Carolyn Broe

Approval Type

Community Based

Artistic Discipline

Music

Program Type

Performances, Workshops, Residencies, Lecture/Demonstation

Populations/Areas of Interest

Pre-Kindergarten, Grades K-6, Grades 7-12, In School, After-School / Out-of-School, Young Adults, Adults, Older Adults, Intergenerational, Persons with disabilities, At-Risk, Underserved

Artistic Approach

Carolyn Broe performs with the Four Seasons String Quartet and the Four Seasons Orchestra. We are dedicated to educating both young and adult audiences in the beauty of live classical music. We inspire a love of music through innovative programming. You will be swept away by the virtuosity of our musicians. Our excellent ensembles have a variety of programming to fit your venue. We have theme concerts, school concerts, Baroque music, classical concerts, women composers and master pieces of American and European music.

Teaching Artist Approach

As a violinist and violist, Carolyn Broe inspires both young and adult audiences with beautiful music. She talks about the lives of the composers and what makes these works so special. Carolyn plays a variety of pieces and styles that draw the audience in. She asks the audience questions about what they like and what instruments they play. Carolyn prefers to perform music that is familiar and audience friendly. She believes that early exposure to music builds a strong bond in young people. Music can also sooth the minds of adults and relax them after their busy day. Carolyn believes in building a positive relationship with the audience so that they will appreciate music more in the future.

Program Management Strategies

As a guest performer and conductor I believe in working closely with the administrators to maximize the potential of our programs. I feel very comfortable talking with audiences and interacting with them. I often talk about the music with the audience before starting each piece. They appreciate having a brief sound bite about the composer and what was going on during that era. I can work with various settings either on stage or in smaller settings. I can prepare hand outs for lecture demonstrations or programs for sit down concerts. I always appreciate knowing what the theme of the event is and what you would like to have performed. We can taylor each event to your needs. I the traditional performance settings rather than the theater in the round style.

Program Description

Carolyn Broe performs as a solo violist and violinist. She is the conductor and principal violist for the Four Seasons Orchestra and Four Seasons String Quartet of Scottsdale, Arizona. We have several wonderful programs available for every audience and budget. She can also perform solo recitals or a lecture/recital on the viola. Here are some of the programs that are available.

Hearts and Romance - Flute, Harp and Viola Trio
Lecture Recital on the Music of Louise Lincoln Kerr
Red Tango - Latin Music for Viola and Piano
Harold in Italy - Solo viola and orchestra
Women Composers - Viola and piano
Night in Vienna - Four Seasons String Quartet
Royal Baroque - Four Seasons String Quartet
Mozart Affair - Four Seasons Orchestra
The Romance of Spain - Four Seasons Orchestra
Vivaldi Festival - Four Seasons Orchestra
Baroque and Classical Women Composers -orchestra
Romantic and 20th Century Women Composers
Angels in Paradise - Four Seasons String Quartet
Music of the Southwest - Four Seasons Orchestra
Peter and the Wolf - Four Seasons Orchestra
Little Engine the Could - Four Seasons Orchestra
Serenade Her with the Classics - string quartet
Haydn Bicentennial Festival - Four Seasons Orchestra

Program descriptions below

Hearts and Romance - Flute, Viola and Piano Trio
Hear beautiful Romantic and Impressionistic music by
Bizet, Faure, Puccini, Rachmaninov, Saint-saens, Kerr,
and others. You will love the sound of this wonderful
group of musicians performing 19th and 20th century
masterworks. Many of these pieces are favorites that
your audience will recognize. Carolyn Broe violist,
Katrina King flutist and Peggy Rostron pianist will be
the performers.

Lecture Recital - Music of Louise Lincoln Kerr
Carolyn Broe violist and her pianist will perform music
by Louise Kerr who was a Scottsdale, Arizona composer
Learn about the life of this beautiful lady who is now
in the Arizona Women's Hall of Fame. Her music is
creative and tonal. Her life was amazing. Relive the history and glory of the Southwest in music.

Red Tango - Carolyn Broe violist and Miriam Yutzy pianist will perform Latin tangos. You will hear the romantic music of famous tangos by Piazzola and others. This is music that makes you want to dance.

Harold in Italy - Carolyn Broe will give a solo viola performance of this famous symphonic master work by Hector Berlioz. The deep tones of the viola are enhanced by the brilliant orchestration of Harold in Italy. Your audience will love the power and majesty of this incredible solo viola piece with orchestra.

Women Composers Recital - Carolyn Broe and her pianist will perform music by women composers. You will hear beautiful pieces by Rebecca Clark, Louise Kerr, Susan Harrison, and others. Carolyn Broe has written books and articles about women composers. She will talk about their lives and music before each piece.

Night in Vienna - Four Seasons String Quartet
Beautiful classical music by Johann Strauss, Mozart
Haydn, Schubert, Beethoven and more. We will
perform waltzes and serenades from Vienna in her
full glory during the 19th and 20th centuries. This
program is also available in string quartet.

Royal Baroque - Four Seasons String Quartet
Give yourself the royal treatment. We will perform
music that was written for kings and queens by
J.S. Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Telemann, Pachelbel,
and others. Hear about the lives and music of
these great Baroque masters. This program is also
avialable in string orchestra.

Mozart Affair - Four Seasons Orchestra
The music of Wolfgang A. Mozart has inspired
many generations of music lovers. We will
perform his overtures, symphonies, concertos and
divertimentos. Hear about the life and music of
this musical genius from Salzburg.

The Romance of Spain - Four Seasons Orchestra
Immerse yourself in the beauty of music inspired by
Spain. We will perform Romantic music from
Bizet's Carmen Suite, Rodgigo's Guitar Concerto
de Aranjuez, Albeniz symponies, and more. This
program comes with soprano and guitar soloists.

Vivaldi Festival - Four Seasons Orchestra
We will perform the music of the great Italian
composer Antonio Vivaldi. This Baroque
master composers brilliant violin concertos
and sinfonias. Come hear our solo artists perform
these virtuosic concertos and learn about his life.

Angels in Paradise -- Four Seasons String Quartet.
Hear music that inspired the angels. We will perform
beautiful holiday favorites and classical music to warm
your heart. Our strings will perform glorius music to
celebrate the year. This program is perfect for families.
This program is also available in string orchestra.

Baroque and Classical Women Composers
Four Seasons Orchestra
Explore the beautiful music of women composers from
Europe. These composers were famous during their
lives in the 16th through the 18th centuries. We will
perform sinfonias and overtures by Elizabeth Jaquet
de la Guerre of France, Francesca Caccini of Italy,
Maria von Martinez of Austria, Maria Walpurgis of
Germany and Anne Boleyn Queen of England. Hear
about the amazing lives and music of these women.
This program comes with two singers.

Romantic and 20th Century Women Composers
Four Seasons Orchestra
Come and enjoy the other half of music by women
Composers from the 19th and 20th centuries. We
will amaze you with music by Fanny Mendelssohn,
Clara Schumann, Louise Kerr, Gwyneth Walker,
Joan Tower and others. Learn about the life and
music of these great women composers. This
program comes with a singer and bassoon soloist.

Music of the Southwest -- Four Seasons Orchestra
Relive the beauty and mystery of the Southwest. Hear
"Enchanted Mesa" by Louis Kerr, selections from the
"Grand Canyon Suite" by Groffe, "Creation Legend" by
Carolyn Broe, "Arizona Profiles" and "Senior Alcalde
Mayor" by Kerr and more. This program comes with
a harp soloist and soprano soloist. Learn about the lives
and music of these Southwest composers.

Peter and the Wolf -- Four Seasons Orchestra
This classic children's story, narrated with solos
for the orchestra by Prokofiev, will delight your
audience. We will also perform a Mozart
Overture, Haydn's Toy Symphony, and Mancini's
medely of favorites from the movies. We will
demonstrate the instruments of the orchestra. This
program is perfect for families and schools.

Little Engine That Could -- Four Seasons Orchestra
Haydn Bicentennial Festival -- Four Seasons Orchestra
This precious children's story has been orchestrated with
narrator by Alan Feinstein. You will hear real train bells
and songs in the music. We will demonstrate the instruments of the orchestra. This program includes train songs sung by the audience and the conductor (dressed as a train conductor). The musicians are dressed like engineers in stripped caps, blue jeans and work shirts. This program is perfect for families with younger children and schools K-4th grade.

Serenade Her with the Classics
Four Seasons String Quartet
We will perform a variety of light classical and Baroque
chamber music for your audience. They will hear many
familiar favorites from the classical repertoire. We can
give brief snapshots of each piece and composer for concerts or perform this program as background music. This program is perfect for new audiences and those who like to hear only the best music. This program is great for Mother's Day, afternoon teas, and luncheons. It is also light on the pocket book too!

Haydn Bicentennial Festival -- Four Seasons Orchestra
In 2009 we will be celebrating the life and music of the
great Austrian composer Franz Joseph Haydn. We will
perform his overtures, symphonies, arias, and the cello
concerto. Haydn was the father of the symphony and the string quartet. You will be amazed at the beauty of this great classical composer. This program comes with a soprano soloist and string bass or cello soloist. This will be the program we perform at the Haydn Festival in Vienna.

Technical Requirements

Each proram is unique. Most of the orchestra concerts need only one set orchestra stage lighting. It is always good to have a hand held microphone for the conductor. The narrator will need a lecturn with a micorphone. We appreciate having the air conditioning or heating turned on well in advance of the performance. The string quartet and lecture recital require good lighting to read the music. It is nice if you have recording capability but not required.

Space Requirements

The string quartet concerts can be given with or without a stage. We can work in a class room space, library, museum, cafeteria, stage or in a band or orchestra room. The space is similar to the size a grand piano takes up, which is about 8 X 8 foot square. The lecture recital can be given in a class room, small auditorium, church, library, museum or office. The orchestra concerts are better if we have a stage. A large cafeteria or gymnasium will work too. If we are using the full 35 piece orchestra, then we will need a 40 by 50 foot stage. If you are hiring a 20 piece orchestra we can go with a smaller 25 x 40 foot stage. If you have a green room that can be locked, then we can store our cases in there. If not, we can put them in the back stage area. It is important for security reasons that the students and audience are not allowed on stage or in the performance area during the performance.

Supply Requirements

For the Four Seasons Orchestra concerts, we will need 35 chairs without arms. If you have 25 black stands that would be great. Otherwise let us know and we can bring our own stands. A band shell really helps project the sound. Hand held mics are good for the conductor and narrator. We need a podium and a lecturn for the larger programs. For the string quartet programs we need four chairs without arms and four black stands if you have them. Otherwise let us know and we will bring our own stands. We need good lighting. If you have bottled water for the musicians it will help with the heat.

Special Considerations

We have performed for groups as small as 10 and as large as 10,000 people. Most of the time we can go with natural accoustics unless the audience size gets to be larger then 1,000. Then we will need microphones and speakers. We would rather give one concert to a large auditorium then two or three concerts in a smaller auditorium. We need to charge for extra travel time. IF the concert is in a place four hours away from Phoenix, we will need overnight lodgings and food. If you are building a stage for us, then we need rails and strips on the sides and back of the stage for protection from falling off. We will also need stairs and rails to get up. We may need space to rehearse prior to the performance. It is usually good to allow for the auditorium to be available to us at least two hours before a concert. If that is not possible then a warm up room will do. We appreciate having water available back stage if possible.

References

Laura Kent, Fine Arts Director, Pendergast School District, Glendale/Avondale (623) 772-2297.

Marj Sherman, Copper Ridge Elementary, strings teacher, Scottsdale Unified School District (480) 484-1500 x1547.

Eric Broomfield, Manager, Arizona Repertory Orchestra,
Scottsdale (480) 350-9115.

Dr. William Magers, Viola Professor Emeretus, ASU, (480) 833-5599.

Dr. Phyllis Skoldberg, Violin Professor Emeretus, ASU, (480) 893-2577.

Fees

Please contact Carolyn Broe for information on the wide range of prices for her programs. She will taylor the event to the needs of your budget. Each concert will vary depending on how many hours and musicians are needed. She can provide a string quartet concert for as little as $550. The larger orchestra concerts range in price depending on the program and the minimum number of musicians needed. The lecture recital is very reasonable. We also have string duos and trios for smaller budget needs. Travel time from Phoenix is an important consideration in the price of the concert. As a conductor, Carolyn Broe's fees are comparable to the standard guest conductor fees for most orchestras. As a viola soloist, the fees will depend on the pieces that are being programed.

Educator/Staff Training

The Four Seasons Orchestra programs help to enrich the professional development of staff and educators by broadening their knowledge of classical music and orchestral instruments. Many of our programs have curriculum that meets with the state standards of education in the music field. We often integrate music with history and literature. The teachers or staff may request a curriculum package to go along with our program. We recommend that the staff read the stories to the students or audience members before hand to get them aquinted with what they are going to hear. It may also be a good idea to play a CD of music by the same composer to get the students/audience enthusiasm and anticipation levels up.

How Arizona State Academic Standards are Addressed

As a former public school strings teacher, I have read the Arizona State Academic Standards in the Arts and other Arizona Academic Standards. Each program will incorporate multiple aspects of academics and music such as: reading; counting; high and low pitches; instrument categories; dynamics; singing; clapping; individual instrument recognition; composers; dances; musical eras; story development and programmatic music. We allow time for Q and A from the students. We also ask them questions to find out what they have learned from our program.