Reed to Perform with Ashland Native, Kevin Jones, Feb. 17

The Department of Music at Ashland University announces a concert featuring Dr. Thomas Reed, Professor of Music, on clarinet, with guest artist and Ashland native, Kevin Jones on piano. The free, public concert will be held on Monday, Feb. 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the Elizabeth Pastor Recital Hall in the Center for the Arts (formerly known as the Arts & Humanities Building).

For his 35th consecutive annual faculty concert at Ashland University, Dr. Reed will perform a program of classical pieces with Mr. Jones including Cantilene by Louis Cahuzac, Gordon Jacob's four-movement arrangement of Tartini's Concertino, and Paquito D'Rivera's Two Pieces for Clarinet and Piano. After an intermission, they will return to the stage for Carl Maria von Weber's Grand Duo Concertante, Op. 48.

Reed is professor of music and chair of the departments of music and theatre at Ashland University where he has taught since 1986 in a number of areas including applied woodwinds, music theory and jazz studies. He is a member of the Akron Symphony and Ashland Symphony, was a long-time member of the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, and has performed on clarinet or saxophone with the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Blossom Festival Orchestra, Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra, Dayton Philharmonic, Youngstown Symphony, Blossom Festival Band and the Jazz Unit. He has been a soloist with the Akron, Mansfield and Ashland Symphonies and performs on CDs from the Akron Symphony, Cleveland Chamber Symphony, Cleveland Jazz Orchestra and the Paul Ferguson Jazz Orchestra. His clarinet CD “Mutually Inclusive” was released in 2008 on Capstone Records. He is also a founding member of Iron Toys, a woodwind quartet that performs original repertoire for saxophones, clarinets and flutes. The quartet released their first CD in 2015. He holds degrees from The Ohio State University, the University of Michigan and the University of Akron.

Kevin Jones began formal musical training at the age of four. After preparatory and high school musical training in Ashland with Judith Thomas and John Gilbert, he attended Southern Methodist University and completed his undergraduate degree at Ashland College, studying organ with Karel Paukert and piano with Elizabeth Pastor. Mr. Jones went on to earn graduate degrees in Collaborative Piano and in Organ Performance at the Cleveland Institute of Music, studying with Pastor, Karel Paukert, Anne Epperson, Thomas Muraco, and Vivian Hornik Weilerstein.

From 1996 to 2004, Jones held the post of Musical Director/Conductor of the New York City based Gilbert & Sullivan ensemble, the Blue Hill Troupe, Ltd. With that ensemble he made his Carnegie Hall conducting debut as guest with Skitch Henderson’s New York Pops Symphony Orchestra. Along with U.S. performances at the Cleveland Museum of Art, Oberlin College, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art and many other sites, he has performed throughout Europe and the Far East including a recent performance on the Pipes at One series at St. Paul’s Chapel, NYC.

From 2007 to 2012, Jones was Canon Precentor and Director of Music at Christ Church Cathedral, Hartford, Connecticut, as well as being a member of the vocal division faculty at the Hartt School. Since 2013, Mr. Jones is Minister of Music at First Congregational Church, Columbus, Ohio, where he oversees a large music program of four choirs and the longstanding concert series Concerts at First Church.

Spring 2020 Music Event Schedule Released

The Spring 2020 music event schedule for Ashland University is now available online at ashland.edu/music or in hard copy through the Ashland University Box Office.

The schedule begins with Ashland Area Chorus rehearsals resuming on Monday, Jan. 13 and the hosting of the Ohio Private College Instrumental Conductors Association (OPCICA) Honors Festival culminating with a free, public concert on Sunday, Jan. 19 at 1:30 p.m. in Hugo Young Theatre.

From the annual Maplerock Jazz Festival to the spring opera scenes, choral and band concerts, faculty and guest artist recitals -- the schedule offers something for everyone and almost all of the performances are free and open to the public.

Be sure to review the schedule today and save the date for all of your favorites.

Clarinets, Flutes, Brass & Strings Perform, 12/4

On Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 7:30 p.m., several student ensembles will perform in a joint recital including a clarinet trio and the Flute Loops Jazz Combo under the direction of Dr. Thomas Reed, a brass ensemble directed by Joseph Lewis Jr. and a string ensemble directed by Jane Reed. The concert is free and open to the public.

Percussion Ensemble Perfoms New Works, 11/25

On Monday, Nov. 25, at 7:30 p.m. under the direction of Liz Procopio, the AU Percussion Ensemble will present a concert of all contemporary works by modern composers including Music for Pieces of Wood by Steve Reich, In C by Terry Riley, and selections of Living Room Music by John Cage. In addition, the ensemble will perform the World Premieres of new works by AU composition studio students. The concert is free and open to the public.

PANdemonium4 Flute Quartet Performs 11/8

Ashland University Department of Music presents a guest artist recital featuring the Ohio-based flute quartet, PANdemonium4, on Friday, Nov. 8 at 7:30 p.m. in the Elizabeth Pastor Recital Hall. The concert program will feature contemporary pieces by composers from Ohio, across the U.S. as well as France including an arrangement of the top rock anthem from the American heavy metal band Metallica. The concert is free and open to the public.

This highly talented quartet of teacher-performer professionals represents a diverse group of Ohio universities through their teaching (Capital University, Mariettta College, Ohio University, Otterbein University, West Virginia University), along with a substantial listing of symphonies and chamber ensembles from their performances around the state and beyond (Ashland Symphony Orchestra, Central Ohio Symphony, Columbus Symphony, Westerville Symphony, Mansfield Symphony, Austin (TX) Symphony, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Hawaii and Honolulu Symphonies, West Virginia Symphony, ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, Famous Jazz Orchestra, Breckenridge Music Festival Chamber Orchestra, and the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble).

Dr. Kimberlee Goodman, Lindsey Goodman, Lisa Jelle and Alison Brown Sincoff share a mutual passion for promoting all things flute in central Ohio and impacting the global future of chamber music collaborations within the setting of the quartet. They formed PANdemonium4 in 2016, and have performed at two National Flute Association Annual Conventions and in seven different states. They released their first studio recording titled Bolling & Beyond: Lisa Jelle, Jazz-Inspired Flute. Mark Flugge Remembered.

For their concert in Ashland, they will be joined by percussionist Liz Procopio and bassist Jeremey Poparad who are also teaching-performer professionals while teaching in their discipline at Ashland University. They will assist PANdemonium on Mark Flugge's Jazz Fantasy for Flute Quartet with optional bass and percussion in three movements (Ahmad, The Letter, Samba Fantasy).

Other pieces in the program include Daniel Dorff's Musetta Steps Out which is based on "Musetta's Waltz" from Puccini's La Bohème, Eugene Bozza's Jour d'été à la montagne, Cynthia Folio's Four 'Scapes (Cityscape, Seascape, Landscape, Escape), Linda Kernohan's My Compass Still to Guide Me, and Nicole Chamberlin's arrangement of Metallica's Enter Sandman.

Fairy Tales, Comedy & Tragedy at 2019 Opera Scenes

Every spring the Ashland University Department of Music offers audience members a chance to experience live opera through a variety of scenes from a collection of well-known titles. In 2019, the two evenings of opera scenes will be performed on Thursday, April 25 and Friday, April 26 at 7:30 p.m. in the intimate Studio Theatre at Ashland University. The performances are free and open to the public.

The variety of this year's scenes range from a fairy tale to comedies and a tragedy with many of them featuring story lines of love and romance. One similarity among all four of the operas is the idea of hidden and mistaken identities or masks. Also, all four of these operas are written by well-known composers (Mozart, Verdi, Strauss, and Humperdinck) and their titles (The Marriage of Figaro, La traviata, Die Fledermaus, Hansel and Gretel, respectively) are cornerstones of the opera world.

Based on the Grimm Brothers' fairy tale, Engelbert Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel is associated with the holidays and is often performed around Christmas. The Ashland performance will feature the opening scene where Hansel and Gretel are at their home and Hansel becomes very hungry. We all know what that leads to.

Several songs will be performed from Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus (aka The Revenge of the Bat) which is a story of mistaken identities, flirtations at a masked ball, elegant frivolities and confusions of all kinds. Our cast will perform "The Drinking Song" duet, Orlovsky’s aria, "Meir Herr Marquis" and "Sing to Love."

W. A. Mozart's comic opera The Marriage of Figaro tells the story of how the servants, Figaro and Susanna, taught their employer a lesson in fidelity and then succeeded in getting married. Selections from this comedy will include "Porgi Amor," "Voi che sapete" and "Sull’aria."

The most serious of the evenings' opera scenes will come from Giuseppe Verdi's tragedy, La traviata (The Fallen Women). However, the song selection for Ashland's opera scenes is one of the lighter moments of the story as the ensemble performs "The Brindisi," the opera's famous drinking song and one of the best-known opera melodies.

Under the direction of Sandra Ross and accompaniment by pianist Deb Logan, this annual event features vocal performances from student singers. This year's cast includes Drew Berlin (Barberton), Kendra Garver (Shreve), Maggie George (Independence), Mia Kardotzke (Clyde), Maya Rickard (Wooster), Dave Tomlinson (Cleveland) and Rebecca Young (Sherwood, Oregon).

Brass, Jazz, String & Woodwind Ensembles Recital, Apr. 23

On Tuesday, Apr. 23 at 8 p.m. in the Elizabeth Pastor Recital Hall, several student ensembles will perform in a joint recital including a jazz combo, woodwind, brass and string ensembles under the direction of Dr. Thomas Reed, Joseph Lewis, Jr., and Jane Reed, respectively. The concert is free and open to the public.

Percussion Studio Recital, April 1

Under the direction of Elizabeth Procopio, the Ashland University Percussion Studio will perform a concert of a variety of works featuring different styles and instrumentation on April 1 at 7:30 p.m. in the Elizabeth Pastor Recital Hall. The event if free and open to the public. 

Comprised of music education majors, minors, and non-majors, the ensemble's students frequently perform with the University Marching Band, Symphonic Band, Jazz Orchestra, Ashland Area Community Concert Band, and many jazz combos in the department. The concert program will include J.S.Bach's "Gavotte" and "Bouree"; "Perpetual Motion" by Richard Weiner; "Head Talk" by Mark Ford; and "Akadinda Trio" by Emmanuel Sejourne.

Reed Performs Concert of Classics and Jazz, Mar. 31

The Department of Music at Ashland University announces a concert of classical and jazz music featuring by Dr. Thomas Reed on Sunday, Mar. 31 at 7:30 p.m. in the Elizabeth Pastor Recital Hall.

For his 34th consecutive annual faculty concert at Ashland University, Dr. Reed will perform on clarinet and saxophone with pianists Susan Gregg and Lanny Gooding; Erin Helgeson Torres on flute; Scott Garlock, trombone; Paul Martin, bass; and Steve Berry, drums.

The concert program will include classical pieces from Schubert, Muczynski and Saint-Saens along with jazz standards and contemporary pieces by Dameron, Amarante, Fats Waller, Cole Porter and Marc Johnson.

Junior Recital: Rebecca Young, soprano, Mar. 24

Ashland University Department of Music presents a junior recital with soprano Rebecca Young accompanied by pianist Deb Logan on Sunday, Mar. 24 at 1 p.m. in the Elizabeth Pastor Recital Hall. The concert is free and open to the public.

Rebecca is a vocal music and history major from Sherwood, Oregon and she studies voice with Sandra Ross. The program for her recital will consist of classical pieces by Haydn and Faure; as well as selections from operas and musical theatre such as The Merry Widow, Princess Ida, Firefly, Have a Heart and She Loves Me.

Faculty Recital Showcases Trombonists from Cleveland Pops and Jazz Orchestras

The Ashland University Department of Music presents a faculty recital featuring Dr. Scott Garlock, Professor of Music on trombone along with guest ensemble Le Bon Bones on Monday, Jan. 28 at 7:30 p.m. in the Elizabeth Pastor Recital Hall. The concert is free and open to the public.

The evening's concert will present a program of trombone music culled from the 16th century to our current millenium. Selections will include Mozart's Requiem "Tuba Mirum," G. F. Handel's Dance Suite, Felix Mendelssohn's Nocturne, Pavane for a Dead Princess by Maurice Ravel, Nessun Dorma by Giacomo Puccini, Bear Dance by Bela Bartok, Chorale from Jupiter by Gustav Holst, Prelude, Op. 34 by Dmitri Shostakovich, Afred Reed's Fanfare, Cappricio for 8 trombones by Eric Ewazen, Domine, Salva Nos by William Byrd, as well as, Body and Soul by Johnny Green and Bill Reichenbach's Back to the Fair.

The members of Le Bon Bones including Dr. Garlock are members of the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, Mansfield Symphony Orchestra, Youngstown Symphony Orchestra, The Akron Symphony Orchestra, The Suburban Symphony and The Ashland Symphony Orchestra.

Percussion, Fall Honors & Student Ensembles Recitals

The Department of Music at Ashland University announces a variety of recitals to close the fall semester including an all percussion recital, small ensembles recital which will feature brass, string and jazz groups, as well as the semi-annual Honors Recital showcasing the exceptional work by selected vocalists and instrumentalists. All of the concerts are free and open to the public and will be performed in the Elizabeth Pastor Recital Hall.

On Monday, Dec. 3 at 8 p.m. under the direction of Liz Procopio, the AU Percussion Ensemble will present a wide variety of works featuring different styles of music performed by Stefan Jonsson and Matt Long. The recital program will also include performances by the University Drumline and the Neutrals Percussion Duo.

The AU Drumline is part of the AU Eagle Marching band, which performs for all home games, as well as traveling to marching exhibitions throughout Ohio. Members include Jonsson, Anthony Brown, Dylan Feo, Paulina Seneff, Steven Shrenkel, Layne Spencer, Nicholas Stupka, Molly Willard and Tiffany Zeigler.

Based in Dayton and formed in 2016 by Evan Miller and Andrew Seivert, the Neutrals Percussion Duo combines their Rust Belt underground upbringings and classical training into a contemporary ensemble firmly grounded by their Midwestern roots. Equal parts written works and electroacoustic improvisation, Neutrals performs established percussion duo repertoire, drone-based sound explorations, and above all, commissioned works by living composers. Past and current collaborators include composers Rob Funkhouser, Nate May, Hugh Sheehan, and Brooks Frederickson, percussionist Aaron Michael Butler, Cincinnati experimental ensemble Knee Play, and Indianapolis-based production company NoExit Performance.

The best of Fall 2018 will be showcased at the Honors Recital on Tuesday, Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m.. Students who accomplished exceptional musical work during the semester will showcase their vocal and instrumental talents as selected by their private teachers.

On Wednesday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m., several student ensembles will perform in a joint recital including a jazz combo, brass ensemble and string ensemble under the direction of Dr. Thomas Reed, Joseph Lewis, Jr., and Jane Reed, respectively.

Watts Presents Original Compositions

Sophomore music and computer science dual major Eric Watts (Ontario) will present a concert of his original compositions titled "Paperclips: An evening of music for trombones" on Saturday, Nov. 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the Elizabeth Pastor Recital Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

Eric composed several pieces for a trombone quartet over this past summer and then received further guidance from Dr. Stefan Swanson, Visiting Assistant Professor of Music, who has composed over 100 film and concert scores.

Eric's program for Saturday's concert will be selected from his following pieces:

• Chaconne from First Suite in Eb
• I Love You but Don't Like You
• If Only it Wasn't for my Crooked Peg Leg 
• Trombone Quartet 5
• Having Anxiety Gives Me Anxiety
• Equal

Trombonists participating in the concert are current AU students and alumni including the composer, Matthew MacDonald, Kyle Ackert and Jaylynn Buchmelter.

Pianist Performs AU Concert to Tell the Story of Her Father

Ashland University Department of Music will present a guest artist recital by pianist Sandra Shapiro titled, “Ïn My Father's Footsteps: A daughter's search for answers,” on Sunday, April 8 at 7:30 p.m. in the Elizabeth Pastor Recital Hall. Free and open to the public, the concert is the first of four musical narratives created by Shapiro as she followed her musical journey as a proud daughter and sister of immigrants.

“In My Father's Footsteps” is the story of Shapiro’s discoveries of the man she called “Abba” (Hebrew for father) by tracing his journey through life.

Born in Soviet Russia in 1923, her father’s life unfolded as a fantastic portrayal of courage and perseverance in pursuing his dreams. Her search for answers uncovered his many roles and adventures: WWII as a medic in the Russian army, serving as a doctor in a DP camp in Berlin’s Russian sector, a daring escape from Stalin’s clutches to Foehrenwald DP camp in the American sector, a brief time in Argentina, recruited to the newly formed Israel and finally on to America where she was born.

The music presented in this recital will reflect what she was able to learn about her father’s life, the places he lived, joys and hardships, and his final years. The program consists of pieces by Lyadov, Chopin, Rachmaninoff and Schubert.

Shapiro’s father died when she was quite young and she never knew him when she was an adult. Her curiosity piqued in 2006 after discovering a very old letter written to her father from Moscow. This is when she began her quest to learn about his life and journey to America, which traversed four continents.

Her quest resulted in “Musical Roots: An Exploration of Cultural Heritage and Influences,” which consists of four musical narratives presented as recitals or lectures either individually or as a series including:
I. In My Father’s Footsteps: A daughter’s search for answers
II. Songs My Safta Sang to Me
III. A Portrait of the Musician as a Melting Pot
IV. My Country 'tis of Thee

Shapiro enjoys an active career as performer, teacher, adjudicator and recording artist throughout the United States and Europe. Known as a versatile performer, she appears as soloist both in recitals and with orchestras, and as a highly sought-after chamber musician. She has received national and international awards along with glowing reviews and recognition in each of these areas.

She began her studies at the age of three and a half, and by age 11, was performing in recitals and as a soloist with orchestras. Because of her prodigious talent, Shapiro left home at age 15 to study at the Juilliard School upon the recommendation of her childhood mentor.

As a member of the renowned duo-piano team of Hecht & Shapiro, Shapiro's laureates include winning the Munich International Duo Piano Competition, the Ellis National Duo Piano Competition, and top prizes in the Dranoff International Two Piano Competition and the International Jeunesses Musicales Competition.

She is a member of the Piano and Chamber Music faculty at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Visiting Chamber Music Teaching Artist at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and is an Alumni Teaching Artist for The Juilliard-Nord Anglia Global Partnership Program.

Student Ensembles Concert, Dec. 5

Several chamber ensembles present the culmination of their semester rehearsals in a joint concert including brass, saxophone, string and percussion ensembles. The Student Ensembles Recital will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m. in the Elizabeth Pastor Recital Hall. Free & Open to the Public

Reed Performs Concert of Songs & Dances, 11/5

The Department of Music at Ashland University announces a concert of Songs & Dances by Dr. Thomas Reed on Sunday, Nov. 5 at 5 p.m. in the Elizabeth Pastor Recital Hall in the Center for the Arts.

For his 33rd consecutive annual faculty concert at Ashland University, Dr. Reed will perform on clarinet and soprano saxophone with pianist Susan Gregg, violinist Jane Reed, percussionist Andy Pongracz and Gary Davis on trumpet. His concert program is comprised of contemporary compositions and arrangements of songs and dances including:

• Darius Milhaud's "Suite, op. 157b" which is inspired by a baroque dance suite with a jazz rhythmic style
• Paul Bowles' "Music for a Farce" consisting of 8 sections of "slap-stick"-like music with chase scenes and corny sentimental music
• Catherine Hoover's arrangement of John Dowland's three Elizabethan lute songs in "Ayres"
• Dave Heath's expressive and exciting "Concerto for Soprano Saxophone: The Celtic"

Reed is professor of music and chair of the departments of music and theatre at Ashland University where he has taught since 1986 in a number of areas including applied woodwinds, music theory and jazz studies. He is a member of the Akron Symphony and Ashland Symphony, was a long-time member of the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, and has performed on clarinet or saxophone with the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Blossom Festival Orchestra, Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra, Dayton Philharmonic, Youngstown Symphony, Blossom Festival Band and the Jazz Unit. He has been soloist with the Akron, Mansfield and Ashland Symphonies and performs on CDs from the Akron Symphony, Cleveland Chamber Symphony, Cleveland Jazz Orchestra and the Paul Ferguson Jazz Orchestra. His clarinet CD “Mutually Inclusive” was released in 2008 on Capstone Records. He is also a founding member of Iron Toys, a woodwind quartet that performs original repertoire for saxophones, clarinets and flutes. The quartet released their first CD in 2015. He holds degrees from The Ohio State University, the University of Michigan and the University of Akron.

Guenther Guest Soloist for Ashland Musical Club

Featuring Ashland University organist Dr. Timothy E. Guenther as the guest soloist, the Ashland Musical Club will present its spring Scholarship Benefit Recital at 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 14 at Trinity Lutheran Church, 508 Center Street in Ashland. The program is “A Celebration of Lutheran Organ Music” in celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation and in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the constituting of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians (ALCM).

Composers on the first portion of the program represent the first several hundred years after Martin Luther’s Reformation of 1517, and include Georg Boehm, Dieterich Buxtehude, Michael Praetorius, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johann Ludwig Krebs and Anton Wilhelm Leupold. After intermission, more recent composers will be featured including Herman Kuenster, Flor Peeters, Harald Rohling, Paul Manz, F. Melius Christiansen, Jan Bender, Charles Ore, Richard Wienhorst, David Cherwien and Jeffrey Blersch.

The recital is open to the public and a donation will be taken to benefit the club's scholarship fund. A reception will follow.

The Ashland Musical Club was founded in 1900 by some of Ashland's most prominent women to promote good music and music education.  Now open to men as well, it is affiliated with the Ohio Federation of Music Clubs and the National Federation of Music Clubs. One of the ways it aids music education is with a scholarship awarded each year to an Ashland County graduating senior. Each year the club sponsors a scholarship benefit recital with all donations going to the scholarship fund. The Ashland Musical Club scholarship fund began in the early 1940s and many of the persons who are currently active in Ashland's musical life were recipients of this scholarship. Any Ashland County graduating senior may audition for the scholarship.

Bluntschly Junior Saxophone Recital, April 6

On Thursday, April 6 at 7:30 p.m., junior environmental science major and music minor Chanel Bluntschly (Ashland) will perform her junior recital on alto saxophone with pianist Susan Gregg. Her program will include Georg Philipp Telemann's Fantasia in A minor, Tableaux de Provence (Picture of Provence) by Paule Maurice, Laughing Gas by Jascha Gurewich, Valse Sonia and Saxophobia by Rudy Wiedoeft as well as Aleksandr Glazunov's Concerto in E-flat Major, Op. 109. The concert is free and open to the public.

Kelly & Wise Junior Recital, 3/23

On Thursday, March 23 at 7:30 p.m., music education majors Rachel Parfitt Kelly (Columbus) and Hannah Wise (Hartville) will perform their junior recital in the Elizabeth Pastor Recital Hall. Both sopranos will be accompanied by pianist Deb Logan and joined by guest vocalists Jacob Markley, baritone and Jacob Poiner, tenor. The program will include several musical theatre selections from shows such as Mame, White Christmas, Cinderella, Shrek, The Addams Family, Seussical, Spamalot and more. The concert is free and open to the public.

Junior Recital: Nikolaus Psota, trumpet

Junior criminal justice and psychology major Nikolaus Psota of Hinckley will perform a trumpet recital accompanied by pianist Susan Gregg. His concert program will include G. F. Handel's Aria con Variazion, Trumpet Concertos by Joseph Haydn and Alexander Goedicke, and Halsey Stevens' Sonata for Trumpet and Piano. The concert is free and open to the public.