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Time:

Thursday
December, 16, 2021
03:30 PM - 04:30 PM

Location:

W 184

Clinician(s)

Carl St.Clair

Carl St.Clair

Maura Brown

Maura Brown

Ron Fiorito

Ron Fiorito

High School Full Orchestra Rehearsal Lab

Clinic Synopsis:

Renowned conductor Carl St.Clair, Music Director of the Pacific Symphony for the past 32 years, leads the full orchestra rehearsal laboratory. Working with the Elk Grove High School Symphony Orchestra (Maura Brown and Ron Fiorito, Jr., directors), Maestro St.Clair brings a professional perspective to the educational setting. Structured as a public clinic, the session features proven rehearsal techniques addressing such elements as tone, intonation, rhythm, bowing, and expression. Attendee seating virtually surrounds the ensemble, enabling audience members to choose nearly any vantage point from which to observe the conductor.

Carl St.Clair - Biographical Information

The 2021-2022 season marks Music Director Carl St.Clair’s 32nd year leading Pacific Symphony. He is one of the longest-tenured conductors of the major American orchestras. St.Clair’s lengthy history solidifies the strong relationship he has forged with the musicians and the community. His continuing role also lends stability to the organization and continuity to his vision for the Symphony’s future. Few orchestras can claim such rapid artistic development as Pacific Symphony—the largest-budgeted orchestra formed in the United States in the last 50 years, which was recently elevated to the status of a Tier 1 orchestra by the League of American Orchestras—due in large part to St.Clair’s leadership. During his tenure, St.Clair has become widely recognized for his musically distinguished performances, his commitment to building outstanding educational programs and his innovative approaches to programming. In April 2018, St.Clair led Pacific Symphony in its sold-out Carnegie Hall debut, as the finale to the Carnegie’s yearlong celebration of pre-eminent composer Philip Glass’ 80th birthday, ending in a standing ovation, with The New York Times calling the Symphony “a major ensemble!” He led Pacific Symphony on its first tour to China in May 2018, the orchestra’s first international tour since touring Europe in 2006. The orchestra made its national PBS debut in June 2018 on Great Performances with Peter Boyer’s “Ellis Island: The Dream of America,” conducted by St.Clair. Among St.Clair’s many creative endeavors are the highly acclaimed American Composers Festival, which began in 2000; and the opera initiative, “Symphonic Voices,” which has included concert-opera productions of Madame Butterfly, The Magic Flute, Aida, Turandot, Carmen, La Traviata, Tosca and La Bohème in previous seasons. St.Clair’s commitment to the development and performance of new works by composers is evident in the wealth of commissions and recordings by the Symphony. The 2016-17 season featured commissions by pianist/composer Conrad Tao and composer-in-residence Narong Prangcharoen, a follow-up to the recent slate of recordings of works commissioned and performed by the Symphony in recent years. These include William Bolcom’s Songs of Lorca and Prometheus (2015-16), Elliot Goldenthal’s Symphony in G-sharp Minor (2014-15), Richard Danielpour’s Toward a Season of Peace (2013-14), Philip Glass’ The Passion of Ramakrishna (2012-13), and Michael Daugherty’s Mount Rushmore and The Gospel According to Sister Aimee (2012-13). St.Clair has led the orchestra in other critically acclaimed albums including two piano concertos of Lukas Foss; Danielpour’s An American Requiem and Goldenthal’s Fire Water Paper: A Vietnam Oratorio with cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Other commissioned composers include James Newton Howard, Zhou Long, Tobias Picker, Frank Ticheli, Chen Yi, Curt Cacioppo, Stephen Scott, Jim Self (Pacific Symphony’s principal tubist) and Christopher Theofanidis. In 2006-07, St.Clair led the orchestra’s historic move into its home in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. The move came on the heels of the landmark 2005-06 season that included St.Clair leading the Symphony on its first European tour—nine cities in three countries playing before capacity houses and receiving extraordinary responses and reviews. From 2008-10, St.Clair was general music director for the Komische Oper in Berlin. He also served as general music director and chief conductor of the German National Theater and Staatskapelle (GNTS) in Weimar, Germany, where he led Wagner’s Ring Cycle to critical acclaim. He was the first non-European to hold his position at the GNTS; the role also gave him the distinction of simultaneously leading one of the newest orchestras in America and one of the oldest in Europe. In 2014, St.Clair became the music director of the National Symphony Orchestra in Costa Rica. His international career also has him conducting abroad several months a year, and he has appeared with orchestras throughout the world. He was the principal guest conductor of the Radio Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart from 1998-2004, where he completed a three-year recording project of the Villa–Lobos symphonies. He has also appeared with orchestras in Israel, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and South America, China, Thailand, Malaysia, and summer festivals worldwide. In North America, St.Clair has led the Boston Symphony Orchestra (where he served as assistant conductor for several years), New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic and the San Francisco, Seattle, Detroit, Atlanta, Houston, Indianapolis, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver symphonies, among many. Carl St.Clair is a strong advocate of music education for all ages, and is internationally recognized for his distinguished career as a master teacher. He has been essential to the creation and implementation of the Symphony’s education and community engagement programs including Pacific Symphony Youth Ensembles, Heartstrings, Sunday Matinées, OC Can You Play With Us?, arts-X-press and Class Act. In addition to his professional conducting career, St.Clair has worked with most major music schools across the country. In 2018, Chapman University President Danielle Struppa appointed St.Clair as a Presidential Fellow, working closely with the students of the College of the Performing Arts at Chapman University. St.Clair has been named “Distinguished Alumni in Residence” at the University of Texas Butler School of Music beginning 2019. And, for over over 25 years, he has had a continuing relationship with the USC Thornton School where he is artistic leader and principal conductor of the orchestral program.

Maura Brown - Biographical Information

Maura Brown is the orchestra director at Elk Grove High School, where her teaching responsibilities include Concert, Symphony, and Chamber Orchestras, AP Music Theory, and Music Workshop. Prior to teaching at Elk Grove, Ms. Brown taught at Batavia High School and Crone Middle School.  During her years of teaching at Batavia and Elk Grove, she has directed performing groups at the 2013 and 2019 Illinois Music Education Conferences. Ms. Brown earned Bachelor's degrees in Music Education and Performance from the Ohio State University and continued on to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she received Master's degrees in Music Education and Performance. Ms. Brown served on the faculty of the Illinois Summer Youth Music for 8 years and conducted the ISYM Junior Strings Orchestra in 2015. She has also directed orchestras at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and conducted the 2015 ILMEA District 5 Junior Honors Orchestra.  In the fall of 2019, Ms. Brown was honored to serve as a guest conductor for the Glenbard District 87 StringFest. In addition to teaching, Ms. Brown performs in a variety of ensembles throughout the Chicago suburbs. She currently serves as concertmaster with the Fox Valley Orchestra and has performed as a soloist with the orchestra.  As a chamber musician, Ms. Brown is also a member of the string quartet New Vintage Strings.

Ron Fiorito - Biographical Information

Mr. Ron Fiorito, Jr. became the Director of Bands at Elk Grove High School in 2005.  His curricular responsibilities include Cadet Band, Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Jazz Band and Jazz Ensemble.  Co-curricular ensembles include Marching Grenadiers and Jazz Combo.  Mr. Fiorito is also one of the Fine and Performing Arts Coordinators, co-director of the Variety Show and pit director for the musical.  Under his direction, the ensembles continue to receive superior ratings at festivals.  In addition to the work he does at Elk Grove HS, Mr. Fiorito also serves as the Winds and Percussion coach for the District 214 Honors Orchestra program. The Elk Grove Symphonic band was selected to perform in the Illinois SuperState Concert Band Festival in 2014, 2015 and 2016.  In addition to this, they were also selected to perform at the Illinois Music Educators Conference in Peoria, Illinois in 2015.  Mr. Fiorito has also served as conductor for the ILMEA District VII Jazz Reading bands on numerous occasions. Mr. Fiorito received his Bachelor of Music Education with an emphasis in Instrumental Music from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  In 2011, Mr. Fiorito received his Master of Music Education degree from VanderCook College of Music. Mr. Fiorito is an active member of the Illinois Music Educators Association (ILMEA), the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) and the National Band Association.  Aside from his duties at Elk Grove, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Nicole and their four beautiful children, Emily, Ronnie, Giovanni and Gabriella.

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