A Walden School student in Dublin strikes all the right notes
2011 Walden student Tyson Laa Deng and Walden itself were profiled in the New Hampshire Sentinel Source.
The Walden School Takes the Prize
The San Francisco Classical Voice reported on Walden’s status as a finalist for the 2011 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award.
The Walden School Announces 2011 Concert Series
DUBLIN, NH — Every year since 1973, The Walden School has offered free public concerts that have drawn enthusiastic audiences of music lovers to its New England venues. The popular Concert Series returns for 2011 with an eight-week season across the Monadnock Region of NH and in Northampton, MA.
All concerts are free, unless otherwise noted.
The 2011 season offers stellar musicians representing diverse genres and musical styles, all presenting ambitious programs with music ranging from the English Renaissance, Bach, Mozart, Stravinsky, and Xenakis, to contemporary works by John Adams, Mario Diaz de de León, Caroline Mallonée, Sam Pluta, and Kaija Saariaho, among many others.
Audience members can also be the first on the block to hear the composers of tomorrow with performances of world premieres written by participants in The Walden School’s Young Musicians Program and by participants of an exciting new offering, the Creative Musicians Retreat. The Retreat is designed for adult musicians seeking to invigorate their musical training, participate in a rich and diverse musical community, and engage in creative music making. Visit www.waldenschool.org/retreat to learn more. “The Walden School is thrilled to offer exciting and compelling musical events for our community in the Monadnock Region of New Hampshire and now, in Northampton, Massachusetts,” explains Seth Brenzel, executive director of The Walden School. “Not only are we presenting incredible artists from a wide range of musical backgrounds who work in a variety of styles, we are collaborating with terrific partner organizations: the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music, the Firebird Ensemble, the Monadnock Folklore Society, Monadnock Music, and the St. Catharine’s Choir of Cambridge University.”
The Boston-based Firebird Ensemble will be in residence in New Hampshire from July 4-13. Kate Vincent, Firebird Ensemble director, says, “This exciting residency in New Hampshire is a collaboration between Firebird Ensemble, The Walden School, and Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music. During this period, we will offer a public performance on July 8 at The Walden School (featuring eight world premieres by Walden faculty composers) and four outreach presentations at different community venues in New Hampshire. Our residency will also showcase a joint performance on July 12 at the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music with Apple Hill students premiering three new works
written by Walden student composers.”
Vincent adds, “We are delighted to be part of this multi-faceted and incredibly vibrant
collaboration with The Walden School and Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music, and
look forward to working closely with young performers and composers from all over the
country.”
Contact: Seth Brenzel
Executive Director, The Walden School
Email: sbrenzel@waldenschool.org
Telephone: (415) 648-4710 (office)
International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) to Perform Free Public Concerts at Smith College
NORTHAMPTON, MA — The Walden School of Dublin, NH, has launched a new program—the Creative Musicians Retreat—on the Smith College campus, and the Northampton community gets to reap rewards in three free public concerts in Earle Recital Hall.
The International Contemporary Ensemble, one of America’s top ensembles, will perform in all three events, and on June 15 and 17, Russell Pinkston, the Retreat’s Composer-in-Residence will moderate the Composers Forums, which are part performance and part discussion with the composer, performers and audience members. The two final evenings will feature world premieres by participants in the Creative Musicians Retreat who come from all over the United States and Canada.
SUNDAY, JUNE 12, 7:30 pm
THE INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY ENSEMBLE (ICE)
Earle Recital Hall, Smith College, Northampton, MA
The Program
Nathan Davis, “Wweet Bells” for clarinet, percussion, live electronics and cell phones
Kaija Saariaho, “Oi Kuu” for bass flute and cello
John Adams, “Road Movies” for violin and piano
Nathan Davis, “on the speaking of 100 names,” for bassoon and electronics
Intermission
Edgard Varese, “Density 21.5″ for solo flute
Iannis Xenakis, “Hunem-Iduhey” for violin and cello
Mario Diaz de León, “The Soul is the Arena” for bass clarinet and electronics
JS Bach, arr. Jacob Greenberg: Chorale TBA in a new arrangement for flute, clarinet, bassoon, violin, cello, and piano
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 7:30 pm
Creative Musicians Retreat Composers Forum
Earle Recital Hall, Smith College, Northampton, MA
Moderated by Russell Pinkston http://www.russellpinkston.com/
Works to include world premieres written by participants in the Creative Musicians Retreat, performed by members of the International Contemporary Ensemble and followed by a moderated discussion, led by Russell Pinkston
FRIDAY, JUNE 17, 7:30 pm
Creative Musicians Retreat Composers Forum
Earle Recital Hall, Smith College, Northampton, MA
Moderated by Russell Pinkston http://www.russellpinkston.com/
Works to include world premieres written by participants in the Creative Musicians Retreat, performed by members of the International Contemporary Ensemble and followed by a moderated discussion, led by Russell Pinkston.
The Northampton concerts are part of a larger 2011 Walden School Concert Series that includes 20 public concerts in Dublin and Peterborough, New Hampshire. All except one concert are free.
The Creative Musicians Retreat is designed for musicians ages 18 and older seeking to invigorate their musical training, participate in a rich and diverse musical community, and engage in creative music making through musicianship, composition, improvisation, choral singing, computer musicianship, and more.
Participants will have the opportunity to write for and work with members of the Ensemble-in-Residence, the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE). Everyone will participate in two Composers Forums, where they will hear new compositions and discuss them with the performers, composers, visiting artists, faculty and Russell Pinkston, the workshop’s Composer-in-Residence.
“Walden is a truly unique musical experience for students and teachers alike, fostering an explosively creative dialogue between composers and performers, and challenging all of us to become inventors together,” explains Claire Chase, flutist, and co-founder and executive director of the International Contemporary Ensemble.
Chase adds, “We begin with a blank page at the start of the week, and six days later we have given dozens of groundbreaking world premieres. ICE is incredibly excited to bring these new scores and new ideas to life over the course of the week in collaboration with an inspiring and singular community of artists.”
“The Creative Musicians Retreat advances The Walden School’s mission to nurture a life-long commitment to creative expression. Our newest program builds on Walden’s nearly 40 years of proven success in creative music education demonstrated by our Young Musicians and Teacher Training programs. The Creative Musicians Retreat has already attracted more than 25 participants from throughout the United States, with a variety of musical backgrounds, levels of training and ranging in age from 20-70,” states Seth Brenzel, executive director of The Walden School.
The Walden School, founded in 1972, is an acclaimed summer music school and festival offering programs that emphasize creative application, specifically through music improvisation and composition. In residence since 1983 on the beautiful campus of the Dublin School in Dublin, New Hampshire, the School provides an inspiring retreat-like
environment ideal for creative music making, with a student/faculty ration of 4 to 1. The Walden School is the successor organization to the Junior Conservatory Camp. The School’s core programs include the Young Musicians Program for musicians ages 9 to 18, the Teacher Training Institute for adult music educators and the Creative Musicians Retreat, its newest program offering for adult musicians. The School’s Concert Series showcases free public performances by renowned artists and ensembles that interact closely with students. To learn more, visit .
Contact: Seth Brenzel
Executive Director, The Walden School
sbrenzel@waldenschool.org
(415) 648-4710 (office)
June 2011 eNews: InterNetzo
Table of Contents
Message from the Executive Director
Walden Receives Grant from National Endowment for the Arts
Lexington Symphony/Walden School Commission
Concert Series Preview
Walden’s Online Auction is starting soon!
Walden goes to Smith: Creative Musicians Retreat Preview
Events roundup
Walden receives New Music Educator Award from the American Music Center
Community News and Goods
Opportunities & Organizations Listing
Now Hear This! Works by 2010 Walden Participants
Message from the Executive Director
I send you greetings from Northampton, Massachusetts, where Walden’s first-ever Creative Musicians Retreat is about to begin. The program’s faculty and staff has gathered a few days prior to the program start and are readying Lawrence House here on Green Street at Smith College. The facilities are lovely, our contacts at Smith helpful, and so far the food is really good. The music building, Sage Hall, looks like it will be a perfect place for what promises to be an exciting week. On Saturday, we will welcome 24 participants from around the world, Russell Pinkston, our composer-in-residence, along with members of ICE, who will also be in residence with us for a concert on Monday night and two composers forums. Read more about the program here.
All of us at Walden are excited that a long-held vision at Walden, to offer a “mini-Walden” program for adult musicians is coming to fruition this year. As a result and for the first time ever, Walden will serve more than 100 participants during its three programs in summer 2011. We are excited about the future possibilities of our newest offering, and we believe the Creative Musicians Retreat will be a wonderful complement to our flagship Young Musicians Program and now nearly 10-year old Teacher Training Institute program.
On June 25, 56 young musicians, ages 9-18 from across the world will descend on Dublin School’s campus for the 39th season of our flagship Young Musicians Program. They include nearly 30 students who are returning for their 2nd or 5th or 10th summer of creativity and community; they include students from Peterborough and Lithuania and India and Los Angeles; they include drummers and singers and violinists and pianists and trumpeters and harpists. We can’t wait to welcome them in just two weeks. Our faculty and staff, comprising many alumni of both our Teacher Training Institute and Young Musicians Program, are a terrific group of mostly returning team members.
On August 3, 40 music teachers from around the world will join our stellar Teacher Training Institute faculty to participate in a weeklong intensive of courses in Walden pedagogy: musicianship, choral singing, computer music, jazz, solfege and rhythms and more. This program is a unique professional development opportunity for music teachers of all kinds, and there are still openings for this summer’s retreat. I hope you will join me in spreading the word!
Throughout the summer, The Walden School, in partnership with numerous ensembles and presenters, will offer 23 concerts, Composers Forums, open rehearsals and presentation, all of which open to the public, in Northampton, Massachusetts, as well as Keene, Dublin, Peterborough and Jaffrey, New Hampshire. The 2011 Concert Seriesbegins on June 12 at Smith College with the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) and concludes on August 5 in Dublin, New Hampshire, with Dave Eggar. It is a wonderfully diverse, eclectic and exciting series, and I hope to see many of you at one or more of these events.
There is much to celebrate at Walden these days, with our School being honored with the 2011 American Music Center’s New Music Educator award, an NEA grant and our being named a finalist in the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program awards. All of these honors are built upon the incredibly hard work of Walden’s dedicated faculty, staff, board and administration. I want to offer my sincere appreciation to each of these individuals who work tirelessly during the summer and throughout the year to ensure Walden’s continued strength.
Finally, I want to draw your attention to an exciting commission opportunity for our alumni composers. The Lexington Symphony in Massachusetts has partnered with Walden in identifying an alumnus/alumna (of any of Walden’s programs!) to compose a piece in celebration of the city of Lexington’s 300th anniversary. This is a wonderful opportunity for Walden alumni who are young composers (under the age of 25). Please pass along the news.
Have a creative and musical summer! Hope to see you soon.
Seth Brenzel
Director, Young Musicians Program
Executive Director
sbrenzel@waldenschool.org
Walden Receives Grant from National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has recognized the vital importance of Walden’s Young Musician Program by awarding it a $35,000 grant. The 2011 grant marks the fourth NEA grant received by The Walden School in 10 years. The NEA is an independent agency of the federal government that advances artistic excellence, creativity and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. The Walden School is one of 229 not-for-profit national, regional, state, and local organizations recommended for a grant as part of the federal agency’s Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth grant support program, providing more than $7.4 million in funding.
In other recent news, on May 5 The Walden School was named one of 50 finalists for the 2011 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award (NYHYP) by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities and its partner agencies, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Out of 471 nominations from 48 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, Walden was named a finalist and is in contention for a $10,000 one-time grant and an invitation to attend the White House awards ceremony hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama.
Lexington Symphony/Walden School Commission Opportunity for Alumni
The Walden School has been selected by the Lexington Symphony (Massachusetts) to partner with it in selecting one of the School’s alumni to compose a new work for orchestra in celebration of the town of Lexington’s 300th Anniversary. This is a great honor, and we at Walden are excited about this exciting new collaboration. The performance of the new work, scheduled for September 2012, will also coincide with celebrations planned for Walden’s 40th Anniversary.
The Walden School invites alumni of its programs, under the age of 25 as of July 1, 2011, to apply for the commission. The selected composer will write a 10-15 minute work for orchestra (overture, tone poem, etc.) by January 1, 2012, and will receive a $1,000 commissioning prize, up to $500 reimbursed in travel and score preparation costs, a performance of the work on the Lexington Symphony’s concert season in September 2012, a professional recording of the performance of the work and opportunities to participate in the rehearsal and preparation of the work for performance. Travel to and from the performance and rehearsals will be at the expense of the selected composer, as will copying and score/parts preparation expenses.
To apply, please write to Seth Brenzel, Executive Director, The Walden School, with the following information no later than July 11, 2011:
Name:
Date of Birth:
Address / Phone / Email:
Year(s) attending The Walden School:
Walden School program(s) attended:
In addition, short answers to each of the following questions should be provided.
- Why do you want to receive this commission? How will it fit into your development as a composer?
- What are your plans for the commission? What is your intended project?
- What experiences do you have writing for orchestra and/or large chamber forces, if any?
Please include up to three (3) scores and recordings (if available) of representative works. These will NOT be returned to you. Please also include a resume or CV.
A committee of Walden faculty will select several finalists who will be recommended to the Lexington Symphony for final selection during July. We will notify all applicants of the results no later than July 31, 2011.
Concert Series Preview
Walden’s 2011 Concert Series will feature an eclectic and exciting mix of artists, including a concert of cutting edge contemporary music by the International Contemporary Ensemble, a performance and Q&A session with the acclaimed composer/performer/improvisor Pamela Z, student and faculty commissions by the fantastic Firebird Ensemble, and much more. As always, Walden’s Festival Week will see the world premieres of more than 50 new pieces by Young Musicians Program Participants, with this year’s Festival Forums moderated by composer Paul Morevec. The full concert schedule, along with more information about each performance, is available here.
Walden’s Online Auction is starting soon!
This summer, Walden is holding an Online Auction, seven weeks of musical period-themed shenanigans and community fun to support our programs. The auction will be held June 25 through August 14, 2011, with different items to bid on each week corresponding to a different musical period. We’ve got some great items already: tickets to the San Francisco Symphony; a painting by Mike Stevens; and a chance to meet Nora, the piano-playing cat!
We need many more items to make the auction fun and successful, so we hope you’ll consider donating – and soliciting – goods and services. Ask your favorite restaurant, spa, bookstore, or pottery painting studio if they ever donate gift certificates for nonprofit auctions. Or consider what you might donate yourself – a customized poem or musical composition; 3 hours of babysitting; two nights at a timeshare someplace warm? If you are interested in donating, you can use this form. We want to have all items in hand by June 15, if possible, so if you’ve got something to donate, let us know today!
In other news, Walden has been added to greatnonprofits.org, and it would be incredibly helpful if you could write a review of our organization. If you haven’t supported Walden yet this year, or if you would like to again, there are many ways to do so in the coming months: make a donation by check, make a donation by credit card by calling us at (415) 648-4710, or make a donation online at www.waldenschool.org/donate. Every gift, no matter the size, helps make Walden possible. Thank you!
Walden goes to Smith: Creative Musicians Retreat Preview
From June 11-19, Walden will present its first-ever Creative Musicians Retreat. Participants from 10 U.S. states, Japan, Portugal, Israel, and Canada will come together on the campus of Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts for an inspirational week of creative music-making. Highlights of the week’s activities will be a concert by the acclaimed International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) and two Composers Forums, during which new works by participants will be performed by members of ICE. Our composer-in-residence, Russell Pinkston, will moderate the discussions with the composers, performers, participants and audience members following each piece.
The Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR) was conceived to offer training and development opportunities for the well-rounded musician (ages 18+). Caroline Mallonée, Director of the program, has been associated continuously with the Walden School since 1987, her first year as a student in Walden’s Young Musicians Program. Carrie writes, “I am thrilled to see come to fruition several years of planning efforts on the part of the many Walden community members who supported the creation of this program. I have already been in frequent touch with each of this year’s participants as we prepare for the week’s events – they are without exception a wonderful group of diverse, talented people – and I can’t wait to see how the community develops and learns from itself over the course of the Retreat. The CMR Faculty and Staff are eagerly awaiting the chance to work with them, and I know the week will be a rewarding and inspiring experience for all involved.”
To learn more about the Creative Musicians Retreat, please visit www.waldenschool.org/retreat/. If you missed the chance to participate in this year’s retreat, look out for future summers! If you are in New England, please join us for our concerts and forums in Earle Recital Hall, which are free and open to the public:
We’d love to see you there!
Events roundup
On a sunny spring day in the lovely Baltimore home of Lucy and Jack Henningfield, more than sixty friends of Walden gathered to celebrate the School and listen to a stunning piano recital by jazz great and Walden alumnus Cyrus Chestnut. Board member and YMP alumna Laura Mehiel, along with her mother and aunt, provided delicious food, and Cyrus performed a genre-bending program including a jazzy take on Chopin, a Joplin rag, and originals. He also walked the audience through an exercise he learned from YMP teacher Cindy Harkum, who just happened to be in attendance, and incorporated the sound of the ringing house phone into one of his improvisations. Cyrus also spoke to the importance of creativity and the influence that his Walden experience had on his own music-making.
Walden and JCC alumni had another chance to meet up at two performances by PRISM Saxophone Quartet (Visiting Ensemble ’93, ’94, ’99, ’05). On June 3 and 4 in New York and Philadelphia, the group performed a program of premieres, including “The Giving Tree,” a work by Cara Haxo (YMP ’04-09), most recent winner of the annual PRISM/Walden School Young Composer Commissioning Award.
Walden receives New Music Educator Award from the American Music Center
Dear Friends of Walden,
On May 2 we traveled to New York City to stand with Seth Brenzel, Walden’s Executive Director, as he accepted the American Music Center’s 2011 New Music Education Awardon behalf of the entire Walden community. It was a proud moment for everyone involved with Walden.
For nearly 40 years The Walden School has been advancing innovative, creative, and highly effective methods to help people of all ages express themselves through original improvisation and music composition. We have helped generations of students discover, develop, and fully claim their personal creative voices. In the last ten years we have published two texts documenting our activity-based methods and thorough curriculum, and we have developed a Teacher Training Institute, which serves a broad spectrum of the music education community.
Now the word is out. Walden is taking its place on the national stage!
In August music teachers from all over the country will once again converge in Dublin, New Hampshire, to engage in an experience that is part music immersion, part professional development, part refreshing retreat. There will be young teachers, just starting their careers. There will be seasoned college professors. There will be public and private school teachers, studio teachers, and composers who primarily teach through residency programs. It is always a highly eclectic group comprising some of the most forward thinking, creative musicians in the country.
We invite you to ride the tide of creativity, enthusiasm, and recognition! Please consider the musicians and music educators whom you know. Invite them to consider our 2011 Summer Teacher Training Intensive, August 3-10, in Dublin. We are still accepting applications and would love to work with YOUR friends and colleagues.
As Seth noted in his acceptance speech in New York, The Walden School envisions a world with a higher concentration of people who approach life creatively, collaboratively, and with conviction. Artists of all kinds lead the way in such an endeavor, and Walden has long specialized in offering educational tools that empower musicians to be leaders in the quest.
The word is out. Will you help us spread it?
Sincerely,
Patricia Plude
Director, The Walden School Teacher Training Institute
Pamela Quist
Co-Founder, The Walden School
Assistant Director, The Walden School Teacher Training Institute
Community News and Goods
The Walden School welcomes news and information from members of the Junior Conservatory Camp and Walden School communities to include in our print and online newsletters. News may be sent via mail or email. We will publish your contact information only if you specifically request that we do so. Please send info to alumni@waldenschool.org or The Walden School, 31A 29th St., San Francisco, CA 94110. We reserve the right to edit submissions and regret we cannot publish all information provided. For upcoming event listings, go to www.handoverhand.org.
Deena Ball, mother of Erica Ball (Young Musicians Program ’06-07) reports new artwork, festival participation, upcoming classes and more. Read more at www.deenasball.com.
Marshall Bessières’ (Faculty ’03-11, Teacher Training Institute ’08) new piece “Winter” was premiered by Choral Chameleon on Sunday May 22nd in New York City. Marshall performed the electronics with the group live on the iPad. Read more at marshallbessieres.com/music.
The International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), directed by Claire Chase (Visiting Artist ’05-09), have a busy summer ahead of them, including a free ICElab concert at New York’s (le) Poisson Rouge featuring premieres from composer and percussionist Nathan Davis (Visiting Artist ’01-07, ’09), a residency at MCA Stage in Chicago, and two parties to benefit the ICElab program. Read more at iceorg.org.
Clogs (Visiting Artists ’03) returned to London in May for several shows celebrating Steve Reich’s 75th birthday at the Barbican Centre’s Reverberations Festival, performing with musicians including Shara Worden, Nico Muhly, Lisa Kaplan and the New London Children’s Choir. More details at clogsmusic.com.
Miranda Cuckson (Visiting Artist ’08, ’11) played several exciting concerts in May, including a performance of Perez Velasquez’s piece for violin and electronics, “Un ser con unas alas enormes”, and an appearance with her group counter)induction at Tenri Institute, featuring works using new electronics spatialization software from VRSonic. Concerts this summer include counter)induction performing at Bargemusic on June 3, and solo appearances at the Bard Festival and the quirkily named “Nono, MuchMore Warped” festival. For details, visit www.mirandacuckson.com.
Natacha Diels (Teacher Training Institute ’09) performed at the Cal Berkeley Center for New Music and Audio Technologies with Ensemble Pamplemousse on May 5. Read more about the event, and about Ensemble Pamplemousse.
Stacy Garrop (Young Musicians Program ’87-88, Faculty ’96) appeared on Cedille Records Day on WFMT 98.7 FM this month. Selections from The Book of American Poetry were performed at the DePaul Concert Hall in Chicago, and her new CD, “In Eleanor’s Words: Music of Stacy Garrop” was given a great review by critic Jay Harvey of the Indianapolis Star. Read the review here, and learn more about the cd here.
Evan Johnson (Young Musicians Program ’09-10) met 2011 Pulitzer Prize Winner Zhou Long at the Pulitzer ceremony, where Evan’s father, Mark Johnson, was also receiving a Pulitzer prize. Zhou Long and his wife Chen Yi, both composers, have long been supporters of Walden, and Zhou Long visited Walden with Chen Yi in 1997.
The Nief-Norf Summer Festival chose Caroline Mallonée (Young Musicians Program ’88-92, Teacher Training Institute ’07, Faculty ’96,’98-00,’02-’11) as a winner of its first annual call for scores. Her 2009 piece, North South East West, for four percussionists in four corners, was performed in June at Furman University in Greenville, SC. She was in residence during the festival to work with the performers. Here’s the press release.
An EP by Aimee Bayles produced by Nat Osborn (Young Musician Program ’00-03) has just been released. Nat is also finishing up a short film called “Maybe She Dies Like This” by a film-maker named Jo Henriquez , samples of which can be heard on his website, natosborn.com.
Kelli Pearson (Teacher Training Institute ’10) reports that she has a new website, www.smartfirstgraders.com, for parents, teachers, homeschoolers, grandparents, and anyone else who is helping to raise smart first graders. It has tips for helping with math and reading, learning games and activities, experiments, etc.
The PRISM Saxophone Quartet (Visiting Artists ‘05) recently presented number of concerts. First were two concerts celebrating the release of their new CD, Dedication, in Philadelphia and New York City. They followed this with two concerts of world premieres, including a work by Cara Haxo (Young Musicians Program ’04-09). Cara had a nice profile published in the Akron Beacon Journal.
Alicia Rabins’ (Young Musicians Program ’88-93) band Girls in Trouble has new tour dates up for June. This tour celebrates the release of their new album, Half You Half Me, which was released on May 17th.
Alan Shewmon (Junior Conservatory Camp ’63-69, Young Musicians Program ’72) presented a concert on May 28th featuring works by Bartók, Ginastera, Ravel and Stravinsky, including the Stravinsky-Shewmon transcription of excerpts from Pétrouchka that he performed this past winter at Walden’s San Francisco Alumni Composers Forum.
Transitions
Major Life Events in the Walden/JCC Family
The Rev. Joseph Lafayette Giles, former senior pastor of University Baptist Church and longtime Walden friend and supporter, passed away on May 2 at the Broadmead retirement community in Cockeysville, at 81. Here is a link to the Baltimore Sun obituary.
Now Hear This! Works by 2011 Walden Participants
The Walden School 2010 Young Musicians Program Festival Forums presented the world premieres of more than 50 pieces, including Lenny Kloser’s Medicine Bottle, performed by Lenny on guitar, with Sam Pluta on live electronics.
(note: depending on your operating system, this link will either open your media player and play the track, or save the track to your computer)
The Walden School Launches “Creative Musicians Retreat”
Seeking to revitalize your passion for music? Consider the Creative Musicians Retreat, newly launched by The Walden School. The premiere offering is slated for June 11-19, 2011, on the Smith College campus in Northampton, MA.
The Creative Musicians Retreat is designed for musicians ages 18 and older seeking to invigorate their musical training, participate in a rich and diverse musical community, and engage in creative music making through musicianship, composition, improvisation, choral singing, computer musicianship, and more. The program is designed to appeal to and benefit a range of participants, across a variety of age groups, skill levels and interests.
“The Creative Musicians Retreat advances The Walden School’s mission to nurture a life-long commitment to creative expression. Our newest program builds on Walden’s nearly 40 years of proven success in creative music education demonstrated by our Young Musicians and Teacher Training programs. The Creative Musicians Retreat has already attracted more than 25 participants from throughout the United States, with a variety of musical backgrounds, levels of training and ranging in age from 20-70,” states Seth Brenzel, Executive Director of The Walden School.
“While there currently exist festivals and programs for professional composers, choral singers and amateur adult musicians, the Creative Musicians Retreat combines the best aspects of these opportunities with Walden’s unique, award-winning curricular approaches to teaching the language of music, all with the goal of developing each participant’s creative expression,” Brenzel explains.
Participants will experience a variety of signature Walden musicianship materials, including acoustics, drills with intervals and triads, cycles, resolving structures, rhythms, solfège using Curwen hand signs and harmonic analysis. They will also take part in daily choral rehearsals led by acclaimed choral pedagogue Leo Wanenchak.
Faculty are drawn from Walden’s renowned Young Musicians Program and Teacher Training Institute, and offer an accomplished, diverse mix of improvisers, composers, performers and music scholars. They include Marshall Bessières, Dr. Caroline Mallonée, Dr. Loretta Notareschi, Sam Pluta and Leo Wanenchak. Program administration includes Dr. Mallonée, Program Director, and Marguerite Ladd, Director of Operations.
Participants will have the opportunity to write for and work with members of the Ensemble-in-Residence, the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE). Everyone will participate in two Composers Forums, where they will hear new compositions and discuss them with the performers, composers, visiting artists, faculty and Russell Pinkston, the workshop’s Composer-in-Residence.
“Walden is a truly unique musical experience for students and teachers alike, fostering an explosively creative dialogue between composers and performers, and challenging all of us to become inventors together,” explains Claire Chase, flutist, and co-founder and executive director of the International Contemporary Ensemble.
Chase adds, “We begin with a blank page at the start of the week, and six days later we have given dozens of groundbreaking world premieres. ICE is incredibly excited to bring these new scores and new ideas to life over the course of the week in collaboration with an inspiring and singular community of artists.”
The Creative Musicians Retreat is an exciting new offering for The Walden School and an ideal complement to its summer music programs. For almost 40 years, The Walden School has offered a curriculum that emphasizes creativity through music improvisation and composition, developed to help students of all ages find, develop and claim their creative voices. Its core programs — the Young Musicians Program for ages 9-18, the Teacher Training Institute for adult music educators — nurture musicianship through the act of composing and creating music. The more than 100 accomplished world premieres produced annually by its Young Musicians Program students are but one testament to the School’s success.
Read more about the Creative Musicians Retreat, and apply: www.waldenschool.org
Other recent news from The Walden School:
- On May 17, The Walden School received a $35,000 National Endowment for the Arts grant in support of its Young Musicians Program.
- On May 5, The Walden School was named one of 50 finalists for the 2011 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award (NYHYP). It is now in contention for a $10,000 one-time grant and an invitation to attend the White House awards ceremony hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama.
- On May 2, The Walden School received the 2011 New Music Educator Award from the American Music Center in honor of its creative philosophy and curriculum, and its contribution toward motivating and mentoring decades of successful students.
The Walden School, founded in 1972, is an acclaimed summer music school and festival offering programs that emphasize creative application, specifically through music improvisation and composition. In residence since 1983 on the beautiful campus of the Dublin School in Dublin, New Hampshire, the School provides an inspiring retreat-like environment ideal for creative music making, with a student/faculty ration of 4 to 1. The Walden School is the successor organization to the Junior Conservatory Camp. The School’s core programs include the Young Musicians Program for musicians ages 9 to 18, the Teacher Training Institute for adult music educators and the Creative Musicians Retreat, its newest program offering for adult musicians. The School’s Concert Series showcases free public performances by renowned artists and ensembles that interact closely with students. To learn more, visit www.waldenschool.org.
Contact: Seth Brenzel
Executive Director, The Walden School
Email: sbrenzel@waldenschool.org
Telephone: (415) 648-4710 (office)
The Walden School Awarded Prestigious National Endowment for the Arts Grant
$35,000 Grant Will Support School’s Composition Immersion Program
“The Walden School is one of America’s greatest hidden treasures. Though there are many music camps, there isn’t another like The Walden School with its focus on nurturing musicianship through the act of composing and creating. The Walden School’s unique curriculum nurtures the talent we need for the future of classical music – building young musicians who truly understand the power of making music from the perspective of the composer.” – Joan Tower, composer
DUBLIN, NH – Imagine 100-plus world premieres in five weeks. That’s what The Walden School’s Young Musicians Program inspires each summer, when musically inclined students, ages 9-18, arrive on the beautiful campus for rigorous and innovative daily instruction that helps students find, develop and claim their creative voices. This work culminates in the creation of at least one compositional work by each student. Each work is critiqued and performed by faculty and fellow students, and by guest artists who are among the top artists in the field, who have included The Walden School Players, the Peabody Trio and the PRISM Saxophone Quartet, among countless others. The 2011 Young Musicians Program runs June 25 – July 31. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has recognized the vital importance of this Composition Immersion Program, also know as the Young Musicians Program, by awarding it a $35,000 grant. The 2011 grant marks the fourth NEA grant received by The Walden School in 10 years. The NEA is an independent agency of the federal government that advances artistic excellence, creativity and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. The Walden School is one of 229 not-for-profit national, regional, state, and local organizations recommended for a grant as part of the federal agency’s Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth grant support program, providing more than $7.4 million in funding. The grant was announced by NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman, who states, “NEA research shows that three out of four Americans participate in the arts. The diverse, innovative and exceptional projects funded in this round will ensure that Americans around the country continue to have the opportunity to experience and participate in the arts.”
The Walden School’s Executive Director Seth Brenzel says, “The Walden School is thrilled with the grant award from the National Endowment for the Arts. Not only will the award allow us to sustain and grow our unique music immersion program for creative young musicians in 2012 and beyond, the grant helps to recognize The Walden School’s important contributions over the last 40 years to creative and innovative music education in the United States.” In other recent news regarding recognition of The Walden School: On May 2, The Walden School received the 2011 New Music Educator Award from the American Music Center in honor of its creative philosophy and curriculum, and its contribution toward motivating and mentoring decades of successful students. On May 5, The Walden School was named one of 50 finalists for the 2011 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award (NYHYP) by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities and its partner agencies, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Out of 471 nominations from 48 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, the School was named a finalist and is in contention for a $10,000 one-time grant and an invitation to attend the White House awards ceremony hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama. The Walden School, founded in 1972, is an acclaimed summer music school and festival offering programs that emphasize creative application, specifically through music improvisation and composition. In residence since 1983 on the beautiful campus of the Dublin School in Dublin, New Hampshire, the School provides an inspiring retreat-like environment ideal for creative music making, with a student/faculty ration of 4 to 1. The Walden School is the successor organization to the Junior Conservatory Camp. The School’s core programs include the Young Musicians Program for musicians ages 9 to 18, the Teacher Training Institute for music educators and the Creative Musicians Retreat for adults. The School’s Concert Series showcases free public performances by renowned artists and ensembles that interact closely with students. To learn more, visit www.waldenschool.org. The National Endowment for the Arts was established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. To date, the NEA has awarded more than $4 billion to support artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. The NEA extends its work through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector. To join the discussion on how art works, visit the NEA at www.arts.gov.
Contact: Seth Brenzel
Executive Director, The Walden School
Email: sbrenzel@waldenschool.org
Telephone: (415) 648-4710 (office)
Walden School: Winning Over Students, Winning Awards
The San Francisco Classical Voice reported on Walden’s New Music Educator Award from the American Music Center.
The Walden School Receives 2011 New Music Educator Award from American Music Center
Ceremony Set for May 2 at Chelsea Art Museum in New York City
The American Music Center (AMC), founded in 1939 by Aaron Copland and Howard Hanson, among others, offers awards each year to celebrate American music trendsetters. On May 2, The Walden School will receive the 2011 New Music Educator Award in a ceremony at the Chelsea Art Museum, 5-7 pm, for an audience of American Music Center members and guests.
AMC President and CEO Joanne Hubbard Cossa says, “The Walden School is the recipient of our New Music Educator Award, honoring their creative philosophy and curriculum, as well as their contribution toward motivating and mentoring decades of successful students.”
The New Music Educator Award, established in 2006, honors conductors, professors, lecturers, academics and others who have made important contributions in the realm of education, but might not always be well known to the rest of the new music community. Previous winners include musicologist Charles Hamm and the New World Symphony.
The Walden School’s Executive Director Seth Brenzel says, “Receiving this award from the American Music Center is both gratifying and inspiring. It recognizes the work of more than 100 dedicated music educators who have helped to develop the creative musical voices of hundreds of alumni at The Walden School, as well as alumni of its predecessor program, the Junior Conservatory Camp. It recognizes that program’s founder, Grace Newsom Cushman, for her vision, and The Walden School’s founders — Lynn Taylor Hebden, David Hogan and Pamela Layman Quist — for their incredible efforts in sustaining Mrs. Cushman’s legacy.”
Brenzel continues, “To be in the company of some of the greatest contributors to American music while receiving this public recognition is thrilling. This award inspires all of us at Walden to continue to help develop the creative voices of our current and future students. We are grateful to the American Music Center for this tremendous honor.”
Chen Yi, composer and former guest composer at The Walden School, says about the recognition, “The Walden School has had an innovative vision, a clear mission and goals since its establishment. I admire these great leaders and the hard working faculty members from the bottom of my heart. It’s their consistent effort and the generous support from the community that have made the program successful in bringing up a solid group of young composers who are making invaluable contributions to our new society during these years. Bravo to The Walden School for the 2011 American Music Center New Music Educator Award!”
Also being honored at the May 2 awards ceremony will be preeminent composer John Harbison, as well as the Copland House and So Percussion.
ABOUT THE WALDEN SCHOOL
The Walden School, founded in 1972, is a summer music festival offering programs that emphasize creative application through a comprehensive musicianship curriculum, improvisation and composition. In residence on the campus of the Dublin School, the School provides an inspiring retreat-like environment ideal for creative music making.
Walden’s Young Musicians Program provides fun and rigorous training for young musicians ages 9 to 18. The school is deliberately small, and a student to faculty ratio of 4 to 1 ensures that coursework is geared to the individual student, beginner through advanced, and that a supportive musical community is formed and nurtured. During the five-week program, students attend classes in music history, analysis, computer musicianship, jazz and other topics to complement Walden’s core curriculum of musicianship and composition. The School’s Concert Series features performances by renowned artists and ensembles that interact closely with students, including during Composers Forums where students’ creative work is presented and discussed. All students and faculty participate in chorus, which meets daily and performs a concert at the end of the session.
The Walden School offers a Teacher Training Institute that presents a weeklong summer intensive to help music educators sharpen their musicianship skills, enrich their teaching with imaginative activities, and more effectively guide the creative voices of their students. Interactive sessions with master teachers include classes in musicianship, computer music, solfege, choral singing, jazz, rhythms, and improvisation. At Walden’s Creative Musicians Retreat, adult musicians take classes, sing in chorus, compose music, and improvise. Participants are exposed to a variety of Walden musicianship materials and take classes in contemporary music topics, music history, computer music and applied skills (conducting, improvisation and more). Composition lessons and tutorials are also offered.
For more information, please visit www.waldenschool.org.
Contact: Seth Brenzel
Executive Director, The Walden School
Email: sbrenzel@waldenschool.org
Telephone: (415) 648-4710 (office)
April 2011 eNews: InterNetzo
Table of Contents
Message from the Executive Director
Walden Honored with National Music Education Award
Apply to Participate in a Walden Program (or two!)
Join jazz luminary Cyrus Chestnut and help support Walden
Event Roundup and Preview: Spring 2011
Walden Profiled in San Francisco Classical Voice
Read Walden’s 2010 Annual Report Online!
Community News and Goods
Opportunities & Organizations Listing
Now Hear This! Works by 2010 Walden Participants
Message from the Executive Director
Greetings from Baltimore, where the leadership team for Walden’s Young Musicians Program has gathered to develop this summer’s curriculum and plan for our upcoming 39th season. In addition to planning for ‘camp’, we’re in the midst of reviewing applications for our Creative Musicians Retreat to be held for the first time at Smith College in June, and for our Teacher Training Institute to be held in Dublin in August. There are still spaces available in each of our programs. I hope you’ll consider joining us and telling your friends, family and colleagues about our unique program offerings.
This issue of InterNetzo touches on many areas of interest to Walden supporters and alumni: a prestigious award bestowed on Walden by the American Music Center at an awards ceremony in New York on May 2, an exciting concert and support opportunity in Baltimore on May 1, a musical offering from one of our 2010 Composers Forums, updates from alumni, faculty and supporters, and much more.
This is an exciting time of year for all of us at Walden, as we ready our programs to welcome participants from around the world. Walden is so fortunate to have the support of hundreds of dedicated supporters who help make all of what we do possible. Without such support, we would not be able to provide any financial aid to deserving students and music teachers, or offer the rich and diverse concert series that we do. Thank you to those of you who have already made a gift to our annual fund this year. We really appreciate it. In 2010, more than 450 supporters invested in Walden and made all of it possible. Read about it here. I hope you’ll consider joining them in making 2011 our best year ever!
In next month’s InterNetzo, we will preview our Concert Series, which begins this year in Northampton with a concert by the International Contemporary Ensemble on June 12. We will also give you information about our faculty and staff, and tell you a bit about some of this year’s program participants. In the meantime, I hope that your spring is off to a great start.
Seth Brenzel
Director, Young Musicians Program
Executive Director
sbrenzel@waldenschool.org
Walden Honored with National Music Education Award
The Walden School will receive the 2011 New Music Educators Award from the American Music Center on May 2, 2011, at an awards ceremony in New York City.
The New Music Educator Award was established by the American Music Center’s Board of Directors in 2006. This award is open to conductors, professors, lecturers, academics, and others who have made important contributions in the realm of education, but might not always be well known to the rest of the new music community. Previous winners include musicologist Charles Hamm and the New World Symphony.
The Walden School is the recipient of our New Music Educator Award, honoring their creative philosophy and curriculum, as well as their contribution toward motivating and mentoring decades of successful students.”
– Joanne Hubbard Cossa, President and CEO of the
American Music Center
Also being honored at the awards ceremony will be preeminent composers William Bolcom and John Harbison, the Copland House and So Percussion, a fantastic quartet of percussionists dedicated to the performance of contemporary music. Many congratulations to everyone involved with Walden, whether since 1972 or since last month! This is a terrific acknowledgement of the great work that we all do together.
Read more about the award here.
Apply to Participate in a Walden Program (or two!)
Applications are still being accepted for each of our programs — it is certainly not too late to plan to spend part of your summer with Walden! And if you can’t attend one of Walden’s programs this summer, we hope you will tell your friends and family and colleagues about what a terrific experience they will have if they do! Limited need-based financial aid is available for all programs.
Creative Musicians Retreat – NEW!
June 11-June 19, 2011 on the campus of Smith College
For more information and to download application materials, visit: www.waldenschool.org/creative-musicians-retreat/
Any adult (18+) musician is invited to join Walden faculty, the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), and Composer-in-Residence Russell Pinkston for a weeklong workshop in musicianship, composition, choral singing, improvisation, and more! Space is limited to 25 participants.
Young Musicians Program (aka YMP)
June 25-July 31, 2011 on the campus of the Dublin School
For more information and to download application materials, visit: waldenschool.org/young-musicians-program
Join Walden’s top-notch faculty and staff for a 5-week summer music immersion experience of musicianship, composition, choral singing and many other enriching activities. Open to young musicians ages 9-18. Guest artists will include Paul Moravec, Pamela Z, Eric Huebner, and the Firebird Ensemble, among others.
Teacher Training Institute’s Developing Creative Expression (aka TTI)
August 3-August 10, 2011 on the campus of the Dublin School
For more information and to download application materials, visit: waldenschool.org/teacher-training-institute
Walden’s master teaching faculty will lead a group of 40 like-minded music educators through a professional development experience like no other, and provide pedagogy instruction in musicianship, solfege, rhythms, improvisation, composition, choral singing, computer music,and jazz musicianship. Grammy-nominated Dave Eggar will appear in concert as part of the workshop!
Please contact us if you have any questions.
Join jazz luminary Cyrus Chestnut and help support Walden
We hope you’ll join us for a musical afternoon with jazz great and Walden alumnus Cyrus Chestnut. Hailed as “the best jazz pianist of his generation” by Time Magazine, Chestnut will perform a program of standards and original works in this intimate house concert. We hope you can join us for hors d’oeuvres, drinks, conversation and spectacular music to benefit Walden.
Date: Sunday, May 1, 2011
Time: 3-5:30 p.m.
Location: A private home in Baltimore, Maryland
Please contact us for details
$100 per person suggested donation.
Smaller and larger contributions also welcome.
All donations go towards financial aid for Walden’s programs.
RSVP now by email or call (415) 648-4710.
There are still a few prime seats left!
Can’t attend, but still want to make a gift? Click below.
Your gift of any size makes it possible for creative young people and music teachers to have the experience of a lifetime at Walden. Thank you!
Event Roundup and Preview: Spring 2011
On a sunny Sunday afternoon, April 10, 2011, to be exact, over 30 Walden and JCC alumni and friends gathered for the annual New York Alumni Composers Forum at Ann Goodman Recital Hall in the Lincoln Center neighborhood of Manhattan. Works by Alex Ness (Staff ’03, Faculty ’06-08), Evie Grainger (YMP ‘09-10), Michael Johanson (YMP ’79-86, Faculty ’89, ’93, ’95-96), and Steven Jon Kaplan (YMP ’74) were performed. Bassist Rebekah Griffin Greene (TTI ’10, Faculty ’99, ’01, ’10) and her trombonist husband Terry Greene performed their own improvisation. Other performers included baritone Jefferson Packer (TTI ’10; Administration ’10-present), violinist Jane Chung (Visiting Artist ’04, ’09-10), cellist Jane Cords O’Hara (Visiting Artist ’08, ’10), and guest pianist Solon Gordon. Forum moderators Marguerite Ladd and Michael Johanson engaged the composers, performers, and audience in lively discussion about the works being presented. Afterwards, a reception at the hall flowed into a group dinner around the corner at a local restaurant, where 14 of the participants continued the conversation well into the evening.
If you missed the New York Forum for reasons of timing or geography, you’ll have another chance to meet up with other Walden and JCC alumni at two upcoming performances by PRISM Saxophone Quartet (Visiting Ensemble ’93, ’94, ’99, ’05). On June 3 and 4 in New York and Philadelphia, the group will be performing a program of premieres, including “The Giving Tree,” a work by Cara Haxo (YMP ’04-09), most recent winner of the annual PRISM/Walden School Young Composer Commissioning Award. PRISM’s programs are electrifying – outstanding works performed brilliantly by committed performers.
Click here for details and for ticket information.
Read Walden’s 2010 Annual Report Online!
2010 was an outstanding year at Walden, thanks to our wonderful supporters. Click hereto see who contributed to The Walden School last year and what their giving accomplished. If you haven’t already made your 2011 donation to The Walden School, you can do so online by clicking below. Thank you!
Community News and Goods
The Walden School welcomes news and information from members of the Junior Conservatory Camp and Walden School communities to include in our print and online newsletters. News may be sent via mail or email. We will publish your contact information only if you specifically request that we do so. Please send info to alumni@waldenschool.org or The Walden School, 31A 29th St., San Francisco, CA 94110. We reserve the right to edit submissions and regret we cannot publish all information provided. For upcoming event listings, go to www.handoverhand.org.
Jim Altieri (Faculty ’02,’06-07, Teacher Training Institute ’06) recently collaborated with the band Pearl and the Beard on their new album, Killing the Darlings. He played violin several tracks, and composed a French horn quartet for a track that was performed by the acclaimed quartet Genghis Barbie. More information is available here. Jim also played accordion in Elevation Maps, a piece by Tristan Perich for five accordions and five channel one-bit audio, in a tour this month which includes several East Coast cities, as well as Santa Fe, New Mexico. After a mini-tour with Peter Evans (Guest Artist ’07-08)and Sam Pluta (Staff ’01-02, Faculty ’03-10), they’ve been getting lots of great feedback about “Sum and Difference”, their album of laptop / acoustic instrument duets. You can check the album out on Carrier Records’ website. Finally, he’s been at work with singer-songwriter Matt Singer on his new album, contributing accordion parts to several songs, and playing with his band live and on tape. See tweeg.net for more details.
Erica Ball (Young Musicians Program ’06-07) had a piece featured on a concert by the Arneis Quartet, along with a composer-audience discussion, at the public library in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Kate Ettinger’s (Young Musicians Program ’03-05) orchestra piece Caedo, Caedere (2011) was recently premiered at Oberlin by the Oberlin Chamber Orchestra. You can read more here.
Jane Lange (Young Musicians Program ’09-10)was named a recipient of 2011 ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composers Award. The winning piece is Moments, which was composed last year at Walden. Read the article about her in the San Francisco Classical Voice.
Aurora Nealand (Faculty ’03-07, Visiting Artist ’09-10)is a featured artist on the HBO show Treme. Read more about the show here.
This has been a big month for Nat Osborn (Young Musicians Program ’00-03), who appeared multiple times with groups Hawthorne, Nat Osborn and the Diamond Allegory, and also accompanying Aimee Bayles, whose album he recently produced.
Alica Rabins’s (Young Musicians Program ’88-93) band Girls in Trouble has a new album, “HALF YOU HALF ME”, which will be released by Jdub Records on May 17 (and available at shows starting in April). The album features ten new songs and beautiful design by the band’s artist-musician-designer friend David Pokrivnak. A tour of California, the Southeast, the Northeast, and a big NYC show at Joe’s Pub on May 19th will follow. More information about that show is available here. Alicia also had some poems on the back cover of the March/April American Poetry Review.
A small but vibrant group of Los Angeles-based Waldenites got together this April, with alumni Alan Shewmon, (Junior Conservatory Camp ’63-60, Young Musicians Program ’72)Ted Masur (Teacher Training Institute ’04-07, Faculty ’08), Alan Chan (Teacher Training Institute ’04, ’06, Faculty ’10), Julian van Eyken (Teacher Training Institute ’08), and donor and designer Chris Maikish joining Seth Brenzel (Young Musicians Program ’85-90, Teacher Training Institute ’08, Staff ’94, ’96-97, Admin ’94-11) and Esther Landau (Teacher Training Institute ’08, Admin ’05-11).
Now Hear This! Works by 2011 Walden Participants
The Walden School 2010 Young Musicians Program Festival Forums presented the world premieres of over 50 pieces, including Kaeli Mogg’s ROUGH, performed by Amelia Lukas, flute, Meighan Stoops, clarinet, Jake Tejada, trumpet, Steve Parker, trombone, and Nadia Sirota, viola.
(note: depending on your operating system, this link will either open your media player and play the track, or save the track to your computer)