Hollywood Music Directors

Portland, Ore. … How Beethoven revolutionized the music of his time will be explored by guest conductor David Alan Miller as he leads the Oregon Symphony in the second Front Row Center concert appropriately titled “Beethoven the Revolutionary” featuring pianist Susan DeWitt Smith on Friday, Jan. 30 at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. This concert also marks the beginning of the Symphony’s month-long Beethoven Festival, which continues through March 7. The Front Row Center series is sponsored by Bridgeport BrewPub and Southwest Airlines.

Miller, formerly the Asscociate Conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, is now the Music Director of the Albany Symphony Orchestra in New York. He is known for his interpretations and recordings of American music but also is known as a Beethoven specialist. “Beethoven is arguably the most revolutionary and innovative composer,” Miller explains. “I hope this concert will be a fun and lively journey into the world of Beethoven’s music.”

Miller and the orchestra will spend the first half of the concert exploring Beethoven’s “revolutionary” persona, by performing excerpts from his Fifth, Seventh and Third Symphonies to demonstrate how Beethoven’s ground-breaking compositional techniques changed both musical form and style from the prevailing Classical standards of his time, which stressed balanced phrases and smooth transitions from one key to another. The concert opens with the famous first movement of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, with its “fate knocks at the door” rhythm and continues with the final movement from the Seventh Symphony, which, according to Miller, “blew the roof off how rhythm is perceived in music.” This movement demonstrates Beethoven’s use of repeating rhythmic fragments to generate a whole work, and Miller will get the audience involved by giving them a short participatory exercise for understanding rhythmic repetitions. The concert continues with the first movement of the Third Symphony, “Eroica,” which shows how Beethoven transformed symphonic formal structures and the overall scope of symphonic music.

After intermission, Miller and the orchestra will turn their attention to the more introspective, humanistic side of Beethoven’s character, beginning with the last movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, “Choral,” in which the audience will be invited to sing the chorus part along with the orchestra and celebrate along with Beethoven the power and glory of the human spirit. “Beethoven’s music is so direct; he was a populist,” says Miller. “He wanted his music to speak to all of humanity, not just kings.” The concert continues with an excerpt from Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4, with pianist Smith, a member of Third Angle and a soloist with an active performing career, who will demonstrate Beethoven’s approach to lyricism and melody through this quiet, thoughtful work. The concert concludes with the Leonora Overture No. 3, a work that speaks to the transformative power of love.

When conductor Thomas Wilkins takes his place at the podium in front of a major orchestra, he knows what he won't be doing.

"I used to wave my arms a lot when I was starting out my conducting career," said Wilkins, principal guest conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. "It was a very physical thing for me. But ultimately I learned that less is more. There are physical benefits of not over-conducting."

He added, "It's about trusting the orchestra, which allows me to put more focus on the essence of the music, the shape of the sound. The better the orchestra, the less need for them to be timed."

Wilkins, who will guide the orchestra Friday through Sunday in the Bowl's fireworks finale, "Blame It on Rio," is also aware that no matter what he does with his arms, he instantly attracts attention -- not only of musicians, but of audiences -- in another, more subtle way: He is one of the few African American conductors leading major orchestras.

As music director of the Omaha Symphony and resident conductor of the Detroit Symphony, Wilkins is gaining recognition as the ranks of major conductors grow more culturally diverse.

Venezuelan Gustavo Dudamel will make his debut next month as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. New York-born Alan Gilbert, whose mother is Japanese, is about to begin his tenure as music director of the New York Philharmonic. China's Xian Zhang, that orchestra's associate conductor, made her Walt Disney Concert Hall debut in May, leading the L.A. Philharmonic in a performance of Prokofiev's Third Piano Concerto.

Nonetheless, Wilkins and others bemoan the fact that the number of professional African American conductors is still small. "There certainly are not a lot at the upper lever professionally," Wilkins said. "At my level, there's probably less than 10 in the country."

Among the most prominent African American maestros are James DePreist, director of conducting and orchestral studies at the Juilliard School and laureate music director of the Oregon Symphony; Paul Freeman, founding music director of the Chicago Sinfonietta; and Michael Morgan, music director of Oakland East Bay Symphony. Kay George Roberts, founder and music director of the New England Orchestra in Lowell, Mass., is one of the few female African American conductors.

All have accumulated honors and appeared with many of the country's major orchestras. Many are spearheading programs to help expose classical music to more young people.

When conductor Thomas Wilkins takes his place at the podium in front of a major orchestra, he knows what he won't be doing.

"I used to wave my arms a lot when I was starting out my conducting career," said Wilkins, principal guest conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. "It was a very physical thing for me. But ultimately I learned that less is more. There are physical benefits of not over-conducting."

He added, "It's about trusting the orchestra, which allows me to put more focus on the essence of the music, the shape of the sound. The better the orchestra, the less need for them to be timed."

Wilkins, who will guide the orchestra Friday through Sunday in the Bowl's fireworks finale, "Blame It on Rio," is also aware that no matter what he does with his arms, he instantly attracts attention -- not only of musicians, but of audiences -- in another, more subtle way: He is one of the few African American conductors leading major orchestras.

As music director of the Omaha Symphony and resident conductor of the Detroit Symphony, Wilkins is gaining recognition as the ranks of major conductors grow more culturally diverse.

Venezuelan Gustavo Dudamel will make his debut next month as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. New York-born Alan Gilbert, whose mother is Japanese, is about to begin his tenure as music director of the New York Philharmonic. China's Xian Zhang, that orchestra's associate conductor, made her Walt Disney Concert Hall debut in May, leading the L.A. Philharmonic in a performance of Prokofiev's Third Piano Concerto.

Nonetheless, Wilkins and others bemoan the fact that the number of professional African American conductors is still small. "There certainly are not a lot at the upper lever professionally," Wilkins said. "At my level, there's probably less than 10 in the country."

Among the most prominent African American maestros are James DePreist, director of conducting and orchestral studies at the Juilliard School and laureate music director of the Oregon Symphony; Paul Freeman, founding music director of the Chicago Sinfonietta; and Michael Morgan, music director of Oakland East Bay Symphony. Kay George Roberts, founder and music director of the New England Orchestra in Lowell, Mass., is one of the few female African American conductors.

All have accumulated honors and appeared with many of the country's major orchestras. Many are spearheading programs to help expose classical music to more young people.

"African Americans haven't had as many nurturing opportunities," said Morgan, who is in his 20th year at the Oakland symphony. "I see part of my job being helping the orchestra have a relationship with the community. Young kids need help, and you have to make sure they see a logical path. Then they will take it. It's harder when they don't see anyone at the far end of the path that looks like them."

Ensemble Members

A graduate of the Eastman School of Music and the Cleveland Institute of Music, Joël Belgique has been an 8-year member of fEARnoMUSIC. He has performed at Italy’s Spoleto Festival, Alaska’s CrossSound Festival, Wyoming’s Grand Teton Music Festival, and Michigan’s Interlochen Center for Arts. In Portland, he is Principal Viola of the Oregon Symphony, has performed with the Oregon Symphony String Quartet, and with the faculty of Portland Summer Ensembles. He also is the Principal Viola and Orchestra Manager of the Astoria Music Festival and a frequent guest with Portland-based band Pink Martini.

Joel Bluestone, D.M.A., is entering his 18th year as co-founder and Percussionist with fEARnoMUSIC. His project The_Waters_Bluestone_Duel for percussion and live electronics has taken him all over the world. He has been the head of the Percussion department at Portland State University since 1989. Current love: performing and traveling all over the world with the San Diego based group Swarmius, where a sonic fusion of Hip-Hop and House-Lounge-Techno meets Modern-Classical.

Violinist Paloma Griffin is in her first year as member of fEARnoMUSIC. A former member of the Oregon Symphony, her concerto appearances include performances with the Oregon Symphony and the Fresno Philharmonic. As a member of Pink Martini, Paloma appeared with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the San Francisco Symphony, at Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and “Late Night with David Letterman.” She can be heard on the Pink Martini albums Hang On Little Tomato and Hey Eugene, as well as The Shins album, Wincing the Night Away.

Nancy Ives is newly rejoined with fEARnoMUSIC this season, having been acting Artistic Director during the 2003-2004 season. She is Principal Cello of the Oregon Symphony, and most recently has been featured soloist with the Oregon Symphony, Cascade Festival Orchestra, Clark College Orchestra and the Vancouver Symphony. She is a member of the Rovetti Quartet and Trio Arete and has appeared with Chamber Music Northwest, Third Angle, New Music at Willamette, Music in Context, Friends of Chamber Music, the Oregon Symphony String Quartet, and the Astoria Festival.

Jeffrey Payne co-founded the fEARnoMUSIC ensemble with percussionist Joel Bluestone in 1992. As a member of the ensemble he has appeared in New York City, California, and Colorado, as well as throughout the Pacific Northwest. During his tenure as Artistic Director for the group he was responsible for presentation of twenty World premiere or American Premiere performances of works by Pacific Northwest composers. In 1997 he founded the Young Composers Project, as part of the mission of fEARnoMUSIC, and continues as its Director, overseeing the development of aspiring young creative minds around the region.

A Venezuelan native, Inés Voglar is in her fifth year as fEARnoMUSIC’s Artistic Director and its principal violinist. She has helped make fEARnoMUSIC one of the nations premier new music ensembles. She has reached out globally to find collaborations with the best composers as well as emphasizing the importance of the great local composers by featuring many performances of their music. She is currently a member of the Oregon Symphony violin section and has been a guest with the OSO String Quartet, the Interlochen Center for the Arts, and is the Concertmaster and chamber musician for the Astoria Music Festival. She was formerly a member of the prestigious Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble and the Free Marz String Trio. Her principal teachers are Roberto Valdés and Andrés Cárdenes where she is a graduate of Duquesne and Carnegie Mellon University.