Musical America Blogs

Mezzo-soprano Laurie Rubin has been blind since birth. However, this hasn’t stopped her from becoming not only a successful singer, but an author and arts administrator. In this segment, Laurie talks with Eugenia Zukerman and Emily Ondracek-Peterson of http://notedendeavors.com about the birth of Ohana Arts, an organization Laurie started with her wife, Jenny Taira. It’s a great story. Watch for Laurie’s other segments, too – she’s such an inspiration!

Mezzo-soprano Laurie Rubin has received high praise from The New York Times chief classical music critic Anthony Tommasini, who wrote that she possesses “compelling artistry,” “communicative power,” and that her voice displays “earthy, rich, and poignant qualities.” Los Angeles Times special critic Josef Woodard has lauded Rubin’s “charismatic, multi-textured performance,” stating that Laurie Rubin ” seems to have an especially acute intuition about the power and subtleties of sound and she was a compelling force at the center of the music. Her outstanding artistry was showcased recently at the AT&T Center Theater in Los Angeles, where LA Times critic Mark Swed described her as “a young mezzo-soprano whose voice is darkly complex and mysteriously soulful and who adds intense emphasis to every word of text.”

On October 23, 2012, Seven Stories Press published Rubin’s memoir, Do You Dream in Color? Insights From a Girl Without Sight. Recounting her experiences from childhood through the rise of her career as an opera singer, Rubin shows how her determination to continually surpass and redefine others’ expectations, has enabled her to defy the naysayers who told her that she would never experience romance, have a real job, live independently, much less ski, design jewelry or fulfill her ambition to sing on stage.

A co-founder and co-artistic director of Musique a la Mode Chamber Music Ensemble, which has a concert series in Manhattan’s East Village, Ms. Rubin is also one of the founding members of the baroque ensemble Callisto Ascending which has performed concerts at Lincoln Center. In addition, she is the co-founder and associate artistic director of Ohana Arts, a performing arts festival and school in Honolulu, Hawaii.

To learn more about Laurie, go to:
cadenzaartists.com/laurie-rubin-classical.html

For more Noted Endeavors videos, go to:
notedendeavors.com

Mezzo-soprano Laurie Rubin has been blind since birth. However, this hasn’t stopped her from becoming not only a successful singer, but an author and arts administrator. In this segment, Laurie talks with Eugenia Zukerman and Emily Ondracek-Peterson of http://notedendeavors.com about the birth of Ohana Arts, an organization Laurie started with her wife, Jenny Taira. It’s a great story. Watch for Laurie’s other segments, too – she’s such an inspiration!

Mezzo-soprano Laurie Rubin has received high praise from The New York Times chief classical music critic Anthony Tommasini, who wrote that she possesses “compelling artistry,” “communicative power,” and that her voice displays “earthy, rich, and poignant qualities.” Los Angeles Times special critic Josef Woodard has lauded Rubin’s “charismatic, multi-textured performance,” stating that Laurie Rubin ” seems to have an especially acute intuition about the power and subtleties of sound and she was a compelling force at the center of the music. Her outstanding artistry was showcased recently at the AT&T Center Theater in Los Angeles, where LA Times critic Mark Swed described her as “a young mezzo-soprano whose voice is darkly complex and mysteriously soulful and who adds intense emphasis to every word of text.”

On October 23, 2012, Seven Stories Press published Rubin’s memoir, Do You Dream in Color? Insights From a Girl Without Sight. Recounting her experiences from childhood through the rise of her career as an opera singer, Rubin shows how her determination to continually surpass and redefine others’ expectations, has enabled her to defy the naysayers who told her that she would never experience romance, have a real job, live independently, much less ski, design jewelry or fulfill her ambition to sing on stage.

A co-founder and co-artistic director of Musique a la Mode Chamber Music Ensemble, which has a concert series in Manhattan’s East Village, Ms. Rubin is also one of the founding members of the baroque ensemble Callisto Ascending which has performed concerts at Lincoln Center. In addition, she is the co-founder and associate artistic director of Ohana Arts, a performing arts festival and school in Honolulu, Hawaii.

To learn more about Laurie, go to:
cadenzaartists.com/laurie-rubin-classical.html

For more Noted Endeavors videos, go to:
notedendeavors.com

Mezzo-soprano Laurie Rubin has been blind since birth. However, this hasn’t stopped her from becoming not only a successful singer, but an author and arts administrator. In this segment, Laurie talks with Eugenia Zukerman and Emily Ondracek-Peterson of http://notedendeavors.com about the birth of Ohana Arts, an organization Laurie started with her wife, Jenny Taira. It’s a great story. Watch for Laurie’s other segments, too – she’s such an inspiration!

Mezzo-soprano Laurie Rubin has received high praise from The New York Times chief classical music critic Anthony Tommasini, who wrote that she possesses “compelling artistry,” “communicative power,” and that her voice displays “earthy, rich, and poignant qualities.” Los Angeles Times special critic Josef Woodard has lauded Rubin’s “charismatic, multi-textured performance,” stating that Laurie Rubin ” seems to have an especially acute intuition about the power and subtleties of sound and she was a compelling force at the center of the music. Her outstanding artistry was showcased recently at the AT&T Center Theater in Los Angeles, where LA Times critic Mark Swed described her as “a young mezzo-soprano whose voice is darkly complex and mysteriously soulful and who adds intense emphasis to every word of text.”

On October 23, 2012, Seven Stories Press published Rubin’s memoir, Do You Dream in Color? Insights From a Girl Without Sight. Recounting her experiences from childhood through the rise of her career as an opera singer, Rubin shows how her determination to continually surpass and redefine others’ expectations, has enabled her to defy the naysayers who told her that she would never experience romance, have a real job, live independently, much less ski, design jewelry or fulfill her ambition to sing on stage.

A co-founder and co-artistic director of Musique a la Mode Chamber Music Ensemble, which has a concert series in Manhattan’s East Village, Ms. Rubin is also one of the founding members of the baroque ensemble Callisto Ascending which has performed concerts at Lincoln Center. In addition, she is the co-founder and associate artistic director of Ohana Arts, a performing arts festival and school in Honolulu, Hawaii.

To learn more about Laurie, go to:
cadenzaartists.com/laurie-rubin-classical.html

For more Noted Endeavors videos, go to:
notedendeavors.com

Networking is the lifeblood of any artist. How do you network? In this segment with Noted Endeavors’ Eugenia Zukerman and Emily Ondracek-Peterson, pianist Bruce Levingston talks about how to effectively network in a gracious way.

Bruce Levingston is a concert pianist and one of the country’s leading figures in contemporary classical music. He is known for his “extraordinary gifts as a colorist and a performer who can hold attention rapt with the softest playing” (MusicWeb International). Many of the world’s most important composers have written works for him, and his Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center world premiere performances have won notable critical acclaim. The New York Times has praised his “mastery of color and nuance” and called him one of “today’s most adventurous musicians”; the New Yorker has called him “a force for new music” and “a poetic pianist with a gift for inventive — and glamorous — programming.”

For more about Bruce, go to:
brucelevingston.com

Fore more Noted Endeavors videos, go to:
notedendeavors.com

So many presenters are resistant towards the programming of new music. How does an artist that’s passionate about new music advocate for the presentation of that work? In this segment with Noted Endeavors’ Eugenia Zukerman and Emily Ondracek-Peterson, pianist Bruce Levingston talks about how programming within context can make presenters enthusiastic about the proposition.

Bruce Levingston is a concert pianist and one of the country’s leading figures in contemporary classical music. He is known for his “extraordinary gifts as a colorist and a performer who can hold attention rapt with the softest playing” (MusicWeb International). Many of the world’s most important composers have written works for him, and his Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center world premiere performances have won notable critical acclaim. The New York Times has praised his “mastery of color and nuance” and called him one of “today’s most adventurous musicians”; the New Yorker has called him “a force for new music” and “a poetic pianist with a gift for inventive — and glamorous — programming.”

For more about Bruce, go to:
brucelevingston.com

For more Noted Endeavors videos, go to:
notedendeavors.com

How does a musician balance a pursuit of perfection with the infusion of energy? In this segment with Noted Endeavors’ Eugenia Zukerman and Emily Ondracek-Peterson, pianist Bruce Levingston talks about that balance in musicians past and present.

Bruce Levingston is a concert pianist and one of the country’s leading figures in contemporary classical music. He is known for his “extraordinary gifts as a colorist and a performer who can hold attention rapt with the softest playing” (MusicWeb International). Many of the world’s most important composers have written works for him, and his Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center world premiere performances have won notable critical acclaim. The New York Times has praised his “mastery of color and nuance” and called him one of “today’s most adventurous musicians”; the New Yorker has called him “a force for new music” and “a poetic pianist with a gift for inventive — and glamorous — programming.”

For more about Bruce, go to:
http://brucelevingston.com

Fore more Noted Endeavors videos, go to:
http://notedendeavors.com

In this wide-ranging interview, Mohammed Fairouz talks with Eugenia Zukerman and Emily Ondracek-Peterson of Noted Endeavors about various issues facing musicians, the state of the world, and the aesthetics of being a successful composer. Thanks to Carnegie Hall for hosting!

Mohammed Fairouz, born in 1985, is one of the most frequently performed, commissioned, and recorded composers working today. By his early teens, the Arab-American composer had journeyed across five continents, immersing himself in new sounds and experiences. His catalog encompasses virtually every genre, including opera, symphonies, vocal and choral settings, chamber and solo works. His voice as a composer is personal, filled with imagination and surprises.

For more about Mohammed Fairouz, go to:
MohammedFairouz.com

For more Noted Endeavors videos, go to:
NotedEndeavors.com

As pianist Anthony de Mare’s fabulous project, LIAISONS: Re-Imagining Sondheim from the Piano, took shape, he and producer Rachel Colbert found that having Anthony speaking passionately about the project with presenters yielded great results. Here, Mr. de Mare discusses with Eugenia Zukerman and Emily Ondracek-Peterson (founders of Noted Endeavors) how artists speaking with presenters can result in securing a concert.

ANTHONY DE MARE is one of the world’s foremost champions of contemporary music. Praised by The New York Times for his “muscularly virtuosic, remarkably uninhibited performance [and] impressive talents”, his versatility has inspired the creation of over 60 new works by some of today’s most distinguished artists, especially in the speaking-singing pianist genre, which he pioneered over 25 years ago with the premiere of Frederic Rzewski’s groundbreaking ‘De Profundis’.

He has performed Liaisons programs across the U.S., Canada and Cuba including Virginia Tech Center for the Arts, The Ravinia Festival, the Gilmore Keyboard Festival, the Virginia Arts Festival, the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, Schubert Club in Minneapolis, Mondavi Center at UC Davis, Rockport Music Festival, the Cliburn Series in Fort Worth, and Music at Meyer in San Francisco.

For more about Anthony, go to:
anthonydemare.com

For more about Noted Endeavors (including videos), go to:
notedendeavors.com

When discussing budgets and finances in a project, be honest, open, and timely. Be respectful of others’ budgets. In this segment with Noted Endeavors‘ Eugenia Zukerman and Emily Ondracek-Peterson, pianist Bruce Levingston talks about paying musicians and fitting within a budget.

Bruce Levingston is a concert pianist and one of the country’s leading figures in contemporary classical music. He is known for his “extraordinary gifts as a colorist and a performer who can hold attention rapt with the softest playing” (MusicWeb International). Many of the world’s most important composers have written works for him, and his Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center world premiere performances have won notable critical acclaim. The New York Times has praised his “mastery of color and nuance” and called him one of “today’s most adventurous musicians”; the New Yorker has called him “a force for new music” and “a poetic pianist with a gift for inventive — and glamorous — programming.”

For more about Bruce, go to:
brucelevingston.com

For more Noted Endeavors videos, go to:
notedendeavors.com

Joan Tower refused to be defined by competition and institutional committees; instead, she started her own ensemble, the Da Capo Chamber Players. In this segment with Noted Endeavors‘ Eugenia Zukerman and Emily Ondracek-Peterson, Ms. Tower talks about composers (and performers) making music on their own terms rather than waiting for validation from others.

Joan Tower is widely regarded as one of the most important American composers living today. During a career spanning more than fifty years, she has made lasting contributions to musical life in the United States as composer, performer, conductor, and educator. Her works have been commissioned by major ensembles, soloists, and orchestras, including the Emerson, Tokyo, and Muir quartets; soloists Evelyn Glennie, Carol Wincenc, David Shifrin, and John Browning; and the orchestras of Chicago, New York, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and Washington DC among others. Tower was the first composer chosen for a Ford Made in America consortium commission of sixty-five orchestras.

Leonard Slatkin and the Nashville Symphony recorded Made in America in 2008 (along with Tambor and Concerto for Orchestra). The album collected three Grammy awards: Best Contemporary Classical Composition, Best Classical Album, and Best Orchestral Performance. Nashville’s latest all-Tower recording includes Stroke, which received a 2016 Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Classical Composition. In 1990 she became the first woman to win the prestigious Grawemeyer Award for Silver Ladders, a piece she wrote for the St. Louis Symphony where she was Composer-in-Residence from 1985-88. Other residencies with orchestras include a 10-year residency with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s (1997-2007) and the Pittsburgh Symphony (2010-2011). She was the Albany Symphony’s Mentor Composer partner in the 2013-14 season. Tower was cofounder and pianist for the Naumburg Award winning Da Capo Chamber Players from 1970-1985.

For more about Ms. Tower, go to:
musicsalesclassical.com/composer/short-bio/joan-tower

For more Noted Endeavors videos, go to:
notedendeavors.com