RACHEL BUCHMAN is a native New Yorker. She has sung at New York's Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors Festival, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., for DaCamera of Houston, and in many other cities. Her six albums, on Rounder Records and A Gentle Wind labels, include: Shine Little Candles – a Grammy Awards semi-finalist (2001); Sing a Song of Seasons – named one of Six Best Recordings by Sesame Street Parents Magazine (1997); and Hello Everybody! Playsongs and Rhymes from a Toddler's World – winner of The American Library Association, Parents' Choice and Oppenheim Toy awards. She was invited to contribute to the composite album, Hear and Gone in 60 Seconds, with Ella Jenkins and many other artists. The album has won more than 8 awards and was a Grammy Awards semi-finalist (2003). Miss Buchman’s rhymes are used on Scholastic’s “Circle Time Sing-Along.” Her book, Jewish Holiday Songs for Children, was published by Mel Bay (1997). She has published articles in the “American Dalcroze Journal” and “HAAEYC Advocate.”
Miss Buchman has narrated with the Houston Symphony Orchestra, Carlos Prieto conductor (December 2004). She collaborates regularly with Larry Rachleff, music director of the Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra. In 2007 she wrote and performed an original introduction to and narration for Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, which included a reading of Goethe’s ballad, Der Zauberlehrling, in an English translation that Miss Buchman helped to prepare. Other young people’s concerts include Benjamin Britten’s A Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra (2004), Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf (2005) and an entirely original narration for Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite (Ma Mère l’Oye) in 2006, in collaboration with Canadian conductor, Daniel Myssyk. This spring Miss Buchman will prepare and execute the education program for the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra.
Her chamber music performances include John Cage's Wonderful Widow of Eighteen Springs and ten selections from his 62 Mesostics re Merce Cunningham; the latter performed for the new music ensemble, Barmusic, in its opening concert (2003). She has had original music composed for her narrations by Troy Wayne, (Gorey, five stories by Edward Gorey); by percussionist Matt McClung, (Rudyard Kipling's "How the Whale Got His Throat," and "How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin"); and most recently, by composer Dan Sedgwick, (narrating and singing three Margaret Wise Brown stories, including Goodnight Moon). In the spring of 2007, Miss Buchman will narrate the world premiere of Shel Silverstein’s “The Giving Tree,” music by Dan Sedgwick, with the Keene Chamber Orchestra.
As a voice-over artist you can hear Miss Buchman regularly on radio, television, anime and industrial cd-roms. She wrote and narrated a program about the Suzuki violin repertoire for KUHF, Houston's National Public Radio and classical music station. She is presently performing and researching music for a documentary film in progress, Alligator-Horses, by Brian Huberman, about American society in the 1830’s. In February, 2007, she appeared in a leading role in the world premiere of the musical, A Talmud Tale.
For 25 years, Miss Buchman has taught music to young people, from toddlers to doctoral students, of every social and ethnic background, across the United States, in Germany, England and Israel. She has presented teacher workshops nationwide for the National Association for the Education of Young Children, Houston Grand Opera, Project Grad, Young Audiences, the Children's Museum of Houston, the Bureau of Jewish Education, and other organizations. She has intermittently been working with the neurologist, Dr. Ron Tintner, on researching the high level of musical intuitiveness found in young children. She is also researching the positive effects that making music and moving to music have on the brain.
Miss Buchman earned her bachelor’s degree in drama, Phi Beta Kappa, Cum Laude, from Vassar College. She is completing her certification in Dalcroze eurhythmics, from the Longy School of Music, studying with Lisa Parker and Anne Farber. She also studied with Dr. Hilda M. Schuster at the Dalcroze School of Music in New York, and at Carnegie Mellon. She has studied voice with Kathleen Kaun.
Rachel Buchman is a lecturer in music at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music, and Head of the Young Children's Division of the Michael P. Hammond Preparatory Program. She was invited by the former Dean Michael Hammond to design and establish the program in 2000. Using her own methods and those of Emile Jaques-Dalcroze, she trains Brown Fellow graduate students to develop the intuitive musicianship of young children, and teaches children’s classes herself. Through the JUMP In-reach concert program she teaches classical musicians innovative approaches to presenting art music to children and adults, and she coaches musicians in the art of the spoken word, a skill increasingly in demand for musicians performing contemporary compositions.
To read more about Rachel's work at the Shepherd School, begin at:
http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~musi/preparatory/young_children.html
|
Jim Sharrock, 2nd oboe/English horn with the Keene Chamber Orchestra, grew up in Virginia, the oldest of 5 children. He earned a Bachelor and Master’s of Music degree at Louisiana State University, studying with Earnie Harrison. His first professional job was Principal Oboe with the Baton Rouge Symphony. He also had the honor of playing with the New Orleans Philharmonic and New Orleans Ballet. Other highlights include The Ohio Light Opera Company, and performing Jean Francaix’s “The Flower Clock” (for oboe and orchestra). Locally, Keene Chamber Orchestra, Monadnock Chorus, and Raylynmor Opera are frequent opportunities for a musical “fix”; he’s on the part-time faculty at Franklin Pierce College. He also has the honor of conducting the 2 year-new Community Band of Harrisville.
 At LSU he met his wife Cheryl, an excellent pianist in the grad program. For family reasons, they migrated north to NY state and then NH (now Harrisville), where Jim’s first winter was spent trying to keep warm... long-john’s required at all times! Jim and Cheryl are the Worship Directors at Jaffrey Bible Church, and they do many weddings and concerts. Their homeschooled children Miriam(17) and Christopher(13) are musicians as well, joining their parents for concerts in recent months.
For income, Jim is currently a self-employed carpenter, doing mostly renovation/repair work on older homes. This summer he hopes to defy the “shoe-maker rule”... and actually finish his own family’s house --its only been in process for 18 years, but who’s counting?
Jim loves playing in the KCO, and is often blown-away by the level of musicality that a mostly volunteer community orchestra achieves. He is excited to be playing The Swan of Tuonela, one of the few major pieces for solo English Horn and orchestra. |
 Originally from Worcester, MA, Dan Sedgwick is currently pursuing his doctorate in composition at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music. A graduate of Harvard (A.B.) and Rice (M.M.), he has composed for both acoustic chamber ensembles and electronic media, and has studied with Bernard Rands, Elliott Gyger, Mario Davidovsky, Shih-Hui Chen, Kurt Stallmann, Anthony Brandt, and Karim Al-Zand. While The Giving Tree marks Dan’s first experience of working with Shel Silverstein’s words, Dan has previously set music to children’s stories of Margaret Wise Brown (Wait Til the Moon is Full, The Dead Bird, and Goodnight Moon).
Dan's recent activities include serving as Composer-In-Residence at the 2006 Apple Hill Summer Chamber Music Festival in New Hampshire, as well as completing a trio of residencies for the Worcester Public Schools in 2005, ’06, and’07, running week-long composition/performance workshops for students of the Music Magnet Program of Burncoat High School.
Also a dedicated pianist, Dan currently studies piano with Jeanne Kierman-Fischer, and his past teachers include Eric Stumacher, Mark Manuel, and Sima Kustanovich. He has spent his last ten summers rehearsing and performing chamber music at the Apple Hill Summer Festival, and is eagerly looking forward to the next one!
|
