Newsletter #20

Newsletter for February 26, 2009

Contained within:

1) Electric Violinist Aaron Meyer here at West on Tuesday!!
2) Schedule for this next week
3) Boston schedule reminder
4) All City Saturday - come see our best and brightest!
5) Save The Dates - here are important concert dates through the end of the year

1) Thanks to the Oregon Musician Hall of Fame, electric violinist Aaron Meyer - www.aaronmeyer.com - will be performing for us period 7 Tuesday March 3. All Titan Orchestra students are excused from 50 minutes of their period 7 class to attend his demonstration.

2) Here's the schedule this next week:

**No more early morning sectionals for Advanced Symphony**

Monday - Even Day
Tuesday - Odd Day - 3:30 Adv. Symphony violin 2 sectional. 4:30 Advanced Symphony
Wednesday - Even Day
Thursday - Odd Day - 4:30 Boston rehearsal - 6:30 MANDATORY BOSTON MEETING with parents and students
No School, No Symphony Friday

3) Here's the Boston rehearsal schedule up until we leave:

Thursday March 5 4:30 - 6:30
Thursday March 5 6:30 Parent and Student Mandatory Meeting
Monday March 9 4:30 - 6:30
Thursday March 12 2:30 - 4:30
Monday March 16 4:30 - 6:30

4) On Saturday at 7pm at North Salem High School's auditorium Salem-Keizer presents it's All City music festival - the best students of the area's choirs, bands, and orchestras have come together for this incredible concert at North. West has 5 students performing in the orchestra (and plenty others in band and choir): Lauren Culver, Skyler Young, Aida Behmard, Jacqueline Tran, and Paul Zukowski. Please come support the area's musical groups. This is a very important event - many city counselmen and local area officials are invited guests for this concert. Strong parental and student support is greatly appreciated! $10 concert fee - this is a great review opportunity!

5) Here are some upcoming important dates:

Tue March 17 - our next West Concert - 7pm

Wed April 8 - Performance at Capitol Manor - Advanced Orchestra, Boston Group, Symphony Strings 7pm

Sat April 18 - Salem-Keizer District Competition - here at West - all day 8am - 5pm
Advanced Orchestra and Symphony perform. Other students are required to attend at least one or both West performances. We need plenty of volunteer help this day from parents and students.

Fri April 24 - 1pm - 6:30pm Area Festival - all Period 7 students with area 4th and 5th graders ***YES, THIS IS A GRADING DAY - NO SCHOOL FOR HIGH SCHOOL***

Mon May 4 - Pre-State concert (Advanced Orchestra and Symphony)

Mon Jun 1 - Concerto Concert - Advanced Orchestra. All other students must attend

We will be adding a final performance for period 7 and 6 in late May.

Have a great weekend - see you at All City Saturday.

Note to Period 7 students and parents...

Hi Period 7 Symphony Strings parents and students,
Here are some upcoming important dates - including the additions to our schedule:

Tue March 17 - our next West Concert

Wed April 8 - Performance at Capitol Manor - all Period 7 students must attend!!

Sat April 18 - Salem-Keizer District Competition - Period 7 DOES NOT perform (Advanced Symphony does) - I need all students to attend Advanced Orchestra and Advanced Symphony performances... and to help out around here - I can use parent help too. It'll be a busy day - with lots of amazing music!!!!

Fri April 24 - 1pm - 6:30pm Area Festival - all Period 7 students will be working with 4th and 5th grade students, then performing with and for them at 6pm at West
***THIS IS A DAY OFF OF SCHOOL*** Please make arrangements to have students present - it'll be fun, and there'll be pizza... oh, and it helps our program here at West grow... oh, and it's a great performance opportunity.

These are considered mandatory 'performances' which means that all students are required to attend. But, of course, there will always be allowances for extenuating circumstances - please know that my goal is to work with all students and parents to make this work for everyone.
Thanks!
~Daryl S.

There are maybe a few Perlman tix left for Portland Feb 28...

From Elizabeth Kirkpatrick's mom (thanks!):

"There are still a few tickets available for the Itzhak Perlman concerts with the OR Symphony in Portland. On 28 Feb, they have only single seats available, but there are pairs on 1 and 2 March. They are as cheap as $30 each, plus $6 service fee per ticket, a relative bargain for him. The seats are way high or way in the back of the orchestra level. No student discounts. "

Newsletter #19

Newsletter for 2/19/09

In this newsletter:

1) Schedule for next week - sectionals for Adv Sym will begin at 6:45am (yawn)
2) Boston schedule - rehearsals and meeting
3) SAVE THE DATE - March 17 (St. Patrick's Day) - our next concert!!
4) Planning has begun for next year
5) Period 7 - save the date, April 24!!!
6) Good concerts this weekend

1) Well, this is the official last week of earlybird morning sectionals for Advanced Symphony. I AM CALLING ALL SECTIONALS FOR 6:45am in order to finish up the pieces. This way, we don't have to continue the earlybird sectionals into March (we'll go back to some after school sectionals). Here's the schedule for this last week of February:

Tue - 6:45 1st violins
Wed - 6:45 2nd violins
Thu - 6:45 Violas
Thu - 2:30 - 3:15 Basses
Fri - 6:45 Cellos

Parents and students - thanks for you ability to make these sectionals - it's made a real difference!!!

2) All Boston students have been given music and a blue schedule sheet. All rehearsals are considered mandatory - that is, unless you have a VERY valid excuse (important practice, work, other rehearsal, etc...) - just consider that we have only 4 rehearsals to pull this trip music off!!

Next Monday (23rd) from 4:30 - 6:30 is the first rehearsal on the schedule - please move heaven and earth to be there.

3) Well, our concert was cancelled in December (but, it is available on the blog as a downloadable link) so March 17 is your next opportunity to hear the Titan Orchestra program. All groups will be playing an Irish or Scottish piece and the Boston Trip orchestra will play their music (they leave 2 days later). Concert is here at West at 7pm, call time will most likely be 5:30 due to some staging that needs to happen.

4) Planning has begun for next year. Boot camp will be 2 weeks before school begins - Boot camp is mandatory for all incoming freshman and Advanced Orchestra members (new requirement this year). All other students are strongly encouraged to participate as we will be reading music and having guest artists come to perform and work with us. The schedule will look something like:

9 - 12 - Freshman
11 - 3 - Advanced Orchestra
11 - 1 - All other orchestra members (in Symphony Strings or String Ensemble)

Any parents who have questions about placement and/or orchestra commitment, please contact Ms. Silberman. Students will be given audition and commitment requirements for the various levels of orchestras and auditions begin in April.

5) ALL STUDENTS AND PARENTS in PERIOD 7... you will be needed here at school from 1pm - 7m on April 24 which is a GRADING DAY - NO SCHOOL. I need your help because we're going to have a workshop for 4th and 5th grade string students in West Salem and you will be teaching and inspiring those students - you will also perform as a group on their concert at 6pm.

Period 7, MARK YOUR CALENDAR! April 24 1-7pm

6) The Corvallis Symphony is playing this weekend - check for their information by google searching Corvallis Symphony.

There's a great bluegrass concert in Stayton this weekend - for more info:

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/200902190312/ENT/902190305

Have a great weekend!
~Ms. S
silberman_daryl@salkeiz.k12.or.us

Newsletter #18

Newsletter for Feb. 12 - Valentine's weekend

1) Free tickets to an All Mozart concert this weekend - AMAZING pianist!!
2) Sectionals continue this month... busy busy busy
3) Congrats to Taylor Baldwin - he's off to All Northwest Orchestra
4) Last weekend to see Pippin at West!

1) The Salem Chamber Orchestra - www.salemchamberorchestra.org - which is Salem's own local professional chamber group is performing an All Mozart concert this weekend. Saturday at 7:30 and Sunday at 3pm at Hudson Hall at Willamette University (more info on their website). The guest pianist is Xu Zhong who will be conducting 2 Mozart piano concerto FROM THE PIANO... it's a concert not to be missed! The musicians in the orchestra are telling me that he is an incredible pianist and this concert will be amazing, especially if you're a Mozart and/or piano fan! If you would like tickets (I have about 10 I can give out) please email me and let me know which day you want to come and how many tickets. silberman_daryl@salkeiz.k12.or.us

2) The busy sectional schedule for Advanced Symphony continues for 2 more weeks. The schedule is posted on last week's blog. All sections have had great attendance and we're learning the music faster than ever! Thanks to all the parents who are modifying schedules to make sure students get to school at 6:50am!!

3) Our bassist Taylor Baldwin is off to Spokane to participate in All Northwest's orchestra - he will be working with the region's best players (5 states attend this event!!) and will be conducted by Gerard Schwartz who conducts the Seattle Symphony. We're proud of him and wish him a great music and friend-making weekend!

4) Need to have some fun, laugh a bunch, and hear some great music? Come see Pippin this weekend - Friday and Saturday evening 7pm. The acting and singing is amazing, and our musicians are doing great! Mrs. Vandreal-Clark and Mr. Angelo have outdone themselves putting this musical together. Congrats to all!

Happy Hallmark Holiday weekend!
~Ms. S

Newsletter #17

Newsletter for 2/5/09

1) Claremont Trio TONIGHT at the Elsinore!!
2) Schedule for next week - sectionals, Boston, All City
3) PIPPIN is this weekend (Fri and Sat) and next
4) Links to pieces we're playing...
5) Chocolate Sunday is THIS Sunday

1) There's an amazing concert tonight... the Claremont Trio (click on the name to see their website) is playing at the Elsinore at 7pm. There is student pricing available. For more info:

http://www.salemcommunityconcerts.org/

2) Here's the rather busy schedule for this next week:

Tuesday 7am (6:50 arrive) Adv. Symph 1st violins
2:30pm All City students
4:30pm Adv. Symph

Wednesday 7am (6:50 arrive) Adv. Symph 2nd violins
3 - 5pm BOSTON TRIP MANDATORY REHEARSAL
6 - 8:30pm All City students - sectionals at South

Thursday 7am (6:50 arrive) Adv. Symph violas
2:30pm Adv. Symph Bass

Friday 7am (6:50 arrive) Adv. Symph cello
2:40pm Adv. Symph
7pm PIPPIN!!!

Any ADVANCED SYMPHONY students who miss their sectional will need to record (video or audio) the section they missed and bring the recording in to Ms. Silberman within 2 days of the missed sectional!! We mean business this round - let's get these notes learned!!!

3) West's Musical, Pippin, is this weekend and next - Friday and Saturday night at 7pm. Come support your friends, both on the acting side and the musician side!

4) Some links for ya:

Bugs Bunny - The Rabbit of Seville (video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UccY_0Trfbk

or click here: Bugs Bunny - The Rabbit of Seville (video on google site that's not blocked)

The Barber of Seville - audio (youTube)

or

The Barber of Seville - audio (Symphony Silicon Valley live concert broadcast)

Night on Bald Mountain (From Fantastia... the video on YouTube)

Irish Washerwoman - scroll down and click on the Irish Washerwoman audio file (Real Player)

Death and the Maiden String Quartet - audio recording of the Borromeo Quartet

More links to come...

5) Like Chocolate? Want to come hear your friends play... and you can eat a LOT of chocolate? And, you'd be supporting music in our community? Well, scroll down to see the blog entry before this one, or click here: http://titanorchestras.blogspot.com/2009/02/chocolate-sunday-is-this-sunday.html

Have a great weekend - I'll see you at Pippin this weekend, or at Chocolate Sunday...

Chocolate Sunday is THIS SUNDAY!!!

Salem Community Concerts Presents
CHOCOLATE SUNDAY
at the Historic Elsinore Theatre
Sunday, February 8

Two Servings/Programs
2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
3:00 – 4:30 p.m.

A PERSONAL INVITATION FOR YOU!
Do you love chocolate?
Do you love music?
Are you free Sunday afternoon?

Would you be willing to donate $10, $15 or $25 to support music education and the arts for the school children of our community?

If you can respond “yes” to these four questions, then please consider this a personal invitation to come and treat yourself to “as much chocolate as you can tolerate” in the beautiful lobby of the Historic Elsinore Theatre. (170 High Street SE, Salem)

Each year, Salem Community Concerts holds a fundraiser on the Sunday preceding Valentine’s Day. Friends and patrons donate delicious chocolate desserts of every sort.

Chocolate Sunday is the day to come, sit around a table with friends and enjoy good music, coffee or tea and the most fabulous chocolate available in Salem on a Sunday afternoon! Chocolate cake, cookies, brownies, candy, ice cream sundaes! Even the door prizes are chocolate!

Chamber music is provided by advanced orchestra music students of West Salem High School, under the direction of Daryl Silberman.

At 3:00, everyone will be invited into the main theater to enjoy a 30-minute concert by Rick Parks on the Mighty Wurlitzer Pipe Organ.

Invite a friend or two, or bring the whole family, plan to come at 2:00 or 3:00 p.m. and indulge in a delightful Chocolate Sunday afternoon!

Wiscarsin Concerto Competition in Salem - for those who have a concert ready to go...

Hi all,

This is for our most advanced players who work with a private teacher.
I thought you might be interested in this info about the Oregon Symphony's prestigious competition... if you have a piece ready, please consider auditioning! ~Ms. S

Here's the link to read this online, and to download the application form:
http://www.orsymphony.org/salem/edu/wiscarson.aspx

Vernon L. WiscarsonYoung Musicians’ Competition
2009 Wiscarson Competition
Competition Date:
Saturday, April 4, 2009Competition Location:
Western Oregon University
Smith Hall
Monmouth, OR
Application Deadline:
Friday, March 6, 2009Competition Time:
Begins at 10:00 a.m.
Length depends on number of entrants selected

OSAS sponsors a prestigious instrumental music competition for talented youth in the mid-Willamette Valley. The Vernon L. Wiscarson Young Musicians’ Competition encourages serious young musicians to hone their performance skills by participating in a juried competition. The awards, currently the largest cash prizes for students in Oregon, are funded through an endowment made possible by the family of Vernon L. Wiscarson, a longtime music educator and musician in Salem.

The competition, established in 1980, is held on the campus of Western Oregon University in late winter each year and is free to the public. Adjudicators come from the Oregon Symphony and universities in the area. First place winners receive a cash prize of $500 and may be invited to join the Oregon Symphony solo performances during Salem and Portland Youth Concerts. Second and third place winners receive $300 and $200, respectively. There are also two, $100 Honorable Mentions that may be given at the Adjudicator’s discretion. OSAS encourages talented young musicians to submit an application for the competition.

Rules for the Wiscarson Young Musicians’ Competition
-The competition is open to all ages up to, and including, a senior in high school. A student entering college early (i.e., prior to 18 years of age) is not eligible.
-Students must reside in one of these counties: Marion, Polk, Yamhill, Linn, or Benton.
-Only soloists are eligible for the competition (no duets, etc.).
-A competitor is allowed to compete on only one instrument.
-The competitor must perform any one movement from a standard concerto or other work for solo instrument (including piano) and orchestra. The piece must be memorized. Each soloist needs to provide his/her accompanist. Music scores also need to be provided for each adjudicator to use on the day of the competition.
-There is a ten-minute maximum on the piece to be performed in competition, with nine minutes being the preferred time.
-Applications and audition tapes must be submitted by the deadline noted on the application. The competition reserves the right to limit the number of entrants if, at some point, there are too many to be judged in one day.
-The winner will be offered a coaching session with a member of the Oregon Symphony. There is no guarantee the winner will play with the Oregon Symphony.
-There will be no tie for First Place. Adjudicators will use discretion about other places.
F-irst place winners must wait one year to re-enter the competition if that winner was able to perform with the Oregon Symphony.