English Translation:
Question:
Roit, you’ve been living in Catalunya for over a year and it has been a difficult year due to the pandemic. Can you tell us how it has been this year at a professional level? Have you been able to work?
Answer:
This year has been quite difficult for everyone and especially so for the performing arts. My last concert before the pandemic was in Naples in January 2020 and after that all my concerts were cancelled. I decided to use this forced free time to focus on other areas of my music. I created online workshops, lectures and private music classes and used social media to connect with my audience around the world. I also decided that it was time for a new website, which took me several months of hard work to achieve and I’m proud to share it with you – www.roitfeldenkreis.com
I also used this time to connect with new colleagues and to think together of new ways of bringing classical music to people around the world as well as learning new pieces, looking at newly composed materials and creating future programs.
Question:
Can you tell us what differences you found between the way we work here and that of Israel? For example with the Israeli Moshavot Chamber Orchestra you founded?
Answer:
This is a question that I get a lot and my answer always stays the same.In the beginning of the rehearsal we might have a few language barriers but after a few minutes they are completely forgotten and only the musical language prevails. What I especially love about the orchestras in Catalunya is the great passion for music that is felt in every note when working together. The players are happy to dive deep into the musical phrase and work hard to achieve a fantastic concert. This is one of the things I also love about Israeli orchestras, such as my “Moshavot Chamber Orchestra”, the desire to make great music and bring it to the public.
Question:
Can you tell us what your “Musicians Talk Music” program consists of?
Answer:
My program “Musicians Talk Music” was created during lockdown, when I realized that we musicians need to look for ways to keep classical music available for everyone. In this series I host classical musicians from all over the world in conversations about performance, composers and composing, different instruments, musical styles and more. The beautiful thing about it is that it is completely free and accessible. We receive questions from our audience prior to and during the conversation and we can assist in giving our knowledge to our listeners. It’s streamed live on my Instagram profile – @roitfeldenkreis so stay tuned for the next episode.
Conductor Roit Feldenkreis, is presented for the first time in Paraguay. She is one of the brightest representatives of the new generation of Israeli conductors, and will participate in the concert as a guest director, thanks to the auspices of the Israeli Embassy.
The OSIC will also present one of its young talents, its first flutist, Adriana Aquino Navarro, who will offer as a soloist, an obligatory piece of flute repertoire: the Concerto for Flute and Orchestra, by the famous Danish composer Carl Nielsen.
Interview with Maestra Roit Feldenkreis
In the recess of her rehearsal with the Orchestra, full of freshness of her youth, Israeli director and soprano Roit Feldenkreis, confessed that she had always wanted to be a conductor, “When I started to sing, I wanted to take the place of the conductor of the orchestra”, she explains.
Then, savoring every word, she referred to the Program of the VI Concert of the 2016 Season of the OSIC, which she will lead as a guest conductor.
“Schumann wrote his Symphony No. 2 in a difficult time for him,” she expressed, explaining that “each movement is different, and transmits a whole set of human emotions; it’s as if many people express their feelings at the same time.” She concluded by testifying that “I take in all the sadness and joy, the whole soul of this symphony”
About Nielsen, Maestra Feldenkreis explained that it represents a different time to that of Schumann, the twentieth century, which especially stimulates. “Nielsen proposes in the music a special and joyful place in the sky for all humanity”, she said. The concerto evokes happy and dark places. “It is a great joy for me to direct this work, because I do not have many opportunities to lead Nielsen, unlike Schumann or Beethoven,” she said with a frank and contagious smile.
Mozart catches her for being sheer genius. “The Magic Flute” is her favorite opera. “The approach of the Overture – which is part of the Concert Program – is replicated with absolute accuracy in the later development of the opera,” she said while the glitter of her eyes betrayed admiration.
Plans
After this concert, she plans to direct works by French composers such as Saint-Saëns and Bizet, leading the Israeli Moshavot Chamber Orchestra, of which she is the founder and music director since 2011. In 2017 she will return to South America, will perform in Brazil, and then in New York, USA.
Expectation
Asked about her expectations about the upcoming performance in Paraguay, she lets out a longing for the soul: “I hope that the public opens their heart to enjoy and connect with the music and feel all the emotions with which the composers created their work”.
Original article: http://www.nanduti.com.py/2016/10/11/una-joven-maestra-israeli-dirigira-la-sinfonica-del-congreso/
Roit Feldenkreis, an Israeli orchestra conductor and soprano singer, led the Symphony Orchestra of the National Congress of Paraguay – an unusual sight for the world of music.
The repertoire that Maestra Roit Feldenkreis conducted at the Municipal Theatre Ignacio A. Pane in Paraguay included Robert Schumman’s Symphony No. 2, Op. 61; the overture to The Magical Flute by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Carl Nielsen’s concerto for flute and orchestra, for which flute soloist Adriana Aquino Navarro was invited to play.
How was your visit to Paraguay made possible?
As a conductor, I keep contact with orchestras all over the world and I regularly send them my CV, a summary of my performances on video, etc. Not so long ago, I was conducting in Montevideo and Maestro Diego Sánchez Haase saw my work. He liked it and he contacted me.
Did you know anything about Paraguay? What is your impression?
I knew nothing, really. Only where it was on the map. I only spent a few days in Asuncion, but I liked it because the city struck me as relaxed, very calm, very beautiful. I also had the chance to visit a few historical sites.
Your work has taken you to many countries…
I have been singing since I was a child, and this has given me the opportunity to travel the world a lot, that is, together with some orchestra members. I actually like to travel, to discover other cultures. South America seems very comfortable, its people is warm, friendly, much like my country’s, perhaps even better (she chuckles). South Americans are filled with passion for music and I was able to confirm this when interacting with the members of the [National Congress] orchestra.
Do you prefer to sing or to conduct?
I am a singer, but I rarely ever sing nowadays as I have no time for that. At the moment, the most important thing for me is to conduct, because I like to see the bigger picture. When I sing by myself I focus on a very narrow activity. However, singing is a passion, something I want to reinforce because I fear I might lose it.
How do you struggle with leaving your family and your country for a while?
It is very hard for me – I have three children, and the youngest is only two years old. When I first started it was even harder, I was constantly asked to conduct. Fortunately, my husband is very comprehensive, he is aware that I have to travel and he helps me a lot. As for my kids, I believe they understand that Mom is happy doing what she does. When they grow up they will have my example – someone who pursued her dreams. That is the best legacy I can leave for my kids.
Who are your favorite composers?
Schumann’s Symphony No. 2 [which was part of her repertoire in Paraguay] is one of his best works. It was composed when he was going through difficult times, both physically and emotionally. Through this symphony he had some sort of resurrection. It is my favorite piece, because I love the Romantic period. More specifically, this work has depth and strong sentiments; it has joy and bliss on the one hand, but it also has a great deal of sadness. It’s very complex. Schumann’s work is somewhat similar to Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and Symphony No. 9. All three works are made up of four movements and eventually reach an emotive and grandiose finale.
Any contemporary composers?
I like the work of Carl Nielsen, a Danish composer that lived in the 20th century. I did not know him before arriving in here, so I had to study a lot about him and his music. Nielsen’s work contains many of Schumann’s emotions – it evokes both paradise and hell, happiness and sorrow. The two corpora are very different.
What is music to you?
I believe that for me it is everything, on a personal and on a national note; it heals me. I focus on the good aspects of my life, of my family, my friends and my country; naturally, I think music connects all human beings.
How hard is it to be a woman conducting orchestras in a job that is mostly considered fitting for men?
I think that for my generation is not as hard as it used to be, because there were women before me who worked very hard in order to expand our possibilities. Nowadays, a female conductor is perceived as an ordinary phenomenon.
Did you feel any negative attitudes coming from your male colleagues?
I have never had a bad experience with my male colleagues. Up until now I have only gained their respect in terms of my music and my persona. I imagine people from older generations might find this a bit odd, but the world has evolved.
Do you thing that your performance as an orchestra conductor may help empower women? Do you believe you have a bigger responsibility for this reason?
I think my endeavor can and should empower women, if only because of the fact that we – or I – have demonstrated what is obvious, namely that men and women can choose any profession, regardless of their gender. Having said that, my only responsibility is to be as professional as I can.
What would you like to do in the future?
If I actually had a choice I would travel the world, conduct in every country, every month, every week; I would engage in more music, not only classical but also contemporary, and become one of the most renowned orchestra directors – one of the top.
Which orchestras would you like to conduct?
I have a list! (she chuckles). First, the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra – the first one I ever heard. Then, of course, the other wonderful orchestras of the world: New York, Chicago, London, Berlin…
Did you have the chance to know any Paraguayan composers or their music?
No, I did not. When I was in Montevideo I got to know a few South-American compositions, but not specifically from Paraguay. I could not do it this time, mainly because the repertoire was compiled by Maestro Sánchez Haase.
Yom Kippur is a very special holiday for the Jewish People… What did you do on that day in Paraguay?
It is very strange to be in a different country, and spend Yom Kippur far from home, but I think it is a time for reflection and contemplation. I think it is a happy coincidence to spend Yom Kippur whilst working with Schumann’s emotive pieces. Thanks to Schumann I can connect to this special day despite being far from home.
Where will you go to after Paraguay?
For now I am flying home – to my kids, to my family… they need me!
Written by: Carlos Darío Torres.
Photography: Fernando Franceschelli.
When it comes to leading positions in the world of music, women are still an exception. Orchestral conducting continues to be under male control. Roit Feldenkreis, an Israeli orchestra conductor, had a chance to conduct the Symphony Orchestra of the Paraguay National Congress and make a difference.
Only a tiny percentage of chamber and opera orchestras are conducted by women. In an almost exclusively-male world, female conductors are still an extravaganza. Perhaps that is why the performance of Israeli orchestra conductor Roit Feldenkreis is so noteworthy. A few days ago, Feldenkreis conducted the 7th Concert of the 2016 International Official Cycle of the National Congress Symphony Orchestra. The event took place in the Municipal Theater.
“I feel very happy. It was wonderful. I met amazing musicians and an excellent orchestra.” Roit also happens to be a soprano, “I barely ever sing nowadays,” she says. Roit spends most of her time conducting orchestras, but in her childhood and teenage years she used to sing at the Israeli Opera Chorus and the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra Choir. “My ultimate dream was to conduct.”
Roit started studying music at age 7 at her school choir. Her music professor saw a hidden potential and gave her extra assignments. “I studied flute, clarinet and other instruments, but I wasn’t especially attracted to any of them,” she recalls. During that time, she became part of her school choir and, later on, she joined a famous choir in Israel with which she practically traveled the whole world.
Even then, when she sang at the choir, she used to think: “I would love to conduct this piece I’m singing and see what I could do with it.” Sometime afterwards, when she started studying at what is now the Buchman-Mehta School of Music of Tel Aviv, Roit decided that she would become a choir or orchestra conductor. Eventually she chose the latter – her true passion. People used to say: “You are a singer, you should conduct the choir,” but she would answer: “No. I want the orchestra.” Fortunately, she never suffered from any sort of discrimination based on her gender. “At school, there were not many female conductors, but nowadays there is a sound gender balance; I would say now it is about 50/50,” she assures.
Over the years she has decided this is what she wants: to conduct, to have all the music inside her head before she passes it on to her hands. She took that first step at the academic environment.
Roit (36) has been married for 13 years and has three kids of age 9, 6 and 2. By the time she started studying her MA she had already married and had her first child. That is why she looked for an orchestra that would be close to her home, and eventually she found it. She is currently conductor of the Moshavot Chamber Orchestra in Israel. “Everyone there is a volunteer, no one gets paid. In Israel, only extremely professional musicians can earn a living from their profession,” she remarks.
She believes conducting is not an easy job, because conductors must keep in mind what the public wants to hear, propose programs that contain classic and modern repertoires, and still make it all work. “I feel privileged to live from music; not everyone can do it and also have the chance to travel around the world.”
When conducting, what she wants most is to delve into music and deliver her soul to the musicians so they, in turn, can convey to the audience exactly how she feels and thinks the composer would have liked his work to be performed.
Having finished her MA, Roit started sending videos everywhere. One of such videos, together with her CV, were actually spotted by Diego Sánchez Haase. He talked with her about the possibility of visiting Paraguay and about the repertoire they could elaborate. They contacted the Israel Embassy and the deal was sealed.
Roit is very grateful for the opportunity of coming and knowing Paraguay and its kind people. “I love Paraguay because it is such a relaxed place; people are friendly and warm. It is incredible. Thank you so much for having invited me. This was an enormous opportunity for me.”
30th November, 2015
This Thursday, third of December at 19.30, a very promising lyrical evening will take place at the Solis Theater. Under the direction of the Israeli conductor Roit Feldenkreis, the acclaimed soprano Sivan Rotem will perform, with the special appearance of the cellist Virginia Aldado. The show will be presented with the aid of the Israeli Embassy, and the tickets can be bought at Tickantel and at the theater’s ticket office at the price of 300 Escudos.
Sivan Rotem is a soprano with a notable history. Born in Buenos Aires, she made her first appearance with Zubin Mehta and the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra, thus beginning a career in which she sang in the Israeli Opera, the Opera of Seattle, and the Symphonic Orchestras of Los Angeles, Utah, San Diego, San Jose, Seattle and Vancouver, amongst others. Besides appearing in the festivals of Henley, London, Suma Flamenca, Madrid and Savonlinna, she is the author of a wide discography, edited by the houses of Helicon, Romeo Records and Naxos.
Conductor Roit Feldenkreis was born in Israel, and has been described by both her teachers and the public, as a highly professional orchestra director, of a great artistic personality who is capable of adding much color to the music sheets she faces. Recently she won the second prize in the competition and Masterclass, organized by the London Classical Soloist and by Maestro Achim Hulob on January 2014. On this occasion, she directed the Mozart K 550 concert, for which she received excellent reviews from both jury and audience. The Maestra, who projects a great career, obtained her Master’s Degree in orchestral direction from de Music Buchman- Mehta School of Tel Aviv University. She studied with the Maestro Yoav Talmi, musical director of the Camera Orchestra of Israel.
Music, Solis Theater, Sivan Rotem, Roit Feldenkreis, Mozart. Together with this, the artistic weight of the participant figures who will meet in this extraordinary concert of the season of the Philharmonic orchestra of Montevideo, we must highlight the program to be performed. It comprises the first part, which initiates with the great music sheet by Hector Villa Lobos (Bachianas Brasileras N° 5), followed by the creation of Eduard Toldra (Seis Canciones Catalanas), and culminating with the famous excerpt by the Maestro Giuseppe Verdi, “Va Pensiero” from the Opera Nabuco, a passage which undoubtedly aims to demonstrate the lyrical potential of the participants in the evening.
The second part starts with a remarkable work by Nikolai Rimsky Korsakov (Capricho Español), followed by one by Manuel De Falla (his brilliant Hat of Three Peaks, Suit N° 1). This diverse program continues with Arie Levanon (Mosaic, Six Songs from the Diaspora of Israel), to close with the famous “Halleluyah” from “the Messiah” by G. F. Hendel. As may be observed, the repertoire to be performed seeks to embrace the wide variety in periods and Geography, in order to accomplish the full exposure of the vocal gifts of the artists involved.
Another meaningful aspect will be the special participation of the chorus el “Coro Nacional Del Sodre”.