Student from GFS, 15, already making mark as composer

Posted 8/25/16

Germantown Friends School sophomore Matthew Flynn, 15, works on one of his remarkable compositions. by Michael Caruso The Germantown Branch of Settlement Music School, 6128 Germantown Ave., will host …

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Student from GFS, 15, already making mark as composer

Posted
Germantown Friends School sophomore Matthew Flynn, 15, works on one of his remarkable compositions. Germantown Friends School sophomore Matthew Flynn, 15, works on one of his remarkable compositions.

by Michael Caruso

The Germantown Branch of Settlement Music School, 6128 Germantown Ave., will host an Open House Saturday, Sept. 10, from 10 a.m. to noon. The event will offer interested locals the chance to experience the school’s ensembles and classes as well as hear performances by many of the groups that meet and are coached at Settlement, both classical and jazz.

Branch Director Eric Anderson said that there will be demonstrations by the branch’s dance ensembles, music workshops and play shops, as well as opportunities to schedule appointments to register. Among the new offerings at the Germantown Branch will be a soprano-alto-tenor-bass choir for high school students to be directed by Suzanne Sweeney. Both Sweeney and children’s choir director Rae Ann Anderson will be at the Open House to answer any questions.

Among the “graduates” of the branch’s Children’s Music Workshop is Germantown Friends School student Matthew Flynn, 15, who first enrolled when he was 3 years old. “It was a group class for pre-school aged children,” the sophomore recalled. “We learned basic music theory as well as rhythm and movement.”

Matthew then began piano lessons with Lois DiDomenico. “After a year or two playing the Suzuki books,” he said, “I began playing other types of classical music. In particular, I remember enjoying Kabalevsky’s 'Sonatina,' Opus 27, no. 18. Ms. Lois was a demanding yet nurturing piano teacher, always making sure that I was playing not only the right notes but with proper expression, dynamics and the most beautiful tone possible.” Matthew then moved on to more complex repertoire as well as some ragtime and jazz duets with fellow students. His curriculum included ear training, which helped him as a singer.

“When I was 10 years old,” he continued, “I joined the Keystone State Boychoir. I had to learn a number of songs before becoming an official member. While I was learning them, Ms. Lois would use the first five to 10 minutes of the lesson to play the melodies together to make sure I was singing them correctly. She subsequently came to several of the choir’s concerts, and I really enjoyed having her there.”

Another “branching out” occurred when Matthew began studying jazz piano with Scott Coulter at Settlement’s Wynnefield Branch, learning about the structure of music for purposes of improvisation. “With classical music,” Matthew said, “you are interpreting the music as it is written, but with jazz, there isn’t too much that’s written, just the melody and chords, so you have to know enough music theory to read what’s written and then turn it into something people can appreciate. I wanted to learn more about music theory and focus a little less on perfecting each individual song I played.”

That thirst for a deeper knowledge of what makes music tick brought Matthew back to the Germantown Branch to study composition with Michael Stambaugh. “I’ve always had a little part of me moving toward composition from the beginning of my musical studies,” he explained. “But as odd as it sounds, the reason I’m now interested in composition comes from video games. I’ve been playing video games for all my childhood, and as I matured I started to notice the background music. I began to appreciate how the music complements the events of the game, so for about a year and a half I have been composing orchestral music in the style of a video game soundtrack. Then I began to take an interest in musical composition in a broader sense than just soundtracks, so I decided to seek formal instruction with Mike. I hope to continue with him throughout my high school years.”

Although his plans may change, Matthew hopes to be a double major in college: music composition and computer science, expressing a hope to become a successful composer of soundtracks. “I love the idea of taking a moment in a movie or video game, filled with emotion, and adding music to it that heightens that emotion enough to greatly affect the audience.”

Speaking of Matthew, Michael Stambaugh said, “Matthew is a model student. His questions reveal a curiosity and passion that are important for a young composer to succeed and grow. He is completely open to new ideas, methods and philosophies. His music is thoughtful and, most importantly, it sounds good.”

Settlement Executive Director Helen Eaton concurred. “Settlement is so proud to support the musical development of Matthew,” she said. “His passion, dedication and musical abilities are truly inspiring.”

Explaining his 12-year tenure as a Settlement student, Matthew said, “I’ve always had a great interesting in music, playing multiple instruments and composing, and I feel that Settlement has been a good place to discover and nurture those many interests. They took the time to understand me as a musician.”

For more information about the Open House call 215-320-2610.

 * In the interest of full disclosure, I have been a member of the piano faculty of Settlement Music School since 1986.

AN APPRECIATION

For any Chestnut Hill classical music lover old enough to remember the original Bach Festival, founded by the late Michael Korn in 1974, the name of harpsichordist Temple Painter is a familiar one. Painter, who was born in 1933, died Aug. 6.

Painter was a founding member of the Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia, the ensemble now known as the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, founded in 1964 by Marc Mostovoy. It was part of the initial phase of the Baroque Revival launched by the legendary harpsichordist Wanda Landowska who, like Painter, played on a modern hybrid version of the baroque keyboard predecessor of the piano. The Concerto Soloists also played on modern instruments and not on the period instruments preferred by many baroque music ensembles today.

Together with Korn, who founded the Philadelphia Singers in 1971, Mostovoy’s instrumentalists joined forces with Korn’s choristers to focus attention on the repertoire of Johann Sebastian Bach and his contemporaries. They presented scores of concerts here in Chestnut Hill, most of which took place in either of Chestnut Hill’s two Episcopal Churches, St. Paul’s and St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Painter was a seminal figure in virtually all of those performances, projecting the figured bass foundation of concerti, suites, cantatas and Bach’s monumental St. Matthew and St. John Passions and the Mass in B minor.

Temple Painter’s life was celebrated with a Latin Requiem Mass Friday, Aug. 19, in the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter & Paul according to the ancient liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church. Though somewhat in need of aesthetic restoration, the Basilica’s glorious acoustics resounded with the sublime sounds of Gregorian chant sung by Nicholas Beck and Timothy McDonnell, melodies that formed the genesis of the baroque repertoire Temple Painter loved and performed.

Contact NOTEWORTHY at Michael-caruso@comcast.net.

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