Today we’d like to introduce you to Randall Tweed
Hi Randall, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am the tenured music director of the Grossmont Symphony Orchestra (GSO) and Grossmont Master Chorale (GMC), course offerings in the music department at Grossmont College. The GSO performs a six-concert performance season at Grossmont College’s new concert hall, the Visual & Performing Arts Center (PVAC) on the college’s campus. The orchestral season is augmented by choral-orchestral and chamber music concerts featuring instrumentalists and singers from both the GSO and GMC. Since beginning my tenure in 1986, both ensembles have grown musically to include music majors (& minors), community musicians, music teachers and even a number of professional musicians who volunteer their time with the ensembles. The range of music repertoire is vast to include major and minor works from the renaissance up to premieres of new works. Special recognition was achieved in 2014 when the GSO and the San Diego Ballet joined forces to perform Azerbaijan composer Gara Garayev’ “The Seven Beauties” ballet in San Diego’s 30oo seat Civic Theatre. The concert was a huge success with the City of San Diego proclaiming May 28 as Azerbaijan National Day. The proclamation was made by Mayor Faulconer on behalf of the citizens of San Diego. The proclamation recognized the achievements of the Republic of Azerbaijan as a free and independent nation. And the performance was co-sponsored by Grossmont College, San Diego Ballet, and the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
In 2009 I approached the founding director of San Diego Ballet, Robin Morgan, about collaborating on their annual Nutcracker project. I was interested in providing the orchestra musicians an opportunity to learn how to “play pit,” that is, to discover how to make music in a theatrical music pit with the orchestra’s conductor visually supporting the dancer’s movement onstage while using the conductor’s baton without any other physical support for the musicians to perform . . . not an easy task for the musicians. At that time, the college district owned the East County Performing Arts Center (ECPAC) located in downtown El Cajon. And up to that point, the San Diego Ballet had only been dancing to pre-recorded tracks of Tchaikovsky’s music. So, we joined forces to great success that year. Unfortunately, due to the National Financial Crisis, ECPAC’s doors were shuttered. But, we did continue to collaborate for the next two years at the Birch North Park Theatre. Once again, that theatre was no longer available and we had to wait another 10 years before we could once again collaborate on a Nutcracker project, but this time in our new concert hall on the campus of Grossmont College, the Visual & Performing Arts Center (PVAC). Our audiences were modest as the nation recuperated from the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). But, our audiences have grown annually to allow to now allow for two performances.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Music Education and Performance. Continued collaboration with San Diego Ballet on Nutcracker and other ballet projects. Current Project: Nutcracker Redux. Performances: Wednesday, December 18, 2024 at 7;30 pm; Thursday, December 19, 2024 at 7;30 pm, both in the Visual & Performing Arts Center (on the campus of Grossmont College). Online Admission purchase: gcccd.universitytickets.com
Pricing:
- $45 General
- $35 Senior/Military
- $5 Student
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.grossmont.edu/music
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrossmontSymphony
