The Conservatory is the newest resident partner at Glen Echo Park in Bethesda and will host its Grand Opening celebration on August 1 at 1 pm.
 
The Conservatory is honored to have been selected as a partner by the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture, Inc. Glen Echo Park is an historic, family-friendly, and beautiful US National Park. This summer, the Conservatory has been building and settling in to its new site in the Park's Arcade building. 

 

Doors open at 1 pm on August 1 for the Conservatory's grand opening celebration of its Glen Echo Park site. The ribbon-cutting ceremony is at 2:30 pm. At 3 pm, Conservatory faculty member Michael Adcock, piano, will perform a program of Spanish, South American, and Spanish-influenced music. A reception at 4 pm will cap off the afternoon.
 
The Conservatory's new facility is the result of a collaboration of the Conservatory, the architecture firm of Wnuk Spurlock Architecture, and the builder - K3 Construction Group. The architect and builder donated a significant portion of their services and fees. A Conservatory parent advisory group - Amy Golen, Na-Rae Petro, and Alyssa Stern - has provided important support to the development of the Conservatory's Glen Echo Park site. 

 

The Conservatory will reside in the Park's South Arcade Building, next to Adventure Theatre.
 
To maximize the 1800 sq. ft space, an upper level open mezzanine with three office/multi-use rooms was created over slightly less than one-half of the main floor area. On the main level, the architects designed two moveable partitions in a performance room that seats 75 audience members; the partitions give the option of setting up one, two, or three rooms within the performance space.
 
The entire space reflects the Conservatory's desire to reuse and recycle. Many items were donated from the builder, such as plumbing fixtures and accessories. The existing light fixtures were reused and repositioned. The recycled rubber-tire flooring used throughout the main level consists of overruns from the manufacturer.
 
Activities are already underway at the Conservatory's Glen Echo Park site. A five-day camp - Intro to Drumset and Percussion, with Howard Kadison - culminated in a performance by the participants. Earlier in July, a special weekend sneak peek jazz jam featured Conservatory faculty members Marty Nau, sax; Harry Appelman, keyboard; Steve Novosel, bass; and Howard Kadison, percussion. And the Washington Conservatory Orchestra has been holding reading sessions at Glen Echo Park this summer.
 
In May, the Conservatory hosted an instrument petting zoo during the Park's Carousel Opening and Family Day Festival.
 
In the fall, watch for an exciting variety of offerings at Glen Echo Park:

The Conservatory was awarded two significant grants this year from the Montgomery County Arts and Humanities Council. The Conservatory very much appreciates the support of Montgomery County and of the Montgomery County Arts and Humanities Council.

The Conservatory's 2008-2009 concert series comprised 11 outstanding concerts, three co-presented with Shenandoah Conservatory. For a list of concerts, please see the Conservatory's website.

 
In February, the Royal Irish Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra concert, with respected pianist John O'Conor, was preceded by a buffet dinner, catered by the Irish Inn at Glen Echo, during which Conservatory students and parents had the opportunity to meet and talk with the young student performers in the Symphony Orchestra. Special thanks to Conservatory parent Amy Golen for coordinating the buffet dinner.

The Conservatory is pleased to have an ongoing collaborative relationship with the Washington Performing Arts Society.

 

 

 

 

The GEMS Quartet, Anya Goodman, cello, Helen Edwards, violin, Charlotte Mencke, piano, Julia Pearl-Schwartz, violin, (Ben Wensel, coach), performed at Montgomery County's 2008 Human Rights Day Program last December 7 and also performed at the Landon Azalea festival in May.
 
Kate Amrine, trumpet (Chris Sala), was accepted to the summer pre-college programs at the Eastman School of Music and is taking jazz studies and music horizons and participating in the collegiate Trumpet Institute. Kate, who will be a senior at Walt Whitman, played first chair in Wind Ensemble, solo chair in Jazz Ensemble, and second in Symphonic Orchestra at Whitman. She was also a teacher assistant to the band teacher, which gave her experience conducting the Concert Band. Kate also participates in the Capital Focus Jazz Band, Blues Alley Youth Orchestra, Paul Carr Jazz Orchestra, Montgomery County Jazz Ensemble, and the Montgomery County Senior Honors Band.
 
Daniel Andrews, cello (Drew Owen), will attend Loyola University in the fall as a music business major.
 
Paul Baert, piano (Michael Adcock), gave a solo piano recital at the Conservatory in May, performing music of Bach, Debussy, Beethoven, and Chopin. In March, he played in the Conservatory-WPAS Richard Goode piano master class.
 
Aditya Dash, piano (Anastassia Ivanova), was chosen as one of the winners of the American Fine Arts Festival this past spring and performed at the Dicapo Theatre in New York City in June.
 
Agnes Donahue, piano and vocal coaching (Jeffery Watson), is attending the Fairbanks Arts Festival Summer Opera Program in Alaska this summer, where she will perform in ensembles and in solo roles.
 
Armagan Durdag, composition and piano (Jeffery Watson), was awarded a full Graduate Fellowship to study Music Composition at the University of Memphis with composer Kamran Ince. At the Conservatory, Armagan also studied jazz piano with Harry Appelman and conducting with A. Scott Wood.
 
Godfrey Furchtgott, violin (Zina Gendel), won first prize in his age group in the Maryland State Music Teachers Strings competition in May, playing Vieuxtemps' Concerto No. 5, which he also played in the Conservatory's Honors Recital in June. In April, he won a $600.00 tuition award in the Washington Performing Arts Society Feder Memorial String Competition and was invited to play at the awards ceremony. In May, he won first prize with Jenny Shore at the Levine School Chamber Music contest. They played a movement of a Grieg violin and piano sonata. In February, he and Jenny Shore, violin student at Levine School, participated in a fundraising recital at the Lyceum in Alexandria, raising funds for the Washington Scholarship Fund, which provides educational opportunities for young musicians. Godfrey also studies piano at the Conservatory with Sana Lebedev. 
 
Richard Furchtgott, violin (Zina Gendel), won third prize in his age group in the Maryland State Music Teachers Strings competition in May.
 
Aldo Grifo-Hahn, trombone (Marcel Maican), is attending Interlochen Arts Camp this summer.
 
Dena Goodman, violin (Mayumi Pawel), was accepted to the National High School Music Institute at Northwestern University. Fewer than 50 students were accepted.
 
Kylie Hiemstra, piano (Jeffery Watson), performed a solo recital at the Conservatory in May, including works by Scarlatti, Beethoven, Schubert, Rachmaninoff, and Gershwin. Kylie is attending William and Mary in the fall.
 

Johnna Lee, piano (Jaewon Lee) won Honorable Mention in her age group at Maryland State Music Teachers Association Spring Festival in May. She also won a trophy from the Montgomery County Music Teachers Association Judged Recital last December.

 

Serena Lee, piano (Jaewon Lee) won second prize in her age group at the Maryland State Music Teachers Association Spring Festival in May.

 

Joan Magagna, piano (Jeffery Watson), attended the Sonata Piano Camp in Vermont in April where she performed Rachmaninoff's Elegie , Op. 3 No. 1.

 

Aurelio Menendez, guitar (Berta Rojas), was first prize winner($750.00), junior division, and winner, best performance of a piece by Antonio Lauro, a $1,000.00 prize, in the 2009 Beatty Music Competition. Winners performed at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage in March.

 

Sarah Petro, piano (Jaewon Lee), performed for two hundred people at the Maret Lower School music recital in May. Sarah will be in first grade in the fall.

 

Fabio Pires, piano (Michael Adcock) and composition (Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez), presented a solo piano recital at the Conservatory in May, performing music of Mozart, Fauré, Villa-Lobos, and Ravel. The program also included the premier of Fabio's composition, Piece for Piano, performed by Dr. Adcock. Fabio was accepted at Bard College, Cleveland Institute of Music, Oberlin Conservatory, Peabody Conservatory, Shenandoah Conservatory, University of Maryland, Honors Program, and University of Texas-Austin. Fabio will attend Cleveland Institute of Music this coming fall, as a double major in both composition and piano.

 

Leah Plave, cello (Deb Brudvig), plays with the Maryland Classic Youth Orchestra ("Young Artists" Orchestra) and is attending the New England Music Camp in Sidney, ME, this summer. She was also a CIT at the Landon Orchestra Camp in June.

 

Katie Schluntz, flute (Virginia Nanzetta), played two flute solos with keyboard accompaniment, as well as duets with her teacher, at the Conservatory's instrument petting zoo at Glen Echo Park in May.

 

Lucy Sears, clarinet (Suzanne Gekker), received a Superior rating (I) at the Montgomery County Solo Festival, and also received a Superior rating (I) at the State Solo Festival in Baltimore, performing Minuetto, Hovey/Leonard. 

Twenty-five students were nominated by their teachers to audition for the Conservatory's annual Honors Recital. A panel of three judges -- Lydia Frumkin, professor of piano at Oberlin Conservatory; Bradford Gowen, associate professor of piano at University of Maryland; and violinist and conductor Paul Cho -- chose fifteen students to perform in the Honors Recital.

Asturias                                      Albeniz
Carnavalito Merlin
Patrick Ellsworth, guitar
Student of Berta Rojas

 

Prelude No. 24 in d minor, Op. 87     Shostakovich
Aaron Segal, piano
Student of Haskell Small

 

Caro mio ben                                Giordani
Già il sole dal Gange                       Scarlatti, A.
Caroline Musslewhite, voice
Student of Grace Gori

 

Sonatina, third movement                Khachaturian
Aditya Dash, piano
Student of Anastassia Ivanova

 

Andantino                                     Kreisler
Kristina Souders, violin
Student of Kathy Judd

 

Preludes 1 and 3                            Gershwin
Kylie Hiemstra, piano
Student of Jeffery Watson

 

Concerto in e minor                         Elgar
   Adagio
   Moderato
Emilia McManus, cello
Student of Drew Owen

 

Concerto No. 5                              Vieuxtemps
Godfrey Furchtgott, violin
accompanied by Brad Clark
Student of Zina Gendel

 

Prelude in c-sharp minor                  Rachmaninoff
Molly Anderson, piano
Student of Anastassia Ivanova

 

Concerto in d minor                         Lalo
   Lento
   Allegro Maestoso
Philip Kettler, cello
Student of Drew Owen

 

Nocturne in E-flat Major                    Fauré
Fabio Pires, piano
Student of Michael Adcock

 

Variations on a theme by Handel         Giuliani
Aurelio Menéndez, guitar
Student of Berta Rojas

 

Hungarian Pastorale Fantasie              Doppler
Andrew Wyner, flute
Student of David Lonkevich 

Johann Wiese, former piano student of Haskell Small, recently passed his jury to enter the upper school, the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, where he is a piano performance major.