Fwd: Melodiously, he "noted:"

[Skip Gundlach]

My school system in which I matured had one of the best in New York State, playing (playing for the NYSSMA - New York State School Music Association - annual conference) in the Eastman School of Music's Kilbourne Hall (the local equivalent to NYC's Carnegie), but I literally laughed out loud, because I'm not entirely certain our grade school orchestra didn't actually sound a bit like this 6 years earlier:

L8R

Skip

--

The years thunder by. 

The dreams of youth grow dim where they lie caked in dust on the shelves of patience. 

Before we know it, the tomb is sealed.

- Sterling Hayden

[Chuck Tulloh]

Is the word "discordant" or "dischordant"? 

Chuck Tulloh

chuck...@gmail.com

督查理 

805 340 2332

I apologize for such a long letter. A shorter one would have taken more time. --Pliny

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[Skip Gundlach]

LOL I don't rechall...

It didn't diminish our harmony in any major way ☺

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[Chuck Tulloh]

I especially enjoyed the drooling flautist, which could conceivably produce a discordant chord. Very tough to play chords with a trumpet too but I've heard it done. 

Chuck Tulloh

chuck...@gmail.com

督查理 

805 340 2332

I apologize for such a long letter. A shorter one would have taken more time. --Pliny

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[Alan Heatherington]

Dear Skip (and others who may have played in or appreciated the PCHS orchestra unter Maestro Taavo Virkhaus),

I have the fondest possible memories of those experiences and specifically of the Kilborne Hall performance. Somewhere in the basement I have a photo of us on that stage. I played my first performance of a violin concerto as a soloist with orchestra at our graduation ceremony. My successful career as a professional violinist and conductor (including Carnegie Hall twice) owes more to that man and that orchestra than could ever be expressed in words. And it was all a great credit to Ruth Steese, who chaired the music department back then but retired soon after our era. Just a few days ago I heard the Philadelphia Orchestra/Eugene Ormandy recording of the Sibelius Rakastava Suite and recalled having played it for the first time at PCHS with Taavo, an Estonian-born musical genius. Treasurable!!!

Fondly,

Alan Heatherington

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In Christ's love,

Fr. Alan✠

[Skip Gundlach]

Jazz players commonly sing while they are blowing a brass instrument, yielding a chord... 

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[Chuck Tulloh]

I was Alan's across the street neighbor, privileged to hear hours of practice. Thus is greatness born. 

Charles Tulloh
805.340.2332
chuck...@gmail.com
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[Skip Gundlach]

Hi, Alan, and others interested in Taavo Virkhaus:

He was a good friend of my mother's, she being a music teacher as well.

Small world department, I much later, in my cruising life preparations, got to know another Estonian, who knew Taavo personally as a product of a summer camp for Estonians, where they both were for several consecutive years before Taavo died. His name is Erkki Taada, with the two successive 'a's in it; he was surprised that I'd know how it was pronounced ☺- which led to a discussion of Taavo.

I (and the rest of us who went on to other musical pursuits post-PHS) often marveled at his compassion and skill in guiding the raw talents he had to work with.  One of the very few regrets regarding him was that I didn't know he had been the director of the Huntsville Symphony, and with my being in the Atlanta Metro area, I could easily have gone to a concert and renewed our acquaintance.  The Rite of Spring and other challenging pieces, some of which were actual manuscripts, were just an indication of the level of work he got out of us.  And, I, too, somewhere, have a pic of us in that hall - I can clearly see it in my mind, with you and Trudy on fiddle, Chad on Tympani, Bill on Tuba, Sharon on Harp, and Dale on Flute, etc., etc. ☺...

I'm reminded of his enthusiastic support of my 'work' in two specific instances; before the Rite of Spring, he asked if I could comfortably and assuredly play the high G which occurred several times in my part.  I said I could, and so we did.  On another occasion, as I had joined the choir in my senior year, not getting enough, apparently in both Band and Orchestra AND wind quintet, I asked if I could be part of whatever musical it was we were doing that year; he said he needed me in Trombone (one only for the pit).  I stayed.

What an amazing school, overall, we had...

L8R

Skip, prepping for my return to Marietta College for my induction this weekend ☺ ☺

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[dlkeyes]

Hi all. I chuckled reading these exchanges. Yes we had an outstanding music program at PCHS in our day with notable performance successes. But we also had our struggles. I recall being labeled by Maestro Virkaus together with my fellow flautists as “Block Flutes” when we didn’t live up to his expectations. And Skip was more than once reprimanded for blasting raucous sounds from his trombone while warming up trying to prove he was the baddest horn on the block! (Maybe our band instructor was the one doing the reprimanding rather than Virkhaus…) Alan is undoubtedly the finest and most notable product of our music program.

 

BTW, flute players are no longer referred to as flautists. Modern nomenclature has reverted to flutists.

 

Dale K

 

From: ph...@googlegroups.com On Behalf Of Chuck Tulloh
Sent: Monday, January 15, 2024 8:32 AM
To: ph...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Melodiously, he "noted:"

 

I was Alan's across the street neighbor, privileged to hear hours of practice. Thus is greatness born. 

Charles Tulloh
805.340.2332
chuck...@gmail.com
督查理

 

On Mon, Jan 15, 2024, 10:17 AM Alan Heatherington <alanheat...@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Skip (and others who may have played in or appreciated the PCHS orchestra unter Maestro Taavo Virkhaus),

 

I have the fondest possible memories of those experiences and specifically of the Kilborne Hall performance. Somewhere in the basement I have a photo of us on that stage. I played my first performance of a violin concerto as a soloist with orchestra at our graduation ceremony. My successful career as a professional violinist and conductor (including Carnegie Hall twice) owes more to that man and that orchestra than could ever be expressed in words. And it was all a great credit to Ruth Steese, who chaired the music department back then but retired soon after our era. Just a few days ago I heard the Philadelphia Orchestra/Eugene Ormandy recording of the Sibelius Rakastava Suite and recalled having played it for the first time at PCHS with Taavo, an Estonian-born musical genius. Treasurable!!!

 

Fondly,

Alan Heatherington

On Mon, Jan 15, 2024 at 7:44 AM Skip Gundlach <skipgu...@gmail.com> wrote:

My school system in which I matured had one of the best in New York State, playing (playing for the NYSSMA - New York State School Music Association - annual conference) in the Eastman School of Music's Kilbourne Hall (the local equivalent to NYC's Carnegie), but I literally laughed out loud, because I'm not entirely certain our grade school orchestra didn't actually sound a bit like this 6 years earlier:

 

 

L8R

Skip

 

--

The years thunder by. 

The dreams of youth grow dim where they lie caked in dust on the shelves of patience. 

Before we know it, the tomb is sealed.

- Sterling Hayden

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In Christ's love,

Fr. Alan✠

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[Alan Heatherington]

whatever musical it was we were doing that year

It was Brigadoon, now indelibly on my list of favorite musicals

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[Sally & Curt Kiser]

My mom played Oboe in the Penfield orchestra and was another devotee of Taavo.  What an amazing thing that we had such a talent at PHS and in our small community!  He influence so many young lives!

Sally 

PS Skip enjoy your induction at Marietta College!

Sent from the all new AOL app for iOS

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