MAY/JUNE MUSIC ACTIVITIES
OK, so I missed May… But I can report that much May time was spent in the studio recording w/ Enigmatica & editing the results. This should culminate in the release of our first eponymous CD@ an AMGuSS concert on Tuesday, June 22nd! We’ve got Baroque, Brazilian, & Contemporary music recorded as is our wont and even a couple of pieces from the 21st century! It’s very cool! If you want a CD preview, come hear Enigmatica play the music live in concert in Maynard MA on June 6.
To catch you up from last issue, the premiere of my composition “3-4-3” in Minneapolis in March was a super event. The dance that “Three Dances” (Brinsley, Jamey, & Suzanne) concocted was fun & cool, and bassist Alex Wohlhutter & I played live, and later went into a studio to record the piece for future “Three Dances” performances. And I’ll be doing the East Coast premiere of the pieces w/ viola-da-gambist Will Ayton @ AMGuSS on Thursday, June 24th. We’ll also play some of Will’s stellar duets. Come hear “Will & Marilynn play Will & Marilynn” a concert first!
Enigmatica premiered Pam Marshall’s wonderful piece “Loosely Blue” in Lexington MA mid-March, and liked it so much we decided at the last minute to add the 3rd movement to our CD. We’ll be playing the entire “Loosley Blue” again in Maynard (see above), as a birthday present to Pam.
In early April, the Rio Trio knocked Rhode Island out with a great series of workshops and performances that I hosted @ Roger Williams University. It was a real pleasure to meet the three of them and hear them play their exquisitely-arranged choro on bandolim, guitar, and cello. Bravissimo!
AMGuSS 2004 IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN!
We’ve got a few spots left for our 19th year of AMGuSS, so procrastinate no longer! Check the website for information, fees, and a downloadable application. EVAN MARSHALL, California mandolinist extraordinaire, is our guest artist this year, and will give the AMGuSS concert on Friday, June 25th. Don’t miss it!
NEW COLUMNS
The Spring issues are out. My Mandolin Quarterly “Choro Connection” column is on Anacleto Medeiros and Joaquin Callado. The music examples are “Carnaval of 1905” and “A Flor Amorosa”. My column for Mandolin Magazine, “A Classical Approach,” is on arpeggios and hand coordination, and features the music for an etude by American mandolinist, Samuel Siegel. You can subscribe to either magazine on the Mandolin Cafe website.
REVIEWS
I recently got some great ones for my latest CD, “Mandolin in the 18th Century”!
“I often think of Marilynn as a champion of new music, and she has performed and recorded her share of contemporary works. But stepping back to the 18th-century masterworks gave her the opportunity to highlight her technique with a fresh light… It seemed that on Marilynn’s last CD, “Nadando em Luz,” she really came into her own as a performer of choro music. This CD strikes me in a similar way it is Marilynn’s re-emergence as a classical mandolinist, and her playing is thoughtful, vibrant and a delight to listen to.”
Terry Pender, “Mandolin Quarterly”
“Bring a talented ensemble of gifted musicians together playing some of the great concertos and chamber music pieces of the 1700s, present the extraordinary classical mandolinist Marilynn Mair front and center, and you have a rare combination of the right musicians performing the right music at the right time.”
David McCarty, “Mandolin Magazine”.
Thanks, gents!
FUTURECAST
I’ll be performing in Philadelphia in November for the annual convention of the Classical Mandolin Society of America, both as a soloist and with Enigmatica. I’ll also be giving a day-long workshop on teaching mandolin. More details will be upcoming.
FEEDBACK?
I’d love to hear from you. If you know anyone who would like to get this update, have them send me their email. And thanks for reading!
I’ll send the next issue of “MARILYNN ON MANDOLIN” in a month or so. Ah, anticipating the lazy days of summer… Visit me in cyberspace @ the website, or in person at a June concert or for AMGuSS 2004 June looks like it will be an outstanding month!
-mm
