Weekend Concert Schedule

Here are the tentative assignments for the concerts this weekend.  We look forward to sharing the results of our work with you!

FRIDAY NIGHT – Warner Concert Hall 7-11+   PM
       7:00

Vivaldi  Seasons

Kodaly Serenade

Dvorak Terzetto

Mozart Hunt

        8-ish

Beethoven viola 5tet

Mozart K 516

K 515

Mendelssohn a minor 4tet

      9-ish

Borodin #2

Beethoven 59.1

Gade 8tet

Dvorak Viola 5tet

      10-ish

Brahms Op. 111 Viola 5tet 

Beethoven Piano Quartet

Mendelssohn d minor trio

Schubert  Trout

      11-ish

Faure c minor

Mendelssohn 8

SATURDAY – Warner Concert Hall    1:30

Haydn Quinten Quartet

Mendelssohn 8tet

Mozart E-flat Pno Quartet

Schumann pno 5tet

As the temperature heats up (the national heatwave has hit Oberlin) the intensity of the student practicing is heating up, too.
Tomorrow we will open up the conservatory early at 6:30 to accommodate people wanting extra solo practice before the day starts.
Groups are excited about another service day tomorrow (mainly concerts) and "whole piece concerts" and recordings Thursday.
Today featured a Marilyn McDonald Master Class, and a class on how to practice (by Peter Slowik).  Credo students already know a LOT about practicing, but were able to learn new techniques and concepts.

Did we say restful for yesterday?!
Students "returned to work" today with new gusto - some new coaches, and lots of freedom to create rehearsal time.  Several hours of large ensemble rehearsals, master classes my Louisville Orchestra Concertmaster Michael Davis and Cleveland Orchestra cellist Alan Harrell, and a "college talk" by Peter Slowik highlighted the day.  We shared our favorite (mainly funny classical music) you-tube clips tonight.  To see if you are a music geek, look at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ln5O1LuItrs

What better way to end a 95-degree day - a bonfire!!?   S'mores and campfire songs were a perfect way to end a restful day at Credo.  Students slept late, attended and played at morning worship, had the opportunity to see TWO plays:  "A wrinkle in time" and "Hamlet" at Oberlin Summer Theater.   The rest was well earned after a marvelous and productive week - the faculty thought the Saturday concerts were among the best ever at Credo!
Monday starts a new week, aiming toward final performances.  We are excited to get new faculty members:  Oberlin Conservatory's Marilyn McDonald, and Michael Davis, the Concertmaster of the Louisville Orchestra.

Faculty concerts = excitement and inspiration.

What a marvelous blessing - to have a faculty who can lucidly guide students to fine performances - AND show them how it's done with warm, deep, virtuoso performances!  Warner Concert Hall was buzzing with excitement for faculty performances of Brahms and Dvorak - and afterward the faculty was treated to a hero's tunnel of praise from the students!  (a new Credo tradition is born?) 

Earlier in the day, the students got to see some very special/rare/valuable items from the Conservatory's music library collection, and got to see an intriguing demonstration of the way music technology can interact with performers.

Satuday Concert Order

The second round of student concerts will take place tomorrow, Saturday, July 16th. Here is the program order:

2:00, Warner Concert Hall

Vivaldi,  Four Seasons, Concerto No. 3 "L'autunno": First movement

Mozart, String Quintet No. 3, K 515: Second and third movements

Dvorak, Terzetto in C Major:  Second and third movements

Kodaly, Serenade: Third movement

Mozart, String Quartet No. 17 "The Hunt", K. 458: Second movement  

Gade, String Octet: First movement

Intermission

Borodin, String Quartet No. 2: Second and third movements

Mendelssohn, String Quartet No. 2: Second and third movements

Mendelssohn,  Piano Trio No. 1:  Second movement

Beethoven, Piano Quartet in E-Flat: Second movement

Schubert, Trout Quintet: Second and third movements

8:00, Warner Concert Hall

Beethoven, String Quartet Op. 59 No. 1: Second movement

Mozart, Piano Quartet No. 2 K. 493: Third movement

Faure, Piano Quartet No. 1: Second and third movements

Schumann, Piano Quintet in E-Flat: Fourth movement

Intermission

Brahms, String Quintet Op. 111: Fourth movement

Dvorak, String Quintet in E-Flat: Second and third movements

Haydn, “Quinten” String Quartet: First movement

Mendelssohn, String Octet in E-Flat: First movement

Another great service day!

Another whirlwind of several days at Credo! The second service day is always wonderful - we went to a blood drive, habitat for humanity, made lunch at Ronald McDonald House, Joyful Noise, and played concerts all over the place!  After a day of serving others, the students got to hear professional and life testimonies of the faculty - a revelatory experience that touched everyone deeply.  Wednesday was another great day of lessons, practice, and coaching.  A large group of students got to appreciate the unique power of the three world-class organs at the Conservatory, while others learned about the Music in America initiative (see http://www.oberlin.edu/musicinamerica) or heard a lecture on the way Creation points to God's existence.  Tonight is the faculty concert!!

Bowling with Tchaikovsky

"Cosmic" (glow-in-the-dark) bowling with Tchaikovsky 4th Symphony blaring - only at Credo!  Everyone had a great time knocking down some pins at the the end of a productive day of lessons, rehearsals, and coaching.
Master Classes (Stephen Clapp, violin, Kathryn Steely, viola, Anne Williams, cello) were the highlight of the day for many.  As the temperature topped 90 degrees for the second day in a row, we certainly appreciate wonderful Air-Conditioned Kahn dormitory.

Happy New Week!

Sorry we have been remiss in posting over the weekend.  Concerts took us late into the evening Friday (Faculty concert), Saturday (student concerts), Sunday (outdoor concert on the shores of Lake Erie), and we were waiting on a few pictures.
There are not enough superlatives to describe the excitement and joy generated by the first week of rehearsals and coaching.
Every night - several new hours of wonderful chamber music playing!  We are off to a good start for the new week, with new coaches and some piece changes.  Today's classes were presented by Oberlin Conservatory theory faculty Jan Miyake (for those that did not get her last week), and Steuart Pincombe, who provided insight into the world of baroque historical performance practice.   Beginning our "large ensemble" rehearsals for the final concert (already?!) tonight.

Saturday Concert Order

We have determined the order for the Saturday (July 9) concerts:

3 PM in Kulas Recital Hall:

Beethoven Viola Quintet

Schickele  Trio

Dvorak Terzetto

Borodin Quartet

Mozart K 515 Quintet

Dvorak Quintet

     Intermission

Beethoven 59/1  Quartet

Mozart K. 458 (Hunt) Quartet

Mozart K 516  Viola Quintet

Beethoven Pno Quartet

Schubert Trout Piano Quintet

Mozart Pno Quartet

8 PM in Kulas Recital Hall

Kodaly Serenade

Mendelssohn a minor
Faure Pno Quartet

Schumann Piano Quintet

Mendelssohn Piano Trio

     Intermission

Beethoven  95  string quartet

Brahms Op. 111  Viola Quintet

Vivaldi Spring

We look forward to sharing our music with you!

First Service Day

We knew this was going to be a good service day when students got up early to be at the Conservatory at 7 AM when it opened - they wanted extra group practice to be prepared for concerts today!  After 3 days of rehearsing, everyone did physical labor AND performed at least one concert.   It was a great day - we sorted and packed 6 pallets of food at Second Harvest Food Bank, worked in the Habitat for Humanity warehouse, weeded, worked at the Metroparks, assisted in recreation at Oberlin Early Childhood Center, played for a blood drive, cleaned 4.5 miles of roadside, taught at an inner city Cleveland music program, and played indoor and outdoor concerts at several locations in Oberlin.  The students are mellow tonight - pleased with their accomplishments in the first 4 days of the program, and ready for refinements that will lead to Saturday's concerts!

Coachings, theory classes, recordings, and frisbee!!

 It's hard to keep up with the descriptions of everything that is happening here at Credo!  Today was another wonderful day of progress. The Credo curriculum allows for such quick growth, with in-depth coaching every day - we are ready for our first service performances tomorrow!
The students were treated to some Oberlin Conservatory special classes today - about 1/2 of the students received a great lesson in music theory from Conservatory Professor Jan Miyake, while the  other 1/2 got to tour and experience Oberlin's new state-of-the-art recording studio (Klonick Hall, where they will play the "marathon" concert!)
    A spirited and intense 90 minutes of ultimate frisbee engaged about 40 students tonight - and apparently proved that "violas rule" - the viola team won two games!
   We are so excited to serve others with our music and being tomorrow!

A full day of rehearsals!

Tuesday started off with an enthusiastic note.  At 6:30 the dorm practice rooms were full and about 15 students were off on a refreshing 3-mile run with Credo's Artistic Director!
The day just got better from there - a wonderful morning message about "identity" from Bryan Dumm, a morning of coachings and rehearsals, afternoon orientation to the Oberlin Conservatory Library, a class on cueing, more rehearsals and lessons, and large ensemble in the evening.  We're looking forward to our first "evening off" tomorrow - and a big ultimate frisbee game.  


Students and faculty rehearse with intensity!

First Full Day of Camp

What a day!   The day started with a great breakfast at Stevenson Dining Hall.  A challenging and inspirational Morning Sing with Peter Slowik got the program off to a meaningful start.  Everyone is mellow tonight after a FULL day - 90 minutes of coaching, 90 minutes of ensemble rehearsal, 3 hrs of solo practice, master classes by 4 teachers, 45 minutes of "large ensemble" tonight - and then SPARKLERS (our own July 4 celebration at the dorm!)   The Credo students are clearly living up to the Oberlin motto of "Learning and Labor".

Cleveland Orchestra cellist Bryan Dumm illustrates a point for the cellists

 Kangwon Kim engaged the violinists with good humor and technical challenges

 Applying creative teaching methods.

We're preparing for our debut at "Music Under the Stars" on the shores of Lake Erie on Sunday.  Our first large ensemble rehearsal was fun and eye-opening!

Credo Starts with a "Bang"!

Check-in day was a wonderful day of excitement, old and new friendships.  A picture-perfect summer day segued into a beautiful cool night, complete with a wonderful fireworks display to celebrate the 4th.   Tomorrow we begin the real work and joy of the musical activities!

 Enthusiastic campers getting checked in

 A Pizza picnic outside our home for the next 3 weeks - Kahn dorm - already affectionately termed "Genghis!"

 Some of the campers

 Peter Slowik addresses the campers at an orientation meeting

 New friends - campers from Massachusetts and California meet!

 Counselors help with bug spray before going to see the fireworks

Residential director Michael Burgman "commanding the troops"

First Arrival Day

It has been a beautiful day here in Oberlin.  Last night the Baroque Performance Institute presented a magnificent performance of the Bach St. Matthew Passion (they are recording it in Warner Concert Hall over the next 4 days!).  Today featured student ensembles of BPI, a concert of the composition institute, and a recital by the Flute academy.  We also welcomed the string players of the Sphinx Performing Academy to Oberlin Conservatory - we'll have a lot of "Con" neighbors this week!

Amidst all this bustle, I was able to snap a few quiet pictures of some spaces which will become important to the students in the coming weeks:  Kahn Dorm (the newest and most luxurious on the campus!), Tappan Square, and the Conservatory's Japanese Garden.

Staff and counselors are arriving today from across the US, from Singapore, and Australia.  We can't wait for the rest of the students to arrive on Sunday!

Exterior of Kahn dormitory.  The dorm is spacious and air-conditioned!

The lounge of Kahn will be a great place to mingle - and have informal performances or rehearsals!

Our favorite ultimate frizbee "field" on Tappan Square.

The inside of the Conservatory was filled with concerts and recording projects - the Japanese garden outside is always a calm sanctuary.