Fine Arts Center Percussion, Winds & Brass Chamber Music and the Young Artist Orchestra

Percussionist Rick Dior's FAC Residency

2010-10-09T13:43:00.004-05:00

The second in the series of artist residencies made possible by the Braitmeyer Foundation, percussionist/composer/recording engineer Rick Dior will work with Fine Arts Center percussion and jazz students October 11-13. An artist of both depth and breadth, Rick will cover topics including basic snare drum technique, jazz and Afro-Cuban drumming, solo marimba playing, and playing set with a jazz ensemble. Rick will return for "Part 2" of his residency in the first week of February 2011.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Rick Dior began his professional music career at the age of thirteen, playing in and around the metropolitan area in various Jazz, Rock and Latin bands. He is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with renowned timpanist Fred Hinger and Jazz Composer Bob Mintzer. He has also studied extensively with famed jazz drummer Joe Morello.

Rick has performed live with some of the biggest names in the music industry including James Taylor, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Mathis, Ray Charles, Bobby McFerrin, Lionel Hampton, Clark Terry, Bill Watrous and Marvin Hamlish among many others. Some of these performances have taken place with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, which he has performed with since 1990 as a section percussionist, principal percussionist and timpanist. He is also currently principal percussionist and timpanist with the Charlotte Philharmonic Orchestra. Rick’s recording credits are extensive and include movie soundtracks, CD releases and commercial radio and television spots.

As an engineer and producer, Rick has been involved in hundreds of projects, many which are currently available on CD (see the CDs Recorded at the Barn page on the Acoustic Barn Studios website). He is the owner, designer and builder of Acoustic Barn Studios, a complete production and recording facility. It is also the home base for Acoustic Barn Productions, a new record and publishing company specializing in Jazz, Classical and Ethnic music recordings.

Rick is also the percussion instructor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and maintains an active private teaching studio. His private students have gone on to attend many prestigious music institutions such as The Julliard School of Music, The Manhattan School of Music, The Eastman School of Music, The Cincinnati Conservatory, North Texas State University and The University of Miami. Many of these students are active as professional musicians.

As a composer Rick has written many compositions and arrangements for Jazz and Latin Groups as well as for the Charlotte Symphony and CSO Percussion Ensemble. Most recently in 2001, he was commissioned by the Charlotte Civic Orchestra to write a Four Movement Percussion Ensemble work. He is also the author of the highly acclaimed book "Advanced Coordination for Drum Set and Hand Percussion".

Rick currently endorses Vic Firth Drumsticks, Mike Balter Mallets and Paiste Cymbals.

Young Artist Orchestra 2010-2011 Season!

2010-08-19T07:59:00.009-05:00

The Young Artist Orchestra, the most advanced ensemble of the five Greenville County Youth Orchestras, is comprised of the most skilled, talented, and experienced student musicians in the Upstate. It is also the Orchestra-In-Residence at the Fine Arts Center. Though most members are high school aged, the YAO will also admit exceptional middle school musicians. Each year the orchestra performs three Young Artist Concerts at the Peace Center’s Dorothy Gunter Theatre as well as a winter and spring concert with other ensembles in the school district's After School Orchestra Program. The Young Artist Orchestra is directed by Fine Arts Center music faculty member Dr. Gary August Robinson.

FUNDRAISER:  Handlebar Café Thursday, October 21, 7:30 PM
Offerings to include:
• W.A. Mozart: Flute Concerto No. 2 in D, Merritt Huff, flute; members of the Fine Arts Center Marimba ensemble

YOUNG ARTIST ORCHESTRA CONCERT NO.1: "Best of Friends"
Peace Center for the Performing Arts Dorothy Gunter Theatre
Thursday, October 28, 2010, 7:30 PM
Admission: Adults $15.00, Students and Children $8.00 at the door
Offerings:
• Ralph Vaughn-Williams: Overture to "the Wasps"
• W.A. Mozart: Flute Concerto No. 2 in D, Anna Hawkey, flute
• Niels Gade: Symphony No. 5, Opus 25; Sarah Beam, piano obligato

YOUNG ARTIST ORCHESTRA CONCERT NO.2: "By the Numbers"
Peace Center for the Performing Arts Dorothy Gunter Theatre
Saturday, January 29, 2011, 7:30 PM
Admission: Aduts $15.00, Students and Children $8.00 at the door
Offerings:
• Anatol Liadov: Eight Russian Folk Dances
• Camille Saint-Saens: Piano Concerto No. 2; Zach Hughes, piano
• Franz Schubert: Symphony No. 4 in C minor Ttragic)

WINTER ORCHESTRAS CONCERT
Wade Hampton High School Auditorium
Tuesday, February 1, 2011, 7:30 PM
Admission: Adults $5.00 at the door, Students and Children free

SPRING ORCHESTRAS CONCERT
Peace Center for the Performing Arts
Tuesday, April 26, 2011 7:30 PM
Admission: Adults $5.00, Students and Children $2.00

YOUNG ARTIST ORCHESTRA CONCERT N0. 3: "Shoulder-to-Shoulder"
featuring members of the Greenville Symphony Orchestra
Peace Center for the Performing Arts Dorothy Gunter Theatre
Saturday, May 14, 2011, 7:30 PM
Admission: Adults $15.00, Students and Children $8.00 at the door
Offerings:
• Jean Sibelius: Scenes Historiques, Op.66; The Chase Overture, At the Drawbridge
• Ralph Vaughn Williams: Songs of Travel; Jacob Martin, baritone
• Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony no. 7 in A major

FAC Percussion Course Descriptions

2010-08-19T07:58:00.002-05:00

Percussion I

Percussion I is an introductory course in which students develop a strong foundational technique on snare drum and drum set, and an insightful, intellectually based ability to read musical notation. Snare drum studies encompass both concert and rudimental styles, but focus uniquely on snare drum rudiments and their application to drum set. Drum set studies cover body alignment, four-way coordination, tone production, phrasing, and improvisation principally in rock and jazz styles.

Students enrolled in Percussion I are given small group and individual instruction as needed. Students also work with one another as teammates to master skills being studied. Each class period encompasses both instruction and team practice time. Our general objectives include:

General Musicianship
• ability to read and to control the performance of written notation, especially rhythmic
• be able to apply understanding and control of rhythmic concepts and notation in all applicable performance areas
Snare drum: ability to
• perform, at a beginning competition level, all 40 standard snare drum rudiments
• read standard snare drum notation through and including intermediate level
• perform intermediate level concert snare drum etude
• perform intermediate level rudimental snare drum etude
Drum set: ability to
• perform rock feel at moderate tempo demonstrating four-way independence
• perform jazz feels at moderate tempo demonstrating four-way independence
• perform basic samba and clave feels demonstrating four-way independence (time permitting)
• perform a rudimentary drum solos in each style

Percussion I/II

Percussion I/II, a unique class offered for 2010-201l, is geared toward two kinds of percussionists: returning FAC students who will benefit from a review Percussion I before beginning materials for Percussion II, and new FAC students whose skills and/or experience place them at a higher entrance level than standard Percussion I. Goals for the class encompass elements of both Percussion I and II: to establish or reinforce a strong, fundamental snare drum technique; to gain conceptual and technical mastery of the 40 snare drum rudiments; to establish or reinforce a consistent method of counting, controlling, and reading rhythmic studies in both concert and rudimental styles; to establish or reinforce an elegant, ergonomic, and rhythmically controlled approach to rock, jazz, and Brazilian (samba) drum set playing; and to begin the study of mallet percussion. In a collegial classroom environment, returning Percussion II will be encouraged to mentor Percussion I students in the development of solid snare drum and drum set technique, while newly enrolled Percussion I students will be encouraged to share their diverse backgrounds and experiences with other members of the class.

Percussion II

Percussion II is a continuation of the Fine Arts Center’s Percussion I, and presumes a solid foundation in snare drum reading, demonstrable command of the 40 snare drum rudiments, and the ability to perform snare drum solos in both concert and rudimental styles. On the drum set, students should have relaxed and flexible four-way coordination in rock and jazz, be able to read studies and be comfortable improvising in both styles. Students should have aural references points (know some of the music) in jazz. Students should have a thorough familiarity with Ted Reed’s Progressive Steps to Syncopation, Garwood Whaley’s Fundamental Studies for the Snare Drum. Edward Freitag’s The Rudimental Drummers Cookbook, John Pickering’s The Drummer’s Cookbook, or their equivalent. Percussion II builds on this foundation, expanding reading, musical, and technical ability on the snare drum as well as breadth and depth on the drum set. Samba, some Latin and Afro-Cuban styles are introduced. In addition, Percussion II students begin their studies on the marimba and timpani, and are given their first experience rehearsing and performing in a percussion ensemble. Classes include group, instruction, individual instruction, and studio practice time.

Comprehensive (Advanced) Percussion

The purpose of the 2010-2011 Comprehensive Percussion Class is to develop its members into "all around percussionists" with skills in two and four mallet keyboard, snare drum, timpani, and accessory instruments. To accomplish this goal students will work on mallets, snare drum, and timpani concurrently, especially during Term I and Term III.

• Two and four mallet projects will be addressed on a weekly basis in a master class setting. Students will need to schedule practice time before or after class hours. There will usually be one class period each week that will be free and available for practice time. Students are strongly encouraged to purchase or borrow an instrument for home practice
• Snare drum projects will be introduced at the beginning of each term, coached periodically in master class settings, and performed for a grade at the end of each term. Consistent home practice is expected.
• Timpani projects will be undertaken largely in a classroom setting, with timpani classes held once each week. During Semester I, individual practice on timpani is encouraged but not mandatory.
• Accessory instruments will be studied within the context of ensemble works prepared for recitals, especially during Term II and Term IV.

Some Great Pics from Recent YAO Concert Events!

2010-06-25T15:25:00.007-05:00

Images by Bill Kendig from YAO's May Young Artist Concert and from the June League of American Orchestra concert in Atlanta, Georgia:

Welcome to the Fine Arts Center...

2010-06-04T08:46:00.007-05:00

...featuring the finest, most comprehensive percussion program in the region!

FAC End Of Year Recognitions

2010-05-20T02:36:00.001-05:00

It's been a good year for the percussion program at the Fine Arts Center. Every one of its 22 drummers has made significant progress, amassing layers of technical foundations beneath and expanding artistic vistas above. Co-opting and paraphrasing the multi-layered title of composer John Adams' 1995 musical, "they were looking at the ceiling, and then they saw the sky." Amongst this purposeful peloton of percussionists are three that constitute its vanguard: tyros with fast hands, fast feet, and even faster minds, and our Outstanding New Percussionists for 2009-2010, Isaiah Franklin, Lex Nordlinger, and David Wilson.

As the recently swaddled enter one door, the metaphorically bearded and weather beaten exit the other. Seasoned connoisseurs who can tell the brand of a pair of drum sticks after hearing them clicked together once from the other side of the room, whose fingers fold knowingly around the handles of marimba mallets, their skin recognizing the relief from grain in their wood as well as the tiny areas built up by the sweat from their hands. These two handsome and somewhat quiet boys, who seemed to have been saving their energy for the first three, burst forth in their final year at the Fine Arts Center to learn a host of new techniques, to take on college auditions, and, with pleasant surprise on my part, to earn handsome scholarships in the process. Kudos, congratulations, and gratitude, to fourth year FAC percussion students, Robert Mullis and Zach Perdun.

Nestled in amongst this collection of stick twirlers is a graceful pocket of humanity, three woodwind players who chose to be the songbirds of the 1:15 Instrumental Chamber Music class. Individually and as a unit, they have helped give voice to two large works composed specifically for the class ensemble, as well as a number of other works they have cleverly retooled for this oddball consort of percussionists and woodwind players. Flutist Amber Tepetino took newfound command of rhythm and general technique, as well as an expanding expressive vocabulary to emerge as a skillful and engaging chamber musician. Oboist McKenzie Chelak grasps her music with the incisive intelligence of a surgeon and then performs it with the steely determination of a sharpshooter. Both are recognized for their Outstanding Progress in Woodwinds. It is her breathtaking ability to quickly master new repertoire, the ease with which she is able to emote heartbreaking expressivity, and her inspiring work ethic, however, that earn flutist Merritt Huff recognition as Outstanding Woodwind Student of 2009-2010.

When I was a boy, my grandfather, Auguste, from whom I was given my middle name, noticed that the foundation of our house was sinking on one side. Determined to address the problem, he devised a machine consisting of an enormous fulcrum and a tree trunk as a leaver. He put one end of the tree under the foundation of the house and affixed a box on the other end, filling it with rocks until he was able to lift the foundation back into its original position. Since his arrival in 2007 Wesley Strasser has had a similar effect at the Fine Arts Center, introducing new repertoire, new techniques, lots of new equipment, and great esteem to its percussion program. A brilliant talent and an exceptional young man, heading off to study at the Tanglewood Institute and at Julliard this summer, Wesley Strasser, our Outstanding Junior for 2009-2010, continues to raise the foundation below as well as the bar above at the Fine Arts Center.

Ah, to be so young, handsome, and charming.
To have that quick, winning smile and those fluttering eyelashes.
To be such a chick magnet.
To be able navigate your way through the crowds with such confidence and such an elegance so as to make the rest of look like we have two left feet. How did that Carley Simon song go? "He walked into the party like he was walking onto a yacht."
To have made such stunning progress as a musician in your scant two years at the Fine Arts Center.
To be able to learn so many instruments with such ease, and to be able to make music on each one of them: percussion, keyboards, guitars
To have visiting students from France pull you aside to say, "I luff ze way you play."
To have been able to learn four-mallet marimba in the space of a few weeks.
To have such an intellectual capacity as a musician that you can play large scale repertoire completely from memory.
To be so generous with your gifts, routinely donating your playing to so many otherwise poorer performing organizations.
To have played such a great audition and to have earned such an impressive scholarship to study percussion at the University of South Carolina.
Surely, it must be great to be Moses Andrews, and, among so many other things, my Outstanding Senior for 2009-2010

Robinson's Students Prepare for May 12th Recital

2010-05-05T14:03:00.003-05:00

Gary Robinson's percussion and winds students will present their final recital of the year on Wednesday, May 12, starting at 7:00 PM. (Pictured: Instrumental Chamber Music Class preparing Bartok's "Rumanian Dances.") Students will perform both in the sculpture area and in the recital hall. Here's what's in store for lucky audience members:

In the Sculpture Area:
Primal Groove.......................Jonan Keeny
Percussion II
Audrey Hamilton: chimes, bells, triangle; Kylon Tyner: vibraphone, temple blocks; Nathan Matthews: xylophone, tom-tom;; Malcolm McMillan: marimba, tom-tom; Richard McDonald: bass drum, tam-tam; Trevor McCurdy: drums & cymbals

In the Recital Hall
Duet XVII....................Garwood Whaley
Diddle City..........................Edward Freytag
Percussion I: Tom Broyles, Valerie Bostick, Josh Epting,
Isaiah Franklin, Chase Garrett, Sam Goldsmith,
Jesse Limon, , Lex Nordlinger, James Pratt,
Lucas Russell, David Wilson, , Neil Wolin, snare drums

Etude in 4/4.................Morris Goldenberg
Solo No. 133..................Charlie Wilcoxon
Percussion II, snare drums

Jazz Blow-Out.............improvisations after Ted Reed
Percussion I, drum sets

In the Sculpture Area:
Rain Dance......................Alice Gomez
Robert Mullis, marimba

Elizabeth Tate.............Eric Sammut
Wesley Strasser, marimba

Le Tour De Danse.........Anthony J. King
II. Baiao de Brazil
Merritt Huff, flute; Wesley Strasser, marimba

Rumanian Folk Dances..............Béla Bartók
adapted by the Instrumental Chamber Music Class; Merritt Huff: flute & piccolo; Amber Tepedino: flute; McKenzie Chelak: oboe, triangles; Wesley Strasser: bells, xylophone, marimba; Robert Mullis: marimba; Moses Andrews: marimba, vibraphone; Zach Perdun: marimba

All for One (2010) …….…………………....….Jon Jeffrey Grier  FAC Afternoon Ensemble  Merritt Huff, piccolo; Amber Tepedino, flute; McKenzie Chelak, oboe;  Gage Glass, electric guitar; Alexandra Mauney, synthesizer;  Wesley Strasser, xylophone & percussion;  Moses Andrews, Robert Mullis and Zach Perdun, marimbas;  Tim Qiao and Rebecca Crowe, 1st violins;  Reagan Bachour and Joshua Goodwin, 2nd violins;  Chelsea Abdalla and Preston Barbare, violas;  Aaron Sumpter, Danielle Talley, and Jacob Martin, violoncellos;  Tony Abdelmalek, double bass

Young Artist Orchestra in Greenville & Atlanta

2010-05-05T13:59:00.003-05:00

(Image by Renee Carolla) The Greenville County Youth Orchestras’ Young Artist Orchestra will present its final concert of the year on Saturday May 15, 2010 at The Peace Center for the Performing Arts in the Gunter Theatre at 7:30 p.m. The concert will be directed by Fine Arts Center faculty member Dr. Gary A. Robinson. Tickets are $15.00 and are available in advance or at the door at The Peace Center Box Office (467-3000). Student tickets are available at the door for $8.00. The concert will include Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1, op. 26, in G minor. It will feature violin soloist Sarah Leonard, (Fine Arts Center, Wade Hampton High School, 12) Also on the program will be Symphony No. 2, op 43, in D major by Jean Sibelius.

(Image by Bill Kendig) The League of American Orchestras (LAO) has selected the YAO to perform at their national conference in Atlanta on June 16th. They were chosen over other youth orchestras in the southeast based on our submission of an application and recording of selections from their outstanding performance at the recent fall concert.   The LAO is a national association with over 950 Orchestra Members, including youth, collegiate, community and professional, and over 500 business partners who benefit from being members of the League of American Orchestras. This conference is the National Conference for the orchestra industry in America. YAO is being asked to perform as part of the opening session attended by every delegate attending the conference, about 1000 people - who represent about 400 orchestras across the country, including the NY Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, etc. as well as youth orchestras.

FAC Students Part of Premier Performance at Furman University

2010-05-05T07:57:00.003-05:00

Thirteen percussion and woodwind students from the Fine Arts Center were honored with the extraordinary opportunity to perform alongside counterparts from Furman University, North Greenville University, and other musicians from around the country in the premier of John Luther Adams' composition, "Inuksuit." The work, commissioned by a consortium lead by Furman University Associate Professor of Percussion, Dr. Omar Carmenates, was rehearsed on Thursday, April 15 at Furman University and then performed the afternoon of April 16 in the area near the amphitheater (near the lake). Performed completely out of doors, "Inuksuit" evolved over the course of an hour, encompassing and becoming a part of the physical environment around Furman. Students Participating include Moses Andrews, McKenzie Chalak, Merritt Huff, Robert Mullis, Zach Purdun, Wesley Strasser, Amber Tepedino, Audrey Hamilton, Nathan Matthews, Trevor McCurdy, Richard McDonald, Malcolm McMillan, and Kylon Tyner. Accompanying images of Malcolm McMillan, Audrey Hamilton, and Merritt Huff were taken during the Thursday afternoon rehearsal.

Percussionist Wesley Strasser Heads For Julliard & Tanglewood

2010-05-05T07:55:00.002-05:00

Fine Arts Center percussionist Wesley Strasser (Wade Hampton HS, 11) has been accepted to and will attend two prestigious summer programs for aspiring musicians: the Juilliard Summer Percussion Seminar, held in New York City, and the the Boston University Tanglewood Percussion Workshop, held in Leonx, Massachusetts. As gleaned from the program's websites:

The Juilliard Summer Percussion Seminar is designed for advanced high-school percussionists. During two intensive weeks (July 18 - July 30) in the exciting cultural environment of New York's Lincoln Center, students pursue hands-on study of all the major percussion instruments: two and four-mallet keyboard, snare drum, timpani, and orchestral accessories. In addition, students are introduced to world hand drums, percussion chamber music, and both multi- and solo-percussion repertoire. Seminar participants will experience a challenging range of master classes, clinics, lectures, rehearsals, and performances—all of this activity focused on preparing them for success in conservatory and college auditions.

The Boston University Tanglewood Percussion Workshop runs from June 20 through July 3rd. It is led by Director Tim Genis, principal timpanist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Assistant Director Lee Vinson, percussionist of the BSO. The workshop covers a variety of topics including: snare drum, timpani and mallet technique, and equipment maintenance, such as wrapping mallets and changing timpani heads. Mr. Genis also offers instruction in the preparation of orchestral excerpts for auditions. In addition to individual practice, students have the opportunity to play in chamber groups and large ensembles. Master classes are offered by members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra percussion section. Video sessions and discussion by both workshop participants and professional percussionists provide useful feedback and direction.

FAC Flutist Merritt Huff Wins Scholarship

2010-05-05T07:52:00.003-05:00

Fine Arts Center flutist Merritt Huff (Riverside High School, 11) won first place in the Division 2 (high school woodwind players) scholarship audition sponsored by the Music Teacher Association of Greenville. The competition took place on the campus of Bob Jones University on Saturday, April 17th. For winning first place, Merrit (who studies the flute with area teacher/performer Mary AllyeB Purtle) will receive $200, which can be used for summer lessons.

January 20 Student Recital: A Movable Feast With a Varied Menu

2010-01-19T07:38:00.002-05:00

Part 1: Genteel Entertainment in the Sculpture Area

Flute Trio......James Hook
Merritt Huff, McKenzie Chelak (oboe), Amber Tepedino

Flute Concerto in D, “La Notte”.....Antonio Vivaldi
Merritt Huff, flute; assisted by Wesley Strasser, Moses Andrews, Robert Mullis, and Zach Perdun, marimbas; John Belanger, keyboard

Three Dances from Terpsichore......Michael Praetorius
Percussion II mallet players Audrey Hamilton, Malcolm McMillan, Nathan Matthews, Trevor McCurdy, Kylon Tyner, Richard McDonald; assisted by Dr. Robinson and members of the Instrumental Chamber Music Class

Part 2: Drum Barrage In the Recital Hall

Duet (March)......John Beck
Tom Broyles, Valerie Bostick, Josh Epting, Chase Garrett, Sam Goldsmith, Jesse Limon, and Lucas Russell, snare drums

Afro-Cuban Travels.....Sonny Jain/Robinson/student improvisations
Malcolm McMillan, Nathan Matthews, Trevor McCurdy, Kylon Tyner, Richard McDonald, drum sets

Sixes and Sevens.....Edward Freytag
Isaiah Franklin, Lex Nordlinger, James Pratt, David Wilson, and Neil Wolin, snare drums

Bass Drum Bombast......after Ted Reed/Robinson/student improvisations
Tom Broyles, Valerie Bostick, Josh Epting, Chase Garrett, Sam Goldsmith, Jesse Limon, and Lucas Russell, drum sets

Four-Part Stomp.....Bobby Christian
Trevor McCurdy, Malcolm McMillan, Kylon Tyner, and Nathan Matthews, snare drums

Rock 'n Roll Blow-Out.....John Pickering/Robinson/student improvisations
Isaiah Franklin, Lex Nordlinger, James Pratt, David Wilson, and Neil Wolin, drum sets

Part 3: World Premier in the Sculpture Area

What to Play?.....Alex Wroten

I. What to Play?
II. What Three Play
III. One, Two, Play
IV. Three to Play
V. What to Play!

Moses Andrews, percussionist; John Belanger, French horn and keyboards; McKenzie Chalak, oboist; Merritt Huff, flutist; piccolo; Robert Mullis, percussionist; Zach Purdun, percussionist; Wesley Strasser, percussionist; Amber Tepedino, flutist

Recital, January 20, 2010: "What To Play?"

2009-12-30T10:41:00.003-05:00

The Fine Arts Center's eight-member Instrumental Chamber Music (ICM) Class is currently rehearsing and will perform, on its January recital, a composition by Dartmouth College masters degree student Alex Wroten. The second collaboration between Wroten and FAC music faculty member Dr. Gary A. Robinson, "What to Play?" was designed to suit the instrumentation of the ICM and to introduce members to contemporary composition born in the digital and realized in the acoustic domain.

Alex graduated from the Fine Arts Center, where he studied composition with Dr. Jon Grier and music theory with Dr. Gary A. Robinson, and from Travelers Rest High School, where he was Class Valedictorian, in 2004. He is a recent graduate of the University of South Carolina, Columbia, where he majored in music composition, studying under both Dr. John Fitz Rogers and Dr. Reginald Bain. "What to Play?" reflects the recent decision of the Dartmouth College Masters Program in Digital Musics to emphasize both electronic and acoustic sound sources and performance. It is a five-movement, rigorously structured work that explores the extremes of color offered by an ensemble consisting of percussionists, woodwinds, French horn, keyboard, and double bass. (Double bassist Tony Abdelmalek, from FAC's Strings Chamber Music program, will join the ICM class in their performance.)

According to the composer, 'What to Play?' is a piece composed for the sheer pleasure of musical expression, but while I was writing it, I decided to structure it around a slightly theatrical concept," with players variously leaving and returning to the stage, playing with cell phones, reading books, and otherwise amusing themselves while other of their colleagues carry on the performance. To assist them in their theatrical roles, students from the Fine Arts Center's theater program (Teri Parker-Lewis, Instructor) will coach and direct ICM musicians.

The ICM will perform "What to Play?," along with other works and in conjunction with FAC percussion classes on Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 7:00 PM.

Thank You from Gary & Kathy Robinson

2009-12-30T09:37:00.005-05:00

Kathleen and I are touched by the gifts presented to us following our last rehearsal of the calendar year, December 18. A basket and a gift bag brimmed over with home-baked goods, sweet treats, coffees & teas, gift cards, and tempting indulgences, all designed to make our holidays more delightful. These generous offerings, given by members of the orchestra and their families, and collected by the GCYO Association, conveyed a love and admiration that leaves us humbled and grateful. More fundamentally, however, they convey something about the culture of Greenville County Youth Orchestras, one that is exemplified by kindness, consideration, cooperation, and mutual regard. These qualities have been a consistent part of GCYO since my arrival 25 years ago. It has been and continues to be our honor to contribute to this culture: reward enough, in and of itself.

Best wishes to all for prosperous, healthy, and, above all, artistically rich New Year.
Gary & Kathleen Robinson, Conductors
Greenville County Youth Orchestras

Middle School Orchestra Festival 2009

2009-12-30T09:25:00.008-05:00

Greenville County Youth Orchestra's Middle School Orchestra Festival (MSOF) was staged at the Fine Arts Center and at Wade Hampton High School on Friday and Saturday, November 6th and 7th.

(Images courtesy of Young Artist Orchestra Public Relations Director Bill Kendig.)

Started in the late 1980s by FAC music faculty member and Young Artist Orchestra Director Dr. Gary A. Robinson, MSOF brings together middle school strings and band students from across Greenville county for what is, for most participants, their first taste of rehearsal and performance with a full symphony orchestra. The Greenville County Youth Orchestra Association (John Abdalla, President) has largely taken over operation of the festival. Association Past President Susan Askew chaired this year's event with Mauldin High School string teacher Brian Gencarelli serving as Music Coordinator and Resident Conductor. Dr. Robinson served as site manager and GCYO Executive Director Holly Caprell provided coordination and oversight.

This year's 100+ registrants received instruction from a wide spectrum of musicians and educators. Greenville County Schools teachers Ginger Greer (Riverside HS), Katy Martin (League Academy), Angela Rex (Hillcrest HS), Bobby Powell (Northwest Middle School) and Brian Gencarelli served as master teachers in section rehearsals and were assisted by a large number of musicians from the Young Artist Orchestra. The festival's Guest Conductor, Dr. Neil Casey, is on the conducting and violin faculty at the University of South Carolina in Columbia.

Saturday's concluding concert gave Casey and his Middle School Festival Orchestra a chance to showcase three selections they had worked up for performance. Added to this, however, was a performance of The Philharmonic, Greenville County Youth Orchestra's "penultimate ensemble," directed by violinist and string teacher Kathleen Robinson (Beck Middle School, JL Mann HS). "The Phil" performed Vernon Leidig's arrangement of Rimsky-Korsakov's "Antar Symphony" (final movement), Matesky's rendition of Symphony No. 5 by Beethoven (final movement) and, most notably, the first movement of Richard Strauss' Horn Concerto No, 1, Opus 11, with YAO Principal Horn Megan Sackett (Riverside HS, 11) as soloist.

Fall Young Artist Orchestra Events

2009-12-30T09:10:00.006-05:00

The Young Artist Orchestra started off its 2009-2010 season with a bang, performing two concert events in October.

(Images courtesy of Young Artist Orchestra Public Relations Director Bill Kendig.)

The Young Artist Orchestra, the most advanced ensemble of the five Greenville County Youth Orchestras, is comprised of the most skilled, talented, and experienced student musicians in the Upstate. It is also the Orchestra-In-Residence at the Fine Arts Center. Though most members are high school aged, the YAO will also admit exceptional middle school musicians. Each year the orchestra performs three Young Artist Concerts at the Peace Center’s Dorothy Gunter Theatre.

The YAO staged its first event on October 15th at the Handlebar Café in Greenville. Better known for headlining rock and blues bands, the Handlebar was the perfect setting for GCYO Association President John Abdalla's brainchild, "Bach to Rock.," an orchestra fundraiser that featured chamber ensemble performances by members of the orchestra and a small orchestra version of Ney Rosauro's Concerto No. 1 for Marimba and Orchestra, with percussionist Wesley Strasser (Fine Arts Center, Wade Hampton High School, 11) heading the ensemble as soloist and conductor Dr. Gary Auguste Robinson directing from the drum set. Following the YAO's set, Abdalla's rocking cover band, The Substitutes, (does this ring any bells, Who fans?) performed two sets of war horses from largely the 1960s.

The YAO then performed its first formal concert of the season on Thursday, October 29, at the Peace Center's Dorothy Gunter Theater. Entitled "Youthful Aspirations," the concert showcased Richard Wagner's Arrival of the Guests from Wartburg from his opera Tannhauser, the Rosauro concerto, and Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's Symphony No. 3, Opus 32 in C major. Strasser was again the featured soloist on the Rosauro concerto with Robinson leading the orchestra from the podium.

The success of the concert was underscored in letters like the following, send to Dr. Robinson by an orchestra parent following the event: "I had mentioned to my sister who was visiting from Michigan that whenever one of these concerts is over, I wonder if these kids are really high school students. She didn’t fully understand what I was talking about until the downbeat of the concert. Before the end of the Wagner, she had tears in her eyes. She was totally amazed at the artistic expression and technical ability of the students. She had decided that she was going to order two cd’s of the performance (one for herself and one to share). Once Wesley started playing she leaned over and said, “No, I’ve got to be able to see this again – I’m getting the DVD.”

FAC Instrumental Chamber Music Performance at League Academy, Friday, October 9

2009-10-08T21:14:00.004-05:00

The Performers*****
• Moses Andrews, percussionist
• John Belanger, French horn and keyboards
• McKenzie Chalak, oboist
• Merritt Huff, flutist; piccolo
• Robert Mullis, percussionist
• Zach Purdun, percussionist
• Wesley Strasser, percussionist
• Amber Tepedino, flutist
• Dr. Gary A. Robinson, Director and Teacher

Concert Program*****

Traditional: Es scheint der Mond ("The Moon is Shining")
• Special notes: When a work is referred to as "traditional" it usually means that (1) we don't know who the composer was, and (2) it is a popular melody that many people might know. Though we found the arrangement of "The Moon is Shining" on a German file sharing site, it is actually a cheerful, Russian folk melody that travels through some changes of key and instrumentation. Moses, Wesley and Robert perform the string parts on marimbas.
• Performers: Moses, Wesley and Robert on marimba, Merritt and Amber on flute, McKenzie on oboe, and John on keyboards

James Hook (1746-1827): Trio Op.83, No. 1
• James Hook was a popular and highly successful English composer around the time of Mozart and then Beethoven. He wrote a great deal of chamber music intended for the enjoyment of the performers. His trios, which can be played by many combinations of instruments, are examples of this kind of composition. Trio Op.83, No. 1 is written in three movements: Allegro con spiritu (fast and lively), Andante e sempre piano (at a walking tempo and always quiet), and Rondo allegretto (a rondo is a composition in which a theme alternates with variations; allegretto means a little slower than allegro).
• Performers: Merritt and Amber on flute, McKenzie on oboe

Glen A. Prior: Piece for Three Pair of Hands Clapping
• Special notes: Glen Prior is a contemporary American composer of experimental chamber and "microtonal" music. His Piece for Hands Clapping begins and ends with the ensemble performing a 7/4 rhythm in unison, with the performers pulling apart and performing cross rhythms ("polyrhythms') throughout the middle.
• Performers: Robert, Wesley, Moses, McKenzie, Merritt, John, and Amber

Louis Gordon (born 1965): "Brazilian Set"
• Special notes: Louis Gordon is a living English composer and performing musician. His "Brazilian Set" is in two movements. "Choros" translates as "cry" or lament," and is performed in a singing style with John playing (French) horn while Wesley, on vibraphone and Moses, on bass marimba, perform what would usually be a guitar part. "Samba" is a traditional Brazilian dance set in two beats to a bar.
• Performers: John on horn, Wesley on vibraphone, Moses on marimba  

Antonio Vivaldi (1675-1741): Flute Concerto in G minor, RV439, Op.10, No.2 ('La Notte' = "The Night")
• Special notes: FAC's four marimba players will play the parts ordinarily performed by the string orchestra accompaniment (Violin I, Violin II, Viola, and Violoncello). The concerto is written in six very quick movements and has a theme just perfect for the coming of Halloween at the end of this month: 1.Largo; 2.Presto ('Fantasmi' = "Ghosts"); 3.Largo; 4.Presto; 5.Largo ('Il Sonno' = "Sleep"); 6.Allegro
• Performers: Merritt is the flute soloist; Wesley, Moses, Robert, and Zach on marimbas, , John on keyboard

Paul Smadbeck (born 1955): "Virginia Tate"
• Special notes: Paul Smadbeck is a contemporary American composer and performer who is famous for his works for solo marimba. "Virginia Tate" is one of his most often played compositions and is know for its being composed in a "minimalist" style as well as being simply beautiful.
• Performer: Wesley

Jon Jeffrey Grier (born 1953): Cripple Creek Counterpoint
• Special notes: Dr. Grier is the Composer-in-Residence at the Fine Arts Center. "Cripple Creek Counterpoint" is named for the stream that ran behind the Fine Arts Center in its old location. The piece is written in a "minimalist" style, which overlaps the stating and repetition of small musical ideas by the musicians in the ensemble.
• Performers: Wesley, Moses, Robert, and Zach on marimbas; Merritt Amber on flutes, McKenzie on oboe and John on horn

Robinson's Percussion & Chamber Music at FAC: What's Happening in Late September

2009-09-21T14:27:00.001-05:00

YOUR STUDENT'S CURRENT STUDIES & PRACTICE EXPECTATIONS

Your student is expected to demonstrate progress on his/her instrument, as well as on the related studies we are undertaking in their Fine Arts Center class, each and every day. At the start of each PERCUSSION I and PERCUSSION II class, in fact, I will often have students give reports on the previous evening's practice session. They must then demonstrate their accumulated abilities in a weekly "playing check," in which they perform for their peers, listen to their comments and observations, and receive a grade. My PERCUSSION I and PERCUSSION II students are supposed to gear their daily practice sessions so that they will arrive at these weekly summits at the peak of their abilities. Most of the time, playing checks will showcase their progress in:

• technique, such as hand development, stick control exercises, and rudiments
• reading, generally in the form of a snare drum etude he/she has been preparing over the course of the week, and
• a page or series of exercises on the drum set that demonstrate improved four-way coordination, tone and rhythmic control, and an ability to control reading

Your PERCUSSION I and PERCUSSION II student's practice sessions, therefore, should reflect these goals, and each practice session should encompass an hour or more in time. Typically, 20 minutes of technique, 20 minutes if reading (totaling 40 minutes on the practice pad) and then 20 minutes of drum set will give them time to warm up their specific skills and then move ahead into making progress. Given an evening without too much academic work, additional time beyond that minimum hour is particularly beneficial for your student's drum set development. Weekends should never be regarded as time off from study, but as two opportune days to put in extra practice time, to solidify skills established during the previous week, and to make significant individual progress.

Your PERCUSSION I and PERCUSSION II student's practice room should be free of distractions. IIn addition to instruments and a music stand, your student should have a mirror your to monitor his/her technique and a clock to time practice activities.

Members of the INSTRUMENTAL CHAMBER MUSIC CLASS are preparing for a pair of outreach concerts they will give at League Middle School Academy on Friday, October 9th. Because preparation for their concerts constitutes a term-long project, we have not had weekly playing checks. Every member of the "team, " however, is expected to be able to play ALL of the music they are scheduled to perform, to "pull their weight," not to hold his/her ensemble back, and to contribute to that group's progress. Your student's ensemble assignments include the following:

• Cripple Creek Counterpoint: everybody (Wesley, Moses, Robert, and Zach on marimbas; Merritt Amber on flutes, McKenzie on oboe and John on horn
• Vivaldi Flute Concerto: Wesley, Moses, Robert, and Zach on marimbas, Merritt on flute, John on keyboard
• Hand Clapping Piece: Robert, Wesley, Moses, McKenzie, Merritt, John, and Amber on hand clapping parts
• The Moon is Shining: Moses, Wesley and Robert on marimba, Merritt and Amber on flute, McKenzie on oboe, and John on keyboards
• Horn trios: John on horn, Wesley on vibraphone, Moses on marimba
• Woodwind trios: Merritt and Amber on flute, McKenzie on oboe

It is safe to say that each member of the INSTRUMENTAL CHAMBER MUSIC CLASS has a ways to go before before mastering his/her complete folder of music, and that everyone should be devoting time during daily practice sessions to this effort. Weekends should never be regarded as time off from study, but as two opportune days to put in extra practice time, to solidify skills established during the previous week, and to make significant individual progress. This is especially true of our marimba players, who have a large quantity of music to master, and to everyone involved in the hand clapping piece.

GETTING OVER THE HUMP

I have two PERCUSSION I classes at the Fine Arts Center this year. Not only does this mean that I have many students who are relatively new to formal instruction in drumming, but also new to the idea that they MUST make progress from one class to the next and then meet weekly performance expectations. Rather than move forward, PERCUSSION I students will sometimes give up in the face of a new and challenging skill, such as a drum set beat that demands a controlled use of all four limbs or a complicated rudiment that requires control of a number of different stroke types. But because the skills and concepts taught in class are progressive – learning the next skill requires mastery of the one studied the week before – PERCUSSION I students must "get over the hump" when they encounter it. Slow, patient practice that involves repetition, counting, and physical relaxation will generally help students to acquire a here-to-fore unfamiliar skill. Make sure that your student has plenty of practice time in these cases, as our brain's learning time is highly individual and can't be hurried.

Percussion Classes at FAC 2009-2010

2009-09-03T15:01:00.006-05:00

In addition to conducting the Young Artist Orchestra and overseeing the Instrumental Chamber Music class at the Fine Arts Center, I have the pleasure of working with three percussion classes, two with first year and one with second year students.

(In the image below: Percussion I-a, from left to right: Sam Goldsmith, Josh Epting, James Pratt, Lex Nordlinger, Joeseph Tribble, Neil Wolin, and Tom Broyles)

Percussion I is all about snare drum, "hand technique," and an approach to the drum set that capitalizes upon the body's natural strengths and inclinations. We work to develop poise, relaxation, intellectual organization, creativity, and – always – a wholesome sound on whatever instrument we happen to be playing. I encourage my students to "become a new you" by adapting their lifestyles to those of successful student musicians. Firstly and most importantly, this means nesting in one's room with books, sticks, a practice pad, a mirror (very important!) and a drum set for 60-90 minutes of daily practice. Longer sessions are encouraged for the weekends. Currently, Percussion I students are working on fundamental stick strokes and "grip," reading, and four-way rock coordination. Students are using Garwood Whaley's "Fundamental Studies for the Snare Drum," Ted Reed's "Progressive Steps to Syncopation," and an anthology I assembled for their use.

In the image left, Percussion I-b, from left to right: Jesse Limon, Chase Garrett, Valerie Bostick, Isaiah Franklin, David Wilson, and Luke Russell

With a year's worth of Fine Arts Center training already under their belts, Percussion II students continue the pursuits of Percussion I but on a much higher level of complexity and sophistication. General hand technique continues with the use of George Lawrence Stone's famous book entitled "Stick Control." Students are also busy mastering their multiple-bounce rolls. Percussion II students are digesting one or two rudimental snare drum solos weekly from Charlie Wilcoxon's "The All-American Drummer: 150 Solos" and sophisticated concert snare drum etudes from Anthony Cirone's "Portraits in Rhythm." Families should hear happy, Brazilian-flavored drum set work emanating each day from the bedrooms of Percussion II students, who are exploring basic clavé and samba beats. We start studies on the marimba in the first term. Like their friends in Percussion I, a good day's session with the sticks should hand in at about 60-90 minutes.

Percussion II, from left to right: Kylon Tyner, Malcolm McMillan, Trevor McCurdy, Nathan Matthews, Richard McDonald, and Audrey Hamilton

GAR
3 September 2009

FAC Instrumental Chamber Music

2009-09-01T12:09:00.004-05:00

The Fine Arts Center Instrumental Chamber Music (ICM) 2009-2010 is a class devoted to the rehearsal and development of chamber ensembles and the performance of music written or arranged for them. It is open to accomplished, motivated, and mature musicians who can successfully contribute to the development of a chamber ensemble (or ensembles).

Each term, ICM members will be given a collection of chamber works with varying instrumentations. After studying and “trying out” these selections, members of the class select a program to rehearse and to prepare for public performance. With the assistance of Dr. Robinson, ICM members determine a rehearsal schedule and benchmarks (goals) that must be met in order to perform their concert successfully and with confidence.

ICM members will explore music for ensembles and combinations that will include woodwind trio (two flutes and oboe), percussion quartet, combinations of woodwinds/horn/percussion, Baroque concerti for solo or combined flutes, oboe, and/or horn with marimbas taking on the roll of the string section. Original works have been commissioned especially for the combined members of Instrumental Chamber Music 2009-2010. In the fall semester, the class will rehearse and then premier a new work by composer and Fine Arts Center alumnus Alex Wroten. Wroten’s work will be written for two flutes, four percussion, horn and/or keyboard, double bass, as well as non-standard instruments. (A double bass player from FAC’s Strings Chamber Music will augment our class ensemble.) ICM will prepare and perform a brand new composition by Fine Arts Center Composer-in-Residence Jon Jeffrey Grier in the spring semester.

Other works by Dr. Grier will be performed in 2009-2010, including his Cripple Creek Counterpoint (1992), a version of which can examined by clicking on this hyperlink. ICM members pictured include (clockwise) Zach Purdun (center front), John Belanger, McKenzie Chalak, Wesley Strasser, Amber Tepedino, Moses Andrews, Merritt Huff, and Robert Mullis.

FAC Percussionist Wesley Strasser Attends Juilliard Summer Program

2009-08-23T15:20:00.002-05:00

Fine Arts Center percussionist Wesley Strasser (Wade Hampton HS, 11) was one of 16 students chosen internationally to participate in the Juilliard School Summer Percussion Seminar. Held in their Manhattan facility this year from July 19 to July 31, the seminar is designed specifically for advanced high-school percussionists, who must have reached age 15 at the time of their application. Two intensive weeks in the exciting cultural environment of New York's Lincoln Center, students pursue hands-on study of all the major percussion instruments: two and four-mallet keyboard, snare drum, timpani, and orchestral accessories. In addition, students are introduced to world hand drums, percussion chamber music, and both multi- and solo-percussion repertoire. Seminar participants will experience a challenging range of master classes, clinics, lectures, rehearsals, and performances—all of this activity focused on preparing them for success in conservatory and college auditions. Resident faculty included such as Daniel Druckman, Gordon Gottlieb, Joseph Gramley, (Director, Summer Percussion Seminar), Javier Diaz, and many other luminaries from classical, jazz, and world percussion.

YAO 2009-2010 Season Under Way

2009-08-23T15:13:00.003-05:00

The Fine Arts Center’s Orchestra-in-Residence, the Young Artist Orchestra, will feature three “Young Artist Concerts” at the Peace Center’s Dorothy Gunter for its 2009-2010 season. Ticket information can be obtained by calling the Peace Center box office, 864-467-3000.

Directed by FAC music faculty member Dr. Gary Auguste Robinson, YAO, the most advanced ensemble of the five Greenville County Youth Orchestras, is comprised of the most skilled, talented, and experienced student musicians in the Upstate. Though most members are high school aged, the YAO will also admit exceptional middle school musicians. Students in YAO come from Greenville's public and private high schools, as well as home school settings. YAO is a credit-bearing course of the Fine Arts Center in advanced orchestral performance. Members of YAO receive a full unit of honors-level credit. YAO rehearses at the Fine Arts Center each Tuesday from 6:30 until 9:30.

YOUNG ARTIST CONCERT NO. 1: YOUTHFUL ASPIRATIONS
Completing three symphonies before his 30th birthday and winning his first concerto competition at the age of 16, composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and marimba soloist Wesley Strasser show what they're made of at an early age.
Dorothy Gunter Theater. Peace Center for the Performing Arts
Thursday, October 29, 2009, 7:30 PM; admission: $15.00
Repertoire:
Richard Wagner (1813-1883): Arrival of the Guests from Wartburg
Ney Rosauro (born 1952): Concerto No. 1 for Marimba and Orchestra, Wesley Strasser, Marimba
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908): Symphony No. 3, op. 32, in C major

YOUNG ARTIST CONCERT NO. 2: “SHOULDER-TO-SHOULDER”
FEATURING MEMBERS OF THE GREENVILLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Antonin Dvorak chose American folk tunes to flavor his Symphony No. 9: From the New World, while Ludwig van Beethoven selected the dark key of C minor for his mighty Piano concerto No. 3. Pianist Naomi Causby makes key decisions along the way.
Dorothy Gunter Theater, Peace Center for the Performing Arts
Thursday, January 28, 2010, 7:30; admission: $15.00
Repertoire:
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827): Piano Concerto No. 3, op. 37, in C minor, Naomi Causby, piano
Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904): Symphony No. 9 "From the New World"

YOUNG ARTIST CONCERT NO. 3: ROMANTIC LANDSCAPES
YAO Music Director Gary A. Robinson and violin soloist Sarah Leonard explore the hills and valleys of 19th-century masters Max Bruch and Johannes Brahms.
Dorothy Gunter Theater, Peace Center for the Performing Arts
Saturday, May 15, 2010, 7:30; admission: $15.00
Repertoire: Max Bruch (1838-1920): Violin Concerto No. 1, op. 26, in G minor,
Sarah Leonard, violin
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897): Symphony No. 2, op 73, in D major

FAC Percussion & Strasser Tackle Rosauro

2009-03-25T18:39:00.017-05:00

Most Fine Arts Center brass, woodwind, and percussion students are finishing pedagogical, "process" work on their instruments and are gearing up for upcoming concerts and recitals. Though we have other performances coming up in the mean time (more on this in a later post) our major staging will be our May 13th recital at the Fine Arts Center. Expect a big evening with lots of IMPRESSIVE musical offerings! One of them will be Ney Rosauro's Concerto No. 1 for Marimba and Percussion Ensemble. FAC's Advanced Percussion Class and Graduate Intern Josh Caprell have taken on this four-movement work, with Mallet Monster Wesley Strasser hefting the demanding solo marimba part. When I figure out how to do this, I intend to post a video clip of a recent rehearsal. In the mean time, however, enjoy these images of Wesley, Josh (on vibraphone), timpanist Jacob Lawler, percussionist Zach Purdun, xylophone player Robert Mullis, and bass marimba player Jaron Ferrer. GAR

The Labors of Art

2009-03-15T20:12:00.004-05:00

Young Artist Orchestra members know that I mark my scores with Post It Notes. They don't see me at home, however, listening and re-listening to the invaluable recordings made by Stage Manager Andrew Mulkey, ripping out "stickies" from the previous rehearsal and installing new notes for the one coming up. The images below are from one blistering session preparing for a Dvorak Symphony 8 rehearsal. (Daughter Caroline took the pics.) This process and this scene, however, are repeated every single weekend prior to your rehearsal. GAR

Percussion Guest Artist Courtney McDonald

2009-03-15T18:52:00.010-05:00

Greenville Symphony Orchestra Principal Percussionist Courtney McDonald was our Artist-in-Residence March 9-11. While Percussion I and Percussion II classes received outstanding instruction on rudimental snare drum, tambourine, and mallets, Advanced Percussion students, Josh Caprell, Nathan Colbert, and Moses Andrews all received individual coaching sessions on marimba literature. At the conclusion of her residency, Courtney, a triathlete and avid cyclist, joined Dr. Robinson for a spin over Paris Mountain. Below are pics of Courtney working with Percussion I and Percussion II students, as well as Dr. Robinson ready for action in his Super Hero Costume.