08ROCKPORT MUSIC PO BOX 312, ROCKPORT, MA 01966 T 978.546.7391 F 978.546.8351 W rockportmusic.org

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PAIDROCKPORT, MAPERMIT NO. 7

PO BOX 312 ROCKPORTMASSACHUSETTS 01966

Editor: Chris Barker Contributing Editor: Karen Herlitz

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behind theNotes

01ROCKPORT MUSIC PO BOX 312, ROCKPORT, MA 01966 T 978.546.7391 F 978.546.8351 W rockportmusic.org

The June 7 Opening Night Gala concert, which will launch the32nd Rockport Chamber Music Festival season, offers concert-goers a rare opportunity: the chance to hear two celebratedpianists, Grammy-nominated Peter Serkin and Rockport MusicArtistic Director David Deveau, collaborate with 14 membersof Boston’s premier self-conductedstring ensemble, A Far Cry.

The all-Bach program will feature theDouble Concertos for Two Keyboardsand Strings in C minor, BWV 1060 andC major, BWV 1061, with Serkin andDeveau as soloists. “These are someof Bach’s most joyous and beautifullylyrical works, with the two soloistsoften engaging in a musical conversa-tion (and some one-upmanship!),”says Deveau. They feature an equallyimportant partfor strings. AFar Cry willalso performa selection of Bach’schorales and fuguesbetween theconcertos.

ROCKPORT MUSIC NEWSLETTER : S P R I N G 2 0 1 3

Two Steinway grand pianos and 16 extraordinaryclassical musicians will create a visually dazzlingstage on Opening Night as they fill the ShalinLiu Performance Center with the gloriousmusic of Johann Sebastian Bach.

the DISTINCTIVE SOUNDOF ROCKPORT

An All-Star Opening NightBY CHRIS BARKER , EDITOR

Deveau described “a number of happy confluences” in scoringthis all-star cast.

“I’d originally asked A Far Cry to perform on this special eveningand suggested a number of possible guest artists. One veryenthusiastically received name was Peter Serkin. Since A FarCry is solely a string orchestra and the repertoire for piano andstring orchestra is relatively small, things pointed to Bach. Iasked Peter if he would play one of the solo Bach concerti, andhe in turn suggested that we do some or all of the Bach concertifor two harpsichords and strings. I was delighted he wanted tocollaborate with me, and here we are.”

Serkin said, “Somehow it seemed most appropriate, I felt, to have David himself play too, so I proposed that we play

together two of Bach’s wonderfulconcerti for two cembali and string orchestra.” The Steinways will replacethe harpsichords for this concert.

Serkin plays recitals and orchestralperformances around the globe andnumerous contemporary composershave selected him to introduce theirmusic at world premieres. As arecording artist, he has been nomi-nated for several Grammy® Awards. He won the prestigious Deutsche

Schallplattenas well asStereo Reviewmagazine’s“Best Record-ing of the Year.”

“Peter repre-sents the verybest in classi-

S E E 3 2 ND R O CK POR T C H AMBER MU S I C F E S T I VA L P. 0 3

Opening Nightcontinues on pg. 07

PETER SERKIN DAVID DEVEAU

A FAR CRY

SPR ING 2013 NEWSLETTER 02

sizzling summer in rockportBY TONY BEADLE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Is it any wonder that after a winter of severe wind-storms and three blizzards, I am really excited toshare news about our summer season in Rockport?

And we have a lot to look forward to, including our secondRockport Jazz Festival.

We’ve got a great lineup of artists, both new and old friends,arriving in town ready to serve up all kinds of musical treas-ures. Where to start?

We’ve managed to squeeze in a return visit by The KingstonTrio on June 6, the night before the opening of the RockportChamber Music Festival, offering up their greatest hits andlively vocal harmonies. In July, you’llhave a chance to hear legends — Ladysmith Black Mambazo, JudyCollins, The Manhattan Transfer,Felix Cavaliere and Suzanne Vega.Also check out the Hot Club of Cow-town on July 26. Direct from Austin,this group is pure American swingand western all rolled into one.

Things get even more charged up inAugust when what we call Summer inRockport revs up with visits from Ann Hampton Callaway, PaulaCole and Tom Rush. August 24 brings the wonderful EnsembleGalilei, whose blend of Irish, Scottish, early and original musicwill make for an unforgettable musical journey. On August 25,the legendary film actress and Tony Award-winner Faith Princebrings us an evening of tunes and tales from Broadway to Hol-lywood as only she can do.

Summer also brings the return of the Rockport Jazz Festival.This second festival gets underway on August 14 for five nights

with a wonderful mix of artists andstyles. The run opens with RobertaGambarini, whose voice earnedher Downbeat’s 2010 Jazz’s RisingStar award. The next night bringsus The Four Freshmen, who figureprominently in the evolution ofjazz. Just listen to their legendaryalbum Voices in Modern. Next, theweekend segment starts withGrammy award-winner jazz vocal-ist Kurt Elling, with his sleek styleand artistry abounding. Saturday is alive with an old RockportMusic friend, the versatile violinist Regina Carter. Who knowswhat this musically explorative artist will bring us this time?The week concludes with another Marsalis family member onstage at the Shalin Liu Performance Center. This time it’sthree-time Grammy® Award-winning saxophonist Branford. Expect a sizzling evening.

Happy listening!

ANN HAMPTON CALLAWAY

For a complete listing of upcoming events, visit rockportmusic.org

We’ve got a greatlineup of artists,both new and oldfriends, arriving intown ready to serveup all kinds of musical treasures.

BRANFORD MARSALIS & JOEY CALDERAZZO DUO JUDY COLLINSLADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO

THE MANHATTAN TRANSFER

SPR ING 2013 NEWSLETTER 03

The 32nd Rockport Chamber Music Festival is filledwith musical adventures of all sorts, including twosemi-staged operas coming to the Shalin LiuPerformance Center for the first time.

The operas comprise this season’s absolutely stunning earlymusic offerings. They will be performed in association with theBoston Early Music Festival, which holds its biennial festivalevery other June. I have long wanted to collaborate with themon a project. So, this June 17 (a special Monday evening event),the BEMF will produce a semi-staged double bill of Charpen-tier’s operas La Descente d’Orphée aux Enfers and La Couronnede Fleurs. The international cast and stage director will havejust performed it to a largely international audience at JordanHall, and they are excited to bring this gorgeous music to life inour more intimate setting.

Then, on June 21, the breathtakingly beautiful Play of Daniel, aliturgical music-drama (c. 1200) will be presented by theGotham Early Music Scene. Several years ago, longtime Rock-port Music Trustee Nina Fieldsteel created the Ira FieldsteelFund for Early Music in honor of her late husband, an earlymusic aficionado. One of her objectives was to acquaint our au-diences with great early music. The Play of Daniel has been atthe top of her list, and we are thrilled that the performance isfinally going to be presented.

The bicentennials of both Wagner andVerdi will be observed with some familiarand unfamiliar works. I had alwaysthought that Wagner’s output for pianoconsisted solely of some uninspired juve-nilia. However, I discovered that he com-posed a one-movement (and beautiful)sonata for his muse and lover MathildeWesendonck at age 40. This will be performed along with the so-called

Wesendonck Lieder, five songs Wagner com-posed to poetry of Frau Wesendonck duringthe same period. Verdi is represented by hisfamous Lady Macbeth aria, some less famil-iar songs and his only string quartet. Thesetwo evenings will provide fascinatingglimpses into facets of each opera composer’sgenius that we rarely encounter.

You will also meet three recent winners of the Concert ArtistGuild competition in New York City (baritone, cellist and pianist)performing an impressive Russian-American program, whichfeatures works of Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev as well as Ivesand Wuorinen. This competition has launched the careers ofcountless artists, and the Rockport Chamber Music Festivalhas presented many Guild winners over the years, includingCarol Wincenc, eighth blackbird, Imani Winds and soprano SarahWolfson — to name only a few. And speaking of competitions,the Festival presents two major first-prize winners in collabo-ration: cellist Sergey Antonov (Tchaikovsky Competition, Rus-sia) with pianist Ilya Kazantsev (Rubinstein Competition, Israel).

Among artists making debuts this summer are internationallyacclaimed pianists Anton Nel and Adam Neiman, the CanadianBrass and mezzo-soprano Naomi O’Connell.

Returning artists include the great Russell Sherman who, with his wife, Wha Kyung Byun, will perform a true rarity: the

Mahler Symphony No. 4 in an arrangementfor two pianos; the Calder, Vega and Jupiterstring quartets; clarinetist John Bruce Yehof the Chicago Symphony; Slovenian pianistDubravka Tomšic, and the Boston SymphonyChamber Players—among many others.Please check our website or brochure forcomplete details of our 32nd RockportChamber Music Festival season. I lookforward to seeing you this summer!

opera highlights the 32nd festivalBY DAVID DEVEAU, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

CANADIAN BRASS THE PLAY OF DANIEL

DUBRAVKA TOMŠIC

SERGEY ANTONOV

VEGA STRING QUARTET

SPR ING 2013 NEWSLETTER 04

David Deveau Artistic Director

Tony BeadleExecutive Director

BOARD OF TRUSTEESJoseph Mueller, ChairAllan H. Cohen, Vice-ChairSusanne Guyer, Vice-ChaIr

Garth Greimann,TreasurerMary Malone,Clerk/SecretaryMary M. BarcusPeter D. BellStephen M. BellFrank G. BersonMollie ByrnesJanice CanePhilip CutterPriscilla C. DeckNina Fieldsteel

S. Frank FritschAmnon GoldmanMary-Jo GrenfellMimi HarperWilliam HausmanMary HintlianStephen LindoJeannie McIntyreMichael PardeePat PetrouRuth S. Shane William E. TaylorRichard Tennant

Peter WernauMargaret Ziering

TRUSTEES EMERITIJames BarkerThomas BurgerSusan Gray

ROCKPORT MUSICCOUNCILPeter A. AndersonGregory R. Bover Richard Caturano

Diane Chen Koch-Weser

Stephanie Connaughton

Deborah Epstein Sherwin GreenblattG. Timothy JohnsonWilliam J. KneiselJan Loeber Irving H. Plotkin Frank E. Previte Hinda SimonAndrew Spindler

Rockport Music Trustee Frank Fritschremembers the day his wife called to say,“I found my New England village by thesea.” Mary had discovered Rockport whileexploring the North Shore in 2006. Thenext year they were staying in a cottageand attending the Rockport ChamberMusic Festival.

“We bought season tickets because we fellin love with the music and the venue. Itwas terrific — quaint, warm and intimate.World class music was only a stroll away!”

Their love for the organization and itsprograms inspired them to increase theirsupport for the “Building a Bridge to theFuture” campaign this year.

Mary is a graduate-trained teacher ofMontessori education and early child-

hood development and hasjoined the Education andOutreach Committee.She was impressed with therecent Sowah Mensahfree community concert,admiring the musician’sinteractions with the chil-dren. “I see the RockportMusic education programsas a wonderful resourceand experience for thechildren and families ofCape Ann.”

Frank’s musical highlight was the ChrisBotti concert. “I have admired him for a long time, and then to meet him andexperience a performance in such an intimate setting was outstanding!” Frank

serves on the HumanResources Committee. “I have spent a long careerin HR and executive development. I enjoyworking in growth-oriented organizationsand I think my advice andinsights can be useful.”

The Fritsches said they are “delighted” to increasetheir giving and join theArtistic Director’s Circle

this year by donating $25,000. “We can’tthink of a better place to advance educa-tion through the arts.” They have alsomade a generous gift to fund a videoshowcasing the organization’s educationand outreach programs.

DONOR SPOTLIGHT: Frank and Mary Fritsch

Photograph by Paul C

ary Goldberg

building a bridge to the futureBY JO FRANCES MEYER , DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

The goal of sustainability has become our newmantra here at Rockport Music. The theme of ourAnnual Fund campaign this year — “Building aBridge to the Future” — is one way we hope to communicate that message to you. One of the onlyways to build that solid bridge is, quite simply, toraise more money each year. Ticket sales only coverabout 50% of our operating costs.

We made a bold move toward accomplishing our goal by creat-ing a new top annual giving level of $25,000. After all, RockportMusic is a bold, new organization compared to its relatively

modest beginnings! Today we are proud to report that wehave ten new donors at this Annual Fund level and more than50% of all our donors have increased their giving this year.

Your message is loud and clear: you care deeply and passionatelyabout the future of Rockport Music.

Everyone at Rockport Music is proud to have earned this out-pouring of confidence, generosity, and, dare we say, love. We douse the word love because we hear it from you constantly — youlove the Shalin Liu Performance Center, you love the music thatwe present, and you love what the organization has come tomean to our local schools and the greater Cape Ann community.We love your enthusiasm, and we are deeply grateful for all thatyou do to support Rockport Music!

SPR ING 2013 NEWSLETTER 05

Photos by Paul C

ary Goldberg

Photos by Sharon Cohen

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR DAVID DEVEAU BIDDINGDURING THE LIVELY AUCTION THAT RAISEDOVER $22,000 FOR ARTISTIC PROGRAMMING AND EDUCATION OUTREACH.

SENATOR BRUCE TARR TAKES THE MICROPHONE FROMTRUSTEE BILL HAUSMAN—OUR TWO FABULOUS AUCTION-EERS FOR THE EVENING!

CHILDREN TAKE PART IN THE“BUILD YOUR OWN INSTRUMENT”ACTIVITIES DURING THE TOWNOF ROCKPORT’S HARVEST FESTIVAL.

MEMBERS OF THE FIREBIRD ENSEMBLE PERFORM FOR CHILDREN AT WITCHCRAFT HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN SALEM.

OUR GENEROUS JAZZ MASTER SPONSORS MARIANNE AND KEN NOVACKWITH JAZZ TRUMPETER CHRIS BOTTI AT THE PRE-CONCERT RECEPTION.

LIVING STATUEARTIST TAYLORMIGNER POSESALL IN SILVER ASA SPECIAL PARTYGUEST!

TRUSTEES PAT PETROU (LEFT), JANICE CANE ANDSTEPHEN BELL, WITH FRIEND NANCY STRISIK, ENJOYTHE EVENING’S FESTIVITIES!

CHRIS BOTTI PERFORMS IN ASPECTACULAR GALA CONCERT!

Gala Concert and ReceptionLast November

TOM JANIS (LEFT), ROCKPORT MUSIC COUNCIL MEMBER DIANE CHENKOCH-WESER, AND JOE WEGLARZ ENJOYING THE PRE-CONCERTRECEPTION.

rockport music’s outreach program highlights BELOW: ROCKPORT HIGH SCHOOL

STUDENTS MADELEINE DOWNS ANDJEFF CLOAK PRACTICE WITH ORCHESTRATEACHER NATHAN COHEN ANDBOHEMIAN QUARTET MEMBER STAN RENARD.

TRUSTEE GARTH GREIMANN AND WIFE LINDSAYTAKING PART IN THE EVENING’S FESTIVITIES.

O N T H E R O C K STAKE 3

SPR ING 2013 NEWSLETTER 06

the next generation

BY STEPHANIE WOOLF, DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION AND OUTREACH

“You should come and hear these guys—they are REALLY good!” were the words of composer and teacherHoward Frazin, and the reason I found myself at theNew England Conservatory on a Saturday in the fallof 2011. “These guys” are four teenagers—then 14 to16—who comprise CPR, an acronym for composer/performer/repertory. They excel both as performersand composers and Frazin’s assessment was spot on.

The next two hours were enlightening, enriching and also en-tertaining. They are, after all, four young men. Along with talkof how Beethoven, Bartók or Boulez handled a sticky composi-tional issue—texture, form and thematic development—therewas gentle ribbing and joking among them and with their mentor.

But they all agreed on one point, “We put lifeback in classical music.” Fans of the RockportChamber Music Festival will have an opportunityto hear what The Next Generation has to offer onJune 11 when they perform one work written byeach of them in addition to a work they arrangedtogether in the standard chamber music reper-toire. The concert is a free Education andOutreach event.

Violinist Matthew Woodard, now a freshman at Bard CollegeConservatory, says, “CPR is more a place to figure music out…

a dynamic space to learn about music by changing it, alteringit, and watching what happens—testing the relationshipbetween sound and sensation. What we are going for is abovethe frivolity of something as transient as style.”

CPR is not a new idea, but rather an old one brought back tolife by these amazing, energetic, irreverent young musicians.Brahms, Bartók, Beethoven, Prokofiev and Rachmaninoff—to name just a few—were the preeminent soloists of theirday. That no longer being the norm, clarinetist Nick Daviessuggests, “The fragmentation over the last 50-odd years hashelped in distancing classical music from its central, integralpart in popular culture.”

CPR members are bringing back the model of composer/performer which has given the world such great music andwonderful performances. All four young men have receivedcommissions and acclaim as composers. Cellist Lev Mamuyawas named the first place laureate of the Sphinx Competitionand pianist Christopher Staknys won the NEC concerto compe-

tition. The two have performed a cello and pianorecital at the Shalin Liu Performance Center.Clarinetist Davies is attending The ShepherdSchool of Music at Rice University and willparticipate in a master class with John BruceYeh during Rockport’s upcoming Festival.

Judging by the number of young people and budding musicians who attend their con-certs, these four talented young musicians

may be succeeding in their mission to breathe new life intoclassical music.

EDUCATION FunFactsOver the past year, RockportMusic has collaborated with nineelementary schools in four schooldistricts (Rockport, Gloucester,Essex and Salem) to give interac-tive presentations by visitingresidency/professional musiciansreaching more than 3,000 children.

Approximately 25-30 studentsfrom the Rockport and Gloucestermiddle and high schools volunteerwith Rockport Music. They helpwith various activities, rangingfrom ushers and stagehands tohelping with hospitality/receptions,working with sound equipment,assisting with Town of Rockportfestival activities, and participatingin the Education and OutreachCommittee.

The four teenage musicians of CPR

perform June 11 as part of the 2013 Rockport

Chamber Music Festival

COMPOSER-PERFORMER-REPORTORY MEMBERS CHRISTOPHER STAKNYS,NICK DAVIES, LEV MAMUYA AND MATTHEW WOODARD IN THEIR 2012DEBUT AT THE SHALIN LIU PERFORMANCE CENTER.

Well into my second year as chairmanof the Rockport Music Board ofTrustees, I am still enjoying thesuccesses and challenges that ourorganization experiences every day. I, like other members of the Boardand staff, am amazed by the enthusi-asm and over-the-top passion forRockport Music. These feelings areeffusive and they come from everyquarter, even from those who have yetto attend a concert at the Shalin LiuPerformance Center.

One of the Rockport Music experiencesthat I remember most vividly is a freecommunity concert on a beautifulSaturday morning in June 2010.Shortly after the opening of theconcert hall, my wife, Eileen, and Ibrought our grandchildren to hear aperformance by Manguito. We sat inthe side balcony and I will never forgetthe look on the kids’ faces and thejoy they expressed while listening tothe soulful reggae music. We werealso looking out the great windowand could see the seagulls soaring,the sailboats all around, and the peo-ple at the beach, as we enjoyed the

moment in somany differentways. I continue to think about thatexperience as ourboard gets deeperinto strategic plan-ning. It is one ofthe reasons I embrace the responsi-bilities that come with being a fiduciaryfor Rockport Music. We all want topreserve Rockport Music and theShalin Liu Performance Center forgenerations to come, including ourgrandchildren and yours, and theirgrandchildren after them. To thatend, I am pleased to let you know thatwe have retained the services of anoted arts management consultantand are making good progress underthe firm’s leadership in developingan updated strategic plan.

In closing, I just want to say thatRockport Music belongs to all of us.In a very short period of time, our organization and our performancecenter have become treasured community assets.

Preserving Rockport Music for GenerationsBY JOE MUELLER , CHAIRMAN, BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Opening Night continued from pg. 01

BEHIND THE SCENESWITH VOLUNTEERSRockport Music, like many non-profit organizations,relies on volunteers to help with many importantand necessary functions. When you attend a con-cert, the smiling faces you see scanning your ticket,helping you find your seat or selling you a scrump-tious piece of cake—all belong to VOLUNTEERS. We have 402 dedicated volunteers who work in theFront of House. Rockport Music is extremely fortu-nate to have these volunteers, as well as numerousothers providing support in ways the public maynever see—the unsung HEROES of Rockport Music!

The Docents of Rockport Music (98 volunteers, 20+most active) provide tours and host Open Houses ofthe Shalin Liu Performance Center throughout thesummer months. These tours provide more than2,000 visitors an opportunity to see our beautiful facility and introduce them to the wonderful offer-ings of Rockport Music. Docents are trained tolead guided tours and they volunteer their time onSaturdays to offer this opportunity to new faces ofRockport.

Letters, Letters, Letters–A wonderful group of 129volunteers donate their time to assemble and mailannual fund appeal letters, brochure distributionpackets, and tickets. They make it possible forRockport Music to attain fundraising goals thatsupport the organization, and help ensure patronsreceive tickets in a timely manner. Approximatelyfour times each year, these volunteers gather in theShalin Liu Reception Hall over coffee for two fulldays to prepare annual fund letters or gala invita-tions for mailing (3,500 pieces each time).

Housing & Transportation Volunteers provide invalu-able assistance by housing musicians during theRockport Chamber Music Festival and drivingmusicians to and from the airport and rehearsals.During the 2012 Rockport Chamber Music Festival,12 families opened their homes to host Festivalmusicians and 26 volunteers assisted by driving 31 different musicians to rehearsals and to/from the airport.

If you would like to join the ranks of the RockportMusic volunteer corps, please contact Volunteer Coordinator Jeremy Farmer at 978-546-7391 x.114.

CONNIE ROHRBOUGH (LEFT), ELEANOR HOY, BARBARABREWER, AND MARTHA FINTA ASSEMBLE 3,500 LETTERSTO HOUSEHOLDS FOR THE FALL ANNUAL FUND CAMPAIGN.

cal music,” says Deveau. He plays music in such a seriously committed and probingway, and he never panders, either in his choice of repertoire (invariably challenging forhim and the audience) or his delivery. In my view, he makes old music sound new andnew music sound somehow familiar and approachable. A rare set of gifts.”

Serkin also had praise for Deveau. “David is well loved by the Rockport community and so very much appreciated for his direction of the Festival and for his artistry. I lookforward to playing Bach’s music with A Far Cry and with my friend David Deveau.”

Deveau is approaching 20 years as the Artistic Director of Rockport Music, a positionhe assumed in 1995. He has been a member of the music faculty at the MassachusettsInstitute of Technology since 1988 and is recognized internationally as an avid chambermusician, acclaimed for his expressive and poetic interpretations. He has also per-formed numerous premieres of such composers as John Harbison and Scott Wheeler.

A Far Cry, the acclaimed self-conducted string orchestra of young musicians formedsix years ago, has found a way to successfully rotate the leadership for each piece ofmusic. Recently returned from a concert tour in Austria with pianist Markus Schirmer,A Far Cry has tallied some 200 performances and recorded three albums.

Deveau expects this concert to be one of Rockport Music’s most popular of thecoming season.

FALL 2012 NEWSLETTER 07