Interview with Composer Diego Sánchez Haase

ICONI Magazine is proud to present an interview conducted by Dr. Edward Green, professor at the Manhattan School of Music, with Maestro Diego Sánchez Haase, the most distinguished musician yet produced by the nation of Paraguay. First and foremost a composer, with works in many different genres, Haase is likewise a major orchestral conductor, and a powerful advocate for the music of Bach. This interview includes discussion of his operas Pancha y Elisa (2018) and Ñomongeta (2019) — each rooted in the history and culture of Paraguay: the latter opera being the fi rst ever to have its libretto in Guarani — the language of its indigenous population. (It is one of the two offi cial languages of Paraguay; the other being Spanish.) In this interview is also substantial discussion of Haaseʼs study of Bach with Helmut Rilling, and of two operas Maestro Haase is currently creating, including one based on the Bibleʼs “Song of Songs.”

Interview with Composer George Tsontakis

This interview for the journal ICONI, taken by Dr. Edward Green, Professor at the Manhattan School of Music, is with one of the leading composers of the United States, George Tsontakis. A professor at Bard Conservatory of Music, he is the recipient of numerous awards for his work, including the prestigious Grawmeyer Award for his Second Violin Concerto. Professor Tsontakis’ work — nearly all of it commissioned — is wide-ranging in terms of genre, imaginative in its orchestrations, and always strongly emotional. Included in this interview are discussions of some of the biographical background to a number of his major pieces, including The Past, The Passion. Among the subjects discussed is the meaning of “concerto.” Several of his concertos and concerto-like compositions are specifically discussed in this interview, including Man of Sorrows (piano), and Sonnets (English Horn). The interview also touches upon his relations with two important American composers of earlier generation: George Rochberg, and Roger Sessions — who had been Tsontakis’ teacher of composition at Julliard.

Effects of Meditation on Music Performance Anxiety

This study investigated the effect of meditation on music performance anxiety. Participants were 19 students between the ages of 18 and 41 yrs, who were recruited from the Manhattan School of Music, Mannes College of Music, Yale University School of Music, and State University of New York at Purchase. The experimental group received a series of eight meditation classes, and the control group received no meditation training. After the 8-week training period, all performed in a concert. Pretests and post-tests of music performance anxiety were given and post-tests of state anxiety and of performance concentration. Performance anxiety decreased among participants in the meditation group, in contrast to participants in the control group, whose performance anxiety did not decrease. Differences in regard to post-test state anxiety and performance concentration were not significant. An additional benefit of meditation was a reported increase in relaxation pleasure even in the period immediately before the performance. Results indicate that meditation may be a useful tool for aiding performers to combat performance anxiety.