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UPCOMING NEPTA EVENTS
NEPTA Junior Recitals Sunday, Jan. 24
First Parish of Watertown
Three different programs beginning at: 2:15pm, 3:45pm and 5:45pm
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January Meeting
"Perspective on Chopin's Music
and Its Performance"
Presented by
Sandra Rosenblum
The First Parish of Watertown
Monday, Jan. 25
9:30am
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NEPTA Intermediate 1 Recitals
Sunday, Jan. 31
First Parish of Watertown
Three different programs beginning at: 2:30pm, 4pm and 5:30pm
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Member News
Wanda Paik performed in a concert with the Lincoln-Sudbury Civic Orchestra featuring the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto # 2 on Sunday, Jan. 17 at the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School in Sudbury. Pieces by Glinka and Dvorak were also included in the program.
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Recently, I heard from Peg Bachelder, who relayed to me her thanks for the many cards which arrived in the weeks following the announcement of her illness. "They were a great and unexpected joy -- I cried tears of happiness with the reading of each one, with many, many thanks to you all!" Happily, Peg's condition is improving with effective chemotherapy treatments.
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Tatyana Dudochkin, founder and artistic director of the annual composer anniversary extravaganza, will perform at NEC's Jordan Hall on Sunday, Jan. 24 at 8pm in a program titled "Salute to Frederic Chopin on his bicentennial." The concert will feature some of his famous piano pieces such as the second piano concerto, as well as unknown instrumental works. Other artists contributing to the concert include Alexsander Korsantia, piano, Roberto Poli, piano, Symphony Pro Music Orchestra conducted by Mark Churchill, Ronald Lowry, cello, Fenwick Smith, flute, Victoria Avetisyan, vocalist, and Larissa Ponamarenko and Pavel Gurevich who are principals with the Boston Ballet. Tickets may be purchased at the NEC box office and are $20/$15. For more information, click here.
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Robert Finley will play a recital of works by Mendelssohn, Schumann, Chopin and Liszt to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of each these composers. The recital will take place on Sunday, Jan. 31 at 2pm in the Wakelin Room of the Wellesley Free Library, 530 Washington Street, Wellesley.
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Duo Con Anima, Fern Abrams and Joan Garniss, will present their annual four-hand concert at the Waltham Public Library Lecture Hall on Sunday, Feb. 7 at 2:30pm. The program consists of: Sonata, by Hassler, Fantasy in f by Schubert, selections from Op. 85 by Schumann, Valses Nobles et Sentimentale by Ravel and Fascinating Rhythm by Gershwin. Sponsored by the Friends of the Waltham Public Library, the concert is free.
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"The Sounds of Stow Chorus and Orchestra under the direction of Barbara Jones will present Durufle's "Requiem," as originally scored for full orchestra, on Sunday, Feb. 28 at 3pm at the Hale Middle School in Stow center. In addition, the chorus will perform Faure's beloved "Cantique de Jean Racine," with Faure's own orchestration. Violinist Lawrence Franko will round out the program with Benjamin Britten's Violin Concerto. Visit the website Sounds of Stow for further details. Tickets are available at the door.
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Erlinda Salazar McGinty will give a piano recital in the South Wing Auditorium, 1000 Southern Artery in Quincy, on Sunday, Feb. 28 at 3pm. Music of Bach, Haydn, Chopin, Schumann, Lamb and Templeton will be performed and admission is free.
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Please submit member news for inclusion in the next newsletter by the 30th of the month to lydiaguertin@yahoo.com. |
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Winter Greetings
I hope you all had enjoyable restful holidays. The New Year often brings a renewed sense of energy in our professional lives. As I look forward to NEPTA's events this winter, we have much to celebrate beginning with NEPTA member Sandra Rosenblum's presentation on Chopin's music and performance, on January 25. Sandra's research and vast knowledge is renowned throughout the musical world and so we are so fortunate to have her in our midst. Please bring a copy of the Chopin Nocturnes and Mazurkas that morning to fully appreciate and participate in the meeting.
Lydia Reed-Guertin
President
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Updates on Previous Meetings
Bonnie Kellert Lecture
On Oct. 26, we feasted on an array of wonderful treats, complete with gourmet muffins, fruit and various flavored coffees, beautifully presented by Indiana Chalsen. Many teachers enjoyed meeting new members and reconnecting with long standing teachers and friends. Many thanks again to Indiana, and to Janna Bruene who was our new member coffee hour liaison.
The second indulgence that morning was a lecture/performance by Bonnie Kellert on suggested solutions for 10 technical problems. Bonnie's exuberance and sense of humor were contagious, and many ideas were brand new to members of the audience including "piggybacking fingers". Because Bonnie's handouts were so complete, Jean Alderman has written the following update in place of program notes.
"Sitting down to write up my notes for Bonnie Kellert's October lecture-demonstration on October 26, 2009, I took a moment to read her prepared hand-out. There it all was - albeit without Ms. Kellert's unassuming, jolly presentation, her fabulous technical prowess and her remarkable control of tone, line and dynamic breadth. You will be rewarded for reading her notes carefully. If you have any questions, I'd be glad to try to answer. It was the second event of the two so far this year where attending would have been worth every effort, because the presenters were top-notch pianists who gave their wise words meaning in inspired musical sound." Ms. Kellert's handouts will be available for download on the NEPTA website by Monday, Jan. 25.
Miriam Pizer Award
Finally, the winner of the Miriam Pizer award was chosen by lottery that morning as well. Connor Murphy, student of Joan Reddy was the lucky recipient. Congratulations to Connor and Joan!
Teachers' Exchange
Our November Teachers' Exchange on Nov. 16, featuring international teaching styles, was riveting and extremely beneficial in learning about other countries' approaches to piano pedagogy. Clearly, these methods contribute to the melting pot of ideas here in the United States. Many thanks to our panelists, Irina Gelman, Lilit Karapetian, Mary Bradley, Elizabeth Landman, Eleanor McLaughlin and Thuyen Phiet. I would especially like to thank Irina Gelman and Adele Dreyer for helping organize the morning's talk. Adele has suggested if you have any follow up question for our panelists, please send them to her attention at cresc@aol.com and she will disseminate accordingly. Please click here for a link to the meeting notes beautifully prepared by Linda Vieira.
Gilbert Kalish Master Class
Our teacher master class with Gilbert Kalish was very inspiring to members and performers. Our Teacher Masterclass chair, Emma Jean Moulton, did a superb job in organizing the program for NEPTA. The choice of repertoire was fantastic, and beautifully prepared by all the participants, I-Hsuan Cheng, I-Chen Lu, Wanda Paik and Sivan Etedgee. Thanks to all of you for your dedication and musical performances.
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Help Needed for March 28 Competitions
If one of your New Year's resolutions is to get more involved in NEPTA, then I have just the opportunity. The Alice Hamlet and Ruth Davidson competitions committee is in need of some helping hands. Diana Tetzlaff, our committee chair, would love to have additional help on the day of the competition, preferably by a teacher who is not entering students in this event. This year's competitions will be held on Sunday, March 28, at M. Steinert and Sons in Boston. Diana has already done the groundwork in planning the event, but it's always nice to have that second person there for last minute details. If you are a new member, I would urge you to get involved! This is the best way to meet other teachers and at the same time give back to our organization. (Plus, I am sure you will be amazed at the level of playing from the high school contestants that morning!) Please email Diana at Diana.Tetzlaff@mac.com.
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Overnight Field Trip to Steinway Factory in NYC
Perhaps you have seen the movie "Note by Note," which documents the building of a Steinway Model D at the New York Factory? Well it is with much enthusiasm that the NEPTA board announces an overnight field trip to NYC, where members will visit this same facility and receive a private tour. This close up personal view of the factory will certainly enhance our appreciation for the craftsmanship involved in creating these beautiful instruments.
Preliminary planning has begun and the tour will take place during the public school spring break, April 21 at 9am. We will leave the Boston area using chartered bus or van transportation on April 20 and stay in the Courtyard Marriott New York LaGuardia which is a 5-10 minute drive to the factory. The special group rate for the hotel is $159 plus tax per room.
Final details including information on transportation and itinerary will be sent to members very soon. NEPTA members may bring a guest along with them; we hope this may inspire the beginning of future road trips! If you have any questions please contact Diana Tetzlaff at Diana.tetzlaff@mac.com.
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Program Ideas for 2010-2011
The program committee, headed by Shann Wood, will meet next month to plan next year's presenters and meeting topics. If you have any great suggestions regarding content or recommended speakers for our meetings, or a master teacher for our student or teacher master classes, please send them along to Shann at shannwood@comcast.net. Oftentimes it is through our membership that we here about great motivational teachers and speakers, so your input is valued.
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Student Evaluation Opportunity
Keys for Kids will hold its second annual piano evaluation for students in May. There will be 12 levels of difficulty to accommodate students with various experience, and they would be happy to send teachers information with detailed descriptions of each level, requirements and enrollment fees to interested members.
The judge is a well-known award winning pianist, composer, teacher and the author of many popular music software educational programs.
Please note additional requirement descriptions:
· Musicianship level (sight-reading, transposition, ear training) phase is optional for all levels
· Technique phase (scales, chords, Etude) is optional for Preparatory and all Elementary levels.
· Students entering Intermediate level and above may choose to prepare all required scales for an additional Technique Certificate or only two scales as a part of the regular piano evaluation.
· Students who pass the Evaluation with HONORS will receive a medal along with the Certificate.
· Judge will be calling only ONE scale from the list to be played at the evaluation
For more information please contact Inga Magid at 781-274-9729 or inga@keys-for-kids.com.
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Teaching Opportunity
The Ed Mascari Piano Studio is looking for a piano-keyboard instructor to give private piano lessons to children and adults in Hudson. Ed currently has an opening for Tuesdays from 3 to 8pm at the Hudson location. Ed writes: "As a member of our Hudson Piano Studio Faculty, you will need to be patient and encouraging as you teach piano playing skills to beginners and intermediate students. You will also need to be able to play and teach jazz and popular styles to students as they learn to work from a Fake Book. In addition to having a music degree, some prior private teaching experience will be helpful but not necessary."
If you are interested in this opportunity please send resume and cover letter via email to: teachers@edmascari.com or via snailmail to: Ed Mascari Piano Studio, Inc., 57 Hunter Ave.,
Hudson, MA 01749.
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Reminder: Recitals and Competitions
All 2010 recital and competition forms are available for downloading from NEPTA's website.
These forms are password protected, and current members are required to submit their email address in addition to a new password.
Below are the remaining dates and postmark entry deadlines for all recitals and competitions. Please refer to the NEPTA Program Booklet for more details on repertoire and timing requirements.
Postmark entry deadline Jan. 28, 2010:
Intermediate II: Feb. 28, 2010
Postmark entry deadline Feb. 6, 2010:
Senior Recital: March 7, 2010
Postmark entry deadline Feb. 13, 2010:
Composition and Jazz: March 14, 2010
20th and 21st Century: March 14, 2010 Ensemble Recital: March 14, 2010
Adult Recital: March 14, 2010
Postmark entry deadline Feb. 20, 2010:
Mildred Freiberg Competition: March 21, 2010 Hamlet/Davidson Competition: March 28, 2010
Any questions
should be directed to the appropriate recital chair listed on Page 5 of
the NEPTA Program Booklet or the back inside cover of NEPTA's
membership directory.
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New England Piano Teachers' Association 