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Batavia native back at Eastman— Now as teacher
Coming Home: Batavia pianist Joseph Irrera performs with the GSO for the first time
Next stop ... Carnegie Hall
By
Roger Muehlig rmuehlig@batavianews.com
Saturday, April 11, 2009 6:16 AM EDT
ROCHESTER --
Brothers Joseph and John Irrera have both been to Carnegie Hall before.
"In the audience, though,'' said Joseph.
That will
change on Easter Sunday when the Batavia natives perform in the Winners'
Recital of American Protege Competition at the famed New York City music
theater.
Joseph, 26, plays the piano. John, 23, plays the violin. Both teach at the Eastman School of Music's Community School in Rochester.
The two entered CDs of their work in the international piano and strings competition that is open to students and adults and, this year, vocalists as well. Both were chosen as winners by different sets of judges who knew them only by the number that was attached to their entries, rather than by their names.
That's a
sibling selection rarity, according to an official of the American Protege
Organizational Committee.
"In our experience, we never got two brothers winning first place in one competition, so it is, in fact, a rare event,'' committee Administrative Director Alexandre Agaian said in an e-mail advisory to The Daily News.
The judges don't have access to the participants' biographies, according to Agaian. Only the competition's chairwoman recognized the two are siblings and recommended the brothers perform one after the other in the Winners' Recital, she said.
The brothers are sons of Dr. Joseph and Judy Irrera of Batavia. Both graduated from Batavia High School; Joseph in 2000, and John in 2003.
Both
developed a musical interest at an early age. Joseph said he started out on an
electric keyboard when he was 5 years old. He moved up to an electric piano in
about six months, he said, studied method books and started classical training
in the Prep program at the Eastman Community School when he was 11 years old.
His parents had to get him a real piano by then. "The electric wouldn't do,'' he said during a joint interview at a coffee shop near the Gibbs Street school.
John said he
got involved with the violin after Cindy Baldwin, music teacher at John Kennedy
School, staged a promotion to spark interest in stringed instruments when he
was in second grade.
He took to the violin. "I guess I just had a natural affinity for it,'' he said.
Both studied for years at Eastman Community that serves high school and younger age students, and went on to the college-level Eastman School of Music.
Joe, who also played tenor saxophone in his high school band and jazz band, has a bachelor's degree from the Eastman School and a master's degree in piano performance from the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore.
He plans to begin work on a doctorate at Eastman in the fall.
John, who
also played in the BHS orchestra, said he got serious about music as a career
during his middle
school and
early high school years.
He got his bachelor's and master's degrees in violin performance from the Eastman School and teaches violin at the Community School.
Joseph teaches piano there and also teaches at Hochstein School of Music in Rochester and at Hochstein's Canandaigua campus. He is also experienced on the double bass, having played the stringed instrument in high school and with the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra.
Although the brothers live together in Greece, neither knew at first that the other had entered the Protege competition. When they found out, neither one thought the other had a better chance of winning.
"When
you enter, you hope. You just wait and see,'' said John.
They didn't know how many others entered. "I'm sure there were hundreds,'' said John, who has also played with the RPYO.
The brothers
wanted to credit their teachers.
In Joseph's case, that's Alla Kuznetsov, during his Prep time -- middle school and high school years; Douglas Humpherys, for undergraduate school at Eastman, and Alexander Shtarkman, for his master's work at Peabody.
For John, they are Boris Zadesochny, for Prep work, and Zvi Zeitlin for undergraduate and master's degrees.
The brothers lean mostly toward classical music. Joe favors Chopin and Beethoven. John has a more open field.
"It changes,'' he said. "It isn't one composer... They're all great for their own reasons.''
Joseph will
be playing Chopin Sunday. When John's turn comes, his brother will be joining
in.
That's because John's selection, Greig's "Violin Sonata in C Minor,'' requires piano accompaniment.
The two have practiced a lot, usually at home, they said. They will be playing in Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall rather than the main auditorium.
They are looking forward to the occasion, they said. The Weill chamber seats 268, according to the Carnegie Hall Web site, and their parents will be in the audience.
Mom and dad
are "very, very proud'' of their sons, their father said in a telephone
interview.
Both of them
worked very hard over the years to succeed in music, he said.
Did he expect them to play Carnegie Hall some day? "I was hoping for it,'' he said.
The brothers
plan to fly to New York Friday for a rehearsal. John will be playing the
made-in-Buffalo violin that he's had for the past 15 years.
"They feel better with age,'' he said.
Joseph will be
playing a piano he's never sat at before. But he expects it will be a Steinway.
"That's like the Porche (of pianos),'' he said.
It's not an expense-paid trip for the brothers and they don't know what's in it for them if they win.
"The main thing,'' said Joseph, "is the Carnegie Hall performance.''
Their practice pays off
Irrera brothers reflect on Carnegie Hall concert
By
Roger Muehlig?rmuehlig@batavianews.com
Wednesday, April 29, 2009 10:40 AM EDT
Now that brothers Joseph and John Irrera have made their debuts at Carnegie Hall, the Batavia natives would like to play the famous New York City music venue again some time.
"I hope to return," Joseph Irrera said. "(I'll) be seeking any chance I get to go back."
"Definitely I'd like to be back at Carnegie Hall," said younger brother John.
The brothers, who live in Greece and teach at the Eastman School of Music's Community School in Rochester, got the opportunity to play in Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall by emerging in the Winners Recital of American Protg Competition.
Both submitted CD entries of their work, Joseph on the piano and John on the violin, for the international piano and strings competition. They became the first brothers to end up as first-place winners, according to an organization committee official.
The two, both Batavia High School graduates, flew to the Big Apple to perform at an Easter Sunday concert. Joseph said it was a well-attended event in the recital hall that seats nearly 300 people.
"I think it was pretty well sold out from what I could see," he said.
"It was very exciting. We both played extremely well. It was really a great experience," he said during a telephone interview from their apartment.
Joseph, 26, said he was a bit nervous, mostly just before going on stage.
"It's the anticipation," he said.
But that passed once he got to his piano keyboard.
"It felt like any other performance," he said. "I think we looked at it that way and it helped."
Joseph went on first, playing Chopin's Ballade No. 4. He then joined John, 23, for Greig's Violin Sonata in C Minor, a piece that requires piano accompaniment.
It really went well, said John.
"I was pleased at how I played and how we performed together as an ensemble," he said.
The brothers, who developed musical interests as youngsters, received a gold medal and a certificate. But the actual prize was performing at Carnegie Hall, Joseph said.
The two had been there before, but as audience members, rather than performers.
Their parents, Dr. Joseph and Judy Irrera of Batavia, were on hand for the afternoon performances.
The family went out to eat and to see some of New York City afterward, John said. They spent the night, he said, before flying back home the next day.
How did mom and dad feel about seeing their sons on a big-time stage in New York?
"Very proud and thrilled," their father said in a telephone call Sunday.
"Both the boys did an
excellent job ... If I can be a little biased, I swear both were the best ones
up on the stage," he said.
Batavia native back at Eastman— Now as Teacher
By Ben Beagle
Saturday, December 22, 2007 6:16 AM EDT
BATAVIA-- When Joseph Irrera walked into Eastman School of Music in Rochester about three months ago it was as if he had never left. Irrera, a Batavia native now living in Rochester, began teaching in September at Eastman's Community Music School — in the same piano studio where he studied as a teenager.
"I'm teaching in the department I grew up in. It feels very familiar," Irrera said. "I walked in and it had the same stool I used to sit on for my lessons, the same cushion. They even left the same coffee mug, and it was still on the desk."
Now 26, Irrera first entered Eastman in 1993 as a student in the Community Education Division of the school's Preparatory Department. In 2000, he began full-time studies as a college student, earning a bachelor's degree with distinction from Eastman in 2005 after taking a year to study in Germany, Italy and France. A year later, Irrera completed his master's degree at Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, MD. Usually a two-year program, he finished in 18 months.
He has taken top prizes at numerous piano competitions in the United States, Bulgaria, and most recently a third prize at the International Piano Competition at The Moulin d'Ande, France. Irrera has appeared as a soloist with numerous orchestras including the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, performing Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 in c minor. This concert season Irrera made his New York City debut as second prizewinner of the Bradshaw and Buono International Piano Competition. He is also teaching for the Hochstein School of Music.
(The following interview was conducted Dec. 17 by Lifestyles Editor Ben Beagle at Genesee Community College in Batavia.)
~What do you teach at Eastman?
I have my own private piano studio. It is actually the same room I received lessons in when I was a student in the prep at Eatman. I currently have 12 students which range from beginning 6-year-olds to adults.
~What do you like about teaching?
I enjoy the interaction, and being able to help students play
better. As a performer, although you're out on stage in front of hundreds,
sometimes thousands of people, there's not much personal interaction. A lot can
also be learned from teaching. Not only what works with certain students and
what does not, but also specific things about the pieces themselves. Being on
the “teacher side” of the equation forces you to view a piece in a different
light. You're not looking at your hands or the notes, which makes it much
easier to see the bigger picture the music is conveying.
~How did studying in Europe help your development as a
musician?
The schooling there is very different than the way teachers work here. There can be very different approaches to the same piece. For example, composers of the Classical Period— Haydn, Beethoven. Over there, the teachers will take everything in the score to heart and rarely stray from what is written on the page. Here in the states people feel they have more of an artistic license to change things. I am of course referring to very small and precise details written in the score, however, to a trained ear these differences in style and approach can be heard. Europeans are also less inclined to over-use pedal. It is a matter of taste and preference. But I’ve found that over-seas they generally prefer to use less pedal.
~What did you learn from studying from these different teachers with their different approaches?
I feel my style is like a montage from all of the teaching
styles I’ve experienced. I keep what I like and drop what I do not. I feel
though, from experiencing many different pianistic approaches, I have come to
find my own way and voice.
~What attracted you to the piano?
Actually, this is kind of a funny story. When I was 5 years old I really wanted to play the tenor sax. I went to the local music store with my parents where, to my disappointment, I was told that 5 is too young to begin sax lessons. They informed us that my lungs at that age were not developed enough, and that I should wait until about the fourth grade. In the meantime, they suggested that I start piano lessons. I was not really interested in it though. However, my father suggested that if I started piano then, it would be a good opportunity to learn notes and rhythms, which would be a good head start for the sax later. So, with a little reluctance, I agreed to give it a try.
~And then something happened?
It was September, when I started piano. By Christmas that year I
could play all the familiar Christmas songs from memory. It came very natural
to me. After that there was no looking back.
~What happened to plans to play sax?
I started the saxophone in fourth grade, but ironically did not like it as much. I continued to play throughout high school, however it never compared to the piano for me. When I sit down at the piano it doesn’t feel like work to me. It feels like I'm just playing and having fun.
What's next for you?
I'd like to continue to perform as much as possible. A few weeks ago I was in New York City at Bechstein Hall. I was playing as a result of a second place finish in a competition last year; The Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition. I'd also like to have a professor position in a university program someday. I have plans of pursuing the DMA Degree, that's a Doctorate of Musical Arts. It is a required degree for someone wanting to teach at the university level.
~Your brother (John, a student at Eastman School of Music) is also an accomplished young musician. Were you guys competitive growing up?
We were competitive, but in areas other than music. Musically
we'd often collaborate as a duo. During my undergraduate studies at Eastman,
John would frequently come and perform with me in some of my classes. I would
also return the favor, accompanying him at his lessons occasionally. In general, we reserved the sibling
rivalry for things like sports and games. Music always seemed a time for us to
come together.
Coming Home: Batavia pianist Joseph Irrera performs with the GSO for the first time
By Roger Muehlig rmuehlig@batavianews.com
All that will change Sunday when the 27-year-old pianist takes the stage as guest artist at the GSO's spring concert entitled "Around the World in 80 Minutes'' in the Stuart Steiner Theatre at Genesee Community College.
It's something he's looking forward to, Irrera said during a telephone interview this week.
The concert is the GSO's last of the season. Irrera said conductor Raffaele Ponti asked him to perform with the orchestra after he and his brother, John, a violinist, made their Carnegie Hall debuts last April in an Easter concert at Weill Recital Hall in New York City.
Irrera, who lives in the Rochester suburb of Greece, is scheduled to perform midway through the 4 p.m. concert that promises to take listeners on a world musical tour via the works of composers like Bizet, Berlioz, Rossini and Strauss.
Ponti suggested Gershwin music and they agreed, Irrera said, on the vintage 1924 "Rhapsody" tune that serves as the American leg of the musical journey. It is also a song that hasn't been part of his repertoire in the past.
Irrera said his specialty has been highly classical music. "This was a bit of a change for me to perform, but it's a great piece and a fun piece,'' he said.
It's also a popular one. "Everyone loves it,'' he said.
The setting may not be Carnegie Hall, but Irrera, who teaches piano at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester and has soloed with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, said concerts are always exciting events for him.
"I love performing no matter where it is,'' he said.
"A performance is a performance no matter what the venue is. It's always exciting.''
Including area nursing homes where he has played for elderly residents who don't get out a lot. "They really enjoy it,'' he said.
Irrera, who turns 28 Friday, expects his parents, brother and other family members and friends to be in the audience for Sunday's concert. He's excited at the opportunity to perform for many who knew him in his youth, but who have never heard him in concert as an adult.
"So, it'll be nice to return,'' he said.
A quick look
WHAT: Genesee Symphony Orchestra, in concert.
WHEN: 4 p.m. Sunday.
WHERE: Stuart Steiner Theatre in the Genesee Center for the Arts at Genesee Community College, 1 College Rd., Batavia.
TICKETS: $12 for adults, $8 for seniors, $5 for students, and $30 for a family (two adults and up to six children). Available in Batavia at GO ART! Seymour Place, 201 East Main St.; Roxy's Music Store, 228 West Main St.; Enchanted Florist, 202 East Main St., and The Senior Center, 2 Bank St.; in Le Roy at the Bank of Castile, 29 Main St.; and in Oakfield at Water Street Printing, 14 Water St.
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