For the past week the Sotto Voce Quartet has enjoyed an intense week of clinics, masterclasses and coachings at the Miraphone Academy in Greensboro, North Carolina. We've had a great time working with some very motivated and accomplished college quartets, helping them to learn about the various in and outs of advanced chamber music performance. It's been nice to have an opportunity to work in depth with young quartets and help them to understand and appreciate the subtleties of the genre as we do. We worked extensively on phrasing, balance, conducting, style, and synergy with a lot of great players, many of whom had never played together before. We'd like to thank Dennis Askew for all his help in coordinating and hosting the event and hope that it will be an annual summer event in years to come. Thanks to all who participated and please keep an eye on this website for details on future Sotto Voce Symposia!
Ah, summer! Congratulations to all students, faculty, and staff who have completed another academic year. I know I've been looking forward to spending some time with my family before summer school starts up. Sotto Voce's academic calendar for the summer of 2009 finds the Sotto Voce Symposium in residence at the Miraphone Academy. We've been looking forward to this event since last summers symposium. A detailed flyer and application form are now available on this site. As I write this it's not too late to apply. Come join Sotto Voce for an intense workshop and hang in North Carolina!
We've got some really great opportunites for touring in the near future. I'm trying to plot a November tour out at this moment. We know that we are a go for the Nebraska Music Educator's conference on Thurs., Nov. 19 and most probably the Iowa Music Educator's conference on Friday, Nov. 20. Then, we have some slots and opportunities to include Univ. of Nebraska-Kearney and/or Lincoln, a concert series in Lincoln, The Univ. of Iowa, St. Olaf, Univ. of Wisconsin-Platteville and Madison. The highlight of the tour will involve the live "Live from the Chazen" radio broadcast on WPR at Sunday, Nov. 22. We'll premiere the new work written for us by Tony Plog on that program as well as give a second performance my work BRIDGE with a highly recommended countertenor in Madison. This has the making for a whole lot of driving, but a nice chance to visit some of our old friends from the upper midwest!
The Texas Music Educators Association Convention (TMEA) is an annual gathering of music teachers from Texas. Every state has a similiar convention, but just as everything is in Texas, it's huge! It took place from February 11-14 in San Antonio. I was there representing the Miraphone Corporation and showing of the new Ambassador 5050 Edition euphonium that I helped design. I felt like a kid in a candy store because any instrument company or music gadget you can think of was at my disposal!
For three days I listened to what must have been hundreds of people try my euphonium. People seemed to love it as much as I do. There were several people who played it for several minutes multiple times every day of the convention. It was also great to see so many of my friends from various points within my short career. Many euphonium players from high schools and colleges introduced themselves to me and overnight we became Facebook friends! Imagine that!
TMEA reaffirmed that Miraphone is where I belong. Markus Theinert is an incredible man and Richard Murrow is very knowledgable and one of the funniest people I know! I am thrilled that Miraphone thought enough of Sotto Voce and our music making to make us artists representatives for them. We played our first concert on the new instruments and it was unreal!
In closing, if you ever have the opportunity to go to TMEA, don't miss it. It is world class event and you never know what connection you might make while you're there! Now, GO PRACTICE!
Photo Galleries added to the Carolinas and Kansas tours!
Sotto Voce is back at work after a fantastic tour of the Carolinas thanks to Gretchin Bowles, our host. ...enjoyed it!
The quartet is excited to announce the first details of the 2009 Sotto Voce Chamber Music Symposium, now a part of the Miraphone Academy. Feel free to share the preliminary flyer with your friends and colleagues. We would also like to invite all our fans (and those curious about who and what we are) to check us out on facebook.
Heading to TMEA this week? Be sure to catch Demondrae at the Miraphone booth. Maybe you'll see Mark around too... Watch this site for more changes, pictures from the Carolinas and more audio soon!
Sotto Voce announces a handful of tour dates in South Carolina. See the tour page for details.
We've received word from Performance Today that once again, an excerpt from a live concert of ours will be featured on their public radio syndicated program. Check your local program listing to hear our performance on Monday, January 12th. The note follows.
Hello Sotto Voce Tuba Quartet,
Just a quick note to let you know that on Monday, January 12th, Performance Today will broadcast the Sotto Voce Tuba Quartet’s performance of Handel’s Suite No. V - Air & Variations from their concert at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Minneapolis on March 18th, 2007.
American Public Media's Performance Today is broadcast on 245 public radio stations across the country and is heard by about 1.1 million people each week. Each station individually decides what time to air the program. To find out where and when Performance Today is broadcast in your area, please visit performancetoday.org.
You may also visit publicradiofan.com, an independent website that can point the way to on-line listening. Many radio stations stream their signal on the internet, so it may be possible for you to tune in to a radio station across the country and hear Performance Today by visiting that station's website at the time they air it. Next Monday’s show will be available on our website for seven days. We also archive many interviews, Studio MMW performances, Piano Puzzlers, and other features on our website.
Thanks!
Jeff Bina
The Sotto Voce Quartet is excited to meet many new concert organizers at the Arts Midwest Conference in Kansas City this week. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that a professional tuba/euphonium quartet has exhibited at the prestigious Arts Midwest conference. Immediately following the conference, the quartet will commence a tour including masterclasses and concerts at a combined UMCK/KU venue and Kansas State. Please see our tour page for updates regarding this tour.