Category Archives: KMFA on the road

Texas Early Music Project’s “El Mundo Nuevo” (The New World)

Posted by Alison @ KMFA  🙂

Last weekend I had the great pleasure of attending my very first Texas Early Music Project (TEMP) performance. I know, I’m way overdue, but to be fair, I thought I was getting adequate early-music fulfillment with KMFA’s wonderful Sunday show, Ancient Voices.

Well, the performance I attended proved to me that there is more than great music involved in a TEMP performance. Of course I expected the beautiful vocal pieces, some haunting, some playful. The piece “El Palomo” (called a Tonadilla, i.e., a little Tonada) seemed like it was created just for soloist Stephanie Prewitt to sing, which of course is impossible, since it dated back to the 17th century. And the rousing percussion piece, labeled simply as Zarambeques, coupled with the wholesome harp, was one of my favorites.

The overall theme of the concert (named “El Mundo Nuevo: 18th-Century Music from Latin America”) was music from  the city streets, Indian villages, and missions and cathedrals of 18th-century Peru and Bolivia. (Hah! I’ll bet you thought all early music was from the courts and monasteries of old England, didn’t you? Another presumptive stereotype dashed.) One of the most interesting aspects of the performance was the brief description of the history of the percussion instruments, including the shipping crate that became a drum, and the drumstick on the alms box that changed pitch when the hinged lid is raised and lowered. There was an early-music harp featured as well, and other instruments that I didn’t get a chance to scrutinize from the back of the audience, but they all sounded so wonderful…. Guest artist Tom Zajac shared most of the historical insights between pieces, and was such an amazing performer. And because I know no one else will say it (early music people are so polite), he’s pretty good-looking, too.  😉

I highly recommend attending the next TEMP event…. this was the season opener, and after perusing their website, they have a wonderfully diverse offering this season.

Here’s a little slideshow of my surreptitiously taken snapshots:

~ posted by Alison @ KMFA

Magic vision in Ballet Austin’s “Magic Flute”

Stephen Mills’ Magic Vision

~posted By KMFA mid-day announcer, Dianne Donovan

Once again, Austin audiences enjoyed a veritable feast for the eyes (and ears) courtesy of Stephen Mills. In his most ambitious project to date, the Artistic Director and choreographer of Ballet Austin tackled Mozart’s The Magic Flute with nary a singer nor a supertitle in sight. As if setting Mozart’s great opera in a different medium wasn’t enough of a challenge, Mills added something very unusual to the mix; he added shadow puppetry. When I heard about this project, I thought that it could go one of two ways. It went this way — beautifully, that is. The shadows provided scary monsters, thoughtful asides, as well as interesting and almost instant set changes.

At times the dancers would interact with actual shadow puppets and other times they would team up with shadow dancers from the other side of the screen. ShadowLight Productions of San Francisco created and executed the shadow images. This was more than visual trickery, it was a true integration of forms that enhanced the production. Superimposed over this grey world were some of the loveliest, most colorful costumes I’ve seen on any stage. Costume designer Susan Branch Towne’s exotic birds, when set in motion, were positively kaleidoscopic and the priests’ white uniforms shimmered luminously.

Austin’s Donald Grantham provided a reduced score (sans vocals), well performed by the Austin Symphony Orchestra, under Maestro Peter Bay’s fine direction.

another one of the drawings of the costumes for Magic Flute

Of course mirrors and lights aren’t enough to carry such a production. As I’ve come to expect, Stephen Mills’ inventive and elegantly flowing choreography is sometimes spiked with truly comedic gestures. All of the dancers did a marvelous job of incorporating so many elements into their performance. Ashley Lynn Giffix’s Pamina made me wish that I had nagged my parents a little more forcefully for ballet lessons when I was youngster.

Once again, Stephen Mills “raises the bar” (I couldn’t resist) on what is possible in the world of dance. This production was sooo Austin, soooo Stephen Mills.

If missed the production and would like to see more of the images and costumes, please visit Ballet Austin’s blog.


~posted by Dianne Donovan, KMFA mid-day announcer and host of the show, Classical Austin (Wednesday evenings at 8pm).

Playing Piano…in the Park!

World-famous pianist, Anton Nel, encountered one of the pianos on a hike around Lady Bird Lake

If you’re a fan of the parks and trails around downtown Austin, then you might have noticed random pianos popping up all over… available for anyone to play, at any time of day!

It’s all a part of a delightful conspiracy to provide music where you least expect it, featuring any artist who decides to play. Located throughout downtown in public parks, streets and squares, the pianos are for any member of the public to play. The pianos are also for the public to decorate and personalize.

Well, this is the last weekend to enjoy the pianos, so a few of us from KMFA decided to visit the one in Butler Park. It was such a beautiful day on Thursday!

Sarah playing piano in front of the Austin skyline

We climbed to the top of Doug Sahm Hill (I think Doug would have been pleased with the psychedelic painted dinosaurs on the side of the piano) and Sarah Addison, who is our resident expert in piano playing, gave her best attempt on this funky, outdoors piano, while we all got to admire the fabulous skyline and listen to a Beethoven backdrop.

Claire and Kelsey wish they'd paid better attention in piano classes when they were kids

one cheerfully painted piano

You can read more about this effort, as well as see some adorable photos and videos, at the website “Play Me I’m Yours.” They also have a map where each of the pianos is located. Go find one this weekend! 🙂 You’ll be surprised how nice a piano sounds outdoors in Austin’s wonderful springtime weather.

Another favorite Austin piano player, Marcia Ball, tries out a street piano

~ posted by Alison @ KMFA  🙂

Preview: KMFA’s trip to New York City

~ submitted by Claire Wiley, KMFA office and production admin

Tomorrow morning, 21 excited travelers will embark on the KMFA trip to New York City for 10 magical days. Their itinerary is filled with classical music, fine art, and fine dining…you can read more about the fun they’ll be having here on the website.

I visited the Big Apple over the holidays, and knowing that KMFA was planning a tour to NYC, I thought I’d do a little reconnaissance first-hand…here are some of the pictures. I know they’re going to have a great time… we sure did!

Wandering through the Upper East Side, we happened upon the Plaza Athenee hotel, where the KMFA tour will be staying. Its pleasantly situated along a quiet street of beautiful row houses and apartments just off of Madison Avenue’s fabulous shopping district.

Coming out of New York’s public library we stumbled upon Bryant Park, which ended up being one of my favorite spots in the city. It offers great shopping in quaint semi-permanent stalls, and stunning views of some of New York’s most beautiful early skyscrapers.

The Museum of Modern Art was one of the definite highlights of our trip. We saw Van Gogh’s Starry Night, Monet’s Water lilies and other favorites by Picasso, Matisse, Pollack and Warhol (see next photo).

From one of the upper levels of the MoMA we witnessed a fantastic performance art piece. Standing in the middle, this performer guided his piano throughout the atrium playing a movement of Beethoven’s Ninth.

Street performers abound in Central Park; this accordion player made our stroll down the park’s literary walk feel even more like a storybook.

Our Christmas in New York would not be complete without a trip to Radio City Music Hall to see the famous Rockettes. But the Hall itself, sitting in Rockefeller Center, is a fun landmark any time of year.

This performer was singing opera tunes next to the enchanting Bethesda Fountain in Central Park...

...he promised me a photograph only if I would join him in a round of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

Another planned stop on the KMFA tour: the bright lights of Times Square lit our way along Broadway to the Gershwin Theater where we saw a fantastic musical.

Chelsea is known for its wonderful art galleries, but New York artists in this neighborhood do not confine themselves to just canvases! We had a lot of fun discovering street art throughout the city.

Our view from the plane at sunset. Good-bye New York!

Texas Choral Consort offers an oratorio for all seasons

~posted by Dianne Donovan, KMFA mid-day host

Texas Choral Consort’s presentation of Die Jahreszeiten — “The Seasons” — (February 26th & 27th)

If you missed the opportunity to hear Franz Joseph Haydn’s “The Seasons” this past weekend, I’m sorry, really sorry. This masterwork is rarely performed in this part of the world. Although it was written three years after his blockbuster, “The Creation,” it never caught on like its predecessor.

photo credit: Robert Kelly

Much of the neglect rests with what was once an unwieldy English libretto (translated from a German translation/adaptation of an English poem by James Thomson titled, “The Seasons”). Over the centuries, some much-needed changes have improved the original libretto, and for this performance, Artistic Director, Brent Baldwin, deftly selected some of the best texts of the English versions.

photo credit: Robert Kelly

Having never heard this piece live, I wasn’t sure just how the music would “take flight.” Brent Baldwin led his chorus (the un-auditioned chorus, I might add!) to deliver a very strong and joyous performance. The orchestra was superb tackling this challenging piece and the soloists (soprano, Kirsten Watson as Jenny, baritone, Chaz Nailor as Simon and tenor, Jos Milton as Lucas), sang their arias/ensemble pieces with elegant facility and managed some tricky recitatives with great aplomb.

The other star of course, was Haydn. He was in his element here, with dazzling orchestration and some magnificent tone painting (was that a quail I just heard?). The summer sunrise and the shuddering storm scenes were standouts. As well, he provided inside jokes, as only Haydn could do. With the achingly beautiful opening of “Winter,” it was hard not to think of one W.A. Mozart. Also written into the music were moments of clever interplay between the soloists and chorus, and between the singers and the orchestra.

Cheers to the good folks at Texas Choral Consort for these performances, and to Brent Baldwin in particular for programming and delivering this piece.

Learn more about Texas Choral Consort performances and auditions at www.txconsort.org.

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

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.


Listening to the Festival of Carols from…. Antarctica?!


(posted by Joan Kobayashi, KMFA General Manager)

This is a beautiful note accompanied by beautiful pictures I just had to share. To imagine listening to our programming with that backdrop . . . well, there aren’t really words to describe it.

~Joan

********************************************************
Sent: Wednesday, December 22, 2010 1:48 PM
To: Joan Kobayashi
Subject: Enjoyment and pledge

Dear Joan:

I am a University of Texas Research Professor from Austin, sitting in a laboratory at the United States base McMurdo Station in Antarctica, listening to KMFA on what is December 23 for us (on New Zealand time at ~180 degrees west longitude, a day ahead and 5 hours behind Austin).

This is to let you know how much I appreciate the KMFA programming and your colleagues’ presentation of it – not least here surrounded by the magnificent scenery of the active Mount Erebus volcano and the majestic Royal Society Range of the Transantarctic Mountains.

 

I attached some images to let you see the type of setting in which your music is being enjoyed, as we try to decipher the signals of ice mass change in Antarctica and hence of global sea-level change.

Best wishes to you and your colleagues for the Holiday Season.

~Ian

*****************************************************

Thank you, Ian. We’re so glad that the work we do enriches the experience of the work that you do.  Again, thank you for the gift of your words and pictures.  Wishing you a most beautiful Christmas and New Year.

Warmly,
Joan

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.