The Nutcracker Suite From The Pit

The Richmond Ballet's Nutcracker is opening this Friday and the Richmond Symphony provides live orchestral music for the production.  For any symphony musician, it seems playing the Nutcracker Suite is par for the course.  Here is one perspective about playing the Nutcracker Suite every year during the holiday season from clarinetist Jared Davis:

Playing The Nutcracker every year is bittersweet because it is very rewarding, yet challenging to play at the same time.  Tchaikovsky was a master orchestrator, meaning he knew how to use the instruments of the orchestra in various combinations to achieve a sound that is rich, colorful, and unmistakable.  Another way to explain it, is that it just feels good to play.  Also, he could write a melody that sticks in one's mind forever.  Everyone I know can whistle or sing a tune from The Nutcracker!  It is rewarding, yet challenging in the sense that there are moments in the music that are very demanding of the musicians.  No matter how times I've played it, I always have to practice certain parts leading up to the performances.

As rewarding as it is to play, the phrase "too much of a good thing" applies here just a bit, as we perform the piece at least 12 times every December.  During my tenure in the RSO, I've performed it about 72-80 times!  Every year after about the 5th show, I find myself looking for ways to make the next seven shows more exciting.  I suppose it would help if I could actually see what happens on stage.  My position in the orchestra pit is underneath the lip of the stage where seeing any part of the production is impossible.  I've yet to see the actual production in all my time here in Richmond!  But, I hear it is fabulous!

All in all, it is a wonderful experience.  The music is satisfying, the dancers and ballet staff are very easy to work with, and there is great support from the Richmond community.  Large audiences fill the Carpenter Theater year after year.  This collaboration with the Ballet is great exposure for the Symphony, and I'm happy to be a part of it.

6 Reasons to See Let It Snow!

6 - It'll get you into the holiday spirit!

5 - There's a chance it might actually snow a little for the concert.

4 - Two awesome groups will be singing and performing outside prior to the concert: the VCU Notochords on Saturday night and TubaChristmas on Sunday afternoon. The VCU Notochords is Virginia Commonwealth University's premiere co-ed a cappella group. TubaChristmas is an all-volunteer ensemble featuring tuba, euphonium, baritone, and other similar low press that performs popular holiday songs - definitely Christmas like you've never heard it before!

3 - You get your own jingle bell to ring during the songs and take home after the concert!

Over 1600 bells were made this week for all of the children coming to Let It Snow!

Here are just a few of the bells that have been made!

2 - You'll get to sing Christmas carols with the Richmond Symphony Chorus and 1500 of your closest friends!

1 - Santa's coming...(why would you want to miss Santa?!)

Top Ten Reasons to Perform Handel’s Messiah Every Year

Every year, the members of the Richmond Symphony Chorus pull out their score to Messiah. These scores are orange, 257 pages long, well worn, and covered with hundreds, if not thousands, of pencil marks. You would think that after so many years of performing Handel’s masterpiece that we would tire of singing the same old notes over and over again. But, alas, we don’t. In fact, it is one of our favorite times of the year. Because we know the piece so well, we get to discover things we’ve never heard before, we get to try new ways of interpreting the work, and we get to revel in the fact that we are an important part of musical history. Below is something I put together for the chorus a few years ago – something to remind them why we do continue this beloved tradition.

-- Erin

Top Ten Reasons to Perform Handel’s Messiah Every Year

10) We have an historic responsibility to do so – to continue the annual performance tradition that began in 1742. That’s 268 consecutive years! That’s even better than Cats!

9) To fulfill the musical and dramatic expectations set-up in the first four movements (The Overture, “Comfort Ye”, “Ev’ry Valley Shall be Exalted”, and “And the Glory of the Lord”). (Come listen to the performance and you’ll see what I mean…These four movements set the stage for the drama that is to come!)

8) This work contains a great variety of musical colors – from melismas (super fast runs) to majestic chords, from renaissance timbres to dramatic, opera-inspired moments. Really – what more could you want?

7) For the message – whatever you interpret that to be.

6) We can. ‘Nuff said.

5) It brings to mind treasured (and often hilarious) memories of previous performances and rehearsals. (Mine? The way the chorus learns those wicked runs in “All We Like Sheep.” Think “Baroque Samba.”)

4) You can do it differently every year – so it’s always new.

3) While it’s as familiar as a favorite sweater, it’s always a challenge, and there’s always something new to find.

2) It’s a physical workout. No need to go to the gym that day. Seriously! If you’re not sweating by the time you get to the Hallelujah Chorus, there’s something wrong!

1) Your favorite place – that moment or movement you can’t wait to sing, and you mourn a bit when it has passed. (Mine? The first measure, because the rest is still to come!)

What is St. John's on Church Hill?

A few words about the new piece making its premiere at Sunday's Come & Play event in the words of the composer, D.J. Sparr...

The new piece is called “St. John’s on Church Hill” and it is a three-minute long fanfare. The work was inspired by the historical events that took place at the church in the time preceding the American Revolution… most notably the March 23, 1775 speech by Patrick Henry. It begins with long sustaining chords from the large section of strings and harps which is then build upon by the winds. Eventually, the brass come in with a melodic fanfare. This repeats three times getting shorter and more intense with each recapitulation. It is definitely an “American” sounding piece…If one likes Copland or Barber, this will be a good match.  When I arrange the other works for come and play, it is really about reducing the parts that are already there to something that is playable by a performer of any level, but in writing this new work, I could actually compose into the music parts that were easy to play but were structural to the piece. For instance, the chord that the strings play is performed by the participants. It uses all open strings, and the melody in the brass is based on notes from all of the open strings. An instrument like the harp will play easy glissandos, but the harp will be tuned to glissandos that are related to the chords structure of the piece. This forms the basis of what the more experienced players will play over, with the fanfare motive and climax.

A glance of what D.J. Sparr sees while composing his pieces...

Special thanks to Erin Freeman, Megan Osborne, Aimee Halbruner, Matt Gold, and Teka Phan for all of their help in this process.

Come & Play: What It's Really Like...

 

COME AND PLAY – from the perspective of a member of the crowd

Aaron Ellerbrock

Crowds!! I normally hate them. I mean come on, who doesn’t? I spend my life packed into a little sardine can flying from one end of the world to the other. So why does the fall season, with its promise of one of the biggest crowds I will encounter, make me as giddy and excited as Ralphie of A Christmas Story awaiting his Red Ryder BB Gun? The answer is because of the Richmond Symphony’s annual Come and Play!

I have had the pleasure of playing in this fantastic concert every year since Erin Freeman and the RSO Education Team came up with the concept 4 years ago. I have watched it grow from a huge ensemble its first year to something of epic proportions this year. It is crazy to think that I am playing in an orchestra that is 6, 7, 8 times the size of a normal one. Who gets to do that?

Seeing all the young musicians at Come and Play, helping them tune, maybe even giving them a tip on how to play a certain passage, gives me the opportunity to pay back my debt to all those who inspired me to make music a life long journey. (Thank you, Mrs. Krug and Mrs. Coffey).  Listening to the more “mature players” (a much nicer way to refer to us older folks) share stories about how music has shaped their lives fills me with such excitement that the unheard of happens…I can’t wait for the crowd to get even bigger.

I have lived in several cities that are known for their outstanding orchestras; DC, New York, Cincinnati. I have sat mesmerized and totally immersed in the beautiful music they play as my mind draws images that helps the music tell a story. However, I truly believe the Richmond Symphony with its Come and Play has the greatest story ever to be told. It is a story full of energy, mystery, anticipation, love, commitment, and caring. No matter if you are playing in the ensemble or participating as a listener you can’t help but be drawn into the story. And the great thing is: it is always a happy ending.

Playing in this ensemble has given me so much. I think the most important thing is that I feel a true sense of community. Each year I become more a part of Richmond, of music education, and of feeling pride in one of our city’s greatest treasures, the Richmond Symphony. So bring on the crowds! May they continue to grow every year. Let’s fill the Siegel Center to capacity and make history as Dr. Freeman conducts the largest orchestra the world has ever seen! Who knows, maybe next year we can play something from The Music Man and actually have 76 trombones! OK…now I must sign off as the airline tries to figure out how to fit 175 passengers onto a 160 seat plane. Crowds!!!!! 

A Youth Orchestra Student Reflects on Side-by-Side

This week is an exciting one for our education department.  In addition to the now 4^th annual Come and Play, we also have our Side by Side concert, where the students in our top youth orchestra play with the Richmond Symphony.  The concert is Friday night at 7pm at the glorious CenterStage, and it’s FREE!  You should definitely check out this concert and be inspired by the talented kids
of the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra.  The concert, however, just the tip of the iceburg for this project.  All fall, the students have worked intensively with the orchestra members, learning their music and the tricks of the trade.

Our principal flutist, Hannah, has been involved in this event for several years running.  Here are her thoughts:

Many RSYO students are interested in pursuing music as a career. Playing Side-by-Side with the Richmond Symphony players gives us a taste of life in a professional orchestra. We are exposed to the level of mature musicianship that inspires us to improve our technique and artistry. The symphony players take this concert just a seriously as they would any other, and demonstrate appropriate conduct both in full orchestra and sectional rehearsals that inspires us to do the same. We are able to tackle more challenging repertoire for this concert since we are doubling parts with the symphony players. Through the challenge, the students are introduced to new musical concepts that are improved upon through the rehearsal process. While the final product may not be perfect, since the symphony players are supporting us, we are confident in our performance. Many of the symphony players serve as private teachers for RSYO students, and playing alongside them offers a new set of challenges and rewards. For those who do not study privately with the symphony members, the rehearsals present the opportunity to develop relationships with them who help shape us as musicians through this concert. I have been influenced most by the three women in the flute section. They have supported me during my years in RSYO and have encouraged me to continue growing not only as a solo artist, but also as a strong member of the orchestra. They have given me
direct advice about leadership in an orchestra and their presence has motivated me to become a better principal player. Being surrounded by the rich fullness of an orchestra double the size of what we are normally a part of is a privilege I look forward to every year. It is rare for a youth orchestra to have the opportunity to rehearse and perform as one with a professional orchestra.

Latest Adventure of Ludwig van Beethoven

We've been sending Mr. Beethoven to all sorts of events in hopes the he will entice folks for the 2010 Transformation Campaign. The goal is to attract 2,010 new supporters to the Symphony during the 2010-11 season, including new subscribers, new individual donors and new business support.
Here is the latest photo from Mr. Beethoven!


In other news....Richmond Symphony was featured in a couple of news stories this week.

One in the Richmond Times-Dispatch about our concert tomorrow, Jefferson, In His Own Words, and the commission of that title piece. Other pieces that will be performed this Saturday (8pm) and Sunday (3pm) will be Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man, Saint-Saens' Cello Concerto No. 2 featuring principal cellist Neal Cary, and Dvorak's Symphony No. 6. Read the article here.

The other in Style Weekly on our departing concertmaster Karen Johnson, who is off to a new position next year as a member in the President's Own Marine band. Definitely a very exciting opportunity for her. She speaks with Don Harrison about her experiences as concertmaster. This weekend's concerts will be one of the last times you will be able to see her as concertmaster in Richmond. Read the article here.

Halloween's a-Brewing!

Ready to see the Richmond Symphony musicians in costume? First, here's a little context...

Tomorrow we have our first Union First Market Bank LolliPops concert, Phantoms of the Orchestra. Appropriately themed since it's going to be on the day before Halloween. Last year, the LolliPops series debuted with The Composer is Dead at Halloween time. Before all LolliPops concerts, we have a pre-concert festival with educational games and activities, including the instrument petting zoo, where kids can try out different musical instruments. For Halloween, the staff and musicians dress in costume and the kids participate in a costume contest and parade.

It's Hermione from the Harry Potter books!

Oh wait...maybe not...

Who is it?
...
...
If you guessed, Erin R. Freeman, the Richmond Symphony's Associate Conductor, you are absolutely correct!

Harry Potter himself also made an appearance. Check him out giving the violin a test run.


Here is principal cellist Neal Cary playing the triangle, dressed like the DEVIL!

Neal Cary will be one of the featured soloist for our third Altria Masterworks series concert in two weeks, playing Saint-Saens' Cello Concerto No. 2.

I bet we probably couldn't convince him to wear this costume for his cello solo THAT weekend! :)







Here are some other fun costumes from last year's Halloween pre-concert festival! Hope to see you tomorrow in your best costume!

Composer-In-Residence? What's that?

Meet D.J. Sparr, the Richmond Symphony's Composer-in-Residence

What does the composer-in-residence do for an orchestra?

Most composers’ residences are not in the city where they live, so for my work with the RSO Education and Community Engagement department, this means I write music for some of their ensembles as well as teach a class called “Creative Composition” where students from the youth orchestra program write and perform original works.

I see myself as a liaison between living composers and the Richmond community. Hopefully, working with a composer will become a normal part of the performers’ musical lives…or perhaps the members of the youth orchestras will grow up to become entrepreneurs who will support the creation of new works of art.

A new trend has started where composers also work with the orchestra to do outreach, help program modern works, and even curate a new music series. For instance, our own homegrown phenomenon Mason Bates will be in residence with the Pittsburgh Symphony where he will write two new works for them as well as assist in creating a non-traditional concert series. I hope to move in a direction with future residencies where I can incorporate my background managing an indie record label in Los Angeles as well my experience being-in and running various rock-n-roll bands.


What made you want to be a composer?

Ever since I started playing guitar at age five, I wrote songs. Each week that I learned a new chord, I would write a new song using that chord. (Topical to the month of October, one of my first songs was about a haunted house...) I wrote country music songs from first to fourth grade and in a Beach Boys style from fifth or so through eighth. It all went haywire when I was introduced to the craziness of rock guitar through Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai, and Frank Zappa. Though those influences lay dormant, the glam still flares up here and there in my own music to this very day.

I went to the Baltimore School for the Arts High School where I studied Jazz (pick-style) guitar and classical music. My parents bought me a Fostex X-26 four track recorder and I spent hours and hours a week writing and recording songs in my room, such as “The Martians are Coming” and “Pretzels on the Floor” which guest starred my sister. (The influence for the latter song was about pretzels which had fallen on the floor of my basement, but I do not have a recollection of greeting any Martians at that time.)

During the summers, I attended The Walden School and the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. This was integral in becoming a composer because they were the first places that I wrote and heard music I wrote for instruments other than the guitar.

I had always wanted to go to college for music, and over the course of high school, I made the decision to apply for music school for composition rather than guitar. This led to the Eastman School of Music and graduate school at the University of Michigan.

All of this can be summed up by saying that I always loved to create and perform music with whatever I was learning at the time. I even tried a 12-tone piece once…lucky for all of us that I was no good with that material.


How would you describe your music?

I try to write music that has a lot of beauty and melody… but sometimes it has a bit of an edge. At times, the instruments work like parts of a clock which create an overall texture. At other times, there are long sheen-like sonorities. My favorite music, and I suppose what influences my writing, is baroque music, minimalist (both real and post), the neo-classical works of Stravinsky, and any great song from any musical genre.

I try very hard to write music that will be engaging for the audience of the performers for whom I am writing. A lot of composers have “imaginary listeners” with whom they “consult” while they are composing. (This is similar to Stephen King, who has what he calls the “constant reader.”) I imagine myself sitting in the audience listening to the piece with the audience. If I write something that I think will make people cringe for too long, or be bored… then I cringe and I am bored. If I write something they like, then I will probably like being there with them to hear it! I am not a big fan of working for months and months on something only to sit in a concert-hall full of discomforted people.

This all started with a piece I wrote called “Wrought Hocket.” A lot of the piece involved orchestral blasts followed by long silences. In one performance I attended, an older gentleman in front of me would lean over to his wife and make flatulent noises during the pauses after the tuba played its very loud low notes. I was laughing too, because he was a very funny guy and I still have a child-like sense of humor about many things. I’ll never forget his face when he saw me sit down behind him after I took a bow on stage! It was in that moment in Los Angeles in 1998 that I changed my approach to considering the audience when I write music. It’s not a premise that goes over very well when you talk to some other composers, but…each to his own I suppose.


What are you working on now?

For the RSO, I am in the very last stages (the worst part…proofreading!) of a new work for the Come & Play concert, “St. John’s on Church Hill” which will be performed with upwards of four-hundred amateur musicians performing alongside the symphony on the floor of the VCU basketball stadium on November 21st. Of course, the work is inspired by the famous landmark in Richmond which is near where we just bought our house. I am also working on a piece which will combine the Camerata Strings and the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra. It is based on ideas from parallel universes and weirdly, extra terrestrials. I would write a piece about pretzels again, but since we have two dogs, when they are dropped, they disappear very quickly!

In the electric guitar department, I am playing with Eighth Blackbird at University of Richmond’s Third Practice Festival on November 5th and Steve Mackey’s electric guitar concerto “Deal” in Washington, DC in December. I have two new works being premiered by the Williamsburg Symphonia and the Dayton Philharmonic in the second half of this season. It’s very busy, but busy is good.

On a side note, I’ve never been happier with any collaboration with performers as I am with the Richmond Symphony’s education and community engagement department. I have all of these wild ideas, and they keep helping me figure out how to make them happen.

Thanks for reading this long blog… I am looking forward to sitting with everyone at the concerts.

As an extra treat, here are some audio clips of some of D.J.'s work!
www.djsparr.com/mp3/Sparr_GreenDolphinStreet_BSFA.mp3 (Excerpt from Recital at Baltimore School for the Arts)

www.djsparr.com/mp3/GtrExpt_HDYD_Solo.mp3 (Excerpt of guitar solo from old band)

www.djsparr.com/daccadeccagaffa.htm (DACCA:DECCA:GaFfA)

The Odyssey to Staunton

Last weekend, we had our second Altria Masterworks concert, Rachmaninoff & Stravinsky. In case you didn't already know, the Richmond Symphony also performs in various concerts around Virginia. So last Friday afternoon, the Richmond Symphony musicians, Operations staff, and Music Director Steven Smith were heading for such a concert in Staunton, Virginia. Here is where the mayhem begins...

"En route, we found that I-64 West was a parking lot as we approached Charlottesville. The buses rerouted around Charlottesville as a lot of the rest of us made it about 2 miles in about 2 hours while others, including Steven, tried to reroute themselves (I take responsibility for making Steven drive about 2 hours out of his way). The buses arrived in Staunton about 10 minutes before the show which was slated to begin at 7:30 pm. I arrived at the school around 7:35 pm. On entering the school, the Ops team were setting the stage and on the phone consulting with musicians still en route. At about 7:40 pm, I walked on stage to begin a pre-concert (the concert was supposed to have already started!). At about 8 pm, I was told that some of our musicians were ready to give an impromptu chamber concert in the lobby. I announced this to the audience and they went into the lobby. In the meantime, we consulted with the rest of the musicians who were present and decided to perform the Debussy Sarabande unconducted. After about 15 – 20 minutes, we were able to get those present on stage and play the Debussy. Then the Brass players agreed to play the Fanfare sans conductor. As they began, Steven walked in the door. In three minutes, Steven gathered himself, grabbed his score and walked on stage to perform a shortened version of Firebird.

We then took a break to reset the stage and allow Steven to change into concert attire and were able to perform the entire Rachmaninoff piano concerto (while the victorious Robert E. Lee football team returned and took over the locker rooms just outside the stage). At the end, there was a standing ovation and only one disgruntled patron (that I know of)."

~Laura Adams, Director of Orchestral Operations

Fantasia Picks Classics, and So Do We

This weekend, we are having our second Altria Masterworks concert, Rachmaninoff & Stravinsky. To me, this concert is full of amazing symphony classics that are great for newcomers to symphonic music, especially because you've probably already heard this music without even realizing it.

The movie Fantasia was one of those great Disney movies that I remember growing up to. One of the most famous sequences in that movie is probably"The Sorcerer's Apprentice" by Paul Dukas (see below). This weekend, we are going to be performing the Fanfare from Dukas' last major work, a ballet called La Péri.



The original Fantasia included the extraordinary Igor Stravinsky piece, The Rite of Spring. But Fantasia 2000 concludes with this beautiful animation (see below) to the music of Stravinsky's Firebird Suite (1919), which is the piece we will be performing this weekend!



Closing our program is Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 - sometimes considered the hardest piece composed for piano! Eep!

This concert is going to be intense and thrilling and I can't wait to see it myself this weekend. Hope you enjoy these videos and look forward to seeing the orchestra play the strings off their instruments!

~Teka

How Do They Do That?!

On Saturday, we had the highly anticipated Cirque de la Symphonie performance, and honestly, it was a spectacular visual and auditory adventure! Even though I've seen a Cirque du Soleil show before, the opportunity to see people who can fly around, bend and twist through the air, and perform impressive feats of strength never loses its allure.

I had a chance to sit and chat quickly with Ralph Skiano (clarinet), Ann Choomack (piccolo), and Gustav Highstein (oboe) to see what they thought of it from their perspective. "Cool" and "distracting [from their music in front of them]" were the two words most used by them. Gus commented as well that it was probably the most enjoyable for him as a musician, because they were still able to perform orchestral works and share that music with the audience in partnership with such a cool visual component.

Erin R. Freeman, Associate Conductor, also told me that it was awesome to see how the music was paired with the visuals. The two gold strongmen were making very slow and deliberate moves while paired to the frantic pace of Stravinsky's Firebird Suite. It made you see the music in a new way!

For me, Alexander Streltsov's aerial performance to the music from Star Wars was especially touching. The Red Harlequin mime/juggler (Vladimir Tsarkov) was hilarious -- though I suspect that Music Director Steven Smith was chasing him down for his wallet for quite a while after the concert!

~Teka

A few Richmond Symphony staff reactions:

Danielle Ripperton (Individual Giving Officer): "Simply AMAZING - I was on the edge of my seat the whole time with wonder, awe, amazement and even fright! How on earth does one bend like that?!"

Cheryl Yancey (Richmond Symphony Foundation): "Henry [Cheryl's husband] and I thought they were awesome! Young and old alike were thrilled with the performance."

As well as a few reactions from the concert from the Richmond Symphony's Facebook and Twitter page:

@RVAREGal - Wow! Richmond Symphony Pops concert tonight Cirque de la Symphonie was amazing! Great music & terrific talent from Cirque performers! @RichmondSymph I'm still thinking about how tangled I'd be in all of that fabric if I was agile enough to attempt those moves! :)

@hadarvc wrote a blog about the performance here: http://www.opticality.com/blog/2010/10/10/cirque-de-la-symphonie-at-richmond-centerstage/

@firedancerk8 - @RichmondSymph My mouth was literally hanging open for the entire duration of the Gold Guys' performance. WOW!!!!!

Mary Maupai - The performance on Saturday....It was amazing, had not idea the body could do such awe inspiring things.! A performance I will not soon forget! Thank you!

Our next Genworth Financial Symphony Pops concert is Let It Snow! on December 4 & 5. The Contours Featuring Sylvester Potts: Celebrating 50 Years of Motown will be on January 22 and the Music of James Bond will be on March 12.

Cirque is All Around Us!

Over the last few weeks, I have been noticing that I am seeing a lot of Cirque-like acts on television. It seems like this is a growing trend throughout the country to either include cirque acts in their shows or to implement cirque in their own businesses. Below are a few examples of what I'm talking about:



The Macy's: Stars of Dance segment during the Results show of Dancing with the Stars



Michael Lipari & Ashleigh Dejon, aerialists from the Wild Card Show of America's Got Talent



Aerial Bartenders on "My Fair Wedding with David Tutera"

As our first Genworth Financial Symphony Pops concert, Cirque de la Symphonie approaches, I think to myself, I can't wait to be able to actually see some aerialists fly right around in the Carpenter Theatre. Definitely an exciting performance to see and bring to Richmond. Hope to see you there on Saturday too!

~Teka

Goochland - What's In a Name?

Although the Richmond Symphony has the beautiful Carpenter Theatre at CenterStage to call home for most of its concerts, keeping in touch with our neighbors outside of the City of Richmond is important. One way we do this is through the Metro Collection - a series of concerts that take place in venues across the metro Richmond area.

The first concert of this year's Metro Collection series is coming up this Friday at St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Goochland.

Yep, Goochland.

Now, I am not a native to Central Virginia and since moving here three years ago, I have been both fascinated and amused by this county name. To be sure, there are plenty of interesting names around the Richmond region - Chippenham Parkway, Midlothian, Powhite Parkway (pronounced pow-height or po-white? The debate rages on!), and the like. But Goochland has always struck me as the most peculiar.

So, in honor of our first Metro Collection series concert of the season, I decided to find out exactly how Goochland got its strange moniker and share it with all of you.

Turns out that the origin of this unusual name is a man: Sir William Gooch, 1st Baronet, who served as Governor of Virginia from 1727-1749. In 1727, Sir Gooch petitioned the House of Burgesses to create a new county named to honor himself - and thus Goochland was born.


Naming counties, towns - even states after oneself wasn't unusual in the Colonial period. In fact, Sir Gooch eventually married Rebecca Staunton who - you guessed it - had her own city named after her: Staunton, Virignia.

Hope to see you all in Sir Gooch's former stomping grounds this Friday, October 1 for the Metro Collection Series concert!

~Kathryn

home sweet homepage: http://www.richmondsymphony.com

40 years and going strong!

The experience of the Richmond Symphony would not be complete without our wonderful chorus. This chorus is about to celebrate its 40th anniversary. Yes, in 1971, a young man named James Erb prepared the first ever chorus of the Richmond Symphony to sing Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis under the direction of the great conductor Robert Shaw. You’ll have to come back in May to experience our recreation of that event on our 8th Masterworks concert.

Each and every member of the Richmond Symphony Chorus is a volunteer. During the day, they are teachers, lawyers, managers, entrepreneurs, and more! According to our calculations, each singer donates about 55 rehearsals or performances a year. At 2.5 hours per rehearsal, that’s 137.5 hours per year (not including at-home study time, driving time, or the chorus parties!). Times that by an average of 130 singers per year, and that’s 17,875 hours of donated time per year. Times THAT by 40years, and you get 715,000 hours of donated time!

On Sept 25th as the chorus walks on stage to perform Beethoven's 9th, they will be joining forces with the orchestra to celebrate a wonderful 40 years of collaborative and mutual love of music. Here's a quick slideshow of some of the wonderful members of the chorus on and off stage. Congrats folks on 40 wonderful years!

homepage sweet homepage: http://www.richmondsymphony.com

Ode To Joy!

The Richmond Symphony's season-opening concert will feature Beethoven's 9th and its big hit! Ode To Joy is one of the most iconic orchestral and choral pieces of all time. This composition has become one of the most recognizable pieces of music of all time! We could go on and on as to why, but in order to grasp the scope of how important a piece this is we thought we'd let you see its many uses in our lives throughout the years.

Enjoy!




John McClane is no stranger to this piece of music



Road to Joy!



meep meep



Beethoven's Wineth?



At the forefront of technology



Ed, Edd, and Eddy!



This one's just too cute to not put up!

Come catch this epic piece performed live by our fantastic orchestra and chorus on Sept 25th and 26th only!!!

homepage sweet homepage: http://www.richmondsymphony.com/

Sonic Panoply

son·ic   /ˈsɒnɪk/ [son-ik]
–adjective
1. of or pertaining to sound.

pan·o·ply   /ˈpænəpli/
[pan-uh-plee]
–noun, plural -plies.
1. a wide-ranging and impressive array or display: the dazzling panoply of the maharaja's procession; the panoply of European history.
2. a complete suit of armor.

Mason Bates is a river-city native and is coming back to town for the world premier of his latest orchestral creation, Sonic Panoply!

Mason has received praises from all over the country on his blending of orchestral and electronica music. For the opening concert on Sept 25, 2010 Mason has composed a brand new piece that will be heard for the first time by a full orchestra. We asked Mason to share some of this thoughts on this project.

"What's it like creating a piece for the orchestra that ignited my passion for the orchestra as a kid? It's like having your hair set on fire. Inspiration was not playing coy: instantly I had a panoply of ideas hit me. So I christened the piece Sonic Panoply, attracted to the word's two definitions of 'magnificent abundance' and 'ceremonial armor.' And now we have a piece - can't wait to hear it!"

Y-E-S!! We can’t wait to hear it either Mason! See you in a few weeks as we kick open our season with this world premier!

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Violin time!

Here's a little info about our fun friend, the violin.

Did you know:

The violin was officially designed by Andrea Amati, an Italian lute maker. Amati was asked to build the violin as a lighter alternative to the lyre. Then along came Antonio Stradivari! He is responsible for creating possibly the best violin in the world, aptly named the Stradivarius. Since all this was happening in the mid 1500s there are no photos of Mr. Stradivari. Regardless, his work on his creation has lasted over 500 years! Many classical musicians prefer to play these violins still!

Here's Antonio hard at work!

Moving forward to today though, modern violins are still being made all the time. The average violin is made of either spruce or maple and consists of about 70 pieces of wood! The Richmond Symphony uses several violins in all of our concerts including 96 violins at last season's "Come and Play" concert. That means at one time we had 384 strings being plucked and bowed! And that's just the violins. That's a lot of strings!!

We've had some pretty amazing violinists come through and perform with us too. For example, last season we were honored to have Gil Shaham perform with the orchestra. Mr. Shaham performs all over the world and we were so glad to have him as a part of our season. Check out this clip to see the master at work.

The season starts in 16 days. Come check out our violin section and see what 500 years worth of work has lead to right here in Richmond, VA

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Meet Erin R. Freeman

Hi! I’m Erin, and I’m the Associate Conductor of the Richmond Symphony!

Generally, my job is to conduct a lot of concerts with the Richmond Symphony, lead the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra, and conduct and prepare the Richmond Symphony Chorus. Also, I spend a lot of my time sitting in rehearsals, watching and listening while the music director conducts. Officially, I’m “covering” – waiting for that moment when the conductor on the podium gets sick and I have to dramatically step in and save the day. (I like Steven, however, so I would never wish him unwell.)

Our recent production of Beethoven Lives Upstairs – part of our 2009-2010 Lollipops series. This year, we kick off the series with “Phantoms of the Orchestra.”

But, enough of what I do while I’m at CenterStage. You can just come to a concert and check it out in person! Here’s what I do in my off time:

I study – According to one teacher I had, it takes one hour of study time to learn one minute of music – and that’s if the music is straight forward, has no solo part, and doesn’t have words to learn. So, a typical Beethoven symphony would take about 40 full hours to learn. A Masterworks concert would take a minimum 90 hours to learn. If you have a 40-minute complex high Romantic or Modern piece (think Strauss or Mahler), add at least 20 hours. If you have text, add 10 – 20 hours depending on the language and number of words, etc.

Me studying Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis for our May 2011 performance. You see my iPhone (it’s never far from my side) and two scores. The small one is mine. The large one is the one Robert Shaw used when he conducted the first performance of the Richmond Symphony Chorus in 1971!

I cook – a lot – for a lot of people. My favorites are spicy sausage and broccoli rabe pasta, salmon with couscous, and anything with Swiss Chard (see below). I particularly enjoy the local produce that is available here in Virginia!

Here’s a dinner I cooked a while ago. Notice: it’s served on a stack of music. (I think that’s Brahms in the orange!)

And… I kick people – no, not the patrons or the musicians – but my fellow practitioners of taekwondo. I workout with the George Washington University club in DC, and I help teach a class here at VCU when I have time. I actually find a lot of similarities between the two arts – conducting and taekwondo, but perhaps I’ll save that for another post. In fact, a paper I wrote on that very idea is about to be published in the University of California at Berkeley Martial Arts Monograph!


Here I am in my other world: doing a flying kick in West Virginia a while back, and in the George Washington University gym celebrating receiving my black belt. (With me are a business woman, a structural engineer, and a lawyer. That’s a scary group!)

So, that’s about all. Now, I’m off to hear some Youth Orchestra auditions and prepare for the second rehearsal of the Symphony Chorus. Oh, and I have to finish that Chicken I’m cooking.

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All The Single Tickets!

Beyonce made it a point to talk about Single Ladies, but we need to let you know about Single Tickets. So, put your hands up! We have a pretty amazing season lined up and single tickets are officially on sale!!!

So, if you're looking for a concert or two to consider picking up tickets for check out these links below and grab 'em while they're hot! Get Tickets here!



Beethoven's Ninth - Sept 25 & 26, 2010

Cirque De La Symphonie - Sat Oct 9, 2010

The Music Of James Bond - Sat March 12, 2011
These are just a few examples of the season! Check out the mainpage richmondsymphony.com for more information and a full list of upcoming concerts!

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...and we have lift off!

Thank you so much for making our launch a fun event! Sorry if you missed the party, but stay tuned for future RSO All Access events to be announced a bit later! In the meantime, look at the fun we had!

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