Category: From Our Director

Want to stay “in touch” with PTSO conductor, Maestro Tigran Arakelyan? He is a regular on social media where he shares his thoughts and musings about music, musicians, philosophy, conducting, his goals and insights, his family, and just about everything else.

Instagram: tigran_arakelyan
Twitter: @TigranArakelyan
Facebook: Tigran Arakelyan

On his podcasts, Off The Podium, he speaks with conductors, composers and musicians about music and the musical life (taken very broadly). These 25 to 30 minutes conversations are insightful, thought provoking, fun and always include laughter. Off The Podium can be found on Stitcher, iTunes, YouTube, Google Podcasts, etc. Or go to the podcast website: Off The Podium

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By Anne Midgette Classical music critic October 1

Classical music isn’t always welcoming to newcomers. People who dare to ask questions about the genre tend to preface them with a lot of apologies for their own ignorance and for how stupid they assume their question is going to sound. But once we get past that, there’s one question I hear again and again.

Why does an orchestra need a conductor? And what, exactly, does a conductor do?

It’s not a stupid question. Plenty of people ask it. Whole books have been written on the topic, such as John Mauceri’s recent “Maestros and Their Music,” one conductor’s smart and engaging view of the art. Musicians joke about it — warning colleagues not to look at a conductor they dislike, since his podium antics may prove a distraction to playing the music. Then there are orchestras that play without conductors, including the New York-based Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Such groups sound very good, but when I hear them play with a soloist, I often come away feeling that something is missing.

Click on link to read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/what-does-a-conductor-do-anyway-a-music-critic-lays-it-out/2019/10/01/5205df24-decb-11e9-be96-6adb81821e90_story.html

CONGRATULATIONS TO

MAESTRO TIGRAN & BAHRIG ARAKELYAN!

Welcome to

Tigran and Bahrig Arakelyan’s beautiful son, Arshak!

We wish all the best to Mama, Papa and child and hope you can find even a little time to rest before the rehearsal season starts on September 3!

CONGRATULATIONS!

It has been another wonderful year of music making with the orchestra and a you to present these performances to the enthusiastic audiences in Port Townsend, Jefferson County, and the region. Always happy and grateful for your presence, support, and encouragement.

I have always been fascinated with composers and pieces that are not often heard and this program is an example.

The Afro-American Symphony by William Grant Still is the first symphony composed by an African-American composer. It was, in his time, performed by a number of leading American orchestras but has not been regularly performed in the past few decades.

The Overture by Fanny Mendelssohn is the only orchestra-alone work she wrote, although she has written several oratorios. The Overture was not published until 1994, almost 150 years after her death. For this reason, the Overture is only available for rental if an orchestra is interested in performing it. This is yet another reason to support our orchestra: so we can keep playing pieces that are rarely heard.

Continue reading “CONCERT: FORGOTTEN HEROES”