DR. KENNETH GARTNER
Comments from a former student, musician and teacher
RESUME
Among many other things, Kenneth Gartner is also a piano teacher, voice teacher and musical coach, professionally active in the Bay Area of San Francisco, California.
Dr. Gartner has been the Chairman of the Music Department, Five Towns College, Dix Hills, Long Island, as well as the conductor of the United Choral Society and other adult and teenage choruses. In effect, Kenneth Gartner teaches students of all ages. He also speaks French and German.
In addition to teaching, Dr. Gartner does vocal and instrumental coaching for competitions, entrance exams, roles and performances.
He is also a Musical Director of shows, opera and operetta and a choral and orchestral conductor.
Other areas of teaching expertise are voice, composition, electronic music and synthesizer. He also has a PhD on expanded piano technique, which allows him to assert (and demonstrate) that " I can improve anyone's technique in a matter of weeks!"
Yet his greatest successes have been and are in preparing musical contest winners (including admissions exams to specialized musical institutions).
Before leaving for California last year, his latest venture was the creation of a professional mixed voice chorale at Flushing, New York City: the Kenneth Gartner Singers.
Note prepared by a former student,
Horace Greeley Junior High School, Class of 1968:
Dr. Gartner's exceptional abilities with choruses (the clarity of diction and balance achieved with choruses of 200+ students) and children of junior high school age and older, are evident in the following musical clips:
- two from movement II of Johannes Brahms's German Requiem, and
- one from movement V (9th grader Helen Pelligrini is the soprano)..
While the orchestra was largely Queens College players, outstanding JHS 10 students such as Gregory Durniak (fourth horn) were also involved. Joel Kolk, band teacher at 10, and Michael Feldman, son of Principal Herman Feldman (JHS 10), were the clarinets. Even Dr. Gartner's mother played viola for us! The entire Requiem was memorized by the students, a work followed two years later by Mendelssohn's Elijah! This is but a taste of what may be done by children (and adults) with the encouragement of an outstanding musician such as Dr. Gartner.
Here is also Deems Taylor's arrangement of the Czechoslovakian folk song, Tece Voda, Tece! conducted by Dr. Gartner from the piano and sung in the original language. The male soloist was an eighth grader! This work is an example of what may be done with the young, adolescent voice given correct treatment and instruction.
Yet another example is the "Ave Verum Corpus" recorded by the Flushing High School Chorus in 1997, under his direction. The clip of Mozart's penultimate work, the Ave Verum, was recorded in Flushing High School's landmark auditorium--a reproduction of Shakespeare's theater--where Dr. Gartner taught both chorus and orchestra. It was sung antiphonally, with the Honors Chorus stationed in the two balconies above the instrumental ensemble. This was part of a concert in which the student demanded to perform Mozart's ultimate work, the Requiem.
My recommendation: If your junior (or senior high school or college) chorus is not working out, perhaps Dr. Gartner may be able to help. Please email us at virtuosos.org to find out about the availability of master classes for your staff and students.
Manuel F. Perez, BA, MPA (NYU '77)
Within a few weeks, this site will feature clips from various theatrical presentations produced, directed and conducted by Dr. Gartner, each of which had a full professional orchestra to support the student cast. Please visit us again.
Be sure to come back to this site in a few weeks: the Mendelssohn's Elijah's fugue in part VI has to be heard to be believed!
Here are some comments from various newspapers:
- The New York Times: "Mr. Gartner dispatched each work with admirable energy.…[He] brings genuine commitment to his playing….a rare ingredient." (Robert Sherman)
- The Cornell Daily Sun: "His playing [of Chopin’s Premier Ballade] was powerful and frightening."
- N.Y. Staats-Zeitung: "He played with sensitivity and delicacy [and] brought forth the undivided approbation of the entire house. He represents the unique combination of outstanding music teacher and virtuoso pianist." (F. Gutman)
- Berliner Zeitung (Berlin, Germany): "[His Ravel] was transformed into shimmering dream images and [his Liszt] was demonic." (K.W.)
- Het Binnenhof (The Hague, Netherlands): "He played Ravel like a master.…An outstanding pianist….Gartner intensely makes music." (K.S.)
Kenneth Gartner is a:
- Free Lance Artist
- Concert Singer, high baritone — Oratorio
- Excellent Sight Reader
- Professional
who is:
* Willing to Travel
* Open to occasional church jobs
* Familiar with diction in Latin, French, German, Italian, Korean, Japanese
Dr.
Gartner has an
Outstanding Record:
- First New York City teacher to have performed at Town Hall
- Most Level, VI, Gold with Distinction SATB Choruses in all NYC public and private schools
- Most acceptances of students in the All State and All Eastern Choruses
- While at Flushing High School, more students from Flushing High School were accepted into the NY State Summer School of the Arts for Choral Studies than any other school in New York State.
- While at Canarsie High School, more students were accepted into the NY State Summer School of the Arts for Choral Studies than any other school in New York State.
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Last Update: June 19, 2005
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