Spring 2015 - Crowden Music Center

THE CROWDEN MUSIC CENTER 1475 ROSE STREET BERKELEY CA 94702–1255
“Music is a moral law
It gives wings to the mind
A soul to the universe
Flight to the imagination
A charm of sadness
A life to everything.”
– Plato
T H E C R O W D E N l etter
Spring 2015
Changes Are
Coming!
1. Enjoy rewards with
our new membership program.
2. Connect on our
all-new website,
launching late
summer.
3. Learn about very
important changes
coming to your
Crowden Letter!
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Love getting your Crowden Letter in the mail?
Don’t miss out—see inside for big changes coming this fall!
T H E C R O W D E N l etter
Spring 2015
the Crowden Letter
T H E C R O W D E N M U S I C C E N T E R 1 4 7 5 R O S E S T R E E T B E R K E L E Y C A 9 4 7 0 2 – 1 2 5 5 www . crowden . or g
Crowden Expands Chamber Music Training for Youth
This summer and fall,
Crowden will launch new
ensemble training opportunities for young musicians.
The goal: to make chamber
music, and the benefits of
playing it, more accessible
to Bay Area youth.
Playing chamber music requires more
than just technical ability on an instrument.
The music rewards close, effective collabora-
tion between players. In Crowden’s day school,
participate in—the art form. Typically, most
beginning string students are immediately
private lesson students leap directly into play-
introduced to playing in small groups. They
ing chamber music (if they play it at all) once
develop a specialized skill set that prepares
they reach the necessary technical skill level,
them to play chamber music with one another,
without the opportunity to develop the needed
without a conductor. By the time they are
collaborative skills. So Crowden’s artistic staff
technically ready to tackle the great repertoire,
decided to fill the gap by offering a trajectory
they also possess enhanced cooperative skills—
of after-school ensemble training, designed to
how to listen and communicate respectfully,
help Crowden private lesson students develop
how to lead and to follow—that enable them
the skills they’ll need to play chamber music,
to more immediately achieve a higher level of
before they begin to play it.
performance together. That kind of specialized
“Since the core of Crowden’s music educa-
group training is not always available to young
tion is rooted in playing chamber music, we
musicians studying in private lessons, limit-
want to encourage all students who take private
ing their abilities to fully experience—or even
lessons to discover the joy and rewards
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T H E C R O W D E N l etter
Spring 2015
of playing music collaboratively at a high
culture amongst like-minded students. The
level,” explains Eugene Sor, a key planner of
single day of programming will increase access
new programs: Young Musicians Chamber
the expanded offerings.
by simplifying life for families with multiple
Academy and Piano Partners. These new offer-
Beginning this fall, Crowden will offer
This summer, Crowden introduces two
children at different levels, and busy families
ings are also designed to fill a gap, by serving
comprehensive ensemble training for chil-
will not need to change schedules as students
students who are ‘in between’ Crowden’s popu-
dren ages seven to fourteen. The new courses,
progress from one course to the next.
lar Summer Strings day camp and our intensive
Beginning Ensemble Skills, Preparatory String
“Our sequential program introduces
Ensemble, and Chamber Orchestra, will all be
musicians to ensemble playing through group
held after school on Tuesdays. Youth chamber
classes with matching instruments, on through
deepens its longtime commitment to the art of
ensembles for ages twelve to eighteen will also
playing in small orchestras, and ultimately
chamber music. As Eugene summarizes, “These
rehearse. Every Tuesday, the entire campus
playing in small ensembles without a conduc-
opportunities to work with other musicians are
will fill with young musicians playing together
tor where each musician holds his or her part
inspiring and exhilarating, and the resulting
in small groups, fostering a rich and robust
independently within the group,” Eugene says.
benefits and love of music last a lifetime.”
Chamber Music Workshop.
With the new programming, Crowden
The "Bare" dancers with composer Lauren Grace Bare and choregrapher Benjamin Freemantle (center). Photo by Lance Bare.
Crowden and the San Francisco Ballet’s Creative Collaboration
The San Francisco Ballet
School recently premiered
a new dance to music composed by Crowden’s Lauren Grace Bare, a longtime
student in our John Adams
Young Composers Program.
Crowden and the San Francisco Ballet
School have been quietly exploring the creative
potential of collaboration between our Young
Composers and participants in the School’s
Trainee Program. The Trainees, aged sixteen to
nineteen, are the most advanced students at the
school, and come from around the world. They
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each must complete a choreography project;
in its world premiere at the Ballet School's
giving them the option of selecting new works
Student Showcase at the Yerba Buena Center
by Crowden Young Composers, whose ages
for the Arts Theater. Set to a string quartet
can range from seven to eighteen, seemed like a
composed by Lauren, Bare is a dance created by
natural fit. Many of the Trainees have exercised
Benjamin Freemantle, a gifted novice
that option.
choregrapher recently promoted to the Ballet’s
For the past two years, both compos-
corps de ballet. In his San Francisco Chronicle
ers and Trainees have attended a colloquium
review, critic Allan Ulrich complimented Bare
by bassist and composer Shinji Eshima on
as “notable for its lovely string quartet score.”
composing for the ballet. Trainees observed
a Crowden master class given by the Kronos
Quartet that included an early version of
Lauren's piece, and composers visited the Ballet
for workshops of the dances created on their
compositions.
This past May, the collaboration took
another step forward when Bare was presented
Our thanks to the following individuals
for invaluable help in this project: Shelby
Gans who started it all; Patrick Armand,
Bruce Sansom, Wendy Van Dyck, and
Andrea Yannone from the San Francisco
Ballet; Matthew Cmiel, Timothy Der, Doris
Fukawa, Arkadi Serper, and Michel Taddei
from Crowden.
T H E C R O W D E N l etter
Spring 2015
Tour Québec 2015
In April, Crowden School
seventh and eighth graders
embarked on a music tour
to Québec, Canada.
The Crowden School music tour is a
biennial event and always a highlight of our
students’ time together. We returned from this
The Quebec tour group. Thanks to eighth grade student Sofie Kanayama for sharing this photo!
year’s tour to Canada full of wonderful memo-
Island Youth Symphony in Dollard-des-
Biodome, the Musée de la Civilisation,
ries of concerts, workshops, broadened cultural
Ormeaux, complete with a public welcome
backstage at the Maison Symphonique de
horizons, scenic vistas, and snow!
by the town Mayor.
Montréal, and the beautiful and impressive
Here’s a snapshot of how our impressive young
musicians spent their week in Québec:
· • A public concert in Montréal’s gorgeous
and acoustically delightful Basilique NotreDame.
· • A side-by-side performance with the West
Legacy Society
It’s been more than a decade since the creation
of Crowden’s first “Legacy Society”—an informal group of longtime supporters who met
several times for receptions and concerts after
Anne Crowden passed away in 2004. In 2011,
a more official group of the same name was
established to bring together loyal supporters whose generosity and foresight inspired
them to include Crowden as a beneficiary
in their estate plans. One of those members
is Charlene Brendler, a current
Crowden School teacher who worked with
Anne Crowden beginning in 1984. Here is what
she says about her experience with Crowden
and the importance of the Legacy Society:
Anne Crowden had a vision that
became the purposeful school
we call ‘Crowden’ today. Those
· • Masterclasses and workshops with artists
waterfall at Montmorency.
from such prestigious organizations as Mc-
· • Meals showcasing Québecois specialties,
Gill University’s Schulich School of Music,
including student favorite maple syrup,
Les Violons du Roy, and the Orchestre
Symphonique de Montréal.
· • Walking tours of Old Montréal and Old
Québec, complemented by visits to the
of us working at Crowden have
become stewards of her creation,
continuing to transmit a love of
music and connection with others, especially through the rapport
of chamber music. I have been
privileged to serve this vision as
a longtime Music History faculty
member starting with Anne’s
second year of the school. This has
been rewarding, and my heart is
warmed each time I see or hear
returning alumni play, or talk
about how Crowden shaped their
lives. Happily, endowing this
winning educational formula
is easily supported through the
Legacy Society.
Whether you are a Crowden School alum, a
· •Rehearsals, impromptu soccer games,
climbing on snow drifts, souvenir shopping.
· It was an exhilerating trip!
Charlene Brendler. Photo by Geoffrey Biddle
teacher, or a friend in the wider community,
you can have a real impact through your
legacy gift—and when you demonstrate your
support for Crowden’s future, others will follow your generous example.
For more information about Crowden’s
Legacy Society, contact Development Director
Kerri Gawryn at kgawryn@crowden.org or
510.559.6910 ext 120.
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T H E C R O W D E N l etter
Spring 2015
Alumni Take Center Stage to Draw Support
Our alumni are lending
hands and bows to help
Crowden raise much-needed funds for programs and
scholarships.
Crowden alumni who pursue careers
In May, a benefit at the home of Mr. and
Mrs. Gordon Getty featured an illuminating
annual Winter Benefit Recital, featuring Berlin
Philharmonic First Concertmaster Noah
q&a between Doris Fukawa and alumnus com-
Bendix-Balgley (tcs ’97). Fellow Berlin-
poser Samuel Carl Adams (tcs ’00),
based alumnus David McCarroll (tcs
who joins the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
’99) joined Noah for a surprise guest appear-
this fall for three years as a Mead Composer-in-
ance, treating audiences to a preview of next
Residence. Earlier, Crowden presented its first
year’s Benefit Recital, which he will headline.
as professional musicians nearly universally
Winter Benefit Recital
stay close to their Crowden roots, returning
sponsors
Benefit at the home of
Mr. & Mrs. Gordon Getty
faculty and board, and to celebrate momentous
Sallie & Edward Arens
Shelby & Frederick Gans
Meyer Sound
We are grateful to Mr. & Mrs. Getty and the following
individuals for generosity in support of this fundraiser:
anniversaries. For years Crowden’s Sundays
patrons
Shelby & Frederick Gans
Meyer Sound
Amy & Eddie Orton
to mentor current students, to serve on our
notable alumni emerging artists, most recently
Jay & Leslie Ifshin
Edna Lee Warnecke & James Marks
Jacob Pak & Soo Hyang Kang
cellist Jay Campbell (tcs ’03) and, next
benefactors
@ Four chamber music series has presented
season, Karla Donehew’s (tcs ’99)
Catalyst Quartet. And this year, Crowden’s
two major fundraisers presented patrons with
the most compelling proof of our educational
model’s value and impact—our alumni.
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Carl Haber & Elizabeth McCoy
Earl & Rosalinda Rupp
sponsors
host committee
Sallie & Edward Arens
James Marks & Edna Lee Warnecke
benefactors
Angela & Willie Archie
Patrick Golden & Susan Overhauser
DJ Grubb & The Grubb Co.
Jacob Pak & Soo Hyang Kang
Earl & Rosalinda Rupp
T H E C R O W D E N l etter
Spring 2015
Announcing the Christine C. Chu Cello
Scholarship
In memory and honor
of late Crowden School
alumna Christine Chu, the
Chu family has established
the Christine C. Chu Cello
Scholarship.
ber, and Erling Blondal Bengtsson. Christine
Christine attended the Crowden School
Dances, Musicora Ensemble, was a founding
1986-1988 for fourth and fifth grades. She
started cello at age four, and began studying with Milly Rosner at age seven. Her first
orchestral solo was with the Berkeley Youth
Orchestra at age eight, and her first professional orchestral debut with the South Bay
Orchestra at age twelve. At twelve, Christine
joined the San Francisco Symphony Youth
Orchestra and accepted a music scholarship to
PHOTOS (top to bottom, left to right):
David McCarroll and Noah Bendix-Balgley backstage
before the Benefit Recital; Samuel Carl Adams and
Doris Fukawa in conversation at the Getty's; Noah
greets enthusiastic fans, including Crowden trustee
Jacob Pak, after his recital; Doris Fukawa with
Crowden patrons Maurice Kanbar and Shelby Gans;
Crowden alum Owen Dalby (tcs '98), who is the newly
appointed second violinist of Stanford's St. Lawrence
String Quartet, with David Davis (tcs '86), and
community programs alum Raymond Archie, who
traveled from New York especially to support
Crowden at the Getty fundraiser.
Photos of Noah's Winter Benefit Recital by Lenny
Gonzalez; photos of the Getty party by Drew Altizer
Photography.
San Domenico’s Virtuoso Program, where she
graduated with the Veritas award. She received
a bm in cello performance and a ba in American Culture from University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor, an mm in cello performance from
Manhattan School of Music, an Artist Diploma
from SUNY Purchase, and a Masters in Music
Education from Lehman College. Her mentors
included Julia Lichten, Peter Wiley, David Ge-
performed with the Westchester Philharmonic,
Brooklyn Philharmonic, Haddonfield Symphony, New World Symphony, Tanglewood
Music Festival Orchestra, National Repertory
Orchestra, National Orchestra Institute, Aspen
Festival Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Philadelphia Orchestra. As a chamber
musician, Christine performed with Corbin
member and artistic director of the Artemis
Chamber Ensemble, and performed at Carnegie Hall. Throughout her career, she won many
competitions and received multiple awards.
Christine was a dedicated teacher, on faculty at
various schools, including NY Ossining School
District as music teacher and Middle School
orchestra director, and maintained a private
cello and piano studio. She has worked with
students with special needs including blindness, muscular dystrophy, Asperger’s syndrome,
and Alzheimer’s disease.
This endowed scholarship fund will provide
support for students entering into the Crowden
School through a one-time commitment, and
may be applied to a selected cellist or cellists.
Photos courtesy of the Chu family.
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T H E C R O W D E N l etter
Spring 2015
With your support, music changes everything. Photo by Geoffrey Biddle.
Crowden Launches New Membership Program this Fall
Here at Crowden, we recognize the integral role our
donors, family, alumni and
individual supporters play
in maintaining a mission as
diverse and distinguished as
ours.
To show our deep appreciation, we are
launching a new membership program this fall,
designed to honor Crowden donors for their
loyalty and support.
The program will offer benefits that give
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greater access to our concerts, fundraisers, and
levels will receive mailed copies of the fall and
guest lectures, as well as opportunities for
spring Crowden Letters, newly upgraded and in
deeper involvement. Each membership level
full color. Members at the $100 Associate level
is accompanied by unique rewards, including
and above will receive acknowledgement in
season tickets to one or more of our concert se-
both editions. Existing members will also have
ries, opportunities to sponsor Crowden events,
the option to upgrade their member status to a
private performances by Crowden ensembles,
higher level if they would like to receive more
and behind-the-scenes tours and lectures with
benefits within their membership year.
tcs Music Director Eugene Sor and Crowden
Executive and Artistic Director Doris Fukawa.
Also, beginning this fall, the biannual
Our hope with this new program is that
Crowden supporters at all levels will enjoy their
member benefits and feel a greater engagement
Crowden Letter will be mailed exclusively as a
with our mission and our organization. We
membership benefit.
are thrilled to invite you all to join this new
To continue to enjoy this publication,
Crowden patrons can make a $50 minimum
donation to become a member. Members at all
program and to further experience first-hand
the immense value of your support.
T H E C R O W D E N l etter
Spring 2015
Attention Readers:
• Our 100% new and improved website launches this summer!
Get the latest news, personalized calendars, online enrollment, and
custom content just for Crowden alumni all in one place:
www.crowden.org
• Beginning this fall, the Crowden Letter will be mailed exclusively
to Crowden members. Members at the $50 level and higher will
receive our upgraded, full-color print publication in the mail. The
Crowden Letter will remain available to non-members online only.
Please find details on the opposite page.
Crowden
honorary president
Board of Trustees
Colin Hampton (1911–1996)
Heidi Mattson, tcs Assistant Principal
Monica Frame, tcs Counselor
Lauren Eigenbrode, Admissions and Alumni Relations
Manager
Janet Ceja-Orozco, tcs Secretary
officers
Administration
Crowden Letter
Earl Rupp, Chair
Fred Konkel, Vice Chair
Zachary Griffin, Treasurer
Anne Nesbet, Secretary
members
Angela Archie, Sallie Arens, Noreen Axelson, Joan Balter,
Kate Berenson, Timothy Der, Tracy Dooley, Courtney Duffy,
Cary Koh, John Lowitz, Bennett Markel, Jacob Pak, Sangam
Prasad, Brian Samson, and Doris Fukawa, ex officio
music advisory board
John Adams, Bonnie Hampton, Gary Karr, Michael Morgan,
Sir Simon Rattle
advisory board
Patrick Golden, John McCarthy, Helen Meyer, Deborah
O’Grady
founder
Anne Crowden (1928–2004)
Lord Menuhin (1916–1999)
founding president
Doris Fukawa, Executive and Artistic Director
Marion Atherton, Associate Director,
Community Programs Director
Michel Taddei, Director of Artistic
Administration
Debra Mauro, Director of Finance
Maria Danielson, Staff Accountant
Kerri Gawryn, Director of Development
Lucas McGranahan, Development Associate and Grants
Manager
Stacy Neale, Development Assistant
Jennifer Strauss, Director of Publications and P.R.
Juan Rodriguez, Building and Grounds Supervisor
Jorge Mendoza, Building and Grounds Assistant
Eugene Sor, Assistant Artistic Director,
Director of tcs Music
William Betts, Community Programs
Assistant
Brad Johnson, tcs Principal
Jennifer Strauss, editor, writer, graphic designer
Kerri Gawryn, Michel Taddei, writers
Drew Altizer Photography, Lance Bare, Geoffrey Biddle,
Lenny Gonzalez, Sofie Kanayama, photography
Cover photo by Drew Altizer Photography. Page 8 photo by Geoffrey Biddle.
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