Rami Vamos entered my studio in Oberlin in my second year teaching there (he graduated in 1998); he was still in high school. It was obvious almost immediately that Rami would be an indispensable part of the group. He brought with him an extraordinary joy and curiosity, a huge talent and a predilection for sly humor that we all responded to. He's become quite a success in a variety of areas, all related to what we did together at Oberlin. Enjoy his story, in his words:
Oberlin helped me realize that I could combine all my
talents, after developing and refining them further, and create a unique and
fulfilling professional life. Students at Oberlin are encouraged to find a
career path motivated by creativity and individuality. My music education followed a path that is considered,
nowadays, very traditional – enrolling in the four year undergraduate program
at Oberlin Conservatory, studying with Steve, followed by a Masters degree
program at Yale’s School of Music, studying with Benjamin Verdery. It is, however, the combination of my various
abilities that have made my career unusual.
When I am not singing falsetto with large groups of kids, I am under the
bright lights of the concert stage running around in tights and a powdered wig
discussing the great staples of the chamber music repertoire.
Rami in the powdered wig |
There is nothing out of the ordinary about going to college
but my experiences at Oberlin were often extraordinary. I had plenty of lessons where the focus was to
ensure a solid technical foundation or understanding of the piece I was working
on – that’s pretty normal, I guess. But
Steve also fostered creativity with his students. He was always supportive of
my need to compose, encouraging me to program my own compositions on degree
recitals. Once he even made the trip all the way from Akron to see a special
concert I arranged with my roommate Randall Avers (‘95) premiering duets that
we had written “12 Silly Songs For 12 Silly Strings,” which, coincidentally, got
published by Clear Note Productions this year.
These Famous Duets are Published! |
Another unusual aspect of my college experience was that it
began in high school. I went to Oberlin High School and took private lessons
with Steve. I knew right away that I would eventually want to study at Oberlin
Conservatory as a guitar major. Both the high school, college and, most of all,
Steve, were so forward thinking about this that they allowed me to design a
high school schedule that included Conservatory and College classes. My
personal program culminated in combining my final year of high school with my
freshman year in the Conservatory. This bought me extra college level courses-
making it feel like I got to go to college for six years! On top of that, I was so lucky to have Steve,
a master teacher and mentor, help mold me into the guitarist that I now
am.
The environment of the Oberlin guitar studio had a creative
aura. Pretty much the entire guitar class composed music, arranged music, or
played in some sort of band. We also all had ponytails for some reason. Embarrassing.
I haven’t had a ponytail in almost twenty years yet my older brothers are still
teasing me about it. In any case, the creative projects I did at Oberlin,
purely for fun, unexpectedly ended up having a profound effect on my future. Those
projects included a very silly rock band called Scrabble Champ, Duets with my
roommate, and participating in my friend Walker Lewis’ (‘96) circus. These
projects were designed to entertain adults but all three turned out to be appealing
for children as well.
Scrabble Champ plays at a party at the Aron's house, 1996. Left, Colin McGrath (also an Oberlin classical guitar major), Rami, David Justh, drums, Claude Sims, violin |
Studying with Ben at Yale was inspiring. He seemed to be joking 95% of the time. I
would hear him laughing from down the hall on the way to each of my lessons. We
would both laugh and joke through the entire lesson- as if we were writers
preparing a comedy routine on the Bach E Major Partita. Yet, somehow, when I
left the lesson smiling, to go practice, I felt that it was a thought-provoking
experience. Ben is funny but he cared about every note we played. The
environment at Yale itself is a serious one (surprise, surprise). At some point
during my studies there, I began taking extreme care with not just my playing,
but with things I had previously considered “just for fun.” I spent countless
hours composing a piece for double bass and guitar based on the theme from
Inspector Gadget. I also agonized over a ridiculous arrangement of the Ma Na Ma
Na from the Muppets. Those just-for-fun
projects actually resemble closely what I do for a living now.
Rami plays solo |
Rami in duet with brother Brandon Vamos, cellist |
Perhaps I was a bit dense or naïve but it was only after finishing
school that I realized that there was no pre-paved path for classical
guitarists. There are no orchestras to play in and finding a university job is
hard in your early twenties. I tried to
figure out what made me different and what my strengths were. I played in many
rock bands, knowing full well that it wasn’t my career path. I also played in
an electric guitar quartet with fellow Yale alumni. Usually Yale alumni form acapella
groups but I was told I couldn’t do that on account of the fact that I had once
had a ponytail. Rules are rules. I played on subway platforms and in
restaurants. The thing that always stuck with me was that I loved writing (music,
lyrics – anything, actually) - and I loved being on stage (with or without a
guitar). Just as when I was an undergrad, the music I wrote, always intended
for adults, came out sounding kid-friendly.
Rami plays the Soldier and Narrator for Stravinsky's "A Soldier's Tale" at Sewannee Summer Music Festival |
In 2003 I began looking for a job where I could work with
kids, play my guitar, and compose so I signed up for the New York City Teaching
Fellowship as a general music teacher. This program was designed to bring
people into the field of education. You earned a masters degree and
certification for free in exchange for teaching in a high-needs district. During this same period, I began writing
educational musicals and performed them with Walker, my Oberlin Circus friend.
I also started giving guitar lessons at Concordia Conservatory in Bronxville,
NY. These three occupations essentially made me feel like I was still at Oberlin
because I was always learning and had to be creative pretty much all the time.
Walker Lewis and Rami, Oberlin days |
After a few years of teaching a handful of guitar students at
Concordia, I helped create their Musical Adventures For Children Concert Series. My job there now requires me to write two or
three shows each year for this series. I also started a summer guitar camp,
taught early childhood music classes, meet-the-instrument classes, coached
chamber music, composed music to accompany author readings at the school, and
even hosted parties for them. I eventually became the chair of their string
department, which ties me to the community and allows me to organize
professional developments, concerts, and other interesting experiences for the
faculty to share.
At this point, I have written nearly fifty educational
children shows for various institutions. Somewhere along the way, I invented a
character by the name of Wolfgang Amadeus Schmutzinberry. Herr Schmutzinberry dresses
exactly like Mozart but instead of being a genius, he is an arrogant (but
rather likable) dimwit. He enlists the help of his audience and other
performers on stage to learn the basics of music. For the past five years,
Schmutzinberry has been the host of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln
Center’s Chamber Music Beginnings Concert Series. I invented Schmutzinberry,
but he taught me to act. Even though I never studied acting formally at Oberlin
or anywhere else, I feel very comfortable being Wolfgang Amadeus
Schmutzinberry. Perhaps it is because the wig I wear for him has a little
ponytail.
The pictures below were taken at the Lincoln Center concerts, in Merkin Hall. We do ten shows a year--five each of two different programs, eight at Merkin Hall and two at Lefrak Hall in Queens. Kids are bussed in from all over the city. Up until two years ago we also had two shows in Staten Island. This year we are piloting a program where we bring the show to my school in Pelham. This is the fourth year that I have been doing Schmutzinberry for them; before that I just hosted the concerts as myself. I had just been a "teaching artist" for them, but one day their main guy who writes the program's big family concerts, Bruce Adolph, had to cancel a performance at the last second, and I filled in. When they realized that I was comfortable entertaining a thousand kids- and already worked for them as a teaching artist- I became the logical choice when the person who hosted this series moved on. A performance doesn't go by without me feeling so thankful. It's a real feather in my cap, it's crazy fun (I get to write the script, the music, play, act, sing, dress up, work with amazing musicians, and be in front of huge crowds- a real rush), and it ends up getting me hired at many other festivals doing really interesting work. Schmutzinberry could write you his very own blog entry at this point…
The pictures below were taken at the Lincoln Center concerts, in Merkin Hall. We do ten shows a year--five each of two different programs, eight at Merkin Hall and two at Lefrak Hall in Queens. Kids are bussed in from all over the city. Up until two years ago we also had two shows in Staten Island. This year we are piloting a program where we bring the show to my school in Pelham. This is the fourth year that I have been doing Schmutzinberry for them; before that I just hosted the concerts as myself. I had just been a "teaching artist" for them, but one day their main guy who writes the program's big family concerts, Bruce Adolph, had to cancel a performance at the last second, and I filled in. When they realized that I was comfortable entertaining a thousand kids- and already worked for them as a teaching artist- I became the logical choice when the person who hosted this series moved on. A performance doesn't go by without me feeling so thankful. It's a real feather in my cap, it's crazy fun (I get to write the script, the music, play, act, sing, dress up, work with amazing musicians, and be in front of huge crowds- a real rush), and it ends up getting me hired at many other festivals doing really interesting work. Schmutzinberry could write you his very own blog entry at this point…
Wolfgang Amadeus Schmutzinberry on stage |
Wolfgang Amadeus Schmutzinberry gives a lesson |
The New York City Teaching Fellowship eventually led to an elementary
school job in Pelham, New York. Suddenly I found myself in charge of a huge 4th
and 5th grade chorus program. I took voice lessons and Dalcroze
classes and started writing two-part chorus music for fourth and fifth graders.
Schnitzel Music will publish my most recent composition, “Smile at Someone New,”
this season.
Rami rehearses his choir |
I first started teaching music
because it vaguely aligned with my interests and abilities but it has become my
passion. Here is a link to an article I wrote for the NY Times Education Blog
Schoolbook:
http://www.wnyc.org/story/302126-need-experienced-teachers-heres-an-idea/
When I am not writing, teaching, acting, or singing, I still
play my guitar. I married Nurit Pacht, a great violinist who on stage I refer
to as my accompanist. She accompanies my important chord progressions with her
background melodies. We stick to the fairly traditional repertoire by Paganini
and Giuliani along with some arrangements and original composition.
Rami and Nurit's wedding |
We live in New Rochelle, NY, own an old house in a quiet neighborhood, and have three kids… and if they
all end up at Oberlin studying with Steve- I will be more than happy. Who knows
where it will take them…
The Vamos family |