International Singer Returns to Arcata for Halloween Concert at HSU

Fresh from a “vividly dramatic” performance in Manhattan lauded by the New York Times, mezzo-soprano (and Arcata High grad) Hai-Ting Chinn returns home to perform a recital of spooky songs from the classical repertoire on Halloween night, October 31 at the HSU Fulkerson Recital Hall.

She was known as Allison Chinn when she sang with the Redwood Coast Children’s Chorus and Humboldt Light Opera, and when she graduated from Arcata High. She took her middle name “Hai-Ting” as her professional name.

Now an international performer of classical and contemporary opera, she is currently featured in the world tour of the Philip Glass opera Einstein on the Beach. In mid-October she performed Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire in New York to widespread praise.

  As an advocate for classical music in accessible settings, she sang on the Wendy Williams syndicated talk show. “Chinn has it all: breathtaking beauty, poise, and a voice of pure gold,” wrote David Cote in Timeout New York.

For HSU on Halloween, “I'm planning a fun little art-song recital of spooky songs from the standard repertoire (Dowland, Schubert, Schumann, Fauré, Mahler, Barber) about witches, ghosts, and the grim reaper, plus a whole set about the moon,” she said. Chinn will also perform the song cycle La Courte Paille by 20th century composer Francis Poulenc—“it’s one of my personal favorites.” She will be joined by soprano and HSU Music professor Elisabeth Harrington for two duets, including Rossini’s “cat duet,” especially for Halloween.

Hai-Ting Chinn performs in a Guest Artists Concert on Wednesday October 31 at 8 p.m. in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. Tickets: $8/$3 from HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. Produced by the HSU Music Department.

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

Hai-Ting Chinn Biography

American Mezzo-soprano Hai-Ting Chinn performs in a wide range of styles and venues, from Purcell to Pierrot Lunaire, Cherubino to The King & I, J.S. Bach to P.D.Q. Bach.

 In the title role of the Wooster Group's production of Francesco Cavalli's La Didone, premiered at the Edinburgh Festival, the Scotsman newspaper called her "glorious, poised, and poignant," and during the New York City production at St. Ann's Warehouse, Timeout New York said of her: "Chinn has it all: breathtaking beauty, poise, comic timing and a voice of pure gold."

Hai-Ting is currently featured in Philip Glass and Robert Wilson's Einstein On The Beach, which will tour the world through March 2013. Other operatic roles include Hansel in Hansel and Gretel with Lyric Opera of San Diego, Aloès in Chabrier's L'Étoile with New York City Opera, Dorabella in Mozart's Cosi fan tutte with Dell'Arte Opera, Poppea in Monteverdi's L'Incoronazione di Poppea with OperaOmnia, and Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with the New York Opera Society.

 She has been heard as soloist with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, The Israel Philharmonic, and St. Luke's Chamber Players; in J.S. Bach's St. John Passion with the Orchestra of St. Ignatius Loyola, as Dido in Henry Purcell's Dido and Aeneas with the Rebel Baroque Orchestra, in the Waverly Consort's Christmas Story, in P.D.Q. Bach's Liebeslieder Polkas with Peter Schickele, with the New York City Opera's educational touring company as Hansel in Hansel and Gretel and in the title role of The Little Prince (Rachel Portman, 2003), and as Lady Thiang in The King & I on London's West End.  She was also heard as soloist with the New York Collegium and in Mozart's Requiem with the Colonial Symphony, and she appeared in Jonathan Miller's production of Bach's St. Matthew Passion at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

She sings with new- and early-music ensembles including the Proteus Ensemble, New York Collegium, L'antica Musica New York, the Tiffany Consort, Bachworks, Sequitur, the Locrian Chamber ensemble, the New York Virtuoso Singers, and the VOX vocal ensemble. She has roles in new operas and other works including Du Yun's Zolle at the New York City Opera VOX festival and Angel Bones at the Mann Center in Philadelphia, Jonathan Dawe's Cracked Orlando, Matthew Schickele's Marymere, Conrad Cummings's The Golden Gate, Yoav Gal's Moshe, Gregory Spear's Paul's Case, and Stefan Weisman's Darkling, which was released by Albany Records in 2011.

Hai-Ting is known in New York City as an advocate of classical music in unusual and accessible settings. She starred in the Wooster Group's first opera, La Didone (music of Francesco Cavalli), an experimental retelling of the Dido and Aeneas story set in and against a Sci-Fi movie from the 1960s. She performed the roles of Medea in Cavalli's Giasone and Poppea in Monteverdi's Coronation of Poppea in a nightclub (Le Poisson Rouge in Manhattan's West Village, productions by OperaOmnia) and Nicklausse/The Muse in Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann at an active shipping dock on the Brooklyn waterfront (a production by Vertical Players Repertory in collaboration with the Brooklyn stevedores).

 She has also performed at more than 25 New York public schools with the New York City Opera's educational outreach program, and she has given classical recitals in New York rock and cabaret venues such as Tonic and Barbès.

Ms. Chinn grew up in Northern California and holds degrees from the Eastman and Yale Schools of Music. Her web page contains more information and links to videos.

Additional links:

NY Post review of "Mosheh"
The Jewish Daily Forward review of "Mosheh"

Student soloists Ana Cruz, Rachel Kamradt and Anna Coleman

Students in the Spotlight for Humboldt Symphony Concert

Humboldt Symphony features three student instrumental and vocal soloists, plus a piece by a student composer in its concert on Saturday October 27 in Fulkerson Recital Hall.

The student work is Prelude and Dance for the Day of the Dead by Justino Eustacio Perez, an HSU senior studying composition with Brian Post. The Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday celebrated on November 1.

Three student soloists are featured in excerpts from Bach cantatas that center on oboe and voice. Vocalists Ana Cruz and Anna Coleman (both studying with HSU professor Elisabeth Harrington) each perform a solo aria, and Rachel Kamradt plays solo oboe on both excerpts.

“Rachel is a graduating senior planning to study oboe in graduate school next year, “said Symphony conductor Paul Cummings,” so we want to feature her as a soloist before she goes away. These excerpts are exquisite writing for the oboe, but also very challenging to play. Bach brings out the beautiful lyric quality of the instrument. In the arias the oboe and the vocalists are basically performing duets together.”

The Symphony also performs Our Town by Aaron Copland, based on his score for the 1940 film version of Thorton Wilder’s famous evocation of Americans life. “It’s a wonderful slow piece,” Cummings said, “and you can certainly hear the Copland style, with beautiful writing for strings and woodwinds.”

  In a different mood, Carmen Suite #1 features familiar melodies from Bizet’s most popular opera, including the toreador march. “This suite is full of drama,” Cummings said, “with famous passages in each movement, beautifully played by our students.”

The Humboldt Symphony performs on Saturday October 27 at 8 p.m. in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. Tickets: $7/$3/free to HSU students with i.d. from HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. Produced by the HSU Music Department.  

Media: Arcata Eye, Humboldt State Now.

Humboldt Symphony Concert Notes
 by conductor Paul Cummings

We’re playing a piece by a student composer written just last year by a senior studying with Brian Post, Justino Eustacio Perez. It’s called Prelude and Dance for the Day of the Dead. It’s an interesting piece, highly technical writing with a lot of dissonance, very challenging for the musicians.

  Our Town by Aaron Copland: Copland was asked to write the soundtrack of the 1940 film of Thorton Wilder’s play. This piece draws upon passages from the film. As a concert piece it was first played in 1944 by the Boston Pops, conducted by Leonard Bernstein. It’s a wonderful slow piece, and you can certainly hear the Copland style. There’s beautiful writing for the strings and particularly woodwinds. It follows the traditional form of a slow piece: it starts out very calmly with a very soft dynamic level, and builds in intensity to a midsection where everyone is playing at full volume, very thick texture, and then it unwinds itself, and comes back to the soft and peaceful opening style. It’s got that traditional arch form.

We’re doing two sets of excerpts from cantatas by J.S. Bach—Cantata #12 and #21. In each one we’re doing the symphonia, or first movement, as well as an aria for solo voice with continuo, which is bass line and keyboard instrument filling out the harmony. We have two solo voices: Anna Coleman and Ana Cruz, both students of Elisabeth Harrington. Each does a solo aria movement. The common theme is that the primary instrument is the oboe. Our oboe soloist is Rachel Kamradt, a graduating senior planning to study oboe in graduate school next year, so we want to feature her as a soloist before she goes away.

 These four movements are really fantastic examples of Bach’s writing for oboe, especially from his early period in Weimar, his first major job. This is exquisite writing for oboe—also very difficult. The movements are all slow but still very challenging. They feature the beautiful lyric quality of the instrument. The aria movements are basically duets between the oboe and the singer.

Bizet’s Carmen Suite #1 has five movements. It’s drawn from the opera that made Bizet quite famous. The music in this suite is full of classic solo excerpts that are played by musicians in auditions for symphony orchestras all over the world. For example, the flute solo with harp accompaniment in the third movement is very famous. In the fourth movement there’s a famous bassoon duet, beautifully played by our students. Then the very famous toreador march in the last movement.

The music is full of drama, and evokes the spirit of Carmen, who is a classic femme fatale figure from 19th century opera. This music is now seen as some of the most quintessential Spanish music ever written, even though it was written by a French composer.

Old Homecoming Days with the Symphonic Band and Jazz Orchestra

The HSU Symphonic Band celebrates home and family for Homecoming and Family Weekend in a joint concert with the Jazz Orchestra on Saturday October 20 in Fulkerson Recital Hall.

The Symphonic Band features Old Home Days, a suite by American composer Charles Ives that fondly recalls his childhood home in Connecticut.  “It has a lot of variety,” said conductor Paul Cummings, “including a slow movement that’s based on one of Ives’ first compositions—a memorial he wrote as a teenager for the family dog.”  There’s also an upbeat evocation of two marching bands playing different tunes as they pass by in a parade.  “Besides suggesting a childhood experience,” Cummings said, “this is an important part of Ives’ musical aesthetic: taking it all in, rather than just the neat and tidy sounds.”

The American nostalgia theme continues with a movement from Robert Russell Bennett’s Suite of Old American Dances that suggests the changing popular music of the early 20^th century in a waltz flavored with Ragtime. “It’s got a beautiful lightness to it,” Cummings said. Bennett is best known for arranging many of the classic 1940s to 60s Broadway shows, from Showboat to Camelot. "He really knew how to write for a pit orchestra, and his concert band pieces are great," Cummings said. 

The band also plays Footsteps by Dana Wilson, the Pentland Hills march by James Howe and Homage to Perotin by Ron Nelson—“a very exciting piece that really features the brass.  We have terrific brass and percussion sections this year, so we want to show them off,” Cummings said.

The HSU Jazz Orchestra plays the other half of the program, which includes a Mike Tomaro arrangement of “I Mean You” by Thelonious Monk, as well as tunes by Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson and Freddie Hubbard.  The ensemble, directed by Dan Aldag, also plays an original piece composed collectively in the 1930s Count Basie Orchestra tradition.  

The HSU Symphonic Band and Jazz Orchestra perform on Saturday October 20 at 8 p.m. in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. Tickets: $7/$3/free to HSU students with i.d. from HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door.  Produced by the HSU Music Department. 

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

Notes on Jazz Orchestra program by Director Dan Aldag

"I Mean You"--a Thelonious Monk tune in a new arrangement by Mike Tomaro that incorporates a New Orleans second-line feel.

"One By One"--Wayne Shorter composed this for Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers during his time in that band. Our arrangement is by Mark Taylor.

"Recorda Me"--written by Joe Henderson for his debut album Page One. The title, which means "Remember Me", is Portuguese--an appropriate language for a Bossa Nova. We're playing a new arrangement by Eric Richards.

"The Intrepid Fox"--a fast and complex tune by Freddie Hubbard, also arranged by Eric Richards.

An as-yet-untitled original composed collectively by the band in the tradition of the "head charts" played by the Count Basie Orchestra of the 1930s. Each of the horn sections came up with one or more riffs to serve as melodic material. Further riffs were developed to serve as backgrounds to solos, and over several weeks of rehearsal, the arrangement took shape without anything ever being written down.

Notes on Symphonic Band program by Conductor Paul Cummings

We open with a march: Pentland Hills by Major James W. Howe.  It’s a concert march that quotes several Scottish folk tunes.

We feature Old Home Days, a suite by Charles Ives, in which he looks back fondly on his childhood in Danbury, Connecticut.  There’s a lot of variety in these five movements...The last movement—“London Bridge is Falling Down”—features some classic bitonality: two different keys happening simultaneously.  One part of the brass section is playing in F major while another part is playing simultaneously in E major—a half step away from each other, which creates this huge dissonance.  But that’s one of the hallmarks of his music. It also suggests the effect of two marching bands passing in a parade playing different pieces at the same time.  This evokes an experience of his childhood but also is an important part of his musical aesthetic: taking it all in, representing that as real music, rather than just the neat and tidy sounds.   Ives wrote this as songs for solo voice with piano, and it was arranged for band by Jonathan Elkus, the former band director at UC Davis who is an expert on Ives.

Footsteps by Dana Wilson is meant to describe the effect of slowly creeping footsteps, which start out in a very gentle pulse then gather momentum and volume and drama.  The composer says in the score “Footsteps can suggest everything from gently walking to mysterious uncertainty to massive marching.” He compares it to Bolero, which starts out with snare drum playing very softly but relentlessly, and builds momentum gradually.  Dana Wilson is a well known composer, still living, he teaches at Ithaca College in New York, won a lot of prizes and had his music performed by wind ensembles all over the world.

We’re also playing the fourth movement of Suite of Old American Dances by Robert Russell Bennett.  This movement is “The Wallflower Waltz.”  In general, Bennett is attempting to capture the spirit of Americana, with music and dance and culture of the early part of the 20^th century, 1900-15.  The movements of this piece reflect the styles of that time, and the waltz was prominent among them. But this waltz is not typical—there are jazz inflections, which was a real influence in the early 20^th century, including some ragtime sounds.  It’s got a beautiful lightness to it, often just flute and piccolo playing as a duet. 

Our last piece is “Homage to Perotin” by Ron Nelson.  Perotin was a medieval composer, so his works represent some of the earliest music in western culture.  This is the second movement of Nelson’s Medieval Suite. Each movement focuses on one composer. Nelson writes that he isn’t transcribing their works, but he uses them “as a sort of launching pad” to evoke characteristics of that period’s music, including the use of Gregorian chant.  It’s a very exciting piece, with lots of dissonance.  It really features the brass.  We have terrific brass and percussion sections this year, so we want to show them off.  

Cindy Moyer and Daniela Mineva Play Beethoven and Debussy

Violinist Cindy Moyer begins her project of playing all 10 Beethoven violin sonatas in an HSU Music Faculty Artist Series concert with pianist Daniela Mineva on Saturday, October 13 in Fulkerson Recital Hall.

She starts with the first one—the Sonata in D Major for Piano and Violin, which Beethoven wrote when he was 29. “While it’s an early piece, it is clearly recognizable as mature Beethoven,” Moyer said. “The first movement is stormy and dramatic, while the last movement is lilting.” She plans to play the other nine violin sonatas over the course of several future recitals.

Also on the program are the Sonata for Violin and Piano by Claude Debussy. “This is the 150th anniversary of Debussy’s birth, so playing his only violin sonata seems appropriate,” Moyer said. “It combines Debussy’s typical dreamy, ethereal style with some more direct and energetic sections."

Witold Lutoslawski was a leading 20th century composer and, with Chopin, one of the greatest Polish composers ever, Moyer notes. Written late in his career in 1984, the Partita for Violin and Piano combines traditional and experimental elements, assuring a unique performance each time. “While the harmonies are definitely modern, I hope listeners will find the piece exciting, dramatic and interesting to listen to.”

Moyer and Mineva also combine on From My Homeland by 19th century Czech composer Bedrich Smetana.  Based on folk melodies, "this piece features sweeping, lyrical melodies contrasted with fast and flashy sections," Moyer said.

Moyer plays one solo selection: Fantasia No. 7 by George Philipp Telemann. “He wrote this at about the same time as Bach composed his famous solo violin pieces. But this is on a much more intimate scale, and is much easier to understand on a first hearing.”

The Faculty Artists Series concert with Cindy Moyer and Daniela Mineva is Saturday, October 13 at 8 p.m. in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. Tickets: $8/$3 from HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. Produced by HSU Music Department. 

Media:  Humboldt State Now , Tri-City Quarterly

Cindy Moyer and Daniela Mineva: The Program

 

Sonata in D Major for Piano and Violin, Op. 12, No. 1: Ludwig van Beethoven
          Allegro con brio
         Tema con Variazioni:  Andante con moto
         Rondo:  Allegro

Partita for Violin and Piano: Witold Lutoslawski

         Allegro Giusto                      
         Ad Libitum
         Largo
         Ad Libitum
         Presto

Fantasia No. 7 in E-flat major for Solo Violin: George Philipp Telemann

         Dolce              

         Allegro

         Largo
         Presto

Sonata for Violin and Piano: Claude Debussy

         Allegro vivo       (1862-1918)
         Intermède:  fantasque et léger
         Finale:  Très animè
 

From My Homeland:  Bedrich Smetana

         Moderato                     
         Andantino - Moderato

  

Program Notes: Cindy Moyer

 
Sonata in D Major for Piano and Violin: This is Beethoven’s first violin sonata, written in Vienna when he was 29, before his first symphony or his first string quartets.  (I’m working on a project of playing all 10 of the violin sonatas over the course of a number of recitals.)  While it’s an early piece, it still is clearly recognizable as mature Beethoven – the first movement is stormy and dramatic, while the last movement has a typical lilting Rondo theme. 

Partita for Violin and Piano: Lutoslawski was one of the leading composers of the 20^th century, and (with Chopin) one of the greatest Polish composers ever.  The Partita was written in 1984, so it’s still a relatively new piece.  The piece uses several unusual compositional techniques – in three sections, Daniela and I are told what notes and (approximately) what rhythms to play, but are also instructed that we are not to synchronize our parts in any way.  The result is that each time we play these sections, the parts combine in unique ways;  we can guarantee that you will hear a one-of-a-kind performance at the recital.  Most of the piece is written more traditionally. While the harmonies are definitely modern, I hope listeners will find the piece exciting, dramatic, and interesting to listen to. 

 Fantasia No. 7 in E-flat major for Solo Violin: Telemann wrote a set of 12 Fantasias for solo violin.  Frequent concert-goers may be familiar with Bach’s monumental Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin.  While the Telemann pieces are written at the same time, they are composed on a much more intimate scale – and are much easier to understand on a first hearing. 

 Sonata for Violin and Piano: This year is the 150^th anniversary of Debussy’s birth, so playing his only violin sonata seems appropriate.  (Next January is the 100^th anniversary of Lutoslawski’s birth. So actually our concert is about 3 ½ months before Lutoslawski’s 100^th birthday and a month and a half after Debussy’s 150^th.)   The sonata combines Debussy’s typical dreamy, ethereal style with some more direct and energetic sections. 

 From My Homeland: Smetana was a Czech composer in the generation before Dvorak.  From My Homeland uses Czech melodies – or at least melodies that are similar to Czech folksongs.  The piece features sweeping, lyrical melodies contrasted with fast and flashy sections.

International—and Internet—Pianist Young-Hyun Cho

Internationally renowned pianist Young-Hyun Cho honors keyboard masters with a solo recital in the refurbished Fulkerson Recital Hall at HSU on Friday, September 28.

Known for her versatility as well as musicianship, Young-Hyun Cho has won prizes in international and national piano competitions in the U.S. and South Korea. Her performances with orchestras and chamber music ensembles are as well regarded as her solo recitals. Her performances available on Internet videos attest to her range: from Bach and Chopin to Scarlatti and Stravinsky.

In her Fulkerson Hall recital, she will play a late Beethoven Sonata (No. 30 in E Major), the three-movement Estampes by Claude Debussy, Franz Listz’s Ballade No. 2, and Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant Jesus by 20th century French composer Olivier Messiaen.

Dr. Cho has lectured extensively on the Olivier Messiaen piece she will play at HSU. She describes it as in the tradition of church music, a devoutly Christian work by a composer “who established a unique musical language of his own.” Messiaen (who died in 1992) was greatly influenced by Debussy.  Dr. Cho will perform six of this work’s 20 movements, or “gazes.” The title can be translated as “Twenty Gazes (or Contemplations) on the Infant Jesus.”

  Now teaching at the University of Texas at Arlington, Doctor Cho will also conduct a Master Class at noon on the day of her recital.

This Guest Artist concert is one of three sponored by the HSU piano area, headed by professor Daniela Mineva. Dr. Winston Choi will perform in February and Natalya Antonova returns in May.

    Young-Hyun Cho performs on Friday September 28 at 8 p.m. in Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. A Guest Artist concert produced by the HSU Music Department. Tickets: $8/$3 students from HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door.

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

Guest Artist Young-Hyun Cho: Solo Piano Recital Program


Sonata in E major No. 30, Op. 109 by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
I. Vivace, ma non troppo – Adagio espressivo
II. Prestissimo
III. Gesangvoll, mit innigster Empfindung. Andanto molto cantabile ed espressivo


Estampes by Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
  I. Pagodes
II. Soirée dans Grenade
III. Jardins sous la pluie

Ballade No. 2, S. 171 by Franz Liszt (1811-1886)

[Intermission]

Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant Jesus by Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992)
I. Regard du Pére
II. Regard de l’étoile
IX. Regard de temps
XI. Premiére communion de la Vierge
XIII. Noël
X. Regard de l’Esprit de joie

Additional Notes:

Debussy, one of the most influential composers of the twentieth century, varies form and style in each of the three movements of Estampes. “Pagodas” has an East Asia flavor, incorporating Chinese and Japanese folk melodies, with percussion influenced by Javanese Gamelan. While “Pagodas” uses pentatonic scales, La soiree dans Grenade uses the Arabic scale to suggest the Spanish city of Grenada. Jardins sous la pluie uses French folk melodies, and chromatic scales.

Beethoven’s Sonata in E major No. 30, Op. 109 is one of his final half dozen sonata compositions. Like many of Beethoven’s last works, it is innovative and exploratory, as it refers to the past (the Baroque) and presages the modern.

  In addition to spanning the 19th and 20th centuries, three of these composers were also prominent keyboard players (Beethoven and Listz on piano, Messiaen on organ.) While also a pianist, Debussy was known more for his keyboard compositions.

  This year marks the 200th anniversary of Liszt’s birth, and the 150th of Debussy’s.

Guest Artist Young-Hyun Cho: Biography

Dr. Young-Hyun Cho is a uniquely versatile pianist, appearing frequently as orchestral soloist, solo recitalist, and chamber musician. As a featured soloist, she as appeared with the Eastman Symphony Orchestra, the International Chamber Ensemble of Rome, the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) Symphony Orchestra, the Korean Symphony Orchestra, the Seoul National Symphony Orchestra, the Daejeon Philharmonic Orchestra, the Euro-Asian Philharmonic Orchestra, Holland Symphony Orchestra, and The University of Texas at Arlington Orchestra.

  Dr. Cho has won prizes in international and national piano competitions, including the Eastman Concerto Competition, the Harrison Winter Piano Competition, the KBS Music Competition, the Music Association of Korea Competition, the Seoul Arts Center’s Orchestral Festival Soloist Music Competition, and the Joong Ang Times Music Competition. She received a Certificate of Artistic Achievement from Virginia Waring International Piano Competition, for which she is frequently invited to return as a guest artist to perform at their concert series. She was one of the prizewinners for the 2005 Louisiana International Piano Competition, where she was later invited to return as a featured performer and speaker for their opening ceremonies in 2009.

  As an active chamber musician, Dr. Cho’s collaborative repertoire is consistently marked by a demanding repertoire and a diversity of musical styles. She was selected as a member of the Eastman Chamber Music Society. She was active as a graduate assistant in accompanying and was repeatedly nominated for the Excellence in Accompanying Award. Dr. Cho has collaborative coaching experience with various pianists, instrumentalists, and singers, such as Jean Barr (piano), Oleh Krysa (violin) and Mikhail Kopleman (violin).

Dr. Young-Hyun Cho currently serves as Assistant Professor of Piano at The University of Texas at Arlington. Dr. Cho received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Eastman School of Music of University of Rochester, a Master’s degree and a Graduate Performance Diploma from Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University, and a Bachelor’s degree from Seoul National University.

  Dr. Cho is a dedicated educator, having held teaching positions at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, and Columbia Union College in Takoma Park, Maryland. She gave a master class at the Texas Music Teachers Association and was invited to teach at the Berlin International Music Festival and Academy. She has also presented master classes and recitals at various U.S. colleges and universities as well as Yonsei University and German Embassy in Seoul, Korea, German Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, AUA Auditorium in Chiang Mai, Thailand, University-College Sedaya International in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, World Piano Conference in Serbia, and Regensburg University in Germany.

Welcome Concert September 8

Among HSU faculty performing in the Welcome Concert on September 8 are (front row): Gil Cline, Elisabeth Harrington, Karen Davy, Cindy Moyer, Virginia Ryder, Brian Post, (back row) Eugene Novotny, Howard Kaufman, Paul Cummings and Fred Tempas.

School is in and the HSU Music faculty presents its annual Welcome Concert on Saturday September 8 at 5 p.m., inaugurating the newly refurbished Fulkerson Recital Hall.

This year’s concert includes the Trumpet Consort von Humboldt conducted by Gil Cline, performing the program they recently played at the Historic Brass Symposium in New York City. Besides the Fulkerson Hall refit, a new instrument will premiere: the piano-carillon. Daniela Mineva plays two pieces on this instrument, as well performing a Beethoven sonata on piano, with violinist Cindy Moyer.

  The eclectic concert also features Dan Aldag on jazz trombone, percussion by Eugene Novotny and Howard Kaufman, vocal selections by Elisabeth Harrington, a string quartet and other group and solo performances.  The program appears here below. 

Concertgoers can meet and greet the players and other HSU Music Department faculty and staff at an open reception immediately after the late afternoon performance. The concert itself is the year’s best opportunity to sample music by a number of faculty players at HSU.

  The HSU faculty Welcome Concert begins at 5 p.m. on Saturday September 8 in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. Tickets are $8/$3 students and seniors from HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. An HSU Department of Music production.

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

Welcome Concert: The Program


Trumpet Consort von Humboldt
(Frederic Belanger, Ryan Brown, Gilbert Cline, Anywn Halliday, Andrew Henderson, Brandon Lewis.)

Mohrentanz: Tielmann Susato

Chiamata di Guerra [segue]
Ricercata l'Amerighi: Girolamo Fantini

Bolero: Francois Georges Auguste Daverne

Nieder Reiter

String Quartet
(Cindy Moyer, violin; Karen Davy, violin; Sherry Hanson, viola; David Davis, cello.)

Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 64, No. 4:  Franz Joseph Haydn    


Cindy Moyer (violin) and Daniela Mineva (piano)

Sonata for violin and piano op. 12 No. 1:  Ludwig von Beethoven

Elisabeth Harrington (soprano) and John Chernoff (piano)

"Song to the Moon" from Rusalka: Antonin Leopold Dvorak

Piano Quartet
(Daniela Mineva, piano; Cindy Moyer,violin; Karen Davy, viola; Dave Davis, cello.)

Piano Quartet in Eb major, op. 47:  Robert Schumann


Virginia Ryder (alto saxophone) and Daniela Mineva (piano)

Scaramouche:   Darius Milhaud

Dan Aldag (trombone)

wotda:  Dan Aldag

Introducing the new HSU piano-carillon: Daniela Mineva

Music for carillon #1:  John Cage

Music for carillon: Lowell Lieberman

Eugene Novotney, Howard Kaufman (percussion) and Brian Post (piano)

Poincina: Buddy Bernier & Nat Simon

First Concert is A Welcome One

HSU Music faculty will welcome new and returning students with--what else?--music!  These are some faculty members who participated last year--but who will be on the newly refurbished Fulkerson Hall stage this September?  Stay tuned--to this site.  The Welcome Concert is Saturday, September 8 at 5 p.m.

From the Sublime to the Ridiculous with University Singers and Humboldt Chorale

Humboldt State University Singers and the Humboldt Chorale go from the sublime to the ridiculous with a few stops in between, on Sunday evening May 6 at Fulkerson Recital Hall.

The University Singers, directed by Harley Muilenburg, perform the “Ave Maria” of famed 16th century composer Tomas L. de Victoria, and the gospel song, “Lord I Know I Been Changed.” They turn to contemporary tunes including “Requiem for the Masses” by popular music composer Terry Kirkman, and “Song of Songs” by contemporary English composer Patrick Hawes.

   The ridiculous resonates with “Jabberwocky,” a choral interpretation of the Lewis Carroll poem by Sam Pottle, composer of the Muppets theme song. In between the Singers reprise the Chen Yi composition “Capriccio” from the recent New Horizons Festival. “The musical material and imagery was inspired by a folk tune that I heard on a bagpipe from the lawn outside the Nelson Gallery in Kansas City,” Chen Yi said, “ and by the wild singing sounds of Asian folk choral music.”

The Humboldt Chorale, comprised of community singers and directed by Carol Ryder, performs American Mass by Ron Kean that combines traditional American hymns and spirituals with traditional choral liturgy. The Chorale also visits the ridiculous with “Animal Crackers” by Eric Whitacre, based on the whimsical poetry of Ogden Nash.

The Humboldt State University Singers and Humboldt Chorale perform on Sunday May 6 at 8 p.m. in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. Tickets are $7/3, free to HSU students from the HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. The Singers are directed by Harley Muilenburg, the Chorale by Carol Ryder. Produced by the HSU Music Department.

Media: Arcata Eye, Humboldt State Now.

University Singers 2012

Guitar Ensemble Explores Music of Spain

HSU Guitar Ensemble explores music of the Spanish guitar from flamenco and classic sonatas by Scarlatti and Sor to Gypsy jazz of the modern era, on Saturday May 5 in the Fulkerson Recital Hall.

The tour of Spanish guitar through time begins with folk music. Guitar Ensemble director and HSU Music professor Nicholas Lambson plays flamenco guitar, which is “essentially a style formed by Gypsies,” he explained. Then guitarist Michael Randall performs folk melodies with more modern words by Spanish poet Garcia Lorca, sung by HSU student Jo Kuzelka.

The classical era is represented by a Domenico Scarlatti sonata arranged for a trio and a sonata by one of Spain’s most famous composer for guitar, Fernando Sor, performed as a quartet. The program moves into the modern era with such landmark works as “Capricho Arabe” by Francisco Tarrega, “Asturias” and “Granada” by Issac Albeniz, and several pieces by Manuel de Falla.

This history is also assembled into one work: an exploration of the famous traditional Spanish dance called the Bolero, based on the Gypsy jazz version by Django Reinhardt. Students Daniel Fair and Kristofer Lang “spent the semester analyzing Django’s version and essentially reverse engineering it,” Lambson said. 

The piece they created is a progression of styles from the traditional Bolero to a more contemporary Gypsy jazz style. “A lot of music theory and analysis of style went into this composition, with fantastic results,” Lambson said. “They will be performing on Gypsy Jazz-style guitars like Djanjo’s, and will be improvising along the way as well.”

The Guitar Ensemble student players are: Daniel Fair, Jason Hall, Kristofer Lang, Jerry Olofsson, Michael Randall, Samuel Shalhoub, Tyler Vaughn, and Greg Willis. Michael Lewis plays flute on one selection.

HSU Guitar Ensemble performs on Saturday May 5 at 8 p.m. in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. Tickets are $7/$3, free to HSU students, from the Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. Directed by Nicholas Lambson, produced by HSU Music Department.

Media: Arcata Eye, Humboldt State Now.

Guitar Ensemble Concert: Director's Notes

The HSU Guitar Program has been working all year towards our upcoming Spanish Guitar concert in one way or another. The concert will mainly feature various ensembles, though there will be a few solo performances as well. The program will feature works from many different time periods and styles.

Since so much of Spanish music is based around its folk heritage, we will be featuring two such performances. I will play some flamenco guitar music which is essentially a style formed by Gypsies. Guitar is a central aspect of that style, though it often includes dance and voice.

 A voice and guitar duet will then take the stage to perform a few selections of songs by Garcia Lorca, a Spanish nationalist poet, playwright, and musician. While the songs were written in the 20th century, the texts and prevailing style are highly representative of Spanish folk music.

  There will be two sonatas on the program, the sonata being the leading form of choice in the Classical era. A trio will perform an arrangement of a Domenico Scarlatti sonata which was done by one of my former teachers, Stuart Green at CSU San Bernardino. This was a piece that I performed in my undergraduate studies, and I am glad my students will also get the opportunity. This is an early example of a sonata that is actually in binary form rather than the typical three part form we think of today.

Then myself and three other students will be performing a substantial sonata in four movements by one of the most famous Spanish guitar composers to have ever lived, Fernando Sor. Sor was a virtuoso guitarist himself, and left us with a wealth of highly sophisticated Classical era works and studies that are a staple of our repertoire today. Sor was a huge fan on Mozart, utilizing themes from the Magic Flute in his works, and this sonata is strongly rooted in Mozart's style, though there are inflections of early Beethoven present as well.

  From here we venture on into the early Romantic era with Capricho Arabe by Francisco Tarrega. Tarrega is often cited as the father of modern guitar technique - a somewhat hyperbolic statement, but not entirely inaccurate. He certainly codified a number of techniques such as tremolo, used famously in his composition Recuerdos de la Alhambra. Capricho is a staple of every classical guitarist's repertoire and is one of our most beloved pieces.

  Moving on in time, we come to some of the most famous Spanish nationalist composers in the late Romantic/Early 20th century: Isaac Albeniz and Enrique Granados. Albeniz' Asturias (Leyenda) is another widely played and recognized guitar work, though it was originally composed on the piano. However, it is very clear from many accounts that Albeniz was writing guitar music on the piano, so it is more often performed on guitar than not. This is an incredibly exciting solo piece that I am glad to have on our program.

A duet arrangement of his Granada will also be performed. This piece is not as well known outside of guitar circles, but it is a very lyrical and expressive work that will serve as a nice contrast to Asturias, showing a bit of Albeniz' range. Note that these two works are titled after Spanish cities, a link to Albeniz' nationalistic tendencies.

Next up will be a duet arrangement of the Intermedio from Enrique Granados' opera, Goyescas. The title refers to paintings by Francisco Goya, another important nationalistic figure in the artistic community. The Intermedio has become a stand-alone work, frequently performed in various arrangements.

  As a change of pace, we will then feature a short work for flute and guitar by Jacques Ibert, entitled Entr'acte. Ibert is obviously a Frenchman, though the work is very clearly in the Spanish style. The French have a penchant for exoticism, evidenced by their love of Spanish and Russian musical idioms. A few examples include Georges Bizet's Carmen and Claude Debussy's La soirée dans Grenade from Estampes.

  Following that, we will perform three works by Manuel de Falla: The Miller's Dance, Homenaje: pour le tombeau de Debussy, and Will o' the Wisp. The Miller's Dance is from Falla's ballet, The Three Cornered Hat. This will be performed as a duet, though a popular arrangement also exists as a solo guitar piece. This work features many bold strumming passages, or rasgueados, so prevalent in Spanish guitar music. Rasgueados will be heard throughout the program, beginning with the Flamenco guitar work, but they are especially prevalent here.

Homenaje is a short solo guitar work written for the death of Falla's friend, Debussy. It is actually the only true guitar work Falla wrote, and it is a masterpiece. In it, Falla fuses a Habanera rhythm with modern harmonies inspired by Debussy, even including a short quote from La soirée dans Grenade towards the end. It is a landmark piece that is often looked to as the first true guitar work of the 20th century.

Will o' the Wisp will finish out that set, arranged as a solo from another of Falla's ballets, El Amor Brujo. The legend behind the title is of mysterious lights that lead travelers astray by luring them away from the roads, and then flickering out when approached.

Gypsy music did not die out when the Classical tradition took hold in Spain. Flamenco music continued on, though it did wane in popularity some into the 20th century. Being a champion of Spanish culture, Falla actually did much to restore Flamenco music. However, another Gypsy tradition was emerging in Gypsy Jazz. The most famous guitarist in this style is undoubtedly Django Reinhardt. Two of my students who are steeped in this style have been working this semester on a creative assignment based on Django's Bolero. A Bolero is a traditional Spanish dance, but Django had changed it to include a more modern harmonic language. The traditional Bolero is also in three, while Django's is in four.

My students spent the semester analyzing Django's version and essentially reverse-engineered it from there. What you will hear is a progression of styles throughout the work from a very traditional Bolero to Django's, finishing out with a more contemporary version. A lot of music theory and analysis of style went into this composition, with fantastic results. They will be performing on Gypsy Jazz styled guitars like Django's, and will be improvising along the way as well.

Finally, I will be performing a short work by Joaquin Rodrigo entitled En Los Trigales which means "In the Wheatfields." Being nationalistic, he wrote a wealth of music for the guitar, and did so with great skill. Non-guitarists sometimes struggle with writing for the guitar, but Rodrigo demonstrates an intimate understanding of the instrument overall. While many Spanish composers and guitar composers never become known outside of their own circles, Rodrigo was well-respected in the global musical community. This actually helped to popularize the guitar and display its capacities as a substantial member of the Western musical instrument family. His famous Concierto de Aranjuez is still viewed as the benchmark for guitar concertos, and its themes (particularly in the second movement) are immediately recognizable by many listeners. The piece was later redone by Miles Davis in his Sketches of Spain (as was Falla's "Will o' the Wisp.")

  --Nicholas Lambson

Humboldt Symphony Explores Musical Hybrids

From Appalachia to Mexico, Berlin cabaret to the Beijing Opera, the Humboldt Symphony and guests explore musical hybrids on Friday evening, May 4 and Sunday afternoon, May 6 in the Fulkerson Recital Hall at HSU.

Kurt Weil extracted the best tunes from his wildly popular Threepenny Opera to create a suite for the concert stage, Little Threepenny Music.  “It’s a hybrid of German classical music with 1920s jazz, including Charleston rhythms, a tango and an Al Jolson crooner-style piece,” said Symphony conductor Paul Cummings. The suite includes a movement devoted to the familiar tune of “Mack the Knife.”

The Symphony turns to hybrids of traditional tunes crossed with classical orchestration. Soprano Elisabeth Harrington and guest harpist Jessica Schaeffer join the Symphony string orchestra for Five Appalachian Folk Songs by contemporary American composer Jack Jarrett. They include the familiar melodies of “Shenandoah” and “Black is the Color of My True-love’s Hair.”

Huapango by contemporary Mexican composer Juan Pablo Moncayo is “very rich ethnic Mexican music for full orchestra,” Cummings said, “with many vibrant solos, especially for trumpet and trombone.”

The Symphony reprises an orchestra piece from the recent New Horizons Festival by composer Chen Yi. Jing Diao literally means a Beijing Opera tune, but this similarly high-spirited piece honors Seattle Symphony conductor Gerard Schwarz for his support of the music of living composers.  This hybrid of Chinese and Western music was first played just last spring during Schwarz’s farewell season. “It’s an exciting piece, with a real sense of celebration,” Cummings said.

Humboldt Symphony and guests perform on Friday May 4 at 8 p.m. and Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. Tickets are $7/3, free to HSU students from the HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. Conducted by Paul Cummings, produced by the HSU Music Department.

Media Preview: Arcata Eye, Humboldt State Now.

AM Jazz Band Plays a Six-Pack of Jazz

The AM Jazz Band plays a six-pack of jazz classics by both the well-known and the under-appreciated on Thursday May 3 in the Fulkerson Recital Hall.

The well-knowns are Dizzy Gillespie (“Manteca), Miles Davis (“So What”) and Billy Strayhorn, famous composer for Duke Ellington (“Take the A Train.”)

Philadelphia’s Bobby Timmons was a sideman for Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, but also a composer with a distinctive mix of gospel, soul and jazz. The AM Jazz Band plays one of his much-recorded songs, “Moanin’.” 

Ray Wetzel was a jazz trumpeter’s trumpeter in the 40s and early 50s, who played with everybody from Woody Herman to Maynard Ferguson. The band plays his tune recorded by Stan Kenton, “Intermission Riff.” 

Sid Wyche was a Julliard educated jazz composer who played jazz piano and sang the blues. The band plays his “Alright, Okay, You Win,” which was recorded by Count Basie, Peggy Lee, Duke Ellington and others.

  The AM Jazz Band performs on Thursday May 3 at 8 p.m. in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. Tickets are $7/$3 students and seniors, and free to HSU students, from the HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. Directed by Sky Miller, produced by HSU Music Department.

Media Preview: Arcata Eye, Humboldt State Now.

                                                Mad River Transit Singers 2012

Madrigal Singers & MRT Celebrate Love 
 
HSU Madrigal Singers perform songs of love and celebration from Renaissance times, and MRT jazz singers do the same in the modern idiom in their shared concert on Sunday night, April 29.

For the Madrigal Singers set, Dylan Kinser and Grayson Sandy are featured in a duet on “Rest Sweet Nymphs” by Francis Pilkington, and a dozen voices combine for John Dowland’s “Come Again, Sweet Love.” Other selections include “Dreams and Imaginations” by Robert Jones, “Sweet Day” by Ralph Vaughan Williams and Bob Chilcott’s arrangement of one of the oldest and most familiar English tunes, “Greensleeves.” John Chernoff accompanies the singers on piano.

The Mad River Transit Singers take over for the second half of the concert, featuring two jazz pieces by Bobby McFerrin: his “23rd Psalm” which blends jazz and chant, and “Sweet in the Mornin’” with a solo by Claire Bent. MRT turns stormy with “Stormy Monday Blues” by T-Bone Walker and the classic “Stormy Weather” by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler, with an arrangement by Madrigal and MRT director Harley Muilenburg. Famously recorded by Ethel Waters, Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra, this became a signature tune for Lena Horne.

   Other selections include “Voice Dance” by Greg Jasperse and “Boplicity” by Miles Davis. MRT is accompanied by the rhythm section of John Chernoff (piano), Charles Welty (bass) and Dylan Williams (drums.)

HSU Madrigal Singers and MRT perform on Sunday night, April 29 at 8 p.m. in the Fulkerson Recital Hall at HSU. Tickets $7/3/free to HSU students from HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. Directed by Harley Muilenburg, produced by HSU Music Department.

Media: Humboldt State Now, Arcata Eye.