ÉLAN TRIO WINS 2000 COLEMAN CHAMBER ENSEMBLE COMPETITION

In April, the Élan Trio, composed of Chicago-based pianist Phyllis Chen '99, flutist Claire Chase '00 from Leucadia, California, and cellist Kivie Cahn-Lipman '00 from Mount Vernon, New York, received the Coleman-Barstow Award for Strings at the prestigious Coleman Chamber Ensemble Competition, held annually in Pasadena, California. Élan's winning performance pieces were George Crumb's "Vox Balaenae" and a trio by Franz Joseph Haydn.

"The competition experience was great," says Cahn-Lipman. "It's a real pleasure to meet musicians from all over the country and it provides a constant reminder of how small the music world is. There were 15 other groups and I knew at least one member of maybe half of them. The staff at Coleman was very friendly and helpful, especially with the Crumb piece, which requires lights and amplification. Coleman took care of all of that for us and all we had to do was sit down and play: a real treat."

The Los Angeles Times review had this to say about Élan's performance at the winners' concert: "The threesome ... played George Crumb's haunting 'Vox Balaenae' with solid and expressive technique, imposing in both musical and theatrical conviction."

The Coleman Auditions for Young Chamber Music Ensembles began in 1947 (renamed the Coleman Chamber Ensemble Competition in 1982) and has become a nationally acclaimed competition for young non-professional musicians. Held annually in late-April, the competition offers an opportunity for musicians to perform before a panel of nationally chosen judges for four prizes totalling $11,200.

"The three of us share a commitment to new music," says Chase, "and to music of traditional eras, and we share tastes in programming new and old music, creating venues for interesting concerts of unusual combinations of pieces. Most importantly, we're all dreamers. This is rare and wonderful. The three of us can sit in a restaurant or bar and brainstorm until the cows come in, and we're all three crazy enough to make some of those wild brainstorms actually happen.

"Élan literally means 'the mad dash to the end,'" continues Chase. "When all is lost, when the world is sinking in around you, there's always that final step that you can dare to take. That's élan. There were a lot of excuses for us to quit, many times along the way, but we didn't. We made the final leap, and I'm proud of the group for having the guts to do it."

Past Coleman Competition winners include Oberlin's own eighth blackbird and the Miró String Quartet.

 

Alumni ensembles eighth blackbird and The Miró String Quartet have celebrated important successes in the past year. In May 2000, both groups shared the top spot as winners of the 2000 Walter W. Naumburg Chamber Music Award. Other Naumburg Foundation news: DAVID SCHOBER (piano performance/composition) will receive a Naumburg Foundation commission in 2000 to write a work for The Miró String Quartet. You may remember Schober's 1998 piece "Variations," often performed by eighth blackbird and included on the group's CD "Round Nut Tool." Both ensembles returned to Oberlin during the last academic year: eighth blackbird in November and Miró in March.

When The Miró String Quartet, formed at Oberlin Conservatory in 1995, returned to Oberlin in March, the concert was sandwiched between two East Coast performances: one at Carnegie Hall and another at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Composed of violinists DANIEL CHING '95 and Sandy Yamamoto, violist John Largess and cellist JOSHUA GINDELE '97, the quartet has performed prestigious engagements in top venues to casual concerts in inner-city public schools.

While performing in acclaimed halls may provide one testament to the quartet's success, cellist Joshua Gindele explained on his cell phone en route to the Carnegie Hall gig, "You know, Isaac Stern will be in the audience in New York tonight. Somehow, though, I'm less afraid of him than I am of Gregory Fulkerson peeking his head in on Thursday evening. I think we're more nervous for the Oberlin performance than for either of the other two, in New York or in Washington! We don't know who will be in the audience in the big halls, but we certainly know who will be there in Oberlin."

In addition to the 2000 Walter W. Naumburg Foundation Chamber Music Award, the quartet has also been named the quartet-in-residence of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center for the 2001-2002 and 2002-2003 seasons. The Miró has been been awarded top prizes in the national chamber music competitions of Coleman, Fischoff and Banff, and they're working as teaching assistants to the Juilliard String Quartet as recipients of the Lisa Arnhold Fellowship for String Quartet Studies.

Eighth blackbird, formed at Oberlin in 1994, is composed of MOLLY ALICIA BARTH, MICHAEL J. MACCAFERRI, MATTHEW ALBERT, NICHOLAS PHOTINOS, MATTHEW L. DUVALL and LISA KAPLAN. The group's November performance showcased five contemporary pieces, including Paramo (1999) by Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon (b. 1962); Trés lent (In Memoriam Olivier Messiaen) (1994) by Joan Tower for Cello and Piano (b. 1938); Luciérnagas (1998) by Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez (b. 1964); Variations (1998) by David Schober (b. 1974); and Notturno (1973) by Donald Martino (b. 1931). In addition to winning the 2000 Walter W. Naumburg Foundation Chamber Music Award, the blackbirds also were awarded a 2000 BMI/Boudleaux Bryant Fund Commission and a 1999 ASCAP/CMA Award for Adventurous ProgramminG.

JAZZ ENSEMBLE PERFORMS AT SEVERANCE HALL

In March 2000, teacher of jazz percussion Greg Bandy's band performed at Severance Hall. The jazz ensemble is composed of: Front Row: Ian Cronin-Young, Greg Bandy, Oshon Temple, Seth Fruiterman. Second Row: Andrew Hunter, Sato Kojun, Damein Hill, Samantha Grabler, and Matthew Elliott.

JAKUB-JERZY OMSKY AD '97 WINS FIRST PRIZE AT
D'ANGELO YOUNG ARTISTS COMPETITION

On April 15, 2000, Santa Barbara cellist Jakub-Jerzy Omsky (BM '95, AD '97) was awarded First Prize at the 24th Annual D'Angelo Young Artists Competition in Strings, held at Mary D'Angelo Performing Arts Center, Mercyhurst College, in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Omsky is the first cellist in the competition's history to win First Prize. This year there were 27 participants, including violinists, violists and cellists chosen from over 100 applications. Contestants traveled from as far as Korea, China, the former Soviet Union and France. Fourteen contestants were chosen to play in the semifinal round; only three to play in the finals, which involved a performance with a symphony orchestra under the direction of Maestro Frank Collura.

Omsky, still fairly new to the Santa Barbara area, holds a position as strings teacher at the Santa Barbara Waldorf School, and is the principal cellist of the New Santa Maria Symphony Association. His time is divided between performing, teaching and conducting seminars and masterclasses.

Omsky has also self-designed a program to receive funding for other music-related activities, called the Ambassadorship for the Musical Arts. The program allows him "to perform concerts, promote music at the community level, help non-profit organizations in raising funds, and serve under-privileged communities such as public schools, hospitals, clinics and retirement homes with his music," Omsky says.

A native of Poland, Omsky began his international career at the age of six. He has since performed continuously in Poland, Germany and the United States. Omsky's teachers at Oberlin included Peter Rejto and Andor Toth, Jr. Omsky has been the recipient of other recent awards, including the First Prize at the Performing Arts Scholarship Foundation Competition, the Baroness Leni Fe Bland Award and the John Frazer Prize in Violoncello.

He has received several scholarships and fellowships including the Polish Government Merit Scholarship, Oberlin Conservatory's Dean's Talent Award, Taco Inc. Tanglewood Fellowship, Music Academy of the West Scholarship, the Gabor Rejto Fellowship, the Kosciuszko Foundation and the Batory Foundation grants.

Omsky has recorded as a guest artist on various labels including RCA Victor Red Seal, Summit Records and PlayBall Production, featuring classical, old-time fiddling and jazz. He was invited by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Principal Clarinetist, Michele Zukovsky, to be the guest artist on "Intermezzo," a CD of Bohuslav Martinu's music which was released worldwide in November 1999. His solo CD will be released in the summer of 2000.

 

OBERLIN ALUMNI SHINE AT AGO NATIONAL CONVENTION
by David Kazimir '99

Seattle is a city full of beautiful sights and sounds among which are some of this country's finest organs. Obie organ alumni held a prominent role in the 45^th National Convention of the American Guild of Organists held July 2-6, 2000 in Seattle.

For example, organist James David Christie '74 and the Seattle Symphony held the inaugural performance of C. B. Fisk's Opus 114 at Benaroya Hall (home of the Seattle Symphony) on July 1. This sold-out event marked the beginning of a year-long series of dedication events for the new instrument. (The Fisk workshop arrives in Oberlin on July 31 to begin installation of Opus 116 in Finney Chapel.)

Erik Wm. Suter '95 participated in the semi-final round of the National Young Artists Competition in Organ Performance. Since September 1998, Erik has served as assistant organist-choirmaster of Washington National Cathedral, in Washington, D.C. In other Oberlin/Cathedral connections: J. Melvin Butler '67, organist and choirmaster of St. Mark's Cathedral (Episcopal) since 1992, was elevated to the rank of canon organist and choirmaster. The Cathedral Choir, under the leadership of Canon Butler, has maintained its reputation as one of the finest in Seattle. The choir sang to the delight of more than 3,000 guests over the five-day course of Eucharists and Morning Prayer Liturgies.  

St. Mark's famous organ by D.A. Flentrop was heard in a recital by Oberlin organ alumna Christa Rakich '75. Convention attendees also heard the talents of James David Christie and David Hurd '71 on two of Seattle's most unique organs. The Gala Concert, marking the conclusion of the convention, showcased the world premier of Robert Sirota's ('71) work In the Fullness of Time. This work for organ and orchestra was commissioned by the Seattle Chapter of the AGO and performed by the Seattle Symphony under the baton of Gerard Schwarz.

Workshops and lecture/presentations were led by a significant body of alumni including: J. Melvin Butler; James David Christie; Philip Gehring '50; Christa Rakich; Richard Shirey '64; Robert Sirota; and The Reverend Victoria Ressmeyer Sirota '71. Dr. Sirota also serves as the national chaplain to the American Guild of Organists.

Beyond the public performances and lectures were a gifted corps of alumni who made the convention happen. Steven Wilen '64 served on the AGO 2000 Steering Committee and served as the convention registrar. Roger Sherman '72, host of the KING radio program, The Organ Loft, lead many pre-concert broadcasts and on air advertisements for the convention's events. Finally, and by no means least, Michael Barone '68, host and executive producer of Minnesota Public Radio's nationally syndicated program Pipe Dreams, recorded all convention recitals and performances for future presentations on Pipe Dreams. Barone was assisted by James Richter '98.

An Alumni Reception was held on Tuesday, July 4, 2000 at the Seattle Hilton with over sixty people in attendance ­ and many uncounted! Oberlin's presence at the AGO Convention is one more reminder of our incomparable reputation as one of the leading schools for organ performance training and education. With the advent of the new Finney Chapel organ, Oberlin looks forward continuing our fine tradition of outstanding service to the king of instruments.

 

 

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