I am often asked how musicians pick repertoire to perform. It's especially crucial when it is a full recital program. As I have a recital coming up this weekend, I thought I would write about the repertoire and how we build a program. We don't just pick whatever pieces, you see...

 So usually, it starts with setting the recital length. This time I was asked to have a 50 minute program. Sometimes, a concert organizer asks for a specific piece or two.

 Then we think about the occasion and the audience. If we are expecting a lot of young people in the audience we want to make sure that some of the pieces are short and fun. If there will be a lot of seniors, we usually include Romantic pieces. And we want to have at least one piece that everyone recognizes.

 You can also think about the time of the year, the season, or if we can have a theme to the program.

 So for this Sunday's recital, we are expecting both kids and seniors to come and I wanted to make sure that there are pieces that they recognize and fun to listen to. I came up with Meditation from Thais by Massenet and Souvenir d'Amerique (a.k.a. Yankee Doodle variations) by Vieuxtemps. And for the "main course", I had just visited the Brahms Museum in Mürzzuschlag, Austria, where I saw a manuscript of his Violin Sonata No.1 in G major.
 

 Brahms wrote this in Pörtschach, Austria, in 1878-79. I sent this photo to my pianist, Benjamin Steinhardt immediately and said "When are we going to play this?". A few days later I was booked to play the recital and we naturally went for this piece. Brahms wrote three complete violin sonatas and I have performed the other two. They are all wonderful and I can't choose one favorite but the opening of this G major sonata is so special. It makes you happy in the sweetest way (and it's hard to convey that in the playing actually!). 

 Now, we have a room for a 7 minute piece. Hmm... something fun and exciting maybe? Benjamin and I have played Danse Macabre by Saint-Saens and that's about 7 minutes. PERFECT! The piece is about the dance of the death; ghosts and skeletons are woken up by Death's fiddle playing on Halloween night. It might be a bit early but I already see Halloween decorations at shops so I guess that's fine! :-) It's a great fun to play, both Benjamin and I love the piece.

 So, that's how I built the recital program this time. I hope that fans nearby can come and join us this Sunday at 1pm at Atria Rye Brook!

 As 2013-2014 season is winding down (a few more concerts to go!), booking and planning for the next season (starting September 2014) are starting.

 On September 28 I will be performing at Chappaqua Library again in its chamber music series. Here is a preview of the program, quintet for oboe, violin, viola, cello and piano by Dubois (Adagio non troppo movement).

 Such a beautiful movement! The group is going to read the whole quintet next week :-)

 On the same program, we will be playing Phantasy by Britten and Fantasy by Moeran, both are oboe quartet (oboe, violin, viola and cello).
 
 I am going to return to Chappaqua chamber series in November, playing Mozart's masterpiece, clarinet quintet. We are selecting a string quartet to go with it.

 I will post the concert details soon. Stay tuned!

 Onto the next thing, I'm preparing for "All About Folk!" concert on March 29 in Brooklyn. Please see the Concert page for the program.
 Here's the concert details from our pianist/director of 20>>21. Please contact me to attend the concert (it's a house concert and the space is limited).


Dear friends,
 We are thrilled to invite you to the second house concert with members of the new music ensemble 20>>21 at the Zeavin-Moss house. 

 20>>21 develops programs that explore the multicultural experience of today’s music. The ensemble facilitates dialogue between audience and performers by creating an evening of music and conversation. The second concert in the series will be All About Folk!. We will explore some of the most prominent folk elements in music of the 20th and 21st centuries: Eastern Europe in music by Bartók and Kodály; Japanese music by Michio Miyagi; Spain and the Tango by Piazzolla; American Bluegrass by Marc O'Connor; and Middle-Eastern influences in the music of the Israeli composer Moshe Zorman.

 The members of 20>>21 and the Zeavin-Moss family are all looking forward to sharing the laid-back atmosphere, and enjoy a glass of wine with fun and exciting music from around the world. 
 Details for the concert are below. Please RSVP. Space is limited. 

 Hope you can make it,


20>>21
All About Folk! Saturday, March 29 @ 8:00pm Suggested donation - $20

Zeavin-Moss
Brooklyn, NY (please contact me for the address)

One day more to our Concert for the Philippines!


 As an organizer of this concert I have had many things to work out. On top of it, of course, I am performing in five ensembles so I have been practicing and rehearsing. It's such a pleasure to work with these musicians who are willing to play in a benefit concert (all musicians agreed to play pro bono).


 Today, I visited St. Paul's Episcopal Church, our concert venue, to talk about setups, programs etc. The admin staff is so great to work with.

 When I perform at St. Paul's every Christmas Eve, I'm on the balcony where the choir and organ are. For the first time I will get to play on the beautiful chancel. See the photos below, you know why I'm so excited.

 Most of the organizing part is done (I just need bake for our bake sale). I didn't realize how much preparation a benefit concert involves but I truly enjoyed every minute of it.

  All the ensembles have been rehearsing. I recorded our Moszkowski "Suite" rehearsal today and I'm very happy with our music making :-) I didn't even know of this German composer (sounds like a Polish last name but he's German) but thanks to Melanie Sasaki, whom I'm playing it with, I got to know such a beautiful piece.

 It will be a great afternoon of chamber music. I hope many people will attend and share the time with us and together we will raise a lot of money for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan. Even if you can't attend, please consider sending your donation to Episcopal Relief and Development (memo: Philippines) at 200 Riverside Ave. Riverside, CT 06878.

Meet the musicians of Concert for the Philippines! They are all my friends and colleagues.

Melanie Sasaki was born in Germany and started violin lessons at the age of 4 after moving to Japan. She began studying the Suzuki Method under the guidance of her mother, Heidi Sasaki-Born, an accomplished violist/violinist. She continued with the Suzuki Method after moving to the United States at age 6 until enrolling in the Westchester Conservatory in New York at the age of 7. Additional moves have provided her opportunities to study in Chicago and Switzerland as well.

Ms. Sasaki earned her Bachelors of Music degree studying under Albert Markov at the Manhattan School of Music and Laurie Smuckler at the State University at Purchase.

Ms. Sasaki has performed in orchestras in New York, Chicago, Switzerland, Germany, Venezuela and numerous tri-state ensembles, including the Ridgefield Symphony. She maintains an active studio at the Riverside School of Music in Greenwich, CT as well as teaching at The Stanwich School in Greenwich, CT.

 A sought-after violinist, Chie Yoshinaka has been pursuing an international musical career. The highlight of recent seasons includes solo and chamber music recitals in the States and Japan, Brahms' Double Concerto with Micha Haran (the former principal cello of the Israel Philharmonic) and the ABS-CBN Philharmonic in Quezon City, Philippines, and Baroque concerti with St. Paul's Episcopal Church's chamber orchestra in Connecticut. A winner of the Lillian Fuchs Memorial Chamber Music Competition, she has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Centre, the United Nations among other venues in the New York area. She has served as a guest concertmaster in many orchestras in different regions of the United States. She has served on artist-faculty at music schools, festivals (most recently at OPUSFEST 2013 in Antipolo, Philippines) and youth orchestras such as Chicago Youth Symphony. She is a graduate of Manhattan School of Music and New York University. Her major teachers include Neil Weintrob and Peter Winograd.

Lyons Chamber Players’ Concertmaster Sayuri K. Lyons has performed extensively throughout North America and Asia. She has played concertmaster with Fresno Opera, the Osaka Opera Club, the Orchestra of Bronx, Nimbus Ensemble, Opera a la Carte, Guild Opera and the Lyric Opera of Los Angeles. She has performed with the Springfield Symphony, El Paso Opera, Santa Barbara Symphony, Fresno Symphony, Long Beach Symphony and numerous other Orchestras. She has appeared on the Tonight show with Enya and in numerous feature films, TV shows and videos. In addition, Sayuri has credits as an orchestrator and concertmaster for various Hollywood film scores.

A native of the Philippines, Michael Alas has degrees in romance languages/pre-medical studies from Wagner College and viola performance from the Purchase College Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Ira Weller. Performances all over the world from Alaska to New Zealand, from Carnegie Hall to breaking cultural ground and touring all over Asia with the Manhattan Symphonie. Equally at home in the Emergency Room and the concert stage, Michael is currently pursuing medical studies at Columbia University, is a Research Associate at New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell, and a pit violist for the Westchester Broadway Theatre's current production of Titanic.

A native of Wisconsin, cellist Kirsten Jermé leads an active musical life as a performer and teacher in New York City. Kirsten completed her M.M. in Cello Performance at the Eastman School of Music, and received her B.A. from Stony Brook University. An avid orchestral player, chamber musician and recitalist, Kirsten has performed extensively throughout the region and in Canada and the UK, at venues ranging from Carnegie Hall and Royal Festival Hall to Le Poisson Rouge and Roulette. Kirsten was involved in community programs at Turtle Bay Music School and the Eastman Community Music School, and helped launch an arts outreach program at Stony Brook. A dedicated educator, Kirsten has taught at P.S. 129 in Harlem for The Harmony Program, modeled on Venezuela's El Sistema, and is currently on faculty at Greenwich House Music School and Larchmont Music Academy, and teaches at Frank Sinatra School of the Arts.

Delia Montenegro holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Douglass College of Rutgers University and a Master of Music degree in Oboe Performance from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Her teachers include Sherry Sylar, associate principal oboist with the NY Philharmonic Orchestra, Marsha Heller, William Arrowsmith, Virginia Brewer and Marc Fink.

After completing her studies in Wisconsin, Ms. Montenegro joined the National Symphony Orchestra in Colombia, South America. Since her return to the United States, she has performed with numerous orchestras and chamber ensembles in the Metropolitan area, including the Spianato Winds and the Radley Woodwind Quintet. She has appeared as soloist with the Chappaqua Orchestra, New Jersey State Orchestra, Plainfield Symphony, New Brunswick Chamber Orchestra, and Stretto Chamber Players. She has played principal oboe with the New Jersey State Orchestra, New York Chamber Orchestra, Plainfield Symphony, Virtuosi de Camera, and Suburban Symphony. In 1996 she recorded a CD entitled, “ The Oboe Soloist” for the Music Minus One Company.

Currently she is the Principal Oboist with the Chappaqua Symphony Orchestra. She serves as the High School Band Director of the Briarcliff Manor Public Schools, where she has taught since 1987.

 I'm organizing a benefit concert for the Philippines' Typhoon Haiyan victims. This time in Greenwich, CT at St. Paul's Episcopal Church.

 It's going to be an afternoon of chamber music. The program has a great variety of music and each piece is very different from another. I'm playing in five pieces, three of them are completely new to me.

Britten -- Phantasy
Martinu -- Duo for Violin and Cello
Moszkowski -- Suite for Two Violins and Piano
Handel/Halvorsen -- Passacaglia
Morricone -- "Gabriel's Oboe"
Haydn -- London Trio
Filipino songs
Organ solo

 Here's a sneak peak of the Britten (not my recording!)

 I'm so excited to perform these pieces with my friends and colleagues. I will write more about the concert and how you can help. Stay tuned!

 A few weeks ago I got a call to play solo on Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No.4 on Christmas Eve at St.Paul's Episcopal Church in Greenwich. Great, I love Brandenburg Concerti (all of them!) and I have played it before (actually, with the same orchestra as this time).
 Today I was notified that they added Bach's Concerto for Violin and Oboe onto the program. I can hardly contain my excitement because that's a piece that I wanted to play with an orchestra! It's going to be my dream-come-true Christmas Eve.
 There are two versions of this concerto; c minor and d minor. I have read it in d minor but this time we are playing in c minor. I have to get the music soon...
 
 Here's a great recording of it by Julia Fischer. Enjoy!

 Here's a bit of "behind the stage" episode. It had come up in a conversation with my mother this morning, how the oboist and I wanted to play this piece with the orchestra. What's even more peculiar, my mother and I were talking about the Christmas Eve gig back in October, what the program might be, and a few hours later, the music director called to book me!
 
 It's wonderful how things turned out immediately after I verbalized hopes and dreams. So maybe I should also mention that there's other pieces like Beethoven concerto... ;-) 
 

 I am so grateful to be part of this benefit concert for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan on December 7. All proceeds will be donated to the Philippines Relief Efforts. The tickets are sold here.

 I will be playing Romance in G major by Beethoven and selections from Suite Italienne by Stravinsky, accompanied by Martin Soderberg. We were on artist-faculty of OPUSFEST 2013 in the Philippines and we felt that we had to do something to help the victims. While at OPUSFEST, We were welcomed with the greatest hospitality and I was amazed with the Filipino children's enthusiasm toward music and improvement. At the same time I saw some under-privileged people there and I would love to help the typhoon victims as much as I can. Unfortunately people tend to forget natural disasters like this unless their friends and families are involved. It already feels like people here have moved on. After a disaster like that, victims need help and donations for a long time ( for example, Japan's tsunami victims from 2011 still need help). I am trying to organize two more benefit concerts for the Philippines, so stay tuned!

 I have not met Benjamin Rossen and Elena Diaz-Acosta but I am looking forward to meeting them and hearing them perform.

 This Sunday I will be playing Magnificat in D by J.S.Bach. I've never heard of this piece. So as I listen to it... here you go. Enjoy!

 Magnificat was first written in 1723 for that year's Christmas Day, in key of E-flat. Bach was a newly appointed Thomaskantor (music director of Thomanerchor in Leipzig) and it seems he intended to impress his new employer and congregation with this choral work. 10 years later he transposed it to D major for Easter.