It’s Jonathan Jazz
Jonathan Russell, the 11-year-old New York jazz violin sensation, is a guest artist at the 34th annual Sacramento Jazz Jubilee in the California capital. Russell has studied with Regina Carter and Mark O’Connor, and jammed with jazz guitar legend Les Paul. The
New York Times has opined that “When [Russell] solos, he embraces his instrument and enters a private cocoon, where he conjures sophisticated improvisations on the melodies of jazz standards.” The festival runs May 25–28. Read more about him at
www.geocities.com/jonathanjazz.
Save A Tree
Sometimes the answer to the question “What can I do to help the environment?” is right at your fingertips. The members of the Student Orchestras of Greater Olympia in Olympia, Washington, are raising money to help the International Pernambuco Conservation Initiative revitalize an endangered tree coveted by bow makers and string players alike through SOGO’s Save a Tree—Build an Orchestra program. Each dollar raised through the program funds the planting of one pernambuco seedling on the Brazilian coast. The tree is the source of the finest bow wood and has been used for that purpose ever since 18th-century bow maker Francois Tourte realized the benefits of this New World resource. Learn more about this vital conservation effort at
www.ipci-comurnat.org.
Life Lesson
Fifteen-year-old composer and cellist Todd Kramer received a lesson recently from celebrated contemporary American composer Joan Tower. The meeting was arranged by
From the Top, the hit National Public Radio program through its Young Composer Project. Todd performs in a duo, which was featured on FTP in 2005, with his 17-year-old violinist brother Bennett. Both have studied at the Juilliard School Pre-College Division and the Perlman Music Program. Todd is working on a string quartet. Read an interview with him at
www.fromthetop.org.
On the Mat
He clocks in at 145 pounds, can pin a competitor to the mat faster than you can say Paganini, and touts an impressive 80 career-wins on the Lewiston-Porter High School wrestling team. But don’t be surprised when you catch high school senior Joe McGreevey with a violin tucked underneath his chin. Though his chances of winning a Section VI title for his school run high, McGreevey doesn’t choose one art over the other and must often juggle his time between competing in matches and performing in concerts. One of McGreevey’s favorite tunes to fiddle is “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” by Charlie Daniels. The wrestler has been playing since kindergarten. His brother Todd, also a wrestler, plays the violin too, and apparently, so does the rest of his family.
Seasons Greetings
Think Vivaldi is just for music class? Not so say several Canadian elementary schools. Thanks to the efforts of the National Arts Centre Orchestra, each elementary school located in the provinces of Ontario, Manitoba, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada received a 32-page teacher resource kit titled “Vivaldi and the Four Seasons.” Though the kit is primarily designed to assist music teachers, it also includes materials that help connect the masterful composition to relevant topics. Such as? Well, climate change for starters. Also included in the kit: activity sheets, a listening guide, and of course, a copy of the
Vivaldi: Four Seasons CD as recorded by the National Arts Centre Orchestra. Now, that’s homework we don’t mind.
In Brief
11-year old violinist Eleanor Dunbar and 12-year-old virtuoso cellist Zachary Wong will be featured at the Asian American Symphony Association’s April 21 concert entitled “The Stars of Tomorrow” and held in Los Angeles.
