Amanda Sparfeld, NRO Alumna 2012, recently won the position of Principal Flute with the Battle Creek Symphony Orchestra and has continued her position as Principal Flute with the Michigan Opera Theatre at the Detroit Opera House. Amanda has also been an Interim Flute Instructor at Oakland University in addition to substituting with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and performing with Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings and New Music Detroit. Congratulations Amanda on your many successes!
Monthly Archives: November 2013
Alumni Spotlight – Laurel Diskin
Laurel Diskin, NRO Intern in 2012 and NRO Assistant Librarian in 2013, recently accepted a position with the LA Opera.
As the Assistant Librarian with the LA Opera, Laurel spends most of her time in the library doing music preparation. This includes proofing and binding finished performance parts, prepping operas, and assisting at rehearsals and shows. Laurel also spend time helping participants in the Young Artists Program (YAP), assisting orchestra members, and assisting the Principal Librarian with any tasks as deemed necessary. Additionally, she assists the Director of Chorus, Dancers, and Supernumeraries, helping her with the administrative aspects of dealing with a rather large group of people.
Inaugurated in 1986 with a production of Verdi’s Otello, starring Plácido Domingo in the title role, the LA Opera can trace its history back to the Los Angeles Civic Grand Opera, formed in 1948, which presented staged productions throughout the 1950s before recreating itself as the Music Center Opera Association, working with opera companies from other cities to bring outstanding opera to Los Angeles. In 1984, the Music Center Opera Association charged Peter Hemmings with once again creating a local opera company. Hemmings led the LA Opera as General Director until 2000, when he handed the reins to Domingo, a fitting move for an amazing artist who has been the company’s artistic consultant since 1984. The company’s music director is the highly lauded and well-traveled conductor James Conlon, and the company’s current CEO is Christopher Koelsch. The LA Opera presents 6 to 8 productions a year, as well as recitals by major artists. This season, in addition to an all-star line-up of some of opera’s greatest hits (Carmen, Falstaff, The Magic Flute, Billy Budd, Lucia di Lammermoor and Thais), we are excited to present Audra McDonald (soprano) and Dmitri Hvorostovsky (baritone) in concert.
The NRO wishes Laurel great success in her new role!
Alumni Spotlight – Elliot Beck
Elliot Beck, 2013 NRO Timpanist, recently won principal timpani spots with both the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra and the West Michigan Symphony, as well as a percussion spot with the Lansing Symphony Orchestra.
Originally from Pittsburgh, Elliot went to University of Michigan for undergrad, master’s at Temple University, and completed the Performance Residency Program at Carnegie Mellon University. He has been freelancing in Pittsburgh since finishing at CMU a year ago.
Elliot shares his experience with the NRO, “Besides the excellent setting of working with Maestro Topliow, the various guest conductors, and a collection of the top young orchestral players, the NRO offers something unique to the aspiring timpanist. While I play both timpani and percussion, timpani are my favorite and NRO gave me an invaluable opportunity to focus solely on performing as a principal timpanist. NRO is unusual and valuable in this regard as most summer festivals rotate this position for each concert or piece and most orchestras have assistant timpanists, making subbing on timpani rare. The sheer number of hours and pieces I covered as the principal timpanist of NRO was unlike any other experience I have had. It was crucial to my development as an orchestral timpanist.”
Colorado Gives Day
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
- 24 Hours To Give Where You Live!
- 100% Of Your Donation Goes To The Charity Of Your Choice!
- Giving On This Day Increases The Value Of Every $ Donated!
Support the National Repertory Orchestra on Colorado Gives Day! On Tuesday, December 10, 2013, Coloradans will come together again to raise millions of dollars for nonprofits like ours. Last year a remarkable $15.7 million was distributed to Colorado nonprofits.
Presented by Community First Foundation and FirstBank, Colorado Gives Day asks you to give to your favorite charities through the website ColoradoGives.org. an online giving resource featuring every nonprofit participating in Colorado Gives Day.
When you give online any time on December 10, the value of your donation will be increased by the FirstBank Incentive Fund. FirstBank provided $250,000, which will be proportionally allocated across all donations received on Colorado Gives Day, increasing the value of each individual gift.
ColoradoGives.org has a goal to inspire and unite Coloradans in supporting hundreds of local nonprofits, including the NRO.
Donate online at ColoradoGives.org. It’s easy, safe and secure! You can even schedule your donation today!!
Riverwalk Center Advancements
Next season is gearing up with incredible momentum surrounding recent advancements at the Riverwalk Center in Breckenridge. In recent news, Town Council announced the hiring of Robb Woulfe as the new Breckenridge Arts CEO. In a recent Summit Daily article Mayor John Warner stated, “We’re embarking on a cultural renaissance…As far back as the 1860’s, this community has embraced its artistic personality…[W]ith Robb as the CEO and a dynamic board to spearhead the expanded programming of the town’s cultural assets, Breckenridge will be the talk in cultural circles.” For the full article on Robb Woulfe and the decision to add this position please visit www.summitdaily.com.
The Town of Breckenridge has also approved the installation of a top of the line projection system including black out capabilities and a 35K projector. The project is slated to start in February and be completed prior to the start of the 2014 summer season. This is an unprecedented opportunity for the National Repertory Orchestra and our arts colleagues in Breckenridge to greatly advance our artistic offerings. Many organizations have greeted this change with enthusiasm and excitement. Each organization had the opportunity to be part of the planning and decision making processes promoting a well rounded and usable new resource. We hope you are as excited as we are to see what the NRO will have in store in the 2014 season.
