Blog Entries

Of Lands and People Far Away; Pianist Sergei Kvitko

mezzo

My new favorite CD. Sensitive, warm, strong beautiful artistry. Impressive mastering and crystal ringing tone.

Upcoming performances

blanc1g

May 3, 2008 7:30pm
Sounds of Joy
Food, music and fun!
St. Mark's Episcopal Church
Coldwater, MI

May 4, 2008 3:00pm
KCC SPRING SCHOLARSHIP MONTAGE
Featuring: The KCC Jazz Band, Concert Band, KCC Choirs
A fundraising event to support music scholarships
Binda Theater
450 North Avenue
Battle Creek, MI

MUSIC DOWN IN MY SOUL

Jackson Chorale

Spirituals and Gospel Music
Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 8:00 p.m.
at Fir [...]

IS ANYBODY THERE??? READ THIS ENTRY FIRST!!!

sergei

Sorry, didn't mean to yell....

I wrote this huge entry to the blog, listing all the people, groups and projects that I have recorded in the last few month, but then I thought...

well, nobody reads this anyway, and I, of all people, know who I worked with, so why would I post that anyway. So I didn't... Yet...

So, here's the experiment I would like to conduct –

if I get comments or emails about this blog then I will continue happily postin [...]

Death of a Blog? or 247 recording sessions in 151 days. (March 8, 2008)

sergei

Well... On October 9 of 2007 my blog died. As little time as it takes to update the blog, I found myself having less and less of it. I feel very guilty to my reader (or dare I say "readers"?), and my consciousness has been eating me ever since. I'm sure my blog was missed terribly, and here I'm putting it into intensive care for a possible resurrection.

In the meantime (and indeed the time has been mean!) it is exactly 151 days since the last entry (if curious how [...]

Misung Kim, piano recital (October 9, 2007)

sergei

Misung Kim played her solo piano recital in Music Auditorium. The program seemed short – only three selections, but very serious and demanding. There was Mozart’s Sonata, which is always a challenge, three pieces by Liszt, and Brahms’ Handel Variations (oneof my favorites!!). I thought Misung did a wonderful job and she sounded great!

[...]

Mary Alice Stollak and MSU Children's Choir (October 8, 2007)

sergei

I had a meeting with Mary Alice Stollak to present the first draft of the master for the new MSU Children’s Choir CD that I'm producing. Last spring I recorded their concert at First Presbyterian Church in Lansing (part of our Fine Arts Series) and in addition to that we had a few recording sessions. I thought that master turned out beautifully, but well… that ‘s me… I’m kind of partial!

In Ms. Stollak’s m [...]

Fedor Amosov, cello (October 6, 2007)

sergei

Fedor is a new student in Suren Bagratuni's studio. He is only 19, but already had quite a career - he won a few very big international competitions and participeted in important festivals. He studied with Natalia Gutman, and took leson from many famous cellists, including Mstislav Rostropovich.

I'm sure Fedor will be back to record some more stuff, and I will take his picture then. Totally forgot this time!

He is a great player with a bright future I'm sure!

[...]

Hi-cong Ni, piano (October 5, 2007)

sergei

Hi-cong is a Doctoral student at MSU College of Music. He neded to record last movement of Barber's sonata (the Fugue)

My poor piano! I did feel bad for the isntrument, but it proved to be very tought!

This Fugue is a great piece that requires a lot of power, drive and intensity. I thought that Hi-cong was just the right guy to do this well. We both were pretty happy with the results!

Trio Nobilis: Ruggero Allifranchini, Suren Bagratuni & Stephen Prutsman (October 4, 2007)

sergei

Speaking of being in two places at once...

I'm sure it was a great concert, but I honestly can't say how great it was just yet... not until I listen to my recording of it :-)

I set it all up, did a sound check, made sure it sounds the way I think it should sound and left for choir rehearsal at my church!

I got back just in time for the applause for the last piece.< [...]

Rajung Yang, piano (October 3, 2007)

sergei

Rajung is Doctoral student at University of Michigan where she studies with Arthur Greene. We met last spring when I was recording The University of Michigan Chopin Project concerts at Britton Recital Hall in Ann Arbor. She won quite a few important competitions including the Ibla Grand Prize and Bartok-Kabalevsky-Prokofiev Competitions in Italy. She performed recitals in Italy, New York (Carnegie Hall), [...]

Sangmi Lim, piano (October 2, 2007)

sergei

Sangmi is back!!!

This time with a Russian crew - Scriabin and Rachmaninov. This project turns into a hell of a recording! Can't wait to hear the final result.

Sangmi knows how to work with my piano, and she loves the instrument, and the instrument loves her back and obeys her beautifully.

Artsy weekend in Lansing (Peppermint Creek, Boarshead, Lansing Symphony Chamber and MSU Symphony)

sergei

well.. who wudave thunk it!

Don't tell me that there is nothing to do in Lansing!

Friday night, October 28, we went to see "Fiction" by Steven Dietz at Peppermint Creek Theater Company. Mr. Dietz is an old friend, since he wrote the Dracula play for which I wrote the music, and Brad Rutledge who played Michael in Fiction, also played Van Helsing in Dracula, and StevenDietz also wrote The Lonely Planet where Chad Badgero and Louis Balestra met and became partenrs (bu [...]

Gerald Blanchard's Upcoming Events

blanc1g

CONCERT/EVENTS Gerald Blanchard, Artistic Director, teacher, conductor and lyric baritone is a native of Philadelphia Pennsylvania. Mr. Blanchard has concretizedthroughout the United States, Europe and Canada. He is featured on several commercial recordings including his solo compact disc "With A Song In My Heart" on Blue Griffin Records and Mozart's Requiem Mass with the [...]

Minjung Kim, piano (Sept. 27, 2007)

sergei

Minjung came to record a piece for a competition CD. I'm sure she feels almost at home here at the studio, and my Steinway listens to her as an old friend! She sounded great with that treacherous Beethoven!

Shiho Saito, piano (Sept. 26, 2007)

sergei

Shiho came to finish up the project from last week's recording session. I think the whole thing turned out quite well, and Shiho was genuinely impressed and happy with my work. That always makes me glad!

Sangmi Lim, piano (Sept. 25, 2007)

sergei

Sangmi is a Doctoral student at MSU College of Music studying with Deborah Moriarty. She needed to record a few pieces for a competition CD. She is a powerful pianist and a lot of fun to work with.

Sangmi would not let me take her picture this time, but promised to be ready for her closeup next week when she comes to finish up this project. :-)

Marilyn Mason, organ (Sept. 23, 2007)

sergei

Marilyn Mason opened our 2007-08 Fine Arts season with a concert on Molly Grove Chapel's Casavant tracker organ. She is a wonderful musician, of course, but she also turned out to be quite an entertainer with a marvelous sense of humor. She was talking about composers and their works, as well as sharing stories and anecdotes.

My favorite was about a lady who was praising Ms. Mason&# [...]

Folias: Carmen Maret, flute and Andrew Bergeron, guitar (Sept. 21-22, 07)

sergei

Folias are recording their third CD on Blue Griffin label - this time the whole CD of original music about water, including their marvelous Lake Superior Suite. This is going to be a very uniusual release that we hope will be their best yet!

Here is a picture of Carmen and Andrew recording one of the pieces.