| Fiddlefest
at Carnegie
Fiddlefest,
the 10th anniversary gala concert to benefit Opus 118 Harlem
Center for Strings that will take place on December
2, 2003, will bring together at Carnegie Hall some of
the greatest musical talents of our time in a highly-charged
program of varied musical styles and cultures including classical,
jazz and country.
Dedicated
to the memory of Isaac Stern, this event will feature stars
of the music world including Joshua Bell, John Blake, Regina
Carter, Paquito D’Rivera, Amanda Forsyth, Dave Grusin, Yo-Yo
Ma, Natalie MacMaster, Bobby McFerrin, Diane Monroe, Mark O’Connor,
Itzhak Perlman, Arnold Steinhardt, Dave Valentin, Pinchas Zukerman,
Roberta Guaspari and the students and alumni of Opus 118 Harlem
Center for Strings. The Master of Ceremonies will be announced.
There will also be a special short film about Isaac Stern (focusing
on him as a teacher). The concert is produced by Ettore Stratta
and Pat Philips.
Opus
118 is the dynamic Harlem-based music program celebrated in
the movie Music of the Heart (starring Meryl Streep
as Opus 118 violin teacher Roberta Guaspari), and the award-nominated
documentary Small Wonders. In addition to world renowned
musicians, the Carnegie Hall concert will feature students
and alumni from public schools in Harlem. Proceeds will benefit
Opus 118’s year-old community music school in East Harlem which
specializes in string teaching.
Isaac
Stern, one of the foremost concert artists of our time was
also a passionate spokesperson for music education and supporter
of Opus 118. Mr. Stern was an inspiring teacher and mentor
to many prominent members of the current generation of concert
artists. He devoted substantial time to teaching in spite of
the demands of his heavily-booked concert schedule. Shortly
before his death, Mr. Stern commented about Opus 118’s work, “I
went and I watched her [Roberta Guaspari] work. Children know
when they are being talked at and when they are being spoken
with—and there is an enormous difference. It is the chance
to make the kids feel that they are somebody that they can
do something... make a sound, look at each other and do it
together, and suddenly get out of that little horrible area
of not belonging... Each child will learn how to look, how
to feel, how to touch beauty—and that’s what makes the difference.”
A
pre-concert dinner will be held at Carnegie Hall’s Rohatyn
Room. The black tie dinner will pay tribute to Bobby McFerrin,
acclaimed vocalist, conductor and composer, and Sheila Johnson,
President and CEO, Salamander Farm and Salamander Touch L.L.C.,
for their continued commitment to education and the arts. Benefit
tickets for the concert and the “Meet the Artists” Post-Concert
Reception are available by calling Arienne Orozco at 212/675-9474.
Group sales and all other ticket inquiries should also be directed
to 212-675-9474. Tickets for the concert only are available
through the Carnegie Hall Box Office at 212-247-7800 or online
at www.carnegiehall.org.
Opus
118 had been working within the public schools when cutbacks
eliminated two of their teachers. To reverse this situation,
Opus 118 started a community music school in 2002 that now
services all of Harlem. Here, children have access to music
lessons, and young musicians are trained by Roberta Guaspari
in her highly successful teaching methods, preparing them to
become string teachers themselves. The December 2nd concert
will help fund this school.#
Education
Update, Inc., P.O. Box 1588, New York, NY 10159.
Tel: (212) 477-5600. Fax: (212) 477-5893. Email: ednews1@aol.com.
All material is copyrighted and may not be printed without express consent of
the publisher. © 2003.
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