Music & Muffins
We are excited to invite patrons back to the Community Room for Learning and Performance starting in August of 2021! Small in-person and online cohorts of Music and Muffins continued to meet during the COVID-19 pandemic, but we are excited to once again build community through the Joy of Music!
Details for Music and Muffins
- Sessions are Wednesdays from 10-11:30am.
- All surfaces (including restrooms) will be disinfected before and after sessions.
- Preferred Parking is in the lot Northeast of the Musicfest Main Offices. We ask that attendees enter through the rear Community Room Entrance, not through the Main Administrative Entrance.
- Complimentary muffins and coffee will be provided at each session
Find playlists and exact dates in each tab on the left and RSVP below!
Sondheim Classics
January 12, 10am – Community Room at Arizona Musicfest
For our first playlist in 2022, we’ll review some of the late, great Steven Sondheim’s most iconic songs from his overwhelming catalog of tunes. Among the artists singing his tunes, we’ll hear from his muse and Musicfest headliner Bernadette Peters, and review pieces from West Side Story, which will be celebrated by Sarah Chang and the Festival Orchestra. As you listen to the playlist, which pieces stand out? Where do they occur in the story of their respective musicals? Do you find them effective even out of context? Join us at 10am in the Community Room and we’ll discuss!
Any pieces you’d add? Email musicalive@azmusicfest.org and we’ll add them!
Wild West Music
January 26, 10am – Community Room at Arizona Musicfest
In anticipation of Festival Orchestra POPS celebrating Arizona and the Wild West, here’s a playlist of orchestral and chamber music from and inspired by the geography, history, and lore of the Wild West. From intimate chamber works, to orchestral suites, to video game music, composers have interpreted the West in music with a unified palette that sings of the West. As you listen to the playlist, listen for those sounds – are there similarities with how instruments and sounds are used? Do the melodies have anything in common? Which pieces are your favorites? Any that you think are less effective? Join us at 10am in the Community Room and we’ll discuss!
Any pieces you’d add? Email musicalive@azmusicfest.org and we’ll add them!
Paul McCartney Covers
February 9, 10am – Community Room at Arizona Musicfest
Paul McCartney’s huge catalog of songs have had a lasting impact not only through his own recordings with The Beatles, Wings, and others, but through interpretations by other musicians who love the songs the way the rest of us do. Artists including Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, and JImi Hendrix were all inspired to create their own takes on his timeless works, bringing new perspectives and sounds into the mix. As you listen to the playlist, listen first for which of the pairs you prefer, but then pick a pair or two and consider what it is you prefer – is it just that you heard one recording first, or is it because you like the general style more? Do you think both versions are effective? If so, why or why not? We’ll consider these and more at 10am in the Community Room!
Any covers you’re a fan of? Email musicalive@azmusicfest.org and we’ll add them!
Joyful Odes
February 23, 10am – Community Room at Arizona Musicfest
Festival Orchestra week culminates with Beethoven’s triumphant Ode to Joy, and so why don’t we get our smiles prepared with a playlist of Joy-filled tunes from the classical canon? From intimate piano works to bombastic anthems of jubilation, what do you think these pieces have in common that make them so Joyous? Are there pieces from the canon that you turn to when you’re looking to liven the mood? Which of the pieces on the list do you think is the “most” joyful? Any you think don’t work as well? We’ll consider these and more at 10am in the Community Room!
Any joyous tunes you’d like to add? Email musicalive@azmusicfest.org and we’ll add them!
Same Song: Somewhere
March 9, 10am – Community Room at Arizona Musicfest
We’ll bring back an activity from the summer when we consider multiple recordings of the same piece, as we consider, compare, and contrast a playlist of recordings of “Somewhere,” from West Side Story. As with previous playlists, we’ll certainly start by considreing which are our favorites (from the original movie? The update? Babs?) and perhaps our least favorites, but then we’ll move through those reactions to think about what makes them tick – what do you like about the versions you like? What do you dislike about your less-favorite recordings? What makes this song work so well in so many different contexts?
Any versions we missed? Email musicalive@azmusicfest.org and we’ll add them!
Tone Poems
March 23, 10am – Community Room at Arizona Musicfest
Sibelius’ Finlandia, which features during our Festival Orchestra week, is a stunning triumph of a “Tone Poem.” Different from formally-driven works like sympohnies and sonatas, Tone Poems make use of more episodic sections to depict a place or tell a story. This week’s playlist will invite us to experience these vivid works and we’ll get together to share some of our favorite moments, explore what stands out to us, and consider favorite tunes that are tied to favorite places for us!
Any poems to add ? Email musicalive@azmusicfest.org and we’ll add them!
50s Rock n’ Roll
April 13, 10am – Community Room at Arizona Musicfest
To get in the mood for Neil Berg’s return to the Musicfest stage, we’ll bring back our 50s Rock n Roll playlist and enjoy the tunes that launched the genre into mainstream fame. In addition to bopping around in our seats, we’ll reminisce on our favorite tunes, artists, and albums from the era!
Any favorites to add ? Email musicalive@azmusicfest.org and we’ll add them!
Borrowed Soul Music
April 27, 10am – Community Room at Arizona Musicfest
We’ll swing back to the beginning of the season by exploring a playlist of borrowed tunes between Soul Music and Gospel Tunes, which were the soil in which Soul originally grew. As we reminisce on some of the great original tunes from the Genesis of Soul, let’s consider what the exchange is between these tunes – why do you think the Soul tunes worked so well and became so popular?
Any examples to add ? Email musicalive@azmusicfest.org and we’ll add them!
Eurovision Standouts
May 11, 10am – Community Room at Arizona Musicfest
We’ll roll back again to our very first show from 2021/22 by reflecting on standout performances from the Eurovision Song Contest, which launched the international career of ABBA! While the contest certainly changed the shape of ABBA’s career, their performance also changed the standard for what’s scuccessful at Eurovision. As you listen to the playlist, what are your favorite performances? Any that you recognize? Are there any similarities between the pieces you find? We’ll discuss those at more at 10:00am in the Community Room!
Any examples to add ? Email musicalive@azmusicfest.org and we’ll add them!
Symphonic Finales
May 25, 10am – Community Room at Arizona Musicfest
To cap off our Music and Muffins series for 2021/22, we’ll begin our wrap up by enjoying final movements of symphonies. These cathartic movements serve as such fantastic punctuations on these classic works. After listening through the playlist, pick one and listen to it in context by listening through the whole symphony. How does hearing it in context change your experience of it?
Any examples to add ? Email musicalive@azmusicfest.org and we’ll add them!
Summer Session 1 – Early Works of Beethoven
Summer Session 2 – Baroque Concertos
9/9/21 – Classic Great American Songbook
9/16/21 – Same Song: I Get a Kick Out of You
9/23/21 – Unexpected Great American Songbook
10/6/21 – Singing Trumpeters
10/13/21 – The Eurovision Song Contest
10/20/21 – Brass Band Covers
10/27/21 – Symphonic Finales
11/3/21 – Anka’s Songwriting
11/17/21 – Lalo Schifrin
12/8/21 – Paul McCartney Songbook