VNote Brings Venezuelan Flair to San Mateo
Take a vacation to South America without leaving the San Mateo public library! The VNote Ensemble — Sam Bevan, Donna Viscuso, Jackeline Rago, and Lali, Mejia — provide a spicy treat on May 7, with their Latin-seasoned Jazz. VNote fuses North American jazz with Venezuelan songs, rhythms, and colors, in exquisite arrangements that will introduce you to the exotic world of joropo and swing, gaita and soul, be-bop, and calypso.
The concert is the last in this season’s free Family Series, produced by Music at Kohl Mansion together with the San Mateo Public Library — only one of the educational outreach projects Kohl Mansion has conducted for the past 19 years. Kohl for Kids, invites elementary school and preschool aged kids into the historic Elizabethan style mansion at Mercy High School in Burlingame, for special musical field trips. Educators lead participatory games, songs, and movement, ideal for engaging young listeners and their parents. Music-in-Schools program presents chamber music at all of the public schools in Burlingame and Milbrae. For the more experienced high school kids, there are master classes and coachings with the Alexander String Quartet. All told, some 4,500 kids are served.
Watch the Web site for next season’s musical and educational offerings. Read more about the Family concert with VNote.
California Dreaming: Competition Winners Grand Finale
The California Youth Symphony, led by Maestro Leo Eylar for the past 20 years, plays its final concert of the season on May 8. For graduating seniors — hornist Reilly Tamer and violinist Darren Hau — it’s a bittersweet farewell. The two won the Symphony’s concerto competition, and as a result, will perform movements from Richard Strauss’ Horn Concerto No. 1 and Dvořák’s Violin Concerto, respectively.
Reilly Tamer, senior at Mountain View High School, has been with the CYSO program for six years, three of which have been in the senior orchestra. “It’s the only chance I have to play with other dedicated musicians who really want to be there, perform at a high level, and make it sound good,” says Tarner. His teacher Erika Wilsen is a prominent freelance musician in the area, and happened to start Reilly off on horn when she was his elementary school teacher. Tarner also plays the trumpet in his high school jazz band. “I like jazz, but have to try to play more horn than trumpet since it’s hard to train your muscles to do both. I love the horn — it’s my main instrument.” One of the memorable things about the CYS for him was the concert tour of Uruguay and Argentina in 2010, which he considers a peak musical and cultural experience. He heads off next fall to University of the Pacific in Stockton as a music education major. “I love music, sharing that love with others, seeing when students ‘get it’ and seeing them enjoy it.”
Darren Hau, a senior at Los Gatos High School has been with the program even longer — six years in the senior orchestra (eight years total). “More than half my life,” he jokes. “I learned to love classical music partly through the orchestra,” he says. “It’s huge. With over 100 members it is difficult to make the music concise and coherent, but when we do, we create an overwhelming power.” His younger sister is also a part of the orchestra. Hau has fond memories of the three international tours he took with the CYS, and the mountain retreats where he once bunked in the same cabin as Tamer. A well-rounded student, Hau likes to balance his musical studies and academics with sports like tennis. He’ll attend Stanford University next fall, and is looking into subjects like engineering, energy, and social responsibility. “I will really try to continue playing music since it helps me individually, as a person. It’s still up in the air, but I’d like to try chamber music since I haven’t done that.” We wish both young men much success! Read more about the California Youth Symphony concert on May 8.
Treasure This: 2011 Marin Music Chest Awards
What if you had a treasure chest you could open when it was time to pay for musical study, or a new instrument? Marin county students have such a chest, albeit a highly competitive source of financial support to help them stay in the game.
Founded in Marin in 1933 as a presenter, Marin Music Chest now focuses on their scholarship award program. Juniors, age 10-13 and seniors, age 14-19, that live in the county and study woodwinds, brass and string instruments, piano, percussion and voice audition for the awards in March.
Congratulations to this year's winners, pictured: L to R Top: Caitlin Gowdy (violin), Hayaka Komatsu (violin), Daniel Cho (violin) and Noah Merz (viola). L to R Middle: Kenji Bellavigna (clarinet), Colin Wells (flute) and Max Norman (clarinet). L to R Bottom: Chloe Fung (piano), Matthew Lee (piano), Daria Hoang (piano), Stephanie Oh (violin) and Joseph Kim (clarinet). Not pictured: RJ Pearce (piano), Gregory Rathje (viola), and William Zhao (piano).
You can hear them in concert on May 1, and the Young Artist Winners on May 15.