Happy 256th Birthday Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart January 27 1756-December 5 1791. Click HERE to read more about his short but prolific life.

Fun facts:

WHAT A LONG NAME! Mozart's full name was Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophillus Amadeus Gottlieb Sigismundus Mozart.

Mozart could write music notes before he could write words. (Interestingly enough, my 2-5 year olds can READ music before they can read books too!)

Mozart was a knight.

He composed 50 symphonies, 25 piano concertos, 12 violin concertos, 27 concert arias, 26 string quartets, 103 minuets (I love it when I teach a student a new minuet and they say "I've already played the minuet". I always say "Kid, there are hundreds!" ), 15 masses, and 21 operas.

Free Classical Music Sheet Music

This one is for you mom! Click HERE to explore a wonderful website full of free classical music.

When I was in Winter Park for Alex's family reunion I brought my violin (a nice and portable instrument) but didn't think to bring any piano music (after all, why would there be a piano up at 9000 foot elevation?) But I did have my ipad with me. I went to this website and found some Beethoven sonata's I'd been working on and voilee! I had music. I left my left hand linger a few extra beats on a chord while I slyly scrolled the screen down to view more music. Some people walking by noticed and I said "This is exactly how Beethoven meant it to be played!"

Kamuela Philharmonic Symphony Concert

On Sunday, January 15, 2012, at the Kahilu Theatre in Waimea, the Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra will continue its 2011-2012 concert season with a program featuring performances by the winners of the orchestra’s 1^stAnnual Concerto Competition. The three soloists will play works by Joseph Haydn, J. B. Accolay and Dmitri Shostakovich, with orchestral accompaniment. Also included on the program will be Johannes Brahms’ masterwork, Symphony No. 1 in C Minor. The concert will begin at 4:00 pm, and admission is free. Space is limited, so audience members are advised to arrive by 3:15 pm.

Ten-year-old violinist Minseon Kim will be performing the first movement of Haydn’s Concerto No. 2 in G major. Kim, whose father is a Korean Air Force commander and fighter pilot on a two-year assignment in Hawaii as a military liaison, attends school at Hickam Elementary. Although she has only been studying the violin for three years, Kim placed well in a Korean national competition before her family’s move to Hawaii a year ago, and has ambitions of becoming a professional violinist. To help her gain the experience she needs to accomplish that goal, Kim’s current teacher, Sheryl Shohet of Honolulu, helped her refine the piece she’d learned for her previous competition, and encouraged her to enter the Kamuela Philharmonic’s contest in November. With Kim’s nearly flawless performance of Haydn’s popular work, by no means the easiest piece written by the “father of the symphony,” there was no question she deserved the prize for her age group (12 years and under) awarded by the contest judges.

Violinist Elizabeth Sekona is a 15-year-old student at the Honoka’a High School, and a member of the school’s prize-winning jazz ensemble. She will be playing Concerto No. 1 in A minor by Jean-Baptiste Accolay, who was a Belgian composer, violinist, violin teacher, and conductor. This concerto, which has only one movement, was written in 1868, and is the romantic era composer’s best known work. Sekona has been studying violin and piano with Ursula Vietze of Kona for eight years, and currently plays in the second violin section of the Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra. She decided to enter the competition as a way of motivating herself to improve her skills as a violinist, and is looking forward to the new experience of performing as a soloist with the orchestra. According to Sekona, the expressiveness of the Accolay piece, which she much prefers to the Bach violin concerto she first considered playing, helped make the process of working up her performance to a competitive level in only a few months very enjoyable. Her obvious love of the piece and beautiful tone are several factors that made her a stand out in her age group (13-15 years) at the contest, despite some stiff competition.

Daniel Lucas will perform the Dmitri Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 1 in E Flat Major, composed in 1959. Shostakovich, widely considered the most important Russian composer of the 20^thcentury and the last great symphonist, wrote the concerto for his friend, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich. Lucas, who is a 17-year-old student at Iolani School, first heard this concerto when attending a music competition in Honolulu to hear a friend perform. He was so taken with the piece, which is considered among the more difficult works for cello, that he sought out the music and persuaded his teacher, Nancy Masaki of Honolulu, who he has been studying with for six years, to help him learn it. Once Lucas had memorized and perfected the first movement, he began to search for an opportunity to perform it, and was excited to learn about the Kamuela Philharmonic concerto competition. His great technique and energetic performance impressed the judges, allowing him to prevail in his age group (16-18 years). Lucas is even more excited that his win will now allow him the opportunity to perform his solo with an orchestra.

The Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra is also looking forward to this concert, both as a chance to share the talents of these amazing young performers with the local community, and to perform Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 1. As a young piano virtuoso, Brahms was a protégé of Franz Liszt and Robert and Clara Schumann in the 1850’s, and only achieved musical recognition in the late 1860’s after a move to Vienna. He took at least fourteen years to write this symphony, which was premiered in 1876. Brahms greatly admired Beethoven, and certain thematic similarities led to his first symphony sometimes being referred to as “Beethoven’s Tenth.” Often called the last of the great Classicists, Brahms was ridiculed by some of his contemporaries as a conservative clinging to the musical past, but modern audiences consider his stylish music an essential part of the concert repertoire.

The mission of the Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra Society is to present live, high-quality orchestral music to Big Island audiences, and to further the musical education of young people. As a charitable organization described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, donations to help accomplish that mission may be tax deductible. Any contributions placed in our calabash during concerts, mailed to us at P.O. Box 5550, Kailua-Kona, HI 96745, or done via our website at kamuelaphil.com are greatly appreciated. We look forward to seeing you at our concerts.

I'll love you forever Grandpa John

I know I'm keeping this blog address for business and http://TheWoodbillies.blogspot.com for personal, but this is the blog site my Grandpa John devotedly read. He and my dad would tie as my biggest readers. So I wanted to post a loving memory here to my beloved Grandpa John, who passed away on Saturday. John has been in our lives so long it's hard to remember my Grandma Ellie's life before him. It must have been 1989 or 1990 when they started dating. I remember my cousins were just babies and my parents had just recently adopted Kimi. When Grandma Ellie died in 1999, Grandpa John continued to be a constant figure in our lives. While e-mail and digital cameras weren't used back then like they are today (if around at all), I discovered today that I've saved every e-mail John wrote me dating back to 2005 and I compiled a document of our dialogue which I sent to his son Jeff. Being a pack rat, even in cyber space, has its advantages.

I was gardening on Saturday, and when I was pulling weeds out of the pond's waterfall, I suddenly thought of Grandpa John so strongly that I whispered his name out loud. I took it as a sign that I should e-mail him. Little did I know he passed away that day. Maybe it was him, paying me a quick visit in Hawaii. That day (last weekend) I had just learned that our spunky, funny, and loving neighbor Phylis (who was in her late 80's) had died. We talked about going over to see her and Wayne the whole month of December; how we had to bring a X-mas gift; how we had to make sure we stopped by before leaving for Seattle; and then when we got back from Seattle and had the gift all wrapped and ready to go because we didn't find the time before, we found out she died. Also on Saturday, New Years Eve.

While I sincerely hope 2012 isn't mass exodus, these losses are continual reminders of how precious life is. The greatest hope and wish for anyone is that they have a life full of love and happiness. As her husband Wayne told us yesterday "Phylis lived the exact life she wanted to live with as little interference from me!" And Grandpa John taught us the true meaning of family. It doesn't matter if they are related through blood, or adoption, through marriage, or family once removed....family is what you build around you.

And what a beautiful family it is.