A Busy Fall
Sorry to be off the site recently, but the months from May to now have flown by with concerts, family, and other work!
In May, I celebrated my 20th full season as Concertmaster of the Harrisburg Symphony with performances of Brahms violin concerto. What a completely satisfying piece to collaborate on with my colleagues there. I had hoped for a little time off to chase trout afterwards but got an unexpected call from the personel director of the National Arts Center Orchestra,
who invited me at the request of Pinchas Zukerman to come up and lead second violins for a week of rehearsals/performances up there. What a pleasure it was to see how Mr. Zukerman works with an orchestra and to see so many old friends. We played Beethoven 9 and a world premiere by Malcom Forsythe , who was present for the concerts, but sadly passed shortly after.
July saw the return of the West Branch International Music Festival, where my dear and distinguished colleagues and I gave three concerts with programs featuring everything from lesser known duos and sonatas to quintets of Brahms and piano quartets by Schumann. Rohan De Silva joined me the second week for a recital- a reunion of sorts, as we last played together in 2001 at the Whitaker Center, if memory serves. He is always a pleasure to work with and Mozart 454, Beethoven 7, and a stack of showpieces were right up his alley!
After symphony work in September/October, I joined my friend Greg Woodbridge ( recently appointed assistant conductor at HSO and conductor of HYSO) down in York PA for a performance of Lalo Symphony Espagnole with the wonderful York Youth Symphony, a very gifted group of young players. Next day I packed feverishly and flew to Copenhagen, where I had a day off before beginning rehearsals with the Randers Chamber Orchestra on Vivaldi/Piazzolla Seasons. ( I played and conducted three concerts with them between Nov. 29th and Dec. 3) Some time before this trip, Den Eksklusiv Selskabsklub (DES) had contacted me with the wonderful news that they had selected me to receive the 2011 Culteral Prize in Copenhagen, immediately after my subscription debuts with Randers, so I returned to Copenhagen the morning of the 4th, tired but satisfied and on a mission to find foie gras with DES Chair France de Krassilnikof, before the ceremony on the 5th. But a sudden change moved the prize ceremony to the 4th, so France and I had to wait a day for the duck livers!! I finally returned home on the 6th of December, in time for HSO Christmas shows and the Nutcracker, followed by one of the most intense Holiday breaks ever, with last minute frantic shopping, drama, and all the joy that comes with it! Needless to say, all that caught up with me and the flu hit like a ton of bricks- NOT FUN!!!
Fast forward, January saw me joining the faculty at York College, where I now have 6 students and will accept 5 or 6 more. Masterworks 3 and Pops 2 concerts are under the belt, and we soon head into rehearsals for Bartok Divertimento ( an amazing work for strings) and Beethoven 5th Symphony, plus a concert piece for 4 horns by Schumann. Meanwhile, some other exciting news is on the horizon, with upcoming projects and concerts, so stay tuned! I wish you all the best !
Hugs,
Odin