THOMAS REED PRESENTS CLARINET/SAXOPHONE RECITAL, JAN. 15

The Department of Music at Ashland University presents a faculty recital on Sunday, January 15 at 7:30 p.m. in the Elizabeth Pastor Recital Hall featuring Music Department Chair and Professor of Music Thomas Reed on clarinet and saxophone with pianist Pavlina Draganova.  The performance is free and open to the public.  

The program begins in the Baroque style with J. S. Bach's Partita in A minor in four movements, then jumps to the Romantic era with Reed's arrangement of Georges Bizet's Minuet and Carillon from the play "L'Arlesienne," and Fred Hemke's arrangement of Robert Schumann's "Three Romances." Pieces from the twentieth century include Vincent David's arrangement of Claude Debussy's "Rapsodie," and Louis Cahuzac's "Cantilene," with the concert concluding with Francis Poulenc's Sonata for Clarinet and Piano in three movements. 

COMMUNITY CONCERT BAND AND UNIVERSITY WIND ENSEMBLE PRESENT CONCERT WITH GUEST VOCALIST STEPHANIE SIKORA

The Ashland Area Community Concert Band (AACCB) and Ashland University Wind Ensemble present their annual Winter Festival Concert, under the direction Ashland University Director of Bands Leonard Salvo along with guest artist, soprano Stephanie Sikora, on Thursday, December 8, 7:30 p.m. at the University’s Hugo Young Theatre.  The concert is free and open to the public.

The 60-piece Wind Ensemble begins the concert with “A Festival Prelude” by Alfred Reed which opens with robust fanfares followed by a warm and melodic middle section then ending with a majestic processional march.  The ensemble continues with “Ghost Train” by Eric Whitacre, one of the most popular and performed composers of our generation.  This first movement of the three movement tone poem “Ghost Train Triptych” depicts a supernatural machine that roars out of the night through forgotten towns and empty canyons. The music’s eerie sounds and driving rhythms beautifully captures the supernatural spirit combined with the essence of a steaming locomotive.  The third piece of the program, “Perthshire Majesty” by Samuel Hazo, is a lush Scottish ballad which won the 2003 National Band Association’s Revelli Memorial Composition Contest.  Closing the first half of the concert, the Wind Ensemble performs Reber Clark’s “Hymn of St. James” which is a composition for band based on the hymn “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence.”

After a brief intermission, the Ashland Area Community Concert Band begins their program with “Fanatic Winds,” a lively concert work with a youthful character by English composer Thomas Doss; followed by two movements of Clare Grundman’s exquisite symphonic settings of four beloved English folk tunes in “English Suite;”  and James Swearingen’s “The Light Eternal”, a dramatic and emotional work based on the hymn “God of Our Fathers” that tells the story of the S.S. Dorchester that sank off the coast of Greenland.  Soprano Stephanie Sikora then takes the stage with the Concert Band to perform Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim’s “Tonight” from the American musical “West Side Story.” The concert closes with Robert Sheldon’s “A Most Wonderful Christmas” which includes some of the most popular Christmas selections of all time such as “Winter Wonderland,” “I’ll be Home for Christmas,” and “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town.”

Stephanie Sikora is currently in her nineteenth year as head of the voice area in the Department of Music at Ashland University. She has sung over 100 performances with Cleveland Opera on Tour, as well as appeared in main stage productions with Cleveland Opera, and as a guest soloist with the Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom Festival. Additional credits include performances with the Reading Symphony, Canton Symphony, Mendelssohn of Pittsburgh, Ashland Symphony, Akron Lyric Opera Theatre, Firelands Symphony, The Singers’ Club, and fourteen years as a member and frequent soloist with the Robert Page Cleveland Singers.

WINTER FESTIVAL CONCERT FEATURING JAZZ ORCHESTRA, BRASS AND PERCUSSION ENSEMBLES

From the award-winning Ashland University Jazz Orchestra to the University brass and percussion ensembles, Ashland University’s first of two Winter Festival concerts will offer a full slate a musical treats. Free and open to the public, the concert is scheduled for Monday, December 5, 7:30 p.m. at the University’s Hugo Young Theatre. 

The concert will begin with the Ashland University Brass Ensemble directed by brass and horn instructor Michael Metcalf performing Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” followed by Morten Lauridsen’s “O Magnum Mysterium”, and “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” as arranged by Chris Woods.

Percussion instructor Jeffrey Neitzke will then direct the Ashland University Percussion Ensemble performing “Hitzacker Wasserspiele” by Matthias Kaul, “Ogoun Badagris” by Christopher Rouse, and two movements of James Tenney’s Three Pieces for Drum Quartet.

The concert will conclude with the Ashland University Jazz Orchestra (AUJO) directed by Dr. Scott Garlock, associate professor of music.  In addition to Bob Mintzer’s big band hit “Slo-Funk”, the program will be selected from a repertoire of holiday favorites including Paul Ferguson’s arrangement of “Auld Lang Syne”, Tom Kubis’ “Jingle Bells”,   John Berry’s “Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow”, and Bryan Kidd’s “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.  Vocal soloists Katie Vargo and Jacob Haury will be featured in “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” as Vargo also sings with the “Here Comes Santa Claus” medley.   

TUBACHRISTMAS SEEKING ALL TUBA, EUPHONIUM AND BARITONE PLAYERS

All tuba, euphonium and baritone players are wanted for Ashland University’s TubaChristmas on Saturday, December 3 in Hugo Young Theatre.  Musicians will begin registration for the event at 10:00 a.m. followed by a rehearsal at 10:20 a.m.  The public performance which is free and open to the public will be held at noon.  

TubaChristmas is an idea conceived by Harvey Phillips, Professor of Tuba at Indiana University. Mr. Phillips wanted to demonstrate to the public what a beautiful sound a mass ensemble of tubas and euphoniums could make and to provide an opportunity for fellow low brass players to celebrate the season with the community. TubaChristmas is dedicated to the memory of Mr. William J. Bell.  It’s a fun, holiday tradition the whole family can enjoy.  

The registration fee for participating musicians is $5.00 and includes a 2011 TubaChristmas button.  The TubaChristmas carol book is also available for $10.00. Musicians are asked to bring their own folding stand.   

For more information, contact Associate Professor of Music Dr. Scott Garlock at 419.289.5134 or sgarlock@ashland.edu, or visit the Web site at www.ashland.edu/music.

SENIOR CLARINET RECITAL, STUDENT CHAMBER AND JAZZ ENSEMBLES CONCERTS SLATED

The Department of Music at Ashland University hosts several concerts throughout next week including a senior clarinet recital, student chamber ensembles recital, and a performance from the University Jazz combos. All of these performances are free and open to the public.  

The busy week of music begins on Sunday, November 13 at 3:00 p.m. in the Elizabeth Pastor Recital Hall with senior music education major Emily Geib presenting her senior recital on clarinet.  A graduate of Waynedale High School in Apple Creek, Ohio, Geib begins her program with Germaine Tailleferre’s “Arabesque” followed by Aaron Copland’s three-movement Sonata for Clarinet and Piano and concluding with Felix Mendelssohn’s Concertpiece No. 1, op. 113.  She is assisted by Pavlina Draganova on piano and Jonathan Barko on clarinet.

The evening of Thursday, November 17 will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Elizabeth Pastor Recital Hall with a student ensemble recital featuring the Ashland University woodwind and clarinet ensembles directed by Dr. Thomas Reed, and the string ensemble led by Lindsay Brown.  At 9:00 p.m., the Jazz combos will perform at the Eagle’s Landing student lounge in the Hawkins-Conard Student Center.  The combos are under the direction of Dr. Scott Garlock and Jeff Neitzke.

For more information about these concerts, visit the Web site at www.ashland.edu/music or contact Tricia Applegate, coordinator of performing arts publicity and events, at 419-289-5950 or tapplega@ashland.edu.

MUSIC ED GRADS BEGIN THEIR TEACHING CAREERS!

Chris Simmons '11, directs the Marching
Band at Catholic Central H.S. in
Steubenville, OH 

Congratulations to these Music Education graduates, now out in the teaching world!  Here's a brief listing of where some of our graduates are working.  We'd love to hear from other graduates, and hear more information about any of our graduates, recent and not-so-recent!

Rachel Blenman (2010): St. Paul Schools (band director, choir director, junior high general music teacher), Norwalk, Ohio

John Grimm (2011): Hebron Elementary School (K, 1, 2 general music), Lakewood High School (assistant band director), Hebron, Ohio

Erica Koenig (2010): Cleveland State University (studying music therapy), Deepwood School for Children with Disabilities (volunteer), Cleveland, Ohio

Lauren Owens (2010): Olmsted Falls City Schools (K – 5, general), Olmstead Falls, Ohio 

Jessie Rowe (2010): Ruffing Montessori in Rocky River (instrumental), Cleveland, Ohio

Lauren (Salopek) Dickerhoof (2010): St. Peter's School (preschool - 8th grade, general and choral), Mansfield, Ohio

Ali (Savitsky) Harrar (2010): Imagine Penn Hills (K-2, general), Pennsylvania

Chris Simmons (2011): Bishop John King Mussio Elementary and Junior High Schools, and Steubenville Catholic Central High School (instrumental, general, and choral), Steubenville, Ohio

Jim Slike (2011): St. Thomas More, Mary Queen of Peace, Our Lady of Angels, and St. Bridget of Kildare (4^th – 8^th grade band), Immaculate Conception Church (choir director), Cleveland, Ohio

Aly (Slotterbeck) Horn (2011): Perrysburg Junior High School (choral), Perrysburg, Ohio

Dennis Terlaak (2010):  Olmstead Falls Local Schools (beginning band director), Olmstead Falls, Ohio

Graduates can contact us with news items at treed@ashland.edu.

CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA’S CONCERT MASTER AND ASHLAND NATIVE PERFORMING GUEST RECITAL AT ASHLAND UNIVERSITY

The Department of Music at Ashland University is proud to announce an encore performance by The Cleveland Orchestra’s concertmaster William Preucil and Ashland native Christine Fessenmeyer-Hill.  The guest artist recital will be held Friday, October 7, 7:30 p.m., in the Elizabeth Pastor Recital Hall located in the Center for the Arts at the corner of College Avenue and Grant Street.  The performance is free and open to the public. 

The performance with violin and piano will open with three movements from Ludwig von Beethoven’s Sonata No. 4 in A Minor followed by Gabriel Fauré’s Sonata in A Major for Violin and Piano.  After a brief intermission, the program will conclude with  Johannes Brahms’ Sonata No. 3 in D Minor.       

As concertmaster of The Cleveland Orchestra since 1995,  William Preucil has appeared regularly as a soloist with the Orchestra in concerto performances at both Severance Hall and Blossom Music Center.  Prior to joining The Cleveland Orchestra, Mr. Preu­cil served for seven seasons as first violinist of the Grammy-winning Cleveland Quartet, performing more than 100 concerts each year in the world’s major music capitals.  He began studying violin at the age of five with his mother, Doris Preucil, a pioneer in Suzuki violin instruction in the United States.  At 16, he graduated with honors from the Interlochen Arts Academy and entered Indiana University to study with Josef Gingold (former concertmaster of The Cleveland Orchestra).  He was awarded a performer’s certificate at Indiana University and also studied with Zino Francescatti and György Sebök.  In addition to performing, Mr. Preucil serves as Distinguished Professor of Violin at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Distinguished Visiting Lecturer at Furman University.  He previously taught at the Eastman School of Music and at the University of Georgia.

Christine Fessenmeyer-Hill began her early studies in Ashland, Ohio with Barbara Jones and Elizabeth Pastor.  She holds degrees from the Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music and the Cleveland Institute of Music. Ms. Hill is a very sought after collaborative pianist and has made her mark in this specialized area of ensemble performance.  She appears frequently as a soloist, recitalist and chamber music pianist for many venues throughout the country.  Her expertise has attracted many elite talents and her collaboration has assisted many successful careers.  She has won numerous prizes in performance and has earned favorable reviews from critics worldwide and distinguished musicians.  Aside from her extensive appearances, she collaborates with members of many major symphonies, vocalists, and chamber musicians.  A member of the Collaborative Piano Faculty at the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Cleveland State University Piano Faculty, she maintains a very active career as a pedagogue.  Also, she is a member of the Accompanying Staff at CIM and the Encore School of Strings. 

For more information about this performance and other Department of Music events, visit the Web site at www.ashland.edu/music or contact Tricia Applegate, coordinator of performing arts publicity and events, at 419-289-5950 or tapplega@ashland.edu.