Saturday, October 25, 2008
Ching-Ming Cheng
Pianist Ching-Ming Cheng plays Mozart, Chopin, Ravel and Prokofiev in a solo recital on Saturday, October 25 at 8 pm in Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus. Tickets are $8 general, $3 students/seniors from the HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. A Faculty Artist Series concert produced by the HSU Department of Music.
Pianist Ching-Ming Cheng plays Mozart, Chopin, Ravel and Prokofiev in a solo recital on Saturday, October 25 at 8 pm in Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus. Tickets are $8 general, $3 students/seniors from the HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. A Faculty Artist Series concert produced by the HSU Department of Music.
Ching-Ming Cheng’s Difficult Journey
For her second solo recital as a faculty member of the HSU Music Department, pianist Ching-Ming Cheng plans to take the audience on a journey: “chronologically, technically and musically.”
In her October 25 performance at Fulkerson Recital Hall, she begins with the F Major Piano Sonata by Mozart (Piano Sonata #15.) “By starting with Mozart, I’m trying something different. This is a very relaxing and peaceful piece in three movements. It’s not emotionally overloaded, so it can create a receptive mood for the rest of the concert.”
From Mozart, she proceeds to the Ballades by Frederic Chopin. “I know people think Chopin is overplayed, but he’s still the favorite composer of a lot of people, and I think going from Mozart to Chopin is interesting. We go from really pure and simple music with a lot of delicacy, to the very emotional and expressive Chopin.”
It also represents a move from the classical period to the mid-19th century romantic era. The second half of the recital features a suite by the early 20th century impressionist—and Ching-Ming Cheng’s favorite composer: Maurice Ravel.
Probably the most ambitious piece on the program, Ravel’s “Miroirs” (or “Reflections”) is in five parts: each is meant to evoke a visual image as five individuals look into the mirror.
The first is called Noctuelles (or "Night Moths"). “It’s a little anxious,” Cheng says, mimiking the flight of the moth. In the second (“Sad Birds), “the notes go very fast, describing the sounds the birds make.” The third is “A Boat on the Ocean,” which suggests the ocean and the movement of a boat on the waves. “It’s very vivid—and also very demanding technically.”
The fourth piece in the suite, Alborada del gracioso, is the only one Cheng has performed before at HSU. “This one is about a clown playing tricks, and I feel like the composer was playing tricks on the performer, because it’s very tricky to play.”
The last section is “The Valley of Bells.” “It’s interesting how Ravel would end this magnificent suite with a slow, dreamy, quiet movement, especially after the dazzling and difficult clown piece. I’m hoping the audience enjoys it—I’m sure they’ll enjoy the harmony, but I hope they’ll be able to follow the melody in these long phrases. That’s the hard part about playing this piece.”
“The musical style of Ravel is so delicate,” she concludes. “ These five pieces are considered some of the most difficult of all times in the piano repertoire. There are so many notes on the page but when you play them, they sound so pleasant and easy and light. So achieving that delicacy is the difficult part about playing Ravel, but that’s also the amazing thing about Ravel. He’s actually my favorite composer.”
The last piece on the program is the Piano Sonata # 1 by twentieth century composer Sergei Prokofiev. “This sonata has only one movement, but it starts with a fast section, then slow and then fast again, implying three movements. To me this sonata feels like a rhapsody, or even an improvisation. There are so many musical ideas running around all over the place! This is another demanding piece to play, but from a totally different perspective than the Ravel. For this one I need a lot of powerful touch on the piano, and lots of jumping and leaps.”
“I planned this program chronologically,” she concludes, “but it’s actually a pretty complete and thorough program technically and musically, too.”
Pianist Ching-Ming Cheng performs this program on Saturday, October 25 at 8 pm in Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus. Tickets are $8 general, $3 students/seniors from the HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. A Faculty Artists Series concert produced by the HSU Department of Music.
Media: HSU Now, Arcata Eye.
For her second solo recital as a faculty member of the HSU Music Department, pianist Ching-Ming Cheng plans to take the audience on a journey: “chronologically, technically and musically.”
In her October 25 performance at Fulkerson Recital Hall, she begins with the F Major Piano Sonata by Mozart (Piano Sonata #15.) “By starting with Mozart, I’m trying something different. This is a very relaxing and peaceful piece in three movements. It’s not emotionally overloaded, so it can create a receptive mood for the rest of the concert.”
From Mozart, she proceeds to the Ballades by Frederic Chopin. “I know people think Chopin is overplayed, but he’s still the favorite composer of a lot of people, and I think going from Mozart to Chopin is interesting. We go from really pure and simple music with a lot of delicacy, to the very emotional and expressive Chopin.”
It also represents a move from the classical period to the mid-19th century romantic era. The second half of the recital features a suite by the early 20th century impressionist—and Ching-Ming Cheng’s favorite composer: Maurice Ravel.
Probably the most ambitious piece on the program, Ravel’s “Miroirs” (or “Reflections”) is in five parts: each is meant to evoke a visual image as five individuals look into the mirror.
The first is called Noctuelles (or "Night Moths"). “It’s a little anxious,” Cheng says, mimiking the flight of the moth. In the second (“Sad Birds), “the notes go very fast, describing the sounds the birds make.” The third is “A Boat on the Ocean,” which suggests the ocean and the movement of a boat on the waves. “It’s very vivid—and also very demanding technically.”
The fourth piece in the suite, Alborada del gracioso, is the only one Cheng has performed before at HSU. “This one is about a clown playing tricks, and I feel like the composer was playing tricks on the performer, because it’s very tricky to play.”
The last section is “The Valley of Bells.” “It’s interesting how Ravel would end this magnificent suite with a slow, dreamy, quiet movement, especially after the dazzling and difficult clown piece. I’m hoping the audience enjoys it—I’m sure they’ll enjoy the harmony, but I hope they’ll be able to follow the melody in these long phrases. That’s the hard part about playing this piece.”
“The musical style of Ravel is so delicate,” she concludes. “ These five pieces are considered some of the most difficult of all times in the piano repertoire. There are so many notes on the page but when you play them, they sound so pleasant and easy and light. So achieving that delicacy is the difficult part about playing Ravel, but that’s also the amazing thing about Ravel. He’s actually my favorite composer.”
The last piece on the program is the Piano Sonata # 1 by twentieth century composer Sergei Prokofiev. “This sonata has only one movement, but it starts with a fast section, then slow and then fast again, implying three movements. To me this sonata feels like a rhapsody, or even an improvisation. There are so many musical ideas running around all over the place! This is another demanding piece to play, but from a totally different perspective than the Ravel. For this one I need a lot of powerful touch on the piano, and lots of jumping and leaps.”
“I planned this program chronologically,” she concludes, “but it’s actually a pretty complete and thorough program technically and musically, too.”
Pianist Ching-Ming Cheng performs this program on Saturday, October 25 at 8 pm in Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus. Tickets are $8 general, $3 students/seniors from the HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. A Faculty Artists Series concert produced by the HSU Department of Music.
Media: HSU Now, Arcata Eye.
Friday, October 24, 2008
The internationally renowned marimba virtuoso KATARZYNA MYCKA, (born 1972) is founder of the International Katarzyna Mycka Marimba Academy. Besides her years of study at the music academies in Gdansk, Stuttgart and Salzburg, where she graduated with honours, her artistic development has been documented by numerous prizes at international competitions.
She impressed the musical scene very early on with two first prizes at international marimba competitions: in 1995 she won not only the Luxembourg International Percussion Competition, winning the audience prize there as well, but also the First World Marimba Competition in Stuttgart in 1996.
She has also been successful at other percussion competitions as well, winning First Prize at the 1991 Polish Percussion Competition in Opole and being awarded a special prize in the form of a stipend for foreign study at the 1992 "Concours International d'Exécution Musicale" in Geneva. Katarzyna MyÊka was also a finalist at the 1997 ARD Competition in Munich.
During the same year she appeared as soloist at the First Marimba Festival in Osaka/ Japan and at the International Marimba Festival in Linz/Austria (2004). She is a guest soloist with many orchestras as well, including the Stuttgart Philharmonic, Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Bejing Symphony Orchestra, Bochum Symphony, Camerata Israeli, WKO Heilbronn, Neubrandenburg Philharmonic, Vanderbilt University Orchestra and with many Philharmonic Orchestras in Poland.
After having been awarded the honour of "Ambassadress of Polish Percussive Arts" by the Polish Percussive Arts Society in 1999, a scholarship from the Baden-Württemberg Artistic Foundation followed, as well as invitations to perform in concerts and give master classes in the U.S.A., Germany, Poland, Japan, China, Mexico, Luxembourg, Belgium, Bulgaria and Switzerland. Katarzyna MyÊka made her American debut at the International Percussion Festival PASIC 1997 in Anaheim (LA).
Meanwhile, Katarzyna MyÊka has been called upon to serve on the juries of international percussion competitions. In 1999 and 2002 she was a member of the jury of the International Percussion Competition in Luxembourg, in 2000 at the First Polish Marimba Competition in Warsaw, in 2001 at the Percussion Competition in Ostrava/CZ, 2004 at Federal German Competition Jugend Musiziert in Villingen, 2005 at International Percussion Competition in Pleven/BL and 2006 at the International Marimba Competition in Linz/A.
Since October 2006 she teaches marimba at the Music Academy in Poznan.
Following CD-recordings have been released:
1997 “Katarzyna MyÊka – Marimba Spiritual”
1999 “Katarzyna MyÊka – Marimba Dance”
2001 “Katarzyna MyÊka – Marimba Concerto”
2003 “Katarzyna MyÊka – Marimba Sculpture”
2005 “Mycka/Bacanu - J. S. Bach – Marimba Concertos
She impressed the musical scene very early on with two first prizes at international marimba competitions: in 1995 she won not only the Luxembourg International Percussion Competition, winning the audience prize there as well, but also the First World Marimba Competition in Stuttgart in 1996.
She has also been successful at other percussion competitions as well, winning First Prize at the 1991 Polish Percussion Competition in Opole and being awarded a special prize in the form of a stipend for foreign study at the 1992 "Concours International d'Exécution Musicale" in Geneva. Katarzyna MyÊka was also a finalist at the 1997 ARD Competition in Munich.
During the same year she appeared as soloist at the First Marimba Festival in Osaka/ Japan and at the International Marimba Festival in Linz/Austria (2004). She is a guest soloist with many orchestras as well, including the Stuttgart Philharmonic, Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Bejing Symphony Orchestra, Bochum Symphony, Camerata Israeli, WKO Heilbronn, Neubrandenburg Philharmonic, Vanderbilt University Orchestra and with many Philharmonic Orchestras in Poland.
After having been awarded the honour of "Ambassadress of Polish Percussive Arts" by the Polish Percussive Arts Society in 1999, a scholarship from the Baden-Württemberg Artistic Foundation followed, as well as invitations to perform in concerts and give master classes in the U.S.A., Germany, Poland, Japan, China, Mexico, Luxembourg, Belgium, Bulgaria and Switzerland. Katarzyna MyÊka made her American debut at the International Percussion Festival PASIC 1997 in Anaheim (LA).
Meanwhile, Katarzyna MyÊka has been called upon to serve on the juries of international percussion competitions. In 1999 and 2002 she was a member of the jury of the International Percussion Competition in Luxembourg, in 2000 at the First Polish Marimba Competition in Warsaw, in 2001 at the Percussion Competition in Ostrava/CZ, 2004 at Federal German Competition Jugend Musiziert in Villingen, 2005 at International Percussion Competition in Pleven/BL and 2006 at the International Marimba Competition in Linz/A.
Since October 2006 she teaches marimba at the Music Academy in Poznan.
Following CD-recordings have been released:
1997 “Katarzyna MyÊka – Marimba Spiritual”
1999 “Katarzyna MyÊka – Marimba Dance”
2001 “Katarzyna MyÊka – Marimba Concerto”
2003 “Katarzyna MyÊka – Marimba Sculpture”
2005 “Mycka/Bacanu - J. S. Bach – Marimba Concertos
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Symphonic Band and Jazz Orchestra
HSU Jazz Orchestra plays music from the oldest jazz band in the world, in a combined concert with the Symphonic Band on Saturday, October 18 at 8 p.m. in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. Tickets are $7 general, $3 students/seniors, from the HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. Free to HSU students with ID. http://HSUMusic.blogspot.com.
HSU Jazz Orchestra plays music from the oldest jazz band in the world, in a combined concert with the Symphonic Band on Saturday, October 18 at 8 p.m. in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. Tickets are $7 general, $3 students/seniors, from the HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. Free to HSU students with ID. http://HSUMusic.blogspot.com.
Jazz Orchestra Plays Music from the Oldest Jazz Band in the World
While not itself all that old, the HSU Jazz Orchestra will highlight a composition by the man the Guinness Book of Records recognized as the founder of the oldest continuously existing jazz band on the planet-- or at least it was until recently. It happens at Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata on Saturday, October 18, when the Jazz Orchestra plays their half of the program, preceded by the HSU Symphonic Band.
Oleg Lundstrem, a native of what is now the nation of Georgia, began his jazz orchestra in 1936. Georgia was part of the Soviet Union then, and his band was the first jazz group in the entire USSR. Lundstrem kept the band going until his death just three years ago.
Lundstrem was also a composer, and the Jazz Orchestra will play one of his works, “V Gorakh Gruzii” (“In the Mountains of Georgia”), which he based on a Georgian folk tune.
The rest of the program is a little more standard: jazz classics like “A Night in Tunisa” by Dizzy Gillespie, as arranged by Michael Phillip Mossman for Mario Bauza and his Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, and “Round Midnight” by Thelonious Monk, with a new arrangement by Mike Tomaro, featuring Sky Miller on alto saxophone.
“Smoke Gets In Your Eyes,” with another arrangement by Mossman, features Tristan Kadish on trumpet. Charles Mingus's "Pedal Point Blues" was recorded by his small group in 1959, but it went unreleased until the 1970s. The arrangement the Jazz Orchestra will play was written for the Mingus Big Band by John Stubblefield. The Orchestra will also play “Who, Me?” as written by Frank Foster for the Count Basie Orchestra.
In the first half of the evening, the Symphonic Band performs “Three Dances of Enchantment” by University of Mississippi composer-in-residence Luigi Zaninelli, “Orange Was Her Color” by Brian S. Wilson, “Petite Symphonie” by 19th century French composer Charles Gounod (famous for his version of the Ave Maria), “Children’s March” by 20th century innovator Percy Grainger, and “Galop” by 20th century Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich.
The Symphonic Band is directed by Paul Cummings, and the Jazz Orchestra is directed by Dan Aldag. The combined concert begins at 8 PM on Saturday, October 18. Tickets are $7 general, $3 students/seniors, from the HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. Free to HSU students with ID. http://hsumusic.blogspot.com/.
While not itself all that old, the HSU Jazz Orchestra will highlight a composition by the man the Guinness Book of Records recognized as the founder of the oldest continuously existing jazz band on the planet-- or at least it was until recently. It happens at Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata on Saturday, October 18, when the Jazz Orchestra plays their half of the program, preceded by the HSU Symphonic Band.
Oleg Lundstrem, a native of what is now the nation of Georgia, began his jazz orchestra in 1936. Georgia was part of the Soviet Union then, and his band was the first jazz group in the entire USSR. Lundstrem kept the band going until his death just three years ago.
Lundstrem was also a composer, and the Jazz Orchestra will play one of his works, “V Gorakh Gruzii” (“In the Mountains of Georgia”), which he based on a Georgian folk tune.
The rest of the program is a little more standard: jazz classics like “A Night in Tunisa” by Dizzy Gillespie, as arranged by Michael Phillip Mossman for Mario Bauza and his Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, and “Round Midnight” by Thelonious Monk, with a new arrangement by Mike Tomaro, featuring Sky Miller on alto saxophone.
“Smoke Gets In Your Eyes,” with another arrangement by Mossman, features Tristan Kadish on trumpet. Charles Mingus's "Pedal Point Blues" was recorded by his small group in 1959, but it went unreleased until the 1970s. The arrangement the Jazz Orchestra will play was written for the Mingus Big Band by John Stubblefield. The Orchestra will also play “Who, Me?” as written by Frank Foster for the Count Basie Orchestra.
In the first half of the evening, the Symphonic Band performs “Three Dances of Enchantment” by University of Mississippi composer-in-residence Luigi Zaninelli, “Orange Was Her Color” by Brian S. Wilson, “Petite Symphonie” by 19th century French composer Charles Gounod (famous for his version of the Ave Maria), “Children’s March” by 20th century innovator Percy Grainger, and “Galop” by 20th century Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich.
The Symphonic Band is directed by Paul Cummings, and the Jazz Orchestra is directed by Dan Aldag. The combined concert begins at 8 PM on Saturday, October 18. Tickets are $7 general, $3 students/seniors, from the HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. Free to HSU students with ID. http://hsumusic.blogspot.com/.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Deborah Clasquin
Deborah Clasquin plays 20th century dance music from around the world in her solo piano concert on Saturday, October 11 at 8 pm in Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus. Tickets are $8 general, $3 students/seniors from the HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. A Faculty Artist Series concert, sponsored by the HSU Department of Music.
Deborah Clasquin plays 20th century dance music from around the world in her solo piano concert on Saturday, October 11 at 8 pm in Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus. Tickets are $8 general, $3 students/seniors from the HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. A Faculty Artist Series concert, sponsored by the HSU Department of Music.
Deborah Clasquin Plays Dance Music of the Twentieth Century
Fiery Spanish and pulsating South American rhythms, Eastern European music shaped by Arab influences, and American jazz are among the dance and musical styles pianist Deborah Clasquin will explore in her solo concert at the Fulkerson Recital Hall on Saturday, October 11.
This eclectic program of dance music of the twentieth century from around the world also features ballet music by Ravel and Bartok, works by lesser known composers Frederico Mompou and Karol Szymanowski, and selections from jazz piano great Bill Evans.
Deborah Clasquin enjoys an active career as a recitalist and orchestral soloist. She has appeared in concert in Paris, Moscow, Kiev, Chicago, Boston, Washington D.C., San Francisco and throughout Northern California. Her performances have won numerous prizes and awards, and she has been featured on National Public Radio’s Performance Today. Clasquin has recently appeared as soloist with the Eureka Symphony Orchestra and the Brockport Symphony performing Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto.
As a Professor of Music on the faculty at Humboldt State, Deborah is also devoted to teaching piano. Her students have been heard on NPR’s “From The Top” and won numerous competitions, including a Gold Medal in the 2003 Magin International Piano Competition in Paris, and enjoy active careers as performers and teachers.
Deborah Clasquin performs on Saturday, October 11 at 8 pm in Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus. Tickets are $8 general, $3 students/seniors from the HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. A Faculty Artists Series concert sponsored by the HSU Department of Music.
Media: Eureka Times-Standard, North Coast Journal "The Hum," Arcata Eye.
Fiery Spanish and pulsating South American rhythms, Eastern European music shaped by Arab influences, and American jazz are among the dance and musical styles pianist Deborah Clasquin will explore in her solo concert at the Fulkerson Recital Hall on Saturday, October 11.
This eclectic program of dance music of the twentieth century from around the world also features ballet music by Ravel and Bartok, works by lesser known composers Frederico Mompou and Karol Szymanowski, and selections from jazz piano great Bill Evans.
Deborah Clasquin enjoys an active career as a recitalist and orchestral soloist. She has appeared in concert in Paris, Moscow, Kiev, Chicago, Boston, Washington D.C., San Francisco and throughout Northern California. Her performances have won numerous prizes and awards, and she has been featured on National Public Radio’s Performance Today. Clasquin has recently appeared as soloist with the Eureka Symphony Orchestra and the Brockport Symphony performing Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto.
As a Professor of Music on the faculty at Humboldt State, Deborah is also devoted to teaching piano. Her students have been heard on NPR’s “From The Top” and won numerous competitions, including a Gold Medal in the 2003 Magin International Piano Competition in Paris, and enjoy active careers as performers and teachers.
Deborah Clasquin performs on Saturday, October 11 at 8 pm in Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus. Tickets are $8 general, $3 students/seniors from the HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. A Faculty Artists Series concert sponsored by the HSU Department of Music.
Media: Eureka Times-Standard, North Coast Journal "The Hum," Arcata Eye.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Gyan Riley Trio
Guitar virtuoso Gyan Riley and his trio play a mesmerizing mix of classical, rock, jazz and traditional Indian music from his new CD on Friday, October 10 at 8 pm in Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus. Tickets are $8 general, $3 students/seniors from the HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. A Guest Artist concert sponsored by the HSU Department of Music.
Guitar virtuoso Gyan Riley and his trio play a mesmerizing mix of classical, rock, jazz and traditional Indian music from his new CD on Friday, October 10 at 8 pm in Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus. Tickets are $8 general, $3 students/seniors from the HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. A Guest Artist concert sponsored by the HSU Department of Music.
Enthralling Music from Bay Area’s Gyan Riley Trio
With classical and jazz traditions mingling with Indian, African and Eastern European influences, guitar virtuoso Gyan Riley and his trio perform original music from his latest CD, “Melismantra,” at the Fulkerson Recital Hall on Friday, October 10.
Oakland Magazine called this music “never less than enthralling,” and the East Bay Express described his CD as “a mesmerizing mix of classical, rock, jazz, and traditional Indian music.”
The first guitarist ever to be awarded a full scholarship for the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Gyan Riley scored a recording contract for his debut CD while still a student. He has since performed internationally, including gigs with the San Francisco Symphony and his father, the composer/pianist Terry Riley. He also taught guitar at HSU for the 2005-06 academic year.
After a 10-city tour of Ireland next spring, Riley will be playing Carnegie Hall and recording one of his father’s compositions with the Kronos Quartet.
Joining him for this concert are drummer Scott Amendola and violinist/violist Timb Harris. Together they’ve adapted the music on the “Melismantra” CD for live performance. “We’ve also opened up certain sections for improvisational solos,” Riley said, “and to allow for unexpected twists and turns, which I feel adds a lot of excitement to the live element.”
The music on “Melismantra” is available at http://www.gyanriley.com/, and http://www.cdbaby.com/ as well as on Amazon, iTunes and other websites. CDs will be available for purchase at the concert on Friday, October 10 at 8 pm in Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus. Tickets are $8 general, $3 students/seniors from the HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. A Guest Artist concert sponsored by the HSU Department of Music.
Media: North Coast Journal "The Hum," Arcata Eye.
With classical and jazz traditions mingling with Indian, African and Eastern European influences, guitar virtuoso Gyan Riley and his trio perform original music from his latest CD, “Melismantra,” at the Fulkerson Recital Hall on Friday, October 10.
Oakland Magazine called this music “never less than enthralling,” and the East Bay Express described his CD as “a mesmerizing mix of classical, rock, jazz, and traditional Indian music.”
The first guitarist ever to be awarded a full scholarship for the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Gyan Riley scored a recording contract for his debut CD while still a student. He has since performed internationally, including gigs with the San Francisco Symphony and his father, the composer/pianist Terry Riley. He also taught guitar at HSU for the 2005-06 academic year.
After a 10-city tour of Ireland next spring, Riley will be playing Carnegie Hall and recording one of his father’s compositions with the Kronos Quartet.
Joining him for this concert are drummer Scott Amendola and violinist/violist Timb Harris. Together they’ve adapted the music on the “Melismantra” CD for live performance. “We’ve also opened up certain sections for improvisational solos,” Riley said, “and to allow for unexpected twists and turns, which I feel adds a lot of excitement to the live element.”
The music on “Melismantra” is available at http://www.gyanriley.com/, and http://www.cdbaby.com/ as well as on Amazon, iTunes and other websites. CDs will be available for purchase at the concert on Friday, October 10 at 8 pm in Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus. Tickets are $8 general, $3 students/seniors from the HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. A Guest Artist concert sponsored by the HSU Department of Music.
Media: North Coast Journal "The Hum," Arcata Eye.
Gyan Riley Trio: Biographies
In 1999, Gyan Riley became the first guitarist ever to be awarded a full scholarship from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. While still a student, he received a recording contract for his debut CD of original works, Food for the Bearded (New Albion Records). He has since expanded his career as a composer and instrumentalist, receiving commissions from the Carnegie Hall Corporation, the New York Guitar Festival, the Paul Dresher Ensemble, and the Elaine Kaufman Cultural Center. He has recorded and/or performed internationally with various artists such as Zakir Hussain, Michael Manring, Dawn Upshaw, the San Francisco Symphony, Peppino D'Agostino, David Tanenbaum, Alex DeGrassi, Dusan Bogdanovic, Tracy Silverman, and his father, the composer/pianist/vocalist Terry Riley.
Violinist/violist Timb Harris is most known locally for his electrifying shows with Estradapshere, and has recently achieved international fame with Secret Chiefs 3. He has also traveled extensively in Romania to pursue his fascination with Eastern European folk music. Timb currently lives in Seattle, Washington where he enjoys the natural environment of the Pacific Northwest (that is when he's not on tour).
Scott Amendola first gained widespread notice a decade ago for his work in eight-string guitar ace Charlie Hunter's trio. Although he continues to work as a sideman, accompanying artists such as Madeleine Peyroux and Kelly Joe Phelps, in recent years he has stepped forward as the leader of several compelling bands that showcase his supremely supple trap work, notably his own Scott Amendola Band. He has toured and recorded with a vast array of stellar artists, such as Bill Frisell, Pat Martino, Paul McCandless, Jacky Terrasson, and John Zorn.
For more info, visit http://gyanriley.com/.
In 1999, Gyan Riley became the first guitarist ever to be awarded a full scholarship from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. While still a student, he received a recording contract for his debut CD of original works, Food for the Bearded (New Albion Records). He has since expanded his career as a composer and instrumentalist, receiving commissions from the Carnegie Hall Corporation, the New York Guitar Festival, the Paul Dresher Ensemble, and the Elaine Kaufman Cultural Center. He has recorded and/or performed internationally with various artists such as Zakir Hussain, Michael Manring, Dawn Upshaw, the San Francisco Symphony, Peppino D'Agostino, David Tanenbaum, Alex DeGrassi, Dusan Bogdanovic, Tracy Silverman, and his father, the composer/pianist/vocalist Terry Riley.
Violinist/violist Timb Harris is most known locally for his electrifying shows with Estradapshere, and has recently achieved international fame with Secret Chiefs 3. He has also traveled extensively in Romania to pursue his fascination with Eastern European folk music. Timb currently lives in Seattle, Washington where he enjoys the natural environment of the Pacific Northwest (that is when he's not on tour).
Scott Amendola first gained widespread notice a decade ago for his work in eight-string guitar ace Charlie Hunter's trio. Although he continues to work as a sideman, accompanying artists such as Madeleine Peyroux and Kelly Joe Phelps, in recent years he has stepped forward as the leader of several compelling bands that showcase his supremely supple trap work, notably his own Scott Amendola Band. He has toured and recorded with a vast array of stellar artists, such as Bill Frisell, Pat Martino, Paul McCandless, Jacky Terrasson, and John Zorn.
For more info, visit http://gyanriley.com/.
Monday, October 06, 2008
Percussion Group Cincinnati
The internationally acclaimed Percussion Group Cincinnati comes to Arcata for its first-ever northern California concert on Monday, October 6, 2008 at 8pm in Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus. Tickets are $10 general; $5 students/seniors from the HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. A Guest Artists Concert sponsored by the HSU Department of Music.
The internationally acclaimed Percussion Group Cincinnati comes to Arcata for its first-ever northern California concert on Monday, October 6, 2008 at 8pm in Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus. Tickets are $10 general; $5 students/seniors from the HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. A Guest Artists Concert sponsored by the HSU Department of Music.
“Sheer Rhythmic Joy” Comes to Arcata
“In my opinion they are the best professional percussion ensemble in the world today,” said Dr. Eugene Novotney, Director of Percussion Studies at HSU and founder of the Humboldt State Calypso Band. “They are all virtuosos in their own right, and together they represent a virtual super-group of talent and musicianship.”
Novotney is hardly alone in his enthusiasm for Percussion Group Cincinnati, making its first northern California concert appearance in its nearly 30-year history, at the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus on Monday, October 6.
“Impossible to over-praise” (said the New York Times), these “master musicians” (as the New Yorker magazine called them) of Percussion Group Cincinnati present “a performance of remarkable intensity” (Washington Post.) Newspapers in other cities lauded them as “strange and wonderful,” “innovative,” “a visual and aural treat" and "sheer rhythmic joy.”
“Showcasing classic and experimental concert music from America, Chile, South Africa and China, their dynamic palette consists of marimbas, drums, gongs, prepared piano, a computer, a deck of cards and more,” writes composer Tamara Turner in CD Baby, an independent music publication. “There is no question that one of PGC's trademarks, whether intentional or not, is about thinking outside the box.”
Percussion Group Cincinnati was founded in 1979 and consists of members Allen Otte, James Culley, and Russell Burge, all of whom are faculty members and ensemble-in-residence at the College-Conservatory of Music of the University of Cincinnati.
Their international tours have included appearances in major cities, festivals and concert halls in America, Europe and Asia. But they’ve also presented their program "Music From Scratch" to hundreds of thousands of children across North America.
Their daily rehearsal schedule is supplemented with the teaching and coaching of young musicians, many of whom have gone on to professional careers in creative music, in teaching, and with major symphony orchestras.
One of those students happens to be Eugene Novotney.
The internationally acclaimed Percussion Group Cincinnati comes to Arcata for its first-ever Northern California concert on Monday, October 6, 2008 at 8pm in Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus. Tickets are $10 general; $5 students/seniors from the HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. This is a Guest Artists concert sponsored by the HSU Department of Music.
Media: Arcata Eye.
“In my opinion they are the best professional percussion ensemble in the world today,” said Dr. Eugene Novotney, Director of Percussion Studies at HSU and founder of the Humboldt State Calypso Band. “They are all virtuosos in their own right, and together they represent a virtual super-group of talent and musicianship.”
Novotney is hardly alone in his enthusiasm for Percussion Group Cincinnati, making its first northern California concert appearance in its nearly 30-year history, at the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus on Monday, October 6.
“Impossible to over-praise” (said the New York Times), these “master musicians” (as the New Yorker magazine called them) of Percussion Group Cincinnati present “a performance of remarkable intensity” (Washington Post.) Newspapers in other cities lauded them as “strange and wonderful,” “innovative,” “a visual and aural treat" and "sheer rhythmic joy.”
“Showcasing classic and experimental concert music from America, Chile, South Africa and China, their dynamic palette consists of marimbas, drums, gongs, prepared piano, a computer, a deck of cards and more,” writes composer Tamara Turner in CD Baby, an independent music publication. “There is no question that one of PGC's trademarks, whether intentional or not, is about thinking outside the box.”
Percussion Group Cincinnati was founded in 1979 and consists of members Allen Otte, James Culley, and Russell Burge, all of whom are faculty members and ensemble-in-residence at the College-Conservatory of Music of the University of Cincinnati.
Their international tours have included appearances in major cities, festivals and concert halls in America, Europe and Asia. But they’ve also presented their program "Music From Scratch" to hundreds of thousands of children across North America.
Their daily rehearsal schedule is supplemented with the teaching and coaching of young musicians, many of whom have gone on to professional careers in creative music, in teaching, and with major symphony orchestras.
One of those students happens to be Eugene Novotney.
The internationally acclaimed Percussion Group Cincinnati comes to Arcata for its first-ever Northern California concert on Monday, October 6, 2008 at 8pm in Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus. Tickets are $10 general; $5 students/seniors from the HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. This is a Guest Artists concert sponsored by the HSU Department of Music.
Media: Arcata Eye.
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