Education
Thalea String Quartet Wins 2021 Ann Divine Educator Award
THALEA STRING QUARTET WINS FISCHOFF’S 2021 ANN DIVINE EDUCATOR AWARD
Notre Dame, IN (March 1, 2021) – The Fischoff National Chamber Music Association is delighted to announce that the Thalea String Quartet has been selected as the winner of Fischoff’s 2021 Ann Divine Educator Award. This national award recognizes the educational outreach work of Fischoff Competition alumni who have demonstrated outstanding and imaginative programming for children and youth in the United States. It honors musicians who have established professional careers in chamber music, and have proven their ability to successfully build a career in both chamber music performance and outreach education.
Named in honor of longtime Fischoff Executive Director Ann Divine, this award recognizes her visionary leadership in cultivating community outreach through chamber music. As winner of the Ann Divine Educator Award, Thalea String Quartet will receive a coveted endorsement from Fischoff, a cash award, and a weeklong residency in November 2021 to conduct workshops and masterclasses, and to perform interactive concerts in schools, community centers and libraries. The week will include performances of Fischoff’s signature Stories and Music: S.A.M. I Am program, which musically reenacts a children’s book. In addition, Thalea will connect with area students virtually throughout the academic year as they introduce chamber music to new audiences, particularly children and teens who would otherwise not have access to these opportunities.
The Thalea String Quartet, comprised of Christopher Whitley (violin), Kumiko Sakamoto (violin), Luis Bellorín (viola) and Titilayo Ayangade (cello), prides itself on the diversity of its collaborations which have included dance companies, stage directors, aerial artists, pop bands, and dozens of up and coming and established composers. Formed in 2014 at the Zephyr International Chamber Music Festival in Italy, the Thalea String Quartet has performed recitals across Europe, China, the United States, and Canada, and has appeared at the Kennedy Center, Massey Hall, and Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall. The Thalea String Quartet were top prize winners at both the 2018 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and the 2018 Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition, and were named the Ernst Stiefel Quartet-in-Residence at the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts for the 2019/20 season. They served as quartet-in-residence at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, University of Texas at Austin, and as Associated Artists at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Waterloo, Belgium. Thalea currently is the Doctoral Fellowship Quartet at the University of Maryland.
Fischoff Executive Director Kara Kane, and the entire Fischoff team, are excited for the return of the Thalea String Quartet to South Bend and the surrounding area. “Each year Fischoff alumni fill our city with the joy of their music and talent, and we are always left wanting more – the demand in our community is typically more than Fischoff’s capacity. We are delighted that, through the leadership funding of the Judd Leighton Foundation, we are able to bring in the Thalea String Quartet to share firsthand the life lessons that chamber music instills – the art of listening, the rewards of collaboration, and the amazing things we can achieve through teamwork. Not only are Thalea’s concert performances thoughtful, bold and full of warmth, their work in the classroom and in the community is equally as transformative. Thalea is a perfect partner to help spread the powerful joy and life lessons of chamber music throughout our community.”
“Just when I thought our society was falling apart, along came the Thalea Quartet’s vivid, expansive performances! Their beautifully textured sound is enveloped by thrilling individual brilliance and highlighted by a rare, magnetic quartet sense emanating from every note they play. Hearing the Thalea Quartet makes me feel very happy and gives me hope for the future. They are great ambassadors for music.” – David Harrington, Kronos Quartet
Fischoff’s Educator Award Residency is generously made possible by Lead Sponsor The Judd Leighton Foundation, Inc.
Visit Fischoff.org for more details.
Contact: Kara Kane, Executive Director
574.631.0984
kara@fischoff.org
www.fischoff.org
Fischoff Chamber Music Academy Participants Announced
The Fischoff National Chamber Music Association is pleased to announce its 2020-2021 Fischoff Chamber Music Academy participants. Since 1999 the Fischoff has provided mentorship opportunities for local high school students interested in digging deeper into the art of chamber music. Each year, string, piano, woodwind, brass, and mixed ensembles of three to six musicians in Northern Indiana and Southwestern Michigan apply to participate.
This year nineteen students have been accepted. Participants come from area high schools including Chesterton, Clay, Kolbe Academy, Penn, Trinity at Greenlawn and Valparaiso along with eighth graders from Stanley Clark, Schmucker Middle School and one student who is homeschooled. All the students have studied their instruments for several years with private teachers and many of them have participated in school orchestra and band programs, as well as the South Bend Youth Symphony Orchestra. They are ready to bring this experience, as well as their passion and enthusiasm, to dive into the world of chamber music
Participants of the Fischoff Chamber Music Academy will receive coaching from talented professional chamber musicians including the acclaimed Euclid Quartet. Students are also given outreach performance opportunities, masterclass opportunities with Fischoff alumni, as well as competition and audition preparation training. Thanks to the generous support of corporate organizations and individual donors, all students receive full merit based scholarships to participate in this mentoring opportunity. In return, students give back to the community by sharing their talents with nearly 4,000 audience members through concerts at senior living homes, local libraries and other public venues. The season typically culminates in an end of year public concert at the LaBar Recital Hall at the University of Notre Dame.
Executive Director Kara Kane is “delighted that Fischoff has been able to proceed with our Chamber Music Academy in the midst of this challenging time. As formal schooling has been interrupted, we knew it was more important than ever to find a way to continue offering rigorous educational opportunities and personal connections with world class mentors for these motivated students. Some of our groups will meet outside in socially distant settings, while others will leverage technology to connect and collaborate virtually. The small composition of these ensembles allows this flexibility. Our incredible coaches have been leveraging technology to connect with their students throughout the spring semester and into the summer, and have found some wonderfully creative ways to engage with them.”
Funding for this program is made possible by the generous support of community organizations such as the University of Notre Dame, The Indiana Arts Commission, Elnora Hartman Stickley Scholarship Fund, the Teachers Credit Union Foundation, Barnes & Thornburg LLP, Miller Poultry, 1st Source Bank, The Community Foundation of St. Joseph County’s Arts Everywhere Initiative, PNC Bank, Frederick S. Upton Foundation, Old National Bank, Camden Appliances, and individual donors.
2020 – 2021 Fischoff Chamber Music Academy
South Bend Trio: Maya Kvaratskhelia (violin), Penn High School, Grade: 12, Caio Gould (cello), Trinity School, Grade: 11, Gabriel Zhang (piano), Clay High School, Grade:11. Coach: Brendan Shea
Kingsmen Trio: Ellen Brockmole (cello), Penn High School, Grade:12, Zichu Wang (viola), Penn High School, Grade:10, Felix Zhang (piano/violin) Penn High School, Grade:10. Coach: Luis Enrique Vargas
Hyacinth Trio: Emma Scofield (cello), Kolbe Academy, Grade: 12, Juliana Scofield (violin), Kolbe Academy, Grade: 11, Christa Scofield (piano), Homeschool, Grade: 8. Coach: Jameson Cooper
South Bend Quartet: Omolabake Elenitoba-Johnson (piano/cello), Schmucker Middle School, Grade: 8, Rosa Morel (flute), Stanley Clark, Grade: 8, Isabela Maxwell (violin), Stanley Clark, Grade: 8, Liam Michael Wagner (cello), Stanley Clark, Grade: 8. Coach: Jacqueline Choi
Nuwanda Trio: Carissa Yu (violin), Valparaiso High School, Grade: 11, Libby Gibson (viola), Chesterton High School, Grade: 12, Samuel Sutliff (piano), Valparaiso High School, Grade:12. Coach: Nora Frisk
Amicizia Trio: Lucia Otten (viola), Valparaiso High School, Grade: 12, Macey Schmetzer (violin), Valparaiso High School, Grade:12, Devishi Jha (violin), Valparaiso High School, Grade:12. Coach: Nora Frisk
Apply Now for the Mentoring Project!
Guidelines & Application are available at https://www.fischoff.org/education/chamber-music-academy/
Jasper String Quartet Wins 2016 Educator Award
Fischoff is delighted to announce that Jasper String Quartet has been selected as winner of the 2016 Fischoff Educator Award. This national award recognizes the educational outreach work of Fischoff Competition alumni who have demonstrated outstanding and imaginative programming for children and youth in the United States. It honors musicians who have established professional careers in chamber music, and have proven their ability to successfully build a career in both chamber music performance and outreach education.
As winner of the Fischoff Educator Award, Jasper String Quartet will receive a coveted endorsement from Fischoff, a cash award, and a week of community outreach programs in the South Bend region October 24-27, 2016 as part of Fischoff’s award-winning Arts-in-Education Residency.
In 2008, the Jaspers swept through the competition circuit, winning the Grand Prize and the Audience Prize in the Plowman Chamber Music Competition, the Grand Prize at the Coleman Competition, First Prize at Chamber Music Yellow Springs, and the Silver Medal at the 2008 and 2009 Fischoff Competitions. They were also the first ensemble honored with Yale School of Music’s Horatio Parker Memorial Prize, an award established in 1945 and selected by faculty for “best fulfilling…lofty musical ideals.”
The Jaspers have been hailed as “sonically delightful and expressively compelling” (The Strad) and “powerful” (New York Times). “The Jaspers…match their sounds perfectly, as if each swelling chord were coming out of a single, impossibly well-tuned organ, instead of four distinct instruments.” (New Haven Advocate)
Fischoff’s Educator Award Residency is sponsored by Wells Fargo
Akropolis Reed Quintet Akropolis Reed Quintet Wins Fischoff’s 2015 Educator Award, Starts Residency
Akropolis Reed Quintet was selected as the winner of the 2015 Fischoff Educator Award, which recognizes the educational outreach work of Fischoff Competition alumni who have demonstrated outstanding and imaginative programming for children and youth in the United States while maintaining professional careers in chamber music. Akropolis won the 2014 Fischoff Competition’s Senior Wind Division Gold Medal.
Wholly committed to reaching out and fortifying the next generation of music mavericks, Akropolis created their 2013 Fall Education Tour, funded by over $5,000 raised by a Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign. Ranging from interactive melody games for elementary students, master classes for middle and high school ensembles, and composer forums and business workshops for college musicians, Akropolis harnesses its creativity, energy, and versatality to make music a personal and lasting experience for all students.
Akropolis Quintet will present several S.A.M. I Am (Stories & Music), the flagship program of Fischoff’s Arts-in-Education residencies. These programs reinforce the importance of reading through the power of music. S.A.M. I Am programs allow children, ages 5-10, to hear books transformed with flair and imagination. The programs integrate music with literacy, storytelling and drama. Akropolis will use props and their instruments to represent characters, themes, and moods from the story. A special creative writing contest is being added to challenge the participating 3rd graders. A winner from each school will be recognized and the Akropolis Quintet will read the winning story.
Schedule
| March 23 | John Young Middle School, Mishawaka, IN | Wind & String Workshop |
| March 24 | Elm Road Elementary School, Mishawaka, IN | S.A.M. I Am Program & Writing Contest |
| St. Adelberts Elementary School, South Bend, IN | S.A.M. I Am Program & Writing Contest | |
| Notre Dame Orchestra, University of Notre Dame | Reed Workshop | |
| March 25 | Harrison Primary, South Bend, IN | S.A.M. I Am Program & Writing Contest |
| Swanson Primary, South Bend, IN | S.A.M. I Am Program & Writing Contest | |
| Christ the King School, South Bend, IN | Band Workshop | |
| March 26 | Darden Primary, South Bend, IN | S.A.M. I Am Program & Writing Contest |
| LaSalle Academy, South Bend, IN | Band Workshop | |
| Robinson Community Learning Center, South Bend, IN | S.A.M. I Am Program |
CREATIVE WRITING CONTEST FOR 3RD GRADERS
Reinforcing the importance of reading through the power of music.
Through Fischoff’s Arts-in-Education Residency and the S.A.M. I Am program, we are offering an opportunity for area 3rd graders to participate in a creative writing contest! The winner will be honored on Monday, November 11th at Aeolus Quartet’s performance at Barnes & Noble in Mishawaka.
Entry forms can be picked up at Barnes & Noble or downloaded. Forms are due October 30th.
Aeolus Quartet Wins Fischoff’s 2013 Educator Award
The Fischoff National Chamber Music Association is delighted to announce that the Aeolus Quartet has been selected as the winner of the 2013 Fischoff Educator Award. This national award recognizes the educational outreach work of Fischoff Competition alumni who have demonstrated outstanding and imaginative programming for children and youth in the United States. It honors musicians who have established professional careers in chamber music, and have proven their ability to successfully build a career in both chamber music performance and outreach education.
The Aeolus Quartet won the 2011 Fischoff Competition’s Senior String Division Silver Medal. They were also grand prize winners of the 2011 Plowman Chamber Music Competition and the Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition, and received the 2012 John Lad Prize awarded by the St. Lawrence String Quartet in recognition of their “high level of musicianship…the passion, the dedication, and the great generosity of spirit they have demonstrated…” The Quartet has performed across North America, Europe and Asia, in venues such as Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Reinberger Recital Hall at Severance Hall, Merkin Hall, The Library of Congress, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, and the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center.
Dedicated to bringing music into communities, the Aeolus Quartet has served as teaching faculty at Stanford University’s Education Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY), the Austin Chamber Music Workshop, and Da Camera of Houston’s Music Encounters Program. The Quartet is currently the Graduate Fellowship String Quartet at the University of Maryland, where they are pursuing Doctoral degrees.
As winner of the Fischoff Educator Award, the Aeolus Quartet will receive a coveted endorsement from Fischoff, a cash award, and a week of community outreach programs in the South Bend region during the fall of 2013 as part of Fischoff’s award-winning Arts-in-Education Residency.
N-E-W Trio Returns for Concerts and Masterclasses
Monday, April 9
- Penn High School orchestra workshop, Mishawaka, IN
- Fischoff’s Mentoring Project master class, South Bend, IN
Tuesday, April 10
- Culver Academies music workshop, Culver, IN
- Master class, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN
- Culver Academies concert and reception, Culver, IN
Wednesday, April 11
- Good Shepherd Montessori children’s program, South Bend, IN
- Snite Museum of Art concert and reception at 7:00 p.m., University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN – FREE and open to the public
This event is made possible, in part, by the Boehnen Fund for Excellence in the Arts through The Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts, College of Arts and Letters, University of Notre Dame.
Our thanks to the staff and students at Good Shepherd Montessori School for sharing their reactions to the trio’s presentation:
I think the concert was really, really awesome. I liked the piano the most.
-Teo
I noticed the violinist and cellist were very twitchy when they played. Their music was very pretty.
-Lucy
It was really good. I really liked the performance. They are amazing musicians.
-Edward
I enjoyed the violinist’s interesting arm movements. I really liked the first piece they played. I liked the concert a lot.
-Eamin
I really liked how the trio included the cello, violin, and piano. Those are the instruments we have lessons for here at our school. I liked how after each piece they talked about it. I really enjoyed it. I’m glad I went.
-Grace
It was really cool. Being a fellow cellist, watching a master at work was very intriguing.
-Noah
The fastest song was really awesome. All the songs were really cool. I play the piano too and I liked the piano part a lot.
-Jakob
It was pretty fun listening to the music. Some of the music was very sudden, with a big booming sound.
-Liam
I liked how the pianist could go very fast. I also play the piano and I thought that the last song was really cool because all the musicians were going very fast.
-Jonathon
I thought it was great. My favorite part was the song that went really fast. I’ve never seen a concert like that up close. The musicians were really good.
-Kyle
They were very coordinated and very talented.
-Ben
Axiom Brass Captures First Fischoff Educator Award
Chicago-Based Ensemble to Receive Cash Prize, Residency Week
SOUTH BEND, INDIANA (August 11, 2010) – The Axiom Brass Quintet has won the inaugural Fischoff Educator Award. This national award recognizes the educational outreach work of Fischoff Competition alumni who have demonstrated outstanding and imaginative programming for children and youth in the United States.
The unique Fischoff Educator Award is a complementary benchmark to the Fischoff Competition, which provides a forum for America’s finest emerging chamber ensembles. The Educator Award honors past Fischoff Competition musicians who have established professional careers in chamber music, and have proven their ability to successfully build a career in both music performance and outreach education. The Fischoff Educator Award expands upon Fischoff’s long-standing commitment to music education, and to the development and recognition of emerging chamber musicians. As winners of the inaugural Fischoff Educator Award, Axiom Brass will receive a cash award and a residency week as part of Fischoff’s award-winning Arts-in-Education Residency. The residency will take place during Fall, 2011.
In addition to a Bronze Medal win at the 2010 Fischoff Competition, Axiom Brass won the 2008 International Chamber Brass Competition held at the University of Louisville, KY. Axiom’s blend of virtuosic performances and dynamic teaching has been an inspiration to students of all ages, and their educational programs have guided students to success in high school and college programs across the country. They are actively involved with musical programs around the country, conducting masterclasses, seminars, lectures, concerts, and teaching at universities and public schools. Axiom Brass was recently appointed Brass Quintet-in-Residence at the Music Institute of Chicago. Ensemble members include Dorival Puccini, Jr. (trumpet), Colin Oldberg (trumpet), Matthew Oliphant (horn), Brett Johnson (trombone) and Kevin Harrison (tuba).
About Fischoff
Founded in 1973 in South Bend, Indiana, the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition has grown to become the largest chamber music competition in the world, and one of the most prestigious classical music prizes attainable today. Since its founding, more than 6,000 musicians have participated, many of whom have gone on to distinguished careers in music performance and education. Committed to music education, the Fischoff also partners with competition alumni to bring free, innovative Arts-in-Education programs directly to children in their own schools and community centers. Since 1995, nearly 50,000 children, youth and adults have received free educational programming of the highest order.