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February Workshop at New Venue:
San Francisco State University
Feb. 21-22, 2009

By Bill Horne, Workshop Director

As many of you know, we have been trying out alternative venues this year, due to increased costs and other problems that have occurred at some of our previous venues.  Bob Goldstein, our tireless president, has spent many hours of negotiation to help us go to Holy Names University last October, and for our next workshop, to San Francisco State University.  The Alexander String Quartet and Jassen Todorov, the Chairman of the Department of Music at SFSU, have been instrumental in helping this event occur, and have been most hospitable.

This is potentially a very exciting venue, with a large Creative Arts Building, and additional rooms available in an adjacent humanities building, hopefully limiting the amount of hiking required by participants.  I think it has great potential. 

We are going to limit the workshop to 24 ensembles both days, and we hope that many applicants will indicate availability either day, whether applying for one or two days.  We will accept a limited number of preformed groups, but again, to help balance the two days of the workshop, we hope they also can be flexible in attendance.

There will be a few new wrinkles this time, as we continue to tinker (or should I say ‘fiddle’?) with our format.  Both days will be coached, but with some new ideas. 

For Saturday, we will have a two-hour master class, but the coach who worked with the ensemble during the day will be the one to comment and direct them while performing.  With 30 minutes per group, we believe that every group can perform an entire movement, and enjoy further coaching or ideas from their own coach, which may be more relaxed than our usual format. 

Another difference: there will be no coaches’ performance Saturday afternoon. We will proceed directly to dinner in a private dining room.  Free-lancing will be available at meal times and after dinner on Saturday.

For Sunday we are going to repeat the format tried last workshop on Sunday:  all day ensemble coaching with no performance.  We had many positive comments about this arrangement, which allows the group to explore more musical ideas without the pressure of performance. For example, at HNU my  Sunday group worked with a coach on three movements of a major work.  I found it invaluable. 

The coaching will end a bit earlier, however, at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, so that all participants can attend the Alexander String Quartet’s full-length concert. It's part of the Morrison Artists Series (in McKenna Theater in the Creative Arts Building).  This will be in place of the coach concert that usually takes place on Saturday. The Alexander Quartet concert starts at 3 p.m. and is always heavily attended, so I would recommend quitting on time at 2:30, checking your instrument, and finding a seat in the auditorium.  We expect to be finished by 5 p.m.

We are hoping all the Alexander String Quartet will be available for coaching us.  Elizabeth Morrison will be exercising her expertise in selecting coaches again for this workshop.

Other minor details include parking, which will be available in the SFSU parking garage, for $5 all day.  This structure is approached from the Lake Merced Drive side of the campus, and is about a three block walk to the Creative Arts Building. You  should drive up and park on the top, so you can walk across a ramp over to the hillside where the rest of campus is.

If you do park farther down in the parking building, there is an elevator at the southeast edge of the parking structure.

Be sure to have either five $1 bills or a $5 bill for the parking machine as there is no change anywhere in the building.

If you arrive early enough, there may be street parking on Holloway Drive, but don’t count on it.

Public transportation alternative - the Muni M Car stops on 19th Avenue right in front of SFSU. 

Lunch will be very convenient at the City Café in the Dining Center Building, just a short block from the classrooms we use.  Dinner is equally convenient; it will be held in the Nob Hill Room of the Seven Hills Conference center, adjacent to the Dining Center Building. 

The applications come out in the second week of December and the cut-off date is right after New Year’s, so don’t forget to apply promptly.  It is too easy to forget with the bustle of all the holiday activities and distractions.  We want you at this wonderful workshop.
       

 

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