JANUARY

January 1961
I started attending Cleveland Heights High School early in January,1960. Great culture shock, as I had always been to small private schools, and 3000 students was overwhelming. Also, as the American and British/South African curricula are different, the school administrators were not sure where I would fit in. I did mention I liked music, so with a sigh of relief, they told me to go to orchestra. The director was very kind, but baffled, as I didn't actually play an orchestral instrument. I had taken a year or so of piano lessons, not very helpful in that class. However, he said " Well, we need cellists, so here is a cello and a method book. My office is over there. You can practice there."

After two months or so, I knew I loved playing the cello and that it was the instrument for me, so my mother arranged for me to have lessons in the Saturday School of the Cleveland Institute of Music. I was at the Cleveland Heights High School for one semester. During that time, I did actually get to play in the orchestra and go on tour with them to Canada. It was so exciting - we went to Montreal, saw the Niagara Falls and other places along the lake. The orchestra played some impressive music -The Swan of Tuonela, Beethoven's first Symphony (I could play the first and last notes and a few in between, as it was in C, and I knew that scale!),  Grieg's Piano Concerto, Bloch's Schlomo. All this was so very new and thrilling for me, opening up a whole world of wonderful music. My fellow classmates were so friendly and welcoming,  including me in their activities.  I had never had such a fun social life before, and of course not a boyfriend, but  after a while I did meet a very nice young man, Hal.

January 11, 2011- Durham, North Carolina
Rehearsal with the Durham Symphony for the Tribute to Martin Luther King Concert on January 15th. I had missed the first rehearsal on the 4th, as I was still in Capetown, South Africa with my family, (see my blog, http://britcellist-janesafricanadventure.blogspot.com).  I was uncomfortable coming back, having spent a month not playing, and then to do even part of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony was going to be challenging, and it was. Oh my sore fingers and aching arms, but the last movement is so magnificent I never even thought about it, until the next morning. We were joined by the Concert Singers of Cary and four excellent soloists. The other work on the program "Eulogy for a Dream" was composed by Willian H. Curry, our conductor. We had played it the year he was auditioning, and liked it then. The narrator came from a local TV station, and had wonderful diction.

January 14 - Rehearsal with the UNC Viol Consort
This is a group of graduate students, teachers and musicians who play viols at the university during the school year and perform 2 or 3 concerts a year. Led by Professor Brent Wissick, a fine cellist and viol player who performs all over the world, we have a great time. Brent introduces us to works that are not on the average viol players list, and in so doing stretches us to another level. We are now preparing for a concert on March 27th. He has commisioned a piece for cellos and viols "Reflections on a Pavane" by Will Ayton. The Pavane it is based on is "Mille Regretz" by Josquin, perhaps arranged by Susato.

January 15 - Concert  "A tribute to Martin Luther King". Durham Symphony in the Durham Armory.
The Armory was packed and the concert was powerful and moving.
Review of the concert


January 24 - Rehearsal of the "Stabat Mater" by Arvo Part.
with the "Triangle Trio" and "Tre Voce".  Two of my friends and I formed a trio of violin, viola and cello especially for a concert we were asked to play on April 3rd. It will be at the NC Museum of Art, and is part of a series "Sights and Sounds" put on by the Raleigh Chamber Music Guild and the Museum. We are to perform with three singers, soprano, counter-tenor and tenor. The program is the "Stabat Mater" by Arvo Part, the "Missa Breve" by William Byrd and the second movement of the Trio #2 by Martinu. In December while overnight in London, I had lunch with a good friend, Rogers Covey-Crump, a member of the Hilliard Ensemble, who knew the Stabat Mater piece well. He actually brought the Part's original score to show me. It was thrilling to get some performance tips from someone who knows Part well. In fact I think I understood Rogers to say that since Part had met the Hilliard Ensemble, he has dedicated all his choral works to them.
Our first rehearsal went very well and I absolutely adore that piece.

December 1960 - January 1961- Johannesburg, Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), Wales, New York.

My mother, who had recently married a Canadian-American, came to South Africa to take me to live with them in Cleveland, Ohio in the US.

After a visit to my brother in the then-Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and Christmas with my Welsh family, we went to Cleveland, via New York. We crossed the very rough Atlantic ocean on the Queen Mary. I was quite ill with seasickness, so don't remember much about it. We were in New York for a few days, I was amazed by the skyscrapers and excited about buying a Davy Crockett hat. I'll never forget the bitter cold. Coming from the South African summer to the grip of winter was a jolt.

                                             Athens Airport en route to the UK - Dec. 1960
Moving to Cleveland, USA. where it all began.
I started attending Cleveland Heights High School early in January. Great culture shock, as I had always been to small private schools, and 3000 students was overwhelming. Also, as the American and British/South African curricula are different, the school administrators were not sure where I would fit in. I did mention I liked music, so with a sigh of relief, they told me to go to orchestra. The director was very kind, but baffled, as I didn't actually play an orchestral instrument. I had taken a year or so of piano lessons, not very helpful in that class. However, he said " Well, we need cellists, so here is a cello and a method book. My office is over there. You can practice there."

After two months or so, I knew I loved playing the cello and that it was the instrument for me, so my mother arranged for me to have lessons in the Saturday School of the Cleveland Institute of Music. I was at the Cleveland Heights High School for one semester. During that time, I did actually get to play in the orchestra and go on tour with them to Canada. It was so exciting - we went to Montreal, saw the Niagara Falls and other places along the lake. The orchestra played some impressive music -The Swan of Tuonela, Beethoven's first Symphony (I could play the first and last notes and a few in between, as it was in C, and I knew that scale!),  Grieg's Piano Concerto, Bloch's Schlomo. All this was so very new and thrilling for me, opening up a whole world of wonderful music. My fellow classmates were so friendly and welcoming,  including me in their activities.  I had never had such a fun social life before, and of course not a boyfriend, but  after a while I did meet a very nice young man, Hal.   

Christmas Carols in a Nairobi Mall with friends of Gillian. Dec.2010

Being helped to find a hole for the endpin so the cello wouldn't slip on the floor!

Doesn't take long to adjust to playing 7,000 miles away from home!

At a Mall in Nairobi, I saw a flier for a group performing Christmas Carols that evening. Thinking it might be a violin teacher with students playing, I thought it would be enjoyable for Zoe as she loves the violin.  It turned out to be a lovely ensemble of two violins, cello and bass, all musicians from the Nairobi Conservatory or the Cathedral. I introduced myself and found we had a mutual friend in common - a former youth orchestra student of mine, Gillian, who had started a string program at a school in Nyeri, Kenya,  as part of her PhD dissertation. She had played in the Nairobi Symphony and met a lot of musicians. The leader  invited me to play a few carols with them, which I did. Zoe was delighted.  The cellist in the group is a suborganist of All Saint's Cathedral in Nairobi and invited us to attend the Christmas Eve service of Lessons and Carols, which we did.  It is a very comforting thought that, wherever you go in the world, even if you do not speak the language, if you play a string instrument or are an Anglican, you will find people to play with and a church to go to. I have played chamber music in many countries and not been able to speak the language, but have had marvellous musical experiences.  The furthest church I have attended was Wellington Cathedral, on my way to play chamber music in the South Island of New Zealand.

FEBRUARY

Tuesday, February 1st - The Durham Symphony
We start rehearsals for the classical concert featuring the winnners of the Young Artist Competition. Winners' music is the Concerto for Alto Saxophone by Paul Creston, the first movement of the Sibelius Violin Concerto, and the first movement of the Walton Viola concerto. In addition we are playing Beethoven's 2nd Symphony, the "Danse Negre" by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, and the "American Fantasy" by Victor Herbert. 
Many of us who have played for many years in the Durham and Raleigh Symphonies, know the Sibelius quite well, it is a popular choice for competitions. Alan Neilson, the conductor Emeritus of both  orchestras ( he conducted the Durham Symphony for 20 years or so , and founded the Raleigh Symphony in the early 80's), also programmed the "Danse Negre" quite often, so we are very familiar with that as well. I was somewhat surpirsied tht Curry who is a violist himself, was unfamiliar with the Walton. The "American Fantasy" is somewhat of a challenge, lots of scale and apeggio noodling, but not hard to put together. Herbert was a fine cellist himself and wrote good parts for the cello, enough to keep us busy! It's so good to play the Beethoven. There is a reason why his music is so well-loved. It's like putting on comfortable shoes and going for a walk down a favorite path, knowing one is going to have a great time. It's also like the relief one feels when speaking your own language and understanding everything, after you have been in a foreign country and not understood anything.   

Tuesday, Feb. 8   
Second rehearsal with the Durham Symphony. We spent most of the time on the Beethoven. It's just wonderful to play his music. Curry's conducting is so precise in rhythm and phrasing, it's hard to go wrong.  The orchestra really responds to him. Unfortunately, we are having problems finding players, especially first violins.  Part-time musicians are usually quite busy with their day jobs or families, or are in college and have other committments. Financially, the symphony, as with most orchestras and the arts during this recession period, is having a tough time. Grants and corporate gifts are not filling the coffers. The pay is not enough to make it worthwhile for some players, such as mums who have to pay sitters. Most of the Durham Symphony players are local teachers, professionals in other fields and  graduate students from the surrounding universities, although as travelling causes extra expense, it's hard keeping them. This season I became the Personnel Manager of the orchestra and am enjoying it very much. It's good to put a face to a name and to get to know more people other than those in the string section. Initially I was compensated, but in December, the musicians were asked to volunteer their services to help with the orchestras finances. I could not afford to do that as I need to keep my income stable, but I volunteered to do the PM job gratis for the remainder of the season. I have office hours in the morning for Musica (my booking agency) so it is not a whole lot extra to look after the roster. What is taking time on occasions is finding substitutes for musicians who cannot make a rehearsal. Originally I wasn't expected to do that, as I didn't have a sub list, but I try to help when I can. It makes one realise how much effort Alan Neilson put in to running  the orchestras. He did everything for many years, and only gradually was able to delegate some of the jobs to a paid manager. He had a knack of working with people and pulling it all together. Somehow he kept the orchestras going, many of the musicians played in both. I was one, 22 years in the Raleigh Symphony, principal there for 19 years, and also principal of the Durham symphony for several years. I was sorry to leave Raleigh, but the driving at the end of a long day became too much, so I returned to the Durham Symphony which is a shorter drive, and a lot of my old friends play there as well.  

Sunday, February 13 - Concert by the Pittsboro Bach Society Orchestra, in the Community House in Pittsboro, NC.
It is a group that meets 2-3 times a year. We run through the program at 3pm, then perform it at 4pm. The players are serious musicians - teachers, some professional players and some experienced amateurs. The program today is mostly Vivaldi, concertos from op.3 - the A minor for solo violin and orchestra, the Concerto Grosso in D minor, and the Concerto in D for 4 violins and orchestra in D major. The soloist and leader was Brian Reagin, the concertmaster of the North Carolina Symphony. There are some fun cello obbligato parts in the Concerto Grosso and the Concerto for 4 violins. I had a great time with them. The founder of the group had arranged 2 pieces for us - an Irish air "Give me your hand" for solo violin and orchestra, and "Madame Neruda" by J. Scott Skinner, also for solo violin and orchestra. Both lots of fun to play.

Tuesday, February 15
Third rehearsal with the Durham Symphony. The alto saxophone winner came to the rehearsal and we were able to go through his piece twice. It is fairly straightforward, but has a lot of fast unison chromatic notes, so that needs tidying up. We mostly worked on the American Fantasy and the last movement of the Beethoven and ran through the Sibelius to get a feel for it before the soloist comes in. 

Friday, February 18 morning
Rehearsal with Brent and the Viol Ensemble. We went through the whole of the contemporary piece, and I am beginning to make to understand it and like it better. It will be good when the cellos join us so we can get an idea of the whole. 
Evening
Drove to Raleigh to rehearse with Izabela and Yang Xi the second movement of the Trio #2 by Martinu. Am nervous, as have not played Martinu before. Izabela had said her piano quartet played the Martinu Piano quartet and that it was fiendishly difficult and took hours to prepare. We decided on a slow tempo and read it through without stopping. It has some interesting dissonances (maybe some were not actually in the music) but also some lovely sections. The cello part has a dramatic mini-cadenza right at the beginning, followed by one for the viola. Izabela is a bit miffed that she doesn't get one.

Tuesday, February 22,
Durham Symphony 4th rehearsal. Had all three soloists playing. They were all excellent. We had heard the alto saxophonist, who is outstanding. The music is still a bit tricky in the unison passages. The Sibelius with the violin soloist went well, as most of us know the orchestra accompaniment. The violinist was flawless, with a beautiful tone and very musical. Another challenge is the Walton, mostly rhythmical which we hadn't spent much time on.  The violist is outstanding, everything so effortless.

Wednesday, February 23
A concert by middle and high school musicians at the Assembly Hall at Carol Woods. The "Recolitus Piano Quartet" has 2 former Emerson Waldorf School students I taught. Now 10th graders, Emi Mizobuchi plays  viola and played chamber music at school, and Brendan Case, who started cello in my 4th grade class. The other players are Cissy Yu, piano, also 10th grade and violinist Taisuke Yasuda, an eigth grader. Individually they played a solo, or as in Brendan's case, sang a solo. I was impressed by his bass voice quality and fine tone. He is very musical and it showed as well in his cello playing as well. Lovely warm sound. All were very competent on their instruments and were well coached by Yoram Youngerman, the Artistic Director of the Mallarme Youth Chamber Orchestra, a local group of top-notch student players.  

Friday, February 25
Viol Consort rehearsal at UNC. We spent most of the time on the the Will Ayton piece. It has various sections depicting eras of music. My least favorite is the Webern section - minimalist and tricky snatches of pizzicato, which is not common on the viol. There is a lovely dancing section in 7/8 time which is fun to play. We have one more month before the performance, but Spring break starts March 4, so we lose a week.

Sunday, February 27
Another student event. I had promised my graduating senior, Jenny, that I would attend this concert as it is her last performance as a member of the NC Senior Eastern Regional Orchestra. An auditioned event for high schoolers, the winners are selected for either the String or the Symphonic Orchestra. Jenny won a place in the Symphonic Orchestra which she was pleased about, as she had played in the String Orchestra in previous years. They  rehearse for a weekend and perform on the Sunday afternoon in the Auditorium of the NC School of Science and Math. It is always standing room only. The String Orchestra, conducted by Dr. David Eccles, although well coached with good ensemble skills, sounded bland, partly due to the program.
The Battalia by Biber, arr. by Blahnik, was difficult to follow as it had many short movements (not listed in the program) so it was difficult to tell when it ended. It would have been helpful to have had some program notes. The Danzas de Panama - Tamborito and Cumbia y Congo by W. Grant Still, were fun but could have used more energy, as could have the March and Finale from the Serenade in G op.242 by Carl Reineke.
The Symphonic Orchestra conducted by David Wolff was outstanding. Although the program was more lyrical than rhythmical (except in the Allegro from Brahms' 4th Symphony), they were a tight bunch and the blending of the strings, winds and brass was excellent. David Wolff has tremendous energy and over the week had pulled the players together. The first piece was the Adagio from Rachmaninov's 2nd Symphony. The sound from all sections was exquisite, with lovely phrasing and contrasting dynamics. The Brahms followed with tight rythms and much energy. The last work was the Suite of Polovtsian Dances #17 by Borodin, with snatches of the famous "Nocturne " from his string quartet (a cellist's delight!) All the sections had a chance to shine and they did earning a long standing ovation at the end. Keep an eye out for news about David Wolff. He is an international piano soloist, took conducting classes in Rome and now is the Artistic Director of the Carolina Philharmonic, a professional ensemble based in the Pinehurst area of North Carolina. They have a performance in Carnegie Hall on March 3rd. David is very much a performer and keeps the kids' attention. An excellent choice as was Dr David Eccles (2 conductors names David!)
A thoroughly enjoyable concert, the best I have ever heard from the Regional groups.