Category Archives: KMFA announcers/hosts

Fleurs-de-LYS: from highbrow to hoe-down

~ posted by Sara Hessel, KMFA Music Director

Last weekend, I took a joy ride around the world in under two hours, and had lots of great company on the journey! Actually, I didn’t travel any farther than St. Michael’s Episcopal Church on Hwy. 360, but the music I heard left me feeling like I had smelled exotic flowers in Asia, danced the night away in Slovakia, watched a seductive scarf dance in Turkey, and enjoyed a rousing Central Texas hoe-down! (Oh, and Telemann was there, too!)

It was all part of a concert given by Fleurs-de-LYS- violinist Laurie Young Stevens and Friends, presenting Musica Globus, as part of Texas Early Music Project’s concert season. Laurie and her special guests put together a program which, despite being made up of dozens of short pieces from many different countries, meshed and flowed together beautifully. Interspersed with folk songs and dances of various lands were pieces by Georg Philipp Telemann that were inspired by the very same folk traditions. The result was a rollicking good time resulting in some serious pew-boogyin’ on the part of the audience!

Violinist Miloš Valent shared his formidable experience with the folk traditions of Eastern Europe, along with his staggering musical skills and his delightful, larger-than-life personality. Recorder player Paul Leenhouts was a joy to hear, as always! He dazzled the audience with his virtuosity, and kept us wondering which member of his musical menagerie we’d get to hear next! (Pungi been, anyone?)

As an encore, the group treated us to a rousing rendition of “Orange Blossom Special”, with Laurie showing her versatility—she’s a musician who is equally comfortable playing intricate Baroque sonatas as she is treating her audience to an impromptu Texas-style hoe-down!

On my way out of the concert I stopped to chat with a fellow audience member who mused: “What would Telemann have thought of this? I bet he would have liked it!” I agreed and added, “I bet he’d have wished he’d thought of it himself!”

Sara Hessel is KMFA’s Music Director, as well as producer and host of Ancient Voices. Tune in on Sundays, 9am and 4pm, to enjoy Ancient Voices, right here on KMFA, 89.5.


Behind the scenes of KMFA’s Birthday Drive

What if I told you that you could give a loved one the perfect birthday gift, and that it would last all year long? It’s true! Your gift to KMFA during our Birthday Membership Drive is not just a gift to yourself… you are giving the gift of diverse classical music to your neighbors, your community, and the whole of Central Texas.

We’ve had a fun three days, with lots of wonderful visitors! In case you didn’t make it in to visit us this time, here are some behind-the-scenes photos:

 

 

Thanks again to one and all who have helped us make it to year 44!  Happy Birthday, KMFA!

~ posted by Alison @ KMFA 🙂

“The Italian Girl” visits the KMFA Studio

~posted by Dianne Donovan, host of Classical Austin

It’s always a lot of fun when I have guests in from Austin Lyric Opera on the Classical Austin show. This time, we previewed the Austin Lyric Opera’s production of Rossini’s Italian Girl In Algiers. We discussed the opera, Rossini, and the challenges of singing/conducting. The show aired on Wednesday, January 26th, 8pm. There was more to our interview than we could fit into one hour on Classical Austin, so if you missed any of the show, or you would like to hear more of the interview, check out the archived version on our website.

GUESTS: Sandra Piques Eddy is a dazzling mezzo who will be starring as Isabella (The “Italian Girl”). Austin audiences got to see and hear this dynamo in recent productions of The Barber of Seville and Cenerentola. Bass-baritone, Peter Strummer (Taddeo) has impressed Austin audiences with his warm voice and characterizations, in Don Pasquale, The Barber of Seville and other productions. Maestro Richard Buckley (ALO Conductor) continues to help bring richly inspired performances from both the singers and the orchestra.

Performance Dates: Jan. 29, Feb. 2, 4, & 6, 2011

More Info: austinlyricopera.org, sandrapiqueseddy.com, peterstrummer.com

~posted by Dianne Donovan, mid-day host, and producer of Classical Austin

American Boychoir visits Austin

A wonderful guest stopped by the studio today — Fernando Malvar-Ruiz, the Director of the American Boychoir, whose home is based in Princeton, New Jersey.

The American Boychoir is regarded as the United States’ premier concert boys’ choir. Under the leadership of Fernando Malvar-Ruiz, The American Boychoir offers audiences a unique blend of musical sophistication, effervescent spirit, and ensemble virtuosity. Boys in grades 4 through 8, reflecting the ethnic, religious and cultural diversity of the United States, come from across the country and around the world to pursue a rigorous musical and academic curriculum at the school. And they’re in town right now, for an event  *tonight* in collaboration with The Austin Girl’s Choir, led by Sara Burden-McClure.

You may have heard Fernando Malvar-Ruiz’s on-air conversation with Rich Upton this afternoon… he had some great insights on the quality and types of music that they perform and record, as well as a modern perspective on teaching young boys the choral arts. If you missed the interview, you can hear it again on our website: click here.

~posted by Alison @ KMFA 🙂

The Sounding Joy: Texas Choral Consort’s Christmas event

A couple of Saturday’s ago, I seized the opportunity to attend Texas Choral Consort’s traditional Christmas performance. This year’s event was called “The Sounding Joy.”  KMFA’s own Dianne Donovan introduced the event, and many KMFA friends were in the audience.

For me, the TCC Christmas concert marks the first day of the Christmas season! And this year, two of my KMFA colleagues had enrolled in this year’s performance, which included an array of festive seasonal offerings: Rutter’s Gloria, Pinkham’s Christmas Cantata, and On this Day, a Christmas Cantata by U.T. composer Donald Grantham (who was actually in the audience!). They were accompanied by some of Austin’s finest brass players as well.

I confess, I am so sentimental about the sing-along offerings that I enjoyed them the most….and whomever I was sitting next to was really a good alto.  🙂 The organ music was a delightful accompaniment,  offering just a bit more timbre than would have occurred with a piano, and at a very modest volume, so as to showcase the singers’ voices.

Thanks go out to TCC fan, Robert Kelly, who provided me with these excellent photos… click on any of the photos if you’d like to view more at his online gallery.

I am already looking forward to next year’s event!

~posted by Alison @ KMFA 🙂

Austin Civic Orchestra /Austin Symphonic Band at their Long Center Debut

~posted by Carmel O’Donovan, KMFA announcer

We’ve known the Austin Civic Orchestra and Austin Symphonic Band for many years, and so it was that on Sunday, November 21st, I had the honor of introducing their performance in the Michael and Susan Dell Hall at the Long Center for the Performing Arts.

Living, as we do, in the Music Capital of the World, it is easy to become a little blasé. We have such a wealth of music styles and veritable multitude of venues. And yet, time after time, I find myself transported by what I hear and see. That Sunday afternoon was another extraordinary event for me. It was truly an afternoon of “firsts,” and I was delighted to enjoy it in the company of KMFA’s General Manager, Joan Kobayashi, along with long-time KMFA supporter, Doug Shands. It was the first combined concert of these two talented ensembles to be held at the Long Center.

I confess that going on stage to make my introduction was a little nerve-wracking, since the Long Center’s auditorium was close to full with an audience comprising close to two thousand. The groups were greeted with a warm welcome, and such was the quality of their performances that it’s hard to believe that both groups are populated with volunteer musicians. They devote hours of their time to practice and rehearsal, and I know that in the build-up to this event, they must have burned the candle at both ends. From a spectator’s position I can testify that it was all worth it. Both groups sounded simply amazing!

It was also the first time a woman had conducted a symphony at the Long Center! That woman was Dr. Lois Ferrari. She is the talented and energetic Music Director of Austin Civic Orchestra. She did not know that she was to be given an award at the end of ACO’s performance. I did! It was a lovely secret to carry and I was delighted when the time came to call her back onto the stage for the presentation. She was thrilled and a little emotional and it was wonderful to be a witness to the warmth of the orchestra toward her.

We also enjoyed the premier performance of the complete work “Spangled Heavens,” written by Donald Grantham. He is the Frank C Erwin Jr. Professor of Composition at U.T., and we had the pleasure of hearing his introduction to his piece. I was sitting next to him during the recital. That was a pretty big first for me – listening to music while sitting next to the man who wrote it was inspirational.

 

The concert opened with Peter Bay, Music Director and Conductor of the Austin Symphony, conducting the Overture to Verdi’s La Forza del Destino with enthusiam and passion. Jessica Mathaes, Austin Symphony Orchestra’s Concertmaster, performed a movement from Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor. Such was the caliber of her execution that the crowd demanded (and got) a peppy encore! There were jewels such as this throughout the performances, and I urge you to be sure to watch out for the next time these groups come together.

(photos courtesy of the ASB website — click here to view many more great pictures from this event!)

~Carmel O’Donovan is a part-time announcer on KMFA 89.5; you can read more about Carmel and all our Music Hosts on our website.


Concert Chorale in the Bates Concert Hall

~posted by Carmel O’Donovan, KMFA announcer

Those who know me well (and those unfortunate enough to sit near me in church) know that I “cannot sing for toffee.” That said, I love to sing, and try not to let this minor disadvantage deter me.

By some strange quirk of fate, two of my children are extremely talented in the vocal department. Back in the UK, I fear that their talent in this area would have “fallen by the wayside” since the concept of choral singing in state-funded schools is virtually non-existent, and in the face of that, it takes real personal commitment from a very early age to develop singing skills. I seriously doubt that either of them would have persisted in their singing. Fast forward four years, and I have two children in the choir program in the Eanes School District.

Sunday, November 7th, was a “first” for me on a number of levels. It was my first visit to the Bates Recital Hall on the UT campus – what an extraordinary facility that is! It was also the first time that I had seen and heard the Visser-Rowland tracker organ. The organ was installed in 1983 and is a musical and engineering feat. With over 5000 pipes ranging from 16 feet to pencil size, the construction occupied staff for 16,750 working hours.

It was also a first for the Westlake High School Chorale. Under the brilliant directorship of Ed Snouffer and Jen Goodner (accompanied by the wonderfully talented Meg Houghton) they joined forces with the University of Texas Concert Chorale, directed by Suzanne Pence and Aaron Hufty, accompanied by Christopher Evatt. The combination was simply electrifying. The Westlake Chorale, numbering over 130 singers, sang four wonderful pieces, my favorite of which was “Sure on this Shining Night,” by Morten Lauridsen.

We then enjoyed a mixture of pieces from the UT choir including Gypsy songs by Brahms, Renaissance-based madrigals by Lauridsen, and a foot stomping piece by Moses Hogan. The two choirs then came together for the finale: Gloria (Movement 111) by John Rutter, and the air was filled with the magical amalgam of beautiful voices accompanied by the wonderful organ, in place of the brass for which the piece was written. Incredibly the two choirs came together for about an hour’s rehearsal prior to the performance; a measure of their combined talents and the skill and discipline of their directors. It was wonderful!

The great news is that, while this was a first, it most certainly will not be the last time that these choirs come together. I eagerly await their next concert!

 

 

~Carmel O’Donovan is a part-time announcer on KMFA 89.5; you can read more about Carmel and all our Music Hosts on our website.

Verdi’s La Traviata bears the test of time

~posted by Renee Beale, KMFA announcer… Renee was fortunate to have attended the ALO season premiere of La Traviata

“‘La Traviata last night a failure. My fault or the singers?’ Time will tell.” This has become Giuseppe Verdi’s most famous letter written about the opening night of his opera in 1853, when the performance was not met with success.

His written words convey his faith in the public’s awareness of what is good art and what is not. Opera audiences since then have proven that Verdi produced good art, and its popularity perseveres today. La Traviata has become one of the most performed operas in North America, and it doesn’t matter how many times I see it, I cry every time during Act II when Giorgio Germont requests Violetta to leave the younger Germont, because she is sullying their good name. The performances in Act II by Pamela Armstrong and Grant Youngblood were exceptional, not only in their singing performances, but in the connection they made with each other as actors. Ms. Armstrong’s accurate emotional portrayal of love mixed with shame, and acceptance of knowing the consequences of her choices would ruin her chance at true love, were captivating.

photo: courtesy of ALO's Facebook page! 🙂

While driving to ALO’s season premiere of this beloved opera, I was pleased to catch the on-air conversation that KMFA hosts Dianne Donovan and Jeffrey Blair had with Kevin Patterson, the General Director of the Austin Lyric Opera. Kevin mentioned quite emphatically that opera, and particularly La Traviata, have never been more relevant due to the social implications during that era that continue to exist today. I am always amazed how societies resist change, especially when it comes to whom one marries and whether that coupling will enhance social status (or dilute it). All the performances along with the stage design were extraordinar, and the emotionally charged connections between the actors were strong and believable. “Let’s drink to that sweet ecstasy” that is La Traviata. Bravo to ALO!

 

~posted by Renee Beale, KMFA announcer. You can read more about KMFA’s on-air hosts by visiting our website.

 

Preview of Austin Lyric Opera’s “La Traviata”

~posted by Dianne Donovan, KMFA’s mid-day host

On Wednesday’s episode of Classical Austin, we featured a spotlight on Austin Lyric Opera’s Production of “La Traviata,” by Giuseppe Verdi.

I had some special guests in the studio! Namely, the stars of the opera: “Violetta,” Pamela Armstrong (soprano),  “Alfredo,” Texas-born Chad Shelton (tenor), and the Principal Conductor of Austin Lyric Opera, Maestro Richard Buckley. We learned about some of the challenges and thrills of performing this stunning masterpiece. 

There was more to the interview than we could fit into the show, so if you would like to hear more, or if you missed the show,  click here for your listening pleasure.

(If you heard the show, the music I played was from a recording that featured Cheryl Studer, Lucian Pavarotti, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus, under the direction of James Levine. Deutsche Grammaphon 435 797.)

Austin Lyric Opera performances will be November 6th, 10th, 12th & 14th, at the Long Center for the Performing Arts.

KMFA will broadcast the opening-night event, Saturday, November 6th, with a “pre-game” show starting at 5:30pm.

More information about the performance can be found at www.austinlyricopera.org

~Dianne Donovan is KMFA’s midday announcer and host/producer of Classical Austin.


In the KMFA Studios: Sara Hessel interviews Ryland Angel!

Keith, Sara, and Ryland in Studio 2000

~posted by Sara Hessel, KMFA Music Director

Last week, I had the pleasure of interviewing internationally renowned countertenor Ryland Angel, along with Keith Womer, artistic director of La Follia Austin Baroque. The subject matter of our interview was La Follia’s next concert, “Sacred Music of the Early German Baroque,” which will feature Ryland’s vocal talents, as well as several other exceptional guest performers.

The concerts are happening this weekend (Nov. 6 and 7) at two different venues in Austin. I’ll be giving a preconcert lecture about one of the stars of the early Baroque, Dieterich Buxtehude, starting 30 minutes before before each performance. For more information, please visit www.lafollia.org.

Click here for an extended excerpt of my interview with Keith and Ryland.

Sara Hessel is KMFA’s Music Director, as well as producer and host of Ancient Voices. Tune in on Sundays, 9am and 4pm, to enjoy Ancient Voices, right here on KMFA, 89.5.