Newsletters

eNews: InterNetzo – December 2016

Alumni – Hand Over Hand

We were thrilled to see familiar faces join us in Dublin over the summer. Who visited?

• Marguerite Ladd
• Montana Rogers
• Noah Mlotek
• Sophie Coran (performed a concert of original songs for Festival Week!)
• Emil Margolis
• Solomon Ge
• and Bob Weaver (who attended a YMP Composers Forum this summer, exactly 60 years after his first summer at the Junior Conservatory Camp!)

CALL FOR SCORES! Attention Walden & Junior Conservatory Camp (JCC) program alumni! We want your music. We are announcing two exciting opportunities to have your works performed. Questions? Please write to us at alumni@waldenschool.org.

• January 21, 2017, 3:00 – 5:00 pm – Alumni Composers Forum in San Francisco. Featuring Wild Rumpus (with alumna Sophie Huet), moderated by Walden faculty members Emil Margolis and Alex Ness. Location: Holy Innocents Episcopal Church.

Walden program alumni (any program/any age) may submit scores for consideration. Scores are due to Walden by Wednesday, December 21, 2016 (email: scores@waldenschool.org). Pieces scored for a combination of piano, double bass, cello, clarinet, flute, and conductor will be considered for performance by Wild Rumpus. Composers may also submit scores for pieces to be presented by other performers (arranged for by the composer). Selected participants must be present in San Francisco at the event. Preference is given to works not having been previously performed.

• March 11, 2017, 2:30 – 6:30 pm – Boston Philharmonic Young Composers Initiative

Walden is thrilled to have been selected again this year to participate in this exciting orchestral reading/recording session. Preference given to composers 21 years of age or younger. Scores are due to Walden by Friday, January 6, 2017 (email: scores@waldenschool.org). If selected, parts are due no later than February 8. Pieces must be less than 6 minutes in length. Instrumentation not to exceed 3.3.3.3 (standard doublings), 4.3.3.1, Timp+3, harp, strings. Composer must be present in Boston on March 11.

CALL FOR NEWS – We want to hear from you! What’s been going on? If you have a recent or upcoming premiere, publication, award, new job or degree program, or a celebratory life event, please share the news.

1. Send us your news in an email.
2. Make sure we have your updated contact information.
3. Connect with the Walden community on Facebook by joining our private group page.

We want to stay in touch with you, especially about the upcoming regional Composers Forums and Holiday Parties.

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2016 Young Musicians Program

by Seth Brenzel, Director, Young Musicians Program

So many thrilling concerts and collaborations came to life during the 2016 Young Musicians Program. Our stellar faculty and staff served as caring teachers and mentors to 57 young students (ages 9-18) from around the world. They demonstrated how to be goofy, sophisticated, creative; how to be excellent musicians as well as confident, accomplished communicators. There were 100+ new musical works debuted by both faculty and student composers. We enjoyed weekly hikes, dances, open mics and swimming at the lake. We even were treated to visits by a large bouncy house, popcorn and snowcone machines, and a giant inflatable water slide on the lawn.

The opening weekend featured a marvelous concert by harpist Ben Melsky. In that first week we started in on classes, singing together in chorus, under the direction of Sarah Riskind, and we enjoyed the first of eight Composers Forums. After lots of learning and fun activities, Aurora Nealand & the Mississippi Gipsy thoroughly entertained us on a lovely evening outside the Fountain Arts Building.

 

Five members of the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) again joined us for a week of open rehearsals, coachings, and two public concerts. They commissioned and performed eight works from returning students: Francesca Hellerman, Theo Trevisan, Max Chung, Jane Lange, Ruby Landau-Pincus, Alex Colon, Jack Whitelaw, and Max Zelle. These new works got to have another debut in New York City during August as part of Lincoln Center Mostly Mozart’s 50^th Anniversary Celebration. Read more about it below. In addition, six Walden faculty members (Katherine Balch, Alex Christie, Terry L. Greene, Sky Macklay, Osnat Netzer, and Moshe Shulman) wrote new pieces for ICE. The four students (Eva Montgomery-Morrison, Sam Thorpe, Charley Costantino, and Ionas Finser) from Dana Jessen’s Contemporary Performance class had the opportunity to share the stage with ICE, as well.

 

These giants of new music are such an inspiration, and we are honored to continue this partnership with them. ICE pianist Jacob Greenberg said, “Walden is a uniquely intense and encouraging environment. It’s not every day that we’re able to collaborate with students as engaged, curious, and gung-ho as the ones we meet here.”

On the third weekend we enjoyed an Open House for friends and neighbors, including class demonstrations and a concert by Quince Contemporary Vocal Ensemble. These virtuoso singers wowed us all. Their program included works by Walden faculty members Ted Moore, Cara Haxo, Evan Williams, Rebecca Griffin Greene, D.J. Sparr, and Sarah Riskind. Violinists Josh Modney (ICE) and Austin Wulliman (JACK Quartet) joined us for this week, too, performing new student works during Composers Forums. We also enjoyed a wonderful Musicianship Frolic during the 3^rd week, during which students and faculty showed off their musicianship drill and improvisation skills for one another during a fun, celebratory evening.

 

Walden was so fortunate to be joined again by our “house band,” The Walden School Players. This season’s excellent ensemble included Laura Cocks, flutes; Katie Schoepflin, clarinets; Dana Jessen, bassoon; Erica Dicker, violin; Tawnya Popoff, viola; Chris Wild, cello; Eric Wubbels, piano; and Bonnie Whiting, percussion. They played for our three Festival Week Composers Forums as well as their own superb concert, which included works by Katie Schoepflin, Walden Faculty member and Academic Dean Sam Pluta, and our guest Composer-in-Residence Paula Matthusen, Professor of Music at Wesleyan University.

Paula kicked off Festival Week with a lecture, sharing stories and examples, speaking candidly about developing her musicianship and her experiences as a composer. During Festival Week, we were visited by many Young Musicians Program students’ families. They joined us for the final Composers Forums, class demonstration, and Walden’s Choral Concert at All Saints’ Church in Peterborough.

 

All of this fun and learning wouldn’t be possible without the immensely important, talented, and beloved Walden School Staff. Kittie Cooper, Charlie Dees, Doug Friedman, Maddy Greenfield, Julie Kaplan, Elliott Nguyen, and Dean of Students Sara Riddington made all of the magic happen behind the scenes. So many rich memories and true friendships were formed at The Walden School’s 2016 Young Musicians Program.

Walden Alumnus and Faculty member Meade Bernard shares his good advice on keeping in touch with creativity, “When I need that extra spark of creativity I like to visualize the moment when I sit down at the piano in the Goodnight Music circle. The only thoughts in my head are the sounds I’ve just heard and the possibilities laid out on the instrument in front of me. The only expectation is that I should ignore expectations; I can filter out the noise of what music should be or should sound like, and just take a deep breath and play. I think we all face creative challenges all the time – musical or not – that can benefit from channeling that very Walden-y sort of free thinking.”

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Student Commissions receive New York City debuts!

by Rita Mitra, Board Member

CE’s August performances of works by some of Walden’s young composers at Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival were truly inspiring, highlighting the special collaboration that has developed over the years between ICE and Walden. As the performers-in-residence at Mostly Mozart, ICE premiered eight Walden young composers’ pieces on two programs at the festival enthusiastically and with perfection.

The first performance was at Lincoln Center’s outdoor plaza and featured four compositions in one of ICE’s mini-concerts (ICE Performs Music by Young Composers from the Walden School). Several people in the area were drawn to the performance as they wandered by during lunch hour on a gorgeous summer day, and although Walden was, at the time, fully immersed in its own festival week, a few Walden supporters were in attendance, including the grandfather of one of the composers who happened to be visiting New York City that week.

The second event was a fun-filled “trivia” night with a jam-packed audience (A New York Public Library/Mostly Mozart Trivia Concert). The evening included a fun-filled mix of friendly competition between the audience and ICE members, historical tidbits curated by the New York Public Library, and a sprinkling of premieres, four of which were composed by Walden participants in this year’s Young Composer’s Program. ICE pianist Jacob Greenberg graciously introduced The Walden School and its “whiz” kids at both programs. Cheers to ICE for its extraordinary support of new music education and for its ongoing collaboration with Walden!

Learn more about the extraordinary partnership between The Walden School and the International Contemporary Ensemble.

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Creative Musicians Retreat 2016 – What an amazing week!

by Caroline Mallonée, Director, Creative Musicians Retreat

The opening concert, performed by resident artists Carlos Cordeiro (clarinet) and Steven Beck (piano), kicked off the Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR) with some serious fun. (Have you ever heard someone put both halves of a clarinet in his mouth at the same time? We have. Incredible!) University of Michigan Professor Michael Daugherty was our Composer-in-Residence. He inspired us with stories from his exciting life, gave composition lessons, and moderated each of the three Composers Forums.

The Mivos Quartet was our Ensemble-in-Residence. They presented a stunning concert that included Georg Friedrich Haas’s quartet performed in complete darkness and played many of the 35 new works heard on the Composers Forums. Their prowess and musicianship were tremendous.

This year’s participants came from across the nation and beyond, comprising working professionals, university students, and devoted amateurs—creative musicians of all levels. These talented and busy adults retreated from the demands of daily life and threw themselves wholeheartedly into their music.

 

Participants came from near and far: William Appleton came from Keene, Damjan Jovičin flew from Serbia, and singer-songwriter Hannah McPhillimy joined us from Northern Ireland. Kevin Kelly drove with his family all the way from Los Angeles to make a vacation of it! I believe this may be the farthest anyone has driven to get to Walden.

We got to know college seniors Jack Langdon from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota and Richard An, a Young Musicians Program alumnus who joined us from the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California. (He didn’t drive.)

Walden’s Composers Forums are always refreshingly varied, and this year’s were no exception. New music written for our artists-in-residence, faculty performers and chamber choir was presented and discussed. We heard microtonal music by Noah Kahrs; we listened to music from a spread-out quartet by Meade Bernard; we were treated to a theatrical piece by Dylan Richards. Charmaine Lee shared her fluent vocal improvisations, and Ayanna Woods returned for her second summer at CMR, bringing along her clever choral work on tweets by Jaden Smith.

 

While Steve Messner’s career is in finance, he looks forward to creating music at Walden each summer. True fact: Steve has been to every CMR session since we started in 2011! Former Young Musicians Program faculty member Bob Crites is a data scientist who returned to Walden to renew his love for composing, first encouraged when he was a student at ‘camp’ in the 1970s!

Our outstanding faculty led classes and improvisation workshops. Osnat Netzer, Renée Favand-See, Ted Moore, Sam Pluta, Nicholas DeMaison, D. J. Sparr and I taught composition lessons, musicianship classes and weeklong seminars on contemporary topics, including in-depth studies of electronic music, orchestration, spatial music, conducting, sound masses and the music of Unsuk Chin. We couldn’t have done any of this without plenty of coffee from Prime Roast, delicious food and our amazing staff – Seth Brenzel, Juliet Kaplan, Doug Friedman, Ted Moore, and Kittie Cooper.

 

Our participants challenged and inspired each other in classrooms, on the quad, in the dining hall, at the lake, even while hiking Mt. Monadnock. It is safe to say that all participants emerged with renewed creative energy, new friends, and exciting plans for the future.

A wonderful mix of program participants who were new to Walden, alumni from Walden’s programs, and former faculty members came together for the The Walden School 2016 Creative Musicians Retreat to form a warm and creative musical community and to share music and ideas with each other. The open mic on the final night was one of the most varied and exhilarating displays of creativity I have witnessed in a long time. Walden magic!

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Now Hear This! New Music by 2016 YMP Students

The 2016 Young Musicians Program saw the world premieres of more than 100 compositions, including this one:

Temporal Illusions by Theo Trevisan.

Listen carefully for the Schoolhouse bell that mysteriously begins and ends the experience. It was performed on the final Festival Week Composers Forum (August 3) by The Walden School Players.

Tawnya Popoff, viola; Chris Wild, cello; Eric Wubbels, piano; Bonnie Whiting, percussion; Sasha Paris-Carter (YMP), bell; Evan Williams, conductor

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Development Corner – At Walden, we make fundraising fun!

by Jonathan Thomas, Development Manager

Most supporters of The Walden School are aware of the wonderful programs, staff, artistry, and creativity that happen every summer in Dublin, New Hampshire. Did you know that the Walden community gets together throughout the year to celebrate and raise awareness for these programs in different areas of the country? Walden’s two most recent fundraisers in Boston and Dublin were inspiring, successful, and a lot of fun!

On May 7^th, 2016, nearly 50 people gathered at the Sloane Merrill Gallery in Beacon Hill for Walden’s first ever fundraiser in the Boston area. Many of the attendees were friends and colleagues of Walden faculty, staff, parents, and board members, learning about Walden’s mission and vision for the first time. Cellist Dave Eggar and guitarist Phil Faconti gave a memorable performance to a packed room. Remarks by Walden parent and board member Rebecca Hawkins spoke to the impact Walden has on participants and families. The event succeeded in raising more than $5,500 for Walden’s programs, and we made many new friends in Boston.

Unlike our first trip to Boston, the August 6^th event in Dublin was a familiar part of the Walden summer and Festival Week. Susan and Loring Catlin once again opened their beautiful home, Red Top, on Dublin Lake to celebrate the close of another wonderful Walden season. More than 100 people enjoyed a beautiful, sunny afternoon reception with refreshments and a recital. Austin Wulliman, a member of the JACK Quartet and a Young Musicians Program visiting artist, played an exciting program of contemporary and traditional pieces for violin, including a piece by Margaret Taylor, a current Walden student, that fit seamlessly with the other diverse works on the program. More than $7,500 was raised for Walden’s programs at this event.The Walden development team is so appreciative of the generosity of our supporters. Our programs simply could not continue without your gifts. Thanks to your generous support we surpassed our Annual Fund goal!

Thank you for being a part of Walden, and please join us at our next celebration! Speaking of celebrating… HOLIDAY PARTIES are happening in January in six cities! Join us in Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, New York City, Washington, D.C., or Baltimore. For more information, please write to us: events@waldenschool.org.

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by Matthew Klahorst (WP)

November 2013 eNews: InterNetzo

Table of Contents

Message from the Executive Director
Now Hear This! Work by 2013 Walden Participants
Send Us Your Scores! Face The Music to Perform at April Alumni Composers Forum
Tiiiiiiiii…Do! (We Made It!)
Administrative Comings and Going
An Eventful Summer
An Update on Walden’s Board of Directors
Why Wait? Request An Application Today!
Jazz Musicianship Now Available Online
A Fall Walden Gathering…
…and a Holiday Party Coming to a City Near You
The Walden School Honored by Great Nonprofits
Join HandOverHand.org, Walden’s alumni website
Opportunities & Organizations Listing
Community News & Goods

Message from the Executive Director

While the past summer is fading into our memories, the experience at Walden in New Hampshire made an indelible impression on our students, parents, faculty, staff and artists, as you can read a bit from their own words, expressed in their evaluations of the summer:

“As a parent, it is exciting to see your child in an environment that is on the one hand very sophisticated in what it offers students, and at the same time very warm and encouraging so the students feel comfortable exploring their creativity and skills away from home.”

“The program choices and the staff were superb. What my son learned was life changing. He has been enlightened by the Walden School experience. Walden is a parents’ dream for their children! It is priceless! We are very grateful to you, and we thank you!”

“I would use the following words to describe our residency: productive, creative, challenging, positive, meaningful, mutually beneficial.”

“I loved working here this summer, and I am so thankful for the opportunity to be a part of the Walden experience.”

“I loved the setting, I loved the food, I adored the dances and the hikes, but what I loved best of all were the people — the wonderful ‘faculstaff’ and the great friends I made among the students.”

In 2013, Walden’s Young Musicians Program was offered for the 41^st time. During the five-week program, we had exciting residencies with composers George Lewis and Joan Panetti (a Junior Conservatory Camp alumna), The Walden School Players, Aurora Nealand and the Royal Roses, Dal Niente, Phyllis Chen, Anne LaBerge and Peter Evans, among others. Our faculty, composed of a majority of returning faculty members, offered classes in musical theater, the music of Debussy, film scoring, computer musicianship, jazz improvisation, and of course, our core curriculum of musicianship and composition. Choral director Alysoun Kegel, ably supported by a crackerjack team of assistant conductors (Sam Pluta, Sarah Riskind and Peter Thompson) led The Walden School Chorus. The entire community presented a beautiful choral concert at the end of Festival Week at the Peterborough Town House, attended by more than 200 parents, friends, and local community members.

Amber Rubarth, Dave Eggar and Chuck Palmer made a special appearance on one of our Open Mics, and Walden alumna Hilary Kole gave a surprise performance during Festival Week for parents, students, faculty and staff. More than 100 compositions were given their first hearing this summer at Walden, as young musicians from around the world gathered with talented faculty and staff for a summer of musicianship, community, and creativity.

During the fall, we in Walden’s administration and faculty make our way through the dozens of pages of written evaluations from all of our summer program constituents. This process allows the board, administration and faculty to continually evaluate the markers and measures of Walden’s success while at the same time work to improve the experience for all of Walden’s future program participants.

And while we are in the midst of looking back at a fantastic Summer 2013 at Walden, we are busily making preparations for Walden 2014. I am delighted to announce that in 2014, from June 14-22, Walden will reprise the successful Creative Musicians Retreat that the School offered in both 2011 and 2012! Wet Ink Ensemble will be in residence, and we will be making additional announcements about the program’s faculty, staff and composer-in-residence in the coming weeks. This program is open to any adult musician seeking a ‘Walden’ experience – complete with singing, hiking, Composers Forums, chorus, musicianship, a concert and of course, the creative community that is a hallmark of Walden. For more information, please visit waldenschool.org/creative-musicians-retreat.

Our five-week flagship summer Young Musicians Program will commence its 42^ndseason on Saturday, June 28, 2014. We’ll be mailing applications in the next few weeks, and we’ll be making announcements about artists who will be in residence and faculty who will be teaching over the coming months. Aakash Mittal will be in residence for several days with a quintet performing a compelling program of North Indian-inspired jazz music. Enrollment is limited to 50 students, and our first application deadline will be in December. Financial aid in the form of tuition assistance is available to qualified families.

In addition to all of our plans for next summer, we are busy making plans for holiday parties in 5 different cities: the San Francisco Bay Area, New York City (December 8), Washington, DC, Philadelphia and Boston. Watch HandOverHand.org and Walden’s Facebook page and group for more information about dates and locations!

We have also announced an exciting collaboration with Face the Music of New York City, the nation’s only new music ensemble composed entirely of top-notch teen performers. On the evening of April 5, 2014, players from Face the Music will perform on a Walden/Junior Conservatory Camp Alumni Composers Forum in New York City to be moderated by past Walden visiting composer Eve Beglarian. We are delighted about this upcoming event. If you’d like to submit your score for consideration to be performed or have questions about the event, please write to us at events@waldenschool.org.

Finally, I hope you will take time to read the rest of this issue of InterNetzo. There’s lots of information about staff and board transitions, alumni & friends’ news and goods, a wrap-up of our summer events, and of course, a musical offering in the form of a recording of one of our 2013 YMP program participant’s compositions. None of what we do at Walden could happen without the generous contributions from our more than 350 donors – foundations, corporations and individuals like you. On behalf of everyone at Walden, thank you for your support!

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Now Hear This! Works by 2013 Walden Participants

The 2013 Young Musicians Program saw the world premieres of more than 100 student works, including “That’s So Metal” by Brooke Adams. Click here to listen to Brooke’s piece, performed by Jane Cords O’Hara on cello and Brooke herself on electronics.

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Send Us Your Scores! Face the Music to Perform at April 2014 NYC Alumni Composers Forum

Walden is excited to announce that this year’s annual New York City Alumni Composers Forum will feature the ensemble Face the Musicand will be moderated by recent Walden School Composer-in-Residence, Eve Beglarian. Selected compositions will be performed by members of Face the Music on the April 5th Alumni Composers Forum.

This opportunity is open to all Walden and Junior Conservatory Camp alumni and current students. We are seeking scores that are no longer than eight minutes (preference will be given to new works) and the composer must be present at the Composers Forum in New York City, on April 5th, 2014. Instrumentation can include any combination of the following: alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, upright bass, electric bass, electric guitar, drumset, piano/keyboards, violin(x2), viola, cello. If you would like to include electronics please email us with details. If you are interested in submitting a score please email us at events@waldenschool.org – all submissions are due by December 16th, 2013.

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Tiiiiiiiii…Do! (We Made It!)

Wow! A BIG thank you to all of our supporters who helped us meet and surpass our fundraising goal for our 2013 fiscal year – because of your help we raised more than $400,000 to support creative music education from October 1, 2012 to September 30, 2013. You’ve empowered Walden to maintain the superlative caliber of our faculty and staff, to keep bringing world-class artists to campus for exciting residencies, and to provide vital financial aid to talented students.

A special thanks and congratulations to one mystery donor, whose donation brought us over the $400K mark. That generous person has won a weekend visit to the 2014 Young Musician’s Program.

Now, on to 2014! Whether giving for the first time or renewing your generosity, it’s never too early to change a life forever…

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Administrative Comings and Goings

By Seth Brenzel

It is with incredible gratitude and sadness and excitement – all at the same time – that we bid farewell to Esther Landau, Walden’s Director of Development since September of October 2004. She has accepted a position as the Director of Development at the Pomeroy Recreation & Rehabilitation Center (http://www.prrcsf.org) here in San Francisco, California, and the staff and community at Pomeroy are certainly fortunate to have lured her away from Walden! For nine years, Esther has partnered with me, Walden’s Board of Directors, volunteers, parents, alumni and donors to grow our annual fund to unprecedented levels, launch and sustain our alumni relations programs (including two wonderful Alumni Reunions and our annual regional Composers Forums), and to be one of the fiercest advocates around for Walden’s programs and mission. Her accomplishments have been multitudinous and have enabled Walden to expand beyond offering our flagship camp program to being able to offer programs for adult creative musicians, as well as year-round events and gathering for alumni, faculty and friends.

I have especially appreciated the opportunity to work with Esther, and I have learned so much from her. I cherish her collegiality, determination, wit and warmth. This past summer, Esther joined the ranks of Walden parents: her daughter Ruby was a first-time “camper” in 2013. I am excited that Esther and her wife Caroline will continue to stay close to Walden through their new relationship as Walden parents, and I know that their entire family will remain connected to Walden. In Esther’s own words, “I have to go, but I don’t want to leave.” There simply are not enough ways for Walden to express its gratitude to Esther for her service over this past near-decade.

Esther will be staying on through the end of December in a part-time capacity as she begins her new adventures at Pomeroy and helps us transition to our new Director of Development, a search for whom is currently in its final stages. If you’re interested in learning more about the search and what we’re looking for in Esther’s successor, you can check out the employment section of Walden’s website. And of course if you have any questions about this transition, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Walden also reluctantly said ‘arrivederci’ to Jefferson Packer, Director of Administration, last month, as he transitioned to a new position as Director of Marketing and Development at the California Symphony in Walnut Creek, California, where Jefferson has the opportunity to work with this important Bay Area institution in helping launch Donato Cabrera’s inaugural season as its new Music Director and Conductor. Jefferson worked with Donato at the SF Symphony Youth Orchestra, where prior to Walden, Jefferson served as the Orchestra’s Manager. Coincidentally, the California Symphony is the orchestra at which Walden alumnus and faculty member D. J. Sparr has been serving as Composer-in-Residence since 2011.

Even before joining our staff, Jefferson raised $1,250 for Walden’s programs through his generous and enthusiastic participation in Walden’s Compose-a-thon. I am most grateful for Jefferson’s work at Walden in the administrative side of Walden’s operations, helping us streamline our database processes, office operations, financial management, and launching our new website, over these past three years. Jefferson is also active as a wonderful professional baritone and collaborative pianist here in the Bay Area, and we trust that it won’t be too long before we see him again, on or off stage.

Walden staff member and alumnus Peter Thompson, who recently completed his undergraduate degree from Yale University in Music, has joined the Walden staff as our new Administrative Manager. We are thrilled to have his program experience, passion for Walden’s mission and programs and people, and his enthusiastic can-do attitude to help us fill Jefferson’s shoes. Peter has relocated to San Francisco from the East Coast and will also be present at Walden’s programs in 2014, joining the ranks of bi-coastal Walden faculty and staff.

And finally, returning from his too-early retirement as Walden’s Office Manager, Drew Thams has stepped into the role of Walden’s bookkeeper, working remotely as a contractor from his home in San Diego. We are delighted to welcome Drew back into service to Walden, and we know that Walden’s financial management and record keeping continue to be in excellent hands.

Welcome Drew and Peter – we are so glad you are here!

Good luck and farewell and THANK YOU to Esther and Jefferson – we wish you the very best on your new adventures and count on staying in touch!

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An Eventful Summer

Tawnya PopoffIn mid-July, the lucky attendees at Walden’s annual Open House on the campus of the Dublin School were treated to a special performance by the Treble Chorus, along with engaging demonstrations of musicianship, computer musicianship, and musical theater.

A few days later, alumni were guests at an online event, a webinar in real time featuring a mid-summer report from Director Seth Brenzel, as well as a mini-Composers Forum. Young Musicians Program students Alice Faye Kincade and Jack Whitelaw presented recordings of their newly premiered works, discussing their compositions with faculty moderator Sam Pluta. Attendees at the webinar were able to submit questions for the young composers. Discussion was lively and the event was a success. If you’d like to listen to the archived recording, write to us at alumni@waldenschool.org.

On a glorious day in early August, Walden parents and friends gathered at the home of Susie and Loring Catlin in Dublin, New Hampshire, to celebrate the close of another successful summer at the Young Musicians Program. Violinist Jane Chung and violist Tawnya Popoff performed a delightful program of duos against the backdrop of Dublin Lake. And on an equally glorious day in mid-September, Bay Area friends enjoyed a party at the home of Teresa McCollough in Menlo Park. The musical program featured our host, Teresa, along with tenor Brian Thorsett, performing works by Britten, Schubert, Foster, and Walden Co-founder David Hogan, including Hogan’s arrangement of Bach’s Bist du bei mir. Attendees at both events were generous, encouraged by the knowledge that their donations would be matched by a challenge from Walden’s Board of Directors.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to our event hosts, host committees, performers, volunteers, board members, and supporters for making all these events tremendously successful!

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Update on Walden’s Board of Directors

By Seth Brenzel

Walden’s dedicated Board of Directors met in Dublin, New Hampshire, for two days in July. As part of the annual meeting, faculty, staff and administration met with the board and consultant Shannon Ellis of CompassPoint, jointly discovering common language to discuss Walden’s enduring core values. On Saturday, relevant to the Board’s attention to long-range planning, the Board and administration focused on identifying and evaluating criteria to help the School better define and communicate its organizational impact – on its participants and on the broader world. It was a successful meeting, capped by a festive celebratory dinner at the home of Emeritus Director Charlie MacVeagh and his wife, Dede.

As happens each July, there were new additions to the Board of Directors as other Directors’ terms were ending. Joining the board in 2013 are Ellen Bernard (returning to the Board after previously serving most recently as Board Chair), Jamie Hamilton, Amelia Lukas, and Steve Messner.

Ellen Bernard and her husband Ed are long-time Walden friends, and parents of Walden alumni, staff and faculty Meade and Whit Bernard. Ellen serves on a number of Baltimore-based non-profit boards, including Baltimore Choral Arts and the Walters Art Gallery. Jamie Hamilton joins Walden after having served from 1996-2011 as the Priest-in-Charge at Emmanuel Church, the summer Episcopal church that is next-door to the Dublin School. She is the Associate Dean of Students at Phillips Exeter Academy, serving also on the faculty as a teacher of religion.

Amelia Lukas is a former member of Walden’s SF-based administrative team, of Walden’s summer program staff, and of The Walden School Players, and she is a Walden Teacher Training Institute alumna. She is active as a professional flutist in New York City, leads the new music organization Ear Heart Music, and manages the chamber and dance catalogues for music publisher G. Schirmer. Steve Messner is a two-time Creative Musicians Retreat participant and has served as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Levine School of Music in Washington, DC, since 2003. He works with the top management of small and medium-sized companies as a financial advisor or part-time CFO or COO to help them increase profitability and cash flow and improve operations.

In July, we bid farewell to three outstanding members of Walden’s Board of Directors, who between the three of them, served 21 years as members of Walden’s Board. To Todd Cleary, John O’Meara, and Molly Pindell, all of us at Walden offer you our heartiest appreciation and most heartfelt gratitude for all that you have done to sustain and strengthen Walden over the last number of years. Thankfully for Walden, Todd, John and Molly have each agreed to ongoing service on Board committees as non-director members, and I know that each of them and their families will remain close members of the Walden community.

For more information about the School’s Board of Directors, visit https://waldenschool.org/about-us/board-of-directors/.

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Why Wait? Request an Application Today!

Applications for The Walden School’s 2014 Young Musicians Program (June 28-August 3) and Creative Musicians Retreat(June 14-June 22) will be available soon. Sign up to have them delivered to your mailbox! Would you or someone you know benefit from Walden’s renowned creative pedagogy, inspiring teachers, and collaborative community? Teachers, students, parents, children, teenagers, composers, conductors, pedagogues, performers, professionals, and beginners: we can’t wait to hear from you!

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Jazz Musicianship Now Available Online

Bill StevensJazz Musicianship: A Guide for Integrated Learning Vol. 1, written by Bill Stevens (YMP ’92-’94, YMP Faculty ’00-’10, TTI Faculty ’06-’11, CMR Faculty ’12), is hot off the presses and now available for purchase directly online! Click hereto order your copy. The book is also available directly through The Walden School office. A portion of your purchase of this book benefits the Walden School. Junior Conservatory Camp alumna and Walden visiting artist, Marilyn Crispell states, “I think that Jazz Musicianship is an incredibly thorough, very well done, approach to learning jazz from the bottom up, laying strong foundations for further explorations and understanding of the jazz idiom. I am very impressed.” If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us.

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A Fall Walden Gathering…

On October 13, about twenty recent alumni of the Young Musicians Program gathered for pizza at Johnny’s in New York City with ‘faculstaff’ members Marguerite Ladd, Sam Pluta, Sky Macklay, and Seth Brenzel. The gathering included a third of the 2013 YMP student body, as well as a few slightly less recent and equally beloved alumni. Students flew in from as far away as Philadelphia, Chicago, and San Francisco for hugs, jokes, memories, and a LOT of cheese. Thanks to all of you for making the event such a success!

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…and a Holiday Party Coming to a City Near You

Alumni at
NYC holiday
party, 2012It is never to early to start planning your busy holiday season. Make sure you leave room for a Walden holiday party! Currently we are planning holiday parties in the following cities: Boston, New York, San Francisco, Washington D.C., and Philadelphia. Register at handoverhand.org or join Walden’s facebook group to get the latest on these events. We would love to help facilitate holiday parties all over the world, so, please contact us if you are interested in attending or hosting a party this season!

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Honored by Great Nonprofits

Thanks to the rave reviews of supporters like you, The Walden School has earned a spot on Great NonProfits 2013 Top Rated List! Walden is one of the first nonprofits to be honored this year and is now listed as a winner on their leaderboard. We are so grateful to all of you who helped us achieve this honor! It makes a big difference. If you’d like to write your own review or see what others have said about us, click here.

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Join HandOverHand.org, Walden’s alumni website

Did you attend a program at The Walden School? Are you a parent of a child who has attended Walden?
Register at Walden’s alumni website, handoverhand.org!

Features include:

• Program pages for JCC, YMP, TTI and CMR
• Personal profiles, photo albums, blogs and links to personal sites
• An events calendar
• Opportunities Center listing calls for scores and competitions
• An Alumni Forum for discussing topics of interest
• Links to sites of interest

As a registered member, you’ll be able to search for friends by the year they attended, send internal emails to other members, upload your own photos, post events to the calendar, and more. Go to: http://handoverhand.org and register!

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Opportunities & Organizations Listing

An opportunities listing for composers of multiple levels and age ranges, as well as organizations that provide services to composers, performers, music teachers, improvisers, and experimental musicians, is available here.

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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 contact us on-line or send info to 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 the Walden and JCC alumni website, handoverhand.org. (Note: YMP=Young Musicians Program; TTI=Teacher Training Institute; CMR=Creative Musicians Retreat; JCC=Junior Conservatory Camp).

Hannah Addario-Berry (Visiting Artist ’06) performed the Sonata for Solo Cello by György Ligeti on May 6 at ODC Theater in San Francisco as part of BAASICS.3: The Deep End, an exploration of neurodiversities, mental disorders, and creativity, presented by the Bay Area Art and Science Interdisciplinary Collaborative Sessions (BAASICS).

Ethan Borshansky (YMP ’98-01, Staff ’05) has joined the faculty of Bergen Community College, where he teaches electronic music. His most recent release, Iselin Aerial EP, currently holds a place on the Thema label’s top ten Most Popular Releases.

Alan Chan (TTI ’04, ’06; YMP Faculty ’10-’11) and the Alan Chan Jazz Orchestra have released their first albums, the Rancho Calaveras EP and the ACJO Album. In other news, Alan’s piece Winter News received a New Music USA’s Composer Assistance Award.

Claire Chase (Visiting Artist ’05-’09; ’11) was featured on The Street, talking about the beginnings of International Contemporary Ensemble and her work in building community around new music. She also just dropped a new album, Density.

In September, Alex Christie (YMP ’02-04, TTI ’10-11, YMP Staff ’09, YMP Faculty ’10-13) made a homecoming to Oberlin Conservatory, where he recorded a new piece with pianist Tom Rosenkranz and presented a guest lecture/demo on electro-acoustic improvisation, joined by bassoonist Dana Jessen (YMP Faculty ’13). He also worked with Oberlin students individually, including no fewer than five recent Walden alumni: Sam Phillips-Corwin (YMP ’08-11), Kaeli Mogg (YMP ’08-11), Emma Eisenberg (YMP ’08-’12), Sarah Snider (YMP ’07-12), and Nicole Gutman (YMP ’11-12).

In September, Skyler Chu (YMP ’12) played a Beethoven Sonata for Emmanuel Ax at a master class hosted by the San Francisco Community Music Center. Mr. Ax was mighty impressed with Skyler’s performance!

Andrea Clearfield‘s (Composer-in-Residence, ’06) December 16th Holiday Salon in Philadelphia featured Nigel Armstrong (YMP ’00).

David Conte’s (Visiting Composer ’99, ’02) Three Poems of Christina Rosetti was performed as a part of the Old Firsts Concerts series on September 15th, by Kindra Scharich, mezzo-soprano and John Boyajy, piano.

Marilyn Crispell (JCC ’60-’64; Visiting Artist ’04, ’07-‘08) has been invited to lead a three-week residency at the Atlantic Center for the Arts in Florida. See their website for an application to work with her.

Shawn Crouch (YMP ’93-’96; YMP Staff ’97, YMP Faculty ’02 and ’05-’07, TTI ’08, YMP and CMR Choral Director) has stepped down as the director of the Miami Choral Academy to pursue doctoral composition studies at University of Miami, where his sextet Adolescent Psychology was performed on October 8.

Miranda Cuckson (YMP Visiting Artist ’08, ’11) had a slew of exciting October concerts, including on October 17 with Guy Barash and Rinat Shaham, on October 19 with composer/pianist Michael Hersch, and on October 24 with pianist Yegor Shevtsov, the last of which celebrates her successful first year as a Mannes College faculty member. She also is unveiling two solo CDs, including Melting the Darkness, an October release featuring microtonal and electro-acoustic works; and a January release of works by Sessions, Carter, and Eckardt.

Ensemble Dal Niente (YMP Visiting Artists ’13) kicked off the Liquid Music concert series in St. Paul on November 5, at the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra Center. The set featured world premieres and synched video.

Del Sol String Quartet (Visiting Artists ’06) explore the works of Robert Erickson in a pair of Bay Area concerts this month, including a concert at the Center for New Music on November 7 accompanying the visual art of Kimetha Vanderveen, and at the Hillside Club in Berkeley on November 17 presenting Erickson’s complete string quartets.

Nick DeMaison (YMP Faculty ’04-’07) began work this fall as the Director of Orchestras and Choirs at Rensselear Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.

The Kronos Quartet just released Aheym, Bryce Dessner’s (Visiting Artist ’03) first full album of string quartets. His percussion quartet Music for Wood and Strings will be premiered by So Percussion at Carnegie Hall on November 23.

Ruth Franklin (YMP ’84-’89; Board Member ’03-’08) married Joseph Braude this summer. Congratulations Ruth and Joseph!

Stacy Garrop (YMP ’87-’88, YMP Faculty ’96) had Give Me Hunger, her new setting of Carl Sandburg’s poem, premiered by Chanticleer on September 20th in San Francisco. The concert, entitled She Said/He Said, was performed five times around the Bay Area.

Michael Gilbertson (YMP Faculty ’13) will join his old teacher Joan Panetti (YMP Visiting Artist ’13, JCC) as a professor at the Yale School of Music in January, teaching a section of Joan’s renowned musicianship class, “Hearing”. He currently teaches composition and music tech at the Educational Center for the Arts, a performing arts charter high school in New Haven.

Mark Greenwald, Ph.D., (YMP ’75-‘78) has been appointed to the National Institutes of Health Study Section. Study Sections review grant applications and survey the status of research in their respective fields.

Sophie Huet’s (TTI ’09) Wild Rumpus New Music Collective opened their third season in September with a Nicolas Tzortzis world premiere, along with pieces by Reich, Feldman, and Takemitsu. The will premiere a work by Eliza Brown (YMP ’00-’02, YMP Staff ’04-’05, TTI ’07 and ’10, YMP Faculty ’08-’09) in Spring 2014.

Work is underway for Andrew Jamieson (YMP ’05-06) on Heaven Down Here, a new experimental/gospel chamber opera based on the Jonestown massacre. For more information, including how you can support his project, click here for updates.

Dana Jessen (Faculty ’13) is settling into her new home in Oberlin with a full slate of out-of-state performances, including the successful San Francisco debut of her newest ensemble, Splinter Reeds; and a two-day residency at the University of Michigan with the Rushes Ensemble. You also may have heard Dana’s collaboration with Michael Straus EAR Duo perform on NPR’s All Things Considered, as part of a story on EMMI’s musical robots.

Todd Lerew (CMR ’12) unveiled a pair of exciting works for new instruments in the Bay Area in October. Todd reprised a piece he wrote at CMR at the Music for People and Thingamjigs Festival, in which he dropped wax onto a drum head so that its timbre and pitch slowly changed. The Now Hear Ensemble also premiered his piece written for custom-built monochords.

Sky Macklay (YMP Faculty ’09-’13, TTI ’09, CMR ’11, CMR Staff ’11-12) began doctoral studies in composition at Columbia University this fall.

Teresa McCollough (Visiting Artist ’01) teams up with Michael Boyd to perform Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring for 2 Pianos on November 8 at Santa Clara University’s Music Recital Hall.

Melody of China (Visiting Artists ’08) will play a blowout 20th Anniversary Concert on November 24th in San Francisco, featuring a fusion of jazz and Chinese traditions with a stellar list of guest performers. You can reserve tickets for the concert here.

On August 26th, Brendan Milburn (YMP ‘88) and Valerie Vigoda of the theatrical power-pop trio GrooveLily performed as a keyboard and violin duo at the MET Theater in Hollywood, CA.

Gary Monheit (JCC, YMP Faculty ‘75) performed a concert of originals and jazz covers at Yoshi’s San Francisco on June 28.

Osnat Netzer (YMP Faculty ’08-09, ’11, ’13) moved over the Charles River to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she now teaches composition and music theory as a Preceptor at Harvard.

Nathaniel Osborne (YMP ’00-’03) and the Nat Osborne Band opened for the Dave Matthews Band at Jones Beach in Wantagh, New York, before kicking off their US tour in July.

Jefferson Packer (TTI ’09-’10, Director of Administration ’11-’13) performed as a member of the San Francisco Renaissance Voices in The Play of Daniel this past June. Click here to request a copy of the write up in Early Music America.

Alicia Jo Rabins (YMP ’88-’93) spent a week teaching art and Torah at the Contemporary Jewish Museum for Studio G-dcast, performed at K Records’ Helsing Junction Sleepoverin Rochester, Washington, and performed again at Fairfield University in Connecticut on October 15th. She has also announced a February run of her one-woman-show A Kaddish for Bernie Madoff at the Portland Playhouse.

Brendon Randall-Meyers (TTI ’10, Development Assistant ’10-’12) continues to flourish at the Yale School of Music, where Indefatigable Optimism, his first piece for orchestra, premieres on December 12.

Jessica Rudman (CMR ’11) married Jeffrey Paternostro on June 23. Congratulations Jessica and Jeffrey!

Vivian Rudow (JCC ’50-‘53) had her piece Rebecca’s Song performed at the Hong Kong Space Museum Lecture Hall by pianist Stanley Wong.

On August 13th, Matt Siffert (CMR ’12) curated a concert entitled “New Songs New Sounds” spotlighting composer-songwriters at CultureFix on the Lower East Side. He also performed his new EP “Rise”.

Kate Soper (Visiting Artist ’09, ’12 as part of Wet Ink) will premiere her vocal monodrama at Zankel Hall in New York City on January 18. Ably assisted by her Wet Ink colleagues, composer/singer/actor/performance artist Kate will bring Madame Bovary, Clytemnestra, and Daisy from The Great Gatsby to life.

Freya Waley-Cohen (YMP ’00-’07) continues to pursue her Masters in Composition at the Royal Academy of Music. The pianist Nadav Hertzka will perform Five Breaths, the piece he commissioned from Freya, at five concerts over the next year.

Tamsin Waley-Cohen (Visiting Artist ’10) just signed with Ikon Arts Management, and will be playing two all-Schubert programs with the London Bridge Ensemble in November.

Wet Ink performed with the Evan Parker ElectroAcoustic Ensemble on September 30th at Roulette in Brooklyn. They also played with Yarn/Wire (Visiting Artists ‘12) in Chelsea on October 1st.

Yarn/Wire (Visiting Artists ‘12) threw their annual season kick-off party in New York City featuring works by Laura Barger (TTI ’09) and others. Learn more about their 2013-14 season with three diverse concerts in their home city of Chicago.

On November 20th in Brooklyn, Pamela Z (YMP Visiting Artist ’11) will premiere Carbon Song Cycle, her new collaboration with video artist Christina McPhee.

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by Matthew Klahorst (WP)

June 2013 eNews: InterNetzo

Table of Contents

Message from the Executive Director
2013 Concert Series Announced
Still a Few Places Remaining in Our 2013 Young Musicians Program — Apply Today!
Walden Events in Baltimore and Los Angeles; Upcoming Open House in Dublin
Walden publishes Jazz Musicianship
Join HandOverHand.org, Walden’s alumni website
Community News & Goods
Opportunities & Organizations Listing
Now Hear This! Work by 2012 Walden Participants

Message from the Executive Director

Greetings from Walden!

I hope this newsletter finds you doing well and enjoying the start of summer. This month’s newsletter is chock-full of updates, information and news about Walden, and I hope you’ll enjoy reading it all.

Seeing as we are a summer music camp, festival and school, the period leading up to summer is one of Walden’s busiest times of year, as we prepare for the arrival of faculty, staff, guest artists and students at Walden later this month. Many of my colleagues in the educational world talk about how things are winding down for them at this time of year (summer vacation on the way, etc.)…but not for us here at Walden. We’re just winding up, and what an exciting time it is!

For the 2013 Young Musicians Program, we have assembled a crackerjack faculty and staff team, consisting of many returning members and a few new faces. Returning on faculty and staff this summer are Erica Ball, Alex Christie, Rebekah Griffin Greene, Marguerite Ladd, Sky Macklay, Caroline Mallonée, Emil Margolis, Ian Munro, Osnat Netzer, Loretta Notareschi, Sam Pluta, Peter Thompson, Ann Goehe, Sarah Riskind and Meade Bernard! New additions to the faculty staff team this summer are Alysoun Kegel, who will be our choral director and teach one course in the curriculum; Michael Gilbertson, composer and pianist; Josie Kovash and Joshua Clampitt, both Young Musicians Program alumni, who will join the staff this summer; and William Kelly from California, who will also join the staff. You can read more about each of them on our website.

We are super excited about Alysoun Kegel joining the Walden team, taking over the reins of the choral program this year. She comes to us most recently from earning her Masters in conducting at Carnegie Mellon, where she was one of American choral luminary Robert Page’s final students. Prior to receiving her Masters, she gained experience working with young voices, having been the Artistic Director at PALS Children’s Chorus for several years. This fall she will become the choral director at Rosemary Choate Hall in Connecticut. She also has studied Dalcroze, and holds a Masters from Longy in that subject. We look forward to her artistry and leadership this summer!

With Alysoun’s arrival, we say farewell to longtime Walden choral director Leo Wanenchak. I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the tremendous and innumerable contributions Leo has made over the years to The Walden School, and particularly, to Walden’s choral program. His are big shoes to fill to be sure! All of us at Walden express our gratitude for his teaching and choral leadership over these past many years, and we all wish Leo the very best in his new endeavors. Thank you, Leo!

With this issue of InterNetzo, we also announce the 2013 Walden School concert series. Commencing this year’s series on June 30 is Phyllis Chen, composer and pianist, who will be performing a concert that features her collection of toy pianos, piano music inspired by toy pianos and more; it promises to be a stupendous evening of sound. Joan Panetti, a Junior Conservatory alumna and faculty member at Yale University, will co-moderate a Composers Forum with her former student, Caroline Mallonée. Ms. Panetti will be in residence for several days, mentoring and training Walden faculty. George Lewis, our composer-in-residence, will have a new work of his featured on the July 26 concert given by The Walden School Players. In addition, the Walden School Chorus is going to give the world premiere of his first-ever choral piece on Friday, August 2nd at Walden’s annual choral concert, which will feature all of Walden’s students, faculty and staff in concert performing for the Monadnock Region community at the Peterborough Town House. Chicago-based Dal Niente will perform the world premieres of eight new works written for the July 12 concert by eight Walden faculty members. And to celebrate the excitement and joy of musical improvisation, along with 15 years of electronic music at Walden, Sam Pluta has organized a concert on July 19 featuring Anne LaBerge, Peter Evans, Sam himself, Alex Christie and a sound installation designed by Ian Munro.

I am also excited to welcome both Caroline Mallonée and Loretta Notareschi as faculty mentors this year. Carrie and Loretta, in addition to leading teacher-training sessions for our faculty members, will be assisting Sam Pluta in his role as Academic Dean this summer. The team of Drs. Mallonée, Notareschi and Pluta will provide our curriculum, faculty and students with wonderful academic leadership. I am grateful to them for their work this spring in planning summer 2013 and for their many contributions in the days and weeks ahead!

In other news, The Walden School is excited to announce the publication of Walden alumnus and faculty member Bill Stevens’ Jazz Musicianship, available for purchase for $29 (including tax and shipping) from The Walden School office. While Walden is not primarily a book publisher, when Bill brought the project to me 5+ years ago, I embraced his vision enthusiastically and thought the Walden community could ably assist Bill with the work of layout, editing and production/publication. He had been teaching material in the jazz idiom that was an extension of Walden’s Musicianship Course, and it seemed like Walden could be a valuable partner to him in helping bring his book to life. And so now here we are, with many people from Walden contributing materially to making this happen over the last number of years.

First of all, many thanks are owed to Walden faculty members Whit Bernard and Tony Makarome, who worked with Bill in editing his text. And then the team of Walden faculty, staff and alumni who helped with layout, book design, project management, graphic creation and more all deserve a hearty round of applause: Marguerite Ladd, Meade Bernard, Noah Mlotek, Marshall Bessières, and Ben Aldridge. And finally, several people have helped bring the book to life as readers: Ian Munro, Andrea Grody, Peter Thompson and Peter Krag. Thanks to this giant team of Walden faculty, staff and alumni, as well as Bill’s initial brilliant vision and his own hard work, Bill now has a wonderful new book that you can order here. I hope you’ll order yourself a copy and help Bill and Walden spread the word about the book’s availability.

And another item of note that I wanted to share with you is a project that The Walden School and Youth Radio in Oakland, California, are collaborating on. Walden alumnus and faculty member Alex Christie is working with a group of five student interns at Youth Radio to create sonic postcards to share with Walden Young Musicians Program students. A group of Walden students will then create responses to these “postcards” during the Young Musicians Program. Then there will be performances in New Hampshire and Oakland over the summer, and in all likelihood, a podcast containing all of the music so that all of you can share in the fruits of this exciting project. We are grateful to Kurt Collins and his colleagues at Youth Radio for working with us on this project, and we look forward to sharing the results with all of you in the fall.

Thanks for reading! If you’re any where near Dublin, New Hampshire, this summer, I hope you will come and visit – taking in a concert, attending our Open House on July 17th, joining us for a meal, or participating in one of our seven Composers Forums, during which the creativity of Walden students are showcased. Have a wonderful weekend and a terrific summer!

Best wishes,

Seth Brenzel
Executive Director
sbrenzel AT waldenschool DOT org
(603) 563-8212

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2013 Concert Series Announced

This summer brings another eclectic mix of artists to Dublin School Campus for weekly concerts, including Phyllis Chen, composer and toy pianist, the return of Aurora Nealand’s Royal Roses with New Orleans-style jazz, world premieres of works written by Walden Faculty members and performed by members of Chicago’s Dal Niente Ensemble, an evening celebration of improvisation and electronic music, featuring Peter Evans and Anne LaBerge, as well as the perennial Walden School Players residency, the beloved choral concert, and composers forums, moderated by Composer-in-Residence George Lewis. All events are free and open to the public. Learn more about Walden’s 2013 Concert Series.

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Still a Few Places Remaining in Our 2013 Young Musicians Program — Apply Today!

There are just a few places remaining in Walden’s 2013 Young Musicians Program. Click here to download new student application materials — returning students, contact us if you need yours. We look forward to another wonderful summer — the Young Musicians Program will run on Dublin School campus in Dublin, New Hampshire, from Saturday, June 29 to Sunday, August 4, 2013.
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Walden Events in Baltimore and Los Angeles; Upcoming Open House in Dublin

Guests at the home of Jack and Lucy Henningfield in Baltimore were treated to an afternoon of delicious food, wine and music on April 7th, a benefit for Walden’s scholarship program. Cellist and Walden favorite Dave Eggar (Visiting Artist ’06-’07, ’11) performed and spoke eloquently about the value of Walden’s offerings. He was joined by award-winning singer-songwriter Amber Rubarth and acclaimed hammer dulcimer virtuoso Max ZT. The artists hit it out of the park, and so did the guests at the party, contributing more than $2,500 toward financial aid. Thank you, everyone!

Alumni and friends in the Los Angeles area enjoyed a casual gathering in Studio City on Thursday evening, June 13, complete with dinner and swimming!

If you will be in the New Hampshire area on Wednesday, July 17th, we hope you’ll join us for Walden’s second annual Open House, taking place on the campus of the Dublin School from 5 to 6:30 p.m. This event offers attendees a great behind-the-scenes view of what happens at Walden, complete with a demonstration by faculty and students of musicianship drills and other course activities. Do join us, even if you attended last year, as the presentation will be different – and invite your friends! Let us know if you’d like to be on the invite list. Hope to see you there!

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Walden publishes Jazz Musicianship

It has arrived! Jazz Musicianship, written by Bill Stevens(YMP ’92-’94, YMP Faculty ’00-’10, TTI Faculty ’06-’11, CMR Faculty ’12), is hot off the presses and ready to be ordered by you! It costs $29.00, including shipping and handling within the U.S.

To purchase the book, fill out our order form and send with your payment to our San Francisco address: The Walden School, 31 A 29th St., San Francisco, CA, 94110. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us.

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Join HandOverHand.org, Walden’s alumni website

Did you attend a program at The Walden School?
Register at Walden’s alumni website, handoverhand.org!

Features include:

• Program pages for JCC, YMP, TTI and CMR
• Personal profiles, photo albums, blogs and links to personal sites
• An events calendar
• Opportunities Center listing calls for scores and competitions
• An Alumni Forum for discussing topics of interest
• Links to sites of interest

As a registered member, you’ll be able to search for friends by the year they attended, send internal emails to other members, upload your own photos, post events to the calendar, and more. Go to: http://handoverhand.org and register!

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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 contact us on-line or send info to 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 the Walden and JCC alumni website, handoverhand.org. (Note: YMP=Young Musicians Program; TTI=Teacher Training Institute; CMR=Creative Musicians Retreat; JCC=Junior Conservatory Camp).

Hannah Addario-Berry (Visiting Artist ’06) performed the Sonata for Solo Cello by Gyögy Ligeti on May 6 at ODC Theater in San Francisco as part of BAASICS.3: The Deep End, an exploration of neurodiversities, mental disorders, and creativity, presented by the Bay Area Art and Science Interdisciplinary Collaborative Sessions (BAASICS).

Blair McMillen, Steven Beck, Eric Huebner, and Cory Smythe backstage at Avery Fisher Hall
Steven Beck (Visiting Artist ’09-’11), Eric Huebner (Visiting Artist ’04-’08, ’11), and Blair McMillen (Visiting Artist ’01-’02) were three of four keyboardists in performances April 17-20 of Charles Ives’ Symphony No. 4 with the New York Philharmonic in Avery Fisher Hall.

A “re-imagined [Stephen] Sondheim piece” by Eve Beglarian (YMP Composer-in-Residence ’12), Perpetual Happiness, was performed as part of the Tribeca New Music Festival on May 12. Upcoming concerts of her work include June 8 at the Town Hall in Brandon, Vermont, and a performance by the International Society of Contemporary Music of Eudora Welty: Waiting for Billy Floyd on June 17.

Shawn Crouch (YMP ’93-95,’96, TTI ’08, Staff ’97, YMP Faculty ’99-00,’02,’05-07, CMR Faculty ’12) premiered his Firewind, a choral setting of three California texts by American poets Virginia Hamilton Adair, Carl Sandburg, and Walt Whitman, in Palo Alto, California on April 28.

Violinist Miranda Cuckson (Visiting Artist ’08, ’11) joined pianist Blair McMillen (Visiting Artist ’01-’02) on a program at Columbia University in New York City on May 8. The program included the world premiere of Strömkarl, written for the duo by Jason Eckardt.

Florilegium, the chamber choir directed by Nicholas DeMaison (YMP Faculty ’04-07), gave a concert of Gesualdo madrigals on June 2 in New York City in commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the composer’s death.

The Oakland East Bay Symphony will feature a new work (currently titled Songs) by Mary Fineman (JCC ’68) on their February 21, 2014, subscription concert.

In honor of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Ginsburg’s 80th birthday, her children commmissioned Stacy Garrop(YMP ’87-’88, YMP Faculty ’96) to compose My Dearest Ruth on a text by Ginsburg’s husband, for voice and piano. The work had its premiere on April 6 at the United States Supreme Court in Washington, DC.

Wild Rumpus, a new music ensemble founded by member clarinetist Sophie Huet (TTI ’09), performed their final concert of the season on May 11 in San Francisco, California with works by Julian Day, Ruben Naeff, Jonathan Russell, Jeffrey Treviño, and Dan VanHassel.

Amelia Lukas (TTI ’05-’06, YMP Visiting Artist ’10, Administration ’05-’07) and Brendon Randall-Myers (TTI ’10, Administration ’10-’12) participated together recently in a performance of the opera Three Truths by Matthew Welch at Symphony Space on June 4 in New York City.

Whistler Waves for cello and string orchestra by Caroline Mallonée (YMP ’87-’92, TTI ’07, YMP Faculty ’98-’12, CMR Faculty ’11-’12) was given its world premiere in Buffalo on April 14.

Kate (Davis) Mathews (Administration ’08-’11) has had a busy spring, with a recital of Emily Dickinson settings on April 14 and performances of Mark Adamo’s opera, Little Women throughout the month of May at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

John McGinn (YMP ’79-’80) has just been granted tenure and promoted to Associate Professor of Music at Austin College.

Following a successful debut at Yoshi’s jazz club in San Francisco by pianist Gary Monheit (YMP ’72, YMP Faculty ’75-’78, ’80, ’97, Board of Directors ’99-’00) and bassist Dan Krimm on April 24, the duo has been invited for a return appearance at the club on June 28.

Giorgio Moroder, father of Alex Moroder (YMP ’00-’03), talks about his work on the new Daft Punk album in this video on YouTube.

Nat Osborn‘s (YMP ’00-’03) and his band showcased their recently-released debut album, “The King and the Clown”, at concert on a May 7 concert at Mercury Lounge in New York City. The band also made their TV debut on May 31 as part of the Artie Lange Show.

A Kaddish for Bernie Madoff by Alicia Jo Rabins (YMP ’88-’93) continued its robust performance life in Washington, D.C., on May 4 as part of the Washington Jewish Music Festival. You can watch a trailer of the piece.

The world premiere of A Universal Prayer For Peace And Reflection by Vivian Adelberg Rudow (JCC ’50-’51) will be performed by the American BoyChoir on June 9 in Princeton, NJ. On July 7, her work, Rebecca’s Song, in memory of Rebecca Blackwell, will be performed in the Hong Kong Space Museum Lecture Hall.

Matt Siffert (CMR ’11-’12) performed with his “steady ensemble” at The Bowery Electric’s Map Room on May 14.

Peter Thompson (YMP ’03, YMP Staff ’12) presented his senior conducting recital on April 27 in New Haven, Connecticut, in Dwight Chapel at Yale University.

The Journal, a British newspaper, interviewed Freya Waley-Cohen (YMP ’00-’07) about the world premiere of A Pyrrhic Smile at the Northern Chords Festival in Tyne, England. Read the article, in which Freya talks about Walden and the opportunity it provided her. On June 19, Freya’s Ascension for solo cello by will be premiered at a concert in London’s Rada Bar.

A hymn tune and setting by Bob Weaver (JCC ’56-’63, CMR ’11) was performed on April 14 at an American Guild of Organists Hymn Festival.

Yarn/Wire (Visiting Ensemble ’12), whose members include pianist Laura Barger (TTI ’10) and percussionist Ian Antonio (Visiting Artist ’12) presented a concert as part of the University of California, Santa Cruz Contemporary Music Festival on April 26. On the program was Meanders by Paul Nauert (YMP ’82-’83, YMP Faculty ’87-’94, ’98).

Transitions

Singer Rob Morsberger (YMP ’76-’77) passed away on June 2. In September of 2011, Morsberger was diagnosed with grade 4 Glioblastoma. In the months following, Morsberger was determined to release a series of new albums, as his battle with terminal brain cancer was documented by USA TODAY, WBUR/PRI’s Here & Now and numerous other outlets. Read his full obituary.

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Opportunities & Organizations Listing

An opportunities listing for composers of multiple levels and age ranges, as well as organizations that provide services to composers, performers, music teachers, improvisers, and experimental musicians, is available here.

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Now Hear This! Works by 2012 Walden Participants

The 2012 Young Musicians Program saw the world premieres of more than 100 student works, including Zikra Jameela (A Beautiful Memory) by Tyson Laa Deng. Click here to listen to the performance by Reiny Rolock, French horn; Jane Chung, violin; Jane Cords-O’Hara, cello; and Tony Makarome, double bass.

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by Matthew Klahorst (WP)

April 2013 eNews: InterNetzo

Table of Contents

Message from the Executive Director
Walden Events in New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore
Donate to Walden through eBay Giving Works
Upcoming Application Deadline For 2013 Young Musicians Program
Did You Know?
Community News & Goods
Opportunities & Organizations Listing
Now Hear This! Work by 2012 Walden Participants

Message from the Executive Director

I hope that this message finds you well and enjoying the beginning of the spring season. We here at Walden are busily preparing ourselves for Summer 2013 and the start of the Young Musicians Program on June 29. We are in the midst of finalizing our faculty and staff team for this coming summer, and we are still accepting applications for the Young Musicians Program.

Our next application deadline is April 19. I would appreciate your spreading the word about this summer’s program, so please tell your friends, colleagues, students and contacts about Walden. Here’s a link to information on Walden’s website:

waldenschool.org/young-musicians-program

or contact our office with any additional questions about the application process or our unique program for creative young musicians! And in case you are wondering, some limited financial aid is still available for qualified families.

We have a wonderful lineup of guest artists planned for summer 2013, including the pianist and composer Phyllis Chen; trombonist, composer and scholar George Lewis; and members of Dal Niente, a Chicago-based ensemble that will perform a concert of world premieres written by Walden faculty members for Dal Niente’s residency in July. In addition, The Walden School Players will return for another electric two-week residency, performing a concert of their own music and many compositions written by Walden students. A more comprehensive listing of this summer’s concert series and guest artists is forthcoming, but I wanted you to know about these incredible artists who will bring their inspiration to Walden’s program this summer.

This summer’s faculty and staff will be led by Academic Deans Sam Pluta and Caroline Mallonée, Dean of Students and Director of Operations Marguerite Ladd, and yours truly. We will be joined by our nurse from 2012, Ann Goehe, along with a nearly-finalized roster of stellar music teachers, performers, composers and scholars.

On Sunday, April 7, I will be with many Board members, Baltimore-area supporters and friends of Walden at an exciting benefit performance given by cellist, composer, and Walden visiting artist Dave Eggar and friends at the home of one of our board members. I hope to see you there! It’s not too late to join – simply contact us at events AT waldenschool DOT org for details!

Stay tuned for additional updates about Summer 2013, which we will be announcing over the coming weeks. In the meantime, thanks to you for the many ways in which you support Walden and help to further the School’s Mission and help us to make progress toward Walden’s Vision:

The Walden School envisions a world with a higher concentration of people who approach life creatively, collaboratively, and with conviction; support music and the arts; and understand and respect each other’s differences.

Yours truly,

Seth Brenzel
Executive Director
sbrenzel AT waldenschool DOT org
(415) 648-4710

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Walden Events in New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore

In spite of a cloud-obstructed exterior view (that’s what happens sometimes when you live on the 70^th floor!), guests enjoyed the interior view of Walden board member Chad Shampine and Jeffrey Ferrell’s art-filled home in Manhattan at a February event  to honor and support Walden’s programs. Food and good cheer were aplenty and a door prize drawing provided suspense.

A clear evening in Philadelphia afforded guests a great view of the historic parts of Center City at a fundraiser in March. Numerous board members were present, after having just attended meetings in the earlier part of the day. Violinist Jane Chung and cellist Julia Bruskin performed an exhilarating program, including Young Musicians Program alumna Freya Waley-Cohen’s work, Sinai. 

A wonderful afternoon event is planned for Baltimore on April 7^th. The musical program will feature the incomparable Dave Eggar, cello, and collaborators, singer/songwriter Amber Rubarthand hammer dulcimer virtuoso Max ZT. In addition to fantastic music, there will be wonderful food and beverages catered by Walden’s own chef/board member Laura Mehiel, and of course, delightful conversation. If you’re interested in receiving an invitation or you know someone who should attend, just let us know and we’ll send you the details!

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Donate to Walden through eBay Giving Works

Hey there eBay sellers! Did you know that you can donate 10-100% of your eBay listing proceeds to Walden using eBay Giving Works? Any eBay seller who has an account in good standing can create an eBay Giving Works listing. Also, eBay will then give you, the seller, back your insertion fee and final sale value fee! (Example here.) The Walden School is registered with the PayPal Giving Fund (eBay’s nonprofit partner) – simply follow this link, choose a gift percentage, and start listing your items!

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Upcoming Application Deadline For 2013 Young Musicians Program

We encourage applicants to submit their Young Musicians Program applications in our third round of Admissions (deadline April 19). Click here to download new studentapplication materials — returning students, contact us if you need yours. We look forward to another wonderful summer — the Young Musicians Program will run from Saturday, June 29 to Sunday, August 4, 2013.

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Did you know?

Did you know that The Walden School awards financial aid to 50% of its students each year? This is a remarkable statistic for a summer music program. If Walden had no financial aid budget, we would only be able to enroll 25 students – that’s half the number of voices in chorus, half the number of pieces on Composers Forums. Won’t you support Walden’s financial aid with a generous contribution today? A Walden student is counting on you.

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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 contact us on-line or send info to 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 the Walden and JCC alumni website, handoverhand.org. (Note: YMP=Young Musicians Program; TTI=Teacher Training Institute; CMR=Creative Musicians Retreat; JCC=Junior Conservatory Camp).

A faculty recital of works by David Conte (Visiting Composer ’99, ’02) was performed at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music on March 17.

Ear Heart Music Series, curated by Amelia Lukas (TTI ’05-’06, YMP Visiting Artist ’10, Administration ’05-’07), welcomed Nicholas DeMaison (Faculty ’04-07) to the podium on March 19 for a concert collaboration with New Chamber Ballet. Nick’s recent piece, Le Labyrinthe de Chartres, received a preview performance by the Sinopia Trio at Southern New Hampshire State University on March 21.

The Da Capo Chamber Players, which includes clarinetist Meighan Stoops (Walden School Players ’04-’11) and pianist Blair McMillen(Visiting Artist ’01-’02), kicked off Black History Month on January 29 at Merkin Hall in New York City with a program of works by living African-American composers. Among the guest artists was Matthew Gold (Visiting Artist ’06, ’10-’12).

Clogs (Visiting Artist ’03) performed in New York on February 6 at Merkin Hall in New York City, and on March 7 in Adelaide Town Hall in Australia as part of the 2013 Adelaide Festival.

Mary Fineman (JCC ’68) performed her own songs at a concert of the Contra Costa Performing Arts Society on March 1 in Walnut Creek, California.

Joel Friedman (TTI ’07) is currently working on a commissioned set of solo string pieces for the upcoming 2013 Irving M. Klein International String Competition.

Flight of Icarus by Stacy Garrop (YMP ’87-’88, YMP Faculty ’96) was given its world premiere by the Capitol Saxophone Quartet at the North American Saxophone Alliance Region 5 Conference in Bowling Green, Ohio on March 3. Her Songs of Joy and Refugewas given its world premiere by Ecco of the Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir in Berkeley, California on March 23.

Esther Landau (TTI ’09, Administration ’05-present) will perform in two concerts, one on April 22 at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM Faculty member David Garner‘s Viñetas Flamencas for tenor, wind quintet, and piano), and one on May 4 (French music with other SFCM colleagues) as part of Trinity Chamber Concerts in Berkeley.

The Learning Center, a two-man act that includes Leo Liebeskind (YMP ’08-’11), toured throughout the country from January 4 to February 3 during his winter term at Oberlin College, where he is a sophomore.

While travelling recently on business in Singapore, Noël Theodosiou (Board of Directors ’09-’13) had dinner with Tony Makarome (YMP Faculty ’09-’12). For the past 3 years, Tony has been studying carnatic music with his mridangam teacher T.R. Sundaresan. In December 2013, his teacher invited him to participate in a month-long carnatic music festival in Chennai, India. Watch a video of Tony performing a solo on his mridangam (south Indian drum). Tony writes, “I have found that the knowledge I acquired through studying carnatic music has reinforced my skills as a jazz musician and musicianship teacher. This performance opportunity was a great chance for me to push myself up a notch. In the end, I found that the experience really allowed me to grow as a musician. The form of the solo involves several sections, each with a main motif that gets developed. At first the basic subdivision is in 16th notes, then it modulates to a section that follows a triplet subdivision; finally returning to 16th notes before the final section.”

The musikFabrik performed Tools by Ned McGowan (Visiting Artist ’01-’04, ’10) in Cologne, Germany on March 4.

Noah Mlotek (YMP ’03-’04, YMP staff ’08-’11) performed in the choir for Barack Obama’s pre-inauguration church service at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. on January 21.

The week of March 18 was a good one for the Walden community on Composer’s Datebook, a daily program presented by the American Composers Forum and American Public Media. The March 18 program featured the Piano Concerto of Jim Mobberley (YMP Visiting Composer ’01, CMR Visiting Composer ’12, Board of Directors ’03-’05). Click here to listen! Three days later, on March 21, Passacaglia: Homage on B-A-C-H for wind band by Ron Nelson (JCC Composer-in-Residence) was featured. Click here to listen!

The Blizzard Voices by Paul Moravec (YMP Composer-in-Residence ’11) was given its New York City premiere on March 5 in Carnegie Hall by the Oratorio Society of New York. Paul’s geographical inspiration for his cello concerto was also featured on the NPR blog Deceptive Cadence on January 22.

Nat Osborn (YMP ’00-’03) and his eponymous band released a new album, King And The Clown, at Le Poisson Rouge in New York City on March 28, and the band has shows on April 5 (Washington, D.C.), April 12 (Rehoboth Beach, Delaware), and May 2 (Wilmington, Delaware).

Salt Lake City and the University of Utah welcomed Alicia Jo Rabins (YMP ’88-’93) and her band, Girls in Trouble, for a duo performance and question and answer session on February 26. The band’s upcoming performances are in Portland, Oregon (April 6 & 14) and Washington, D.C. (May 4). Visit Alicia’s website for more details.

Freya Waley-Cohen (YMP ’00-’07) organized a “Pop-Up” concert of new music, including her own work, among sculptor Josie Spencer’s exhibition “Low Entropy: The Archaeology of our Time” at Arch 402 Gallery in London, England on March 21. More information may be had at http://listenpony.com/.

Tamsin Waley-Cohen (Visiting Artist ’10) was featured February 18 on the BBC Radio 3 program In Tune, where she was interviewed about two lesser-known Mendelssohn concerti that she has performed with pianist Huw Watkins and Orchestra of the Swan, and her upcoming recording of these works on Signum Records.

Transitions

Lynn Taylor Hebden, one of The Walden School’s co-founders, died at her home on February 3. Lynn served as Walden’s business manager, treasurer and secretary at various times from the School’s founding until 1994. In more recent years, she was an Emerita Director of Walden’s Board of Directors and a member of Walden’s Advisory Council. All of us whose lives were touched by Lynn have suffered a great loss, and The Walden School has lost one of its staunchest supporters and fiercest advocates. Click here to read Lynn’s obituary in the Baltimore Sun.

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Opportunities & Organizations Listing

An opportunities listing for composers of multiple levels and age ranges, as well as organizations that provide services to composers, performers, music teachers, improvisers, and experimental musicians, is available here.

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Now Hear This! Works by 2012 Walden Participants

The 2012 Young Musicians Program saw the world premieres of more than 100 student works, including We Evolve as Lines by Maija Lindaas, Walden’s first Festival Forum composition for iPad. Click here to listen to the performance by Jane Chung, violin; Jane Cords-O’Hara, cello; Alex Christie, electronics; and Maija Lindaas herself on iPad!

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by Matthew Klahorst (WP)

December 2012 eNews: InterNetzo

Table of Contents

Message from the Executive Director
Read the latest issue of Recitative
Walden Holiday Parties in New York, San Francisco, and Baltimore
Upcoming Application Deadline For 2013 Young Musicians Program
Ring out 2012 with a Gift to Walden!
Community News & Goods
Opportunities & Organizations Listing
Now Hear This! Work by 2012 Walden Participants

Message from the Executive Director

Greetings from San Francisco and Happy Winter Solstice! This is a busy time of year here at The Walden School, as we close down the year, request the financial support of our many loyal friends, supporters and donors, and turn our attention in earnest to plans for Summer 2013. Applications for the Young Musicians Program are already coming in, and we have some exciting guest artists lined up for the 2013 summer season in New Hampshire, which we will begin announcing over the next several months.

In the past month, Walden and HandOverHand (JCC and Walden’s alumni organization) presented two Alumni Composers Forums. The first was held on Sunday, November 18 in New York City. 45 people attended an event featuring composers from across Walden’s many decades and alumni from all three of Walden’s programs. Faculty members Sky Macklay and Tamar Bloch moderated the engaging discussion, and performances featured the composers, as well as Steve Beck, Tierney O’Brien and Sharon Park. Audience members were treated to the musical creations of Matt Siffert, Sky Macklay, John Hennecken, Steve Kaplan, Ian Munro, Robert Karpay, Kevin Becker and Solomon Hoffman.

On December 2, more than 50 Walden alumni and friends gathered in San Francisco for another Alumni Composers Forum, this time moderated by faculty members Alex Christie and Dana Jessen. Performers included the composers as well as Katy Luo, and our composers included members of the Junior Conservatory and Walden alumni community, including Nick Benavides, Mary Fineman, Niko Korolog, Ann Callaway, Claire Haas, Loretta Notareschi, Julianne Parayo and Alejandro Poler. Many thanks to Marguerite Ladd for all of her event organizing, and to the many volunteers and assistants who helped make both of these events so successful – and the most well-attended Alumni Composers Forums to date! Stay tuned, too, as we are hoping to offer Composers Forums again in SF and NYC in the spring.

I wanted to let everyone know that Walden’s board and administration has decided not to offer the Creative Musicians Retreat and the Teacher Training Institute programs in 2013, but plans are afoot to bring them back in 2014. We know that this decision may disappoint some who may have been hoping to attend one of these programs this coming summer. We do hope that your interest and enthusiasm will sustain you over the coming year, and that you will want to be apart of these excellent programs in 2014. Stay tuned for more information in the months ahead, and of course, should you have any questions, please be in touch with us.

In late breaking news, if you are near your radio this weekend, tune into A Prairie Home Companion. On Saturday, December 22, the DiGiallonardo Sisters and the All-Star Shoe Band will premiere Caroline (Carrie) Mallonée’s new Christmas piece. Carrie is the director of Walden’s Creative Musicians Retreat and a Walden alumna and long-time faculty member. Congratulations, Carrie!

Finally, Walden is hosting two holiday potluck events in Baltimore and San Francisco. New Yorkers already enjoyed their festive gathering at the home of Matt Siffert on December 9, where approximately 20 faculty members, staff, alumni, students and parents gathered to celebrate the holiday season. While I will not be able to join the Baltimore event (December 29) this year, I will be attending the San Francisco event (December 28), and I look forward to seeing many of you there.

On behalf of all of us here at Walden, I send you the warmest holiday greetings and best wishes for a joyous and peaceful New Year. I look forward to seeing you in 2013!

Seth Brenzel
Executive Director
sbrenzel AT waldenschool DOT org
(415) 648-4710

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Read the latest issue of Recitative

Walden’s annual print newsletter is now available in electronic form. Your print copy is on its way to you (or may already have reached you), but for a sneak preview PDF, click here. This year’s issue profiles alumni who’ve pursued a broad range of occupational and personal paths since their time at Walden. You’ll enjoy reading about them!

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Holiday Parties in New York, San Francisco, and Baltimore

Walden had a wonderful holiday gathering in New York City on Sunday, December 9, at the home of Matt Siffert (CMR ’11-’12). In attendance: Meade Bernard, Tamar Bloch, Charlotte Cadieux, Solomon Hoffman, Steve and Karen Kaplan, Peter Krag, Marguerite Ladd, Sky Macklay, Tierney O’Brien, Marie Palmquist, Neffie Pinock, and Alice Volfson. There was much merriment and delicious food! It was great to catch up with everyone and share holiday cheer.

There are two other upcoming holiday parties: December 28th, 6-8:30 PM in San Francisco and December 29th, 3-5 PM in Baltimore! Please let us know by e-mail if you would like more information or would like to join us at one or both of these festive gatherings – Or you can join our Facebook group where we list all of our events! Hope to see you there.

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Upcoming Application Deadline For 2013 Young Musicians Program

We encourage those applicants who didn’t submit their Young Musicians Program applications in our Early Round of Admissions (deadline December 14) to get them in for our 1st round of Winter admissions (deadline January 18). Click here to download new student application materials — returning students, contact us if you haven’t received yours. We look forward to another wonderful summer — the Young Musicians Program will run from Saturday, June 29 to Sunday, August 4, 2013.

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How Are Walden Students Like Radishes?

Or Why Creativity Needs Your Support

If you live in an area where people are passionate about their produce, you’ve probably heard of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), a subscription which promises the weekly delivery of a box of seasonal organic farm fresh produce to your door or nearby. It looks something like this:

Ever wonder what Community Supported Creativity (CSC) looks like? Like this!

Every summer at Walden, young musicians learn to express themselves through music and feel the support of the community throughout the process. You can be a part of that support system by making a donation today. Every dollar of your donation will enrich the experience for a young musician, whether it funds her challenging classes, his ear-opening choral training, or engaging discussions with guest composers like Jim Matheson, above, at a Composers Forum.

While we can’t promise you a box of radishes delivered to your doorstep, if you make your donation by December 31st, we can offer you a tasty morsel of creativity: a recording of a first composition by a 2012 Walden student.

Thank you in advance for your generosity!

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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 contact us on-line or send info to 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 the Walden and JCC alumni website, handoverhand.org. (Note: YMP=Young Musicians Program; TTI=Teacher Training Institute; CMR=Creative Musicians Retreat; JCC=Junior Conservatory Camp).

Rieko Aizawa and Jesse Mills (Visiting Artists ’12 as Duo Prism) have joined forces with Raman Makrishnan to form the Horszowski Trio. 2013 brings performances by the trio in Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, Texas, California, Illinois, and New York, as well as the group’s first tour to India.

Erica Ball (YMP ’06-‘07, YMP Faculty ’12) premiered blurred lines, for viola and piano, in Philadelphia on November 30 as part of a concert of new works by graduate composers at the University of Pennsylvania.

David Boyden (YMP ’08) gave his senior violin recital at San Francisco State University on November 27.

The poetry collection Winter News by Alaskan poet John Haines inspired Alan Chan(TTI ’04, ’06, YMP Faculty ’10-‘11) to create a one-hour show which will be performed in New York City on December 21. His Jazz Orchestra will perform Rancho Calaveras – A Musical Farm on March 3, 2013, as part of the Gateway Performance Series in western Los Angeles. The concert features his compositions and arrangements for big band orchestra.

On the December 16 Holiday Salon in Philadelphia hosted by Andrea Clearfield(Composer-in-Residence, ’06), Nigel Armstrong (YMP ’00) was one of the featured artists. Andrea will be in residence at Yaddo in Saratoga Springs, NY, serving as Special Assistant to the President during January and February 2013.

On December 7 and 8, in San Francisco and Berkeley, Volti performed Garden of Paradise by Shawn Crouch (YMP ’93-’96, TTI ’08, YMP Faculty ’99-’07, CMR Faculty ’12), and Songs of Lowly Life by Stacy Garrop (YMP ’87-’88, YMP Faculty ’96).

Due to the hurricane in New York, the previously announced December events surrounding the release of a new CD of Luigi Nono works performed by Miranda Cuckson (Visiting Artist ’08, ’11) have been postponed to January 4 and 5 at Spectrum in downtown Manhattan. Please visit her website (http://www.mirandacuckson.com/) to learn more about her many upcoming performances.

Rebekah Griffin Greene (TTI ’10, YMP Faculty ’99 and ’10-’11) performed a solo recital for the MacDowell Society in Denville, New Jersey, on Sunday, December 16. She was joined by Terry Greene (her husband) on trombone and Dana Pielet at the piano.

Melody of China (Visiting Artist ’08) joined forces with Earplay to present a performance of works by Joan Huang and Eric Myers in San Francisco on December 7.

Soprano Marie Palmquist (TTI ’07) performed at Lincoln Center in New York City with Manhattan Concert Productions (mcp.us) on December 19.

The American Modern Ensemble and Talujon presented “The End of the World” on Friday, December 21, in New York City, featuring work by Robert Paterson (Visiting Artist ’97, YMP Faculty ’98), and performers Benjamin Fingland (Visiting Artist ’01-’02), Robert Burkhart (Visiting Artist ’11), Blair McMillen (Visiting Artist ’01-’02), and Matthew Gold (Visiting Artist ’06, ’10-’12), among others.

The PRISM Saxophone Quartet (Visiting Artists ’93, ’99, ’05) performed a composer portrait of Terry Riley in New York City at the Tenri Cultural Institute on December 15 and in Philadelphia at the Philadelphia Art Alliance on December 16. In C was not on the program, by the way!

Matt Siffert (CMR ’11-’12) released his 2nd EP on December 11. The title is “Cold Songs”, and the EP features a new batch of tunes he arranged for voice (with Matt singing) and string quartet.

Kate Soper (Visiting Artist ’09, ’12 as part of Wet Ink) will premiere her vocal monodrama at Zankel Hall in New York City on January 18. Ably assisted by her Wet Ink colleagues, composer/singer/actor/performance artist Kate will bring Madame Bovary, Clytemnestra, and Daisy from The Great Gatsby to life.

Tamsin Waley-Cohen (Visiting Artist ’10) maintains an active concert schedule throughout England, with concerts in London, Oxford, Bath, and Liecester in December and January.

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Opportunities & Organizations Listing

An opportunities listing for composers of multiple levels and age ranges, as well as organizations that provide services to composers, performers, music teachers, improvisers, and experimental musicians, is available here.

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Now Hear This! Works by 2012 Walden Participants

The 2012 Young Musicians Program saw the world premieres of more than 100 student works, including Bleed by Aditya Ranganathan. Click here to listen to the performance by Luke Poeppel, guitar; Tony Makarome, double bass; and Matthew Gold, percussion, with fixed electronics.

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by Matthew Klahorst (WP)

November 2012 eNews: Internetzo

Table of Contents

Message from the Executive Director
Lexington Symphony World Premieres Walden Alumna Sky Macklay’s Dissolving Bands
What a Weekend! Walden/JCC Reunion Recap
Art Song in August; Upcoming Alumni Composers Forums
Applications Now Being Accepted For 2013 Young Musicians Program
Walden Board of Directors Transitions
Community News & Goods
Opportunities & Organizations Listing
Now Hear This! Work by 2012 Walden Participants

Message from the Executive Director

Greetings from San Francisco! All of us here at Walden are excited to share this edition of InterNetzo with you, chock full of information about your favorite summer music school, festival and camp: a round-up of recent and upcoming events, News and Goods regarding Walden and Junior Conservatory Camp (JCC) alumni, a wrap-up of our 40th Anniversary Reunion celebration in June, and much more.

Speaking of the Reunion, what a terrific celebration of Walden and JCC history, friendships and camaraderie took place on the campus of the Dublin School in June! Many thanks to Bob Weaver, Tamar Bloch and Erin Quist for being our Reunion Co-Chairs, and to staff members Esther Landau, Brendon Randall-Myers, Marguerite Ladd and Jefferson Packer for all of their great work in organizing the Reunion, as well as to Carol Thomas Downing, Sam Pluta, Caroline Mallonée-Huebner, Marguerite Ladd and Marshall Bessières for their leading of musical workshops. While at the moment we are not planning to have another on-campus reunion until 2017, we hope to see you at the many holiday parties, Alumni Composers Forums, and other events later this year and in the years to come. It’s always wonderful to gather with fellow JCC and Walden School participants, no matter what the occasion!

Also in June, Walden’s Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR) ran for the second time. This inspiring weeklong workshop for adult musicians attracted 22 participants from around the country to participate in a week of musicianship, chorus, composition and camaraderie. Directed by senior Walden faculty member Caroline (Carrie) Mallonée-Huebner, the Retreat featured classes in the morning, chorus before lunch, afternoon lessons, composition time, rehearsals, evening Composers Forums, and a concert by resident ensemble Wet Ink. James Mobberley, former member of Walden’s Board of Directors and past Visiting Composer at the Young Musicians Program, was CMR’s Composer-in-Residence. In addition to Carrie, faculty and staff at the program included Ian Munro, Sky Macklay, Loretta Notareschi, Marguerite Ladd, Bill Stevens, Shawn Crouch and Sam Pluta. By our participants’ accounts, it was a successful week, and I know I speak on behalf of all of the faculty and staff of the program in saying how wonderful it was to have our participants with us in 2012!

The Young Musicians Program had a tremendously successful year in 2012. 49 students from 17 states, Canada, India, Japan, Lithuania, and South Sudan joined 19 faculty and staff for a wonderful summer of creative music making. Classes included courses on Beethoven symphonies, musicianship, John Cage, AudioVision, Folk Traditions/String Quartets, computer musicianship, Score Reading and more! We had wonderful guest artists, including faculty member Aurora Nealand and her band The Royal Roses, composers Jim Matheson and Eve Beglarian, Duo Prism, Yarn/Wire, Michael Poll and the amazing septet of performers that are The Walden School Players. For John Cage’s 100th Birthday, Sky Macklay and members of The Walden School Players organized a “Happening” that was a wonderful and unique event. Walden’s choral concert was held at the Peterborough Town House and featured music written exclusively by female composers, including our own Festival Forum Moderator Eve Beglarian. Midway through the Program, we held our first-annual Open House, welcoming members of the surrounding Monadnock region onto campus to learn about The Walden School. This promises to be a terrific annual event.

Pat Plude, who for the last eight years led Walden’s Teacher Training Institute, has transitioned out of her role to pursue other professional opportunities. Pat was the person who first introduced me to Walden; she also preceded me as Walden’s Executive Director and served on the Young Musicians Program faculty prior to that. Her contributions to the School have been numerous and significant, and I look forward to sharing more of the impact that she has made on Walden in a future newsletter article. In the meantime, we at Walden are sending her our best wishes for many future successes.

Be sure to read all about faculty member Sky Macklay’s tremendously successful orchestral world premiere with the Lexington Symphony. We were so fortunate to have the opportunity to select a young Walden alumna to represent Walden in the Lexington Symphony’s yearlong celebration of their town’s 300th Anniversary. I want to offer special thanks to Jonathan McPhee and Rebecca Hawkins for their vision and support of this collaboration between Walden and the Lexington Symphony.

I want to acknowledge the members of our Board of Directors — you can read more about changes on the Board in the article below. Suffice it to say, this group of super volunteers and exemplary donors does a great job in stewarding The Walden School. The entire Walden community thanks them for their tremendous efforts.

And speaking of thanks, I would like to take this moment to add a special thanks to the members of Walden’s faculty, staff and administration, who work (in some cases year-round) diligently and with passion to make Walden happen each year. All are wonderful musicians, across such a variety of fields and interests, and each brings special talents to their work, in administration, teaching and program leadership. Walden is fortunate to have such a group working on its behalf.

Applications are now available for the Young Musicians Program 2013. I hope you’ll spread the word about Walden’s unique 5-week summer program for young, creative musicians, and I hope to see many of you at the upcoming New York and San Francisco Alumni Composers Forums (November 18 and December 2, respectively), or at one of the upcoming holiday parties. For information about Walden’s year-round gatherings and events, please contact us.

Hooray for 40 years of creativity and community, and here’s to another 40 years of Walden!

With warmest wishes,

Seth Brenzel
Executive Director
sbrenzel AT waldenschool DOT org
(415) 648-4710

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Lexington Symphony Performs World Premiere of Walden Alumna Sky Macklay’s Dissolving Bands

The Lexington Symphony commissioned Sky Macklay (TTI ’09, CMR ’11, YMP Faculty ’10-’12) to compose a piece commemorating the 300th Anniversary of the town’s founding. On September 23, Dissolving Bands was premiered to warm audience reception in Lexington. Walden alumni, faculty, and staff (including Seth Brenzel, Emil Margolis, Wesley Levers, Sarah Riskind, Will Hawkins, Sam Pluta, Marguerite Ladd, among others) gathered to hear the world premiere and participated in the Lexington Symphony’s post-concert reception with patrons, performers, and the composer herself. Find out more about the project by reading this article on the Lexington Symphony’s website.

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What a weekend! Walden/JCC Reunion Recap

From the arrival of the first alumnus on June 22 to the departure of the last car to the Manchester airport on June 25, the spirit of the Walden and Junior Conservatory Camp communities shone bright on the campus of Dublin School. 64 alumni/ae, spouses and children gathered for a weekend in June to reminisce and make music together, to dance and hike, and share memories. Here were some highlights:

• The weekend schedule included a rambunctious dance led by Sam Pluta (YMP Faculty ’03-’12, CMR Faculty ’11-’12), with music by Cross Country and several alumni
• We took a hike up Mount Monadnock (the thunderstorm waited until we were all back down!)
• Chorus and workshops led by Walden faculty on musicianship, film scoring, computer music and symmetry in music were a big hit
• 16 alumni performed in a recital with repertoire ranging from Chopin to American folk music
• A slide show included photos from every decade of The Walden School and Junior Conservatory Camp; we viewed the video Ron Nelson sent us for the last reunion in 2007.
• 9 alumni had works presented in a Composers Forum with Tamar Bloch (JCC ’69-’72, TTI ’08) and Marshall Bessières (TTI ’08, CMR ’12, YMP Faculty ’03-’11, TTI Faculty ’09-’10, CMR Faculty ’11) moderating
• JCC alumni spoke with Flora Cushman, daughter of Grace Cushman, via Skype
• Here are more photos from the event. For additional treats (sound files and programs from the Alumni Recital and Composers Forum) go to handoverhand.org, the website for alumni of The Walden School and Junior Conservatory Camp. If you haven’t registered yet, it’s easy to sign up!
• And if you attended the Reunion, we still want to hear your feedback. Please complete the survey at this link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HMR5CBJ

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Art Song and New Hampshire Thunderstorms in August; New York and San Francisco Composers Forums This Fall

On August 4th, in spite of the thunderclouds looming on the horizon, Walden parents, friends and supporters gathered at the beautiful home of Susie and Loring Catlin, Sr., in Dublin, New Hampshire, for a glorious afternoon of food, friendship and music. Soprano Serena Benedetti and pianist Timothy Myers regaled guests with songs and operatic arias by various Italian composers in a brief and engaging recital; Serena also spoke eloquently about the value of programs like Walden’s Young Musicians Program and the importance of supporting financial aid. The storm – and its accompanying power failure! – held off until most guests had departed.

For those of you in or near New York (November 18) or San Francisco (December 2) this fall, Walden will once again present an Alumni Composers Forum in each city. These regional events afford area alumni and friends the chance to gather for an informal presentation of original music and lively discussion, and depending on interest, may be followed by dinner at an area restaurant. For more information, or if you are a Walden or Junior Conservatory Camp alumnus/alumna interested in submitting work or offering their services as a performer, please contact us. We hope to see you soon!

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Applications Now Being Accepted For 2013 Young Musicians Program

With the 2012 Young Musicians Program still fresh in our memory, we are moving full speed ahead towards 2013! Click here to download new student application materials — returning students will receive abbreviated application materials in the mail soon! We look forward to another wonderful summer — the Young Musicians Program will run from Saturday, June 29 to Sunday, August 4, 2013.
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Walden Board of Directors Transitions

The Walden School is guided and led by an all-volunteer Board of Directors that ensures the School furthers its mission and vision, accomplishes its goals, and continues to provide the inspiring and rigorous music training that has been a hallmark of Walden since its founding in 1972.

For the past several years, the Board has been ably led by John O’Meara, a Walden parent (his daughter Caroline attended the Young Musicians Program), donor, and husband of Junior Conservatory Camp alumna Mary Anne O’Meara, herself a former Walden Board member. During John’s just-completed tenure as Board Chair, Walden launched its third program, the Creative Musicians Retreat, and completed Walden’s second strategic plan. Fortunately for Walden and the Board, John is remaining on the Board and now serves as the organization’s Treasurer.

Taking over as Chair of the Board of Directors is Andrew Jacobs, a Walden alumnus, who had previously served Walden’s Board as Vice-Chair. Andrew lives in New York City with his wife, Kathy Park, and their children, Sabine and Julian. All of us at Walden are looking forward to Andrew’s leadership as Walden moves into its next phase of development and growth. Rounding out the leadership of the Board for its 2012-2013 year are Vice-Chairs Noël Theodosiou and Corty Fengler, and Laura Mehiel, who continues as Secretary.

Joining Walden’s Board in 2012 is Jeff Nick, father of Walden alumna Julia Nick. As President of Camden Catholic High School in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Jeff serves as the school’s chief executive officer, with oversight for the school’s personnel, budget, business affairs, and strategic planning, as well as educational and development programs.

Finally, in July the school and Board bid farewell to three outstanding directors: David Callan, Arno Drucker and Leslie Stephens. While we’ll miss their presence on the Board, we trust that they won’t be too far away. We are grateful for their service; Walden is the better for each of their service to Walden’s Board of Directors. Thank you, all!

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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 contact us on-line or send info to 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 the Walden and JCC alumni website, handoverhand.org. (Note: YMP=Young Musicians Program; TTI=Teacher Training Institute; CMR=Creative Musicians Retreat; JCC=Junior Conservatory Camp).

Duo Fado, comprising singer Melinda Becker (TTI ’04) and guitarist Thomas Walsh, has released a new promotional recording in preparation for a recording project in Spain during 2013.

Eve Beglarian (YMP Composer-in-Residence ’12) had her work In and Out of the Game performed in the Bang on a Can Marathon on June 17. Eve’s 60-second piece, My Heart is Trembling, was selected to be in the 60X60 Athena Mix to be performed at the 2013 Women Composers Festival of Hartford.

A recital by soprano Madeline Bersamina (Biddle) (TTI ’04-’05, ’08, ’10, YMP Faculty ’06-’07) and pianist Melissa Lin (TTI ’07) at Santa Clara University on October 14 included the world premiere of a work by Marshall Bessières (TTI ’08, CMR ’12, YMP Faculty ’03-’11, TTI Faculty ’09-’10, CMR Faculty ’11).

On November 4, the Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton, New Jersey, featured a setting of the 23rd Psalm by Christianne Bessières Lane (YMP ’92-’96, TTI ’04-’05 and ’10-’11, CMR ’12) in their Sunday morning worship services.

Speak to me, my love and Ballade, two new works by Ann Callaway (JCC ’65-’67) was performed as part of the Sonic Harvest festival at the Hillside Club in Berkeley, California on October 21.

Nansi Carroll (JCC ’72, YMP Faculty ’77-’96, Advisory Council ’02-present) was profiled in an article in the July 2012 issue of Senior Times Magazine.

Claire Chase (YMP Visiting Artist ’05-’09, CMR Visiting Artist ’11) has been named a 2012 MacArthur Fellow. Read more about Claire and the other Fellows in the New York Times announcement.

Cyrus Chestnut (YMP ’77, Visiting Artist ’06) collaborates at the keyboard with Michael Feinstein on the CD that accompanies Feinstein’s new book, The Gershwins and Me: A Personal History in Twelve Songs, which Simon & Schusterhas just published.

Shawn CrouchGarden of Paradise, a choral setting of Rumi and Brian Turner poetry by Shawn Crouch (YMP ’93-’96, TTI ’08, YMP Faculty ’99-’07, CMR Faculty ’12) was performed by Volti on September 30 as part of the Soundwave(5) Festival. In southern Florida, Seraphic Fire performed Shawn’s The Light of Common Day on concerts from October 17 to 21 in the greater Miami area.

Miranda Cuckson (Visiting Artist ’08, ’11) celebrated the release of a new CD on November 2 and 3 at Spectrum in New York City. The recording features a performance of Luigi Nono’s la lontananza nostalgica utopica futura for violin and eight-channel electronics (the latter performed by Christopher Burns).

Mary Fineman (JCC ’68) performed her new work, “I Thought I Saw You” in a concert on June 15 in Walnut Creek, California, presented by the Piano Composers Group of the Contra Costa Performing Arts Society.

Clarinetist Benjamin Fingland (Visiting Artist ’01-’02) has joined the Dorian Wind Quintet.

Stacy Garrop (YMP ’87-’88, YMP Faculty ’96) will have new works premiered by the Capitol Saxophone Quartet and the Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir during the 2012-13 season.

The Virginia Symphony has released “An American Port of Call”, a recording featuring the work of Adolphus Hailstork (Composer-in-Residence ’03), under the Naxoslabel. The project is a co-presentation with the Virginia Arts Festival.

Wild Rumpus, the new music collective whose founding members include Sophie Huet (TTI ’09), performed their second concert on June 8 at the Oberlin Dance Collective (ODC) Studio Commons in San Francisco, California.
Michael Johanson (YMP ’79-’86, YMP Faculty ’89, ’93, ’95-’96) was one of several composers commissioned by the International Beethoven Project to write a work for piano in some way based on a theme from the Eroica Symphony. The works were performed in concert in order of the appearance of their thematic material in the original symphony. Learn more about the festival, which included 60 events in nine days, at internationalbeethovenproject.com. Michael has also been commissioned by the Northwest Horn Orchestra— stay tuned for more details!

An article on music licensing by Amelia Lukas (TTI ’05-’06, YMP Visiting Artist ’10) was published on the Dance USA website. In other news, Amelia’s chamber music series, Ear Heart Music has found a new home venue, Roulette in Brooklyn, New York.

On September 14, Charlie MacVeagh (Board of Directors ’99-’04, Board of Directors Emeriti ’07-present) was honored as the 2012 recipient of Antioch University Graduate School’s Horace Mann Community Service Award at a ceremony in Keene, New Hampshire. Several hundred Antioch faculty, alumni and friends enjoyed a dinner at the Keene Country Club prior to the award presentation, which recognized Charlie’s many years of providing financial consultation and oversight to a wide range of non-profit organizations in the Monadnock region of New Hampshire.Robin Kenney (Board of Directors ’04-’07, ’10-present) and his wife Leslie were also in attendance.

Caroline Mallonée (YMP ’87-92, TTI ’07, YMP Faculty ’98-’12, CMR Faculty ’11-’12) won 2nd prize in the 2012 Iron Composers Competition at Baldwin-Wallace College in Ohio on September 7. Carrie was one of five finalist composers invited to compete in person. On the morning of the event, the finalists were assigned an instrumentation (prepared piano, tuba, and clarinet) and a secret musical ingredient (8 seconds of silence, not to be used at the beginning or end of the piece). They had five hours to write a piece of music that incorporates those two elements. The results of their efforts, including Carrie’s brand-new work, For John Cage on His 100th Birthday, was performed and judged on a public concert that same evening, broadcast on Cleveland classical radio. Trevor Ward (YMP ’08-’10) was in the audience.

Emil Margolis (YMP ’99-’04, TTI ’09, YMP Staff ’06-’09, YMP Faculty ’12) invites the Walden community to his Masters in Composition Recital on November 18. Thomas Carr(YMP ’03-’05, YMP Staff ’08) will be among the performers. Check it out!

Pianist Teresa McCollough (TTI ’05, Visiting Artist ’01) performed works by John Cage and others on October 27 as part of the Musical Mavericks Series at Santa Clara University. The concert commemorated Cage’s 100th birthday.

Six Pièces Mécaniques, a new work by Ned McGowan(Visiting Artist ’01-’04, ’10) was performed in Utrecht, The Netherlands, on October 12, having been premiered in Amsterdam and Rotterdam in September. His Concerto for iPad and Orchestra was performed October 18 in Rotterdam and October 19 in Amsterdam, with soloist Susanna Borschon iPad.

Walden, a composition by Jesse Mills (Visiting Artist ’12 as part of Duo Prism), was given its world premiere at Trinity Church in New York City on October 4 by the North Sky Cello Ensemble, which includes Jane Cords O’Hara(Visiting Artist ’08, ’10, ’12) and Robert Burkhart (Visiting Artist ’11). For more information, click here.

The Wondrous Woman Within, an opera by composer/librettist Osnat Netzer (TTI ’07-’08, YMP Faculty ’08-’11) was one of six operas chosen to be performed on Thursday, November 8 at the Skirball Center of New York University as part of the New York City Opera‘s VOX Contemporary American Opera Lab.

Nat Osborn’s (YMP ’00-03) band, fresh off of an East Coast tour in August that extended from Maine to Washington, D.C., performed at Rockwood Music Hall in New York City on September 14 and 23.

Carrier Records, the label started and run by Sam Pluta(YMP Faculty ’01-’12, CMR Faculty ’11-’12) has released a new album of his electro-acoustic compositions/improvisations entitled Machine Language. Wet Ink (CMR Ensemble-in-Residence ’12), Ian Antonio(Visiting Artist ’12), and, of course, Sam himself are among the performers.

“A Kaddish for Bernie Madoff”, a “solo-show-with-backing-band” developed by Alicia Jo Rabins (YMP ’88-’93) will be premiered at Joe’s Pub in New York City on November 8 and 15. Alicia’s band, Girls in Trouble, performed on October 27 at Hevreh of Southern Berkshire in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

An article by Ruth Rainero (TTI ’08, YMP Faculty ’10) entitled “Practicing Vocal Music Efficiently and Effectively: Applying ‘Deliberate Practice’ to a New Piece of Music” was published by the National Association of Teachers of Singers (NATS) in the November 2012 issue of the Journal of Singing.

Dylan Sherry (YMP ’99-’01) is in his 2nd year at Case Western Reserve Medical School in Cleveland, Ohio.

Composer and guitarist D. J. Sparr collaborated with conductor Timothy Myers (YMP Visiting Artist ’12) and other musicians in a concert of D. J.’s work presented by New Music Raleigh in North Carolina on September 16. On September 26, the California Symphony read his Violet Bond: Concerto for electric guitar and orchestra, with D. J. as soloist. Violet Bond was commissioned as part of his composer residency with the group, and will be premiered during their May 2013 subscription concerts.

Alex Torra‘s (CMR ’12) insightful and funny travel diary from a research trip to Japan can be read in three parts here: Tokyo, Kumamoto, and Beppu.

Joan Tower (YMP Composer-in-Residence ’09) was feted for her birthday with a performance of her work in honor of the occasion at SymphonySpace in New York City on September 6 as part of the New York Chamber Music Festival. Happy Birthday, Joan!
Media installations by Pamela Z (Visiting Artist ’11) were on display until November 3 at the McColl Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Transitions:

Kayden Lukas Greene, Terry Greene, and Rebekah Griffin Greene

Rebekah Griffin Greene (TTI ’10, YMP Faculty ’99-’11) and her husband Terry Greene welcomed their son Kayden Lukas Greene to the world on August 11 at 3:59 am. The accompanying photo is from Kayden’s first foray into a jazz club (surprisingly late in life, given his parents’ work and passion!)

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Opportunities & Organizations Listing

An opportunities listing for composers of multiple levels and age ranges, as well as organizations that provide services to composers, performers, music teachers, improvisers, and experimental musicians, is available here.

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Now Hear This! Works by 2012 Walden Participants

The 2012 Young Musicians Program saw the world premieres of more than 100 student works, including Circumstance: for piano trio and percussion by Katya Richardson. Click here to listen to the performance by Jane Chung, violin; Jane Cords-O’Hara, cello; Aaron Wunsch, piano; and Matthew Gold, percussion, members of The Walden School Players.

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by Matthew Klahorst (WP)

Recitative, The Walden School’s Print Newsletter

Fall 2012 Recitative

Fall 2011 Recitative

Spring 2010 Recitative 

Fall 2008 Recitative 

Fall 2007 Recitative 

Spring 2007 Recitative 

Fall 2006 Recitative 

Spring 2006 Recitative 

Fall 2005 Recitative 

by Matthew Klahorst (WP)

May 2012 eNews: InterNetzo

Table of Contents

Message from the Executive Director
Applications Still Being Accepted For This Summer’s Programs
Calling All Superheroes: the Music-a-thon is Underway
Walden/JCC Reunion: Register Today!
PRISM Quartet to Premiere Work by Walden Alumnus at Upcoming Concerts
Walden Announces 2012 Concert Series
Alumni Composers Forums in New York and San Francisco
Love Walden? Let the World Know
Community News & Goods
Opportunities & Organizations Listing
Now Hear This! Work by 2011 Walden Participants

Message from the Executive Director

Greetings from 37,000 feet! I am currently speeding my way across the country, moving east for an annual summer migration to New England. Today begins 10 weeks for me on the east coast as Walden 2012 ramps up. I am so excited about the coming summer of Walden programs and events. There is a palpable energy amongst the staff, faculty and administration as we gear up for Walden’s 40th season, and we cannot wait to greet our program participants in the coming days and weeks!

I look forward to two PRISM Saxophone Quartet concerts – one tonight, Thursday, in New York City and the other on Saturday, June 2, in Philadelphia. Sam Phillips-Corwin, Walden alumnus, is having a brand new piece for the quartet premiered, continuing a more than 10-year close partnership between Walden and PRISM.

I am excited to see many Baltimore area donors, alumni and supporters on June 3 at Jack and Lucy Henningfield’s home. Seth Knopp, former artist-in-residence at Walden and current artistic director of Yellow Barn, will perform a benefit concert. It’s still not too late to join us, and I hope you will – it promises to be a fantastic afternoon of music and food catered by Walden’s very own Laura Mehiel (board member, alumna and chef extraordinaire!).

More than 15 alumni, faculty and staff are engaged in fun and interesting projects to help raise funds for Walden’s financial aid programs. This year’s Music-a-Thon has already raised more than $5,000 toward a goal of $10,000, which will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $10,000. Projects include daily improvisation, writing music, orchestrating pieces, new mobile phone ring tones, practicing instruments, blogging about musical activities and more. I can’t wait to see the fruits of these endeavors, and I hope you will join me in supporting the work of these diligent musicians!

I look forward to the reprise of Walden’s Creative Musicians Retreat (for which there remain a few additional spots!) at Smith College. Last year’s inaugural season was a great success, and this year’s participants include alumni from all three of Walden’s programs as well as many musicians new to Walden. James Mobberley, former board member and composer-in-residence, will join us this year as the composer-in-residence at the Creative Musicians Retreat. Alumni visiting artists Wet Ink, co-led by Walden’s own Sam Pluta, will be the ensemble-in-residence, and they will rehearse, workshop and perform new works by many of the program’s participants. The program’s faculty and staff this year, enthusiastically led by program director Caroline Mallonée, is composed of Shawn Crouch, Marguerite Ladd, Sky Macklay, Ian Munro, Loretta Notareschi, Sam Pluta, and Bill Stevens.

I eagerly anticipate the Walden and Junior Conservatory Camp Alumni Reunion, June 22-25 on the campus of the Dublin School. More than 60 alumni have already signed up for a weekend of fun and reminiscing: an alumni concert, a Composers Forum, a hike up Monadnock, a dance, a ‘slide’ show, Goodnight Music, and plenty of time for catching up with old friends and making new ones. “With a moonbeam or star for light…”

And of course, I can’t wait for June 30th, the day students arrive from around the world for the 40th season of Walden’s Young Musicians Program! This year’s team of faculty and staff comprises Erica Ball, Meade Bernard, Alex Christie, Carol Thomas Downing, Renée Favand-See, Ann Goehe, Dana Jessen, Marguerite Ladd, Sky Macklay, Tony Makarome, Emil Margolis, Ted Moore, Ian Munro, Tierney O’Brien, Sam Pluta, Sarah Riskind, Peter Thompson, Leo Wanenchak, and Marie Whiteford. The aforementioned include 10 alumni of Walden’s Young Musicians Program, 10 alumni of our Teacher Training Institute summer intensive workshops and 1 alumna of our Creative Musicians Retreat. 10 of this year’s 13 teaching faculty have taught at Walden before, and 5 of this year’s staff have worked on staff at Walden before. Cumulatively and collectively, this year’s faculty & staff have at least 175 summers at Walden under their belts. The group, when not in Dublin, New Hampshire, lives in Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon, Virginia, Singapore, California, Georgia, New York, Maryland, Tennessee, Connecticut, Louisiana, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Wisconsin. No matter where we come from, we cannot wait to greet our students for a summer of musicianship, composition, choral singing and community!

Our summer Concert Series, which begins June 10 with a concert by Wet Ink Ensemble on the campus of Smith College and concludes with the annual choral concert on August 3 at the Peterborough Town House, features a solo guitar recital by Michael Poll; Aurora Nealand, bandleader, and her Royal Roses; Duo Prism; Yarn/Wire performing nine brand new works by Walden faculty composers; and The Walden School Players (Jane Cords-O’Hara, Jane Chung, Matt Gold, Rane Moore, Tawnya Popoff, Jessi Rosinski, and Aaron Wunsch) performing a concert as well as in three Festival Week Composers Forums, where they will showcase brand new works by Walden students. Eve Beglarian will be our composer-in-residence. All in all, the series features more than 20 Composers Forums, concerts, open rehearsals, presentations and Community Connections events. All of these events are free and open to the public, so please tell your friends, family and colleagues about Walden’s exciting musical offerings this summer.

None of what Walden is planning for the coming summer could happen without the tireless efforts of our board of directors, year-round administrative team and program leadership and our hundreds of financial supporters. I want to take this opportunity to say a special thanks to Brendon Randall-Myers, who departs Walden’s year-round administration at the end of June as he pursues an advanced degree in composition at Yale University. He’s been an integral part of improvements to Walden’s online presence, newsletters and development efforts over the past three years. Thank you, Brendon – you will be missed!

I also want to thank three board members whose terms end in July. David Callan, Arno Drucker and Leslie Stephens have had a great impact on Walden during their years of service on Walden’s board. In numerous small and big ways, they each brought something unique to the ever-important work of Walden’s dedicated board of directors, and they will be sorely missed. Thank you David, Arno and Leslie!

Finally, I want to thank our hundreds of loyal and generous donors. Without your support, we could not conduct our programs and plan for Walden’s bright future. You provide financial aid; you help defray operating costs so as help keep program tuition from rising faster; you underwrite our artist residency and concert series programs. Thank you for leading the way.

There is much to look forward to over the next 10 weeks of Walden 2012. I hope to see you along the way, and if not, we will keep you posted of the summer’s goings on via event announcements and additional issues of InterNetzo. Please enjoy the rest of this installment of Walden’s newsletter, and as always, please contact me with any questions, comments, suggestions, rants and/or raves.

With warmest wishes for a terrific summer,

Seth Brenzel
Executive Director

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Applications Still Being Accepted For This Summer’s Programs

There are still a few remaining places in both of Walden’s 2012 programs, the Creative Musicians Retreat and the Young Musicians Program. If you or someone you know is a musician between the ages of 9 and 999 who seeks a fun and fulfilling creative experience this summer, now is the time to let us know! Just fill out our on-line contact form to request application materials for either program. We look forward to hearing from you!

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Walden’s Music-a-thon: Pow! Blam!

Picture this:

Scene: A city street. The sky is full of dark clouds rolling in. Ominous music rises.

WOMAN ON STREET: (hand to forehead) Gadzooks! Walden needs to raise an additional $20,000 by June 15 to make it possible for deserving students to attend this summer. But how???

WALDEN SUPERHERO: (clutching pencil and manuscript paper) Never fear: The Music-a-Thon is here! From now through June 15, participants in Walden’s Music-a-thon will be doing projects that will challenge them as creative people – composing, improvising, performing, singing, writing about music – even building instruments! – and you can support their creativity and hard work by visiting their fundraising pages and making a donation to Walden. All proceeds will benefit financial aid for the Young Musicians Program.

WOMAN ON STREET: (looking anguished) But can the Music-a-thon alone close that $20,000 fundraising gap?

WALDEN SUPERHERO: (exhilarated) Yes! Super-Donors to the rescue! A group of mystery donors has stepped forward to match every Music-a-thon donation dollar for dollar, up to $10,000. But we can’t do it without the help of every citizen, including you, Formerly Panicky Woman. Will you do it right now?

WOMAN ON STREET: (considerably calmer) Yes! Where do I click?

WALDEN SUPERHERO: Right here on this “Blam! Pow!!”

Scene closes as ominous music fades and is replaced by the sound of keyboard drills. Clouds part, birds chirp. Crisis averted.

I hope you will join Walden Superhero, Walden Super-Donors and Formerly Panicky Woman to help students who need financial aid at Walden this summer.

Visit the Music-a-thon site, browse the projects and pick one to support. Your donation of any size will make an immediate difference.

As of the end of day 16 of the Music-a-thon, the event has already raised $6,495. Walden Super-donors to the rescue!

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Calling all alumni of The Walden School & Junior Conservatory Camp!

If you were a student, teacher, staff member, or visiting artist/composer at either Walden or JCC you’re invited to the upcoming Reunion in June! It runs from Friday, June 22 through Monday, June 25 in beautiful Dublin, New Hampshire.

Friday night we’ll have a dance with live music. Saturday morning the intrepid will leave to hike Monadnock (singing at the top, of course!), returning for optional workshops and more singing, a festive dinner, a concert featuring stellar Walden and JCC alumni, and a slide show. Sunday will include a Composers Forum, more workshops, a barbecue, and Evening Music. Every evening will conclude with the singing of Shari Fleming’s Good Night Music, followed by socializing. Those staying overnight on Sunday can enjoy Monday breakfast before hitting the road.

Bring your family! If your spouse doesn’t know what makes Walden so special, now you can show them. This is also a great opportunity for a future Walden student to experience life on campus and get a taste of what happens at camp. Children are welcome at all reunion activities. There will also be activities arranged especially for children.

For more details, including information on housing options, the weekend schedule, and to see a list of who’s already registered, go to waldenshool.org/reunion. We don’t have these every year, so don’t miss your opportunity for music, fun and camaraderie in 2012!

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Walden Alumnus to Premiere Work at Upcoming PRISM Concerts

A long partnership between Walden and the PRISM Saxophone Quartet has resulted in the annual commission of a new work by a graduating Walden student. This year the winning composer is Sam Phillips-Corwin. Sam, from Seattle, attended Walden’s Young Musician’s Program from 2008 through 2011. His work will share the program with minimalist masters Terry Riley and Philip Glass, as well as John Adams and Michael Torke. Join Sam, as well as Executive Director Seth Brenzel and local friends of Walden and PRISM at either of these two performances, one on May 31 in New York, the other on June 2 in Philadelphia. For more information and to buy tickets, go to PRISM’s website.

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Walden Announces its 2012 Concert Series

The Walden School has gained increasing attention for the eclectic array of concerts offered free of charge to the music-loving public throughout the summer. In fact, we received the 2011 Adventurous Programming award from Chamber Music America/ASCAP! The 2012 Concert Series will be no exception, and we hope you’ll join us for as many of the events — world premiere performances, solo and ensemble recitals, Composers Forums, open rehearsals — as possible.

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Something for Everyone: Alumni Composers Forums on Two Coasts

New York and San Francisco were host cities this spring to two Alumni Composers Forums. Works by a total of 15 alumni of Walden and the Junior Conservatory Camp ran the gamut from electronic works to string quartet. Read on for details about each event.

New York City

On April 29th about forty alumni and guests gathered at the Ann Goodman Recital Hall near Lincoln Center to listen to a program of new music, four of the pieces being world premieres. Co-moderators Tamar Bloch (JCC ’69-’72, YMP Faculty ’87-’04, TTI ’08) and Rebekah Griffin-Greene (YMP Faculty ’99-’11, TTI ’10) led insightful discussion that was enhanced by thoughtful and appreciative comments from audience members. To give you a taste of the evening, composers Matt Siffert (CMR ’11) and Nicole Gutman(YMP ’11) worked with the members of Trio KAVAK (flute, viola and cello) to prepare terrific world premiere performances of their works. Aaron Krerowicz (TTI ’11) performed his own work for solo mandolin and electronics, and Carolyn Gollance (TTI ’10) performed her piece for solo piano built solely on fourths, a creative exercise with which many Walden and JCC alumni are familiar!

San Francisco

Walden alumni and friends gathered in San Francisco’s Noe Valley neighborhood for our fourth annual SF Bay Area Alumni Composers Forum, which featured the huge range of styles and moods that has become a hallmark of these events. Moderated by YMP faculty members Alex Christie (YMP ’02-04, TTI ’10-11, Staff ’09, Faculty ’10-11) and Ruth Rainero (Visiting Artist ’07, Faculty ’10), the Composers Forum began with three pieces for string quartet plus or minus a member, performed by the young, enthusiastic group Friction.

Nico Samanez’s (TTI ’10) trio Stuffed started the concert with a bang, with the members of Friction dashing off imaginative passages of extended techniques and tricky rhythms, to impressive effect. Nick Benavides’ (TTI ’09-10 , CMR ’11) s.f.i.f. followed, with gorgeous harmonies and expressive melodic lines, realized beautifully by the group. The third piece, Cole Porter Fantasy (full title What if Cole Porter got the blues, heard some gospel music, met an Angel, learned to tango, and then wrote Night & Day?), by Ellen Hoffmann (JCC ’60-67), added flutist and Development Director extraordinaire Esther Landau to the quartet. The piece was by turns colorful, jazzy, lush, and a lot of fun.

The second half of the concert featured composer/performers. First up were two beautifully constructed and emotionally resonant songs by Mary Fineman (JCC Alumna), followed by a virtuosic Rondo from Victor Xie (YMP ’11). Hernando Buitrago(TTI ’11) brought an almost Andean flavor to an arrangement of his song Love Disaster for classical guitar and double bass, originally written for a full rock band. And finally, Gabriel Kyne (YMP ’11) presented an electronic score he had composed for a filmed modern dance piece. All told, the forum was a varied, stimulating experience, and we look forward to the next one!

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Love Walden? Tell the World!

You have an exciting opportunity to help The Walden School make even more of a difference in the world. GreatNonprofits – a site like Amazon Book Reviews or TripAdvisor – is a website where people can share their stories about nonprofits that have touched their lives. Won’t you help us raise visibility and support for our work by posting a review of your experience at Walden? All reviews will be visible to potential donors and volunteers. Go to: greatnonprofits.org/reviews/the-walden-school — it’s easy, and only takes 3 minutes. Many thanks for your help!

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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 contact us on-line or send info to 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. (Note: YMP=Young Musicians Program; TTI=Teacher Training Institute; CMR=Creative Musicians Retreat; JCC=Junior Conservatory Camp).

Carol Prochazka Battye (JCC ’72) just completed a Master of Arts in Spiritual and Pastoral Care from Loyola University.

Shawn Crouch (YMP ’93-95,’96, TTI ’08, Staff ’97, Faculty ’99-00,’02,’05-07) reports that Chanticleer performed his piece The Garden of Paradise, composed for Chanticleer in 2008, in the San Francisco Bay Area on their multimedia concert “What Do You Think I Fought For?” (March 31- April 4). On April 27, the Texas A&M Century Singers performed A Kind Goodbye, a setting of a moving early poem by Mark Twain, on their American Word concert.

This spring was an eventful one for former Walden board member Ruth Franklin, (YMP ‘84-89) who is a 2012 Guggenheim fellow in the Biography category, a 2012 recipient of The Center for Fiction’s Roger Shattuck Prize for Criticism, given to annually to support and encourage emerging critics, and finally a Fellow at The New York Public Library’s Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers.

Cara Haxo (YMP ’04-09) was awarded second prize at the 2012 statewide Ohio Federation of Music Clubs Student/Collegiate Composers Composition Contest in March for her piece “The Giving Tree” after Shel Silverstein’s children’s book of the same name, which was composed for the PRISM Quartet (Visiting Artist ‘05).

Caroline Mallonée (YMP ’87-92, TTI ’07, YMP Faculty ’98-’11, CMR Faculty ’11) had two exciting performances in May – first, the Da Capo Chamber Players performed Unless Acted Upon: Manifestations of Newton’s First Law in Carnegie hall’s Weill Recital Hall.
This quintet was commissioned last summer by The Walden School for the Firebird Ensemble. Second, The Florilegium Chamber Choir, conducted by Nicholas DeMaison (Faculty ’04-07), premiered her new choral work, Da Pacem Domine in late May. Works by Erica Ball (YMP ’06-07) and Nick himself were also premiered on the same concert.

Danielle Oberdier (YMP ’04-07) has founded AK Kerani, a fashion company that uses fashion to make a positive change in the current media and world.

Nat Osborn’s (YMP ’00-03) band went on a miniature east coast tour this May, playing in Maryland, Delaware, New York and Washington, D.C.

The PRISM Quartet (Visiting Artist ‘05) is the first saxophone ensemble to conduct a residency at the Curtis Institute of Music. The residency culminated in PRISM concerts on May 9 and 10 in Philadelphia and New York City, respectively, featuring compositions by two Curtis faculty members and five extraordinary student artists from Curtis’s composition department.

In May, Alicia Rabins (YMP ’88-93) had a work-in-progress showing of A Kaddish for Bernie Madoff, a musical meditation on themes of money, communal responsibility, and the intersection of mysticism and finance, supported by the Six Points Fellowship and the LABA fellowship.

Nico Samanez’s (TTI ’10) Senior Composition Recital, Organic Abnormality, was on Sunday, May 20th in the Recital Hall at Santa Clara University.

John (Faculty ‘51-68, Visiting Composer ’97, Advisory Council ’02-11) and Marianne (JCC ’66-68) Weaver were honored in April at an American Guild of Organists event at Kimmel Verizon Hall in Philadelphia.

Transitions:

Alicia Rabins (YMP ’88-93) and her husband Aaron are overjoyed to announce the birth of their baby girl, Sylvia Tallulah Hartman, born April 15 2012 at 8:03 pm. Her band Girls in Trouble’s first post-baby show to welcome Sylvia Tallulah, was on May 23 in Park Slope.

Margaret (“Marge”) Wanenchak, long-time Walden donor/supporter and mother of Leo Wanenchak (Faculty ’77-84, ’89-11, Admin ’99-11, Board ’04-09) passed away in April 2012. You can read an obituary here.

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Opportunities & Organizations Listing

An opportunities listing for composers of multiple levels and age ranges, as well as organizations that provide services to composers, improvisers, and experimental musicians, is available here.

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Now Hear This! Works by 2011 Walden Participants

In Arvind Ranganathan’s Colors, the composer explores his self-diagnosed synesthesia — in other words, he sees different colors when hearing certain sounds. Active visual imagination encouraged while you listen to this performance by Walden School Players Jessi Rosinski, flute; Jane Chung, violin; Steven Beck, piano; and Matthew Gold, percussion. Click here to listen.

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by Matthew Klahorst (WP)

March 2012 eNews: InterNetzo

Table of Contents

Message from the Executive Director
Upcoming Events: Walden/JCC Reunion, Music-a-thon
Announcing the 2012 Creative Musicians Retreat
Walden Seeks Nurse for Young Musicians Program
Upcoming April 6 Deadline for Young Musicians Program Applications
Walden Faculty Appear in Pre-concert Event at San Francisco Symphony
Walden Honored at CMA/ASCAP Award Ceremony
Walden/JCC Alumni Composers Forums in New York and San Francisco This Spring
Alumni – We Need Your Input!
Community News & Goods
Opportunities & Organizations Listing
Now Hear This! Works by 2011 Walden Participants

Message from the Executive Director

Happy Spring! With the change of seasons from winter to spring and with the days getting longer, The Walden School’s high season is now within sight. Planning and preparations for this summer’s programs are definitely in high gear. Walden will be kicking off its 40th Anniversary celebrations in June with an alumni reunion, June 22-25, 2012. A reunion committee, comprising alumni from each of our three programs along with Junior Conservatory Camp alumni, is busy at work planning the festivities and spreading the word. I hope you will join us for what is sure to be a fun weekend! Read more about it here.

Walden will also be reprising the highly successful Creative Musicians Retreat in June, again on the campus of Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. Former Walden board member and past guest composer James Mobberley will be the Composer-in-Residence at this year’s Retreat, and Wet Ink Ensemble, co-directed by Walden’s Sam Pluta, will be the ensemble-in-residence, workshopping participants’ compositions and works in progress. Please spread the word among your friends and colleagues and learn more about this year’s Creative Musicians Retreat at www.waldenschool.org/creative-musicians-retreat.

Applications for this summer’s Young Musicians Program are still being accepted, with a spring application deadline of April 6 (after which we will consider applications on a rolling basis, space permitting). The faculty and staff team is being finalized, and we will make further announcements about the team in next month’s InterNetzo. Guitarist Michael Poll, the percussion/piano quartet Yarn Wire and Duo Prism, among others, will perform on this summer’s concert series. For more information, visit waldenschool.org/young-musicians-program.

There is much more to read in this month’s InterNetzo, including reviews of the ASCAP/CMA awards program in January, alumni News and Goods, opportunities for musicians, information about our upcoming Music-a-thon and much more! I look forward to seeing you at one of the upcoming Alumni Composers Forums in San Francisco and New York City, or at our spring Baltimore event on June 3. And if not there, perhaps I will see you at one of our summer programs or at our Alumni Reunion Weekend in Dublin, New Hampshire!

Seth Brenzel
Executive Director

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Upcoming Events: Walden/JCC Reunion,
Music-a-thon

Marshall Bessières, Tamar Bloch, and Kendra Holmgren at the 2007 reunion

Walden/JCC Reunion

It’s been five years since the last reunion, and it’s time to see your old friends again! Come share music, memories, hike, dance up a storm, and have a mini-Walden/JCC experience.

Friday night we’ll have a dance with live music. Saturday morning the intrepid will leave to hike Monadnock (singing at the top, of course!), returning for optional workshops and more singing, a festive dinner, a concert featuring stellar Walden and JCC alumni, and a slide show. Sunday will include a morning and afternoon Composers Forum, more workshops, a barbecue, and Evening Music. Every evening will conclude with the singing of Shari Fleming’s Good Night Music, followed by socializing in one of the new lounges at the Dublin School.

Bring your family! If your spouse doesn’t know what makes Walden so special, now you can show them. This is also a great opportunity for a future Walden student to experience life on campus and get a taste of what happens at camp. Children are welcome at all reunion activities that their parents deem appropriate for the particular child’s age and maturity level. There will also be activities arranged especially for children. For more information, including how to register, click here.

If you have questions, please contact us at (415) 648-4710 or alumni@waldenschool.org.

Reunion Committee:

Nick Benavides
Marshall Bessières
Tamar Bloch
Seth Brenzel
David Drucker
Ruth Franklin
JoEllen Gaines
Malcolm Gaines
Nadia Gardner
Cindy Harkum
Cara Haxo
Marguerite Ladd
Esther Landau
Carrie Mallonee

Ian Munro
Noah Mlotek
Mary Anne Polk O’Meara
Jefferson Packer
Bob Passmore
Molly Pindell
Pam Quist
Erin Quist
Brendon Randall-Myers
Alan Shewmon
Hamilton Sims
Bob Weaver
Asa Williams
John Yankee

Music-A-Thon: A Creative Musicianship Marathon to Support The Walden School

May 15 through June 15, 2012

Dust off your manuscript paper. Put your improvising hat on. Dig out your books of etudes and your Walden musicianship manual. It’s almost time for the Music-a-thon, the spiritual successor to 2010’s Compose-a-thon! This is a great opportunity to set yourself a musical goal: to get composing again, to practice cello 90 minutes a day, to improvise fearlessly, even to blog about your favorite recordings and performances. Friends and family can demonstrate their support of your efforts by making a donation to Walden. All funds raised will support financial aid. Donations may be solicited from April 9 through the conclusion of the marathon. Participants raising at least $100 are eligible for prizes, and every dollar they raise above that amount will be matched dollar for dollar by a group of anonymous donors, up to $10,000! You can support Walden by donating towards the efforts of the participants, and you can participate yourself.

Learn more at waldenschool.org/mat.

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Announcing the 2012 Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR)

We are thrilled that The Walden School Creative Musicians Retreat will return to Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, for its second season. We hope you’ll consider joining us for an inspirational week of creative music-making this June. The Retreat is designed for a diverse group of musicians (composers, improvisers, performers, choristers, teachers, undergraduate and graduate students, amateur and professional musicians) and includes many of the elements of a Walden summer: composing, singing, improvising, master classes, composition lessons, musicianship, computer music classes, a Saturday hike, communing with fellow musicians, and chances to hear your music performed (and have it recorded) by professional performers!

You can see the planned schedule for the Retreat here.

This summer, our Ensemble-in-Residence at CMR is the Wet Ink Ensemble (the Faculty Commissioning Ensemble of the 2009 Young Musicians Program). They’ll give a concert and play pieces by participants on two composers forums. Our Composer-in-Residence is James Mobberley (YMP Festival Moderator, 2001). The CMR faculty and administration is made up of Sam Pluta, Loretta Notareschi, Marshall Bessières, Shawn Crouch, Carrie Mallonée, Seth Brenzel and Marguerite Ladd.

Please join us in June!

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Walden Seeks Nurse for its Young Musicians Program (YMP)

If you or someone you know is a Registered Nurse and would like to be an integral part of a creative, musical residential community this summer, we are seeking a full-time nurse for our Young Musicians Program. Dates of engagement are June 25 through August 6. Please read our job description for more information, and help us in the search by forwarding this pdf version to people you know who may be interested or who know of someone else who is. Thank you!

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Upcoming April 6 Deadline for Young Musicians Program (YMP) Applications

There are just a few spots left in our Young Musicians Program (YMP), and April 6 is the deadline to submit your application to be considered in our Spring round of admissions. Any applications received after April 6 will be considered on a rolling basis, if space permits. Don’t let yourself or the musically gifted child(ren) in your life be relegated to our waiting list! Download a YMP applicationtoday.

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Walden Faculty Appear in Pre-concert Event at San Francisco Symphony

On March 10 and 14, the San Francisco Symphonywelcomed Pamela Quist and Patricia Plude, Walden faculty members, to the stage of Davies Symphony Hall as part of the orchestra’s Mavericks Festival! The idea for the collaboration came from Susan Key, Special Projects Director in the Artistic Planning department of the Symphony. Susan attended the Teacher Training Institute in the summer of 2010 and was struck by Pam’s improv session entitled “The Happening”.

Fast-forward to 2012, when the Symphony has programmed selections from John Cage’s Song Books, and Susan made the connection: why not have a pre-concert event that was interactive, where symphony patrons would learn not just by listening, but by doing? The result was a performance of “The Happening” guided by Pam and Pat, supplemented with additional introductory improv activities which were designed to offer a first hand experience of various compositional techniques and musical elements that patrons would encounter in that evening’s concert. At approximately 500 attendees, this was decidedly the largest group Walden faculty have ever led in such activities, and Pat and Pam were happy to find the participants eager, willing, and even hungry to step out and try something new. Read the glowing review in the San Francisco Examiner.

Eliza Brown, Walden alumna and past Young Musicians Program (YMP) faculty member, just led a similarly successful evening at the University of Michigan when the Symphony travelled there on tour with the Cage program on March 23. Congratulations to all involved on a magnificent opportunity for Walden’s reach to extend beyond New England.

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Walden Honored at CMA/ASCAP Award Ceremony

The Walden School received the 2012 Adventurous Programming Award for Small Contemporary Presenter/Festival in an awards ceremony on January 15 at the Westin New York in Times Square. Chamber Music America and ASCAP have collaborated for the past 24 years to honor innovative chamber music and jazz ensembles, festivals and presenters. This year’s annual awards recognized a total of eight U.S.-based professional ensembles and presenters, including Symphony Space, for distinctive performances of new music composed in the past 25 years. John O’Meara, Chair of Walden’s Board of Directors, received the award on behalf of The Walden School, and other Walden community members in attendance were Mary Anne O’Meara, Meade Bernard, Marguerite Ladd and Amelia Lukas. The morning was an opportunity for the entire American chamber music and new music communities to celebrate their endeavors.

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Walden/JCC Alumni Composers Forums in New York and San Francisco This Spring

Hand Over Hand, the alumni association of The Walden School/Junior Conservatory Camp (JCC) is pleased to announce two Alumni Composers Forums this spring: one on April 29th in New York, moderated by Rebekah Griffin Greene and Ian Munro, and the other on May 6th in San Francisco, moderated by Alex Christie and Ruth Rainero. Walden students, alumni, parents, faculty, staff and friends will gather for an afternoon of music, discussion, reuniting with old friends, and making new ones. Both forums are FREE and open to the public, and will be followed by a small reception for participants and attendees, so between new music, great people and delicious food, there are plenty of reasons to join us. For more information about the New York Composers Forum, click here, and for the San Francisco Composers Forum, click here.

We could also use your help at either of these events! If you’d be willing to help out, please let us know. We hope to see you soon!

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Alumni – We Need Your Input!

Walden is evaluating the use of our alumni website, handoverhand.org, and we want to hear about what you use the site for, how often you go there, as well as possible alternatives to our current service. We’ve created a short (5 minute) survey and will very much appreciate your input.

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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 contact us on-line or send info to 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. (Note: YMP=Young Musicians Program; TTI=Teacher Training Institute; CMR=Creative Musicians Retreat; JCC=Junior Conservatory Camp).

Elizabeth Rhudy Austin’s (JCC ’52-56) Wilderness Symphony was featured on In Praise of Women, an annual event on WPRB 103.3’s program Classical Discoveries that focuses on music written by women.

Steve Beck (Visiting Artist ’09-11) received a nice reviewfrom the New York Times about his performance on Bargemusic Here and Now Series.

Duo Fado, which features Melinda Becker (TTI ’04) played a concert at the Music at Noon series at Santa Clara University in January.

Ethan Borshansky (YMP ’98-01, Staff ’05) was featured in a recent podcast for Thoughtless Music, a Toronto based electronic label that he signed with last year. His EP for the label is coming out in April with remixes and will be available through Beatport, Zero, Juno, Whatpeopleplay, and others. You can listen to the podcast here or here.

George Brandon (CMR ’11) and the Blue Unity Orchestra recently received a grant from the City University of New York’s Diversity Projects Development Fund to stage a series of participatory events as part of The City College of New York Black Studies Program’s Black History Month events. These events, which will include workshops and open rehearsals, culminated in a Blue Unity Orchestra Legacy concert at CCNY’s Harlem campus in February.

Amy Catlin-Jairazbhoy’s (JCC ’61-65, Faculty ’63-65) film, From Africa to India: Sidi Music in the Indian Ocean Diaspora was screened as part of an all-day mini-symposium on theoretical issues of advocacy in ethnomusicology in March at UC Berkeley.

Alex Christie (YMP ’02-04, TTI ’10-11, Staff ’09, Faculty ’10-11) played an improv set with Brendon Randall-Myers’ (TTI ’10, Admin ’09-12) band Grains at a laundromat/café in San Francisco. Also in attendance were Gabe Kyne (YMP ’11) and Morgan Kusmer(YMP ’03-11).

Seamus Conley (YMP ‘09) is attending Warren Wilson College in North Carolina.

The two-time Grammy-nominated choral ensemble Seraphic Fire performed Shawn Crouch’s (YMP ’93-95,’96, TTI ’08, Staff ’97, Faculty ’99-00,’02,’05-07) Pie Jesu from The Road from Hiroshima, A Requiem on their 10th anniversary concert in January.

The Del Sol String Quartet (Visiting Artists ‘06) played a great set at Yoshi’s in Oakland in January, featuring music by Mason Bates, Gabriela Lena Frank, Lou Harrison, and others.

Ensemble Pamplemousse released RAANA JEDAKU, a collection of 7 works by the members of the ensemble, including Natacha Diels (TTI ’09). The album is out on Carrier Records, Sam Pluta’s (Staff ’01-02, Faculty ’03-11) label. Carrier also announced the release of Nominal/Noumenal by Alexander Sigman, which unites three of the world’s foremost contemporary music ensembles and seven edgy, engaging, and interconnected works in Sigman’s first portrait recording.

David Dueñas (TTI ’04, ’07, Visiting Artist ’10) performed in a program at Santa Clara University called Jazz Has A Dream, commemorating the life and contributions of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Renée Favand-See (YMP ’85,’87-90, TTI ’08, Faculty ’93-97,’99,’05-07) had a number of items of interest in January, including participating in several performances with Cappella Romana of Rachmaninoff’s “Vespers”, the Manhattan premiere of her piece Looking West on a Humid Summer Evening on the Five Boroughs Music Festival, the release of the same piece on the Five Boroughs Songbook studio album, and the premiere of her piece Lighting the leaves by The Julians.

Corty Fengler (TTI ’11, Board of Directors ’09-11) sang in three concerts in the San Francisco Bay Area this spring, featuring works by Morten Lauridsen, Francis Poulenc, and David Conte.

Stacy Garrop (YMP ’87-88, Faculty ’96) had a wonderful crop of performances and commissions. Her String Quartet No. 4: Illuminations was premiered by the Cecelia Quartet, and her pieces Helios, Silver Dagger, and The Book of American Poetry were all performed several times throughout the winter.

Jennifer Higdon (Visiting Artist ’99, Advisory Council ’02-12) received a commission awarded jointly by the Serge Koussevitzky Music Foundation in the Library of Congress; the Koussevitzky Music Foundation, Inc.; and the Cypress String Quartet.

The International Contemporary Ensemble (Visiting Artists ‘11) played simultaneous gigs in their two home cities of Chicago and New York. Claire Chase (Visiting Artist ’05-09) played a solo show at the Art Institute of Chicago, while ICE played at ISSUE Project Room’s Gaudeamus Muziekweek New York.

Caroline Mallonée (YMP ’87-92, TTI ’07, YMP Faculty ’98-’11, CMR Faculty ’11) will have her piece Unless Acted Upon: Manifestations of Newton’s First Law performed in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall on May 2, 2012 by the Da Capo Chamber Players. The piece was written for the Firebird Ensemble as part of the Walden Faculty Commissioning Project in 2011. Da Capo includes Meighan Stoops (Walden School Players ’04-’11) and Blair McMillen (Visiting Artist ’01-’02).

Kaeli Mogg (YMP ‘08-11) is in her first year at Oberlin’s TIMARA program.

Nat Osborn (YMP ’00-03) and The Nat Osborn Band played a series of shows on the East Coast in January.

The PRISM Quartet (Visiting Artist ‘05) will perform two concerts this spring of music by Minimalist composers and those influenced by them, including Samuel Phillips-Corwin (YMP ‘08-11), winner of the 2011 PRISM Quartet/Walden School Commissioning Award. Along with Music from China, PRISM also presented the world premiere performances of four new works for saxophones, traditional Chinese instruments (erhu, sheng, pipa, and yanqin), and percussion, by celebrated Chinese-born American composers.

Alicia Jo Rabins’ (YMP ’88-83) band Girls in Trouble played a battery of shows this winter, including a Chanukah concert in Manhattan, a UK/Italy tour, and a visit to the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco. She was also featured on two podcasts, one for the Contemporary Jewish Museum where she talks about how she went from attending Towson Presbyterian Nursery School to studying Torah and writing songs about Biblical women, and another talking about music by the Kapnik sisters.

A piece by Jessica Rudman (CMR ’11), “The Man Who Wants You”, was performed on the New Voices at Catholic University of America Festival in Washington, DC.

The Orchestra of St. John’s, with Ronald Mutchnik conducting, will perform Vivian Adelberg Rudow‘s (JCC ’50-51) Spirit of America on April 1 in Owings Mills, Maryland.

Trio Tritticalli, which features Helen Yee (TTI ‘09) continued their residency at Linger Cafe and Lounge in New York, performing their signature blend of styles and moods, including pieces such as the African-inspired Issue #2, Piazzolla’s Libertango, and the Arabic pop favorite, Azizah.

Pamela Z (Visiting Artist ’11) is part of a new Meredith Monk CD project “MONK MIX” which had its official release at Joe’s Pub in New York City. Z performed her version of Monk’s Scared Song along with one of her own compositions in the CD release celebration/concert. She also performed solo concerts at the Telfair Museum in Savannah, Georgia, and Meridian Gallery in San Francisco.

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Opportunities & Organizations Listing

An opportunities listing for composers of multiple levels and age ranges, as well as organizations that provide services to composers, improvisers, and experimental musicians, is available here.

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Now Hear This! Works by 2011 Walden Participants

Walden collaborated with the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music to commission three Young Musicians Program students to write works to be performed by Apple Hill’s students. Both communities came together in the Louise Shonk Kelley Barn at Apple Hill on July 12, 2011 to listen to the world premieres! Ariel Kent’s V’la l’bon ventwas performed by Gabe Shoglow-Rubenstein and Miranda Weinberg, violins; Dario McConnie-Saad, viola; and Eddie Pogossian, cello. Click here to listen.

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by Matthew Klahorst (WP)

December 2011 eNews: InterNetzo

Table of Contents

Message from the Executive Director
waldenschool.org: Gateway to News and Features
Walden Honored with Prestigious Award from CMA/ASCAP
Now’s the Time to Apply for the 2012 Young Musicians Program
Walden Events to Warm the Heart and Spirit
Interested in Working at Walden’s Young Musicians Program in 2012?
Give to Walden Without Even Trying!
Acoustics: Music’s Empty Reason (by Alex Ness)
Community News and Goods
Opportunities & Organizations Listing
Now Hear This! Works by 2011 Walden Participants

Message from the Executive Director

Today, December 22, 2011, marks the Winter solstice. It seems like a particularly appropriate day to be sending you Walden’s next installment of InterNetzo, our newsletter. The solstice marks the beginning of the days getting progressively longer, as we move toward those long summer days and anticipate another season of magic at Walden’s programs.

I am pleased to share that The Walden School was selected for a 2012 Adventurous Programming Award from Chamber Music America/ASCAP for our concert series and artist residency programs, and will receive this award at a ceremony in New York City on January 15. This is exciting recognition of an important aspect of all of our programs: outstanding visiting artists who share the highest quality, innovative music with our program participants. I send along my many thanks to our dozens of visiting guest artists in 2011 who indeed enriched the experience at each of our programs and who helped make the Walden magic happen!

In this issue of InterNetzo, we also announce our redesign of waldenschool.org, Walden’s website. This was a project that we launched at the end of last spring and are now so pleased to share with the entire Walden community. We hope you like it, and we look forward to your comments and feedback.

There are lots of other features and content to peruse, including a reprint of Alex Ness’ fascinating article that appeared in the Fall 2011 issue of Recitative. There are links to our job postings, music opportunities, upcoming Young Musicians Program deadlines, and of course, news and goods from alumni & friends, where you can learn about your friends and colleagues and the goings on in their lives, both musical and otherwise.

I wanted to also take this opportunity to thank all of you who help make Walden happen each year: faculty, staff, and administration; volunteer board members and alumni association leaders; the many event hosts and volunteers; our hundreds of generous donors; alumni; partners; and of course, our parents and students and program participants, on behalf of whom we all work through the winter and spring in eager anticipation for your arrival, whether for your first or third or seventh Walden summer!

I hope you enjoy this installment of InterNetzo, and as always, I look forward to hearing from you, and hopefully seeing you at an event or program soon!

Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season and a prosperous, peaceful New Year. Thanks for reading.

Seth Brenzel
Executive Director

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waldenschool.org: Gateway to News and Features

waldenschool.org has always been the place to explore, learn and share news about The Walden School. Now it’s even better. Our enhanced website, which launched in December, offers fresh images, better navigation and all the latest news about our exciting musicians, innovative programs, concerts and events, and the most recent news about awards and honors. Improved SEO (search engine optimization) will make it easier for you to find us, and enhanced integration of social media will make it easy for everyone to link, like, share and follow.

We hope you’ll find rich rewards on our new site. Please bookmark it and visit it often. If you miss a press release, newsletter, or announcement, no worry: our archives will provide access, at any time, from anywhere in the world.

Many thanks to our partner Xiik, Jefferson Packer, Brendon Randall-Myers, and numerous others for their project management, design, photography, copy editing and content contributions.

Sign up for Walden’s e-newsletter, bookmark our site and visit waldenschool.org often! And if you have any feedback that you’d like to give us about the new site, now or anytime in the future, please write to us at contact us.

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Walden Receives Prestigious Award from CMA/ASCAP

Chamber Music America (CMA) and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) have chosen The Walden School receive a 2012 CMA/ASCAP Adventurous Programming Award. Read the complete press release to learn more. “This year’s award recipients represent some of the most exciting contemporary music programming in the country,” said Chamber Music America’s CEO, Margaret M. Lioi.

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Now’s the Time to Apply for the 2012 Young Musicans Program

Applications are being accepted for the 2012 Young Musicians Program (YMP). New and returning applicants should submit their materials by Friday, January 6, 2012, to be considered in the early round of admissions decisions. Learn more and download application materials here.

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Walden Events to Warm the Heart and Spirit

On November 11, friends gathered at the home of board member and alumnus Andrew Jacobs and his wife, Kathy Park, to celebrate and support The Walden School. Lucky guests were treated to a performance by flutist Claire Chasewho wowed the crowd with Steve Reich’s Vermont Counterpoint and her own arrangement of Paganini’s legendary variations, complete with virtuosic extended techniques.

We are closing out the year with a series of regional holiday potlucks for alumni from Walden and the Junior Conservatory Camp. We have already had two such events with family and friends gathering to chat, sing, share food and good company.

In attendance on December 18 at a party in New York were: Matt Siffert (our event host), Marguerite Ladd, Christianne (Bessières) and John Lane, Kate Ettinger, Carolyn Gollance, Maria Marsalis, Meade Bernard, Tierney O’Brien, Ita Giventer, and Ilya Mayzus.

A December 19 gathering in the Bay Area included Corty and Alf Fengler (our event hosts), Ariel and Jill Kent, Carlos and Lucas Shimizu, Walter and Daphne Saul, Esther Landau and Caroline Pincus, Ruby Landau-Pincus, Seth Brenzel and Malcolm Gaines, Cora Brenzel Gaines, Brendon Randall-Myers and Ricki Schecter, Nick Benavides, Sophie Huet, Dina (Glendening) and Jim Keller, Ruth Rainero and Pieter de Haan, Ilana Rainero-de Haan, Steve Kusmer, Leland Kusmer, Jefferson Packer and Marcel Gemperli, and Marshall Bessières.

If you will be in the Baltimore area on Thursday evening, December 29, please join us for the last holiday gathering of the year! For details, contact Marguerite Ladd, Director of Operations and Development Assistant, at (603) 933-0150.

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Interested in Working at Walden’s Young Musicians Program in 2012?

Are you interested in serving as a member of the faculty or a member of the summer staff? The Walden School is building its team for the 2012 season of its flagship Young Musicians Program. 2012 marks the 40th session of Walden, and as always, we seek to build a vibrant, talented team. Submit your materials by January 20, 2012, to be considered for a position. Learn more and review the faculty, staff and nurse job announcements here. And if you’re not interested, but know of someone who might be, we would appreciate your passing along these position announcements to interested applicants.

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Give to Walden Without Even Trying!

By Marguerite Ladd

Last night I bought and shared a broccoli and mushroom pizza with friends. As we were all enjoying its greasy goodness, I smiled knowing that I had just made a donation to The Walden School. You can, too! All you need is an appetite and a web browser.

FREE and Easy Ways to Support The Walden School Every Day:

Here is how you can help:

• Use GoodSearch.com when you search the internet (ex: looking up the best pizza places near you) – they will donate a penny to Walden every time you do.
• Enroll your credit card at GoodDining.com and they will donate up to 6% of every dollar you spend when you eat at one of 10,000 participating restaurants
• Use GoodShop.com when you shop online. They partner with more than 2,500 major brands – everything from Staples and iTunes to PetSmart and hotels.com. They have more than 100,000 coupons and will donate a percentage of every purchase you make to Walden.

It’s easy! Simply click here and choose your cause – The Walden School (Dublin, NH). You can download a customized Walden School toolbar to keep track of how much money you have earned for The Walden School by following this link.

Contact us if you want more information about earning badges and registering at Goodsearch.com.

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Acoustics: Music’s Empty Reason

By Alex Ness (YMP Faculty ’05-07; YMP Staff ’03)

“You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.”
– Friedrich Nietzsche

Please note: This article is drawn from Alex’s doctoral dissertation, and was published previously in our print newsletter, Recitative, which you may view on-line as well.

The simplest, most common musical assumptions have profound consequences. Consider, for example, the layout and tuning of the keys on a keyboard. Most of us take for granted a repeating pattern of seven white and five black keys. We also generally presume that each key should be tuned one-twelfth of an octave higher than the key below it. Patterns like these are, in a sense, the glue holding together the Western musical tradition—a point of agreement between composers as diverse as Bach, Beethoven, and Messiaen, to choose three famous names among thousands. If we choose, we too can spend a lifetime exploring the depths of these conventions. There is no shortage of musical discoveries to make, or material to exhaust.

Of course, we can also spend a lifetime working against the assumptions of Western art music and exploring alternatives. Like Harry Partch, we may want to compose music for uniquely-tuned instruments that we design ourselves. Perhaps we don’t even care about tuning at all, and are happy to let the musicians decide for themselves, as Louis Andriessen did in Workers Union. Or, we may simply be more interested in the conventions of the TR-808 drum machine than those of the piano.

During a period of deep depression, the philosopher John Stuart Mill was “seriously tormented by the thought of the exhaustibility of musical combinations.” Those of us who see the bigger musical picture, however, might be tormented by the opposite thought: that music is utterly inexhaustible; that each musical style, practice, convention, or decision has countless alternatives. This is hard enough to deal with as composers and performers, but it makes things especially difficult for music teachers. Put simply: out of all these possibilities, which music should we teach, and why?

Certainly, one can answer that no music is well-suited to an education, at least an education that concerns itself with truth and correct reasoning. Musical preferences are, at root, a matter of personal taste (or bias) rather than of universal truth. Any musical decision is as valid as any other; fundamentally, it doesn’t matter whether you make music with a conventional piano, a randomly-tuned homemade marimba, or an 808. From this perspective, “musical logic” is an oxymoron, because music has no logos, no essential principle that guarantees its validity. This, however, has not been the opinion of philosophers, music theorists, and pedagogues from the dawn of music theory to the present day. They have argued, to the contrary, that some music can be justified by reason—more specifically, by the mathematically rationality of acoustics, the science of sound. For two-and-a-half millennia, music instructors in the West have relied on “the nature of sound” to distinguish the good musical assumptions and decisions from the bad, and the teachable music from the unteachable.

We can trace the link between music education, acoustics, and “good music” to the mythical foundations of Western music theory itself. According to legend, once upon a time in ancient Greece the philosopher Pythagoras was daydreaming about a way to measure sounds. In his reverie, he heard, by chance, a concord of blacksmith’s hammers as they beat a piece of iron on an anvil. Seduced by the beauty of the harmony, he tried to reproduce it on the strings of a lyre. His experiments led him to discover the integer ratios of the perfect consonances: 2:1 for the octave, 3:2 for the fifth, and 4:3 for the fourth. With this discovery, Pythagoras invented a technique of acoustic music notation that remains in use to this day. But this notation interested him less as a tool to transcribe new and unusual sounds, than as an intellectual weapon to justify the consonances that he preferred, and to impose them on his students as divine law. Pythagoras devised an entire religion, educational system, and way of life around the integers 1 through 4; the students of his cult learned to worship the consonances as sacred sounds. No student dared challenge Pythagoras’ conception of good music, since to do so would mean challenging nature itself.

Acoustics, however, is a double-edged sword for musical education: insofar as it can justify a musical preference and make it educationally viable, it can also justify its alternative. It doesn’t take much imagination to invent an anti-Pythagorean religion in which the small numbers are the most profane, and the consonances therefore the leastdesirable intervals. In such a religion, we might worship the tritone instead of the octave. This too has its precedent. A different legend relates the fate of Pythagoras’ student Hippasus, who showed that the consonances were nothing special because there was nothing special about the integers themselves. Hippasus used his master’s famous theorem to construct the irrational ratio √2:1 from the hypotenuse of a right isosceles triangle and its edge. Hippasus argued that this ratio is as mathematically, metaphysically, and acoustically valid as any small-integer ratio: it too makes sound, even if that sound is the diabolical discord of an octave split into two equal halves. For the insolence of his reasoning, the gods drowned Hippasus at sea, but not before his argument had spread through the Pythagorean cult, splitting it in two as well: on one side, the acusmatici, who would continue adhering to the values of Pythagoras himself; on the other, the mathematici, who, following Hippasus’ lead, would spurn their master’s religion, devise their own mathematics and discover their own sounds.

Pythagoras was not wrong to love the sound of the octave. He was not even wrong to teach the octave; what better way to teach music than by sharing the sounds that you love? His error was, rather, to call on acoustics to explain how music should work, and to force this explanation on his students. Acoustics explains nothing about music; although it can describe sound relationships, it cannot prove which of these relationships are musical and which are not. No logic can bridge the gap between acoustic information and musical decision-making. It is the responsibility of every musician, young or old, to make their own sense of that gap. They must each decide which acoustic tools to use for their music—if any at all—and how to use them. No music teacher can do this work for them.

Nor can any logic bridge the gap between the music of the world and the music of the classroom. It is the music teacher’s responsibility to decide what to teach; but this, again, must be their own decision. Whether they choose to teach the conventional musical patterns or the exceptional ones is less important than understanding that their choice is ultimately their own, and not the necessary consequence of an inviolable musical nature. As for the right curriculum, the correct curriculum, and the only curriculum, it does not exist.

Alex Ness is a doctoral student in the music department of New York University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. As a historian of music theory, he focuses on eighteenth-century harmonic treatises, the institutionalization of music pedagogy, and heterodox musical logic. He is also an active composer, having written extensively for new music groups in New York.

Alumni: What do you think about Alex’s conclusions? Share your reactions to this article on the Community Blog at www.handoverhand.org, the alumni community site. If you’re not a member, go ahead and register. Some responses may be selected for publication in future newsletter issues.

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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 contact us on-line or send info to 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. (Note: YMP=Young Musicians Program; TTI=Teacher Training Institute; CMR=Creative Musicians Retreat; JCC=Junior Conservatory Camp).

A new solo cello suite by Erica Ball (YMP ’06-07), dedications, was performed by Michal Schmidt on a concert of new works by UPenn graduate composers in Philadelphia in November.

A chamber opera by Ann Callaway (JCC ’65-67, Faculty ’74-76, ’78-84, ‘99), Vladimir in Butterfly Country, had its concert version premiere at the 11th Annual Sonic Harvest concert this October in Berkeley.

The premiere performance of Alan Chan’s (TTI ’04, ’06, Faculty ’10-’11) Erhu Concerto “Rock-Paper-Scissors”, commissioned by St. Matthew’s Music Guild / Los Angeles County Arts with Wang Hong (Visiting Artist ’08) on Erhu is viewable on YouTube.

Shawn Crouch (YMP ’93-94, ’96; TTI ’08; YMP faculty ’99-00, ’02, ’05-07) has a slew of performances this season, including The Garden of Paradise by Chanticleer on March 30-April 4, Pie Jesu from The Road from Hiroshima, A Requiem on Seraphic Fire’s 10th anniversary concert series January 11-15 in South Florida.

Nick DeMaison (Faculty ’04-07) was the Musical Director for two big productions this fall: The Ticket That Exploded, a multi-media opera by James Ilgenfritz, which was performed at the Issue Project Room in Brooklyn, and Le Pauvre Matelot (The Poor Sailor) by Darius Milhaud, at Fraunces Tavern in New York.

A song by Renée Favand-See (YMP ’85, ’87-90, TTI ’08, Faculty ’93-97, ’99, ’06-07, ’09), Looking West on a Humid Summer Evening (poem by Corin See) was commissioned by the Five Boroughs Music Festival, and saw a premiere in October and a second performance in November. It will be performed in each of the five boroughs throughout the year.

Stacy Garrop (YMP ’87-88, Faculty ’96) reports that Chicago a cappella, Chicago’s premiere nine-voice choir, has released its “Days of Awe and Rejoicing” CD, including her piece Hava Nagila, which was commissioned by the ensemble. This fall also saw several premieres of new works, including The Book of American Poetry, Volumes III and IV by The Stony Brook Contemporary Chamber Players at Stony Brook University, Songs of Lowly Life by Volti in San Francisco, Jubilation by the Lincoln Trio in Chicago, and the upcoming Helios by Gaudete Brass on December 28 in Chicago.

Livia Gho’s (CMR ’11) choir in Vancouver, the Essonance Chamber Choir, held a joint concert series this Christmas with Ablaze Chamber Orchestra to put on Vivaldi’s Gloria in D major, which was Livia’s first instrumental conducting gig. The choir also performed works by Lauridsen and Hyokki.

Carrie Mallonée’s (YMP ’87-92, TTI ’07, Staff ’96, Faculty ’98-00, ’02-09, 11, Admin ’10-11) Carolers for chorus and orchestra (written when she was 14) was on WYPR 88.1 FM in Baltimore in November, and the San Francisco-based new music collective Wild Rumpus, which features Sophie Huet (TTI ’09) performed her piece Shadow Rings.

Teresa McCollough (Visiting Artist ’01, TTI ’05) and Wet Ink Ensemble (Visiting Artists ’09) performed a program at Santa Clara University in November featuring premieres by Sam Pluta (Staff ’01-02, Faculty ’02-08, ’10-11), Alex Shapiro (Visiting Composer ’04), and Sally Mitchell (YMP ’00-04, TTI ’11, Staff ’10).

Ned McGowan’s (Visting Artist ’01-04, ’10) concert series Karnatic Lab featured two performances in December, and Ned had a work in 31-tone tuning performed at MicroFest Amsterdam 2011.

The Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco and Melody of China (Visiting Artists ’08) presented a concert celebrating the legacy of the Qin, an ancient seven-string zither, featuring performances by the Melody of China ensemble with guests Qin virtuoso Liu Li and Flutist Chen Tao, including a world premiere by Gang Situ.

Nat Osborn’s (YMP ’00-03) band Hawthorne performed at the legendary Joe’s Pub in New York in November, followed quickly by Nat’s west coast debut in San Francisco. He also performed with a new band in early December at the Rockwood Music Hall.

The duo edition of Alicia Jo Rabins’ (YMP ’88-93) band Girls in Trouble (GIT) did a month-long US tour this fall, including a residency at the San Francisco Contemporary Jewish Museum which culminated in a concert featuring a panel discussion on creative midrash with Biblical scholars. Alumni Will Rees (YMP ’86-90) and Brendon Randall-Myers (TTI ’10) made it to the show in San Francisco. GIT also performed at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park City in December, will be at the LIMMUD Conference in Warwick, UK, from December 23-29, and will tour Italy in January.

D. J. Sparr (YMP ’91, Faculty ’09-10) will appear at The Atlas in Washington, D.C. on January 6. Learn more here.

The Bill Stevens Jazz Ensemble (Visiting Artists ’10) performed an evening of jazz at Ruggero Piano in Raleigh, NC this November.

The Da Capo Chamber Players, which feature Meighan Stoops (Walden School Players ’04, ’06-11, TTI ’06-07) gave two performances of a program called Cool Britannia this October, once at Bard College and again at Merkin Concert Hall in New York.

An anthem by Bob Weaver (JCC ’57-63, CMR ‘11) and his friend Bill Pasch was published by St. James Music Press You can see and hear it by going to www.sjmp.com.

Pamela Z (Visiting Artist ’11) has too many events coming up to list here, but they include a performance at the Berkeley Arts Festival, a shared concert at Le Poisson Rouge with Meredith Monk in New York on January 20, and solo sets at San Francisco State University on February 21, the Pulse Art & Technology Festival in Savannah, GA, on February 28, and Meridian Gallery in San Francisco on March 14.

Transitions:

Carrie Mallonée’s and Eric Huebner’s (Visiting Artist ’04-08, ’11) son Henry Ericsson Huebner was born October 27, 2011 at 4:10 a.m. He weighed 8 pounds and 4 ounces. He spent his first summer (in utero) at Walden in 2011.

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Opportunities & Organizations Listing

An opportunities listing for composers of multiple levels and age ranges, as well as organizations that provide services to composers, improvisers, and experimental musicians, is available here.

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Now Hear This! Works by 2011 Walden Participants

More than 100 world premieres had their genesis in 2011 at Walden’s Young Musicians Program on one of seven Composers Forums that occurred throughout the five week experience. One of these pieces was first-time student Gen Tanaka’s A Brief Return of Calm, performed by Walden School Players Jane Chung, Tawnya Popoff, and Robert Burkhart, and Walden Faculty Member Alan Chan. Gen lives during the year in Tokyo, Japan. Click here to listen.

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by Matthew Klahorst (WP)