Musica Chamber Ensemble 25th anniversary

On April 6, 2012 the Musica Chamber Orchestra performed Haydn's "Seven Last Words on the Cross" and the Barber "Adagio" for the Good Friday service at the University United Methodist Church in Chapel Hill. The performance commemorated Musica's 25th anniversary and a donation was made to KidZnotes.
In August 2012, Musica and Friends presented a benefit concert for Project Ubuntu in Person Hall on the UNC Campus. Project Ubuntu has a special association for me, as the founder, Daniel Becton, is a cello student I had for 10 years while he was growing up in Chapel Hill. The project is about Daniel and volunteers throughout the country, working for a week in every state of the US, for one year, helping people in different ways. You can read all about the project on his website: http://projectubuntu.info
Listen to a NY radio spot by Jeff, one of the 3 volunteers for the year: http://projectubuntu.info/category/news/
In April, 2012, The Musica String Ensemble performed J.Haydn's "Seven Last Words" and S. Barber's "Adagio for Strings" at the University United Methodist Church, Chapel Hill NC. A donation from the church was presented to KidZnotes, a string program for under served children in Durham.
Over the years Musica Musicians have given fundraising performances for special causes.
Listen to a NY radio spot by Jeff, one of the 3 volunteers for the year: http://projectubuntu.info/category/news/
In April, 2012, The Musica String Ensemble performed J.Haydn's "Seven Last Words" and S. Barber's "Adagio for Strings" at the University United Methodist Church, Chapel Hill NC. A donation from the church was presented to KidZnotes, a string program for under served children in Durham.
Over the years Musica Musicians have given fundraising performances for special causes.
National Kenya Youth Orchestra www.artofmusic.co.ke

Nairobi Conservatoire of Music
students
The National Kenya Youth Orchestra is a newly-formed group and is based in Nairobi, Kenya. My son and grand-daughter went to their April 2012 concert, and were very impressed. Later that year in June I went to Nairobi, Kenya, and on June 13 I met with Jim Pymell, conductor of the Nairobi Orchestra and the Kenya Youth orchestra. He was very pleased to get the orchestra music one of my adult students had donated, and I had added some string ensemble pieces for the younger groups.
On June 14, I had a meeting with Elizabeth Njoroge who heads the non-profit organization, The Art of Music, founded in 2009. This is the umbrella organization that supports the National Youth Orchestra of Kenya, and the Ghetto Classics. Elizabeth explained something to me which I think is a brilliant idea for starting up a youth orchestra in under-served areas. They auditioned everyone throughout Kenya who wanted to play in an orchestra, and chose the best. Many of them came from private schools or had been taking private lessons, and had a high level of technical ability, but not much opportunity to play in a full orchestra. These then had several week-long training workshops, and have given concerts already throughout the country. In turn, these student players get to mentor students who are just beginning to play in the Ghetto Classics. That way, the younger players see from the advanced players what can be accomplished by self-discipline and work. The idea is to give them a way to better themselves and their community. The Ghetto Classics program was also started in 2009 for 500 wind and brass players, with instruments and tuition paid by funds collected by The Art of Music foundation. They are now starting a string program and have been given a grant by the Polish government to purchase instruments, strings and accessories. How I wish I could stay to help them out. There is no cello teacher for them - other teachers and the Youth Orchestra mentors do the best they can. Next Wednesday, I am going with Elizabeth to Korogocho, one of the biggest slums, to see the weekly program in action. The children have nothing, even the $3 a term is beyond most of them, yet they come to listen to the music and just to be in that environment. Because of theft, only one of each instrument is left in the school where the lessons are taught, the children can practice daily one at a time.
Earlier, David, a violin teacher, had asked me to help out with some students who were able to meet on June 19th. The Conservatoire orchestra (a full orchestra) is on a tour to Mombasa soon, and they have a good program - Egmont Overture, Mozart Clarinet concerto, Sleepers' Wake, lighter pieces such as La Camparsita. I went through as many pieces as I could, working on the passages the strings featured in. They were a good group and after an initial shyness were very friendly. There was a cellist, Catherine, who asked for a lesson after the rehearsal, which I was happy to give. She is taking her Grade 5 Associated Board exam in July and wanted some help. There are no cello teachers in Nairobi who have gone past Grade 5, so she has mostly been doing it herself. The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music is an English-based organization stemming from the colonial times when the sun never set on the British Empire. Students from all the colonial countries would prepare for the same curricula and the English examiners would fly out once a year to conduct the examinations. This is still going on in many Commonwealth countries, and it does give the students a level of achievement to attain for high school graduation (Grade 5) or entrance to a music school/university.(Grade 8).
The examination consists of 1 piece from each of 3 lists - baroque/classical, romantic, contemporary. Catherine had chosen a beautiful aria from a Handel opera arranged for cello, the Schubert Swansong, and a March by Gordon Jacobs.
In addition there is a written theory section, scales and sightreading. All very thorough. Many music students, even adults follow this system, it's an easy way to rate oneself if you are going on a music course. I was very impressed at how much Catherine had done by herself. We discussed some things she was unsure of - bowing techniques, hand and arm position in 4th position and playing more confidently in some orchestra sections where the cello is prominent. Catherine passed her Grade 5 exam with flying colors!
On June 14, I had a meeting with Elizabeth Njoroge who heads the non-profit organization, The Art of Music, founded in 2009. This is the umbrella organization that supports the National Youth Orchestra of Kenya, and the Ghetto Classics. Elizabeth explained something to me which I think is a brilliant idea for starting up a youth orchestra in under-served areas. They auditioned everyone throughout Kenya who wanted to play in an orchestra, and chose the best. Many of them came from private schools or had been taking private lessons, and had a high level of technical ability, but not much opportunity to play in a full orchestra. These then had several week-long training workshops, and have given concerts already throughout the country. In turn, these student players get to mentor students who are just beginning to play in the Ghetto Classics. That way, the younger players see from the advanced players what can be accomplished by self-discipline and work. The idea is to give them a way to better themselves and their community. The Ghetto Classics program was also started in 2009 for 500 wind and brass players, with instruments and tuition paid by funds collected by The Art of Music foundation. They are now starting a string program and have been given a grant by the Polish government to purchase instruments, strings and accessories. How I wish I could stay to help them out. There is no cello teacher for them - other teachers and the Youth Orchestra mentors do the best they can. Next Wednesday, I am going with Elizabeth to Korogocho, one of the biggest slums, to see the weekly program in action. The children have nothing, even the $3 a term is beyond most of them, yet they come to listen to the music and just to be in that environment. Because of theft, only one of each instrument is left in the school where the lessons are taught, the children can practice daily one at a time.
Earlier, David, a violin teacher, had asked me to help out with some students who were able to meet on June 19th. The Conservatoire orchestra (a full orchestra) is on a tour to Mombasa soon, and they have a good program - Egmont Overture, Mozart Clarinet concerto, Sleepers' Wake, lighter pieces such as La Camparsita. I went through as many pieces as I could, working on the passages the strings featured in. They were a good group and after an initial shyness were very friendly. There was a cellist, Catherine, who asked for a lesson after the rehearsal, which I was happy to give. She is taking her Grade 5 Associated Board exam in July and wanted some help. There are no cello teachers in Nairobi who have gone past Grade 5, so she has mostly been doing it herself. The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music is an English-based organization stemming from the colonial times when the sun never set on the British Empire. Students from all the colonial countries would prepare for the same curricula and the English examiners would fly out once a year to conduct the examinations. This is still going on in many Commonwealth countries, and it does give the students a level of achievement to attain for high school graduation (Grade 5) or entrance to a music school/university.(Grade 8).
The examination consists of 1 piece from each of 3 lists - baroque/classical, romantic, contemporary. Catherine had chosen a beautiful aria from a Handel opera arranged for cello, the Schubert Swansong, and a March by Gordon Jacobs.
In addition there is a written theory section, scales and sightreading. All very thorough. Many music students, even adults follow this system, it's an easy way to rate oneself if you are going on a music course. I was very impressed at how much Catherine had done by herself. We discussed some things she was unsure of - bowing techniques, hand and arm position in 4th position and playing more confidently in some orchestra sections where the cello is prominent. Catherine passed her Grade 5 exam with flying colors!
In 2006, Musica celebrated its 20th anniversary by a performance with the Chapel Hill music community to benefit the Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra, whose instruments and sheet music were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. The disaster drastically changed the lives of GNOYO’s participants. We were able to raise a substantial donation to enable them to purchase instruments and music that had been destroyed and they were able to resume activities by October 2005, providing a routine and stable creative outlet for the young people of the Gulf Coast. As families returned to the area enrollment grew slowly but steadily. A musical highlight of that first recovery season was the debut of Michael Rihner’s composition “New Orleans Suite” depicting musical pictures of New Orleans favorites – the streetcar, the bayou, and a second line parade.
Musica Chamber Ensemble 20th anniversary

On Oct. 29th, 2006, to celebrate Musica's 20th anniversary, the Musica Chamber Orchestra gave a performance of Faure's Requiem, Vivaldi's Concerto for 4 Violins, "Kol Nidrei" by Max Bruch and Vaughan Williams' "Fantasy on a theme of Thomas Tallis".
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