Don’t miss any of the fine concerts planned for next year’s Music Masterworks series. For the latest information go to www.suu.edu/arts.
Guests from China – Expanding SUU’s International Reach
Associate Professor Xun Sun and his colleagues in the Music Department hosted Jian Ge, Director of the Music College and Yuefeng Zhou Vice President of the Music College from Hunan Normal University in Changsha, China, April 16 – 23, 2009. During the busy week Professors Ge and Zhou did some sightseeing at the Grand Canyon, met with Mark Wilberg Director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, attended The Wizard of Oz performance presented by the Theatre and Dance Department and observed classes in music and dance. President Michael T. Benson hosted a dinner for Ge and Zhou and other members of the SUU administration including CPVA Dean Bill Byrnes, Music Department Chair Dr. Keith Bradshaw and Director of International Outreach, Alla Paroiatnikova. The visit was arranged to facilitate future exchanges of faculty and students between SUU and Hunan Normal University, which is located in the city of Changsha, Hunan Province. Preliminary plans include an exchange of dance students from China in January 2010 as well as faculty from SUU visiting China in May of 2010.
Bon Appétit Concerts Wrap Up Successful 2nd Year
The Music Department’s Bon Appétit Concert Series ended a very successful second year as a scholarship fundraiser for music students. The last concert of the year, hosted in April at the home of Dixie and Ann Leavitt, raised over $1500 for the scholarship fund. This year more than $7700 in scholarships were awarded to students. Plans are underway for four intimate dinners/concerts next year. The dates are September 26,2009, December 12, 2009, February 20, 2010 and April 24, 2010. Locations will be announced in the late summer. Check www.suu.edu/arts for updates on the scheduled time and locations for the concerts.
Music and the High School Shakespeare Competition
Beginning in the fall of 2009 the SUU Music Department will be joining in the High School Shakespeare Competition with events in two areas: Madrigals and Minstrel. The objective of the music component of the Shakespeare Competition is designed to allow students to explore and develop a relationship with the music of the Renaissance with flexibility and creativity in the performance of these works. Students will be encouraged to come up with their own creative combinations of instruments while not being required to use only period instruments. Dr. Lynn Vartan and her colleagues in the Music Department will be joining the Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery, the Theatre Arts and Dance and the Art and Design Departments, in this new partnership. This year will mark the first time that all of the departments in the College of Performing and Visual Arts will be part of this very successful program. The High School Shakespeare Competition will be celebrating its 33rd year October 8-10, 2009 and is under the direction of Michael Bahr from the Utah Shakespearean Festival.
Dr. Keith Bradshaw had his composition entitled "Merediths' Lament" premiered in Thorley Recital Hall on March 28, 2009 by Meredith Morris and Meredith Morse, sopranos, with Tracey Bradshaw at piano. The piece was commissioned for the recital with text by Meredith Morris' father, Roland Morris. Dr. Bradshaw has been commissioned to write a piece for the Orchestra of Southern Utah and pianist Tracey Bradshaw, which will be premiered in November 2009. Under Dr. Bradshaw's direction, Opus toured Southern California in May 2009,performing in Diamond Bar, Fullerton, Knott's Berry Farm and Newport Beach. Choir members were given the opportunity to meet with high schools in Diamond Ranch and Fullerton to work with choral students. Lastly, Dr. Bradshaw will direct the Southern Utah Heritage Choir on a tour to China in October 2009. The choir has been invited to sing in the Shanghai Music Festival and will tour through Shanghai, Beijing and Xi'an.
Dr. Kirill Gliadkovsky was featured at the Heber Valley Piano Festival with a recital March 18, 2009 (which included a piano duet debut with his 10-year old daughter, Anastassia, performing Brahms' Waltzes) and a master class for the local teachers association March 19, 2009. Kirill’s studio class presented a recital at Duck Creek Community Church April 4, 2009. Savannah Sommers, Josh Infiesto, Annie Powell, Heather Tebbs, Randy Dulaney and Cicely Brown all successfully performed solo and duo piano pieces for a campus and community audience. This is the first known SUU studio class recital in the area. Dr. Gliadkovsky provided introductions to pieces and historical background on the repertory performed. Kirill, Anna and Anastassia Gliadkovsky will be featured at the Patriotic Piano Concert July 4, 2009 at Duck Creek Community Church. Classical and Patriotic repertory for solo, duo and trio piano (one piano, six hands) will be performed.
Professor Carol Ann Modesitt will be giving a recital in the St. George Tabernacle Friday, July 17, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. accompanied by Tracey Bradshaw. After a busy year, which included directing Mozart’s The Magic Flute and taking students to the National Opera Association Conference in Washington, D.C., she still found time to prepare and perform a faculty recital held March 23, 2009 in Thorley Recital Hall. Professor Modesitt also adjudicated at the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) conference held in Las Vegas, Nevada April 25, 2009.
Dr. Mark Stickney will be working as the Production Manager for the 2009 Season of the Newport Music Festival in Rhode Island. This marks his 21st season working on the production crew. The Festival holds over fifty concerts in a seventeen-day period at the Newport Mansions in Rhode Island.
Dr. Virginia Stitt will be participating in three English Horn master classes this summer with Thomas Stacy of the New York Philharmonic, Pat McFarland from the Atlanta Symphony and Carolyn Hove from the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Dr. Lynn Vartan hosted a successful Percussion Festival on the SUU campus April 18, 2009. The Percussion Festival culminated with a concert in Thorley Recital Hall, that featured a percussion group from Fiddler's Elementary School, the newly formed SUU Drum Line, SUU Percussion Ensemble, Brad Dutz and the Exacta Duo (which includes Dr. Vartan) and Miguel Gonzalez of Tambuco Percussion Ensemble, Mexico City.
Dr. Vartan also performed in several concerts during the spring. One of which included performing with the Southwest Chamber Music in Pasadena, California May 4, 2009, in a program of the music of Toru Takemitsu. She adjudicated at the Southern California Marimba Solo Competition, Chapman University, May 2, 2009. Following an established pattern, Lynn held a master class for students from CSU Northridge while she was in the Los Angeles area May 7, 2009. On May 9, 2009 Dr. Vartan performed with Jacaranda in "Music from the Edge", in Santa Monica, CA. The concert included a very ambitious program of all-Messiaen works. Following this on May 30, 2009, Lynn performed at CSU San Bernardino, in a chamber music concert featuring the music of Chinary Ung, Sean Heim and Australia’s Bruce Crossman.
Associate Professor Xun Sun held conducting master classes in China at Hunan Normal University May 25- June 7, 2009. In addition to conducting master classes, he presented a paper on teaching methods in music.
Student vocalists from the SUU Department of Music once again excelled at the National Association of Teachers Singing (NATS) auditions held at the University of Nevada – Las Vegas, April 25, 2009. NATS is a nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging the highest standards of singing through excellence in teaching. This audition gave SUU students the opportunity to be judged by vocal teachers from across the country. SUU was represented in 10 of the 17 divisions and won over 40 percent of the cash prizes awarded.
Freshmen College Men Freshmen College Women Sophomore College Men Sophomore College Women |
Junior College Women Senior College Men Senior College Women College Musical Theatre Women College Musical Theatre Men Adults Under 2 Years of Study Adults Over 2 Years of Study |
Congratulations to the over 20 music majors who received scholarship support for next year and thanks to the generous supporters of the SUU Music Department for your commitment to these young artists and educators. In addition, 18 students were awarded scholarship support due to the gifts made through the Bon Appétit concert series. Thank you.
Rondthaler Award The George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation Award Peyton Johnson Award Jay G. Thorley Award Lerin & Norma Porter Award Melvin R. & Carmen R. Hepworth Beth Leigh Memorial Award in Piano W. H. & Elda Manning Award in Voice Roy & Maude Halversen Award in Strings W.A. & B.C.J. Art Award Hal & Joan Campbell Award |
Hunter Cowan Memorial Scholarship Renn & Ree Zaphiropoulus Award Gardner, R.B. & B.E.S. Award Jan Harrison Memorial BON APPÉTIT CONCERT SERIES SCHOLARSHIPS |
ArtsBridge Scholar and SUU percussion student Jamie Bayer (‘11) combined drumming and social studies at Fiddler's Elementary School spring semester 2009. Jamie worked with every student in the school through “hands on activities” such as making drums and learning songs which pertained to their curriculum.. The children of Fiddler’s Elementary presented at a culminating ArtsBridge event on April 24, 2009.
Olivia Biddle (’05) graduated with her Masters in Vocal Performance from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England and is taking a break in California before moving to Germany fall 2009 to pursue her singing career.
Martina Bishopp (‘94) received a PhD. in Musicology in 2007 from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.
Cicely Brown (‘09) was accepted into the Master in Music in Piano programs at University of Utah, Utah State University and Brigham Young University. She will be attending BYU on a scholarship in the fall.
Jeri Lynn Crosby (‘88) was elected to the position of Elementary Vice-President of the Utah Music Educators Association (UMEA) and will be joining another SUU alumni Geoffrey Anderson (‘93) who was elected to the Choral Vice-President position in UMEA.
Emily Park Grady (‘06) graduated with her Masters of Music from the University of Utah and she has been accepted, with a scholarship, into the Doctoral of Music Arts program in Bassoon at the University of Utah.
Gary J. Howe (‘12), won the Collegiate Marimba Competition in late March at Weber State as part of the Northern Utah Day of Percussion, sponsored by Percussive Arts Society. The other competitors were all from BYU, with the exception of one from U of U. This was Gary’s first competition in the percussion area.
Tamara Leake (‘09) has been accepted into the Master in Music in Oboe program at University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV)
Shannon Talley’s (’01) new website is up and running at www.shannontalley.com. Shannon reports she was accepted to Texas Tech University with a Chancellor's Fellowship and a teaching assistantship. She will be studying with Metropolitan Opera star Susan Graham's undergraduate teacher, Sue Arnold, next year. For the most up to date information about Shannon’s schedule please go to her website.
Joy Christopher Yang (‘03) was accepted, with scholarship, to Boston University to work on her Masters of Music Education.
(Photos: Top: '09 Spring Wind Symphony Concert by Dominic Yeager Bottom: Symphony Orchestra Playing for The Magic Flute by Anne Marie Keefe)