Godwin's Tips on Speaking about Music

Godwin Friesen – Winner of the 2018 PianoArts Audience Communication Award

”I am seeking ways to integrate my many interests into performances that articulate something relevant and impactful to audiences.”  

Godwin's Tips – Speaking to Audiences about Music  

Godwin’s preparation for speaking about a piece of music begins with research, asking how the music creates meaning, and what the key listening points are. Following is an outline of his method of preparation: 

Research

• Study the notes in the score 
• Learn the history, on the internet and in books 
• Decide how the piece is unique and how the music creates meaning  
• Decide what information will get the audience listening 

Prepare

• Practice the talk  
• Memorize the key points  
• Avoid having a "memorized-sounding speech" by not planning exact sentences  
• Do plan the last sentence before sitting down at the piano

Perform

• Speak confidently 
•  Enjoy sharing

Godwin's love of music and speaking about music was nurtured by performing in the Friesen Family Band, which has recorded three albums and toured across Canada. His abilities to perform piano and speak to audiences grew to a new level when he began his studies at The Glenn Gould School. Currently, Godwin is in the senior class, studying piano with John O’Conor.  Godwin has performed with the Regina Symphony, Saskatoon Symphony, and Greater Toronto Philharmonic orchestras. His many awards, as a soloist and as a chamber musician, include winning second place with his piano quartet in The Glenn Gould School Chamber Competition. Godwin was recently honored to perform with Canada's Piano Six– New Generation and in the show, 88Keys, for Soulpepper Theater. His compositions have been performed by the Saskatoon Youth Orchestra and by the Junior Choir of the Phil and Eli Taylor Academy with Godwin as the conductor.  

Listen to Godwin's award winning presentation on the PianoArts Facebook page.

Questions for Godwin? Write your question in the comment section and he will respond.   

Watch for upcoming blogs about professional musicians who include conversations about music in their concerts and/or give other types presentations, such as pre-concert talks.  

Curiosity is the Beginning

When Aleksandra (Sasha) Kasman speaks about music, we become curious about a new discovery in a well-known piece of music. Or, if it is a piece we are hearing for the first time, we are curious about whether we will experience a musical mystery or an ”a-ha” moment. Did world events effect the music the composer was writing? 

From a very young age, Aleksandra enjoyed sharing her enthusiasm about music through piano performances and speaking about music. During the PianoArts 2014 competition, she began to hone her speaking skills through classes on musical content presented by coach Catherine Kautsky and her speaking and stage skills in classes presented by theater artists, such as actress Linda Stephens, a 2018 PianoArts competition coach. 

As a PianoArts fellow, Aleksandra took these skills to a new level through numerous performances for a vast variety of audiences in Milwaukee, as well as in Alabama, where she was pursuing her undergraduate degree, and in New York, where she was studying for her master's degree at The Juilliard School. Developing these skills takes time and practice, just as performing the piano does.

Aleksandra is curious about the musical journey and how the musical traveler begins and ends the journey. Sharing that curiosity during her award winning performances at the piano is making a difference in the numbers of people she draws to classical music. In addition to her loyal following of concert goers, she is bringing new listeners to our art form.

Upcoming blogs will feature the PianoArts competition’s Audience Communication Award

and PianoArts fellowships.   

Concert Conversations from the 2019 Festival

Highlights with John Schindler, Jacob Ertl, Aleksandra Kasman, & Sophia Jiang...

They spoke about composers, ballades and ballads, creepy nocturnal flutterers, stories told through music, and music written for stories. They illustrated their concert conversations with musical examples that sometimes scampered up and down the keyboard. They set the stage for exciting performances at the piano.  

Preparing for Concert Conversations

Jacob, Aleksandra, John, and Sophia are compelling award-winning pianists who have a passion about sharing the art form. They also have a passion about concert conversations that reveal fascinating stories and the inventive creative processes used by composers. 

As PianoArtists, during the North American and Wisconsin Youth Competitions, they were coached by musicologists and specialists who use the spoken word in performances. As fellows, they honed these skills while performing for diverse audiences.  

Watch for upcoming blogs about the coaching sessions provided by PianoArts that help outstanding pianists hone skills in concert conversations that project, engage, fascinate, and provide insights that will open the audience's ears to a superior listening experiences. 

Musicians On Stage with Actors

What do pianists gain from working with actors?

PianoArts alum, Professor Jacob Ertl has performed musical works with actors on several occasions. In a talk back following his performance of Igor Stravinsky's Firebird with actors Linda Stephens and Norman Moses narrating the story, Jacob discussed the artistry and his personal experience of collaborating with artists from different disciplines.  

"With the words, 'Once upon a time,' the actors set the mood for the musical story. The timbers and colors of their spoken voices set the stage for the music which I believe was more powerful because of the contrast." 

The collaboration affected the pacing, the way the actors and pianist projected the work to the audience, and the intensity of the drama. Even the silences became more dramatic. One of the members of the audience, who had not seen the ballet, was very excited about the interplay of the music and the narrative. For the first time, she fully experienced the drama of Stravinsky's music.  

Future PianoArts performances with narrators will include suites for piano arranged from opera and ballet scores. Programs will include Stravinsky's Petrouchka and Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker with a script based on the original tale by E. T. A. Hoffmann.

Listening Like the Pros

Michael Wu, Xiaoping Wang, Jr., and Chair of the Junior Jury, Andrew Cannestra

Reflections from the 2018 Junior Jury

Listening Takes Practice 

You might say that listening is the real job of a musician. The 2018 Junior Jury agrees. When Michael Wu (Left), Xiaoping Wang, Jr., and Andrew Cannestra returned to their piano studies this fall, they had ”like-new” ears. The previous June, they had listened intently for over 10 hours to pianists playing at the highest level. Their mission was to choose only one pianist for a prize. The pay-off was also for them. They are convinced that their higher level listening skills are making differences in their own performances.

How the 2018 Junior Jury Was Selected 

The 2018 Preliminary Jury (Jean Barr, Jacob Ertl, and Jeannie Yu) recommended the individuals for the jury. After listening to recordings by the applicants and ranking the performances at the top, the preliminary jury read about the applicants' experiences. Throughout this process, the three applicants were anonymous. Names were revealed only after the preliminary jury had made their decision.

From Individual Contributions to Teamwork

In June, the Junior Jury gathered for the first time. Each brought knowledge to their panel. They had performed and studied much of the repertory that the semifinalists were to play. Musical scores were available, and, from time to time, they consulted with their senior adviser, Shanti Daya.

Impartiality was key to the process. Andrew, Michael, and Xiaoping did not speak about the contestants until they had heard each perform. Talking to the Master Jury and the contestants was also out of bounds until the competition had ended. Finally, they had to agree. They chose Muzi Zhao.

Muzi Zhao, Junior Jury Prize Winner

Drawn to study piano at the early age of four, Muzi Zhao was eight when he was accepted into the Junior Music Program of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Currently, he is junior at Northwestern University, where he is pursuing a dual degree program of journalism and piano performance under the tutelage of James Giles. His programs for the 2018 PianoArts competition illuminated the connections of ancient and modern compositions that included Variations on a Theme by Corelli by Rachmaninoff.   Click Here to Listen to a Performance by Muzi on YouTube

Take-away from the Members of the Junior Jury

Andrew James Cannestra, Junior Jury Chair

More than anything else, what I took away from my experience serving on the PianoArts junior jury was understanding how to approach listening critically to music, not only with the contestants, but also applying some of the same concepts to my own practice and performance. After the first few contestants on the first day of the semifinal round, what exactly to listen for came more and more naturally, as paying attention to every single musical detail and comparing them to one another got harder and harder the more music I heard. But, at the same time, in deliberating with the other junior jurors, we couldn't just say "I thought this performance was the most compelling" and not have any specifics to support it. Striking this balance between listening for details, while also weighing overall impressions, helped to hone my ears to know what to pay attention for. In the weeks since I've been applying this same kind of critical listening to my own practicing. 

Other facets contributed significantly to the experience, most notably my master class with Peter Takács, one of the judges on the main jury... Overall, this experience was not only beneficial intellectually in furthering my musicianship, but also spiritually renewing in gaining a newfound inspiration for pursuing music at a high level.

I really felt like PianoArts is about more than just being a competition with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prize winners, but a platform to showcase young artists like all of the semifinalists, and the inclusion of a junior jury offers another opportunity to take advantage of the experience. For this opportunity I, as well as the others on the junior jury, am very grateful.

Michael Wu

Being a member of the junior jury was such an enriching experience for me. Apart from listening to so much great music by such talented pianists, I was able to make new friends, participate in a master class with the legendary Ann Schein, and get a true taste for what it's like to judge a very prestigious competition (such as PianoArts). Seeing so much talent in one place has since convinced me to work even harder in my pursuit of artistry, and the inside experience I gained by evaluating others' performances has greatly changed my approach in preparing for competitions and performances alike.

Xiaoping Wang, Jr. 

What I really liked about being a Junior Jury member was the commitment to attention that I had in listening to all of the spectacular finalists do their magic at the piano. It was definitely not the same as sitting back and listening to a typical recital. Listening carefully for over ten hours for two days was not exactly an easy task. But don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved the whole experience. Every single finalist had something to say at the piano, and paying close attention to every single detail really made me have a deeper understanding of the meaning of the music performed. Being a Junior Jury member, I was also offered to play in a master class and in recital following that. I had a master class with Ann Schein, and it was wonderful… 

I thoroughly enjoyed working and judging with my colleagues, Michael and Andrew…As for the Junior Jury award, we had to think for a bit, due to the fact that the level was high throughout and it was difficult for us to settle on one contestant, but in the end, we were satisfied with our choice. 

One very important thing that I learned from being a Junior Jury member is the importance of listening with intent, whether it's listening to someone else's performance or your own playing. That, I think, is the key to being able to make music at the highest level. Without careful listening, we would all just be playing notes, not the music. That being said, I will continue to listen with intent, regardless of whether I'm judging or not. 

Congratulations to the 2018 PianoArts North American Competition Prize Winners

WINNERS OF PIANOARTS 2016 BIENNIAL NORTH AMERICAN COMPETITION

1ST PLACE PRIZE WINNER-2016 PIANOARTS COMPETITION

Pianist Aristo Sham, age 20, a native of Hong Kong and student preparing for joint degrees at Harvard University and at the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studies with Victor Rosenbaum, was named the first place prize winner of $12,000 in the PianoArts 2016 Biennial North American Piano Competition on June 8, 2016. During the competition’s final round, Mr. Sham performed Maurice Ravel’s Concerto in G major with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra under the baton of PianoArts Music Director Andrews Sill. He also won the Audience Communication Award of $500 and the Best Performance of a Composition by Johann Sebastian Bach of $2,000. To be considered for these prizes, Mr. Sham performed two 45-minute recitals– a solo recital followed by an ensemble recital that included a duo with Scott Tisdel, Associate Principal Cellist with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.

During his elementary and secondary school years, Artisto Sham attended Harrow School in the United Kingdom. While there, he had the opportunity to perform, on several occasions, for the Royal family and was featured in the documentary, The World’s Greatest Musical Prodigies, broadcast in the UK on Channel 4. He has won several international competitions and has performed in the United Kingdom, China, Portugal, Argentina, Slovenia, Morocco, and throughout the United States.

2ND PLACE PRIZE WINNER - 2016 PIANOARTS COMPETITION

The second place prize of $6,000 was awarded to Angie Zhang, age 20, from Princeton, New Jersey. Ms. Zhang studies with Professor Yoheved Kaplinsky at The Juilliard School. She also won the prize for the Best Performance of a Violin or Cello Duo of $500.

3RD PLACE PRIZE WINNER - 2016 PIANOARTS COMPETITION

The third place prize of $4,000 went to John Schindler, age 17, from Hartland, Wisconsin, a student of Alan Chow at the Music Institute of Chicago. He also won the Wisconsin Contestant Award of $750 and another prize for the Best Performance of a Violin or Cello Duo of $500.

Semifinalist Linda Ruan, age 18, a native of Surrey, British Columbia, and student of James Anagnoson at the Glenn Gould School in Toronto, won $500 for the Best Performance of an America Work, and the Junior Jury Prize of $300.

Evelyn Mo, age 17, from Oak Hill, Virginia, a student with John O’Conor, was awarded a scholarship, valued at $1,500, to attend the 2017 International Keyboard Institute and Festival in New York City. Recipients of music from Hal Leonard Company were presented to Evelyn Mo, Linda Ruan, and Seho Young, age 18, a student of Francine Kay at Princeton University, from Dedham, Massachusetts.

Each semifinalist also was awarded $1,000 as a Listener’s Appreciation Gift. Semifinalists were JeongMin Kim, age 18, a student of Yoheved Kaplinsky at The Juilliard School from Corona, New York; Yuan Liu, age 19, a student with John Owings at Texas Christian University, from Taiyuan City, China; Evelyn Mo from Oak Hill, Virginia; Linda Ruan from Surrey, British Columbia; Harvey Zhi Yiang Wu, age 20, a student at Columbia University who studies piano with Martin Canin at The Juilliard School, from Beijing, China; and Seho Young from Dedham, Massachusetts.