2022 Autumn Highlight: The Visual Listening Guide at the Gesellschaft für Musikforschung conference

This past September, I was very pleased to give my first academic presentation about the Visual Listening Guide at the annual Gesellschaft für Musikforschung (Society for Music Research in Germany) conference, held this year at Berlin’s Humboldt University.

My session, which also included a presentation by J. Danny Jenkins about The Oxford Public Theory Handbook to which I contributed a chapter, was one of several that took place on September 30, as part of a “market for ideas and projects in the public communication of music research.” It was a unique and ideal context to introduce the Visual Listening Guide to German academics and industry professionals, and to learn of the various educational and creative initiatives developed by others to inform the public about aspects of music history, analysis, performance practice, and listening.

For further information, check out pages 102 to 109 (of the PDF) in the conference brochure.

2022 Summer Highlight: Verbier Festival UNLTD commissions new Visual Listening Guide to Beethoven's Symphony No. 9

In July, the Visual Listening Guide returned to Verbier, Switzerland, where, by invitation of the Verbier Festival Academy and UNLTD, I was the Verbier Festival’s Musicologist-in-Residence. For the 2022 edition, and through the generosity of an anonymous donor, the Festival commissioned me to create a new Visual Listening Guide to Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.

The new Visual Listening Guide to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony unveiled at the Verbier Festival. (Photo: Rachel Spiar)

Presenting the new Beethoven Symphony No. 9 Visual Listening Guide at Club Taratata. (Photo: Rachel Spiar)

The Guide was revealed on July 18, at a special afternoon talk I gave about the piece at Club Taratata.

Conductor Gabor Takács-Nagy with the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra. (Photo: Rachel Spiar)

Later that evening, the symphony was performed by the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra, with soprano Iulia Maria Dan, mezzo-soprano Ema Nikolovska, tenor AJ Gluekert, and bass Mikhail Petrenko, conducted by Gabor Takács-Nagy.

Copies of the Guide were made available to the audience if they wished to follow along and keep as a souvenir of what was an exhilarating concert.

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During my time there, I also gave workshop presentations to the Verbier Festival Junior Orchestra using the Visual Listening Guide to Felix Mendelssohn’s “Reformation” Symphony, as they prepared to perform the work with conductor Kent Nagano. Originally commissioned by the Verbier Festival UNLTD in 2018, this Guide, which has since received a design update, was the basis of my public talk before their concert on July 24, and was distributed in print to attendees.

The VJFO and conductor Kent Nagano take a bow after their performance of Mendelssohn’s “Reformation” Symphony.

Pre-concert chat at Café Schubert with the Mendelssohn “Reformation” Symphony Visual Listening Guide.

After watching them in rehearsal, it was wonderful to see these young musicians, aged 15 to 18, perform this symphony with great confidence and musical finesse.

Thank you to VF UNLTD for including the Visual Listening Guide in the Verbier Festival experience!

I had a wonderful time and hope to be back again soon!

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Now Available!

The Beethoven Symphony No. 9 and the updated Mendelssohn Symphony No. 5 “Reformation” Visual Listening Guides are now available in the shop to purchase for personal use and for licensing by orchestras and educators.

2022 Spring Highlight: Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra presents Visual Listening Guides at two Spring concerts

In Spring 2022, the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra became the third Canadian orchestra to include the Visual Listening Guide at their concerts.

Guides were distributed to audiences at performances of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 on April 23, conducted by Tania Miller, and of Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 on May 7, led by SSO Music Director Eric Paetkau.

Print versions were made available to those attending the concert in-person, while those watching the livestream had access to a digital PDF download.

Many thanks for the opportunity!