Composers Centennial Concert: Program Notes

The following are notes on some of the selections.

Crossing by Ryan MacEvoy-McCullough

Ryan MacEvoy-McCullough

A 4-channel piece utilizing sounds that are either pre-recorded samples from a piano (playing anything but the keys), a mason jar, a mason jar used on the piano, and a simulated analog synthesizer. All the material has been digitally edited as if I were writing this using tape reels.

Reflections in Time (2013/14) by Brian Post
performed by Elisabeth Harrington (voice) and John Chernoff (piano.)

 1. Trees - Poetry by Eric Barker
 2. Blue Heron - Poetry by Reg White
 3. Revenant – Poetry by Reg White
 4. A Firmer Grasp Of The Obvious - Poetry by Jim Dodge
 5. The Way Things Work - Poetry by Jorie Graham

Composed to commemorate the Humboldt State Centennial. The poems were chosen to reflect elements of Humboldt State University and Humboldt County that were important to many people who have lived here for the last century and will continue to be drawn here in the future.

Caged Bells #2 (2013/14) by J. Brian Post
performed by Daniela Mineva (carillon)
 Written specifically for a miniature carillon designed by John Cage and built by HSU music technicians, this piece is performed with an electronically enhanced recording of chanting Tibetan monks. The recordings represent the pursuit of enlightenment and the carillon represents the achievement of enlightenment.

Piano Rhubarb for violin, alto saxophone and piano by Halim Beere
Mr. Distinguished for violin, alto saxophone, piano and pre-recorded electronics by Dante De Silva
Nocturne by John Chernoff. 

Vipisa Trio

These three pieces will be performed by the Vipisa Trio: Cindy Moyers (violin), Virginia Ryder (saxophone and clarinet) and John Chernoff (piano.)

Halim Beere is an HSU graduate in violin performance and composition.  He is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Illinois.
John Chernoff is the staff accompanist at HSU.
Dante De Silva studied composition at HSU for his B.A., UC Santa Cruz for his M.A. and UCLA for his Ph.D. He was the composer-in-residence with the Definiens Project (2005-2007) and the Tonoi Ensemble (2006-2007).

Three Dot Flourish (2002) by Gil Cline
performed by members of the Humboldt Bay Brass Band.
 “Everyone knows the genre “fanfare” so I’ve had some fun devising my own “mini-genre,” the “Flourish.” Whereas a fanfare usually kicks off some event, a flourish has potential not only for that but also for ending some segment, or even as an encore. The short, snappy Three Dot Flourish was written and performed by Brass Consort von Humboldt in 2003 in San Francisco at Grace Cathedral for Herb Caen Days. BCvH specialized in the early brass, including the true natural trumpet of the baroque. We have acquired a set of copies of the 1667 London trumpet by Simon Beale, which we use tonight. Using modern quartal/quintal tones, the music includes a three-dot motif inspired by Caen’s musings in his weekly columns.

 Clok Tok (2007) by Gil Cline
 “Clok Tok” was written for The HSU Commencement Brass Choir, responding to the need for “stretch / filler” while waiting to play the processional Pomp & Circumstance. We accomplish that via improvised, jazz soloing over a straight-beat groove, while using the performance technique, so well-suited to brass, called “bell tones.” The clock reference is partly to passing the time, and also to the talking of the crowd; but mainly to the HSU Quad clock chimes. Everyone on campus knows the hourly clock bell tower theme, that of Big Ben, sounded throughout the day!

INTENTIONS for Percussion Trio (1983/1990) by Eugene Novotney
 Mvt. I. Assumption
 Mvt. II. Proposal
 Mvt. III. Function
Mvt. IV. Design
Performed by Neil Bost, Tyler Burkhart, Hector Diaz.

Composed in 1983 at the University of Illinois while I was a composition student of Ben Johnston, and dedicated to the Percussion Group of Cincinnati. The skills demanded by this composition require the performers to spend many hours expanding their technique on auxiliary percussion instruments that are often considered to be only instruments of coloration. The composition was intended to defy the pre-conceived limits and expose the extended techniques and timbral possibilities of three of my favorite instruments - the triangle, the tambourine, and the piatti.

Vipisa Trio Champions New Music at HSU

 The Vipisa Trio (Cindy Moyer on violin, Virginia Ryder on saxophone and clarinet and John Chernoff on piano) performs a program of new musical works by composers associated with Humboldt State on Saturday, February 23 in Fulkerson Recital Hall. 

 The Trio will play the world premieres of new works by HSU composition professor J. Brian Post and the Trio’s own John Chernoff, as well as compositions by HSU alums Dante De Silva and Halim Beere. Members of the trio are so committed to new work that they sponsored a composition contest among HSU students. They will play the winning piece by Justino Perez. 

 “The music is all different,” said violinist Cindy Moyer, “so even if it’s all new, there will be something that everyone can enjoy.” 

 “John’s piece is very Romantic in style, for example—including an amusing set of variations on ‘There’s a Hole in the Bucket.’ Dante’s piece called ‘Mr. Distinguished’ features the Trio playing along with an edited and manipulated recording of a man reading a section of an old Emily Post etiquette book.” 

 The other compositions are “Rhubarb for violin, alto saxophone and piano” by Halim Beere, a three-movement work entitled “Set-Rows-Free” by Brian Post and “Trio for violin, saxophone and piano” by Justino Eustacio Perez.

 The Vipisa Trio performs on Saturday February 23 at 8 p.m. in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. $8/$3 from HSU Box Office (826-3728) or at the door. A Faculty Artists Concert produced by the HSU Music Department. 

Media: Humboldt State Now, Arcata Eye, Tri-City Weekly

Vipisa Trio Music of Humboldt Composers: The Program

 Vipisa Trio: Cindy Moyer, violin Virginia Ryder, saxophone and clarinet John Chernoff, piano.


Rhubarb for violin, alto saxophone, and piano by  Halim Beere

Set-Rows-Free for violin, alto saxophone, and piano  by J. Brian Post
 Set
 Rows
 Free

Mr. Distinguished for violin, alto saxophone, and piano and pre-recorded electronics  by Dante De Silva

 Trio for violin, saxophone, and piano by  Justino Eustacio Pérez

 Trio for violin, saxophone/clarinet, and piano by  John Chernoff
 Allegretto
 Nocturne: Andante
 Misterioso
 Theme and Variations


Meet the Composers:

 The music of Halim Beere explores the three intersecting worlds of purely acoustic instrumental composition, electro-acoustic fixed media works, and real-time computer generated compositions, such as interactive computer music and livecoding. Raised in Eureka,  Beere received his Bachelor’s from Humboldt State University in violin performance and composition, studying under Cindy Moyer and Brian Post. He completed his Master’s in composition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he is currently a doctoral candidate, studying under Erik Lund, Stephen Taylor, Heinrich Taube, and Scott A. Wyatt.

 In addition to writing chamber and concert music, he has composed for theatrical productions (The Five Dollar Show) and a feature length film (The Milk Can). The ARMAC orchestra commissioned and premiered Gambol for Orchestra at Carnegie hall in 2009. Pangæa, his commissioned first symphony, received its world premiere in October of 2010. Further commissions have come from the MEANS Ensemble, the Belden Trio of Chicago, Mise-en of New York, and the Illinois Modern Ensemble. The award winning saxophone duet Ogni Suono recently premiered Roya on a European tour, and his compositions have also been read by the JACK quartet and the Ensemble Dal Niente, and programmed on concerts with Bang on a Can. His electronic works were featured at SEAMUS national conferences, at Electronic Music Midwest, and on Measures of Change, a recent CD release of electro-acoustic works by University of Illinois graduate composers. Kinetosis for eight-channel fixed media will also be heard at the upcoming 2013 SEAMUS conference in April.

 John Chernoff, a native of Santa Cruz, is the staff accompanist at Humboldt State University. He studied piano at the San Francisco Conservatory, the Peabody Institute, and Johns Hopkins University. John’s performing activities are extensive, including solo recitals, concerto performances, collaborating with faculty and guest artists, and accompanying student ensembles and soloists. In his free time John enjoys composing, working with computers, and playing chess.

 Dante De Silva, a southern California native, studied composition at Humboldt State University (B.A.), UC Santa Cruz (M.A.), and UCLA (Ph. D.), where his principal teachers were David Lefkowitz, Paul Reale, David Cope, and Paul Nauert. He also studied piano with Deborah Clasquin and percussion with Eugene Novotney at Humboldt State University.

 His compositions have been performed by such wonderful performers as Gloria Cheng, the Talea Ensemble, Phyllis Chen, Ryan MacEvoy McCullough, Arizona Women in Tune, Composer’s Inc., as well many others. He was the composer-in-residence with the Definiens Project (2005-2007) and the Tonoi Ensemble (2006-2007). Recent premieres Scratch Record for toy pianos and other toy instruments performed by Phyllis Chen, The Absurd ABC for wind trio and pre-recorded electronics performed by the Vientos Trio, and Rejuvenated Heart for women’s chorus and chamber ensemble performed by Arizona Women in Tune which was performed at the 2012 GALA Festival in Denver, CO.

 In the 2012-2013 season, he will have a number of new premieres: Wake the Dead for the Saguaro piano trio, Drive-Thru Etudes Bk. 1 by Ryan MacEvoy McCullough, and the reading of his opera Gesualdo: Prince of Madness by San Francisco-based Ensemble Parallèle in June. He is currently working on Engine Room, a piece for the Humboldt State Percussion Ensemble, a Concerto for Steel Drum, a Piano Concerto, and EP, a large work for 2 electric guitars, electric bass, and drum set. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife, two sons, and two cats.

 Justino Pérez premiered himself on June 1, 1990, in the unpretentious city of Porterville, CA. Rising past a difficult childhood and family background, he discovered music in his later teens, and it has since become a great passion of his life. Currently. Mr. Pérez studies piano, cello, and composition at Humboldt State University with Dr. Daniela Mineva, Carol Jacobson, and Dr. J. Brian Post, respectively. There he has been honored as a Presidential Scholar and recipient of both the Van Duzer and Fulkerson scholarships.

 Always excited about learning and sharing his passion, Mr. Pérez loves to work with students to cultivate their music and composition skills, and is working with Dr. Cindy Moyer to develop a new series of supplemental theory courses, which he teaches for the Music Department. Recently, Mr. Pérez studied composition with renowned instructors Stacy Garrop and David Rakowski, and participated in a master class with Dr. Chen Yi. Over the summer, he contributed to the Fresh Inc. Festival for New Music. There he premiered two new works: “Trio” for Violin, Clarinet, and Piano (Performed in the Ravinia Music Festival), and “I Just Lost to Myself at Hide and Seek” (written for The Eclipse Trio).

 An active member of the National Association of Composers, Mr. Pérez has been featured in their concerts. He also participates in the local musical community as principle cellist of the Humboldt Symphony, and performer in both the Eureka Symphony and Humboldt Light Opera Company. He teaches private cello and composition lessons, and hopes one day to be a professor of theory and composition.

 Dr. J. Brian Post has been teaching composition, music theory and music technology classes at Humboldt State University since the fall of 1998. He has a BA in piano performance from California State University, Hayward, a MM in Theory and Composition from the University of Northern Colorado, and a DA in Theory and Composition from the University of Northern Colorado. Prior to his position at HSU, Dr. Post taught at Emporia State University, the University of Northern Colorado, the Rocky Mountain Music Technology Workshop, the Midwest Music Camp, the Interlochen Arts Camp, and the International Music Camp.

 Recent works include; composing the film score for the dramatic full-length feature film The Music Inside, a dramatic full-length feature film, “Stricken,” a cross discipline work that incorporated dance, digitally enhanced audio files and midi instruments with multiple performances given in Spain. Most recently Dr. Post composed incidental music for the ancient East Indian play, Shakuntala which had eight performances in November and December 2012.

 Other works by Dr. Post have been performed nationally by the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra, Cal State Hayward Big Band, Interlochen Lab Band I, Interlochen Concert Band, Emporia State University (ESU) Wind Ensemble, Eranis Flute Ensemble, ESU A Cappella Choir, ESU Opera Company, Greeley Children's Chorale, ESU Faculty Jazz Combo the HSU P. M. Band and the HSU Wind Ensemble. He has recordings released on the Mark and IAC labels.

And on with the show! Participating faculty Daniela Mineva, Cindy Moyer, Virginia Ryder, Eugene Novotney, Elisabeth Harrington, Robin Miller and Gilbert Cline.

HSU Music Faculty in Welcome Concert

With selections from Mozart to Sondheim, and Hindemith to Ellington, members of the HSU Music Department faculty will perform a musical welcome to the new school year on Saturday, September 10 in Fulkerson Recital Hall.

“We started this last year and it was a great success,” said faculty organizer and performer Elisabeth Harrington. “It’s an opportunity to present a concert of diverse music that showcases the wide variety of musical interests and talents of our faculty.”

The early evening event features a host of unique small ensembles, from a piano and trumpet duo to a string quintet and singers from a recent theatrical production. Several members of the local musical community will also perform with the HSU faculty players.

Among the scheduled performances: A string quartet of Cindy Moyer, Karen Davy, Sherry Hanson and Carol Jacobson will play a Mozart Quartet.  Brian Post and Shao Way Wu perform a medley of tunes by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn.

Elisabeth Harrington will reprise two songs from the recent Ferndale Repertory Theatre production of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd, with co-star Craig Benson and other cast members. Daniela Mineva and Gilbert Cline perform Paul Hindemith’s Sonata, which Cline describes as “one of the tour de force moments of the modern era for trumpet and piano.”

Other faculty players include Eugene Novotney, Howard Kaufman, Virginia Ryder and Robin Miller.

The musical smorgasbord will be followed by a real one, with a reception where audience members can meet the players.

The Welcome Concert begins at the early time of 5 pm on Saturday September 10 in Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. Reception is immediately afterwards. Tickets are $8/$3 students and seniors from HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. An HSU Department of Music production.

Media: Muse, Tri-City Weekly, HSU Now, Arcata Eye, North Coast Journal

Welcome Concert: The Program

1.Little Sunflower  by Freddie Hubbard
Afro-Blue  by Mongo Santamaria

Players:
Eugene Novotney, tenor pan
Howard Kaufman, double tenor pans
Virginia Ryder, double seconds pans
Jonathan Kipp, cello pans
Shao Way Wu, bass
David Peñalosa, congas

2. Ellington / Strayhorn Medley
 Upper Manhattan Medical Group
 Daydream
 Blood Count
 A-Train

Players:
Brian Post, piano
Shao Way Wu, bass

3. Toccata by  Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson

Robin Miller, piano

4. Quartet in G Major, K. 387 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
I. Allegro vivace assai

Cindy Moyer, violin
Karen Davy, violin
Sherry Hanson, viola
Carol Jacobson, cello

5. Selections from Sweeney Todd  by Stephen Sondheim
“The Worst Pies in London”
“Have a Little Priest”

Elisabeth Harrington (as Mrs. Lovett), soprano
Craig Benson (as Sweeney Todd), baritone
Robin Miller, piano
Tamaras Abrams, percussion
Introduction by Ginger Gene, Artistic Director of Ferndale Repertory Theatre

6.Quintet in F Minor by César Franck
II. Lento, con molto sentimento

Cindy Moyer, violin
Karen Davy, violin
Sherry Hanson, viola
Carol Jacobson, cello
Daniela Mineva, piano

7. Sonata: 1st movement  by Paul Hindemith
“Mit Kraft” (strength / force / power / vigor)

Gilbert Cline, trumpet
Daniela Mineva, piano

All are invited to a reception in the Music Lobby to meet the artists immediately following the concert.

The Faculty Artists Series features both Humboldt State faculty and prominent guest artists from across the United States. The series continues to raise funds for the Barlow Scholarship,used to attract outstanding young musicians to Humboldt State University.

New Trio Plays New Trio: Vipisa’s Debut with World Premiere

It’s a new trio premiering new music. But of course, there’s a backstory.

“We played together last fall,” explained violinist and HSU Music professor Cindy Moyer, referring to her colleagues, Virginia Ryder on saxophone and clarinet, and pianist John Chernoff. “We were having so much fun that we decided to make it a permanent group.”

Hence the Vipisa Trio. But who—or where, or what—is Vipisa? An obscure but important historical figure? The hidden birthplace of a musical genius? A corporate sponsor? Their favorite toothpaste?

“We made it up,” Moyer confessed. “It’s the first letters of ‘VIolin,’ ‘PIano’ and ‘SAxophone.’”

Fittingly enough for their first official concert, the Vipisa Trio will perform a World Premiere, of the Trio of Piano, Violin, and Alto Saxophone by contemporary jazz and rock artist and composer David Morgan, of the David Morgan Trio.

In fact, the music is so fresh that the composer was sending it “hot off the presses” directly to Vipisa. Of the five movements, “the first two have been performed many times, and we performed the third last fall,” Moyer said. “But our performance on the 25th will be the World Premiere of the complete piece.”

Pianist David Morgan has written for film and television as well as for several jazz albums with his David Morgan Trio. His most recent release, “Ordinary Glory,” is a rock/pop album which he also produced. “Part of our fun was discovering his music, and working with him,” Moyers said.

The David Morgan work comprises the second half of the concert. Before intermission, the trio plays Dance Suite for Violin, Alto Saxophone and Piano by contemporary American composer and pianist Walter S. Hartley. Composing since 1949, Hartley is known for works that feature the saxophone. “Hartley’s music is very contrapuntal,” Moyer said. “Each instrument has different melodies that are passed around the group.”

Also in the first half, Vipisa performs the Trio for Violin, Clarinet and Piano by 20th century Armenian-born composer Aram Khachaturian. With Shostakovich and Prokofiev, Khachaturian was among the trio of major composers of the Soviet Union alternatingly condemned and honored by the government. He composed this work in 1932. “It’s very rhapsodic,” Moyer said, “with hints of Khachaturian’s native Armenian folk music.”

The Vipisa Trio debuts on Saturday September 25 at 8 pm in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. Tickets: $8/$3 students and seniors from HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. This is a Faculty Artists Series concert produced by the HSU Department of Music.

Media: Humboldt State Now, Arcata Eye.

The Vipisa Trio: The Program

Cindy Moyer, violin
Virginia Ryder, saxophone and clarinet
John Chernoff, piano


Dance Suite for Violin, Alto Saxophone, and Piano by Walter S. Hartley
Polonaise brillante: Allegretto (Valse Lente
Polka Fantasque

Trio for Violin, Clarinet, and Piano by Aram Khachaturian
Andante con dolore, con molto espressione
Allegro
Moderato

I N T E R M I S S I O N

Trio of Piano, Violin, and Alto Saxophone* David Morgan
Tango: Allegro (Consolation
Towers
Belo Horizonte
The Secret of the Golden Flower


*world premiere

Humboldt Symphony

Power to the People: Humboldt Symphony plays symphonic works based on folk and jazz tunes featuring saxophone soloist Virginia Ryder on Saturday, March 6 at 8 PM 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. Conducted by Paul Cummings; produced by the HSU Department of Music.

Paris Jazz, Danny Boy, Crazy Uncle and the Mighty Handful: Humboldt Symphony Plays Music of the People

The Humboldt Symphony presents an airy early-spring program filled with folk melodies and jazz, but in compositions displaying the rich and varied sounds of the symphonic orchestra.

The evening’s centerpiece is Concertino da Camera by 20th century French composer Jacques Ibert, highlighting the American jazz and ragtime rhythms that took 1920s Paris by storm. Virginia Ryder is the featured soloist, in what Symphony conductor Paul Cummings calls “one of the greatest works for alto saxophone in the orchestra repertoire.”

Composer Ibert is known for his playfulness, and the Concertino takes the orchestra on a ride of fascinating rhythms, shifting harmonies and abrupt key changes. “It’s an enjoyable piece to play and to listen to,” Cummings said.

Other pieces on the program go deeper into music of the people, to traditional folk melodies. Percy Grainger’s contribution is self-explanatory: Irish Tune From County Derry. “This is one of Grainger’s primary works,” Cummings said. “This version is unique, though, because it includes strings. It’s a beautiful arrangement, based on the tune we know as ‘Danny Boy.’”

Anatol Liadov’s Eight Russian Folk Songs comprise his best known piece for orchestra. Member of the group of 19th century Russian composers known as “The Mighty Handful,” Liadov’s great talent was for orchestration. “He created a beautiful orchestral setting for these folk songs,” Cummings observed. “He chose really charming songs—very simple, lyrical tunes. But he orchestrates them with very challenging combinations of instruments—for example, the cello section plays a four-part harmony—very unusual. There’s also a lot of contrast from one melody to the next.” Humorous, somber, a lullaby, a dance and a bit of birdsong—a mighty handful indeed.

Intermezzo from Hary Janos Suite by 20th century Hungarian composer Zoltan Kodaly is from the instrumental music of an opera about a Hungarian folk hero, a “crazy uncle” who tells outlandish lies that express the hopes and dreams of the Hungarian people. “This is a colorful piece, also with inventive orchestration.”

The sore thumb of the program is British composer William Walton’s Crown Imperial March, played at the coronation of King George VI in 1937, and substantially revised in 1963. But if Walton didn’t borrow from the people for this acclaimed piece, he at least reputedly borrowed from a friend—Edward Elgar. Listeners detected some echoes of one of Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance marches. “This is one of Walton’s best known pieces,” Cummings said. “It’s usually played by bands, but it actually sounds better played by the orchestra.”

The Humboldt Symphony under the direction of Paul Cummings and featuring saxophone soloist Virginia Ryder, performs on Saturday, March 6 at 8 PM 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. Produced by the HSU Department of Music.
Media: Arcata Eye, Humboldt State Now

Pianist Ching-Ming Cheng, clarinetist Virginia
Ryder and soprano Elisabeth Harrington. Not
pictured but also performing: piansts Deborah
Clasquin and John Chernoff. Click photo to
enlarge.

Fascinating Rhythms

Soprano Elisabeth Harrington with clarinetist Virginia Ryder and pianists Deborah Clasquin, Ching-Ming Cheng and John Chernoff perform jazz-inspired classics by Ned Rorem, Gershwin, Walton and Ravel on Friday, September 26 at 8 PM in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. Tickets are $8 general, $3 students and seniors, from HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. An HSU Music Department Faculty Artist Series concert.

Fascinating Rhythms Times Five

In various combinations and as soloists, soprano Elisabeth Harrington with clarinetist Virginia Ryder and pianists Deborah Clasquin, Ching-Ming Cheng and John Chernoff perform jazz-inspired classics on Friday, September 26 in an HSU Music Department Faculty Artist Series concert.

“The major work for me is Ned Rorem's’Ariel,’ a cycle of five songs based on the poetry of Sylvia Plath,” said Elisabeth Harrington. “Very dark and spooky, and very vivid music.” Harrington will sing, accompanied by Virginia Ryder on clarinet and Ching-Ming Cheng on piano.

Rorem is an American composer, and Plath was an American poet who committed suicide at the age of 31. The program also includes the work of a British poet—Edith Sitwell—interpreted by a British composer, William Walton. Walton, also known for his jazz influences, achieved some of his first fame interpreting Sitwell’s poetry for voice and chamber ensemble. He later adapted “Three Songs” for voice and piano. Harrington will sing, accompanied by John Chernoff.

“Three Songs” by American composer William Bolcom is also jazz-inflected, but has more of “a cabaret feel,” Harrington said. She sings with pianist Deborah Clasquin accompanying.

Clasquin plays a set of virtuoso etudes by Earl Wild based on George Gershwin songs, including “Fascinating Rhythm” and “The Man I Love.” “Each song presents a different set of technical hurdles,” Clasquin commented. “They incorporate some early jazz keyboard styles, such as ragtime.”

Pianist Ching-Ming Cheng also performs a solo piece: “Alborada del Gracioso,” a section from a larger work by 20th century Basque-French composer, Maurice Ravel. “This is probably one of the most difficult pieces in the piano repertoire,” she admits. “It doesn’t sound very difficult, but it’s very hard to play. It’s got a lot of variety, and once you have it down, it’s a pleasure to play.”

Harrington, Clasquin, Cheng and Chernoff, all members of the HSU Music Department, are in concert on Friday, September 26 at 8 PM in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. Tickets are $8 general, $3 students and seniors, from HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door.

Media: Arcata Eye (photo), Eureka Times-Standard (photo), Eureka Reporter.

Virginia Ryder

Virginia Ryder

Classical Sax: Virginia Ryder performs an evening of classical saxophone music, accompanied by John Chernoff on piano, in an HSU Faculty Artist Series concert on Saturday, February 10 at 8 PM in Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. Tickets are $8 general, $3 students, from the HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door.

Rare Pleasures of Classical Sax in Faculty Artist Series Concert at HSU

Say “saxophone” and you might think of jazz artists like John Coltrane and Branford Marsalis, or pop stars like Kenny G., or maybe the Stax sax soul sound, the Big Band sax section of Glenn Miller, or the raunchy sax of 1950s rock & roll. But these are not what Adolphe Sax had in mind when he invented the instrument in 1840.

“He meant it to be a classical instrument,” said Virginia Ryder of the HSU Department of Music. “He thought it would be integrated in orchestras.”

That didn’t happen very much, but with the finesse of woodwinds and the power of brass, the relatively new instrument called the saxophone still found favor with classical music composers.

One of the first was Russian composer Alexander Glazounov (1865-1939) whose “Concerto” will be performed by Virginia Ryder on saxophone and John Chernoff on piano, as part of their upcoming evening of classical saxophone music at HSU’s Fulkerson Recital Hall.

“John requested this one,” Ryder said, “but it’s also been one of my favorites. This is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to perform it since I was a student.”

The duo will also perform “Picnic on the Marne” by contemporary American composer Ned Rorem. “He’s known mostly for his songs, and this set of seven pieces are essentially songs without words,” Ryder said. The theme is a couple of friends on a road trip from Paris to the country and back, with interactions described by “stage directions” in the score, including “fast and blatant,” “dangerously slow, muffled in blue, followed by a tense discussion” during which the saxophone is directed to play “hot and free,” and the piano is to be “cold and strict.” “It’s a lot of fun to play,” Ryder added.

Contemporary French composer Claude Bolling is probably best known for his “Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio” with Jean-Pierre Rampal. Like that work, his “Le Papillon” (The Butterfly) for saxophone and piano “goes back and forth from a classical to a jazz feel,” as Ryder describes it. “It plays around with time elements—it’s also a lot of fun.”

What Ryder describes as the “dark cloud” or serious moment in this generally “ light-hearted program” is “Elegie et Rondeau” by Czech-born, naturalized American contemporary composer Karel Husa, whose “String Quartet #3” won the Pulitzer Prize in 1969. “This is a very powerful piece, with a lot of the same emotions of his most-played work, “Music for Prague 1968.”

The program ends with “Tiamat,” composed by a former HSU student and current member of the HSU Music faculty, Dante DeSilva. “It’s a work for unaccompanied saxophone that uses ‘extended techniques’ that go beyond the usual saxophone techniques to include multiphonics, which is sounding more than one tone at a time,” Ryder said.

Virginia Ryder has performed extensively on saxophone and oboe through the U.S. in orchestras including the Boston Symphony, Denver Symphony and Pittsburgh Symphony. She is a current member of the Eureka Symphony, Symphony of the Redwoods in Mendocino County and the Mendocino Music Festival Orchestra. She’s also performed with Manhattan Transfer, George Burns and Bill Cosby. She teaches studio oboe, bassoon, saxophone, class woodwinds and chamber music at HSU.