Asher Kelman
OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
What it Takes to be a Concert Violinist: Get into a Conservatory with Best Violin Teacher and have Master Classes from Visiting Stars!
It's a rarified air up there with the brightest, most talented young violinists, who, having each won competitions and awards finally are accepted from thousands of peers to be students at the Colburn Conservatory with Robert Lipsett and his carefully groomed cadre of faculty. This is just one small sliver of the talent at the school, but here, it seems to constitute an entire universe of love, pressure, passion, skill, creativity, technique, imagination, truth to one's artistic soul and openness to new experience. Here is almost a Cathedral dedicated to "dedication". The music, the students and faculty are all there working at little bits of little bits of technique or great sweeps of a movement and this continues from 8 am until midnight! At regular intervals, the very best of the students are invited, one at a time to play before a visiting maestro of violin for the Master Class. This wonderful learning opportunity occurs under the watchful eyes of many of the schools faculty, students, philanthropists and music lovers. From time to time, sitting in the audience, unannounced, might be a search specialist from a national orchestra or agency looking for talent.
Today, the Conservatory Master Class was under the spell of Gil Shaham, violin. He is well regarded top echelon concert soloist in appearing at the most prestigious concert halls around the globe. As part of the LA Philharmonic's Master Encounter series, Gil, (who is hired to play at the Walt Disney concert Hall this weekend), presented a Master Class on Friday, November 20th at 10:00AM in Zipper Hall at The Colburn School. Conservatory students Xika Huang, Nigel Armstrong, Jeffrey Myers, and Elicia Silverstein performed. Admission was free, no tickets are required at these events and those of us who find their way here get a great music experience. My job, however s to photograph and document this important stage in the making of a new generation of stars of the concert world.
It starts with the student coming on stage, a handshake and smile and then they play some piece especially prepared for this occasion's "Master" of performance. Today, it was Gil. He settles down 15 feet from the piano accompanist and the student. That separation distance makes the situation far less pressured. The violin starts and one can try follow the visiting master's reaction but usually they are just happy faced, enjoying the music. Then, at the end of the piece, there's applause and the interaction begins. It's like a piece of brilliant music in it's own sophisticated and beguiling structure and charm. It starts with praise of the musical architecture honored and the expression delivered well.
Then there's the "I might suggest.. the dynamics between these two parts can be looked at the following way. He takes his violin and without music, of course, demonstrates how the parts can be brought out with more color, drama, musicality, respect for some changing cadence, an endless array of parameters. However, the students simply pick up these ideas and integrate them as they repeat various passages with the extra insight and guidance.
Bob Lipsett told me once that he personally takes pains to look out for the natural character and talent of the student, so it's respected and shields these innate values while technique and staging is mastered in such an iron cast reliable way. His students generally have advanced technique before they ever get up on stage for a master class like this!
Asher Kelman: Master Class with Gil Shahan 1 :
Head of Violin Faculty, eminent pedagogue, Robert Lipsett in discussion with soloist Gil Shaham
Asher Kelman: Master Class with Gil Shahan: Mr. Shaham gives pointers to Jeffrey Myers.
Asher Kelman: Master Class with Gil Shahan: Elicia Silverstein watches as Mr. Shaham demonstrates a passage.
Asher Kelman: Master Class with Gil Shahan: From left to right, Nigel Amrstrong, Elicia Silverstein, Xika Huang, Gil Shaham, and Jeffrey Myers
It's a rarified air up there with the brightest, most talented young violinists, who, having each won competitions and awards finally are accepted from thousands of peers to be students at the Colburn Conservatory with Robert Lipsett and his carefully groomed cadre of faculty. This is just one small sliver of the talent at the school, but here, it seems to constitute an entire universe of love, pressure, passion, skill, creativity, technique, imagination, truth to one's artistic soul and openness to new experience. Here is almost a Cathedral dedicated to "dedication". The music, the students and faculty are all there working at little bits of little bits of technique or great sweeps of a movement and this continues from 8 am until midnight! At regular intervals, the very best of the students are invited, one at a time to play before a visiting maestro of violin for the Master Class. This wonderful learning opportunity occurs under the watchful eyes of many of the schools faculty, students, philanthropists and music lovers. From time to time, sitting in the audience, unannounced, might be a search specialist from a national orchestra or agency looking for talent.
Today, the Conservatory Master Class was under the spell of Gil Shaham, violin. He is well regarded top echelon concert soloist in appearing at the most prestigious concert halls around the globe. As part of the LA Philharmonic's Master Encounter series, Gil, (who is hired to play at the Walt Disney concert Hall this weekend), presented a Master Class on Friday, November 20th at 10:00AM in Zipper Hall at The Colburn School. Conservatory students Xika Huang, Nigel Armstrong, Jeffrey Myers, and Elicia Silverstein performed. Admission was free, no tickets are required at these events and those of us who find their way here get a great music experience. My job, however s to photograph and document this important stage in the making of a new generation of stars of the concert world.
It starts with the student coming on stage, a handshake and smile and then they play some piece especially prepared for this occasion's "Master" of performance. Today, it was Gil. He settles down 15 feet from the piano accompanist and the student. That separation distance makes the situation far less pressured. The violin starts and one can try follow the visiting master's reaction but usually they are just happy faced, enjoying the music. Then, at the end of the piece, there's applause and the interaction begins. It's like a piece of brilliant music in it's own sophisticated and beguiling structure and charm. It starts with praise of the musical architecture honored and the expression delivered well.
Then there's the "I might suggest.. the dynamics between these two parts can be looked at the following way. He takes his violin and without music, of course, demonstrates how the parts can be brought out with more color, drama, musicality, respect for some changing cadence, an endless array of parameters. However, the students simply pick up these ideas and integrate them as they repeat various passages with the extra insight and guidance.
Bob Lipsett told me once that he personally takes pains to look out for the natural character and talent of the student, so it's respected and shields these innate values while technique and staging is mastered in such an iron cast reliable way. His students generally have advanced technique before they ever get up on stage for a master class like this!
Asher Kelman: Master Class with Gil Shahan 1 :
Head of Violin Faculty, eminent pedagogue, Robert Lipsett in discussion with soloist Gil Shaham
Asher Kelman: Master Class with Gil Shahan: Mr. Shaham gives pointers to Jeffrey Myers.
Asher Kelman: Master Class with Gil Shahan: Elicia Silverstein watches as Mr. Shaham demonstrates a passage.
Asher Kelman: Master Class with Gil Shahan: From left to right, Nigel Amrstrong, Elicia Silverstein, Xika Huang, Gil Shaham, and Jeffrey Myers
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