Death of Emily Austin, 'mentor to numerous African American violinists, including Regina Carter'

Violinist Phyllis Fleming sends a memorial tribute to the late Emily Austin, a violin teacher in Detroit, who passed away Nov. 28, 2010:

“I just heard from a colleague that our primary private violin instructor just passed away. She was not of the African Diaspora, but was a legendary teacher in Detroit for decades and was an encouraging mentor to numerous African American violinists, including Regina Carter. I'm certain that her students circle the globe.”

“Emily Mutter (Adams) Austin was a Detroit Symphony Orchestra violinist when I began studying with her in 1957. She was also an adjunct faculty member of the Wayne State University Music Department when I was an undergrad (1963 – 1967). I believe that she was a student of Ivan Galamian.”

“As I recall, she married Carl Austin in the 1960s. He was a studio and theater musician, who later became president of the Detroit Federation of Musicians (Local 5 – A.F.M.). She was also Concertmaster of the Detroit Womens' Symphony Orchestra and was a member of the Detroit Music City Club.”

All best,

Phyllis

Michael Morgan Programs Regina Carter in Billy Childs' Violin Concerto, 'Street Scene' of Langston Hughes & Kurt Weill

[Michael Morgan]

Maestro Michael Morgan has been Music Director and Conductor of the Oakland East Bay Symphony for 10 years. The 2010-2011 Season begins in November, and includes these highlights along with an eclectic array of other works:

Oakland East Bay Symphony

OEBS.org

Message From The Maestro (Excerpts)

“World-renowned jazz violinist Regina Carter joins us in February to perform a new violin concerto written for her by the great jazz composer and pianist Billy Childs. We're presenting this in cooperation with San Francisco Performances, an outstanding local organization we're pleased to be working with for the first time.” “We'll conclude our season with the fourth presentation in our American Masterworks Series, Street Scene by Kurt Weill and Langston Hughes.”

***

“Michael Morgan was born in Washington, DC, where he attended public schools and began conducting at the age of 12. While a student at Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, he spent a summer at the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood, studying with Gunther Schuller and Seiji Ozawa. It was during this summer that he first worked with Leonard Bernstein. His operatic debut was in 1982 at the Vienna State Opera conducting Mozart's The Abduction from the Seraglio. In 1986, Sir Georg Solti chose him to become the Assistant Conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, a position he held for five years under both Solti and Daniel Barenboim. In 1986 he was invited by Leonard Bernstein to make his debut with the New York Philharmonic. As a guest conductor he has appeared with most of America's major orchestras as well as the New York City Opera, St. Louis Opera Theater and Washington National Opera.

“In addition to his duties with Oakland East Bay Symphony, Maestro Morgan serves as Artistic Director of Oakland Youth Orchestra, Music Director of Sacramento Philharmonic, Artistic Director of Festival Opera in Walnut Creek, Artistic Advisor to the Peoria Symphony in Illinois and teaches the graduate conducting course at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. As Stage Director he has led productions of the Bernstein Mass at the Oakland East Bay Symphony and stagings of Mozart's Don Giovanni and Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream and Gounod's Faust at Festival Opera. As a chamber musician (piano) he has appeared on the Chamber Music Alive series in Sacramento as well as the occasional appearance in the Bay Area.”