The Paterson Effect – LOUD!

Integrated Arts Academy students primed to play

Talking music composition at the Integrated Arts Academy

I just finished the second week in residence with the VYOA. So much happened that it is difficult to know where to begin. I continued to get to know the VYOA musicians, taught 3rd and 5th grade music classes at the H. O. Wheeler Integrated Arts Academy and an advanced theory class at Johnson State College, attended rehearsals and meetings, and coached the Vermont Youth Orchestra on Enlightened City, my piece they will re-premiere in January, but more on that in a moment.

As well as writing for orchestra, I love writing choral music, so it was a special treat to finally have a chance to meet VYOA choral conductor Jeff Buettner and watch him rehearse the VT Youth Concert Chorale and VYO Chorus. One of the pieces the chorus sang was a gospel-inspired work by Kirke Mechem, a composer I met this year in California during a premiere of one of my choral works. Jeff is meticulous and his comments were spot on. I grew up singing in student choirs that sang many gospel or spiritual-inspired pieces, so I asked the singers if they had ever heard a real live gospel choir. Being immersed in that all encompassing, communal gospel choir sound is definitely an experience one never forgets, and I hope they will have a chance to see what that is all about if they have not already done so. I was so impressed with Jeff that the next day I drove to Middlebury to check out his Middlebury College Choir dress rehearsal, which was just as enjoyable. I look forward to working with Jeff and the singers as my residency continues.

Later in the week, I heard Asiat (“Ace”) Ali conduct Presto – the VYOA’s beginning string ensemble. What he is able to accomplish with kids this young (3rd – 6th grade) is simply amazing. I know from watching my wife Victoria teach kids that age that even if it looks easy, it definitely is not, and Ace is doing a great job. My favorite moment was when he said, “Well everyone, now that we are having so much fun, it is almost time to end.” All of the pieces are so short, and the concert was probably around twenty minutes at most. I also had a moment to listen to David Gusakov conduct the Vermont Youth Strings. The students in this group are older and not quite ready for the Vermont Youth Orchestra, but you can tell that many of them will be in the near future. It is important to remember that these young musicians are the future of the VYO, and even the Vermont Symphony Orchestra.

During the week, I also mentored young composers via the Vermont MIDI Project. Some students are more developed than others, but it is just awesome that any of these students are even composing at all. To think that students from places like Barnet, South Royalton and Norwich, VT are able to easily share their work and have online discussions with someone like me from New York City is amazing. These are not just high school aged students, but some students are even in third and fourth grade. I am able to see their music, hear it played online via MIDI sounds, and offer comments that appear with all of the other mentors’. In many ways, I think that coupled with meeting the students in person when possible, this is an ideal way to teach. My only hope is that I have a chance to eventually meet all of the students who are creating these interesting pieces!

I also heard a Vermont Contemporary Music Ensemble (VCME) concert, which was quite interesting. I re-connected with musicians I haven’t seen in a long time, like Steve Klimowski and Michael Arnowitt, and also met some Vermont-based composers for the first time.

On my final residency day, I had a chance to conduct the orchestra for the second rehearsal of Enlightened City. That was a lot of fun, particularly when I told the brass and percussion to play louder! Nick, Josh, Penuel and Brian in the percussion section took this to heart, playing like there’s no tomorrow! It was great to connect with everyone from the podium, and show them that every note matters, and that the solos really do need to shine when they occur. Sometimes, orchestral players forget that every part is audible, and when one person plays excellently, everyone sounds better. I also coached the percussionists and brass players with my piece, and even coached the percussion section with the Percussion Concerto by Joseph Schwantner, a piece they are about to play at their First Night concert. Since I studied with Joe (he was actually one of my first composition teachers), I hope I gave them some insight into his sound world.

I am having the time of my life working with the VYOA and the Vermont musicians I come into contact with – I’m really looking forward to being back in January for the premiere of Enlightened City on the VYO’s Flynn Center for the Performing Arts concert.

Rob Paterson, VYOA Music Alive Composer-in-Residence

Robert Paterson is the Music Alive Composer-in-Residence with the VYOA. Music Alive is a national residency program of the League of American Orchestras and Meet The Composer.

The Paterson Effect – VYOA Residency Continues

This has been a busy and exciting week, my second with VYOA, and my first opportunity to hear the VYO play one of my pieces. This past Sunday I heard them rehearse Enlightened City for the first time. I am amazed at how much progress they made – they’ve only had the music for one week! There are a few parts that need work, but I have no doubt that everything will come together by January 24 for their Winter Concert at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts.

This week I am also visiting a few schools and being interviewed for a few different newspaper articles and television shows. What I really hope is that through all of this outreach, more people will come to the concerts to see what an amazing organization the VYOA is, and to hear great music being performed by kids from their own communities.

One of my favorite experiences this week has been peeking in on the sectionals at the Elley-Long Music Center with conductor Andrew Massey. In particular, I spent some time with wind players who were coached by Rachael Elliott and brass and percussion players coached by Jason Whitcomb. Jason let me rehearse my piece with the players, which I really enjoyed. It was great to tell Mitchel Logan in the trombone section to play louder (what trombonist doesn’t want to play louder?), and to encourage all the percussionists to hold their instruments up high so they can be seen (and, what percussion player doesn’t want to be seen and heard?). Percussion is such a spectacle, and it’s always more fun when the audience can actually see what instruments are producing those interesting sounds in the back of the orchestra.

Sally Bruce is doing a wonderful job with the violin solo, as are the principal players, most of whom have exposed solos throughout the entire piece. In a way, this piece is like a mini concerto for orchestra with a moment for every principal player to shine. My role in being here is to encourage the soloists to come out more when they are in the spotlight, and to help the rest of the players to really listen, so they know when they should be in a foreground, middle or background.

Luckily for me, Maestro Massey is doing an excellent job helping the players learn the music. It is always more difficult working on a new piece with an orchestra - meaning, not a work by the likes of Beethoven, Brahms and Mahler – but you would not know it with Massey, who is treating my piece with the same care and passion that he treats the war horses on the upcoming programs. I keep reminding him to pretend I am one of the dead composers, and we laugh about that! Even the best conductors sometimes defer to composers more than they need to, but Mr. Massy is so seasoned that I really trust him to take the reins and really go for it.

Likewise for the players, sometimes having the composer looking over your shoulder can be a little intimidating, but I hope everyone is starting to feel free to have fun and make music (after they learn the notes, of course!), and feel the same kind of passion they would with a piece by someone who is long gone. Not that I want them to forget I am there. In fact, I want them to feel free to talk to me anytime but it’s so much more fun when I hear their personalities shine through.

All of this leads me to one of my favorite parts of working with VYO: there is an electric energy that younger players bring to a piece of music that older players sometimes lack. To see how excited the VYO members are to be together, playing music, having fun with their friends and learning something new; this is what I live for.

Rob Paterson, VYOA Music Alive Composer-in-Residence

Photo: Daniel Dottavio

Robert Paterson is the Music Alive Composer-in-Residence with the VYOA. Music Alive is a national residency program of the League of American Orchestras and Meet The Composer.

Knocking It Out Of The Park

A concert.
The focus of all our efforts.
So long prepared, so swiftly passed.

We, the members of the Vermont Youth Orchestra, just performed our first major concert of the season, and Sally was the star. Sally Bruce, our concertmaster, played the first movement of Saint-Saëns’ third Violin Concerto, and knocked it out of the park. She achieved that wonderful air we all aspire to: making it look easy. And, I suppose, in an odd way, it was easy. It’s just that playing something like that is only easy so long as you spend many   hours, for many years, not just practicing, but thinking about music, too. It isn’t just an athletic training, but the result of emotional and intellectual immersion as well. In fact, a musical immersion. And even then, when the actual time comes, the intensity of concentration must not lapse. Playing in public sounds tough and daunting, and it is. But when the concert finally comes – well, “easy” might not be the right word, but the experience is one of ease and of freedom.

The orchestra was working very hard during that concerto too, though in a different way. We were functioning somewhat like the negative to Sally’s positive. Over and over, in rehearsal, the orchestra players had been striving to be ever quieter, yet always perfectly synchronized, so that we could be the rocky landscape behind the face of the Mona Lisa – context, scale, and atmosphere, without distracting from the central offering. When we do all concentrate and do our part, it is indeed a sense of ease that floats up, much as an athlete will speak of entering ‘the zone.’ Although we practice hard, we do not turn into automata. The concert is not an exact replica of rehearsals. Things always ‘happen,’ either challenges or inspirations. Sally was able to float with the moment, and we were able to sail by her breeze. And that meant that the audience could relax too, confident that everything was reliable, yet at the same time unprecedented.

And how the audience responded! So many cheers! If florists around Burlington are out of stock this week, our concert could be the reason.

Of course there were lots more pieces in the concert, all very different from one another. The difference between a concerto and a purely orchestral piece is obvious – the presence or absence of a spotlight on one central soloist. But on the inside, amongst the community on the stage, the difference is not so great, since someone is always playing the tune, and the rest of the orchestra accompanies that tune. Maybe the first violins now, maybe the violas. Perhaps the oboe, then two trumpets, then the second violin section…

Just as our eyes scan the scene, but always, even for the shortest moment, pick a focal point, so are our ears led from sound to sound, and, as musicians, our own contributions constantly flit between foreground and background. So here, now, after many weeks of training to be ready, we go before the public, not like trained seals, but as companions with newly honed freedoms. Finally we have the last crucial ingredient that makes it all come alive and become real; the audience. Now at last we can all, together, take a thrilling ride in the briefly real world of music.

That first concert may be over, the scores back on the shelf, a new list of pieces to practice. But nothing ended. It was all part of the preparation for the next concert, and the next. Bravo to the players of the VYO! We have even wilder regions to explore this year.

Andrew Massey, VYO Interim Conductor

(Photos: Berta Frank & Lisamarie Charlesworth)

Full Disclosure

This is always my favorite time of the year… It’s a little windy and brisk at times, but the chill can be easily deterred by a huge mug of hot apple cider. Normally I’d be outside enjoying the sunny (and rainy) days with my horse and my friends, but this fall season has been a little different.

For the last few weeks, I’ve practically lived in my room, accompanied by a huge mirror and a music stand. Here I can be found, reliably practicing from the time school ends to the unholy hour I finally decide to stop playing and go to bed. I take tons of short breaks as well as a few longer ones, to get the most highly prioritized homework completed and to eat. I realized early on that I needed to turn my phone off and put it far away in order to really focus… Some of my friends started to send concerned messages, wondering if I was becoming some sort of nocturnal hermit.

Oddly, these past few days have been more like “normal” for this time of year. I’m actually spending a good chunk of time outside of my practicing bubble. I’m so unbelievably excited for the concerts this weekend! But, I’ll psych myself out if I keep running through every possible place in the concerto where I could potentially mess up. Instead, I’m thinking about other things, like the really good book I’m rapidly devouring, or how amazing the new “House” episode was, or how much I love seeing my friends.

I’m pretty sure that this should be the week where I’m a stressed-out nervous wreck, but that hasn’t happened at all. And I’d like to keep it that way.

Sally Bruce, violin     (Photo: Stina Plant)

Tickets:

Friday, October 2 – 8:00 pm at Saint Mary’s Church, Saint Albans

Adults/Seniors $5; Students $2

Tickets available at the door.

Concert Sponsors: The Dressing Room & Mousetrap Pediatrics

Sunday, October 4 – 3:00 pm at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts

Adults/Seniors $15, $12, $10; Students $12, $10, $6

To purchase tickets, call 802-86-Flynn or visit www.flynntix.org

Season Sponsor: Champlain Orthodontic Associates

Concert Sponsor: Physician’s Computer Company

Media Sponsor: WCAX-TV3 | Accommodations Sponsor: Green Mountain Suites Hotel

GPS for the Brain

This past Sunday’s rehearsal was the only one so far where I’ve had only one job the entire time- to lead a section.

During most rehearsals I switch roles, going (sometimes not so seamlessly) from concertmaster to soloist.  Physically, I really only stand up and move about three feet and turn to face the windows at the back of the rehearsal hall. That part is manageable and really not intimidating. Mentally, it’s a huge switch. Changing my mindset to be able to play my concerto in the technical aspect while weaving together the musical ideas to complete the picture is a daunting task. It’s not a mental state I can get to without preparation and a very good idea of where my music “head” is in relation to other emotions.

For example, if the thought ceaselessly running through my head is “Hmm, I wonder if there’s any coffee left in the kitchen… Also, can’t forget to study Asia and the Middle East for the geography quiz tomorrow…” I need to make a mental U-turn and find my bearings. It would be fantastically helpful to have a mental GPS…

Sally (far left) and VYO members in France - July 09

I associate many musical ideas in the Saint-Saëns concerto with memories, and quite a few of them are from the VYO’s France Tour this summer. During one chorale melody I’m with my friends on the balcony of our hotel in Paris, watching the Eiffel Tower light up at midnight. At one point in the development section, I’m walking through the winding streets around the Museé d’Orsay looking for
somewhere to sit and eat lunch. The only memory I want to stay as far away from as possible is the jetlag. That disjointed, sleepy and over-caffeinated feeling (which is a pretty accurate description of most mornings in France!)…well, I don’t know exactly what that would sound like musically.

The concert still seems far away. It hasn’t quite hit me yet that in roughly three weeks, I actually have to perform. It won’t be too scary though, because no matter how nervous I get (and trust me I’ll be pretty terrified), about 80 of my friends will be there with me, and I know I can always look over my shoulder and remember they’re right behind me.

Sally Bruce, violin

Editor’s Note: Sally has been a VYOA member for 12 years; this is her second season as concertmaster for the VYO. She will be performing the first movement of Camille Saint-Saëns Violin Concerto No. 3 with the VYO during their upcoming Fall concerts:

Friday, October 2 at 8:00 pm – St. Mary’s Church, St. Albans

Sunday, October 4 at 3:00 pm – Flynn Center for the Performing Arts

For additional information on both concerts, visit http://www.vyo.org/index.php?events/action/show/id/event/yr/2009/mon/10

(Photos: Stina Plant,  Duncan Yandell)

Betwixt And Between

This is the betwixt and between time.

Reveille!, the VYO & VYP summer camp, was an intense and wholly absorbing time of music making. When a group of music-loving people get together and focus on it, it becomes like the whole world, and we live it and breathe it. Then, came the concerts at the end of the week, which seemed like the natural culmination of the flow. So, it is a bit like being dunked into cold water to find that it is over, and that “normal” life has to resume.

Now, as school starts up again and strange people all around us seem to believe that other things are just as important as music (!) we get distracted, start thinking in terms of calculus and passive voices and botanical subspecies, and the flourish of Reveille! begins to fade.

But, we are not done with this music yet.

A lot of the music we played during the week of Reveille! is destined for the season’s first big concert at the beginning of October. As the distractions get greater, so too does a different form of excitement build. That adrenalin rush is what we call “concerts.” The ceremonial aspect of a public concert makes it into a completely different experience from playing in a camp amongst our peers.

At a concert, we are really putting ourselves on the line. We are predicting that on October 2nd at St. Mary’s in St. Albans at precisely 8:00 pm, and again at on Sunday, October 4th at 3:00 pm at the Flynn Center; at those precise times and places, we shall all gather together, at our peak of concentration. Despite all the tasks we have to accomplish between now and then, this prediction of the future will happen. All the years of practice and all the hours of rehearsal will emerge as extraordinary skills so that we can coordinate, and offer our astounded public the brilliance of our artistic vision!

Yes, it’s pressure. It’s anxiety that focuses the mind wonderfully.

An actual concert is a more focused and intense short period in time in which we step up to the mark and “do our thing”. And they are great things that we are going to do: A brand new piece by a genuine living musical prodigy, still only 18 years old. A razzle-dazzle show-off violin concerto from our wonderful Sally Bruce. Solid classical music fun from Brahms. Eccentric musical meanderings from Percy Grainger, all topped off by the biggie, Romeo and Juliet in which we’ll strive to get everyone in our audience weeping openly.

Then back into the night, back home to all the other things, strengthened by the knowledge that, yes, we can do this. We can live our lives, but we have acquired the skill to all come together in one place, and deliver something extraordinary that none of us could do by ourselves.

Concert time is coming fast, folks! Show up to rehearsals and keep practicing.

Andrew Massey, VYO Interim Conductor

Gearing Up

The VYO has been in rehearsal since August in preparation for the upcoming Fall Concerts that kick off the 2009-10 concert season. In the coming weeks, both Interim Conductor Andrew Massey and soloist Sally Bruce will be adding their voices to the blog.

Enjoy!

Final Notes On Camp

How I can explain how wonderful Reveille! was for me this year? I made so many new friends and branched out a lot more then I have previously.

Mary McSweeney, viola

It’s always satisfying to finish a concert with my bow high in the air, feeling proud of the work that I have accomplished. At the beginning of the week, I was reminiscing about the tour and missing the orchestra that went to France…and our dress rehearsal left me feeling that things were a bit sketchy (if you know what I mean). However, by the end of the concert on Sunday, I had changed my mind entirely. The orchestra sounded good and the concert was a blast! The repertoire was so much fun to play and Mary McSweeney did a fantastic job soloing on the Berlioz  Harold in Italy.

Troy Peters’ and Andrew Massey’s conducting styles could not be more different…  I can’t say that I prefer one more then the other. Although I enjoyed Mr. Peters’ style, which was sometimes loud and very vocal, I’m also really liking the way that Mr. Massey conducts. He makes these funny faces and gestures – they remind me of the mood we should be conveying at that moment in the music. I find this very helpful!

Overall, my friends and I had a wonderful time at camp. I found myself a bit teary as I closed the door to my room and headed to the final check out on Sunday. Although it’s nice to be home, I really miss camp and everyone there.

At least I have one more year of Reveille! to anticipate…

Daphnee Vandal, violin    (Photo: Stina Plant)

Practicing Under Trees

My primary goal during my first week with VYOA was to meet as many students as possible and to get to know faculty, staff and parents. I shouldn’t be surprised, but the students are incredibly interesting, intelligent and polite. They are a diverse bunch, hailing from seemingly all over Vermont.

It has been great to hear how much progress both the advanced and younger players can make in one week. This is no small feat, and is largely due to the incredible faculty, conductors, and the super-friendly and organized administration, but is also due to the support of the parents and their teachers back home. However, most of all, it is the result of all of the hard work by the students themselves. It was so amazing to hear them practicing both inside and outside under the trees.

I also heard some great compositions by Eric Nielsen’s composition class—it is incredible what they accomplished in less than a week!—as well, I sat in on VYO rehearsals led by conductor Andrew Massey and VYP rehearsals led by Anne Decker.

All week, I had a chance to meet students by hanging out in the hall or at meals, but also via two classes I taught: Advanced Tonal Theory, and Meet The Moderns, a class designed to introduce the students to modern music and the music of living composers.

For the Meet The Moderns class, I initially thought I would only play music I chose, but since my main goal was to get to know everyone, I thought it would be great to let the students play what they like. Of course, I had no idea how this would turn out, and I did not screen the music ahead of time, but it turned out to be a lot of fun: everyone has such diverse tastes. Interestingly, many students chose to play classical music but others played everything from instrumental rock, metalcore and folk metal (I have to admit that I wasn’t even aware of these specific genres), and even a orchestral/rock piece entitled One-Winged Angel, inspired by a role-playing video game. I played some of my music, and even created an iTunes playlist that contains most of the pieces we shared. We also heard a really great bassoon solo (with multiphonics!) by VYO student composer Tim Woos entitled Assembly Line.

Finally, I was very impressed by the orchestral concert at the end of the festival. After only one week of rehearsals, both orchestras sounded quite good. The audience, packed with families, friends and musicians, gave a rousing standing ovation after hearing Mary McSweeney’s elegantly performed viola solo in Berlioz’s Harold In Italy, and at the end of the concert. Hats off to both Andrew Massey and Anne Decker for doing such a wonderful job of shaping all of the pieces.

I am really looking forward to working with the students, Andrew, Anne, the wonderful staff, and everyone else again this fall and to hearing my music played by VYO in January. It is going to be a fantastic three years!

Rob Paterson, VYOA Music Alive Composer-in-Residence

Robert Paterson is the Music Alive Composer-in-Residence with the VYOA. Music Alive is a national residency program of the League of American Orchestras and Meet The Composer.

From the Top…

This being my 5th year at Reveille, I’ve grown accustomed to coming to the Music Center every summer to live in the Saint Michael’s dorms for a week.

This year is different. I’m not part of the younger crowd anymore. I’m a high school junior, so suddenly I’m a member of the older crowd…exactly like the older VYO musicians I used to look up to when I was younger! It’s quite strange being the older student…but I’ll admit that it’s pretty nice being at the top of the chain.

Another difference for me:  This is my first experience  as a VYO member without Mr. Peters being the Music Director. I’m not going to lie; it is weird. BUT… I’m getting used to our new conductor, Andrew Massey. I love his sense of the music. And, he is very funny! We work through all of the pieces very slowly, which can be a pain, but we have come a very long way since Monday, the beginning of camp. I always love playing with the new, younger players as they experience a new orchestra and new conductor.

For one of my electives, I’m taking a class called “Meet the Moderns” with our Composer-in-Residence, Rob Paterson. I didn’t know what to expect, but as the week has progressed, I am enjoying his different tastes in music and interpreting with us what we think is ‘Modern Music’. On Wednesday, he played some his own compositions and they were amazing! I especially loved the piece he wrote for his own wedding that featured six trumpets. The harmonies were fantastic and you could almost hear the church bells in the music. I am so looking forward to playing his music and to hearing more of his compositions.

Daphnee Vandal, violin