A Note From the President

Only a few months back we took a collective breath and proceeded with an ambitious calendar of more than 80 concerts and performances packed tightly into Levine’s busy academic schedule. As our second semester concludes, I am proud to report that many of our programs drew capacity crowds and enormous support from the Levine community and first-time visitors to our campuses in NW and SE DC, Maryland and Virginia. Where else but Levine could you be treated to a free master class by renowned flutist Lady Jeanne Galway (unveiling her new 24k flute) or witness a stunning concert presented by former honors student Pallavi Mahidhara, a 19-year-old now attending the Curtis Institute with a promising career in piano?

The spring months are rolling into our annual Spring Gala benefiting Levine’s scholarship fund and our extensive community outreach programs. This year, we are fortunate to be honoring Leon Fleisher, the revered pianist, pedagogue, performer and recording artist, along with the philanthropic Freddie Mac Foundation, which has supported the Levine School’s partnership with the J.C. Nalle Elementary School in the Marshall Heights community of Ward 7 since 2003. The Gala’s Master of Ceremonies will be former Levine student, the Honorable Togo D. West Jr., presently President and CEO of the Leadership Institute of Washington. It will take place on Wednesday, May 23 at 6:30 pm at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium on Constitution Avenue NW. For tickets and reservations, please contact our development office at (202) 686-8000, ext. 1051 or e-mail afraser@levineschool.org.

Highlights from the remaining dates on our semester performance calendar include our Honors Recitals on May 11 and 12, featuring performances by our top students at our NW DC Campus, our Spring Chamber Music Festival on May 23, Levine’s annual Next Generation Concert with competition winners in Waterford, VA on June 3 and a duo performance by faculty pianists Lina Morita and Hyeweon Lee on June 12 at our Maryland Campus at Strathmore. Please check our events calendar for schedules and ticketing.

This year’s summer programs, too, offer something for everyone. We’ve brought back many of  our popular programs such as the Levine School of Rock, All That Jazz, string and saxophone camps and added a few new ones, including an electric guitar intensive. What makes our summer programs special is the mix of education, practice and performance. There are still some slots open and I encourage you to review our course catalog.

Please enjoy the warm weather and any vacation time you may be taking this summer. We look forward to seeing you in the fall for another wonderful year of music education and innovative programs and concerts offered here at Levine.

My best wishes for a safe and enjoyable summer.

--Peter A. Jablow, President and CEO of the Levine School of Music

New Staff

 Megan Hofmann has been named Office Manager of the Maryland Campus, responsible for marketing and new student registration. She has a BA in music/business from Ithaca College and has experience as a sales representative at the State Theatre for the Arts and, most recently, as an Office Coordinator in Ashburn, VA.

Levine is pleased to announce that Susanna Kemp has joined Levine as the new Assistant Camp Director. She was most recently a project manager and high-tech web designer with a small communications group in Washington, DC and prior to that she managed eCommunications at the British Council’s US office. She hails from London, England where she earned an AGSM in violin from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Levine welcomes Mayme Moyer as Campus Coordinator for the Maryland Campus at The Music Center at Strathmore. As the main faculty liaison, she will administer studio scheduling and student recital programming, among other responsibilities. Mayme comes to Levine from Arena Stage and has experience as an Operations Assistant for the Westerville Symphony in Ohio and as an Assistant Company Manager for the Contemporary American Theatre Festival. She has a BA in music from Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio.

New Faculty

Wen-Yin Chan, who is a DMA candidate in piano performance at Yale University School of Music, where she also earned her MM, recently joined Levine’s Piano Department. Chan, who received her BA in Piano Performance from the Curtis Institute, has performed as a soloist and chamber musician all over the United States and abroad at such venues as Carnegie Hall and the Taiwan National Recital Hall. She has also been a prizewinner in many national and international competitions over the past decade.

Seth Cook, who received his MM (magna cum laude) in Tuba Performance from McGill University and earned a double-major BM in Tuba Performance and Musicology from Northwestern University, recently joined Levine. He has performed with the National Symphony and the National Philharmonic Orchestras.  Mr. Cook also attended the Aspen Music Festival on the American Brass Quintet Fellowship and has performed on tours in Japan and Central and South America.

Amy McCabe, who recently earned her M.M. in Trumpet Performance from Northwestern University, recently joined Levine. She is currently a member of "The President's Own" United States Marine Band, and has been a member of the Chicago Civic Orchestra as well as several brass ensembles.  Additionally, she was the selected as a soloist with the Walt Disney All-Star Jazz Band. Ms. McCabe has taught trumpet privately at the middle school through collegiate levels at various schools in Illinois.

JiYoung Oh has joined the Piano Department at Levine after recently receiving her DMA in Musical Arts (Piano Performance and Literature) from the Indiana University School of Music. JiYoung has performed extensively throughout the northwest United States and served as principal pianist at the Astoria Music Festival. She also has taught piano at Indiana University and most recently, held a faculty position at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon.

Faculty Focus: Pianist Betty Bullock

“There are no shortcuts to mastering the piano,” says the incomparable pianist Betty Bullock.

“There are no shortcuts to mastering the piano, and in this age of instant gratification, this can be a hard lesson to learn,” says the incomparable pianist Betty Bullock, who has been teaching at Levine since the days the School was located at Reservoir and Foxhall Roads.  “Success at playing the piano is no different from mastering any new skill: Your progress will largely depend on how much effort you put into it,” she adds.

Those wise words come from a performing artist and teacher who has enjoyed a long and illustrious career teaching and performing at such prestigious venues as the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater, the Phillips Collection, the Lyceum in Alexandria, Strathmore Hall, the National Gallery of Art and the embassies of Austria, Germany and Great Britain. In addition to performing, she has spent the past 20 summers teaching at two music institutes based in Austria--the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz and at the University of Miami’s Summer Institute for Singers and Pianists in Salzburg.

Betty, who encourages all ages to follow their passion for the piano, admits it is a very challenging instrument even though it seems easy at first because “the minute you press a key, you basically have a musical sound.” But it becomes more challenging “because you have to learn to read two clefs at once unlike other instruments.”

Betty takes all of her students, preparatory and adults, seriously. She strives to teach her students how to practice in an organized and positive way, motivate them and ultimately show them how to become their own teachers while inspiring a great love for music.
 
Betty definitely imparts that love of music to her students. Adult student Jill Meyer says, "Betty Bullock is a fantastic musician and a wonderful teacher. She brings out the best musician in each of her students, no matter their age or stage of playing. I feel very fortunate to study with her."

In addition to teaching, Betty has the challenging job of coordinating and conceptualizing Levine’s Spring Gala, the school’s largest fund-raising event of the year. Betty, who has been involved with planning the Spring Gala since 1995, says it is both “both challenging and exciting to come up with the honorees and the performers," who are drawn from Levine’s faculty and student body. This year, the Spring Gala has special meaning to Betty because it will honor one of her idols--pianist, teacher and conductor Leon Fleisher.
 
Betty, a native of North Carolina, was twice chosen as a teenager to perform a concerto with the North Carolina Symphony. She has degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and has also studied at the Mozarteum Music Academy in Salzburg and at the Hochschule für Musik in Munich on a grant from the German government.
 
Even though Betty is extremely busy with teaching and her administrative duties, she manages to still grow as an artist and is comforted by the fact that there is no end to the amount of good and challenging repertoire for the piano.

Student Spotlight:  Adult Pianist Joe Guttentag

Dedicated adult student Joe Guttentag enjoys exploring piano literature with pianist/harpsichordist Lois Narvey.

As retired tax lawyer Joe Guttentag climbs the steps of Sallie Mae Hall, he looks forward to his weekly lesson with pianist/harpsichordist Lois Narvey. “The hour with Lois is the highlight of my week--it tests and challenges me, increases my love of the music that I try to play and overall enhances my life. Lois is a musician par excellence,” raves Joe.  In addition to studying piano with Lois for nearly 10 years, Joe has been a longtime member of the Levine Board of Trustees. 

Like many adult players, Joe took piano lessons as a child and enjoyed listening to classical music at home. “I remember listening to the Italian opera star Caruso on my aunt’s windup Victrola.” He also has never forgotten the time as a young adult he fortuitously found a ticket in front of the Metropolitan Opera House, enabling him to hear a performance of Verdi’s Rigoletto with the famous baritone Leonard Warren and tenor Jan Peerce. 

Joe’s love of music grew but it was a challenge to keep up with his piano lessons as his work involved much travel. He would try, usually without success, to find a practice piano in an unused hotel corner. “I found, and still find, that practicing and playing the piano requires such concentration that it forces out any other issues and then one can return to one’s work or the problems of the world refreshed,” he says.

Joe was a senior tax partner with the law firm of Arnold & Porter in Washington and Tokyo and was responsible for international tax issues in the Treasury in both the Johnson and Clinton Administrations. He served Treasury Secretaries Robert Rubin and Lawrence Summers as their delegate to the Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce and chaired the Committee on Fiscal Affairs of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Joe also lectured and wrote extensively on tax and international law issues and taught at Harvard Law School and George Washington University Law School. He earned degrees at the University of Michigan and Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. 

Since retiring in 2000, Joe has a little more time to devote to his piano studies. He has taken theory with Carl Yaffe and enjoys the occasional low-key performance evenings organized by Lois. “Joe is one of the most dedicated, serious and musical students I’ve ever had, as well as one of the sweetest,” says Lois.

Joe considers his service on the Levine Board as one of the most important of his post retirement pro bono activities. He was excited to join the board because “Levine is such a special school because of teachers like Lois and the continuing valuable support of its three founders, Ruth Cogen, Jackie Marlin and Diane Engel for more than 30 years.”  ”It is so rewarding,” Joe says, “to be able to participate with [Levine President ] Peter Jablow, [Vice President of Development and Planning] Stan Spracker and all of the staff and Board members as we work toward our common goal of bringing the joy and benefits of music and music education to our entire community.”

These days, Joe is busy, traveling with his wife Merna, playing tennis and doting on his six grandsons. But he still takes time to practice and especially enjoys playing Bach, Chopin, Mendelssohn and one of his “contemporaries” -- Kabalevsky.  As for encouraging the next generation of musicians, he says, “I never could get my kids interested in music but I am hoping that some of my grandchildren will find in music the joy and fulfillment that I do.”

Early Registration Discount for Academic Year 2007-08

Although you are probably in the middle of planning your summer vacation, it’s not too early to think about registering for fall lessons and classes at Levine. The School’s 2007-08 course schedule will soon be available at our campuses in NW and SE DC, Maryland and Virginia and arrive in your mailbox in early June. Meanwhile, please visit our Courses & Programs page to browse our 2007-08 offerings.

Levine offers the highest quality instruction to students of all ages and abilities in more than 20 instruments and voice, group classes and programs in Early Childhood Music, jazz, music technology, theory and composition, and for adults and retirees. Levine is offering a 4% discount on total tuition if families register and pay for the entire academic year byJune 15. In addition, the $40 registration will be waived. Registering by this date will also assure current students placement in their teacher’s fall studio.

Levine will also offer a 10-payment plan managed by Tuition Management Services (TMS) beginning in the academic year, 2007-08. The payment plan provides that tuition for full year courses will be payable over 10 installments instead of the 6 currently, making them even more affordable then before. For families wishing to take advantage of these installment plans, but not wishing to have to bother with making payments monthly, a Direct Debit Authorization program is also available.

More details about these payment plans will be provided with the registration package that you should receive along with the new 2007-08 course catalog in early June. Also, a summary of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) regarding the various options is posted on our tuition and fees page.

To register, please download our registration form and mail it to Levine School, 2801 Upton Street NW, Washington, DC 20008. On-line registration will be coming soon.

Fiddling, Drumming and Strumming Part of Expanded
Teen and Adult Summer Program for 2007

After a very successful summer of exciting and diverse programs last year, Levine is happy to announce it is expanding its offerings. Our exciting new summer programs are:

• Contemporary Electric Guitar Intensive: For beginning and advanced levels.
  
•  Fiddle Camp: First-time fiddlers will learn fun fiddle and jazz tunes, in addition to improvisation and ensemble playing.
  
•  Summer Percussion Intensive:  For those interested in orchestral percussion, drum set and world percussion.

In addition, we are offering many of the same programs from last summer, including:

Adult Chamber Music Festival: Concentrated, superior instruction for chamber music groups.

All That Jazz Weekend: A hands-on introduction to jazz, including jazz theory, history and performance for middle school students.

ClariCamp: A comprehensive program for the serious high school clarinetist.

Levine School of Rock: Young rock-and-rollers will learn and develop their skills playing all styles of contemporary music while jamming with friends and professional musicians.

MusiKinesis: a teacher training workshop to spark your creativity.

Saxophone at the Strathmore: Join international saxophonists and clinicians Noah Getz and Jason McFeaters for a week of chamber music, clinics, jam sessions and master classes.

String Camp & Strings Plus: Violinists, violists and cellists will work with the area’s leading professional musicians.

There’s No Business Like Show Business: Hone your vocal audition skills in this highly popular workshop for teens and adults.

For start dates, more details or to register for our summer programs, go to our Courses & Programs page or call 202-686-8000 to order our summer course catalog. 

Happy 20th Birthday to Levine’s
Summer Music & Arts Day Camp!

 by Sally Mennel, Director of Summer Music & Arts Day Camp

Cover of the first Music & Arts Day Camp brochure.

Twenty years ago, four determined and energetic Levine faculty members started the School’s Summer Music & Arts Day Camp.  In its humble beginnings, the camp ran for two 3-week, 4-day sessions from 10:30 am -2:00 pm with Vera Owens, Carole Rogentine, Susan Johnston and Mary Roberts at the helm. The camp, which included 20 campers each session, was located at Levine’s previous NW Campus at the convent of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd near Georgetown University and the Duke Ellington School.
 
Vera and Carole are still teachers at Levine, Susan has directed the camp at the Virginia Campus for the past three years and Mary is teaching in the Boston area.  For 10 years, Janet Hofmeister was the director of the Early Childhood Music Department and the camp and defined the basic program and its goals, which we still strive to meet. I became her assistant in 1993 and took over as the camp director in 1999.

The camp has grown to three locations (Upton St, NW DC; MD/Strathmore; and Arlington, VA) with three-week sessions, Monday-Friday, 9:30 am -3:30 pm (with extended hours 8 am -5 pm) with 70 teachers and 130 teen apprentices serving 650 campers age 3 1/2-12! Plus, we recently added a fourth camp location at St. Bartholomew’s School in Bethesda and will be looking to expand even more next summer!

Levine’s Music & Arts Day Camp is a general camp for children with or without a background in music. Classes include general music (Orff based), arts/crafts, dance/movement, instrument building, instrument instruction, percussion, music theater and outdoor recess/yoga classes. The instrument sampler class for first-second graders offers a chance to try various instruments (cello, violin, piano, guitar, flute/recorder) and to learn how to play a simple song. Third graders and up receive daily group instruction in an instrument they don’t play during the school year. Children also burst into song -- in the halls, in the art and instrument building classes, at lunch, on the playground, in the carpool line and at home for their parents and friends.  One of the most common comments I hear from parents is,  “My camper is still singing the songs of last year’s camp!” 

Each summer, members of the camp staff pick a country or an era to be the theme, which is reflected in the choice of songs, dance, art, stories, language and traditions.  During the past 20 years, we have traveled “musically” to such faraway places as Russia, France, Spain/Portugal, Africa, Greece and South America. Closer to home, we have enjoyed such themes as Native America, “Down the Mississippi” and “Westward Ho” following Lewis and Clark.  We have sailed the high seas with “Ahoy Mates” and spent our days in the Renaissance Ages with “Castles & Dragons.” Our theme this year is “Shake, Rattle & Roll Sounds of the ‘50s and ‘60s!” so there will be a lot of twistin’ and shoutin’!

To help enhance our theme, we invite special guests to share their talents with the campers.  Campers have enjoyed a bagpipe player, a Native American hoop dancer, a Zidaco band, flamenco dancers and guitarists, Irish dancers, a banjo player, story tellers, recorder ensemble, a Caribbean dancer, Reggae singer, juggler, puppeteer, Steel Pan players, Hesperus, African drummers plus Levine teachers, teens, parents and even campers. Probably our most famous guest was Charlie Byrd and several members of his quartet (his grandson was a camper that summer). We were even the background for one of the local TV morning news weather shows.

Thanks to everyone campers, parents, teachers, teens, guests, administrators, staff and support personnel over the past 20 years for making the Levine Summer Music & Arts Day Camp a fantastic program and one of the most fun, busiest and loudest times of the year. May Levine’s halls be filled with the summer Music & Arts Camp energy and music for another 20 years!

Early Childhood and Elementary
Music Department Is in Full Bloom

by Roselinda Ramp, chair of Levine’s ECEM Department

Levine’s Early Childhood and Elementary Music (ECEM) Department is enjoying full classes and increased enrollment overall. We have a wonderful staff of veteran teachers, including several returning Levine faculty alumni Corinne Turner, who recently spent several years in Africa; Maria Franzini, who took time off to be with her first child; and Katherine Morehouse, a substitute and summer school teacher who is working on her PhD at the University of Maryland.  Our teachers, who have contributed significantly to the field of Early Childhood Music and our department in particular, provide a creative learning environment for each student.

ECEM classes continue to run at Levine’s four campuses in NW and SE DC, Maryland and Virginia. In addition, this year we have added MusiKinesisTM  Monica Dale’s Dalcroze-based approach at the Virginia and Maryland Campuses. MusiKinesis is based on the traditional European method known as Dalcroze Eurhythmics. This contemporary American approach to Dalcroze was developed by faculty member Monica Dale and described in her three-volume book series, Eurhythmics for Young Children. The method is centered on rhythmic movement as a basis for developing musical skills and understanding. It also incorporates ear training, solfege (a sight-singing technique), singing and improvisation while sparking children’s own creative imaginations. Students learn rudiments of music, and develop skills in coordination, aural perception, spatial awareness and more. 

To introduce parents and children to this wonderful program, we had a free open house in Virginia in February, where students could meet teachers, munch on yummy snacks and enjoy a few surprises during sample classes. We had another Musikinesis open house, lead by Monica, at the Maryland Campus on May 8. 

We are excited that we have added performing musicians to many of our classes to introduce the orchestral instruments. Suzuki students of Levine violinists Susan Fuller and Mary Findley have played for our classes and Steve Brinegar, chair of the Winds Department, has invited students to demonstrate on French horn.  Each student who performs receives a certificate and our students get to enjoy a live performance.

We believe children learn naturally and easily when they have fun. We use proven methods based on Orff, Kodaly and Dalcroze that encourage creative learning while teaching musical concepts.  For more information about the ECEM program, please refer to our parent information kit or call our department at 202-686-8000, ext. 1107.

Learn the Art of Accompanying
With Pianist Patrick O’Donnell

Have you ever had a desire to accompany vocalists or instrumentalists? Now you can learn or finesse the skills necessary for accompaniment through private lessons offered by Levine’s accomplished pianist and vocal coach Patrick O’Donnell.

“Playing solo piano is fine for some, but it’s not for everyone,“ says Patrick. “Some people turn away from piano because of the solitary nature of piano literature, preparation and performance.” But it doesn’t have to be that way!  “Many pianists like me enjoy music making with other musicians and singers. Think of how string players work with other string players in a quartet. They work as part of a team, they enjoy the company of others and their artistry compliments and enhances other artists.  In order to be a good or great collaborative pianist, you have to sharpen your skills as a listener, and I’m here at the Levine School to teach and coach others about the methods of being a successful collaborator.”

Patrick, who has a BA from Yale University, a MM from the University of Maryland and a DMA from the University of Michigan, has been at Levine since 2003. He frequently appears as an accompanist for student recitals and competitions at Levine. He has been featured in recitals with several of his colleagues from the Levine School, and most recently appeared with soprano Michelle Kunz in a concert at the Church of the Epiphany that showcased songs of Libby Larsen.

Each summer, Patrick works with the Washington National Opera’s Education Department as a vocal coach and history teacher for the Opera Institute for Young Singers. Last year, he was an artist-in-residence at the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival and will be returning again this summer. He also has worked as pianist/coach for Virginia Opera’s Spectrum Resident Artist Program, working with singers in concert and opera venues throughout Virginia. He served as music director for the world premier of Seymour Barab's Cinderella and has collaborated on the development of both Oh, Freedom! and I Hear America Singing, which have been performed at more than 500 schools and communities from Delaware to North Carolina. For more information on private accompanying lessons, please e-mail Patrick at pjsodonnell@yahoo.com. 

Harry and Lea Gudelsky Foundation
Sponsors Guitar Benefit Concert

Manuel Barrueco

Thanks to the support of the Harry and Lea Gudelsky Foundation, Levine presented a benefit guitar concert on April 21 with legendary Cuban classical guitarist Manuel Barrueco, who is also a Levine Artist-in-Residence. This year’s concert, held at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, was part of the highly successful Guitarfest weekend, which celebrated the guitar music of Latin America with a concert and master class lead by Manuel, along with workshops and student recitals.

The benefit was in memory of the son of Harriet Silverman and Erwin Gudelsky H. Paul Gudelsky (1963-96) who was born and raised in Rockville, Maryland. Paul’s interest in music was nurtured through the Montgomery County schools and in private guitar lessons. During his life, he became fascinated with musical instruments and how they were crafted, especially guitars.

In the early 1980s, Paul studied at the Roberto Venn School of Luthiery in Phoenix, Arizona and upon finishing his post-graduate opened Sundance Luthiery in Carlsbad, California. He built a national reputation as a luthier (someone who makes or repairs stringed instruments) and was eventually accepted as an apprentice to the legendary James D’ Aquisto. Many of his musical instruments are exhibited at the National Museum of Music on the campus of the University of South Dakota.

Speaking about the Levine School, Harriet said, “I think that the whole Levine 'movement' from its inception to its present stage of encompassing four campuses is amazing. The dedication and commitment of Levine’s staff and faculty is an example for all communities.”

The Gudelsky Foundation also supports other arts organizations, including the Aspen Music Festival and the Theater Department of the Jewish Community Center in Rockville, Md.

If you would also like to support Levine’s scholarship programs, please contact Angie Fraser of the Development Department at 202-686-8000, ext. 1051 or afraser@levineschool.org.

Annual Levine Showcase Concert  Mixes Classical
with the Classics of Rock ’n Roll
 

Levine parents and friends were treated this year to a unique Showcase Concert, featuring the School’s top student instrumentalists and vocalists. Where else would you find Jimi Hendrix’s Purple Haze, Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody and Vivaldi’s Spring from the Four Seasons all on the same bill?

Held at American University’s Greenberg Theater on April 20, the concert featured rock, guitar and chamber ensembles. There was also a student-teacher guitar duet (The Miller's Dance played by Scott Zimmermann and Franco Platino, respectively), as well as solo and group performances by several wind, string and vocal students.

The program also included compositions such as Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in c sharp minor (Liszt-Borge), a piano duo played by Frane Rusinovich and Kristina Roudenko; and Largo e Rondo, Op. 34, No. 2  (Carulli), also played by Zimmermann and Platino.

The program kicked off with Scherzo Fantastique (Bazzini) performed by Jehshua Karunakaran on violin and Anna Russell on piano, coached by pianist Irena Orlov. The first half also included Prelude & Allegro (Puniani-Kreisler) performed by Sofia Shalotenko on piano and Fedor Ouspensky on violin, both coached by Levine faculty pianist Anna Ouspenskaya. Also performed was a wind piece -- Choros No. 2 (Villa-Lobos) with Laura Resnick on flute and Gleb Kanasovich on clarinet.

Levine’s Rock Ensemble gives an electric performance of Jimi Hendrix’s Purple Haze during the annual Showcase Concert.

The show’s finale, Bohemian Rhapsody, was particularly exciting to hear, as more than 20 members of Levine’s Children’s Chorus backed up the vocals of soloist Anna Stewart and the talents of the Levine Rock Group featuring Opie Sherrad, Sean Healton and Nick Elan on guitar, Sam Shahin on drums and Owen Danoff on bass.

Eight Levine Guitar Students Sweep
DC’s Beatty Competition

When the inaugural Beatty Competition of the Washington, DC Marlow Guitar Series began on March 9, 8 of the 26 entrants were students from the Levine School. By the competition’s final round, the top two competitors in each category were Levine students! In fact, every Levine student who entered the competition won one of the top prizes, making the awards ceremony practically a Levine School of Music event.

The competition is for classical guitar students age 18 and younger. It was a demanding program, with all students in each category required to learn a chosen piece in addition to a 10-20 minute program, depending upon the category. The students had to miss school on Friday for the preliminary round, and the competition continued all the way through Sunday evening.

The Grand Prize Winner, Scott Zimmerman (a student of Franco Platino’s) received a cash prize of $1,000 and will perform a short recital for the Marlow Guitar Series on March 24. The winners in the Youth Division were: first prize - Jonathan Maranville (taught by Douglas Rogers); second prize - Simon Gigli (student of Franco Platino); third prize - Nathaniel Clifford (student of Douglas Rogers); and fifth prize - Benjamin Anderson (student of Risa Carlson).

In the Junior Division, the Levine winners were: first prize - Scott Zimmermann (student of Franco Platino); second prize - Matar Batyonathan (student of Franco Platino); and fifth prize - Grace McNally (taught by Risa Carlson).  In the Senior Division, the first prize went to Levine student Christopher Moy (taught by Franco Platino).

“I am so proud of these kids,” said Levine Guitar Department chair Risa Carlson. “I was inspired that we have such fantastic, dedicated teachers who work so hard with these extraordinary young musicians. The results of this competition speak for themselves. I just feel so proud of our guitar department!”

Student Kudos

Erica Allen, 17,  and Lena Barsky, 15, clarinet students of Brian Jones, made the Wind Ensemble of the George Mason University Honor Bands this January. Erica was also chosen for the highly selective National Symphony Orchestra’s Youth Fellowship Program and was chosen to participate in the Governor’s School of Virginia in Performing Arts in July.

Children of the Anderson-Smoot family--cellist Thomas, 16, violist Beatrice, 12, and violinist Jessica, 10--performed as a family trio for America's Promise at the University Club in Washington, DC this past January. The trio had the privilege of meeting Alma Powell, who is chair of the Board of Directors of America’s Promise. Thomas studies with Matt Tifford and Beatrice and Jessica with Phyllis Fleming.

Violist Daniel Campos, 17, winner of the Senior Instrumental Division of Levine’s Cogen Competition, earned the additional prize of performing a concerto next spring with the Capital City Symphony.

Adam Detzner, 15, a piano student of Laurie Hudicek, was a winner in the American Fine Arts Festival, earning the honor to perform Chopin’s Etude Opus 25, No. 2 at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in June 2007.  He also won first place in the Maryland State Music Teacher's Association Piano Concerto Competition, performing a Bach concerto with the Montgomery County Symphony at Richard Montgomery High School.

Masha Feygelson, 14, a piano student of Anna Ouspenskaya, won Honorable Mention in the Senior Division of Levine’s 2007 Cogen Concerto Competition and in the Northern Virginia Music Teachers Association’s Concerto Competition (Level Four). She also was a winner at the American Fine Arts Festival.

Four members of the Levine Guitar Orchestra traveled to Los Angeles to perform in the Young Artist's Showcase Concert during Loyola Marymount University's Guitar Festival in March. The performers were Autumn Jackson, 14, a student of Franco Platino, and Grace McNally, 14,  Aliyeh Mousavi, 16, and William Henry Wagner, 12--all students of Risa Carlson. They performed Leo Brouwer's Cuban Landscape With Rain and Jurg Kindle's Kalimba.  The Levine Guitar Orchestra, directed by Risa, has performed at the French Embassy as part of Levine's Showcase Concert and at Levine's annual Spring Gala. 

John Janezich, 11, a piano student of Laurie Hudicek, was a winner in the American Fine Arts Festival, and invited to perform Aaron Copland's The Cat and The Mouse at the Terrace Theater.

Violinist/pianist Jehshua Karunakaran, a piano student of Irena Orlov and string student of former Levine faculty Olga Khroulevich, recently won the Asian American Music Competition (Intermediate Level for Strings) and played in the winners recital at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage. In addition, he won the Northern Virginia Music Teachers Association Concerto Competition (Intermediate Division for Strings) and gave a violin performance in the Alden Concert Series for Young Soloists. He also received first prize in the Washington Performing Arts String Competition, winning a cash prize and a summer camp scholarship for $1500. He won the Raissa Tselentis Bach Competition for piano in March and was selected to play the piano and violin in Carnegie Hall at the American Fine Arts Festival in May. 

Elijah Lawrence, 10, a participant in the summer program, There’s No Business Like Show Business, lead by vocal faculty members Lisa Shaw and Charles Williams, had the privilege of singing at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Inaugural Tea. 

Vicki Malloy, 17, a piano student of Haruyo Sakamoto, won first place in the regional level and second place in the state level for piano and music theory of a competition held by the Old Dominion Association of Christian Schools.    

Marianna Olaizola, 16, a piano student of Irena Orlov, and Frane Rusinovic, 15, a piano student of Anna Ouspenskaya, won first place in the Senior Division of the Cogen Competition in February. As the winner of the Senior Piano Division, they were each offered scholarships to attend the Rocky Ridge Music Center in Estes Park, Colorado this summer. Frane was also chosen as an alternate winner in the Northern Virginia Music Teachers Association’s Regional Competition in Tallahassee, Florida. He was also a finalist in the National Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition and a finalist in the concerto competitions of the Washington Metropolitan and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestras.

Elena Anne Olshin, 10, a flute student of Rebecca Collaros, won second place in the Student Honors Competition (Elementary Division) at the 2007 Mid-Atlantic Flute fair, which was sponsored by the Flute Society of Washington. She also won a student master class competition, in the Elementary Division of the 2007 Mid-Atlantic Flute Fair, and performed in a master class with Randi Bly. She has been selected for the 2007-2008 season Music Friends' Concerts at the Alden Theatre.

Kristina Rudenko, 16, an honors piano student of Anna Ouspenskaya, performed to a full house the Rachmaninoff Second Piano Concerto with the Durham Symphony Orchestra in North Carolina in March. She won second place in the Senior Division of Levine’s 2007 Cogen Concerto Competition and second place in the senior division of the Northern Virginia Music Teachers Association’s Concerto Competition.

Jessica, 11, Danielle, 8, and Nicole Schwartz, 7, recently performed as a piano trio at the Children’s Ball, which each year raises funds for the Children’s National Medical Center. Jessica studies with Naoko Takao and Danielle and Nicole study with Irena Orlov. The event benefits the Kids Care Fund at the Children’s National Medical Center, which supports key hospital and community outreach programs and provides assistance to families that cannot afford medical care.

Sofia Shalotenko, 11, a piano student of Anna Ouspenskaya, won first place in the Intermediate Division of Levine’s 2007 Cogen Concerto Competition. In addition, she won first place in the Northern Virginia Music Teachers Association’s Concerto Competition (age group two) and was a finalist of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition.

Congratulations to the following winners of the 2007
Cogen Concerto and Marlin-Engel Competitions that took place in February at Levine’s NW Campus

COGEN CONCERTO COMPETITION 2007 WINNERS

First place winners of this year’s Cogen Concerto Competition.

Intermediate Division
First Place: John Janezich (Hudicek)
& Sofia Shalotenko (Ouspenskaya)
Second Place: Danielle Agress (Volchok)
& Nicholas Biniaz-Harris (Orlov)
Honorable Mention: Ben Gunby (Orlov)

Senior Division
First Place: Mariana Olaizola (Orlov) & Frane Rusinovic (Ouspenskaya)
Second Place: Kristina Rudenko (Ouspenskaya)
Honorable Mention:  Jacob Buser (Orlov) & Masha Feygelson (Ouspenskaya)

MARLIN-ENGEL COMPETITION 2007 WINNERS

PIANO

Junior Division
First Place: Keiju Takehara (Sverjensky)
Second Place: Danielle Schwartz (Orlov)
Honorable Mention: John Vasapoli (H. Lee) & Jennifer Wang Ouspenskaya)

Intermediate Division
First Place: Jenny Shore (Volchok) & John Janezich (Hudicek)
Second Place: Jessica Schwartz (Takao) & Nicholas Biniaz-Harris (Orlov)
Honorable Mention: Jehshua Karunakaran (Orlov)

Senior Division
First Place (Ida Canter Prize): David Tao (Morita) & Jacob Buser (Orlov)
Second Place: Anna Russell (Orlov) & Kirk Benson (Volchok)
Honorable Mention: Jeanette Mathieu (H. Lee), Karine Vann (H. Lee)
& Alex Biniaz-Harris (Orlov)

INSTRUMENTAL/VOICE

Intermediate Division
First Place: William Henry Wagner, guitar (Carlson)
Second Place: Erin Walk, flute (Bennet) & Elena Olshin, flute (Collaros)

Senior Division
First Place: Christopher Moy, guitar (Platino)
Honorable Mention: Jessica Greenwald, violin (Wang)

Faculty Kudos

In February, flutist Rhonda Bowen conducted the High School Flute Choir at the Mid-Atlantic Flute Fair in Reston, VA. The concert, which featured performers on contrabass flute, presented works from 1860 to the present.

Pianist Jeffrey Chappell’s second CD on the Centaur label, Pick It Up, which includes solo piano arrangements of 18 jazz tunes, is now available at amazon.com. In January, Jeffrey served as orchestral pianist for the Key West Symphony and in March, he performed Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue in a benefit concert with the Orquesta Sinfonica Juvenil de Ecuador, as well as Poulenc's Concerto for Two Pianos with pianist Bonny Armacost. The concert raised $8,000 in scholarship money for high school girls through the Club Kiwanis Chuquiraguas. In April, Jeffrey performed Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto with the Baton Rouge Symphony. For complete information and forthcoming concerts, visit his website at http://www.jeffreychappell.com/.

Pianist Barbro Dahlman and vocalist Cathryn Frazier-Neely have been invited to perform a concert of Nordic songs at the Swedish Embassy in conjunction with the Smithsonian Associates program this fall. In January, Cathryn taught a vocal workshop for middle school singers -- including the chamber singers of North Bethesda Middle School, under the direction of Levine faculty member Jason McFeaters -- in preparation for their performance at the King's Singers master class at The Music Center at Strathmore. Cathryn recently completed her certification in Somatic Voice Work, as part of the Contemporary and Commercial Music Vocal Pedagogy Program of the Shenandoah Conservatory. 

Anna J. Gerrish, assistant chair of the Early Childhood and Elementary Music Department, was a guest lecturer on music education at Catholic University in February.

In April, vocalist Fleta Hylton performed the title role of Hannah Glavari in Washington Savoyards production of Franz Lehar’s The Merry Widow at the Atlas Theater.

Flutist Karen Johnson was selected to adjudicate the final round of the Young Artist Competition at the 2007 Mid-Atlantic Flute Fair, which was held on February 17-18 at the Sheraton Reston Hotel. Karen will be a guest artist faculty at the Northern California Flute Camp, open to students 12-18, in Carmel, California from July 27-August 4.

Clarinetist Brian Jones performed Burnett Tuthill's Rhapsody for Clarinet and Chamber Orchestra with the George Mason University Symphony at GMU in March and at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage in April.

Conductor and percussionist John Kilkenny recently returned from the 2007 Music for All National Festival in Indianapolis, Indiana.  For the second time, his Percussion Ensemble from Westfield High School was selected to perform as part of the National Percussion Festival, during which they performed Mass for Percussion Ensemble by contemporary composer John Mackey. This summer, John will join other leading percussionists to perform the premiere of A Bird Sings, a new work by percussionist Peter Erskine, at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

Vocalist Michelle Kunz presented a lecture on and a short performance of the opera La Fille du Regiment, by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti, to the Opera Guild of Northern Virginia in late March. The Guild is a support organization to the Opera Theatre of Northern Virginia.

This winter, Lois Narvey, director of programs and admissions, gave a talk on the Levine School and her career at the Patuxent Green Country Club in Laurel, MD as part of its breakfast speakers’ program.
 
Pianist Anna Ouspenskaya's Capital Trio recently issued a CD featuring trios by Mendelssohn and 20th century Armenian composer Arno Babadjanian.

In February, cellist Vasily Popov and pianist Ralitza Patcheva presented a recital in Fairmont, VA under the auspices of the Fairmont Chamber Music Society. In addition, Ralitza joined the Levine Chamber Orchestras in VA and DC under the baton of Vasily in two performances of J.S. Bach’s Fifth Brandenburg Concerto. Finally, in April, Ralitza performed a recital at the Phillips Collection that was dedicated to the150th anniversary of Sir Edward Elgar. Her concert included the rarely performed work of the piano version of Elgar’s Enigma Variations.

Roselinda Rampp, chair of the Early Childhood and Elementary Music Department, has been chosen to receive the Yale Distinguished Music Educator Award in recognition of her achievements in teaching. The award will be presented in New Haven, Connecticut at the International Symposium on Music in Public School in May. The symposium and award are sponsored by the Yale College Class of 1957 and the Yale School of Music.

Alumni News

Soprano Alyson Cambridge, who studied with Levine School vocal teachers Jeanne Kelly and Rosa Lamoreaux, sang the role of Karolka in the Metropolitan Opera’s broadcast of Leos Janacek's opera Jenufa this past February. She will return to Washington in the fall to perform the challenging role of Mimi in Puccini’s popular opera La Boheme.  Alyson recently completed a three-year program at the Metropolitan Opera’s Young Artists Development program. 

Edward Neeman, a former piano student of Irena Orlov, is now one of Australia’s leading young pianists. He was the winner of the Kawai Australian Youth Piano Concerto Competition and recipient of the Recitals Australia Scholarship in 2002. Edward has given numerous concerts across Australia and has performed in the Canberra International Chamber Music Festival and the Sydney Spring International Festival of New Music. He was soloist with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the Melbourne Youth Orchestra and the Queensland Orchestra. He has performed at the Moscow Conservatory and the Gnessin Institute in Moscow, Israel, Brussels and Carnegie Hall in New York. Edward is currently studying at the Canberra School of Music.

Redskins Quarterback Touches Down at THEARC

Washington Redskins Quarterback Jason Campbell visited the Levine School of Music’s Southeast DC campus at THEARC on April 26. In addition to saying how he hoped to someday learn how to play the piano, he recalled the violin instruction his sister used to receive when they were younger. As soon as he noticed Levine’s fully equipped percussion room he helped himself to a seat behind a drum set and began to play.

Longtime Levine Board Member and
Community Arts Philanthropist Gil Mead Passes Away

Levine mourns the passing of Board Member and prominent Washington philanthropist Gil Mead.

“Gil was a remarkable man whose charitable work for this region was without peer. He and his loving wife, Jaylee, stood at the core of what philanthropy is meant to be,” said Peter A. Jablow, President and CEO of the Levine School.

Gil was an active member of Levine’s Board since 1996, after a distinguished career as a NASA physicist. Privately and through the Mead Family Foundation, he and his wife generously donated to regional arts groups, including the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, Signature Theatre and the Olney Theater.

“Without Gil's leadership, Levine certainly would not be the School it is today,” said Jablow. “His vision and leadership led directly to many significant initiatives, including our piano campaign, which made Levine an all-Steinway school. He was a major supporter of our capital campaign and helped us launched a Leadership Campaign, providing additional annual support to meet new challenges facing the school. He was a valued counselor whose advice reflected his broad experience from service to many organizations. His commitment to music education helped shape the direction of the institution.”

Several years ago, Gil and Jaylee were honored at Levine’s annual Gala. At the time, Gil spoke about the pleasure that he and his wife derived in watching the arts community in Washington thrive with their support. They followed with relish the progress of many Levine students and enjoyed getting to know our faculty-artists, many of whom performed at their home for Levine events. Gil and Jaylee were recipients of the 1995 Patron of the Arts Award from the Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington, the 1996 Washington Post Award for Distinguished Community Service, the 1998 Mayor’s Arts Award for Excellence in the Service to the Arts and the 1999 Washingtonians of the Year Award.

The entire Levine community expresses its heartfelt condolences to the Mead family.

Estate Gift of Robert Krones Will
Provide Long-Term Support for Levine

Levine was saddened to learn of the passing of Robert Krones, a longtime friend of the School and of Selma Levine, a lawyer and amateur musician for whom the School is named. Levine would also like to acknowledge the endowment gift Mr. Krones generously left to the School. The estate gift of Mr. Krones will be used to secure the long-term future of the School, including supporting faculty programs and student scholarships.

Mr. Krones was affiliated with the Greenwich House Music School as a member of the Music School Advisory Board on which he served for 25 years and as a member of the Board of Directors for 17 years.

Levine has established the Crescendo Society to recognize those friends of the School who wish to include gifts to Levine as part of their estate plans. These planned gifts provide a way to donate to Levine through bequests, life insurance, retirement plans, charitable trusts or annuities and offer vehicles that may provide tax or other benefits to the donor. Levine recognizes our Crescendo Society members in our publications and through invitations to special events.

To inform the School of your gift arrangement or to learn more about the Crescendo Society, please contact Sally Calongne at 202-686-8012 or scalongne@levineschool.org. All inquiries are confidential.  

In Memoriam

Levine faculty member Sharon Su passed away in February after an extended illness.  Sharon had taught Music Mind Games and served as an accompanist for the Levine School and for the Fairfax Chinese Academy Chorus. She had earned a BA from the New England Conservatory and had studied at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome. She also obtained a diploma of music from the National Taiwan Academy of Art.

June 2007 Events