International Singer Returns to Arcata for Halloween Concert at HSU

Fresh from a “vividly dramatic” performance in Manhattan lauded by the New York Times, mezzo-soprano (and Arcata High grad) Hai-Ting Chinn returns home to perform a recital of spooky songs from the classical repertoire on Halloween night, October 31 at the HSU Fulkerson Recital Hall.

She was known as Allison Chinn when she sang with the Redwood Coast Children’s Chorus and Humboldt Light Opera, and when she graduated from Arcata High. She took her middle name “Hai-Ting” as her professional name.

Now an international performer of classical and contemporary opera, she is currently featured in the world tour of the Philip Glass opera Einstein on the Beach. In mid-October she performed Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire in New York to widespread praise.

  As an advocate for classical music in accessible settings, she sang on the Wendy Williams syndicated talk show. “Chinn has it all: breathtaking beauty, poise, and a voice of pure gold,” wrote David Cote in Timeout New York.

For HSU on Halloween, “I'm planning a fun little art-song recital of spooky songs from the standard repertoire (Dowland, Schubert, Schumann, Fauré, Mahler, Barber) about witches, ghosts, and the grim reaper, plus a whole set about the moon,” she said. Chinn will also perform the song cycle La Courte Paille by 20th century composer Francis Poulenc—“it’s one of my personal favorites.” She will be joined by soprano and HSU Music professor Elisabeth Harrington for two duets, including Rossini’s “cat duet,” especially for Halloween.

Hai-Ting Chinn performs in a Guest Artists Concert on Wednesday October 31 at 8 p.m. in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. Tickets: $8/$3 from HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. Produced by the HSU Music Department.

Media: Humboldt State Now, Tri-City Weekly, Arcata Eye

Hai-Ting Chinn Biography

American Mezzo-soprano Hai-Ting Chinn performs in a wide range of styles and venues, from Purcell to Pierrot Lunaire, Cherubino to The King & I, J.S. Bach to P.D.Q. Bach.

 In the title role of the Wooster Group's production of Francesco Cavalli's La Didone, premiered at the Edinburgh Festival, the Scotsman newspaper called her "glorious, poised, and poignant," and during the New York City production at St. Ann's Warehouse, Timeout New York said of her: "Chinn has it all: breathtaking beauty, poise, comic timing and a voice of pure gold."

Hai-Ting is currently featured in Philip Glass and Robert Wilson's Einstein On The Beach, which will tour the world through March 2013. Other operatic roles include Hansel in Hansel and Gretel with Lyric Opera of San Diego, Aloès in Chabrier's L'Étoile with New York City Opera, Dorabella in Mozart's Cosi fan tutte with Dell'Arte Opera, Poppea in Monteverdi's L'Incoronazione di Poppea with OperaOmnia, and Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with the New York Opera Society.

 She has been heard as soloist with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, The Israel Philharmonic, and St. Luke's Chamber Players; in J.S. Bach's St. John Passion with the Orchestra of St. Ignatius Loyola, as Dido in Henry Purcell's Dido and Aeneas with the Rebel Baroque Orchestra, in the Waverly Consort's Christmas Story, in P.D.Q. Bach's Liebeslieder Polkas with Peter Schickele, with the New York City Opera's educational touring company as Hansel in Hansel and Gretel and in the title role of The Little Prince (Rachel Portman, 2003), and as Lady Thiang in The King & I on London's West End.  She was also heard as soloist with the New York Collegium and in Mozart's Requiem with the Colonial Symphony, and she appeared in Jonathan Miller's production of Bach's St. Matthew Passion at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

She sings with new- and early-music ensembles including the Proteus Ensemble, New York Collegium, L'antica Musica New York, the Tiffany Consort, Bachworks, Sequitur, the Locrian Chamber ensemble, the New York Virtuoso Singers, and the VOX vocal ensemble. She has roles in new operas and other works including Du Yun's Zolle at the New York City Opera VOX festival and Angel Bones at the Mann Center in Philadelphia, Jonathan Dawe's Cracked Orlando, Matthew Schickele's Marymere, Conrad Cummings's The Golden Gate, Yoav Gal's Moshe, Gregory Spear's Paul's Case, and Stefan Weisman's Darkling, which was released by Albany Records in 2011.

Hai-Ting is known in New York City as an advocate of classical music in unusual and accessible settings. She starred in the Wooster Group's first opera, La Didone (music of Francesco Cavalli), an experimental retelling of the Dido and Aeneas story set in and against a Sci-Fi movie from the 1960s. She performed the roles of Medea in Cavalli's Giasone and Poppea in Monteverdi's Coronation of Poppea in a nightclub (Le Poisson Rouge in Manhattan's West Village, productions by OperaOmnia) and Nicklausse/The Muse in Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann at an active shipping dock on the Brooklyn waterfront (a production by Vertical Players Repertory in collaboration with the Brooklyn stevedores).

 She has also performed at more than 25 New York public schools with the New York City Opera's educational outreach program, and she has given classical recitals in New York rock and cabaret venues such as Tonic and Barbès.

Ms. Chinn grew up in Northern California and holds degrees from the Eastman and Yale Schools of Music. Her web page contains more information and links to videos.

Additional links:

NY Post review of "Mosheh"
The Jewish Daily Forward review of "Mosheh"

Student soloists Ana Cruz, Rachel Kamradt and Anna Coleman

Students in the Spotlight for Humboldt Symphony Concert

Humboldt Symphony features three student instrumental and vocal soloists, plus a piece by a student composer in its concert on Saturday October 27 in Fulkerson Recital Hall.

The student work is Prelude and Dance for the Day of the Dead by Justino Eustacio Perez, an HSU senior studying composition with Brian Post. The Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday celebrated on November 1.

Three student soloists are featured in excerpts from Bach cantatas that center on oboe and voice. Vocalists Ana Cruz and Anna Coleman (both studying with HSU professor Elisabeth Harrington) each perform a solo aria, and Rachel Kamradt plays solo oboe on both excerpts.

“Rachel is a graduating senior planning to study oboe in graduate school next year, “said Symphony conductor Paul Cummings,” so we want to feature her as a soloist before she goes away. These excerpts are exquisite writing for the oboe, but also very challenging to play. Bach brings out the beautiful lyric quality of the instrument. In the arias the oboe and the vocalists are basically performing duets together.”

The Symphony also performs Our Town by Aaron Copland, based on his score for the 1940 film version of Thorton Wilder’s famous evocation of Americans life. “It’s a wonderful slow piece,” Cummings said, “and you can certainly hear the Copland style, with beautiful writing for strings and woodwinds.”

  In a different mood, Carmen Suite #1 features familiar melodies from Bizet’s most popular opera, including the toreador march. “This suite is full of drama,” Cummings said, “with famous passages in each movement, beautifully played by our students.”

The Humboldt Symphony performs on Saturday October 27 at 8 p.m. in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. Tickets: $7/$3/free to HSU students with i.d. from HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. Produced by the HSU Music Department.  

Media: Arcata Eye, Humboldt State Now.

Humboldt Symphony Concert Notes
 by conductor Paul Cummings

We’re playing a piece by a student composer written just last year by a senior studying with Brian Post, Justino Eustacio Perez. It’s called Prelude and Dance for the Day of the Dead. It’s an interesting piece, highly technical writing with a lot of dissonance, very challenging for the musicians.

  Our Town by Aaron Copland: Copland was asked to write the soundtrack of the 1940 film of Thorton Wilder’s play. This piece draws upon passages from the film. As a concert piece it was first played in 1944 by the Boston Pops, conducted by Leonard Bernstein. It’s a wonderful slow piece, and you can certainly hear the Copland style. There’s beautiful writing for the strings and particularly woodwinds. It follows the traditional form of a slow piece: it starts out very calmly with a very soft dynamic level, and builds in intensity to a midsection where everyone is playing at full volume, very thick texture, and then it unwinds itself, and comes back to the soft and peaceful opening style. It’s got that traditional arch form.

We’re doing two sets of excerpts from cantatas by J.S. Bach—Cantata #12 and #21. In each one we’re doing the symphonia, or first movement, as well as an aria for solo voice with continuo, which is bass line and keyboard instrument filling out the harmony. We have two solo voices: Anna Coleman and Ana Cruz, both students of Elisabeth Harrington. Each does a solo aria movement. The common theme is that the primary instrument is the oboe. Our oboe soloist is Rachel Kamradt, a graduating senior planning to study oboe in graduate school next year, so we want to feature her as a soloist before she goes away.

 These four movements are really fantastic examples of Bach’s writing for oboe, especially from his early period in Weimar, his first major job. This is exquisite writing for oboe—also very difficult. The movements are all slow but still very challenging. They feature the beautiful lyric quality of the instrument. The aria movements are basically duets between the oboe and the singer.

Bizet’s Carmen Suite #1 has five movements. It’s drawn from the opera that made Bizet quite famous. The music in this suite is full of classic solo excerpts that are played by musicians in auditions for symphony orchestras all over the world. For example, the flute solo with harp accompaniment in the third movement is very famous. In the fourth movement there’s a famous bassoon duet, beautifully played by our students. Then the very famous toreador march in the last movement.

The music is full of drama, and evokes the spirit of Carmen, who is a classic femme fatale figure from 19th century opera. This music is now seen as some of the most quintessential Spanish music ever written, even though it was written by a French composer.

Old Homecoming Days with the Symphonic Band and Jazz Orchestra

The HSU Symphonic Band celebrates home and family for Homecoming and Family Weekend in a joint concert with the Jazz Orchestra on Saturday October 20 in Fulkerson Recital Hall.

The Symphonic Band features Old Home Days, a suite by American composer Charles Ives that fondly recalls his childhood home in Connecticut.  “It has a lot of variety,” said conductor Paul Cummings, “including a slow movement that’s based on one of Ives’ first compositions—a memorial he wrote as a teenager for the family dog.”  There’s also an upbeat evocation of two marching bands playing different tunes as they pass by in a parade.  “Besides suggesting a childhood experience,” Cummings said, “this is an important part of Ives’ musical aesthetic: taking it all in, rather than just the neat and tidy sounds.”

The American nostalgia theme continues with a movement from Robert Russell Bennett’s Suite of Old American Dances that suggests the changing popular music of the early 20^th century in a waltz flavored with Ragtime. “It’s got a beautiful lightness to it,” Cummings said. Bennett is best known for arranging many of the classic 1940s to 60s Broadway shows, from Showboat to Camelot. "He really knew how to write for a pit orchestra, and his concert band pieces are great," Cummings said. 

The band also plays Footsteps by Dana Wilson, the Pentland Hills march by James Howe and Homage to Perotin by Ron Nelson—“a very exciting piece that really features the brass.  We have terrific brass and percussion sections this year, so we want to show them off,” Cummings said.

The HSU Jazz Orchestra plays the other half of the program, which includes a Mike Tomaro arrangement of “I Mean You” by Thelonious Monk, as well as tunes by Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson and Freddie Hubbard.  The ensemble, directed by Dan Aldag, also plays an original piece composed collectively in the 1930s Count Basie Orchestra tradition.  

The HSU Symphonic Band and Jazz Orchestra perform on Saturday October 20 at 8 p.m. in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. Tickets: $7/$3/free to HSU students with i.d. from HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door.  Produced by the HSU Music Department. 

Media: Arcata Eye, Tri-City Weekly, Humboldt State Now.

Notes on Jazz Orchestra program by Director Dan Aldag

"I Mean You"--a Thelonious Monk tune in a new arrangement by Mike Tomaro that incorporates a New Orleans second-line feel.

"One By One"--Wayne Shorter composed this for Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers during his time in that band. Our arrangement is by Mark Taylor.

"Recorda Me"--written by Joe Henderson for his debut album Page One. The title, which means "Remember Me", is Portuguese--an appropriate language for a Bossa Nova. We're playing a new arrangement by Eric Richards.

"The Intrepid Fox"--a fast and complex tune by Freddie Hubbard, also arranged by Eric Richards.

An as-yet-untitled original composed collectively by the band in the tradition of the "head charts" played by the Count Basie Orchestra of the 1930s. Each of the horn sections came up with one or more riffs to serve as melodic material. Further riffs were developed to serve as backgrounds to solos, and over several weeks of rehearsal, the arrangement took shape without anything ever being written down.

Notes on Symphonic Band program by Conductor Paul Cummings

We open with a march: Pentland Hills by Major James W. Howe.  It’s a concert march that quotes several Scottish folk tunes.

We feature Old Home Days, a suite by Charles Ives, in which he looks back fondly on his childhood in Danbury, Connecticut.  There’s a lot of variety in these five movements...The last movement—“London Bridge is Falling Down”—features some classic bitonality: two different keys happening simultaneously.  One part of the brass section is playing in F major while another part is playing simultaneously in E major—a half step away from each other, which creates this huge dissonance.  But that’s one of the hallmarks of his music. It also suggests the effect of two marching bands passing in a parade playing different pieces at the same time.  This evokes an experience of his childhood but also is an important part of his musical aesthetic: taking it all in, representing that as real music, rather than just the neat and tidy sounds.   Ives wrote this as songs for solo voice with piano, and it was arranged for band by Jonathan Elkus, the former band director at UC Davis who is an expert on Ives.

Footsteps by Dana Wilson is meant to describe the effect of slowly creeping footsteps, which start out in a very gentle pulse then gather momentum and volume and drama.  The composer says in the score “Footsteps can suggest everything from gently walking to mysterious uncertainty to massive marching.” He compares it to Bolero, which starts out with snare drum playing very softly but relentlessly, and builds momentum gradually.  Dana Wilson is a well known composer, still living, he teaches at Ithaca College in New York, won a lot of prizes and had his music performed by wind ensembles all over the world.

We’re also playing the fourth movement of Suite of Old American Dances by Robert Russell Bennett.  This movement is “The Wallflower Waltz.”  In general, Bennett is attempting to capture the spirit of Americana, with music and dance and culture of the early part of the 20^th century, 1900-15.  The movements of this piece reflect the styles of that time, and the waltz was prominent among them. But this waltz is not typical—there are jazz inflections, which was a real influence in the early 20^th century, including some ragtime sounds.  It’s got a beautiful lightness to it, often just flute and piccolo playing as a duet. 

Our last piece is “Homage to Perotin” by Ron Nelson.  Perotin was a medieval composer, so his works represent some of the earliest music in western culture.  This is the second movement of Nelson’s Medieval Suite. Each movement focuses on one composer. Nelson writes that he isn’t transcribing their works, but he uses them “as a sort of launching pad” to evoke characteristics of that period’s music, including the use of Gregorian chant.  It’s a very exciting piece, with lots of dissonance.  It really features the brass.  We have terrific brass and percussion sections this year, so we want to show them off.  

Cindy Moyer and Daniela Mineva Play Beethoven and Debussy

Violinist Cindy Moyer begins her project of playing all 10 Beethoven violin sonatas in an HSU Music Faculty Artist Series concert with pianist Daniela Mineva on Saturday, October 13 in Fulkerson Recital Hall.

She starts with the first one—the Sonata in D Major for Piano and Violin, which Beethoven wrote when he was 29. “While it’s an early piece, it is clearly recognizable as mature Beethoven,” Moyer said. “The first movement is stormy and dramatic, while the last movement is lilting.” She plans to play the other nine violin sonatas over the course of several future recitals.

Also on the program are the Sonata for Violin and Piano by Claude Debussy. “This is the 150th anniversary of Debussy’s birth, so playing his only violin sonata seems appropriate,” Moyer said. “It combines Debussy’s typical dreamy, ethereal style with some more direct and energetic sections."

Witold Lutoslawski was a leading 20th century composer and, with Chopin, one of the greatest Polish composers ever, Moyer notes. Written late in his career in 1984, the Partita for Violin and Piano combines traditional and experimental elements, assuring a unique performance each time. “While the harmonies are definitely modern, I hope listeners will find the piece exciting, dramatic and interesting to listen to.”

Moyer and Mineva also combine on From My Homeland by 19th century Czech composer Bedrich Smetana.  Based on folk melodies, "this piece features sweeping, lyrical melodies contrasted with fast and flashy sections," Moyer said.

Moyer plays one solo selection: Fantasia No. 7 by George Philipp Telemann. “He wrote this at about the same time as Bach composed his famous solo violin pieces. But this is on a much more intimate scale, and is much easier to understand on a first hearing.”

The Faculty Artists Series concert with Cindy Moyer and Daniela Mineva is Saturday, October 13 at 8 p.m. in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. Tickets: $8/$3 from HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. Produced by HSU Music Department. 

Media:  Humboldt State Now , Tri-City Quarterly

Cindy Moyer and Daniela Mineva: The Program

 

Sonata in D Major for Piano and Violin, Op. 12, No. 1: Ludwig van Beethoven
          Allegro con brio
         Tema con Variazioni:  Andante con moto
         Rondo:  Allegro

Partita for Violin and Piano: Witold Lutoslawski

         Allegro Giusto                      
         Ad Libitum
         Largo
         Ad Libitum
         Presto

Fantasia No. 7 in E-flat major for Solo Violin: George Philipp Telemann

         Dolce              

         Allegro

         Largo
         Presto

Sonata for Violin and Piano: Claude Debussy

         Allegro vivo       (1862-1918)
         Intermède:  fantasque et léger
         Finale:  Très animè
 

From My Homeland:  Bedrich Smetana

         Moderato                     
         Andantino - Moderato

  

Program Notes: Cindy Moyer

 
Sonata in D Major for Piano and Violin: This is Beethoven’s first violin sonata, written in Vienna when he was 29, before his first symphony or his first string quartets.  (I’m working on a project of playing all 10 of the violin sonatas over the course of a number of recitals.)  While it’s an early piece, it still is clearly recognizable as mature Beethoven – the first movement is stormy and dramatic, while the last movement has a typical lilting Rondo theme. 

Partita for Violin and Piano: Lutoslawski was one of the leading composers of the 20^th century, and (with Chopin) one of the greatest Polish composers ever.  The Partita was written in 1984, so it’s still a relatively new piece.  The piece uses several unusual compositional techniques – in three sections, Daniela and I are told what notes and (approximately) what rhythms to play, but are also instructed that we are not to synchronize our parts in any way.  The result is that each time we play these sections, the parts combine in unique ways;  we can guarantee that you will hear a one-of-a-kind performance at the recital.  Most of the piece is written more traditionally. While the harmonies are definitely modern, I hope listeners will find the piece exciting, dramatic, and interesting to listen to. 

 Fantasia No. 7 in E-flat major for Solo Violin: Telemann wrote a set of 12 Fantasias for solo violin.  Frequent concert-goers may be familiar with Bach’s monumental Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin.  While the Telemann pieces are written at the same time, they are composed on a much more intimate scale – and are much easier to understand on a first hearing. 

 Sonata for Violin and Piano: This year is the 150^th anniversary of Debussy’s birth, so playing his only violin sonata seems appropriate.  (Next January is the 100^th anniversary of Lutoslawski’s birth. So actually our concert is about 3 ½ months before Lutoslawski’s 100^th birthday and a month and a half after Debussy’s 150^th.)   The sonata combines Debussy’s typical dreamy, ethereal style with some more direct and energetic sections. 

 From My Homeland: Smetana was a Czech composer in the generation before Dvorak.  From My Homeland uses Czech melodies – or at least melodies that are similar to Czech folksongs.  The piece features sweeping, lyrical melodies contrasted with fast and flashy sections.