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spotlight on schools ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ DECEMBER 2006Currently bookingPerformances and Education Programs through 2008Clinics & MasterclassesImprovisation • Lead Playing • Private and Group Lessons • Rhythm Section CoachingJ-Harris and Friends Debut MusicWith a Conscious Message At CCNYBy Richard KaganIt was billed as the “official launch” of theMusic With a Conscious Message Movement ona recent Saturday night. J-Harris, singer, songwriterand dancer, and his talented friends, tookthe stage at the Marian Andersen Theatre on theCity College of New York campus in uptownManhattan and rocked the house with songs ofpassion, beautifully crafted pieces of spokenword, and words of love, and judging from thereception of those in the audience, the movementmay well be on its way.Harris, the visionary behind Music with aConscious Message (MCM), believes you cancommunicate through song and music to uplift,not to degrade or demean anyone.The concertaptly filled that purpose. Harris followed someopening acts before intermission to sing “AprilShowers” –a song about romantic love and thepassion that comes with it. Harris sang” If youever feel lonely, you can call…I’ll April Showeryou with my love.” In the song “Dance WithMe,” Harris seems to be looking for a girl whohe just can’t find. He searches for her but shedances just out of his reach. The J-Harris dancersperformed tight choreography with greatenergy, warmth, and charisma. While introducinghis popular “Everything is Gonna Be Alright,”Harris told of getting a letter from a womangoing through a divorce and she found inspirationlistening to the record. It’s a song of hopeJazz FestivalsEnsemble Adjudication • Ensemble WorkshopsLecturesComposing and Arranging • Jazz History • Music Business • Women in JazzVisit our website at www.divajazz.com or call(877) DIVA-JAZZ for a press kit and videoand believing that things do turn out alright, ifwe just have a little faith. Harris sings: “You canhave everything/Believe in Love” “We’ll make itthrough the day.” Harris worked the crowd like apro and he is a talent to be noticed.Aisha Aakiya opened the concert with a solidrendition of “The Greatest Love of All,” andshowed great vocal range on the classic “MyFunny Valentine.” Harris is producing DavidHomyk, a college friend from the University ofVirginia, who showed some rock and soul pipeson “Get Off My Soul.”Lite S.I.N. (Something Instead of Nothing)rapped with a positive message and even handedout roses to the ladies in the crowd. He said: “Ifyou’re family’s tight, say I’m good! Another rapwas about “How bad do you wanna be good?He asked the audience to raise their hands andshape their fingers to an “L” to represent loveand light.One of the highlights of the evening was aspoken word performance by Messiah, a threetime winner of “Showtime at the Appollo.” Thenative of Trinidad took the stage, and wovestream of consciousness from a higher plane. Hespoke of using the mind to “escape from my trainof thought.” And letting that mind take him to a“safety zone.”Messiah really got the crowd going with hispersonal diatribe entitled “I got a Right.” It was ariveting narrative on his being his own person inMUSIC, ART & DANCEThe Salzburg Festival, 2006A Feast of Mozartby irving spitzThis year is the 250th anniversary of Mozart’sbirth and Salzburg rolled out the red carpet in itsannual Festival to honor its most illustrious localson. Mozart’s happy memories of his home townwere few and far between. Salzburg has treatedhim far better in death than life. In his last seasonas Festival artistic director, Peter Ruzicka stagedall 22 of Mozart’s operas. Seven of these arewell known; most of the others are very rarelyperformed. There was thus a unique opportunityfor both the casual opera lover as well as the connoisseurto listen, enjoy and understand why mostof Mozart’s operas are not performed.Throughout his career, Mozart explored thethree main operatic genres current at the time.The singspiel, a German-language musical drama,has spoken dialogue along with musical numbers.Opera seria consists of recitatives and arias witha plot generally based on Greek mythology orRoman history. Its counterpoint, opera buffa,revolves around comedy with simple plots. Boththe latter are sung in Italian.Lucia Silla composed at the age of 16 years wasone of his earliest opera seria. This relates thestory of the Roman dictator, Sulla (Lucia Silla)who banished the Senator Cecilio since he desiresthe latter’s wife. The production was by incomingfestival artistic director Jurgen Flimm. The mainaction was played out at center stage but its effectwas lost since Christian Bussmann’s clutteredstaging filled out both sides with so many propsand supernumeraries that it was distracting. Thisopera has mainly solo arias with few duets andensembles. Nevertheless even in this early work,Mozart’s mastery of the voice was very evident.In some of the arias, one could hear the precursorsof his last great opera seria, Clemenza deTito. Particularly effective was soprano AnnickMassis, who took the role of Giunia, the subjectan ever-changing world. Popular rapper Doug E.Fresh entertained the crowd along with Master ofCeremonies Dr. Benjamin Chavis, a noted civilrights activist. Dr. Chavis said “Movements getstarted in Harlem and tonight is about music,but it’s about music with a conscious message.It’s about young people themselves taking theinitiative.”#of Lucio’s desires. She pulled off her horrendouslydifficult arias with aplomb.In a brilliant twist, director, Thomas Reichert,united the plots of two short works, Bastien andBastienne, his first singspiel composed whenhe was 12 years old with The Impressario (DerSchauspieldirektor) which was composed in thesame year as the Marriage of Figaro. This productionwas presented in conjunction with theSalzburg Marionette Theatre and puppets werecleverly integrated into the production. In DerSchauspieldirektor, an impresario deals with thevanity of two competing sopranos who are bothultimately hired to sing the role of the shepherdessBastienne. Bastienne is falsely told by the wilyColas (who also takes the part of the impresario’sassistant) that her lover Bastien has deserted her.This production was probably one of the mostinteresting and innovative in the festival.Two incomplete opera buffo fragments composedby Mozart three years before Figaro, LoSposo Deluso (The Deluded Bridegroom), whichdetails the travails of a deluded bridegroom andL’Oca del Cairo (The Goose from Cairo) about agirl imprisoned in a tower by her father, sufferedfrom weak plots and librettos. Director JoachimSchlomer got round this by having a master ofceremonies in a non-singing role explaining theintricacies of the plots. Despite glorious ensemblesand melodies from the mature Mozart, theseoperas never achieved popularity.Thus poor plots and inadequate librettos explainwhy so many of Mozart’s operas are unknown.This emphasizes the vital contribution of thelibrettist to the ultimate success of the opera.Difficult vocal requirements producing castingdifficulties are probably another factor. Mozart’sbest known operas performed at the festival willbe reviewed next month.#Did you knowwww.EducationUpdate.comgets 2 million hits per month?For advertising banners,animated & stationary,email us: ednews1@aol.comPhilosophy Day School is a unique andinnovative school providing students witha rich classical education and emphasizinga love for the pursuit of wisdom and thedevelopment of exceptional character.Join us for an Open House and experiencethe joy and vibrancy of a PhilosophyDay School education. Meet withour headmaster, speak with currentparents and visitour classes.Nursery - Grade 4Open Houses2007 - 2008 school year:Wednesdays 8:30 AM - 9:30 AMSeptember 13th - December 13th(except November 1st and November 22)212 744-730012 East 79th Street,New York, NY 10021www.philosophyday.org