PMTA's For The Record Newsletter: May 2008

FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK
-Dr. Nanette Kaplan Solomon

I recently returned from a rather (unfortunately) chilly Denver, but a terrific MTNA national conference. The Denver convention center provided excellent facilities, and there were an overwhelming number of great workshops and performances to attend. Amongst the 2000 or so attendees, I managed to find fellow PMTA members Millie Eben, JoAnne Kirchner, Paula Skutnick-Henley, Anita Renfroe, Ben Whitten, Elaine Friedlander, Jane Heinzelman, and Kunyoung Kim with her brand new (two weeks then!) spouse. (If you were there, and I missed mentioning you, I apologize!)

The headliners for the conference were legendary soprano Marilyn Horne doing a master class, and legend-in-the-making, pianist Lang Lang- an interesting mix of the veteran and the youthful. While I arrived too late to hear Marilyn Horne, I understand that she was revelatory, as was the playing of Lang Lang several days later. His sold-out concert was held in a church with wonderful acoustics, and it truly was a phenomenal experience to hear him. Even though I disagreed with about 75% of his interpretations of the Germanic literature (Schumann Fantasy, Mozart K. 576), his sheer conviction and pianistic palette are remarkable. We heard perhaps the fastest, most dazzling 6th Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody since the composer himself took the stage! He is so “into” the music (as my students would say) that it seems to be channeled from some other world. I particularly enjoyed the arrangements of Chinese songs he performed, and promptly bought that CD. He also gave a very effective and entertaining master class. My initial instincts were skeptical- what did this natural, prodigious 25-year old have to offer as a teacher- and yet I was more than pleasantly surprised. I believe he is, like the 5 Browns, a great ambassador for music for a new generation of concertgoers.

The overall theme of the conference was ‘collaboration’- an awkward word that nonetheless denotes an elegant part of what we do as musicians and teachers. To that end, there was a special concert that featured pianist Anne Epperson in a multitude of collaborative and chamber music settings. Her playing was colorful, incisive, and texturally appropriate in all situations. There were also many workshops on ensemble music as well as piano duos and duets, including a masterclass by famed team Weekley and Arganbright. There even was an unexpected ‘collaboration” of the human and the technological. Phyllis Alpert Lehrer and Paul Sheftel were scheduled to give a “joint” masterclass to intermediate piano students. An injury prevented Sheftel from making the trip, so the masterclass was conducted in person by Lehrer and via I-Chat by Sheftel! There were also many other sessions on sight-reading, Latin American piano music, Chopin’s muses, and improvisation.

Another highlight of the conference, of course, was the honoring of our own Millie Eben as a Foundation Fellow. I was thrilled to attend the Gala to see Millie receive this well-deserved recognition. I might add, that among the other honorees were the likes of Robert Vandall and E.L. Lancaster- she is indeed in good company!

I also attended the State Presidents Advisory Council (SPAC) and Eastern Division meetings. There is some very exciting news from National that I’d like to share with you. MTNA has now officially joined in the Trust for Insuring Educators (founded in 1973), which previously only allowed MENC to be its member for music. As of September, 2007, the trust approved MTNA to become a trust member, and will now offer members comprehensive health, disability, auto, life, theft and home owners insurance. Check the MTNA website for details. This is a development that came directly out of Eastern Division recommendations, so know that your voice is heard! Also, to attract more composition entrants, MTNA has announced exciting new prizes for the national contests. Hal Leonard will sponsor the Senior Composition Competition and give cash prizes, while Carl Fischer will sponsor the Young Artist competition. The prize for this will be two sessions with a composer of international stature and publication by Fischer! So, encourage your students to enter! We also elected a new chair for the SPAC and it is Scott Beard, from Eastern Division (I guess he is the ‘president” of the presidents). As you may also know, Ellen Flint from Pennsylvania is the new Eastern Division president. So, our corner of the nation will continue to have excellent leadership and advocacy. And, because Gail Berenson, President of MTNA, has a strong commitment to performance health, MTNA is sponsoring a 3-day wellness seminar in New York City on July 7-9, 2008, featuring Louise Montello, Carol Montparker, and Alan Frasier. Registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis, so check it out!

Thinking back again on the “collaboration” theme, I realize how much of our lives depend on that word. I think of it as my department at Slippery Rock prepares for an exciting residency next week with composer Libby Larsen- as we performers will “ “collaborate” with the composer, as our performing groups “collaborate” to achieve a unity in ensemble and interpretation, as I “collaborate” with my colleagues on the various chamber pieces I’ll perform. I think of it as my students prepare for their annual four and eight-hand piano recital at the end of the semester, with intense concentration, glee evident in their eyes as runs come together, space negotiations at the keyboard work out, or they react to a pleasing sound from their partner. We collaborate with our students in the learning process; we collaborate with colleagues as we share ideas and concerns.

Our organization also works through collaboration. Our board will come together on Saturday, June 21 for our semi-annual meeting at Mansfield University. We will meet for lunch at noon, with a meeting at 1 PM and a tour of the facilities to follow. All officers and chairpersons, please plan to attend. We hope to have all local association presidents or a representative from your local chapter in attendance as well. You are all welcome to attend, whether or not you hold an official position. Regardless of whether you can travel to Mansfield or not, if you have a concern, or agenda item you’d like to see addressed, please e-mail me at nanette.solomon@sru.edu.

In the meantime, I wish you much luck and success as you wind your way through this hectic but exciting season of recitals, festivals, auditions, celebrations, gardening, or whatever else engages your mind and spirit in (finally) spring and summer.

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The School of Music of Penn State, University Park main campus, has two important announcements that are necessarily related.

The School of Music salutes Marylène Dosse, Distinguished Professor of piano, who will retire in July 2008 after twenty-one years of service. She plans to relocate to the Albuquerque, New Mexico area and to continue her active concert career from that new base. Ms. Dosse has performed throughout the world during her years at Penn State, with concerts in Europe, Japan,China, and South America as well as the United States. She has appeared both as soloist in recitals and concerts with numerous orchestras, and as a member of the Castalia Trio, with her violin and cello colleagues James Lyon and Kim Cook. Her recording career has produced many outstanding compact and LP discs, including more than twenty under the Pantheon and Vox labels. Her complete-works recording of Granados (Vox, reissued on CD) won the Critic’s Choice of High Fidelity magazine. Her students have won many prizes and awards (including several of the PMTA competitions) and have gone on to acceptance at leading conservatories and successful careers in music. She was elected a permanent fellow of the Institute for the Arts and Humanities of Penn State, and received the Faculty Scholar Medal for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts and Humanities. She is a graduate of the Conservatoire, Paris, and her principal teachers included Paul Badura-Skoda and Jacques Février.

After an extensive international search, the School of Music is pleased to announce the appointment of Enrico Elisi as Assistant Professor of piano, beginning fall 2008. Dr. Elisi is currently Assistant Professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, since 2004. A prizewinner in the International Piano Competition of Oporto, Portugal, and the first-prize winner of seven national and international competitions in Italy, he has performed in concerts and conducted master classes throughout Europe, the United States, China, Taiwan, and Peru. He was a guest professor in 2005-06 at the China Academy of Arts,Hangzhou. He holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, where he was teaching assistant to the celebrated pianist Leon Fleisher. He was brought to Peabody on a full tuition scholarship. He also holds the Master of Music degree from Peabody, and the Artist Diploma from the International Piano Academy “Incontri col Maestro” of Imola, Italy, as well as the Diploma from the Cherubini Conservatory of Florence. His teachers at Imola included the late Lazar Berman. Dr. Elisi was both host and participant in the World Pedagogy Conference of 2007, and he has adjudicated major competitions in Iowa and Canada.

DSPF Local Auditions must be completed and results for State enrollment sent electronically by October 10, 2008. The State Showcase Recitals will be Sunday, November 9th at Mansfield University in conjunction with the PMTA State Convention and the Concerto/Ensemble Festival.

Please check the PMTA website DSPF link for updated information. Forms and updated requirements will be added after the June 2008 board meeting.

Keystone Composition Competition results now posted on the website! Click here to see the results.

For Local Association news, visit the website.

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The PMTA State Conference will be held November 7-9th, 2008 at Mansfield University. We are gearing up for an OUTSTANDING conference filled with inspiring performances and excellent workshops. We are extremely fortunate to have pianist Brian Ganz as our Conference Artist and Suzanne Guy as our Pedagogue-in-Residence.

While neither of these luminaries needs an introduction, a recent review in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch observes the "Note-perfect cascades of rippling arpeggios, melodies soaring into space and microscopically sculpted phrases only begin to describe Ganz's breathtaking technique and spectacular musicianship".

In great demand as a clinician, as well as a regular columnist to Clavier, Suzanne Guy divides her time between teaching, performing, writing, and professional travel. Mrs. Guy will be featured in a variety of workshops and master classes where she will present material from her newly published book in her Expressive Etudes series and share her wisdom and inspiration with teachers and students alike.

This year’s conference will be centered around the topics of pedagogy and performance. We want to hear YOUR ideas & suggestions! We are seeking clinicians to present workshops on practical subjects that can support teachers’ in their educational quest for their students. You are welcome to contact me for more specific information. The deadline for clinicians and workshop submissions is June 1st, 2008. The “Call For Clinicians” form can be found at the PMTA website and in the newsletter (click here to download).

Registration information will be coming soon. I am looking forward to seeing all of you in November at Mansfield University for a truly stimulating and inspirational conference!!!

Sincerely,

Dr. Gilya Hodos, NCTM
Conference Chair
ghodos@yahoo.com

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Submitted by Jane O’Mara, Membership Chair

The dues statement for the new year, July 01, 2008-June 30, 2009 have been mailed to you by MTNA. Please make sure your local chapter dues are on your statement when you pay your dues. Please submit them in a timely fashion.

Welcome New Members

Attention Teachers: Please update your address book!! All correspondence to Karen Nagle, PMTA Admin Asst. should be sent to info@pamusicteachers.org

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