by Jarrett Hoffman
IN THIS EDITION:
•In the news: Colin Davin heads off to Shenandoah Conservatory, Yo-Yo Ma wins the Birgit Nilsson Prize, and the League of American Orchestras announces its 2022 National Conference.
•Interesting reads: when Kyiv was a modernist musical hotbed, a classical radio station in Boston attracting young listeners, and a donkey making its Met debut.
•Almanac: an 1860s symphony by Alice Mary Smith, pianist-composer Linda Martinez’s collaborations with Destiny’s Child, and her score to the silent film The Rag Man.
NEWS BRIEFS:
Co-head of the guitar department at the Cleveland Institute of Music, a mainstay of the Cleveland International Classical Guitar Festival, and a native of Bay Village, Colin Davin will be moving on to Virginia this fall as the Associate Professor of Guitar and director of the guitar studio at Shenandoah Conservatory — “a bittersweet moment,” as Davin wrote on Facebook. Read his post here, and the press release from Shenandoah here.
Cellist Yo-Yo Ma has received the $1 million Birgit Nilsson Prize — endowed by the late Swedish soprano — which honors “active artists and institutions who have made a major contribution to the perpetuation of their art form.” He is the first instrumentalist to receive the award, which has previously been awarded to Plácido Domingo, Riccardo Muti, the Vienna Philharmonic, and Nina Stemme. Read more here from The Strad.
And the League of American Orchestras has announced its 2022 National Conference. The first in three years to be held in person, it will take place June 1-3 in Los Angeles in collaboration with the LA Philharmonic and the Association of California Symphony Orchestras. Read more here from The Violin Channel.
INTERESTING READS:
From regulation to censorship and outright denial, there is a long history of Ukrainian musical traditions being repressed by the Russian government, Gabrielle Cornish writes in The New York Times. But during a time of little oversight in the early 20th century, “the city of Kyiv was a hotbed for modernist music and experimentation — often, with a particularly Ukrainian twist.”
In The Boston Globe, A.Z. Madonna paints a portrait of a classical music radio station that is attracting younger audiences. “Instead of the paternal voice of authority that mid-to-late 20th century listeners expected from classical radio, CRB — which broadcasts at 99.5 FM in Boston — aims for a friendly, let’s-listen-together vibe,” Madonna writes.
And for something on the adorable end of the spectrum, read Sophie Haigney’s article in The New York Times about the Metropolitan Opera debut of 15-year-old donkey Wanda. Haigney describes Wanda’s “brief but notable role” in a production of Puccini’s La Bohème, the items on her resumé that have prepared her for this opportunity, and the qualities that make for “a good opera donkey.”
TODAY’S ALMANAC:
Events on this date in history include the passing of composer Charles Ives — who harnessed wide-ranging influences and experimental techniques to eventually become recognized as an “American original” both nationally and internationally — as well as anniversaries for two lesser-known women composers.
Born on this date in 1839, Alice Mary Smith became the first British woman known to have composed a symphony. The first of her two contributions to that genre, in the key of c minor, was written at age 24 and premiered by the Musical Society of London in 1863. Listen here to a recording by conductor Howard Shelley and the London Mozart Players, and here for the beautifully lyrical Andante for Clarinet and Orchestra, where the orchestra is joined by soloist Angela Malsbury.
Pianist and composer Linda Martinez only lived to the age of 29 — she took her own life on May 19, 2005 — but in that time she carved out a unique career in film, television, and popular music.
Born in Whittier in Los Angeles County, she graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in composition in 1998, and that same year became keyboardist for the Keenan Ivory Wayans Show. The talk show was short-lived, but it led to further opportunities for Martinez, including a collaboration with girl group Destiny’s Child (best known today for launching the solo career of Beyoncé). Martinez toured with them and wrote music for some of their high-profile live performances, including at the 2001 Grammy Awards.
After winning the 2003 National Turner Classic Movies Young Film Composers’ Competition, Martinez wrote a score for the 1925 silent film The Rag Man. Take in the opening three minutes of the movie and the uniquely styled, beautiful score here.