Thank you KFME Supporters!
We are pleased to announce that KFME’s 3rd Birthday Celebration and Scholarship Auction on March 24th was a huge success!
Thank you! KFME’s 3rd Birthday Celebration and Scholarship Auction on March 24th featuring performances by Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir Ensemble and comic songs by Holy Names alumna Kate Offer was a huge success! We appreciate everyone who supported us and all those who participated in an afternoon that was full of music, fun and camaraderie.
Event highlights included a world premiere of Aao by composer Reena Esmail, artist-in-residence with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, and two songs from Petites Voix by Francis Poulenc, performed by Ensemble. Their director, Eric Tuan, also served as accompanist for Kate Offer, who regaled the audience with stunningly operatic performances of comedic songs including selections from The Musical Adventures of Jack and Jill and the audience favorite If You’ve Only Got a Mustache (Kate invited us to sing along on the refrain to everyone’s delight)
Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir Ensemble directed by Eric Tuan
Ensemble with their Director, Eric Tuan
Holy Names alumna Kate Offer with Eric Tuan serving as accompanist
Holy Names alumna Kate Offer with Eric Tuan serving as accompanist
Named Scholarship Auction in honor of Gail Needleman
Our first annual KFME Named Scholarship Auction in honor of Gail Needleman was beautifully integrated among the artistic backdrop of the Piedmont Center for the Arts’ local artist’s installation. The instruments were of particular interest to the singers in Ensemble who had never seen a tanpura or bear flute, or the variety of rhythmic instruments.
In previous news…
KFME news shares photos and reflections from our "Fall Soundscapes" concert and demonstration events held in Piedmont and Sonoma on November 4, 2023.
Both events included performances and interactive demonstrations of the Kodály approach to music education. KFME thanks all performers and organizers for their generosity in sharing the music and vision of Zoltán Kodály.
“Fall Soundscapes” KFME concert and demonstration held at Piedmont Center for the Arts included a delightful program with Jeanette Tietze (piano); Clayton Valley Charter High School Women's Ensemble, Elizabeth Wagman Emigh (conductor); and Ildi Thész Salgado (KFME Board).
Recently published choral arrangements of Lajos Bárdos in English translation by Gail Needleman were also shared. Bárdos Lajos: High Grows the Rue (Magos a rutafa), which is now available for purchase through EMB Music.
“The Music of Zoltán Kodály” ~ November 4, Sonoma
“The Music of Zoltán Kodály” organized by János Horváth (Honorary Board Member, KFME) and hosted by SonomaTokaj Sister Cities, featured performances and demonstrations, including items from the Young Musicians Chorus (Betsy Marvit, Artistic Director) and Dr. Hyunjoo Chung (piano).
Watch a short video of Clayton Valley Charter High School Women’s Ensemble working with Ildi Thész Salgado on “Golden-Winged Angel” from the new publication.
Piedmont Center for the Arts - Jeanette Tietze, Piano
Ildi Salgaldo
Clayton Valley Charter H.S. Women's Ensemble
Jeanette Tietze, Ildi Salgado, Christoph Teitze
Gail Needleman's newly published Bárdos translation
Elizabeth (Liz) Emigh, Conductor (CVCHSWE)
Audience during Jeanette's performance
Susie Bodnar welcoming guests
Liz with CVCHSWE
Anne Laskey
Liz Emigh, Cheryl Keller, Gemma Arguelles and Katie Jenks
Anne Laskey and Liz Emigh
Mary Ann Benson and Sue Malick
Sonoma Event - Janos Horvath presenting
Dr. Hyunjoo Chung, piano
Young Musicians Chorus
Betsy Marvit presenting
Reflections - 26th International Kodály Symposium
Golden Anniversary: Connecting Humanity Through Music
Kodály Center Alumni and Faculty gathering 2023
Check out our newest KFME publication!
Shady Grove
Fifteen Folk Song Arrangements (2nd edition)
Edited by Michele Winter
Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the
Kodály Center at Holy Names University
Shady Grove - Our newest KFME publication
The Kodály Foundation is pleased to present Shady Grove, a collection of folk song arrangements for treble voices by students in the Kodály Center. Songs were drawn from a variety of traditions and languages: English, Hebrew, Japanese, Spanish, Taiwanese and Ukrainian. The first edition of Shady Grove was made in 2019 in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Kodály Center in Oakland, California.
This reprint includes two new songs, “Hushabye!” and “Hinei Ma Tov.” Five of the arrangements are for two voices, seven are for three voices. It is available for pre-sale on Amazon and Bookbaby.com, with a release date of July 25, 2023. 48 pages, $19.95. Order one this summer to find wonderful arrangements for your classes and choirs!
Bright Morning Stars Are Rising
50th Anniversary Anthology
Kodály Center at Holy Names University
This anthology celebrates the significant role that the Kodály Center at Holy Names University has played in implementing Zoltán Kodály’s vision for music education in the United States and around the world. The 26 articles were chosen from more than 125 written by Holy Names faculty and alumni which have appeared in the Bulletin of the International Kodály Society and OAKE's Kodály Envoy since 1975. The articles reflect on the basic tenets of Kodály’s vision:
that music is for everybody
that music literacy is a universal right and not a secret language for a select few
that singing is the most human and universal of instruments
and that folk music and art music are the most beautiful and lasting of musical forms.
The anthology begins with reflections by Sr. Mary Alice Hein, founder of the Kodály Center, on her work to bring Kodály’s ideas to American classrooms, along with articles that investigate Kodály’s life and thought, and what these mean for us today. It ends with writings of some of the many Hungarian master teachers who have worked with Holy Names faculty to develop higher levels of musicianship, excellent materials and clear pedagogical goals in music teacher education.
The Kodály Center 50th Anniversary Anthology will be available for purchase on August 18, 2022.
at bookbaby.com and is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.