Coming this August — Gershwin & Kern
Recorded at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Belvedere, California and Produced by Grammy Award winning composer Judith Sherman.
This recording presents some very familiar and much-loved music in an unexpected format. Ten of Jerome Kern and George Gershwin’s greatest songs — songs almost everyone has heard (and probably sung) — are performed here in transcriptions for string quartet (and clarinet). The path to this disc of quintessentially American music was long and circuitous, it involves the contributions of many different people over a span of many decades, and it got its start in Spain.
- George Gershwin: From the Porgy & Bess Suite arranged by Carl Davis
- George Gershwin: Lullaby for String Quartet
- Jerome Kern:
- All the Things You Are
- The Way You Look Tonight
- Bill
- The Song Is You
- Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
- Once in a Blue Moon
Upcoming ASQ Recording Sessions
Today we wanted to give a sneak peek at what’s coming down the pipeline from the Alexander String Quartet and Foghorn Classics:
- George Gershwin & Jerome Kern – featuring Joan Enric Lluna on clarinet
- Bartók & Kodály
- Schumann & Brahms piano quintets with Joyce Yang
- Brahms Quartets, Quintets, and Sextets
- Robert Greenberg Chamber Music written for the ASQ
- Cindy Cox Quartets written for the ASQ
- And a special recording for AVIE Records of Jake Heggie‘s Into the Fire with Joyce DiDonato
So stay tuned in here as we bring you more information on these exciting upcoming releases!
The ASQ and the Community of the Holy Spirit Sisters
The ASQ has maintained a warm and mutually-supportive relationship with our CHS “sisters” for almost 25 years. The Episcopalian covent known as the Community of the Holy Spirit has been our “home away from home” in New York City since we moved to California more than 22 years ago. While we wont necessarily say we’ve grown “old” yet, we certainly all have matured and perhaps ripened beautifully over this nearly quarter century.
Our relationship began when Sandy’s son Jonathan began attending the sisters’ school on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, St Hilda’s and St Hugh’s as a pre-kindergartener in 1988. A block south of their school, the sisters lived in a wonderfully warm and pleasantly ramshackle convent, St Hilda’s House which comprised three conjoined brownstones (painted white with brilliantly welcoming red doors).
Over the years, but especially after we relocated the quartet to California, St Hilda’s House became our ground zero. Whether trying out a tricky new program among friends or recording at the American Academy of Arts and Letters, whether teaching at our longstanding Silberman residency at CUNY’s Baruch College or simply returning to perform and tour on the east coast, the sisters were and remain among our closest and most supportive family. During Sandy’s six years on the board of Chamber Music America, he became practically a fixture among the community, often attending and frequently performing within their beautiful liturgies in the exquisite 3rd floor chapel. The Quartet has joyfully performed many benefit concerts for the Community over the years including a particularly memorable and festive production with a distinguished slew of celebrity CHS supporters at St Michael’s on Amsterdam Avenue for Garrison Keillor and his perennially popular NPR fixture, The Prairie Home Companion.
There have been a few occasions when we have even performed for some rather more far-flung friends of the Community, not long ago when on tour in Germany for the Christusbruderschaft Community in Selbitz and most recently, in Panama City for the National Concert Association founded and coordinated by another old friend of the sisters, the Reverend “Terry” Ford.
The Manhattan based order recently surrendered their much loved St Hilda’s House to Columbia University and have relocated to a beautiful and efficient “state-of-the-art” convent at 149th and Convent Avenue. Their new home is comfortable, compact, efficient and purpose-built to their own design, reflecting their quiet, sustainable and engaged lifestyles, caring and nurturing the environment and each other as well as their neighborhood and those who share it with them.
Meanwhile the country cousins of the same CHS order care for their beautiful Bluestone Farm at Melrose, just outside of Brewster NY working their land in the same devoted and holistically informed (sustainable) manner. They care for their 19th century homestead and neighboring structures – the Living Arts Center, with dedicated and frequently back-breaking hard work! We had the opportunity to visit recently and played a short concert for a small, festive gathering of friends and supporters of the Community. We enjoyed a tour of the farm, admiring their expert animal husbandry while sampling many of the organically produced riches en route. After our relaxed “informance,” we almost hedonistically enjoyed some stellar examples of the sisters’ wines and even some superb cheese produced from their own cow’s milk along with outstanding preserves and produce. Life in the country is not for everyone but as spring is springing in Putnam County NY on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon, the Sisters of the Community of the Holy Spirit at Melrose can make a detour richly rewarding.
Check out the CHS sisters’ website for more information at: www.chssisters.org!
— Sandy Wilson
Click images for a larger view:
Panama Pics
Enjoy some pictures from the ASQ’s Panama trip:
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- Escuela Juvenil de Musica
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- Escuela Juvenil de Musica
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- Escuela Juvenil de Musica
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- Escuela Juvenil de Musica
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- Colegio Isaac Rabin
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- Colegio Isaac Rabin
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- Colegio Isaac Rabin
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- Colegio Isaac Rabin
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- Colegio Isaac Rabin
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- Panama Canal
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- Panama Canal
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- Panama Canal
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- Panama Canal
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- Panama Canal Museum
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- Panama Canal Museum
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- Panama Canal Museum
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- Panama Canal Museum
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- Panama Canal Museum
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- Panama Canal Museum
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- Panama Canal Museum
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- Panama Canal Museum
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- Panama Canal Museum
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- Panama Canal Museum
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- Panama Canal Museum
ASQ heads to Panama
Thursday, ASQ performs with the La Asociación de Conciertos in Panama City, Panama!
Thursday, May 17, 8:00pm
La Asociación de Conciertos
Ateneo del la Ciudad del Saber
Panama City, Panamá
ConciertosPanama.org
Program:
Mozart Quartet in B-flat Major, KV 458, “Hunt”
Bartók Quartet No. 4, Sz. 91
Schubert Quartet in D Minor, D. 810, “Death and the Maiden”
About Asociaciaon Nacional De Conciertos:
(English translation)
The National Concert Association was organized in 1962 and registered as Non-Profit Company on February 14, 1973, with a dual purpose:
Strengthen the Panamanian musical culture by International Concert Season at the highest level, and being a change agent by providing educational opportunities to both music students and children and youth in general.
Since 1962, the ANC has presented artists such as Jean-Pierre Rampal, Nicanor Zabaleta, Pinchas Zukerman, the Miami String Quartet, the London Festival Orchestra, Camerata Bariloche, among others during its Annual Season. Great young artists like Alpin Hong, the Pacifica Quartet, the Quartet Parker, and pianist Richard Ormrod have also participated. Recently, the ANC has included major youth orchestras in its season, namely the Youth Philharmonic Conservatory of New England, led by Benjamin Zander and the Youth Orchestra of the Americas (OAS) with the participation of young Panamanians are currently two former campers of the ANC.
In education, the ANC promotes the training of young musicians through its programs of the Fund and Bank instruments, continuing scholarships for studies in local centers of musical education, free advice for musical studies abroad, and master classes. The main educational activity, however, is the Youth Music Camp, the ANC has been doing since 1986.
Our Educational Concerts and music appreciation talks to schools, universities and companies are far-reaching. These activities are intended to introduce thousands of children and young people to music. The ANC believes that music and art are crucial in fostering a culture of peace and tolerance.
Robert A. Corrigan
ASQ will perform the following works on the concert:
ASQ joins Roger Woodward (piano), Shinji Eshima (bass), and the Holloway Ensemble to perform:
- Bach: D minor concerto, BMW 1052
ASQ joins Andrew Speight (saxophone), Mark Davis (piano), Julian Borrego (bass0, Lillian Wu (percussion), Rob Mills (percussion), and the Holloway Ensemble to perform:
- John Klenner: Just Friends
- George Gershwin: Summertime
- Neil Hefte: Repetition
This evening the College of Liberal & Creative Arts offers a program featuring faculty, guests and students performing their art and exhibiting their expressive and imaginative powers to honor President Robert A. Corrigan and his equally strong-willed, indefatigable soulmate Joyce Corrigan. Throughout his time at SF State, President Corrigan has consistently stressed the crucial role of the arts in education and of creativity more generally. I have heard him quip to the effect that even though we may not have a high-power athletic squad, we do boast a world-class team, which as befits our institutional values happens to be string quartet.
This Saturday, the ASQ will close out the San Francisco Performances Franz Schubert Series with the Schubert Quintet in C Major (Read about this piece from guest lecturer Robert Greenberg!). Joining ASQ in this performance is cellist David Requiro.
About David Requiro:
First Prize winner of the 2008 Naumburg International Violoncello Competition, David Requiro (pronounced Re-keer-oh) has emerged as one of today’s most promising young cellists. After winning first prize in both the Washington International and the Irving M. Klein String Competitions, he also captured a top prize at the Gaspar Cassadó International Violoncello Competition in Hachioji, Japan, coupled with the prize for the best performances of works by Cassadó.Mr. Requiro has soloed with the Tokyo Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, and and other orchestras across the U.S. His Carnegie Hall debut recital at Weill Hall was followed by a critically acclaimed San Francisco Performances recital at the Herbst Theatre. Soon after making his Kennedy Center debut, Mr. Requiro also completed the cycle of Beethoven’s Sonatas for Piano and Cello at the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. Actively involved in contemporary music, he has collaborated with composers Krzysztof Penderecki and Bright Sheng and most recently gave the Dutch premier of Pierre Jalbert’s Sonata for cello and piano at the 2010 Amsterdam Cello Biennale.
Mr. Requiro is currently Artist in Residence at the University of Puget Sound where he is professor of cello and director of the chamber music program. He has served as artist faculty at the Giverny Chamber Music Festival, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Innsbrook Music Festival and Institute, Maui Classical Music Festival, Olympic Music Festival, and Center Stage Strings. He is also a member of the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players in New York City.
Find out more about Mr. Requiro at www.davidrequiro.com.
Saturday May 5, 2012 – 10:00 am
Franz Schubert Series
San Francisco Performances Inc.
Herbst Theatre
San Francisco, California
Program:
ASQ with lecturer, Robert Greenberg
Schubert Quintet in C Major, D. 956, Op. posth. 163 (1828) with cellist, David Requiro
