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History of
The National Orchestral Association
The
National Orchestral Association (NOA) was founded in 1930.
Its early mission was to train American orchestra musicians in orchestral
techniques and repertoire, providing them with the necessary experience and
level of expertise to enter professional orchestra careers.
Until that time, American orchestras were comprised almost entirely of
European-trained musicians. However,
with the establishment of the NOA and its founding conductor, Maestro Leon
Barzin, American musicians began to assume their rightful positions in American
orchestras.
Barzin was an early proponent of focal point conducting, which he developed
while playing under some of the greatest conductors of the early 20th
Century, including Arturo Toscanini, whom he was able to study for many years
from the pit of the old Metropolitan Opera and during his tenure as principal
viola with the New York Philharmonic. Over
the years, Barzin codified and propagated techniques of focal point conducting
based on his observations of Toscanini and others.
While training American orchestral musicians at the NOA for more than 30
years (1930-1958; 1970-1976), he also “raised the bar” on conductor
training. His goal was to promote a
conducting technique that was visually compelling and communicative while
producing professional-level orchestral ensemble and dynamic control.
He continued teaching conducting well into his 90s.
Barzin’s principles of focal point conducting embraced Toscanini’s podium
technique, i.e., the centralization of
beat motions, the binary nature of individual beats, and an arc-like shape of
beat motions designed to deliver clear and precise wordless directives to
orchestral players. Since Toscanini
never taught conducting, it may be said that Barzin became the advocate and
codifier of the Toscanini style, which
can be seen to this day in the opera pits of Italy and France.
Barzin was music director of the NOA Orchestra and, with George Balanchine and
Lincoln Kirstein, was a co-founder of the New York City Ballet (NYCB), where he
served for a decade (1948-1958) as music director.
His work at the NOA and the NYCB firmly established him as one of New
York’s finest conductors, and a peerless teacher of conducting and orchestral
performance techniques.
Since its inception, the NOA has presented numerous concerts at Carnegie Hall
and other venues around the country, providing both orchestral musicians and
young conductors with an opportunity to refine their professional techniques so
as to reach the standards of world-class orchestras and soloists.
In addition to training orchestral musicians, the NOA established numerous
groundbreaking initiatives, including a conducting program and performances of
American orchestral music designed to advance the careers of young American
composers. From the 1940s until the
present, the NOA has enriched the lives of thousands of school students.
It was one of the first organizations to bring classical music outreach
to the public school students in and around NYC; its rich tradition of
encouraging future generations of music lovers and concertgoers continues to
this day.
During
the 1990s, the NOA evolved into a multi-dimensional organization sponsoring a
wide variety of performing organizations and educational programs. The NOA’s
New Music Orchestral Project promoted the careers of American composers by
sponsoring world premiere performances at Carnegie Hall.
Later in the decade, the NOA began a sponsorship of smaller
organizations, and was instrumental in the creation of a new American string
orchestra, the String Orchestra of New York City ("SONYC").
It has continued to expand its outreach projects throughout the country
by sponsoring performances, master classes and school education seminars.
Current initiatives include ongoing support of a variety of musical
organizations, as well as sponsorship of conducting seminars featuring the
focal-point techniques of Leon Barzin. In
2004, the NOA was pleased to partner with the Conductors Guild, Inc. in
sponsoring a conducting workshop at the Cleveland Institute of Music.
In the fall of 2008, the NOA will again partner with the Conductors Guild
to co-sponsor a conductor training workshop that will be held at West Chester
University’s (PA) School of Music.
Since 1930, the NOA has been helping to nurture the careers of American
classical artists, and has done so through wars, the Great Depression and
several recessions. It does not
solicit or accept government funding, and depends entirely upon the generosity
of private contributions to sustain its work in support of aspiring American
classical musicians and composers. The
NOA is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, and all donations are tax-deductible
to the fullest extent allowed by law.
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BIOGRAPHY
OF
MAESTRO LEON E. BARZIN
FOUNDING CONDUCTOR OF
THE NATIONAL ORCHESTRAL ASSOCIATION
The National Orchestral Association's founding conductor, Maestro Leon E.
Barzin, was born in Belgium in 1900, and came to the United States with his
parents at the age of two. His father became a celebrated first violist
with the Metropolitan Opera under the baton of Arturo Toscanini, and young Leon
frequently sat with his father in the orchestra pit during performances.
His first teacher in his life-long devotion to music was his father, who
insisted that his son learn both the viola and violin.
As a teenager, Barzin played in several small ensembles and orchestras in
hotels, restaurants, and movie theatres, but his classical career blossomed in
1921 when the New York Philharmonic announced several player vacancies for the
following season, among them principal viola and second and third stand first
violin. Barzin auditioned on both violin and viola, won both, and chose
the viola chair. At the Philharmonic he played for great conductors such
as Furtwangler, Mengelberg and Toscanini. It was under the encouragement
of Toscanini that Leon made the shift in his career to conducting, which led him
to take a position as Associate Conductor of the American Orchestral Society.
In 1930, Leon Barzin, Mary Flagler Cary (granddaughter of
industrialist Henry Flagler) and Franklin Robinson, reorganized the American
Orchestral Society, renaming it the National Orchestral Association, Maestro
Barzin taking the helm as its founding musical director and conductor.
Barzin immediately made fundamental changes, introducing competition,
allowing students to compete with the professional musicians who had occupied
all the first chairs in the American Orchestral Society's training
orchestra. This gave students the incentive to work and practice hard to
win those positions. The results of this approach were soon evident, and
NOA graduates immediately began to win positions in American symphony
orchestras. For the next twenty-eight years, Leon Barzin, through the National
Orchestral Association, prepared musicians for participation in orchestras
world-wide, and many NOA graduates have held first chair positions in those
orchestras. His innovative and successful series of concerts at Carnegie
Hall contributed as well to the development of American composers, conductors,
and audiences. For many years, Maestro Barzin conducted live radio
broadcasts on WNYC and WQXR in New York, and experimented with television
programs to further his classical musical education mission. Barzin was an
early pioneer in bringing small music ensembles to public schools, and in giving
opportunities to women and minorities in symphony orchestras.
In 1945, Barzin collaborated with George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein for
the NOA's 1945-1946 season in a program called "Adventure in Ballet,"
which marked the first public collaboration between Barzin, Balanchine and
Kirstein. In 1946, the three founded Ballet Society, the original name of
what was to be renamed the New York City Ballet two years later. Barzin
remained as founding musical director of the New York City Ballet until 1958.
In the late 1950s, Maestro Barzin left the NOA to move to
France with his wife, Eleanor Close Barzin, where his work continued full
time. He became resident conductor of the Pasdeloup Orchestra and the
Orchestre Philharmonique de Paris. As a guest conductor, he directed
orchestras around the world, such as Lamoureux, Cologne, the New York
Philharmonic and the National Orchestra in Washington, D.C. He became
Professor at the Schola Cantorum and the Marguerite Long Academy.
In 1968, Barzin accepted a part-time engagement as special consultant to
Gunther Schuller, then president of the New England Conservatory. In 1969,
Barzin was named conductor of the New England Conservatory Symphony Orchestra,
as well as chairman of the department of orchestral training. This was to mark
another phase in the career of Leon Barzin – concentrating on the development
of future conductors. Maestro Barzin was also in demand at Tanglewood and
the Aspen Music Festival, in addition to resuming his position as principal
conductor of the National Orchestral Association.
In April of 1976, Leon Barzin conducted his final concert with National
Orchestral Association. He was 75 years old, and had decided to retire
from the orchestra to devote more time to the individual instruction of aspiring
musicians. His final concert at Carnegie Hall was a very festive evening.
Barzin was honored with a certificate signed by Mayor of New York, Abraham Beame,
and received a congratulatory telegram from President Gerald Ford. As part
of the concert, Barzin demonstrated how he typically worked with the orchestra
during an NOA rehearsal. He then allowed Carl Topilow, a member of the NOA
conducting program, to take the podium for a time. Then came a
heartwarming tribute from players from various major orchestras, all of whom
were NOA alumni.
During the 1990s, Maestro Barzin continued to work with the National
Orchestral Association in reaching out to young audiences. In 1998, the
Maestro traveled to Utah with a group of musicians sponsored by the National
Orchestral Association. In 1998, Maestro Barzin, still vibrantly active at
the age of 97, continued as an advisor for the newly created Leon Barzin
Educational Outreach Project for its inaugural year in Sundance and Park
City. For his significant achievements, Leon Barzin was the recipient of
many honors, among which is the coveted Alice M. Ditson Award for education and
for the presentation of so many works by American composers. Other honors
include the Gold Medal of Lebanon and France's Legion d' Honneur. To honor his
career, the National Orchestral Association created the Leon Barzin Award.
Maestro Barzin passed away in 1999 at the age of 98, and remained active
until the end. His remarkable legacy of achievement includes the training
of an entire generation of musicians and conductors, and offered many composers
the chance to hear their compositions performed for the first time.
American musicians, composers and conductors and lovers of classical music in
America owe a great debt to this extraordinarily talented and visionary
individual for his contributions to the cultural life of America.
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NATIONAL
ORCHESTRAL ASSOCIATION
ADVISORY BOARD AND COUNCIL
The National Orchestral Association is grateful to its advisory boards
for their invaluable advice and counsel. The NOA's advisory boards are
comprised of creative artists and members of the business community. We are
most grateful for their assistance in making the work of the National
Orchestral Association possible.
Advisory Board
Steven B. Allnatt
Director of Public Affairs and Employee Communications,
American Express Travel Related Services of Salt Lake City
Laurie Stokes Bott
Marketing and Special Events Consultant
Steve Boyer
Senior Vice President, American Express Travel Related
Services of Salt Lake City
Arthur
Judson, II
Vice President, Legg Mason Wood
Walker, Inc.
Bright M. Judson
Director, The Judson Foundation
Shaker A. Khayatt
President, Khayatt & Company, Inc.
Ann MacQuoid
Lewis, Wolcott & Dornbush Real Estate
Teri Orr
Executive Director, Park City Performing Arts Foundation
B. K. Stafford
Melhado Flynn & Associates, Inc.
Laura C. Widing
Senior Buyer, Continental Air Lines
Hon. J. William Widing, III
Countess Marianne von Zastrow
Advisory Council
Milton Babbit
Martin Bookspan
Schuyler Chapin
Chou Wen-Chung
Van Cliburn
John Duffy
Lukas Foss
Gordon Hardy
George Jellinek
James Levine
Zubin Mehta
Mstislav Rostropovich
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OFFICERS
Matthew J. Trachtenberg
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
Eric Kuttner
Executive Director
David Levitman
Vice President and Secretary
Reka Souwapawong
Vice President and Treasurer
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NATIONAL ORCHESTRAL
ASSOCIATION
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Frances J. Kennedy
Chairman Emeritus
(in Memoriam)
Matthew J. Trachtenberg
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
Reka Souwapawong
Vice President and Treasurer
David Levitman
Vice President and Secretary
Judy Jackson
Ralph Gates
Debra Greenfield
Grace Vance
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