Tai Murray, Violinist

Looking for something fun and exciting to do on the weekend of April 30? Acclaimed as "superb" by The New York Times, (twenty-eight year old) violinist Tai Murray will be performing with the Richmond Symphony on Saturday, April 30 and Sunday, May 1.

Murray is a rising young star within the world of classical music, and only in her early 20s, she has already been rising for over a decade. Known for her beautiful, mature phrasing and graceful bow work, Murray has received critical acclaim from coast to coast. She has also drawn attention as one of the few African-American musicians involved in classical music.

Murray first asked to play the violin when she was just two years old. Finally, just before her fifth birthday, Murray received her first violin. She began to take lessons at the Sherwood Conservatory of Music in Chicago "because I wanted to," she told the Salt Lake Tribune. "I started asking at a younger age, but my mother thought I should wait until I was older. I've always been drawn to music."

Despite her intense practice and performance schedule, Murray finds time to enjoy life. She loves dance, both as an observer and a participant, including tango, salsa, ballet, swing, and modern. She also likes to read, knit, and spend time with her friends. In an interview with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, she described a typical day: "I like to get in two or three hours of practicing as soon as I get out of bed.… Late afternoon I might take a walk or read a book. I'm a bit of a night owl so after dinner…I like to practice into the wee hours of the morning." Her advice to young musicians: "Practice makes perfect, and quality over quantity."

Check out Tai Murray's Barber Concerto Presto:

Find more Tai Murray songs at Myspace Music

For ticket information, please call our Patron Services Hot line at 804.788.1212

Why Sing In the Richmond Symphony Chorus?

This season we are celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Richmond Symphony Chorus.  It's an all-volunteer ensemble that you must audition for...so they're pretty good!  Read a couple of reflections from members of the Richmond Symphony Chorus on why they love it! 

"Why do I sing with the Symphony Chorus?  At least two reasons.  First, because I love to wrassle.  Emily Dickinson, in a poem set by Elliott Carter that we’ve sung with the Symphony, wrote that “Musicians wrestle everywhere.”  I know that’s true here in Richmond; the Chorus is in the Rhythm Hall most Tuesday evenings, grappling with music for upcoming concerts.  We are privileged, highly, to learn, polish and perfect compositions that are well-worth the struggle, pieces that repay the hard work many times over.  The Richmond Symphony Chorus—a great wrestling squad.

Second, we get absolutely the greatest seats in the house.  The Chorus is perched back there over the players’ shoulders, and we see up-close the effort, the physicality, and the tremendous skill that they devote to bringing music from the score, right there, in the moment.  And yet quiet moments are some of my most favorite.  For many concerts over the past two decades, I’ve sat just behind Jim Jacobson, our superlative timpanist.  He commands the most room-shaking instrument, but I love to watch him work during passages when the kettledrums aren’t called upon at all.  Timpani must be frequently retuned; the temperature and humidity in the room—the insistent breathing of all those darn singers—are critical and ever-changing factors to which Jim must react.  Watch closely, and you’ll see him, bent low over a drum, cheek nearly grazing the surface, tapping the drumhead ever so lightly with his fingertips, listening and tuning, listening and tuning.  The contrast between those watchmaker-fine adjustments and the bomb-burst explosions that follow continues to delight me."    ~Andrew J. Dolson, Bass

"The joy of singing with the Richmond Symphony Chorus centers around the talented singers and our conductor. It's stirring to hear the other sections polish up their parts in rehearsal.  It adds incentive to one's own preparation.  Erin's deep understanding of Beethoven's Missa brings great excellence to the process of preparing it.  She is helping us merge our goals with those of the composer.  It's humbling to be in the presence of such genius, both now and from the 19th Century."    ~Bob Blinn, Tenor

Hear the Richmond Symphony Chorus at the Carpenter Theatre in the last concert of the 2010-11 season sing Beethoven's Missa Solemnis on Saturday, May 21 at 8PM or Sunday, May 22 at 3PM. 

An Update from Down Under

In January, musician Mary Bowden was ecstatic to announce that she had won a position with the “Youtube Symphony” and would be going to Sydney, Australia in March to perform with Michael Tilson Thomas. We were eager to catch up with her and get an update from down under!

"Last month, I had the opportunity to perform with the YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011 under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas at the Sydney Opera House in Australia. The live streamed Grand Finale was the largest stream ever on YouTube-the previous leader was U2 live on YouTube. Here you can see the concert as well as clips from the week and interviews:

http://www.youtube.com/user/symphony

Musicians from 33 different countries came together for this week in Sydney, some even taking leave from their current orchestra jobs for a week. The orchestra was a very high level, and rehearsals were intense and often all day. I performed in two ensemble concerts during the week as.  You can read my longer story on my blog:

http://marybowdentrumpet.blogspot.com/2011/04/australia-2011.html

I'm really happy that this event generated a lot of excitement for classical music. The orchestra got a lot of exposure and I hope that it sparks the interest of some people who may not have paid attention to orchestras before."