6.14.2023

MAGIC ON THE SANTA FE PLAZA


The Historic Plaza  IS A GATHERING PLACE AND A DESTINATION
FOR SANTA FE'S VIBRANT ANNUAL EVENTS.
THOUSANDS OF VISITORS WEND THEIR WAY TO SANTA FE
EACH SUMMER TO DELIGHT IN THESE CULTURAL HAPPENINGS & TO 
TAKE HOME BEAUTIFUL MEMORIES AND EXTRAORDINARY
HAND-MADE ONE-OF-A-KIND ART PIECES.

CHASING IS ALWAYS STROLLING THE PLAZA AND
CAPTURING THE MANY FACES THAT CELEBRATE THE MAGIC
THAT IS SANTA FE.

5.25.2023

ARTFUL WOODCARVING




 IVAN DIMITROV
CARVING MAGIC

Originally from Bulgaria, Ivan began woodworking early-on by crafting his own tools - chisels from discarded screwdrivers; detailing tools from the ribs of old umbrellas. When he learned of a woodcarver who had recently passed, he would head out into the
country to see if he could buy their tools.


Ivan showing me a photograph of himself sitting in one of his
 hand-carved chairs carving a tree!

After leaving Bulgaria, he lived and carved in Paris and London and 24
years ago he wended his way to Santa Fe, bringing his imagination, his exquisite
talent for carving wood and his beloved chisels & tools.


Last week Ivan took me to Holy Trinity Orthodox Church of Santa Fe to show me an elaborate project he completed in 2017 to celebrate the
 20th Anniversary of the church.  



 It took him a year to complete the ICONOSTASIS a sweeping, intricately-carved screen bearing religious icons - separating the sanctuary from the nave. The composition is based on the Holy Trinity and it's a vision to behold when you step in to the beautifully-appointed church with its' magnificent painted domed-ceiling, gorgeous chandelier and religious art. 



 Another of Ivan's work is the magnificent carved Bishops chair,
 just to the right of the screen. 


                The back of this beautiful piece is a memorial tribute to his beloved wife  
Vesselina



Her initials are lovingly intertwined with the carved flowers.


A warm thank you to Fathers John & Jessie for allowing 
Chasing to photograph Ivan's gracious gifts to their church.


NOW
IVAN THE MASTER TEACHER

For the past twenty years Ivan has been teaching the Art of  Fine Woodcarving
at Santa Fe Community College. Each Friday he teaches two back to back, four-hour 
 classes. Last week I dropped by and  tried to capture the nuances of 
the carvers and their work with my camera.


Each carver sits at their own work station and Ivan moves between the tables
watching, suggesting and encouraging. The students that I met are all
advanced carvers and their work was most impressive.

Alex Martinez
Doug Oliver

Yes, blatant advertising for this carver who currently has
a show at Downtown Subscription. I stopped by and took a few photos
 of his amazing work. 



Noor Kahlsa


These are the tools that are on his
table...others are squirreled away
under the table!

Felix Vijiil

Jim Coogan

Jean Moya


  Each carving begins with a drawing... 


Which is then
transferred to the waiting wood.


Then the carving begins...


 creating lots of these...

This was an impressive group of carvers and when I asked Ivan if they all had an art background he laughed, telling me that his classes attracted doctors, lawyers and a slew of other professionals as well as artists. And over the past twenty years he reckons he's taught 300 or more students. When not teaching, Ivan is working on commissions that he carves in his small, but vibrant studio.





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5.04.2023

THE ART OF CONDUCTING


   T H E   A R T   O F  
 C O N D U C T I N G



C. Whitney-Ward Photography

Years ago I wrote an article for the Boston Globe on how musical conductors learn to conduct. The whole idea fascinated me - how do they practice?  Unlike a violinist or a flautist, who simply pull their instrument from a case and begin to play, a student conductor can't whip a 50-piece orchestra out of thin air to practice Brahms' Violin Concerto in D major. So I went to Tanglewood, the Boston Symphony Orchestra's, circa 1937, summer home in Lenox, Massachusetts,  and watched as a student conductor stood before two grand pianos practicing conducting a BACH concerto. Note: This was the same music room where legendary conductor Serge Koussevitzky taught Leonard Bernstein.

Well, you can imagine my delight when I received an invitation from Oliver Prezant - the former Musical Director & Conductor of the Santa Fe Community Orchestra  to sit in on his conducting class, capturing the nuances with my camera for CHASING SANTA FE. And unlike the Tanglewood students, these five lucky men and women - all musicians taking the next step in their careers -  would be practicing with a live ensemble under Oliver's watchful eye.

  
OLIVER PREZANT

I watched and photographed for several hours as each student took their turn conducting, with Oliver standing close by to gently correct, demonstrate and encourage. 

 Two Photos courtesy of Oliver Prezant

THEY HAD FUN!
THE MUSICIANS AS WELL



  After the class, I had a thousand questions & Oliver was generous in his responses. 

Q.  What was YOUR path to conducting?

A. I have been a lecturer and educator for the Santa Fe Opera for 25 years, and I’ve also presented programs for audiences of all ages for the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Performance Santa Fe, Opera Southwest, Chamber Music Albuquerque, Road Scholar and many other organizations. I taught in the Contemporary Music Program, and I taught conducting classes for upper-level students at the College of Santa Fe, and musicians from the community would come in to play for workshops with the students. When the Santa Fe Community Orchestra was looking for a new conductor, I stepped into that role and we presented a varied program of familiar classics, rarely performed works, and works by New Mexico composers.

Q.  It has been said that a Conductor is a silent musician whose instrument is made of people. How do you see your role as a conductor.

A. The main thing is that you’re an intermediary between the composer, the musicians, the audience, and the moment. It takes a lot of time to learn conducting, you can’t practice at home, like a violinist  or a trombone player. Ideally, you’ve gotten inside the score, you understand the composer and where they’re coming from, how they put music on the page, and how they think and feel, musically. It's not all in the notes, there are all the stylistic aspects and traditions to be observed, and hopefully you've connected with the emotion of the piece and the musical ideas that the composer is exploring. You've gotten  to a place where what you're doing is authentic, the result of your involvement, your experience, and your willingness to work with the individuals in the orchestra.

Q. What are the challenges for beginning conductors?

A. With student or amateur orchestras, sometimes it feels like you’re just beating time while everyone learns the notes and gets the sense of the piece. So you don’t get to be expressive or artistic; you have to wait. With professional orchestras, it’s dramatically different. The expectations are high, and when you’re starting out, everyone knows the piece, their part and their instrument better than you do.  They size you up in an instant and decide whether they want to play for you. You have to have something special to give that’s not just ego, that makes the experience meaningful. That’s where your preparation and experience and willingness to “be the music” come in. The orchestra has to feel that you’ve gotten close to the composer, you’re with them, and they’re with you. The word ensemble means “together.”    

Q. What are your goals for your conducting students?

A. I'm hoping to get them deeply involved in the music, so they have something special to give, to share, to allow, through their own understanding of the score and their willingness to work with the musicians.  They need to add value to the experience; be authentic, connect with the essence of the music, as they hear it and feel it. When it’s working the orchestra feels it, too, and nothing happens without the orchestra. It's all about relationships and that's a very humbling reality.

Second, I want them to experience the music inside of themselves, deeply. It’s not just waving your arms or keeping time. You need to be “producing” the sound, kind of like singing, but not out loud.  When you’re conducting, all of your understanding of the music flows out of you; what you understand and what you feel informs your gestures, your presence, your facial expressions, your body language, your demeanor on the podium. That’s the basis of your authenticity and individuality. The orchestra is a living instrument

Third, depending on how much experience the conductor who’s studying has, you want to help them learn the basic language of conducting, in order to communicate and bring the music into being when they're on the podium - the frames of the various beat patterns, starting and stopping, showing how the musical phrases are shaped, making meaningful emphasis, getting louder and softer, faster and slower. And, at this stage, controlling the music means being in control of yourself. 

In the end, it’s up to the conductors who are studying to go back to their ensembles and unpack what they’ve learned. I’m still learning from the teachers that I studied with years ago. I’m so grateful for what they shared, and I’m so happy to have the opportunity to work with these excellent musicians who are interested in honing their skills.

I want to thank Oliver for allowing me to sit in on his teaching world and to photograph his amazing students as they learn their craft. I was drawn to their faces and hands while conducting and how Oliver interacted with each student. It was a delight to  capture this with my camera.   

                                                  

      Photo courtesy of Oliver Prezant