Violin Adventures With Rachel Barton Pine

Episode 41: Life without a conductor: a conversation with the New Century Chamber Orchestra. - Inquiries from my Inbox: Larry Samuels asks, "What makers and qualities do you look for in your violin bows?" - Random Musical Thought: Pop musician John Mayer compares Guitar Hero to "one of those amusement park cars on a track" whereas playing a real instrument is like driving "a Ferrari." - A conversation with members of New Century Chamber Orchestra, a conductor-less ensemble in California's Bay area.  For more information, please visit www.ncco.org.  For information about the documentary "Freeway Philharmonic," please visit www.freewayphil.com. total playing time: 31:37 SUBSCRIBE TO THIS PODCAST ON I-TUNES! Would you like to be featured on Violin Adventures? Just send your question via text or as an MP3 attachment to rachelbartonpine@aol.com and listen for you answer on Inquiries From My Inbox! Thanks for listening! www.rachelbartonpine.com www.myspace.com/rachelbartonpine www.youtube.com/RachelBartonPin

Episode 40: So you want to start a festival do you?   - Inquiries from my Inbox: a violinist from Wisconsin asks, "When you said to practice the same amount every day, does that mean I shouldn't ever do any extra practicing?"   - Random Musical Thought: Being "in" the music or being "above" the music.   - Denis Brott, artistic director of the Montreal Chamber Music Festival, talks about how he started his festival, his programming ideas, what it takes to run the festival each year, combining Bach and hip-hop (!), and how he founded the Canadian Instrument Bank.   For more information about the Montreal Chamber Music Festival, please visit www.festivalmontreal.org.  To read articles by Denis Brott, including "So you want to start a Festival do you?," please visit www.festivalmontreal.org/denisbrott/main.php?page=6. total playing time: 38:30 SUBSCRIBE TO THIS PODCAST ON I-TUNES! Would you like to be featured on Violin Adventures? Just send your question via text or as an MP3 attachment to rachelbartonpine@aol

Episode 39: Music for Life! A revolutionary idea for classical concert presentation. - Upcoming Events: June 20 - benefit gala for Chicago's Suzuki-Orff School - Inquiries from my Inbox: A violinist from Wisconsin asks, "Is it better to sit or stand when practicing?" - Random Musical Thought: Are arrangements of rock songs performed on acoustic string instruments chamber music? - A conversation with Ars Viva's Alan Heatherington and Gayle Heatherington and the Music Institute of Chicago's Ted Rubenstein.  Music for Life! is a unique new program which makes classical music concerts a family activity, accessible to parents and beneficial to children.  For more information, please visit www.arsviva.org/musicforlife/index.html.total playing time: 19:38SUBSCRIBE TO THIS PODCAST ON I-TUNES! Would you like to be featured on Violin Adventures? Just send your question via text or as an MP3 attachment to rachelbartonpine@aol.com and listen for you answer on Inquiries From My Inbox! Thanks for listening! www.rachelbarto

Episode 38: Tips for making audio and video recordings for auditions - Upcoming Events: June 10 in San Francisco - works by Chevalier de Saint-Georges, George Walker, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, and Brahms as guest leader of the New Century Chamber Orchestra; June 14 at the Amelia Island Festival in Florida - German and French Baroque Sonatas with Trio Settecento and the Rheinberger Concerto for violin, cello, and organ - Inquiries from my Inbox: 11-year-old Nancy asks, "Do ever have any trouble with tendonitis?" - Random Musical Thought: How widespread is the practice of "solfege-ing around? - Rob Waller of Windy Apple Studios, producer/engineer of Violin Adventures, shares his advice about what to do and what not to do during an audition recording session. total playing time: 23:37 SUBSCRIBE TO THIS PODCAST ON I-TUNES! Would you like to be featured on Violin Adventures? Just send your question via text or as an MP3 attachment to rachelbartonpine@aol.com and listen for you answer on Inquiries From My Inbox!

Episode 37: Containing your clutter - tips for storing your sheet music - Upcoming Events: works by Chevalier de Saint-Georges, George Walker, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, and Brahms as guest leader of the New Century Chamber Orchestra: June 5 in Berkeley, June 6 in Palo Alto, June 8 in San Rafael, and June 10 in San Francisco - Inquiries from my Inbox: 11-year-old Nancy asks, "What do you use for a shoulder rest?" - Random Musical Thought: What if there canned music was played before and after classical concerts like at rock and folk music concerts? - Tips for storing your sheet music: ideas for categorizing your music, putting your music into a spreadsheet, and where to buy good shelves and storage boxes for your music. total playing time: 24:10 SUBSCRIBE TO THIS PODCAST ON I-TUNES! Would you like to be featured on Violin Adventures? Just send your question via text or as an MP3 attachment to rachelbartonpine@aol.com and listen for you answer on Inquiries From My Inbox! Thanks for listening! www.rachelb

Episode 36: Plucking and bowing at the same time - one violinist sounds like two! - Inquiries from my Inbox: 12-year-old Becky asks, "How do you learn to pluck and play at the same time?" - Random Musical Thought: The unanswerable question, "How many concerts do you play each year?" - One of the coolest violin techniques ever invented - left-hand pizzicato and bowing simultaneously. Includes musical excerpts from Paganini's Caprice No. 24, Paganini's Nel Cor Piu Non Mi Sento Variations, Ernst's Last Rose of Summer Variations, Paganini's The Witches, Mark O'Connor's Caprice No. 4, and my own Birthday Variations and God Defend New Zealand Variations. total playing time: 26:40 SUBSCRIBE TO THIS PODCAST ON I-TUNES! Would you like to be featured on Violin Adventures? Just send your question via text or as an MP3 attachment to rachelbartonpine@aol.com and listen for you answer on Inquiries From My Inbox! Thanks for listening! www.rachelbartonpine.com www.myspace.com/rachelbartonpine www.youtube.com/RachelBartonPine

Episode 35: Kirk Muspratt's innovative ideas about demystifying classical music - Upcoming Events: Montreal Chamber Music Festival: May 20 - Martinu Madrigals for violin and viola; May 21 - Bach's Goldberg Variations for string trio; May 22 - solo recital "From Mozart to Metallica": May 24 - Beethoven Marathon including the "Archduke" piano trio, Op. 95 string quartet, "Kreutzer" sonata, and Septet - Inquiries from my Inbox: Caitlin asks, "How can I fix my left-hand pinky?" - Random Musical Thought: Oscar Shumsky says, "It's not the bowings you do, but how you do the bowings." - A conversation with Maestro Kirk Muspratt, Music Director of the New Philharmonic, DuPage Opera, and Northwest Indiana Symphony.  Kirk shares his thoughts about making orchestra concerts into special events for the whole community and talks about his creative programming ideas. total playing time: 33:45 SUBSCRIBE TO THIS PODCAST ON I-TUNES! Would you like to be featured on Violin Adventures? Just send your question via text or as an M

Episode 34: Tips for preparing for orchestral auditions - Upcoming Events: May 17 - Bruch Scottish Fantasy with the Puerto Rico Symphony - Inquiries from my Inbox: Bruce asks, “Is it unusual for a soloist like yourself to have put in a lot of time as an orchestral player?” - Random Musical Thought: Theologian Marcus J. Borg said, “Being part of a community that hears words and music from hundreds and even thousands of years ago delivers us from the provincialism of the present.” - Tips for preparing for orchestral auditions: highlight things like accents and dynamics to make sure you don’t miss any, be sure to learn the entire pieces that your excerpts come from, buy inexpensive orchestra parts from Luck’s Music Library (www.lucksmusic.net or 800-348-8749), get new clean parts, listen to a few different recordings of each piece, practice each excerpt at a variety of different tempos, play along with the recordings to get the other instruments in your ear, make yourself an excerpt mix tape or playlist and list

Episode 33: Tips for the day of a competition or an audition   - Upcoming Events: May 10 - performance at benefit gala for Chicago’s Ars Viva Symphony   - Inquiries from my Inbox: Bill asks, “Why did you choose to change the tempo between the AC/DC and your own pieces??   - Random Musical Thought: Why weren’t any classical musicians included in the recent internet gossip story about musicians caught picking their noses?   - Tips for the day of a competition or an audition: concentrate on playing your best rather than worrying about what the judges will think, don’t worry about hearing a competitor who sounds amazing in the warm-up room, be sure to arrive early, bring plenty of healthy snacks, don’t ever leave the building, don’t ever leave any of your stuff unguarded especially your instrument or sheet music, bring a portable listening device and some good books or magazines, don’t feel obligated to chat with others if you’re not feeling sociable, bring along a designated buddy to keep you company, don’t wear

Episode 32: Tips for preparing for competitions and auditions - Upcoming events: April 25 and 26 - Beethoven Concerto with the New Philharmonic in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, April 27 - recital with pianist Matthew Hagle in Lake Forest, Illinois (music of Dvorak, Mendelssohn, Brahms, and Ravel)- Inquiries From My Inbox: A violinist from the Columbus (Georgia) Symphony asks, "What's that fuzzy stuff on your chinrest?" - Random Musical Thought: Albert Schweitzer says "There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life; music and cats." - Tips for preparing for competitions and auditions: get your application form in on time, don't hesitate to ask as many questions as you need to, get extra copies of the music and mark measure numbers if required, experiment with different warm-up strategies and orders of repertoire, get used to playing your repertoire in a random order, practice while wearing your complete concert clothes and go through your entire stage routine, practice introducing your repertoire, videotape y

Episode 31: Some of my favorite books about music and why I love them - Upcoming events: April 17 - Beethoven Concerto with the Northwest Indiana Symphony, April 18 – English Baroque music with the period instrument ensemble Callipygian Players in Chicago, April 19 – Mendelssohn Concerto with the 100th Anniversary Alumni Orchestra at Lane Tech High School in Chicago, April 20 - English Baroque music with the period instrument ensemble Callipygian Players in Skokie, IL - Random Musical Thought: Follow-up on previous comment about musicians’ clothesGroundbreaking books about violin history, repertoire, and performance practice:- The History of Violin Playing from Its Origins to 1761: and Its Relationship to the Violin and Violin Music by David D. Boyden- Violin Technique and Performance Practice in the Late Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Centuries by Robin Stowell Wonderful books about the history of American music:- The Music of Black Americans: A History by Eileen Southern- Maud Powell: Pioneer American Viol

Episode 30: Teaching yourself to become a great improvisor! - Upcoming Events: April 14 - chamber music by Poulenc, Villa-Lobos, Hahn, Turina, and Francaix with the Jupiter Chamber Players in New York City - Random Musical Thought: Cellist Zuill Bailey says: "I find a majority of concerts in classical music similar to going to an aquarium…" - A conversation with Philip Pan, concertmaster of the Jacksonville Symphony.  Philip discusses how he went from being a strictly classical musician to becoming a great improviser in styles including rock and metal.  Includes lots of good step-by-step advice about how to get started playing rock violin.  total playing time: 27:26SUBSCRIBE TO THIS PODCAST ON I-TUNES!Would you like to be featured on Violin Adventures? Just send your question via text or as an MP3 attachment to rachelbartonpine@aol.com and listen for you answer on Inquiries From My Inbox!Thanks for listening! www.rachelbartonpine.com www.myspace.com/rachelbartonpine www.youtube.com/RachelBartonPine Violin A

Episode 29: More tips about memorization and preparing for chamber music rehearsals - Upcoming events: April 7 – master class at Crown Point High School in Northwest Indiana- Inquiries From My Inbox: CuciucGriga asks, "Where did you study?" - Random Musical Thought: Why does Henle clutter up its “urtext? editions with too many editorial suggestions?- More tips about memorization: re-memorizing a piece you’ve played before (especially if you change fingerings or bowings), memorizing dynamics and articulations and tempo markings (not just notes and fingering and bowings).- More tips about preparing for chamber music rehearsals: figuring out harmonies (major, minor, deceptive cadences), xeroxing page turns and making 4 or 5 pages into 3 tall pages.total playing time: 21:52SUBSCRIBE TO THIS PODCAST ON I-TUNES!Would you like to be featured on Violin Adventures?  Just send your question via text or as an MP3 attachment to rachelbartonpine@aol.com and listen for you answer on Inquiries From My Inbox!Thanks for liste

Episode 28: What in the world is Neo-Classical Metal?   - Upcoming events: March 25 - special concert with violinist/composer Mark O'Connor and Irish fiddler Liz Carroll at the Chicago Cultural Center, March 29 - Dvorak Concerto with the Columbus Symphony (GA)   - Inquiries From My Inbox:  many people ask, "Why is your chinrest in the middle of the violin?"   - Random Musical Thought: Violinists and violists are less fortunate than most other instrumentalists because we can't wear necklaces or dangling earrings when we play our instruments.   - Exploring neo-classical metal: explanation of the "neo-classical" movement in classical music, where to find lists of heavy metal sub-genres, conversation with neo-classical metal guitarist George Bellas, musical examples played by George.   For more information about George Bellas, please visit: www.georgebellas.com total playing time: 36:59 SUBSCRIBE TO THIS PODCAST ON I-TUNES! Would you like to be featured on Violin Adventures?  Just send your question via te

Episode 27: Mozart's amazing Violin and Viola Duos with guest violist Eric Nowlin- Upcoming Events: March 18 - Haydn Seven Last Words of Christ at the University of Chicago’s Rockefeller Chapel with homilies  by eight different faith leaders and speakers (with violinist Mathias Tacke and violist Richard Young from the Vermeer Quartet and cellist Wendy Warner), March 20, 21 and 22 - Corigliano's Red Violin Chaconne and Ravel's Tzigane with the Jacksonville Symphony (FL)- Inquires From My Inbox: sonofaguitar asks, “Where do you find the music for the Pibroch (Mackenzie’s Lament) that you play on your YouTube video??- Random Musical Thought: Another difference between classical and non-classical music: familiarity with the repertoire, and whether or not the audience is listening one step ahead or one step behind.- A discussion about Mozart's compositions for viola with guest artist, Eric Nowlin, particularly the Violin and Viola Duos. Includes musical examples (played by Rachel and Eric) from Mozart’s Violin and

Episode 26: Preparing for chamber music rehearsals - how to expedite the process   - Upcoming Events: March 18 Haydn Seven Last Words of Christ at the University of Chicago’s Rockefeller Chapel with homilies by eight different faith leaders and speakers (with violinist Mathias Tacke and violist Richard Young from the Vermeer Quartet and cellist Wendy Warner)   - Inquires From My Inbox: Fastopen asks "Who is your violin luthier?"   - Random Musical Thought: I believe that musicians who are full of great joy can create music that is just as profound as that of musicians who are full of angst.   - Learning chamber music in a hurry, a step-by-step process: Using highlighters, studying the score, marking things into your part, listening to recordings, and more. total playing time: 24:27 SUBSCRIBE TO THIS PODCAST ON I-TUNES! Would you like to be featured on Violin Adventures?  Just send your question via text or as an MP3 attachment to rachelbartonpine@aol.com and listen for you answer on Inquiries From My Inbox! T

- Inquires From My Inbox: Caveman147 asks "Do you use the same violin when you play Sweet Home Chicago?" - Random Musical Thought: Why can't you buy embroidered patches of classical composers or performers?  - All about the viola d'amore: its construction, its history, what it sounds like, how it's tuned, learning how to play it, famous composers who wrote for it, and where to call for information about buying one.  To learn more about the viola d'amore, you can visit: The Viola d'amore Society of America or Violadamore.com.  To watch Rachel perform the Vivaldi Concerto in D Major for Viola d'Amore, please click here! total playing time: 17:57 SUBSCRIBE TO THIS PODCAST ON I-TUNES! Would you like to be featured on Violin Adventures?  Just send your question via text or as an MP3 attachment to rachelbartonpine@aol.com and listen for you answer on Inquiries From My Inbox! Thanks for listening! visit Rachel online: www.rachelbartonpine.comwww.myspace.com/rachelbartonpinewww.youtube.com/RachelBartonPine Violin Ad

- Upcoming Events: Feb. 28 panel discussion at the American String Teachers Association convention in Albuquerque; March 3 chamber music performances in New York City (Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Spohr)   - Inquires From My Inbox: Fiddlerfrank asks "Will you be recording the Bach 6 Sonatas and Partitas soon?"   - Random Musical Thought: Excerpt from violist Richard Young's book "Echoes from Calvary"   - Memorization: How to be confident that your piece of music is programmed into in your muscles and reflexes (your subconscious, physical memory) and securely in your brain (your conscious memory).   total playing time: 12:38 SUBSCRIBE TO THIS PODCAST ON I-TUNES! Would you like to be featured on Violin Adventures?  Just send your question via text or as an MP3 attachment to rachelbartonpine@aol.com and listen for you answer on Inquiries From My Inbox! Thanks for listening! visit Rachel online: www.rachelbartonpine.comwww.myspace.com/rachelbartonpinewww.youtube.com/RachelBartonPine Violin Adv

Violinist Rachel Barton Pine describes the dramatic circumstances of Tchaikovsky's life that directly impacted the composition of his violin concerto and its initial negative reception.  Also mentioned are the cuts and additions perpetrated by Leopold Auer.  Includes many musical examples.playing time: 20:36 SUBSCRIBE TO THIS PODCAST ON I-TUNES! Do you have a question you'd like Rachel to answer on her podcast? Just send your question via text or as an MP3 attachment to: rachelbartonpine@aol.com Thanks for listening! visit Rachel online: www.rachelbartonpine.comwww.myspace.com/rachelbartonpinewww.youtube.com/RachelBartonPine Rachel Barton Pine's podcast is produced by Windy Apple Studios www.windyapple.com

Violinist Rachel Barton Pine talks with legendary pianist Ralph Berkowitz, age 97.  Mr. Berkowitz shares stories about his life in music including his many years as collaborator to cellist Gregor Piatigorsky, directing the Tanglewood Festival, and the private premiere of the Barber Violin Concerto at which he was present.   This conversation was recorded at Mr. Berkowitz's home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on November 18, 2007.playing time: 15:23 SUBSCRIBE TO THIS PODCAST ON I-TUNES! Do you have a question you'd like Rachel to answer on her podcast? Just send your question via text or as an MP3 attachment to: rachelbartonpine@aol.com Thanks for listening! visit Rachel online: www.rachelbartonpine.comwww.myspace.com/rachelbartonpinewww.youtube.com/RachelBartonPine Rachel Barton Pine's podcast is produced by Windy Apple Studios www.windyapple.com