Inga

 We first met in the foyer of The Hartt School in January.

I had taken the bus from Northampton in order to see a performance of “Street Scene” by Kurt Weill, the student opera.  It was a Sunday afternoon in January, shortly before the first day of classes and the start of my new job.

The bus schedule had me at the school very early.  However, the event was ticketed, so I needed the time to navigate the system.  Although I had an ID, my name was not yet in the ticketing system.

After obtaining a ticket, I remained in the foyer, a large room with upholstered benches lining the walls.

Audience members began arriving as curtain time approached.  As the foyer was becoming rather crowded, two elderly women entered together.  It seemed to me that they could use a place to sit, so I offered to stand, giving them two seats together.  They gratefully accepted, then continued the conversation, inviting me to sit with them.  I was happy to make their acquaintance, especially as they were among the first ten people I had met in Hartford.

It soon became clear that they were both opera fans who often attend Hartt performances.  Their names were Ingeborg and Shirley.

Inga told me that she changed her name to Inge at first, but got tired of being called “Inkie” all the time.  So now it’s Inga.  Her companion’s name was Shirley.

Ever since January, I have kept an eye out for them.  And on Monday evening, it paid off.  Inga attended a vocal concert.  The program was entitled “Occident Meets Orient,” and was wonderfully sung by Carole FitzPatrick, Robert Barefield, and their terrific pianist, Russell Ryan.

I approached her at the reception.  She looked frail.  Shirley was not with her.  I didn’t ask about Shirley, but may at a future encounter.

Inga told me she’s going to the Connecticut Concert Opera production of “Gianni Schicchi” by Puccini and Pasatieri’s “Signor Deluso,” and wanted to know whether I’m going, too.  We’ll both be attending the Sunday matinee on November 2nd.

I’m looking forward to seeing her!

Successful Concert #3! Williamsburg, MA

Image via Wikipedia

On Sunday I played the 3rd of 3 concerts based on the same program.  This was the Williamsburg, MA concert rescheduled from October.

Some thoughts about the day:

Getting there

The drive to Williamsburg was much easier today.  No storm!  We had lunch at the Brewmaster’s Tavern (pictured above), which was excellent.

Distractions

During the time between lunch and the concert (about an hour), there were any number of distractions.  I was focused, and found myself able to ignore them.

In the audience

A father walked in with his 2 young daughters.  They sat in the front row, right by the piano.  I was thrilled!

Just before concert time, a friend arrived.  It was very nice to see him.  He had come to the dinner during the power outage, and I had not expected him to make the trip a 2nd time.

Playing 3 concerts together worked!

My playing in this concert was the best of the 3, as it should be.  I wish the piano had been better, but I’m happy to have gotten something out of it.

Audience engagement

As is my habit, I spoke to the audience rather than providing printed program notes.

The Bach and Bach/Busoni shared the 1st verbal note.  I explained a few ways in which a fugue is different from a round.  And I shared a few details about Bach chorales.  (This was a Congregational church.  “Ich ruf’ zu dir” was not in either hymnal I consulted.)  Then I suggested that Busoni, a Romantic composer, would sound completely different from the prelude and fugue.

Everyone laughed when they heard that Mendelssohn‘s “Songs Without Words” have no words and never did.  Then I indicated that the 3rd and 6th pieces I would play had titles, inviting them to make up their own titles for the others.

I grouped the Liszt and Stamatelos together with the goal of introducing Katerina’s piece with Liszt’s “Nuages Gris.”

Everyone LOVED Katerina’s piece!  I was surprised, as this is a country church with an “older” congregation.  Describing how the piece was composed made a difference and piqued their interest.  And mentioning that Katerina and I “met” on Twitter wasn’t a bad thing to say, either.  They were also quite attentive when they learned that she lives in Greece.

This 3rd performance went so smoothly!  I am completely comfortable with the transitions between variations now, and could focus on expressing the music.

Before playing the Gershwin, I played a 4th on the piano, explaining that we aren’t accustomed to hearing that interval as a pleasant sound.  Then I added the 3rd below (to form an inverted triad), then 3rd below that.  Now that everything sounded normal again, everyone enjoyed the piece!

What’s next?

It’s time to watch some tennis!  (Barclays ATP World Tour Finals replay from earlier today in London, http://espn3.com)

Image via Wikipedia

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Related articles

• Concert countdown on mostly unfamiliar music (gretchenspianos.wordpress.com)
• Almost concert time! (gretchenspianos.wordpress.com)
• Concerts: #1 of 3 (gretchenspianos.wordpress.com)
• A successful New York concert (gretchenspianos.wordpress.com)

E-books

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Goal-oriented Practice

August 2011 review by pianist Robert W. Oliver

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How to Maintain Your Piano

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A successful New York concert

Tags

Katerina Stamatelos, Skype, Twitter

Cover of Star!

Yours truly played a concert in New York on Wednesday. 

What a blast!

Actual program will be posted here as soon as it is received.

The countdown

Everything about daily life that could go wrong the week before, did. I felt like I couldn’t handle it all, nearly canceling the concert.

And then, things kept getting worse! The day before my trip, not only did some dental work fall apart, but my plans to stay with a friend fell through.

A Skype video call enabled me to put all the negatives in a box and forget about them. They would still be there when I got back, if I wanted them.

Fortunately, I have more than one friend in New York! An email resulted in a quick reply with a gracious invitation to stay with a lovely person in a beautiful apartment in Midtown.

Getting there

The trip into the City was easy and uneventful. I found a cab in 2 seconds, and even scored a friendly driver.

The street noise kept me awake ½ the night. It wasn’t particularly loud, but I’m not used to it anymore. We were on the 4^th floor with a window open.

Warmup

When I arrived at the concert venue, the music director was out of the building, the piano was in the corner, someone was praying aloud, and no lights were on. So I asked a desk clerk to have the lights turned on (which they were in 2 minutes) and moved the piano myself (but I’ve done that before). The desk clerk assured me that warming up would be fine while the prayer was in progress.

My practice time, about ½ hour, didn’t go well at all. Possible reasons are too little sleep, nerves, the extreme acoustics (reverb), and the climate (hot and humid). I felt like I had a fever!

Even just before the house was opened to the public, I wasn’t feeling good about the way I was going to play the concert. And that, for me, is very unusual.

Backstage

I had a talk with myself. “So, what are you going to do, blow it? You’ve never blown it here!” (I’ve played there several times.)

I decided the way to go was not to rely on what I expected to come out of the instrument, but to listen to the actual sound and deal with that.

The concert

Things proceeded normally. The 1^st half was Bach/Busoni and Mendelssohn. I felt completely settled in the 2^nd half with Katerina Stamatelos’ piece and Gershwin.

Talking to the audience

I wanted to talk to the audience because it has always worked. Nothing profound ~ it wasn’t a lecture recital. I told them that the “Songs Without Words” don’t have any words and never did! Scholars have been searching, believe it or not. And I told them that Mendelssohn named only a few of his songs, publishers named the others. I encouraged people to make up their own titles.

Katerina’s piece

When I said that I’d “met” Katerina Stametelos on Twitter, some people said, “Oh!” Others smiled ~ all looked intrigued. I told them that Katerina lives in Greece and earned 2 degrees at the University of Iowa, and why I felt a connection with her.

Everyone in the audience loved this piece! Big smiles, long and enthusiastic applause, true appreciation without reservation.

A chance occurrence

The music director had asked me to assure him that my program was 30 minutes, not longer. Apparently recent concerts have been longer, making people rush for lunch. He has received complaints.

So I was conscious of the time frame during my concert. I omitted 2 repeats in order to allow talking time.

After my program, as the audience was applauding, I found myself taking a bow and then speaking again, saying something like, “That’s it ~ everybody go to lunch!” And I didn’t make a grand exit.

Audience engagement

That was a chance happening. And it worked! More than twice the usual number of people approached me after the concert!

Their comments included:

“You made my day!” I recognized the man from 2 years ago, when I had performed Messiaen. We had discussed Messiaen then.

One woman said she is the organist at a small church “down the street.” She had played “Ich ruf’ zu dir” on the organ, but this is the first time she had heard the piano version. Since the organ she plays had stopped working, she would look at the Bach/Busoni.

Another woman asked about Katerina’s “In Memoriam Béla Bartók,” wondering whether they knew each other, or what that was about.

Friends

I got together with 4 friends on this trip and had a great phone conversation with a 5^th. Four of us (3 friends plus myself) enjoyed lunch on Amsterdam Ave. just South of 120^th St. My friends had never met each other, but have common interests, so we all had a good time.

Later that evening, I had a sandwich and a wonderful time seeing someone who couldn’t make the concert. He has so many interests and so much curiosity, he is always fun to talk to.

‘Tude

After dinner, I had an ice cream attack. So I walked around the neighborhood in search of a deli. What I found was a Johnny Rockets restaurant (50’s or 60’s American diner) at 56^th and 3^rd.

At the takeout counter, I ordered 2 dark chocolate shakes to go. The cashier took my payment and made change for a nickel.

Her arm extended back, and she slapped the nickel on the counter!

Welcome to New Yawk. If my change had been a $5 bill, would she have turned around? What would it take to score eye contact?

The trip back

The bus driver had no clue.  At Port Authority, he announced that we were boarding a Hartford bus.  The destination, Springfield, is clearly posted.  In New Britain, he asked the passengers if anyone knew how to get to Route whatever.  Soon after that, he became lost for 10 mi.  Then we encountered traffic backed up from an accident.  After that, a passenger had to direct him to the gate in Springfield as soon as he left I-91.

Then we changed buses.  The next driver was very unpleasant.  But it turned out there was also an express bus to Amherst. So the last 45 minutes of the trip were normal.

We arrived in Amherst 2 hours and 20 minutes late!

I called the complaint number the next morning and demanded a refund.

I’m glad the mega-glitch in the trip happened after my concert!

Goals

Continue to facilitate audience engagement.

Look to NY as a reality check rather than feeling discouraged by recent changes in the focus of various concert series and the local situation.

Practice, plan future programs, incorporate more contemporary music, organize house concerts.  Twitterhouse concerts?

Network like mad!

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Related articles

• Concert countdown on mostly unfamiliar music (gretchenspianos.wordpress.com)

E-books

Looking for practice inspiration? “Goal-oriented Practice: How to Avoid Traps and Become a Confident Performer” will give you a fresh perspective!

Goal-oriented Practice

August 2011 review by pianist Robert W. Oliver

When You Buy a Piano

How to Maintain Your Piano

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Concerts: #1 of 3

Tags

Béla Bartók, Katerina Stamatelos

Image via Wikipedia

This afternoon’s concert, at Applewood in Amherst, went well!  The residents loved the music and verbal program notes, and several people invited me back.  The general consensus was that this was different from “what we usually hear.”

Getting there

I decided to take the bus rather than a cab.  Applewood is just is a short walk from the Hampshire College bus stop.  However, this was homecoming weekend at UMass, plus Trick-or-Treating postponed due last weekend’s storm.

The bus was 50 minutes late!  Fortunately, there was extra time built in, so all I missed was extra practice time and a some pre-concert relaxation.

Several friends came, including a former housemate from college!  Whoa.

Audience members wanted to talk to me afterwards, which is always nice.  Of 3 people who read my bio, one mentioned that her daughter has a restaurant in Aspen, right at the base of the ski lift.  The other 2 had been watching my hands to see what Joan Dornemann taught me!  (They didn’t say what they found out, though.)

Following Katerina Stamatelos’ piece, I asked for a show of hands from people who liked part of it.  It’s a retirement home, after all.  Several people did!  And one resident told me afterwards that she has been to Greece, and she loved the whole piece.  She hadn’t expected to get into anything that was in homage to Bartók.

I was not paid.  I have the name and phone number of the person to call.  He will no doubt send in a requisition, and I will receive a check in the mail in a month or so.

Concert #2

On Wednesday, I will be playing the program below in New York.  I will write another post upon my return.

After the concert

A friend took me out to dinner!  We had fun, and I enjoyed the break a great deal.

And then

I think I’ll sleep well tonight!  I’m exhausted!!!

I’ll do the Sunday puzzle tomorrow night.

Concert postponed: the continuing saga

Tags

postpone, reschedule, snowstorm

Image by DeusXFlorida via Flickr

We had almost 12″ of SNOW on Saturday afternoon and evening!  In October!  The record for this time of year in Western Massachusetts is 7.5″.

The church dinner went on using candlelight, but my concert was postponed.  So now I have an additional week to practice before my next scheduled performance!

My blog series about this program could now be called, “The Ever-changing Story!”  Keep reading.  You’ll see why.

Let me tell you about my day.

Saturday was an exercise in patience.

Check-in #1

I called around 11:30 a.m. to see if the concert was on.  A major snowstorm had been predicted for mid-afternoon and evening, and the sky was becoming darker and darker.  My body told me it was definitely going to snow.  There was no answer, so I left a message. Then I practiced for an hour and called back.  I asked if there was a backup plan, considering the weather report.  The answer was no… the church deacon said it wouldn’t snow ’til midnight.

Check-in #2

I finished practicing, took a shower, and looked out the window about 2:15 p.m.  It was snowing hard.  I called again.  The person in charge of the kitchen said they had to do dinner because all the food was already cooked.  The plan was to have dinner, then look outside around 6:30 to check on the weather.  If people felt they needed to get home, we would postpone the concert.

By that time I felt that the concert definitely would be postponed, so getting ready to leave was hard.  Getting ready normally puts me “in the groove” to perform.  This time, though, it was “maybe I will, maybe I won’t.”  The lack of decision by the presenters caused uncertainty on my part, affecting my mood and level of excitement.  Most times, cancellations are made well in advance:  for example, Smith College announced the cancellation of its Saturday concert the evening before.

Concert makeup, concert hair, and concert dress happened anyway, and I packed up my music and heels.

At the church

We arrived after 5:00, driving bumper-to-bumper the entire time.  I began practicing at 5:10, with dinner scheduled for 5:30.  At 5:15 the power went out!  After some discussion about my playing by candlelight (which might have worked with 2 candelabra and large flashlights), the deacon decided that elderly people shouldn’t be going up the stairs by flashlight. (The church sanctuary is located on the 2^nd floor.) So the the concert was postponed, date to be confirmed.

An atmospheric dinner

Dinner was excellent, served and consumed by candlelight.  Not many people showed up.  A former co-worker came, driving some distance. We were surprised to see him, and had a good time talking.

The ongoing discussion

We had an extended discussion about a new concert date.  It will tentatively be Sun., Nov. 20th (1st choice) or Sat., Nov. 19th, at 3:00.

A busy time in the church year is coming soon: Thanksgiving, Advent, a church fair, and Christmas.

Any proposed date for the church calendar has to be approved by the deacons. Not all of them were present, so we are awaiting the next church service or deacons’ meeting.

With the major snowstorm and loss of power at the church, I wonder whether the service was held this morning.

What’s next?

If one chooses to be positive, as I was after a short time, this can be turned into an advantage! I have an unexpected additional week to practice before the next scheduled concert, same program.

This afternoon, it felt great to practice with the sun streaming through the window, reflecting intensely off the snow.

The Town of Amherst has canceled just about everything for Monday, as there is a wide-spread power outage and most businesses are closed. There will be no school, including the closing of all 5 colleges.

So I get to stay home and practice tomorrow! There’s tennis to watch, too (Basel, Switzerland)!!! Free snow day!

Mother Nature wins this time, and now I’m fine with that.  However, this could be a very interesting winter!  (It’s not winter yet!)

Stuff happens.

Related articles

• Almost concert time! (gretchenspianos.wordpress.com)

Have you experienced a rescheduling with a long decision time? This is probably the most difficult cancellation I have encountered.

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

E-books

Snowed in?  This is the PERFECT TIME to read “Goal-oriented Practice:  How to Avoid Traps and Become a Confident Performer!”

Goal-oriented Practice

August 2011 review by pianist Robert W. Oliver

When You Buy a Piano

How to Maintain Your Piano

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The Transformative Power of Performing

Tags

Beatlemania, clown, Mark Vaccacio, nerves, Strawberry Fields, Superman, terminal cancer

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A recent New York Times article featured an interview with Mark Vaccacio, who has terminal cancer.  He began performing in “Beatlemania” on Broadway, and is now a member of Strawberry Fields, the tribute band.

Mark has this to say about the place performing has in his life today:

“When I put my teeth in and my wig on, and the costume, I’m not a cancer patient anymore,” he said. “It’s like Superman. You become Superman. The whole mystique of the Beatles, the beautiful music, starts surging through you.”

Michael Wilson’s article sparked my awareness of the ways in which performing can make people feel at peace with the world.

The Party

On a less profound level, someone I met had a similar take on the subject.

The party guests were mostly economics majors.  I was invited because I knew the hosts, one of whom was a pianist friend.

Seated on the floor, the person to my right started a conversation. We had been shooting the breeze for a while when she said quietly, “You know, I’m a clown.”  A real clown in that group didn’t seem likely.  I assumed she meant she liked telling jokes.

Turns out she was a real clown!  She did children’s parties, mostly.

Well, that was too good to pass up.  I had to find out more.  In continuing our conversation, she began describing the process of getting ready to go to a gig.  You know, the usual. Makeup, clown suit, humongous shoes, funny nose…

One day she was running late.  No time to change clothes or do makeup at home.  So, what would you do?  She threw everything in the car and went to the party!

When she arrived looking like herself, she began applying clown makeup in front of the kids.  Of course they ate it up!  With each new layer, she found herself getting more and more into her character.

She has since made that her standard procedure.

A pre-concert meltdown

A college classmate and fellow pianist was, and is, a phenomenal musician. However, she was always extremely nervous about performing.  At the dress rehearsal for her senior recital, she played beautifully while also having frequent memory slips.

Then came recital day.

That morning, she woke up, looked in the mirror and said, “There’s a concert today.  Let’s go!”  She played so well, I don’t have the words to describe her performance.  I shall always remember being there.

Costumes

Singers I know love to sing opera.  Why opera in particular?  They get to play dress-up and be somebody else!

What happens to me

Like the clown I met, applying makeup makes all the difference.  With each new layer, I feel more and more joy.  Add the dress, jewelry, new stockings, and heels, and I’ve arrived!  During a performance, headaches don’t register and other concerns go away. If my fingers are split, they stop hurting.  All is well with the world, and I feel at home.

Practice!  Perform!  Be transformed!  I recommend it!

How do you experience performing?  If you don’t perform, what is it like to be in the audience?  Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

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“How to Maintain Your Piano” clarifies how to care for your instrument differently from other furniture. Only $1.50!

Pothole Insurance!

Tags

distractions, Music, New York City, Ruth Slenczynska, Smith College, snags in performances, teaching

Image via Wikipedia

Is there such a thing?

While living in New York City, I worked in  law firms for awhile (backup jobs).  All employees were provided with a car service home after a certain time at night (I think it was after 8:30, required by Federal law).

One night, en route from Wall St. to the West Side Highway, my driver was winding around the one-way streets as usual.  When he rounded the 4th or 5th corner, we encountered ~ what else? ~ Con Ed!  Their truck, tents, and mountains of miscellaneous stuff took up the whole street, curb to curb (their specialty).

Just as I was about to voice my exasperation, the driver turned to me and said, “You know what they’re doing, don’t you?  They’re installing potholes!  They only come out at night.”

Best laugh I’d had for months, all the way to the Upper West Side.

What about the potholes we all encounter in performances?  Something new and unexpected  happens every time!

During college, memorable snags during performances, juries, and other people’s juries (I collaborated with almost everybody) included:

• playing a solo jury with the piano next to a huge soundproofing panel hung on the adjacent wall
• another solo jury with one juror wearing red, another swinging his foot ~ out of rhythm
• a particularly gifted cellist’s jury ~ she was a freshman, nervous, resulting in her playing a Popper etude and launching, without a break, in the Brahms E minor Cello Sonata.  I wasn’t ready for “no break,” but fortunately the piano’s first entrance is after the cello’s first note.  Whew!  Made it!  Won’t happen again!
  

Some of the highlights in performances after college were:

• trying to ignore a phone (land line) ringing loudly 12 times(!) in the middle of a Beethoven trio performance ~ no answering machine, no human picking up
• freezing in a January orchestra gig at St. John the Divine ~ they said to wear long underwear!  The cathedral is old, enormous, unheated, and windy.
• having sweaty hands in a choral performance at NYU in May, on a hot day with the building’s heat still on ~ my hands slipped (often) for the 1st and only time
• playing a concert on Luboff tour where the piano was on a high platform (i.e. unmovable), 1/2 an auditorium away from the stage
• having sight lines obscured between me and the soloist ~ at a singer’s City Opera audition ~ I was able to read cues from the back of her dress
• due to space limitations in a church concert series, relying on the back of the violinist’s head and the tip of her bow
   

  What can we do?  How can we “deal?”

  The pianist Ruth Slenczynska, in an event at SIU, talked about the way she practices during the two weeks preceding a concert.  She intentionally creates uncomfortable conditions for herself!  One day she’ll practice in bad light, the next in a cold room, then with the bench at an uncomfortable height, etc.

  Pianist Peggy Lazarus, who lives near Boston, prepares her students for performances by making noise during their lessons.

  As she said in a recent email:

  “we practice with distractions…..my students play and I bang on drums, wail like a baby and blow a train whistle!   Usually we all end up laughing…”

  Great idea!

  During college, my fellow music building inhabitants and I would go into each others’ practice rooms to make noise, take the music away, and dance around.

  One more situation comes to mind.  On occasion a concert venue will be highly reverberant.  If a performer arrives just before the concert to warm up at the hall, that can change everything.

  Do you practice with slower tempi from time to time?  Playing slower in reverberant halls will sound clearer to the audience.  Unless the reverberation is out of control, that is.

  Putting more distance between the piano and another instrument can result in a separation of sounds, which ensures more clarity.

  Producing shorter sounds makes a difference in live rooms.  As a pianist, I also use less pedal (more in a dry acoustic).

  Sometimes it’s difficult to hear yourself and other performers on stage.  You have to do the best you can.  Just try to play like you rehearsed.  And watch your collaborators like a hawk!  You’ll be relying on sight cues rather than sound.

  I wouldn’t want my students to feel jumpy due to anticipated distractions when they go into a performance.  But making them aware of how important it is to focus and to expect things to happen can be very helpful.  Think of all the cell phones out there.

  Learning the music in a variety of ways is good insurance.  That way, when distractions happen, the performer can say the names of the notes, say the fingerings, focus on the chord structure, etc.  Silently, of course.

  In the midst of an oratorio performance last year at Smith College, a small dog found his way onto the stage via an open door.  The soprano soloist nonchalantly picked him up and handed him to an orchestra member.  (I don’t remember what happened after that.)

  The conductor said he had been expecting a cell phone to ring, but a dog?  And he didn’t miss a thing.  The singer scored attention in the review for her dog catching skills in addition to her expressive singing.

  Stuff happens.

  With that said, being able to “deal” comes with experience.  I wanted to write about it in the event that someone else might navigate a little easier.
  

  Do you prepare yourself and your students for the unusual things that happen?  How do you go about that?

  What have you encountered in performances?  What were the results?

  Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comment section below!

  And be sure to check out the book sale!  Special prices on “Goal-oriented Practice” are effective through midnight on Thursday, November 18!  Both the E-book and print versions are available at bargain discount rates.  Don’t miss out!

  

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Concert day

Warming up for afternoon concert!

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