THE UPTON TRIO, THE NICKELODEON (SC Center for Film and Media)
and THE SOUTH CAROLINA PHILHARMONIC YOUTH ORCHESTRA PARTNERSHIP IDEA IS NOW A PLAN.
THE IDEA WAS ORIGINALLY CONCEIVED IN AN INVITATION AND THEN A TELEPHONE CONVERSATION.
THE INVITATION was offered by Larry Hembree, executive director of The Nickelodeon, to The Upton Trio to be permanent artists-in-residence in what will be the Nickelodeon’s new home at The Fox Theatre, Main Street, Columbia. The Trio accepted with grateful joy.
The Upton Trio believes, like Larry and The Nickelodeon do, that partnerships offer the best opportunities for the arts to expand and grow. Here’s where THE TELEPHONE CONVERSATION comes in. Billy Shepherd, Director and pianist for The Trio, telephoned Margaret Lioi, Executive Director of Chamber Music America. His description of planned activities for The Trio’s artist residency and Margaret Lioi’s description of Chamber Music America’s “Residency Partnership Program” seemed a perfect fit. The phone conversation turned into a magnificent planning session that resulted in a winning collaborative design between The Upton Trio, The SC Center for Film and Media (The Nickelodeon) and The South Carolina Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. The Trio is applying for a $12,000 Chamber Music America Grant supporting the collaboration. The money raised in this Concert/CD Release Party will be used to match that CMA grant.
THE PLAN is to select a group of SC Philharmonic Youth musicians and teach them chamber music for nine months. Our collaborative selection process is to be decided. The Upton Trio will offer concerts in the youth musicians’ schools. When the student programs are ready, they will perform for their peers in their respective schools. The students will also be featured in a concert at The SC Center for Film and Media (The Nickelodeon). As the Center will have a professional film educator, who has already been selected, on staff teaching filmmaking, he will be invited to guide his film students through the process of filming the teaching and performance activities of this residency partnership program. It is our intention to offer the new film artifact to SC Educational Television for broadcast to South Carolina schools to educate more children. If SC ETV is so inclined, we hope they will offer the film to the National Public Broadcasting System.
The executive staffs of the SC Philharmonic, The Nickelodeon and The Upton Trio are supportive and excited about this plan. LARRY HEMBREE, Executive Director of The Nickelodeon, MORIHIKO NAKAHARA, Conductor of the SC Philharmonic Orchestra and BILLY SHEPHERD, Artistic Director and Pianist of the Upton Trio WILL SPEAK briefly in support of the program DURING THE DECEMBER 8 CONCERT.
FUNDS FROM THE DECEMBER 8 TRIPLE BENEFIT UPTON TRIO CONCERT WILL BE DIVIDED AMONG THE THREE PARTNERS: THE SC PHILHARMONIC YOUTH ORCHESTRA, THE NICKELODEON (SC Center for Film and Media) and THE UPTON TRIO. The Upton Trio’s share will be earmarked and held in reserve as a matching fund to the $12,000 Chamber Music America Residency Partnership Grant.
THE HOLIDAY CONCERT/CD RELEASE PARTY
The evening will be splendid holiday entertainment for all who love the Arts in South Carolina. Mr. and Mrs. Kirkman Finlay’s hospitality is stellar and their home is both elegant and gracious. The Finlay home is situated in its secluded park in the middle of Columbia. You can neither see nor hear the city. All is green pastureland, lawn and sheltering live oaks. The magnificent ruins of Wade Hampton’s antebellum home stand like romantic sculpture on the front lawn. Mr. & Mrs. Finlay will greet you in person and offer you refreshments of champagne and light fare at 6:00 PM. Business attire is in order.
At 7:00 The Upton Trio will deliver music for the soul for about one and one half hours. The musical program covers the entire emotional spectrum in a variety of styles. The program consists entirely of original compositions by The Upton Trio’s resident composer and violinist Mary Lee Taylor Kinosian. Ms. Kinosian’s work has been broadcast on syndicated National Public Radio and podcast around the world. SC music critics have praised her music and its performances by The Upton Trio.
This is a CD release party and concert, so the concert program will showcase quite a few pieces that are on the CD. ALBANY RECORDS OF NY RELEASED “THESE ARE DIFFERENT TIMES” WORLDWIDE ON NOVEMBER 12, 2009. AN AUTOGRAPHED CD IS GIVEN TO PATRONS WHO PURCHASE A PAIR OF ADMISSIONS AT THE $200 LEVEL. INDIVIDUAL ADMISSIONS ARE $100. For every additional CD sold, hopefully as holiday gifts, $2.00 respectively will be given to The SC Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and The Nickelodeon. TICKETS ARE NOT ISSUED. A GUEST LIST IS MAINTAINED.
MR. AND MRS. JYOTINDRA PAREKH (MARY) of RICE MUSIC HOUSE (Devine Street, Columbia) ARE GRACIOUS PATRONS OF MUSIC AND THE ARTS. THEY HAVE PROVIDED A BEAUTIFUL STEINWAY GRAND PIANO FOR THE EVENING’S PERFORMANCE. Be sure to thank them and visit their shop. The Upton Trio believes Steinway sets the standard for the expression of piano music in the world.
While you’re at the shop, ask JP to show you the new keyboard that successfully samples the Steinway concert grand. It’s simply amazing!
OUR PARTNERSHIP PHILOSOPHY
A DEAR FRIEND ASKED WHY ARE WE CREATING THIS PARTNERSHIP. OUR ANSWER IS THIS: ART IS UNLIMITED IN ITS REACH INTO OUR HEARTS AND MINDS. IT IS INSIGNIFICANT WHERE YOU ARE, OR WHO YOU ARE. YOUR CULTURE, COLOR, SOCIAL AND POLITICAL AFFILIATIONS MATTER NOT. ART FEELS ITS WAY INTO OUR LIVES AND CHANGES US – LIFTS US UP. THE UPTON TRIO BELIEVES ONE OF OUR PURPOSES IS TO CREATE A CULTURE INWHICH ART CAN FLOURISH. ONE WAY TO ACHIEVE THIS IS BY CREATING HARMONY AMONG ARTISTS. WE ARE ALL ONE AND THAT IS WHY WE GATHER ON THE EVENING OF DECEMBER 8.
Thank you so much and see you there,
Billy Shepherd, Director
The Upton Trio
Please visit your favorite music distribution site to purchase “These Are Different Times.”