And drum roll please… SummerFest tickets are on sale! This year we’re offering a Create Your Own series package. So take a look into what’s on the verge, and shake off Old Man Winter. See you soon at the concerts, in the schools, and on the streets of our beloved community!

Cristine Kelly
Executive Director

Upcoming Events

April 26 H.M.S. Pinafore
May 1 Musical Art Quintet
May 5 YMC Showcase
June 1 Biagini House Concert

SummerFest 2013

June 11 & 14 Young Composers Concert
June 21 Ravel, Rodrigo and Bizet
June 22 Family Music Faire
June 22 3 Leg Torso
June 23 The Passionate Piano
June 27 Musical Book Club
June 29 The Music of Queen
June 30 Beethoven’s Ninth
July 1 Wet Ink
July 3 Happy Birthday USA

Musical Chairs – Contemporary Classical
Musical Art Quintet

“A lot of classical music lovers don’t really like most new music, and frankly with good reason. It is completely academic and has no meaning to most people” admits Sasha Jacobsen, the leader of the San Francisco-based Musical Art Quintet. “My mission in life is to write classical music that people actually like and enjoy in the first hearing.” MAQ comes to Nevada County May 1st as part of MIM’s new Musical Chairs series. > More

Musical Art Quintet
Wednesday, May 1 – 7:00 pm
Buy Tickets

H.M.S. Pinafore’s Carrie Hennessey:
Balancing the Good Life

How does soprano Carrie Hennessey, who plays Josephine in our upcoming performance of HMS Pinafore, juggle parenting, performing and teaching? Check out the recent article in the Sacramento Bee.

Carrie took a few minutes out of her busy schedule to answer a few of our questions about life as an opera singer. > Read our exclusive interview

H.M.S. Pinafore
Friday, April 26 – 6:00 pm
Buy Tickets

A year behind me, the future in front! 2012 was a marvelous ride for me as a first-year Executive Director. We had one of the most successful SummerFest seasons ever, with our extraordinary orchestra playing gorgeous classical and rollicking pops to great crowds. Our acclaimed chorus carried the torch in spring and winter, singing repertoire from the Faure Requiem to Jingle Bells. MIM education grows in strength each year, to where we are now in nearly every Nevada County public school. And now here we are at a new beginning, a new season, a new year.

None of this could happen without you- our amazing fans, patrons, donors, and kids and families. So from all of us at MIM, THANK YOU!

Curious about what’s new and happening? Read on! And see you at the concerts, in the schools, or on the streets of our beloved community.

Cristine Kelly

Upcoming Events

February 9
New Songs for Midwinter
Learn more and buy tickets

April 26
HMS Pinafore
Tickets coming Feb 11

May 1
Musical Arts Quintet
Tickets coming Feb 11 

May 5
Young Musicians Competition Showcase

SummerFest Preview

New Songs for Midwinter
Young Composers Project: Vocal Works

Our new class of Young Composers is ready to present their first works. Inspire your February and support these fantastic students in their efforts. > Learn more

Saturday, February 9, 11:00am
Peace Lutheran Church
Get Tickets Online
or call our Box Office at (530) 265-6124

H.M.S. Pinafore Sails into Miners Foundry

Friday, April 26

Downton Abbey on a boat? Join us for our gala performance of the iconic comic opera. Guest soloists will join the MIM Chorale under Choral Director Captain Ryan Murray for a rollicking evening of food, fun, and great music! More information and tickets coming soon.

Tickets available February 11.

IRS Charitable Rollover Extended

Congress has extended the IRA Charitable Rollover provision for 2012 & 2013. > More

A Classical Revolution Stirring May 1st

“Classical music is sexy again.” Musical Art Quintet brings “Nuevo Chamber” to the Nevada Theater this spring. > More

 A Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On

We are off to a terrific 2012-13 school year. From our Brummitt-Taylor Listening Program, to a field trip with our Young Composers, to a brand new scholarship awarded to one of our students, we have a lot of great stories to share with you.

We have had amazing support from Holly Hermansen, Nevada County’s Superintendent of Schools. She sent us a letter of support just recently which we’d like to share:

“The schools in Nevada County have sustained significant cuts over the last five years. While all of our school programs have been impacted by these cuts, unfortunately art and music programs are often the first to go. For this reason, it is more important than ever for schools and community arts organizations to develop partnerships to benefit our students.

The Music in the Mountains education program is an example of an exceptional partnership that provides high quality enrichment, experiential and educational opportunities for our students that would otherwise not be available.”

Holly has been so supportive of all our offerings. Thank you for your kind words, and all of your great work Holly!

Mark Vance
Education Coordinator

Upcoming Events

December 6
YCP Field Trip to Berkeley Symphony
Concert Info

December 8 & 9
MIM Holiday Concerts
> More

January 13
Piano Recital: Lynn Schugren

February 2
New Songs for Midwinter

The Holiday Children’s Concert

Hey moms and dads: don’t miss our concert for kids. They’ll get to hear some great holiday music sung by the MIM Chorale. And rumor has it that a jolly, bearded fellow in a red suit will make an appearance.

Saturday, December 8, 11:00am
The Amaral Center at the Fairgrounds
Adults $5, Kids Free

Get Tickets Online
or call our Box Office at (530) 265-6124

Spotlight: The Foothill Children’s Chorus

The Foothill Children’s Chorus was established in 2007 at the initiation of Peace Lutheran Church. It is comprised of children grades 3-9 from surrounding counties who learn and perform the best of children’s choral literature.

Artistic Director Catherine Dowling is a well-known music educator in Nevada County, and she asks—and receives—the very best from these talented young singers. The Chorus will be singing for the second year with Music in the Mountains on Dec 8 & 9.

They will present their own holiday concert, “Our Sweetest Songs,” on December 15 and again on January 6. For more information about the Chorus and to buy tickets for their concerts, visit foothillchildrenschorus.org.

Tips for getting kids to (voluntarily) practice a musical instrument

‘Tiger Mother’ Amy Chua created an outrage recently when she admitted that she once forced her 3-year-old daughter to practice a complex piano piece over and over again – denying her dinner, water and bathroom breaks – until it was perfected. While Chua’s actions were extreme (some have called it abusive), they raise a good question: Barring duct tape and rope, just how do you get a free-wheeling child to practice a musical instrument? Here are a few tips.

The Richard G. Landis Scholarship 2012 recipient: Phil DiLeo

Congratulations to Phil DiLeo, winner of the inaugural year of the Richard G. Landis “Making a Difference” Scholarship. This award is presented in collaboration with the Penn Valley Rotary Club to a young person who exhibits dedication to both service and music education.

Phil has participated in MIM’s Young Composers Project for the past 10 years (acting as a TA in 2011 and 2012) as well as the Peers Performing 4 Peers program. He completed 2 years at Sierra College and is now at San Francisco State studying Broadcasting.

Great work Phil! We’ll miss you!

Piano Recital: Lynn Schugren

Lynn Schugren, accomplished local pianist and teacher, will play a recital as a benefit for MIM’s Education programs. You won’t want to miss Lynn’s beautiful playing! She will play selections from Bach, Beethoven, Copland, and Chopin. Come hear her at Peace Lutheran Church on January 13th.

Sunday, January 13, 2:00pm
Peace Lutheran Church, Grass Valley
Tickets $15, Youth Free

Report: Summit for Music Teachers

Our meeting on November 16 was great success! We had a turnout of about 30 music teachers, both public school and private, at Nevada City Winery.

The thrust of this meeting was to provide the opportunity for the teachers to meet and network with each other, introduce them to several MIM music education programs and provide a forum to share ides and concerns. There was some terrific discussion. Some of the many great ideas that emerged were an online forum for music teachers, and a youth orchestra.

Thank you to all the amazing teachers that attended. We are eternally grateful for your dedication and passion in bringing music into the lives of our community’s children.

 A Word from Mark Vance, Education Coordinator

Welcome to the launch of Music in the Mountains’ new Education Newsletter.

As Education Coordinator for Music in the Mountains, I am excited about our commitment to music education throughout the community. We are working together with the schools, public school teachers and private teachers helping support and augment the programs and instruction they offer, as well as offering several unique programs of our own.

MIM, now in year 31, has ten impressive music education programs, many of which are free and or subsidized, which is absolutely imperative in these economic times. From our Brummitt-Taylor Classical Listening Program and Music Live assemblies in the schools to our Family Music Faire and Young Composers Project, MIM is making a difference in our community. This newsletter is an opportunity for us to share some of what we do with you.

Best,

Mark Vance
Education Coordinator

Upcoming Events

October 13
The Met: Live in HD Season Premiere
> Info & Tickets

October 26
Brummitt-Taylor Liason Reception
Call for details.

October 28
NCCC’s Command Performance Benefit Concert
> More info

November 16
Music Teachers Summit
Call for details.

December 1
Messiah Sing-Along

December 6
YCP Trip to Berkeley Symphony
> More info

December 8 & 9
MIM Holiday Concerts

Altruism & Arts Education

“People who engage in the arts or watch others do so are more likely to be civically engaged, socially tolerant, and altruistic.” We like the sound of that.

Read the whole article…

A community joined in music

Our Family Music Faire this summer was a ton of fun. We created this short video piece that gets to the heart of what this event means to us: take a look for yourself. We hope to see you there next year!

Visit our YouTube channel to see more videos about our Young Composers Project, Young Musicians Competition, and more.

2012-2013 Teachers Summit

On November 16th, MIM will be hosting a summit for teachers – both public and private – to talk about what we can do together. Let’s keep making music a part of children’s lives in Nevada County!

This is a great event to connect with other music educators around the area, and to find out about the many resources available for teachers in the arts.

Join us from 4-5:30pm at Nevada City Winery.

Get email updates or call our office at (530) 265-6173 for details.

2012-2013 Young Composers Field Trip

Young Composers Project is up and running for the 2012-2013 school year. On December 6, the students will be heading down to see the Berkeley Symphony premiere the work of 21 year old bay area composer, Dylan Mattingly. Students will be visiting a dress rehearsal and a meet & greet with the composer before attending the evening concert.

The Berkeley Symphony is under the direction ofJoana Carneiro, an outstanding young female conductor. Read more about the concert on the Berkeley Symphony website…

Young Composers on KVMR

On August 19th KVMR aired a 2 hour special program about the Young Composers Project. Listen to the podcast to hear the students from the 2012 program speak about their experiences and share their work.

KVMR YCP Special – Hour 1
KVMR YCP Special – Hour 2

Great Giveaway Raffle earns $850

Sierra BrewFest had a great turnout and we had a wonderful time out at the Fairgrounds! Proceeds from this raffle go directly toward supporting our many education programs – and we couldn’t do it without YOUR support. Thank you!

Music Live 2012-2013

This year’s Music Live program will bring a brass quintet to perform in schools all over Nevada County. But it’s more than just a performance – the ensemble will speak about their instruments and offer a demonstration lesson.

Contact Judy Nielsen at the SOS Office to get on the schedule, or call (530) 265-6173

Get News & Updates for Music Educators.

Get news and updates for music educators. We will be publishing this Education Newsletter each quarter of the school year. Feel free to contact us with questions or suggestions.

Have an article or event you’d like to submit? Email us or call (530) 265-6173.