Adult Chamber Music Seminar
August 24-28, 2010
Rocky Ridge Music Center is pleased to offer a new program for adult chamber music enthusiasts. This 5-day chamber music experience is designed to be similar to our highly successful chamber music program Chamberre in the Rockies that has been in existence on the Rocky Ridge campus for over 50 years. We will keep the rustic alpine setting, great food and great music, but will add the element of coaching by professional chamber musicians. The intensity of the coaching will vary according to the comfort level of each participant.
Students will have the option of being coached by former members of the Pro Arte Quartet— Norman Paulu, violin; Martha Blum, violin; and Richard Blum, viola; and ACMS Program Director James McWhorter, cello.
Faculty will present open sessions designed to improve rehearsal techniques, listening skills and explore chamber repertoire.
Ensembles can choose to perform in master class sessions
and individuals may explore chamber works in a large group setting.
Apply individually or as a preformed ensemble.
Faculty
Norman Paulu, violin, ACMS Coach
Norman Paulu is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, having received the Bachelors and Masters degrees in music and the Performer's Certificate and Artist's Diploma. He has had a long and illustrious professional career as chamber musician, soloist, concertmaster, conductor and professor. At the age of 25 he was appointed concertmaster of the Oklahoma City Symphony Orchestra, a post he held for twelve years. During that time he also formed and led the Lyric String Quartet, a finalist in the inaugural Naumburg Award for String Quartet competition.
From Oklahoma he went to the University of Wisconsin-Madison as Artist-in-Residence in the position of first violinist of the Pro Arte Quartet and holding a professorship in the School of Music. With the Pro Arte Quartet he toured extensively, giving concerts throughout the U.S., Europe, South America and Japan, also appearing in numerous international festivals. For 28 years the Pro Arte thrived under his leadership, on one occasion hailed by a San Francisco critic as "one of the great quartets of our time". The quartet also did extensive recording.
In 1995 Mr. Paulu retired from the University of Wisconsin deciding to make his home in the front range area of Colorado. Since then he has continued to be active in his chosen field, teaching for one year at the College of Music of the University of Colorado, giving concerts and working on the faculty of the Chamber Music on the Mountain summer camp in Tucson, AZ. A large part of his activity has been to serve as President of the Rocky Ridge Music Center Foundation which supports the RRMC summer programs in Estes Park, CO.
Richard Blum, viola, ACMS Coach
Richard Blum is from a musical family in Chicago. He graduated from Eastman School of Music with an Artist Diploma. He played Principal Viola with the San Antonio Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Madison Symphony, St.Louis Sinfonietta and the American Sinfonietta. Blum was Professor of Viola at the University of Wisconsin for 34 years as well as violist in the Pro Arte Quartet. He now lives in Tucson, AZ.
Martha Blum, violin, ACMS Coach
Martha Blum grew up in the Los Angeles area. Her principal teachers were VeraBarstow and Louis Persinger. She received her BS from UCLA and her MM from the UW Madison. She was a member of the San Antonio Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Madison Symphony and the Lyric Opera of Chicago. She was 2nd violinist of the Pro Arte Quartet of the University of Wisconsin and a founding member of the American Sinfonietta which played over 200 concerts in Germany and Austria.
James McWhorter, cello, Adult Chamber Music Seminar Program Director
An exciting performer and dedicated educator, Dr McWhorter has recently gained acclaim for this work in establishing a string program in community schools when many schools are cutting back music programs. McWhorter holds a DMA in cello performance from the University of Arizona. He currently directs Mountain West String Academy/Cache County Elementary Strings in Logan, Utah.
Recently he conducted the All-State Orchestras in North Carolina and Mississippi and was invited to be a guest conductor and conduct cello master-classes in Oostend, Belgium. Dr. McWhorter has extensive experience conducting youth orchestras including many summers in residence at Rocky Ridge Music Center.