Thank You!

The Jackson Symphony Orchestra has enjoyed a rewarding year because of the people who attend our events and support us in various ways.  The musicians, Board, Guild and staff thank you for your involvement and wish you the best for the Holidays and the New Year.  We hope you continue to make music and the JSO an important part of your life.

JSO Holiday Pops Concert is at 4 p.m.

There has been some confusion about the time of the Holiday Pops Concert. It is at 4 p.m. at First Church of the Nazarene.

Review of Nov 13 JSO Concert by Andy Mead

The evening of November 13th saw the second in this year's series of Jackson Symphony Orchestra concerts, this one entitled "Not Just for Kids." The concert featured a selection of old favorites, nominally written for children, but clearly providing lots of musical interest for their elders as well. These were preceded by a suite of music from John Williams's score for the first of the Harry Potter movies.


In this, as well as in Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, Saint-Saëns's Carnival of the Animals, and Britten's Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, the orchestra shone with strong string playing, incisive brass, elegant woodwind solos and crisp percussion. The first-chair winds, seated out front as soloists during the Prokofiev, demonstrated great charm and elegance in their characterizations of the tale's protagonists, and the horns were wonderfully menacing in their role as the wolf.

Two solo pianists, Audrejean Heydenburg and the orchestra's own Anita Fobes, joined the ensemble for a rousing performance of the Carnival of the Animals, which featured, in addition to the pianists's articulate limning, some striking solo playing by both principal cellist Daniel Thomas and principal bassist Andrew Hawks.

The closing work, written by Benjamin Britten to accompany a film introducing the instruments of the orchestra, allowed every member of the ensemble to contribute in a series of endlessly exposed passages. This showed off the general high quality of playing that the orchestra has been able to achieve throughout its sections.

Special Guest Craig Richard Nelson joined Maestro Osmand on stage following the Williams to voice the narration of the three remaining pieces. The concert marked Nelson's return to Jackson following his performance with the orchestra in Kismet a couple of years ago, and his obvious congeniality and familiarity with the ensemble, along with his insertion of a number of topical references to local events and places, added to the pleasure of his presentations.

The music and words from the stage were enhanced by the projection of a series of images appropriate to each of the pieces, including some striking work by local artists. The concert's acknowledgement of local creativity was also enhanced by the latest installment of composer-in-residence Bruce Brown's account of his work in progress, a concerto for percussion and orchestra, which is scheduled to be premiered by the orchestra in the spring of 2011. The brief but moving passage for strings that was played raises some lively expectations for the coming event.

The concert was very well attended, with many children swelling the audience nearly to capacity. To this writer's eyes, there was remarkably little fidgeting, and a lot of close listening going on, and it is hoped that this sort of presentation can help to build the audience of the future for the Symphony.

JSO plans festive concert to begin holiday season

Continuing a holiday tradition, the Jackson Symphony Orchestra will present a Holiday Pops Concert and Sing-a-long at 4 p.m. Dec. 5 at the First Church of the Nazarene, 3905 Clinton Road, Jackson.

The Jackson Chorale, Children’s Choir and First United Methodist Church Chancel Choir will join the orchestra to present seasonal favorites and that will inspire young and old with the spirit of the season. The audience will be encouraged to join in on popular songs such Christmas Song, It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, Joy to the World, Deck the Halls and O Come all Ye Faithful.

“The orchestra looks forward to continuing this annual observance in a new venue with a new audience," said JSO Music Director Stephen Osmond. “The selections, as well as the audience participation, are designed to put everyone into the holiday spirit.”

“The Chorale will sing a Christmas bells medley of Ding Dong Merrily on High and Carol of Bells as well as a beautiful arrangement of Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” said Wendy Treacher, Music Director. “The Chorale also will present the King’s Singers / Mormon Tabernacle Choir arrangement of the the Twelve Days of Christmas.”

The Children’s Choir will join the Chorale and Orchestra for a new version of The Little Drummer Boy. Ask the Moon and Hanerot Halalu, a song about the lights of Hanukkah, are the other songs the Children’s Choir will perform.

“The symphony orchestra’s holiday concert is the high point of the holiday season for the Children’s Choir,” said Director Jackie Livesay. “Singers and families are looking forward to it.” About 32 children in grades 4-8 will participate.

The First United Methodist Church Chancel Choir plans to sing Christmas Is Coming, Rejoice, and The First Noel.

Baker College and County National Bank are sponsoring the concert.

Tickets are $10 for children and students with identification. Adult tickets are $15.

They may be purchased online at http://www.jacksonsymphony.org/; by phone at 517-782-3221; or in person at the JSO Box Office, 215 W. Michigan Ave., downtown Jackson.

NOTE: The Jackson Symphony Orchestra is a community resource providing performances of the classics and popular music, a community music school with private and group instruction and numerous educational programs for students of all ages. The organization owns a 30,000-square-foot facility in the heart of downtown Jackson which not only serves as an administrative, rehearsal, and recital performance space for the orchestra but also is home to the Jackson Youth Symphony, the Jackson Chorale and Children's Choir, the Michigan Shakespeare Festival and JSO Community String Ensemble. The orchestra primarily performs at the world-class Music Hall of the Jackson Community College Potter Center and other venues in town including several churches, the County Fairgrounds and Michigan Theatre.

JSO on WKAR 11/17/10

The Jackson Symphony Orchestra, conducted by David Schultz, will play the "Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis" by Ralph Vaughan Williams at about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, November 17 on 90.5 Classical. The Orchestra was recorded live in concert February 13, 2010 in the Potter Center Music Hall at Jackson Community College.

“Not Just for Kids” Artwork on display at the JSO

Take a stroll downtown and come in and view the artwork by seventeen area artists. Their work is on display at the Jackson Symphony Orchestra Music Hall at 215 W. Michigan Ave., downtown Jackson. The public is invited to enjoy the artists’ interpretations of the music from “Peter and the Wolf” and “Carnival of the Animals” during regular business hours, Mon.-Thurs. 10-5 PM, Fri 10-1 through December 15. Or the pieces can be viewed online at www.JacksonSymphony.org.

Jammin' at the JSO - November 26

Melodic, experimental rock for all ages - in Jackson


– Jammin’ at the JSO
7-11 p.m. Friday, November 26th at the Jackson Symphony Orchestra Hall, downtown at 215 W. Michigan Ave. $4 cover charge.

Sterratic - This will be the band's first performance. Kind of pop, kind of punk

Admiral Apricot and the Marigolds - Jackson's local garage fuzz-punk group, appearing as a 3 piece this time!

theillalogicalspoon - Headed up by local musician Jeremy Siegrist. Folk music meets punk and poetry. This band is very unique, and they have a message that needs to be heard.

Secret Twins - A duo from Ann Arbor. This band has excellent experimental vocals that pair surprisingly well with the raw sound of just one electric guitar and a drummer.

The Templetons - A group consisting on two Jackson born and raised musicians, a reunion show of sorts.

The cover is $4 at the door. Come enjoy a great musical performance and support local music!

Leisure Suits

For those of you unfamiliar with this weekend's guest, Craig Richard Nelson, you wish to check out this clip from Fernwood Tonight.

Spooktacular Piano Concert

Join us for a "Spooktacular Piano Concert" on Saturday, October 30 at 6:30 p.m. at the JSO building. Piano students of Carol Ivkovich will be presenting this recital. It's our first recital of the year. This is a great opportunity for students to experience performing in front of others in a fun, safe atmosphere - hiding behind costumes is always a big hit! Join us for a fun evening!

Greg Sandow's Blog

From Greg Sandow's blog:
Go to his blog at http://www.artsjournal.com/sandow/ for comments and further posts about the JSO.

Something new


Still catching up. I want to talk about my visit to Jackson, MI a couple of weeks ago (and apologies to my old and new friends there, who might have expected to see something about them here earlier).

The outline: Stephen Osmond, an old friend of mine from graduate studies at the Yale School of Music (he was a tenor, I was a composer), is both music director and executive director of the Jackson Symphony. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, but no way. Steve is outstanding in both roles. And fearless, I must say, in confronting his orchestra's future. Like most orchestras, they face diminished funding as they look at their future. Steve faces that manfully, and brought me out to help with what seems to be needed, a new way of engaging with the city of Jackson.
I'll have more to say on what happened at my visit, and, how, exactly, an orchestra might engage the community. But since time is tight today, I'll start with something really terrific that the orchestra is doing, something I've never encountered before.

Like many orchestras, they have a composer in residence, Jonathan Bruce Brown, chair of the music department at Spring Arbor University, near Jackson. Bruce (whom I enjoyed meeting during my visit) is a good choice, I think. His expertly crafted music is a pleasure to hear, and I'd guess goes down well with both the orchestra and the audience.

But get this -- the way the orchestra is introducing the piece they've commissioned from Bruce this year. It'll be premiered on the last concert of the season. And at each concert before that, Bruce will come on stage and present his work at whatever stage it's reached. That won't mean performing the entire work in progress (which might, at any stage, be a work in fragments). But Bruce will talk about the piece, and maybe the orchestra (or individual musicians) will play parts of it.

I think this is a fabulous idea. I heard the first installment, at the first concert of the year (an engaging glimpse at various aspects of romantic music, featuring Ian Hobson making his expert way through the Schumann piano concerto). All Bruce did was talk about what he was going to do -- what the piece would be, and what the preview process would be like. He was hard to resist, and I'm sure he drew everyone in. At the next concert, I'm sure all the subscribers will be wondering what he'll have to show them.

As I said, I've never run into this idea before. Has anyone else ever done it? If so, I'd love to hear about it. Certainly it's an idea that others should steal.

Program Notes for Nov 13 Concert - Not Just for Kids

Program Notes
November 13, 2010
By Composer in Residence
Bruce Brown

Tonight’s program of music is truly “Not Just for Children.” Many stories are written so that children can read them at one level while adults recognize deeper meaning. In the same way, many pieces of music are both entertaining for children and rich for adults, and grownups might even savor them as a memory from their own childhood.

J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books certainly appeal to readers of all ages! They have sold over 400 million copies and been translated into at least 67 languages.

Benjamin Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra is a wonderful introduction to orchestral instruments, but it is a very effective concert piece without the explanatory narration. Saint-Saëns Carnival of the Animals depicts beasts and birds in a very entertaining way, but the music is beautiful and colorful on its own merits. Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf weaves a spellbinding tale of the courage of impetuous youth. Its memorable themes have made the piece a perennial favorite of orchestral audiences all over the world.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Several composers have been involved in writing music for the enormously popular Harry Potter movies, but the first three were scored by John Williams (b. 1932), the composer of many of the most memorable themes in Hollywood history.

In his illustrious, six-decade career, Williams has won five Academy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards and 21 Grammy Awards. His enormous output includes music for dozens of films, four Olympic Games, the NBC Nightly News and the rededication of the Statue of Liberty, and he has also written several concert works. Williams is the laureate conductor of the world famous Boston Pops orchestra and regularly makes guest conducting appearances with the finest orchestras in the United States and Europe.

On June 30, 1997, J.K. Rowling introduced her phenomenally successful series of books with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (or “the Philosopher’s Stone” outside the United States). Rowling sold the film rights for her first four books to Warner Brothers in 1999, reportedly for 1 million British pounds. That’s the equivalent of 1,982,900 American dollars! Filming began in October of 2000, and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was released in London on November 14, 2001.

In his score, Williams fashioned two themes for the diabolical Voldemort; two themes for the stately school, Hogwarts; a theme for Diagon Alley, the off-kilter marketplace; a tune for the sport of Quidditch, played on flying brooms; a flying theme; a friendship theme; and the main theme – representing the bumbling, lovable Hedwig – which has been used in all films so far.

Peter and the Wolf

The brilliant, irascible Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) entered the St. Petersburg Conservatory when he was only thirteen and proceeded to give his teachers fits. “I didn’t show my compositions to Liadov,” he once said, “because, if I did, he probably would expel me from the class.” When admirers expressed pleasure at meeting him, he would curtly reply “On my part there is no pleasure!”

Prokofiev left Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, and he was an internationally famous composer when he returned in the 1930s. By an odd coincidence, he died on the same day as Joseph Stalin, March 5, 1953. Prokofiev’s funeral took place with paper flowers and a recording of the funeral march from his ballet Romeo and Juliet; the real flowers and live musicians were all taken for Stalin’s state funeral!

Natalia Satz, the director of the Moscow Children's Musical Theater, asked Prokofiev to write a musical symphony for children in 1936. Her aim was to encourage "musical tastes in children from the first years of school." Satz and Prokofiev agreed the music would tell a story and themes heard in instrumental solos would represent animals and characters in the tale. One of Satz’s friends wrote a text, but Prokofiev rejected it immediately saying it had too many rhymes. It only took him four days to write his own text and a piano version of "How little Peter fooled the Wolf!” The orchestral score was finished a week later.

The reaction to the first performance, on May 6, 1936, disappointed Prokofiev, but the piece quickly became enormously popular.

The Carnival of the Animals

The history of music is full of astounding child prodigies, but Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) was certainly one of the greatest. He wrote his first composition when he was three, and when he gave his first recital at the age of ten, he offered to play any one of Beethoven’s thirty-two piano sonatas as an encore! Saint-Saëns toured as a virtuoso pianist, and Franz Liszt called him “the greatest organist in the world.”

Saint-Saëns wrote his Carnival of the Animals (Le carnaval des animaux) in 1886 while he was vacationing in Austria. The menagerie of musical portraits is full of humor and playfulness, and Saint-Saëns includes wryly-distorted quotes from famous composers – Rameau, Offenbach, Berlioz, Mendelssohn, Rossini and himself – to add to the fun.

Saint-Saëns refused to allow the music to be performed during his lifetime, thinking such “frivolous” music would damage his reputation as a serious composer. Only one movement, Le cygne (“The Swan”) was performed and published while he was alive. The first public performance of the full suite was given on February 26, 1922, about two months after his death.

Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra

Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) was another child prodigy who began to compose at age five, started piano lessons when he was eight and took up the viola two years later. By the time he was fourteen he'd written ten piano sonatas, six string quartets, three piano suites, an oratorio and "dozens of songs." Britten became famous when his opera Peter Grimes premièred in London in June of 1945. That November he wrote to a friend “I have a small film to write for the Board of Education.” The goal of the project was to create a piece of music that would entertain schoolchildren and teach the instruments of the orchestra at the same time.

Britten started work on The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra in mid-December, 1945 and finished at midnight on New Year’s Eve. The piece was first performed in concert the following October by the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, and the film debuted on November 29, 1946. Britten dedicated the piece to the four children of his friends John and Jean Maud for their “edification and entertainment.”

The work is subtitled “Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Henry Purcell.” The theme is taken from Purcell’s incidental music for the 1676 play Abdelazar, or “The Moor's Revenge,” by Aphra Behn. Britten greatly admired Purcell and later wrote “I had never realized, before I first met Purcell’s music, that words could be set with such ingenuity, with such colour.”

Britten adapted Purcell’s theme ingeniously to exhibit the unique capabilities of each instrument, and just to show off, he crafted it into a rollicking fugue that puts the orchestra back together and ends the piece with thrilling energy and enthusiasm.

November 13 Concert - Not Just for Kids!

Second Subscription Concert - 61st Season
Not Just for Kids
8 p.m. Nov. 13, 2010 at Jackson Community College



For further information, contact:
Joan Cummings 517-782-3221, 517-782-3268 (Fax), joan.cummings@jacksonsymphony.org

Delight the kids, delight yourself at JSO concert

The second concert in the Jackson Symphony Orchestra’s 61st season could be dubbed a “happening” rather than a symphony concert. The program, Not Just for Kids, features popular classical works written principally for the delight of children but equally enjoyed by adults. Besides the impressive music, there will be projected visuals and the participation of Broadway, Hollywood and TV actor Craig Richard Nelson, a college friend of Maestro Stephen Osmond.

On the program are:

• Sergei Prokofiev’s playful Peter and the Wolf;

• Camille Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals (written almost as a joke for his friends and performed publicly only after he died in 1921);

• The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra;

• and selections from John Williams’ movie scores for the Harry Potter series.

Craig Richard Nelson, who starred in Paper Chase and My Body Guard (to name only a couple of films), will be on hand to narrate the story of Peter and the Wolf, inject humor into Carnival of the Animals, a zoological fantasy, and guide the audience through the orchestra during Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. Pianists Audie Heydenburg and Anita Fobes are guests for Carnival. Assistant JSO conductor David Schultz will conduct Peter and Harry Potter.

“This is not your grandfather’s average symphony orchestra concert,” Osmond said. “I like to think of it more as an event rather than a concert. The music is rather classical, although all the music is written in the 20th Century. There will be visuals and lots of them. Projected images during all the pieces will enhance the experience, especially for the first-time listener.”

”Families with small children, who are worried that their youngsters might get restless, are invited to the Dress Rehearsal at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 12 at JCC’s Music Hall. Because of a sponsorship from Spring Arbor University, there is no charge for this dress rehearsal. The Nov. 13 concert also is sponsored by Spring Arbor University.

“We have never produced an event with such variety and appeal,” Osmond said. “If you are a first-time attendee or wanted to introduce your family to a symphony orchestra and you were to pick one concert to attend in the next 5 years — this is it!”

The 2010-2011 year, A Season for All Ages, continues Feb. 5 and Feb. 6 with Going Baroque, March 19 with Flavors of France and May 7 with Our Own Backyard.

Individual tickets for the Nov. 13 concert are $18, $27, $32. They may be purchased online at www.JacksonSymphony.org; by phone at 517-782-3221; or in person at the JSO Box Office, 215 W. Michigan Ave., downtown Jackson.

All JSO ticket holders are invited to attend a free pre-concert lecture hosted by Dr. Bruce Brown, JSO Composer-in-Residence. This lecture series, titled Backstage Glimpses, takes place at 7 p.m. in the Federer Rooms off the main Floor Lobby in the Potter Center.

NOTE: The Jackson Symphony Orchestra is a community resource providing performances of the classics and popular music, a community music school with private and group instruction and numerous educational programs for students of all ages. The organization owns a 30,000-square-foot facility in the heart of downtown Jackson which not only serves as an administrative, rehearsal, and recital performance space for the orchestra but also is home to the Jackson Youth Symphony, the Jackson Chorale and Children's Choir, the Michigan Shakespeare Festival and JSO Community String Ensemble. The orchestra primarily performs at the world-class Music Hall of the Jackson Community College Potter Center and other venues in town including several churches, the County Fairgrounds and Michigan Theatre.

JSO on WKAR

Thursday, Oct 21, about 10:15am - BIZET: "Jeux d'enfants" played by the Jackson Symphony, Stephen Osmond conducting. Recorded March 2008 at Jackson Community College.


Sunday, Oct 24, about 1:30pm - HANSON: Suite from "Merry Mount", played by the Jackson Symphony, conducted by Nathaniel Parker. Recorded at Jackson Community College, March 2008.

JSO "Mini-Series" Tickets Include All the Frills

With one concert down and four to go in the Jackson Symphony Orchestra's 61st season, it's not too late to score as a season ticket holder - and at significant savings.

Remaining concerts include Not Just for Kids on Nov. 13, Going Baroque on Feb. 5 or 6, Flavors of France on March 19 and Our Own Back Yard on May 7.

"Mini-series" tickets, which include admission to the four concerts and all regular season subscriber benefits, are now being offered at $100 for section A, $85 for section B and $55 for section C. Buyers will receive a two-for-the-price of one Meal Card that's good at area restaurants, an annual subscription to the newsletter Interlude, an invitation to attend pre-concert lectures (Backstage Glimpses), ticket insurance (loose them and we replace) and recycling (can't attend a concert, return them and we give you a donation receipt for the value).

These "mini-series" tickets may be ordered online at jacksonsymphony.org/tickets, by phone at 517-782-3221 x118 or by stopping by the JSO's downtown office 215 W. Michigan Ave.

Review: JSO Season Opener: Strange Bedfellows

The first weekend in October saw the first concert of the Jackson Symphony Orchestra's 61st season, presenting a program entitled "Strange Bedfellows." This rubric encompassed works by six composers who all were born within ten years of each other at the beginning of the 19th century, and who collectively helped establish what we often refer to as music's Romantic period. The opening work was by the oldest, and perhaps the strangest of the six, Hector Berlioz, the composer who, after Beethoven, was arguably the most significant figure in codifying the modern orchestra. His Roman Carnival Overture was lustily played by the ensemble, and featured excellent English horn solos by Matthew Yuknas as well as strong statements by the brass, led by first trumpet Joel Shaner. Berlioz's individual orchestration style also permitted the JSO viola section, led by Clyde McKaney, to shine in ways not often afforded by the standard repertoire.

The rest of the first half featured the finale to Felix Mendelssohn's E minor Violin Concerto, played by Xie Min, the orchestra's concert master who led the orchestra on a merry chase with an energetic and expressive interpretation of the solo part, as well as selections by Verdi and Wagner, two dramatically contrasted giants of 19th century opera. Both composers dealt in these works with transgressive love, but while Verdi?s Duke from Rigoletto expresses a certain terse amusement about his conquests in the aria, Questa o quella, Wagner needs considerably more time and effort to move heaven, earth and a large orchestra, in justifying his couple's coupling in Tristan und Isolde. We were treated in the former to the wonderfully characteristic singing of tenor Richard Fracker, while the orchestra limned the latter in the opera's Prelude and Liebestod. Strong string playing, along with trenchant wind work, helped bring this music to life, and wonderful solo work from all the wind principals added extra emotional impact.

The second half of the program featured music by, about, and for, Robert Schumann and Frederick Chopin. Guest soloist Ian Hobson was front and center for the entire second half, opening with his solo performance of Chopin's second Ballade, a work dedicated to Schumann. The orchestra joined him for a performance of Schumann's A minor Piano Concerto, and Hobson closed with an encore by Schumann, entitled "Chopin," from his set of piano pieces, Carnival. Hobson's playing of all three works was shapely and compelling, drawing wonderful tone from the instrument in both soft passages and loud, and guiding us surely through the maze of key relationships relating the three works to each other. The orchestra matched him stroke for stroke, with excellent ensemble work, as well as striking solos in the winds. Clarinetist Andrew Sprung stood out in his lengthy solo at the beginning of the first movement's development section, and the horns, Stephen Foster and Jessica Pierce, contributed lively work at the recapitulation of the finale. Beautiful playing was heard throughout the concert, with moments made wonderful by Tess Miller, principal flute, and Heather Peyton, principal oboe.

Andy Mead

Stories Requested!

Fond memories, nostalgic feelings….

When and where did you first hear Peter in the Wolf, Carnival of the Animals, or Britten's Young People’s Guide to the Orchestra? 

Music creates lasting impressions and often has a personal story attached to each listener.  What is your story?  Would you care to share it with us and others?  We would love to hear from you.  Some stories may be printed in our upcoming program book or posted on our blog.  We would love to attribute the statements to you.  If you prefer not, please indicate you wish to be anonymous. 

From the Studio of Carol Ivkovich

Stacy Robert, (15) was one of 16 entrants from across Michigan in the senior division of the Michigan Music Teacher's Association piano competition yesterday. Stacy performed beautifully, playing Dr. Gradus ad Parnassum by Debussy, and the Allego Movement of the f minor Beethoven Sonata. (op.2 #1). Stacy was the youngest entrant in her division. This was a great experience for Stacy.


Both Stacy and Michael Zeiler, students of Carol Ivkovich's, will be participating in Albion College's piano competition on October 22-24. This competition will provide them with great experience as well as the opportunities for private lessons and master classes with Drs. David and Lia Abbott.

Students Shaping the Future of Classical Music

A Music Symposium:
"Students Shaping the Future of Classical Music"

3:45 PM Friday, October 1

with Greg Sandow, Classical and Rock Composer and Music Critic

For High School and College Students

White Auditorium on Spring Arbor University Campus

106 E. Main St., Spring Arbor

(M-60 to Spring Arbor, north on Cottage St., Auditorium on left. Angled parking along street or lots oin front of and behind Spring Arbor First United Methodist Church.)

517-782-3221 ext. 117 for more information

Greg Sandow's blog

JSO Adult Education - "Five Easy Pieces"

Adult Ed 102
7-8:30 PM Mondays October18 to November 15
Professor Andy Mead - at the JSO

Five Easy Pieces

Prerequisite – None!

This five-week sequence of classes takes a close look at five major works of the symphonic literature, each selected to illustrate aspects of the music to be encountered in this and future seasons of the JSO. Each work is treated as an outstanding representative of a style, a genre, or a given composer's oeuvre, and while each class meeting will concentrate on the details of a single piece, the observations will be used to open doors to understanding and enjoying additional music.



1: Beethoven: Symphony no. 5

This is one of the fundamental works of the concert repertoire, and one that is so well known that we hardly seem to know it at all. A close listening will link this work to Beethoven's other symphonies, as well as to his preoccupation with the key of c minor in this and several other compositions.



2: Tchaikovsky: Symphonic Poem, Romeo and Juliet

What makes a work a symphonic poem? Do works that have literary programs offer the same types of listening experiences one finds in works without such associations? Like Beethoven's Symphony no. 5, this is a work so familiar that we hardly pay attention to it any more, but close listening reveals not only a passionate sequence of emotions, but a sinewy underlying structure as well.



3: Hindemith: Symphony, Mathis der Maler

A symphony drawn from an opera about a painter - symphonic structure, a program, even melodies borrowed from early church music mix in this powerful work of the last century, all in a musical language that is both familiar and unfamiliar at once.



4: Debussy: Prelude to an Afternoon of a Faun and Stravinsky: Petrouchka

All right, it's six pieces, but how have the composers of these two emblematic concert works changed how we listen to music?



5: Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto no. 3

When you've written one of the most popular concertos in the repertoire (no. 2), how do you top yourself?



$50/person
Registration and info:
517-782-3221
Email: jso2007@jacksonsymphony.org

Program Notes for Oct 2 Concert

Program Notes


October 2, 2010
By Composer in Residence
Bruce Brown



Tonight’s concert of music by “Strange Bedfellows” provides a fascinating study in contrasts. Five of the six composers were born in the four year period from 1809 to 1813, and Berlioz was only slightly older. All of them drew upon musical traditions in their work, and all of them contributed important innovations, but their lives and work could hardly have been more different.

Berlioz wrote daring, Romantic program music, while Mendelssohn produced equally ingenious works full of Classical balance and restraint. Schumann overcame bouts of an emotional disorder to become an important composer and influential critic, while Chopin, suffering from debilitating tuberculosis, became a supreme master of a single genre, solo piano music. Verdi rose to the pinnacle of Italian opera, while Wagner transformed opera into a new kind of total-art-work that shocked and thrilled the world.


Roman Carnival Overture

The première performance of the opera Benvenuto Cellini by Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) was an unqualified disaster. Berlioz argued bitterly with the conductor, Francois Antoine Habanek, and later wondered if Habanek deliberately sabotaged the performance. The tenor soloist withdrew after three performances, and the opera closed.

Five years later Berlioz gleaned some of his favorite music from the opera and fashioned his Roman Carnival Overture, which was named for the libretto’s exotic setting. The overture’s first performance, on February 3, 1844, seemed to be doomed, just like the opera. The brass players had to miss the only rehearsal for mandatory national guard duty, but Berlioz told the musicians to watch closely and count carefully. Their sight reading must have been excellent; the audience loved the music and demanded an immediate encore!

Berlioz must have taken deep satisfaction when he saw Habanek in the audience after the performance and reportedly said “Now that is how it ought to go!”



Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in E Minor, Opus 64

On July 30, 1838, Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) wrote to his good friend Ferdinand David: "I should like to write a violin concerto for you next winter. One in E minor runs through my head, the beginning of which gives me no peace." David worked closely with Mendelssohn on the concerto, which wasn’t completed until six years later. David first performed the work in Leipzig on March 13, 1845, and the concerto has become one of Mendelssohn’s best loved works and an essential piece for all aspiring violinists to master.



Questo o quella from Rigoletto

Verdi’s Rigoletto, first performed in Venice on March 11, 1851, is a tragic tale of pride and unintended consequences. The story is set in 16th century Mantua, where the Duke is an incorrigible philanderer. His Jester, Rigoletto, mocks the husbands of the ladies the duke has seduced, but he tries to conceal his own daughter, Gilda, from the duke’s evil designs. Rigoletto plots to murder the duke in the end, but in one of the most famous scenes in all of opera, he discovers that his beloved daughter, not the duke, has died as a result of his plot.

Questo o quella is a glorious example of Verdi’s skill at vivid character depiction. As the duke sings, he leaves no doubt he is a rascal: “I despise a jealous husband, and I laugh at lover’s sighs,” he says, “If a beauty strikes my fancy, I defy a hundred eyes.”



Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde

In 1854, Richard Wagner (1813-1883) to write a simple work that could be performed easily to generate some much needed income. Tristan und Isolde

proved to be so difficult it wouldn’t be staged until more than a decade later, on June 10, 1865. The prelude was first performed in 1859, before the rest of the opera was even completed, and Wagner first connected the prelude and the Liebestod for concert performance in 1863.

In the story, the loyal knight Tristan is on a ship bringing Isolde to marry King Marke. They fall desperately in love, but their intense passion must remain hidden because of their duty to the king. The lovers believe they can only find peace in death. Wagner called the opera’s climactic final scene a “transfiguration” but it has come to be known as the Liebestod, or “Love-Death” music.

Giuseppe Verdi once said he “stood in wonder and terror” before Wagner’s Tristan. Clara Schumann called it “the most repugnant thing I have ever seen or heard in all my life.” Richard Strauss once wrote “I have conducted my first Tristan. It was the most wonderful day of my life.” The music has stirred passionate responses ever since.



Scherzo #3 in C# Minor, Opus 39

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) wrote four brilliant scherzos for solo piano between 1831 and 1842. He penned the third in 1839. A scherzo is usually a light, playful piece – the word means "joke" in Italian – but Chopin’s scherzos, especially the first three, are so dramatic that Schumann once said of them: "How is 'gravity' to clothe itself if 'jest' goes about in dark veils?”



Piano Concerto in A Minor, Opus 54

Robert Schumann (1810-1856) wrote almost exclusively for solo piano until he married Clara Wieck on September 12, 1840. He celebrated his joy by writing 168 songs in a single year!

The next year, 1841, Schumann started work on a work for piano and orchestra.

"I realize I cannot write a concerto for a virtuoso,” he wrote to Clara, “so I must think up something else…something between a symphony, a concerto and a large sonata…a self-contained movement."

Schumann was pleased with the resulting work and called it Phantasie, but no publisher was interested in a single-movement concerto, so Schumann reluctantly set it aside. In 1845, after a bout with his recurrent emotional problems, he added two movements that fit seamlessly with the one he had finished four years earlier.

Season Ticket Contest

When the JSO is faced with a challenge to sell 150 pairs of season tickets where does it turn?


To those who believe in the JSO more than anyone else in the community:

The JSO Board
The Guild Board
The Musicians

Millions of dollars of research by the Knight Foundation and others have proven one major orchestral point – people attend concerts because friends and acquaintances invite them.

Inviting your friends and neighbors to buy season tickets is the best way for us to reach new audience.

Think about this:

You aren’t asking them to buy something that has no value….

Two for the Price of One Tickets at:

The Michigan Shakespeare Festival
The Bon Ton Room
The Michigan Theatre
The Purple Rose Theatre

Buy One Get One Free Entrees at:

Bella Notte Ristorante
Bone Island Grille
Charlie's Pub & Grill
Cottage Inn
Daryl's Downtown
Greystone Tavern Pub & Grill
Hudson's Classic Grill
Knight's Steakhouse & Grill
Mat's Café and Catering
Night Light
Oak Tree Lounge
Rocky Top Beer & BBQ
Ted's Firehouse Pub & Grill
Veach's Office Bar

20% off the individual ticket price and to a series of five concerts that are each unique and appealing to a broad range of musical tastes.

* * *

“In the beginning” there was the orchestra.

And amazing things have grown in this community as a result: Community Music School, Pops Concerts, the Holiday Ball, Jazz Night, Operas, Ballets, In-school programs, Early Childhood programs, Babies in Tune, Community Strings, all on the very broad shoulders of the Jackson Symphony Orchestra.

At the heart of the organization is the Subscription Series. We have a terrific core audience that keeps coming back for more. Anywhere from 78% to as high as 90% renew their season tickets each year. During the 90s we had consistent season sales of over 93%. We didn’t really have to market; we built it and they came.

Times have changed and so has the orchestra, it’s even better than it was.
Of course, there are rewards!

We are introducing a contest involving JSO Board, Guild Board and musicians in the orchestra to sell 150 pairs of season tickets by October 1. We are issuing the challenge to each group to see who can sell the most tickets. We will track progress on our front entrance wall and will offer some really nice prizes for those that have the highest number of sales.

The individual selling the most season tickets (must be over 5 pairs) will receive a JSO lifetime ticket membership.

The best seller in each group will be given a $50 gift certificate to the restaurant of their choice.
The Group selling the most tickets will be recognized from the stage on opening night.

The top five sales people will be recognized in the JSO Program Book and from the JSO stage on opening night.

If you know some one that is willing to help you sell tickets and is not officially a member of your group, that’s great, you and your group will get the credit. – As individuals they will receive the recognition, etc.

Team 1 – The JSO Board
Team 1 Coach: JSO Board Chair, Jon Lake

Team 2 – The Guild Board
Team 2 Coach – Guild Vice President, Donna Lake


Team 3 – The JSO Local Players
Team 3 Coaches – Jan Butterfield-Brown and Pat Riggs

Brochures are available at the downtown office (215 W. Michigan), and information is available online http://www.jacksonsymphony.org/ .

Best of Luck and may you be the winner.

Greg Sandow to Visit JSO

On October 1 and 2, Greg Sandow will be in Jackson, talking with the board, guild board, and students and the orchestra sharing his thoughts about where classical music is going and the potential impact of an orchestra on a community.

Greg Sandow was best known for many years as a music critic, one of the few with a national reputation for writing about both classical music and pop. He’s also been one of the few classical critics who challenges the old assumptions of the classical music world.

But in recent years, he’s moved journalism to a back burner, and revived a composing career that he began in the 1970s, and then abandoned in the 1980s. He also spends much of his time working on questions about the future of classical music, pursuing these questions in an influential blog, in a book he’s been improvising online, in public appearances, and in consulting work and other special projects with major orchestras, including the Cleveland Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Symphony.

He’s also a member of the Graduate Studies faculty at Juilliard, where he teaches courses on music criticism and on the future of classical music. For the past two years, he’s also taught that second course at the Eastman School of Music, under the auspices of Eastman’s Institute for Musical Leadership.

As a critic, he wrote for The Village Voice in the 1980s, when it was New York’s leading weekly paper, and was read all over the country. Lately his writing has appeared in The New York Times Book Review and The Wall Street Journal, where for many years he was a regular contributor. In pop music, he was chief pop critic of the Los Angeles Herald‐Examiner, and both music critic and senior music editor of Entertainment Weekly.

His music has been played by the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Fine Arts Quartet, and St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble. Major premieres are coming up this season and next with the Pacifica Quartet and the South Dakota Symphony. His music tends to be tonal, but with unexpected twists, including eruptions of 12‐tone music, jazz, and pop. (Sometimes cheesy pop.) His blog is at www.artsjournal.com/sandow. His book is at www.artsjournal.com/greg. You can read some of his writing on his website, at http://www.gregsandow.com/. And you can hear some of his music there as well, at www.gregsandow.com/music.

About our JSO Musicians

Musicians not only lend us their talent they also lend us over $1,000,000 in the value of their instruments for each rehearsal and performance. Not to mention they cover the cost of insurance.


Of the 100 plus musicians associated with the JSO and cms there are more "Docs" playing in the orchestra and teaching in CMS than JPS or any other school district has in the classroom.

This is a highly trained, educated, creative group of people that the community could and should have even more access to. AND they are not going on strike.

Stephen Osmond

New Kiosk Shares JSO Events

As part of the JSO Sound Vision Campaign and remodel plan, it was deemed a good idea to have a Kiosk in front of the building to inform pedestrian traffic and those using the building as to what is happening primarily with the JSO and those groups who "live" at 215 W. Michigan Ave. These groups which includes  the Jackson Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Jackson Chorale, the Michigan Shakespeare Festival, Cascade Harmonizers,Community Strings and Jammin’ at the JSO. Bob LaZebnik JSO board member and Honorary Chair of the Campaign offered to donate the design, construction and installation of the work in front of the JSO. Don Harris designed the kiosk, Stan Riske built it and Alro Steel donated the steel. The city council formally approved the request to install on September 14th and the following morning it was installed. In addition to being a very attractive piece of art it will serve well communicating downtown and performing arts activities.

JSO to Open Season with "Strange Bedfellows"

During the 61st concert season, the Jackson Symphony Orchestra will be “looking into the minds of composers” to see what inspires them. Each of the five concerts will feature the music of inventive composers, who approached their work in unique ways.

The concerts are scheduled for Oct. 2, Nov. 13, Feb. 5 or Feb. 6, March 19 and May 7. Throughout the year, JSO’s Composer-in-Residence Dr. Bruce Brown will work on a new piece of music and share news of his progress with audience members, giving the a chance to “witness the birth of a concert,” so to speak. The world premiere of his composition will be performed in May.

The JSO’s opening season program on Oct. 2 is sponsored by Citizens Bank and features some of the most romantic and innovative works ever written. Officially the concert is titled Strange Bedfellows because all of the composers for this program were born in 17th century Europe, but led divergent lifestyles and approached their art in dissimilar ways. The composers are Richard Wagner (German, 1813-1883), Robert Schumann (German, 1810-1856), Frédéric Chopin (Polish, 1810-1849), Hector Berlioz (French, 1803-1869), Felix Mendelssohn (German, 1809-1847), and Giuseppe Verdi (Italian, 1813-1901).

The concert begins at 8 p.m. at the Potter Center at Jackson Community College and there will be not just one, but three soloists.

• Internationally acclaimed pianist Ian Hobson will perform Schumann’s Piano Concert, having recorded it in London earlier in the week. He’ll also perform a Chopin piano solo.

• Violinist Xie Min, a member of the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, a visiting professor at the Xi’an Conservatory of Music in China and Concertmaster for the JSO, will perform the final movement of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto.

• Metropolitan Opera tenor and Jackson native Richard Fracker will perform Questa e Quella from Verdi's opera, Rigoletto. “Fracker, who had to miss the Verdi Requiem last season because of illness, will keep his hometown fans happy with a reappearance,” Maestro Stephen Osmond said.

Other pieces on the Oct. 2 program are Wagner’s Prelude and Liebestod and Hector Berlioz’ Roman Carnival Overture. The Celtic legend of Tristan and Isolde, a tragic tale of two fated lovers, inspired Wagner’s composition. Berlioz’ rousing carnival scene, written in 1844, was an addition to his 1838 opera, Benvenuto Cellini. The opera’s plot is about the 16th-century painter and sculptor, who fell in love with the daughter of a Papal treasurer.

Six men. Six minds. The music of these composers, all born within a decade of each other, covers a broad spectrum.

“There’s incredible variety in their lives and music,” Osmond said. “Verdi and Wagner were the Richard Rodgers and Andrew Lloyd Webber of their day, writing for the theater at opposite ends of the musical spectrum and both very successful in their own time. Verdi took his wealth and built retirement centers for poor musicians. Wagner built theaters in his own image. Berlioz, a real maverick going in different directions, was rumored to be a serious hallucinogenic drug user. Chopin, considered the major Polish composer of all time, never lived there past childhood. Schumann had significant mental issues. Mendelssohn, a wunderkind aristocrat, was probably the ‘most normal’ of the bunch.”

THE REST OF THE CONCERTS: The Nov. 13 concert, Not Just for Kids, will feature Peter and the Wolf, Carnival of Animals and Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. For the Feb. 5 and 6 concert, harpsichordist Ed Parmentier and organist Shin-Ae-Chun will present George Frideric Bach’s Organ Concerto and Johann Sebastian Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto. This concert will take place at the First United Methodist Church in downtown Jackson. All others will be at the Potter Center at Jackson Community College. The March 19 program, Flavors of France, will showcase the music of Georges Bizet, Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. Besides Dr. Brown’s latest opus, the May 7 program, Our Own Back Yard, will include Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky’s dazzling Capriccio Italien and JSO’s Principal Flutist Richard Sherman performing Charles Griffes’ Poem for Flute and Orchestra.

TICKETS: Season tickets include five concerts, five pre-concert lectures, a two-for-one restaurant card, entertainment offers and other benefits. Prices are: Section A-$128; B-$108; C-$72. Individual tickets for the Oct. 2 concert are $18, $27, $32. They may be purchased online at http://www.jacksonsymphony.org/; by phone at 517-782-3221; or in person at the JSO Box Office, 215 W. Michigan Ave., downtown Jackson. All JSO ticket holders are invited to attend the complimentary and highly acclaimed pre-concert lecture series hosted by Dr. Bruce Brown, JSO Composer-in-Residence. Backstage Glimpses takes place at 7 p.m. in the Federer Rooms off the main floor lobby in the Potter Center and is sponsored by Allegiance Health.



NOTE: The Jackson Symphony Orchestra is a community resource providing performances of the classics and popular music, a community music school with private and group instruction and numerous educational programs for students of all ages. The organization owns a 30,000-square-foot facility in the heart of downtown Jackson which not only serves as an administrative, rehearsal, and recital performance space for the orchestra but also is home to the Jackson Youth Symphony, the Jackson Chorale and Children's Choir, the Michigan Shakespeare Festival and JSO Community String Ensemble. The orchestra primarily performs at the world-class Music Hall of the Jackson Community College Potter Center and other venues in town including several churches, the County Fairgrounds and Michigan Theatre.

Community Strings First Rehearsal Sept 13

JSO Community Strings rehearsals begin tonight at 7:30 at the downtown Weatherwax Rehearsal Hall (215 W Michigan) - Everyone is welcome to come and play. Tonight's rehearsal includes refreshments and a tape & staple party!

JSO on WKAR in September

September 7


Martin: Ballade for Flute, Strings & Piano; Richard Sherman, flute; MSU Sym Orch/Gregorian

Chopin: Concerto No. 2 in f minor for Piano & Orchestra; Ivan Moshchuk, piano; LSO/Muffitt

Kernis: Too Hot Toccata; LSO/Muffitt

Barber: Adagio for Strings; Jackson Sym/Osmond



September 14

Strauss: Tone Poem, "Death and Transfiguration"; MSU Sym Orch/Gregorian

Saint-Saens: Tarantella for Violin, Clarinet & Piano; Verdehr Trio

Stravinsky: Suite from "The Firebird"; Jackson Sym Orch/Nathaniel Parker



September 21 (last program in the series)

Respighi: The Fountains of Rome; MSU Sym Orch/Raphael Jimenez

Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra; Jackson Sym/Osmond

STRING TEAM Partnership between JSO and SAU!

New Jackson Symphony Orchestra and Spring Arbor University partnership brings world-class string instruction to two Jackson County Schools

Jackson Symphony Orchestra announces new string curriculum at Ezra Eby Elementary School and Paragon Charter Academy for the 2010-2011 school year.

Jackson Symphony Orchestra and Spring Arbor University have combined resources to engage a string instructor specialist to augment and enrich both their programs. Ji Hyun Kim received her Doctor of Musical Arts from Michigan State University in May and will begin teaching and performing at both institutions in September. In addition to private instruction, she will head up the JSO String Team program which offers 4th and 5th graders small group string instruction on a semi-weekly basis. The first school to sign up for the new in-school string program was Napoleon School District’s Ezra Eby Elementary. Paragon Charter Academy quickly followed. Students will be participating in this specialized string instruction as a part of the general school day curriculum. Ji Hyun, the JSO string team’s newly appointed instructor spent most of the summer traveling and performing on stages in Australia, Luxembourg and throughout Europe. She is now enthusiastically embracing the new school program as well as her roles within the Orchestra and at Spring Arbor University.

“This is a dream come true,” stated Stephen Osmond, Music Director of the JSO. “To have someone of Ji Hyun’s caliber having their principal job be focused on the JSO and SAU is something we have been planning for years. We have always had excellent teachers, many of whom were working on degrees at U of M or MSU, but when the degree was completed they would find full-time employment which would necessitate a move from the area. This is a huge cornerstone for the future of our education and performance programs.”

Mary Spring further adds, “String instruction is something that is associated with a strong, well-rounded elementary education. The 2010 school year marks the beginning of bringing string instruction into county schools in an affordable and high quality manner. We are very proud of the program, our instructor and what this project will mean to the education of Jackson County youth. We are also very grateful to Spring Arbor University for their essential role in supporting the Arts in our community and enhancing the education of students in Jackson County.”

“We are very excited about this partnership with the Symphony and believe it will greatly enhance our music program. We are thrilled about the possibilities for helping kids in Jackson area schools discover the joy of playing a stringed instrument,” says Bruce Brown, professor of music and music department chair at SAU, as well as the composer-in-residence at the JSO.

School districts interested in hosting a String Team should contact Mary Spring at 517.782.3221. For more information about Spring Arbor University, visit www.arbor.edu. For more information about the Jackson Symphony Orchestra, visit www.jacksonsymphony.org.



Contact Information:

Spring Arbor University

Dr. Bruce Brown

750.1200



Ezra Eby Elementary School, Napoleon School District

Principal, Pam Barnes

Phone: 517.536.8667 Ext. 454



Paragon Charter Academy

Principal Kathy Watson

Phone 517.750.9500

Paragon General Music Instructor Linda Rockwell

Phone 941.4134



Jackson Symphony Orchestra

Stephen Osmond, Music Director

Mary Spring, Development Director

Jackson Citizen Patriot article about David Schultz

An article about our own David Schultz appeared in the Jackson Citizen Patriot and on mlive this week!

"Hallelujah" from Pops Concert

Steve Tucker with the Jackson Symphony Orchestra, Jackson Chorale and Children's Choir from the August 8 Pops Concert at the Jackson County Fair:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twuaveU0S9A

JSO on WKAR in August

Community Concerts Listings, WKAR, August


August 3
Mozart: "Don Giovanni" Overture; Lansing Sym Orch/Muffitt
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6, "Pathetique"; MSU Sym Orch/Gregorian

August 8

Beethoven: Symphony #4 in B-flat; Jackson Sym Orch/Osmond (10:10 a.m.)
 
August 10
Mendelssohn: Suite from "A Midsummer Night's Dream"; LSO/Muffitt
Ravel: "Le Tombeau de Couperin"; Jackson Sym Orch/Osmond
Mozart: Andante & Finale from Piano Concerto No. 21 in C; Ilya Blinov, piano; Jackson Sym Orch/Osmond

August 17
R. Strauss: "Don Juan"; LSO/Muffitt
Holst: Excerpts from The Planets; MSU Sym Orch/Gregorian 39:45

August 24
Mozart: Adagio & Fugue; Jackson Sym/David Schultz
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in c minor, Op. 67; LSO/Muffitt
Bloch: "Suite Modale" for Flute & Strings; Richard Sherman, flute;
MSU Sym Orch/Gregorian

August 31
Elgar: Cello Concerto in e minor; Suren Bagratuni, cello; MSU Sym/Gregorian
Schumann: "Manfred" Overture; MSU Sym Orch/ Gregorian
Berlioz: 3 Excerpts from "The Damnation of Faust"; MSU Sym
Orch/Gregorian
Strauss: Fanfare for the Vienna Philharmonic; Jackson Sym Orch/Osmond

Jammin' at the JSO - July 30

Melodic, experimental rock for all ages - in Jackson! 7-11 p.m. Friday, July 30th Jackson City Limits presents Cardboard Cathedral, Chinook, Jolly Roger Walrus, and Blackbird Smile at the Jackson Symphony Orchestra Hall, downtown at 215 W. Michigan Ave. $4 cover charge.

Jolly Roger Walrus is the music of Jace Roffler. He’s a Parma native and has been writing and recording his own music for a while now. This show will be his debut. His music is comparable to that of Animal Collective or Beirut but with a certain uniqueness. In addition to singing, Roffler’s recordings feature him on a number of instruments ranging from ukulele to keyboards.

Another Jackson group, Cardboard Cathedral produces monumental sound with their unique approach to music. Drawing heavily on shoegaze and even blues influences, their sound is extremely raw with driving guitar rhythms but also technical and delicate with bubbling keyboard parts.

Chinook is a band out of Kalamazoo. With influences like American Football and Sharks Keep Moving, Chinook’s sound is very tight and technical. Drummer and guitarists pound out a fast-moving slurry of interlocking notes culminating into dense, catchy rhythms. These guys are a group you don't want to miss.

Blackbird Smile is from Romeo. The four piece's ambient, reverb laden sound is very smooth and ethereal. They are "the product of constant growth" and their appearance at the JSO on the 30th is one stop on their self-promoted tour from Detroit to Los Angeles.

Jackson Symphony Orchestra to open grandstand shows at County Fair

Hold on to your programs because you won’t believe the new twists on this year’s Jackson Symphony Orchestra Summer Pops concert.

For three years the JSO has opened the Jackson County Fair, although this year a halftime show of “post-instrumental rock music” has been added for the specific entertainment of “young people.” In a recent contest, the local band If I Were the Sun won the honor of performing during intermission.

There are other new twists to the 2010 JSO/County Fair match-up, which begins at 7:30 p.m. August 8. Sure, the program will feature the expected patriotic music, but there will be an added theme of “where have I heard that cartoon music before?” said Maestro Stephen Osmond.

Barber of Seville Overture, Gioachino Rossini’s comic opera masterpiece, and Ride of the Valkyries, Richard Wagner’s well-known operatic battle march — featured in the 1957 Bugs Bunny animated cartoon — are among selections on the program.

“Bugs Bunny would be nowhere without the music of Rossini and Wagner,” Osmond said. “Go to You Tube and listen to What’s Opera Doc and Who Killed the Wabbit?”

Also on the program are the Jackson Chorale performing patriotic selections and hits from Richard Rodgers’ Broadway shows and guitar/piano player Steve Tucker, a member of the Gel Caps and Act III, performing Hallelujah from the sound track of the movie Shrek.

“The Jackson Chorale looks forward to once again putting on their red, white and blue clothes and joining the JSO for patriotic as well as Broadway show music on opening day of the fair,” said Chorale Director Wendy Treacher. The Jackson Chorale Children's Choir will also be performing and will join the Chorale on This Is My Country."

The disAbility Connection also will be honored on the occasion of the organization’s 85th anniversary.

$15 VIP tickets include parking, shuttle service to the fairgrounds, fair admission, concert performance, and a hot dog. For patrons who have already parked and paid admission to the fairgrounds, tickets to the concert are $5 each.

For tickets and information, please call 517-782-3221, 517-788-4405, or online.

Concert sponsors include Edward Surovell Realtors, Jackson Citizens for Economic Growth, Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, and National Endowment for the Arts. Jackson County Fair, Performance Underwriter.

Sing with the JSO at the Pops Concert!

Calling all Singers!

The JSO Summer Pops program to be held at the Jackson County Fair, August 8, will include several selections for Orchestra and Chorus. The orchestra and Jackson Chorale are inviting anyone with choral experience to join them for the festivities.

Selections will include patriotic works: God Bless America, Who are the Brave, This is My Country, as well as pop hits Hallelujah, You Raise Me Up and a medley of Richard Rodgers Favorites from several of his Broadway hits.

Rehearsals will be held at the very air conditioned and comfortable JSO Rehearsal Hall at 7:00 pm

 Tuesday, July 27th - 7 to 8:30 PM

 Tuesday, August 3rd - 7 to 8:30 PM

 Thursday, August 5th - 7 to 8:30 PM

 Sunday, August 8th - rehearse @ 3:00 PM (?); concert at 7:30 PM

No audition necessary - phone 782-3221 or email jso@acd.net to let us know you are planning to attend

Listening and Hearing: Notes on the Adult Music Class

This past May a group of more than 30 music lovers spent five Monday evenings talking about some of the issues that come into play when we listen to music.  No-one reading this site needs to be persuaded to like music, but a little knowledge about how we take in music, both technically and emotionally, can add to the pleasures we gain from the experience.  Five evenings of conversation could only begin to scratch the surface, but we were able to open some doors on issues of form, expression, meaning, humor and style.  There are plans afoot for more conversations in the Fall, and we are considering some of the wonderful suggestions made by the participants of the last go-round.  If you have some ideas or questions of your own, we urge you to share them with us, either on the blog, or in our next series of classes.

Andy Mead

Piano Camp - Movie and Music Madness

Summer time...and the livin' is easy.... fish are jumpin.. and the cotton is high...


It's summer time at the JSO CMS and great things are happening! This summer, our piano camp features a "Movie and Music Madness" theme. Your budding musicians will explore the world of music through piano study revolving around movie themes. Students will learn 1 theme from a popular movie while developing their theory, technique, aural awareness, critical thinking skills and ensemble skills through games and large group activities. Students will make new friends and become excited about the wonderful world of music and piano study. Join us July 12-23 at the JSO. Don't miss out on our "Broadway" opportunities for your students.

More info at 782-3221 or http://www.jacksonsymphony.org/summer2010.html .

Recital Tonight (June 18)

Shawna Geer, private piano student of Carol Ivkovich, will present her senior recital tonight at 7 p.m. at the JSO. Shawna is a talented pianist who has participated in various festivals and contests. Shawna's program includes pieces by George Winston, Ludovico Einaudi, Brahms, hymn arrangements and Chopin. Come enjoy a free concert by a gifted pianist!

Jazz Piano Class

Welcome to the exciting world of jazz! This American art form is an important part of our musical heritage. Are you interested in jazz piano? Would you like to be able to play keyboard for your school's jazz band? Or perhaps play simple jazz pieces for your own enjoyment? Come join the introductory jazz piano class on Tuesday and Thursday evenings 5-6 p.m. July 12-23. Learn basic jazz piano skills that include jazz rhythms, scales, 7th chords and basic improvisation. Students must have 4 or more years of formal piano study. Contact: 782-3221 or JSO Website.

Recreational Music Making for Adults!

"Recreational Music Making was born to create a revolution against the notion that music making is only for those with talent. Recreational Music Making dares to declare that music making is for everyone. It invites all of you who have ever dreamed of playing a music instrument--including the millions upon millions of people who wish they had never given up their piano lessons-to give it another chance." (Brenda Dillon)  For those of you who believe that a world filled with music is a better world, this is an opportunity of a lifetime--the best chance to make a difference in your life and perhaps another person's  life  and society.

Would you like to learn to play your favorite songs? Thought it was too late to learn to play the piano? Played years ago and want to try again?

Come join the fun! Classes are taught in supportive groups and offer the following benefits:

 a. a stress free/relaxed environment--beneficial to your health and well-being
 b. an ideal setting for meeting new friends and having fun
 c. A trained instructor will help you learn without frustration.

Take a risk and give it a try. Classes are being offered Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. or Tuesday and Thursdays from 12:15-1:15 p.m.  July 12-23, 2010 at the JSO downtown (215 W. Michigan). Register at the JSO downtown office, 517-782-3221, or at the JSO website.

Jackson City Limits - Jammin' at the JSO

Local indie artists/bands at the JSO (215 W. Michigan), Friday, June 4, 6:30-11:30 p.m.

Featuring:

SAFE OR BRAVE

IF I WERE THE SUN

FIELDS OF INDUSTRY

and the return of....CARDBOARD CATHEDRAL!!!!!

$4 at the door ($1 per band, support local artist!) REMEMBER, this is the pilot for this program, therefore, IF YOU WANT THIS TO KEEP HAPPENING YOU NEED TO COME TO THE SHOW! For those of you who think you can't scrounge around and come up with only $4 to support local musicians and hear some great music, think again. Hope to see you all there!

Doors open at 6:30.

Check out the facebook event page .

JSO on WKAR in June

The JSO will be featured on WKAR’s Community Concerts during the month of June. 90.5 Classical’s Community Concerts are Tuesdays at 7 p.m., hosted by Dan Bayer.


June 1

Weber: Overture to “Oberon”; MSU Sym Orch/Gregorian
Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra; MSU Sym Orch/Gregorian
Dvorak: Finale from Serenade for Strings; Jackson Sym Orch/Min


June 22

Grieg: Excerpts from the "Holberg" Suite; Jackson Sym Orch/Osmond
Brahms: Concerto in a minor for Violin, Cello & Orchestra; Ilya Kaler, violin; Amit Peled, cello; Lansing Sym Orch/Muffitt
Berlioz: “Roman Carnival” Overture; MSU Sym Orch/Jimenez


June 29

Moncayo: "Huapango"; Jackson Sym Orch/Osmond
Holst: Suite, "The Planets"; Lansing Sym Orch/Muffitt

Summer Community Music School

SUMMER COMMUNITY MUSIC SCHOOL INFORMATION is now online at http://www.jacksonsymphony.org/summer2010.html . Check out Summer Piano Camp (themed "Movies & Music Madness"), Summer Strings, Summer String Team and Summer Early Childhood Classes.

Youth Symphony Concert

The Jackson Youth Symphony Orchestra will be presenting a concert this Sunday, May 16 at 3:00 p.m. at Spring Arbor University's White Auditorium. Included on the program will be winners of the concerto contest. Admission is free - donations gratefully accepted. Come hear and encourage these amazing young musicians!

Piano Masterclass May 22

David Abbott and Lia Jensen Abbott will be conducting a piano masterclass on Saturday, May 22 at 9 a.m. at the Jackson Symphony Orchestra Peter A. Weatherwax Rehearsal Hall, 215 W. Michigan Ave., downtown Jackson. They will be working with several intermediate and advanced piano students of JSOCMS instructor Carol Ivkovich.

Masterclasses are an opportunity for all teachers and piano students to “sit in” on a private coaching session and learn new teaching and playing skills. Music being performed will include Beethoven Sonatas, Bartok’s Romanian Dances, Brahms’ Intermezzi, and current contemporary piano literature. The public is invited to observe. There is no charge for this class.

Dr. David Abbott joined Albion College as Associate Professor of Piano in the fall of 2005. He earned his Bachelor and Doctor of Music degrees from Eastman School of Music and Master of Music from Juilliard. He was previously on the faculty of the Zurich Conservatory of Music, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and the Idyllwild Arts Academy in California. David has also taught courses for over 15 years for the Rocky Ridge Music Center in Estes Park, Colorado.

Dr. Lia Jensen Abbott earned a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a Master of Music and Master of Art in Piano and Music Theory from Pennsylvania State University, and a Performance Diploma from Indiana University. She completed her Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Lia has taught at the Con Brio Music Festival in Blonay, Switzerland, and in 2009 reached the second round of the International Mendelssohn Piano Competition in Taurisano, Italy. Lia is currently Assistant Professor of Piano and Music Theory at Albion College.

Train Wreck

At the conclusion of each season here at the JSO, I try to put together a CD highlighting portions of the best performances of the orchestra during the past season. It is an engaging project, but some seasons a touch frustrating. Reviewing the live performances I'll find very exciting, well executed works on various programs but here and there there will be some faulty intonation, too much liberty with tempi, weak entrances, a disappointing solo which went much better in rehearsal. Train wrecks? Not really, but moments in music making you would just as well forget. To put 70 minutes of quite respectable performances can be close to a challenge.


Not this year. Going through the same process I am considering a double CD package. Performances of Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra, Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony, Ralph Votapek joining us for Gershwin's Concerto in F and a cast of thousands bringing the roof down with Verdi's Requiem: the players of the JSO played their hearts out with remarkable accuracy, it was truly a great year!

Stephen Osmond

Jamming at the JSO

Local indie artists/bands at the JSO (215 W. Michigan), Friday, June 4, 6:30-11:30 p.m.

Featuring:


SAFE OR BRAVE
IF I WERE THE SUN
FIELDS OF INDUSTRY
and the return of....CARDBOARD CATHEDRAL!!!!!

$4 at the door ($1 per band, support local artist!) REMEMBER, this is the pilot for this program, therefore, IF YOU WANT THIS TO KEEP HAPPENING YOU NEED TO COME TO THE SHOW! For those of you who think you can't scrounge around and come up with only $4 to support local musicians and hear some great music, think again. Hope to see you all there!

Doors open at 6:30.
Check out the facebook event page at:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=121312634546048

Encore

For those of you who were curious about the encore Mr. Votapek played, it was Earl Wild's arrangement of Gershwin's "Embraceable You."

60th Anniversary Season Finale

If, indeed, "pride goeth before the fall" I'm in deep trouble. The Jackson Symphony Orchestra finished its 60th Anniversary Season in amazing fashion. The entire program beginning with a percussion trio and ending with Gershwin's Concerto in F was performed near to perfection. The orchestra performed at a level of which any community of any size would have been proud. An awesome line-up of soloists including current concertmaster, Xie Min, and past concertmaster Philip Mason and his grandson, Brian Hodges, were exceptional. Soloists within the orchestra Jan Eberle, oboe/English horn, principal trumpet Joel Shaner, and cellist David Peshlakai were equally impressive. Pianist Ralph Votapek, however, performed to and beyond perfection in Gershwin's Concerto in F. A flawless technique and exhuberant style brought the orchestra along to one of the finest perfomances I have been fortunate to lead in the 32 years I have been the music director of this group. The audience was terrific as well their thunderous applause including after the first movement of the concerto when to not express their enthusiasm and appreciation would have been an unnatural act and the most spontaneous standing ovation I can recall.


Bravi JSO musicians, soloists and audience.

Stephen Osmond

Former Musicians, Board Members and Event Chairs

Former Musicians, Board Members and Event Chairs - please let us know if you are attending the April 24 concert so we can recognize you at the concert! http://www.jacksonsymphony.org/apr_24_proms.html#honorees

Jackson Symphony on 90.5 Classical

The Jackson Symphony Orchestra will be heard on 90.5 Classical on Thursday 4/22 and Friday 4/23:
Thursday at about 12:15pm, Bizet's "Jeux d'enfants" Suite (recorded March 2008)

Friday at about 12:15pm (recorded March 2008), three movements from Grieg's "Holberg" Suite (recorded November 2009)

and Friday in the 3pm hour, Ravel's "Le Tombeau de Couperin" (recorded February 2010).

Stephen Osmond conducts all three performances.

The Jackson Symphony will be giving their final concert of the season this Saturday night at 8 at the Potter Center, Jackson Community College, featuring Ralph Votapek in the Gershwin Piano Concerto and more.

Mustang for Sale!

1970 FORD MUSTANG FOR SALE! (Proceeds benefit JSO.) Bids accepted until May 1, 2010. Minimum bid $13,999. (Appraised value $23,750) http://www.jacksonsymphony.org/

Program Notes: April 24

Program Notes
April 24, 2010
By Composer in Residence Bruce Brown

Concerto in F

On February 12, 1924, George Gershwin (1898-1937) took the stage in New York’s Aeolian Hall with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra for one of the most famous concerts in history. The partly improvised debut of his new composition, Rhapsody in Blue, electrified the audience and launched one of the most loved pieces of American music.

A very interested member of that audience was Walter Damrosch, the conductor of the New York Symphony Orchestra. The very next day Damrosch asked Gershwin to write a piano concerto for the NYSO.

At that point, Gershwin didn’t have the formal training in advanced composition, harmony and orchestration that he would seek later, so he bought a stack of books on theory, concerto form and orchestration and taught himself!

Gershwin was also under contract to write three Broadway musicals, so he wasn’t able to start sketching the concerto until May of 1925.

On July 22, 1925, after returning from a trip to London, he started sketches on a two piano
score for a piece tentatively titled “New York Concerto.” A friend, Ernest Hutcheson, arranged for Gershwin to use a secluded cabin at the Chautauqua Institution, and no one was allowed to violate Gershwin’s privacy before four p.m. Gershwin made rapid progress and finished the first movement in July, the second in August and the third in September. The full orchestration was completed on November 10, 1925.

Gershwin hired an orchestra to read through the piece later that month, and at Damrosch’s suggestion he made a few cuts and revisions. Gershwin played the première of the new concerto on December 3, in a soldout Carnegie Hall, with Damrosch conducting the NYSO.

The public loved the piece, but the reviews were mixed. The critics couldn’t classify the music as classical or jazz and seemed a bit baffled. Contemporary composers were also split in their opinions. Igor Stravinsky thought the concerto was a work of genius, but Sergei Prokofiev was dismissive. Sergei Diaghilev of the Ballets Russes said it was “good jazz, but bad Liszt.”

Damrosch wrote a colorful program note for the concert that showed his unmistakable admiration for Gershwin’s marriage of jazz and classical styles: “…George Gershwin seems to have accomplished this miracle. He has done it boldly by dressing this extremely independent and uptodate young lady [jazz] in the classical garb of a concerto. Yet he has not detracted one whit from her fascinating personality. He is the prince who has taken Cinderella by the hand and openly proclaimed her a princess to the astonished world, no doubt to the fury of her envious sisters.”



Concerto in A Minor for Violin, Cello and Orchestra, Op. 102

Few composers have contributed as much great music to the symphonic repertoire
as Johannes Brahms (1833-1897).

Brahms’ inspired output includes a monumental violin concerto, two wonderful piano concertos, four stunning symphonies, several colorful overtures and several other pieces, all of which reflect his own, unique style. Throughout his life Brahms labored long and hard before he was satisfied with any composition. He hesitated for many years before writing a symphony, and when he finished his first, he was fortythree years old. At that age, Beethoven had written all but
one of his nine symphonies!

Brahms wrote his “Double Concerto” for Violin and Cello in 1887. It was his last work in the concerto genre and his final composition for orchestra. Brahms’ biographer Malcolm MacDonald wrote that this piece was “without question the most Romantic of all his concertos, perhaps of all his orchestral works, in the way it springs from the nature of the instruments themselves.”

The two solo parts are treated as equals, with the cellist enjoying the lead role in introducing many of the themes, but the two instruments contrast greatly in sound. Inevitably, this suggests a conversation, and it is easy to imagine a dialogue between a man and a woman. In MacDonald’s words, “…it is hardly fanciful to characterize the Double Concerto as virtually continuous love music.”

One interesting footnote is that this piece played an important role in healing the friendship between Brahms and Joseph Joachim. Joachim was a famous violin virtuoso who had worked closely with Brahms for many years. The two men traveled together extensively on concert tours and had been very close until a quarrel, seven years earlier, had come between them.

The Double Concerto was first played October 18, 1887, in Cologne by Joachim and cellist Robert Hausman with Brahms at the piano. Brahms gave his handwritten score to Joachim with the inscription "To him for whom it was written," and Joachim became an enthusiastic promoter of the piece. Their bitterness was soon forgotten.

Music History 101 Date Change

Due to unforeseen scheduling conflict Music Appreciation 101 will start one week later than originally advertised. Classes will begin on April 26. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Cit Pat Article: Jammin' at the JSO

Rock concerts will take place at Jackson Symphony Orchestra's Peter A. Weatherwax Hall
http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2010/03/rock_concerts_will_take_place.html

Take a look!

Got Questions? We've Got Answers!

Join us for a 5 Week Adult Music Appreciation course at the JSO! "I know what you're hearing, but what are you listening to?" "Can a song tell a story if you don't know the words?" "Where have I heard that tune before?" "If Beethoven were a comedian, would he use a rubber chicken in his act?" "How can I tell that's Mozart and not Tchaikovsky trying to sound like Mozart?" Join Dr. Andrew Mead for this enjoyable, informative series!

JSO Community Music School Piano Students Excel at Competitions

Stacy Robert, student of Carol Ivkovich, recently competed in the Eileen Keel Sonata/Sonatina Competition at the MSU Community Music School. Stacy performed Kuhlau's Sonatina in C--Op.88 #1. She received 2nd place in the competition and a prize of $100. Stacy also was invited to then perform in a winners recital in Lansing on Tuesday, March 8. Congratulations, Stacy!


25 piano students of Carol Ivkovich participated in the National Federation of Music Clubs Piano Festival held at Spring Arbor University on Sat. March 13. 21  students received a rating of Superior and 4 students received an excellent rating.

Those receiving a superior rating include: Hannah Utz, Jovanka Koprivica, Milena Koprivica, Angelo Koprivica, Amanda Crisanti, Luke Dendy, Jennifer Hoffman, Stephen Hoffman, Lindsay Rasmussen, Bonnie Wright, William Double, Stacy Robert, Stephen Foster, Christine Murphy, Matthew Pfeifer, Alexis Gundy, Shawna Geer, Isaac Skinner.

Students receiving the excellent rating include: Erica Prater, Timothy Darland, Noel Woodcock, Susan Hoffman.

Several students entered a "hymn playing event" and received wither a superior or excellent rating. These students include: Susan Hoffman, Isaac Skinner, William Double and Jennifer Hoffman.