With my new haircut (its not really new I got it cut 4 months ago!) I get lots of looks and comments. A mohawk (or eskiMOHAWK as I like to refer to it) is different, and as I have found out, alot of work to keep it from being a fauxhawk...what I save in shampoo I spend on shaving cream and gel, ah life's rich pageant.
So these days I am used to getting stopped in the grocery store and being asked if I am the last of my kind, at the dry cleaners asking what punk band I play in, and general stares of, oh my gosh, that guy has a mohawk, he must be a punk. Little do they realize I am a classically trained musician, who specializes in the music of our time.
So yesterday at lunch with a coworker I was asked by a complete stranger if I was in a motorcycle gang. Now mind you, I was wearing a suit (my closet remains full of clothes of a "Kansas College professor", and on most days recently, all black!) and still was asked seriously if I was in a motorcycle gang.
I replied, no, and without a beat the lady asked if I wanted to be in one, that her husband was right over at another table. Gee, I don't even own a motorcycle, could I still join a gang?!
The eskiMOHAWK is way fun, I get looks (even last night at the excellent recital of SOLI's pianist Carolyn True) whereever I go, and no doubt comments. I now am able to reply that my favorite author IS James Fennimore Cooper. Next, I need to start my own classical gang. Wanna join?
Showing posts with label Las Vegas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Las Vegas. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Thursday, May 15, 2008
From Jennifer
The Las Vegas Design CenterInvites You to Art Walk 2008
Hosted by
Scandinavian Collection
Join us…
Wednesday, May 21st
Building B - Suite B-158
Cocktails/ Hors d’oeuvres / Live Artists
3pm-6pm
•
The art walk will begin in the Scandinavian Collection showroom, B-158, where artists will be on-hand painting and sketching
•
Additional art pieces will be displayed throughout the 1st floor of Bldg B for guests to view
•
A percentage of proceeds will be donated to the Safe Nest organization
Please bring a guest and RSVP to info@lvdesigncenter.com
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Bob and Bows!
This is most excellent:Going against the grain, he helps make music
By Kristen Peterson <kristen@lasvegassun.com>Las Vegas Sun
Delicately holding a polished and exquisite Emile Ouchard bow between the tips of his fingers, then placing it in its case, Bob Stewart says, "The French are to bows what Italians are to violins."
He picks up a James Tubbs bow, circa 1905, and says the British bow maker is one of his favorites, even though Tubbs' later bows were thought to be a "little bit clumsy , " with larger proportions. Then he examines one of his own creations, a cello bow.
In the course of history, this would seem an anomaly. Stewart's workbench in his tidy Las Vegas garage is a leap from the centuries-old traditions of European shops and craftsmen in musty urban storefronts.
The man himself has shaken the symphonic stereotype. Once he showed up at a client's doorstep and was told, "I expected you to be an old white guy."
"There aren't a lot of black people doing this," he says nonchalantly.
Moreover, in Las Vegas there aren't many people doing this at all.
Stewart is the go-to guy for bow repair, along with Jim Wilson, who repairs violins at Violin Outlet. Professional symphonic string players, fiddlers, students, they know him well. Expensive and rare bows are often sent to shops in Los Angeles or New York steeped in high-caliber bow repair. For everything else, Stewart and Wilson have essentially cornered the market.
But Stewart may just be the only bow maker in this city.
The South Philadelphia native played guitar, double bass and cello before apprenticing with a maker in New Jersey. He made his first bow by age 22, worked in shops and freelanced and dabbled in other professions before settling in Las Vegas in 1990.
He rehairs, repairs, restores and invests in rare bows.
His days of making bows have waned. He's made about 80 bows. At 53, he now makes only a couple of bows a year, including a bow he recently made for Las Vegas Philharmonic cellist Elena Kapustina.
Beginning with a plank of pernambuco wood from the jungles of South America, Stewart whittles and planes the stick into an octagonal shape, bevels the frog made of ebony, adds its metal parts and creates the camber in the stick. Stewart used to cut his own mother of pearl for the frog, but now orders them pre-cut.
Finishing the bows is more intuitive and less scientific. He works according to what looks and feels a certain weight, feel and graduations. After decades of working with bows, he has a pretty good idea of what he's doing. "They're very delicate and there is a subtlety about the beauty of the wood."
And they are expensive. A French bow in good shape is probably worth $15,000 to $20,000. A Tourte cello bow sold for $200,000 at auction last fall.
Although rare and expensive bows are sent away for repairs, much of Las Vegas, including members of the Las Vegas Philharmonic, relies on Stewart, who is also president of the Las Vegas Chamber Music Society.
"He's absolutely a godsend," says Mary Straub, who teaches violin at the Nevada School of the Arts. Straub sends Stewart about 50 bows a year from her students and has had him work on her bows. "If there's small crack or something has come unglued and we say we need it done tonight, he'll do it. He keeps us going."
By Kristen Peterson <kristen@lasvegassun.com>Las Vegas Sun
Delicately holding a polished and exquisite Emile Ouchard bow between the tips of his fingers, then placing it in its case, Bob Stewart says, "The French are to bows what Italians are to violins."
He picks up a James Tubbs bow, circa 1905, and says the British bow maker is one of his favorites, even though Tubbs' later bows were thought to be a "little bit clumsy , " with larger proportions. Then he examines one of his own creations, a cello bow.
In the course of history, this would seem an anomaly. Stewart's workbench in his tidy Las Vegas garage is a leap from the centuries-old traditions of European shops and craftsmen in musty urban storefronts.
The man himself has shaken the symphonic stereotype. Once he showed up at a client's doorstep and was told, "I expected you to be an old white guy."
"There aren't a lot of black people doing this," he says nonchalantly.
Moreover, in Las Vegas there aren't many people doing this at all.
Stewart is the go-to guy for bow repair, along with Jim Wilson, who repairs violins at Violin Outlet. Professional symphonic string players, fiddlers, students, they know him well. Expensive and rare bows are often sent to shops in Los Angeles or New York steeped in high-caliber bow repair. For everything else, Stewart and Wilson have essentially cornered the market.
But Stewart may just be the only bow maker in this city.
The South Philadelphia native played guitar, double bass and cello before apprenticing with a maker in New Jersey. He made his first bow by age 22, worked in shops and freelanced and dabbled in other professions before settling in Las Vegas in 1990.
He rehairs, repairs, restores and invests in rare bows.
His days of making bows have waned. He's made about 80 bows. At 53, he now makes only a couple of bows a year, including a bow he recently made for Las Vegas Philharmonic cellist Elena Kapustina.
Beginning with a plank of pernambuco wood from the jungles of South America, Stewart whittles and planes the stick into an octagonal shape, bevels the frog made of ebony, adds its metal parts and creates the camber in the stick. Stewart used to cut his own mother of pearl for the frog, but now orders them pre-cut.
Finishing the bows is more intuitive and less scientific. He works according to what looks and feels a certain weight, feel and graduations. After decades of working with bows, he has a pretty good idea of what he's doing. "They're very delicate and there is a subtlety about the beauty of the wood."
And they are expensive. A French bow in good shape is probably worth $15,000 to $20,000. A Tourte cello bow sold for $200,000 at auction last fall.
Although rare and expensive bows are sent away for repairs, much of Las Vegas, including members of the Las Vegas Philharmonic, relies on Stewart, who is also president of the Las Vegas Chamber Music Society.
"He's absolutely a godsend," says Mary Straub, who teaches violin at the Nevada School of the Arts. Straub sends Stewart about 50 bows a year from her students and has had him work on her bows. "If there's small crack or something has come unglued and we say we need it done tonight, he'll do it. He keeps us going."
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Big Organ in Vegas
Here's a great email from my friend Paul Hesselink:
I wanted to report to you on the four successful demonstrations of the organ in Doc Rando to four disadvantaged schools this week. At 9:45 on Monday we hosted Howard Hollingsworth Elementary school children (Doug Wilson, Principal)(about 225). At 11:00 we hosted students from Robert Lake Elementary (about 175). On Tuesday at 9:45 students fromGarside Middle School (about 250) came for the program, and at 11:00 Rose Warren elementary School students (about 280) were the audience. So, about 925 young students and teachers came to Doc Rando Hall those two mornings. NO ONE in those audiences had been there before. All costs were underwrittenby the School Community Partnership Program. There were 14 buses at a cost of about $110 per bus.
The students were VERY well-behaved, asked interesting and perceptive questions, and many took photos with their camera phones! A friend of mine in the school district had "cringed" when she heard which schools were participating and said she would "pray for me" having to face these "tough" schools.I had no problems, partially, I think, because the students were REALLY fascinated by the appearance of the organ, and, of course, the sound of the instrument is really impressive.
I suspect most of the students had never heard a pipe organ, and nobody knew of the Maurine Jackson Smith Memorial Organ at the University. Mrs. Beverly Mason, Assistant Director of the Partnership Program, will be soliciting evaluations fromthe participating schools. I hope those evaluations will help us improve subsequent presentations.
We had prepared a "fact sheet" which was distributed to teachers at the schools to do preparation for the students if they wished. I am attaching that, also for your information. [see below]
Thanks to Shireen Beaudry for her hard work in helping to set this pilot program up. Also thanks to members who helped at the demo sessions:
Doug Wilson for playing the Bach "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" for the session of the Hollingsworth students, Barbara Giles, Doris Francis, Shireen Beaudry and Steve Wright for assisting at the sessions.
Guide for a Visit to Nevada’s Largest Pipe Organ
Planning and Construction
The Maurine Jackson Smith Memorial Pipe Organ in Doc Rando Recital Hall on the UNLV campus, was a gift to the university and the community from the Edward D. Smith family in memory and in honor of Maurine Smith who was an accomplished organist here in Las Vegas. Mrs. Smith died October 1, 1999, and a family dedication celebration was held on the completion of the instrument October 1, 2004.
When the monetary gift to purchase the organ was given, the Music Department established a Search Committee for identifying a builder of the instrument. Eighteen builders from around the world---England, Italy, Denmark, Germany, Canada and the United States---were considered. The choice was made to contract for the instrument with the Rudolf von Beckerath organ building firm of Hamburg, Germany. This company has been building fine organs since 1949.
The building of this organ, from the time of signing the contract to completion, took about four and a half years. The case, pipes, wind chests, and mechanism were constructed piece by piece in the Hamburg factory by 21 artisans over a period of about 10 months (25,500 man-hours), and then securely packed into three semi-truck-sized waterproof and sealed containers. These containers were then loaded on a ship in the Hamburg harbor and made the five-week sea voyage to Los Angeles. After a customs inspection, the containers were unloaded on flat bed trucks and driven to Las Vegas. They arrived in Las Vegas mid-June of 2004. Fitting all the pieces of the organ together and then regulating each pipe so it sounds right (a process called “voicing”) took the next 3 ½ months.
Facts About the Organ
It is the largest pipe organ in Nevada.
It stands 25 feet high on the stage of Doc Rando, and is about 8 feet deep and 20 feet wide.
The organ console has three keyboards called “manuals” and a pedal keyboard which the performer plays with his feet.
The organ has 38 “stops” and 53 “ranks” (“sets” of pipes).
There are 2,810 pipes ranging in size from 16 feet long to less than 1 inch long.
The organ weighs 9,750 tons
Cost: $560,000
Physical Appearance of the Organ
As one faces the organ, one sees silver colored pipes, symmetrically arranged in “flats.” These pipes are referred to as the “façade” or “face” of the organ. The facade contains the largest pipes from the Principal 16’ of the Pedal Division (played by the pedal keyboard), pipes from the Principal 8’ of the Great Division (played from the middle keyboard) and pipes from the Principal 4’ of the Positiv Division (played from the lowest keyboard). The remaining pipes of the organ (more pipes than are visible) are behind the “façade” pipes. Some of the pipes inside the case are made from wood. The wood case of the organ is fashioned from beech wood. The accent color of red was chosen by the company and is, appropriately, one of the UNLV school colors.
The four “divisions” of the organ have differing tonal qualities. The Pedal Division contains the largest pipes which produce the lower pitches of the organ, giving the sound “foundation” and depth. The Great Division (middle keyboard) has the loudest pipes giving the sound substance and weight. The Positiv Division (bottom keyboard) has brighter and more delicate sounds than the Great Division. The Swell Division (top keyboard) has its pipes enclosed in a large box which at the front has “shutters” which can be opened and closed by the organist by use of a foot pedal, thereby making the sounds from the box to appear louder and softer. The sounds can be soft and delicate, or loud and aggressive. This division is located at the very top of the case and behind. (It is not visible from the front seats in the hall.) The organist has a huge variety of sounds from which to choose. The organist must select by use of the “stops” (knobs on the console which either turn on or turn off a set of pipes) the sounds which are appropriate for the pieces played.
Families of Sound
The sounds of the pipe organ are classified into two types: labial (referring to the “lips”) and lingual (referring to the “tongue”). These terms designate how the tone is produced.
Labial pipes are constructed as simple whistles and in the organ are of three varieties: principal, flute and string.
Lingual pipes are what organists refer to as “reeds.” Their sound is produced by a brass reed in the foot of the pipe, much like that found in and functioning as the reed in a clarinet mouthpiece.
Brief History of the Organ
The organ traces its history back to the 3rd century B.C. By 900 A.D. instruments were large and loud. During the Middle Ages the organ became identified as the instrument used in the church. It flourished in Western Europe during the Renaissance and became the fully “modern” instrument we see today around 1600-1650, especially in northern Germany. The development of the organ reflected national musical styles in different countries—Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, England and Spain. We have organ literature as from as early as 1100 A.D. Thus, the repertoire for the instrument is certainly one of the largest for any existing instrument today. Johann Sebastian Bach contributed enormously to the literature, and organists consider him “their composer.” Mozart referred to the organ as the “King of Instruments.” Today, many composers continue to write exciting pieces for the organ.
The Host and Presenter for the Introduction to the Pipe Organ
Your guide during the introduction to the organ is Dr. Paul Hesselink. He has had a 26-year teaching career in the Department of Music at Longwood University in Virginia. Since his move to Las Vegas in 1993, he was for 12 years the Dean of Nevada School of the Arts. Now retired from NSA, he continues to serve (since 1994) as an adjunct faculty of organ studies at UNLV. He holds the degrees Bachelor of Arts in Music (Hope College in Michigan), Master of Arts in Organ Pedagogy (The Ohio State University) and the Doctor of Musical Arts in Organ Performance (University of Colorado, Boulder).
You can also hear my story about the dedication of the organ here. [real audio file]
I wanted to report to you on the four successful demonstrations of the organ in Doc Rando to four disadvantaged schools this week. At 9:45 on Monday we hosted Howard Hollingsworth Elementary school children (Doug Wilson, Principal)(about 225). At 11:00 we hosted students from Robert Lake Elementary (about 175). On Tuesday at 9:45 students fromGarside Middle School (about 250) came for the program, and at 11:00 Rose Warren elementary School students (about 280) were the audience. So, about 925 young students and teachers came to Doc Rando Hall those two mornings. NO ONE in those audiences had been there before. All costs were underwrittenby the School Community Partnership Program. There were 14 buses at a cost of about $110 per bus.
The students were VERY well-behaved, asked interesting and perceptive questions, and many took photos with their camera phones! A friend of mine in the school district had "cringed" when she heard which schools were participating and said she would "pray for me" having to face these "tough" schools.I had no problems, partially, I think, because the students were REALLY fascinated by the appearance of the organ, and, of course, the sound of the instrument is really impressive.
I suspect most of the students had never heard a pipe organ, and nobody knew of the Maurine Jackson Smith Memorial Organ at the University. Mrs. Beverly Mason, Assistant Director of the Partnership Program, will be soliciting evaluations fromthe participating schools. I hope those evaluations will help us improve subsequent presentations.
We had prepared a "fact sheet" which was distributed to teachers at the schools to do preparation for the students if they wished. I am attaching that, also for your information. [see below]
Thanks to Shireen Beaudry for her hard work in helping to set this pilot program up. Also thanks to members who helped at the demo sessions:
Doug Wilson for playing the Bach "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" for the session of the Hollingsworth students, Barbara Giles, Doris Francis, Shireen Beaudry and Steve Wright for assisting at the sessions.
Guide for a Visit to Nevada’s Largest Pipe OrganPlanning and Construction
The Maurine Jackson Smith Memorial Pipe Organ in Doc Rando Recital Hall on the UNLV campus, was a gift to the university and the community from the Edward D. Smith family in memory and in honor of Maurine Smith who was an accomplished organist here in Las Vegas. Mrs. Smith died October 1, 1999, and a family dedication celebration was held on the completion of the instrument October 1, 2004.
When the monetary gift to purchase the organ was given, the Music Department established a Search Committee for identifying a builder of the instrument. Eighteen builders from around the world---England, Italy, Denmark, Germany, Canada and the United States---were considered. The choice was made to contract for the instrument with the Rudolf von Beckerath organ building firm of Hamburg, Germany. This company has been building fine organs since 1949.
The building of this organ, from the time of signing the contract to completion, took about four and a half years. The case, pipes, wind chests, and mechanism were constructed piece by piece in the Hamburg factory by 21 artisans over a period of about 10 months (25,500 man-hours), and then securely packed into three semi-truck-sized waterproof and sealed containers. These containers were then loaded on a ship in the Hamburg harbor and made the five-week sea voyage to Los Angeles. After a customs inspection, the containers were unloaded on flat bed trucks and driven to Las Vegas. They arrived in Las Vegas mid-June of 2004. Fitting all the pieces of the organ together and then regulating each pipe so it sounds right (a process called “voicing”) took the next 3 ½ months.
Facts About the Organ
It is the largest pipe organ in Nevada.
It stands 25 feet high on the stage of Doc Rando, and is about 8 feet deep and 20 feet wide.
The organ console has three keyboards called “manuals” and a pedal keyboard which the performer plays with his feet.
The organ has 38 “stops” and 53 “ranks” (“sets” of pipes).
There are 2,810 pipes ranging in size from 16 feet long to less than 1 inch long.
The organ weighs 9,750 tons
Cost: $560,000
Physical Appearance of the Organ
As one faces the organ, one sees silver colored pipes, symmetrically arranged in “flats.” These pipes are referred to as the “façade” or “face” of the organ. The facade contains the largest pipes from the Principal 16’ of the Pedal Division (played by the pedal keyboard), pipes from the Principal 8’ of the Great Division (played from the middle keyboard) and pipes from the Principal 4’ of the Positiv Division (played from the lowest keyboard). The remaining pipes of the organ (more pipes than are visible) are behind the “façade” pipes. Some of the pipes inside the case are made from wood. The wood case of the organ is fashioned from beech wood. The accent color of red was chosen by the company and is, appropriately, one of the UNLV school colors.
The four “divisions” of the organ have differing tonal qualities. The Pedal Division contains the largest pipes which produce the lower pitches of the organ, giving the sound “foundation” and depth. The Great Division (middle keyboard) has the loudest pipes giving the sound substance and weight. The Positiv Division (bottom keyboard) has brighter and more delicate sounds than the Great Division. The Swell Division (top keyboard) has its pipes enclosed in a large box which at the front has “shutters” which can be opened and closed by the organist by use of a foot pedal, thereby making the sounds from the box to appear louder and softer. The sounds can be soft and delicate, or loud and aggressive. This division is located at the very top of the case and behind. (It is not visible from the front seats in the hall.) The organist has a huge variety of sounds from which to choose. The organist must select by use of the “stops” (knobs on the console which either turn on or turn off a set of pipes) the sounds which are appropriate for the pieces played.
Families of Sound
The sounds of the pipe organ are classified into two types: labial (referring to the “lips”) and lingual (referring to the “tongue”). These terms designate how the tone is produced.
Labial pipes are constructed as simple whistles and in the organ are of three varieties: principal, flute and string.
Lingual pipes are what organists refer to as “reeds.” Their sound is produced by a brass reed in the foot of the pipe, much like that found in and functioning as the reed in a clarinet mouthpiece.
Brief History of the Organ
The organ traces its history back to the 3rd century B.C. By 900 A.D. instruments were large and loud. During the Middle Ages the organ became identified as the instrument used in the church. It flourished in Western Europe during the Renaissance and became the fully “modern” instrument we see today around 1600-1650, especially in northern Germany. The development of the organ reflected national musical styles in different countries—Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, England and Spain. We have organ literature as from as early as 1100 A.D. Thus, the repertoire for the instrument is certainly one of the largest for any existing instrument today. Johann Sebastian Bach contributed enormously to the literature, and organists consider him “their composer.” Mozart referred to the organ as the “King of Instruments.” Today, many composers continue to write exciting pieces for the organ.
The Host and Presenter for the Introduction to the Pipe Organ
Your guide during the introduction to the organ is Dr. Paul Hesselink. He has had a 26-year teaching career in the Department of Music at Longwood University in Virginia. Since his move to Las Vegas in 1993, he was for 12 years the Dean of Nevada School of the Arts. Now retired from NSA, he continues to serve (since 1994) as an adjunct faculty of organ studies at UNLV. He holds the degrees Bachelor of Arts in Music (Hope College in Michigan), Master of Arts in Organ Pedagogy (The Ohio State University) and the Doctor of Musical Arts in Organ Performance (University of Colorado, Boulder).
You can also hear my story about the dedication of the organ here. [real audio file]
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Composer Interview
It was great to catch up and pick the musical mind of Michael Torke on Saturday afternoon in Manhattan for WITF.We had met previously in Las Vegas for an interview for 20/20 Hearing back in October 2003. Back then, he was in town on vacation and it happened to work out for him and I to do the interview at our studios - I interviewed and engineered from the booth and he was in the next room. Afterwards I dropped him off at the Bellagio. It was novel at the time because a) we had just debuted the all classical station that day; and b) all of the next two years of the show, only one other composer interview was in person, the rest were over the phone.
This time, we talked at Torke's apartment in the village - I know the neighborhood well as I eat and drink at Shopsin's and Mr. Dennehy's quite often - and it turns out Michael's apartment is just around the corner! It was also nice that we had an engineer so I could focus solely on the interview. Keep an eye for it on Composing Thoughts this spring!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
