Author: Lolly Lewis

Classical music has always risen out of indigenous regional folk music. Although we might not hear it that way now, the music of Haydn, Chopin, Brahms, and so many mainstream classical composers was intimately connected with the folk traditions of Europe and people at the time would have all recognized those influences. But as the centuries have passed, the folk music connection has faded and the classical works seem to stand alone, their indigenous roots buried deep in the background.

Diana Sáez has found those roots much closer to the surface in Latin America. She recalls having two educations: one was a formal study as a composer and choral conductor, which has led her to perform the world over as a guest conductor and leader of the chamber choir Cantigas. But her other education was a path of personal discovery: fascinated by the rhythms and instruments of Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina, and all our southern neighbors, she has immersed herself in learning how the choral music of those countries is an extension of the authentic musical voice of local people. Those two streams have come together in a musical life dedicated to increasing awareness of the choral music of the Americas.

Diana will bring these traditions to life in our workshop on November 20. Join us to learn more about the diverse cultures of Latin America as reflected in choral music of yesterday and today.

Talking with Justin Ouellet is always an inspiration. He radiates a love for music and music-making and is just naturally passionate about sharing all he’s learned, and handing off what’s been passed down to him over the years.

Justin traces his musical “lineage” from William Primrose to Karen Tuttle, Kim Kashkashian, and Dimitri Murrath, with some “special sauce” from master teachers Dorothy DeLay, and Ivan Galamian. “There’s so much that just gets passed on through lessons, that you don’t get to explore from a book. It’s something that you have to do physically.”

Justin focuses on helping violists find deeper levels of physical comfort in playing, and how both the right and left hands have to integrate their muscular assignments to get a great sound from the instrument, and to find the intrinsic musical meaning that comes from that sound. In the right hand, this is all about generating friction in the string and controlling the engine of sound production. Meanwhile, the left hand gains an intimate and reliable familiarity with the “roadmap” of the fingerboard. Of course, there’s also the issue of how to stay centered and comfortably aligned when playing this challenging instrument that forces the body into such odd compromises of posture.

But once these fundamental concepts get into your muscle memory you’ll be on your way to better sound and more expressive playing, and you’ll be closer to discovering – and conveying – your own distinct and unique musical personality.