Yamaha Clavinovas Help Weave "The Fabric of a Family"
BUENA PARK, CA (September 2, 2005) — This summer, the Singletary Center for the Arts at the University of Kentucky celebrated the power and complexity of families with the presentation of “Henry and Lillie: Fabric of a Family.” Partially funded by a grant by the Kentucky Arts Council, this unique performance art piece incorporated musical, theatrical and artistic elements to illustrate the essence of family.
According to writer and producer Joy Carden, the piece defies simple categorization. “It’s not a play; it’s not a concert; but it does involve music, dance, drama and mixed visual media along with audience participation,” she says. “The family issues presented through audio narrations are brought to life on stage via the keyboard musicians, soloists, choir, dancers and visuals.”
The idea came to Carden in 1983 when she read about a powerful multimedia arts event in Europe involving early electronic keyboards, a choir, soloists and dancers all participating on stage together. The notion of producing such an event struck a chord in Carden, who is also a keyboard consultant for Yamaha Corporation of America. For 17 years, she kept files on various ideas that could bring this concept to life. The catalyst for the production, however, came on September 11, 2001. With two of her children raising families in the New York area, the day’s events made it clear that her project should underscore the importance of family. The semi-autobiographical script that Carden ultimately created includes personal highlights of her parents, Henry and Lillie, but she insists that the characters represent families in general, rather than her own specific relatives.
The diversity of the production is complemented by the eclectic musical styles employed by the show’s principal composer, Yamaha Consultant Susan Ogilvy, who incorporated pop, lullabies, techno, rap, classics, patriotic numbers and contemporary styles to represent the blending of life experiences throughout the production.
Sixteen Clavinova CVP Series digital pianos, furnished by Henderson Music of Lexington, Kentucky, were used onstage in the production. For Ogilvy, the Clavinova was the ideal tool to address the complex compositional and performance requirements of the program.
“One of the key advantages that the Clavinova offers over an orchestra is the phenomenal XG sound,” notes Ogilvy. “The Clavinova helped to bring up certain feelings or emotions as I was composing. I was inspired by the Clavinova to write pieces that were a stretch.”
“It could have been done with an orchestra, but that would be ordinary,” adds Carden. “The Clavinovas gave a full range of ordinary and extraordinary sounds. They gave complete freedom to Susan as she wrote the pieces.”
Thirty piano teachers from 19 states were invited to perform in the event, marking the conclusion of the fourth annual Keyboard Ensemble & Technology Seminar (KETS-4) supported by Yamaha at the University of Kentucky. The performers took turns playing, and were also paired up to perform on the Clavinovas two at a time, employing the piano’s keyboard-splitting function.
The production unfolded not merely by observation, but also by audience participation and even community participation as well. Collaborating with Minds Wide Open, a local arts center for the developmentally disabled, several members of the center were incorporated into the production’s Christmas scene. Additional participants included a dance team from the University of Kentucky, the 100th Division of the United States Army Reserve and choir members from area churches.
While stressful at times, the daunting undertaking was tremendously gratifying for Carden and the others involved. “With limited funding, minimal rehearsal time, and last minute changes in dancers and choir, everything worked out in a way that I consider to be nothing short of miraculous,” she says. “I am very pleased with the end result. And based on the feedback, the message that the family unit is important came across loud and clear. That was the major goal.”
For more information, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Piano Division, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622, telephone (714) 522-9011, or e-mail infostation@yamaha.com.
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The idea came to Carden in 1983 when she read about a powerful multimedia arts event in Europe involving early electronic keyboards, a choir, soloists and dancers all participating on stage together. The notion of producing such an event struck a chord in Carden, who is also a keyboard consultant for Yamaha Corporation of America. For 17 years, she kept files on various ideas that could bring this concept to life. The catalyst for the production, however, came on September 11, 2001. With two of her children raising families in the New York area, the day’s events made it clear that her project should underscore the importance of family. The semi-autobiographical script that Carden ultimately created includes personal highlights of her parents, Henry and Lillie, but she insists that the characters represent families in general, rather than her own specific relatives.
The diversity of the production is complemented by the eclectic musical styles employed by the show’s principal composer, Yamaha Consultant Susan Ogilvy, who incorporated pop, lullabies, techno, rap, classics, patriotic numbers and contemporary styles to represent the blending of life experiences throughout the production.
Sixteen Clavinova CVP Series digital pianos, furnished by Henderson Music of Lexington, Kentucky, were used onstage in the production. For Ogilvy, the Clavinova was the ideal tool to address the complex compositional and performance requirements of the program.
 Sixteen Yamaha Clavinova CVP digital pianos joined singers, actors, dancers and multimedia visuals onstage in an unconventional performance. |
“It could have been done with an orchestra, but that would be ordinary,” adds Carden. “The Clavinovas gave a full range of ordinary and extraordinary sounds. They gave complete freedom to Susan as she wrote the pieces.”
Thirty piano teachers from 19 states were invited to perform in the event, marking the conclusion of the fourth annual Keyboard Ensemble & Technology Seminar (KETS-4) supported by Yamaha at the University of Kentucky. The performers took turns playing, and were also paired up to perform on the Clavinovas two at a time, employing the piano’s keyboard-splitting function.
The production unfolded not merely by observation, but also by audience participation and even community participation as well. Collaborating with Minds Wide Open, a local arts center for the developmentally disabled, several members of the center were incorporated into the production’s Christmas scene. Additional participants included a dance team from the University of Kentucky, the 100th Division of the United States Army Reserve and choir members from area churches.
While stressful at times, the daunting undertaking was tremendously gratifying for Carden and the others involved. “With limited funding, minimal rehearsal time, and last minute changes in dancers and choir, everything worked out in a way that I consider to be nothing short of miraculous,” she says. “I am very pleased with the end result. And based on the feedback, the message that the family unit is important came across loud and clear. That was the major goal.”
For more information, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Piano Division, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622, telephone (714) 522-9011, or e-mail infostation@yamaha.com.
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