Music Institute
Announces 2012-2013 Academy Fellows and Special Merit Scholars

The Music Institute of Chicago, established as one of the
most respected pre-collegiate conservatory programs in the United States,
announces its second year of distinguished Academy scholarships to recognize
extraordinarily talented musicians. This year there are two categories of
recognition: Fellows and Special Merit Scholars.
“Every student accepted into the Academy program is among
a group of the very best young musicians in the country,” said Music Institute
President and CEO Mark George. “A small number of students achieve an unusually
elevated level of proficiency and musicianship: Academy Special Merit Scholars.
Another group of students achieves an even more extraordinary level of
technical proficiency and musical maturity: Academy Fellows. The Music
Institute awards each group maximum tuition support in recognition of their
hard work and profound dedication.”
The Fellowships and Scholarships are named for the generous
benefactors who are underwriting the program:
2012–13 Sage Foundation Fellow: Rebecca Benjamin, 18,
Warsaw, Indiana violin student of Roland and Almita Vamos
2012–13 Bev and Warren Hayford Fellow: Andrew Guo, 14,
Chicago piano student of Alan Chow
2012–13 Susan and Richard Kiphart Fellow: Gallia Kastner,
15, Arlington Heights violin student of Roland and Almita Vamos
2012–13 Susan and Richard Kiphart Fellow: Nathan Walhout,
15, Wheatoncello student of Gilda Barston
2012–13 Betsey and John Puth Fellow: Williams, 15, Chicago
violin student of Roland and Almita Vamos
2012–13 Susan and Richard Kiphart Scholar: Serena Harnack,
14, Glen Ellyn violin student of Almita Vamos and Hye-Sun Lee
2012–13 Geraldi-Norton Foundation Scholar: Giancarlo
Latta, 17, Ann Arbor, Michigan violin student of Almita Vamos
Chosen from a field of 17 young students who auditioned
before a distinguished panel of internationally recognized music educators and
performers, each Academy Fellow and Special Merit Scholar is receiving a scholarship
covering 95 percent of tuition for a year of study in the Academy and exclusive
opportunities to perform and coach with an array of world-class guest artists.
Fellows also receive a stipend for professional recording and piano accompanist
services for competitions and conservatory auditions.
The Music Institute of Chicago established the Academy
Fellowship program to serve pre-collegiate students of the absolute highest
talent level, offering them the tools and opportunities to pursue and fulfill
their professional aspirations. The Academy Fellows and Special Merit Scholars
have a promising chance at professional solo, chamber music, or orchestral
careers; they must exhibit an uncommon level of dedication and work on the most
advanced repertoire.
--Jill Chukerman, JAC Communications
Cal Performances’
Third Annual Ojai North! Features World Premier of New Mark Morris Choreograpy
for Rite of Spring
Ojai North!, a collaboration with the Ojai Music Festival,
runs Thursday-Saturday, June 13-15, at Hertz Hall, Berkeley, CA, and features
nine concerts with works by Lou Harrison, John Cage, Henry Cowell, Charles
Ives, and John Luther Adams, employing Ethan Iverson, Colin Fowler, and the
American String Quartet. Free outdoor performances, artist talks and film
screenings are planned.
Cal Performances’ third annual Ojai North!, a multi-year
partnership with the esteemed Ojai Music Festival, opens with the world
premiere of new choreography to Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring by the 2013
Ojai Music Director and choreographer Mark Morris on June 13-15, 2013. Set to
The Bad Plus’s rescoring of the explosive masterpiece for piano, bass and
drums, Rite of Spring will be performed by the jazz trio and the Mark Morris
Dance Group (MMDG). Highlighted by works that Morris champions, the festival
programming also includes compositions by Lou Harrison, John Cage, Henry
Cowell, Charles Ives and John Luther Adams. Joining Morris in Berkeley will be
his MMDG Music Ensemble as well as long-time collaborators Ethan Iverson of The
Bad Plus, recognized by Rolling Stone magazine as “about as badass as highbrow
can get,” pianist/organist Colin Fowler, the American String Quartet,
percussion ensemble red fish blue fish and Gamelan Sari Raras from the
University of California, Berkeley. All performances will be at Hertz Hall
unless otherwise noted.
Each summer the Ojai Music Festival (June 6-9, 2013),
explores the musical interests of its Music Director, a position that is held
for the first time this year by a choreographer. “The Bay Area understands the
genius of Mark Morris and his talents as a dancer, choregrapher and musician,
perhaps better than anywhere else in the world,” said Cal Performances’
Director MatÃas Tarnopolsky. “We are proud to support Mark as Music Director of
Ojai North! and introduce his fans here to this new endeavor.” Morris, who
considers Cal Performances his West Coast home, has partnered with the
institution since 1987, presenting numerous world, United States and West Coast
premieres. A series of education and community events to compliment Ojai North!
programming, including film screenings and talks with the artists, are being
planned, and will be announce at a later date.
This season’s Ojai North! marks the third year of a
residency partnership between Cal Performances and the Ojai Music Festival; the
Festival will continue in Berkeley at the end of every annual music festival in
Ojai Valley. This collaborative effort makes possible annual reprises of Ojai
concerts in Berkeley, as well as co-commissions and co-productions. More than
just a sharing of resources, Ojai North! represents a joining of artistic
ideals and aspirations. The combined efforts of Ojai’s legacy of artistic
innovation and Cal Performances’ tradition of groundbreaking productions create
a joint force that allows artists to achieve more than would be possible by
each organization separately.
The Program:
Ojai North! kicks off on Thursday, June 13 at 5:00 p.m.
with an outdoor performance of John Luther Adams’s A Strange and Sacred Noise with red fish blue fish; this free and
open to the public event will be held on the Faculty Glade. At 8:00 p.m., the
world premiere takes place of Mark Morris’s newest work Rite of Spring, set to
Stravinsky’s masterwork, reinterpreted and performed by The Bad Plus and danced
by MMDG. His company will also dance Mosaic and United (1993) set to Henry
Cowell’s Quartets No. 3 and No. 4, performed by the American String
Quartet. Closing out the day is a late night jam session with The Bad Plus at
10:00 p.m.
Two concerts on Friday, June 14 at 5:00 p.m. and at 8:00
p.m. showcase Lou Harrison’s work and those inspired by the legendary American
maverick composer. At 5:00 p. m. Gamelan Sari Raras from UC Berkeley will
perform Lou Harrison’s Music for Gamelan
and Solo Instruments. That evening at 8:00 p.m. members of the MMDG Music
Ensemble will perform Harrison’s Suite
for Symphonic Strings under the baton of Joshua Gersen, conducting
assistant to Michael Tilson Thomas and the New World Symphony. The American
String Quartet along with pianists Colin Fowler and Yegor Shevtsov will counter
with John Luther Adams’s haunting work For
Lou Harrison. Day two concludes at 10:00 p.m. with a second John Luther
Adams work, staged outdoors, titled Songbirdsongs
with red fish blue fish.
Saturday, June 15, is a full day of adventurous repertoire
starting at noon with John Cage’s Four
Walls, which will be performed by pianist Ethan Iverson and soprano Yulia
Van Doren. At 2:00 p.m., the American String Quartet will offer Charles Ives’s String Quartet No. 2 followed by a
selection of songs by Ruth Crawford Seeger, Henry Cowell, Lou Harrison and John
Cage with Doren, Jamie Van Eyck, mezzo-soprano and Douglas Williams, baritone
performing. The audience joins in with the performers for the final song, Carl
Ruggles’ great hymn, Exaltation, conducted by Mark Morris.
At 7:30 p.m., Joshua Gersen conducts Lou Harrison’s Concerto for Organ and Percussion with
Colin Fowler and red fish blue fish. The final concert of Ojai North! at 9:00
p.m. begins with a pair of works by Henry Cowell performed by MMDG Music
Ensemble: Heroic Dance, written for
Martha Graham, and his cantata Atlantis with vocalists Doren, Van Eyck and
Williams. The short Fugue for Percussion
by Lou Harrison, one of his most fiendishly difficult pieces, and his Concerto for Piano and Gamelan with
Colin Fowler and Gamelan Sari Raras round out the concert.
Mark Morris:
Morris is noted for his musicality and has been described
as “undeviating in his devotion to music.” He has conducted performances for
the MMDG since 2006. He has worked extensively in opera, directing and
choreographing productions for the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera,
Gotham Chamber Opera, English National Opera, The Royal Opera and Covent
Garden. In 1991, he was named a Fellow
of the MacArthur Foundation. He has
received eleven honorary doctorates to date.
In 2006, Morris received the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs
Mayor’s Award for Arts & Culture and a WQXR Gramophone Special Recognition Award
“for being an American ambassador for classical music at home and abroad.” He is the subject of a biography, Mark
Morris, by Joan Acocella (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) and Marlowe &
Company published a volume of photographs and critical essays entitled Mark
Morris’ L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato:A Celebration. Morris is a
member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American
Philosophical Society. In recent years,
he has received the Samuel H. Scripps/American Dance Festival Award for
Lifetime Achievement (2007), the Leonard Bernstein Lifetime Achievement Award
for the Elevation of Music in Society (2010) and the Benjamin Franklin Laureate
Prize for Creativity (2012).
Ojai Music Festifal:
The Ojai Music Festival is an annual four-day immersion
experience of concerts, symposia and auxiliary events set in the picturesque
Ojai Valley, just north of Los Angeles.
Founded in 1947 by John Bauer, the Festival receives a constant stream
of innovative programming and fresh ideas as the Music Director changes each
year. Administratively, Thomas W.
Morris celebrates his ninth year with the Festival that turns 66 this
season. Acclaimed conductors, composers
and artists who have led the Festival in the past include Aaron Copland, Igor
Stravinsky, Ingolf Dahl, Pierre Boulez, Robert Craft, Michael Tilson Thomas,
Calvin Simmons, Kent Nagano and John Adams, among many others. Pianist Jeremy
Denk assumes the leadership for the 2014 season. For further information go to
ojaifestival.org.
Ticket Information:
Tickets for Ojai North!, Thursday-Saturday, June 13-15, at
Zellerbach Playhouse range from $20.00-$110.00 and are subject to change;
single tickets will go on sale February 1, 2013. Tickets are available through
the Cal Performances’ Ticket Office at Zellerbach Hall; at (510) 642-9988; at
www.calperformances.org; and at the door.
Half-price tickets are available for purchase by UC Berkeley students.
UC faculty and staff, senior citizens, other students and UC Alumni Association
members receive a $5.00 discount (Special Events excluded). For select
performances, Cal Performances offers UCB student, faculty and staff, senior,
and community rush tickets. Rush
tickets are announced three hours prior to a performance on Cal Performances’
Facebook page and at 510-642-9988 and are available in person only at the
Ticket Office beginning one hour before the performance; one ticket per person;
all sales are cash only. For more information, call Cal Performances at (510)
642-9988, or visit www.calperformances.org.
--Joe Yang, Cal Performances
The National
Philharmonic Awarded NEA Challenge Grant
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chairman Rocco
Landesman recently announced that The National Philharmonic is one of 153
nonprofit organizations nationwide to receive an NEA Challenge America
Fast-Track grant. The National
Philharmonic is recommended for a $10,000 grant to support its March 2, 2013
American Virtuoso Violin concert and associated outreach initiatives.
The National Philharmonic is honored that the NEA
Challenge Grant will support The American Virtuoso Violin concert, featuring
contemporary classical music of the late Andreas Makris and Russell Peck, a
world premiere of Steven Gerber’s Two Lyric Pieces and accompanying outreach
programs. The concert will showcase the
preeminent violinist Elena Urioste, who will also conduct a
lecture-demonstration and peer session for an underserved Washington, D.C.
urban school, the William E Doar Jr. Public Charter School for the Performing
Arts. In addition, Mr. Gerber and Ms. Urioste will participate in a panel
discussion at Strathmore, immediately following the concert. An art exhibit
inspired by contemporary American art, created by Doar school students, will
complement the concert performance.
In this FY 2013 funding round, the NEA received 393
eligible Challenge America Fast-Track applications, requesting a total of
$3,930,000. The NEA will award 153
Challenge America Fast-Track grants totaling $1.53 million awarded to
organizations in 41 states, Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The
Challenge America Fast-Track category offers support primarily to small and
mid-sized organizations for projects that extend the reach of the arts to
populations whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by
geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability.
“We are delighted that the NEA is as excited about this
project as we are. It highlights modern
music and outstanding youthful artists, whether it be a professional musician
like Ms. Urioste or our aspiring musicians at the Doar School,” said Kenneth A.
Oldham Jr., President of The National Philharmonic . "The NEA was founded
on the principle that the arts belong to all the people of the United
States," said NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman. "We're proud that
Challenge America Fast-Track grants bring more opportunities for arts
engagement to underserved communities."
See the complete listing of projects recommended for Challenge America
Fast-Track grant support at www.arts.gov.
--Deborah Birnbaum, National Philharmonic
New Philharmonic
Cancels February and March 2013 Concerts
New Philharmonic (NP) announced today they will be
canceling the concert staging of “Cosi fan tutte," originally scheduled
for Feb. 16 - 17 at The Lund Auditorium at Dominican University Performing Arts
Center in River Forest, Il; and "Great Russian Classics" with guest
artist Alexander Toradze, originally scheduled for March 15, at Wheaton
College's Edman Memorial Chapel, Il.
“The closing of the McAninch Arts Center for renovation
through the spring of 2014 has proven challenging,” says Stephen Cummins,
Director of the McAninch Arts Center. “Unfortunately the alternate venues
secured for NP’s 2012-2013 season have not been embraced by patrons as we had
hoped, making it financially imprudent to present the full season.”
New Philharmonic’s December 2012 and January 2013 concerts
will go on as scheduled. These include “Viennese Pops with a French Twist,”
Monday, Dec. 31, 2012, 7 p.m. at The Lund Auditorium at Dominican University
Performing Arts Center in River Forest; and "New Philharmonic:
Mahler," Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, 8 p.m. at Wheaton College's Edman
Memorial Chapel.
Patrons holding subscriptions or single tickets to the
February and March concerts may call the box office at 630-942-4000 to exchange
their tickets for seats for remaining New Philharmonic, MAC, or Buffalo Theatre
Ensemble events scheduled during the remainder of the 2013 season performances,
request a refund, or donate those monies to the McAninch Arts Center.
For more information about New Philharmonic call
630-942-4000 or visit: www.AtTheMAC.org
--Ann Fink, New Philharmonic
Music Institute of
Chicago Announces Deadlines and Competition Dates for Emilio Del Rosario Piano
Competition
Application deadlines and competition dates:
Young Artist Division:
Early Application Deadline: January 12, 2013
Late Application Deadline ($20 late fee applies): January
26, 2013
Preliminary Competition Round: February 10, 2013
Final Competition Round: February 17, 2013
General Division:
Early Application Deadline: March 1, 2013
Late Application Deadline ($20 late fee applies): March
15, 2013
Preliminary Competition Round: March 30, 2013
Final Competition Round: May 12, 2013
Established in 2010, the Emilio del Rosario Piano Concerto
Competition honors the late master piano teacher Emilio del Rosario, who
dedicated his life to the art of teaching and nurturing pianists to the highest
standards. Many of his students have gone on to noteworthy careers in music and
have achieved great success largely due to his guidance and aim for perfection.
The Music Institute of Chicago established a Young Artist
Division of the Emilio del Rosario Piano Concerto Competition in 2012.
Pre-college pianists, younger than 20, will compete for the opportunity to
perform a complete concerto with the Lake Forest Symphony, a professional
orchestra directed by Alan Heatherington, March 15 and 16, 2013. Additional
cash and scholarship prizes also will be available.
The Young Artist Division competition is open to
pre-college pianists from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, and Wisconsin. A
preliminary round will take place Sunday, February 10 at the Music Institute’s
Winnetka Campus, 300 Green Bay Road, Il. Three finalists will compete Sunday,
February 17 at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue, Evanston, Il.
Information regarding applications and repertoire requirements is available at
EDRpianocompetition.org. The early application deadline is January 12, 2013.
The Young Artist Division is part of the larger Emilio del
Rosario Piano Concerto Competition, which takes place in the spring of 2013 at
Harper College. Competition Director and Music Institute faculty member Brenda
Huang said, “The Young Artist Division is an important addition to our
competition. Emilio del Rosario dedicated his life to the art of teaching and
nurturing pianists to the highest of standards. We hope to continue his legacy
of excellence by providing the next generation of pianists an opportunity to
perform with a professional orchestra and help them realize their musical
potential.”
For further information, click on:
http://www.musicinst.org/emilio-del-rosario-piano-concerto-competition or
EDRpianocompetition.org
--Jill Chukerman, JAC Communications