Take Me Out to the Ball Game

The School of Music hosted its first Faculty vs. Students softball game on Sunday, October 4th, 2009 at the intramural fields of George Mason. The faculty was victorious over the students winning 26 - 20. Fun was had by all who participated. Enjoy the pictures.

Vincent Oppido Debuts Composition at Arts by George

Vinny Oppido recently had the pleasure of debuting a composition at the Brian Stokes Mitchell performance, the Arts by George main event. This was a special opportunity for Oppido as he worked closely with Mitchell creating an overature of Mitchell's broadway hits. The piece was performed by the American Festival Pops Orchestra under the direction of University Professor Anthony Maiello who were also making their grand debut. Read more about this exciting article in the Washington Post.

Congratulations to Keith Wilfinger!

Keith Wilfinger, an undergraduate music education major from Illinois who plays trumpet in the Wind Symphony, and is also a promising young conductor took the suggestion of School of Music Interim Director, Mark Camphouse, and applied for an Avanti Music Scholarship sponsored by the Conn-Selmer Corporation. This was a highly competitive national scholarship competition, and Keith was selected as one of the recipients of this honor.

Keith's winning essay is featured below.

President Bill Clinton stated that "Music is about communication, creativity, and cooperation, and by studying music in school, students have the opportunity to build on these skills, enrich their lives, and experience the world from a new perspective. I find myself in complete agreement with the former president with his vision for music education.Music has the potential of being a lifelong companion; one that, with knowledge gained in a thriving music education program, can better a person’s life with numerous benefits.I am a firm believer in that music has the power to bring people together, supports a developing young person’s mind and creates an avenue for human expression and communication.

Music education is more than a concert or a festival. It is more than a soloist or an individual completion.Music education is a journey filled with experiences that impact one’s life in ways sometimes not realized.In music, I strive to look beyond the music, beyond that which is written on paper.Music is the exploration of emotion and expressing that emotion within a group or within oneself. My role as a music educator should always be to teach my students how to do just that—to guide them on their journey of music exploration.

I see music programs that focus on a concert or prepare for a competition while disregarding the music.In math, the teacher does not focus on a math competition when teaching a new skill.He or she teaches the new skill to increase their content knowledge of the subject, how they can use the skill and how it relates to the overall picture of math.Music education should be the same way. Music is taught in the classrooms for music’s sake.

As a music educator, I believe I have the power to teach a skill that will can be a lifelong companion.It brings passion to the soul and music to the heart.It intellectually stimulates a person both emotionally and physically. Being able to have that massive of an impact on my students is far more important than a concert or a festival.Music should be taught, with the understanding by the music educator, that this is just as worthy of a subject as any other.Its lessons go far beyond the walls of a concert hall or classroom. There is not one place music cannot be heard, a toe will not be tapping or a song that will not affect a person in some way. Music education can be that foundation for bringing people closer to these experiences and infinitely more. President Clinton was completely correct in how he viewed music and its educational role and impact in a person’s life. As a future music educator, I cannot express how important it is for me to make an impact in the lives of my students.Music is a lifelong journey and the task falls to me to make sure that there is a firm grounding for which to walk.

TEN THINGS WE LEARNED...

AT THE AMALFI COAST MUSIC FESTIVAL
--Barbara Jacksier and Everett Chasen --

We recently attended the Amalfi Coast Music and Arts festival along with several other Friends of Music, including our Chair, Alice Heyer.

(Patricia Miller checks a score while Alice Heyer chats with Katelyn Sexton and Mia Rojas)

The festival, now in its fourteenth year, brings together teachers and students from throughout the United States and elsewhere to rehearse and perform classical music together, with an emphasis on instrumental music and piano (for the first two weeks of the festival) and voice (for the last two weeks.)

(Adrianna Sgarlata rehearsing for her role as Susanna in Figaro Night 2)

Nine George Mason vocal students (the largest contingent from any school) took part in the vocal program, led by Professor Patricia Miller. The festival culminated in three rapturously received performances of Mozart's Marriage of Figaro, with many Mason students taking leading roles in each performance.

(Cast of Figaro Night#1-Stepahnie Edewaard, Darrick Speller and Jessica Buckman)

Here are some (slightly tongue-in-cheek) lessons we learned while attending the festival--

(Alia Waheed as Desdemona)

1. The difference in singing quality between a talented graduate student and a professional singer is virtually indistinguishable to the average listener.

(Virginia Opera's Joe Walsh and students)

2. Performing a Mozart opera is a team sport. No prima donnas need apply.

(Lakme duet - Stephanie Edewaard and Sun Yong Hong)

3. If you land in the airport in Rome, your bags will take forever to show up. If you land in Naples, your bags may never show up at all.

(Katelyn Sexton as Zerlina)

4. Letting the owner order for you in an Italian restaurant can result in some of the greatest meals of your life. It can also bankrupt you---but it will be worth it!

(Stephanie Edewaard with one of Campania's famous lemons)

5. Even twentysomethings need encouragement from adults. They also need regular servings of gelato.

(Donizetti duet - Jessica Buckman and Wayne Jennings)

6. Classical music is not dead: it’s alive and well and living in Northern Virginia and Julliard and Texas Tech and Queens College and Cal Poly Pomona and in dozens of other schools and colleges around the nation.

(Stephanie Edewaard -left- and Darrick Speller-center)

7. Master classes are the modern equivalent of trial by ordeal—interesting to watch but difficult to survive.

(Pre-performance dinner in Naples)

8. Never play “La Valse” for someone who once studied with the composer (Maurice Ravel) himself.

(Piano legend Aldo Ciccolini with master class student)

9. The Italian language has no word for “bedtime,” especially when it comes to small children.

(Mia Rojas as one of the Mikado's Three Little Maids)

10. George Mason’s music students are equal to, if not better than, students of any other music school in America. They are true international sensations. And they deserve our encouragement and support!

(Everett, Barbara, Wayne, Patricia and Darrick)

EXCITING OPENING NIGHT

The first performance of Mozart's Marriage of Figaro took place tonight in a picture-perfect outdoor amphitheater in the beautiful coastal village of Vietri-Sul-Mare. Behind the orchestra and facing the audience was a magnificent view of the Mediterranean Sea and the lights of the city of Salerno.

The performance went off without a hitch, and starred Mason students Jessica Buckman as Susanna, Darrick Speller as Antonio, and Stephanie Edewaard as Cherubino. It was a truly magical evening, as these photos will attest.

Several Italian newspapers have given glowing reviews to the concerts the students have given over the past week, and tonight's performance drew several reporters--and many Italians amazed to hear the exceptional way in which young American students could sing in their romantic language.

The all-Italian orchestra was conducted with brio by Joseph Walsh, associate director of the Virginia Opera. Tomorrow night, Adrianna Sgarlata will sing Susanna, Darrick Speller will be Dr. Bartolo, and Wayne Jennings will sing Don Curzio and Don Basilio. We can't wait!

Mason students working hard in Amalfi

The Vocal Students from Mason and Professor Patricia Miller are in Amalfi and working hard. They will be documenting their experiences at the Amalfi Coast Music Festival via BLOG as well. Read about how they are preparing for their production of Mozart's Marriage of Figaro at http://masoninamalfi.blogspot.com/ . Also stay tuned for more updates from the Friends of Music in Amalfi as they share their account of watching these Mason vocal stars blossom.

Report from Amalfi Number 3

Actually this report is from Fairfax, since Bob and Pat returned late on July 15. Bob's photos are posted on Picasa and can be viewed by using the following link (copy and paste in your address line if it doesn't link directly): http://picasaweb.google.com/bobBysox04/Amalfi_2009?authkey=Gv1sRgCNmEpvXn_PGYQQ&feat=directlink

Friends depicted in the photos include Pat and Bob, Alice, Barbara Jacksier, and Everett Chasen. The latter 3 people are still attending the festival, along with Patricia Miller of the Mason Department of Music, and 9 George Mason University vocal students. By way of explanation, the first half of the festival (the half we attended) was devoted entirely to piano, and there was no respresentation from George Mason University.

Bob W.

Performing Arts Building Expansion

The de Laski expansion for the Performing Arts Building has begun! A groundbreaking ceremony took place on July 1, 2009 and construction on the project began last week. You can read about the progress and view pictures on the de Laski Performing Arts Building Expansion Blog

Report from Amalfi number 2

After today's cooking class, we went to the Hotel Scapolatiello in Cava dei Tirrene, only a short distance away from our hotel. We used the pool there. The hotel is in an idyllic mountain location, very serene and peaceful. We then rode in a local bus down the hill to the town, where we walked through the throng of shoppers, and then had another fantastic meal in the Ristorante Pizzeria Il Giardino. Leslie arranged our reservations for 8:00PM, and said we could take the bus back to the hotel. After leaving the restaurant at 10:00PM, we waited at the bus stop for around 45 minutes, and were then told by a young man that the busses stop running at 9:00PM. We called Leslie for help, and two people, including the general director of the festival, drove from the hotel to transport us back. This was a memorable conclusion to another great day.

Bob W

Report from Amalfi number 1

Alice Heyer and her friend Franke arrived on July 7, Pat and Bob Warakomsky arrived on July 8, and Barbara Jacksier and Ev Chasen arrived on July 10. We have been busy at various activities, such as attending piano master classes taught by Ian Hobson, John Perry, and Aldo Ciccolini and attending evening concerts. We went to the town of Amalfi via coach along the narrow, winding, and treacherous coastal road to eat dinner at Da Maria Trattoria and attend a piano recital by Michele Campanella in the museum adjacent to the Cloisture (Chiostro del Paradiso) and Cathedral (Chiesa del Crocifisso). The next day we journeyed, again via coach, to Ravello, where we toured the Cathedral (dedicated to San Pantaleone, patron saint of Ravello) and the Villa Rufolo. Ravello is also hosting their annual music festival at this time. Alice and Franke will return there on the 18th to attend a Wagner concert. Returning to the hotel, we attended a piano recital by John Perry. The next venture was travelling to Sorrento by coach, but this time via the Autostrada, which was faster and smoother, but I'm not sure if less dangerous! We toured the Correale Museum, which was followed by a marvelous performance by the Fine Arts Quartet of Mendelssohn music in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of his birth. This was followed by a buffet dinner at the museum that started after the concert about 11:00PM. The next evening we attended a flute recital given by Nancy Stagnitta, accompanied by Ian Hobson, in the Vietri Sul Mare Oratorio. On Sunday, we travelled by ferry from Salerno to Positano. This was a wonderful trip along the Amalfi Coast, we could marvel at the houses punctuating the cliff sides, and the numerous terraced lemon trees. After touring the Cathedral that is home to the Black Madonna, Alice, Pat, and Bob took a local bus that traversed a loop around Positano. We stopped and had a marvelous lunch at Il Grottino Azzurro, which was written up in Frommer's Guide and lived up to every word in its description of the food. In the evening, we attended a piano recital by Ian Hobson.

Everyone is enjoying our stay in Vietre Sul Mare, and all the events. The only down side is the unavailability of the pool and beach at our hotel. Today Pat W. attended a cooking class along with Tom Mastroianni.

I will post all photos taken during our stay (we are leaving on July 15) upon our return home, and I will provide the link here in the blog.

Click here to learn more about the Amalfi Coast Music Festival

Bob W.

Scholarship Concert Reception

Friends of Music uses the Scholarship Concert Reception as an opportunity to thank its donors for their generosity and to award its annual honoree. University Professor Anthony Maiello was bestowed this honor for 2009. This year the Scholarship Concert and Reception took place on Sunday, May 3rd 2009 at the Center for the Performing Arts at the Fairfax campus. Approximately 107 guests were in attendance for the reception and were treated to delightful pastries compliments of the Swiss Bakery. The concert featured six outstanding students who won the 2009 Department of Music Concert Competition (Amanda Cook, Katherine Kane, Patricia Hussey, Sujin Kim, Claire Sampson, and Min Son), the George Mason University Symphony Orchestra, GMU Chorale, GMU Woman's Chorale, and GMU Singers. This concert was a momentous occasion as it was the last time Maiello will conduct the GMU Symphony as the head conductor. Photos below are from the reception and the concert. Want to learn how you can become a Friend of Music or join our e-list? Visit http://friendsofmusic.gmu.edu!

Friends of Music now has a BLOG!

Welcome to the Friends of Music Blog! We hope this offers a new fun and exciting way to interact with Friends of Music and Mason music students. Please stay tuned for highlights about the upcoming trip to the Amalfi Coast Music Festival!