Know the Score Lectures
 Comprehensive in scope, the Know the Score lectures during the Summer Festival are given by highly-regarded lecturers from the Northwest and Festival artists, all representing unique aspects of the classical music world. These lectures are rich in detail, reflecting the social and historical context of the composers and the  repertoire of the concerts. The lectures take place at St. Francis Catholic Church, next door to Orcas Center, and each lecture is augmented by a visit to a concert rehearsal. One Know the Score lecture also takes place on Lopez Island each Festival season, at the historic Port Stanley Schoolhouse, on the morning of the Chamber Music on Lopez Concert. Purchase Orcas lecture tickets through the Box Office at Orcas Center, and at various Lopez outlets for the Lopez lecture. A limited number of seats may be sold at the door, depending on available space. 

Our 2018 Know the Score Lecturers:

Jonathan Pasternack

Jonathan Pasternack
Know the Score: Music Among Friends 
Orcas Island – Friday, August 3, 9:00am – 12:30pm
Lopez Island – Sunday, August 5, 1:00pm – 3:30pm

Jonathan Pasternack conducts orchestras, opera and ballet in the United States and Europe, with such ensembles as the London Symphony Orchestra, Residentie Orkest of The Hague, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, among others. Currently Music Director and Conductor of the Port Angeles Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Pasternack has held appointments with the Oregon Symphony, Bellevue Opera, Icicle Creek Music Center, Ithaca College, Pacific Lutheran University, and the University of Washington School of Music. Born and raised in New York City, Jonathan Pasternack studied violin, cello, trombone, piano, and percussion. He won a trombone scholarship to the Manhattan School of Music at the age of sixteen and later transferred to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to pursue studies in astronomy, philosophy, and political science. Mr. Pasternack made his conducting debut when he was eighteen, while a student at MIT, where he founded and led the MIT Chamber Orchestra for three seasons. 

John Largess

John Largess
Know the Score: Channel Crossing 
Tuesday, August 7, 9:00am – 12:30pm 

Violist John Largess began his studies in Boston at age 12 in the public schools, studying with Michael Zaretsky of the Boston Symphony, and later as a student of Michael Tree at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. In 1995, he graduated from Yale University to join the Colorado String Quartet as interim violist, with whom he toured the United States and Canada, teaching and concertizing. The following year, he was appointed principal violist of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra in South Carolina, a position he held until joining the Miró Quartet in 1997. Also an active speaker and writer about all things chamber?musical, in 2004 Mr. Largess was invited to give a week?long audience lecture series as a part of the Eighth International String Quartet Competition at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Alberta, Canada. He repeated this series in 2007 and again in 2010.With his training in Greek and Latin Literature and his Bachelor’s degree in Archeology from Yale University, as well as studies at the Hebrew University in Israel, Mr. Largess has participated in excavations in Greece, Israel, and Jordan. John Largess serves as Senior Lecturer and Coordinator of String Chamber Music at the University of Texas at Austin Butler School of Music.

Roger Sherman

Roger Sherman
Know the Score: The Brandenburg Concertos
Friday, August 10, 9:00am – 12:30pm

A native of Seattle, Roger Sherman is the Associate Organist Emeritus of St. Mark’s Cathedral and Artistic Director Emeritus of the Orcas Choral Society. For the past 25 years, he has produced and hosted The Organ Loft, a popular weekly radio program about choral and organ music on Classical KING FM. Mr. Sherman is president of the Grammy Award winning Gothic Catalog, which publishes recordings on the Loft, Gothic, Clarion, and ReZound labels. Mr. Sherman holds degrees in music history, computer science, and organ performance from Oberlin College. He has performed as harpsichord soloist with the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra, the Milwaukee Strings, and the Milwaukee Symphony, and has played organ recitals in such diverse places as Stanford University, Venice, Italy, and Walla Walla, Washington. Mr. Sherman has also had a significant career in technology. He was the first full-time Director of Testing for Microsoft and was on the team that produced the first versions of Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft Money, and Microsoft Works for Windows. He was the Director of Testing when Windows 95 and Office 95 were released and created Microsoft’s first Games products. Roger Sherman is now a full-time resident of Orcas Island.

Lisa Bergman

Lisa Bergman
Know the Score: A Windy Day in Paris
Tuesday, August 14, 9:00am – 12:30pm 

Lisa is Founder and Artistic Director of the Mostly Nordic Chamber Music Series and Executive Director of NOISE (Northwest Opera in Schools, Etcetera). She is a national Gracie Award-winning radio announcer on Classic KING-FM, appearing daily, streaming worldwide on the internet. Bergman served for seven years as the Executive Director and is the Classical Music Program Advisor of the Icicle Creek Center for the Arts in Leavenworth. Lisa is also a concert pianist specializing in the fields of collaborative piano and chamber music, and is a graduate of the Juilliard School, the State University of New York at Stony Brook and the University of Washington. She served as an Artist in Residence and member of the University of Washington Music Faculty (1989-1999), teaching in the fields of accompanying and opera coaching. As a recording artist her discography includes six chamber music CDs and one solo CD. She made her Carnegie Recital Hall debut in 1983. The Washington State Music Teachers Association cited her for “extraordinary service, outstanding musicianship, dedication and leadership which have significantly contributed to the development and growth of music education in the State of Washington.”
 

Svend Rønning

Svend Rønning
Know the Score: Dvorák Finale!
Friday, August 17, 9:00am – 12:30pm

Violinist Svend Rønning is Chair of the String Division at Pacific Lutheran University where he is Professor of Music. He is one of the most active performers in the Puget Sound, serving as Concertmaster of the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra as well as performing frequent soloist, recitalist, chamber musician and recording artist. He is also Artistic Director of the Second City Chamber Series, Tacoma’s award winning producer of chamber music concerts and chamber music educational programs. Svend has appeared in venues around the world, including the Aspen, Eastern, Harkness, Jerusalem, Methow, Pacific, Rhode Island, Spoleto and Wintergreen Music Festivals, and has served as Concertmaster of various orchestras including the Charlottesville Symphony, the San Jose Symphony, the Spoleto U.S.A. Chamber Orchestra, and the Tacoma Opera Orchestra.