MAUI CHORAL ARTS- GARY LEAVITT Leads the gang !

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Jason Schwartz hosts GARY LEAVITT — Maui Choral Arts has their December Concert is a wonderful annual treat for everyone. Jason speaks with Gary about the growth of the chorus, the Wailuku Performance Arts Alliance, his past life musical exploits that lead him to where he is today. 11-18-2019

Summary & Transcript

1. 1. 1.         Interview and Discussion with Gary Levitt, Director of Maui Choral Arts

1. 1. 1. 1. 00:02 → 05:09 | Introduction and Opening Remarks by Jason Schwartz

• [00:02] Jason Schwartz, host of The Neutral Zone on the Voice of Maui, opens the show with acknowledgments, including a thank you to David Bryan for his community support.
• The show airs live Mondays at 11 a.m. on KAKU 88.5 FM and is replayed on Saturdays at 7 a.m., with additional content on Maui Neutral Zone’s website.
• Schwartz shares a personal anecdote about learning and performing the Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil” in a college music class at the University of Hawaii Maui College, highlighting the use of original drum tracks and the collaborative nature of music-making.
• He notes the absence of the expected guest, Gary Leavitt, director of the Maui Choral Arts Group, but expresses hope to have him on the show soon.

1. 1. 1. 1. 05:09 → 07:50 | Introduction of Guest Gary Levitt and Context of Maui Choral Arts Holiday Concert

• [05:09] Schwartz gives background on the Maui Choral Arts Group and Gary Leavitt, emphasizing the group’s tradition of a large holiday concert held the first Sunday after Thanksgiving, which in this year falls on December 1st.
• The concert regularly draws between 80 and 115 singers from various skill levels, including professionals and amateurs, highlighting the inclusive and community-rooted nature of the choir.
• Gary Leavitt is introduced live in the studio, and the conversation begins about his leadership style and the group’s upcoming holiday concert.

1. 1. 1. 1. 07:50 → 12:33 | Gary Levitt’s Background and Leadership Style

• [07:50] Gary Leavitt explains his practical approach to music education, including humorous anecdotes about his rainbow glasses and how he creates a welcoming rehearsal atmosphere.
• The December 1st concert is named December Joy, featuring a diverse program from traditional holiday classics to unusual and novel pieces, blending the sublime and the playful.
• Leavitt shares his lifelong dedication to music, including formal studies in orchestral conducting and vocal performance at the New England Conservatory of Music, extensive performance experience including singing at prestigious venues like Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, and his transition into choral direction after moving to Maui.
• His leadership focuses on making rehearsals fun and accessible, catering to a broad range of abilities and helping singers grow musically through humor and clear instruction, emphasizing that even non-readers of music can thrive in the group.

1. 1. 1. 1. 12:33 → 22:28 | Rehearsal Experience, Group Dynamics, and Personal Fulfillment

• [12:33] Schwartz talks about his personal enjoyment of rehearsals and praises Levitt’s ability to engage singers and audiences alike.
• Leavitt discusses the therapeutic benefits of choir participation, highlighting how rehearsals provide a supportive space for individuals to leave daily stresses behind and create something beautiful collectively.
• The group has grown from 35 to about 100 members under Levitt’s direction, illustrating his success in community engagement.
• Leavitt stresses the importance of humor and warmth in running rehearsals to reduce intimidation and increase confidence, especially for new singers performing before large audiences for the first time.
• The conversation touches on the inclusivity of the group, where people from diverse backgrounds and skill levels come together with a shared love of music.

1. 1. 1. 1. 22:28 → 31:29 | Musical Program, Community Involvement, and Holiday Arts Scene on Maui

• [22:28] Leavitt elaborates on the program’s wide range, including pieces from different cultural traditions like African music, exemplified by the piece Owana Baraka, dedicated to a late choir member Mike Byers Dorf.
• The show is described as a holiday extravaganza that brings the community together.
• Leavitt also speaks about his involvement in multiple arts organizations on Maui, highlighting the thriving performing arts ecosystem on the island, including the Wailuku Performing Arts Association (WPAA), which serves as a central hub for local arts groups and event promotion.
• He emphasizes Maui’s strong, diverse arts scene—arguing that Maui offers more varied and accessible live arts than many larger places, including Honolulu.
• The WPAA website consolidates ticket sales and information for multiple groups, facilitating community engagement with the arts.

1. 1. 1. 1. 31:29 → 37:36 | Navigating Arts Administration and Ticketing, and Show Promotions

• [31:29] Discussion turns to the logistics of ticket sales and how centralized platforms like WPAA’s website can help promote the arts and streamline access for audiences.
• Levitt explains challenges with fees and ticketing but notes that the main goal is to build a unified mailing list and information source for Maui’s arts events.
• Schwartz shares a bit of levity and personality about their interactions, and Levitt reflects on the importance of being diplomatic and adaptable when working in theater and music.
• The upcoming concert’s logistics are discussed, including the assigned seating and ticket availability at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center’s Castle Theatre.

1. 1. 1. 1. 37:36 → 50:21 | Musical Samples from Rehearsals and Musical Insights

• [37:36] They play excerpts from the choir’s rehearsal pieces such as Silent Night and Oh Say Shalom, giving listeners a sense of the choir’s sound and arrangement style.
• Leavitt and Schwartz discuss the importance of acoustics and seating for optimal listening experience, with Leavitt recommending the mezzanine for orchestral concerts due to sound blending.
• The conversation delves into the nuances of musical interpretation, with Levitt emphasizing that their performances are unique to the group and moment, shaped dynamically by the choir’s strengths and the venue’s acoustics.
• Leavitt also discusses the challenges of balancing voice sections and blending, using conducting gestures to inspire specific responses from the choir.
• There is a playful moment sharing a snippet of Jingle Bells from rehearsal, illustrating the choir’s lively and rhythmic arrangements.
• Leavitt notes that preparations for Christmas concerts begin many months in advance, highlighting the dedication and planning involved.

1. 1. 1. 1. 50:21 → 56:50 | Broader Musical Education and Cultural Awareness

• [50:21] Leavitt shares his appreciation for the University of Hawaii Maui College’s music program and the importance of immersive, participatory music education over purely academic learning.
• He elaborates on the diversity of musical traditions studied, including African, Far Eastern, and Indian classical music, pointing out the complexity of different time signatures and scales that enrich the choir’s repertoire.
• Schwartz and Levitt reflect on the value of formal musical training as a toolset that enhances listening and performance in community settings.
• Levitt praises the collective effort of the choir members, whose commitment elevates the group’s overall performance beyond individual skill levels.

1. 1. 1. 1. 56:50 → 57:24 | Closing Remarks and Show Promotion

• [56:50] The final segment reiterates the details for the December Joy holiday concert: Sunday, December 1st at 3 p.m. at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center’s Castle Theatre. Tickets are available by phone or online at MauiArts.org.
• Schwartz expresses gratitude to Gary Leavitt for his openness, inclusivity, and dedication to fostering community through music.
• The show closes with anticipation of Gary’s return and hopes for Schwartz’s voice to recover fully for future broadcasts.

1. 1. 1. Key Insights

• The Maui Choral Arts Group, led by Gary Leavitt, is a vibrant, inclusive community choir that blends professional and amateur singers.
• Their annual holiday concert is a highlight of Maui’s arts calendar, showcasing diverse musical styles and cultural traditions.
• Gary Leavitt’s leadership style revolves around humor, accessibility, and fostering a supportive environment that encourages musical growth.
• Maui’s arts scene is robust and interconnected, supported by organizations like the WPAA that promote collaboration and shared resources.
• The choir’s repertoire includes complex, multicultural works that challenge and enrich members’ musical experience.
• Music is portrayed as a universal language that unites diverse people, transcending political or personal differences.
• The interview provides a window into the dedication required to produce large-scale community music events and the personal fulfillment derived from such efforts.

1. 1. 1. Keywords

Maui Choral Arts, Gary Leavitt, community choir, holiday concert, December Joy, Maui Arts & Cultural Center, Wailuku Performing Arts Association, music education, choral conducting, multicultural music, rehearsal experience, vocal training, performing arts Maui, audience engagement, musical interpretation, acoustic performance, inclusive music community.

1. 1. 1. FAQ

Q: When and where is the Maui Choral Arts holiday concert?
A: Sunday, December 1st, 3 p.m. at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center’s Castle Theatre.

Q: How many singers participate in the Maui Choral Arts Group?
A: Typically between 80 and 115 singers of varied skill levels.

Q: What kind of music is performed at the holiday concert?
A: A diverse repertoire including traditional holiday classics, multicultural pieces, and contemporary arrangements.

Q: How does Gary Leavitt lead the choir?
A: With a focus on humor, inclusivity, and making rehearsals fun and educational to accommodate all skill levels.

Q: How can one find information about Maui’s performing arts events?
A: Through the Wailuku Performing Arts Association website (WPAaMaui.com), which links to various arts organizations and ticketing sites.

This detailed summary captures the essence and structure of the original transcript, providing comprehensive insight into the show’s content, the interview with Gary Leavitt, and the broader cultural context of music on Maui.

1. 1. 1. Transcript

00:02

the voice of Maui the neutral zone with me Jason Schwartz would like to sincerely thank David Bryan for his support David was founder and head of school at New Road school in Santa Monica California and as the board chair at the Ojai foundation and on the board for brave new films the neutral zone has heard live Mondays at 11:00 a.m. here on Kak you 88.5 FM the voice of Maui and again on Saturdays at 7:00 a.m. as well as on TV and on Maui neutral zone dot-com you good morning everyone Aloha it’s Monday

00:52

11 and it’s the neutral zone I’m your host Jason Schwartz we are here today and we’re gonna have a nice conversation [Music] [Music] the car watch this hand [Music] please meet you what well sympathy for the devil you know that was I want to say that was the extended version over at the college University of Hawaii Maui college there was a class tour taught by Joel Katz who many of you on island know is a great guitar player and teacher his pedal steel I don’t eat clothes at Hawaiian

02:25

steel I guess brah Hawaiian whatever it is pedal steel I remember pedal steel in the studio you don’t want to know how many years ago thirty five with a guy named red Rhodes and all kinds of people that they name some of these styles about and I looked in the paper I happened to walk into Wendy’s you know Wendy’s the hamburger place today to get a cup of coffee this morning before coming here to the show and that was a thing on the wall it said 50 years Dave from Wendy’s and everything is still by the way they’re

03:00

not a sponsor but everything is still pure and fresh and I thought wow 1969 50 years ago and Here I am Wow I am old I was I guess I was 18 years old when Wendy started well sympathy for the devil was around anyway that at the college with Joel Katz we had a class there and we were learning to do sound recording and learning to use the digital studios that are available to us these days and in this course there were also people that you know were playing instruments and one guy wanted to do sympathy for the devil he’d practiced

03:47

whatever part he was doing and everyone was having a role they said well how about Jason you sing lead you get it you just be singing so I had this great opportunity and then they did a rough mix what’s interesting to me about this and again I hope that we can discuss this more the the drum track the bongo I don’t want to call it with congas I guess was actually the track from the Rolling Stones album that was the only thing they used to set the pace and then it was difficult to isolate it out in the final mix and so

04:31

they decided to use it as a prominent part of it so when I think of that that is what kept me on beat and when I listened to that opening song I hear a couple of the notes of some of the other players and nothing up but that conga guy he’s really right on right on target anyway welcome to our show this is the neutral zone it’s funny we normally have a guest and I expected a guest today in fact the director of the Maui choral Arts Group Gary Levitt who was on our show once before I guess it was about a

05:09

year ago when I was singing there one time I invited him on and I I expected him here today I’m actually surprised something must have happened so we’ll check in hopefully when I get off the air well here’s some good news about Gary that it was just he forgot her maybe but I hope everything’s okay anyway December 1st the first Sunday after Thanksgiving that’s December 1st it sort of picks off the holiday season and this has been their tradition Maui choral Arts and Gary Leavitt have

05:45

anywhere between 80 and a hundred and hundred fifteen people that show up religiously and I say that because they religiously come back but they come to I don’t know the name of that church jack is the pastor I guess he’s a pastor he out church there it’s on vineyard between vineyard and though the one it goes to e L anyway every Tuesday for god a couple months maybe even three months and they put on a show of a jaunt giant number of voices some of the people are fully trained and you know in fact some of them actually

06:27

play in different musical venues here on Maui with professional groups and so all kinds of levels of ability but then there’s this guy at the front actually when Ariel was doing it for a couple few times I would enjoy going to the show but I don’t know I’m not a choral kind of guy I like lead vocal voices I can hear my cold coming on please excuse me if my voice sounds a little raspy today but but she just kept talking about this guy Gary Levitt that he was so much fun and you know what he is so much fun well

07:09

I am just thrilled to say that Gary Levin has just arrived into our studios we don’t need a drumroll welcome to our studio is the other difference here my voice is going and there’s a very big boys good morning Gary I am good sorry for sorry for not turning your mic up but now I was trying to make it even let’s just say something well I’ll say anything oh good good I’m not hearing anything oh yeah well we can do that right to hear but let me just show you first you guys are patient for a second we’re

07:50

gonna put this and put the volume up do you have a head flow I do you do it’s here tonight you probably hear data oh there we go you got it okay and put yourself about this far away and then we’re gonna see ourselves just perfectly yeah thank you so much my perfect night I bet your ears were burning because I was just talking oh oh you’re happy excuse my glass I love those those are great we’ll talk about these mm-hmm my rainbow glasses when I was getting glasses I’m testing this is any optical

08:27

online could go to a glasses pleasant you spend a couple of hundred dollars and more oh yeah and then you put them down somewhere and like hey I needed glasses now where are my glasses and behind my back up clay so I needed to get multiple pairs mm-hmm and I thought how would I know when I tried different combinations all the different kinds of glasses mm-hmm and this is my special rainbow glasses I like those from my side it’s very plain but from the outside are there fabulous it always matches with

08:59

everything mm-hmm and it’s very expressive because I think everyone would like to be living in a world that’s it kind of creates a rainbow wherever I wear it people kind of have to be a little less than fully serious oh yeah absolutely and we like that that’s a well now I was talking about you and it’s good thing because this show is actually about the Mallee choral arts group which you are the leader you really are indeed December 1st yes the first Sunday after Thanksgiving which kicks off the holiday

09:36

season I should have you saying this well in fact why don’t you tell them well December 1st is our annual holiday extravaganza this year the concert is called December joy and it’s a wonderful exciting and exhilarating way to kick off the holiday season with all kinds of wonderful pieces of music we’ve chosen from all different genres whether it’s tunes that you’ve heard your entire life with with a twist or things you’ve never heard before from the sublime to the utterly ridiculous well you know that’s

10:07

what I recall when I look the music as we begin I’m happy to say that I’ve been part of this a couple of times and when we get a bunch of music and you’re looking you say magis term mysterium jingle bells silent night Shalom we’re in the same it is truly for everyone you get a little that just mmm-hmm after you sing it at on my side I can read music but as we know from my glasses story I’m blind so it doesn’t matter so I have to find out I follow the group and the leader and this you

10:52

are a fabulous leader thank you you’re really kind how long have you been studying music forever forever I mean it is what I went to college for it and I’ve been singing since I was a child and conducting and playing music when one form or another yeah all right I’m just gonna put you up a little normally you’re not this quiet gary is busy this is studio voice is you are a magnificent the truth of the real show as rehearsals are so fun they are they you know if any of you like singing and some of you are

11:25

confident and want to be singing with a group and you’re really and some of you are kind of laid-back and wonder if you can kind of make it through over this process of time I’m gonna I’m gonna bout it it is so much fun to be in your group even if I wasn’t singing I would want to come to the rehearsals because you are just a kick and a half and people understand like when when someone explains about music of this okay MP that’s mezzo piano and you do the dance of showing them and making it a

12:00

line and they don’t forget it right so even that person who can’t read music doesn’t forget it it’s a wonderful thing I will find a way to teach it to you if you can carry your tune in your own bucket I’ll take care of the rest so December 1st show is a really special show I know it’s a special show to me and the main reason it’s a special show to me I hope I get my voice back this is give you maybe you don’t hear it but maybe you do hear I hear you’ve got two weeks so yeah no

12:33

pressure okay tell us about you Gary I mean we can talk about the show and I know we will we’ll put on a couple of things from rehearsal if we have this show next week we would have already been at a more lengthy rehearsal and I would have gotten more significant pieces for you guys to hear so I have a couple of pieces that I know we had from you sent and I grabbed a couple but the show is so fun if you have nothing to do or if you are already busy on December first carve out that time go down and get

13:10

tickets I bet they’re probably a few tickets left but I have still a few tickets left but if your fate if you have a favorite seat where you like to sit right it’s need to go get out there and go because they’re first come first serve but assigned seating right they’re all the same price so just go and get whatever seats you like right and it is great when I first came I said the first year when I was audience in the one up in the middle I thought of like a movie my mezzanine a bad place I think it’s a

13:37

great place but when I was down below and I could see up close now that I’m in it I you know I truly it’s a great place up there but you don’t get to see the faces of them when you go there it is so fun you look at this sea of faces of and you go that’s my neighbor that’s my sister who’s that person and it is so fun because you get to see all the people that you see every day around you who have this hidden desire to be singing mm-hmm with me it’s to be singing with Gary 11 I am there to learn

14:14

about you I really I wanted to see because now you were in the Pirates of Penzance yes yes and you aren’t singing in a choir you are the I want to say the lead guy but I was a supporting guy he’s a supporting I was the guy in the poster but I was just a supportive guy well and the reason you’re on the poster because you’re the guy that was the Pirate King and so Pirates of Penzance you know who’s the big guy The Pirate King mm-hmm the guy and he has to not only have a terrific voice but your dynamism onstage

14:47

I can really see you as a you know under to think that you also have another hat that you wear we conduct a group like this yeah when you have that kind of talent you know I bet you have only that’s why I figured when you were in here you were doing something because you are also working regular a regular civilian work I do have a day job as well yes is it any way related to this music stuff or not at all I’m a I’m an office manager it’s basically what I am but so you have so this is really Clark

15:23

Kent it is Superman it is in one place mm-hmm but we now know so when you seek when you see this guy be discreet but go over and give him a hug he is Superman when you are there with the girl I met I keep talking I got a shot tell me tell me more about you because I want to really know why and what was your background that got you to here when like I say something must like me I got anchored to Maui otherwise I’d be back in LA doing something different not today anyway what got you didn’t what were you doing

16:05

through the years I mean I saw a picture on the net there of you in West Point was that no no I was in the Navy I was in the Navy that West Point yeah actually that yeah we don’t want to say that now I was studying story we got a create friction here there wasn’t wet I know I’m you know my entire life has been a very interesting journey as most people go on interesting journeys especially people who end up finding themselves moving to Maui for one reason or another throughout their lives who

16:30

weren’t fortunate enough to have been born here all of us have been on a journey that brought us here some way or another you know I was raised in and around New York City and spent a lot of time working with with music my father turned me on to singing at a young age and my mother sang as well and at that point I kind of had been mostly doing instrumental music at that point I played woodwind instruments and all that and then I discovered I enjoyed singing and then someone foolishly told me I did

16:59

it okay so I went and I ended up going to the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston Wow for college and I double majored in orchestral conducting and vocal performance so I was the I was the only undergraduate conducting nature in the history of the conservatory and then I studied voice on the side as well so I did a dual track and that was very wonderful an amazing experience and I was able to go in concert tours of Romania and Bulgaria and Ireland and Austria and I got to sing at Lincoln

17:30

Center and it was a very young man mm-hmm nearly were when I was young and pretty um oh I’m Oliver Eddy I was just talking about I went into Wendy’s to get a cup of coffee mmm there’s this thing to talk about 50 years of Dave serving hamburgers and I realized I was 18 when he started this mm-hmm and I’m still cooking here so that makes me almost 70 you’re a you you’re a youngster to me just a kid just a kid but you are an inspiring kid so that’s it thank you your your vocal performance

18:07

– have you done much of that through the years I’ve been I’ve been very fortunate to participate in a lot of community theatre and things of that nature and then singing I’ve been able to perform as a singer at Carnegie Hall three times a year for about ten years I did that Wow and I was singing in a chorus and I also sang with the New York City the New York choral society and the coral society the Hamptons out in East Hampton and I’ve sung in big concert halls all over the place here

18:38

and there usually as part of a chorus you know that’s where I work got to do Avery Fisher Hall that’s what it was called at the time at new in New York with the New York Philharmonic and performed at the what you call of the Richard Tucker annual Opera gala in New York at the Metropolitan Opera little things like that just fun stuff and then then the conducting started to sort of raise its its its head and I started moving into more of those types of positions and when I moved to Maui well

19:07

but even before you when I was in the Navy I directed a small brass quintet and we did a lot of wonderful fun music there for the other people I’m on base and and in the community as well we did a lot of volunteer work in the community and then it was out to Maui and then I ended up of course taking picking up a church choir first and then I was singing with Maui choral Arts at the time it was under different direction and then I started acting as the assistant conductor for a while and then

19:34

we made some reorganization changes and next thing you know I’m directing the thing and we went from having 35 singers when I took over to now we have a hundred so it’s it’s pretty fun and it’s very exciting you know I the Maui choral arts group the fact that you have you can bring in people I don’t think of myself as you know completely raw cuz I can say you know I appeasing anyway but there are some people around me that I know really appreciate having people around them that can sing sure well there’s all kind

20:08

of skill levels absolutely these people come up over time I do I have really appreciated that your direction really your you really are very good at making people feel comfortable when you tell them excuse me have someone there was holding that note a little log you really make it out of fun well you know there’s there’s a lot of different conducting styles out there and they’re all valid and they all produce results and ‘muslim produced results very very well but you know for me what seems to

20:42

resonate the best for me with my personality is to inject humor into everything that I do and that works best for my personality and I think in my case it helps me reach out to the broadest spectrum of people because if you can take the intimidation factor out of the fact that wow you’ve never sung before and now you’re gonna go sing a concert in front of 1,200 people for the first time in your life that can be a little intimidating but if we just make it fun and you’re just having a good time and next thing you

21:08

know you don’t realize that you’ve just memorized 15 pieces of music without even realizing it now we’re getting somewhere and then you start to realize you’re hearing things better and you’re hearing intervals and notes and you know and I wanted to start describing you know how different parts handoff melodies and things to each other you start to get the idea of how music fits oh it’s really that varies anyway then it gets more exciting for you as the participant because now you’re invested

21:32

because you understand what’s happening I I hope you don’t mind next year there might be 1,200 people in your choir and your glass of God’s ears well you know what I think about it it is really for me the experience being onstage at the Mac I guess it’s thrilling in its own right mm-hm but being in your rehearsals are absolutely as more thrilling to me they’re really so alive and when you’re in it I mean I’m just really I can’t tell you how much I appreciate Tuesday

22:04

nights you know they’re they’re therapeutic for me they’re therapeutic for everybody who’s there I think I think you know when we all have our our lives on the outside and sometimes they can get very stressful you know just getting through the day sometimes is a big deal for some folks and if I can create an environment then on Tuesday night where you can leave all that at the door and for at least two hours and maybe three hours just forget about all of that and just create something

22:28

beautiful out of nothing then it becomes a little bit easier to deal with everything else when you go back outside sure does and for for 80 a hundred people to do that every Tuesday night you got something special absolutely they’re wonderful people celebrate wonderful people we don’t have many people on this show more than once except you know the Kings some of them consider yourself a king I thank you I thank you very very much I very much appreciate it I truly I have never had I didn’t know I had this until

23:04

about ten minutes before we came on the air tonight when someone said on the phone to me it was Ariel Oh uh-huh she said oh is it something in your voice ah he has been under the weather and in fact didn’t come last week right so I was think we were talking about the sign language mm-hmm and you you guys this show has such a breath it’s for audiences of all kinds and even people that can’t hear what a choir with but people that are challenged hearing or that might be there you will be

23:44

impressed by the lengths that Gary has gone to really give this whole thing a really very rich universal experience is really great it’s very interesting gone from show say Shalom means Isle at night oh yes movemove oh yeah or a little noel and some Christmas favorites and a little bit of African theme is going on back there it means going on we’re gonna be taking a break for our sponsors in a minute when we come back I’ll be playing a couple of samples but truly I want you to know no matter what samples you’ll

24:21

hear you’re gonna know that going to this show it is worthwhile you’ll be just amazed because the audiences all kinds of people like I say it is a wonderful fulfilling experience on stage you’re looking out and always see a sort of twinkling lights which is terrific you know as that’s such a protection for some people like to be really intimate with the audio but for people when you’re up there have you ever thinking you’re gonna see all the people you’re not you may see a

24:50

couple but from up on stage you see a lot of twinkling lights yeah that’s your experience anyway I’m here with Gary Levitt the director of the Maui excuse me Maui choral arts group and we’ll be back after some words from our sponsors all righty and thank you for being here with me back the neutral zone with me Jason Schwartz would like to thank Maui Arts and Music Association tree makers Foundation of Maui for their support since 1991 with hundreds of television shows and their maui arts and music comm

25:29

website they have champion self sustainability on Maui the neutral zone has earned live Mondays at 11 a.m. and replayed Saturday at 7 a.m. on kak u 88.5 FM your voice of Maui do you have something to say but can’t find an outlet did you know that ikkaku offers a service called open mic here you can come in and make a statement on any topic you want and it’s free Cleo song you wrote recite a monologue do a funny dance comment on a recent event the floor is yours come speak your mind for free appointments

26:05

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26:46

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27:23

as well as on writers if you would like to help keep the voice of Maui looking loud and clear go to kak UF m dot org slash donate today and give and don’t miss the neutral zone mondays at 11:00 a.m. on 88.5 FM the voice of maui we are back I’m Jason Schwartz your host of the neutral zone here with Gary Levitt the executive director of Maui choral Arts who have an upcoming December first show at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center a Christmas you caucus holiday holiday concert because it really does encompass

28:02

all of the major holidays in December and secular time as well so what Oana Baraka mm-hmm there’s a name I when I say you know I don’t know enough African and slowly but I think of Hakuna Matata I’m not at all but wanna Baraka does it translate to anything that I need to know nothing particular it is it a seasonal though it is definitely a seasonal piece it is such a beautiful piece and so unusual that’s the wonderful part about your shows the variety and now you may not know it but you’re gonna be singing some

28:43

of these things from your seat that buzz they just kind of involve you Larry you know now I understand not only do you enjoy and and give people that are singing a great experience because you’re a vocal teacher in you you know how to give people a good experience that’s sort of like a vocal massage therapist there you go but you also as a conductor that is that some of these pieces have unusual tempos unusual unusual they go from 6-8 to 11 5 thinking about but they’re really intricate they are this wanna Baraka

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where did that come from well the reason we chose that one actually it’s we’re dedicating that song to one of our members who passed away – Mike Byers Dorf because it was a favorite of his so that’s one of the reasons why we’re gonna be doing it on the show and it just happens to fit in with the theme of the show anyway I get so that we miss him terribly and he has gone way too soon Mike was in my section I really ever yeah really a nice man very sweet man yeah he was the backbone of that

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section oh absolutely huh we’re missing there’s a couple of good people using there still yep but he was definitely he was the rock absolutely very very adamant very gung-ho and very committed how many years you been doing this no I’ve been doing it Oh Oh or him he did it for about four years with me I think it was alright now you’ve been doing this as director for as director I picked it up six years ago and but you’ve been doing it for a good long while oh sure yeah and then in other courses before that

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perfect you know iliyan years as an audience I never heard about it even until Gary loved it and although excuse me although I may say Gary Levitt is the reason for the show there are a lot of people that know that Wailuku has developed a bunch of separate organizations you’re into the three or four of them I am actually I’ve been involved in all of them and at some point that’s the Wailuku Performing Arts Association that’s right as a group you guys are self promoting and cross promoting yep well there’s all

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kinds of stuff going on this holidays absolutely December is traditionally one of the busiest times for the Arts on Maui anyway and so we’ve got everything from you know our concert which kind of well actually Maui on stage kicks it off at the end of November going into December with Matilda which is their musical they’re doing for the holiday season right then we have us on December the 1st and then the weekend after that you’ve got Maui pops which their big wonderful holiday concert that they always do and

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then towards the end of the month then you get into the Maori Chamber Orchestra concert which is on the 21st and 22nd which is that last weekend right before Christmas and I’m seeing in that one so if you want to stop by and listen to me sing something else and get out of the podium off the podium for once and actually sing something that would be kind of fun yeah and then also going on that weekend sort of overlapping with it is mapas big production in the Nutcracker that they do and so that’s

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also at the castle so we’ve got that at the castle you’ve got married Chamber Orchestra over at iya theatre and then that weekend and so that’s keeps things kind of exciting and busy you think this was New York wouldn’t you I tell ya I always tell people that Maui is the Arts Island we have I think we have more and more diverse artistic offerings that a Wahoo does I think is for as far as the state of Hawaii goes Maui is the place to be for the Arts wow that’s a terrific thing to hear unless you’re in motion

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pictures and they all the businesses in a lot well yeah that’s that’s a different story live stuff for live theater for live music for wonderful classical music for choral music I think we’ve got more opportunity to exhort to enjoy that here and Wailuku town and talk about why look at many people on Maui no as soon as people that wonder should we build a parking lot how high are we going on buildings all that stuff we’ll hash it out but the the real heart of Wailuku I see the the credible music

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and art organizations that are you guys are constantly the Wailuku Performing Arts Alliance that what it is how did I find them yes go to WPA a Maui comm WPA a Maui comm and how do you find you guys I even go to Maui choral arts dot org see that yeah we’re gonna say about that you can also find us through a link on the WPA a Maui what’s one of the reasons we created that website and that this organization is so that you’d have a central place to go so we then you could link out to all the

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five groups that use six groups now they use Maui and boy lucu rather on Maui as their central home and so from the WPA a Maui comm website you can get to map as website er theatres website you can get to get booking yeah we’re gonna do it right from that can you do it right from the WPA a website it will link you to the individual ticketing sites I see how because you know you want the racket you track wouldn’t it maybe we’ll give listen how big I am mmm what if you gave an extra dollar you contribute or

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they’re extra fees if they came through your site well it depends on which which group you’re talking about because you know a lot of the fees that we deal with are specific to the venues that we perform in so for instance we know the Mac has their own fees well I was just thinking about deal with the fact that you know you always go to a website new thing and how what’s the incentive here and why should I be purchasing through this spot in that spot if you click over here Mary and Joe and Pittsburgh they

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get their 0.01 cents and cuz they’re on some long chain and over here so I’m just trying to think how to maximize yeah our biggest hope with the WPA website is to build up a central database just for informational purposes really just so we can have enough of a mailing list so we can get all the information about all the wonderful arts productions on Maui which as many people as we can well you know I’m so happy you know I’m I feel almost a little bit over the top here today I know know if it’s

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because of my cold button every time I see you you know I don’t you don’t have to say anything I’m starting to smile because I thought what’s up yeah you said or how you you know I if I ever look for the Three Stooges I look over there if they’re all three demon right here in one person yeah I’m definitely the lady in the front you are just you’re very good visually and you you’re sharp just been then I from New York so I don’t know where we say East Coast around that

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my mother used to say don’t call it a shovel call them Spade that’s right hey you know it’s like throw it all to the side and but you’ll learn after a while when you want to be straight with someone how to be incredibly diplomatic mm-hmm and you really do masterful thank you it is interesting when you’re sitting with a group of people in here you’re singing and we’re all going and then there’s there’s always something interesting thing interesting going on in the peanut

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gallery but you handle it really really well thank you you know I when I’m working in theater I’m usually you know working with map a lot of the time and I’m always sitting side by side with David Johnston who’s the director of mapa and because hugely directs the big musical shows every year and then I do the music direction for them so we’re always sitting side by side and he’ll see something happen on stage once in a while and he’ll just look at me go well that was an interesting choice and we’re

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just gonna laugh about it we just keep on going but that’s that’s his one of his fun catchphrases and I try to take that to heart too because we would get a singer hosting something just completely different right that was an interesting interesting to assess good effort on you know rearranging the piece and I appreciate that but let’s try and stick with what’s actually on the page you know just for the heck of it let’s stick with it here yeah why not so let me see what I I don’t have as

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many pieces as I’d like I have a silent night that I had a little piece from last week and then you have a silent night it’s probably real similar why don’t we start with that I think that you guys should hear a little bit this is in rehearsal and this is not in full regalia at the end like we we are I think tomorrow isn’t it tomorrow we have three our eager three-hour hours we get to run the whole show mm-hmm what incredible fun anyway but I have silent night and I’m just gonna

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give you guys a little bit just to hear it and then what would be better to follow up silent night then oh say Shalom it seems to go together somehow mm-hmm you know and then I have a little of Rudolph okay but I don’t have any of the wanna Baraka and they’re some incredibly beautiful I love you let me plug in my phone I can then play you some oh that’s the way to do it we’re gonna start with our logic ice right now and then we’re gonna take a look at Gary’s ball here so here comes silent

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night are you hearing it on the air I’m hearing into my ears [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] silent night we call this the praetor key silent night because Thanksgiving is coming up and now Gary has a few things on his phone we’re going to get to it look at this Oh [Music] two ends of the spectrum but the same heart [Music] but I listen to this I think about lotus dancer on piano she’s one radical isn’t she she plays with such heart and she you know I I never was that close to someone you give her a direction like

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that bar pledges the bass part oh yeah we’ve worked together for so long she she already knows what I’m turning to her what a mess a dirty nose Emily this doesn’t sound like satellite but it’s so beautiful I mean matter where you fall witch’s spectrum [Applause] and being in the middle of it it’s a wonderful feeling you feel the sound just wash over you it’s great now we’re talking that’s okay talking we’re just giving you a piece here this is rehearsal time just really fun on the

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dynamics and everything that we learn there’s so much where would you sit if you could sit you’re gonna pick the seat use my personal favorite place to sit for music concerts is in the front row of the mezzanine dead center for me that’s the best place to sit a folkloric orchestra concert because there’s enough time for the sound to rise up off of the stage mix in the hall naturally and then reach your ears for me I think sitting in the orchestra towards the front is too close designed enough time for the sounds to

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land as they come out you might end up hearing if you’re sitting over here you might just hear the cellos sitting over here you might just hear the violins right and I hear the chorus at all that kind of a thing I don’t want to go to the full balcony if I can avoid it because then I can’t ski because this is too far away not go go look at the little ants look at the ants as I listen to this I’m such an offense all of you out there I know that would happen to me being in the audience is

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true but if you like see next time the Eric awful go down check it out you’re absolutely thrilled absolutely so let me see your phone gasps see we can make this work make this work all right look in your lightning cord all right let’s see what happens see what happens let’s see there you have it on I do okay it’ll be a couple seconds right break here all right so we are listening to oh there it is there it is good way to increase your volume although I’m all the way up now what is

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that that’s the there is no rows of such virtue no this is nice we sound badly sad I was gonna say coming to a Gary Levitt concert the are the everyone they rise up to their greatest self they are there because they love you Gary everybody sings from their heart and that’s what makes it so beautiful I am you just make us a family snap crackle and pop into the safe box yep – great [Music] [Music] it has been a real pleasure so now you have different you know you go from very quietly to very loud

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to all shades in between right even in a single single Francine afraid so our audience when they’re see when they’re listening and they keep themselves open to this experience it is really like no other I’m sure that all the Big Show’s have someone doing what you’re absolutely absolutely – then it’s like when you go into the studio and they say well we’re gonna master this tune you say wait a minute I already mixed it what did that have this guy touch my team like I say you

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bring out the best in us it’s well you know what’s on the page is the starting point it’s not the end point you know I hear a piece of music and I start to absorb it I start to feel things that need to be done with it from a dynamic standpoint from a tempo standpoint and so you’ll never hear the pieces that we sing on this concert perform the exact same way anywhere else ever again because the interpretation that we do is I think the best that we can do for this group of people have

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this time in this place and so I try to always hear what the chorus is producing and that inspires me then to make little changes in what works in this particular unique situation you know if I was doing this with a different course in a different place I would do it differently I would phrase it differently dynamics would all be different but this is what I’m hearing at this moment and so that’s why we do it this way do you find you have always have the right number of people in each section oh no no no it’s a challenge but

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I mean I’m when I’m hearing you blend things all right I watch it you’re conducting that you like with the surprise you need them to really come through you say Sopranos this is your spot here guys you guys have the passage what’s next guys jingle bells oh you guys want to hear a little jingle bells let’s see what jingle bells I just love the rhythm in this arrangement every day it’s great for something edgy do you see yourself into [Music] the same there’s no Thanksgiving

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so you want to think that’s crazy when you’re a conductor it is July and no it’s already too late in time usually it by June I’m listening to Christmas music I’ve got to get all the set and way way in advance so I’ve had time to get the rehearsal tracks made and everything else and all that with the other concert so literally to accept new State University this Christmas concert I was very listening to the music’s our screen little schizophrenic it really is [Music] [Applause]

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you have one bro yeah I do what a Baraka has grown on me they’re cut also this is one about unicorn asylum yeah great pieces I’m so a little exposed to Africa I need to get up Mike there’s such a rich glacier of music in there and it’s a unique flavor and it’s wonderful the harmonics track to the rhythms that’s all it’s as beautiful juice just beautiful like when I’m part of the way I was taught where everyone at the conservatory was we spent a very long time studying

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non-western music so I send a lot of African music of Far Eastern music a lot of Indian classical music which is a whole nother universe and it’s really exciting stuff is it the different scales different different scales different modalities different time signatures Indian music for instance has some of those complicated time signatures you’re ever gonna find you know we’re used to seeing things in 3/4 and 4/4 maybe and 684 getting really crazy regularly their intervals are 11 8 15 a 23-8 you know and yeah it’s insane

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Wow so and to an audience listening to this that’s really play it does have a lot of time yet was surprised I mean it doesn’t sound at all unusual when you hear it it fits in the body and that’s the beauty of especially of the non-western music most non-western music has grown up very organically through sounds of nature through things through other rhythms we find in the world without putting a lot of structure on top of it and harmony is the same way the intervals are cleaning their hope

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and printables most of the time it was really only Western music that developed and created different rules and structures and boxes to put things in which then changed shape over the years that’s why when you hear something you tell that’s perogies and you just know it by the structure you know classical music you know romantic and then the postmodern which gets really hard that’s really cool as well trying to that was great all right well we’re just having a little bit of a sampling fun I I really

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love all the you know what what do you study music you know it’s really been interesting the Maui school over here University of Hawaii Maui college they have a very good program I had a teacher is no longer there she went off to Boston with her husband who’s in the Boston Symphony but um and ku and she was a terrific piano player and if there wasn’t a lotus dancer I would Gary I know this gal T is awesome mm-hmm and then just I was in there learning music and I ended up we went to senior

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places she so I could sing and so we we rehearsed I don’t know any fifty tunes and we were going around to the moon inferencing you loved that’s great but the college over there we learn all this stuff but learning it in textbooks in heaven rule isn’t quite the same it’s singing it and being as immersed in it with you you give us all as a participant great flavor and we you know we make us look good well you all make yourselves look good by doing the work that’s the important thing now you

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know it is having gone through a conservatory background I can tell you that you know going to school for that and learning those things in classrooms and all that is wonderful because what that does is it gives you a toolset to be able to explore things on a different level you know when we’re in our rehearsals we are exploring things from the biggest common denominator level of the group so there are some people there who are very highly skilled with a lot of technical background and music and

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there’s something we’re just love to saying we have no idea how to read music whatsoever but by all being together we all share a unified experience that floats somewhere in the upper two-thirds to three-quarters of that shared dynamic so for those that don’t have the experience somehow they end up magically transporting themselves into a much higher level of performance and therefore appreciation for what they’re doing and so it’s really exciting it’s very rewarding for folks I think yeah

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and that’s a really good thing to remind me that the time I spent in school was valuable now that I can get into being a better listener right you take your tools and those are the tools that’s not the end result those are just the tools now that you can take with you everywhere and apply them in many many other ways right well you know where we got another of five minutes I think so do you want to play another piece I know that I want to be sure that I don’t miss in talking to you to really give you a

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feeling that you deserve which is absolute praise you have taken I see some of these people you know I’m sure you know it but many of those people that are in that audience mm-hmm maybe it’s never been said but I guess I’m gonna say it now yes I’m not a big Donald Trump fan and yet I sit next to people that maybe adore him mm-hmm and yet when we leave everything at the door that’s right music is a great Universal rate thing if you know I if I meet someone who doesn’t like music I really don’t want to know

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them so there’s that yeah all right let’s try this I’m gonna try one more piece for you guys okay this is the the big centerpiece of the concert really and the harmonies begin [Music] the beauty of taking a good composer and only allows one of my favorite composers and he’ll take this him tube and this Gregorian chant is probably from about the mid 1300s and then he creates this structure around it I know those well I mean we do talk about it from a technical standpoint to try to make it

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the best of the listening experience that’s why we use the orchestra shell you know and I try to keep it as acoustic as possible I’m not a big fan of enhanced sounds so I don’t like microphones a very dear friend of mine will says the best microphones make bad singers louder I’m gonna put these guys alone sure the reason is cause we’re actually running out of time all right which is a good as we expect what’s the most important message we have which is December 1st Sunday 3 p.m. 3 p.m. at the

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Maui Arts & Cultural Center at the castle theatre the castle theatre tickets are available at 2 for 2 show that’s 2 4 2 7 4 6 9 or online at Maui Arts orgy right and now’s a good time to get the seats you lost that you want so that’s what I would do if I were you yep Gary’s always a pleasure thank you so much for having me and I was wondering whether we could fill yet another hour of air time but it doesn’t seem to be hard to do nope never is you know when you talk about music there’s always more time why

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you really give me a great hope for Humanity because you are a really a great example of someone who is very open and inclusive and that’s the kind of people I like and really is really open thank you very much you’re very kind thanks so much you know and so I want to thank Arielle for introducing me and inviting me we love her part of the Maui core hearts group with Gary Levitt I think that uh you know I would love to see you anything so they don’t look for you in this season when you go out there oh

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yeah yeah I’ll be on stage a couple of times this year I’m gonna turn these guys off alrighty but you’re gonna come back and see them on December 1st everyone I’ll be looking for you Mac so thank you all for joining us hopefully by next week I’ll have my voice back this is Jason Schwartz here with Gary Lovett Maui choral Arts mal choral Arts org thank you you can see the show again in all our shows at Maui neutral zone calm thank you for joining us we are on the way out to suit we won’t be unless

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we plug this in you might be hearing it in the background well maybe not Aloha