Newsletters
Spring 2026 Newsletter
Dear Parents & Students,
I hope you have had a wonderful holiday season and are still glowing from the beautiful music you enjoyed in our Winter Recital.
Our Spring Semester is chock full of a variety of performing opportunities, music festivals, and concerts to attend. Each of these different events is designed to broaden horizons beyond the keyboard and provide valuable real-world exposure to different musical genres. It's a great way to inspire students and to build well-rounded musicianship.
Our first musicianship class will take place on Sunday, January 18th. We will be doing some armchair travel down the Moldau River, as we learn about Bedrich Smetana and his iconic symphonic poem, Má Vlast. This music creates a stepping stone to discuss programmatic music, musical nationalism, as well as different musical themes. We will explore how Smetana uses different instruments, dyamics, tempo, and rhythms to create his vivid musical images.
Our second musicianship class will take place on Sunday, February 15th, and will feature our “Repertoire Lists”. This is a great chance to foster musical versatility and performance confidence by learning different musical styles, genres, composers, and performance practices and will make us become more adaptable and well-rounded musicians.
There will be a wonderful concert on Sunday, March 8th at the Lower Merion Synagogue, as part of the Bala Library Concert Series that will feature a terrific Brazilian musical ensemble- Minas. Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend this event, due to a previously scheduled conflict but I urge families to go and hear this fabulous group. You will feel your feet springing to floor to start dancing! I promise!!!
Our third musicianship class, on Sunday, March 22rd, at 3:00pm, will feature our “Folk Music & Show Tunes” concert at Rosette Senior Living. This concert not only acts as a powerful therapeutic tool that enhances
the mental, emotional, physical, and social well-being of the residents at Rosette, but the performers themselves get tremendous satisfaction by providing a meaningful service and bringing joy to people who otherwise would not have an opportunity to hear live music.
Our fourth musicianship class will feature our spring ensemble groups as we “Just Duet”. Students will be assigned duet, trio, or quartet partners. We will come together on April 26th to perform our ensemble pieces. This is a wonderful opportunity to practice our listening skills. There is nothing better than playing with another musician to hone and refine the way in which we hear our music.
Our Spring Recital will take place on Sunday, June 7th, at 10:00am. This will be preceded by a dress rehearsal on Sunday, May 31 at 10am. Please mark your calendars for these important dates and times. I look forward to seeing friends and family at our recital! I know you will be all eager to see how much these talented musicians have grown.
In addition to our musicianship classes, there are several auditioned recital opportunities for students who are interested. The first one is the Andor & Joy Kiszley Carnegie Hall Auditioned Recital. Please let me know IMMEDIATELY if you are interested in participating as the deadline is in early January and we would need to be thinking about this event right now.
Below is the pertinent information.
Andor & Joy Kiszley Carnegie Hall Auditioned Recital Jan. 12 deadline. Intermediate Levels and up
AUDITION DATE: Sunday, February 8th, 2026 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.. Auditions will be held IN PERSON. https://www.philamusicteachers.org/dr-andor-and-joy-kiszely-solo-concerto-and-ensemble-audition-recital/ registration $85
The Bösendorfer Youth Music Festival is a wonderful opportunity for students interested in competing for the opportunity to receive a bronze, silver, or gold medal. Winners are invited to perform in a public concert at the German Society’s beautiful Albert & Hete Barthelmes Auditorium. Anyone who is interested in participating, please speak with me individually. The deadline for submission is Feb. 13th. The link for information has not yet been published, but I will update you as soon as I have that information. If you are interested in participating in this event, please let me know ASAP. Below is the current information:
German Society Bosendorfer Youth Music Festival https://www.germansociety.org/annual-events registration $60
deadline Feb. 13th
Gold and Silver medalists will be notified by March 14th and will go on to perform in a concert for the public on Sunday, March 30, 2025 at 3pm. Gold, Silver, and Bronze medalists will receive medals, and all participants will receive certificates.
I am looking forward to a stimulating and inspiring semester filled with a variety of musical sounds!! All the best,
Gilya