Children's Book Recommendation: Shy Fellow

Dear Friends,
I hope this finds you well.

Today, I'd like to recommend you a children's book called I know a Shy Fellow Who Swallowed a Cello by Barbara S. Garriel and illustrated by John O'Brien.

In this book, a fellow swallows a cello and all kinds of other instruments to jam together. Illustrations are fun(ny) and mesmerizing, and the rhymes are extremely catchy. My son thinks this fellow is funny and giggles along as I read.

If you have a small child in your life, this may be a good gift for the Holidays!

Here is a link to this book on amazon (please make sure you're using the "smile.amazon.com" to support your favorite organization- CSO!) :

Shy Fellow Cello

Also, I found a music teacher's blog that has recommended activities to go with the book:

http://beccasmusicroom.com/shy-fellow-swallowed-cello/


I hope you, your kids/grandkids enjoy this as much as we do!

Stay healthy.

Best,

Kayoko

Happy Thanksgiving!

 Dear Friends,

I hope you and yours are having a safe and happy Thanksgiving week.

I wanted to say my personal "thanks" to all of you for your continued support of the CSO. I would also like to thank 

1. my staff for their tireless effort and their flexibility for this unusual season. 

2. the Board of Directors for believing in the importance of live performance in our community,

3. the musicians for their contributions and their artistry,

4. the donors for helping us share our music to the community,

5. our patrons for joining us this season, and

6. wonderful venues for hosting us this season. 

Please take care of yourself, and I hope to see you all in December!

Best,

Kayoko

p.s. here is a little greeting from my dog Tomo

Book Recommendation: The Piano Shop on the Left Bank

A few weeks ago, Don McDowell, the chair of CSO's Board of Directors, urged me to read Thad Carhart's The Piano Shop on the Left Bank. I was surprised that I had never heard of this book, then I realized I was too busy being a student when it was published in 2000.

In this memoir, Carhart recounts how his love for piano reignited due to an encounter at a piano shop in his neighborhood in Paris. It is as though we are getting an exclusive and private tour of Paris, where most tourists will never get to experience. 

This book had a few effects on me:

1. It motivated me to pull out my copy of Hanon and a few of my childhood piano books of sonatinas and sonatas. I have actually been practicing my electric (I know, yuck) piano consistently for the last few weeks. Much to the dismay of my son and our sweet dog Tomo, I hope this habit sticks!

2. It reminded me how important early exposure to music is to children.

3. I REALLY want to go back to Paris! When this pandemic is over, I would really like to take a trip to Paris and roam around small neighborhoods.

I hope you enjoy this book as much I did.

Happy Reading!

Kayoko

Musical Conversation: Composer David Sartor

Dear Friends,

On November 14th and 15th, we are performing two works for harp and string orchestra, Debussy's Danses sacree et danse profane and Mahler's Adagietto from Symphony No. 5, featuring CSO's Principal Harpist Caroline Hudson. Additionally, we are performing David Sartor's Black Ball Counts Double, which was written as an homage to composer's grandmother and her bagatelle game. We are also continuing Beethoven's 250th celebration with his Sextet for 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, and 2 horns.

The other day, I had an opportunity to chat with the composer David Sartor about his work. Take a look:

For more information on David and his works, visit his site www.davidsartor.com/index.html

For more information on our upcoming concerts, visit our site at www.chattanoogasymphony.org

Hope to see you then!

Best,

Kayoko

Musical Conversation: Composer Kenyon Wilson

Dear Friends,

I hope this finds you well.

On Veteran's Day, CSO Brass Ensemble will perform patriotic works under the direction of CSO Assistant Conductor Ismael Sandoval. One of the works is my personal favorite: Five by Kenyon Wilson. This work was written in response to 2015 terrorist attack in Chattanooga. CSO has performed this powerful work a number of times, both in full orchestra and brass ensemble versions.

Here is the conversation I had with Kenyon about this work:

To find out more about Kenyon's works, please visit his website: http://www.kenyonwilson.com/index.php

For information on the concert, visit CSO's website at chattanoogasymphony.org

Hope to see you then!

Best,

Kayoko