David Bowie (1947-2016) was a mod, a mime, a painter, a folkie, and a British dance-hall aficionado long before he was an art(istic) icon. But no man is an island, and all art is of a time and place. The peculiar and particular climate in which he grew up helped lead to his rise in the late 1960s, which ultimately set him up for great fame in the 1970s, and world domination in the early 1980s. In this UnGeeking session we'll look at some of Bowie's most famous works, from the character-driven Ziggy Stardust and Major Tom, through the Thin White Duke, to the Berlin works and even his turn as Jareth the Goblin King.

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In the history of the Russian pianism, the music of Ludwig van Beethoven has occupied one of the central places of the concert as well as pedagogical repertoire for over 150 years since the historical piano concerts of Anton Rubinstein in the 1870s and 1880s. Major Beethoven interpreters emerged over various decades since, including such great pianists as Henrich Neuhaus, Samuel Feinberg, Maria Yudina, Maria Grinberg, Emil Gilels and others. In the second half of the 20th century, Sviatoslav Richter (1915-1997) came forth as one of the pivotal artists representing the Russian pianistic tradition, as well as one of the most powerful Beethoven interpreters of the 1950s-1990s. Dr. Rachmanov will discuss S. Richter’s contributions to the pianistic Beethoveniana in light of the composer’s recent 250th anniversary as well as the pianist’s 100th commemoration.

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In this masterclass series, Long Duo- Beatrice Long and Christina Long share their experiences in piano duo/duet playing through their career of nearly four decades as soloists and duo pianists. Playing piano duet offers many challenges and rewards; from the wide palette of pianistic colors, rhythm, speed of touch, stylistic differences to synchronizing their playing for concerts while living more than 1,500 miles apart for more than forty years. Long Duo offers important tips on rehearsing, programming, and how to sound like one pianist on 88 keys with the spontaneity of two distinct artists.

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Polyphonic settings of the Requiem—the votive mass on behalf of the dead—have existed since the 15th century and include some of the most profound and beautiful music ever written. Every composer's setting reflects their relationship to the text(s) and their sense of history, tradition, and drama, resulting in works which are often startlingly different in nature from one another. In this UnGeeking session we'll sample settings from a wide range of composers to see how each approach this most serious of musical endeavors.

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Born in Budapest, Hungary, Laszlo Mezo gained national recognition as one of the top musicians of his generation when he won First Prize in the “Kertész Ottó Memorial Competition” at the young age of 18. Since then, he has won numerous other competitions which have brought him international recognition. 

Mr. Mezo is currently a professor in cello at Chapman University and Saddleback College in California, and he was Assistant Teacher at the University of Southern California between 2007 and 2008. Currently residing in Los Angeles, California, Mr. Mezo is a member of the Pacific Symphony Orchestra. He is a sought after soloist, and an active studio musician in Hollywood. He has played in many film scores, some latest blockbusters include Star Wars, Ice Age, Life of Pi, Wolverine, and The Lone Ranger.

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Composer of genius, passionate, romantic, intellectual, insightful music critic, and writer. Robert Schumann is certainly one of the most fascinating figures of the nineteenth century. Pianist Alexandra Eames takes a deep dive into his Waldszenen (Forest Scenes), Op. 82. This cycle of nine pieces was composed when Schumann was on the brink of his mental breakdown a few years before the end of his tragically short life. These pieces were cherished by both Schumann and his wife Clara, and they are a magical window into his sensitive nature and rich imagination.

Since her New York debut at Merkin Concert Hall, Alexandra Eames has enjoyed an active career as a pianist. Her recent appearances include the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series in Chicago, the Aspen Music Festival Composers Symposium, the Kosciuszko Foundation and the Leschetizky Association Artist Series in New York City. Her CDs of Chopin and Schubert have been broadcast on WQXR’s Reflections from the Keyboard, hosted by David Dubal. In addition, Ms. Eames participated in the live broadcast of an all-Chopin Marathon at The Greene Space on WQXR.

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Join Misha Quint for this Performance Master Class, featuring InterHarmony International School of Music Students, where he will describe and demonstrate efficient practicing. How does one spend less time practicing and get twice as much accomplished? How does one capitalize on the idea of "quality over quantity"? How does this relate to preparing for concerts with multiple programs at one time? Quint hails from the the Leningrad Special School for the Gifted and St. Petersburg Conservatory, where students and their soloist professors practiced all day long, where concerts were not just entertainment, but enticed deep artistic discussions on artistry of classical music, emotive pieces and composers, and technique, and where classical music was a way of life. Now living on the other end of the globe, Quint is a soloist and Founder and Music Director of the InterHarmony® International Music Festival that take place in Acqui Terme, Piedmont, Italy, Sulzbach-Rosenberg, Bavaria, Germany, and Online, and the InterHarmony® Concert Series at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City, and the InterHarmony International School of Music Online.

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One of the most popular operas of all time, Puccini's grand Parisian masterpiece is full of charm, drama, lightheartedness, laughter, and tragedy in equal measures. Chock full of inventive melodies, sophisticated and often subtle harmonic command, and an uncanny sense of rhythmic flow, Bohème delights through and through, and sounds as fresh today as it surely must have at its 1896 premiere. Come to this UnGeeking session and hear what all the fuss is about! We are just in time for the Metropolitan Opera’s 40th anniversary production of La Boheme.

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Composer and Music Theorist Dr. Eric B. Chernov teaches courses in music theory, musicology, and related fields. He has given over thirty public lectures in his popular UnGeeking Music lecture series. He holds degrees from the University at Buffalo (Ph. D.; 2009; Music Theory); Queens College (CUNY) (M.A.; 1997; Music Theory); and Mannes College of Music (B.M.; 1996; Percussion). Dr. Chernov has been an Assistant Professor of Music (adj) at Queens College's Aaron Copland School of Music since 2006, (former co-chair of the theory department) at Mannes College of Music's Preparatory Division since 1996, and on the faculty of the Juilliard MAP program.

USSR’s Special Music Forces in Special Music Schools for the Gifted: Join IISM’s panel - Misha Quint (cello), Yuri Mazurkevich, Dana Mazurkevich (violin), and Oleh Krysa (violin) - as they impart their experiences studying music in the USSR in regard to artists to whom they were exposed, discipline, and musical lifestyle, how it influenced them as soloists and professors, and how it is different from studying music now and perceptions have shifted.

Written in 1788 for a friend who helped Mozart when he was struggling with debt, Divertimento K563 turned out to be one of the most inventive pieces for string trio. Lazar, Kivrak, and Quint will perform excerpts from the trio and then discuss Mozart and analyze the piece. Grab a drink or aperitif and sit back and listen!

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A look at Debussy’s piano music as it relates to the Paris of his time. Learn about the ways that Debussy’s music reflects French attitudes toward poetry, painting, and culture. Identify all the myriad references to poems, paintings, fairy tales, and children’s books that are embedded in the Preludes and other piano works. Start to see Debussy as the consummate Parisian and very much a product of his place and time! 

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Kick off your holiday break with American composer and InterHarmony International School of Music Artist Faculty Steven Christopher Sacco for "In the Mind of the Composer" on Tuesday, December 22 at 7:00 PM EST for an exciting and enlightening webinar seminar/discussion about the creation of music with the opportunity to discuss and pick the composer's brain at the end. Sacco will answer questions such as: What is my compositional process? Why do I compose? Is it important for performers to compose? Is it important for composers to perform? Featured pieces include Sacco's Quintet for Brass, Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, and Book of Whimsey for Piano solo, and Six Studies for Fixed Media. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Sacco's work is performed internationally by some of today’s leading soloists and ensembles. Critics praise him for writing “absorbing, poetic and passionate music that easily engages the sympathies and attention of a concert audience.”  International tours have seen his work performed in Australia, Asia, Europe and North and South America. 

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Join cellist Misha Quint as he works with talented students, sharing his insights on practicing, ways to reach goals within a short time, resolving technical issues using common sense and logical thinking that transforms the practice room into a scientific yet very exciting music lab filled with groundbreaking experiments. Quint hails from the world of the Leningrad Special School for the Gifted and St. Petersburg Conservatory, when students and their soloist professors practiced all day long, where concerts were not just entertainment, but enticed deep artistic discussions on artistry of classical music, emotive pieces and composers, and technique, and where classical music was a way of life. Now living on the other end of the globe, Quint is a soloist and Founder and Music Director of the InterHarmony® International Music Festival that take place in Acqui Terme, Piedmont, Italy, Sulzbach-Rosenberg, Bavaria, Germany, and Online, and the InterHarmony® Concert Series at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City, and the InterHarmony International School of Music Online that opened in the Fall of 2020.

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Join pianist and IISM professor Alexandra Eames for an In-depth exploration of Chopin's Mazurkas, a highly stylized and exotic collection of dances. Chopin composed Mazurkas all his life; they outnumber all his other works. He was the first to bring these varied dance forms into the standard music literature, and they contain some of his most daring and inventive musical expressions. Pianist Alexandra Eames has spent decades studying these amazing pieces and has recorded many of them. Discover these marvelous dances and learn why musical notation cannot impart their unique flavor. Chopin wrote, "In Paris everyone wants Waltzes, but my pen keeps writing Mazurkas."

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