Saturday, December 06, 2008
Cross Currents of Rhythm with HSU Percussion Groups
Three HSU percussion groups—the Percussion Ensemble, World Percussion Group and the Calypso Band-- bring cross-currents of world rhythms to the Van Duzer Theatre on Saturday, December 6.
The Percussion Ensemble, directed by Dr. Eugene Novotney, presents “Cross Currents,” a major work for percussion orchestra by Lynn Glassock. “It calls for a massive group of percussionists playing on four marimbas, two vibraphones, chimes, glockenspiel, five timpani, and a collection of over 35 drums, cymbals, and hand percussion instruments,” Dr. Novotney said.
The Ensemble’s featured classical work is “Second Construction” by John Cage. Novotney describes it as “highly experimental,” featuring exotic instruments such as Balinese gongs, Indian oxen bells, African pod-rattles, and Chinese temple bells. It also includes Cage’s patented “prepared piano”—which augments the classical grand with nuts, bolts, washers and other objects placed on the piano strings. “It sounds more like an electronic synthesizer than an acoustic piano,” Novotney observed. “The effect is stunning and surprising.”
The World Percussion Group, directed by Howard Kaufman, completes the first half of the program with traditional Anlo-Ewe dance drumming from Ghana in West Africa. Dancers from the HSU dance studio, led by HSU Theatre, Film and Dance faculty member Deborah Ketelsen, will perform traditional dances of the Anlo-Ewe people.
As usual, the second half of the evening is devoted to the high-energy dance rhythms of the Humboldt State Calypso Band. For this concert the emphasis is on traditional Calypso music of Trinidad and Tabago. “The band prides itself in maintaining an accurate and authentic connection to the roots of the steel band movement, and to the innovative musicians of Trinidad, where this unique percussion phenomenon was born,” Novotney said. A fixture at North Coast outdoor celebrations, the Calypso Band has performed in San Francisco, Long Angeles and Seattle.
The HSU Percussion Ensemble, World Percussion Group and Calypso Band perform on Saturday, December 6 at 8 p.m. in the Van Duzer Theatre on the HSU campus in Arcata. Tickets are $7 general, $3 students/seniors, from the HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. First 50 HSU students Free with ID.
Media: Arcata Eye, North Coast Journal, Humboldt State Now.
Three HSU percussion groups—the Percussion Ensemble, World Percussion Group and the Calypso Band-- bring cross-currents of world rhythms to the Van Duzer Theatre on Saturday, December 6.
The Percussion Ensemble, directed by Dr. Eugene Novotney, presents “Cross Currents,” a major work for percussion orchestra by Lynn Glassock. “It calls for a massive group of percussionists playing on four marimbas, two vibraphones, chimes, glockenspiel, five timpani, and a collection of over 35 drums, cymbals, and hand percussion instruments,” Dr. Novotney said.
The Ensemble’s featured classical work is “Second Construction” by John Cage. Novotney describes it as “highly experimental,” featuring exotic instruments such as Balinese gongs, Indian oxen bells, African pod-rattles, and Chinese temple bells. It also includes Cage’s patented “prepared piano”—which augments the classical grand with nuts, bolts, washers and other objects placed on the piano strings. “It sounds more like an electronic synthesizer than an acoustic piano,” Novotney observed. “The effect is stunning and surprising.”
The World Percussion Group, directed by Howard Kaufman, completes the first half of the program with traditional Anlo-Ewe dance drumming from Ghana in West Africa. Dancers from the HSU dance studio, led by HSU Theatre, Film and Dance faculty member Deborah Ketelsen, will perform traditional dances of the Anlo-Ewe people.
As usual, the second half of the evening is devoted to the high-energy dance rhythms of the Humboldt State Calypso Band. For this concert the emphasis is on traditional Calypso music of Trinidad and Tabago. “The band prides itself in maintaining an accurate and authentic connection to the roots of the steel band movement, and to the innovative musicians of Trinidad, where this unique percussion phenomenon was born,” Novotney said. A fixture at North Coast outdoor celebrations, the Calypso Band has performed in San Francisco, Long Angeles and Seattle.
The HSU Percussion Ensemble, World Percussion Group and Calypso Band perform on Saturday, December 6 at 8 p.m. in the Van Duzer Theatre on the HSU campus in Arcata. Tickets are $7 general, $3 students/seniors, from the HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. First 50 HSU students Free with ID.
Media: Arcata Eye, North Coast Journal, Humboldt State Now.
Friday, December 05, 2008
HSU Symphonic Band
“Five Living Composers and One Dead Guy:” live music by (mostly) live composers, performed by the HSU Symphonic Band on Friday, December 5 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. Directed by Paul Cummings; an HSU Music Department production.
“Five Living Composers and One Dead Guy:” live music by (mostly) live composers, performed by the HSU Symphonic Band on Friday, December 5 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. Directed by Paul Cummings; an HSU Music Department production.
Noisy Wheels of Joy with the HSU Symphonic Band
Three conductors lead the HSU Symphonic Band in six modern band works by five living composers, and one dead guy. Not bad for one concert, which happens on Friday, December 5 in Fulkerson Recital Hall.
Especially when the first selection on the program is called “Noisy Wheels of Joy.”
“That’s by Eric Whitacre,” said Paul Cummings, HSU music professor and director of the Symphonic Band. “He’s one of the two composers we’re doing who are still in their 20s. But like all of these composers, his work is widely respected, and performed by major orchestras.”
“Noisy Wheels of Joy” will be conducted by Kenneth Ayoob, who directed the Symphonic Band for 13 years, until 2005. He is currently Interim Dean of the HSU College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. “It’s exciting for the band to have him back,” Cummings said.
The other guest conductor is Dr. Robert Ponto, director of bands at the University of Oregon. “He’s an expert on contemporary music as well as a highly regarded conductor,” Cummings said. “His specialty is living composers, and he knows many of them personally.” He will conduct “Strange Humors” by John Mackey (the other twenty-something from Julliard) and “Serenade Romantic” by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Joseph Turrin.
Cummings will himself conduct “Three Dances of Enchantment” by American-born composer Luigi Zaninelli, “Song” by William Bolcom and “Petite Symphonie” by Charles Gounod. “He’s the dead guy.” Gounod was a French composer of the 19th century.
“Five Living Composers and One Dead Guy:” a program of modern music is performed by the HSU Symphonic Band on Friday, December 5 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.
Media: Arcata Eye, Humboldt State Now.
Three conductors lead the HSU Symphonic Band in six modern band works by five living composers, and one dead guy. Not bad for one concert, which happens on Friday, December 5 in Fulkerson Recital Hall.
Especially when the first selection on the program is called “Noisy Wheels of Joy.”
“That’s by Eric Whitacre,” said Paul Cummings, HSU music professor and director of the Symphonic Band. “He’s one of the two composers we’re doing who are still in their 20s. But like all of these composers, his work is widely respected, and performed by major orchestras.”
“Noisy Wheels of Joy” will be conducted by Kenneth Ayoob, who directed the Symphonic Band for 13 years, until 2005. He is currently Interim Dean of the HSU College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. “It’s exciting for the band to have him back,” Cummings said.
The other guest conductor is Dr. Robert Ponto, director of bands at the University of Oregon. “He’s an expert on contemporary music as well as a highly regarded conductor,” Cummings said. “His specialty is living composers, and he knows many of them personally.” He will conduct “Strange Humors” by John Mackey (the other twenty-something from Julliard) and “Serenade Romantic” by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Joseph Turrin.
Cummings will himself conduct “Three Dances of Enchantment” by American-born composer Luigi Zaninelli, “Song” by William Bolcom and “Petite Symphonie” by Charles Gounod. “He’s the dead guy.” Gounod was a French composer of the 19th century.
“Five Living Composers and One Dead Guy:” a program of modern music is performed by the HSU Symphonic Band on Friday, December 5 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.
Media: Arcata Eye, Humboldt State Now.
Guest Conductor Robert Ponto
Robert Ponto is an Associate Professor of Music at the University of Oregon where he is Director of Bands and conductor of the Oregon Wind Ensemble.
Ponto’s frequent appearances as guest conductor include the Detroit Chamber Winds, the Interlochen Arts Academy Band, and numerous state and regional honor groups throughout the United States. His performing ensembles appear regularly at the state, regional and national conferences of the College Band Directors National Association and the Music Educators National Conference. His groups have also been featured at the "Bang on a Can" contemporary music festival in New York City, on National Public Radio and Oregon Public Radio.
An advocate of new music, Ponto is actively involved in the commissioning of new works, and has collaborated with many influential composers including John Adams, Steven Stucky, Gia Kancheli, Michael Daugherty, Scott Lindroth, Augusta Read Thomas, Philip Rothman and David Maslanka. Also a proponent of electronic music, his most recently performed composition is, Postmark Sirius: In Memoriam Karlheinz Stockhausen, for trumpet and live electronics.
As a teacher of conducting, Ponto has earned considerable respect for his creative work both at the University of Oregon and at conducting workshops throughout the United States, Canada and United Kingdom. Mr. Ponto was recently inducted into the American Bandmasters Association.
Robert Ponto is an Associate Professor of Music at the University of Oregon where he is Director of Bands and conductor of the Oregon Wind Ensemble.
Ponto’s frequent appearances as guest conductor include the Detroit Chamber Winds, the Interlochen Arts Academy Band, and numerous state and regional honor groups throughout the United States. His performing ensembles appear regularly at the state, regional and national conferences of the College Band Directors National Association and the Music Educators National Conference. His groups have also been featured at the "Bang on a Can" contemporary music festival in New York City, on National Public Radio and Oregon Public Radio.
An advocate of new music, Ponto is actively involved in the commissioning of new works, and has collaborated with many influential composers including John Adams, Steven Stucky, Gia Kancheli, Michael Daugherty, Scott Lindroth, Augusta Read Thomas, Philip Rothman and David Maslanka. Also a proponent of electronic music, his most recently performed composition is, Postmark Sirius: In Memoriam Karlheinz Stockhausen, for trumpet and live electronics.
As a teacher of conducting, Ponto has earned considerable respect for his creative work both at the University of Oregon and at conducting workshops throughout the United States, Canada and United Kingdom. Mr. Ponto was recently inducted into the American Bandmasters Association.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Guest Artist Bonnie Draina Sings of Love and Loss
With a program that ranges from Mozart and Schubert to Japanese lullabies and poems by Emily Dickinson set to the music of contemporary composers, soprano Bonnie Draina visits HSU from Boulder, Colorado, for a Guest Artist concert on Monday, November 17 in Fulkerson Recital Hall.
Draina describes the program as featuring “Classical and Romantic pieces about abandoned and lovelorn women.”
Also highlighted are settings of Emily Dickinson poems by 20th century American composers William Roy, Ricky Ian Gordon, Richard Pearson Thomas and Lee Hoiby.
“Hoiby's ‘The Shining Place’ is comprised of five songs of vastly differing mood, from mournful to celebratory, in which both poet and composer draw parallels between forces of nature and human emotion, “ Draina said.
Draina will sing selections from "Hushaby Songs" by Sayaka Ishiguro, adapted from traditional lullabies from various regions of Japan. She will also perform “Perpetuelle” by 19th century French romantic composer Ernest Chausson. “This is more often heard with a piano quintet or orchestra,” she said, “but the piano and vocal version is gorgeous, too.”
As a special treat for the Humboldt audience, she will sing the Susanna-Countess duet from Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro with HSU soprano Elisabeth Harrington.
Bonnie Draina currently teaches studio voice and vocal pedagogy at University of Colorado-Boulder. She specializes in Body Mapping and somatic education of singers. Her most recent performances include an all-Mozart program with the Boulder Philharmonic, and as soprano soloist for Stravinsky's Les Noces, with choir and percussion/piano ensemble at Colorado University.
Bonnie Draina performs on Monday, November 17 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. This is a Guest Artist concert, produced by the HSU Department of Music.
Media: Arcata Eye, Humboldt State Now.
With a program that ranges from Mozart and Schubert to Japanese lullabies and poems by Emily Dickinson set to the music of contemporary composers, soprano Bonnie Draina visits HSU from Boulder, Colorado, for a Guest Artist concert on Monday, November 17 in Fulkerson Recital Hall.
Draina describes the program as featuring “Classical and Romantic pieces about abandoned and lovelorn women.”
Also highlighted are settings of Emily Dickinson poems by 20th century American composers William Roy, Ricky Ian Gordon, Richard Pearson Thomas and Lee Hoiby.
“Hoiby's ‘The Shining Place’ is comprised of five songs of vastly differing mood, from mournful to celebratory, in which both poet and composer draw parallels between forces of nature and human emotion, “ Draina said.
Draina will sing selections from "Hushaby Songs" by Sayaka Ishiguro, adapted from traditional lullabies from various regions of Japan. She will also perform “Perpetuelle” by 19th century French romantic composer Ernest Chausson. “This is more often heard with a piano quintet or orchestra,” she said, “but the piano and vocal version is gorgeous, too.”
As a special treat for the Humboldt audience, she will sing the Susanna-Countess duet from Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro with HSU soprano Elisabeth Harrington.
Bonnie Draina currently teaches studio voice and vocal pedagogy at University of Colorado-Boulder. She specializes in Body Mapping and somatic education of singers. Her most recent performances include an all-Mozart program with the Boulder Philharmonic, and as soprano soloist for Stravinsky's Les Noces, with choir and percussion/piano ensemble at Colorado University.
Bonnie Draina performs on Monday, November 17 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. This is a Guest Artist concert, produced by the HSU Department of Music.
Media: Arcata Eye, Humboldt State Now.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
From the Page to the Air: New Composers, New Beginnings
With help from fellow musicians, HSU students pursuing a degree in Composition move their notes from the page to the air, in a concert of new work dubbed “New Beginnings,” on Saturday, November 15 in the Fulkerson Recital Hall.
“They’re experimenting with both new and old musical approaches,” said Dr. J. Brian Post, HSU professor of Music Theory and Composition. “Their music contains influences from American folk, jazz and rock and roll as well as European art music from Mozart’s time to the present.”
Featured composers for this recital include Joanne Rand, Louie Ochoa, Mark Jensen, Greg Moore, Anna Pinsky and Dennis Astley. Their music will be performed by HSU student and faculty players.
”New Beginnings” begins at 8 p.m. on Saturday, November 15 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.
Media: Arcata Eye, North Coast Journal, Humboldt State Now.
With help from fellow musicians, HSU students pursuing a degree in Composition move their notes from the page to the air, in a concert of new work dubbed “New Beginnings,” on Saturday, November 15 in the Fulkerson Recital Hall.
“They’re experimenting with both new and old musical approaches,” said Dr. J. Brian Post, HSU professor of Music Theory and Composition. “Their music contains influences from American folk, jazz and rock and roll as well as European art music from Mozart’s time to the present.”
Featured composers for this recital include Joanne Rand, Louie Ochoa, Mark Jensen, Greg Moore, Anna Pinsky and Dennis Astley. Their music will be performed by HSU student and faculty players.
”New Beginnings” begins at 8 p.m. on Saturday, November 15 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.
Media: Arcata Eye, North Coast Journal, Humboldt State Now.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Jazz Combos
An all-strings trio, a jazz sextet and a bop quartet are this year’s HSU Jazz Combos, performing on Friday, November 14, 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.
An all-strings trio, a jazz sextet and a bop quartet are this year’s HSU Jazz Combos, performing on Friday, November 14, 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.
Variety is the Spice of Jazz
An all-string trio with a twist, a groove sextet and a bop quartet are this year’s HSU Jazz Combos, performing a mix of classics and original tunes on Friday, November 14 in the Fulkerson Recital Hall.
As usual, the three combos are the best of this year’s players, each group named after the day of the week they usually practice.
The Tuesday Trio is Drew McGowan, violin; Michael See, guitar; and Josh Boronkay, bass. “They have an unusual all-strings, drummer-less lineup that is often associated with the great Gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt and so-called ‘gypsy jazz’, but they’re a little different,” said Dan Aldag, HSU music professor and “coach” of the combos. “They play bebop tunes like Dizzy Gillespie's ‘A Night In Tunisia’ and Oscar Pettiford's ‘Tricotism’. They’re also playing an as-yet untitled original by their guitarist, Michael See. The trio has developed a number of different ways to compensate for the drums usually associated with modern jazz.”
The Wednesday Sextet is Ari Davie, trumpet; Brian Jones, alto sax; Leo Echazábel, tenor sax and bass clarinet; Charlie Sleep, guitar; Cullen Miller, bass; and Gabriel Ben-Shalom, drums. “Their music is frequently groove-oriented, with elements of both '50s/'60s hard bop and today's groove or acid jazz,” Aldag said. The sextet performs Clifford Brown's "Sandu", Joe Zawinul's "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy", Freddie Hubbard's "Red Clay" and Pat Metheny's "Midwestern Night's Dream"—“each imaginatively rearranged by the sextet.”
The Friday Quartet is Isaac Williams, tenor sax; Aber Miller, piano; Michael Dieter, bass and Abraham Chase-Muhammad, drums. They play in a contemporary post-bop style and will be performing ‘Joshua’ (made famous by Miles Davis), "Swinging At The Haven" (by Ellis Marsalis), Nirvana's "In Bloom", and a new tune by the group's pianist Aber Miller, called "Requiem Pacifique".
The HSU Jazz Combos perform on Friday, November 14 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.
Media: Arcata Eye, Humboldt State Now.
An all-string trio with a twist, a groove sextet and a bop quartet are this year’s HSU Jazz Combos, performing a mix of classics and original tunes on Friday, November 14 in the Fulkerson Recital Hall.
As usual, the three combos are the best of this year’s players, each group named after the day of the week they usually practice.
The Tuesday Trio is Drew McGowan, violin; Michael See, guitar; and Josh Boronkay, bass. “They have an unusual all-strings, drummer-less lineup that is often associated with the great Gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt and so-called ‘gypsy jazz’, but they’re a little different,” said Dan Aldag, HSU music professor and “coach” of the combos. “They play bebop tunes like Dizzy Gillespie's ‘A Night In Tunisia’ and Oscar Pettiford's ‘Tricotism’. They’re also playing an as-yet untitled original by their guitarist, Michael See. The trio has developed a number of different ways to compensate for the drums usually associated with modern jazz.”
The Wednesday Sextet is Ari Davie, trumpet; Brian Jones, alto sax; Leo Echazábel, tenor sax and bass clarinet; Charlie Sleep, guitar; Cullen Miller, bass; and Gabriel Ben-Shalom, drums. “Their music is frequently groove-oriented, with elements of both '50s/'60s hard bop and today's groove or acid jazz,” Aldag said. The sextet performs Clifford Brown's "Sandu", Joe Zawinul's "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy", Freddie Hubbard's "Red Clay" and Pat Metheny's "Midwestern Night's Dream"—“each imaginatively rearranged by the sextet.”
The Friday Quartet is Isaac Williams, tenor sax; Aber Miller, piano; Michael Dieter, bass and Abraham Chase-Muhammad, drums. They play in a contemporary post-bop style and will be performing ‘Joshua’ (made famous by Miles Davis), "Swinging At The Haven" (by Ellis Marsalis), Nirvana's "In Bloom", and a new tune by the group's pianist Aber Miller, called "Requiem Pacifique".
The HSU Jazz Combos perform on Friday, November 14 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.
Media: Arcata Eye, Humboldt State Now.
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Paul Cummings
Paul Cummings performs on clarinet, featuring works by Mozart, Weber and Charles Villiers Stanford, with pianist John Chernoff and violist Karen Davy, on Sunday, November 9 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.
Paul Cummings performs on clarinet, featuring works by Mozart, Weber and Charles Villiers Stanford, with pianist John Chernoff and violist Karen Davy, on Sunday, November 9 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.
Paul Cummings: Better Late Than Never for the Clarinet
Concertgoers—not to mention jazz fans—are used to the clarinet as a standard musical instrument…but it wasn’t always so.
“There was no clarinet in the Renaissance or the Baroque period,” HSU professor Paul Cummings points out. “In something like three hundred years of western music, there was basically nothing written for the clarinet.”
But a lot of great music has been written for it since, and clarinetist Paul Cummings will play three works—one acknowledged masterpiece, one well-regarded piece and one that is seldom performed—on Sunday, November 9 in Fulkerson Recital Hall.
It was only at the turn of the 18th century that technology allowed the modern clarinet to be adapted from an earlier instrument. Fortunately, that was just in time to catch the ear of a composer named Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who thought the clarinet best approximated the qualities of the human voice.
“Mozart took a liking to it, and he wrote some of his greatest works for this instrument,” Cummings said, “including his clarinet concerto, a beautiful clarinet quintet, and the clarinet trio we will perform.”
Together with pianist John Chernoff (who accompanies him on all three pieces) and Karen Davy on viola, Cummings plays Mozart’s Trio for Clarinet, Viola and Piano.
“This piece has three movements but it’s a little unusual in that it has no slow movement,” Cummings explained. “It’s also interesting because it is balanced equally among the three instruments. It is so much fun to play this piece—you can tell why it is a masterpiece.”
Cummings and Chernoff combine on another familiar work in the clarinet repertoire, the Grand Duo Concertant by German composer Karl Maria von Weber.
“Weber was known first of all as a composer of German opera,” Cummings explained. “His music is very dramatic. So in this piece there are some really wild contrasts, as you might hear in an opera. There are very loud and very soft parts, tempo changes—all very intense. It’s kind of a clarinet showpiece. That’s partly because Weber, like Mozart, understands the strengths of the instrument. Not every composer understands what the clarinet can do.”
Another composer who did is not as famous for it. “Charles Villiers Stanford was known mostly as a teacher,” Cummings said. His students at the Royal College of Music and Cambridge University included composers Gustav Holst and Ralph Vaughan Williams. Though he taught during the musical ferment of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Stanford’s predilections as a composer favored a slightly earlier age.
“He reminded a lot of people of Brahms. So his work is not part of the standard repertoire—maybe because people consider his work a Brahms knock-off. But the piece we’re doing--Stanford’s Sonata for Clarinet and Piano—has its original features.”
“It has three movement, with a fascinating slow movement based on an Irish folk song,” Cummings said. “Stanford was born in Dublin. It’s a kind of lullaby—very tender, simple at times, but with clarinet passages that decorate the melody. For me that beautiful second movement is a highlight.”
Music professor Paul Cummings is also the conductor of the Humboldt Symphony and director of the HSU Symphonic Band. His clarinet concert begins at 8 p.m. on Sunday, November 9 in the 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: Humboldt State Now
Concertgoers—not to mention jazz fans—are used to the clarinet as a standard musical instrument…but it wasn’t always so.
“There was no clarinet in the Renaissance or the Baroque period,” HSU professor Paul Cummings points out. “In something like three hundred years of western music, there was basically nothing written for the clarinet.”
But a lot of great music has been written for it since, and clarinetist Paul Cummings will play three works—one acknowledged masterpiece, one well-regarded piece and one that is seldom performed—on Sunday, November 9 in Fulkerson Recital Hall.
It was only at the turn of the 18th century that technology allowed the modern clarinet to be adapted from an earlier instrument. Fortunately, that was just in time to catch the ear of a composer named Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who thought the clarinet best approximated the qualities of the human voice.
“Mozart took a liking to it, and he wrote some of his greatest works for this instrument,” Cummings said, “including his clarinet concerto, a beautiful clarinet quintet, and the clarinet trio we will perform.”
Together with pianist John Chernoff (who accompanies him on all three pieces) and Karen Davy on viola, Cummings plays Mozart’s Trio for Clarinet, Viola and Piano.
“This piece has three movements but it’s a little unusual in that it has no slow movement,” Cummings explained. “It’s also interesting because it is balanced equally among the three instruments. It is so much fun to play this piece—you can tell why it is a masterpiece.”
Cummings and Chernoff combine on another familiar work in the clarinet repertoire, the Grand Duo Concertant by German composer Karl Maria von Weber.
“Weber was known first of all as a composer of German opera,” Cummings explained. “His music is very dramatic. So in this piece there are some really wild contrasts, as you might hear in an opera. There are very loud and very soft parts, tempo changes—all very intense. It’s kind of a clarinet showpiece. That’s partly because Weber, like Mozart, understands the strengths of the instrument. Not every composer understands what the clarinet can do.”
Another composer who did is not as famous for it. “Charles Villiers Stanford was known mostly as a teacher,” Cummings said. His students at the Royal College of Music and Cambridge University included composers Gustav Holst and Ralph Vaughan Williams. Though he taught during the musical ferment of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Stanford’s predilections as a composer favored a slightly earlier age.
“He reminded a lot of people of Brahms. So his work is not part of the standard repertoire—maybe because people consider his work a Brahms knock-off. But the piece we’re doing--Stanford’s Sonata for Clarinet and Piano—has its original features.”
“It has three movement, with a fascinating slow movement based on an Irish folk song,” Cummings said. “Stanford was born in Dublin. It’s a kind of lullaby—very tender, simple at times, but with clarinet passages that decorate the melody. For me that beautiful second movement is a highlight.”
Music professor Paul Cummings is also the conductor of the Humboldt Symphony and director of the HSU Symphonic Band. His clarinet concert begins at 8 p.m. on Sunday, November 9 in the 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: Humboldt State Now
Friday, November 07, 2008
Opera Workshop
The HSU Opera Workshop performs a light-hearted one-act opera by Milton Granger and scenes from a comic opera for children set in a circus, on Friday and Saturday, November 7 and 8, 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.
The HSU Opera Workshop performs a light-hearted one-act opera by Milton Granger and scenes from a comic opera for children set in a circus, on Friday and Saturday, November 7 and 8, 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.
Lighten Your Heart with the HSU Opera Workshop
For those who think of opera as only “operatic” melodrama involving tragic Europeans of a bygone age, the HSU Opera Workshop has a couple of surprises for its upcoming performances on Friday and Saturday, November 7 and 8.
The student workshop will perform a one-act opera by contemporary American composer Milton Granger, called “The Proposal:” When a young woman receives a marriage proposal, she debates what she should do with five figures who represent different parts of her own personality.
“Though its mostly light-hearted,” said Elisabeth Harrington, teacher and director of the workshop for the HSU Department of Music, “the opera touches on important issues women—and men—must face when choosing whether to enter into a serious relationship.”
Jamie Banister plays the young woman who splits into five aspects of her psyche: Katherine Kinley as her “Statue of Liberty,” Jerilyn Gashi as her inner Security Officer, Lindsey Tewksbury as her five-year old self, Sarah Benzinger as her “Mother Theresa”, and Sara Scibetta as her Sensual self.
In an even more light-hearted vein, the Workshop begins with scenes from "Sid the Serpent Who Wanted to Sing," an opera for children by another contemporary American composer, Malcolm Fox.
In this comic romp, Sid is a serpent who performs as part of a circus quartet, but longs for deeper artistic fulfillment. Chris Hatcher plays Sid, James Murphy is the Strong Man, Brandy Rose is the Clown, Molly Severdia is the Juggler and Jessica Malone is the expert opera teacher Sid consults.
The Opera Workshop performs on Friday and Saturday, November 7 and 8, 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.
Media: Arcata Eye, Humboldt State Now.
For those who think of opera as only “operatic” melodrama involving tragic Europeans of a bygone age, the HSU Opera Workshop has a couple of surprises for its upcoming performances on Friday and Saturday, November 7 and 8.
The student workshop will perform a one-act opera by contemporary American composer Milton Granger, called “The Proposal:” When a young woman receives a marriage proposal, she debates what she should do with five figures who represent different parts of her own personality.
“Though its mostly light-hearted,” said Elisabeth Harrington, teacher and director of the workshop for the HSU Department of Music, “the opera touches on important issues women—and men—must face when choosing whether to enter into a serious relationship.”
Jamie Banister plays the young woman who splits into five aspects of her psyche: Katherine Kinley as her “Statue of Liberty,” Jerilyn Gashi as her inner Security Officer, Lindsey Tewksbury as her five-year old self, Sarah Benzinger as her “Mother Theresa”, and Sara Scibetta as her Sensual self.
In an even more light-hearted vein, the Workshop begins with scenes from "Sid the Serpent Who Wanted to Sing," an opera for children by another contemporary American composer, Malcolm Fox.
In this comic romp, Sid is a serpent who performs as part of a circus quartet, but longs for deeper artistic fulfillment. Chris Hatcher plays Sid, James Murphy is the Strong Man, Brandy Rose is the Clown, Molly Severdia is the Juggler and Jessica Malone is the expert opera teacher Sid consults.
The Opera Workshop performs on Friday and Saturday, November 7 and 8, 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.
Media: Arcata Eye, Humboldt State Now.
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Marching in Arcata with the Humboldt Bay Brass Band
The 28 players of the Humboldt Bay Brass Band performs classics, new compositions and another newly discovered and arranged march by the legendary Humboldt County bandmaster Professor Frank Flowers, on Saturday, November 1 at Fulkerson Recital Hall.
From the sheet music trove that made its way from a Seattle apartment building to the Humboldt County Historical Society and then to Gil Cline, conductor of the Brass Band, comes another lost composition by Professor Frank Flowers, the Eureka High School band director in the 1920s and 30s. Last fall the Brass Band presented Cline’s arrangement of “Redwood Highway March.” This year, the Band plays Cline’s arrangement of Flowers’ march, “My Friend in Arcata,” in honor of Arcata’s 150th anniversary.
The first half of the concert also features the classic “Poet and Peasant Overture” by 19th century composer Franz von Suppe and "Um Bom Tambour" (One Good Drum) by Band member and local composer, Gregg Moore.
The second half begins with music familiar to many from its years as a theme for network broadcasts of the Olympic Games: “Bugler’s Dream” by French-American composer Leo Arnaud, as arranged by Gil Cline for Brass Band.
Then the Band presents the premiere performance of ”Tower Bells and Brass in the Firmament,” an original composition by Gil Cline, who described it as a “soundscape” of bells in all directions. Featured are chimes, orchestra bell and celesta, as well as brass.
Ending the concert is the classic, "Crown Imperial" by British composer William Walton, written originally for the coronation of King George VI in 1937, and featured again in 1953 for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
The Humboldt Bay Brass Band, an HSU Music Department ensemble, is the only traditional brass band in northwest California. It performs on Saturday, November 1 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.
The 28 players of the Humboldt Bay Brass Band performs classics, new compositions and another newly discovered and arranged march by the legendary Humboldt County bandmaster Professor Frank Flowers, on Saturday, November 1 at Fulkerson Recital Hall.
From the sheet music trove that made its way from a Seattle apartment building to the Humboldt County Historical Society and then to Gil Cline, conductor of the Brass Band, comes another lost composition by Professor Frank Flowers, the Eureka High School band director in the 1920s and 30s. Last fall the Brass Band presented Cline’s arrangement of “Redwood Highway March.” This year, the Band plays Cline’s arrangement of Flowers’ march, “My Friend in Arcata,” in honor of Arcata’s 150th anniversary.
The first half of the concert also features the classic “Poet and Peasant Overture” by 19th century composer Franz von Suppe and "Um Bom Tambour" (One Good Drum) by Band member and local composer, Gregg Moore.
The second half begins with music familiar to many from its years as a theme for network broadcasts of the Olympic Games: “Bugler’s Dream” by French-American composer Leo Arnaud, as arranged by Gil Cline for Brass Band.
Then the Band presents the premiere performance of ”Tower Bells and Brass in the Firmament,” an original composition by Gil Cline, who described it as a “soundscape” of bells in all directions. Featured are chimes, orchestra bell and celesta, as well as brass.
Ending the concert is the classic, "Crown Imperial" by British composer William Walton, written originally for the coronation of King George VI in 1937, and featured again in 1953 for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
The Humboldt Bay Brass Band, an HSU Music Department ensemble, is the only traditional brass band in northwest California. It performs on Saturday, November 1 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.
Musicians of HBBB include:
Burt Codispoti, Tom Cover, Perry Crook, JoyceCarter, Alex Fonseca, John Ferreira, Oshi Jager, Tristan Kadish, JenniferReiske, Gregg Sisk, and William Zoller - Cornets.
Gary Ross - Flugelhorn.
Matt Morgan, Anwyn Halliday, and DickLaForge - Tenor Horns.
Phil Sams and Toshi Noguchi - Baritone Horns.
George Epperson, Doug Hendricks, and Kearney VanderSal - Trombones.
George Ritscher and Matt Sullivan - Euphoniums.
Damien Adams, Jerry Carter, Elizabeth Cruz, Joe Eckert, and Gregg Moore - Bass Tubas.
Jessica Bishop, Julia Chase, GraceKerr, and Beth Moyer - Percussion.
Burt Codispoti, Tom Cover, Perry Crook, JoyceCarter, Alex Fonseca, John Ferreira, Oshi Jager, Tristan Kadish, JenniferReiske, Gregg Sisk, and William Zoller - Cornets.
Gary Ross - Flugelhorn.
Matt Morgan, Anwyn Halliday, and DickLaForge - Tenor Horns.
Phil Sams and Toshi Noguchi - Baritone Horns.
George Epperson, Doug Hendricks, and Kearney VanderSal - Trombones.
George Ritscher and Matt Sullivan - Euphoniums.
Damien Adams, Jerry Carter, Elizabeth Cruz, Joe Eckert, and Gregg Moore - Bass Tubas.
Jessica Bishop, Julia Chase, GraceKerr, and Beth Moyer - Percussion.
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.
Friday, September 26, 2008
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.
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.
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.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Terrie Baune & Deborah Clasquin: Behind the Iron Curtain
A chamber music recital featuring Terrie Baune (violin), Deborah Clasquin (piano) and other musicians in a program of Shostakovich and other Soviet-era composers, on Saturday, September 13 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. A Faculty Artists Series concert sponsored by the HSU Department of Music.
A chamber music recital featuring Terrie Baune (violin), Deborah Clasquin (piano) and other musicians in a program of Shostakovich and other Soviet-era composers, on Saturday, September 13 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. A Faculty Artists Series concert sponsored by the HSU Department of Music.
Baune and Clasquin Back in the USSR
Renewing a performing partnership that goes back more than a decade, violinist Terrie Baune and pianist Deborah Clasquin headline a program of works by Dmitri Shostakovich and other Eastern European composers of the Soviet era.
The recital they are calling “Behind the Iron Curtain” begins at 8 PM on Saturday, September 13 in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata.
Baune and Clasquin are reuniting, Clasquin said, “to perform an early love: chamber music.” That’s especially fitting since that’s how they met. “We've been a duo since 1997,” Clasquin recalls. “We met at a Sequoia Chamber Music Workshop for talented kids, held every summer at HSU.”
Joining Baune and Clasquin on a rarely heard piece by Russian composer Galina Ustvolskaya will be Paul Cummings on clarinet. The program concludes with the Piano Quintet by Shostakovich, also featuring Karen Davy (violin), Nicholas Marlowe (viola), and Carol Jacobson (violoncello.)
In addition to music from the Soviet Union itself, Baune and Clasquin will play a work by Polish composer Karol Szymanowski.
When they first performed in 1999 in San Francisco, reviewer Stuart Canin wrote of their debut, “Baune and Clasquin made a fine team, presenting the music in a straightforward manner and letting the music itself make its own points.”
These days, Terrie Baune is Concertmaster of the North State Symphony based in Chico and Redding, and Co-Concertmaster of the Oakland East Bay Symphony. She is the Associate Director of the Humboldt Chamber Music Workshop and a faculty member of the Sequoia Chamber Music Workshop, both summer programs at Humboldt State University. Baune is also a member of two professional “new music” chamber ensembles: the San Francisco-based Earplay Ensemble and the Empyrean Ensemble, which is in residence at UC Davis.
Deborah Clasquin has become one of the North Coast’s most popular performers, as well as a prominent teacher and arts education advocate. She is professor of Music at HSU, and has been nominated as a Distinguished Teachers in the Arts by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. She enjoys an active career as a recitalist, having appeared in Moscow, Paris, Kiev, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco and Washington D.C.
Tickets for the September 13 recital in Fulkerson Hall are $8 general, $3 students and seniors, from HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. A Faculty Artist Series concert sponsored by the HSU Music Department.
Renewing a performing partnership that goes back more than a decade, violinist Terrie Baune and pianist Deborah Clasquin headline a program of works by Dmitri Shostakovich and other Eastern European composers of the Soviet era.
The recital they are calling “Behind the Iron Curtain” begins at 8 PM on Saturday, September 13 in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata.
Baune and Clasquin are reuniting, Clasquin said, “to perform an early love: chamber music.” That’s especially fitting since that’s how they met. “We've been a duo since 1997,” Clasquin recalls. “We met at a Sequoia Chamber Music Workshop for talented kids, held every summer at HSU.”
Joining Baune and Clasquin on a rarely heard piece by Russian composer Galina Ustvolskaya will be Paul Cummings on clarinet. The program concludes with the Piano Quintet by Shostakovich, also featuring Karen Davy (violin), Nicholas Marlowe (viola), and Carol Jacobson (violoncello.)
In addition to music from the Soviet Union itself, Baune and Clasquin will play a work by Polish composer Karol Szymanowski.
When they first performed in 1999 in San Francisco, reviewer Stuart Canin wrote of their debut, “Baune and Clasquin made a fine team, presenting the music in a straightforward manner and letting the music itself make its own points.”
These days, Terrie Baune is Concertmaster of the North State Symphony based in Chico and Redding, and Co-Concertmaster of the Oakland East Bay Symphony. She is the Associate Director of the Humboldt Chamber Music Workshop and a faculty member of the Sequoia Chamber Music Workshop, both summer programs at Humboldt State University. Baune is also a member of two professional “new music” chamber ensembles: the San Francisco-based Earplay Ensemble and the Empyrean Ensemble, which is in residence at UC Davis.
Deborah Clasquin has become one of the North Coast’s most popular performers, as well as a prominent teacher and arts education advocate. She is professor of Music at HSU, and has been nominated as a Distinguished Teachers in the Arts by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. She enjoys an active career as a recitalist, having appeared in Moscow, Paris, Kiev, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco and Washington D.C.
Tickets for the September 13 recital in Fulkerson Hall are $8 general, $3 students and seniors, from HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. A Faculty Artist Series concert sponsored by the HSU Music Department.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Return of the Soprano
As students begin fall classes, Soprano Kamala Stroup Rocher, HSU Class of ’91, returns to campus for a voice recital featuring the works of Debussy, Strauss, Mozart and Verdi.
For this recital on Monday evening, August 25, she will be accompanied on piano by Nancy Correll, her friend and accompanist from college days.
Rocher now lives in France, and performs there frequently. She has sung in Paris, London and the San Francisco Bay area. In addition to solo performances, she has sung various opera roles with San Francisco Lyric Opera, Golden Gate Opera, Oakland Lyric Opera and other ensembles.
Locally, she has been a guest performer for the HSU Alumni Benefit Recital Series, as well as solo appearances on behalf of the Redwood AIDS Information Network and the North Coast AIDS Project.
Her program at HSU will include songs by Austrian composer Ricard Strauss, and French composers Claude Debussy, Reynaldo Hahn and Henri Duparc. She will sing some of her favorite arias from operas by Mozart, Gluck and Verdi.
Kamala Stroup Rocher performs on Monday, August 25 at 8 p.m. in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. Tickets are $8 general, $3 students/seniors, from the HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door.
As students begin fall classes, Soprano Kamala Stroup Rocher, HSU Class of ’91, returns to campus for a voice recital featuring the works of Debussy, Strauss, Mozart and Verdi.
For this recital on Monday evening, August 25, she will be accompanied on piano by Nancy Correll, her friend and accompanist from college days.
Rocher now lives in France, and performs there frequently. She has sung in Paris, London and the San Francisco Bay area. In addition to solo performances, she has sung various opera roles with San Francisco Lyric Opera, Golden Gate Opera, Oakland Lyric Opera and other ensembles.
Locally, she has been a guest performer for the HSU Alumni Benefit Recital Series, as well as solo appearances on behalf of the Redwood AIDS Information Network and the North Coast AIDS Project.
Her program at HSU will include songs by Austrian composer Ricard Strauss, and French composers Claude Debussy, Reynaldo Hahn and Henri Duparc. She will sing some of her favorite arias from operas by Mozart, Gluck and Verdi.
Kamala Stroup Rocher performs on Monday, August 25 at 8 p.m. in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. Tickets are $8 general, $3 students/seniors, from the HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Benefit Concert for Deborah Clasquin
A benefit concert for Deborah Clasquin and a celebration of her contribution to North Coast music as pianist and teacher at HSU, as she continues treatment for cancer. Performers will include her former student, pianist Ryan MacEvoy McCullough, and HSU Music Department colleagues. The concert begins at 7 PM on Saturday June 21 in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata, followed by a reception with Deborah, her family and friends. Tickets for the concert to help defray medical costs are $20 from the HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door.
A benefit concert for Deborah Clasquin and a celebration of her contribution to North Coast music as pianist and teacher at HSU, as she continues treatment for cancer. Performers will include her former student, pianist Ryan MacEvoy McCullough, and HSU Music Department colleagues. The concert begins at 7 PM on Saturday June 21 in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata, followed by a reception with Deborah, her family and friends. Tickets for the concert to help defray medical costs are $20 from the HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door.
In Celebration: Benefit Concert and Reception for HSU Professor Deborah Clasquin
As a concert pianist, she is a well-known performer on North Coast stages as well as in prestigious venues around the world, and on television, radio and recordings. As a teacher at Humboldt State, she has trained prize-winning keyboard artists. She has been an activist and advocate for music education. Now some of her North Coast friends have organized a celebration of Deborah Clasquin’s achievements and a benefit concert to help her defray medical costs as she continues treatments for cancer.
The concert will feature some of her former students and her colleagues in the HSU Music Department, including perhaps her most celebrated student, Ryan MacEvoy McCullough of Eureka. The concert on Saturday June 21 at 7 PM in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata will be followed by a reception with Deborah.
“The main theme of this event will be to rally around Deborah, to make sure she knows how important she is to so many people in our community and the music world, and to give everyone a chance to celebrate herrole in our lives,” said Linda Anderson, one of the organizers of the event. “The other priority will be to try and raise money for her expensive treatments which are not being reimbursed by her insurance.”
Among the tributes to be offered at the reception will be the presentation of a plaque and a “Treasure Book” of photos, letters and thank-you notes assembled by Anderson and co-organizer, Bonnie MacEvoy.
Performers for the concert include pianists Ryan MacEvoy McCullough and Emily Loeffler, clarinetist Armand Ambrosini, and violinists Terrie Baune and Signe Nicklas, who is Deborah Clasquin’s daughter. Also featured are the Babes Women’s Chorus directed by Carol Ryder, a quintet of Sequoia faculty members, Nancy Correll and Annette Gurnee Hull, and playing a movement from the Claude Bolling Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano are Barbara Davenport, Jill Petricca and Shao Way Wu. Several more of Deborah's present and past piano students will perform.
Tickets for the benefit concert beginning at 7 PM are $20, from the HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. The reception with Deborah Clasquin, family and friends will be held in the lobby outside Fulkerson Hall at approximately 8 PM, and is a free event. Refreshments will be served.
Those who cannot attend or wish to make an additional contribution can send checks to the HSU Music Department, payable to Deborah Clasquin.
Media: Humboldt State Now, Eureka Reporter (6/13), KHSU Ben Tankersley (6/13). KHSU "ArtWaves" with Wendy Butler (6/ 17), Arcata Eye, North Coast Journal (6/19), Northern Lights (6/19.)
As a concert pianist, she is a well-known performer on North Coast stages as well as in prestigious venues around the world, and on television, radio and recordings. As a teacher at Humboldt State, she has trained prize-winning keyboard artists. She has been an activist and advocate for music education. Now some of her North Coast friends have organized a celebration of Deborah Clasquin’s achievements and a benefit concert to help her defray medical costs as she continues treatments for cancer.
The concert will feature some of her former students and her colleagues in the HSU Music Department, including perhaps her most celebrated student, Ryan MacEvoy McCullough of Eureka. The concert on Saturday June 21 at 7 PM in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata will be followed by a reception with Deborah.
“The main theme of this event will be to rally around Deborah, to make sure she knows how important she is to so many people in our community and the music world, and to give everyone a chance to celebrate herrole in our lives,” said Linda Anderson, one of the organizers of the event. “The other priority will be to try and raise money for her expensive treatments which are not being reimbursed by her insurance.”
Among the tributes to be offered at the reception will be the presentation of a plaque and a “Treasure Book” of photos, letters and thank-you notes assembled by Anderson and co-organizer, Bonnie MacEvoy.
Performers for the concert include pianists Ryan MacEvoy McCullough and Emily Loeffler, clarinetist Armand Ambrosini, and violinists Terrie Baune and Signe Nicklas, who is Deborah Clasquin’s daughter. Also featured are the Babes Women’s Chorus directed by Carol Ryder, a quintet of Sequoia faculty members, Nancy Correll and Annette Gurnee Hull, and playing a movement from the Claude Bolling Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano are Barbara Davenport, Jill Petricca and Shao Way Wu. Several more of Deborah's present and past piano students will perform.
Tickets for the benefit concert beginning at 7 PM are $20, from the HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. The reception with Deborah Clasquin, family and friends will be held in the lobby outside Fulkerson Hall at approximately 8 PM, and is a free event. Refreshments will be served.
Those who cannot attend or wish to make an additional contribution can send checks to the HSU Music Department, payable to Deborah Clasquin.
Media: Humboldt State Now, Eureka Reporter (6/13), KHSU Ben Tankersley (6/13). KHSU "ArtWaves" with Wendy Butler (6/ 17), Arcata Eye, North Coast Journal (6/19), Northern Lights (6/19.)
Friday, June 06, 2008
Community Chamber Music
TriMusica trio, Meadowood Quartet and Northcoast Brass Ensemble quintet perform in the latest Community Chamber Music concert on Friday, June 6 at the earlier-than-usual time of 7:30PM in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. Tickets are $8 general, $3 students/seniors, from the HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. An HSU Music Department production.
TriMusica trio, Meadowood Quartet and Northcoast Brass Ensemble quintet perform in the latest Community Chamber Music concert on Friday, June 6 at the earlier-than-usual time of 7:30PM in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. Tickets are $8 general, $3 students/seniors, from the HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. An HSU Music Department production.
.jpg)
Music by a King Highlights Community Chamber Concert
Music fit for a king might describe many classical pieces, especially those commissioned by monarchs and other high officials. But music actually composed by a king is rarely heard. On Friday June 6 at HSU, it will be, as performed by one of three chamber music groups of North Coast commoners to play that evening.
A trio, a string quartet and a brass quintet take the Fulkerson Recital Hall stage on the HSU campus in Arcata, for the third in a series of concerts featuring community chamber music groups.
These groups are composed of North Coast citizens, most of them with jobs and careers unrelated to music, who rehearse and perform for the love of music.
For example, the members of TriMusica are a retired English/French teacher, a physician who is the principal oboist for the Eureka Symphony, and a truck driver and former principal cellist for the Eureka Symphony.
And while the idea of community chamber music groups may suggest programs dominated by safe and familiar music, this concert highlights seldom-performed works and composers.
The TriMuisica trio is oboist (and physician) Ellen Weiss, pianist (and retired teacher) Betty Creaghe, and cellist (and truck driver) Mark Creaghe. They will perform a sonata composed by the “soldier-king” of 18th century Prussia, known as Frederick the Great. Novelist and composer Rupert Hughes called him a “flute player and composer of remarkable skill—for a king.” He wrote some 100 sonatas, though they are rarely heard today.
TriMusica will also perform a sonata by Frederick the Great’s court composer when he was still a crown prince, Johann Gottlieb Graun. Graun was also a violinist (he taught J.S. Bach’s son) and became Konzertmeister of the Berlin Opera.
In addition, TriMusica plays a rare work by contemporary English composer John Rutter. Mostly a choral composer, Rutter’s “Suite Antique” is one of his few instrumental pieces. The trio’s program concludes with “Tango” by late 19th/early 20th century Spanish composer Issac Albeniz, and an Etude by Frederic Chopin.
The Meadowood Quartet makes its second appearance in the community chamber music series: they played in the first one last spring. Members of the string quartet are Betty Bliss (violin) from Redway; Marilyn Page (violin) from Arcata; Stefan Vaughan (viola) from Eureka, and Eric Jones (cello) from McKinleyville. They will perform one of Beethoven’s celebrated early Quartets (Opus 18, Number 4 in C minor), in four movements.
[story continues after photo]
Music fit for a king might describe many classical pieces, especially those commissioned by monarchs and other high officials. But music actually composed by a king is rarely heard. On Friday June 6 at HSU, it will be, as performed by one of three chamber music groups of North Coast commoners to play that evening.
A trio, a string quartet and a brass quintet take the Fulkerson Recital Hall stage on the HSU campus in Arcata, for the third in a series of concerts featuring community chamber music groups.
These groups are composed of North Coast citizens, most of them with jobs and careers unrelated to music, who rehearse and perform for the love of music.
For example, the members of TriMusica are a retired English/French teacher, a physician who is the principal oboist for the Eureka Symphony, and a truck driver and former principal cellist for the Eureka Symphony.
And while the idea of community chamber music groups may suggest programs dominated by safe and familiar music, this concert highlights seldom-performed works and composers.
The TriMuisica trio is oboist (and physician) Ellen Weiss, pianist (and retired teacher) Betty Creaghe, and cellist (and truck driver) Mark Creaghe. They will perform a sonata composed by the “soldier-king” of 18th century Prussia, known as Frederick the Great. Novelist and composer Rupert Hughes called him a “flute player and composer of remarkable skill—for a king.” He wrote some 100 sonatas, though they are rarely heard today.
TriMusica will also perform a sonata by Frederick the Great’s court composer when he was still a crown prince, Johann Gottlieb Graun. Graun was also a violinist (he taught J.S. Bach’s son) and became Konzertmeister of the Berlin Opera.
In addition, TriMusica plays a rare work by contemporary English composer John Rutter. Mostly a choral composer, Rutter’s “Suite Antique” is one of his few instrumental pieces. The trio’s program concludes with “Tango” by late 19th/early 20th century Spanish composer Issac Albeniz, and an Etude by Frederic Chopin.
The Meadowood Quartet makes its second appearance in the community chamber music series: they played in the first one last spring. Members of the string quartet are Betty Bliss (violin) from Redway; Marilyn Page (violin) from Arcata; Stefan Vaughan (viola) from Eureka, and Eric Jones (cello) from McKinleyville. They will perform one of Beethoven’s celebrated early Quartets (Opus 18, Number 4 in C minor), in four movements.
[story continues after photo]
The third group in this concert, the Northcoast Brass Ensemble, is a little different in that all its members are music teachers. Chris Cox (trumpet) teaches at Eureka High; Burt Codispoti (trumpet) at Triple Junction High School in Petrolia; Ronite Gluck (French horn) for the Freshwater School District; while Dan Aldag (trombone) and Fred Tempas (tuba) teach at HSU.
Four of the works the Ensemble will play are contemporary compositions or arrangements with a regional connection. These include “Fanfare for Open Spaces,” a 1988 composition by HSU alumna Katherine Ann Murdock, who teaches music theory and composition at Wichita State University.
“Italian Postcards” by Ray Burkhart was commissioned by the Humboldt Brass Chamber Music Workshop. “Dance” is by Wilke Renwick, a French horn player who retired to Oregon from the Colorado Symphony.
“Mamanita” by pioneer jazz pianist Jelly Roll Morton, is arranged for brass quintet by Northcoast Brass Ensemble trombonist and HSU Music professor Dan Aldag.
Concluding the concert will be Quintet # 3 by 20th century Russian composer Viktor Ewald, which is one of the few chamber works for brass instruments from the Romantic period.
This Community Chamber Music concert on Friday, June 6 will begin at 7:30 PM, which is a half hour earlier than concerts in Fulkerson Recital Hall usually start. Tickets are $8 general, $3 students/seniors, from the HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. An HSU Music Department production.
Four of the works the Ensemble will play are contemporary compositions or arrangements with a regional connection. These include “Fanfare for Open Spaces,” a 1988 composition by HSU alumna Katherine Ann Murdock, who teaches music theory and composition at Wichita State University.
“Italian Postcards” by Ray Burkhart was commissioned by the Humboldt Brass Chamber Music Workshop. “Dance” is by Wilke Renwick, a French horn player who retired to Oregon from the Colorado Symphony.
“Mamanita” by pioneer jazz pianist Jelly Roll Morton, is arranged for brass quintet by Northcoast Brass Ensemble trombonist and HSU Music professor Dan Aldag.
Concluding the concert will be Quintet # 3 by 20th century Russian composer Viktor Ewald, which is one of the few chamber works for brass instruments from the Romantic period.
This Community Chamber Music concert on Friday, June 6 will begin at 7:30 PM, which is a half hour earlier than concerts in Fulkerson Recital Hall usually start. Tickets are $8 general, $3 students/seniors, from the HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. An HSU Music Department production.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)