Meeting Madeleine Bouissou

The Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra concert on Saturday, November 19 featured youth musician Madeleine Bouissou, who is a junior at Ridgefield High School. Madeleine was invited by Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra conductor, Jerry Steichen, to be a featured soloist at Saturday’s concert.

            Madeleine has been playing cello since she was 9 years old, and the cello was the first instrument that she had ever played. Despite coming from a family that did not play music, she quickly fell in love with the cello.  She was accepted into the Precollege program at the Juilliard School of Music when she was in eighth grade and continues to study in that program.  Every Saturday she goes to The Juilliard School in Lincoln Center for a full day that includes private lessons, chamber music, precollege orchestra, master classes, music theory and ear training.  Students from all over the world audition for this program. In addition to the Juilliard Precollege program every Saturday, Madi also attends and plays at concerts on the weekends.

            In addition to practicing 2-3 hours everyday after school, Madeleine is also a very busy student at Ridgefield High School.  She has been taking extra classes each year because she hopes to graduate from RHS in June, 2012, which is one year early.  Madi would like to study at Juilliard in college.

Every summer, Madi attends numerous music festivals and camps to continue her study of music and the cello.  These include the summer program at Bowdoin, the International Music Festival, and the Meadowmount School of Music.

A Chat with Concertmaster Jorge Avila

Before the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra’s October 1^st concert, I had the privilege of speaking to the featured soloist and concertmaster, Jorge Avila, about the duties of the concertmaster. Mr. Avila has been the concertmaster of the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra for 3 seasons, after being selected during a blind audition process. 

During a blind audition, the applicants stand behind a curtain, so that the judges can hear the applicants without ever seeing them, to ensure that the audition is fair.  However, in some cases the conductor of an orchestra can also appoint the concertmaster. The concertmaster does not have to re-audition every year, and as long as he/she does a good job, he/she can be concertmaster for essentially as long as they want.  

The primary job of the concertmaster is to help the conductor with all string-related issues, such as stylistic elements. Mr. Avila also leads the strings during rehearsals and the concert. 

Mr. Avila’s practice schedule varies daily, but he says that he typically practices anywhere between 1 and 4 hours, since he is so busy with rehearsals and other music-related activities. 

A Visit with Jerry Steichen, by Jack Truskowski

Before the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra concert on April 2, I had the opportunity to meet with Maestro Steichen, the music director of the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra. 

One of the things I was curious about was how he selected music for each concert of a concert season. For example, I was curious to know why he picked April in Paris as the theme for the April 2 concert. Mr. Steichen said that he selects music for a concert based in part on what interests him.   He loves French music, which is why he centered this particular concert around French composers. 

Another factor in selecting music is variety.  Maestro Steichen’s goal is to perform a variety of music throughout each concert season.  As a result, each concert is different and typically doesn’t have a connection to other concerts in the season. This ensures that each concert is unique, and that there will be something for everyone throughout the season. 

The music for a concert season is selected many months in advance of the start of the season.  In fact, the music for an entire concert season is usually decided by the December before the start of the next season.  In fact, Maestro Steichen said that he is, “already thinking about music for the 2012-2013 concert season.”  

The Theremin - up close and personal

The Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra’s February 5, 2011 concert featured Mr.  Rob Schwimmer, a professional theremin player. Few people have heard of the theremin, the very unique instrument that is played without ever touching it!

The theremin consists of a small electronic box with two antennas attached to it.  The movement of the musician’s left hand controls the volume of the music, while the movement of the right hand creates the pitch. The theremin has been used in multiple ways over the years, whether it is as an eerie sound effect in Alfred Hitchcock movies, or as a melodic instrument in the Beach Boy’s “Good Vibrations”.  

Perhaps the most amazing thing about the theremin is that Leon Theremin invented this electronic instrument way back in 1928 before either radio or television were in use.

The story of Leon Theremin is as interesting as the instrument itself.  He was born in Russia, but lived in the United States as a young adult.  He introduced New Yorkers to the theremin and played the instrument in Carnegie Hall and with the New York Philharmonic. He was allegedly captured one day by the KGB and disappeared without a trace for nearly 50 years.  While hidden away in the Soviet Union, he worked on spy equipment for the Cold War among other things.  When he was released, he was placed in the Moscow Conservatory where he continued to produce theremins, electronic cellos and other electronic devices. He was eventually fired from the Conservatory after an American journalist recognized him and an article about his whereabouts was published in the New York Times.   The Russian government destroyed all the instruments and devices he created at the Conservatory.  Theremin eventually returned to the United States and died in 1993.

The theremin underwent a rise in popularity after a documentary was released in 1993 about the life of Leon Theremin.  The instrument is now widely available on the Internet.  

Mr. Schwimmer is one of only a few professional theremin players.

Broadway Stars

The Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra concert on Saturday, November 20 featured Nat Chandler and Stephanie J. Block, two of Ridgefield's own Broadway stars.

I had the pleasure of talking to Nat Chandler about his early performing life as well as his Broadway experiences.

Mr. Chandler began performing at an early age. His first community theater role was King Chulalongkorn in The King and I, at the age of 7. From elementary school through high school and college, Chandler performed in many theater productions despite his busy school schedule, which included sports, music, and writing.

After achieving a master's degree in music, he moved to New York to start his professional career. Although Mr. Chandler is influenced by major stars (and he works with a lot of them!), he said that he is also greatly influenced by his colleagues that are not as famous. He has learned a lot from the passion and dedication they display onstage, as well as their kindness towards fans and the audience.

Mr. Chandler's favorite Broadway role was Percival Blakeney (the Scarlet Pimpernel) in The Scarlet Pimpernel. This character offered him the chance to demonstrate a wide range of emotion. During the day, Percival is mild-mannered and inconspicuous and during the night he is “the dashing resistance to the French Revolution”.

Mr. Chandler enjoys going from Broadway to the concert stage, like he did with the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra, because the concert stage allows him more flexibility. He can play more than one role in an evening. He can also revive roles that he once did as a young man, but can no longer be cast in because of his age.

I asked Mr. Chandler how he prepares for a performance. A typical warm-up for him consists of a diet of healthy food that provides lots of energy, aerobic exercise (such as running or biking), and a long vocal warm-up session so that he is completely prepared to sing the very first note!