Olson String Studio
Matthew Olson (listen to him perform) is the Director of the Olson String Studio with locations on Orcas Island and Bellingham, WA. He received his pedagogical training from top Suzuki Method educators including William Starr and Edward Kreitman. He was fortunate to study with some of the world’s finest teachers including Almita & Roland Vamos, Ruggiero Ricci, Benny Kim, Zakhar Brohn, and Dorothy DeLay. He has been playing since the age of three and has performed as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral musician across the country and abroad. He was the youngest Concertmaster of the Kansas City Ballet Orchestra and has been Associate Concertmaster and Assistant Concertmaster of several orchestras and chamber orchestras. For the last two years Matthew has been the Musician-in-Residence for the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival. You can email Matthew here.
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More liked postsThe Cello Song - (Bach is back with 7 more cellos)
This is incredible! Amazing video work and so creative! Steven Nelson, the cellist, looks like he’s having a lot of fun! I love the bow toss at 2:27!
Every sound you hear was created by Steve playing his acoustic cellos (with one exception — a subtle “hi-hat” noise made by his voice).
The Cello Song is based on one of the most recognizable classical pieces ever written, J.S. Bach’s Unaccompanied Cello Suite No. 1: Prelude. (Hint: Say Bach’s title with an English accent and it sounds a lot better). It’s been featured in a lot of movies (and car commercials). Steven Nelson decided that this piece needed some accompaniment (Bach must have been busy and never got around to it) Adding some original material and 7 more cello parts stacked on top of each other, Steve has created a cool new sound that embellishes all the features that have made Bach’s work so popular. The 7 new parts include drawn-out melodies which soar above fast arpeggios, strumming chords from a guitar-like part, shaker sounds (accomplished by rubbing the sides of the cello), tremolo (1:08-1:24), and a cello-banging percussion part (complete with kick drum).
World’s Worst Band
I wonder if they don’t realize they have a B flat clarinet and a C trumpet and an E flat sousaphone? They’re worse than a kids’ elementary school primary band (and louder).
Tchaikovsky’s Sugar Plum Fairy on Glass Harp
Amazing! The glass harp is played by running moistened or chalked fingers around the rim of the glasses. Each glass is tuned to a different pitch, either by grinding each goblet to the specified pitch, in which case the tuning is permanent, or by filling the glass with water until the desired pitch is achieved.
Beethovens Vibrant & Joyful 7th Symphony - Bernstein & Vienna
Here’s the symphony Beethoven composed while staying at a Bohemian spa town in the hope of improving his health.
This video is the 4th movement (Allegro con brio) from Beethoven’s 7th symphony conducted by Leonard Bernstein and the Wiener (Vienna) Philharmoniker.
What Symphony did Beethoven compose in a Bohemian Spa town and consider to be “one of my best works”?
Answer below or find out in tomorrow’s post…
Best Way to Store Violins: 5 Kids and 5 Violins
I was recently at the home of a family with 5 children who all play a stringed instrument. I loved the area they had for hanging the violins up.
That way the violins are always available but kept safe. I think this would encourage more practicing and playing “just for fun” because the instruments so easily available!
Luthier’s Smallest Plane
I was recently at Becker Violins in Chicago and during a tour of the workshop was shown their smallest plane. The luthier said that a plane that small would be used for taking of a tiny piece of wood about a millimeter thick and is rarely used.
Can Dogs Read Music?
It looks like they use flashcards - just like I use with my students!
Nora: The Sequel
Nora returns for more duets and learn what Nora does during intermission…
Practice Makes Purr-fect
Nora practices the piano several times per day in short segments. Listen for her Bach Minuet 1 duet around the 2 minute mark.
Monteverdi - Vespro della Beata Virgina
Vespro della Beata Vergine 1610 (Vespers for the Blessed Virgin) is a musical composition by Claudio Monteverdi.
Here played on beautiful baroque instruments: No chinrests, bow held up further on the bow, gut strings, and the instruments tuned down a half step.
Gregorio Allegri - Miserere Mei Deus
The Choir of King’s College Cambridge sing Gregorio Allegri’s Miserere Mei Deus. The Miserere is written for two choirs, one of five and one of four voices, and is an example of Renaissance polyphony surviving to the present day. One of the choirs sings a simple version of the original Miserere chant; the other, spatially separated, sings an ornamented “commentary” on this.
Miserere mei, Deus (Latin: “Have mercy on me, O God”) by Italian composer Gregorio Allegri, is a setting of Psalm 51 (50) composed during the reign of Pope Urban VIII, probably during the 1630s, for use in the Sistine Chapel during matins, as part of the exclusive Tenebrae service on Wednesday and Friday of Holy Week. The service would start usually around 3AM, and during the ritual, candles would be extinguished, one by one, until one remained alight and hidden. Allegri composed his setting of the Miserere for the final act within the first lesson of the Tneebrae service.
Inside a Violin
What if you could shrink yourself and slip inside your violin and look around? This photo shows us what it would look like.
View from Inside a Violin
Here’s an amazing photo giving us the perspective of what it would look like if you were small enough to stand inside a violin.
