$500-$1500 Scholarships
For college level music students

Who may apply: students from the Rocky Mountain Region who are attending a music college or who have a letter of acceptance from a music college for 2006-2007. Students must be planning to major in music performance, or music education with a minor in an instrument (sorry, no vocal majors).

DMA member Chris Soucy (guitar/bass) is currently touring with Universal/Foundations Records artist Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers. The group’s new single, “Start the Day Early,” has made the national Triple A radio format top 50 chart for the last two weeks in a row.

Colorado Symphony Orchestra (CSO) Conductor Laureate Marin Alsop and percussionist Evelyn Glennie have been nominated for a GRAMMY® Award in the category of Best Instrumental Soloist(s) in Performance (with Orchestra) on the Naxos American Classics recording of Michael Daugherty’s UFO performed by the CSO.

An Empty Pit.

That’s what children will find when they scamper down the aisle to see the musicians and their instruments during the Oakland Ballet’s Nutcracker. Until recently, the Oakland Ballet advertised they would perform the holiday classic accompanied by the Oakland East Bay Symphony. However, the company has now decided that the Sugar Plum Fairy will dance to tape, depriving their audiences of a valuable live music, cultural, and educational experience.

Ticket prices have not been reduced as a result of this decision.

http://www.livemusictaskforce.org

Ideal for a small business! If you or someone you know is interested in renting office space in a central Denver location, please contact the DMA at (303) 573-1717 or email President Pete Vriesenga at Pvriesenga@aol.com

Jim Stahlhut is pleased to announce the release of his new Jazz CD “Out Of Nowhere” . He teams up with one of his longtime heroes Maurice “Reece” Anderson on Pedal Steel guitar and two of New York City’s Finest up and coming Jazz players, Alan Hampton on bass and Reggie Quinerly on drums.

Paul Noel Fiorino Composer/Musician Music For the Masses Presents: Dedicated To My Parents, Family & Fans All proceeds go to “Ballet Arts” in Denver. A resume that includes dance from Denver to New York City Ballet to Israel and back to Dallas and New Orleans, the guitar was the companion. Available at: http://www.dmamusic.org/store/

The NUTCRACKER has a few versions, but if you need to know how the Nutcracker came to be, then the collaboration of Ballet Arts Theatre and Ballet Ariel
at the Cleo Parker Robinson Theatre 119 Park Ave. West ( 20th & Washington St.)
in Denver. Featuring Paul Noel Fiorino as the Cavalier, partnering the Sugar Plum Fairy, Kate Brogen; This production is affordable for the entire family.
$14 Adults $11 Students & Seniors $7 Children 12 & under.
Group rates are available. 303-282-9828
Directed by Ilena Norton, Paul Noel Fiorino and Patricia Renzetti
December 16 & 17 at 8pm Sunday Matinee December 18 @ 2pm
Sponsored in part by SCFD and Denver Office of Cultural Affairs

Presented by the Denver Municipal Band
Saturday December 10th

12:30-2:30 for High-School Players. 
3:00-5:00 for College and Advanced High School Players.
Open to all instrumentalists and vocalists

Location: Denver Musicians Association
1165 Delaware St., Denver
http://www.dmamusic.org/dmb/kneebody.pdf

The National Western Stock Show has reinstated the Rodeo Band for five performances at their 2006 Rodeo events. As a special recognition of the 100th anniversary of the National Western, the board of directors will present five nostalgic rodeo performances which will include the former band.

Our American member AFM has informed us about a labor dispute between its Local 802 and Radio City Entertainment which produces the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. The International Federation of Musicians (FIM), therefore, urges all its member unions, as well as all other musicians unions around the world, to refuse to participate in any recording likely to be used for the purpose of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.

A special thanks to those DMA members who participated in a fundraiser for hurricane relief on September 16 and Bear Creek Church in Lakewood. Thanks to : Dan Leavitt, Steve Traylor, Eric Stafeldt, John Bartmann, Jeff Young, Ben Makenin, Mimi Finn, Jackie Victor, Kerry Webb and others, and a very special thanks to Steve Traylor and the members of The Fat City Mardi Gras Band and guests.

14-year-old composer and singer Erienne Romaine suddenly and unexpectedly suffered a seizure and was diagonsed with a condition called ArterioVenous Malformation. With no health insurance, estimate costs for required medical procedures are $500,000.

Her new CD is available for a minimum contribution of $20. All proceeds go toward Erienne’s medical procedures.

Mayor John Hickenlooper and the Denver Commission on Cultural Affairs are seeking nominations for the 2005 Mayor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts. The Mayor will present the awards at a community reception in February of 2006.

The American Red Cross Mile High Chapter is looking for the donation of a violin and cello (new or in VERY GOOD working condition) for two Hurricane Katrina evacuees at their shelter at the Lowry AFB. If you have an instrument that you would like to donate, please contact Laura Gillespie Lhevine at lgillespie@denver-redcross.org.

Gerald Endsley, Director of the Denver Municipal Band, is preparing a historical anthology of the Denver Municipal Band. The Band is deeply rooted in Denver’s civic history for well over the past Century. Any photos, programs and memorabilia that you may be willing to loan will greatly assist this effort. Please contact Gerald at 303-388-0183 or the Denver Musicians Association at 303-573-1717.

Dazzle Restaurant and Lounge will host a music marathon, beginning Saturday, September 17, 2005 at 4:00 PM, and running through Sunday, September 19, 2005, 11:59 PM.
Denver’s finest musicians have also generously donated their time and performances in this fundraising effort to be played throughout the marathon.

All across the labor movement, unions and union members are rushing to get urgently needed assistance to the victims of Hurricane Katrina—providing front-line rescue efforts, meeting emergency construction needs, stepping in to teach children and giving funds and items. We are the first to pitch in and put our union values to work, and we are the ones who will keep doing it long after the TV cameras are gone. While it is impossible to chronicle the thousands of acts of kindness and courage, here is an update about what the AFL-CIO is doing.

The AFM is proud to announce that it has created the Gulf Coast Relief Fund to help members who have been impacted by Katrina. The AFM will match every dollar contributed, up to $100,000. If you would like to donate to the Fund, please go to http://www.afm.org/public/press/tleekatrina.pdf to read AFM President Thomas F. Lee’s message.

Please Join the Denver Area Labor Federation and Honor Colorado’s Unions and those hard walking, door knocking Labor Neighbors at our “Labor 2005 Kick-Off Party”

In July, 2005, Erienne Romaine was rehearsing a song. She is 14 years old and has her first CD out titled Serenade Me. During her rehearsal, she suffered a seizure and was rushed to the hospital. There, she was diagonsed with a condition called ArterioVenous Malformation (AVM), which are masses of abnormal blood vessels that grow in the brain. Her treatment plan calls for a technique called embolization, which is used for larger malformations. Estimate uninsured medical expenses will be $500,000 or more.

Don’t miss Jeffrey Kahane in his inaugural year as Colorado Symphony Orchestra Music Director with a new four-concert Kahane Collection mini-series. Choose from nine Masterworks programs, featuring performances by Joshua Bell, Hillary Hahn and many others. Programs to include Beethoven’s immortal Symphony No. 5, Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and Orff’s Carmina burana, plus Maestro Kahane’s American Composers Showcase, Mozart Festival of Concertos and more!

On June 27, 2005, the United States Supreme Court issued its decision for MGM v. Grokster. The central issue in the case was whether a file sharing service could be held liable for the activities of the users of the service. Users of file-sharing services often download music and movies illegally from such sites.

The court held that file sharers could be held liable for such activities. Justice David H. Souter, writing for the court, stated, “We hold that one who distributes a device with the object of promoting its use to infringe copyright, as shown by the clear expression or other affirmative steps taken to foster infringement, is liable for the resulting acts of infringement by third parties.”

Broadway Music School is open as of July 1, 2005 at 1940 S. Broadway!
Check out our website at: broadwaymusicschool.com

Steve Shurack, who has been teaching instrumental music in Denver for over 30 years has bought the property with two buildings and a parking lot and is busy getting everything ready for a grand opening in the Fall.

The Denver Office of Cultural Affairs announced today the entertainment line-up for its 2005 City Free Concert Series sponsored by the City of Denver and the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Colorado. This year’s series includes the new Skyline Park Lunch Concerts, as well as the Evenings in the Parks presented in partnership with Target. The overall series provides the community with free concerts showcasing a variety of acclaimed performance groups in Denver parks and venues each summer.

Bendiksen Productions announces the release of a new CD by pianist Hank Troy. Never Really Silent, recorded live at Chautauqua in Boulder, Colorado, is a delightful hour of live musical accompaniment for silent films. Known in the Denver area for his performances of ragtime and jazz, Troy has played for silent films since 1971. His largely improvisational style, drawing on pop music from the early 1900s and from the classics, captures the many moods of film action, drama, and comedy. Join us for a CD release party on Wednesday, June 8, 2005, at Colorado Chautauqua, 900 Baseline Road in Boulder.

Seventeen symphonies across China have joined the recently established
China Symphony Orchestra League based in Beijing.

The league includes the China Symphony Orchestra and the Beijing
Symphony Orchestra.

Tasso Harris, president of the Denver Musicians Association from 1974 to 1988, passed away Saturday, May 21, following a serious stroke a few weeks earlier. Tasso has been a Life Member of Local 20-623 since 1951 and also a Life Member of Los Angeles Local 47 since 1947. Our thoughts and prayers go out to him, and we offer our condolences and heartfelt support to Mrs. Lillian Harris and family during this difficult time.
Visitation Thursday (5/26), 8 a.m. – 8 p.m., Funeral Service Friday (5/27), 10:30 AM, both at Horan & McConaty Family Chapel, 3101 S. Wadsworth Blvd. Interment Fort Logan National Cemetery.

Everett Gilmore, member of the Denver Musicians Association since 1963, was principal tubist with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, where he played for thirty years until his retirement in 1995. In addition to his work with the Dallas Symphony, Ev was an Adjunct Professor of Tuba Studies at Southern Methodist University. After his retirement he held the same position at the University of North Texas until the time of his illness. At the start of the April 14 concert, Dallas Symphony Association president Fred Bronstein gave tribute to Everett’s passing, who had been the orchestra’s principal tubist from 1965 to 1999. In his honor, and without conductor, the strings played the Air from Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 3.

On Thursday, May 19, The House of Representatives approved, by voice vote, an amendment by the Congressional Arts Caucus to increase funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) by $10 million, bringing its total budget for 2006 to $131 million. This was the first time that the amendment has passed by a simple voice vote.

Former members of prominent Denver area rock bands have come together to form the 7 piece band “Juba Juba!”. Juba Juba! is comprised of members and former members of Ship of Fools, August West Band, Orion’s Room, and Curious George. Solo artist Daniella Katzir takes the reins as lead vocalist for Juba Juba! “Juba Juba!” pays tribute to the music of the psychedelic tinged Grateful Dead by rearranging their songs in a vast array of American and World Beat formats. Come hear Juba Juba! at Buffalo Boyd’s, 12543 N Hwy 83 (Parker Rd), Parker, CO on Saturday, June 18th at 8:00 PM.

Kailin Yong, the violinist in Boulder Acoustic Society, plays on the Daniel Pearl Memorial violin, which he received at the 2004 Mark O’Connor Strings Conference and was built by Maine luthier Jonathan Cooper. Yong was admonished to use the instrument to promote peace and understanding through musical performance, and BAS has taken this to heart. Yong and BAS have written a new piece of music dedicated to the memory of former Wall Street journalist Daniel Pearl entitled Karma, which will premiere on May 15th in a concert with the Boulder Youth Symphony, led by music director Paige Vickery. 

On February 17, H.R. 310, “The Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2005,” passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 389-38. This bill eliminates existing warnings and allows the FCC to assess half million-dollar ($500,000) fines against both licensees and individual performers for each and every utterance deemed “indecent.” The FCC’s standard for indecency, however, remains unclear at best and arbitrary at worst.

Paul Adducci, lifetime member of the DMA, passed, passed away on Sunday, March 20, 2005. The last week of Paul’s life was full and busy. He got a cast removed from his broken right arm on Monday, March 14, had dinner with his kids and grandkids on Tuesday, had a jam session at home with fellow musicians and played his saxophone on Thursday, spent Saturday with his son, had his favorite St. Patrick’s Day meal on Saturday evening with daughter and son-in-law and passed away peaceful on Sunday morning.

The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs has ended the downtown Colorado Performing Arts Festival, a 13-year Denver summer tradition, citing plummeting attendance and the continuing loss of corporate and private sponsors.

The free festival attracted more than 100 performers and thousands of visitors to the Denver Performing Arts Complex over two days each September. But the festival, which costs a minimum of $125,000 to stage, drew fewer than 30,000 last year, said cultural affairs director Denise Montgomery. That figure is down more than 50 percent from the 60,000 who attended in 2002.

Denver Post, 3/18/05

ST. LOUIS, March 1, 2005 – Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra musicians today approved a new collective bargaining agreement between the Orchestra’s management and members of Local 2-197 of the American Federation of Musicians. The new agreement replaces the contract which expired on Jan. 2, 2005 and will extend through September 7, 2008.

Billy Tolles was one of the most visible players in Denver for nearly four decades, combining his jazz roots with a variety of musical branches. The longtime Denver saxophonist died Jan. 18 at age 80 of cancer. His contribution to local music will be remembered with a memorial service at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Mile Hi Church, 9077 W. Alameda Ave., Lakewood. A reception will follow at Herb’s Hideout, 2057 Larimer St.
Source: Rocky Mountain News

Max DiJulio, a long time member and former officer of the Denver Musicians Association died in his Denver home during the early hours of January 28th. He was eighty five years old and had his immediate and much beloved family with him at his passing.