San Francisco Mandolin Orchestra
New Music Competition for Golden Gate Bridge 75th Anniversary

The Competition Begins!

The San Francisco Mandolin Orchestra announces a competition for new compositions for the orchestra in celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the building of the Golden Gate Bridge (see www.goldengatebridge75.org).  We are asking composers to write a new piece as a tribute to this magnificent structure.  Compositions should be arranged for our orchestra and will be played by the orchestra in April to June, 2012.  The winning piece will be recorded for circulation to various media including radio and television.

“Much of our music was written several centuries ago by people who told us about their lives and their world using emotions captured by the music,” said Nicola Swinburne Bocus, SFMO’s Artistic Director.  “We want to show how it can capture today’s sensations about events in our lives, and be performed on the instruments we play today.”

The San Francisco Mandolin Orchestra is a 20 to 25-member strong community orchestra, with a mixture of mandolins, mandolas, octave mandolins, mandocello, guitar, and bass. It functions both as a plucked string version of the more common, bowed string orchestra, but also differs in the additional chordal and rhythmic capacities of the instruments, and the use of tremolo and other mandolin-specific techniques.

Details of the competition were announced on the San Francisco Mandolin Orchestra website, www.sfmandolin.org, on August 1, 2011.  The judges of the final three compositions are: Tony Kaye, Keith Harris, and Carlo Aonzo. The orchestra will decide the winner out of three finalists.  Information is available about the format for submission of entries, composition duration, and information on how to arrange for our mandolin orchestra. The deadline for receipt of entries will be January 31, 2012.

The required composition length is 3 to 8 minutes.  The initial submission will consist of a score and a written description of the connection between the composer’s music and the Bridge. The pieces will be reviewed by a panel of 3 judges who will choose three from all the entries.  The three will then be played by the orchestra during rehearsals April to May 2012 and the winner and runners up chosen by the orchestra members at the first concert in May.  Prizes will be: $1200 (1st prize); $300 (2nd prize); and $100 (3rd prize).

Please email San Francisco Mandolin Orchestra New Music Secretary, Nicola Bocus at newmusicinfo@sfmandolin.org if you are interested, and sign up for competition updates through the competition mailing list at www.sfmandolin.org/newmusic.shtml.

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The Stockton Symphony
announces

AUDITIONS
Sunday, October 30, 2011
For the following tenure-track position:
PRINCIPAL VIOLA
Candidates: please be advised that second-round auditions will be held the same day. Please send resume and refundable $35 deposit to:
Stockton Symphony Association
1024 W. Robinhood Dr., Suite 1,
Stockton, CA 95207

Upon receipt of these items, qualified applicants will be sent excerpts and notification of scheduled audition times will be by telephone or email at least 48 hours prior to auditions. Audition repertoire is listed on our website: www.stocktonsymphony.org.

Application deadline:
October 20, 2011
48-hour cancellation notification required.
Refunds will be mailed five days following auditions.

Joanna L. Pinckney ~ Personnel Manager ~ jpinckney@stocktonsymphony.org

Auditions are anonymous and screened. The Stockton Symphony is California’s third-oldest professional orchestra, whose season includes five pairs of Classics Concerts, a Pops series, and three pairs of Steppin’ Out concerts for fourth and fifth graders. Music Director Peter Jaffe will enter his seventeenth season with the Stockton Symphony in 2011-2012. He served for fourteen seasons as resident conductor at the Aspen Music Festival and is in increasing demand as a guest conductor. Maestro Jaffe has been credited with launching a period of sustained artistic growth.

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The Corte Madera Town Band

is now recruiting for the fall-winter season.

Conductor – Paid Position

Fine players -
enthusiasts for concert band music

Teachers -
great experience for your better students

Rehearsals -
Thursdays 7:15 PM in Corte Madera

Contact -
Jack Tyler, President
tylberg@comcast.net
415-927-2500 – phone
415-927-2540 – fax

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MENTORING OPPORTUNITY

The Association of Instructors of Music (AIM), a service organization of music teachers employed by the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), in conjunction with Local 6 has developed a program for seasoned musicians who wish to volunteer to be mentors in the San Francisco Public Schools. These woodwind, brass, percussion, or string players would attend band or orchestra classes, get to know the students, and play along as a member of the ensemble. No specialized teaching skills are required. The students in SFUSD orchestras and jazz ensembles would benefit by having your positive example of playing to emulate. Mentors can contribute as much or as little time to the mentorship program as they wish, but, times being what they are, everyone who volunteers in the SFUSD schools is required to be fingerprinted by the school district at no charge to the volunteer. If you would like to get in touch with what is happening musically in our elementary, middle, or high schools in this way, please contact:

Richard Frazier (Local 6 member)
415.334.2787
frazier7747@comcast.net