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Thread: CMSA Convention in the Clouds 2.0: November 12-14, 2021

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    Default CMSA Convention in the Clouds 2.0: November 12-14, 2021

    The Classical Mandolin Society of America invites everyone to join friends old and new online at the 35th annual CMSA convention. The virtual convention runs from Friday, November 12 to Sunday, November 14. Learn more about and sign up for this year's amazing convention here.

    En Masse Orchestra

    The Virtual En Masse Orchestra will perform Connected by Andre Herteux and Huapango Criolla (movement 3 of Suite Mexicana, starts at 5:34 through 8:18 of the linked video) by Eduardo Angulo.

    Once you register for the convention, you will have access to the music for your part. For the En Masse performance, we will play along from home with a video made by section leaders under the baton of conductor Dr. Jim Bates. After the convention, registrants will have the opportunity to submit a video recording playing their parts for a composite video.

    2021 Guest Artists

    We have a stellar lineup of guest artists performing in concert, offering workshops, and some leading their sections in En Masse. Registrants will have a chance to meet our guest performers after the concerts in live Zoom hangouts. Our guest artists this year are:

    Ekaterina Skliar and Alexey Alexandrov will perform as the acoustic mandolin-domra duo, Alexandrov-Skliar Duo. In addition to their concert, Alexey will present a workshop on "Improvisation" and Ekaterina will present a workshop on "Mandolin Repertoire."

    Portland artist Tim Connell is already well-known as a master of the Brazilian choro repertoire. In his concert, Tim will present a loving tribute to the great Brazilian composer and mandolinist, Jacob Bettencourt, aka Jacob do Bandolim (1918-1969). In Tim's workshop, "Your Pathway to Mandolin Practice Success," you will learn about the three most common obstacles to progress for mandolin students and specific strategies for overcoming them.

    The legendary Evan J. Marshall is synonymous with the rebirth of ‘Duo’ style of playing. By himself, he sounds like several of the world's finest mandolinists performing together. Evan will present both a concert and workshop.

    August Watters, a multi-stylistic, improvising mandolinist, composer/arranger, and teacher, will focus on the Mandocello in his concert and workshop, "Mandocello: Here, There, and Everywhere!"

    Buzz Gravelle—classical guitarist, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and music professor—has carved out a unique and singular path in his thirty years of making music professionally. Buzz is is one of world’s leading fretless classical guitarists and a new face at CMSA.

    Returning as conductor of the Virtual En Masse Orchestra is CMSA Board member Dr. Jim Bates. Jim is Director of Orchestral Activities at Otterbein University in Columbus, OH and serves as an assistant conductor for the Westerville Symphony and Columbus Symphony Youth Orchestras.

    Pop-Up Concerts

    New this year are short (20 minute video) "Pop-Up Concerts" followed by live Zoom hangouts with the artists:

    Duo Clarima is Salima Ben Guigui (Luxembourg) on mandolin and Clara Dicke (Germany) on harp. Salima and Clara met in 2011 as university students and decided to experiment with the sound of a mandolin and a harp together. The sound was so convincing that they immediately established their duo project. Duo Clarima will feature music by Masataka Hori and other works from their repertoire.

    Duo Recuerda is Jeannette Mozos del Campo on mandolin, and Vincente Mozos del Campo on classical guitar. Widely considered to be among the best mandolin-guitar duos in the world, Jeannette and Vincente are in heavy demand as instructors, and regularly teach at specialist courses and festivals. Duo Recuerda will perform works by Raffaele Calace, George Gershwin, Astor Piazzolla, and Domenico Scarlatti.

    Charlotte Kaiser is one of Europe’s rising stars on classical mandolin. She is a multiple first prize winner in Germany’s “jugend musiziert” competition, and has twice performed as concertmaster with the European Guitar and Mandolin Youth Orchestra. Charlotte will feature solo mandolin works by Antonio Riggieri, Heinrich Konietzny, and Yasuo Kuwahara.

    Additional Workshops and Commissioned Videos

    In addition to workshops by our guest artists ...

    Florian Rumpf will present a workshop on mandola technique, as applied to his new composition, “Kleine Sonatine Nr. 2”.

    Jeff Brumley in his commissioned video, "Arranging for Your Local Orchestra," will review lessons he has learned arranging music for the Seattle Mandolin Orchestra and tips and tricks for getting started.

    Alfred Woll, the great German mandolin builder, will be interviewed by Robert Margo about his new book "The Art of Mandolin Making: Historical Development and Construction of the Mandolin".

    Jim Imhoff will host a hangout session on "Mandocellos in the 21st Century," discussing new compositions, new ideas, and new instructional materials for the mandocello.

    And, last but far from least, we will reprise last year's online Open Mic, where registrants can present a newly recorded video or one from their archive.

    Prices are $125 for members, $165 for non-members (includes a one-year membership, discounted 20 percent) and $50 for students (includes a one-year membership).

    Hope to "see" you there!
    Robert A. Margo

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    Default Re: CMSA Convention in the Clouds 2.0: November 12-14, 2021

    I have some obligations on the calendar, but am hoping to catch most.

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    Default Re: CMSA Convention in the Clouds 2.0: November 12-14, 2021

    Day one so far so good, some very impressive performances, and discussions, I just attended a more Folk/Bluegrass oriented mandolin symposium ( camp)last weekend, interestingly enough the format is very similar, just in different clothes.
    Stormy Morning Orchestra

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    "Mean Old Timer, He's got grey hair, Mean Old Timer he just don't care
    Got no compassion, thinks its a sin
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    Default Re: CMSA Convention in the Clouds 2.0: November 12-14, 2021

    Tim, thank you for your contributions to the Mandocello session; I hope our players will check out your videos and try out your music. I am not sure of the total attendance because of the screen spread, but we had at least 20 MC players. Let's keep promoting this wonderful instrument and it's wide range of possibilities.
    Another highlight of the day was Ekaterina Skliar's wonderful discussion of "What is classical mandolin repertoire." She broadened the spectrum of historical and cultural repertoire, and I hope to apply that to the mandocdello.
    jim

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    Default Re: CMSA Convention in the Clouds 2.0: November 12-14, 2021

    Jim thanks so much for presenting my efforts, I agree on the Ekaterina presentation, I also caught the mandolin and harp as well as the mandolin and piano, so I thought it was very cool. The August Waters solo mandocello performance was inspiring to say the least.
    Stormy Morning Orchestra

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    "Mean Old Timer, He's got grey hair, Mean Old Timer he just don't care
    Got no compassion, thinks its a sin
    All he does is sit around an play the Mandolin"

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    Default Re: CMSA Convention in the Clouds 2.0: November 12-14, 2021

    The Evan Marshall presentation on solo mandolin performance was one of the best demonstrations of harmonization on the mandolin I have ever encountered, plus tons of download material from Evan.
    Stormy Morning Orchestra

    My YouTube Channel

    "Mean Old Timer, He's got grey hair, Mean Old Timer he just don't care
    Got no compassion, thinks its a sin
    All he does is sit around an play the Mandolin"

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    Default Re: CMSA Convention in the Clouds 2.0: November 12-14, 2021

    I also attended the Modern Mandolin workshop with mostly Bluegrass players (although there was considerable Jazz presented and discussed) last weekend, so can't help but compare that to this weeks CSMA Convention in the Clouds.

    Classical
    more formal
    more reserved
    more orderly although the Whova web meeting platform was not without its complaints
    more traditionally academic

    in classical - the accompaniment is as difficult as the lead, not usually the case in bluegrass
    classical some of the performances were like nothing I've ever heard
    on the other hand its not music I am interested in listening to all that time, and very infrequently at that
    (classical mandolin and mandolin orchestra music)

    the classical convention was more diverse in different music, and there was way more Mandocello presence in classical.

    Bluegrass
    more laid back, more easy going and somewhat ad hoc at times.
    more excitement and talk about instruments, more discussion about what participants were doing mando wise
    the music is more common, ( I am familiar with most of it) with some nice surprises,
    it tends to be more familiar to me and so for the most part leaves less of an impression than the unheard classical music

    The open forums on the Bluegrass convention were generally friendlier and the panelist were willing to go to uncharted territory if the audience requested it, where as they tried very much to stick to the page in classical.

    So while I learned a lot of technique and theory from both, and heard great music from both, the one thing I learned from both was

    the best accompaniment for mandolin is guitar

    In classical they had harp and piano, good music, but the harp and the mandolin were too similar in timbre and the piano had to play very softly as to not overwhelm the mandolin, but still managed to be a richer sound at times.

    in bluegrass they of course had mandolin to mandolin and mandolin to banjo, while not quite as similar timbre as harp it was the same situation. mando to mando is good, but can be a little tiny.

    I think Mandolin and Guitar tend to compliment each other sonically without overstepping each other.
    Stormy Morning Orchestra

    My YouTube Channel

    "Mean Old Timer, He's got grey hair, Mean Old Timer he just don't care
    Got no compassion, thinks its a sin
    All he does is sit around an play the Mandolin"

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    Default Re: CMSA Convention in the Clouds 2.0: November 12-14, 2021

    (Posted in CBOM Thread but seemed appropriate here too)
    These are pieces I wrote for CMSA Open Mic, 2020 and 2021, a mandocello solo and two quartets. They are a small part of the wealth of mandocello music I gathered from much more experienced composers and arrangers presented in a Mandocello in the 21st Century session. Feel free to contact me for some of the videos and sheet music shared with fellow mandocellists at CMSA 2021.

    The quartets are Clear Skies, completed last year just after the fires and smoke of that summer, and Mandocello Agitato, a slightly more complex and moody piece. I thank the CMSA mandocello players (listed in the videos) for bringing this music to life, and to Jeff Brumley for compiling the videos.

    The Goodin 'Nuff Blues was written to be a simple "Thank you" to John for a commissioned work we played at Oregon Mandolin Orchestra and for his Seasonal Suite for Mandocello. I had registered for the open mic and learned of his passing the next day. So it took on a different context and mood. He deserved something much deeper and more beautiful, but for now I hope this is goodin 'nuff.


    Goodin Nuff Blues


    Mandocello Agitato


    Clear Skies

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