January Performance Classes
Happy New Year!
Our next performance classes will be on Sunday, January, 15, 2012. The performance orders have been posted and may be downloaded from the Calendar page. Please check carefully on the performance order sheets to see which class your child will be performing with.
The classes will be held at Schmitt Music at the Galleria in Edina. The start times for the classes are posted below:
- Young Performers/ Junior Young Artists @ 12pm
- Young Artist Class 1 @ 1pm
- Young Artist Class 2 @ 3pm
December Performance Classes
Our next performance classes will be on Sunday, December 4, 2011. The performance orders have been posted and may be downloaded from the Calendar page. Please check carefully on the performance order sheets to see which class your child will be performing with.
The classes will be held at St. Paul Conservatory of Music in downtown St. Paul. The start times for the classes are posted below:
- Young Performers/ Junior Young Artists @ 2:30pm
- Young Artist Class 1 @ 3:45pm
- Young Artist Class 2 @ 5:15pm
Intense Fall Yields Fruitful Results at CHS!
Jo Anne, myself, and our magnificent students have come off one of our busiest and most intense falls in years. We attribute this to the expressive power and preparation of our Roster across the board.
Austin with Christopher O'Riley Master Class, photo: Schmitt Music Edina
Austin Frohmader has continued his torrential flood of accomplishments. As most of you know, Austin is a very gifted composer as well as pianist. He is intensely pursuing his dream of entering music school in the fall as a Composition Major, with a heavy concentration in piano as his chosen instrument (of course!). Two startling events have occurred in support of his composition.
First of all, Austin was selected – through the submission of scores – to The Schubert Club Composer Mentorship Program. He is one of just four young composers in the upper mid-west selected for this prestigious program. He will be mentoring with Composer-in-Residence, Edie Hill. This program will include studies in Theory, Instrumentation, Orchestration, and Roundtables on the artist’s life as a composer in the modern world. In the spring, at the conclusion of the Mentorship Program, Austin’s work for Brass Quintet will be performed by the Copper Street Brass at Landmark Center. Secondly, Austin was the First Place winner of the State Division of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) National Composition Competition, He will represent the State of Minnesota at the West-Central Division Competition in January, University of Colorado, Boulder, in the Senior Division (15-18). Amazingly, Austin also received Honorable Mention in the same MTNA National Competition in Piano, State Division! The event was held at St. Olaf College on October 29th. In addition, he was selected for the Master Class of world-renowned pianist, Christopher O’Riley, October 21st, at the Burnsville Center for the Performing Arts, (see photo). To round out his amazing fall, he gave a powerfully expressive performance of Prokofiev’s Third Sonata, as guest artist, on Thursday Musical’s Morning Concert Series, November 3rd, Antonello Hall, MacPhail Center for the Arts.
In addition to Austin’s Honorable Mention at the MTNA Young Artist Competition, Lucas Jones was named Alternate to the state winner in the same competition. He will be called upon to represent the Senior Division in Piano (15-18), in Colorado, should the winner be unable to fulfill his award. In the Junior Division (11-14), Michael Tang and Noah Chojnacki each received Honorable Mention. It is very significant that our four young men – Austin, Lucas, Michael, and Noah – were half of the eight players to audition in the MTNA Young Artist Competition. The numbers are extremely limited because of the huge repertoire demands of this competition. All four of our boys presented the twenty-five to thirty minute solo programs and, in addition, had prepared a twelve to sixteen minute concerto movement(s) for the St. Paul Piano Teachers (SPPTA) Concerto Competition the following week. All four young men performed their entire thirty-five to forty-five minute programs on our Fall Festival Recitals, October 23rd. We are very proud of their impressive work ethic.
Lucas Jones, Michael Tang, Daniel Qu, and Noah Qiu were named finalists in the St. Paul Piano Teachers (SPPTA) Concerto Competition (November 5th). They were four of the seven finalists chosen, and our studio contributed nine of the twenty-one contestants in the event. Our other performers were Noah Chojnacki, Matthew Qu, Nita Qiu, Stephanie Ye, and Ellie Krienke. Jo Anne and I are very gratified to say – and without equivocation – that all nine of our young artists played their very best.
In other news . . . Mandy Chang, Stephanie Li, Niels Wu, Mulan Zhu, and Richard Chang have been elevated to the Young Artist Class. We expect wonderful contributions from them in the near future to our top class!
Our young artists have a very brief period, before the holidays, to get going on huge amounts of new literature. January will be another wild month of PCs and competitions – both in and out of town.
Yours in Music –
Joe & Jo Anne
October Performance Classes and Fall Festival Recitals
Happy October! Below please find pertinent information regarding our October performance classes and recitals.
There will NOT be a formal recital this quarter for the Young Performers and Junior Young Artists classes (hooray for jeans and gym shoes!). The performance orders for the classes and recitals are also available for download from the Calendar page. Please carefully check the performance order sheets to see with which class and time your child will be performing.
October 16, 2011 :: Performance Class for Young Artists Only – Schmitt Music in Edina
- Class 1 – 11am
- Class 2 – 1pm
- Class 3 – 3pm
October 23, 2011 :: PC and Recital – St. Paul Conservatory of Music
- Performance Class – Young Performers/Junior Young Artists – 1pm
- Recital – Young Artist 1 – 2:15pm
- Recital – Young Artist 2 – 4:00pm
- Recital – Young Artist 3 – 5:45pm
We also want to mention that all of our students and parents are always invited to sit in at any of our performance classes and recitals to hear other students from different classes play. We especially encourage our Young Performers and Junior Young Artists (and parents) to attend our Young Artists recitals and performance classes. It is quite inspirational for our younger students to see the level of playing they may aspire to by listening to our Young Artists perform.
St. Paul Conservatory of Music – New Location
One more reminder that the St. Paul Conservatory of Music have moved across the street from their old location. They are now in the East Exchange Building (across from McNally Smith College) at 26 East Exchange St., Suite 500, St. Paul, MN.
St. Paul Conservatory of Music – New Location
Performance Class – September 25, 2011
Welcome back! We are excited to kick off this new year of wonderful music with our first quarter performance classes. We will have three classes on Sunday, September 25th. The performance orders have been posted and may be downloaded from the Calendar page. Please check carefully on the performance order sheets to see which class your child will be performing with.
The classes will be held at Schmitt Music at the Galleria in Edina. The start times for the September 25th classes are posted below:
- Young Performers/ Junior Young Artists @ 11:00am
- Young Artist Class 1 @ 12:15pm
- Young Artist Class 2 @ 2:15pm
