Friday, December 08, 2006
Humboldt Symphony and University Singers
The combination of orchestra and voice that has produced some of the world’s most memorable music is the theme of this Humboldt Symphony concert, joining forces with the Humboldt University Singers and the Humboldt Chorale to perform a 20th century Gloria for the sacred season, at 8 PM on Friday, December 8th and again on Sunday, December 10th at in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. $6 general, $2 student/senior, free to HSU students with ID. HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. Humboldt Symphony directed by Kenneth Ayoob, Singers by Harley Muilenburg; an HSU Department of Music production.
The combination of orchestra and voice that has produced some of the world’s most memorable music is the theme of this Humboldt Symphony concert, joining forces with the Humboldt University Singers and the Humboldt Chorale to perform a 20th century Gloria for the sacred season, at 8 PM on Friday, December 8th and again on Sunday, December 10th at in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. $6 general, $2 student/senior, free to HSU students with ID. HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. Humboldt Symphony directed by Kenneth Ayoob, Singers by Harley Muilenburg; an HSU Department of Music production.
Voice and Orchestra Joined by the Humboldt Symphony and University Singers
“The cross-fertilization of instrument and voice has given the world some of its most memorable music,” commented Kenneth Ayoob, HSU Professor of Music and Conductor of the Humboldt Symphony. This evocative combination will be exemplified on Friday, December 8 and again on Sunday, December 10, when the Humboldt Symphony joins forces with the Humboldt University Singers and Humboldt Chorale to perform a 20th century Gloria for the sacred season.
On its own before that, the Symphony will perform Samuel Barber’s landmark work, Knoxville: Summer of 1915, featuring Elisabeth Harrington as soprano soloist. The text comes from a short story by American writer James Agee, concerning his own childhood in rural Tennessee.
The concert begins with Fanfare from La Peri by Paul Dukas, and Dance Rhythms by American composer Wallingford Riegger, known for his work with dance choreographers such as Martha Graham.
Then the University Singers and Humboldt Chorale join the Symphony for Gloria by Francis Poulenc, a 20th century French composer influenced by Igor Stravinsky and Eric Satie, but who developed his own warmer, more passionate style.
“All of the music in this concert comes from the 20th Century,” Dr. Ayoob notes, “but it is all in an accessible style.”
Concerts on Friday and Sunday begin at 8 PM in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. Tickets are $6 general, $2 students and seniors, free to HSU students with ID, from the HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. For more information, call 826-3531.
Media
Northern Lights: Eureka Times-Standard
“The cross-fertilization of instrument and voice has given the world some of its most memorable music,” commented Kenneth Ayoob, HSU Professor of Music and Conductor of the Humboldt Symphony. This evocative combination will be exemplified on Friday, December 8 and again on Sunday, December 10, when the Humboldt Symphony joins forces with the Humboldt University Singers and Humboldt Chorale to perform a 20th century Gloria for the sacred season.
On its own before that, the Symphony will perform Samuel Barber’s landmark work, Knoxville: Summer of 1915, featuring Elisabeth Harrington as soprano soloist. The text comes from a short story by American writer James Agee, concerning his own childhood in rural Tennessee.
The concert begins with Fanfare from La Peri by Paul Dukas, and Dance Rhythms by American composer Wallingford Riegger, known for his work with dance choreographers such as Martha Graham.
Then the University Singers and Humboldt Chorale join the Symphony for Gloria by Francis Poulenc, a 20th century French composer influenced by Igor Stravinsky and Eric Satie, but who developed his own warmer, more passionate style.
“All of the music in this concert comes from the 20th Century,” Dr. Ayoob notes, “but it is all in an accessible style.”
Concerts on Friday and Sunday begin at 8 PM in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. Tickets are $6 general, $2 students and seniors, free to HSU students with ID, from the HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. For more information, call 826-3531.
Media
Northern Lights: Eureka Times-Standard
The Program
Fanfare from La Peri by Paul Dukas. This is a short brass fanfare for full orchestral brass section. La Peri (“a fairy spirit”) is a ballet composed by Dukas in 1911. This work is best described as Romantic tonal harmony with a French flair.
Dance Rhythms, Op. 58 (1954, pub. 1955) by Wallingford Riegger. Riegger was born in Georgia and grew up in Indianapolis and New York. Before devoting himself entirely to composition, he was principal cellist with the Saint Paul Symphony Orchestra and conductor of various orchestras in Germany before the World War I, and teacher at various American Colleges in the 1920s. Many of his works received special recognition, among them the Paderewski Prize in 1922, the Coolidge Prize in 1927, the New York Music Critics’ Circle Award and the Naumburg Foundation Recording Award, both in 1948.
Though Dance Rhythms was written for a full orchestra in a concert setting, the energetic character of the piece reflects Riegger’s long working relationship with modern dance pioneers Martha Graham (1893-1991), Doris Humphrey (1895-1958) and Hanya Holm (1893-1992).
Knoxville: Summer of 1915 by Samuel Barber. A 1947 work for soprano and orchestra, with text derived from a short story by American author James Agee, concerning his own childhood in Knoxville, Tennessee in the early 20th century. Barber’s lyricism evokes this rural idyll, but where modern life soon intrudes.
There’s an excellent article on this piece at Wikipedia.
[Intermission]
Fanfare from La Peri by Paul Dukas. This is a short brass fanfare for full orchestral brass section. La Peri (“a fairy spirit”) is a ballet composed by Dukas in 1911. This work is best described as Romantic tonal harmony with a French flair.
Dance Rhythms, Op. 58 (1954, pub. 1955) by Wallingford Riegger. Riegger was born in Georgia and grew up in Indianapolis and New York. Before devoting himself entirely to composition, he was principal cellist with the Saint Paul Symphony Orchestra and conductor of various orchestras in Germany before the World War I, and teacher at various American Colleges in the 1920s. Many of his works received special recognition, among them the Paderewski Prize in 1922, the Coolidge Prize in 1927, the New York Music Critics’ Circle Award and the Naumburg Foundation Recording Award, both in 1948.
Though Dance Rhythms was written for a full orchestra in a concert setting, the energetic character of the piece reflects Riegger’s long working relationship with modern dance pioneers Martha Graham (1893-1991), Doris Humphrey (1895-1958) and Hanya Holm (1893-1992).
Knoxville: Summer of 1915 by Samuel Barber. A 1947 work for soprano and orchestra, with text derived from a short story by American author James Agee, concerning his own childhood in Knoxville, Tennessee in the early 20th century. Barber’s lyricism evokes this rural idyll, but where modern life soon intrudes.
There’s an excellent article on this piece at Wikipedia.
[Intermission]
The Program Resumes: Gloria
By Francis Poulenc (1899 - 1963) Like most French composers of his generation, Poulenc was influenced by Stravinsky and Satie, yet his music is quite different from both. His early music is characterized by its bright colours, strong, clear rhythms, and novel diatonic harmonies. His compositional style is ‘warmer’ and less intellectual than Stravinsky, more passionate and musically more refined than Satie.
Poulenc's writing abounds with sudden changes in dynamic, rhythmic and harmonic structure. He often works in short musical phrases, repeating them with subtle variation. Above all, he continually combines and recombines groups of voices and instruments, affording him not only a wide variety of musical color but also a sound of wonderful clarity and precision. By the time he wrote the Gloria, he had adopted the clarity and simplicity of Stravinsky's late Neo-Classical style.
Having studied the mysterious glories of Nature and its invisible spirit with profound understanding, he has a unique ability to make music sound as though it is a reflection of changing light. Now only half a century old, the Gloria is a fresh, vibrant, and glorious piece.
It was after the death of a close friend in 1936 that Poulenc experienced a reawakening of his Catholic faith. He began to compose a steady stream of sacred choral music which forms perhaps the most significant part of his musical output. The Gloria was commissioned by the Koussevitsky Music Foundation in collaboration with the Library of Congress. Its debut was in Boston on 20 January 1961, the day that President John F. Kennedy, the first U.S President of the Catholic faith, was inaugurated in Washington.
By Francis Poulenc (1899 - 1963) Like most French composers of his generation, Poulenc was influenced by Stravinsky and Satie, yet his music is quite different from both. His early music is characterized by its bright colours, strong, clear rhythms, and novel diatonic harmonies. His compositional style is ‘warmer’ and less intellectual than Stravinsky, more passionate and musically more refined than Satie.
Poulenc's writing abounds with sudden changes in dynamic, rhythmic and harmonic structure. He often works in short musical phrases, repeating them with subtle variation. Above all, he continually combines and recombines groups of voices and instruments, affording him not only a wide variety of musical color but also a sound of wonderful clarity and precision. By the time he wrote the Gloria, he had adopted the clarity and simplicity of Stravinsky's late Neo-Classical style.
Having studied the mysterious glories of Nature and its invisible spirit with profound understanding, he has a unique ability to make music sound as though it is a reflection of changing light. Now only half a century old, the Gloria is a fresh, vibrant, and glorious piece.
It was after the death of a close friend in 1936 that Poulenc experienced a reawakening of his Catholic faith. He began to compose a steady stream of sacred choral music which forms perhaps the most significant part of his musical output. The Gloria was commissioned by the Koussevitsky Music Foundation in collaboration with the Library of Congress. Its debut was in Boston on 20 January 1961, the day that President John F. Kennedy, the first U.S President of the Catholic faith, was inaugurated in Washington.
University Singers
Soprano
Sara Moore
Laura Greenfield
Victoria Hanson
Calista LaBolle
Alder Seaman
Emily Stebbins
Cindy Uhrhammer
Erin Wessel
Soprano II
Samantha Heppe
Heather Jump
Rebekah Ross
Kelsey Sluss
Lindsey Tewksbury
Stefanie Vasseghi
Alto
Melissa Gussin
Alison Buckley
Rebekah Downey
Cassandra Moulton
Jessica Moulton
Margaret Noe
Lizzy Poock
Serena Porter
Ellen Soukup
Sara Young
Laura Buxton
Gina Denegri
Michele Enenstein
Shannon Ingersoll
Jemimah Lodes
Jessica Malone
Jamie Mitchell
Kirsten Randrup
Ruby Tuttle
Soprano
Sara Moore
Laura Greenfield
Victoria Hanson
Calista LaBolle
Alder Seaman
Emily Stebbins
Cindy Uhrhammer
Erin Wessel
Soprano II
Samantha Heppe
Heather Jump
Rebekah Ross
Kelsey Sluss
Lindsey Tewksbury
Stefanie Vasseghi
Alto
Melissa Gussin
Alison Buckley
Rebekah Downey
Cassandra Moulton
Jessica Moulton
Margaret Noe
Lizzy Poock
Serena Porter
Ellen Soukup
Sara Young
Laura Buxton
Gina Denegri
Michele Enenstein
Shannon Ingersoll
Jemimah Lodes
Jessica Malone
Jamie Mitchell
Kirsten Randrup
Ruby Tuttle
University Singers [concluded]
Tenor
Ashley Frazier
Dennis Freeman
Shosabu Matsushomer
Jamie Obeso
Bernie Steinberg
Thomas Tucker
Jonathan Walton
Bass
Dennis Astley
Trask Bailard
Cliff Bruhn
Christopher Hatcher
Conor Jamison
Joseph Morf
Brian Osper
Cody Libolt
Paul Spanninga
Casey Vaughn
John Chernoff, Keyboard
Harley Muilenburg, Conductor
This concert was partially funded by Instructionally Related Activities Fees.
Tenor
Ashley Frazier
Dennis Freeman
Shosabu Matsushomer
Jamie Obeso
Bernie Steinberg
Thomas Tucker
Jonathan Walton
Bass
Dennis Astley
Trask Bailard
Cliff Bruhn
Christopher Hatcher
Conor Jamison
Joseph Morf
Brian Osper
Cody Libolt
Paul Spanninga
Casey Vaughn
John Chernoff, Keyboard
Harley Muilenburg, Conductor
This concert was partially funded by Instructionally Related Activities Fees.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
AM Jazz Band and HSU Jazz Orchestra
The Last Jazz of the Year at HSU happens on Thursday, December 7 when the AM Jazz Band plays big band classics, and on Saturday, December 9 when the HSU Jazz Orchestra plays from the catalogs of Count Basie, Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, the Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra and others. Both concerts begin at 8 PM in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. $6 general, $2 student/senior, free to HSU students with ID. HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. Information: 826-3531. Directed by Dan Aldag; an HSU Department of Music production.
The Last Jazz of the Year at HSU happens on Thursday, December 7 when the AM Jazz Band plays big band classics, and on Saturday, December 9 when the HSU Jazz Orchestra plays from the catalogs of Count Basie, Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, the Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra and others. Both concerts begin at 8 PM in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. $6 general, $2 student/senior, free to HSU students with ID. HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. Information: 826-3531. Directed by Dan Aldag; an HSU Department of Music production.
The Last Jazz of the Year at HSU
Two student ensembles of Big Band size strut their stuff this weekend at the Fulkerson Recital Hall at HSU, in the last jazz concerts of the calendar year.
The AM Jazz Band plays a program of Big Band numbers and jazz classics arranged for band on Thursday, December 7th, at 8 PM. The program includes “Boogie Stop Shuffle” by Charles Mingus, “Oleo” by Miles Davis and “Chelsea Bridge” by Billy Strayhorn, most famous for his compositions for Duke Ellington.
The band also lets loose in Afro-Cuban style with tunes by Ray Ortiz and Lars Halle.
On Saturday at 8PM, the HSU Jazz Orchestra takes the Fulkerson Hall stage, comprised of the best student jazz players at HSU. They bring the Big Band sound to a classic Miles Davis tune, “So What,” “in a new and very different arrangement by John La Barbera,” according to HSU visiting assistant professor of Music,Dan Aldag, director of both jazz bands.
The orchestra features "E's Flat, Ah's Flat, Too" by Charles Mingus, arranged by HSU student and trumpet player in the band, Tommy Obeso. Other tunes include “Down for the Count,” originally played by the Count Basie Orchestra, and “Butter,” a tribute to the great jazz trombonist, Quentin “Butter” Jackson, who played with Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus.
The Jazz Orchestra also ventures into Afro-Cuban territory, with "Carnegie Hall 100", written by Chico O'Farrill for the Mario Bauza Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, to be played at the 100th anniversary of the opening of Carnegie Hall.
Both concerts are priced at $6 general, $2 student and senior, and free to HSU students with ID.
Media
The Lumberjack 12/06/2006 "AM Band, Orchestra get jazzy" by Bryan Radzin.
Two student ensembles of Big Band size strut their stuff this weekend at the Fulkerson Recital Hall at HSU, in the last jazz concerts of the calendar year.
The AM Jazz Band plays a program of Big Band numbers and jazz classics arranged for band on Thursday, December 7th, at 8 PM. The program includes “Boogie Stop Shuffle” by Charles Mingus, “Oleo” by Miles Davis and “Chelsea Bridge” by Billy Strayhorn, most famous for his compositions for Duke Ellington.
The band also lets loose in Afro-Cuban style with tunes by Ray Ortiz and Lars Halle.
On Saturday at 8PM, the HSU Jazz Orchestra takes the Fulkerson Hall stage, comprised of the best student jazz players at HSU. They bring the Big Band sound to a classic Miles Davis tune, “So What,” “in a new and very different arrangement by John La Barbera,” according to HSU visiting assistant professor of Music,Dan Aldag, director of both jazz bands.
The orchestra features "E's Flat, Ah's Flat, Too" by Charles Mingus, arranged by HSU student and trumpet player in the band, Tommy Obeso. Other tunes include “Down for the Count,” originally played by the Count Basie Orchestra, and “Butter,” a tribute to the great jazz trombonist, Quentin “Butter” Jackson, who played with Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus.
The Jazz Orchestra also ventures into Afro-Cuban territory, with "Carnegie Hall 100", written by Chico O'Farrill for the Mario Bauza Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, to be played at the 100th anniversary of the opening of Carnegie Hall.
Both concerts are priced at $6 general, $2 student and senior, and free to HSU students with ID.
Media
The Lumberjack 12/06/2006 "AM Band, Orchestra get jazzy" by Bryan Radzin.
Program: AM Jazz Band
Jazz classics arranged for big band:
Nutville" by Horace Silver.
"Boogie Stop Shuffle" by Charles Mingus.
"Oleo" by Miles Davis
"Chelsea Bridge" by Billy Strayhorn.
Two pieces composed specifically for big band, both in theAfro-Cuban style:
"Mambo Loops" by Ray Ortiz
I Let A Songo Out Of My Heart" by Lars Halle.
Jazz classics arranged for big band:
Nutville" by Horace Silver.
"Boogie Stop Shuffle" by Charles Mingus.
"Oleo" by Miles Davis
"Chelsea Bridge" by Billy Strayhorn.
Two pieces composed specifically for big band, both in theAfro-Cuban style:
"Mambo Loops" by Ray Ortiz
I Let A Songo Out Of My Heart" by Lars Halle.
Program: The Jazz Orchestra
"Down For The Count" by Frank Foster. Written for and originally played by the Count Basie Orchestra.
"So What"-- the classic Miles Davis tune from the album "Kind Of Blue," in a new and very different arrangement by John La Barbera.
"A Bit Of Heaven" by Curtis Fuller, arranged by Don Sickler.
"Stolen Moments" by Oliver Nelson.
"Butter" by Jerry Dodgion. Dedicated to the great trombonist Quentin "Butter" Jackson, who played with Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Charles Mingus and the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra. Dodgion wrote "Butter" for the latter group.
"Carnegie Hall 100", written by Chico O'Farrill for the Mario Bauza Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra to be played at the 100th anniversary of the opening of Carnegie Hall.
"E's Flat, Ah's Flat, Too" by Charles Mingus, arranged by Tommy Obeso (HSU student and trumpet player in the band.)
"Down For The Count" by Frank Foster. Written for and originally played by the Count Basie Orchestra.
"So What"-- the classic Miles Davis tune from the album "Kind Of Blue," in a new and very different arrangement by John La Barbera.
"A Bit Of Heaven" by Curtis Fuller, arranged by Don Sickler.
"Stolen Moments" by Oliver Nelson.
"Butter" by Jerry Dodgion. Dedicated to the great trombonist Quentin "Butter" Jackson, who played with Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Charles Mingus and the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra. Dodgion wrote "Butter" for the latter group.
"Carnegie Hall 100", written by Chico O'Farrill for the Mario Bauza Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra to be played at the 100th anniversary of the opening of Carnegie Hall.
"E's Flat, Ah's Flat, Too" by Charles Mingus, arranged by Tommy Obeso (HSU student and trumpet player in the band.)
Sunday, December 03, 2006
HSU Madrigal & Mad River Transit
It's a Mad, Mad World as the HSU Madrigal Singers and the Mad River Transit Singers present an evening of traditional and jazz vocalizations beginning at 8 PM on Sunday, December 3 in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. $6 general, $2 student/senior, free to HSU students with ID. HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. Directed by Harley Muilenburg. An HSU Department of Music production.
It's a Mad, Mad World as the HSU Madrigal Singers and the Mad River Transit Singers present an evening of traditional and jazz vocalizations beginning at 8 PM on Sunday, December 3 in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. $6 general, $2 student/senior, free to HSU students with ID. HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. Directed by Harley Muilenburg. An HSU Department of Music production.
Holiday Madness with Madrigal and Mad River Singers
Are you hip to that Renaissance Christmas jive? That traditional harmonic swing? The holiday madness begins as the HSU Madrigal Singers in Renaissance costume present a program of carols, madrigals, solos and duets. Fulkerson Recital Hall will be transformed into a Renaissance castle, as Clinton Rebik and John Chernoff, two Madrigal royals, serve as Masters of Ceremony for the concert. John Chernoff accompanies on piano.
The revelry continues in a more modern vein as the Mad River Transit Singers render tunes of Simon & Garfunkel, Manhattan Transfer, U2 and The Wizard of Oz, plus jazz, swing and blues standards. Highlights include a “doo-wop madrigal” with solo by Jessica Malone, "Shout Blues” with scat improvisation by Carmen King, Serena Porter, Matt Brogdon and Alex Saslow; the swing classic “Tangerine,” and “MLK”, a haunting song about Martin Luther King written by Bono of U2 (Calista LaBolle is the soloist.)
The Singers are accompanied by the rhythm section of Darius Brotman on piano, Robert Amirkhan on bass and Simon Lucas on drums.
Are you hip to that Renaissance Christmas jive? That traditional harmonic swing? The holiday madness begins as the HSU Madrigal Singers in Renaissance costume present a program of carols, madrigals, solos and duets. Fulkerson Recital Hall will be transformed into a Renaissance castle, as Clinton Rebik and John Chernoff, two Madrigal royals, serve as Masters of Ceremony for the concert. John Chernoff accompanies on piano.
The revelry continues in a more modern vein as the Mad River Transit Singers render tunes of Simon & Garfunkel, Manhattan Transfer, U2 and The Wizard of Oz, plus jazz, swing and blues standards. Highlights include a “doo-wop madrigal” with solo by Jessica Malone, "Shout Blues” with scat improvisation by Carmen King, Serena Porter, Matt Brogdon and Alex Saslow; the swing classic “Tangerine,” and “MLK”, a haunting song about Martin Luther King written by Bono of U2 (Calista LaBolle is the soloist.)
The Singers are accompanied by the rhythm section of Darius Brotman on piano, Robert Amirkhan on bass and Simon Lucas on drums.
Madrigal Singers: The Program
Haste Thee Nymph (George F. Handel)
Fanfare For Christmas Day (Martin Shaw)
Which is the Properest Day To Drink? (Thomas Arne)
Riu Riu Chiu
Renaissance Spanish Carol
Pretty Ring Time (Peter Warlock)
I know a Bird (Emma Lou Diemer)
Show and Tell (Emma Lou Diemer)
Good Man You Are Complaining (Gregor Lange)
Pretty Lady (Stephen Sondheim)
The Singers
Brittany Littke
Jamie Banister
Lisa McNeely
Laura Greenfield
Victoria Hanson
Carrie Schmidt
Cindy Uhrhammer
Lorenza Simmons
Lizzy Poock
JoAnne Rand
Emily Skold
Allison Riley
Kelly Whitaker
Lindsey Tewksbury
Korrie Williams
Cody Libolt
Trask Bailard
Hilson Parker
Steve Dytewski
Mika Smith
Conor Jamison
Sam Hyde
Clint Rebik
Bernie Steinberg
John Wu
Haste Thee Nymph (George F. Handel)
Fanfare For Christmas Day (Martin Shaw)
Which is the Properest Day To Drink? (Thomas Arne)
Riu Riu Chiu
Renaissance Spanish Carol
Pretty Ring Time (Peter Warlock)
I know a Bird (Emma Lou Diemer)
Show and Tell (Emma Lou Diemer)
Good Man You Are Complaining (Gregor Lange)
Pretty Lady (Stephen Sondheim)
The Singers
Brittany Littke
Jamie Banister
Lisa McNeely
Laura Greenfield
Victoria Hanson
Carrie Schmidt
Cindy Uhrhammer
Lorenza Simmons
Lizzy Poock
JoAnne Rand
Emily Skold
Allison Riley
Kelly Whitaker
Lindsey Tewksbury
Korrie Williams
Cody Libolt
Trask Bailard
Hilson Parker
Steve Dytewski
Mika Smith
Conor Jamison
Sam Hyde
Clint Rebik
Bernie Steinberg
John Wu
Mad River Singers: Program and Director’s Notes
Until I Met You (arr. Janis Siegel & Jay Graydon)
Composed by Basie guitarist Freddie Green, and arranged for Manhattan Transfer by Janis Siegel & Jay Graydon. Our performance features Melody Walker, Calista LaBolle, Bernie Steinberg, and Sarah Benzinger as soloists. Until I Met You is a Grammy Winning song featured on Manhattan Transfer's 1992 CD Down in Birdland.
MLK (Bono)
A brilliant song with compelling melody and haunting harmony about Martin Luther King by Bono, lead singer of the Irish rock band, U2. Our soloist is Calista LaBolle.
If I Should Lose You (Leo Robin & Ralph Rainge)
From the 1936 movie Rose of the Rancho, this song was recorded by many artists including Frank Sinatra and Nina Simone. Our version features tenor Bernie Steinberg.
My Heart Is Longing For Your Love (arr. Gregg Smith)
Gregg Smith, a California native transplanted to New York, formed a professional singing group called The Gregg Smith Singers. Smith¹s arrangement of My Heart Is Longing For Your Love is publishedunder the collection entitled Doo-Wop Madrigals. What we have here is a pretty cool Renaissance Madrigal written in jazz ballad style. Our soloist is Jessica Malone.
Shout Blues (Kerry Marsh)
A shout chorus is a common element in many jazz arrangements. Kerry Marsh, vocal jazz director at Sac State, has combined two shout choruses and 12 barimprovisation to make an our first MRT Blues contribution in tonight’s concert. Carmen King, Serena Porter, Matt Brogdon, and Alex Saslow arethe creative team singing scat improvisation.
Tangerine (Victor Schertzinger, & JohnnyMercer)
Tangerine was introduced in the 1942 movie, The Fleet's In. The most popular recorded version of Tangerine was made by the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra with vocalists Helen O'Connell and Bob Eberly, which rose to the top of the Billboard magazine charts that year, and remained in the top ten for fifteen weeks.
If I Only Had a Brain (Harold Arlen & E.Y. Harburg)
The Wizard of Oz movie is dear to the heart of many fans. Ray Bolger’s character, the Scarecrow, is classic. Bolger’s song is a musing lyric about what he would do if he could replace the straw in his head for some grey matter. A similar pleading happens to some students around final exam time.
Baby Driver ( arr. Peter Eldridge & Darmon Meader)
Baby Driver was originally written by Paul Simon, and recorded by Simon and Garfunkel. It is a song characteristic of Simon’s compositional style: a combination of offbeat lyrics and unusual harmonies. Peter Eldrigde & Darmon Meader arranged this song for New York Voices, one of the pre-eminent vocal jazz quartets of our time. Baby Driver is the lead song on the New York Voices CD, The Songs of Paul Simon. Our rendition features Alex Saslow, and Darius Brotman will deliver a tasty piano solo.
Muddy Water (arr. Michele Weir)
Noted vocal jazz composer, jazz recording vocalist and pianist, Michele Weir, arranged this blues song for jazz choir and multiple soloists. We will feature Melody Walker with help from Jon Walton, Jessica Malone, and Calista LaBolle.
Until I Met You (arr. Janis Siegel & Jay Graydon)
Composed by Basie guitarist Freddie Green, and arranged for Manhattan Transfer by Janis Siegel & Jay Graydon. Our performance features Melody Walker, Calista LaBolle, Bernie Steinberg, and Sarah Benzinger as soloists. Until I Met You is a Grammy Winning song featured on Manhattan Transfer's 1992 CD Down in Birdland.
MLK (Bono)
A brilliant song with compelling melody and haunting harmony about Martin Luther King by Bono, lead singer of the Irish rock band, U2. Our soloist is Calista LaBolle.
If I Should Lose You (Leo Robin & Ralph Rainge)
From the 1936 movie Rose of the Rancho, this song was recorded by many artists including Frank Sinatra and Nina Simone. Our version features tenor Bernie Steinberg.
My Heart Is Longing For Your Love (arr. Gregg Smith)
Gregg Smith, a California native transplanted to New York, formed a professional singing group called The Gregg Smith Singers. Smith¹s arrangement of My Heart Is Longing For Your Love is publishedunder the collection entitled Doo-Wop Madrigals. What we have here is a pretty cool Renaissance Madrigal written in jazz ballad style. Our soloist is Jessica Malone.
Shout Blues (Kerry Marsh)
A shout chorus is a common element in many jazz arrangements. Kerry Marsh, vocal jazz director at Sac State, has combined two shout choruses and 12 barimprovisation to make an our first MRT Blues contribution in tonight’s concert. Carmen King, Serena Porter, Matt Brogdon, and Alex Saslow arethe creative team singing scat improvisation.
Tangerine (Victor Schertzinger, & JohnnyMercer)
Tangerine was introduced in the 1942 movie, The Fleet's In. The most popular recorded version of Tangerine was made by the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra with vocalists Helen O'Connell and Bob Eberly, which rose to the top of the Billboard magazine charts that year, and remained in the top ten for fifteen weeks.
If I Only Had a Brain (Harold Arlen & E.Y. Harburg)
The Wizard of Oz movie is dear to the heart of many fans. Ray Bolger’s character, the Scarecrow, is classic. Bolger’s song is a musing lyric about what he would do if he could replace the straw in his head for some grey matter. A similar pleading happens to some students around final exam time.
Baby Driver ( arr. Peter Eldridge & Darmon Meader)
Baby Driver was originally written by Paul Simon, and recorded by Simon and Garfunkel. It is a song characteristic of Simon’s compositional style: a combination of offbeat lyrics and unusual harmonies. Peter Eldrigde & Darmon Meader arranged this song for New York Voices, one of the pre-eminent vocal jazz quartets of our time. Baby Driver is the lead song on the New York Voices CD, The Songs of Paul Simon. Our rendition features Alex Saslow, and Darius Brotman will deliver a tasty piano solo.
Muddy Water (arr. Michele Weir)
Noted vocal jazz composer, jazz recording vocalist and pianist, Michele Weir, arranged this blues song for jazz choir and multiple soloists. We will feature Melody Walker with help from Jon Walton, Jessica Malone, and Calista LaBolle.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
HSU Percussion and Calypso Band
The ever-popular HSU Calypso Band celebrates its 20th year with a holiday concert also featuring HSU ensembles playing percussion classics, West African drums and Samba, at 8 PM on Saturday, December 2 at the Van Duzer Theatre on the HSU campus in Arcata. $8 general, $2 students/seniors, HSU students free with ID. HSU Ticket Office (826-3928), the Works in Eureka and Arcata, the Metro in Arcata, or at the door. Directed by Eugene Novotney; an HSU Department of Music production (707-826-3531.)
The ever-popular HSU Calypso Band celebrates its 20th year with a holiday concert also featuring HSU ensembles playing percussion classics, West African drums and Samba, at 8 PM on Saturday, December 2 at the Van Duzer Theatre on the HSU campus in Arcata. $8 general, $2 students/seniors, HSU students free with ID. HSU Ticket Office (826-3928), the Works in Eureka and Arcata, the Metro in Arcata, or at the door. Directed by Eugene Novotney; an HSU Department of Music production (707-826-3531.)
Rebels, Renegades, African Drums, Samba and Steel Band Dance Music
The all-percussion program at Van Duzer Theatre on December 2 begins with the HSU Percussion Ensemble playing famous but rarely heard pieces by 20th century composers “who are all in the history books now,” said HSU Professor of Music and Ensemble director Eugene Novotney, “but they were the rebels and renegades of their day.”
Edgard Varese was one of the earliest of those revolutionaries, coming of musical age in the era of Futurism, Dada and Surrealism. The HSU Percussion Ensemble’s main piece for this concert is Varese’s 1931 composition, Ionization, which Novotney (who received the Edgard Varese Percussion Award from the University of Illinois) calls the “the most important composition in the entire percussion ensemble repertoire.”
“It was written between the world wars, when a lot of people thought society was breaking down,” Novotney said. “This piece evokes that era, especially with the signature sound of the siren. We’ve got the authentic siren called for in the score.”
But that won’t be the only unusual instrument used by the Ensemble. “John Cage used all kinds of found objects as musical instruments,” Novotney observed. “One that we’re using s actually the jawbone of a donkey, with its teeth rattling.” The Cage piece is “Third Construction for Percussion Instruments.”
[continued]
The all-percussion program at Van Duzer Theatre on December 2 begins with the HSU Percussion Ensemble playing famous but rarely heard pieces by 20th century composers “who are all in the history books now,” said HSU Professor of Music and Ensemble director Eugene Novotney, “but they were the rebels and renegades of their day.”
Edgard Varese was one of the earliest of those revolutionaries, coming of musical age in the era of Futurism, Dada and Surrealism. The HSU Percussion Ensemble’s main piece for this concert is Varese’s 1931 composition, Ionization, which Novotney (who received the Edgard Varese Percussion Award from the University of Illinois) calls the “the most important composition in the entire percussion ensemble repertoire.”
“It was written between the world wars, when a lot of people thought society was breaking down,” Novotney said. “This piece evokes that era, especially with the signature sound of the siren. We’ve got the authentic siren called for in the score.”
But that won’t be the only unusual instrument used by the Ensemble. “John Cage used all kinds of found objects as musical instruments,” Novotney observed. “One that we’re using s actually the jawbone of a donkey, with its teeth rattling.” The Cage piece is “Third Construction for Percussion Instruments.”
[continued]
The Ensemble also performs pieces by Steve Reich and Almadeo Roldan. “The Roldan is the first piece to use Latin American instruments in a classical context,” Novotney notes. “These are all masterpieces in their own right. Their complexity and their variety of sound sources led to the music we have today.”
Then the program expands to the music of Africa, South America and the Caribbean. “We always close out the first half of the show with a set of West African music,” Novotney notes. “It’s led by one of our alums, Joe Bishop.”
The HSU Samba Band is the next to perform, focusing on the music of El Salvador and Brazil.
[continued]
Then the program expands to the music of Africa, South America and the Caribbean. “We always close out the first half of the show with a set of West African music,” Novotney notes. “It’s led by one of our alums, Joe Bishop.”
The HSU Samba Band is the next to perform, focusing on the music of El Salvador and Brazil.
[continued]
The second half of the evening belongs to the ever-popular HSU Calypso Band. “We’re doing a high-energy dance set with a lot of variety,” Novotney said. “Most of the music is indigenous to the Caribbean—Trinidad, Tabago, Afro-Cuban numbers. That’s the dance half of the show.”
Novotney founded the Calypso Band in the spring of 1986, so this is the final HSU concert of its 20th year. “It’s amazing we made it this far,” Novotney said, laughing. “And we’re not stopping now.”
Media: Eureka Times Standard
Novotney founded the Calypso Band in the spring of 1986, so this is the final HSU concert of its 20th year. “It’s amazing we made it this far,” Novotney said, laughing. “And we’re not stopping now.”
Media: Eureka Times Standard
Director’s Notes
The featured work presented by the Humboldt State Percussion Ensemble will be Edgard Varese’s revolutionary work, Ionization. Written in 1931, this work is widely considered to be the most important composition in the entire percussion ensemble repertoire. Featuring 13 performers playing over 47 different instruments, the sound mass and texture fields heard in the piece are extremely colorful and dense. As well as piano and all of the standard instruments of the percussion family such as snare drums, tenor drums, bass drums, triangles, tambourine ,wood blocks and cymbals, Varese also calls for Afro-Cuban instruments such as maracas, guiros, cow bells and bongos, and exotic instruments such as gongs, sleigh bells, castanets, glockenspiel, lions roar, anvils and, perhaps the most unique of all, two hand crank sirens.
The primary siren used by the Humboldt State Percussion Ensemble is the exact Sterling type III hand crank siren that Varese specified in his 1931 score. The second siren is an authentic combat field siren issued by the US military and made by the Federal Electric Company in Chicago, Illinois. Often considered a radical futurist, Varese claims that he was interested in sound for sounds sake alone, and for that reason, considered all sounds as valid ones. As early as the 1930’s, Varese heard the sound of the siren as a result of the modern world, and as such, used it as a musical instrument in his composition. Many scholars have noted that Varese’s ideas, which predated the invention of the first synthesizer by almost 40 years, have had an extensive effect on the development of electronic music.
The HSU Percussion Ensemble will also feature compositions written by Steve Reich, Almadeo Roldan, and John Cage. John Cage’s Third Construction for Percussion Instruments is a highly unusual work which uses as its sound source tom-toms, found objects (tin cans), rattles, maracas, cow bells, a conch shell, and a dried donkey’s jaw bone w/ rattling teeth!
[continued]
The featured work presented by the Humboldt State Percussion Ensemble will be Edgard Varese’s revolutionary work, Ionization. Written in 1931, this work is widely considered to be the most important composition in the entire percussion ensemble repertoire. Featuring 13 performers playing over 47 different instruments, the sound mass and texture fields heard in the piece are extremely colorful and dense. As well as piano and all of the standard instruments of the percussion family such as snare drums, tenor drums, bass drums, triangles, tambourine ,wood blocks and cymbals, Varese also calls for Afro-Cuban instruments such as maracas, guiros, cow bells and bongos, and exotic instruments such as gongs, sleigh bells, castanets, glockenspiel, lions roar, anvils and, perhaps the most unique of all, two hand crank sirens.
The primary siren used by the Humboldt State Percussion Ensemble is the exact Sterling type III hand crank siren that Varese specified in his 1931 score. The second siren is an authentic combat field siren issued by the US military and made by the Federal Electric Company in Chicago, Illinois. Often considered a radical futurist, Varese claims that he was interested in sound for sounds sake alone, and for that reason, considered all sounds as valid ones. As early as the 1930’s, Varese heard the sound of the siren as a result of the modern world, and as such, used it as a musical instrument in his composition. Many scholars have noted that Varese’s ideas, which predated the invention of the first synthesizer by almost 40 years, have had an extensive effect on the development of electronic music.
The HSU Percussion Ensemble will also feature compositions written by Steve Reich, Almadeo Roldan, and John Cage. John Cage’s Third Construction for Percussion Instruments is a highly unusual work which uses as its sound source tom-toms, found objects (tin cans), rattles, maracas, cow bells, a conch shell, and a dried donkey’s jaw bone w/ rattling teeth!
[continued]
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