The Festival is hiring at Operations Manager -- Spread the Word!

Sitka Summer Music Festival

TITLE: Part-Time Operations Manger – Sitka

REPORTS TO: Executive Director

SUMMARY: The Operations Manager must reside in Sitka. S/he will provide administrative and staff support to the general organizational operations. Working under the direct supervision of the Executive Director this position provides Sitka-based organizational support and is responsible for a variety of other tasks.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Maintain inventory for office & summer event supplies (Sitka office)
Assist in coordinating the summer series, as well as other events and concerts based in Sitka
Work with the Executive Director and Artistic Director(s) to improve community outreach in Sitka (and SE AK)
Booking travel and hotel arrangements as needed (Summer series)
Coordinate materials for meetings and training sessions and other activities of the organization
Maintain and update database (Salesforce.com) as needed
Receive and distribute all incoming mail and coordinates outgoing mail
Assist in preparation of materials for the board of directors
Provide support of mailings or coordinating bulk mailing processes
Provide meeting support as needed (e.g., scheduling conference rooms, logistics)
Assist in the updating of the website and social media
Staff liaison for ongoing tenant/landlord matters (Sitka office)
Responding to staff requests for administrative support as needed
Perform other duties and responsibilities as requested with a sense of humor and team spirit

QUALIFICATIONS:
Experience in the following areas

Event Management
Volunteer management
Fundraising
Community outreach & general communications
Marketing & PR
Website and social media experience
Excellent organizational skills (oral and written) and the ability to excel at details, multi-tasking and working under pressure.
Must have some experience and skilled in the use of software programs such as MS Word, ACCESS, PowerPoint, and Excel.

COMPENSATION:

Salary commensurate with experience. Flexible schedule. Hours will average out to about 1/2 time over the course of a year. However, some months will be much more demanding than others. Obviously, May and June will be more than full-time while July and October will be much less demanding. If you are interested in the position, I would be happy to talk to you more about the "flow" of the work.

Sitka Summer Music Festival is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to the belief that each individual is entitled to equal employment opportunity.

Please note: This position will most likely be temporary (1.5 years) & is the direct result of Rasmuson Foundation funding. If you are unable to commit the position for 1.5 years, please do not apply.

TO APPLY:

Please submit a resume and cover letter before March 22 by email to Bobi Rinehart at director@sitkamusicfestival.org (no paper applications will be accepted). If you have questions, please submit them by email as well.

The Sitka Festival is coming to Anchorage in Feb -- Check out the Program here

The Alaska Airlines Autumn Classics will be held Feb 5-7 at APU’s Grant Hall in Anchorage.

To buy tickets, please go to www.centertix.net/907-263-ARTS or for season tickets, please call 907-277-4852.

The Artists who will be joining you:

Lorna McGhee, flute

David Harding, viola

Paul Rosenthal, violin

Armen Ksajikian, cello

Judith Cohen, piano

Friday, February 5

Mozart Quartet for Flute and Strings in F Major, K. 370

Faure Sonata for Flute and Piano in A Major, Op. 13

Taneyev Piano Quartet in E Major, Op. 20

Saturday, February 6

Taneyev String Trio in E Flat Major, Op. 31

Shostakovich Romance from “Gadfly”

Prokofiev/Piatigorsky Waltz from “Children’s Album”

Khachaturian Lezginka from “Gayaneh”

Dvorak Piano Quartet in E Flat Major, Op. 87

Sunday, February 7

Beethoven Six Bagatelles for Piano Solo, Op. 126

Bartok/Arma Suite Paysanne Hongroise for Flute and Piano

Saint-Saens Piano Quartet in B Flat Major, Op. 41

Check out the program for the Jan 30 concert in Sitka!

Enjoy a note of summer in the heart of Winter!! Join us for our Sitka Winter concert will be held Saturday, January 30, 2010 (7:30pm) at Harrigan Centennial Hall. For tickets, please check back here after Jan 15.

The Artists who will be joining you:

David Harding, viola

Paul Rosenthal, violin

Armen Ksajikian, cello

Judith Cohen, piano

The Program:

Beethoven Six Bagatelles for Piano Solo, Op. 126

Shostakovich Romance from “Gadfly”

Prokofiev/Piatigorsky Waltz from “Children’s Album”

Khachaturian Lezginka from “Gayaneh”

Taneyev Piano Quartet in E Major, Op. 20

Check out the complete program for the 2009 Autumn Classics

You are not going to want to miss any of this year's Autumn Classics! You may order your season tickets now and single tickets will go on sale to the general public (via CenterTix in the middle of August -- approximately Aug 15). Please check out this year's full program:

Friday, September 18

Saint-Saens Piano Trio No. 1 in F Major, Op. 18

Taneyev String Quartet No. 4 in A Minor, Op. 11

Saturday, September 19

Beethoven Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Minor, Op. 23

Schubert Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Major, Op 162

Taneyev String Quartet No. 1 in B Flat Minor, Op. 4

Sunday, September 20

Beethoven Notturno for Viola and Piano, Op. 42 S

Bach Sonata No. 1 in G Major for Viola and Piano

Taneyev String Quartet No. 2 in C Major, Op. 5

Friday, September 25

Mozart Duo for Violin and Viola in G Major, K. 423

Taneyev String Quartet No. 5 in A Major, Op. 13

Mendelssohn Piano Trio in D Minor, Op. 49

Saturday, September 26

Taneyev String Quartet No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 7

Rachmaninoff Sonata for Cello and Piano in G Minor, Op. 19

Tschaikowsky Valse sentimentale, Op. 51, No. 6

Tsintsadze Georgian Melodies for Cello and Piano

Sunday, September 27

Bach Partita No. 4 in D Major for Piano Solo

Brahms Intermezzi for Piano Solo, Op. 118

Taneyev String Quartet No. 6 in B Flat Major, Op. 19

All six String Quartets by Sergei Taneyev will be showcased in two incredible weekends!

On behalf of all the musicians playing in this year's Autumn Classics I welcome you to an extraordinary musical adventure!

The six String Quartets by Sergei Taneyev form one of the most remarkable groups of compostions I have ever encountered. So imaginative in conception are they, and so skillfully realized for the demanding idiom of the String Quartet, that I have not felt as though I had discovered such another fascinating and astonishing world since first making the acquaintance of the music of Beethoven's last period.

From the outset of the First Quartet, which is dedicated to Taneyev's teacher, Tschaikowsky, composed in 1890 when the older master was still alive, to the dizzying conclusion of the last Quartet, from 1905, Taneyev explores an enormous variety of ideas, motives and inventions, for which he creates forms and sonorities that challenge and please us in ways that we've seldom or never seen before.

All of the performerfs in this year's Autumn Classics series have had occasion to marvel at and delight in learning other wonderful music by Taneyev. The idea of coming to know the six canonic Quartets (there exist three others, youtthful compositions which Taneyev declined to publish in his lifetime) followed naturally from this admiration. After ten exhilarating Spring days together in Southern California devoted to the exploration of this music, we are now thrilled to have the opportunity to share our discoveries and our passsion with our Anchorage audiences.

I don't know when, if ever, these Quartets have been performed all together in one series of concerts. It would be interesting to know about that but, in any case, the works are virtually unknown in our concert halls and the chance to play them and to hear them is definitely a very rare experience and, I'm sure you will agree, a richly satisfying one.

The other music on the programs for this year's Autumn Classics is being presented in such a way that you may meet the performers on grounds of their choosing. This I arranged by the simple expedient of asking them: What would you enjoy playing? And since they will enjoy performing it, I am confident that you will enjoy listening to it.

Thank you for coming to share these very special weekends of music with us!

Paul Rosenthal

Susan Wingrove's Concert Conversations #4

I cannot believe we have reached the final concert of the 2009 Sitka Summer Music Festival. There have been so many unforgettable highlights – the stunning Mendelssohn Piano Trio on opening night, the wonderful gift of two passionately played Taneyev string quartets (little-known treasures that now have a huge fan base in Sitka), the Brahms Piano Quartet which left the audience enthralled, the Franck Violin Sonata played so exquisitely Tuesday night, and so much more. This annual gathering of musicians is a perfect example of true chamber music –supremely talented friends playing music because they love it and enjoy it, and that sets this festival apart from many classical concerts that I have attended. And another uniquely wonderful part of the Festival are the enthusiastic Sitka audiences. People really listen to music here – and it’s magical to feel and watch the chemistry between the performers and a totally engaged audience.

Artistic Director Paul Rosenthal has coordinated a superb program for the grand finale on Friday. Sitkans, this is your last opportunity; the artists will be going home – to other commitments – and we will be living for the coming months on the memories of the 2009 musical banquet. So treat yourself and a friend or family member; the 8:15 p.m. concert promises to provide us lucky listeners with one final evening of emotionally-charged music!

First will be a masterwork by the “Father of the string quartet,” Franz Joseph Haydn. Biographer Otto Jahn sums up his contribution to the musical world nicely, writing, “The quartet was Haydn’s natural mode of expressing his feelings. The poet and the peasant, the lonely man and the man of mirth and wit, the devout Christian and the lover of earthly joys reveal themselves in some of the most poignant, or radiant, or ingratiating, or rowdy, or tragic music that he was to write.” Four wonderful string players will play the E Flat Major, Op. 76, No. 6 quartet – viewed by music lovers as a compositional treasure house.

The exceptional and intense cellist Mark Kosower and his wife Jee-Won Oh will partner to play Claude Debussy’s marvelous 1915 sonata, a work which reflects the composer’s fascination with Harlequin, a traditional white-masked clown who had a sad heart and unfulfilled dreams; the spirited music also became an outlet for Debussy’s despair over the outbreak of World War I. Alexander Tcherepnin’s Songs and Dances for Cello and Piano will follow – composed in 1953, and dedicated to the legendary cellist Gregor Piatigorsky, the colorful work alternates Georgian and Russian songs with Tartar and Ksazakh dances. Mark will also be my guest at the pre-concert chat at 7:30 p.m. to provide more details about these pieces and his Sitka experiences.

The concert, and the 2009 festival, will conclude with Cesar Franck’s remarkable Piano Quintet in F Minor. The quiet and unassuming composer was thrilled whenever his music was played – and he tried to present the manuscript of this work to his friend Saint-Saens, the pianist/composer who played the premiere. Saint-Saens walked disdainfully and abruptly off the stage, leaving the score on the piano to express his negative opinion. Others protested the “shocking emotionalism” of the piece. But, the public was wiser than the critics – and this has become one of the most beloved of chamber works. Full of extraordinary drive and passion, dramatic intensity and gorgeous scoring, people were amazed that a quiet, serene organist and teacher could produce such a stunning work. Anyone who heard the gorgeous performance of Franck’s violin sonata on Tuesday night will know this is a can’t-miss feast of heartfelt melodies and lush harmonies.

I want to thank this community for hosting such a wonderful music festival, and for allowing me to be a part of this for the last twenty-five years. The opportunity to learn about the music and human history is a never-ending source of pleasure in my life, but the best part of all is to see and hear these amazing performances every June. The music speaks straight to the heart at every single concert; so join the SSMF for a great finale Friday night!

Susan Wingrove's Concert Conversations #3

So far, every Sitka Festival concert has been a gem. It doesn’t matter whether you are a classical music addict or someone who is just curious about chamber music – this is the real deal. Sitkans, it just doesn’t get better than this, and I go to concerts whenever and wherever I can. Everybody has very busy schedules – work, family, exercise, etc. – but you are really, really cheating yourself if you have not attended one of these concerts yet. And this week you have some fantastic options – go to every one of them! We will get to hear some amazing Taneyev string quartets, works which feature the flute, and many more musical marvels – played with heart and passion.

Friday night, two pieces will feature the elegant and soulful flutist Lorna McGhee. Rossini’s Quartet in B Flat, written when he was just twelve years old, works just perfectly when the flute takes over the first violin part – his philosophy was simple – “Delight must be the basis and aim of this art.” This is a joyful and engaging work, full of wonderful melodies which percolate with Rossini’s trademark humor. Next, Lorna and cellist Jeffrey Solow will play “Jet Whistle,” a colorful work by Brazilian composer Villa-Lobos. Historian David Ewen describes his impressive legacy, saying that it “beats with the heart and pulse of his native Brazil…He was, in short, Brazil in music.” Famous for his enormous energy and appetites, an addiction to black cigars and even blacker coffee, in 1950, Villa-Lobos crafted the cheerful Jet Whistle overflowing with the spirited humor associated with popular Brazilian dance music. The concert will conclude with the first of two Taneyev String Quartets featured on the weekend concerts. Although not well known to general audiences, the Russian Taneyev is very highly regarded for his inventive writing and “noble spirituality, sincerity and purity of lyrical emotion.” The powerful A Minor Quartet, composed in 1900, includes a slow movement that pays tribute to Nature and “pictures the untroubled beauty of nighttime silence, but it also contains human feelings, such as languor, passion, pleading, suffering, and tenderness.”

Saturday night’s program opens with Impresiones de la Puna (1945) by Alberto Ginastera, the most famous Latin American composer in the years just after World War II. The Puna are spectacular mountain valleys located in the northern Andes; each movement of this piece for flute and string quartet is a short dance rich with Latin American flavor. Then we will enjoy another Taneyev string quartet - in A Major – a piece that is wonderfully transparent and appealing, a marvel in the form. If you have a chance to hear these underperformed but astonishing quartets this weekend, you will gain a quick understanding of Taneyev’s nickname, “the Russian Brahms.” The concert will close with our final salute to Mendelssohn’s two-hundredth birthday year, the remarkable A Major Viola Quintet. Mendelssohn was only seventeen years old when he wrote this radiant and profound masterpiece. The emotional high point is the gorgeous Intermezzo, a musical memorial to his beloved friend and former violin teacher, Eduard Rietz, who tragically died at the age of twenty-nine.

Next Tuesday’s 7:30 concert includes a lovely Mozart piano trio in E Major, the rapturously beautiful Franck Violin Sonata; Cesar Franck was not recognized as a major composer until the age of 68, and this serene, unassuming, and mystical man created one of the violin repertoire’s masterworks when he was 64. Haydn’s beloved C Major String Quartet, Op. 33, No. 3 “The Birds” will top off the program.

For extra info about the concerts, join me at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday – cellist Zuill Bailey and flutist Lorna McGhee will be my weekend guests for the lectures.