Phillip
Serna
Submitted:
December 15, 2010
Awarded
: $
500
Contact Information:
Phillip
Serna
14621 Meadow Lane
Plainfield
IL
60544
USA
(847) 722-2093
Reference 1:
Mary Anne Ballard
Reference 2:
David Douglass
Summary of Submitted Materials:
SOUND FILES - PDF that includes linked sound & video files (as hyperlinks - just click them inside the file)
Additional Materials - bio, list of 2010 concerts, etc.
Submitted Documents:
Submitted Recordings:
Committee Notes:
In my mind, Philip is a known quantity, with good references. There may still be the significant, outstanding question about just how much aid we can award any single person within a given time-frame, but once that is figured out- and if there are no objections- I see no reason not to award him his $500 towards the WK residency.
Others?
Dear committee,
I thought I had already sent this, but obviously not, so very sorry! Please do not worry about any Kuijken applications, since 1) nobody is supposed to apply until they are accepted (and nobody has been accepted yet that I know of) and 2) more importantly, this is a done deal, if they are members in good standing and are accepted, they get a grant, no letters or tapes needed. This is probably not the ideal way that this should have been handled, but there we are, warts and all. Please do not concern yourselves with any Kuijken workshop applications, they will be dealt with one way or another.
Sorry and thanks,
Wendy
I agree with David. Philip has certainly proven his ability and dedication to using his skill on the viol for the benefit of many others both directly and indirectly. So there's a double benefit here - giving Philip this well-deserved help will in turn serve his students and those whom his various viol outreach activities reach.
I am in concordance with David and Jack. Philip is exactly the kind of applicant we have in mind for the WK residency grant. This one is a no-brainer, in my humble opinion. Kind of a relief, after all the complicated GIA dealings we've had of late!
Should we press Mary Anne and David for recommendations? I don't think they're necessary, but it's part of the protocol, and maybe there remains something we should know.
I may be deeply corrupt, but I'm in favor of dispensing with protocol in this case, since we know the applicant so well.
And I admit to being deeply tiresome, but on principal, I feel we have to jump through the hoop. I will get in touch with DD. Could someone else get in touch with Mary Anne? Sorry... I know the timing sucks, but I've just been thinking a lot about corrupt governments of late, and want to be part of something better than the status quo. I think the briefest e-mail exchange is all that's really necessary to fulfill the terms.
By the way, do we know if these notifications are going to the new Chair of our committee, Lucy Bardo? Annalisa Pappano is supposed to have been invited to join us as well, but to my knowledge she hasn't yet. I can extend the invitation post-haste, if y'all think it's a good time.
Jack- you've handled the reference letter the way we had intended it to be done, that is, for confidential letters of reference sent directly to the GIA chairman. The applicant can always include scans or PDFs of letters when he/she applies - you can see these in some of the other applications. They would then appear in the "Files submitted" section, below this area.
... and compliments of the season to all.
Peter
Yikes! Has Phillip been told that he has this grant? The deadline for applying for the WK Residency was Jan 1. I hope he applied... Should we just click the "Approved" button on here and let Wendy take it from there? Peter, is she automatically of this, or do we need to confirm it with a letter?
The main thing is, let's let him know he has the grant.
oops - I panicked too soon. I do remember an advisory along these lines from a few days ago. Sorry to raise an unnecessary flag. But since he applied here, I guess it would be good to sort out with him that he's getting it one way or another. Assuming, of course, that he's accepted but I can't imagine that he won't be.
I assume so, too, but I think maybe we'd better wait until the first flurry of acceptances go out, so that everything happens in the best order it can...
Happy New Year!
WG
Right - agreed - my only fear is that if he's not aware that he's getting help, will he then give up on the enterprise? Not a problem unless he assumes that he's not going and then makes some sort of plan for the same week, and then it could be sticky sorting THAT out. I hope the VdGDSA-NErs get their acceptances out soon...
Also agreed in re: Happy New Year! to all...
This most recent flurry on conversation on January 4, 2011 was entertaining. Does anybody know how to get out of the maze of this website to inform Phil? It sounded like there was some doubt.
L
For the record, although Phillip was the only person who applied this way, his is one of twelve scholarships of the same size that were subsidized by the VdGSA for this workshop. The decision was made by the Board that this application process was unnecessary since the number of people accepted was limited to 12. Therefore, anyone accepted was eligible for assistance and only had to write to the President to ask, and agree to write something afterward for the next Newsletter. WG
So this must mean that the $500 is taken out of the 2011 GIA account. Which means we have $3000 left in the account for the year 2011. Yes?
Project Description:
I am contacting you to notify you that I applying for the grants-in-aid program regarding specifically the Wieland Kuijken residency in March hosted by the Viola da Gamba Society New England. I am applying to defray some of the costs, as my university won’t be able to offer any assistance this year.
My chief goal is continued self-improvement on the viol. As my background in the viol only goes back a decade, I am dedicated to musical and technical fluency on the viol as well as continued expansion of historical theoretical knowledge surrounding issues of performance practice in order to be a more skilled pedagogue of the viol, also better informing my work as a double bassist. Being a detail-obsessed performer and teacher, I find that the best evaluation tool for improvement has always been the workshop setting, where direct, critical feedback from master-teachers has been instrumental in my growth. Having a growing family, practice time has become ever more scarce helping me, through necessity, to be as time-efficient to learn works quickly and isolate technical & ensemble problems in order to make rehearsals run smoothly and be as pleasant an experience as possible. Therefore, I hope that by being able to benefit from the Wieland Kuijken residency to better hone the skills I find necessary to bring the viol to the greater outside community, which is an aspect that I find most important to help foster the next generation of viola da gamba performers and pass on the best pedagogical tools and love for our beautiful literature.
Phillip
______________________________
Wieland Kuijken Residency Costs (from the vdgsne.org site)
Tuition for the Residency is $900. A deposit of $400 is required to hold a place in the Residency class. This deposit is payable to the VdGS-NE, and should be sent to Treasurer Sybil Kevy, at 154 Plain Road, Wayland, MA 01778. The deposit is fully refundable until Mar. 1. THe balance of tuition, $500, is due on the first day of the workshop, Mar. 14.
Request Amount:
$
500
Total Project Cost:
$
Budget and Additional Funding:
Qualifications:
1) Viol Studies.
I studied viol with Mary Springfels from January of 2001-May of 2007 during my Masters and Doctoral work at Northwestern University. Additionally I have worked with Early-Bass specialist Jerry Fuller on violone, and have studied, intermittently in isolated lessons & in master classes, with Wendy Gillespie, Sarah Mead, Brent Wissick, Craig Trompeter, John Mark Rozendaal, Alison Crum. Participating in local workshops, 4 Conclaves in regular classes and in the Consort Coop program, I found that the most dramtic feedbac I have had was studying with Catherina Meints & Mary Anne Ballard at the Baroque Performance Institute at Oberlin during the summer of 2010. Here I found the mixture of ensemble performance, consort coaching, master classes and individual lessons was the most intensive work I have enjoyed on the viol in a condensed period.
2) Musical Training.
On double bass, I’ve performed under the baton of conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, Pierre Boulez, Christoph Eschenbach, Neeme Järvi and David Robertson as a member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's Civic Orchestra of Chicago. I continue to perform double bass with many regional orchestras, too many to list here. My studies at Northwestern for my Masters and Doctoral study focused on chamber literature, orchestral literature including a wide range of periods, as well as specialist study in 20th century and contemporary literature. My undergraduate study was at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music studying under Stephen Tramontozzi in the San Francisco Symphony. There I focused much energy on advanced upper-division study in history and theory, while being involved with composers premiering new works. For some samples of my double bass work, specifically in chamber and solo settings, visit http://www.youtube.com/phillipwserna.
3) Viol Ensemble Experience
Since studying with Mary, I have been involved with a mixed consort (historical winds, voice, lute/ theorbo & bowed strings) called the Chicago Early Music Consort where I perform treble and bass viol as well as vielle for Medieval programs. I perform with Rachel Cama-Lekx in a duo named after the Marais work fantaisie en Echo having performed duos by Marais, Sainte-Colombe & Schenck. In a larger consort setting, I work regularly with Russell Wagner and Ken Perlow as part of a trio the Spirit of Gambo – a Chicago Consort of Viols where I have performed on treble, tenor and bass viols as well as great bass. We have performed works ranging from as early as Petrucci’s Odhecaton, to traditional consort works from England and the European continent, transcriptions, etc. Our trio has performed several recent concerts accompanying the 1912 Sarah Burnhardt film Queen Elizabeth as well as a concert of Byrd and an upcoming program of consort songs with the Newberry Consort. We also have augmented our Third Coast Viols workshop faculty consort in performance of 5 & 6-part consorts by Purcell, Jenkins and transcriptions of Bach. For larger works, and with various ensembles, I have performed Bach Cantatas 76 as well as 106 & 198 (both parts), and later Brandenburg 6 with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. Additionally I have transcribed works for viol consort as well as arranged works, both serious and frivolous for viols. For a complete list of ensembles, see below:
Madison Bach Musicians, Bach Cantata No.106, Bass Viola da Gamba Soloist Fall 2010
Saint Luke Bach Cantata Series, Cantata No.106, Bass Viola da Gamba Soloist Fall 2010
Oberlin Conservatory Baroque Performance Institute Faculty Ensemble, Monteverdi Vespers, Violone Summer 2010
Schola Antiqua, Bass Viola da Gamba Soloist Spring 2010
Saint Luke Bach Cantata Series, Bach Matthäus-Passion, Viola da Gamba Soloist Spring 2010
The Opera Company, Bass Viola da Gamba Winter 2009
Duo Fantaisie en Echo, Viola da Gamba Duo, Bass Viola da Gamba Winter 2009-Present
Newberry Consort of Viols, Period Instrument Ensemble, Bass & Tenor Viola da Gamba Fall 2005-Present
Valparaiso University Bach Institute, Double Bass, Baroque Bass, Viola da Gamba Fall 2008-Present
Viola da Gamba Society of America Conclave Consort Cooperative 2007, Period Instrument Ensemble Summer 2008
Treble, Tenor & Bass Viola da Gamba
Third Coast Viols, Viol Consort, Guest Bass Viola da Gamba Spring 2008
Music on the Mountain Viol Workshop Faculty Ensemble, Treble, Tenor, Bass Viola da Gamba & Violone Winter 2008
Viola da Gamba Society of America Conclave Consort Cooperative 2007, Period Instrument Ensemble Summer 2007
Treble, Tenor & Bass Viola da Gamba
Viola da Gamba Society of America Consort Cooperative Alumni Consort & Featured Soloist Summer 2007
for the Boston Early Music Festival, Bass Viola da Gamba
The Spirit of Gambo, a Chicago Consort of Viols, Treble, Tenor & Bass Viola da Gamba Fall 2006-Present
Ars Antigua, Period Instrument Ensemble, Bass Viola da Gamba Fall 2006-Present
Viola da Gamba Society of America Conclave Consort Cooperative 2006, Period Instrument Ensemble Summer 2006 Bass Viola da Gamba, Violone & Baroque Bass
Chicago Early Music Consort, Period Instrument Ensemble, Treble, Tenor & Bass Viola da Gamba, Vielle Winter 2005-Present
Oriana Singers & Instrumental Ensemble, Bass/ Violone & Bass Viola da Gamba Spring 2004-Present
Evelyn Dunbar Memorial Early Music Festival, Bass/ Violone & Bass Viola da Gamba Spring 2003-Present
Second City Musick, Viol Consort, Guest Bass Viola da Gamba Winter 2003
The Forces of Virtue Ensemble and Choir, Period Instrument Ensemble, Bass Viola da Gamba Winter 2003
Letter of Reference 1:
Here is the reference from Mary Anne Ballard, sent to me by email. (Peter and Linda, is there any better way to handle this than as a note?) Merry Christmas all...
**********
Concerning Phillip Serna, scholarship applicant for the Kuijken workshop, March 2011:
Phillip hardly needs an introduction to members of the VdGSA, thanks to his activities in the area of teaching viol to children and giving concerts in schools.
What may be less well known is that Phillip is a serious professional performer, with the technique and musicianship to play the difficult solo viol repertory. This fact, combined with his outreach activities—one might say “missionary work†—in the realm of viol education, make him an excellent candidate for the VdGSA to support. He will be one of the next generation’s leading teachers and players in the gamba world USA.
Phillip has a doctoral level degree in double bass from Northwestern, and plays modern double bass as a free-lance musician in Chicago. I’ve seen/heard him play at Millenium Park in the Tschaikovsky violin Concerto with Rachel Barton Pine, and I’ve seen/heard him play modern double bass in Handel’s Messiah, as the only double bass player in the small orchestra. He teaches double bass at Valparaiso University in Indiana, and probably elsewhere at jobs I don’t know about. He also plays in early music ensembles in Chicago and helps organize workshops there.
He’s one of the most industrious people I know.
I’ve also heard him play for Cathy Meints’s master class at the Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute, where he played a difficult Italian diminution piece with ease.
You probably have many applicants who are accomplished young people. What sets Phillip off is that he is not only an advanced/professional level player, he is a “gamba activistâ€â€”someone who will make a real difference in promoting viol activities in his own community. And since he is a young father with a wife and child, he is really beyond the stage of life where he can afford to take time to go to Europe and study.
I am embarrassed to say that Phillip asked me to write this recommendation in October and that. after enthusiastically agreeing, I got distracted and forgot to do it. I hope this doesn’t hurt his chances because he really is unequivically deserving.
And he is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet…
Sincerely,
Mary Anne Ballard
cell-574-315-8148
Letter of Reference 2:
This just in from David Douglass:
__________________________________
Hi David,
I'm sure you know Philip as well as I. I've worked with him a lot on the Elizabeth film, and his work was terrific, with one caveat: He's liable to make mistakes by working too fast. The working too fast is a product of his eagerness, which is a wonderful quality in him, but he can go astray. It just takes a little closer scrutiny and an avoidance of close deadlines. He's a great guy.
Best,
David
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