EDUCATIONAL RESIDENCY OFFERINGS
The Keepers of the Flame
Breath & Hammer
I. DAVID KRAKAUER & KATHLEEN TAGG AS EDUCATORS
David Krakauer is a world-renowned soloist, recording artist, and band leader who has distinguished himself as one of the most singular voices on the clarinet today. He is also internationally acclaimed as a leading educator. Aside from countless clinics and masterclasses that he has given in universities around the US and in Europe, he is also on the clarinet and chamber music faculties of three of the top music conservatories in the world today: The Manhattan School of Music, The Mannes College of Music (at The New School), and The Bard Conservatory. His students have gone on to have major performing and teaching careers as soloists, symphony orchestra musicians, or jazz artists in a wide variety of settings including the Imani Wind Quintet, the Cincinnati Symphony, the Zodiac Trio, and the Orchestre National de France.
Kathleen Tagg, a 2014 South African Music Awards nominee for best classical album, has performed on four continents with a host of leading musicians, and the remarkable breadth of her collaborations defines her multi-faceted career. Kathleen holds the Helen Cohn Award as outstanding Doctoral graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, where she taught for four years. She has additionally taught at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, the Piano School of New York City, and the Bronx Conservatory.
She was on the faculty of SongFest at Colburn in Los Angeles from 2013 to 2015. She has performed throughout the United States, Europe, Southern Africa, and India and has appeared on a multitude of recordings, from classical to world music, and has consistently created new and visionary productions and projects that blur genre boundaries. She has presented masterclasses, workshops, and lectures across the United States and South Africa.
II. CONCERT OPTIONS (1,2, or both)
1) BREATH & HAMMER ELECTRIC
WITH ELECTRONICS AND OPTIONAL VIDEO
November 22 by Kinan Azmeh (arr. Tagg)
Ebuhuel by John Zorn (arr. Krakauer, Tagg)
Parzial by John Zorn (arr. Krakauer, Tagg)
Shron by Roberto Rodriguez (arr. Tagg)
Berimbau by Kathleen Tagg
Rattlin’ Down the Road by David Krakauer
Demon Chopper by Rob Curto (arr. Tagg)
Moldavian Voyage by Emil Kroitor (arr. Tagg, Krakauer)
Synagogue Wail by David Krakauer
Der Heyser Bulgar Traditional (arr. Krakauer, Tagg)
2) BEYOND CROSSOVER RECITAL
Movement II from the Concertino by Leoš Janáček
Sonata in F minor Op 120 no. 1 by Johannes Brahms
Abyss of the Birds from “Quartet for the End of Time” by Olivier Messiaen
New York Counterpoint by Steve Reich
Premiere Rhapsodie by Claude Debussy
Klezmer Set
(*can include collaboration with student/faculty string quartet, quintet or string orchestra)
Moldavian Voyage by Emil Kroitor
Synagogue Wail by David Krakauer
Der Heyser Bulgar by Traditonal (arr. Krakauer, Tagg)
III. MASTERCLASSES
1) David Krakauer (any - or a combination)
Clarinet
Chamber Music
Klezmer
Contemporary Music
2) Kathleen Tagg (any - or a combination)
Piano
Chamber Music
Contemporary Music
Art song under 40: A lecture on composers 40 years old and younger who are changing the face of this genre, plus major trends
WHO ARE WE? EXPLORING OUR MUSIC AND OURSELVES
David Krakauer and Kathleen Tagg are individuals who come from particular historical places and times that focus on the literal and figurative overcoming and destruction of walls and boundaries. Krakauer was a leading figure in both the 2nd Klezmer Revival of the late 80s ad early 90s, and the Radical Jewish Culture movement that coincided with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the opening up of Eastern Europe. Tagg came of age in South Africa during the first free and democratic elections of Nelson Mandela in 1994.
Krakauer and Tagg share these experiences and philosophies through a flexible combination of performances, masterclasses, lecture presentations, and conversational question/answer sessions. These activities immerse participants in a setting designed to encourage exploration of their own cultural and personal identities, and learn to express themselves.
IV. TALKS / Q&A: David Krakauer or Krakauer & Tagg
David Krakauer and Kathleen Tagg are not only renowned musicians, but they are also individuals who have come from a particular historical place and time. Krakauer was a leading figure in both the 2nd Klezmer Revival of the late 80s ad early 90s, and the Radical Jewish Culture movement that coincided with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the opening up of Eastern Europe. Tagg came of age in South Africa during the first free and democratic elections in 1994, when Nelson Mandela came to power.
These experiences had an enormous impact on both their musical output and their personal philosophies.
Therefore, the talks and lecture/demonstrations that they offer are not only of interest to music departments, but also applicable to other areas of study within the academic institution (ie. Jewish Studies, African Studies, Integrated Arts, Sociology etc)
1. Collaborating and creating new work
A Talk and Q&A Session with students by Krakauer & Tagg
2. A Musical and Personal Journey Through Klezmer Music
A lecture-demonstration by David Krakauer on his multi-faceted relationship to Jewish music. It describes the trajectory of Krakauer's career and is a great opportunity to interact with students about different/alternative ("out of the box") career choices. Krakauer plays recorded examples plus performs live. This could be for music students, ethnomusicology students, Jewish studies or possibly even sociology students. The talk can be expanded to include a discussion around the fact that Krakauer started playing klezmer and exploring his Jewish identity in the late 80s right at the moment when the Soviet Union was falling apart, Eastern Europe was opening up and people in the West started to have more access to Eastern Europe. The greater socio-political context will be tied in to his personal experiences during that time.
3. David Krakauer and Kathleen Tagg Speak on Multi-cultural collaborations
A Talk and Q&A Sessions with students by Krakauer & Tagg
- For example: "Abraham Inc." (Jewish/African American meeting with David, Fred Wesley and Socalled), "Breath & Hammer" with Krakauer & Tagg, and “Where Worlds Collide” (2 piano project with Kathleen and South African jazz pianist Andre Petersen)
4. David Krakauer and Kathleen Tagg Speak on Career Paths
A Talk and Q&A Sessions with students by Krakauer & Tagg
Both David and Kathleen have had very varied careers as performers, composers, curators, teachers, producers of shows, series and records, including the label Table Pounding Records (Krakauer's Checkpoint received a coveted 5-star review in Downbeat Magazine in 2016, The Big Picture received wide acclaim and radio play, and Tweet Tweet peaked at No. 1 in Funk and No. 1 in Jewish and Yiddish Music, and at No. 35 in music sales on Amazon and reached No. 7 on Billboard’s Jazz Chart). They discuss trends that they have seen, and talk practically about how they have navigated their careers thus far, and how that still continues to evolve.
5. The Neighbor Down the Road: Perspectives on Music in Cape Town
A lecture and Q&A by Kathleen Tagg looking at the role of music as a marker of identity in a melting-pot city that has been built on immigration and migration. A large definer of the city in the 20th century has been the geographic separation of its citizens along racial lines, and though there have been many sincere efforts at reconciliation, the notion of “otherness” is still a major definer of relationship across racial divides.
IV. LECTURE RECITAL OPTIONS: Kathleen Tagg
1. Classical African Piano Music
2. The Virtuoso Performing Composer
3. The influence of Southern African traditional musics on the South African Piano Music of the 1990s
V. OTHER CONCERT OPTION: Kathleen Tagg
1. African Piano
TESTIMONIAL
"It was a privilege to have you both in residence at Brown University. We are deeply grateful that you shared not only your extraordinary talents and innovative music, but your heartfelt stories and perspectives on living a life open to music making of all kinds. One of the things we gleaned from students during our planning process last spring is their hunger to learn from artists who have chosen a creative path as vocation — so your insights were especially meaningful. And we’re all still in awe of your blowout performance on Friday night! Truly exceptional. We couldn’t have asked for more inspired musicians to serve as our inaugural artists-in-residence of the Brown Arts Initiative."
– Anne Bergeron, Managing Director, Arts Initiative, Brown University
More information on David Krakauer: www.davidkrakauer.com
More information on Kathleen Tagg: www.kathleentagg.com
I. DAVID KRAKAUER & KATHLEEN TAGG AS EDUCATORS
David Krakauer is a world-renowned soloist, recording artist, and band leader who has distinguished himself as one of the most singular voices on the clarinet today. He is also internationally acclaimed as a leading educator. Aside from countless clinics and masterclasses that he has given in universities around the US and in Europe, he is also on the clarinet and chamber music faculties of three of the top music conservatories in the world today: The Manhattan School of Music, The Mannes College of Music (at The New School), and The Bard Conservatory. His students have gone on to have major performing and teaching careers as soloists, symphony orchestra musicians, or jazz artists in a wide variety of settings including the Imani Wind Quintet, the Cincinnati Symphony, the Zodiac Trio, and the Orchestre National de France.
Kathleen Tagg, a 2014 South African Music Awards nominee for best classical album, has performed on four continents with a host of leading musicians, and the remarkable breadth of her collaborations defines her multi-faceted career. Kathleen holds the Helen Cohn Award as outstanding Doctoral graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, where she taught for four years. She has additionally taught at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, the Piano School of New York City, and the Bronx Conservatory.
She was on the faculty of SongFest at Colburn in Los Angeles from 2013 to 2015. She has performed throughout the United States, Europe, Southern Africa, and India and has appeared on a multitude of recordings, from classical to world music, and has consistently created new and visionary productions and projects that blur genre boundaries. She has presented masterclasses, workshops, and lectures across the United States and South Africa.
II. CONCERT OPTIONS (1,2, or both)
1) BREATH & HAMMER ELECTRIC
WITH ELECTRONICS AND OPTIONAL VIDEO
November 22 by Kinan Azmeh (arr. Tagg)
Ebuhuel by John Zorn (arr. Krakauer, Tagg)
Parzial by John Zorn (arr. Krakauer, Tagg)
Shron by Roberto Rodriguez (arr. Tagg)
Berimbau by Kathleen Tagg
Rattlin’ Down the Road by David Krakauer
Demon Chopper by Rob Curto (arr. Tagg)
Moldavian Voyage by Emil Kroitor (arr. Tagg, Krakauer)
Synagogue Wail by David Krakauer
Der Heyser Bulgar Traditional (arr. Krakauer, Tagg)
2) BEYOND CROSSOVER RECITAL
Movement II from the Concertino by Leoš Janáček
Sonata in F minor Op 120 no. 1 by Johannes Brahms
Abyss of the Birds from “Quartet for the End of Time” by Olivier Messiaen
New York Counterpoint by Steve Reich
Premiere Rhapsodie by Claude Debussy
Klezmer Set
(*can include collaboration with student/faculty string quartet, quintet or string orchestra)
Moldavian Voyage by Emil Kroitor
Synagogue Wail by David Krakauer
Der Heyser Bulgar by Traditonal (arr. Krakauer, Tagg)
III. MASTERCLASSES
1) David Krakauer (any - or a combination)
Clarinet
Chamber Music
Klezmer
Contemporary Music
2) Kathleen Tagg (any - or a combination)
Piano
Chamber Music
Contemporary Music
Art song under 40: A lecture on composers 40 years old and younger who are changing the face of this genre, plus major trends
WHO ARE WE? EXPLORING OUR MUSIC AND OURSELVES
David Krakauer and Kathleen Tagg are individuals who come from particular historical places and times that focus on the literal and figurative overcoming and destruction of walls and boundaries. Krakauer was a leading figure in both the 2nd Klezmer Revival of the late 80s ad early 90s, and the Radical Jewish Culture movement that coincided with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the opening up of Eastern Europe. Tagg came of age in South Africa during the first free and democratic elections of Nelson Mandela in 1994.
Krakauer and Tagg share these experiences and philosophies through a flexible combination of performances, masterclasses, lecture presentations, and conversational question/answer sessions. These activities immerse participants in a setting designed to encourage exploration of their own cultural and personal identities, and learn to express themselves.
IV. TALKS / Q&A: David Krakauer or Krakauer & Tagg
David Krakauer and Kathleen Tagg are not only renowned musicians, but they are also individuals who have come from a particular historical place and time. Krakauer was a leading figure in both the 2nd Klezmer Revival of the late 80s ad early 90s, and the Radical Jewish Culture movement that coincided with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the opening up of Eastern Europe. Tagg came of age in South Africa during the first free and democratic elections in 1994, when Nelson Mandela came to power.
These experiences had an enormous impact on both their musical output and their personal philosophies.
Therefore, the talks and lecture/demonstrations that they offer are not only of interest to music departments, but also applicable to other areas of study within the academic institution (ie. Jewish Studies, African Studies, Integrated Arts, Sociology etc)
1. Collaborating and creating new work
A Talk and Q&A Session with students by Krakauer & Tagg
- Thinking outside of the box
- Practical steps to making those projects a reality – from choices to collaborations and how-tos for getting the projects out into the world.
2. A Musical and Personal Journey Through Klezmer Music
A lecture-demonstration by David Krakauer on his multi-faceted relationship to Jewish music. It describes the trajectory of Krakauer's career and is a great opportunity to interact with students about different/alternative ("out of the box") career choices. Krakauer plays recorded examples plus performs live. This could be for music students, ethnomusicology students, Jewish studies or possibly even sociology students. The talk can be expanded to include a discussion around the fact that Krakauer started playing klezmer and exploring his Jewish identity in the late 80s right at the moment when the Soviet Union was falling apart, Eastern Europe was opening up and people in the West started to have more access to Eastern Europe. The greater socio-political context will be tied in to his personal experiences during that time.
3. David Krakauer and Kathleen Tagg Speak on Multi-cultural collaborations
A Talk and Q&A Sessions with students by Krakauer & Tagg
- For example: "Abraham Inc." (Jewish/African American meeting with David, Fred Wesley and Socalled), "Breath & Hammer" with Krakauer & Tagg, and “Where Worlds Collide” (2 piano project with Kathleen and South African jazz pianist Andre Petersen)
4. David Krakauer and Kathleen Tagg Speak on Career Paths
A Talk and Q&A Sessions with students by Krakauer & Tagg
Both David and Kathleen have had very varied careers as performers, composers, curators, teachers, producers of shows, series and records, including the label Table Pounding Records (Krakauer's Checkpoint received a coveted 5-star review in Downbeat Magazine in 2016, The Big Picture received wide acclaim and radio play, and Tweet Tweet peaked at No. 1 in Funk and No. 1 in Jewish and Yiddish Music, and at No. 35 in music sales on Amazon and reached No. 7 on Billboard’s Jazz Chart). They discuss trends that they have seen, and talk practically about how they have navigated their careers thus far, and how that still continues to evolve.
5. The Neighbor Down the Road: Perspectives on Music in Cape Town
A lecture and Q&A by Kathleen Tagg looking at the role of music as a marker of identity in a melting-pot city that has been built on immigration and migration. A large definer of the city in the 20th century has been the geographic separation of its citizens along racial lines, and though there have been many sincere efforts at reconciliation, the notion of “otherness” is still a major definer of relationship across racial divides.
IV. LECTURE RECITAL OPTIONS: Kathleen Tagg
1. Classical African Piano Music
- A survey and select illustrative performances- performed on the piano, as well as via playback
2. The Virtuoso Performing Composer
- A program of virtuosic works by composers who were themselves great performers- Bach, Mozart, Ravel, Debussy, List, Earl Wild, rounded out by anecdotes and snippets of letters that offer an insight into the world these works were created in.
3. The influence of Southern African traditional musics on the South African Piano Music of the 1990s
- Towards trying to define a national sound in a new country. A recital can be paired with a lecture and open discussion with room for questions on larger issues surrounding the topic, touching on the politics of music, maintaining a sense of identity, learning each other’s musics in a new county, and the right to self expression.
V. OTHER CONCERT OPTION: Kathleen Tagg
1. African Piano
- Kathleen’s brand new project premiered in July 2016 at the National Arts Festival in South Africa: A combination of original compositions based on inspirations from different African musics, new works for piano and electronics written for Kathleen by South African composers. Presented alongside works from Europe and the USA influenced by African traditions, including Steve Reich’s Piano Phase for two pianos- played simultaneously by Kathleen.
TESTIMONIAL
"It was a privilege to have you both in residence at Brown University. We are deeply grateful that you shared not only your extraordinary talents and innovative music, but your heartfelt stories and perspectives on living a life open to music making of all kinds. One of the things we gleaned from students during our planning process last spring is their hunger to learn from artists who have chosen a creative path as vocation — so your insights were especially meaningful. And we’re all still in awe of your blowout performance on Friday night! Truly exceptional. We couldn’t have asked for more inspired musicians to serve as our inaugural artists-in-residence of the Brown Arts Initiative."
– Anne Bergeron, Managing Director, Arts Initiative, Brown University
More information on David Krakauer: www.davidkrakauer.com
More information on Kathleen Tagg: www.kathleentagg.com