Kevin Pfister

About 3 weeks ago, we played Brahm's German Requiem in the Filharmonija with Jan Hübner conducting and one of his choirs that he directs in Germany. The whole week of rehearsing, hanging out with Jan, and the two vocal soloists was great fun and musically exquisite. It was very intriguing to finally play this piece because I did a 10 page research paper comparing the Brahms, Verdi, and Berlioz requiems in my undergrad. Time for a succinct fascinating music history lesson... This paper, that I wrote, basically explains how the Brahms Requiem is one-of-a-kind when it comes to the genre of requiems. A quick overview of why: 1. Uses Text from Bible, rather than traditional Latin Requiem text 2. Was not commissioned to write it, Brahms wanted to 3. Is about hope for the non-deceased rather than a prayer for the dead To read the full paper click here . BUT! Don't judge too hard because I was a sophomore in college when I wrote this paper ;) However, I discovered more wh

This is the view from my porch at my apartment!

Dear friends, I will now be posting interesting/significant news from the orchestral/music/arts world that I come across from various sources I read. I hope to help keep non-artists and artists of all disciplines up to date on arts news, particularly focusing on professional orchestral news. Through this, I think people will be able to see the importance of the orchestra, so society does not miss out on the ways orchestras can serve them corporately and individually. Also, so orchestras do not miss out on identifying opportunities to serve society. This being said...here is the first News Post. Enjoy! "The Maestro" - from World Magazine  Click the link above

There are 2 Mc'Ds here in town, this is the central one. They have a whole coffee cafe called "McCafe" in a separate part of the McDs! Better watch out Starbucks...Also, DONUTS (Bosnian spelling....jk) instead of fruit & yogurt parfaits. Way to take away the healthiest item on the McDs menu. 

Dear Friends, If you would like to automatically receive a notification, via email, when I post a new blog update (so you don't have to keep checking to see if I have posted something new), feel free to input your email to the new "Follow by Email" gadget on the left column. This will only email you when I post something new, nothing else. Thanks!

The international terminal - when I first became a minority At the start of my trip, when I walked into the international terminal at JFK airport, I realized that for probably the first time in my life, being a white American male meant I was a minority! It was very eye and ear opening to hear around 8 different languages being spoken around you. Once I was finally aboard the plane, a Boeing 777, of Austrian Airlines, I encountered English being the translation of another language on all the public signs and announcements. In this case it was German!  It made me realize how Spanish speaking people in the US must really appreciate it when there are Spanish translations of words on public signage. The English translations for the German text in the airplane safety instructions and the guide for operating the personal touch screen device, allowed for greater potential to save lives. And almost just as important... allowed for the watching of the FREE movies and TV s

As an "Arts Consultant" I seek to show artists and society how all the different mediums of art are highly intertwined and reliant upon one another. The Shakespeare  Bridge to Music  Did Shakespeare use music in his plays? If so, how did he incorporate it in his plays? Did he use music as it is used in an opera today? After taking a class this past quarter at Northwestern University on this subject, my eyes were opened to how music contributes to the vitality of Shakespeare's plays. Throughout his plays, he uses aspects of rhyme and rhythm in the way his play's lines are structured and written. In addition, Shakespeare frequently verbally describes music being sung or heard by actors in order to allude to important events that are about to occur or instill a certain context of mood on a scene. To explore this concept in detail, I've chosen to examine Shakespeare's  A Midsummer Night's Dream.  To help understand the discussions below, I will give a

After completing my audition for the New World Symphony today, I took the opportunity to try out the millenium park ice skating rink for the first time! Tis a pretty awesome setting to skate in!  Definitely a great way to reflect on an audition experience :)

Attention all reed makers: Rigotti bassoon cane is now FOR SALE on Kevinpfister.com.  Available in all stages (from gouged). Click  HERE  to browse & buy :)