In March, CMC faculty Beth Wilmurt (Children’s Chorus, Older Adult Choirs, Uke’n Sing) invited 100 older adult singers in her Older Adult Chorus groups to sing with her on Zoom. As Beth transitioned them from a live to a virtual choir, a series of email exchanges were collected like small poems in Wilmurt’s inbox. She transformed these email exchanges into mini-songs, weaving a musical narrative from the messages. Beth writes about the process:
I used this songwriting prompt to keep me invested in the learning of new technology, just as my students’ social needs motivated them to step out of their comfort zones. Little email exchanges started to seem sweetly profound even in their pedestrian nature, and the result was that I got really inspired by each of my students and their stories.
Sign up to receive a song a day for the month of October, with a new song sent to your email inbox daily. Each original song is composed and recorded by Beth Wilmurt, and a special appearance by CMC Aquatic Park, OMI Senior Center, and Richmond District Older Adult Choir chorus members is included in one of the songs. The songs are sure to be a joyful highlight of each day, and be a heartwarming testament to the power of connection in these times.
SIGN UP TO RECEIVE A HELLO CHORUS SONG-A-DAY HERE
Daily songs start going our on October 1. You can sign up at any point during the month. Published songs will be available to watch on the Hello Chorus YouTube Channel, if you want to go back and hear the previous songs.
Hello Chorus is a project of For You’s ongoing Artists & Elders Projects, a project that brings artists and elders together to connect artists and elders while we’re all sheltering in place, create and exchange art in the spirit of gift-giving, and inspire new forms of distant socializing.
Beth Wilmurt has been teaching with CMC for the past 20 years. She started there as the Children’s Choir Director and now is in full swing with the Older Adult choirs, private lessons and other classes. Alongside the music, Beth has also had both feet in the theater for even longer – performing, directing, devising and teaching. She has appeared in over seventy plays, musicals, dance pieces, and cabarets with a variety of companies throughout the Bay Area and as far reaching as New York, Washington DC and Berlin. Much of her recent work has been with Shotgun Players, of which she has been a company member since 2010, Aurora Theater and Z Space. bethwilmurt.com
San Francisco’s Community Music Center developed their Older Adult Choir Program to provide the many personal, social, artistic, and quality of life benefits that musical activity can bring to older adults. The Program partners with the Department of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS) and 12 senior centers throughout San Francisco. The program has grown as choirs have cycled out of the Community of Voices research study led by UCSF in partnership with CMC and DAAS. These are tuition-free choirs are designed specifically for older adults (ages 55 and above). To find out more about the program and all the offerings of Community Music Center visit sfcmc.org.
👻 *cue sinister organ music*
Violin faculty member Heidi Kim is hosting a festive Halloween Recital for her students online, with music and fun!
Costumes and Halloween backdrops are highly encouraged for all in attendance. Performers should not use virtual backgrounds for their performance, but audiences are welcome to as they cheer on our students.
Just like last year, there will be a Costume Contest! The categories this year are Laziest Costume, Scariest Costume, Funniest Costume, and Best Costume. The winner for Best Costume will receive this beautiful, one-of-a-kind trophy created by local Bay Area photographer and artist Devon Kearney (photo below)!
RSVP HERE.
A Zoom link will be emailed out a 48 hours, 2 hours and 10 minutes before the recital.
*Please note that this performance will be recorded for documentation purposes.
Online Indian Rhythm & Drumming Workshop with Rohan Krishnamurthy
Community Music Center and Rohan Krishnamurthy invite you to a series of online Indian Rhythm and Hand Drumming Workshops!
Directed by acclaimed percussionist, educator, and entrepreneur, Dr. Rohan Krishnamurthy, the online workshops will be open to participants of all ages and backgrounds—no musical experience needed. Participants will learn the foundations of rhythm, ways to improve rhythmic time and feel, essential hand drumming techniques, vocal percussion, and approaches to improvisation. Sessions will feature interactive performances and Q&A with guest artists.
This is a workshop series meeting over six Sundays on October 4, 11, 18, 25 and November 1, and 8 from 10am–11am. Students can enroll in individual drop-in sessions ($35/session) or for the whole 6-week session ($150 – save $10/session). Series enrollment will be available through Oct 12.
Individual drop-in sessions can be purchased here by clicking “Select a Date” to choose your session.
Enroll in the full 6-week series here. Series registration will be available until October 12.
This workshop will be hosted online via Zoom. A link will be emailed to workshop participants before the classes. For questions, email rohan@rohanrhythm.com.
Online Indian Rhythm & Drumming Workshop with Rohan Krishnamurthy
Community Music Center and Rohan Krishnamurthy invite you to a series of online Indian Rhythm and Hand Drumming Workshops!
Directed by acclaimed percussionist, educator, and entrepreneur, Dr. Rohan Krishnamurthy, the online workshops will be open to participants of all ages and backgrounds—no musical experience needed. Participants will learn the foundations of rhythm, ways to improve rhythmic time and feel, essential hand drumming techniques, vocal percussion, and approaches to improvisation. Sessions will feature interactive performances and Q&A with guest artists.
This is a workshop series meeting over six Sundays on October 4, 11, 18, 25 and November 1, and 8 from 10am–11am. Students can enroll in individual drop-in sessions ($35/session) or for the whole 6-week session ($150 – save $10/session). Series enrollment will be available through Oct 12.
Individual drop-in sessions can be purchased here by clicking “Select a Date” to choose your session.
Enroll in the full 6-week series here. Series registration will be available until October 12.
This workshop will be hosted online via Zoom. A link will be emailed to workshop participants before the classes. For questions, email rohan@rohanrhythm.com.
Re-registration for current students to enroll for Winter Quarter is November 9–30. Be sure to check your invoice for holds, and reserve your spot paying your $25 deposit, or request changes by contacting a registrar before November 30. After the Nov 30 deadline, you’ll need to make an appointment with a registrar to re-enroll. Please be aware we cannot guarantee your current time or teacher after the deadline.
CMC will be closed today in observance of Veteran’s Day (no lessons or classes).
MusicLab Workshop Series: Latin Jazz
This MusicLab workshop series brings you master Latin Jazz artists to share their experience in an interactive setting. You can learn, listen, practice, play and discuss online in real time in these online workshops hosted by Community Music Center in partnership with the Latin Jazz Youth Ensemble and MisterLatinJazz.
Dive in to Latin jazz and check out each of our exciting upcoming MusicLab workshops with incredible guest artists:
Michele Rosewoman: Creative Expression Through Afro-Cuban Rhythms & Improvisation
When: Thursday, November 12, 5:30–7:00pm
Tickets: $15 General, $10 Community Music Center students & faculty / seniors
Purchase tickets here: https://musiclab-workshop-michele-rosewoman.eventbrite.com
A note on ticket prices: If cost is a barrier to your participation in this workshop, contact Adriana Marrero, amarrero@sfcmc.org.
Join Latin Jazz Grammy-winning pianist, composer, and ensemble leader Michele Rosewoman for a workshop on developing creative expression through rhythm, original composition, and improvisation. Rosewoman is known for her uncompromised synthesis of contemporary jazz and Afro-Cuban folkloric music, which has been supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, ASCAP, Chamber Music America, and more. Her recordings have topped charts and garnered critical acclaim, and she has performed with Latin and jazz greats such as Celia Cruz, Paquito D’Rivera, Daniel Ponce, Jimmy Heath, Reggie Workman, Billy Hart, Freddie Waits, and many others in all over the world.
This workshop will have two parts: first Michele will work with participants to develop their own creative expression through rhythm, original composition, and improvisation. She will show how simple melodies and lines, created by participants, can be developed and shifted rhythmically to create more interest and possibility. In the second part of the workshop, Michele will talk about and demonstrate how she makes Afro-Cuban rhythms a foundation for arrangements and compositions including how one can translate them into parts for different instruments in an ensemble.
Audience: This clinic is aimed at musicians who have some proficiency on their instrument but will also be of interest to audience members interested in Jazz and Latin music who would like to learn more about how musicians improvise and develop composition and arrangements.
This course will be conducted live via video conferencing. A computer or other device with a webcam and microphone and a reliable internet connection is required. Log-in information will be sent to students before the workshop.
Please bring blank staff paper and pen or pencil to this workshop. Blank staff paper can be downloaded or printed online here. Any additional scores or materials will be shared with participants ahead of time.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
For four decades, pianist/composer/educator Michele Rosewoman has expanded the horizons of jazz while remaining firmly rooted in tradition. A fearless bandleader and mentor, many have cited that working with Rosewoman made an indelible mark on their artistic development as musicians, composers and bandleaders.
To date, Ms. Rosewoman has released 9 recordings as a leader on Blue Note, Enja, SoulNote, Toshiba-EMI and her own label, Advance Dance Disques. Her long-standing Quintessence ensemble (with 5 highly acclaimed releases to date) has consistently brought together the most inventive voices in jazz (Steve Coleman, Greg Osby, Gary Thomas, Miguel Zenon, Steve Lehman, Steve Wilson, Mark Shim; Robin Eubanks, Lonnie Plaxico, Brad Jones, Terri Lyne Carrington, Tyshawn Sorey, Liberty Ellman). Her New Yor-Uba ensemble, which debuted at NYC’s Public Theatre in 1983, presents an uncompromised synthesis of contemporary jazz and traditional Cuban folkloric music, uniting master musicians from both worlds.
Having celebrated 30 years with a 2013 double disc release that garnered the #1 NPR Latin Jazz Recording of the year award, New Yor-Uba now celebrates 35 years of evolution with their latest recording, “Hallowed”– a ground-breaking project released November 1, 2019-to stellar reviews in major publications including JazzTimes, JazzIz, Downbeat and #3 NPR Latin Jazz Recording of the Year.
Born in Oakland CA, Michele Rosewoman began playing piano at age 6 and was deeply influenced by the great jazz pianist/organist Ed Kelly. Early studies in percussion and Cuban folklore profoundly impacted her approach as a pianist and composer.
Rosewoman moved to New York in 1978 and has performed with many renowned New York-based jazz and Latin artists including Julian Priester, Jimmy Heath, Billy Harper, Julius Hemphill, Baikida Carroll, Oliver Lake, Rufus Reid, Reggie Workman, Freddie Waits, Gary Bartz, James Spaulding, Billy Hart, Carlos Ward, Billy Bang, Celia Cruz, Paquito D’Rivera, Chocolate, Orlando ‘Puntilla’ Rios, Roman Diaz, Daniel Ponce, Pedrito Martinez, Nicky Marrero, Andy Gonzales and many others.
Her innovative projects have received critical acclaim and prestigious grants. Highlights include major support from the National Endowment for the Arts (1983) giving birth to her New Yor-Uba ensemble, and an ASCAP/Meet the Composer Commission for Emerging Composers (1984) awarded by Dizzy Gillespie, Marian McPartland and Lester Bowie. This award culminated in a new work premiered by the 40-piece Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra plus quintet of improvisers at the Cooper Union Great Hall, NYC and the Paramount Center for the Arts in Peekskill, NY. Over the years, Rosewoman received Chamber Music America New Works Creation and Presentation Commissions (2015, 2008, 2006, 2003). In 2016, Rosewoman became a Latin Jazz Grammy Winner as pianist and composer for her creative contribution to Arturo O’Farrill’s ALJO release, “Cuba, the Conversation Continues.”
Ms. Rosewoman has presented her various ensembles at jazz festivals, concert halls, clubs and universities throughout the world. Currently, she is a board member at Chamber Music America and remains an active and dedicated educator, conducting intensive workshops and residencies in a variety of settings. She teaches piano and composition privately and has held past and current positions at NYU and the New School, and serves on faculty of The Jazz House Kids in Montclair, NJ, teaching theory, piano, composition and ensemble.
Special thanks to our partners: Latin Jazz Youth Ensemble and MisterLatinJazz
CMC Offices will close early at 5:00 pm November 23–25. There will be no lessons or make-ups. We will resume our normal business hours Monday, November 30.
CMC Offices will close early at 5:00 pm November 23–25. There will be no lessons or make-ups. We will resume our normal business hours Monday, November 30.
CMC Offices will close early at 5:00 pm November 23–25. There will be no lessons or make-ups. We will resume our normal business hours Monday, November 30.
