Download Overtures_April13

Spring 2013
Service & Community
Women in Music 2013
by Rob DeNunzio
Director or Music Conservatory and Music Programs
One might think that the countless
hours of practice, rehearsal, study, and
performance that a Virtuoso Program
student engages in on a weekly basis—on top of their already challenging academic loads—would be
enough to define the rigor that’s come
to symbolize our program. But this is
San Domenico, a school whose community nurtures and values the act of
service as a daily part of life, and our
students exemplify that by graciously
using their art in the act of giving.
From the “Music Heals” concert which
was completely organized by one of
our students as a benefit for the first
Elena Kim ’14 and Miles Graber perform responders of the Sandy Hook tragedy
Sarasate’s Zigeunerweisen at the Children in in Newtown, CT (more information
Need concert in the Hall of the Arts in April.
about that concert on reverse), to the
April 14 Children in Need concert benefiting a Nepalese orphanage and one
student’s volunteering efforts there, to providing an air of distinction to the
Parent Service Association’s annual benefit gala, our students sometimes
seem tireless in their pursuit of giving back.
These service-oriented performances also help foster a unique and inspiring
community of music-making, whether it’s through the bonds Virtuoso
Program students make with students from other schools via the Children in
Need club, or the exposure they receive through collaborating with professionals such as Quartet San Francisco, or in the case of “Women in Music”,
Quartet Rouge. In a time where the power of the social network cannot be
overlooked, these connections our students are fostering—both with likeminded peers striving for potential careers in music and with established
artists—will be an invaluable resource as they grow and define themselves.
For regardless of whether they become professional performers, composers,
educators, or arts advocates, music will always play an important part in
each of their lives and contribute to their growth as global citizens in line
with San Domenico’s vision to “graduate students who confidently go forth to
shape a better world.”
Ann Krinitsky, Nancy Bloomer Deussen, and Jo Griffin ‘16 enjoy a meeting of
musical generations at the post-concert reception in the Faith Y. France Lobby. Both
Bloomer Deussen and Griffin enjoyed performances of their works at this year’s concert.
For the third year in a row, our “Women in Music” concert succeeded
in bringing generations of female musicians—performers and composers—together in a celebration of the unheralded side of classical
music. Save the date for next year’s concert on March 2, 2014!
Please join us on Thursday, May 23 at 7:00 p.m. for our final orchestra
concert of the year where we’ll be featuring Mendelssohn’s Octet in Eb
Major, Op. 20, and bidding farewell to our seniors, including
Niki Fukada ’13 who will be soloing on Astor Piazzolla’s Estaciones Porteñas.
Music Heals
by Tara Sola ’16
On Sunday, April 21 the benefit concert “Music Heals: For the Sandy Hook
First Responders” took place at San Domenico school in the Hall of The
Arts. Organized by freshman Tara Sola, the concert was attended by over
75 people and raised over $3,000! In the first half of the concert members of the Virtuoso Program, including Mirah Ray, Linda Li,
Danelia Changeux, Matthea Rile-Schmidt, and Tara Sola—along with
guest pianist Miles King—played solo pieces. The musicians then mingled
with the guests during intermission while everyone enjoyed baked goods
and drinks from the bake sale. In the second half of the concert
Quartet San Francisco, who so kindly donated their time, played an
amazing set including original pieces by first violinist Jeremy Cohen. The
program concluded with a collaboration of VP members and QSF performing some crowd-pleasing Beatles tunes, earning a standing ovation
from the audience! In addition to all of the musicians donating their time,
freshmen Micah Blake, Savannah Christie, Audrey Webster, and
Angela Wang worked in the lobby all evening at the ticket sales and bake
sale tables. It was certainly a night to remember and the First Responders
will definitely appreciate our effort!
What do you do when one of your violinists breaks her wrist a month before the
spring chamber music concert? Ask an award-winning young composer to
write a new piece for her, of course! Stephen Spies was raised in Albany and
studied violin and viola with our very own Eugene Chukhlov. He played in the
San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and twice placed first in the Young
Composers Challenge. He composed Short String Quartet (For string quartet
and open strings in the second violin) this month in support of Mae Frank '13
who suffered a recent and unexpected injury to her left wrist. Her right arm is
fully operational, so she can bow the open (unfingered) strings of her instrument. Mae begins the piece alone with a slow rhythmic ostinato (repeated
figure) that persists from the brief introduction into the faster main body of the
brief work, providing the underlying pulse that drives the piece to its conclusion. The other three parts wind above and below the second violin and take
their musical cues from her part. You can hear the April 28 performance of
Stephen’s piece on our Facebook page or at the school website at
www.sandomenico.org.
Composer Visit
In April we were honored to have join us
visiting guest composer
Gwyneth Walker. She
worked with students as
they prepared her string
trio “When the Spirit
Sings” for our April 29
Spring Chamber Music
Concert. Over the past
few years, connecting
with contemporary composers has become a
subject of increased
attention in the program
as we aim to broaden
and deepen our students knowledge and understanding of the music they play. While
classical string repertoire remains the foundation by which all Virtuoso
Program activities are based, we are thrilled that our students are
drawing connections between the past and the present as they grow
to become truly 21st century musicians.
The 2013-14 Virtuoso Program Scholarship Fund
Were you aware that all students in our program receive some form of
financial assistance in the form of a Virtuoso Program scholarship? As we
get close to the end of our fiscal year, gifts from individual donors can make
the difference in students’ ability to afford a Virtuoso Program education.
Please consider making a gift today using the enclosed envelope. For more
information, please feel free to contact the Conservatory office. Thank you!
San Domenico Virtuoso Program Faculty & Staff
Ann Krinitsky, Virtuoso Program Director
Eugene Chukhlov, Violin Teacher and Chamber Music Coach
Ruth Kahn, Viola Teacher and Chamber Music Coach
Sergei Riabtchenko, Cello Teacher and Chamber Music Coach
Miles Graber, Piano Accompanist
Rob DeNunzio, Music Conservatory Director
Teresa Notari, Administrative Assistant
Follow us on Facebook! If you enjoy
these types of updates about our students, alumnae, and faculty, you should
become a fan of the San Domenico
Music Conservatory and Virtuoso Program for even more upto-date announcements, photos, videos, and more:
www.facebook.com/musicatsandomenico