Stories » Lesher Center commissions Sarah McKenzie to compose concert work 'San Francisco - Paris of the West'

Stories for December 05, 2020

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    98.7WFMT: Chicago welcomes two new voices to their roster
     
    Posted At : December 3, 2020 12:00 AM

    WFMT is excited to welcome two new voices to our host roster! Allow us to introduce you to Kristina Lynn and LaRob K. Payton, who join as fill-in hosts. "I've listened to WFMT for as long as I can remember," Kristina Lynn recalls. Growing up listening to WFMT with her family in the Chicago suburbs, she was moved to pick up the trumpet herself. As a performer with the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra, she got to share the stage with violin superstar Midori as well as WFMT host and bass-baritone Peter van de Graaff. Kristina says she was inspired to speak to the WFMT veteran host. "I remember reaching out to him, asking if he had any thoughts for someone wanting to get into radio. And he was very open and gave me great advice… It was life-changing…" she shares, "and it steered me on this path to audition for music school." She received a Bachelor in Music specializing in Trumpet Performance from DePaul University, and has worked in radio production at WQXR as well as WFMT, where she will continue to work as a production assistant as well as a fill-in host. Bass-baritone LaRob K. Payton grew up singing gospel, R&B, and soul music in Maryland. It wasn't until high school that he became interested in classical music: with a smile, he says, "somebody came up to me and said, ‘You could sing classical music.' And I said, ‘What are you talking about? Bugs Bunny does classical music.'" But the initial unfamiliarity soon became excitement, in particular about the possibility of mastering new languages and traveling to new countries through a vocal performance career. In high school, a second pivotal moment came in LaRob's music career. His school was majority Black, but in the performing arts program, the teaching staff was predominantly white. He learned the standard repertoire: "the 24 Italian songs, Schubert, Mozart." LaRob says he loved this music, but it it wasn't until pianist Awadagin Pratt visited his school for a master class that he really connected to the music, realizing "Oh, Black people do this, too…" To see Pratt, a Black pianist who ably traverses different types of music and composition, "it just felt so familiar and comforting," LaRob recalls. READ THE FULL 98.7WFMT: Chicago ARTICLE

  • Yuri Liberzon discusses his 'J.S. Bach - 3 Violin Sonatas' arranged for guitar, with Harmonious World Podcast
     
    Posted At : December 3, 2020 12:00 AM

    Classical Guitarist Yuri Liberzon has recently released his third solo album ‘3 Violin Sonatas' on Laudable Records label and distributed by The Orchard, subsidiary of Sony Music. A colossal project, the album features Yuri's expressive interpretations of three of Johann Sebastian Bach's violin masterpieces (BWV 1001, 1003, and 1005) on the classical guitar, using transcriptions by Maestro Manuel Barrueco, with whom Yuri studied at the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University. Yuri's expressive interpretations of three of JS Bach's violin sonatas is a stunning album, and Harmonious World Podcast's Hilary Robertson conversation with the guitarist was fascinating focusing on the complexity of Bach's compositions and the implications for a performer.   LISTEN

     

  • Nominations are in for the Savage Ticket: 'how I fell in love with jazz video contest'
     
    Posted At : December 3, 2020 12:00 AM

    To all those who took the time to vote for your favorite video, shared our post, sent in a sample video, judged the entrants, and, of course, answered our question in a 60-sec video, for 'How I Fell in Love With Jazz Video Contest,' Savage Ticket will be announcing the winner On December 30th. Savage Ticket could not have had a contest without our amazing panel of judges, really. Right now, they are curled up with hot cocoa (probably) and are avidly watching our entrant describe their love of Jazz (definitely). While our judges stack the videos against each other, we'll be patiently waiting. Until then. Savage Ticket has made a $50,000 donation to musicians in need through the Jazz Foundation of America COVID 19 emergency fund.     SEE THE PAGE

  • Jan Lisiecki, Matthias Goerne, Beethoven Songs makes CBC Music's 'Canada best classical albums of the year'
     
    Posted At : December 3, 2020 12:00 AM

    Has there ever been a year during which new albums were as vital to our survival as they were in 2020? CBC Music picks Canada best classical albums of the year, from solo piano to opera and everything in between   With concert halls shuttered due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the arrival of new music - along with quarantine videos and live streams - was the closest we got this year to the thrill of live performance. And while records will never replace the concert experience, we're grateful to Canada's classical musicians for the profusion of new music they continue to release for our enjoyment.   Of the scores of new classical albums that came out in 2020, here are the 20 that stood out to us. If you've got money to spend this holiday season, click on the album titles for information on how to purchase and download them. Canada's classical musicians need your support more than ever.   Jan Lisiecki, Matthias Goerne, Beethoven Songs (Deutsche Grammophon)   One of the best discoveries of 2020 was that Jan Lisiecki, soloist extraordinaire, is also a fine collaborative pianist - especially remarkable, since this was his first experience playing Lieder. Lisiecki's label, Deutsche Grammophon, paired him with seasoned German baritone Matthias Goerne, who praised Lisiecki's fluency and confidence, and compared their collaboration to "surfing the same wave." In Beethoven, the pair makes a splash, with Goerne scaling his formidable voice down to Lieder dimensions and employing a lovely transparent tone in his high register, and Lisiecki exhibiting an innate sense of timing, elegant touch and playfulness when required.   SEE THE FULL CBC ARTICLE

  • Charles Richard-Hamelin w/Les Violons du Roy - Mozart Piano Concertos makes CBC Music's 'Canada best classical albums of the year'
     
    Posted At : December 3, 2020 12:00 AM

    Has there ever been a year during which new albums were as vital to our survival as they were in 2020? CBC Music picks Canada best classical albums of the year, from solo piano to opera and everything in between   With concert halls shuttered due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the arrival of new music - along with quarantine videos and live streams - was the closest we got this year to the thrill of live performance. And while records will never replace the concert experience, we're grateful to Canada's classical musicians for the profusion of new music they continue to release for our enjoyment.   Of the scores of new classical albums that came out in 2020, here are the 20 that stood out to us. If you've got money to spend this holiday season, click on the album titles for information on how to purchase and download them. Canada's classical musicians need your support more than ever.   Charles Richard-Hamelin, Les Violons du Roy, Jonathan Cohen, Mozart Piano Concertos Nos. 22 and 24 (Analekta)   Hit play and bask in the golden aura emanating from these musicians who converged on Quebec City's Palais Montcalm to record this pair of piano concertos, chosen not only for their closely related keys but also their robust woodwind sections. Charles Richard-Hamelin's ease at the keyboard translates into seamless passage work, perfectly controlled dynamics and an uncanny symbiosis with conductor Jonathan Cohen and his orchestra, whether they're spreading Figaro-esque cheer in No. 22 or exploring the moody turbulence of No. 24. Hats off to the recording crew who captured these soulful performances so faithfully.   SEE THE FULL CBC ARTICLE

  • Andrew Wan, OSM, Kent Nagano, Ginastera, Bernstein, Moussa: Works for Violin and Orchestra makes CBC Music's 'Canada best classical albums of the year'
     
    Posted At : December 3, 2020 12:00 AM

    Has there ever been a year during which new albums were as vital to our survival as they were in 2020? CBC Music picks Canada best classical albums of the year, from solo piano to opera and everything in between With concert halls shuttered due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the arrival of new music - along with quarantine videos and live streams - was the closest we got this year to the thrill of live performance. And while records will never replace the concert experience, we're grateful to Canada's classical musicians for the profusion of new music they continue to release for our enjoyment. Of the scores of new classical albums that came out in 2020, here are the 20 that stood out to us. If you've got money to spend this holiday season, click on the album titles for information on how to purchase and download them. Canada's classical musicians need your support more than ever. Andrew Wan, OSM, Kent Nagano, Ginastera, Bernstein, Moussa: Works for Violin and Orchestra (Analekta) We'll treasure this October release as a souvenir of Kent Nagano's tenure as music director of the OSM, which came to an end last spring. Not only did he excel at making bold repertoire choices, but he also loved putting concertmaster Andrew Wan into the spotlight, and this album features Wan in three modern works, including the world premiere of Samy Moussa's Violin Concerto, which successfully imports Romantic harmonies and gestures into a contemporary idiom. Wan's bright tone and precise articulation serve it well, as they do Bernstein's bucolic-sounding Serenade for Solo Violin, Strings, Harp and Percussion. While Ginastera's Violin Concerto places big demands on the soloist, Wan prevails, no doubt inspired by his orchestral colleagues who bring their A game to this complex score. SEE THE FULL CBC ARTICLE

  • Matt Haimovitz, Mari Kodoma - Mon Ami, Mon amour makes CBC Music's 'Canada best classical albums of the year'
     
    Posted At : December 3, 2020 12:00 AM

    Has there ever been a year during which new albums were as vital to our survival as they were in 2020? CBC Music picks Canada best classical albums of the year, from solo piano to opera and everything in between With concert halls shuttered due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the arrival of new music - along with quarantine videos and live streams - was the closest we got this year to the thrill of live performance. And while records will never replace the concert experience, we're grateful to Canada's classical musicians for the profusion of new music they continue to release for our enjoyment. Of the scores of new classical albums that came out in 2020, here are the 20 that stood out to us. If you've got money to spend this holiday season, click on the album titles for information on how to purchase and download them. Canada's classical musicians need your support more than ever. Matt Haimovitz, Mari Kodama, Mon ami, mon amour (Pentatone) While cellist Matt Haimovitz has been enjoying acclaim for his recent Grammy nomination for best classical compendium for Luna Pearl Woolf: Fire and Flood, we're here to rave about his all-French recital album with pianist Mari Kodama that came out in early November. Debussy's sonata, which can often seem like a bunch of disjointed episodes, is in their hands a coherent whole. Miniatures by Lili and Nadia Boulanger as well as the obligatory transcription of Gabriel Fauré's "Après un rêve" show off Haimovitz's creamy tone. He and Kodama seem to revel in the ever-shifting moods of Poulenc's sonata, enjoying the humour and lively repartee, but also taking time to luxuriate in the lyricism. SEE THE FULL CBC ARTICLE

Top 10 for Dec

  • Cecilia Bartoli :

    Queen of Baroque

     Decca Classics releases a stunning collection of arias from Cecilia Bartoli, ‘The Queen of Baroque'.
  • Ben MacDougall :

    Godfall (Music from the Video Game)

     Milan Records today announced the release of GODFALL (MUSIC FROM THE VIDEO GAME) by composer Ben MacDougal.
  • Christian Loffler :

    Parallels

     Invited to experiment with Deutsche Grammophon's Shellac Project – a collection of digitized material restored from early 20th-century 78s in a collaborative initiative with Google Arts & Culture – German musician, visual artist and producer Christian Löffler has created his own experimental electronica tribute to Beethoven.
  • Avi Avital :

    Art of the Mandolin

     Backed by years of study and critically acclaimed performances, Avi Avital's latest album for Deutsche Grammophon presents a survey of the finest works ever written for mandolin.
  • Hera Hyesang Park :

    I am Hera

     Three short words speak volumes in the title of Hera Hyesang Park's Deutsche Grammophon debut album.
  • Luna Pearl Woolf :

    Fire and Flood

     From a deeply stirring Mass to hauntingly re-imagined Leonard Cohen masterpieces, LUNA PEARL WOOLF: Fire and Flood encompasses 25 years of vocal and choral works by the innovative American- Canadian composer.
  • Hans Zimmer, David Fleming :

    Hillbilly Elegy - Music From the Netflix Film

     Milan Records today releases HILLBILLY ELEGY (MUSIC FROM THE NETFLIX FILM) with music by Academy Award®-winning composer Hans Zimmer and frequent collaborator David Fleming.
  • Laila Biali :

    Silent Night

     JUNO-winning artist Laila Biali offers a stirring gospel-infused arrangement of Silent Night, featuring John Ellis on tenor sax.
  • Lambert :

    False

     "False has given me the freedom to develop myself artistically in all kinds of directions," Lambert explains.
  • Erkki-Sven Tüür :

    Lost Prayers

     Lost Prayers is the first of Estonian composer Erkki-Sven Tüür's New Series recordings to be devoted entirely to his chamber music.

Lesher Center commissions Sarah McKenzie to compose concert work 'San Francisco - Paris of the West'

Posted: October 2, 2017 12:00 AM | By: Admin
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The Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek (CA) - located in the bay area just East of San Francisco - has awarded singer, pianist and composer SARAH McKENZIE with a highly paid composition commission to compose a full concert length work based on the theme "San Francisco - Paris of the West". The work will get premiered at the Lesher Center on September 14, 2018 with an all-star line-up put together especially for this event.

During much of its past San Francisco has been referred to (among others) as "Paris of the West". This was based on cultural influence, but also architecture of key buildings around the city. Sarah´s knack for everything French is well documented in her last two albums ("Paris in the Rain" and "We could be Lovers"), and as a composer in the style of Cole Porter, Irving Berlin or Rogers & Hart she has had a number of hit tunes already ("Quoi, Quoi, Quoi", "Paris in the Rain", "We Could Be Lovers", "One Jealous Moon", "Don´t Tempt Me"). As a Berklee College of Music student Sarah has lead a workshop at the Lesher Center for the Arts in 2014 and impressed the directors to entrust her with this commission, which is the first of its kind for the Lesher Center for the Arts. 

Sarah records for the Impulse! (Universal) label and is signed to Universal Music Publishing in France. She just recently performed to 7.1 million people on the "Encontro com Fátima Bernardes" television show in Brazil and performed at the world-renown Montreux Jazz Festival this summer.

Crossover Media Projects with Sarah McKenzie

  • Sarah McKenzie

    Waiting Here for You

    I was very lucky that during lockdown the Diablo Regional Arts Association in Walnut Creek, CA commissioned me to create a 60-minute video extravaganza with the theme MUSIC CONNECTS OUR WORLD. My idea was to create ten cross-genre video clips that would include musicians from all corners of the world and put the videos together with announcements so they become like a concert. The stylistic reach was from Bossa Nova to Tango, from Bebop to Choral Music. And there was this one song in my drawer that sounded a bit like pop music, but I did not really know what to do with it. My Australian producer Chong Lim, who I happened to speak to during that time, just had his tour as keyboarder for David Foster cancelled and he recommended that I speak to the drummer of that tour, John JR Robinson. John was all up for it and recorded the drums for the track and recommended that I speak to Michael Thompson for guitars. Michael then added the guitars and recommended that I ask Jon Gilutin to add Hammond B3. It was amazing! All these legends, who had worked with the likes of Michael Jackson, Lionel Ritchie, Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan, Barbra Streisand and Celine Dion suddenly recorded a song of mine and I was playing and singing alongside them. I very much hope that you'll like it! Here is WAITING HERE FOR YOU.

  • Sarah McKenzie

    Schneller

    When the corona virus hit in early March Sarah McKenzie was just on tour in France and all her shows got cancelled. At the same time the US government implemented a travel ban for everyone who was travelling from the Schengen territory so Sarah was unable to return to her home in Los Angeles immediately. ?In order not to get stuck during lockdown in a big city I rented an old school house in the very South of England, in Hastings at the English Channel coast. It was a very romantic place from the 17th century with vines on the outside and a large garden with roses and lots of other flowers and old, very stylish furniture on the inside and an old piano that I would play every day. We had planned to stay for two weeks, in the end it was 3 1/2 months. I found a small but well equipped recording studio in Hastings, that had an engineer who had recorded a lot of jazz, and a Yamaha baby grand piano. Perfect conditions to start working 24/7. The song SCHNELLER! was inspired by drives on the German highway. It is called Autobahn and it is one of the very few places in the world where there is no speed limit. For someone not used to this it is quite a frightening experience to travel at 130 mph. So once I had picked my finger nails out of the dashboard I thought this experience needs a song. I then had to find the right musicians for it. With Geoff Gascoyne (bass) and Donald Edwards (drums) I have a long lasting working relationship already, but who could play those trumpets? I was very lucky to then come across Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra's Kenny Rampton, who is a fantastic trumpet player and who put in the extra miles that it needed to make this song special. I hope you'll like it.'

  • Sarah McKenzie

    Secrets of My Heart

    After the great success of Sarah McKenzie's 2017 disc, Paris in the Rain(Impulse! Records), the 31-year-old pianist, singer, and composer returns with the poignant, Secrets of My Heart, reuniting with noted Australian composer, arranger, and events music director, Chong Lim, who produced her first two discs – Don't Tempt Me and Close Your Eyes. Recorded in New York City, Secrets of My Heart exudes cosmopolitan flair with its lineup that includes French bassist Pierre Boussaguet and Brazilian percussionist Rogerio Bocattoalongside guitarist Dan Wilson, drummer Donald Edwards, vibraphonist Warren Wolf,tenor saxophonist Troy Roberts, and cellist Jody Redhage Ferber(all of whom based in the United States).

     

     

  • Sarah McKenzie

    Paris In The Rain

    After enchanting jazz fans with her 2015 Impulse! Records debut, We Could Be Lovers, Sarah McKenzie returns with the sensational follow-up, Paris in the Rain. Like before, the 28-year-old, Melbourne, Australia-born singer, pianist, composer and arranger teams with the acclaimed Brian Bacchus – who has produced classics for such stars as Norah Jones, Lizz Wright, and Gregory Porter – to deliver a gripping program of jazz classics and originals – all of which present McKenzie's incredible musicality in glamorous glory.

    23 TOTAL
    SYND:     CBC
    Direct: AccuRadio 
    Markets include: New York, Chicago, St. Louis, Louisville, Orlando, Long Island NY, Reno, Barcelona
    INTER: Canada, Italy, Spain, Slovakia
    Online: Jazz Weekly, Jazz & Blues Report