What’s Happening at FPCM
Fall Into Spring Students to Give Concerts
Ready for Reger? How about some Schubert, Beethoven, Mendelssohn or Debussy? Want to hear a REALLY terrific brass quintet and the Mozart Clarinet Quintet? And FOUR cellos have to be twice as good as Two Cellos! We have it all and more this year in our Fall Into Spring program. You may not have to wait until the final concert in May to hear these 32 talented students. They will be giving concerts throughout the new year, so keep watch and you can keep up with their activities.
Kudos from Janet Horvath
Following her visit to Franklin Pond for masterclasses and private lessons, Janet Horvath wrote an endearing article about Franklin Pond.
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Summer Finale Concert
The Summer Finale Concert showcased four of our Franklin Pond groups. They performed works by Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Dvorak, Halvorsen, and Bloch in Kellett Chapel of Peachtree Presbyterian Church on July 28. This performance was the last of several they gave throughout the five-week program, including five masterclasses and four Community (outreach) Concerts. There is much to be learned from performing the same repertoire several times, an experience professionals have all the time and students rarely get. We were very proud of our students this summer.
From Violin to Viola
Emily Rader was a violinist in Fall Into Spring last school year. That was her first exposure to chamber music and she loved it so much she wanted to enroll for the summer. We needed a violist to fit into one of our groups and asked her if she would be interested in playing viola for this summer. Ron Sachs Violins loaned her a viola; she bought a book and researched online, and 2 weeks later, she was starting Franklin Pond on viola, reading a completely different clef, learning Mozart and Dvorak quartets, and playing beautifully. She grew to really enjoy it and is happy she did it. Many professional violinists also play viola, so it’s a good skill to acquire.
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The Community Concerts were a big hit!
The students played 4 Community Concerts on Tuesday, July 23 and Thursday, 25: Nicholas House Camp, Sunrise at Huntcliff, Sandy Springs Library (reopening day), and Canterbury Court. The audiences were very appreciative, and the kids did a great job of introducing themselves and their pieces, and answering questions. Franklin Pond Too (two 6th grade cellists, Mahalia and Stella) performed their Kummer duo beautifully at the Canterbury Court concert to an audience of about 75 people.
Upcoming Concerts
Sunday, July 28
3:00 PM
Kellett Chapel, Peachtree Presbyterian Church
Masterclass with Tom Key
Tom Key came for a masterclass Monday, July 1 and was FABULOUS with the kids. At the end of the afternoon, each student stood up and told the “audience” his/her answers to these questions:
- 1) What is the hardest part of playing your instrument?
- 2) What is the best part of playing your instrument?
- 3) What is the best part of playing your music?
- 4) What do you want the audience to know about the composer?
Each student was so articulate — smart bunch — and Tom helped them, throughout the whole session, to speak with feeling from the heart. Now, if we can translate that into playing their music, we have it made! That’s our goal and we will, thanks to our wonderful coaching staff and masterclass artists.
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Janet Horvath is Coming!
One of the highlights of our Summer will be Janet Horvath, well-known cellist and clinician. She wrote the book Playing Less Hurt, and will be here to work with the kids. We would like to open a masterclass to the public on the evening of Thursday, July 18 from 7-9 IF enough people are interested. She can talk about injury prevention and/or hearing loss prevention, both topics near and dear to any musician–professional, non-professional, or student. She will also be available for private lessons around that time. If you are interested, please contact us by either calling 404-252-3479 (leave a message with your name and telephone number if there is no answer) or emailing us at fpcm@franklinpond.org.
