drewmcmanus
Ardent Aries Spotlight: Michelle Schumann
In anticipation of our season finale next week, we chatted with Artistic Direction Michelle Schumann about how she identifies as a Cancer, the wonders of this Dal Segno season, and the Aries traits that make Bach, Haydn, and Rachmaninov so irresistible. Read the full interview, then see her perform live with the award-winning Schumann Chamber Players next weekend!
What’s your sign, and does it inform your music making?
My sign is Cancer and I definitely internalize some Cancerian traits. Especially when it comes to music making, I am extremely emotional and ‘sensitive’. I love exploring the extreme emotions in music and completely embodying the characters that are portrayed through the pieces I perform. In real ‘non-performing life’, I don’t think I’m nearly so dramatic! But performing music has always been an incredibly safe and generous place to explore the depths of human emotions. It’s a wonderful way to connect with the music and with my audiences!
Tell us about our Aries composers for the upcoming concert.
First off, I just want to say that it’s been tremendously fun exploring all of our Horoscope Composers this season. I began this theme and idea on a lark, but I think we’ve found the most wonderful and telling connections between some of the most beloved composers in the chamber music canon. I’m sad the season is ending (!) but the music on this last concert is ASTOUNDING and I know no one will want to miss it.
Aries personalities are enthusiastic, courageous and independent. All of our composers (Bach, Haydn, and Rachmaninov) share these incredible traits. Bach was committed to the traditions of his time (and even before his time), and he was brave enough to hold true to what he cherished and became an incredible master of his realm. We will be playing one of his greatest masterpieces, the Chaconne in D Minor. Wait. We? What? Those of you who know the Chaconne, know it was written for solo violin…. but I’ve made a delightful discovery of finding the ‘accompaniment’ that Felix Mendelssohn wrote for the Chaconne. Mendelssohn was the first musician to perform J.S. Bach’s music publicly, close to 100 years after his death. He revived the incredible virility of Bach’s music, and WE now enjoy the fruits of Mendelssohn’s efforts. This arrangement is a revelation on its own and highlights Bach’s ingenuity and the way his music is effortlessly timeless and malleable.
We’ll also be performing Haydn’s Piano Trio No. 44 in E Major. Haydn’s enthusiasm for work, play, and life are highlighted incredibly in this work. He was a trailblazer of a composer and had so many firsts. I mean, really… he was the Grandfather of the Symphony, the String Quartet, the Piano Trio. Courageous, independent, optimistic. Check, check, check. (Also, he was hilarious.)
Finally we’ll end with Sergei Rachmaninov and his monumental second piano trio. Here we see the generous, loyal, courageous side of Rachmaninov. This work was written as an elegy to commemorate the death of his beloved mentor and friend, Pytor IIych Tchaikovsky. The work is deep… heavy and laden with emotions. But not only sad emotions… it sings of heroism, joy, ecstasy, frivolity, and exuberance. It has EVERYTHING! Rachmaninov doesn’t hold back in his earnest and heartfelt portrayal of Tchaikovsky, the titan. It’s a piece to be experienced. And I can’t wait to experience it all with you.
Pisces Perception Artist Spotlight: Sara Sant’Ambrogio
Grammy award winner Sara Sant’Ambrogio joins Michelle Schumann next weekend for a Pisces-themed program of intuition and imagination. Read what this “very Gemini” cellist has to say about composers Chopin, Ravel, and Piazzolla in our latest interview, then see her perform at Pisces Perception on Saturday, March 3.
What’s your sign? How has it informed your playing?
I am a Gemini and apparently I am told that I am very Gemini. Gemini are natural communicators—I spend my life trying to communicate the emotions of the composers and myself to the audience. Gemini are supposed have a natural affinity for languages-not only does one have to learn many different musical languages as a musician but I also find this weird knack for speaking other languages fluently only when I am actually on stage during a concert. The moment I am off the stage I seem to have forgotten entirely how to speak the language or even what I said on stage that had everyone laughing!
Gemini are the Twins and as a musician one has to be using both sides of your brain simultaneously and almost have a split personality. You are making mathematical calculations constantly in your head whilst laying your heart in the audience’s hands and hearts.
Gemini are supposed to be very gregarious and most happy surrounded by people. My favorite place in the whole world is on stage in front of an audience!
This program celebrates Pisces, known for being sensitive, expressive, and imaginative. How do you think these pieces by Ravel, Chopin, and Piazzolla align with these traits?
Chopin was incredibly sensitive and expressive. His music has this amazing juxtaposition of shy vulnerability coupled with intense passion, a rare combination. He was incredibly imaginative in the way that he intensifies emotion in his melodies by adding more notes rather than more volume. Ravel is the quintessential French impressionist composer. This style was such a departure for classical music and it really took someone with extraordinary imagination and sensitivity to be one of the creators of this style. It is not as much about the motifs and melodies (like it was in previous German based music) but about the colors and feeling of the music. Piazzolla is arguably the King of Tango. He took a style of music that was only heard in the bars and brothels of Buenos Aires, Argentina and brought it out into the light for all the world to fall in love with.
Age of Aquarius Artist Spotlight: Liz Cass
This season’s biggest chamber music party will be all the more unforgettable with this Austin “mover and shaker!” Born on the cusp of Capricorn and Aquarius, singer Liz Cass chatted with us about why she identifies with Mozart and about the magic of Schubert’s “Shepherd on the Rock.”
We’ll be celebrating Aquarius composers Schubert, Mozart, and Mendelssohn… all who were the pioneers of the ultimate chamber music parties. These composers loved small gatherings to make music and have fun! Do you identify with these composers?!?!
Naturally I identify with the supreme genius of Mozart, ha! You know I’m right on the cusp of Capricorn and Aquarius… I feel like a Capricorn when it comes to business and an Aquarius when it comes to play and little of both when it comes to music. What I admire greatly with these three composers is that they truly and deeply loved music so much. It doesn’t seem to be about business or politics at all. As a musician performing their works, you can trust every single moment and just go with the flow which is very Aquarian. The fact that they were all prolific in their short lives, that’s a little Capricorn-esque.
You’ll be singing Schubert’s “Shepherd on the Rock.” Tell us about this piece. What do you enjoy about it?
This is such a great piece and all women want to sing it, sopranos and mezzos alike. Musically, it’s this mini epic with really 3 pieces in one. I love the changes in mood from broad wonder to deep and slightly dark contemplation to hope conquering all. I love that message because hope is always worth it! The colors of the piano grounding the piece at the beginning followed by this hopeful sweet clarinet entering the scene and taking us on this little journey is simply magic. As a performer it is a pleasure to explore humanity through the lens of the Shepherd connecting to life and nature with all of it’s pains and joys.
You’re an amazing musical “mover and shaker” in our community! What do you think is the most important thing when performing for people?
Authenticity. Everyone connects with truth.
A Charlie Brown Christmas Artist Spotlight: Utah Hamrick
Michelle Schumann’s trio with bassist Utah Hamrick and drummer David Sierra has been playing Vince Gauraldi’s iconic Charlie Brown Christmas music for the last five years. With the 6th annual performance around the corner, we got a chance to hear from Hamrick about his personal relationship to both the music and the characters of this family favorite.
This is the 6th annual Charlie Brown Christmas concert. How has your relationship with the music changed over the years?
The first year I was unsure how much I’d actually like performing the music, because even though it’s an iconic soundtrack, that doesn’t always translate into being fun to play. After the first performance I really warmed up to how well written all of Vince Guaraldi’s songs and arrangements are, and given how much room there is for the bass in a piano trio setting I have really come to enjoy performing this music. Plus, only playing it once a year means you never get tired of it!
Who is your favorite Peanuts character, and why?
Well, I think the obvious answer for most musicians would be Schroeder, since he’s the resident musician in the Peanuts universe. In the show they have Pigpen playing the bass, which seems a bit insulting, but he’s always a really nice, happy character, so I’ll let the hygiene slide. If you’re talking about Peanuts as a whole, my favorite character would be Snoopy. Being a canine gives him a distance from the rest of the characters that enables him to comment on all of their weird, neurotic human behavior.
What other music traditions do you have during the holidays?
I don’t really have anything else I’d consider a tradition, except enjoying Harry Connick Jr.’s Christmas albums. I’m a huge fan of his big band arranging.
Simmering Scorpio Interview: Matt Treviño Heats Things Up
We are thrilled to have singer Matt Treviño join us at our next season concert, Simmering Scorpio. He will be performing a set of fiery, highly Scorpio songs (to give you an idea, one is titled “My Songs are Filled with Poison”). Michelle Schumann got a chance to chat with him about the benefits and setbacks of being a Gemini artist, and how these Russian “Songs and Romances” are “ALL about” deep voices and Scorpio vibes.
Michelle Schumann: This season is all about horoscope signs… can you share with us whether you have any of the quintessential traits of your sign? Do any of these traits impact your music making and performing?
Matt Treviño: I am a Gemini through and through. The quintessential points being the duality; Ying and Yang. I see two sides to everything and am very easygoing because of it. This makes rehearsals with me easy (I hope!) with my spirit always being one of cooperation and teamwork. I definitely have two sides, however. One is fun-loving—the life of the party and someone easy to talk to. This makes me a fun person after the show and during the rehearsal process. But often I can turn to the other side, where I want nothing more than to crawl home and not see anyone. Luckily, I can manage these two sides and they work quite well with my professional life. Another common trait of the Gemini is being excited about learning and taking on new projects. This is true for me as well. I love to learn and talk things through. But I also tend to let things fall to the wayside, and this is a problem I need to keep tabs on. I can easily get bored and want to move on to the next thing—not the best trait when you need to learn a piece of music by a certain date!
MS: November is all about Scorpios, who have the reputation of being super emotionally charged: fiery, unpredictable, passionate, and melodramatic. How do Alexander Borodin’s “Songs and Romances” align with these traits?
MT: They’re perfect! Russian music, and these wonderful Borodin pieces in particular, often display a fiery and impulsive emotional state. Whether they be deep and passionate love, betrayal, bitter resentment, or a tumultuous death—these songs are ALL about the Scorpio!
MS: You’ve mentioned that you love singing Russian rep. What is it about that repertoire and the language that is so attractive to you?
MT: There is something about the meter and sound of the language, and the gravity of Russian poetry and prose that work perfectly with the low voice. The musical and emotional colors feel so natural to me and my singing. I liken it to certain instruments just sounding better playing certain styles: guitars playing rock, trumpets playing jazz, cellos playing Beethoven… basses singing Russian!