Prince George's Philharmonic Interview with soloist Mariam Adam - Concert follows Beyond the Battle Symposium Oct 11 2014

In partnership with the Beyond the Battle Symposium (see more below the interview with the evening's clarinet soloist from the Philharmonic's newsletter) our very own Prince George's Philharmonic will be offering the following program;

 Saturday, October 11, 2014 - 8:00 p.m.

Bowie Center for the Performing Arts, Bowie, MD 

Charles Ellis, conductor - Mariam Adam, clarinet

Rossini                   Overture to Tancredi
Mozart                   Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K. 622
Wagner                  Siegfried’s Rhine Journey from Götterdämmerung
Rodgers                 Victory at Sea: Symphonic Scenario for Orchestra
Beethoven             Wellington’s Victory

A concert commemorating the War of 1812. Sponsored in part by the Anacostia Trails Heritage Area, Inc.

Single Ticket General Admission: $20, Seniors: $18, Age 18 and under free (ticket required). Single Tickets go on sale the night of the concert beginning at 7 pm, cash or check only. Tickets can be purchased in advance

MARIAM ADAM, clarinet

Mariam Adam, a native of Monterey, California is an internationally distinguished soloist and chamber musician. As one of the last students of legendary clarinetist, Rosario Mazzeo, she developed a colorful career on the west coast soloing with the Sacramento Symphony, Monterey County Symphony amongst others while still an undergraduate. Ms. Adam appeared as soloist with the Eastman Music Summer Festival, toured with Monterey Jazz Festival jazz ensembles (sometimes as the drummer) in Japan and North America, and received such awards such as the Hans Wildau Young Musicians Award, Sacramento Concerto Competition Winner, AFS Scholar, and Bank of America Artists Scholar before moving to the east coast for graduate studies at the Manhattan School of Music. She has since performed with Chamber Music Lincoln Center, Prussia Cove Festival in England, 92nd St. Y, Rockport Music Festival, Chenango Music Festival, Carmel Bach Festival, La Jolla Music Festival, Skaneateles Festival, Chamber Music Northwest as well as collaborations with such artists as Paquito D'Rivera and David Shifrin. 

As a founding member of the internationally acclaimed, TransAtlantic Ensemble (Clar, Vn, Pno) she has performed in Europe and the U.S., performing a wide range of music including that of Imani Winds' Jeff Scott and Valerie Coleman. As a soloist she has been invited to give recitals in Spain, Switzerland, and London, and she continues to collaborate with several international pianists celebrating music from different regions of the world. [http://www.allianceartistmanagement.com/artist.php?id=imaniwinds&aview=bio&bid=724]

Interview from Quarter Notes 

Quarter Notes:  Thanks so much, Ms. Adam, for taking the time to talk to us today.  We can hardly wait to play the wonderful Mozart Clarinet Concerto with you!  Can you start out by telling us a little about your training and your current career?

Mariam Adam:  I grew up in the Monterey area in California, an area very rich in cultural events and potentials.  I did my undergraduate work at University of the Pacific, and then entered the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.  I was very fortunate to be one of the last students of Rosario Mazzeo, who was then retired from the Boston Symphony and living in California.  After spending some time at the Aspen Music Festival, I headed for the East Coast and enrolled in the Manhattan School of Music.  That was about the time that Imani Winds was forming and I’ve been part of that quintet ever since.   It was also at that time that I knew that I would make my career as soloist and chamber musician rather than in a full orchestra.

QN:  And how did you make the connection with the Prince George’s Philharmonic?

MA:  The Imani Winds were playing in the Washington area a year or so ago, and Maestro Charles Ellis was in the audience.  I think he liked what he heard, and he contacted me afterwards, and asked me to consider playing the Mozart Clarinet Concerto with the Prince George’s Philharmonic.  I was delighted to accept the invitation!   I enjoy coming to Washington – we’ve played at the Library of Congress, Wolf Trap, and other places, and we’ll be playing at the Kennedy Center next spring. 

QN: And the Mozart Concerto?

MA: I love this concerto!  I hadn’t played it for a few years, so I was happy to get reacquainted with it.  I think that every true clarinetist has this concerto deep in his/her blood and bones, and it means more and more as one matures on the clarinet.  The first and third movements are like Mozart’s operatic conversations, and the second movement is just too beautiful to be described.

QN: And we can hardly wait to play it with you!  Do you have any other comments that might specially interest our audience and supporters?

MA: Well, I have to admit one rather amusing experience I had with the Mozart concerto.  I played it when I was in high school, and entered a competition, at which I was to play it with piano rather than orchestra.  I was then playing a B-flat clarinet, and had not yet performed on an A-clarinet.  The concerto was written in A, and that was what the pianist was playing.  For a moment before I realized what was happening, I was surprised by the dissonance, and marveled at Mozart’s modernity – but I was happily introduced to the A-clarinet, which I have fallen in love with.  Now I play both the B-flat and the A clarinet.

QN: A wonderful story!  Thank you so much – we very much look forward to playing this marvelous concerto with you on October 11^th!

BEYOND THE BATTLE SYMPOSIUM

 
Bladensburg was more than a battlefield in the War of 1812.  What kind of place was Bladensburg during this era?  What was life like for its townspeople?  How did Bladensburg's residents, white and black, native born and foreign, interact in a time of dramatic political, social and economic change?  Find answers to these questions and more at the "Beyond the Battle: Bladensburg’s History in Context” symposium Saturday, October 11, 2014, 8:30am - 4:30pm at R. Lee Hornbake Library, University of Maryland, College Park.  Registration is $15 per person and includes lunch.
 
Register at http://pgheritage.wordpress.com/beyond-the-battle-symposium/
 
For more information please contact, dmcelrat@umd.edu or mike@arnoldandarnold.net
 
 
Scholars, community researchers and artists will share their work on Bladensburg in the era of the War of 1812.  Panel topics and speakers include: 
 
African Americans: Maya Davis, Mark Leone, Dennis Pogue
Archaeology: Richard Ervin, Donald Creveling, Noel Broadbent
Art and Interpretation: Peter Brice, Joanna Blake, Mark Hildebrand
Bladensburg in Detail: John Peter Thompson, Susan Pearl, Doug McElrath
Keynote Speaker: Alan Virta
 
A reception   will immediately follow the symposium at the new exhibit, Beyond the Batttle: Bladensburg Rediscovered, in the Hornbake Library Gallery.
 
This event is sponsored by Prince George's Heritage, Inc. with support from the Anacostia Trails Heritage Area.   Please visit our blog at http://pgheritage.wordpress.com/
Prince George's Heritage, Inc. is located at the Magruder House, 4703 Annapolis Road, Bladensburg, Md.  20710
 
Following the symposium, the Prince George's Philharmonic will perform music of the War of 1812 era on Saturday, October 11, 2014 - 8:00pm at the Bowie Center for the Performing Arts, Bowie, MD. at 8pm. Single price tickets are $20.  For more information 

please visit their website at www.pgphilharmonic.org

The Prince George's Philharmonic' Brilliant Concert 2013-2014 Season Ends with Stravinsky's 'Rite of Spring' and world premiere of Palmer's 'Beyond Space and Time'

            The final performance of the Prince George's Philharmonic 2013-2014 concert season took place on Saturday, May 17, 2014 in Dekelboum Hall at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, College Park, Maryland.  The evening offered the audience a commanding performance of three masters of Western classical music, and a first hearing of an accomplished contemporary composer's work. Elizabeth Palmer's premiered orchestral work, Beyond Space and Time, held its own in the august canonic musical gathering.

            The concert began, appropriately, with an overture built in large part on rhythmic pulses which set the stage for the three other works on the program. The orchestra played the Beethoven with technical mastery right to the whispered final notes, a performance that highlighted Ms. Palmer's beautiful tone poem, Beyond Space and Time. Her work with its shifting harmonies and pulsating crescendos was, in turn, reflected in the second movement of the Haydn Symphony, a symphony which itself was built upon shifting harmonies and rhythms that ebbed and flowed until the final resolution. Palmer's sense of timing and her control of harmonic devices allowed her to build on three centuries of compositional technique creating a sound very much her own while at the same time reflective of the classical musical traditions.

            Ms. Palmer, who has played the euphonium for 20 years, studied music technology at Susquehanna University, and then completed a master’s degree in music education at Towson University. During those years, she took courses in composition. She taught music for several years in Prince George’s County schools, and has been involved with mentoring young music students. For the past two years she has been studying for her doctorate at the University of Southern California which will include music education, theory and arts leadership.

            The Haydn Symphony completed the first half of the program. The usual listener's default position when hearing a major composition in symphonic form for the first time is the recall immediately the two 'exciting' outer movements. I fell for the two inner movements at last night's performance, especially the third movement with its sliding harmonic motif of the minuet and the beautiful bassoon solo in the trio section. The orchestra, with a few intonation struggles for a few seconds in the slow introduction of the Haydn, was in complete control of the music under the masterful direction of its conductor, Maestro Ellis. Mr. Ellis chose to fuse the orchestra section's sound (strings, woodwinds, brass, &c.) rather than highlighting the sections as I have come to expect. This led to a very rich, velvety performance of the first half compositions and set the stage by way of contrast for the Stravinsky.

            How does one even begin to review the fabulous, stunning, extraordinary, masterful performance of the Rite of Spring. Speechless comes to mind. 

            The virtuoso rendition of Stravinsky's monumental score that still “seem[s] to violate all the most hallowed concepts of beauty, harmony, tone and expression" was inspiring.  The Italian composer, Roman Vlad, continued his description of the daunting Rite of Spring explaining that "never had an audience heard anything so brutal, savage, aggressive and apparently chaotic" (Roman Vlad, 1967).   Igor Stravinsky and Vaslav Nijinsky "collaborated in 1913 on the most shocking, ground breaking music and ballet the world had ever experienced and it may still be the most striking work ever done (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewOBXph0hP4&list=RDewOBXph0hP4#t=1801)." The Prince George's Philharmonic and its conductor, Mr. Ellis, rose to the occasion with their brilliant performance bringing the emotion of the music to the forefront and overcoming any preconceived reservations the audience may have had.

            Mr. Ellis and the orchestra surpassed all expectations. Describing the music is tough. Paul Rosenfeld wrote early in the 20th century that it "pound[s] with the rhythm of engines, whirls and spirals like screws and fly-wheels, grinds and shrieks like laboring metal (Rosenfeld. Musical Portraits: Interpretations of Twenty Modern Composers. 1920. p. 202)." To pull off a performance of the piece of music the conductor and the musicians must be as one, and must be at the top of their professional game.

            Mr. Ellis let loose opportunities for soloists and featured sectional performances in the nearly half-hour long performance. Mr. Ellis never lost touch with the musical pulses which propel the ballet forward in time and the musicians of the Prince George's Philharmonic rose to a pinnacle of performance; the audience rose to give a standing ovation that was most certainly deserved.

            How could you not have been here with us for this once-in-a-lifetime musical offering? It does not get better than this - I can hardly wait for next season's performances

           

           

Charles Ellis, conductor

Beethoven                  Coriolan Overture, Op. 62

Elizabeth Palmer                   Beyond Space and Time (World Premiere)

Haydn                        Symphony No. 86 in D Major

Stravinsky                              The Rite of Spring     

            The 2014-2015 Prince George's Philharmonic season will lead off with a War of 1812 bicentennial commemorative concert in Bowie.

            The program will feature Rossini's Tancredi Overture, Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622, Wagner's Siegfried's Rhine Journey, Rodger's Victory at Sea, and Beethoven's Wellington's Victory Op. 91.

            The musical evening will follow a daylong symposium, Beyond the Battle, which will explore life in Bladensburg and Prince George's County in the years surrounding the Battle of Bladensburg which was fought in August of 1814.

            Topics will cover African American Life, Archeology, Inns, Taverns, Spas and Mills, Music, Horticulture and Agriculture. The program will be held at the University campus in College Park. 

Prince George's County High School Musicians Shine in Concert with the Philharmonic, Saturday February 15, 2014

            On February 15, 2014, the Prince George's Philharmonic offered up yet another musical evening. The brilliant performance by the orchestra and its Prince George's County student collaborators was artfully set off by the moonlit snowy landscapes that glittered in the cold of the night outside.   The Philharmonic offers so much to the community; its "side-by-side" concerts which include a dozen or more of the best student musicians in the County, is but one of the many exciting reasons to attend.

            The evening's performance consisted of musical works by two German composers, Brahms and Humperdinck, and two Russian composers, Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov. The pairing of the two Germanic composers with the two Russians offered the audience an opportunity to hear the difference between the two 19^th-century compositional styles.  In the capable hands of Maestro Charles Ellis, Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture, and Humperdinck’s suite from his opera, Hansel and Gretel, permitted the audience to hear the solid grandeur and rich, sometimes even lush, musical textures of German Romanticism.  In contrast, Tchaikovsky's Variations on a Rococo Theme and Rimsky-Korsakov's suite from his opera, Le Coq 'd'Or, brilliantly highlighted the dance of instrumental colors built on a musical framework that allowed "light" to filter in amongst the layers of sound - a filigree of timbres and textures.

            The Prince George's Philharmonic began its February concert with music by Brahms in a collaborative performance with some of the best musicians in the County high schools. Each year the Philharmonic invites student musicians to perform a piece together with the regular members of the orchestra. The Academic Overture of Brahms was written to commemorate his receiving of an honorary in music however late in life. The use of college drinking songs as a source of thematic material perhaps went unnoticed by the parents in the audience.

            The students, listed below, fit right in with their orchestral collaborators. The enlarged orchestra enhanced the lush layers of music that reached out and wrapped the listeners in the warmth of Germanic Romanticism. Right at the beginning of the overture, there was the briefest hint of entrance attacks that were not on target, but almost immediately this passed and the Brahms marched on to a rousing and grand finale. The string section with its student partners produced a rich, chocolately sound appropriate for the holiday just past. The percussion and brass sections kept the quick and lively pace moving, enticing the listener to conduct from his seat enthusiastically. The woodwinds provided the tonal filling between the musical layers that hold the composition together thereby creating a memorable performance of which the students and Prince George's  County should be proud.

1st VIOLIN	FLUTE
Kayla Carlyle - Suitland High School	Tesiya Franklin – Eleanor Roosevelt High School
Victor Baules - Eleanor Roosevelt High School
Camille Jones  - Bowie High School	OBOE
	David Dogan – Oxon Hill High School
2nd VIOLIN
Vijay Golla – Eleanor Roosevelt High School	BASSOON
Perry Gordon – Eleanor Roosevelt High School	Justin Hosten – Bowie High School
Cecilia Staggers – Eleanor Roosevelt High School
Rosetta Irons – Eleanor Roosevelt High School	HORN
Anthony Thornton – Suitland High School	Bree Johnson – Oxon Hill High School
VIOLA	TRUMPET
Stephan Gardner – Bowie High School	Andrew Skinner – Eleanor Roosevelt High School
Ucee Nwachul - Suitland High School
	TROMBONE
	Jan Knutson – Eleanor Roosevelt High School
CELLO
Janae DuBois - Suitland High School	TUBA
Justine Josey - Oxon Hill High School	Josiahh Herrerz – Oxon Hill High School
Krysta Hyppolite - Bowie High School
	PERCUSSION
BASS	Wesley Collins-Arms – Eleanor Roosevelt High School
Gene Alestock - Northwestern High School
Xavier Eubanks – Suitland High School	CLARINET
	Matthew Spooner -  Eleanor Roosevelt High School

            The second composition on the program was Tchaikovsky's  Variations on a Rococo Theme, in effect a concerto for solo cello. Michael Mermagen, an associate professor of cello and chamber music at The Catholic University of America, demonstrated his mastery of the instrument, his love of the music, and his artistic understanding of the seemingly sometimes simple but always complex composition that is Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations. The Philharmonic was a perfect partner for the evening's partnership, for it always provided a musical framework in which the guest artist could soar. A curious phenomenon of time distortion that can arise when a performance is at the highest level appeared for me in the penultimate variation and stretched into the beginning of the final variation. 

            After the break, the orchestra settled in to a performance of the famous music from the opera, Hansel and Gretel. The well-known prayer for 14 angels again played with my sense of time as I began to be transported into musical realms - losing all track of time. But, when the angels should have appeared at the beginning of the third section of the Humperdinck suite, something went amiss in the strings. The rich, creamy texture that I’ve come to expect in this concert season abruptly disappeared, and the, shall we say, old strings, reappeared, replete with intonation and occasional missed attacks. I should be quick to note that in general this was not immediately apparent to the greater number of the audience who were distinctly moved by the performance as a whole.

            The final suite by the great Russian composer and naval captain, Rimsky-Korsakov, demonstrated Maestro Ellis’ ability to bring out the textures, timbres and colors of the individual sections and instruments in the orchestra while at the same time keeping the whole of the composition together. The eerie "Orientalism" and exotic sounds of a mythical east shimmered throughout the performance. The performance of the Golden Cockerel suite demonstrated once again Mr. Ellis’ artistic mastery and his productive partnership with the masterfully musical members of the orchestra.  Rimsky-Korsakov’s impact on symphonic orchestration shone forth in this late Romantic composition. One could hear the lessons learned from Rimsky-Korsakov by 20^th-century film score composers. By the final section of the Rimsky-Korsakov suite the intonation and attack challenges had been subsumed by the power of late compositional Romanticism.

            All I can say is you should've been here; you should've heard the student performance; you should be making plans to attend the next concert in March.  An all-Mozart affair, it will be performed at Suitland High School at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 22, and again at the Bowie Center for the Performing Arts at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 23.   Mr. Ellis, the Philharmonic, and the Suitland High School Chorus will be joined by four alumni soloists in a performance of Mozart's Requiem. And, as a bonus, the concert will start with Mozart's Symphony No. 29 in A Major.

           

            

Concert this Sat. Feb 15. 2014 - QuarterNotes News and Events of the Prince George's Philharmonic February 2014

QuarterNotes

News and Events of the Prince George's Philharmonic

February 2014 

Greetings!


The third concert of the 2013-2014 season of the Prince George's Philharmonic is set to take place Saturday, February 15, 2014 at 8:00 pm at The Bowie Center for the Performing Arts, Bowie Maryland. Click here for directions.

The first half of the program will feature our annual side-by-side performance with talented students from Prince George's County Public Schools. The students will play along side Philharmonic members in a performance of the Academic Festival Overture by Johannes Brahms. Also featured on the program is cellist Michael Mermagen. He will join the Philharmonic in a performance of Tchaikovsky's Variations on a Rococo Theme. The second half of the program will feature selections from operas by Humperdinck (Hansel and Gretel) and by Rimsky-Korsakov (The Golden Cockerel).

Join us for a "meet-and-greet" with cellist Michael Mermagen and maestro Ellis after the concert.

The concert will last approximately one hour and forty-five minutes and have one fifteen minute intermission after the Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations.

Admission is FREE for those 18 years old and younger (ticket required). Tickets for general admission are $20 and $18 for seniors (62 and over). Tickets will be available at the door (cash or check only) on the night of the concert.

Season subscriptions are now available at a prorated price. Buy a subscription and save thirty percent or more off of single ticket prices. Be sure to choose tickets for either the Saturday, March 22, 2014 (8 pm) concert at Suitland High School OR the Sunday, March 23, 2014 (3 pm) concert at the Bowie Center.

Sincerely,


Brenton Benfield
Executive Director
301-446-3245

Prince George's County Philharmonic and Madelyn Wanner Make Musical Magic - Review November 23rd, 2013 Performance

Madelyn Wanner, mezzo-soprano

Saturday, November 23, 2013  Bowie Center for the Performing Arts, Bowie, MD

Charles Ellis, conductor – Madelyn Wanner, mezzo-soprano

Stravinsky                 Pulcinella Suite

Mahler                     Songs of a Wayfarer

Mozart                     Symphony No. 41 in C Major, K. 551

Last night's concert by the Prince George's County Philharmonic consisted of three works, two of which are on my personal top ten list, Stravinsky's Pulcinella and Mozart's great final symphony, the Jupiter. That is not to slight by any means, the early work of the great conductor-composer Gustav Mahler. 

The concert featured an absolutely wonderful artist, Madelyn Wanner. Her musical abilities were showcased by the low-voiced orchestral song cycle, Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen of Mahler.  Known in English as the 'Songs of a Wayfarer', this setting of  four texts by the composer often reminds me of the German Sturm und Drang movement so well captured in literature by Goethe's Die Leiden des jungen Werthers (The Sorrows of Young Werther). This is to say that Mahler can be both 'classical' heavy and exhilarating at the same time. Mezzo-soprano Madelyn Wanner who has performed in scenes from Hansel and Gretel with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra rose to the challenge with her moving renditions of the four movements' texts.

Her performance was supported and highlighted by the orchestra creating an exciting ensemble performance.  Ms. Wanner's voice shone forth supported by the orchestra, and at times became one with the Philharmonic when the scoring demanded it. I still can hear the moment in the second movement when the soloist first joined the instruments.  At that instance, I thought there was an entire choir present, so well did her great controlled and yet expansive voice and the orchestra’s musicianship blend in seamlessly. The magical effect which at once demonstrated the high level of technical musicianship and artistry of Ms. Wanner and the Philharmonic was, in no small part, due to Mahler's extraordinary command of orchestration. 

The skilled partnership of the orchestra and Ms. Wanner, for me, was extraordinary. I know this piece of music as a pianist, and am aware of how easily the complex sonorities of the instrumental parts could become only an accompaniment rather than a true ensemble performance. That both the orchestra and Ms. Wanner could soar musically together once more shows the unquestioned musicianship and artistic command of the conductor, Mr. Ellis.

The second half of the concert was devoted to Mozart and one of the pinnacles of western music, Symphony No. 41 in C Major, K. 551. The Philharmonic literally pulled out all the stops - when it came to the brass section. When my knowledge of the score called for ringing sonorities, the brass section met all expectations. There were moments, throughout when I personally would have liked a little tempering, but this was minor and a matter of interpretation, for the brass and the conductor were one last night.

I also took notice of the string section from the very start of the concert. Having reviewed now for several seasons, I can now say the strings have some alive. They are a section of the orchestra that can hold its own even when their colleagues in the brass are sounding brilliant, the new improved string section is a delight. Now at last the clarion calls of the brass section have met their match and formed a partnership with the strings.

This is in no way to leave out the woodwinds, the mainstay and backbone of the Prince George's County Philharmonic since I have begun attending.  Effortlessly, the oboe sings, the clarinets, flutes and bassoons brilliantly rise like comets across the musical sky when composers call for their almost human voices in solo parts. Last night also showed the technical proficiencies and masteries of the unsung heroes of any orchestra - the percussion section that 'quietly' drives the whole ensemble along.

I do note that there were a few entry challenges in the first movement, second theme, of the Mozart, but this in no way detracted from the overall effect. The second movement was sublime, the third appropriately anticipatory and the final movement with its great double fugue an outstanding, vibrant and moving finale to the night. It is hard to believe that this was the Philharmonic's premiere of the great symphony; it should not be the last.

And so I arrive at the first piece on the program.  I am particularly fond of this work, for I once learned the piano and violin arrangement of the suite, and while doing so as part of a music theory class, spent a semester understanding how Stravinsky pulled it off.  As a composer I am still trying 30 years later to understand the genius of this piece of music. I say this because while the individual sections and solo performances met for the most part critical examination, in other words they met my personal expectations and bias, something was missing.  I did not hear the thrill that still is with me even when I sit down alone and play through parts of the score.  The performance did not hang together for reasons I cannot quite put my finger on. Yes there were a few metric missteps, but not enough to cause me to assign these technical challenges. Mr. Ellis' tempos were what I expected so that was not the problem.  The soul of the piece was missing.  Perhaps that is because I am too close to the music, for the audience was so enamored they started clapping right after the end of the very first movement. My sense is that the audience thought this a brilliantly performed start to an even more spectacular evening. 

As I say after each performance, the Prince George's Philharmonic is hidden gem in a crown of hidden-in -plain-sight resources in Prince George's County. The performance last night was well attended, but there are 900,000 residents in Prince George's most of whom missed this chance to hear and enjoy yet another brilliant concert right here in Prince George's County.

From the Prince George's Philharmonic by permission:  "QuarterNotes" News and Events of the Prince George's Philharmonic for  November 2013

 Guest Artist Interview with Madelyn Wanner 

by Susan Pearl

Quarter Notes: Thank you, Ms. Wanner, for taking the time to talk to me. We very much look forward to performing the Mahler "Songs of a Wayfarer" with you at our November 23 concert. Could you start by telling a little bit about your background and training?

Madelyn Wanner: I did my undergraduate work in vocal performance at Peabody in Baltimore, and then completed my Master of Arts degree at the University of Maryland School of Music where I studied with mezzo-soprano Delores Ziegler.

  

QN: Are you from the Baltimore area?

  

MW: No, I come from the Lancaster, Pennsylvania, area - from a town, New Holland, which has the second oldest concert band in the United States! I used to play the flute in that band, but now I occasionally go back to New Holland to sing patriotic music with them.

  

QN: That sounds like great fun! But I suspect that most of your singing is not with concert bands.

  

MW: That's right. I enjoy singing opera, and have recently performed in Die Fledermaus, Carmen, and La Clemenza de Tito. I think it is important to sing both opera and art songs, and I am glad to be doing these Mahler songs.

  

QN: And how did you make connections with our Maestro Ellis and the Prince George's Philharmonic?

MW: When Maestro Ellis was planning this season, and looking for a mezzo, he asked my teacher, Delores Ziegler, and she recommended me. [Delores Ziegler sang the Beethoven Ninth Symphony with the Prince George's Philharmonic in April 2005.] I've been out of school only a few years, and I am very happy to be performing with the Philharmonic.

QN: And we are delighted to be performing with you, and especially doing the Mahler! Just last spring we performed Mahler's First Symphony, in which Mahler used some of the themes from these songs, so for us it is a wonderful return to this exquisite music. Please tell us some of your experience with these Mahler songs, and your feelings about them.

  

MW: They are indeed wonderful songs! I sang the first two songs when I was a 19-year-old undergraduate. My teacher at the time told me that life experience is needed to really perform these pieces. At the time I was most concerned with figuring out how to sing, so I didn't give her comment too much thought. When I started preparing them again for this concert, I finally understood what she meant. It has been interesting for me to look at these pieces from a new perspective. They are amazing songs, and I am excited to be performing them!

  

QN: And we very much look forward to performing them with you on November 23. Thank you so much!

Mozart to Mahler with Michael Mizrahi - The Final Concert of the Prince George's Philharmonic 2012-2013 Season

Michael Mizrahi
Photo by Andrew Chiciak

               Last night at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center in College Park, Maryland, the Prince George's Philharmonic ended its 2012 - 2013 season at the top of one of the highest mountains of western music. The two masterpieces are bookends of the Romantic tradition. Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 24 in C Minor, K. 491 foreshadows the heart of romanticism while Mahler's Symphony No. 1 in D Major, the Titan, gathers all of the soul of the Romantic Era of western music in one giant structure summing up all that has come since Mozart and setting the stage for the 20th century's musical offerings.

               Michael Mizrahi was the soloist for the Mozart Concerto. Mr. Mizrahi received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia, where his concentrations were in music, religion and physics. He holds, in addition, master’s and doctoral degrees from the Yale School of Music. Mr. Mizrahi's command of the piano is artful, brilliant, informed, and virtuosic. All of these masterful qualities brought out the very essence of the concerto form. The derivation of the word concerto is open to many theories, one of which is highlighted by Mr. Mizrahi's and Mr. Ellis' collaboratively nuanced interpretation.

               The word concerto may  have arisen from the mixing of two Latin words conserere (meaning to tie, to join, to weave) and certamen (competition, fight). The idea, brilliantly executed by the two Maestri along with the classical sized orchestra, is a piece of music, concerto, in two parts with the soloist and the orchestra alternating episodes of opposition, large scale counterpoint, cooperation, and independence in the recreation of a great conjoined symphonic fusion.

               Mr. Mizrahi was able to switch from a concertante collaborator to a spotlighted fiery soloist in an impossibly brief blink of an eye. One moment he was in complete partnership with the wonderful woodwinds, the next producing waves of sound from pulsating scales that can only come from a master of the pianoforte. This extraordinary ability to switch seamlessly between roles demonstrated the true place of the cadenza, a small piece of improvisation most times obscured, but not this time. From the exploration of emotion in the 1st movement's cadenza to the brief paraphrase of Beethoven homage to this piece in the third movement's cadenza, Mr. Mizrahi was in control.

               The conductor, Mr. Ellis, continued his skillful ability to bring out the various sections of the Philharmonic treating them as soloists in their own right; in the Mozart they surely sparkled in a glittering, stellar performance. With some minor tempo bumps that did nothing to subtract from the overall performance, the orchestra demonstrated is proficiency, skill and art. I am still absorbing the performance having come to the concert with my usual baggage of 40 plus years of expectations based on previous renditions. I was delighted to be treated to a performance de novo that served to reacquaint me with the music as if for the first time - a rare treat in deed.

               After intermission it was time to tackle a peak in the summit of symphonic music. If this was your first hearing, the experience could give you a sense of vertigo. From the drone reminiscent in Beethoven's great 9th Symphony opening, to the sonic tsunami of the ending an hour later, you are swept along through a musical process of creation made audible, sensible, and metaphorically visible. There are no words to describe listening to this music, because it is felt in the soul not circumscribed in the mind. You do not so much understand the music as stand under the emotional weight of it.

               The titanic symphony of Mahler became last night a grand concerto concertante in the sense that I described above.  The Prince George's Philharmonic and its conductor, Mr. Ellis, were all at once soloists and partners in a great endeavor that required every bit of skill and artistry they could muster.  And they did.

               The heroic strings finished the season at the top. The woodwinds gave their all and the brass shook their fists at the gods themselves. And lest we forget, the percussionists' determination and proficiency capped the performance.  How does one even begin to write a review of such a performance? The answer is recognition of the talents, skill, understanding, competency, and mastery of his instrument, the orchestra. Mr. Ellis achieves excellence in performance by in part showcasing the artistry of his orchestra allowing them to shine, and in doing so creates masterful performances. He deserves the accolades due a soloist last night.

               If you heard the concert you were rewarded spectacularly beyond all reason and expectation. I only wish more Prince Georgians could hear the orchestra and fill the seats. How is it that we complain so much about what we do not have and give so little to what we do? The arts are a crucial, critical, integral part of a calculus of quality of life, a community without art is not alive.  If this county truly wishes to be more than just a place to survive, it must reach out and support all the arts, for art defines who we are and who we want to be.

               See you at the Prince George's Philharmonic this fall

Saturday, April 6th, 2013, the Prince George's Philharmonic treated its audience to a splendid concert

               

Gabriel Cabezas, soloist
Sphinx's 2012 Isaac Stern Award

                 On Saturday, April 6th, 2013, the Prince George's Philharmonic treated its audience to a symphonic evening at the Bowie Center for the Performing Arts, here in Prince George's County, Maryland.

               The orchestra was led by guest conductor, Anthony D. Elliott, Professor of Cello, and Conductor of the Michigan Youth Symphony Orchestra at the University of Michigan.  Mr. Elliott last performed with the Philharmonic on March 31st, 2012 in an "extraordinary rendition" of the Prokofiev Sinfonia Concertante for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 125. [Review: Prince Georgian April 1, 2012]

               This time Maestro Elliott lent his formidable musical talents in support of an amazing young soloist, Gabriel Cabezas, in a performance of one of the great cello concerti, the Saint-Saëns  Concerto for Cello No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 33. At twenty, Mr. Cabezas is the winner of the 15th annual Sphinx Competition, and Sphinx's 2012 Isaac Stern Award. As soloist, he has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, the National Symphony of Costa Rica, the Pittsburgh Symphony, the New World Symphony, and the Nashville Symphony. His technical proficiency and musicianship was partnered with the Philharmonic's demonstrated musical ability to showcase and not overwhelm guest soloists. The brilliance of Mr. Cabezas' playing electrified the audience.

Anthony Elliott
Conductor and Cellist

               At the end of the performance, the audience was treated to a very special unannounced performance of the Sonata for Two Cellos in G Major by Jean-Baptiste Barrière (1707 – 1747). With two masters of the instrument playing together the result was magical.  I asked Mr. Ellis about the tonal qualities of the two instruments and he kindly explained to me that Mr. Cabezas played a very good 80 year old American made cello, while Mr. Elliott's instrument was made in Italy in 1703.  

               After intermission, Mr. Elliott conducted the Brahms Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 73. Sometimes referred to as the 'Pastoral' Symphony because of perceived hints of the famous Beethoven's Sixth, and accordingly most times performed with that reference in mind, this time Mr. Elliott brought out what Brahms wrote about his work: that it is "...so melancholy that you will not be able to bear it. I have never written anything so sad, and the score must come out in mourning." The emotional content of music was writ large in Mr. Elliott's performance and the Philharmonic rose to the occasion.

               Mr. Elliott was able to fuse the strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion into a personal tonal statement that supported his interpretation. This fusion of the parts into a whole is distinct from Mr. Ellis, who produces a musical parfait of layered distinct sounds, crystallized in a glittering sound. The Philharmonic's ability to respond to two distinct conducting styles and interpretations is a sign of their splendid professional abilities.

               The evening started with a performance of Roussel's  Bacchus et Ariane, Suite No. 2, Op. 43. I was delighted that Maestro Elliott kept the Prince George's Philharmonic tradition of a musical preview and explanation (with the orchestra playing musical motifs of significance) to help the audience understand what they were about to hear. Mr. Elliott began the night with a wonderful spirited performance.

               The Prince George's Philharmonic continues to dazzle; you really need to come and listen to this first-rate ensemble, a county treasure.

Saturday, May 11, 2013 - 8:00pm

Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, College Park, MD

Charles Ellis, conductor - Michael Mizrahi, piano

Mozart                      Piano Concerto No. 24 in C Minor, K. 491

Mahler                      Symphony No. 1 in D Major (Titan)

Tickets for the Clarice Smith Center are included with a season subscription. Single tickets will be available through the Clarice Smith Center box office only. Click here to purchase tickets for this concert online.

Prince George's Philharmonic collaborates with County Highschool Students and with Peter Minkler, viola

               Once more the Prince George's Philharmonic rose to the occasion delivering a wide ranging musical performance last night in the Prince George’s Community College, Largo, Maryland, Fine Arts Building. The participation of Prince George's County students in a side by side performance of George Enescu's Rumanian Rhapsodie No. 1 in A Major, Op.11 showcased both individual musicianship and the conductor's, Mr. Ellis', command of the music.

               The students who played alongside the orchestra in a performance of Enescu's youthful work were:

First violin

               Melia Humphrey                                       Suitland High School

               Kayla Carlyle                                            Suitland High School

               Gabrielle Rogers                                       Suitland High School

               Victor Baules                                            Eleanor Roosevelt High School

Second violin

               Taisha Stewart                                         Suitland High School

               Dominique Marshall                                  Eleanor Roosevelt High School

               Rose Pierce                                             Eleanor Roosevelt High School

               Oliver Meade                                           Eleanor Roosevelt High School

Cello

               Krista Hyppolite                                       No school indicated on program

               Megan Lewis                                           Northwestern High School  

Bass

               Ryan McDonald                                       Suitland High School

               Alfred Walfall                                          Eleanor Roosevelt High School

Flute

               Katherine Skinner                                    Eleanor Roosevelt High School

Oboe

               Arianna Copper                                       Eleanor Roosevelt High School

Clarinet

               Elizabeth Driver                                      Suitland High School

Bassoon

               Catherine Silver                                      Suitland High School

Horn

               Elliott Tapscott                                       Eleanor Roosevelt High School

Trumpet

               Jacob Miller                                           Eleanor Roosevelt High School

Trombone

               Jan Knutsen                                           Eleanor Roosevelt High School

Tuba

               Josiah Herrera                                        Oxon Hill High School

Percussion

               Emily Boluda                                          Eleanor Roosevelt High School

               Andrew Johnson                                    Eleanor Roosevelt High School

               The Rumanian Rhapsodie was completed on 14 August 1901, when Enescu was still only 19 years old and, so, is an appropriate programmatic choice and compliment to the skills and proficiency of our county's young people. The collaboration of the orchestra with Prince George's County's finest was heard by an almost well attended audience. One can only hope that you were there to hear the exciting dance rhythms of the glittering composition. The attacks were clear and as usual, Mr. Ellis found a way to highlight not only the solo parts at the beginning, but all of the enticing musical combinations that make up the swirling folks dance melodies of composition. From the beckoning simplicity of the opening clarinet to the fire of the end, the musical partnership made all us proud of our students and, for a moment, feel like Romanians.

               The concert started with another tipping-of-the-hat to student musicians with a world premiere performance of an orchestral work by Prince George's County's own Christopher Urquiaga, who was graduated in 2009 from my own alma mater, High Point High School in Beltsville.[1] Mr. Urquiaga's original composition, “Dance in 5” went by so fast that I was left wanting more. I hope we can hear an extended work by Mr. Urquiaga in the near future. Perhaps one of our county businesses might consider commissioning a piece by him as part of the bicentennial commemoration of Prince George's County's role in the War of 1812.

               The concert program was so filled with great music and performances that it is impossible to focus on one main part of the evening. In addition to the student partnering performances, the Prince George's Philharmonic collaborated with Peter Minkler, violist.[2]  At a preconcert dinner where I speak about the concert program I was asked about the viola. As we enjoyed a home-made treat of orange slices dipped in chocolate, it occurred to me that listening to a viola is akin to the pleasure found in the finest rich milk-chocolate treats. This analogy only begins to hint at the expressive all-enveloping music that Mr. Minkler brings forth when he plays his viola. His performance of the Romance for Viola and Orchestra in F Maj. Op. 85 by Max Bruch was exquisite. The orchestra was perfectly paired and supportive of the rich tones and melodic lines that wrapped us in a cocoon of musical velvet.  The sweeping main melody in all of its guises is still playing in my head this morning.

               Peter Minkler and the orchestra finished the night with Hector Berlioz's second symphony, Harold en Italie, Symphonie en quatre parties avec un alto principal (Harold in Italy, Symphony in Four Parts with Viola Obbligato), Op. 16, written in 1834. I have to say that I am drawn to the works of Berlioz for their technical brilliance, and, in the interest of noting my biases, not so drawn to their actualization in performance, his Symphonie fantastique, excepted.[3] That said Mr. Minkler soared last night bringing his technical proficiency and his artistic mastery to bear on this musical pilgrimage. The Prince George's Philharmonic worked its magic well allowing the viola to shine and ride above the orchestra in a true partnership that wonderfully framed the soloist abilities and command of the music. Mr. Ellis demonstrated his keen attention to showing off the abilities of his musicians as well as shepherding the ensemble through musical adventures. Given my musical bias towards this piece, I was much taken with the performance and still in awe of Mr. Minkler's artistry and command of instrument, the oft-times overlooked viola. If you get a chance to hear Mr. Minkler perform, you need to grab it.[4]

               After each concert, I continue to grow in my admiration for the level of musicianship and artistry we have right here in Prince George's County. And I continue to be amazed how few people have any idea what we have. You really need to come and hear for yourself what Prince George's County has to offer.

               The next opportunity is:

Saturday, April 6, 2013 - 8:00pm

Bowie Center for the Performing Arts, Bowie, MD

Anthony Elliott, guest conductor

Gabriel Cabezas, cello, Sphinx Competition Winner

Roussel                      Bacchus et Ariane, Suite No. 2, Op. 43

Saint-Saëns               Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 33

Brahms                      Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 73

Single Ticket General Admission: $20, Seniors: $18, Age 18 and under free (ticket required). Single Tickets go on sale the night of the concert beginning at 7 pm, cash or check only. Tickets can be purchased in advance, by check. Please click here for the Single Ticket mail-in order form. All seating is unreserved. Free Parking.

http://www.pgphilharmonic.org/

                

---

[1] Virginia Terhune. 2013. "Former Beltsville student blends Latin, rock and classical influences in orchestral piece Orchestra debuts work by High Point High grad Saturday in Largo." Gazette.Net [accessed February 10, 2013.  http://www.gazette.net/article/20130207/ENTERTAINMENT/130209348/1025/former-beltsville-student-blends-latin-rock-and-classical-influences&template=gazette

[2] Peter Minkler, Baker Artist Awards. http://www.bakerartistawards.org/users/view/peterminkler/

[3] For me personally listening to this piece always reminds me of reading Proust's À la recherche du temps perdu while listening to Ravel's Bolero

[4] Susan Pearl. 2013. Interview with Peter Minkler soloist with Pri Geo's Philharmonic Sat Feb 9th. The PrinceGeorgian. http://princegeorgian.blogspot.com/2013/02/interview-with-peter-minkler-soloist.html