Classically Speaking

In my first post , you saw some 1700 pipes and even more parts being unloaded from a semi into the sanctuary of First Presbyterian Church-Charleston.

Robert Hiller & Sasha Achpemichuk from Casavant  have been busy little beavers  working 6-7 days a week to assemble our new organ in the front gallery.

The first obstacle: get a bigger winch. The original would not handle the weight of the console or some of the pipes. A company in Kentucky answered our call.

Since this tale is most effectively told in pictures, here’s the progression of pix I took every 2-3 days during the assembly process:

Next installment: More assembly required

Part 1 - Pipe organ: Delivering the baby 

Professor John Beall is the composer-in-residence and teaches music composition at West Virginia University, and his music has been performed by orchestras and chamber ensembles all over the country. 

You can read his bio, including major compositions, performances, and awards on WVU’s Web site. 

As informative as that is, I think it's so much nicer to hear him tell his own story and offer a more personal perspective. 

Listen to Dr. Beall describe his musical background, what inspired him, and the path he followed to becoming a composer:

We’ve featured several of Dr. Beall’s recordings on WV Public Radio, including his Vandalia Suite for piano, the Double Concerto for Violin and Contrabass, and Variations on Wondrous Love for viola and piano. Listen to the rest of the interview below, where Beall discusses several of his pieces and his approach to the music:

Previously, we’ve featured interviews with two composers that studied with Dr. Beall. Check them out: 

* Meet the Composer: David Williams
* Meet the Composer: Timothy Cooper

I found Encompass New Opera Theatre in Brooklyn, New York, an organization that has been developing American opera for the last 35 years. I submitted my listening companion and CD for Angel of Amazon to them. They really enjoyed the opera and chose it for development and production in 2010.

So, on February 28^th I was invited to Gramercy Park in NYC for Encompass’ Season Kick-Off event. Artistic director Nancy Rhodes invited patrons of the arts, members from the Catholic community, and people from rainforest coalitions to get a preview of Angel of the Amazon.

The program consisted of me performing some piano music by American composers, a few arias from other American operas, a guest speech from Sr. Dorothy Stang’s biographer, and three arias from Angel of the Amazon.

The venue was this large, castle-like home of a Hungarian art dealer. Portraits and works of art filled every inch of the walls. The crowd was huge.

All of the excerpts were well-received by the crowd and many were willing to donate and spread the word to get more seed money. They were even more excited to realize that the opera was completed and simply needs backing to get it off the ground.

The next steps for production: more seed money, a full in-concert reading, and then a full staging in New York. Once the opera is produced, the goal is to get enough funds to take the opera to cities across the country.

I will keep you all posted as things unfold in real time. Stay tuned for April, when another group performs the opera in San Francisco.

You can find out more about the opera's progress and get involved by following Angel of the Amazon on Facebook and by checking out the Web sites for Encompass New Opera Theatre and Angel of the Amazon. 
 
Here are some more pictures from the performance in New York:

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The National Symphony Orchestra and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., in association with the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, announce the commissioning of a chamber work by a resident West Virginia composer.

A resident West Virginia composer will be commissioned to write a work of approximately 10-15 minutes duration for chamber forces.

The commission award is $5,000 + travel expenses associated with the premiere. Music copying, commissioning fees, and composer’s travel expenses are included in this amount.

Submissions must be made to the Appalachian Education Initiative which is serving as the state coordinator, and include all elements listed under Submission Requirements, below.

A panel convened by the West Virginia Division of Culture & History and the Appalachian Education Initiative will narrow the applications to three finalists.

A National Symphony Orchestra jury — overseen by Principal Conductor Iván Fischer — will make the final selection of a West Virginia composer for this commission.

The deadline is March 13.  The application, with additional information on submissions, will be available online soon at www.aeiarts.org.  You can also download the application here.

The National Symphony Orchestra will be performing, teaching, and leading workshops throughout West Virginia in April.  We'll have more information and stories about their visit here on Classically Speaking over the next two months.