Fall Conference

Our annual Central East District Fall Conference will be held at the Graves Piano and Organ Company, Columbus, on Monday September 13 from 9:30 a.m. until noon.  At the Conference, guest speaker Michael Lester will present: “It Takes Two to Sing: The Pianist/Singer Collaboration”.  Mr. Lester will perform as collaborative pianist in a short program of art songs and arias with singers Jon Juergens, Jamie Hartzell, Helen Allen, and Crystal Sellers all of whom he works with as a coach/accompanist.  The program will include selections by Bellini, Verdi, Chausson, Rossini, Rachmaninoff, and Carter.  After a break for refreshments, Mr. Lester will speak about the art of vocal coaching and accompanying and field questions by those in attendance.

Music Teachers National Association has designated 2010-2011 as “The Year of Collaborative Music”, having been launched at the MTNA National Conference in Albuquerque this past March and concluding with the 2011 National Conference in Milwaukee in March 2011.  Below is the Mission Statement for the Year of Collaborative Music as it appears on the MTNA website (www.mtna.org):

Year of Collaborative Music Mission Statement

The Year of Collaborative Music will celebrate the importance of collaborative music making in society and in the profession worldwide. Begun by collaborative pianists within MTNA and led by significant national and international music associations, YCM will promote the diversity of ensemble playing opportunities available to musicians of all ages and skill levels.

For this project, collaborative music is defined broadly as any activity involving two or more musicians, particularly one-on-a-part, non-conducted ensembles. The umbrella definition would include professionals, amateurs, families, retirees, students of all ages or any combination of interested musicians.

The role of the vocal coach/accompanist is one of intimate collaboration with the singer as the two performers work together to prepare the vocal repertoire. The successful coach/accompanist must have special skills beyond those of excellent musicianship and a command of the instrument.  Many of our civic, academic, and religious musical organizations continue to rely on a person with these skills to augment their artistic activities.

Kick off your year’s teaching activities by attending this interesting presentation.

For more information, contact the Conference Chair Tim Huffman by email at tim88@columbus.rr.com or you may call him at 614-268-0220.

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An Afternoon and Evening with

 Pianist/Composer

 Scott Kirby

Pan-Americana—An Interactive Piano Workshop for Teachers and Students

Master Class: 4:00 PM

Lecture-Concert: 7:30 PM

Wednesday September 29, 2010

Graves Piano and Organ

5799 Karl Road

Columbus, Ohio

Phone: 888-3157

Afternoon activities include a master class with local students playing the rags of Scott Joplin. Kirby will discuss interpretation, improvisation, learning by ear, original and/or simplified scores, arranging for four hands and two pianos, and rhythm practice. This workshop, the first in a two-part series, will provide an introduction to the material and techniques discussed, as well as copies of intermediate and advanced scores that students can prepare for a follow-up workshop in the Winter of 2011. (Date to be announced)

The evening lecture-concert will feature the music of the Americas, including classic ragtime, blues, jazz, tango, Creole music and original compositions.

Scott Kirby has been called an “Ace Pianist.” Time Magazine & “One of the best interpreters of ragtime music on the scene today.” CBS Sunday Morning Free and Open to the Public. No reserved seating. Seating is limited.

Free-will donations accepted. For more information call Martha Buckalew NCTM at 267-6293 or Judy Kirby at 459-8412.

About Scott Kirby…

Scott Kirby, a native of Ohio, began piano study at the age of five in his home town of Urbana. After seventeen years of music lessons, including study at Wittenberg University and The Ohio State University, Kirby obtained a degree in English (from OSU) and moved to New Orleans. To add to his training in the tradition of the European masters, Kirby began exploring the American styles of ragtime, blues, and jazz, learning by ear as well as from the printed page.

As a street entertainer in the French Quarter, recording artist, and a festival headliner in the United States as well as Belgium, France, Norway, and, Hungary, Kirby quickly gained a reputation as a leading interpreter of ragtime. He co-founded the independent record label, Viridiana Productions, L.L.C., has recorded 25 CDs, including the rags of Scott Joplin, and he has composed over 150 original pieces for piano and other instruments.

In 2005 while in France on a sabbatical with his family, Kirby undertook a new, significant artistic venture—painting. He completed, 75 paintings entitled “Visions of the Great Plains” as well as 25 new piano works, “Prairie Devotionals.” He has been called an “accidental” artist: Although his attempt to capture images of the great American Plains was intentional, his transition from music to visual art was accidental and unexpected.

Kirby has served as musical director of the Scott Joplin International Ragtime Festival and the Rocky Mountain Ragtime Festive & Institute. He lives in northern Idaho with his wife and two daughters and divides his time between composition, performance and painting.

For more information about Scott Kirby go to: www.ScottKirby.net .

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The following are announcements of non-OhioMTA events that may be of interest to our members!

The deadline for the following competition is September 1st:

Dear Colleagues,
I am happy to announce WMU’s first Chopin Competition for High school Students on November 7, 2010.  The competition will be open to students between the ages of 15-17 who live in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Illinois. Prizes are $1000, $500 and $300 and are NOT contingent upon attending WMU. The day of the competition will also feature masterclasses and lectures on Chopin and a culminating winner’s concert in the evening.

Please refer to the following website for information and an application form:
www.wmuchopincompetition.com

Thank you so much for your help in getting the word out and we look forward to seeing you and your students on November 7!

Yours sincerely,
Lori Sims
Professor of Piano
John T. Bernhard Chair
Western Michigan University

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Dr. Mahamuti

Currently Chair of the CEOMTA Piano Workshop, Dr. Gulimina Mahamuti is invited to lecture and perform on September 11 and 12, 2010, at Northwest University for Nationalities in China as part of the university’s Sixtieth Anniversary Celebration.  For its 2010-2011 Concert Series, she will perform as a guest pianist on September 26, 2010, with the Southeast Kansas Symphony Orchestra.  She is also invited to perform for the 2010-2011 Arts & Lectures Series at the Mansfield campus of The Ohio State University on April 24, 2011.

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The Columbus Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, a national not-for-profit educational organization, is hosting a recital by internationally-known organist/keyboard artist Hector Olivera.  It will be on Sunday, September 12, 2010, Mees Hall, Capital University at 4:00 p.m. 

Mr. Olivera will play the Mees Hall Schantz pipe organ as well as the Roland Atelier.  This will not be a traditional organ recital.  Hector has a reputation of truly entertaining his audiences with his wit and dazzling displays of keyboard virtuosity.  He often accompanies himself, simultaneously being the soloist and the orchestra.  The Roland technology by itself is great enough to attract audio enthusiasts. 

Tickets are available through www.ticketmaster.com : Adults $20 / Seniors (65 and older) $15 / Students $10.  You may also send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Sara Seidel, 204 Park Blvd., Worthington, OH 43085.  State the number of each type of ticket you want and include a check for the total amount made payable to: Columbus Chapter-AGO. 

Tickets will also be available at the door on September 12 before the program.  Ticket sales at the door will be by cash or check only.  Current members of the Columbus Chapter of the American Guild of Organists will be admitted free with a picture ID. 

A Saturday workshop will be held in Mees Hall from 10 a.m. until noon (for the football enthusiasts). During the workshop Hector will concentrate on artistic registration from the simple to the more complex.  He will also share his approach to the art of transcribing keyboard and orchestral music for use on the organ.  There is no admission charge for the workshop.  All are welcome.

Hector Olivera Poster

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