, playing this beautiful music and providing an enjoyable evening of entertainment. Little do they know that orchestras are a hotbed of all kinds of activity. Granted that many work environments have their share of issues, the interesting one about an orchestra is that the stage is everyones’ office. There are 80-100 people on stage with each other day after day. In the business world, most people have their own office to retreat too. The scientist has his or her laboratory, the teacher his or her classroom. This is not the case with musicians. I have heard it been said many times that an orchestra player sees his stand partner more than their spouse! There are orchestras that do rotate, which means that they get to switch it up a bit. This environment can lead to quite a soap opera to say the least. I have witnessed and been briefed on many occasions where this has lead to some outrageous activity that will certainly be discussed further in this series. What this really boils down to is that an orchestra is very similar to a dysfunctional family. Members of the ensemble may not like each other, but are forced to deal with one another on a day to day basis.
I want to focus heavily on the psychological states of musicians. Playing in an orchestra is a much more stressful job experience than most people realize. There was a famous study that came out of Northwestern University some years back relating to high stress careers. The study ranked symphonic musicians second after air traffic controllers when it came to high stress vocations. One of the big factors was the margin of error for mistakes. Even though a plane accident is much worse than a trumpet coming in the wrong spot, the mistakes are irrevocable.
To the surprise of the general public, job satisfaction in symphonies is sometimes extremely low. Negativity and resentment run high in many groups. The frustrated musician is nothing new and can almost become obsessed with never achieving the goals they had in their mind when they entered this profession. I will certainly cite the Harvard Business School’s study that stated that orchestra musicians ranked lower than federal prison guards in terms of job satisfaction. Some factors that led to this discovery are the little input musicians have in the organizations, limited job mobility and the fact that most of the orchestra gets paid the same pay scale. The new musician that joins the orchestra gets the same exact wage as the person who has been playing there for 40 years. Musicians have to learn to live with the job they have, if they were lucky enough to get a job in the first place. This will certainly lead to a discussion of the modern audition process. In classical music, someone is hired potentially for life without a face to face interview, a review of personality traits, a mental health evaluation or what the organization can gain from attaining their employment.
I want this to be a collaborative effort. I invite people to contact me and share their experiences good and bad. The new media environment, in addition to the social networking potential of all of this can have a lasting impact on the industry. Younger musicians can have a better sense of what to expect when they enter the professional arena. Orchestra committees can have a platform to present their case perhaps in the middle of a difficult collective bargaining situation. The list goes on and on. Click on the word contact at the top of this website. Fill out the appropriate fields and I will respond as soon as I can.
On the lighter side, musicians can be absolutely fascinating to work with. On the whole they tend to be extremely bright and are always interested in different things. Whether it is someone reading Charles Dickens or obsessively involved in an intriguing hobby, the aesthetic focused mind of the artist is always in motion.
Please stay tuned for further posts on this exciting topic. I look forward to corresponding with my orchestral colleagues and what surfaces from this inquest will surely be fascinating. With many newspapers limiting or even abolishing their arts writers entirely, this will also serve as an important tool for reporting what needs to be out there. Lets start from the top and not finish until we leave no stone unturned. All repeats please.
April 13th, 2008
This week the Pennsylvania Ballet returns to New York City Center for the first time in twenty years with two dynamic programs. The first features live orchestra in a riveting new Carmina Burana, deemed a “triumph” by The Philadelphia Inquirer and choreographed by the Company’s own Matthew Neenan. The second program features works by Balanchine, Neenan, and Val Caniparoli’s vibrant Lambarena, a celebration of African music, Classical music and dance.
I look forward to playing this tour very much. Since so much of the Broadway theater business is shut down this week due to strikes, I hope people hear about this event and substitute their plans for this exciting opportunity. It is always thrilling to be on tour with an arts group and play in a different city. I think this brings the company to a new level. When an arts group plays for a completely new audience, it forces the presenting company to be the best that they can be. It is in this elevated state of artistic awareness that the performers achieve new heights.
For more information about the Pennsylvania Ballet click here. Additional information about this weeks concerts at the New York City Center can be obtained by visiting their website here.
November 12th, 2007
Fee! Fie! Foe! Fum! A very interesting combination of fairy tale and double bass is on the docket in the foreseeable future. I smell the blood of an Englishman. Harold Robinson, Principal Bassist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, is scheduled to perform this week as a featured soloist with the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra. On the evening of November 10th at 8:00, he will be playing the double bass concerto “Jack and the Beanstalk” composed by fellow bassist Jon Deak. Be he ‘live, or be he dead, This will be a very engaging and exciting experience for bassists and non-bassists alike. I’ll grind his bones to make my bread.
It has been said that double bassists are very rarely soloists and the repertory for concerto appearances is basically non-existent. Leave it to Mr. Robinson to debunk these myths. This concert will be his second concerto appearance in less than a year. Last January, he performed John Harbison’s “Concerto for Bass Viol” with the Philadelphia Orchestra. I was fortunate to be able to hear one of these concerts and I enjoyed it very much. Harold has also performed “Jack and the Beanstalk” with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington D.C. He was formally the principal bass of the National Symphony Orchestra, before he moved to Philadelphia for his current position.
Double bassist and composer Jon Deak has written several pieces for double bass. For example, some frequently performed works are B. B. Wolf, The Ugly Duckling, and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, just to name a few. Jon Deak is the associate principal bass of the New York Philharmonic. For more information about Mr. Deak click here.
In addition to his playing responsibilities, Harold Robinson is an avid and very sought after teacher. He is the double bass instructor at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. In addition, he is a frequent guest clinician at music festivals and universities worldwide. For more information about Harold Robinson click here.
For concert and ticket info, visit YoungstownSymphony.com.
November 5th, 2007
A long standing tradition has been brewing at the New World Symphony for 8 consecutive years. On Oct 20, 2007 the New World Symphony held its 8th Annual Oktoberfest. I founded this tradition 8 years ago and I am so proud to see that it has continued to this day. The first Oktoberfest was held on Oct. 15, 2000. It was an absolutely beautiful day and we all had a wonderful time. We gorged on over a dozen entrees and sidedishes, then washed it down with 3 Kegs of some great Oktoberfest beer.
The summer prior to the event, about 12 of us from New World attended the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan. Sapporo is one of the premier beer cities in the world and we were fortunate to be able to experience the amazing beers that they produce. To kick the whole experience to another level, many players from the Vienna Philharmonic were playing and teaching at the festival. We enjoyed many nights at the various Beer gardens of Sapporo with the Vienna Philharmonic. All of us there will never forget the night when they took the whole PMF orchestra to the Sapporo Beer Garden and paid for all of us. We were singing and cheering all night long having an awesome time. It was so amazing being around these musicians from one of the worlds most famous orchestras. Upon returning to Miami, I wanted to recreate those amazing times we had with our friends from the Vienna Philharmonic. I do think this was one of the motivating factors in starting this tradition.
One of the most interesting qualities about this feast is that it continues to evolve year after year since that fateful day back in 2000. Since the inception, a great local brew pub called The Abbey Brewing Company has started donated kegs of their amazing beer to the feast. A pig roast has also been incorporated into the event. Countless side dishes and desserts are also prepared by the orchestra members to meet everyones fancy.
Many people have stepped up to the plate to be financial sponsers to ensure that this Oktoberfest will continue. Many players from various orchestras like the Philadelphia and Cleveland Orchestras have graciously donated money so that the tradition will continue. The musicians at New World are always grateful for this kind support.
Like milk and cookies, beer and music are intrinsically linked. It is hard to imagine one without the other. I will never forget about our Vienna Philaharmonic friends telling us about how they have Guiness on tap in their musicians lounge. What a dream that would be to be playing Don Giovanni and having a lusicious Guiness in preparation for Act 2. No wonder why they sound so amazing.
Thanks to all that have kept this tradition going and I look forward to hearing about many future Oktoberfests at the New World Symphony. Cheers!!!
For more info:
www.abbeybrewingcompany.com
www.nws.edu
www.wiener-staatsoper.at
www.pmf.or.jp/index_en.html
October 29th, 2007
This is the first post for my new blog. My intention for this medium is to be a hub for news in the Classical Music world. The media has always been a double edge sword for Classical Music. On one hand it is great to have an article about a concert or orchestra. On the flip side, there are so many negative stories around (example the business is dying off, graying audiences, doom and gloom!) With this site, I want to be a reliable and credible source for everything that is happening in the Classical Music Business. I have been involved with blogs for about 8 months now and they are amazing. I have been a contributor on Jason Heath’s Doublebassblog.org. This is an amazing blog and has really taken the bass world by storm. Starting a project like this can be a daunting one; however, I am very excited about the unlimited potential of new media to influence our industry. I want to thank my new readers and I appreciate your patience while this site undergoes its non-stop construction. Please feel free to contact me at anytime and post comments. This project has been in my mind for some time now, and now it is time to put it into action. To all musicians, conductors, composers, and fans of the Classical Music Genre, Let’s GO!!!!!!
I recently read a very interesting article in Newsweek about how Classical Music recording revenue is on the rise. This is an example of how the new digital media world can influence our business. Check that story out here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20642963/site/newsweek/page/0/
September 21st, 2007
