Maria Schneider Newsletter

[richidoo]

Got this by email today from Maria Schneider, eminent big band leader and composer. I thought it might be of interest to some ANers...  There are some links to videos, streaming music, etc...  Note her string quartet premier coming up at Duke next weekend.  Lest you think we are first name basis, I only wish... it is a form generated mass email advert because I buy her CDs.

"Dear Richard,

Well, today was a spectacular day in New York City! I went out for my first day of Spring birding and saw some wonderful birds. The early migratory species included, palm warblers, pine warbles, ruby and golden-crowned kinglets. What a joy! A beautiful young woman stopped me, saying how she sat across from me when we played the Jazz Standard last fall. She reminded me of that night, and I then easily remembered her and started asking her about herself. It was revealed that she is the talented Josefina Scaglione who plays Maria in Westside Story on Broadway which I'd seen very soon after its opening. I got to show her a few bird species through my binoculars and we had the most lovely conversation. Indeed, New York is an amazing place!

I wanted to share a few things that are happening right now from my world here:

FIRSTLY, I've started work on my Spring ArtistShare Commission Project. I am most grateful to our four commissioners: Bill Bloemer, Justin Freed, Paul James and Little Johnny Koerber. The first videos documenting my process are now up. It's not easy sharing some of the dark corners of developing a new work, but I'm doing it, and learning about myself in the process. I can't hide anything this way! You can still participate. I will do my best to make a piece everyone will feel proud of.

read more>>

SECONDLY, many of you are aware that I wrote a piece for Dawn Upshaw and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. It's now being streamed on Minnesota Public Radio. This work, 'Carlos Drummond de Andrade Stories', is composed in five movements, the first using wordless vocals, and then the last four being based on Drummond's utterly charming poetry. These Brazilian poems were translated by Mark Strand, and I used his masterful translations. If you scroll way down to to February 9th, 2009... you'll see a little player... that's it! I hope you'll enjoy it.
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/radio/programs/saint_paul_chamber_orchestra/

THIRDLY, if you're in the region of Raleigh-Durham, NC, my newest work, String Quartet, No 1, commissioned by Kronos Quartet, will be premiered on April 10th at 8:00PM at Duke University. Writing for string quartet was the hardest thing I've ever done! It's the first premiere where I'll be sitting in the audience too, as normally I'm conducting. If you wish to be there too, visit:
http://dukeperformances.duke.edu/series/this-house-on-fire/kronos

FOURTHLY, Julia Dollison and Kerry Marsh have released their lovely recording, Vertical Voices, on ArtistShare, where they recorded vocal versions of, The Pretty Road, Journey Home, Dança Ilusoria, Sky Blue and Hang Gliding. Sky Blue is especially moving to hear completely in vocals. It gave me chills when I heard it. They used the wonderful rhythm section from my orchestra, Ben Monder, Frank Kimbrough, Jay Anderson and Clarence Penn.
Visit: http://www.VerticalVoices.US

And most importantly, if you're in the New York area in the next weeks, the most beautiful, heartfelt music ever is the symphony of bird songs at the break of morning in Central Park. Do yourself a favor, and treat yourself to this amazing experience. There are guided bird walks available too. I found this link if any of you are interested. http://www.centralpark2000.com/database/birdwatching.htm

I hope this finds you enjoying life and all its magic!
Best,
Maria Schneider "

[tmazz]

For anyone who is interested, Maria Schneider will be conducting  a performance with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra at Carnegie Hall on Friday May 13, 2011. The performance will include piece mentioned in the "Secondly" paragraph of the above posted newsletter. Tickets are only $25.

http://www.carnegiehall.org/Event.aspx?id=2604

This spring series is a great way for those audiophiles who have never been to Carnegie Hall to experience this great venue. The tickets are reasonably priced and since this Spring series is not part of the regular subscription packages it is usually fairly easy to get prime seats for these performances. If you have never been to Carnegie you really owe it to yourself to go hear what acoustic music in a top shelf concert hall is really all about.

[richidoo]

She is releasing a new CD this week, Winter Morning Walks. A classical string quartet, soprano singer and jazz trio accompaniment, playing music inspired by poetry by Ted Kooser.



http://www.artistshare.com/v4/Projects/OfferDetails/1/435/2110/1/6

$20 from artistshare.com

http://www.nepr.net/blog/winter-morning-walks-and-new-beethoven

[Putz]

Thought this thread was going to be about Butter.

My bad.

[BobM]

If you haven't heard her big band jazz work you really need to check her out. It's crossover, classical to jazz, for sure, but like nothing you've ever heard. Most of her pieces go on for 10 minutes, so it's not those quicky big band pieces. I don't know how she actually orchestrates all of this. Must be very complex charts.

[richidoo]

Schneider's latest classical album 'Winter Morning' won three Grammys last night. Best classical composition (Schneider,) best classical vocal solo (Dawn Upshaw,) and best engineered classical recording (producers David Frost, Tim Martyn and Brian Losch.)

I've not heard this one yet, but now that it won a Grammy, there will be a lot more of them available used pretty soon.  


NPR: "But the big winner yesterday was Winter Morning Walks, composer and jazz band leader Maria Schneider's sumptuously scored yet intimate song cycle of poems by Ted Kooser sung by soprano Dawn Upshaw with the Australian Chamber Orchestra. The album won awards for Best Classical Vocal Solo, Best Contemporary Composition and the award for Best Engineered Album, Classical. The album also includes a second cycle set to poems by Carlos Drummond de Andrade.

"Accepting her composer's award, Schneider made a point to thank her fans. 'This was a tremendously expensive album that was funded entirely by fans who choose to pay for music and support artists,' she said, noting that ArtistShare, the label that provided the fan-based financial framework, was her 'saving grace in this industry.' She also made an impassioned plea against musical piracy on the Internet."

[BobM]

I've been patiently attempting to transcribe her piece "The Pretty Road" from her Sky Blue album. Such a pretty song, it kept ringing in my head so I just had to try and write it down. Almost there, I think.

[richidoo]

Sounds like a great project Bob! I'll listen to that one tonight.