Announcing the PSA’s 2021 Young Artist Competition
In light of the continuing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are modifying the 2021 Philharmonic Society of Arlington’s Young Artist Competition (YAC) processes for a second year. Traditionally, the YAC consists of two competitions, the Leonard Wood Competition for young musicians under 19 years old and the Peter Tannenwald Competition for musicians between 19 and 30 years old. The Leonard Wood Competition will not be held this year and the Tannenwald Competition will be a virtual competition following the same modified procedures used last year requiring the submission of video auditions. See the About the 2021 Young Artist Competitionpage for more information.
Announcement
The Philharmonic Society regrets that we must suspend all public activities until such time as restrictions on gatherings are completely lifted. When that time comes we will resume our regular rehearsals and scheduled concerts. We will post updates regarding all Philharmonic Society activities, so please revisit our site regularly to remain informed about our plans as they evolve.
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The "Nimrod" Project
In the midst of the pandemic, in order to maintain their "chops," Maestro Cela proposed that the Orchestra make a collaborative video of a well-known piece and here it is.
“Nimrod” is the ninth variation of Elgar’s “Enigma Variation,” and it refers to Augustus Jaeger, a music publisher in London. There was a point in time when Elgar was very depressed, and about to give up writing music, but Jaeger encouraged him to continue composing. Today, the Arlington Phil performs this work as a way of saying that, no matter how difficult the times, we will continue making music.
Orchestra members were asked to play their own part. Those who were able to submit recordings were given certain parameters, then the videos were edited together, and the sound mixed to account for the different recording levels. All the playing in the video is done by the shown players.”
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The PSA's 2020-2021 YEARBOOK is HERE. ______________________________
Congratulation to the Winners of the PSA's 2020 YOUNG ARTIST COMPETITION The 2020 competition results are HERE .
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The 2020-2021 SEASON
will be available here soon (hopefully). ______________________________
The Arlington-Belmont Chorale is a member of the
Greater Boston Choral Consortium, a cooperative
association of diverse choral groups in Boston and
the surrounding areas.
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"L'dor vador"
This work, "L'dor vador" by Meir Finkelstein, was scheduled to be performed at a late-April Chorale Concert. L'dor vador refers to “continuity, to the responsibility of passing on spiritual knowledge
and cultural traditions from generation to generation”. It also embodies the notion that “all endings engender new beginnings”. With the arrival of the COVID pandemic, our musical season was abruptly ended. Our Music Director, Barry Singer, introduced the idea of a virtual performance of this beautiful piece of music. Chorale members were asked to sing their own part alone. This was a real learning experience - many of the singers had never done any audio or video recording - and singing by oneself is a very different experience from singing in a large group. Our Musical Director mixed the many audio recordings and edited the videos together to create this virtual performance.
Twenty-nine members of the Chorale, plus our long-time accompanist, Michael Becker, and our assistant conductor, Kennedy McAlister (singing the sublime soprano solo), perform here. Enjoy!
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PSA Statement of Solidarity
The PSA welcomes musicians of every race, religion, and cultural background. We are deeply saddened and outraged by the death of George Floyd and the circumstances under which it occurred.
We stand in solidarity with the peaceful protesters who participate in anti-racism marches, rallies, and vigils across the nation.
We have been privileged to have performed works written by black composers, many of whom have succeeded despite hardships related to prejudice.
The PSA will continue to provide a voice to those who have been culturally silenced, letting their music and stories be heard. With our hearts and minds, we make a commitment to continue to promote the changes that are so desperately needed.
