Part of the crowd attending the grand opening of the Pennsylvania Academy of Music on North Prince Street gathers in the lobby before a gala concert. Photo Courtesy Lancaster Newspapers

Lancaster Intelligencer Journal

June 12, 2008

German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once wrote, "I call architecture frozen music."

The quote was given prominence inside the programs for the Pennsylvania Academy of Music's grand-opening gala Wednesday night, when many in attendance learned exactly what Goethe meant.

World-renowned violinist Arnold Steinhardt said the new $25 million facility on North Prince Street would be a gift to professional musicians and students alike.

"Architecture and acoustics adds another layer to music," he said during the gala reception, an hour before his performance on stage. "Those elements can pick you up or drag you down. But when both are beautiful, it encourages you as a performer and you feel like you're in a friendly neighborhood."

Jamie Bernstein Thomas, right, the daughter of the late Leonard Bernstein, talks Wednesday night with Frances Veri and Michael Jamanis, the founders of the Pennsylvania Academy of Music. Photo Courtesy Lancaster Newspapers

The building was the last performing arts venue designed by famed architect Philip Johnson before his death in 2005, and features acoustics by Cyril Harris, the acoustical expert for the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.

These factors contributed to the academy's successful gala concert Wednesday evening, in which the building was unveiled to a select audience for the first time.

The impressive lineup of talent converged on the stage of Steinman Concert Hall, where acclaimed actress Claire Bloom hosted the evening's events.

"I crossed the ocean yesterday, with no idea of what I was going to see," she said in her crisp English accent. "And I discovered this to be a beautiful, beautiful hall indeed. The quality of this design can be found in Paris and New York - and here it is in Lancaster, Pennsylvania."

Frances Veri and Michael Jamanis are shown performing George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" in the new Steinman Recital Hall during Wednesday night's gala. Photo Courtesy Lancaster Newspapers

Steinhardt was first to perform, standing center stage and playing Johann S. Bach's "Violin Partit No. 2 in D Minor" with a lot of charisma and vigor.

The academy's ensemble in residence, The Newstead Trio (violinist Michael Jamanis, cellist Sara Male and pianist Xun Pan), premiered a new work by Chinese composer Chen Yi, just weeks before she will debut another composition at the Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Yi was commissioned to write "Tunes From My Homeland" for the trio to celebrate the opening of Steinman Hall.

The trio did the piece justice, presenting a musical landscape filled with a wide range of emotion. In the beginning, there was urgency, conveyed in the plucks of the strings, and then a somberness the trio made introspective and lovely.

The concert also featured (from left, back row) Jamie Bernstein, Arnold Steinhardt, and Newstead Trio members Michael Jamanis, Sara Male and Xun Pan. In front row (from left) are Michael Jamanis, Frances Veri and Claire Bloom. Photo Courtesy Lancaster Newspapers

The composition also included more traditional Chinese folk melodies, then evolved into a dreamier sound, thanks to Pan's cascading notes, ending with a bold, majestic tone.

A standing ovation was given to Frances Veri and Michael Jamanis (also the academy's founders) for their rousing performance of George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue." The pair were the original recording artists of the Gershwin two-piano score.

Wednesday evening's program also featured a tribute to Pennsylvania composer Samuel Barber, performed by the Academy's Philharmonia Orchestra, and "Bachianas," performed with eight cellos and a choir made up of Academy students, faculty and alumni.

Leonard Bernstein's daughter, Jamie, also introduced her father's "Make My Garden Grow," from "Candide" accompanied by the academy children's choir.

The Pennsylvania Academy of Music was founded in 1989 and is home of the international summer music festival "Vivace!," which runs from Saturday through June 29.

The academy's new 63,000-square-foot facility will accept up to 600 students, ages pre-school to adult, for the fall semester.

It is one of only 12 autonomous pre-collegiate music schools in the U.S. accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music, providing a comprehensive musical education and opportunities for solo and ensemble performances.

Lancaster city Mayor Rick Gray attended the gala, which included a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Steinman Hall.

"I think the academy is a wonderful contribution to the community," he said. "Wonderful things will happen here."