Rachel Barton Pine on Violinist.com

Violin Adventures - Kickstarter news, upcoming concerts, and more!

Sun, 30 Dec 2012 07:29:04 GMT

PLEASE VOTE FOR ME! The Chicago Music Awards has nominated me for Best Classical Entertainer (Category 7). Please click here to vote by December 31. Thanks! LAST CHANCE TO BE PART OF MY NEXT ALBUM ON KICKSTARTER! Cedille Records, one of the world�s premiere audiophile labels, is releasing my next concerto album, Mendelssohn and Schumann violin concertos with the G�ttinger Symphonie Orchester. Seven-time Grammy winner Steven Epstein was the producer. The sessions went so well that we were able to add additional repertoire, both Beethoven Romances! The album is scheduled for release in fall 2013. Sales of classical recordings, especially albums that involve orchestras, rarely if ever cover their production costs. Capturing and preserving the music of today�s great artists can only be done with the generous support of donors. Sales of downloads and CDs cover only 20% of the expenses at Cedille Records, so they rely on charitable contributions to produce their releases. Cedille is using traditional fundraising methods as well as this Kickstarter campaign to support my project, and we�re very excited about the opportunity that technology provides to share my music with a larger audience, to engage more supporters and to make classical music more accessible. Cedille is hoping to raise $10,000 through Kickstarter, 12.5% of the projected $80,000 budget, to ensure that this project can be completed. Please visit our Kickstarter page to learn more about the project and about the special gifts you'll receive for each pledge level - starting at just $10. The campaign concludes on December 31, and will only be funded if we reach our goal. Cedille is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit, so your donation is fully tax-deductible. There are just two days left, and we�re almost there! PLEASE CONSIDER THE REB FOUNDATION FOR YOUR YEAR-END GIVING Your help is so important for the Rachel Elizabeth Barton Foundation�s support of young string players. Scroll down to read our newsletter. Make your donation online or by printing out our donation form. Thank you very much! 2012 KARL HAAS PRIZE FOR MUSIC EDUCATION I�m very honored to have been commended for my work in music education by being awarded the Karl Haas Prize by the Klassix Society, joining former recipients Michael Tilson Thomas, Christopher O�Riley, Peter Van De Graaff, and more. Click here to read the press release. NEW INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT I�m very pleased to announce that International Creative Artists is now my representative for all of the world except North America. Click here to read the press release. Melvin Kaplan, Inc., continues to represent me for North America. UPCOMING CONCERTS January 12 � Sibelius Concerto with the Sacramento Philharmonic January 13 � Chausson Concerto at the Chamber Music Society of Sacramento January 19 � Mendelssohn Concerto with the New Mexico Philharmonic January 27 � Paganini 24 Caprices in Washington, DC Click here for more information and complete tour dates through August. THREE CHANCES TO JOIN ME AT SUMMER CAMPS I will be on the faculty of three different camps this year: July 14-20 at the Mark Wood Rock Orchestra Camp near Kansas City July 21-24 at Le Domaine Forget in Quebec July 29 � August 4 at the Jink and Diddle School of Scottish Fiddling in North Carolina I hope you�re able to attend! VIOLIN ADVENTURES PODCAST IS RESUMING My podcast, �Violin Adventures,� is resuming on Tuesday, January 1. Subscribe on iTunes or access it directly from the blog page. Watch for a new episode every two weeks, and be sure to send in your questions to be answered on �Inquiries from my Inbox.� FAREWELL TO PROFESSOR SCHOLZ Professor Werner Scholz, with whom I studied in Berlin in the early 1990�s, has passed away at age 86. Professor Scholz was a student of a student of Joseph Joachim, the friend and collaborator of Brahms. It was a privilege to know him and study with him, and he will be truly missed. Read the tribute on violinist.com. NEWS FROM THE REB FOUNDATION Dear Friends, As supporters of the Rachel Elizabeth Barton (REB) Foundation, you are on the forefront of addressing the missing link between talented young string players and their ability to achieve their dreams. Now in our 11th year, we have some amazing success stories to share, as many of our recipients have transitioned from talented students to young artists on the brink of their careers to becoming fully established professional string players. One of our first Instrument Loan Program recipients, Eric Nowlin, received the use of a 1700 Gofriller viola in 2004. An instrument of this quality allowed him to fully express his artistry, leading to his receiving Second Prize in the prestigious 2006 Naumburg Competition. He subsequently won the position as Associate Principal Violist with the Toronto Symphony, giving him a steady income which enabled him to purchase a high-quality viola of his own. In addition to playing in the symphony, Eric is also on the faculty of the University of Toronto and is the violist of the New Orford String Quartet, one of the most acclaimed young ensembles in Canada. We are proud to have played an important role in helping to launch Eric�s exciting career. Eric�s relationship with the REB Foundation continues � as one of our generous patrons! The modern viola that Eric played during his college years is on loan through the REB Foundation to Bora Kim, a talented teenage violist. We look forward to watching Bora�s career as she continues to grow and develop. The 1700 Gofriller viola that Eric once played is now on loan to Matthew Lipman, one of the most gifted young violists of his generation, Only 20 years old, Matthew already has a biography filled with awards and performances that would be impressive for someone twice his age. In 2012 alone, he won First Prize at the Washington International Competition, Stulberg International Competition, Juilliard Concerto Competition, and the First and Grand Prize at the 2012 WAMSO Young Artist Competition. Matthew has soloed with numerous orchestras and has performed at Ravinia, Music@Menlo, and with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He also appears as a guest artist on Itzhak Perlman�s new album �Eternal Echoes.� Matthew�s background is an unlikely one for such an accomplished young artist. He grew up on the far south side of the Chicagoland area and began viola lessons in public school in the fourth grade. His talent and hard work quickly caught the attention of the music world and led to scholarships for his lessons. Matthew�s father currently works part-time for minimum wage and his mother is dealing with serious health issues. In addition to being supported by the REB Foundation�s Instrument Loan Program, Matthew has also been a recipient of our Grants for Education and Career, which helps him with costs that neither his family nor his scholarships could cover. Some of these expenses have included instrument maintenance, airfare to concerts and competitions, sheet music purchase, and audition recording sessions. There are so many more stories to share: violinist Karla Donehew-Perez is currently playing in the Catalyst Quartet; violinist Joanna Frankel is the new concertmaster of the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra in Durban, South Africa; double bassist Henry Chen joined the faculty of Ball State University� the list goes on. Thanks to our generous supporters, the REB Foundation has helped so many young artists. With your help, we look forward to continuing our important work for many years to come. The number of applications we receive from deserving young string players increases every year. That�s why we�re counting on your generosity now more than ever. Donations to a worthy cause can be the perfect gift for your loved ones. As you consider your year-end charitable giving, please remember the Rachel Elizabeth Barton Foundation, which is enhancing the lives of so many young musicians. The future of classical music depends on supporting talented students and young professional musicians during the early, formative years of their development. With your help, these young artists will inspire the next generations as they provide the world with many years of beautiful music. Your gift is truly the gift of a lifetime. Sincerely, Rachel Barton Pine, President P.S. You may direct your gift either to our general fund or to one of our specific programs. Thank you. . . and best wishes for healthy and happy holidays!

Please support Rachel Barton Pine's Kickstarter!

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 17:54:56 GMT

Hi, fellow violinists and violin enthusiasts. I'm very excited that Cedille Records is releasing my next concerto album, Mendelssohn and Schumann violin concertos with the G�ttinger Symphonie Orchester. Cedille has launched a Kickstarter on my behalf. We are hoping to raise $10,000 through Kickstarter, 12.5% of the projected $80,000 budget, to ensure that this project can be completed. Please visit the Mendelssohn/Schumann Kickstarter page to learn more about the project and about the special gifts you'll receive for each pledge level - starting at just $10. The project will only be funded if we reach our $10,000 goal by December 31 - just 10 days from now. Cedille is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit, so your donation is fully tax-deductible. I'm so excited about this recording and really hope that you can be part of it! Happy Holidays! Rachel :)

REB Foundation update, Trio Settecento and Earthen Grave on tour...

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:57:06 GMT

PLEASE REMEMBER THE REB FOUNDATION THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
The Rachel Elizabeth Barton Foundation, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, supports young musicians in need around the world. Please click here to read our 2009 newsletter, and please keep us in mind for your year-end charitable giving.

PLEASE VOTE FOR ME!
I have the great honor of being nominated as Best Classical Entertainer in the 29th Annual Chicago Music Awards. Please click here to vote, and please spread the word! Voting ends December 31.

TRIO SETTECENTO PERFORMS IN NEW YORK
On Friday, December 4, at 8:00pm, I�ll be performing a concert of 17th and 18th Century German Baroque sonatas with my period instrument chamber group, Trio Settecento (John Mark Rozendaal on viola da gamba and baroque violoncello and David Schrader on harpsichord). The concert takes place at Columbia University�s Miller Theater in New York City. Our program will celebrate the release of our new CD, �A German Bouquet.� Please call 212-854-7799 or click here for more information.

RBP MERCHANDISE
Looking for the perfect holiday gift for the violinist or violin fan in your life? Please visit my shop to buy any of my 16 albums or my new sheet music book, The Rachel Barton Pine Collection, which includes all of my cadenzas and virtuoso compositions. Between now and December 31, send an email to rbpassistant@aol.com when you place your order, and I would be happy to autograph your book(s) and/or CD(s).

CONCERTS WITH MY METAL BAND EARTHEN GRAVE
Curious to see a 5-string electric �viper� violin jam with electric guitars? My heavy metal band Earthen Grave will be doing four shows over the next two weekends.

Saturday, December 5, 7:30pm
Nite Club Europa, 98 Meserole Ave. at Manhattan Ave., Brooklyn, New York
718-383-2322, 18+

Sunday, December 6, 9:30pm
Piano's, 158 Ludlow Street at Stanton, New York City
212-505-3733, 21+

Saturday, December 11, 8:00pm
Abbey Pub, 3420 W. Grace, Chicago
773-478-4408, 18+

Sunday, December 12, 7:30pm
Vnuk's, 5036 S. Packard, Cudahy, WI (near Milwaukee)
414-481-1655, 21+

Click here to see a video of Earthen Grave�s November 17 performance in Milwaukee, when we opened for Megadeth and Machinehead.

RACHEL ELIZABETH BARTON FOUNDATION 2009 NEWSLETTER

Dear Friends,

A 12-year-old girl practices four hours a day and dreams of becoming a professional violinist. Her father works multiple jobs and attends school while her mother raises six children. Every Saturday, the girl goes to a nearby shopping mall, opens up her violin case and plays for the passersby. Where can she turn if she doesn�t collect enough money to be able to buy the sheet music for the next repertoire that her teacher assigns?

A 15-year-old boy, admitted into the studio of one of the country�s best violin teachers, relocated to a new state with his entire family to accept this opportunity. When his father lost his job, both their new house and their house back home were foreclosed. Meanwhile, a poor violin is holding back the boy�s development. How can his family afford to give him a better instrument?

A 14-year-old violinist is accepted into one of the most renowned pre-college conservatories, but her single mother can�t afford the gas and tolls to drive her into the city every week. How can she commute to her lessons?

A 16-year-old violist is among only a handful of young artists in the finals of prestigious national and international competitions. Currently, his family survives on his father�s hourly wage. How will he be able to pay for his travel expenses and a piano accompanist?

A teenage brother and sister from Poland are living in the U.S. to further their studies. Their mother lives with them but does not have the necessary documentation to get a job, and their father in Poland sends them most of his salary, $200 a month. How can they buy the bow rehairs and new strings that they need to play their concerts?

A 17-year-old violinist from Scandinavia needs to travel to the U.S. for her college auditions, but her life savings have just evaporated in the collapse of her country�s banks. How can she pay for airfare and hotel rooms?

Answers: the Rachel Elizabeth Barton Foundation.

This year has been one of extraordinary growth for the REB Foundation. Last year, our Grants for Education and Career supported seven young artists with $4,500 in assistance. In 2009, we have awarded $22,000 to eighteen young artists. In addition, ten young artists, 12-29 years old, are recipients of our Instrument Loan Program.

The REB Foundation begins where traditional scholarships end. Most of our young artists receive financial aid from their music schools. Yet, as the stories above illustrate, there are so many additional expenses beyond the costs of lessons that families in struggling circumstances simply cannot cover. It would be a tragedy to have to turn away any deserving young artist in need; with your help, they will all be able to continue pursuing their musical dreams.

Young artists in other corners of the world are in need as well. Global HeartStrings is expanding its reach into a region truly in need of the healing power of music � the Middle East.

A group of enthusiastic and accomplished young players from Northern Iraq recently formed the Kurdish String Orchestra. Searching for help, their concertmaster, Nabaz Abubakir, wrote the following to the REB Foundation. �We do not have good quality instruments or bows. We lack good quality strings for violin, viola, cello, or bass. All of the strings in the local store have expired. The most important thing that we do not have is sheet music. Even though there is a good music library in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, they do not help us because they are Arabic and we are Kurdish!�

Nabaz has been studying in the U.S. on a limited student visa, but he has to return home on December 20. Because the mail system in Iraq is currently dysfunctional, we cannot ship supplies to the Kurdish String Orchestra as we can to Africa and elsewhere. Therefore, we have less than a month to acquire the instruments and sheet music that Nabaz needs to take back to his young colleagues. This will be possible only with your timely donation.

Music truly is a universal language, transcending all of the barriers that often divide us. The voices of composers of African descent, long silenced or forgotten, are finally being brought back to life and into the hands of students of all races and ethnicities. Our collaboration with the University of Michigan has been very fruitful; and our curricular project, The String Student�s Library of Music by Black Composers, is entering its final stage: evaluation of the repertoire by leading pedagogues. Within the next few months, we expect to be able to announce a date of publication. Funding is still needed to complete the remaining research.

In these difficult economic times, donations to a worthy cause are the perfect gift for your loved ones. As you consider your year-end charitable giving, please remember the Rachel Elizabeth Barton Foundation, which is enhancing the lives of so many young musicians. The future of classical music depends on supporting talented students and young professional musicians during the early, formative years of their development. With your help, these young artists will inspire the next generations as they provide the world with many years of beautiful music. Your gift is truly the gift of a lifetime.

Sincerely,

Rachel Barton Pine, President

P.S. You may direct your gift either to our general fund or to one of our specific programs � either print our giving form or make a secure online donation by visiting www.rebf.org. Please let us hear from you by December 31st. Thank you. . . and best wishes for healthy and happy holidays!

Listen online to my NY Recital Debut, new book, new CD...

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:33:47 GMT

Listen to my NY recital online, new book, new CD...

Special discount tickets still available for my New York City recital debut

On Tuesday, September 15 at 8pm, I will make my New York City recital debut with my long-time piano collaborator Matthew Hagle. The concert takes place in Symphony Space's beautiful 760-seat Peter Jay Sharp Theatre (2537 Broadway at 95th Street, New York, NY 10025-6990), under the auspices of the New York Chamber Music Festival.

The New York Chamber Music Festival has generously agreed to make a few more tickets available to my friends at a special 50% discount of $17. To receive this special offer, call the Symphony Space box office at 212-864-5400 and give the discount code RBPFAN. Please note that the Symphony Space box office is closed on Monday and will reopen on Tuesday at 1pm. This offer is only valid by phone or in person.

Our program includes Pisendel's Sonata for Unaccompanied Violin (1717), Mendelssohn's Sonata in F Major (1838), Corigliano's Sonata (1963), and Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12 (1879-80). Please click here to watch a special preview video.

After the concert, I'll be in the lobby to sign programs and CDs, including my new album & quot;Trio Settecento: A German Bouquet. & quot; I'll also sign copies of my new book, & quot;The Rachel Barton Pine Collection & quot; from Carl Fischer Music. Be sure to stop by and say hi!

LIVE radio and internet broadcast of my New York City recital debut

If you can't make it to my New York City debut recital in person, you can still listen to the concert and be part of the celebration. My recital will be broadcast live by Chicago's own classical radio station WFMT, with Bill McGlaughlin hosting. In Chicago, the concert begins at 7pm on Tuesday, September 15, on 98.7FM. You can also listen online for free from anywhere in the world (beginning at 8pm Eastern Standard Time).

IN THE MEDIA: Feature story in the New York Examiner online

Please click here to read about my upcoming recital, new CD, new book, and hanging out with one of my favorite metal bands, Slayer.

IN THE MEDIA: Interview for Violinist.com

My wide-ranging conversation with Violinist.com's Lauie Niles touched on everything from my New York recital, new CD and new book, to Bach's Six Sonatas and Partitas. Please click here to read the entire transcript.

My first sheet music book! The Rachel Barton Pine Collection is now available

FROM THE PRESS RELEASE:
& quot;Carl Fischer Music is honored to announce that violinist Rachel Barton Pine will be the first living composer and woman to be published as part of its Masters Collection with the release of The Rachel Barton Pine Collection... Following in the footsteps of many of the great violinists, including Fritz Kreisler and Jascha Heifetz, who have been published by Carl Fischer Music, the compilation gathers together for the first time Pine's exceptional cadenzas of standard concerti and her composed unaccompanied encore pieces that have engaged audiences around the world as well as other concert works that she has meticulously edited for violin and piano. The Rachel Barton Pine Collection also includes a CD containing piano rehearsal tracks as well as all of the piano parts in PDF form so that musicians can print out a desired part for recital performances. & quot;

FROM THE SALES BLURB:
& quot;World-famous violinist Rachel Barton Pine has compiled a collection of 19 pieces, for unaccompanied violin and violin and piano, ranging from her original compositions and cadenzas to virtuoso arrangements featured in many of her popular recordings. Highlights include Variations on The Birthday Song, The Star-Spangled Banner, Caprice on Dixie, Albeniz's Asturias, Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, and cadenzas for concertos by Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, and Paganini. Pine has also authored a detailed introduction commenting on each work. Professionals and students alike will delight in this unique and personal collection. & quot;

Purchase The Rachel Barton Pine Collection.
Learn more by viewing the complete contents list and looking inside the book.
Read the Strings Magazine article about The Rachel Barton Pine Collection.

My 16th album is now available - Trio Settecento: A German Bouquet

Trio Settecento follows up 2007's An Italian Sojourn by exploring the gorgeous colors of German Baroque sonatas. Repertoire includes 17th and 18th Century masterpieces by Schop, Schmelzer, Muffat, Kreigher, Buxtehude, Bach, Erlebach and Pisendel. Trio Settecento, formed in 1997, features Rachel Barton Pine on baroque violin, John Mark Rozendaal on viola da gamba and baroque violoncello, and David Schrader on harpsichord and positiv organ.

Purchase A German Bouquet.
Listen to sound clips from each sonata.
Read the press release.
Read Fanfare Magazine's cover story about A German Bouquet, an in-depth interview with Rachel and John Mark.

Upcoming concerts

Please click here to see all of my tour dates through June 2010, with complete repertoire and contact details.

Here are a few upcoming highlights:
Sept 17 - master class at Northern Illinois University and Chausson Concerto with the Avalon String Quartet and pianist Matthew Hagle in DeKalb, Illinois
Sept 18 - Chausson Concerto with the Avalon String Quartet and pianist Matthew Hagle in Chicago
Sept 26 - Glazunov Concerto with the Rockford (Ilinois) Symphony, opening night of 75th anniversary season
Oct 3 - Chausson Poeme and Saint-Saens Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso with the San Juan Symphony in Farmington, New Mexico
Oct 4 - Chausson Poeme and Saint-Saens Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso with the San Juan Symphony in Durango, Colorado
Oct 7 - performance with my metal band Earthen Grave and the Double Door in Chicago
Oct 9 - performance of Italian baroque music with my period instrument group Trio Settecento at the University of Vermont in Burlington

My NY Recital Debut! A Special Offer for You: Come Celebrate with Me

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:30:18 GMT

Summer is nearly over and, like you, I�m really looking forward to the 2009-2010 season of music.� In fact, I'm as excited as I've ever been.� My fall touring begins on Tuesday, September 15, with my New York City recital debut.� Also this month, Cedille Records is releasing my 16th CD, "Trio Settecento: A German Bouquet," and Carl Fisher Music is publishing The Rachel Barton Pine Collection which contains my original compositions, arrangements, cadenzas, and editions.

None of this would have been possible without you and your support!� That's why I've made a special arrangement for you to attend my New York City recital debut on Tuesday, September 15 at 8pm.� The concert takes place in Symphony Space's beautiful 760-seat Peter Jay Sharp Theatre (2537 Broadway at 95th Street, New York, NY 10025-6990), under the auspices of the New York Chamber Music Festival. I'll perform works by Pisendel, Mendelssohn, Corigliano, and Liszt (see below for more program information).

The New York Chamber Music Festival has generously agreed to make 100 tickets available to my friends at a special 50% discount of $17.� To receive this special offer, call the Symphony Space box office at 212-864-5400 and give the discount code RBPFAN.� This offer is available only by phone and no later than 6pm on Wednesday, September 9, so you must act quickly.

I look forward to sharing this memorable evening with you.� See you there!

Sincerely,

Rachel :)

P.S. If you won't be in New York or won't be able to attend yourself, you can still use this offer for one or more of your New York friends as a special treat.

P.P.S.� After the concert, I�ll be in the lobby to sign programs and CDs, including my new album "Trio Settecento: A German Bouquet."� I'll also sign copies of my new book, "The Rachel Barton Pine Collection" from Carl Fischer Music. Be sure to stop by and say hi!

PROGRAM DETAILS

JOHANN GEORG PISENDEL � SONATA FOR UNACCOMPANIED VIOLIN (1717)
Pisendel was the foremost German violinist of the first half of the 18th century. Vivaldi, Albinoni, and Telemann all dedicated works to him. Pisendel's technical mastery is documented clearly in his Sonata in A minor. The technical demands are far more advanced than anything previously written for unaccompanied violin. The Sonata mixes aspects of Italian rhythm and melody with serious German counterpoint. The formal scheme is unusual, neither a church sonata nor a dance suite. The first movement is untitled, but is clearly in a slow tempo. Richly ornamented, all of the embellishments are fully written out. The chord changes are occasionally quite startling, and the effect is at turns rhapsodic and declamatory. Lombardic rhythm (short-long) is used in all three movements and in extended passages in the second movement, Allegro. The Giga and Variation are in counterpoint for two voices, with interesting examples of contrary motion.

Pisendel and Bach spent time together in Weimar in 1709 and continued to exchange music after they parted. The two likely met in Dresden in 1717, shortly after Pisendel finished his Sonata and probably just before Bach began writing his. It is interesting to note that Bach's first Partita, the only one in which he follows his movements with doubles, substitutes a Bour�e and Double for the expected Gigue and Double. Perhaps this substitution was made out of respect for the final two movements of Pisendel's Sonata.

(Rachel Barton Pine, 2004)

FELIX MENDELSSOHN � VIOLIN SONATA IN F MAJOR (1838)
Mendelssohn�s first sonata, in F major, dates from 1820 when the composer was still a lad of eleven; the second, in F minor, was written five years later and published as Op. 4; and the third (also in F major) is a work of Mendelssohn�s maturity, written in 1838, the same year as the First Cello Sonata but not published during the composer�s lifetime.

This 1838 sonata was discovered only in 1953 by Yehudi Menuhin. Menuhin wrote that it "has the chivalrous romantic quality of the age that produced Schumann, the elegance and lightness of touch of the age inherited from Mozart, and in addition the perfect formal presentation which Mendelssohn himself drew from Bach."

The sonata opens with a bold, striding subject almost Schumannesque in its vigor and richly textured writing. The piano is no mere accompanist, remaining an equal partner throughout. The slow movement features music of ravishing sweetness, passionate outbursts, and some of Mendelssohn�s most daring chromatic writing. There is even a short cadenza near the end. The last movement scampers along with characteristic Mendelssohnian fleetness and lightness of touch, racing to a brilliant finish.

(courtesy Robert Markow, 2009)

JOHN CORIGLIANO � VIOLIN SONATA (1963)
This Sonata is an optimistic, ultra-rhythmic, tonal-and-then-some duo for two masterful players.� I built the themes and harmonics of its four movements � Allegro, Andantino, Lento, and Allegro � all from a second and its inversion, a seventh.� The movements center, respectively, on C, D, G minor and D � but I freely included non-tonal and polytonal sections when needed.� I think its eclecticism, its rhythmic energy, and its bright character give the Sonata a very American quality, though that wasn�t the goal of writing it.

I didn�t so much develop the lively theme in the opening Allegro as herald it with a brief opening fanfare and then embed it in a detailed backdrop, like a stone in a mosaic.� Then, from those backdrop details, I built the first theme of the next movement, a gentle Andantino in a modified sonata form.� Three themes seem to intertwine in this movement, which peaks and peaks again before quieting � but a closer look should reveal that both the second and third themes are but variations of the first.� The third movement caps a tense, emotional violin soliloquy with hushed echoes of the sonata�s signal interval (the second) and the fourth movement, a rondo with a difference, takes a vivid polytriadic theme, and augmented variation on it, and accompanimental fugues from previous movements, and spins them all into a breathless and exuberant polymetric finale.

(courtesy John Corigliano)

FRANZ LISZT � HUNGARIAN RHAPSODY NO. 12 (1879-80)
Collecting the original violin works of Franz Liszt was one of the most challenging research projects I have ever undertaken. They are as interesting to interpret as they are satisfying to hear and to perform. Ranging from youthful works of Liszt's fiery virtuosic period to more introspective later compositions, they showcase his inventiveness and originality as a composer of chamber music. At all times, the violin and piano are equal partners.

Liszt�s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12 in C-Sharp Minor was originally written in 1847 for solo piano. The violin version was created in collaboration with violinist Joseph Joachim more than three decades later. It is a true reworking, not the straightforward transcription that another composer might have done. Liszt removes sections, adds new ones, and changes the figurations, giving us his "further thoughts upon the subject."

(Rachel Barton Pine, 2001)

Violin Adventures - September 8, 2004: Happy New Season!

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 07:45:52 GMT

Hi! I hope that you had a great summer and that you�re as excited about starting your new year as I am.

VOTING�
Thanks, guys! Readers of the Chicago Reader alternative weekly newspaper just selected me as the 2008 Best of Chicago: Classical Instrumentalist. Glad you�re enjoying my work and thanks for your vote!

Speaking of voting, click here to view the U.S. presidential candidates� arts policy statements � there are lots of interesting ideas. (It�s sad to see that John McCain�s is still �pending.� I can�t imagine that he doesn�t have some opinions about the arts, and I�d love to know what he thinks.) Click here for a fascinating discussion with arts policy guru Nick Rabkin about the arts as a catalyst for American democracy. Nick�s visit to my podcast was truly inspirational, especially in this election season.

If you are an American citizen, be sure to lend your important voice to our symphony of citizens � don�t forget to register to vote!

MY FIVE FAVORITE ALBUMS � NOT
A few months ago, the Chicago Tribune asked me to name my five favorite albums. I tried really hard but couldn�t do it! Even if their question had been limited to just one genre, the decision would have still been nearly impossible. Luckily, they agreed to let me change the question. I decided to list the five albums I�ve listened to most often in my life thus far, and the ones I came up with were definitely not what I expected! (I bet if you try the same thing, you�ll also be surprised.)

Rachel's playlist, ''The 5 albums I've probably listened to most often''
Chicago Tribune, March 30, 2008

Metallica: ". . . And Justice for All" I will reluctantly concede the argument that Master of Puppets is a slightly better album, but Justice will always be special as my first, life-changing exposure to Metallica and to the whole world of speed metal.

Nine Inch Nails: "Pretty Hate Machine" There are many albums suitable for times of angst, but somehow I always come back to this one.

Peter Gabriel: "Us" This beautiful, imaginative recording is frequently my album of choice for relaxing at bedtime.

Itzhak Perlman: "Paganini: 24 Caprices" This was the only recording of the Paganini Caprices that I owned during my early childhood, so it was through Perlman's version that I became fascinated with this amazing showcase of the expressive and technical possibilities of the violin.

John Holloway and Tragicomedia: "Biber Mystery Sonatas" There are many great interpretations of these spiritual and violinistic masterpieces, but I love the variety of continuo instruments on this version.

MY NEXT SHOWS AND MORE

My season kicks off with a trip out west to Colorado and Idaho. Click here to read my thoughts about the Beethoven Concerto, and click here to check out my podcast episode about the Tchaikovsky Concerto.

Here�s my schedule as of now � keep an eye on my Twitter for last-minute updates. I hope to see you at one of the shows!

Sunday 9/7 (Colorado Springs)
6pm � master class for the Peakharmonic Youth Orchestra

Monday 9/8 (Colorado Springs)
My interview about the Beethoven and Clement Concertos airs on public radio�s Performance Today � check your local station to see what time they carry this program
Morning � meeting with composer Luis Jorge Gonzalez to work on his unaccompanied violin compositions, including one he wrote for me
2:30pm � interview/performance on Colorado Public Radio KVOD
Evening � rehearsals with conductor and orchestra

Tuesday 9/9 (Colorado Springs)
1pm � interview/performance on classical station KCME
6:30pm � please join me for a pre-concert chat
8pm � performance of Beethoven�s Violin Concerto with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic
10pm � post-concert meet and greet
MY NEW CD DROPS TODAY!!! Beethoven Concerto with my own cadenzas plus the world premiere recording of its beautiful predecessor, the concerto by Beethoven�s dedicatee Franz Clement, recorded with the Royal Philharmonic and Maestro Jos� Serebrier. (More about that in the next Ezine!)

Wednesday 9/10 (all day travel)
Drive to Denver for 11:15am flight, land in Boise at 9:05pm (if my plane is on time)

Thursday 9/11 (Boise)
9:30am � interview/performance on classic rock station 96.9 The Eagle
10:00am � interview/performance on rock station Magic 93.1
Evening � rehearsals with conductor and orchestra

Friday 9/12 (Boise)
12pm � meet the artist luncheon, FREE and open to the public
6:50pm � please join me for a pre-concert chat
8pm � Tchaikovsky Concerto with the Boise Philharmonic
10:00pm � post-concert meet and greet

Saturday 9/13 (Boise)
10am � open dress rehearsal for children, seniors, anyone who can�t make it to the evening concerts, or anyone who wants to check out what goes on behind the scenes
7pm � please join me for a pre-concert chat
8:15pm � Tchaikovsky Concerto with the Boise Philharmonic
10:00pm � post-concert meet and greet

Sunday 9/14 (all day travel)
Depart Boise at 11:05am, arrive home at O�Hare at 7:45 (if my plane is on time)

Monday 9/15 (Chicago)
11am � performance for the Musicians Club of Women at the Union League Club

To check out all of my 2008-2009 concerts, click here.

ONLINE PERFORMANCES
Can�t make it to Colorado Springs or Boise? Check out my concert videos any time on my YouTube channel.

Until next time � happy practicing!

Triple Treat: Rachel Barton Pine, Mark O'Connor and Liz Carroll together in concert!

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 23:41:22 GMT

winter double whammy

My last two trips were memorable for some unmistakable signs of winter: the flu and a blizzard.

It was wonderful to work again with the Jupiter Chamber Players in New York. You can�t beat the combination of terrific musicians and exciting repertoire! Unfortunately, I came down with a fever, congestion, and a nasty cough on my first night in the city. Slogging through five-hour rehearsals and a double concert day was challenging. What do you do if your nose starts running on stage and you don't have enough measures rest to discreetly grab a tissue? Just keep playing and no one will notice! (At least, my friends claimed it wasn�t visible�)

I had just a few hours in Chicago to repack my suitcases before heading off to Dayton, Ohio. I was really looking forward to revisiting Roque Cordero�s Violin Concerto, with all of its Panamanian-flavored rhythms and interesting orchestral colors. The rehearsals with the Dayton Phil went well, but sadly both performances were canceled due to extreme weather conditions (see below). The concerts have been rescheduled for next January (unless the weather gods intervene again).

REVIEW: �It's snow joke: DPO guest puts on show�

Dayton Daily News (OH)
March 12, 2008

The weekend's weather forced the program to be canceled, but violinist Rachel Barton Pine can't be stopped.

By Carol Simmons

After the weekend's extreme winter weather forced the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra to cancel its planned program Friday and Saturday nights, March 7-8, at the Schuster Center, DPO Music Director Neal Gittleman told a robust gathering of about 200 ticketholders on Saturday evening that the weekend had been the most disappointing he had ever experienced in his professional career.

His disappointment at not being able to perform the works prepared for the two evenings was palpable. At the same time, he noted that because of the extreme graciousness of the orchestra's guest soloist, violinist Rachel Barton Pine, March 8, 2008, would likely go down in Philharmonic lore as the night the DPO "made lemonade."

That's because, while the orchestra musicians � some of whom lived in such "level 3 emergency" locations as Cincinnati and Columbus � couldn't get into Dayton for Saturday night's concert, Barton Pine was already there � and she was not only ready, but raring, to play.

And play she did, presenting a full solo recital of unaccompanied violin works that ranged from such anchors of the classical literature as a Bach Sonata and a Partita set to more obscure pieces from a variety of sources.

Proving to be a delightful hostess, Barton Pine played with the kind of joy and perfection that comes when you're playing for the pure love of it. The result was lemonade with a kick.

New podcast format: Violin Adventures with Rachel Barton Pine

I�ve just revamped my podcast. Each episode includes a main topic, upcoming events, Inquiries from my Inbox, and a Random Musical Thought. Please be sure to let me know what you think of the new format! To listen, please visit rachelbartonpine.libsyn.com.

Episode 27 � Mozart�s amazing Violin and Viola Duos with guest violist Eric Nowlin. A discussion about Mozart's compositions for viola with guest artist Eric Nowlin, particularly the Violin and Viola Duos. Includes musical examples (played by Rachel and Eric) from Mozart�s Violin and Viola Duos and Michael Haydn's earlier Duets. Rachel also tells the story of how Mozart came to the rescue of Michael Haydn by composing his duos. Inquires From My Inbox: sonofaguitar asks, �Where do you find the music for the Pibroch (Mackenzie�s Lament) that you play on your YouTube video?� Random Musical Thought: Another difference between classical and non-classical music: familiarity with the repertoire, and whether or not the audience is listening one step ahead or one step behind.

Episode 26 � Preparing for Chamber Music Rehearsals: How to Expedite the Process. Learning chamber music in a hurry, a step-by-step process: Using highlighters, studying the score, marking things into your part, listening to recordings, and more. Inquires From My Inbox: Fastopen asks "Who is your violin luthier?" Random Musical Thought: I believe that musicians who are full of great joy can create music that is just as profound as that of musicians who are full of angst.

Episode 25 � Meet the Viola d�Amore, a 14-Stringed Cousin of the Violin! All about the viola d'amore: its construction, its history, what it sounds like, how it's tuned, learning how to play it, famous composers who wrote for it, and where to call for information about buying one. Inquires From My Inbox: Caveman147 asks "Do you use the same violin when you play Sweet Home Chicago?" Random Musical Thought: Why can't you buy embroidered patches of classical composers or performers?

Episode 24 � Memorization: The Conscious and the Subconscious Working Together. How to be confident that your piece of music is programmed into in your muscles and reflexes (your subconscious, physical memory) and securely in your brain (your conscious memory).Inquires From My Inbox: Fiddlerfrank asks "Will you be recording the Bach 6 Sonatas and Partitas soon?" Random Musical Thought: Excerpt from violist Richard Young's book "Echoes from Calvary"

Do you have a question you�d like me to answer on Violin Adventures? Just send your question in written form or as an MP3 attachment to rachelbartonpine@aol.com. Please also let me know if you have any comments or suggestions. If you use iTunes, be sure to subscribe!

2 new YouTube videos

Rachel Barton Pine answers audience questions about her life as a violinist and the difference between baroque and modern violin bows on May 27, 2007.

Violinist Rachel Barton Pine performs Airs Tziganes by Cesar Espejo on May 27, 2007.

To watch all of my YouTube videos, please visit www.youtube.com/RachelBartonPine.

Photos with fans!

Click here to see the whole gallery on Flickr. Do you have a photo of yourself with me you�d like to add? Just email it to rachelbartonpine@aol.com.

This weekend - concerts (and a party!) in Jacksonville, Florida

I will be performing three concerts with the Jacksonville Symphony and Maestro Fabio Mechetti for �Rachel and the Red Violin.� My repertoire will be Corigliano�s Red Violin Chaconne and Ravel�s Tzigane, and the orchestra will also play Rachmaninoff�s Symphony No. 2. The concerts will take place on Thursday, March 20 at 7:30pm, Friday, March 21 at 8pm, and Saturday, March 22 at 8pm, at the Jacoby Symphony Hall at the Times Union Center for the Performing Arts in Jacksonville, Florida.

Please join Maestro Mechetti and me one hour before each concert for a pre-concert conversation where we will discuss the repertoire.

Also, before the Saturday March 22 performance, I�ll appear and perform at a special pre-concert event, �Ladies in Red Night� at Plaza III � The Steakhouse, located in the Hyatt Regency Riverfront. I�ll be joined by JSO Concertmaster Philip Pan, who has collaborated with me at the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival. Philip shares my love of rock and fiddle music, so we will play duets by Mark O�Connor, Wieniawski, and Metallica. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. Ladies� attire is red. Admission is free with concert ticket. Cash bar and complimentary appetizers are included.

Following the Saturday performance, Maestro Mechetti and I will present a �Talkback,� where you will have the opportunity to ask us questions.

For more information, please call 904-354-5547 or visit www.jaxsymphony.org. To read program notes about this concert, please click here.

I hope to see you there!

3-29: Dvorak in Georgia

On Saturday, March 29, at 7:30pm, I will perform the Dvorak Violin Concerto with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra and Maestro George Del Gobbo at the River Center for the Performing Arts in Columbus, Georgia. The concert will also include Brahms� Symphony No. 3 and Variations on a Theme of Haydn.

Please be sure to join me and Maestro Del Gobbo at 6:30pm for a pre-concert talk.

The dress rehearsal, Saturday at 12:30pm, is open to seniors over 60, fine arts students from CSU, and children under 12.

For more information, please call 706-323-5059 or visit www.csoga.org.
To read program notes about this concert, please click here.

save the dates

April 7 � master class for the Northwest Indiana Youth Symphony
April 14 � Jupiter Chamber Players in New York City
April 17 � Beethoven Concerto with the Northwest Indiana Symphony
April 18 � period instrument concert in Chicago
April 19 � Mendelssohn Concerto in Chicago
April 20 � period instrument concert in Skokie, Illinois
April 25 & 26 � Beethoven Concerto with the New Philharmonic in Glen Ellyn, Illinois
April 27 � recital in Lake Forest, Illinois

To check out all of my tour dates through June 2008, please visit www.rachelbartonpine.com/tourdates.php.

Rachel Barton Pine performs live on the Internet TONIGHT!

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 19:46:14 GMT

Live concert on the Internet tonight!

A quick last-minute update to let you know that you can listen to my performance tonight, live on the Internet, starting at 8:00pm Central Standard Time. The music is Haydn�s masterpiece for string quartet, The Seven Last Words of Christ. I will be joined by violinist Mathais Tacke and violist Richard Young from the Vermeer Quartet along with cellist Wendy Warner.

Just go to www.wfmt.com to listen (or tune your radio to 98.7FM in the Chicago area).

In between each movement, the corresponding bible verse will be read, followed by a brief homily, illuminating Haydn�s musical meditations on the text.

Here are the biographies of the eight speakers:

The Introduction; The Earthquake
Pastor T.L. Barrett is the founder of the Life Center Church of God in Christ on Chicago�s South Side. His father died when he was 16, and he grew up in one of America�s most difficult inner-city environment � the Chicago Housing Authority �projects.� And yet, he has become one of the community�s most dynamic and influential leaders. Holder of 2 honorary doctorates and 47 civic awards, he is a board member of the Ministers� Division of Operation PUSH, and conducts a ministry in the Illinois state prison system and in Cook County Jail in Chicago. He is active in the Outreach Ministry for the homeless, the Guardian Angel early intervention program, the Youth For Christ self-help group, the Big Brother/Big Sister adoption program, and the Gang Truce program. Rev. Barrett was the speaker for the Vermeer Quartet�s very first presentation of this work in 1988.

�Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.�
Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer has been a judge on the U.S. District Court in Chicago since 1998, having been nominated by President Clinton. She was also an Administrative Law Judge with the Illinois Human Rights Commission, and served as Presiding Magistrate Judge for the Northern District of Illinois. She graduated from Valparaiso University and earned her law degree from the University of Chicago Law School. Following a one-year clerkship for the Minnesota Supreme Court, she practiced in the area of commercial litigation with the Chicago law firm of Hopkins and Suter. She has taught at the Loyola University School of Law, and is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association, and the Women�s Bar Association of Illinois. Ms. Pallmeyer was the judge in the recent corruption trial of former Illinois Governor George Ryan.

�Surely, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.�
Rev. Willie Barrow is the Chairman of the Board, Emeritus, of Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. An ordained minister of the Church of God, she was the first female to be Vice President of the Illinois State Ministerial Assembly. She received her education at Warner-Pacific Theological Seminary in Portland, Oregon, and has received a number of honorary doctorates. She is an original member of the first National Staff of Operation BREADBASKET, and in 1963 was a coordinating member of the Chicago delegation of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.�s March on Washington. In 1968 she was National Organizer for The Poor People�s Campaign, and in 1969 led the first Statewide Coalition Against Hunger in Illinois. A member of the Democratic National Committee, she was National Deputy Campaign Manager and Road Manager for the Jackson for President Campaign in 1984.

�Woman, behold your son; behold your mother.�
Dr. Jean Bethke Elshtain is the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Professor of Social and Political Ethics at the University of Chicago. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, she held the Carey McGuire Chair in Ethics at the Library of Congress, was co-director of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, and now holds the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Chair in the Foundations of American Freedom at Georgetown University. In 2006 Dr. Elshtain was appointed to the Council of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Also that year she delivered the Gifford Lectures at the University of Edinburgh, following in the footsteps of Reinhold Niebuhr, William James, and Hannah Arendt. Her most recent books include Just War Against Terror: The Burden of American Power in a Violent World (2002), and Sovereignties: God, State, Self (2008).

�My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?�
Dr. Martin E. Marty is one of the world�s most celebrated theologians. He is the Fairfax M. Cone Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus at the University of Chicago where he taught for 35 years and where the Martin Marty Center has since been founded. He has been awarded the National Humanities Medal, the Order of Lincoln Medallion (Illinois� top honor), the Medal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Book Award, and 77 honorary doctorates. Dr. Marty has been President of the Park Ridge Center for Health, Faith, and Ethics, the American Academy of Religion, the American Society of Church History, and the American Catholic Historical Association,. He has written more than 50 books, including Martin Luther (2004), The Mystery of the Child and the Provision of Care (2007), and The Christian World: A Global History (2007).

�I thirst.�
Rev. John M. Buchanan is the editor of Christian Century and the pastor of Chicago�s Fourth Presbyterian Church. One of America�s most influential Presbyterians, he served as moderator of the 208th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. He received an A.B. in Government from Franklin and Marshall College, and the B.D./M.Div. from The University of Chicago Divinity School/Chicago Theological Seminary. Rev. Buchanan was previously a church pastor in Lafayette (Indiana), Columbus (Ohio), and Dyer (Indiana). He recently served as President of the Board of Trustees of McCormick Theological Seminary, Chairperson of the Board of the Greater Chicago Broadcast Ministry, and on the Board of Trustees of Northwestern Memorial Foundation and the Presbyterian Home in Evanston. His most recent book is A New Church for a New Age.

�It is finished.�
Dr. David Tracy is the Andrew Thomas Greeley and Grace McNichols Greeley Distinguished Service Professor of Theology Emeritus at the University of Chicago Divinity School, where he taught since 1969. A Professor in the Committee on the Analysis of Ideas and Methods and in the Committee on Social Thought, he has also lectured at dozens of institutions throughout the world. Dr. Tracy holds a Licentiate in Theology and a Doctorate in Theology from Gregorian University in Rome, plus 12 honorary doctorates. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Academy of Religion, and is the past President of the Catholic Theological Society of America. His recent books are Plurality and Ambiguity: Hermeneutics, Religion and Hope (1987), Dialogue with the Other (1990), Naming the Present (1995), and This Side of God (2008).

Rachel's Musical Adventures: GRAMMY news, FREE concert and master class

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 14:02:17 GMT

�American Virtuosa� wins 1/5 of a GRAMMY - congratulations to Producer of the Year Judy Sherman!

What do I mean by 1/5 of a GRAMMY? Well, on February 10, Judy Sherman won Category 96, �Producer of the Year, Classical,� in the 50th GRAMMY Awards. Each Producer of the Year nominee lists five albums as representative of their work for the past year. My CD �American Virtuosa: Tribute to Maud Powell� was one of the five albums that Judy listed. It was wonderful to work with her on this special project. Congratulations, Judy!

Congratulations also to Cedille Records for their first ever GRAMMY win � Category 104, �Best Chamber Music Performance,� for eighth blackbird�s album �Strange Imaginary Creatures.�

To learn more about �American Virtuosa,� please visit www.rachelbartonpine.com/mus/mus_12_main.htm.

To read the full list of GRAMMY winners, please visit www.grammy.com/Grammy_Awards/50th_show/list.aspx.

FREE master class in Chicago suburb on Saturday morning

On Saturday, February 23, at 11:00am, I will be giving a master class at the Music Institute of Chicago�s Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue in Evanston.

The master class is free and open to the public.

Three students from MIC�s Academy program will be playing concertos by Sibelius, Prokofiev, and Paganini. The Academy is designed for advanced students with the potential to pursue a career in music. It provides young musicians with a complete musical education at the highest levels of instruction. Don�t miss this opportunity to hear some of tomorrow�s most promising young artists!

For more information, please call 847-905-1500 or visit www.musicinstituteofchicago.org.

February 23: One night, three instruments!

Modern violin, baroque violin, and viola d�amore, all on the same evening! This will be a first for me. I�m really looking forward to the challenge of switching from instrument to instrument and sharing all of their voices in the same program. However, I�m a little less enthusiastic about having to tune 22 strings�

On Saturday, February 23, at 7:30pm, I will be performing at the Music Institute of Chicago�s Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue in Evanston. Tickets are still available.

The concert will include Bach�s Sonata in E Major for violin and harpsichord (with David Schrader), Bach�s Violin Concerto in A Minor and Vivaldi�s Viola d�Amore Concerto in D Major (with Baroque Band), and Brahms� Piano Quintet (with violinist Sang Mee Lee, violist Marko Dreher, cellist Wendy Warner, and pianist Micah Yui). A post-concert reception will take place in the lobby.

This performance is sponsored by the Music Institute of Chicago�s Patron Society.

For tickets or for more information, please call 847-905-1500 or visit www.musicinstituteofchicago.org.

February 24: FREE performance in southern Wisconsin

On Sunday, February 24, at 1:00pm, I will be participating in a special fundraising event for the Kenosha Orchestra Boosters, a parents organization which supports the public school orchestra program in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Please join me at the Kenosha Women�s Club, 6028 Eighth Avenue. Admission is free and open to the public.

My performance with pianist Matthew Hagle will feature works by African-American composers, some unaccompanied Bach, and Sarasate�s �Carmen Fantasy.� I will also doing a Q & A with the audience. A portion of the sales of my recordings this afternoon will go towards the Kenosha Orchestra Boosters, and I will be on hand to sign my CDs.

Other features of the Boosters� �Afternoon Tea� include student performances, refreshments, raffles and a silent auction for 10 individual hand-painted violin plaques. The plaques, donated by Shar Music, were painted and embellished by area artists especially for the auction.

To read about and see photos of the violin plaques, please visit www.kenoshaorchestraboosters.org and www.kenoshanews.com/article_comments/view_comments.php?articleNum=2508954.

other upcoming shows

March 3 - two performances with the Jupiter Chamber Players in New York City featuring works by Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and Spohr

March 7 & 8 � Sarasate�s Carmen Fantasy and the Roque Cordero Violin Concerto with the Dayton Philharmonic in Ohio

March 18 - Haydn�s Seven Last Words of Christ at the University of Chicago with members of the Vermeer Quartet and cellist Wendy Warner

March 20, 21, 22 - Ravel�s Tzigane and Corigliano�s Red Violin Chaconne with the Jacksonville Symphony in Florida

March 25 - special concert at the Chicago Cultural Center with violinist/composer Mark O�Connor and Irish fiddler Liz Carroll

March 29 - Dvorak Concerto with the Columbus Symphony in Georgia

For more details, please visit www.rachelbartonpine.com/tourdates.php.

Rachel's Musical Adventures: Obama on the Arts, lots more

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 00:03:25 GMT

Hi and Happy Belated New Year! There�s so much to catch up on, I�ll have to save some interesting items for the next e-zine so this one doesn�t get too long. I hope you�re staying warm!

Presidential candidates describe their arts policies (or not)

Before going to the voting booth tomorrow, please be sure to visit www.artsactionfund.org/artsvote/001.asp to read the arts policy statements of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Mike Huckabee. (John McCain, Mitt Romney, and Ron Paul have not submitted arts policy statements.)

Be sure to read both of Barack Obama�s documents � the first one discusses his voting record on the arts, and the second one details his ideas, including:
expanding public/private partnerships between schools and arts organizations,
creating an Artists Corps,
reinvesting in arts education,
supporting increased funding for the NEA,
promoting cultural diplomacy,
attracting foreign talent,
providing health care to artists,
and ensuring tax fairness for artists.

Just added! Me, Mark O�Connor and Liz Carroll together in concert

March 25, 2008: Mark your calendars for a very special evening when I will be joined by two amazing violinists in a benefit concert for the International Music Foundation (www.imfchicago.org). Violinist/fiddler/composer extraordinaire Mark O�Connor (www.markoconnor.com), Irish fiddle great Liz Carroll (www.lizcarroll.com) and I will combine for solos, duets, and trios in beautiful Preston Bradley Hall at the Chicago Cultural Center. More details about this exciting event will be coming soon.

new YouTube videos

�William Tell Overture by Rossini for Violin and Accordion�
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGp4UYS0Xh0
Violinist Rachel Barton Pine performs Rossini's William Tell Overture with accordionist Rodger French in Ghana's National Theatre for the Ghana@50! Jubilee Music Festival, August 18, 2007

�Rachel Barton Pine performs Perkinson�s Blue/s Forms�
www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9k_tWQNqHE
Rachel Barton Pine introduces and performs the first movement (Plain Blues) and second movement (Just Blues) from Blue/s Forms by Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson (1932-2004), February 18, 2006

Black History Month videos

In honor of Black History Month, I have created a special playlist on my YouTube channel highlighting the history and repertoire of important violinists and composers of African descent: Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, William Grant Still, David Baker, George Bridgetower, and J. Rosamond Johnson. Check it out at www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=A55A051443BC5441.

Classical Entertainer of the Year � again!

On January 27, 2008, I was honored to be named Best Classical Entertainer by the 27th Annual Chicago Music Awards. I have previously received this award in 2003, 2004, and 2007. The other nominees were the Chicago Symphony, the Chicago Sinfonietta, James Conlon, and Sir Andrew Davis. �This is the only awards program of its kind in Chicago to pay tribute to Chicago born and bred artists and entertainers," said CMA founder & producer Ephraim Martin. "Reggae, Jazz & Blues, Rap & Hip Hop, Classical, Country & Western and even Polka, we have music for nearly every possible taste." Many thanks to the Chicago Music Awards for celebrating Chicago as one of the greatest music cities in the world, and special thanks to you for voting for me!

Montreal Top 10 � twice!

The classical music critics from both major Montreal newspapers (Christophe Huss from Le Devoir and Claude Gingras from La Presse) each chose my performance of the Bach Six Sonatas and Partitas at the Festival de Musique de Chambre de Montreal in May 2007 as one of the Top Ten Classical Concerts of 2007. Christophe Huss wrote: �Rachel Barton Pine performed these works on the same evening, combining an acute awareness of the Baroque style with a uniquely radiant sound. The American violinist played each of the pieces with ease, without any expressive concession or coquetry, with uprightness, humility and an impeccable sense of pulse and rhythm.� Claude Gingras described the concert as reaching �the highest summits of both technique and inspiration.�

Music for Life Alliance award

In December, the Rachel Elizabeth Barton Foundation (www.rebf.org) received an award for �Making a Difference in the lives of Children Through Music� from the Music for Life Alliance. The plaque states: �In recognition of your outstanding efforts and dedication to supporting music education and supplying instruments for children who may not otherwise experience the joy of making music.� The Music for Life Alliance, a non-for-profit foundation, seeks to unite individuals and organizations actively supporting music education for children who may not otherwise be able to experience the educational, psychological, and social benefits of making music; and to create and maintain a national database that enables the sharing of information, combining of resources, and speaking in a common and more effective voice. For more information, please visit www.musicforlifealliance.com.

Wendy�s online � check it out!

My childhood friend and lifelong chamber music partner, cellist Wendy Warner, launched her web site last week. I hope that you will take a few minutes to visit www.wendywarnercello.com, and be sure to say hi to Wendy when you drop by!

MusicFIRST Coalition fights for artist royalties

The MusicFIRST (Fairness in Radio Starting Today) Coalition has begun the campaign to secure a terrestrial radio performance right for sound recordings. Over-the-air radio stations can play any record on the air without paying the artist who created it. In every other developed country in the world (and domestically on cable, satellite radio and the Internet), artists are compensated for the playing of their records. Currently, royalties collected abroad for airplay of American artists are not shared with those artists since the United States does not have a reciprocal right.

Here is an excerpt from a speech by singer/songwriter Alice Peacock, President of the Chicago Chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, which she gave before the U.S. Senate:

�AM and FM radio�the platforms I grew up with and grew to love�do not compensate me when they broadcast my recordings. There are people more qualified than I to address the legal, historic and economic background of this issue. I'm not an expert in copyright law, but I do understand the concept of basic fairness. If a business uses recorded music to earn advertising revenue, then it should compensate those who created that recorded music. It's that simple.

Now I understand that this concept nearly always turns into a discussion about promotion. Broadcasters say radio promotes record sales, so they shouldn't have to pay a royalty. I just don�t get that. Every performance has the potential to be promotional, but why should that make a difference? I just got back from a gig in Grand Rapids, MI. Imagine if the club owner used the same logic about promotion. What if at the end of the night, after I had filled his club with paying customers, he told me he didn�t have to pay me because my performance helped promote my record sales. Such a scenario would be unacceptable by any standard. Frankly, the promotion argument sounds a little silly. Last week I bought a pair of Nike shoes. I wear them everywhere�well, except to Senate hearings. With the Nike logo on my feet, I am probably promoting their brand wherever I go. Can you imagine if I decided not to pay for the shoes on the grounds that my promoting Nike should excuse me from payment? My refusal to pay would be called "shoplifting." But radio's refusal to pay artists is called "business as usual."�

To learn more about this important issue which affects so many professional musicians, please visit www.musicfirstcoalition.org.

Follow what I�m up to all day long�

Have you ever wondered, �What has Rachel been doing for the last few hours?� Well, now you can find out! Just visit www.twitter.com/rbpviolinist. For example, I just �tweeted� that I�m busy writing my e-zine�

other upcoming shows

February 10 - performance at gala benefit for Keshet, Chicago

February 23 - chamber music concert at the Music Institute of Chicago featuring Bach, Vivaldi, and Brahms

February 24 - special fundraising performance for the Kenosha Orchestra Boosters, Wisconsin (FREE TO THE PUBLIC!)

March 3 - two performances with the Jupiter Chamber Players in New York City featuring Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and Spohr

March 7 & 8 - Sarasate Carmen Fantasy and the Roque Cordero Violin Concerto with the Dayton Philharmonic in Ohio

For more details, please visit www.rachelbartonpine.com/tourdates.php.