An International Cooper Violinist at Oberlin College

The 2015 International Cooper Violin competition at Oberlin College is over and we had to say goodbye to a super competitor and girl extraordinaire Maya Buchanan from Rapid City, South Dakota.

Maya is just 14 years old and has been playing the violin since the age of 3 and is now an Academy Fellow at the Music Institute of Chicago where she  goes every weekend for instruction. She is the youngest first prize winner in the history of the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra Young Musician  Concerto Competition. She is also the co-winner of the 2013 Walgreens National Concerto Junior Strings Competition, the second-place winner of the 2014 Music Teachers National Association Junior Performance Competition and the 2015 Junior Strings National Finalist. She has also been featured on NPR's From the Top.

At the Cooper competition here in Oberlin Maya placed 6th out of 21 contestants but she is number one with the guests here at Hallauer House. The video that I shot of Maya's Cooper performance would not upload to this Blog so I've placed a link to the YouTube video of Maya's 2014 performance at the Waxman Carmen Fantasie with Ottawa Chamber Symphony. Enjoy!

As we say goodbye to Maya we wish her well as she continues her studies and goes forth to perform outstanding music on the violin. In 2017 she hopes to return to Oberlin to complete in the next International Cooper Violin competition and we do hope that she comes back to Hallauer House.

International Cooper Violin Competition at Oberlin College, 2015

 
                                        We wish you well, Maya! Hope to see you in 2 years!

Underground Railroad Quilt Part 2

In a previous post, I introduced Kathie Fiedler, a guest visiting us from Michigan who is a master quilt maker. She showed us her fabulous Underground Railroad quilt and in October she and her husband Robert returned and brought with them a wall hanging version of that same quilt which we purchased and now have hanging on the wall in our guest dining room. It has become a very unique and interesting conversation piece among our guests at breakfast and Joe, our resident historian/innkeeper, is very adept at pointing out and explaining what code is hidden in each of the squares.  Now when you come and stay at Hallauer House B & B you can immerse yourself in a new history lesson and we promise there will be no test afterward!

Kathie's Underground Railroad quilt wall hanging.

                  While we were visiting the National Cryptologic Museum at Ft. Meade in Maryland for our daughter's promotion to Petty Officer 1st Class in the US Coast Guard, we found on display a poster showing many Underground Railroad quilt squares and their meanings. Luckily I had my trusty camera handy so I took a picture of each square and decided to include them below. So hope you enjoy reading a little history and we do invite you to come as a guest and see the quilt up close and learn a little about the history of the Underground Railroad and Oberlin's role during this era of our country's history.




As a P.S. - The National Cryptologic Museum is a really fascinating and interesting place to visit when you are in the DC area and it's free. Go there! You won't be disappointed!

Conservatory Auditions

The big weekends are coming!!

The Oberlin College Conservatory will be holding auditions on campus on the following dates:

February 10 and 11, 2012
February 17 and 18, 2012 (Jazz Studies auditions on Friday, February 17)
February 24 and 25, 2012
March 2 and 3, 2012 (Jazz Studies auditions on Friday, March 2)

This is a BIG and important time for high school seniors who want to major in music and attend a top notch conservatory. So why not stay in a place where they can relax and feel at home. Our motto is- "B & B's are the Better Way to Stay!" Don't delay in making lodging accommodations as the B & B's in the area are filling up quickly. Check out our amenities and our frequent stayer special for Oberlin College parents and then give us a call at 440-774-3400 or book a room on line. The welcome mat is out and the lights are on!

Calendar Marking Time!

 Okay, it's time to get out the pen and mark your calendar for the 2011-2012 Oberlin College Recital Series! In this Blog posting I will give you an overview and then I will try (I PROMISE) to do a more detailed BLOG posting for each event throughout the year.

So let's start with September 2011! There will be 3 events - Itzhak Perlman on the violin will be in town on Ssunday, Sept. 11, 2011; Adrian Fenty's presentation comes on Tuesday, Sept. 13, and on Sat.Sept. 24 Ira Glass will take the stage.

October so far, has only Salman Rushdie in town on Wednesday, October 12, 2011.

November -Jaron Lanier presents on Wednesday, Nov. 9 and then Nov. 16,18, 19, and 20 are the dates for  the stage production of "A Wedding."

December is holiday time and the one funny stage production called "Where Has Tommy Flowers Gone" will be presented on Dec. 8. 9, and 10.

January 2012 may be cold and most of the students will be gone but the College will be busy and you can mark 4 dates on your calendar! Wednesday, Jan. 18 the Cleveland Orchestra will  be in town at Finney Chapel followed by Jeremy Denk on piano on Thursday, Jan. 19, followed by Apollo's Fire on Friday, Jan. 20, followed by the International Contemporary Ensemble on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012! Whew! Busy month and we hope  - NO SNOW!

Ok, we are now into February 2012. The month begins with A Theater & Dance Collaboration on Thurs., Fri., and Sat., February 9, 10, and 11 followed by The Tallis Scholars on Wednesday, Feb. 15. Tuesday, Feb. 21 we will welcome Soweto Gospel Choir and on Feb. 24 and 26 Marilyn Horne will conduct Master Classes.

In March we will see Jonathan Altar and Ross Douthat on March 7 and then the one and only Herbie Hancock will be in town on Tuesday, March 13, 2012. The Opera - "L'Heure espagnole &L'Enfant et les sortilegees", will be staged on March 14, 16, 17, and 18.

With the school year winding down, the April and May series will bring to town Edwidge Danticat on Thursday, April 19. The Theater and Dance students will stage "The Compromise 1895" Thursday -Saturday, April 19-21 followed by the Oberlin Dance Company & and Contemporary Music Ensemble's presentation on May 11 and 12, 2012.

The dates above are just for the Oberlin Arts. Click here to get complete information to help in setting up your calendar! There will be many more events and activities going on throughout the coming school year (2011-2012) so stay tuned and I will keep you apprised of what you will be able to see and do in Oberlin! And remember, we are here for your overnight accommodations so give us a call when you know the dates that you will be in Oberlin. We are looking forward to hearing from you! Come and visit! You know you want to!!!