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Celebrating Excellence in Music and Dance
The Next Generation
26 & 27 March 2010

DCSF's Music and Dance Scheme is celebrated at Southbank Centre

Over two days in March, Southbank Centre will be overflowing with performances, open rehearsals and workshops by some of the UK's most talented young musicians and dancers. At the centre of Sound Moves is an energy-packed show in the Royal Festival Hall, featuring classical ballet, big band jazz, contemporary dance, choral singing, Kathak dance and percussion.

All the performers, aged 8 to 19, receive training from specialist schools, conservatoires and centres for advanced training in London and the South East participating in the Department for Children, Schools and Families' Music and Dance Scheme. This scheme gives young people with exceptional potential in music or dance the opportunity to receive the highest level of training by providing them with means-tested bursaries. Schools and centres participating in the scheme have produced some of the world's greatest musicians and dancers, including Nigel Kennedy, Alison Balsom, Darcey Bussell and Jonathan Cope.

Started in 1981, the scheme currently helps some 2,000 students aged between 8 and 19, with just under half of them holding aided day and boarding places at designated specialist schools; the others, who are in mainstream schools, receive grants for specialist training out of school hours at Centres for Advanced Training (CATs), which include the top music and dance colleges and conservatoires.

Robin Kiel MBE, Policy Manager, DCSF Music and Dance Scheme commented:

"I am delighted that the Music and Dance Scheme is to be celebrated at Southbank Centre in March. For nearly thirty years the scheme has given access to the very best training for young musicians and dancers regardless of their background and allowed them to aspire to world-class excellence. The fact that so many of the performing artists helped through the scheme are now internationally recognised leaders in their fields shows how important the scheme has been in allowing their potential to be fully realised. Please come and join us in March and see if you can spot the future stars of tomorrow."

A recent Music and Dance Scheme participant comments:

"The training I received was incomparable: the teachers were supportive and inspiring mentors who guided me throughout my time at the school, working tirelessly to make me a better dancer. The experience I gained with many renowned artists and choreographers was invaluable for my professional life."

The organisations taking part in Sound Moves are: Aldeburgh Young Musicians, Centre for Young Musicians, DanceEast Academy, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Laban, The Place, The Purcell School, Royal Academy of Music, Royal Ballet School, Royal College of Music, Tring Park School for the Performing Arts, Trinity College of Music, Westminster Abbey Choir School, Westminster Cathedral Choir School, Yehudi Menuhin School, Youth Dance England

Read more about this at the Music and Dance Scheme website:

   www.dcsf.gov.uk/mds/

Or at the Sound Moves website:

   www.southbankcentre.co.uk/soundmoves

French Choral Music Concert by Melodia Women's Choir and Orchestra

Melodia Women's Choir and Orchestra, conducted by Cynthia Powell, celebrates the splendor of French choral music for women's voices with a rare all-female performance of Olivier Messiaen's epic work: Trois petites liturgies de la présence divine; plus works by André Caplet, Gustav Holst, Gabriel Fauré and Reza Vali. With Kyung-A Yoo, piano; Miranda Cuckson, violin; Francoise Murail, onde Martenot; and Naila Aziz, soprano.

Saturday May 16, 2009 - 8PM
Church of St. Ignatius Loyola
980 Park Avenue at East 84th Street, NYC
212-252-4134
Subway: #4, 5, 6 to 86th Street
$20 in advance, $25 at the door or 800-838-3006 (Brown Paper Tickets)

Read more about this at the Melodia website:

   www.melodiawomenschoir.org

La Bohème - 3^rd European Orchestra and Opera Workshop

16^th September - 13^th October 2009

The Summer Opera Bamberg is a European project aimed at promoting young orchestra and opera talent. It offers qualified students and college graduates of EU Member States the possibility to gather first practical opera experience for their professional career. Eligible are music students and young graduate musicians as well as talented vocal students and young, already professionally qualified singers with first opera experience. From the middle of September until the beginning of October Puccini's "La Bohème" will be produced together in a three-week workshop. Subsequently the opera will be presented several times in October at the theatre of Bamberg.

Edda Moser, the well known soprano singer and highly appreciated vocal teacher will offer an exclusive masterclass "singing" featuring one-on-one tuition for the soloist ensemble of the SOB. The artistic director of the house Rainer Lewandowski takes over the artistic direction. Music director of the SOB is Till Fabian Weser who already had responsibility for the successful Summer Opera Bamberg 2005 and 2007. Besides the artistic and musical courses the participants have the possibility to learn important strategies in the field of career development and self-management in personal one-on-one interviews with the career planner and tenor Dirk Schauß.

Read more about this at the Summer Opera Bamberg website:

   www.sommer-oper-bamberg.de

Summer 2009 Adult Enrichment Programs

Has it been a long time since you have had a chance to enjoy the arts and express your own creativity?

Welcome to Interlochen College of Creative Arts – a collection of workshops for adults designed to help them grow and reconnect with their favorite art form. Here you can experience a new art form or learn innovative ways to express an old talent. If you are an educator, you can earn Continuing Education Units. Interlochen College of Creative Arts has put it all together for you in a series of courses that deliver the same high-quality educational experience you would expect from Interlochen.

Our programs are planned to accommodate your busy schedule. Some workshops are just a day long; others a weekend. Many workshops immerse you in a week-long, arts-filled learning vacation. And, it is all right here in the beauty of Michigan's north woods, clear blue lakes and all the art that is Interlochen.

Read more about this at the Interlochen College website:

   www.interlochen.org/college/2009_programs

Pacific Chorale to Present Bach's St. John Passion

Concert on April 11^th - Holy Saturday - to Feature the John Alexander Singers, Musica Angelica and Pacific Chorale at the Orange County Performing Arts Center

Pacific Chorale's 2008-2009 concert season concludes April 11^th at the Orange County Performing Arts Center's Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall at Segerstrom Center for the Arts with Johann Sebastian Bach's St. John Passion. The concert, sponsored in part by Phillip N. and Mary A. Lyons, will feature Pacific Chorale's 24-voice professional chamber choir, the John Alexander Singers, and period instrument ensemble Musica Angelica, echoing the performing forces of Bach's day. Members of the larger Pacific Chorale ensemble will take the role of the congregation in this Holy Saturday presentation. Featured soloists include tenor Aaron Sheehan as the Evangelist, and baritones Hugh Davies and Ralph Cato as Jesus and Pilate, respectively. One hour prior to the performance, Dr. Robert M. Istad, Director of Choral Studies at Cal State Fullerton and Assistant Conductor of Pacific Chorale, will provide insights into Bach's work and its performance in an onstage concert preview.

Pacific Chorale is one of America's great choirs, delighting national and international audiences with exceptional choral performances since 1968. Internationally recognized for exceptional artistic expression, stimulating Americanfocused programming, and influential education programs, Pacific Chorale is a touchstone in its field. Pacific Chorale presents a significant performance season of its own at the Orange County Performing Arts Center and is sought regularly to perform with the nation's leading symphonies. Under the inspired guidance of Artistic Director John Alexander, Pacific Chorale has infused an Old World art form with California's hallmark innovation and cultural independence.

Read more about this at the Pacific Chorale website:   www.pacificchorale.org

Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony Announce 2009-10 Season

Michael Tilson Thomas (MTT) today announced details of the San Francisco Symphony's (SFS) 2009-10 season, including the Orchestra's Centennial Initiatives – a multi-year expansion of its commissioning activities, an ambitious composer and artist residency project, and special programs, concerts and events designed to draw new audiences to orchestral music in Davies Symphony Hall and beyond, as the Orchestra prepares to mark its 100^th season in 2011-12.

Highlights include:

• Orchestra's 98^th Season Features Expanded Commissioning Activities and Ambitious Composer and Artist Residency Project as Part of SFS' Multi-Year Centennial Initiatives;
• New Project San Francisco Artist and Composer Residencies Feature Cellist Yo-Yo Ma and Composer George Benjamin;
• Season Includes Six SFS Commissions by Peter Lieberson, Osvaldo Golijov, John Adams, Rufus Wainwright, Victor Kissine, and Thomas Larcher;
• Orchestra to Perform Three World Premieres, One U.S. Premiere and 20 SFS Premieres;
• Pianist Emanuel Ax Performs Three World Premieres with Yo-Yo Ma and Dawn Upshaw;
• Michael Tilson Thomas' Fifteenth Anniversary Season Opens September 9 in a Gala Concert with Lang Lang and Concludes with Berlioz's Large Scale Choral Masterpiece Roméo et Juliette;
• MTT Leads the Orchestra in a Three-Week Mahler Festival with Concerts Recorded and Filmed for SFS Media and Keeping Score;
• Keeping Score - Broadcasts Slated for Fall 2009 on PBS, with Episodes on Berlioz, Shostakovich and Ives;
• SFS Media to Release Orchestra's Recording of Mahler's Symphony No. 8, Symphony of a Thousand;
• SFS and Musicians Ratify New Four-Year Contract Extending Beyond 2011-12 Centennial Season; ;
• New Media Agreement Expands Orchestra's Ability to Reach New Audiences in Innovative Ways;
• National Tour Includes Performances of Mahler's Symphony No. 2, Resurrection at Carnegie Hall;
• Distinguished Roster of Artists and Conductors Includes the SFS Debuts of Vasily Petrenko, Rufus Wainwright, Christine Schäfer, and David Fray, and the Return of Itzhak Perlman, Lang Lang, Marc-André Hamelin, Yefim Bronfman, Yuja Wang, Christian Tetzlaff, Susan Graham, and Thomas Hampson;
• Great Performers Series and Special Concerts Feature Visits by the Los Angeles Philharmonic with Gustavo Dudamel, Berlin Philharmonic with Sir Simon Rattle, Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig with Riccardo Chailly, and the Mariinsky Orchestra with Valery Gergiev.

Read more about this at the San Francisco Symphony website:

   www.sfsymphony.org

Chicago Philharmonic to Celebrate Mendelssohn's 200^th Birthday with Special Concert

Chicago, IL - Join the world-renowned Chicago Philharmonic for an enchanting evening celebrating the 200^th birthday of German composer Felix Mendelssohn. Titled "Mendelssohn's 200^th Birthday," the concert begins at 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 15 at Pick-Staiger Hall on the campus of Northwestern University. This is the third concert in the Chicago Philharmonic's 2008-2009 season.

The concert begins with the powerful music of Bohemian Czech composer Bohuslav Martinu, the Quartet for Clarinet, Horn, Cello and Side Drum (1924), H. 139. Following that will be Franz Schubert's popular favorite the Trout Quintet in A Major, D. 677. This graceful and lively piece will be performed with a violin, viola, cello double bass and piano. The centerpiece of the evening will be Felix Mendelssohn's Octet for Strings in E-flat major. This was a piece Mendelssohn composed at the very young age of 16 and it is one that truly demonstrates his brilliance. It will be presented by a carefully chosen ensemble comprised of four violins, two violas and two cellos.

"We are thrilled to be able to offer such an exciting evening honoring Mendelssohn's 200^th birthday. He was a remarkable composer and the Octet is a real testament to his giftedness. We hope that people will take time out of their busy schedules to experience the magic of this performance," said artistic director James Berkenstock.

Read more about this at the Chicago Philharmonic website:

   http://www.chicagophilharmonic.org/

InterHarmony International Music Festival 2009

San Francisco, California, USA
June 30 - July 12, 2009

Birklehof, Schwarzwald, Germany
July 22 - August 3, 2009

Sulzbach-Rosenberg, Germany
August 4 - 16, 2009

InterHarmony International Music Festival offers the opportunity to spend almost six weeks in Europe and America studying with an internationally renowned faculty of many well-known soloists and chamber musicians. The festival will be held in San Francisco, California, USA; Birklehof, Germany; and Sulzbach-Rosenberg, Germany. Each will offer four one-hour private lessons, ample practice facilities, and the opportunity to perform in orchestra and chamber-ensembles coached by faculty members. Master classes will be offered on various instruments and there will be numerous festival concerts, all of which will be open to the public. In addition, there will be planned excursions to a variety of fascinating destinations in each of the three locales.

Read more about this at the InterHarmony International Music Festival website:

   http://www.interharmony.com/

One World Symphony

Sung Jin Hong, Artistic Director and Conductor

Under the baton of Artistic Director Sung Jin Hong, One World Symphony and its feature artists will perform Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 and Piotr Ilyitch Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin (highlights). All the details are on the attached jpeg press release as well as on our website. One World Symphony's Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 will also celebrate the 100^th anniversary of its world premiere (1909).

Russian Romantics
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3 (1909)
Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin (highlights)

Two Performances at Two Different Locations

Friday, March 13, 2009 at 8:00p.m.
St. Ann and the Holy Trinity
157 Montague Street
Brooklyn Heights, New York

Sunday, March 15, 2009 at 4:00 p.m.
Ansche Chesed Synagogue
251 West 100th Street at West End Avenue
Manhattan, New York

$40 General Admission
$30 Seniors & Students

For more details and artists' biographies, please visit One World Symphony at:

   http://www.oneworldsymphony.org/

Mendelssohn: Lost Treasures and the Wagner Suppression

Felix Mendelssohn, one of the most popular composers of the Romantic era, is recognized as one of classical music's most prolific and gifted composers. Yet of his more than 770 compositions, over 270 are still unpublished, owing primarily to a campaign of suppression by composer Richard Wagner and his sympathizers in the post-revolution Germany of the 1850s and later during Hitler's rise to power.

After his death in 1847 at age 38, Felix Mendelssohn's reputation was vilified by composer Richard Wagner through his writings, specifically his book Judaism in Music, in which Wagner wrote that since Mendelssohn had the blood of a Jew, he was incapable of writing great music. As a result, publication of hundreds of Mendelssohn's works was suppressed as anti-Semitic feelings increased. Later, when Hitler came to power, Mendelssohn's scores were banned by the Nazis and were scattered around the globe. In a campaign to recover these lost works and to further restore Mendelssohn's reputation, Mr. Somary has rediscovered hundreds of unknown compositions of all genres, which Mendelssohn wrote from his teen years to the period just before his death.

Now on Wednesday, January 28, at 7:00 p.m. as the music world prepares to celebrate the 200^th anniversary of Mendelssohn's birth, the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in association with The Mendelssohn Project will present a program of 13 world premieres of recital, vocal, and chamber works by Mendelssohn. Mendelssohn: Lost Treasures and the Wagner Suppression will take place in Edmond J. Safra Hall of the Museum and will feature pianists Orion Weiss and Anna Polonsky, the Shanghai Quartet, bass Kevin Deas, and mezzo-soprano Abigail Nims. Stephen Vann is artistic producer, and Stephen Somary, founder and artistic director of The Mendelssohn Project, is artistic director of this concert.

WQXR's Elliott Forrest, Peabody award-winning broadcaster and producer, will moderate a post-concert discussion with Stephen Somary and some of the evening's artists about this "new" music from Felix Mendelssohn and the preparations undertaken to ready the Mendelssohn manuscripts for performance, followed by questions from the audience.

Wednesday, January 28, 7 PM
Museum of Jewish Heritage
36 Battery Place
Battery Park City
New York, NY 10280
General Museum Info call 1.646.437.4200
Ticket Info call 1.646.437.4202

Read more about this at the Museum of Jewish Heritage website:

   http://www.mjhnyc.org/safrahall/visit_safra_21.htm#mendelssohn