August 25th, 2022
At the end of last semester, the orchestra board spent a day applying to film festivals in order to share the orchestra’s music and gain more recognition of the campus, and the incredible Music Department here. We ended up applying to six different festivals last spring.
The London International Web & Shorts Film Festival (UK) recognized us as a Semi-Finalist! However, we have even more exciting news.
It is my pleasure to inform you all that MUSO has been accepted into the International Diversity Film Festival (IDFF) Family! The International Diversity Film Festival recognizes and showcases films and screenplays with a member of an underrepresented community included as one of the following: Lead Character OR Filmmaker (Director, Writer, or Producer). The International Diversity Film Festival was created to encourage content creators from unique backgrounds to share their stories/ The festival will promote the work of diverse (thought, race, gender, age, religion, physical ability and sexual orientation) filmmakers and recognize them globally for their achievements in film.
We submitted many of our videos from our collaboration with CCA’s Performing Arts Series in the We Gather Together in Music: A Series on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion which was filmed during the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
After being a semi-finalist at the London International Web Shorts Film Festival in
the United Kingdom ( https://www.londonwebfest.co.uk/ ), the Miami University
Symphony Orchestra has been officially selected to be showcased at the International
Diversity Film Festival. This Festival recognizes and showcases narrative and
documentary features and shorts, including web episodes. It was created to encourage
the promotion of diversity and inclusion, allowing creators to be recognized globally for
their achievements in film. Selections are judged and decided on by award-winning
independent film-makers working in the industry.
The 2022 Film Festival is being held through an immersive online festival event venue
that will span across 72 hours, starting on August 25, 2022. Loaded up with resources,
panels, interviews, masterclasses, accessible tools, networking and educational
opportunities, the festival will feature privately screened films.
The Miami University Symphony Orchestra was selected through the episode The
Curious Happenings of Chokifi and Kokopelli, directed by the film major student Peter
Rothschild Averbach. This episode is part of the concert series “We Gather Together in
Music: A Series of Diversity, Equity and inclusion,” created by the Miami University
Symphony Orchestra in collaboration with the Performing Arts Series during the spring
of 2021. At that time, when orchestras around the world were challenged due to the
coronavirus pandemic, the Miami University Symphony Orchestra not only continued to
function regularly, but also became a model of resiliency. With three online
rehearsals/week, the ensemble established an online web multidisciplinary series
dedicated to Diversity and Inclusion. Conceived by Ricardo Averbach, Director of
Orchestral Studies, each episode starts with interviews with composers and a concert
performance, where each student filmed him/herself using cellular phones. The multiple
videos are combined into an orchestra performance, which is followed by a multidisciplinary component. A description of the web series We Gather Together in
Music can be found in the following link:
The episode submitted to the festival starts with an interview with the Native American
composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate, followed by a performance of his
composition titled Chokfi. The episode finishes with a choreography by Lana Kay
Rosenberg performed by the students of our Dance Theater Program, based on the
Native American character Kokopelli.
Both Chokfi and Kokopelli are part of the Native American mythology. Chokfi, Sarcasm
for String Orchestra and Percussion is a scherzo written by the Chickasaw classical
composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate. It is based on Chokfi, a rabbit prankster that
belongs to the mythology of the tribes from the American southeast. The rabbit trickster
is generally a light-hearted character, who is prone to humorously inappropriate
behavior. In the folklore of some Southeastern tribes, it was the rabbit who stole fire and
brought it to the people. With roots of centuries ago, Chokfi remains relevant to our
culture through new incarnations in the form of characters such as Bugs Bunny and
Roger Rabbit.
The musical performance is followed by The Journey, a choreography for Dance
Theater by Lana Kay Rosenberg. It features the composition Kokopelli by Katherine
Hoover, a work for solo flute inspired by the mythological character of several Native
American tribes of the southwest, performed by the student Samantha Goes. Kokopelli
is a prehistoric Native American deity depicted frequently in petroglyphs, estimated to
be over a thousand years old. He is generally depicted as a hunchback flute player in a
dancing pose with a festive crest on his head. Kokopelli traveled from village to village
bringing the changing of winter of spring and being the source for human conception.
According to the program of the choreography:
The Old Ones say the Native American women will lead the healing among the tribes.
Inside them are the powers of love and strength given by the Moon and the Earth.
When everyone else gives up, it is the women who sing the songs of strength. She is
the backbone of the people. So, to our women we say, sing your songs of strength;
pray for your special powers; keep our people strong.
Village Wise Man, Lakota
The jury of the festival considered the episode created by the Miami University
Symphony Orchestra “amazing… Coming up with our official selections has been a long
and trying journey, but the quality of this season’s work is truly inspiring. So again, it's
worth congratulating you on this achievement! Your film went above and beyond, and
we’re proud to enter it into the official International Diversity Film Festival catalog, where
the credit will remain permanently to showcase your achievement.”
The screening of The Curious Happenings of Chokfi and Kokopelli will happen at the
2022 Online Film Festival Experience, where it will remain streamable at this private, exclusive event for 72 hours, starting on August 25, 2022. Access to the portal is
possible through the official website of the festival: https://filmnet.io/international-
diversity-festival/
October 6th, 2017:
THE FLYING LOTUS BY GRAMMY® AND ACADEMY AWARD® WINNER A.R. RAHMAN RELEASED TODAY ON KM MUSIQ RECORD LABEL UNDER THE CONDUCTING OF RICARDO AVERBACH
Award winning composer A.R. Rahman released a recording of the world premiere of The Flying Lotus on October 6th, 2017. Commissioned by the Seattle Symphony and recorded live in concert under the conducting of Ricardo Averbach, The Flying Lotus is Rahman’s first composition commissioned by a major symphony orchestra. (Full Story)
October 5th, 2017
MIAMI ORCHESTRA PLAYS ‘THE SYMPHONY OF THE DANCE’
Miami University’s Symphony Orchestra performed the first concert of its 101st season on Friday, October 6th. The concert, titled “The Symphony of the Dance,” featured a diverse program of music, with all the pieces centered around the theme of fighting for freedom. This year’s theme comes from the concert’s dedication to Daniel Pearl’s World Music Days. (Full Story)
September 15th, 2017
MU SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PLACES IN AMERICAN PRIZE COMPETITION
The Miami University Symphony Orchestra and conductor Ricardo Averbach became semi-finalists for the 2016 American Prize in two separate categories: best orchestra, college level and best orchestra conductor, college level.
The American Prize is a set of annual nonprofit national competitions in the performing arts which recognizes and rewards commercial and noncommercial recorded performances of classical music in the United States based on submitted applications. There is no live competition. The award is bestowed at professional, college/university, community and high school levels in composition, piano, voice, chamber music, conducting, ensemble performance and a number of other areas. The jury consists of well known performing artists in each area, with the conductor and composer David Katz serving as chief judge. (Full Story)
October 13, 2015
ORCHESTRA CELEBRATES 100TH ANNIVERSARY
One hundred years of the Miami University Symphony Orchestra. Fifty years of The Sound of Music. Twenty years of Global Rhythms.
On Oct. 17, all three anniversaries will be celebrated in Hall Auditorium by more than 300 musicians and dancers – many of them international artists, all of them performing music from across the world.
Tickets were sold out 10 days before the show. (Full Story)
May 5th, 2014
CONCERTO COMPETITION WINNERS TO TAKE CENTER STAGE AT ORCHESTRA CONCERT
Imagine the sound of dozens of pristine musical instruments echoing off the illustrious Hall Auditorium ceiling: it’s a listening experience that puts those $10 headphones from Walmart to shame.
You can hear the difference for yourself at 7:30 p.m on Wednesday at the Miami University Symphony Orchestra’s final concert of the year.
This concert has a few unique offerings, Director of Orchestral Studies and conductor Ricardo Averbach said. Along with being dedicated to the centennial of one of the greatest bass singers of all time, the Bulgarian Boris Christoff, the concert will showcase the talents of three Miami students.
These students won the university-wide concerto competition in November, in which they are required to perform concertos by memory. (Full Story)
October 8th, 2013
SYMPHONY HONORS THE LEGACY OF JOURNALIST
The Miami University Symphony Orchestra is preparing for an incredibly meaningful concert Wednesday. Performing two of the greatest classical compositions ever created, the orchestra will make music with Bruce Murray, the Music Department chair and the concert’s soloist, for a worthy cause. The concert is part of the 2013 Daniel Pearl World Music Days series in which artists from across the globe seek to dispel hatred and violence through the unity of music. The concert will also serve as a way to express the talent and dedication of the Miami University Music Department, the only one of its kind in the nation to have two orchestras as finalists in the American Prize for Classical Music awards. Through the themes of unity, tolerance, and acceptance, the music of the Symphony Orchestra will spread a message to audiences that not even words can fully convey. (Full Story)
Jan 31st, 2012-October 7th, 2012
MUSIC ENSEMBLES TO PERFORM AT CARNEGIE HALL
Miami University’s music ensembles take the stage in fall 2012 at one of the most prestigious venues in the world – Carnegie Hall. It is expected that 350 students will participate, with students from virtually all-academic majors represented.
Miami’s School of Fine Arts and the department of music recently signed an agreement to give a featured performance. Groups slated to perform include the Chamber Singers, Choraliers, Collegiate Chorale, Men’s Glee Club, Miami University Symphony Orchestra, and the Miami University Wind Ensemble.
Music ensembles will perform in a special all-Miami University concert at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 7, in Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall, which seats 2,804. Ticket availability and other details will be announced as plans develop.
Plans are in motion for a “Miami University Weekend in New York” that will include a special menu of activities culminating with the Carnegie Hall performance.
James Lentini, dean of the School of Fine Arts, said, “This is a wonderful opportunity for a celebration that includes the whole university, and we are crafting plans to make this a major event for all Miami University alumni and friends. I congratulate the faculty, staff, and students of the department of music, whose continued commitment to excellence has allowed this opportunity to come to life.”
The department of music at Miami is listed as one of 25 “Strongest Programs” nationwide among all colleges (public and private) by the 2012 Fiske Guide to Colleges, and boasts successful graduates that include conductor Steven Reineke of the New York Pops.
April 19th, 2011
MUSO CELEBRATES YEAR’S END WITH GMYS
The Miami University Symphony Orchestra invited the Great Miami Youth Symphony (now the Butler Philharmonic Youth Orchestra) over to Miami University-Oxford for an hour of joint music making and a bit of pizza on Monday, April 18th.
And over they came. Over 75 high school musicians, under the direction of Paul Stanbery spent the late afternoon hobnobbing with members of the MUSO and MU music faculty and sitting down together to rehearse and play together under the batons of Stanbery and MUSO director Ricardo Averbach.
“It was a great experience for us all,” said Dorian Mohar, MUSO’s principal trumpet. “The GMYO players had a chance to play alongside more seasoned players, and we had the opportunity to meet and work with musicians with the same aspirations we had when we were in their shoes a few years ago.”
The joint ensemble worked on Variations on a Shaker Melody by Aaron Copland, the English Folk Song Suite of Ralph Vaughn Williams, and American Salute by Morton Gould.
The day after the event, Stanbery wrote in a note to music department chair Judith Delzell that “the music making was grand, and the connection between my kids, Miami students, and the tremendous turn out of the music department faculty was special. The goal, to make the music department – and especially the orchestra – a familiar and welcoming place for my kids was met ‘in spades’.”
The collaboration was the last event of the academic year for the GMYO, an affiliate of the Hamilton-Fairfield Symphony Orchestra (Now the Butler Philharmonic Orchestra), also conducted by Stanbery.
February 24th, 2011
MUSO HOSTS REGIONAL CONFERENCE OF CODA
The Miami University Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Ricardo Averbach, was in the spotlight February 19-20 as the host orchestra for the 2011 regional conference of the College Orchestra Directors Association (CODA) held on the MU-Oxford campus.
Organized by Averbach, president of CODA’s Northeast Division, the event hosted several sessions on performance practice, a retrospective on the legacy of conductor Max Rudolph, and several sessions on surviving and thriving in the current economic and technological environment in which we live.
“Of all the regional conferences (I have attended), this was by far the best,” writes conductor Jonathan Mitchell of Boston College, adding to a host of laudatory comments from other attendees. Accolades from Northern Kentucky University’s Frank Resteran referenced Averbach’s work as the organizer and musician, writing “…you are to be commended for your excellent organizational skill in addition to the highest level of musicianship and artistry that you always show. Your program is now a model to me. BRAVO!”
From Dr. Mark Hartman of Shippensburg University (Pennsylvania) came this note:
“I would like to let all know that the conference last weekend at Miami University was a great time. I want to applaud Ricardo Averbach for his efforts in making it useful and user-friendly, and people centered. It was also great to meet new people that are both serious professionals and warm human beings.”
MUSO concert.
A major highlight of the conference was the performance on Saturday evening by the MUSO, which included Iphigenia in Aulis Overture (Gluck/Wagner); Moldau by Smetana, Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloe, Suite No. 2; Gypsy Airs (Zigeunerweisen), by Sarasate, featuring guest violinist Daniel Guedes, and the premiere performance* of The Insects’ Martyrdom by Heitor Villa-Lobos, using a newly published critical edition produced by Averbach under a grant from Miami University’s Office for the Advancement of Research and Scholarship (OARS). Of the concert, Patricia Sparti of Gardner-Webb University wrote “FABULOUS CONCERT AND BRAVO TO YOU!!!!” (caps and exclamation points hers).
The conference brought to Miami University more than 30 college orchestra maestros from as far away as Utah, Texas, and Massachusetts.
For more about the conference, check out this article.
Click here for complete comments sent in by attendees of the conference.
Click here for the YouTube video of this performance.
September 10th, 2010
MUSO TO COLLABORATE WITH HAMILTON-FAIRFIELD SYMPHONY
The Miami University Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Ricardo Averbach, will give a joint performance with the Hamilton-Fairfield Symphony Orchestra (now the Butler Philharmonic), conducted by Paul Stanbery, at 8 p.m. Friday, October 8th, in Hall Auditorium. This is the first time that the Miami University Symphony Orchestra combines with a professional orchestra for a concert. (Full Story)
September 2nd, 2010
AVERBACH AWARDED HONOR DIPLOMA
Ricardo Averbach, associate professor of music and director of orchestral studies at Miami University, was awarded the First Honor Diploma at this year’s Masterplayers International Music Competition. (Full Story)
OCO TAKES 2ND PRIZE IN AMERICAN PRIZE COMPETITION
The Oxford Chamber Orchestra (OCO), under the direction of Ricardo Averbach, and consisting of students and faculty at Miami University, has taken second place in the American Prize Competition. It was announced this week by the event’s leadership. (Full Story)
July 13th, 2010
AVERBACH WINS MAJOR CONDUCTING PRIZE
Oxford – Maestro Ricardo Averbach, director of orchestral studies at Miami University and president of the College Orchestra Directors Association, Northeast division, has won The American Prize in Conducting in the college/university orchestra division. Averbach, at Miami since 2002, conducts the Miami University Symphony Orchestra and the Oxford Chamber Orchestra. He was one of 19 finalists for the prize. (Full Story)