Niko Umar-Durr’s Next World Premiere
Niko Umar-Durr can’t seem to get enough music in his life. The 16-year-old junior is a violinist at the Oakland School of the Arts, and in the Young People’s Symphony Orchestra. As a composer, he participates in the Crowden School’s prestigious John Adams Young Composers Program, and since he, like most teenagers, enjoys hanging out with his friends, is a member of the student-run composer collective Harmonikos. He takes private composition and violin lessons, to boot. Umar-Durr’s first horn trio, called aptly, Horn Trio, will be performed by the Sierra Ensemble at Crowden on Nov. 19. SFCV asked him about his work and his life passion.
Have you ever written for this instrumentation before, and what did you learn?
No, it’s a new experience for me. Trying to find the proper balance between a loud instrument such as the horn, and the equally loud (in a different way) violin, and the piano all behind it was definitely a challenge, and a good experience.
What will we hear in there?
I wanted to create a specific chord progression that was similar to one of Ravel. I also think Tchaikovsky is equally interesting harmonically. But of course I didn’t plagiarize.
What other piece are you proud of?
The Oakland School of the arts performed a string sextet of mine called Romanza, and they did a great job! Some of the kids there haven’t played for too long but they were really good.
You began musical studies as a violinist — how did you become a composer?
I started my experience on the violin. At 6 or 7 I had ideas in my head and I was hoping I’d come across a piece that had them so I could play them, but I never found it. I was studying Suzuki, so I decided to copy the notes from my music and put them in my own order, I was composing!
What was your greatest influence?
My first composition teacher, Molly Axman, who I’m still in touch with. She believed in me from the start. I came in as a 5th grader and she saw that I aspire to be what I’m becoming now. She taught me from 5th grade until a few weeks ago.
What do you do in your spare time?
I love playing music and hanging out with my friends. Our group, Harmonikos is a young composers group. We write music and then we play it or ask friends who play certain instruments to play with us. I’ve played in all my pieces for those concerts.
Come hear Umar-Durr’s Horn Trio, in the concert: New Works for Horn, Violin, and Piano.
Meet the Berkeley Symphony
Look out: “Rusty” van Beethoven is coming to town to introduce kids and their families to the Symphony Orchestra. In this engaging program, “Rusty” (a.k.a. wigged Conductor and Educator Ming Luke) and the musicians of the Berkeley Symphony, explore the American frontier through the music of Aaron Copland, the ragtime era of Scott Joplin, the jazzier times of George Gershwin, plus many others. In the spirit of interactivity, the audience will clap along to the groovy rhythms of West Side Story, get stompin’ to the down-home fiddling style found in Copland’s ‘ho down,’ and participate in other fun exercises designed to make the music come to life.
The program, titled “Meet the Symphony,” is a recap of what the Berkeley Symphony is doing in all 11 elementary schools in the Berkeley Unified School District this fall. With support from the District and the Berkeley Public Education Foundation, Ming has been the force behind growing the Orchestra’s school music program from presenting in four schools to a total of 11. Saturday’s concert is a chance for kids around the Bay to take their parents to the show, one of two family concerts this season. The second concert in May, “I’m a Performer,” allows both kids and adults to come to the stage as performers. Meanwhile, come meet the symphony in this entertaining, one-hour performance on Nov. 19. There are two shows, at 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
The Year of the (Velveteen) Rabbit: Celebrating 25
ODC/Dance celebrates its 25th production of The Velveteen Rabbit this winter, with a show that’s every bit as heartwarming as the first. The tale of our fuzzy stuffed hero who becomes real through the love of a young boy, comes to life again through exquisite dancing by ODC/Dance professionals and child dancers, narration, colorful costumes and sets, and the music of Benjamin Britten.
Director KT Nelson is proud to see the birthday of her 25-year-old creation, which began originally as a 30-minute bedtime-story set to music by the pianist George Winston. “My son was two at the time,” she recalls. “I watched what it was that he liked about the show, namely being told a story, and then, seeing kids (his own peers) on the stage.” All qualities that the show still maintains, after being expanded to one hour, and set to Britten’s music.
Ten professional dancers and 10 student dancers per cast take the stage in a combination that KT coaxes into a cohesive and engaging story. Her challenge of working with the young dancers is running that fine line between preserving their childish essence, and getting them polished for the performances. “They should be good at what they do and still be kids,” she muses. “We should perceive them as young, innocent, and open bodies — not experts, yet their bodies have to have a certain amount of knowledge and skill.”
And for the kids it’s a dream-like opportunity. “They get to dance with the ODC dancers and get the appetite for what it feels like to live and breathe as part of this company. Also, they understand what it means to be part of a group and make something happen in a team effort.” Visit ODC's website to take advantage of all of the special offerings, like Grandparents Day and Milk and Cookie parties. Show dates run from Nov. 25 — Dec. 11 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. (Best for ages: 3-8 years old.)