Another Successful Princeton Peak Piano Retreat

Front row: Marie Suzuki, Cathy Motter, Director Jo Boatright, Marie-Paule Truitt, Christelle Menth;
Back row: Sig Jaastad, Dylan Thomas, Bonnie Dove, Taylor Andrews, Katy Hoyer and Dale Hansen.
Missing is Olivia Williams.

The program for the concert was as follows:

Princeton Peak Piano Retreat Recital
7 :00p.m. July 30 at the BoatArk
Sponsored by Walden Chamber Music Society

Past Retreats

2010 PRINCETON PEAK PIANO RETREAT

left to right: Dale Hansen, Marie Suzuki, Sig Jaastad, Cathy Motter, Andrew McKee, Bonnie Dove, Olivia Williams, Dylan Love, Jo Boatright, Katy Hoyer, Taylor Andrews, Marie-Paule Truitt, Anna Nye West, Caleb Wenzel

A MUSICAL INVITATION

Master classes are to be held Monday through Thursday from 9:30am to 12:30pm and Friday from 9:30am to 11:30am.
Open Rehearsal is on Friday, July 30 at 1 :00pm
Evening Recital is on Friday, July 30 at 7 :00pm

There are 14 pianists, the largest group ever, with newcomers Marie Suzuki, Anna Nye West, Olivia Williams, Dale Hansen, Sig Jaastad and Andrew McKee and returning pianists Cathy Motter, Katy Hoyer, Taylor Andrews, Bonnie Dove, Laura Onsgard, Marie-Paule Truitt, Dylan Love, and Caleb Wenzel.

The 2010 repertoire includes music from Bach, Bizet, Brahms, Chopin, Debussy, Mozart, Rachmnaninoff, Ravel, Schumann and other surprises.

Cost : $20 Suggested donation to attend each Master Class
$10 Suggested donation to attend Open Rehearsal
$15 Suggested donation to attend Evening Recital

RESERVATION IS A MUST. Contact Marie at 395-2097 or by email at admin@waldenchambermusic.org no later than Sunday, July 25 for the Master Classes and no later than THURSDAY, JULY 29 for the OPEN REHEARSAL and EVENING RECITAL.

Thank you for your support of the Walden Chamber Music Society.

The retreat is a special opportunity for the participating musicians to hone their skills under the guidance of Jo Boatright, once called “the lioness of the keyboard”. Formerly of Dallas, TX, Ms. Boatright studied piano with the late Hungarian pianist Madame Lily Kraus, one of the 20th century's premier performers of Mozart, Beethoven and Bartok. In addition to her national and international performance career as a soloist with symphony orchestras, including the Boston Pops, Ms. Boatright co-founded the Grammy award-nominated modern music ensemble Voices of Change. She also co-founded the Walden Music Ensemble and continues to be the pianist for the Walden group subscription concert seasons in Chaffee County.

The 2010 PPPR Master classes repertoire is to be chosen from the following composers: Bach, Bizet, Brahms, Chopin, Debussy, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Ravel and other surprises.

The retreat is a unique opportunity for our local people who are interested in observing the Master classes which are scheduled in the morning from 9:30am to 12:30pm Monday, July 26 through Thursday July 29. Cost per each morning session is $20.00. Because of limited seating and for specific details concerning the repertoire of each session, call 395-2097.

Reservation is also a must for the open rehearsal and the evening recital and reception, which include all the PPPR musicians who participate in the Master classes. Both are scheduled on Friday, July 30 at the Boatrights' residence in Buena Vista. A suggested donation is $10.00 for the 10:00am open rehearsal, and $15 for the 7:00pm evening recital. Email your reservation to paule@chaffeeco.net or call at 395-2097 no later than Thursday, July 29 as the seating is very limited.

Update
One additional pianist will join the group of participants in the 2010 Princeton Peak Piano Retreat: Sig Jaastad. Because of the number of pianists the master classes will be conducted Monday through Thursday from 9:30am to 12:30pm and Friday, from 9:30am to 11:30am. The open rehearsal will take place Friday, July 30 at 1:00pm. Reservations to observe the Master classes or to attend the open rehearsal and/or the evening recital are a must. Inquire at admin@waldenchambermusic.org

Princeton Peak Piano Retreat 2009 Pianist and PPPR Director Jo Boatright with 2009 participants

Master Class 2009 Partircipants

Painting by Coddington

Piano Master Classes will start at 9:45 a.m. each morning. Participants should arrive on Sunday as Piano Master Classes will start promptly at 9:45 on Monday morning. Also on Monday, an introductory class in Alexander Technique will be offered at 8:30 a.m. The Alexander Technique is a method of drawing awareness to one's body movement so that control is relaxed and deliberate. For musicians, the technique can identify and assist with body and movement issues which interfere with fluid performance and which may even cause pain.

Daily master classes will be with Jo. A maximum of 12 performers will each have a 50-minute master class lesson. All master class participants will benefit from the twelve hours of teaching, sure to include gems for better playing from Jo's career and her intimate knowledge of the technique of the late Lili Kraus.

Afternoons may be spent practicing or taking private lessons with Jo and Harvey. Practice instruments will be available in the homes of Buena Vista residents.

The retreat will culminate in a recital given by the participants for each other and for local and visiting music lovers. Following the recital will be a reception and farewell party.

There are three ways to participate in the PPPR:

1. Performers may attend each master class, perform in one master class and play in the recital
2. Auditors mayobserve each of the master classes
3. An Observer may attend just one or a number of the Master Classes

Jo Boatright, co-founded Voices of Change, the professional modern music ensemble of the Southwest United States, and maintains her position as Artistic Director Emeritus. Jo also cofounded the Walden Chamber Music Society in 1981. She continues as pianist and artistic director in the Walden Chamber Music Society in Colorado. She has been a soloist with symphony orchestras since the age of twelve, including an appearance with the Boston Pops and in many of the major music halls of Europe and the U.S.

Ms. Boatright, former Associate Professor at Texas Christian University, has served on the music faculties of the University of Texas at Arlington and Dallas, Southern Methodist University and summer music festivals at Colorado College. She studied with the great Hungarian pianist, Lili Kraus, for fifteen years and assisted her with Master Classes and private teaching from 1974-1983.

Harvey Boatright, professional flutist and teacher for over forty years, has made a study of body-movement related skills as they apply to musicians. Some of these movement studies come from far eastern martial arts, such as Tai Chi Chuan, and provide valuable balance and coordination help for instrumentalists. He also teaches Alexander Technique, which promotes freedom from habitual tensions associated with performance stress and pain that arise from learned misuse of the psychophysical self. As a complement to these arts, Harvey is skilled at foot reflexology and energy work.

The Princeton Peak Piano Retreat will feature renowned concert pianist Jo Boatright, aka the "Lioness of the Keyboard," teaching master classes and private lessons against the incomparable backdrop of a Colorado summer in the mountains. Participants will benefit from a master class and private lessons with Jo, culminating in a recital given by the participants for the Buena Vista music community. The Retreat will also feature a master class in Alexander Technique taught by Harvey Boatright. Harvey also will offer classes in Tai Chi for interested guests.

The Retreat will be hosted in the Boatright's beautiful dream home in Buena Vista, Colorado, located in the Sangre de Cristo range of the Rocky Mountains. The master classes and recital will take place on the specially-built stage in their living room with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Arkansas River .

The town of Buena Vista evokes the days of gold and silver mining, saloons and the Wild West. Many outdoor activities are available in Buena Vista and vicinity, which can be enjoyed by participants, observers and their family members: rafting/kayaking down Brown's canyon, hiking, mountain biking, fishing, four-wheeling and visiting neighboring ghost towns. Nearby Salida, Colorado (24.5 miles) offers shopping, museums, and art galleries featuring local artists. And, just 2 hours away, the Aspen Music Festival features world class musicians appearing with the Aspen Concert Orchestra.

Jo is a seasoned mountain climber and has offered to take guests along on her mountain walks each morning of the Piano Retreat. Buena Vista's high season is the summer; therefore, please consider making your reservations early. See www.fourteenernet.com for information on lodging.

Previous participants have included professional and amateur pianists, teachers and advanced high school students.

The Princeton Peak Piano Retreat Master's Class is opened to auditors and observers. Cost for auditors is $115 for the 5-day retreat or $70 for 3-day attendance. Observers are welcome to attend any morning sessions. Cost is $20.00 per session.

Reservations are required to attend any of the Princeton Peak Piano Retreat sessions and the recital held at Jo and Harvey Boatright's beautiful residence by the Arkansas River. Donations for the Walden Chamber Music Society will be gratiously accepted at the recital.

If interested in observing, auditing, and/or attending the recital, please contact Jo Boatright at (719) 395-0594 or email PianoBoat@aol.com

Click here for a PDF of our Brochure!

2008 Participants

The fourth Princeton Peak Piano Retreat, sponsored by the Walden Chamber Music Society, which took place from July 21 through July 25, 2008 at Harvey and Jo Boatright's residence, concluded with a magnificent recital, in front of a packed house.

Opening the recital was Caleb Wenzel who wowed the crowd with a brilliant interpretation of Bach's Prelude and Fugue in B flat Major. Caleb from Fort Worth, Texas, has successfully completed his freshmen year at St John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota, where he is pursuing a double major in music performance and composition. An accomplished pianist and organist who has played in several churches and recital halls, he has had his music performed by high school choirs around the metroplex and churches around the country. His music was featured on the National Catholic Youth Choirs 2007 Tour of the Midwest. He has received commissions from the Arlington Music Teachers' Association, the College of St Benedict Campus Singers, and Carolyn Finley (Houston Opera). He teaches composition with Bonnie Dove in Arlington, Texas, and many of their students have won in state competitions.

In a totally different mood, Bonnie Dove played with wonderful delicacy the famous “Traumerei” (Reverie) by Schumann. Ms. Dove from Arlington, Texas, has been a piano teacher for the last forty years and is most proud of her many past and current students, many of whom are also piano teachers, whilst others are pursuing advanced music studies at places such as the New England Conservatory, Hunter College in Manhattan, and the University of Miami.

Taking the audience by surprise and delight, Ms. Dove and Caleb Wenzel performed with gusto and enthusiasm, three Slovakian Dances for Piano Four Hands by Dvorak.

One of the favored musicians at this fourth musical retreat was Chopin. Aaron Holsteen threw the gauntlet with a fiery performance of the famous Fantaisie-Impromptu. Aaron from Aurora, recently graduated from Grandview High School where he played Beethoven's Concerto #4 with the high school band. He will attend Northwestern University where he plans to study pre-medial science and music. Following Chopin's Fantaisie, Aaron played Sonata in A major by Schubert with verve and playfulness.

Debussy's Arabesque No.1 again changed the mood of the evening, dreamily interpreted by Pieter Orlandini from Centennial, who will start his senior year at Arapaho High School where he is the accompanist for the high school choir. Pieter showed his wonderful versatility in the Three Bagatellen by Sibelius, passing from a Waltz, a Lied to a Humorous March, all played with fun and dexterity.

With Chopin's Posthumous Nocturne in C Minor, Taylor Andrews took the audience to another land of appealingly delicate tones. Then, in total contrast, he threw himself in the Revolutionary Etude with superb speed and passion. Taylor, also from Aurora and a graduate of Grandview High School where he recently performed Schumann's Piano Concerto in A minor, will start his freshman year at Metro State University to double major in psychology and music.

The first part of the recital ended with Katy Hoyer from Castle Rock, a high school junior, who played in two different veins, first Chopin's Waltz in B Minor in a sweet approach, followed by the Six Romanian Folk Dances by Bartok in a much more modern, at times, abrupt sound that perfectly befitted the music.

Opening the second part of the recital was Marie-Paule Truitt, who after a hiatus of more than thirty-five years, has resumed studying the piano as an amateur, first with Annette Covatta, and since January 2006, with Jo Boatright. She soulfully played two pieces by Chopin: Nocturne in F minor and the famous “Tristesse” Etude No.3, creating “beautiful tones”, according to Jo Boatright.

Cathy Motter from Centennial introduced Debussy's “La Plus que Lente”, a “more than slow” waltz as a dance of an older couple who cherish many love memories and who are dancing together for the last time. Her outstanding interpretation lovingly reflected that image. Ms. Motter received her Bachelor of Music from UTA where she studies with Jo Boatright, and her Master's degree in piano performance from DU. She has a private teaching studio in her home, and is on the music faculty of Colorado Christian University in Lakewood. Aaron, Taylor, Pieter and Katy are four of her students. Again softly yet strongly, she performed Chopin's Berceuse (lullaby), taking the audience to another world.

To end the piano recital there were two last surprises, Caleb's interpretations of two of his compositions which drew the crowd to its feet, and Mozart's Sonata in D Major for Two Pianos interpreted with the beloved lightness of the composer by Ms. Motter and Pieter Orlandini.

Thanks to master pianist and teacher Jo Boatright, Tai Chi and Alexander techniques teacher Harvey Boatright, the local families who hosted the students and offered their piano for practice, the Walden Chamber Music Board members and all those who attended the Friday recital, the fourth Princeton Peak Piano Retreat was another great success. As Mary Alice Zoeter, one of the observers of the retreat, “special people, special music, special moments with magical passion, laughters, challenges, fingers on fire, and hearts overflowing”, all for that special musical moment shared by the audience on a summer evening in Chaffee County. Until next year!

2007 Participants

Front row: Cathy Motter, Marie-Paule Truitt, Jo Boatright, Morton Cahn, and Harvey Boatright
Back row: Caleb Wenzel, Taylor Andrews, Laura Onsgard, Bonnie Dove and Keith Williamson.
Missing from the photo is Suzanne Weichselbaum.