2014 FLMF Spring Recital

2014 Recital for Students of Gabriela Morris

The Fairfax Loudoun Music Fellowship Spring Recital will be held on Saturday, May 17 in the afternoon, and, as I am a member of the fellowship, all my students are welcome to participate. This is a great opportunity for them to perform music which they have learned so far as well as hear what other students of all levels have accomplished. 

I heartily encourage attendance even for those students who choose not to participate. The recital will be recorded.

The available times are at 1:30 p.m. &  3:00 p.m.   If you have a time conflict, let me know.  

Public admission is free; however, there is a fee of $20.00 per performer, $10 for additional siblings, required by April 15th. Grandparents, uncles, aunts, friends – all very welcome!

Location:

Reston Community Center Theater - Hunters Woods

(703) 476-4500

2310 Colt's Neck Drive, Reston, VA  20191

Recital Participation and Attendance Protocol

Recital Protocol - adapted from flmf.org

PLEASE:

1. Arrive 15 minutes early.

2. Go directly to the front two rows in the theater where the performers will find their name on a program on their seat.

3. Remain for the entire recital.  It is distracting and discourteous for performers or audience to leave before the program is finished.

4. Stress courteous audience behavior.   Whispering and rattling of programs spoils the atmosphere.

5. Dress appropriately.  Look your best!   No tee-shirts, jeans, sneakers, or flip-flops.  Wear knee length or longer skirts or dress pants.

6. Video camera use is only allowed if the camera is not obstructing any patron’s view during the recital.  

7.  Photography must be delayed until after the recital.

8.  Students: Don't forget to BOW or CURTSY!

Modesty and Pride: Paradoxical Mix

http://www.classicfm.com/discover/music/inspiring-composer-quotes/johann-sebastian-bach/

Event: FLMF Student Piano Ensemble Concert

Ensemble Festival postponed to Saturday, Feb. 22, John Champe High School, Aldie, 7:00 p.m.

 I am very excited about discovering the Fairfax Loudoun Music Fellowship.  Their piano ensemble concert looks very well done, from photos and all the information they have posted.

Concert Date:   Saturday, Feb. 15, Dominion High School, Sterling, 7:00 p.m.

Concert Snow Date:  Saturday, Feb. 22, John Champe High School, Aldie, 7:00 p.m.



They record the student's playing, which is such a great souvenir and gift for them to have.  This year's performances are listed here.

Some Concert Night Etiquette, provided by FLMF for students (applies to guests too)

1. Arrive for the concert no later than 6:40pm. Students must be in their seats by 6:45pm. The concert will begin promptly at 7:00pm.
2. The dress attire is .. Knee length or longer dresses/skirts for young ladies and shirts with collars and black pants for young men are recommended. ... No tennis shoes, flip flops, Uggs boots or short skirts or dresses. 
    
3. Please plan to stay for the entire concert. The start time of 7:00 should enable younger performers and family members to stay. It is important that all performers have a full audience to listen to and enjoy their hard work.   Please show respect for ALL of the performers in the festival.  Those who leave early are displaying their lack of respect and/or lack of knowledge of concert manners.
4. If you have an emergency during the performance please leave only during applause.
5. This concert is free to the public....There will be a donation box at the entrance to the auditorium. Please show your appreciation for such a unique educational opportunity for our children by making a donation at the concert.

Brahms:Craftsmanship

Bernstein: Composition In Not Enough Time

/http://www.classicfm.com/discover/music/inspiring-composer-quotes/johann-sebastian-bach/

Handel's Messiah: Historical Background

 All these years, I never learned the story!  A friend sent me this:


 GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL: MESSIAH'S PREMIERE FREED 142 MEN FROM DEBTOR'S PRISON

“In 1737 Handel’s opera company went bankrupt, and he suffered what seems to be a mild stroke...Once the composer for royalty, he was now threaten with debtor’s prison. Deeply depressed, Handel was visited by his friend Charles Jennens. The wealthy, devout Anglican had written a libretto about the life of Christ and the work of redemption, with the text completely taken from the Bible. A fussy perfectionist, Jennens had written it to challenge the deists who denied the divinity of Jesus. 

Would Handel compose the music for it? he asked. Handel answered that he would and estimated completion in a year. Soon thereafter, a group of Dublin charities approached Handel to compose a work for a benefit performance. The money raised would help free men from debtor’s prison...Now with a text and a motivation, Handel began composing Messiah on August 22, 1741. Within six days, Part One was finished. In nine more, Part Two. Six more and Part Three was done. It took him only an additional two days to finish the orchestration...He rarely left his room and rarely touched his meals. But in 24 days he had composed 260 pages...

When he finished writing what would become known as the Hallelujah Chorus, he said “I did think I did see all Heaven before me, and the great God himself.” ...The premiere on April 13, 1742 at Fishamble Street Musick Hall was a sensation. An overcapacity crowd of 700 people attended, raising 400 pounds to release 142 men from prison.”

George Frederick Handel (1685-1759) as recounted in 131 Christians Everyone Should Know (Nashville: Christianity Today, 2000), p. 113-114.

Last night, Jenni and I attended Handel’s Messiah in downtown Denver. It was performed by the Colorado Bach Ensemble and directed by James Kim. It is likely that we will look back on the Christmas season 2014 and say this was the most sacred and precious memory for few experiences exalt Scripture’s Messiah with such magnificence. 

Of course we just love that Handel performed this oratorio not for personal gain for the purpose of setting people free from financial slavery. Though originally performed at Easter, it has also become a Christmas tradition because the three movements proclaim the prophecies, the passion, and the promise of Messiah, our the Lord Jesus Christ.

If you live anywhere near Boulder or Fort Collins, CO, we urge you to attend one of their final two performances on December 21 or 22, 2013. Should this be too far to travel, for about the price of a ticket, we commend to you our personal favorite three CD set: John Eliot Gardiner, English Baroque Soloists, Philips 1982. Check it out on Amazon.

Generosity Monk | 11318 West Ontario Ave, Littleton, CO 80127 | 303.888.6052 | gary.hoag@generositymonk.com

Chicago's Magical Piano

Pure pianistic merriment- that's what I'm talking about! Also, see how simple and fun duets are.

Article: Let’s Rethink Our Holly-Jolly Christmas Songs

Let’s Rethink Our Holly-Jolly Christmas Songs - Russell Moore

...We ought to make sure that what we sing measures up with the, as this fellow would put it, “narrative tension” of the Christmas story.
The first Christmas carol, after all, was a war hymn. Mary of Nazareth sings of God’s defeat of his enemies, about how in Christ he had demonstrated his power and “has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate” (Lk. 1:52). There are some villains in mind there.
Simeon’s song, likewise, speaks of the “fall and rising of many in Israel” and of a sword that would pierce the heart of Mary herself. Even the “light of the Gentiles” he speaks about is in the context of warfare. After all, the light, the Bible tells us, overcomes the darkness (Jn. 1:5), and frees us from the grip of the devil (2 Cor. 4).
In a time of obvious tragedy, the unbearable lightness of Christmas seems absurd to the watching world. But, even in the best of times, we all know that we live in a groaning universe, a world of divorce courts and cancer cells and concentration camps. Just as we sing with joy about the coming of the Promised One, we ought also to sing with groaning that he is not back yet (Rom. 8:23), sometimes with groanings too deep for lyrics... 
Read More:   Let’s Rethink Our Holly-Jolly Christmas Songs

Bach: Industrious