Concerts
Recent CSYM concerts
29 June 2008 Dr Suzuki Anniversary Concert - West Road
(Full program)
Congratuations to all CSYM students who participated and a warm thank-you to all CSYM families who helped sponsor & supported the Dr Suzuki Anniversary Concert, either through their generous volunteer efforts behind the scenes, or through their attendance and help on the day of this very memorable & inspiring festival of Suzuki Piano. It was a special pleasure to be joined by other Suzuki Piano teachers from the UK, Germany and the USA, dedicated to helping children achieve their best through Suzuki education, in a programme ranging through 500 years of music from Frescobaldi to Fitkin.
Our new friends from abroad all hope to return to Cambridge one day; the German contingent was especially pleased to be able to camp out on Judith Heslam's lawn (first time camping for some of them!) Also, the charity fund-raiser proved a big success, raising over £400 in profits to go to Save the Children. And we hope you've all come away inspired by a "Dream Piece" you plan to listen to and learn one day in the future. Special Thanks to the following:
PR/Printing/Save the Children liason: Karyn Barnes Communications/Photocopying/Hospitality: Jane Kershaw & Judith Somers-Heslam Finance & Tickets: Rae Streets, sales on the door Louise Mitchell, Shekoofeh Shini, Audrey Caldwell Stewards: Jon Shallcross, Sarah Upjohn, Jenny Chin, Alison James
20 April 2008 Charity concert - West Road
Highlight: the 'Carnival of the Animals'
9 December 2007 Birthday concert - West Road Concert Hall
This year's pre-Christmas concert commemorated the 125th Birthday Anniversary of Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967) and featured piano music by Hungarian composers including Kodály, Bartók and Kurtág. Younger students performed pieces from the Suzuki Piano repertoire, and CSYM's own Arion Chamber Choir presented several Hungarian children's songs arranged by Kodály and Bárdos.
Zoltán Kodály (pronounced 'Ko-DA-ee') was a prominent Hungarian composer and musician, linguist and ethnomusicologist, who devoted much of his life to reforming the teaching of music in his native Hungary and to making it an integral part of the education of every child. Kodály realized that music is part of everyone's basic heritage, is fundamental for human development, and should be started at as early an age as possible. According to Kodály, a child's voice is the most natural means of musical expression, so music instruction is based in singing and focuses on developing the skill of inner hearing, using nursery rhymes, traditional chants, singing games, folk songs, selected art music and rhythmic movement. Like Dr Suzuki, Kodály believed that music is meant to develop one's entire being: personality, intellect and emotions. Kodály's vision was to develop all aspects of the musician in balance with the others: the eyes, the ears, the hands, and the heart.
26 July 2007 at West Road Concert Hall
The finale concert of the Institute included the premiere performance of an exciting three-movement piece for two pianos and string quartet by Graham Fitkin, commissioned by CSYM.This was made possible by the financial support awarded by the Performing Rights Foundation. The programme also included music by Spanish and Latin American composers.
18 March 2007 at West Road Concert Hall
The Spring concert 2007 - 'Especially Espana' - featured the music of twentieth-century Spanish and Latin American composers, including Albeniz, Turina, Rodrigo and Villa-Lobos, alongside pieces from the Suzuki repertoire. Before the interval, a representative from the RNID (Royal National Institute for the Deaf) spoke about the work of the charity and the awareness-raising campaign Don't Lose the Music: Look After Your Ears Now - Enjoy Music Forever. See their website for further information. Over £120 was raised in voluntary donations for the RNID.
Betty's article looking at the issue of noise, music and hearing care - 'How Loud is Too Loud?' - can be downloaded here.
Saturday 3 February, 12pm at Michaelhouse, Trinity Street
An informal piano concert by CSYM students in the chancel at Michaelhouse to help raise funds towards commissioning a new piano/chamber music work by leading British composer Graham Fitkin.
Sunday 10 December 2006, 3pm at West Road Concert Hall
The Well-Tempered Student: Music in many keys
Sunday 26 March 2006, 3pm West Road Concert Hall
CSYM spring concert in aid of the music therapy programme at Milton Children's Hospice
This year's spring concert focused on contemporary piano music. Pieces from the newly published collection of international compositions entitled 'Spectrum 4' (including works for piano with accompanying soundtrack), as well as works by Hungarian composer Gyorgy Kurtag from his series of pieces called 'Games', were performed. Kurtag himself wrote: 'The idea of composing "Games" was suggested by children playing spontaneously, children for whom the piano still means a toy. They experiment with it, caress it, and run their fingers over it. They pile up seemingly disconnected sounds, and if this happens to arouse their musical instinct they look consciously for some of the harmonies found by chance and keep repeating them'. The concert programme was in part a 'hommage' to Kurtag who is 80 this year.
The younger pupils played pieces from the Suzuki repertoire of folksongs and classical pieces. The programme included piano solos, duets, and two-piano performances.
Over £150 was collected in voluntary donations during the interval for the music therapy programme at Milton Children's Hospice.
Music therapy is based on an understanding that the ability to respond to music is an innate human response that is often unimpaired by disability. Music therapists are trained to use music to reach out and help people communicate and interact musically. For more information about music therapy, see the British Society for Music Therapy website. To find out more about the work of East Anglia's Children's Hospices, see their website.
Tel: (01223) 264408
Email: info@suzukipianocambridge.org.uk
24 August 2008 16:11