Tanglewood Festival Chorus – Eileen Huang: Recent Episodes
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Below are some anecdotes of John Oliver that I remember fondly. My formal tribute to John Oliver is published on the MIT web site, along with those of my colleagues. * * * Early in my TFC career, John approached me during a rehearsal break. “May I get your opinion on something?” he asked, pulling … Continue reading Memories of John Oliver
Weepy Ninth closes BSO season at Tanglewood LENOX — Sunday’s performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony marked the end of John Oliver’s 45-year career with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Oliver received the Tanglewood Medal in recognition of his preparation of more than 200 works and 500 rehearsal jokes for well over 1,000 performances. Punctuated by heaving … Continue reading Weepy Ninth closes BSO season at Tanglewood
John Oliver changed my life. I spent my entire childhood training to be a pianist. Prodded by my “tiger mom,” I executed a routine of practice, competitions, masterclasses, and performances. By age 17 I knew I needed music — after all, I had hardly known life without it — but I didn’t love music. After … Continue reading Reflections on John Oliver and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus
What was new in 2014? I sang a lot of Russian. The Tanglewood Festival Chorus performed several programs in Russian this year: Prokofiev Alexander Nevsky, Shostakovich Ten Poems on Texts by Revolutionary Poets, Tavener Svyati, and Rachmaninoff The Bells. The only Russian I’d sung previously was in Stravinsky’s The Nightingale, which had a small chorus … Continue reading 2014 Year in Review
Last summer, the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and PALS children’s chorus performed Mahler’s third symphony with Maestro Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos. After one of the rehearsals, John Oliver addressed the children. They listened attentively, perhaps expecting one of his usual quips, but John had something serious to say: Kids, I want you to watch this conductor carefully. He’s … Continue reading Reflections on Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos
Two weeks ago, the TFC gathered for its first rehearsal of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with Maestro Christoph von Dohnányi. Most of the chorus had performed the piece before, and we were confident that we’d be in and out of rehearsal quickly. On the contrary, Dohnányi rehearsed the chorus’s eight-minute segment for an hour and 10 … Continue reading My favorite Tanglewood Festival Chorus performances
Exciting update! I just discovered that the words to my least favorite track (see below) are in the hymnal, even though it’s not a chorale. Hallelujah! The Tanglewood Festival Chorus is performing Bach’s St. John Passion in April. Since I’m preparing six recitals for April (awesome/oh shit!), I decided to get an early start learning … Continue reading Learning Bach’s St. John Passion