Campanella Choir returns to Northbrook Library’s Parisian Salon series

On February 5, the Campanella Children’s Choir returned to the Northbrook Public Library to take part in an evening of Latin-American music and jazz.

Just like last year, the concert is part of the Parisian Salon concert series. Founded by Didier Lepauw, a former First Violinist of the Paris Symphony, the series was designed to evoke the Paris salons of the old, where composers played privately for select group of patrons. Originally hosted in Chicago, the concert series made its home in Northbrook Library for the past few years.

For the February 5 concert, we performed a selection of jazz pieces, pieces of from American musicals and Latin-American songs. Some of the selections were performed included music by George Gershwin, Harry Morgan and Mack Gordon, Heitor Villa-Lobs, Albert Hernandez, as well as original compositions by Chicago area musician Michael Sytchev.

The piano duet Natalia Kogan and Diana Kofman,.who have frequently collaborated with Campanella in the past, performed Gershwin’s "Rhapsody in blue". Sytchev performed pieces by Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos.

We are happy to say that we got an enthusiastic response. Dr. Patricia Scherer, head of the Rolling Meadows based International Center on Deafness and Art Through Education, said that she was impressed with the quality of the performance.

“Children performed so passionately and so melodically,” she said. “The music poured out from every performance. The kids’ singing was truly heartfelt and soulful.”

Campanella also got a nice e-mail from resident Jack Jalove. He wrote that he realized that our choir would be performing, but he was pleasantly surprised by what he heard.

“The youngsters were marvelously professional, and I took from them every bit the appreciation any "grown-up" could have presented, indeed.,” he wrote. “And I know just enough about piano to have been VERY impressed by the accompaniment contributed. Plus the classical guitarist was quite simply quite impressive as well. All in all, a quite unexpected treat, the only regret being I left early but the time spent til was as I say, a treat. Thank you and continued success teaching tomorrow's artists today.”

Spring Party at Campanella

`On Saturday, March 7, the Campanella Educational Center held a spring party filled with music, art and treats.

During the party, we put on a multimedia performance that has become our hallmark, pairing the music by Sergei Rachmaninoff with paintings by Mikhail Vrubel, Isaac Levitan and Pavel Fedotov. In doing so, we tried to show how the artists were informed by music and written word. Vrubel drew upon the Russian folklore and myths in general, while Fedotov gave a satiric take on the lives of Russia's early-19th century middle class. We also hoped that our event will help bring people together.

Each painting we displayed was paired with one of Rachmaninoff's pieces, which each piece chosen to match the mood of the painting. Vrubel's "Demons." for example, was paired  with a fragment from Rachmaninoff's "Six Moments."

During the performance, we also recreated "The Major's Marriage Proposal," one of Fedotov's most iconic paintings.

The Major's Marriage Proposal by Pavel Fedotov

Our recreation

After the performance ended, we had outselves some bliny - traditional Russian pancakes similar to crepes. Nicole Koutun, Sophia Korobov, Stella Golod, Talia Kasman made the bliny, while others brought stuffing. Alexandra Lodkin brought jam, Alice Kreston and Elli Fomin brought Nutella, Anna Starobinets, Alice Kapmar and Dorina Snezhkov brought fruits and berries, and Sonya Privin brought cake. And, for those who don't like bliny, we had plenty of other food

You can see more pictures of the event at our Facebook page.

Campanella Receives Young Singers Foundation Grant

Campanella Choir took part in last year's Festival of Gold

The Campanella Children's Choir received a $500 grant from the Young Singers Foundation.

The grant will be used to help the choir attend this year's Festival of Gold. The annual event brings together choirs from all over United States. Each choir gets one-on-one coaching and advice from renowned adjudicators and conductors. The choirs also get to perform at some of the most prestigious venues in the country. You can read about our experience at last year's festival here.

The Young SingersFoundation is a non-profit organization that works to help kids and teenagers participate in music programs. They believe that music is a vital part of education, allowing them to develop creativity, increase their self-worth and learn self-discipline and teamwork. They set up grants and a scholarship to give the talented kids opportunities to get musical education they would otherwise never get. Every year, hundreds of organizations from all across United States applied, but we're among the lucky ones to get it. We are proud and honored to be able to say that. 

While the grant will go a long way toward helping us attend the Festival of Gold, it won't cover everything. Join Young Singers Foundation in supporting Campanella's journey to the festival. If you are interested in donating to us – or if you know someone who might be able to donate to us – please don't hesitate to contact us.

Campanella Children’s Choir Brings Music, Poetry to Nortbrook Library

Campanella choristers sing at the Northbrook Library

There wasn’t a free seat in the house as Campanella Children’s Choir, the Chicago Trio and guitarist Mikhail Sytchev got ready for an Evening of Music and Poetry.

 

For poems, we drew upon the classical tradition as well, using poems by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Robert Frost, William Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson and William Wordsworth. In a slightly more contemporary touch, we used Morning by Leonid Aronzon as a final poem.

Guitarist Mikhai Sytchev

Some pieces were performed entirely by the Chicago Trio (guitarist Natalya Chernysh, cellist Irene Schweizer and piaonist Diana Kofman). Sytchev performed some pieces solo. Some of the pieces featured individual choir members performing solo, while others had the choir perform together. And for some songs, all of the musicians and singers at the concert joined together to perform something beautiful.

The Chicago Trio

It was the notion of joining together that inspired Campanella Choir Artistic Director Marianna Kosaya and art historian Tanya Ilina to out together a concert that featured both music and poetry. Kosaya explained that poetry and music are intrinsically intertwined, informing and inspiring each other. Together, they could lead to something that’s greater than the sum of its parts.  

Parisian Salon Concert Series founder Didier Lapauw introduced Campanella Choir

The concert was part of the Parisian Salon Concerts series, which runs monthly at the Nortbrook Library. The series was founded by Didier Lepauw, a former first violinist at the Paris Symphony. Lepauw wanted to put together a concert series that took inspiration from the salons of old and showcased talented musicians from across Chicago area. The Campanella Choir was honored to be a part of it.

And, by the looks of things, the audience enjoyed it, too. There were so many people attending that some of them had to stand. And when the concert ended, the entire room erupted in thunderous applause.

Our Evening of Music and Poetry was a great event, and we have many more in store. Please visit our Facebook page to follow the latest information about our upcoming events.

Pushkin's Fairy Tales Concert (With Music By Rimsky-Korsakov) Celebrates the Power of Timeliness Stories

On December 20, the St. Giles Episcopal Church was transformed into a fairytale kingdom as Campanella Children's Choir's younger choristers performed to the music based on fairy tales written by acclaimed Russian poet and writer Alexander Pushkin.

Campanella Choir performs at Puskin's Fairy Tales concert

Pushkin is widely regarded as one of Russia's greatest poets and one of the founders of Russian literature. A writer since the age of 15, he wrote hundreds of poems and novels. Most Russian children grew up hearing their parents read Pushkin's fairy tales. But the distinguished author remains unknown to many Americans.

With the Puskin's Fairy Tales concert, Campanella Children's Choir set out to bring the beauty Pushkin's verse and share it with the community.

Campanella Choir Alumni Stop By, Inspire Current Students

A couple of Campanella Choir alumni stopped by for a visit last Saturday during rehearsals.

The Campanella Choir is always happy to have our former students stop by for a visit. The alumni attended our regular rehearsals, and they sang a bit for the kids.

"It was a great experience," said Marianna Kosaya, Campanella's Artistic Director. "Our kids were listening to them sing, and they were enthralled."

Campanella Educational Center to Host Open House

As we gear up for an exciting 2014-2015 school year, Campanella Educational Center is going to host an open house on Saturday, August 23.

The Open House will give the parents a chance to talk to our instructors and ask them any questions they might have. It will also give children a chance to try out some of our programs, just to see if they'll like them.

Our sample programs will include our Children's Choir program, as well as our Art, Art History, and Russian Language classes.  Each class will last 15 - 20 minutes and will be organized between two age groups. The first age group will be made up of kids ages 4-6, and our second group would be made up of ages 7-12.

 The Open House will take place at St Giles Church (3025 Walters Avenue, Northbrook, IL). Everyone who is interested in our programs is welcome to attend, but ask you to RSVP as soon as posssible.

You can RSVP by e-mail, or call us at (847) 361-7989

We are planning a fruitful, academically rich year, and we hope that you would be part of it. We hope to see you at the open house.

Treble Choir Kids Lend Their Voices to a Worthwhile Cause

The Boston-Sderot Project logo

Nine kids from Campanella Children's Choir's Treble Choir took part in a charity concert that raised money for a children's summer camp in Sderot, Israel.

Located near the Gaza strip, the city of Sderot faces a number of economic challenges, and it has been a frequent target of rocket attacks. Since 2000, Boston's Russian-Jewish community has been raising money for the Boston-Sderot Project -  a ten-day program that would take kids out of the city for 10 days and give them a chance to relax and have fun.

To help fund the program, the Russian-Jewish community has been holding annual concerts for a number of years. This year, Chicago area's Russian-Jewish community has worked together to organize a concert of its own.

The Children Of Chicago to Children Of Sderot took place on April 6, at Northbrook Community Synagogue of Northbrook, Illinois. The concert was so well-attended that the synagogue parking was filled and guests had to park along the nearby streets.

The Treble Choir kids are grateful for the opportunity to take part in this event, and they were happy to lend their voices to such a worthwhile cause.

Campanella Children’s Choir attends Heritage Festival of Gold

Campanella Children's Choir Performs at Festival of Gold

On March 14-28, the Campanella Children’s Choir had the privilege of attending the 2014 San Francisco Heritage Festival of Gold.

The choir has attended the festival before, but it was still honored to be invited. It got a chance to perform at the prestigious Davies Symphony Hall and work with renowned conductors and adjudicators. Overall, the festival has been a good experience for students and instructors alike.

The Festival of Gold is part of the Worldstrides Heritage Performance Program. The program was created 35 years ago to enrich the lives of students though musical performance. Every year, the program looks at hundreds of choirs to take part in the Festival of Gold, choosing a few that fit its standards. Here's how the program's website describes those standards.

“Acceptance into the Festival of Gold program is reserved for groups who've achieved a Gold rating at a WorldStrides Heritage Performance standard festival, Superior rating at a state contest, or by audition.”

This year, chosen choirs did a series of performances that culminated in the Encore Concert at the San Francisco's prestigious Davies Symphony Hall. Campanella artistic director Marianna Kosaya was very impressed with how the performance turned out.

“I would like to congratulate all Campanella choristers for a very good performance at Davies Symphony Hall,” she said. “It was not easy for such young children and such a small group to perform in this temple of music, but they faced the challenge head on.”

Campanella choir members also chance to have one-on-one time with renowned conductors Christopher Aspaas, Elena Sharkova and adjudicator Tim Sharp. They provided valuable feedback that should help the choir continue to reach new heights of quality.

Aspaas praised Campanella's excellent intonation and energy, and its ability to handle the a very challenging repertoire. Sharp praised the energy, the tuning, the tone and the intonation of the choir's performance. He congratulated soloists Abby Froyshteter on her performance and applauded Campanella on its repertoire selections.

Sharkova praised the choir's performance of "Ave verum," "Balulalow" and "Wolcum yole," describing it as very clear, energetic and sweet. She said that she always enjoys Campanella's performances - they always stun everybody and it is such outstanding work. She said that Campanella's choir director gives its community huge gift.

Overall, the Festival of Gold has been a great experience for Campanella.

“We enjoyed every minute in this tour and especially the music part of this trip,” said Kosaya. “The choir directors Elena Sharkova and Christopher Aspaas did great professional and inspirational work. It was such a great opportunity to work with them in this festival.”

“MozArtiana” Masquerade event a success

Campanella members get into the spirit of Mozart with 18th century costumes

Campanella Children's Choir's “MozArtiana” Masquerade event entertained children and adults alike with music, games and 18^th century costumes. The event, which took place on Saturday, January 11, celebrated the life and works of famed composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Over the past few months, the Campanella Educational Center and Campanella Choir have been focusing on Mozart's works and his contributions to the art as a whole. As a child prodigy, Mozart is an inspiration for any child trying to explore his or her talent. During his life, he created many beautiful pieces of music. Since his untimely passing, his work continued to delight listeners from all over the world – and his work continues to inspire artists and composers to this day.

The Campanella Choir members have been working hard for this concert, attending many rehearsals rain or shine. The concert was a culmination of months of hard work and preparation.

The concert was divided into two parts. During the first part, the choir performed arias, duets, trios from the "Magic Flute" - one of Mozart's most famous operas. Chicago Trio, Campanella Choir's long-time collaborators, provided music, while Tanya Ilina provided the visual accompaniments. The second part gave the kids a chance to move around and interact as they played games and danced.

To put our guests in the spirit of Mozart, Campanella Choir turned the concert into a masquerade. Children and guests were encouraged to wear 18th century costumes – or, at the very least, baroque style masks that would be perfectly at home at the sort of masquerade ball Mozart would attend.

The concert has been pretty well received. It even earned praise from Arts4Kids Foundation, a Vernon Hills based non-profit dedicated to supporting arts as a tool of growth and cultural enrichment.

“Wonderful production,” Leonard Mogul, the organization's founder and CEO, wrote on Campanella Children's Choir's Facebook page. “ On behalf of Arts4Kids Foundation, I would like to congratulate Marianna Kosaya, all of the participants, and all others who work hard to put this together”

The organization's official Facebook account joined in on the praise.

“It is an honor to support such events,” it said. “Introducing children to arts is what we do. And it would not be possible without such organizations as the Campanella Children's Choir.”

We Want You for Campanella Choir and Campanella Center Classes

The new Fall season is upon us - and Campanella Center has plenty of opportunities for your children to join in on the fun.

Drawing - this class will help children develop the basic skills in drawing and painting using different mediums , exploring color, perspective, volumes and to learn about Art in general. It will introduce children to the world culture and help to appreciate the beauty of the nature.

About the instructor: Anna Gnoenskaya is an artist and an art teacher with Masters Degree in Art Education from the Moscow State University. In 2001, she won the e Fund Soros competition “Childhood Without Violence and Cruelty” and a "Teacher of the Year” award from Moscow Department of Education.  She has an extensive experience teaching at Montessori schools.

Art History -  this class will explore the art and history of the Ancient Greek civilization. The class is designed to sync with our drawing class. For more information, click on the class title

Campanella Choir - we are looking for singers in Beginner, Prelude, Intermediate and Advanced  choirs. Children ages 3-9 can apply for Beginner, Prelude and Intermediate choirs (depending on their skill level), while kids 10-18 are encouraged to apply for Advanced level. Please call Marianna Kosaya at (847) 361-7989 to schedule an audition.

MozArtiana Club - a multimedia program that explores the life and works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart though music, arts and literature. The club meets every Saturday, at 2:00 - 3:00 pm. The first session starts on September 7. Click here for more information.

We are also have spaces left in our Science, Russian Language and Math classes. You can register for our classes here.

If you have any questions, please contact Marianna Kosaya at this address

Campanella Children's Choir Announces Auditions for 2013-2014 Season

It's that time again, ladies and gentlemen. The Campanella Children's Choir is announcing placement hearings for our 2013-2014 season for kids ages 3-18. 

We are looking for kids who want sing and are willing to commit to a regular rehearsal and performance schedule. Whether your kids are starting out or already have some choir experience, Campanella has a place for them. 

For more information, please contact us at marianna@campanellachoir.com or visit our website.

Fall 2013 Campanella Choir and Eductation Center Class Registration is now open

Well, it's that time again. The registration for all Fall 2013 semester Campanella classes is now open!

To see what classes we're offering this semester, please click here

To register, please click here.

Campanella Children's Choir Performs, Learns at 2013 Youth Choral Festival Concert

Courtesy of Chicago a capella

For the last two years, Chicago a capella [sic] ensemble brought together singers from across the Chicago area. And, as we wrote last month, Campanella Choir was one of the choirs invited to participate. Other choirs included Downers Grove based South Madrigal Singers, Chicago's Hubbard High School Advanced Ensemble and a capella's own interns. 

The festival, which took place in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood, in churches along Woodlawn Avenue, was made up of two parts. First, the participating choirs attended workshops at the First Unitarian Church. The workshops dealt with improving performance and enhancing vocal techniques. The final workshop, “Music Beyond High School” talked about how the choir members could continue utilizing their talents once they graduate. The workshop tried to be realistic without being discouraging, emphasizing that, while most of them probably wouldn't be able to make a living from singing, there are other ways to stay involved in the field that could be just as fulfilling. 

After the workshops wrapped up, the choirs walked two blocks south, to the classically ornate Rockefeller Chapel, where they spent the next two hours preparing and rehearsing for the second part of the festival – the concert. At the concert, the choirs would take turns performing before coming together at the end as one single Festival Choir. Suffice to say, getting four different choirs who never worked together before to come together as one was no mean feat – but a capella artistic director Jonathan Miller made it look effortless. 

The concert took place at the Rockefeller Chapel's main hall. Like the classical European cathedrals, it featured excellent acoustics that carried the performers' voices all across the long, tall space. Campanella's portion of the concert highlighted two recurring features of the choir's repertoire – it performed “Vere Languores Nostros,”a Eouropen classical piece by Antonio Lotti, and “Veniki,” a Russian folk song.  

Campanella Artistic Director Marianna Kosaya was impressed with festival workshops. 

“[a capella members] offered support, which helped [the kids'] musical development and their development as growing people,” she said. 

The entire festival experience also helped them emotionally.” 

“It increased their self-confidence,” said Kosaya. “They definitely got an emotional boost [from attending the festival]” 

The fact that festival  proved to be a great networking event didn't hurt, either.  

“Head of a capella said he'd help us with fundraising,” said Kosaya. “He also offered educational support.” 

Campanella Choir Delights Seniors at Covenant Village Retirement Community

Campanella Kids perform in front of attentive seniors

 On March 8, at 6:30 PM, the Campanella Choir came to Northbrook’s Covenant Village retirement community to perform for its residents. The performance was part of the choir’s ongoing efforts to lend its voices to worthwhile causes and to give back to the community. Some of the past events included a performance at the Northbrook Court for Deerfield-based Orphans from the Storm animal shelter's Holiday Music Series.

The choir was invited to perform at Covenant Village because some of the residents heard Campanella’s live performance on WFMT last May. The retirement home regularly hosts musical performances and other entertainment programs in an effort to make its residents’ lives more fulfilling and culturally enriched – and Campanella Choir was happy to be part of it.

The Campanella kids performed a variety of classical pieces created by some of Europe’s most distinguished composers, as well as the more modern pieces and popular Russian folk songs. Much of their repertoire was drawn from past performances. Covenant Village residents got a chance to hear pieces featured in the Legend of the Unicorn and Hansel and Gretel.

The response was overwhelmingly positive. After the performance was over, resident after resident approached choir director Marianna Kosaya to tell her how much they enjoyed it and how talented the Campanella kids were.

The response was so positive that some of the residents even wondered if Campanella Choir would come back.

“We’d love to,” said Kosaya, adding that she and Covenant management may be able to arrange something in the future. 

"Legend of the Unicorn" Event a Success

The Legend of the Unicorn performance, which we wrote about last month, went off without a hitch. Campanella director Marianna Kosaya said that she was pleased with everything – the singing, the audience reaction and the atmosphere the performance created. 

The response from the audience has been fairly positive.  

“Thank you for the great night,” Lora Kogan commented the event’s Facebook page. “It was a wonderful event, a celebration of talent, Light and Love!” 

“Great idea, great performance,” Chicago resident Tania Goldina joined in. “The connection between choir and choirmaster was amazing. My mother-in-law was crying - it was so touching.”

"I wanted to let you know that my mom and Sophia REALLY enjoyed Unicorn performance," commented Maria Sarkisyan  "My mom said she was surprised with style and quality. Thank you." 

The Campanella Choir is grateful for everyone who attended. We would like to remind you that our next major performance will take place this coming Saturday at 5:30 PM as Campanella Choir takes part in the 2013 Youth Choral Festival. We hope to see you there! 

Campanella Choir Will Perform at 2013 Youth Choral Festival Concert

Courtesy of Chicago a capella

Last year, Chicago a capella [sic] ensemble brought together young singers throughout the Chicago area for the first ever Youth Choral Festival Concert. On March 9, 2013, a capella is doing it again – and Campanella is one of the choirs invited to participate.

During the festival, Campanella kids will take part in a day worth of workshops, singing and performances. The workshops will be completely free. The festival culminates in a public concert where each of the participating groups will perform, first alone, then together with the a capella singers. There will be no competition, no attempts to one-up each other – just talented kids from all across Chicagoland giving it their best and getting a chance to shine.

Along with Campanella, singers from Hubbard High School, Downers Grove South High School, South Shore High School of Leadership and the Chicago a cappella High School Internship Program will be performing.

The 2013 Youth Choral Festival will take place at Rockefeller Chapel (5850 S. Woodlawn Avenue, Chicago). And while you can’t be there during workshops, we hope to see you all at the public concert, which will begin at 5:30 PM. Tickets cost $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for students.

Join us, will you? You won’t regret it.

Come see Campanella Choir perform in the Legend of the Unicorn

One of the original The Hunt for the Unicorn tapestries

Campanella fans and supporters are invited to come to St. Giles Episcopal Church (3025 Walters Ave, Northbrook) and see a one-of a kind event that will combine art, beautiful singing and classical music.  

“Legend of  the Unicorn” is based on "The Hunt for the Unicorn," a series of seven Renaissance-era tapestries that tells the story of how a group of noblemen set out to capture the mystical creature. Featuring the timeless themes of the power of innocence, mercy and compassion, the performance will be sure to thrill and captivate.  

Campanella Children's Choir will be performing together with the Chicago Trio (Irene Schweizer, Natalya Chernysh and Diana Kofman), a Russian-American classical music group. The slideshow of the original "The Hunt for the Unicorn” tapestries will play in the background as they perform, giving the event a truly unique atmosphere.   

The musical will feature classical pieces by George Handel, Antonio Lotti, Jean-Philippe Rameau, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Pierre Certon, as well as Vladimir Vavilov’s version of Ave Maria. 

  
”The Legend of the Unicorn” will take place March 2, 2013, at 7:00 PM. Adults and children six and older are welcome to attend.  We hope to see you there. 

Who Are the Chicago Trio: 

Cellist Irene Schweizer graduated from Lviv Conservatory. She taught at the conservatory and worked in the Lviv Philharmonic Symphonic Orchestra. In 1999, she emigrated to Ausstria, where she continued her musical career as a concertmaster at the Vienna Chamber Oscestra and an instructor at Yehuda Halevy Music Centrum. She toured in Chicago and Japan, among other countries.  

Violinist Natalya Chernysh graduated from Kiev’s Chaykovski National Musical Academy. She worked at a chamber orchestra and taught at the music school in Kiev and toured with the Khmelnytskyi Chamber and Symphony orchestras.  

Pianist Diana Kofman graduated from the Odesssa Conservatory. She taught at the Stolyarsky School, worked as a concertmaster at the Odessa String Ensemble, toured with concert programs in Germany, Italy and England, among other countries. Upon arriving in United States, she continued her musical career at the Roosevelt University as both an instructor and a performer.