Time flies when you're having FUN!

The last few weeks of BUTI flew by in a continuous whirlwind of concerts, recitals, rehearsals, trips, classes, programs and events... As each program came to an end, the BUTI students wowed us- as always- with their final performances, which beautifully displayed their amazing musical talents as well as the immense progress they have all made as young musicians during their time here. We saw the YAWE and YAO perform in the magnificent Seiji Ozawa Hall, the YAVP and YAO dazzle the enormous crowds at the annual Tanglewood on Parade festival in the esteemed Koussevitzky Music Shed, and select students from various programs show off their talents at the BUTI Honors Recital. The YAPP and YAHP gave beautiful final recitals, the YAVP students lit up the stage with their own renditions of beloved opera scenes, and the YACP showed off their own original compositions performed by their fellow BUTI musicians!

The multitude of Tanglewood, BSO, TMC, and BUTI staff performances continued as well, and the Student Life Staff filled in any free time with dances, carnivals, hikes, yoga trips, sports tournaments and more! Not to be outdone by the BUTI Workshop students, the Large Program students also starred in a short music video (posted below). The annual Summerbook was published and a Summerbook DVD produced!

We were very sad to see everyone leave as the campus emptied and the summer came to an end, but were - and are - very proud of the amazing accomplishments of each and every student. The entire staff sends a heartfelt CONGRATULATIONS to all of the BUTI students for all of your hard work and dedication to your musical studies throughout the summer. We wish you the best of luck in the coming school year and hope to see you back at Tanglewood next season!

Thanks for an amazing summer!

*a high-resolution version of the video will be available on the Summerbook DVD!

Click the link below to view the most recent photos from the BUTI Large Programs!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/buti2012/sets/

Be sure to check back in soon to see more large program photos! :)

Heat Waves and Galas and Concerts, Oh My!

With temperatures soaring into the triple digits and humidity at an all-time high, the BUTI students and staff have been doing their best to keep cool with trips to the BSO beach, many ice cream trips to The Scoop, and lots and lots of water! But the heat certainly hasn't stopped the music... 

The YAWE performed their first concert at Seiji Ozawa Hall this past Friday evening under the direction of David Martins. The wind ensemble played beautifully, performing works by Clifton Williams, John Stout, Vaclav Nelhybel, and John Mackey. The second half of their program featured Steven Reineke's Symphony No. 1, "A New Day Rising". On Saturday morning, the YAPP students put on a recital at the West Street Theatre performing various piano etudes, sonatas, and rhapsodies by Chopin, Bolcom, Prokofiev, Bach, Brahms, Mendelssohn, and Busoni. That Saturday evening marked the first YAO concert at Seiji Ozawa Hall under the direction of Ryan McAdams. The orchestra performed Chavez's Sinfonia India and Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique. As always is the case when the BUTI students perform, it is hard to believe that they are only in high school! All of the concerts were simply wonderful. 

The performances of last weekend also included the 75th Anniversary Gala at Tanglewood, celebrating 75 years of magical music-making in the Berkshires. The fabulous gala concert featured performances by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops, the Tanglewood Music Center fellows, and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus as well as soloists Yo-Yo Ma, Emmanuel Ax, James Taylor, Peter Serkin, and Anne-Sophie Mutter. The gala also included a video presentation highlighting the history of Tanglewood over the past 75 years from Serge Koussevitzky's persistence to have a suitable venue built for the BSO and the creation of TMC to the construction of Seiji Ozawa Hall and the Tanglewood we know and love today. 

On Tuesday evening the Axiom Brass Quintet performed a fabulous concert as part of the Faculty Recital Series at Trinity Church. The performance featured works by Witold Lutoslawski, Claudio Monteverdi, David Sampson, Andre Lafosse, Joan Tower, and Astor Piazzolla. The Axiom Brass members (Dorvial Puccini Jr, trumpet; Colin Oldberg, trumpet; Matthew Oliphant, horn; Brett Johnson, trombone; and Kevin Harrison, tuba) have been working closely with the YAWE brass students, coaching chamber ensembles, sectionals, and lessons. 

With upcoming chamber recitals, outreach concerts, master classes, Tanglewood concerts and more, the coming week is sure to be busy and music-filled as always! The student life staff is also hard at work planning yoga trips, hikes, sporting events, beach trips and more! This weekend's BSO concerts feature such works as Bernstein's Serenade & Tchaik 6; an All-Wagner program; and an All-Mozart program. 

Click the link below to check out the most recent photos from student & faculty performances, student life activities, campus extras and more! 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/buti2012/sets/

Check back soon for pictures from the large program concerts!

Workshop Photos Are Posted!

Click the links below to view photos from the two-week workshop programs! Because of overlapping schedules, I couldn't make it to every concert and event, so parents and students if you have any pictures that you would like to see featured on the blog or in the Summerbook (anything we might have missed!) please submit them to me at butipublications2012@gmail.com. Thanks to those of you who have already sent in photos! :)

Also don't forget to order your Summerbook if you didn't have the chance while on campus! Call the Student Life Office to order: 413-637-2670.


Flute Workshop
http://www.flickr.com/photos/buti2012/sets/72157630550395572/

Oboe Workshop
http://www.flickr.com/photos/buti2012/sets/72157630537169958/

Clarinet Workshop
http://www.flickr.com/photos/buti2012/sets/72157630537363960/

Bassoon Workshop
http://www.flickr.com/photos/buti2012/sets/72157630550585322/

Saxophone Workshop
http://www.flickr.com/photos/buti2012/sets/72157630550764270/

Horn Workshop
http://www.flickr.com/photos/buti2012/sets/72157630613865424/

Trumpet Workshop
http://www.flickr.com/photos/buti2012/sets/72157630611080470/

Trombone Workshop
http://www.flickr.com/photos/buti2012/sets/72157630604495736/

Tuba/Euphonium Workshop
http://www.flickr.com/photos/buti2012/sets/72157630605759122/

Percussion Workshop
http://www.flickr.com/photos/buti2012/sets/72157630609480930/

String Quartet Workshop
http://www.flickr.com/photos/buti2012/sets/72157630607826836/

Double Bass Workshop
http://www.flickr.com/photos/buti2012/sets/72157630549281876/

A Fabulous First Week & Fun Fourth!

It's been a great first week for the large program students as they being their music-filled summer! Already the YAVP and YAPP students have performed in their introductory vocal and piano recitals at the West Street Theatre, and the YAWE and YAO students are busy preparing for their first concerts that will be given this weekend at Ozawa Hall.

On Sunday the YAVP Faculty performed at Trinity Church as part of the Faculty Recital Series and Monday night's performance featured the BSO Brass Quintet. (Thomas Rolfs, trumpet; Thomas Siders, trumpet; James Sommerville, horn; Toby Oft, trombone; Mike Roylance, tuba) The quintet recital featured works by Ivan Jevtic, Giles Farnaby, Gunther Schuller, Leonard Bernstein, Jan Bach, and Malcolm Arnold. On Tuesday night the Vento Chiaro Wind Quintet (Joanna Goldstein, flute; Ana-Sofia Campesino, oboe; Chi-Ju Juliet Lai, clarinet; Alexandra Berndt, bassoon; Anne Howarth, horn) performed a recital with all works by living American composers- Gunther Schuller, Eric Ewazen, and John Harbison.

This past weekend also marked the Opening Weekend at Tanglewood! After the annual James Taylor Fourth of July Concerts (with special guest Taylor Swift), the Opening Weekend performances commenced starting with an all-Beethoven program on Friday evening, and weekend appearances by guest artists Joshua Bell and Bernadette Peters. The TMC Fellows also performed multiple concerts throughout the weekend at Ozawa Hall.

The Student Life Staff was hard at work welcoming the new BUTI students to campus with movie nights, hikes, yoga trips, and more! To celebrate the Fourth of July they threw the first annual "Field Day" behind Groton Place- a full-blown carnival complete with water balloons, donut-eating contests, face painting, games, prizes and more! The evening ended with a patriotic viewing of Captain America to the sounds of fireworks on the Tanglewood Main Grounds. The basketball tournament also continued this weekend as the students from the Copley and Hawthorne dorms defeated the Student Life Staff team on Sunday.

With many exciting events and performances coming up, it is sure to be a fantastic week! Check back soon for pictures from student concerts and rehearsals!



Click the link below to view photos from the 4th of July "Field Day"!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/buti2012/sets/72157630468822756/

Click the link below to view photos from the most recent faculty recitals:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/buti2012/sets/

BUTI Welcomes the Large Program Students!

On Sunday we welcomed over 230 new students to the BUTI campus for the large 4-week and 6-week programs including the Young Artists Orchestra, Young Artists Wind Ensemble, Young Artists Vocal Program, Young Artists Piano Program, Young Artists Composition Program, and Young Artists Harp Program. Approximately 40 students from the previous workshop weeks are staying on for the large programs, making our BUTI campus more full than it has been all summer!

After a busy morning of registration at Groton Place and getting settled into their respective dorms, the students and parents attended Opening Ceremonies in the warm summer sun outside the Koussevitzky Shed on campus. The ceremonies were led by Shirley Leiphon, Administrative Director, and Phyllis Hoffman, Executive and Artistic Director as well as the Director of the Young Artists Vocal Program. Professor Hoffman spoke about the history of Tanglewood and the BUTI program as well as the importance of a life filled with the study of the arts. The ceremonies also featured performances select members of the BUTI workshop students- a trumpet quintet and woodwind trio- as well as a closing performance by the faculty woodwind quintet, Vento Chiaro.

The Opening Ceremonies were followed by a family BBQ on the back lawn provided by the BUTI Dining Staff. After the delicious group picnic, the students proceeded to specific program meetings before an All-Student Orientation in the West Street Theatre led by Director of Student Life and Operations Lisa Naas. Here the students were introduced to their RAs and various faculty and staff members whom they will be interacting with during their stay. The first night was then concluded with mandatory floor meetings within their dorms where they reviewed campus rules and regulations and played ice breaker games to get to know their new roommates!

It is already shaping up to be an exciting first week for the large programs with the annual Fourth of July James Taylor concerts selling out the Tanglewood Main Grounds and bringing in guest artists like last night's Taylor Swift. This weekend also marks Opening Weekend at Tanglewood, with Friday night's Opening Night concert presenting an All-Beethoven Program. Saturday's concert features acclaimed violinist Joshua Bell and Sunday's performance the dazzling Bernadette Peters.

The Student Life Staff also has many fun activities planned including a Field Day with fun & games on the 4th, a weekend hike of Olivia's Overlook, a few yoga trips to the esteemed Kripalu Yoga Center, a trip to Walmart to pick up any last-minute items that students may have left behind, and the continuing of the basketball tournament between dorms!

We are very excited for the next chapter of the 2012 BUTI Summer, and look forward to working with the students and watching their musical talents expand and grow!



Click the link below to check out pictures from Move-in Day!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/buti2012/sets/72157630405091484/

Congratulations BUTI Workshop Students!

This past Saturday we said goodbye to our workshop students as they finished their 2-week programs with absolutely wonderful performances. Every student performed in an individual instrumental workshop recital, displaying all the hard work they have put in over the past two weeks! (Check back in soon to view photos from the student performances as well as from their intensive study throughout the workshop weeks!) In addition to being featured on this blog, these photos will be included in the annual Summerbook- BUTI's yearbook-like publication that includes individual student photos, student contact information to keep in touch, and fun photos from throughout the summer! This year we will also be selling a DVD Summerbook which will include video footage and fun extras (like the video below)! A great way to preserve your BUTI memories!

 If you didn't order your Summerbook while on campus, you can do so by calling the Student Life Office (413-637-2670). Students still on campus can order them from the SLO at any time in the coming weeks. Also, if students and/or parents have photos they would like to see featured on the blog or in the Summerbook, you can submit them to me, Kristen Seavey, at butipublications2012@gmail.com.


The last few days on campus for the workshop students included a variety of fabulous performances and activities. On Wednesday evening, Don Lucas, Director of the Trombone Workshop, gave a wonderful faculty recital with fellow trombonists Toby Oft, Robert Hoveland, and Gabriel Langfur. Shiela Kibbe and Ling Leng accompanied on piano. The program featured works by Jean Francaix, John Stevens, Tomaso Albinoni, Stjephan Sulek, Eddie Bass, Franz Cibulka, and George Gershwin.

Thursday night's recital featured the faculty string quintet coaches- Peter Zazofsky, violin; Edward Gazouleas, viola; Michael Zaretsky, viola; and Owen Young, cello- as well as Robert Merfeld on piano. The performance included Maerchenbilder for Viola and Piano, op. 113 by Robert Schumann and Serenade for String Trio, op. 10 by Erno Dohnanyi. Also on Thursday and Friday evening, the Mark Morris Dance Group performed at Ozawa Hall with TMC Fellows accompanying, and Phyllis Curtin and Mark Morris himself narrating.


During the workshop weeks, a competitive basketball tournament broke out between the dorms and after an exciting week of try-outs, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and a championship game, the residents of Lenox 2 earned the title of reigning basketball champions! We'll have to see how the large program students continue on in the league...
Click the link below to view photos from a few of the games!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/buti2012/sets/72157630407162180/

On Friday night the Student Life Staff threw a big fiesta-themed dance for the workshop students complete with music & dancing, chips & salsa galore, and the limbo! The dance also marked the premiere of the music video project many of the students were involved in during their time here - Carly Rae Jepsen's hit, "Call Me Maybe" slowly but surely became the most-played song of the summer on the BUTI campus, and so we decided to put together our own version...

*a high-resolution version of the video will be available on the Summerbook DVD!

Remember to check back in soon to view more workshop photos, and a big CONGRATULATIONS to all the workshop students for all of your hard work and dedication to your musical studies here at BUTI. We will certainly miss you! Have a wonderful rest of the summer! :)

Tut Tut, it looks like Rain...

Characteristic of New England weather, last week's heat wave was quickly traded for gray days filled with scattered thunder storms and lightning-filled skies. Luckily the storms never became too severe, however, and the rain certainly didn't keep the BUTI campus quiet! The students of the String Quartet Workshop gave their first recital on Saturday afternoon at Trinity Church. The five quartets, composed of students who had known each other for only one week, beautifully performed works by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and Schubert.

Saturday evening, Mike Roylance, Director of the Tuba/Euphonium Workshop, gave a fabulous Faculty Recital featuring himself as well as fellow tubists Robert Carpenter, Zachary deVries, and Claude Kashnig, with Ling Leng accompanying on piano. They performed works by Telemann, Aron Romhanyi, Bernstein, Edward J. Madden, Hindemith, and John Williams, ending the recital with a rousing low brass version of the Bayerische Polka!

On Sunday afternoon a group of students took a 2.5 mile hike up Mount October in Lee, MA. That evening the BUTI students also attended their first concert at the Tanglewood Maingrounds- a performance by Yo-Yo Ma and Silk Road Ensemble at Seiji Ozawa Hall where we heard everything from Chinese folk songs to Turkish dances to traditional Indian tunes. Called "a cornucopia of musical ideas...featuring instrumental and vocal artists of almost unimaginable virtuosity" (Seattle Times), the Silk Road Ensemble put on an absolutely wonderful performance. Yo-Yo Ma spoke to the audience about the magnificent collaboration, both instrumentally and culturally, that the ensemble exhibited and how the Silk Road Ensemble was actually "born" on the stage of Seiji Ozawa Hall twelve years earlier.

Yesterday's wonderful Faculty Assistant Recital featured Danby Cho, Assistant Director of the Clarinet Workshop, as well as Thomas Weston, clarinet; Ona Jonaityte, flute; Ben Fox, oboe; Kaitlin Fry, bassoon; Samantha Benson, horn; Lauren Woo, soprano; and Heeyeon Chi, piano. The performance took place in the West Street Theatre on the BUTI campus and featured works by Robert Schumann, Felix Mendelssohn, Franz Schubert, and a sextet by Francis Poulenc.

Tonight's Faculty Recital featured Director of the Saxophone Workshop Kenneth Radnofsky. Professor Radnofsky separated his recital into three parts: "Music and Myth"; "Music and Grief"; and "Music and Dance". He spoke about the power of musical expression and its ability to convey emotion even without the use of text. He performed works by Claude Debussy, Benjamin Britton, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Maurice Ravel, Paul Bonneau, and a commissioned piece by Goran Daskalov. Jessie Lo accompanied on piano.


Click the link below to view photos from the weekend events!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/buti2012/

A Fabulous First Week

With temperatures soaring over 90 degrees, the BUTI students powered through the heat wave that has been looming over Lenox for the past few days, and successfully completed their first full week of workshops! On Tuesday evening, Terry Everson, Director of the Trumpet Workshop, gave a recital on "The Art of the Sonata" featuring various sonatas by Bohuslav Martinu, Harold Shapero, Robert Suderburg, and Halsey Stevens. Shiela Kibbe accompanied on piano. With a Wednesday evening free of performances, some the students took part in the Student Life Staff planned Walmart trip- grabbing those select items they may have left behind. Thursday night's faculty recital featured the Muir String Quartet (Peter Zazofsky and Lucia Lin, violins; Steven Ansell, viola; and Michael Reynolds, cello) where they performed works by Mozart and Beethoven.

On Friday night, some students took part in the trip to Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival where we saw the Bill Evans Dance Company perform on the gorgeous "Inside/Out" outdoor stage. Even with a thunderstorm warning forecast, the rains held off with only a light sprinkle adding to the beautiful and natural atmosphere of the performance. After the dance numbers, Bill Evans joined the dancers onstage for a short Q&A where audience members participated in learning more about the company, the choreography, and the inspiration behind Evans's performed works: "Naturescape Unfolding" and "Round Seven".

After a long week of hard work, the BUTI students are surely looking forward to their first free weekend! With hikes, yoga classes, basketball tournaments and more planned- not to mention the Tanglewood performances and String Quartet Workshop Recital on Saturday afternoon- it is sure to be an exciting and fun-filled weekend! Check in soon for pictures from the weekend events as well as individual student workshops!

Click the link below to check out photos from this week's faculty recitals and the trip to Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/buti2012/

BUTI is alive with the sounds of music...

Today the practice sheds were filled with the sounds of pianos, oboes, euphoniums and more as the students entered their first full day of workshops, masterclasses, and daily practice routines. This evening the students enjoyed a marvelous faculty recital at Trinity Church featuring Eric Ruske, Director of the Horn Workshop. The program included works by Alexander Glazunov, Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, and Vittorio Monti. Thomas Weaver accompanied on piano and Horn Assistant Kristen Sienkiewicz joined Professor Ruske for one selection.

Other faculty performances later this week will include recitals by Terry Everson, Director of the Trumpet Workshop; Mike Roylance, Director of the Tuba/Euphonium Workshop; and the acclaimed Muir String Quartet. This Friday and Sunday evening, Yo-Yo Ma will be performing with the Silk Road Ensemble at Ozawa Hall on the Tanglewood Main Grounds- a performance that the students are granted entry to with the presentation of their season pass.

Outside the many musical performances this week, there are also quite a few activities and programs planned to give the students the opportunity to get off campus and take advantage of all the wonderful experiences the Berkshires have to offer! Just this week there will be a 2.5 mile hike up October Mountain, the first yoga class led by Kripalu trained yogis, a trip to Jacob's Pillow Dance, a private tour of the Lenox Library archives, and a bus trip to Walmart so students can pick up any of those last-minute items they might have left behind.

It has been a great first day, and we are looking forward to a wonderful first week!


Click the link below to view photos from tonight's faculty recital!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/buti2012/sets/72157630185566058/

Workshop Student Move-In!

Today the BUTI campus was finally filled with the bustle of parents, families, and talented young musicians (not to mention luggage, instruments, fans, and many, many cases of bottled water) as we welcomed the 129 workshop students who will be studying here for the next two weeks!

This summer the BUTI student body includes students from 35 states and 12 countries including Armenia, Canada, Colombia, Germany, Japan, Nigeria, People's Republic of China, Republic of Korea, Republic of Singapore, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom. The 354 students who will be attending BUTI this season were carefully selected from a pool of over 830 applicants after a rigorous application and audition process. 

After morning registration, the students and parents attended Opening Ceremonies in the West Street Theatre led by Administrative Director Shirley Leiphon and Executive and Artistic Director Phyllis Hoffman. Professor Hoffman spoke to the students about the history of Tanglewood and the prestige of the BUTI program. She also congratulated them on their acceptance, praised their talent levels, and encouraged them to take every opportunity that this summer's immersion of "living and breathing music" would afford them. The ceremony also featured faculty performances by Don Lucas, Director of the Trombone Workshop and Ken Radnofsky, Director of the Saxophone Workshop.

The Opening Ceremonies were followed by a family BBQ on the back lawn behind Groton Place provided by the BUTI Dining Staff. After the delicious group picnic, the students proceeded to an All-Student Orientation, led by Director of Student Life and Operations Lisa Naas, where they met their RAs and various faculty and staff members whom they will be encountering during their stay. Their first night at BUTI was concluded with a mandatory floor meeting within their individual dorms where they reviewed campus rules and regulations and played ice breaker games to get to know their new roommates!

It was a very long and busy day here on campus, but it was wonderful to finally meet the first group of BUTI students, and we expect to see (and hear) amazing things from them in the coming weeks! Looking forward to a magical summer!


Click the link below to check out pictures from Move-In Day!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/buti2012/sets/72157630163750618/

Welcome!

Welcome to the 2012 BUTI blog! Here you can follow along with all the exciting events, activities, programs and performances the Boston University Tanglewood Institute students will be partaking in all summer! My name is Kristen Seavey and I am the Publications & Media Manager for the 2012 BUTI season and I will be regularly updating this blog with photos, stories, and information regarding the various BUTI goings on- both on and off campus!

The BUTI Staff has been hard at work for the past few weeks preparing for the arrival of the workshop students this Sunday. (Registration from 10:00-4:00 at Groton Place.) We are all very excited and looking forward to a wonderful summer! See you soon!