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The quintet members with friends in front of the concert hall where they performed |
NMBQ Tours China
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The NMBQ at the Great Wall |
The New Mexico Brass Quintet, which this year consisted of Prof. Jeffrey Piper, trumpet, Prof. Susan Fritts, horn, and graduate students Spencer Aston, trumpet, Debra Taylor, trombone, and Paul Carlson, tuba, traveled this spring to Beijing, China, to perform and teach at the International Trumpet Week hosted by The Central Conservatory of Music and Professor Dai Zhonghui. Prof. Piper gave speeches as President of the International Trumpet Guild and gave a masterclass and clinic for the trumpet section of the National Marine Band of the People's Republic. He and Spencer each gave solo recitals in addition to performing with the ensemble. Debra Taylor presented a breathing class, and all of the NMBQ members either gave masterclasses or worked privately with conservatory students. The quintet performed to a full house and the concert was broadcast nationally. The program featured arrangements of Chinese and American folk music, Bach fugues, Olympic fanfares, contemporary American music, and arrangements of music by the Beatles.
University Chorus Wins Bravo Award
The UNM University Chorus, under the direction of Prof. Bradley Ellingboe, won the 2006 Albuquerque Arts Alliance "Bravo Award" for Excellence in Music. The Chorus was singled out for its devotion to presenting concerts of choral masterworks to the community for free or at low cost. In recent years the Chorus has also undertaken the ambitious goal of raising $300,000 to endow sixteen choral scholarships. The Chorus has already completed the Morten Lauridsen Choral Scholarship, named for the famed composer who visited UNM in 2004. The ensemble is presently raising funds to endow the John Clark Choral Scholarship, honoring UNM's long-time Director of Choral Activities, as well as the "Robert Ray Choral Scholarship," earmarked for African-American students pursuing a degree in choral conducting or vocal performance.
Choral News
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Robert Ray |
Robert Ray, internationally recognized composer and conductor, was in residence at UNM for four days in April. The residency culminated in a gala fundraising performance in Popejoy Hall, with Las Cantantes, the UNM Women's Chorus, performing Ray's Gospel Magnificat, and the UNM University Chorus performing Ray's thrilling Gospel Mass. Both choirs are directed by Prof. Bradley Ellingboe. Dr. Ray (pictured) served as guest conductor for his compositions. He is Professor of Music at the University of Missouri, St. Louis, and has appeared as a guest conductor all over the world and has served as pianist for such distinguished singers as Robert McFerrin and William Warfield. This concert also marked the debut of the brand new UNM Children's Chorus under the direction of UNM Music faculty member Dr. Regina Carlow. Guest pianist for the evening was John Helgen, a Minneapolis-based composer who was
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commissioned to write a new piece for the debut of the Children's Chorus. "Laughing Song" was premiered that
evening under Dr. Carlow's baton with Mr. Helgen at the piano. Also in April, the UNM Concert Choir, under the direction of Prof. Ellingboe, presented a concert in Simms Auditorium at the Albuquerque Academy. The choir was accompanied by Louise Bass. The evening featured Professor Cármelo De Los Santos in two works for chorus and violin: "I Saw a Stranger Yestere'en" by Jacob Avshalamov and a new work by Ellingboe entitled "O Gracious Light." In addition, the choir presented Ariel Ramírez's lively "Misa Criolla" under the direction of graduate assistant Ethan Smith. Also on the program was the premiere of "O esca viatorum," written expressly for the Concert Choir by Iain Quinn, Director of Music at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. John in Albuquerque. The choir repeated their program in the Basilica of St. Francis in Santa Fe on May 5th.
Suzuki Lab School Thrives
The Suzuki Lab School final concert was held the morning of May 6. Each of the seven classes in the program performed for their parents and guests in Keller Hall. UNM string pedagogy students rehearsed and led their respective classes in the concert, from the beginning class's performance of open-string songs to the "advanced" class playing Witches' Dance, a simplified version of Paganini's Le Streghe. In addition to four levels of violin students, the lab school also has an "Introduction to Reading" class, viola and cello classes, and each of these also performed under the direction of the pedagogy students. Next year, the lab school will expand to include a beginning ensemble class and a new satellite program at Bandelier Elementary School. The Lab School is an integral part of the String Pedagogy Program, and serves to give our UNM pedagogy students hands-on teaching experience in a variety of classroom and private settings.
Cello & Bass Events Attract Community Participation
A cello and doublebass workshop-and-"play in" was the focus of ¡Cello New Mexico!'s day of music, camaraderie and fun, held this past March 26 in Keller Hall. The event was hosted by David Schepps, Associate Professor of Cello, and Mark Tatum, Lecturer in Doublebass, and was open for free to cellists and bassists of any level or age. Students could work on any audition or festival material they wanted or get coaching on technique, from beginning to advanced. The culmination of the workshop was a concert in the hall, with performances by previously prepared small ensembles and by the workshop's "cello and bass orchestra," which included players of all levels. ¡Cello New Mexico! also sponsored a free masterclass and short performance by Paris Conservatory student Timothée Marcel on February 23rd, Mr. Marcel is a graduate of the Paris Conservatory, and is currently a student at the Conservatoire National Superior de Musique. He was a participant in the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival’s 2005 Distinguished Young Artists program, and has won many first prizes in competitions throughout France. February 1st was the date of a guest performance by the Harrington String Quartet in Keller Hall. The quartet was joined by Prof. Schepps on cello and Kim Fredenburgh, Assistant Professor of Viola. The members of the quartet are all faculty members at West Texas A & M University and serve as principal players of the Amarillo Symphony Orchestra. The ensemble has enjoyed collaborations with renowned artists David Shifrin, Pepe Romero, James Dick, Robert Levin and members of the Cavani and Pro Arte String Quartets. The quartet's performance of Bartok's second string quartet was filmed for the PBS documentary, A Sound Collaboration–The Harrington String Quartet.
Contemporary World Music Going Strong
Maria Williams Travels to Russia
Dr. Maria Williams, Assistant Professor of Contemporary World Music, gave a paper in Chukotka, Russia, at the International Beringia Conference in October of 2005. Her topic was her work with the King Island Inupiaq people of Alaska. Dr. Williams was also invited to Columbia University by Dr. Aaron Fox, Director of the Center for Ethnomusicology, to give a presentation entitled "Alaska Native Music and Dance: Colonial & Post-Colonial Aspects of Renewal and Survival."
Maria Klemenc Joins Faculty
Maria Arko Klemenc joined the Music Department this year as a part-time faculty member. Klemenc received her bachelor's degree in music at the University of Chicago, and completed her Ph.D. in Music, specializing in Ethnomusicology, at the University of California, Berkeley in 2004. Her dissertation, Arranging the Nation: Slovenian Folk Song Arrangements and National Perception, focused on the repertoire of choral arrangements of folk songs and the popular practice of choral singing in Slovenia. Her research addresses understandings of nationalism, conceptions of folk music in constructing a musical nationalism, and questions of musical boundaries along the folk-popular-art continuum. Additional areas of interest include folk revivals, the musical practices of immigrant communities in the United States, and the history of American vernacular musics. She has presented at the national meetings of the Society for Ethnomusicology and the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies, and parts of her dissertation have been published in the ethnographic journal Traditiones (2005). At UNM, Klemenc has taught Folk Music of North America, Studies in Classic and Romantic Music, and Music Appreciation at the UNM-Valencia Campus.
Steve Loza Teaches Latin American Music
Prof. Steve Loza will teach a workshop this summer on "Afro-Cuban Drumming and Latin Jazz," together with guest lecturer Francisco Aguabella. The three-day course will run from July 25-27 and will focus on bata and conga drumming and will include a historical survey of the traditions and styles, and their musical and social impact on contemporary culture. This fall Prof. Loza will teach "Music of Latin America," a survey of the historical development of musical styles and cultures in Mexico, the Caribbean, and parts of Central America. Musical expression will be discussed in terms of folk, popular, and "art" forms. In Mexico, the indigenous factor will be of prime focus, in addition to regional folk styles. Orchestral and chamber music will be categorized according to historical periods, nationalism, and individual composers. The hybridization of folk and popular styles will be addressed, especially the musical styles of Mexico, Cuba, and Puerto Rico.
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Rahim Alhaj (seated) with students of the Middle Eastern Music class |
Rahim Alhaj Shares Middle Eastern Music
Guest lecturer Rahim Alhaj taught an unusual class called "Introduction to Middle Eastern Music" this spring. The course covered the history and background of music from Turkey, the Near East, Iran, and North Africa, and featured performances by Mr. Alhaj (oud) as well as by guest musicians Latif Boulat (saz), Farzad (Persian violin), Souhail Kaspar (percussion), Ken Battat (percussion), and a lecture by Steven Feld (ethnomusicology).
Arabic Percussion Workshop Offered
The music department also sponsored an Arabic Percussion Workshop on Saturday, May 6th, taught by guest instructor Souhail Kaspar, who recently recorded a CD with Rahim Alhaj on Smithsonian Folkway Records.
Steven Feld Works in Ghana and Elsewhere
For the spring semesters of 2007 and 2008, Dr. Steven Feld, Professor of Contemporary World Music, will be a visiting music professor for New York University in Ghana, working with NYU music students, running an improvisation workshop and ensemble, where the students study with him and some of the African musicians he has been working with during his visits in 2004, 2005 and this past spring semester. This project will be part of his new research on differences between improvisation logics in Europe, Africa, and the U.S. For the spring of 2008, Prof. Feld has been offered the Bloch Professorship in the Department of Music at the University of California, Berkeley. The visiting semester-long position involves teaching a graduate seminar in the department, and giving a series of lectures, typically published by the University of California Press. Dr. Feld's Visiting Professor position in the Grieg Academy of Music, University of Bergen, Norway, which he has held since 2000, will end in 2006. He has accepted a similar five-year position with the Institute of Music at the University of Oslo, to begin in 2007. Like Bergen, this position involves a week of visiting lectures in the fall and spring semesters each year.
Faculty Notes
In February, Associate Professor of Music Glenn Kostur traveled to San Antonio, Texas, to be the conductor/clinician for the Texas All-State Jazz Ensemble. This group, selected from the best high-school jazz musicians from throughout the state, convened at the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) annual conference, one of the largest such conferences in the U.S. Professor Kostur led the group in rehearsals for three days, and culminated his visit with a well-received concert performance for conference attendees. Included in the program was the premiere of Kostur's composition "Riverwalk" for jazz band, written for the occasion. Professor Kostur is wrapping up his eleventh year as the director of UNM's Jazz Studies program.
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Falko Steinbach |
Arlene Ward's latest CD, Organ Music from the Low Countries, is now out and available. Our own Keller Hall Holtkamp organ is the featured instrument. Composers represented are Monnikendam, Willaert, deBoeck, Plum Weegenhuise, Cornet, Peeters, Sweelinck, van Noordi, Dresden, and Andriessen.
While on sabbatical this spring, Falko Steinbach, Associate Professor of Piano, gave a week-long mastercourse and a solo recital at the Landesmusikakademie NRW in Germany. Participating students came from Russia, Germany and Bulgaria. He was also a judge at the Student Affiliate Piano Performance Contest in Midland, Texas. His CD "Miniatures" was featured in the two-hour WDR (Germany's biggest Broadcasting Station) Klassic-Lounge on May 5. His past ten years of work with German composer Kurt Schwaen are broadly described with photos in Kurt Schwaen's book Stufen und Intervalle, published by Verlag die Blaue Eule. This spring he has finished composing his seventeen piano etudes. These will be premiered on December 7, 2006, in Keller Hall. He also composed "M.E.," a piece for piano solo. He is also proud to report that two of his younger private piano students won important prizes: Rodion Burtsev won the New Mexico Symphony Concerto Competition and 13-year-old Jannif Brener won the first prize for the Sigma Alpha Iota scholarship.
UNM Professor of Guitar Michael Chapdelaine performed a solo concert in Keller Hall on February 24th. The program featured music from his eleven solo CDs of original compositions, popular music arrangements, traditional classical and Spanish guitar music, and some new material for his new CD to be released in the spring.
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Chris at the honors ceremony he attended as a graduating senior, 1975 |
Christopher Shultis, professor of composition and music history, was selected as his high school's Distinguished Alumnus for 2006. Dr. Shultis graduated from Leslie High School in Leslie, Michigan, in 1975. Following graduation, Chris was appointed principal timpanist of the Lansing Symphony Orchestra while completing a degree in percussion performance at Michigan State University. After leaving MSU, he performed as a percussionist with the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra and received his master's degree from the University of Illinois. In 1993 he completed a Ph.D. in American Studies, and since then has received two Fulbright professorships and has published articles and essays on John Cage, as well as his book Silencing the Sounded Self: John Cage and the American Experimental Tradition. He has been at UNM since 1980 and currently is a Regents' Professor of Music. He teaches composition and music history for the Department of Music, popular music and culture for the American Studies Department, and frequently teaches in the General Honors program.
Paul Lombardi, Lecturer in Music Theory, reports that his Piano Concerto was recorded this year by Dmitri Tavnets and the Kiev Philharmonic, with Robert Winston conducting, on the ERMMedia label. Jeri-mae Astolfi recorded his Elegy for piano on SCI, and Tatiana Vetrinskaya (UNM Lecturer in Piano) premiered his Nocturne at this year’s John Donald Robb Composers' Symposium. Mr. Lombardi was awarded a Research Allocations Committee ("RAC") Grant and a College of Fine Arts Professional Grant, and was nominated for UNM’s Outstanding Adjunct Faculty or Lecturer of the Year Award. In addition, he presented his paper, “A 4-Dimensional Hypercube in Boulez’s Structures 1a,” at both the Rocky Mountain Society for Music Theory and the Florida State University Music Theory Society regional conferences.
Brady McElligott, Lecture in Music Theory, was the music director, conductor and pianist for the Albuquerque Little Theatre production of Man of La Mancha last September. In October, he was the music director and duo-pianist (with Prof. Pamela Pyle) for the UNM Opera Theatre's production of Handel's Giulio Cesare. In March he was Captain Corcoran in the Musical Theatre Southwest production of Gilbert and Sullivan's HMS Pinafore. He also sang the role of Don Alfonso in the UNM Opera Theatre's production of Mozart's Così fan tutte in April. In addition, a portion of his 1982 composition, Suite for Woodwind Quintet, was premiered by UNM's contemporary ensemble, New Music New Mexico, in March, 2006.
Student Highlights
Yuri Chayama, current graduate student of Prof. Falko Steinbach and winner of the "Competitione Internationale," recently gave a solo piano recital on the Guest Artist Recital Series at Mesa State College in Grand Junction, Colorado.
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Early Music Ensemble students Rikk Murphy, Juan Holmes, Dave Guck, David Duncan & Joaquin del Canto dress for the occasion at the Medieval Lecture Series |
Greg Hotrum, master's student of Karl Hinterbichler in trombone performance, has been accepted into the Disneyland All American Collegiate Band after winning a nationwide audition. This is a summer work experience that offers a unique combination of professional performance experiences and educational seminars taught by outstanding music professionals. Students perform in music ensembles, spending part of each day polishing their musical skills in focused rehearsals and performing for thousands of Disney guests. Workshops with Disney and industry professionals provide students with hands-on experiences that enhance their understanding of the professional music industry.
Paul Carlson, master's degree tuba student of Karl Hinterbichler, has won the tuba position with the Hot Springs Summer Music Festival.
The students of the Early Music Ensemble, directed by Colleen Sheinberg, performed in April in UNM's Woodward Hall on the Institute for Medieval Studies Spring Lecture Series. The series topic this year was "Medieval Innovations: How the Middle Ages Changed Western Culture." The ensemble presented works to illustrate the development of polyphony, performing with voices and early instruments that included portative organ, vielles, recorders, shawms, medieval harps, rebecs, hurdy gurdy and assorted bells and percussion instruments.
Alumni Update
André Garcia-Nuthmann (M.M., 1986) has received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in vocal performance from Arizona State University. He is director of music at New Mexico Highlands University.
After a brief but rewarding career as a professional artist/singer, Misti Miller (B.M.E., 1992; M.M., 1996) has pursued her vocation as a dedicated music teacher, receiving UNM's prestigious John Batcheller Award for Excellence in Elementary Music Education for 2001-2002. Ms. Miller pursued an educational specialist degree from New Mexico Highlands University, and is now assistant principal at Painted Sky Elementary School in Albuquerque. She plans to continue her career as a determined and dedicated administrative education professional, providing quality opportunities to the community she serves.
Malena McLaren (Master of Music, 1999) performed at UNM this spring as a member of the Trio de Llano (clarinet, flute and bassoon). The trio is in residence at Northwestern State University in Louisiana, where Dr. McLaren is Assistant Professor of Clarinet. She is a former student of Keith Lemmons and received her D.M.A. from the University of North Texas. She has recorded with the University of New Mexico Chamber Orchestra and the University of North Texas Wind Symphony and has performed in orchestras throughout Mexico and the United Kingdom. In April she traveled to Slovakia and the Czech Republic to perform with Trio de Llano. She has been a member of the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, the University of North Texas Wind Symphony and the North Texas Graduate Woodwind Quintet, as well as various professional orchestras and chamber groups in the Albuquerque and the Dallas metroplex. Dr. McLaren is also a member of the Cane River Players Woodwind Quintet at Northwestern State and performs frequently with the Rapides Symphony Orchestra. She has also published in The Clarinet, the official journal for the International Clarinet Association.
Jos Schloesser (M.M., 2003), former piano student of Prof. Falko Steinbach, played Mozart's Concerto No. 17 with the Ukrainisches Staarsorchester under Dimitrij Zhyravel in the Staedtischer Kulturpalast in the Ukraine in February. Alexander Schwarzkopf (M.M., 2003), former piano student of Prof. Falko Steinbach, has won a Graduate Teaching Fellowship at the University of Oregon. He will work on his doctoral degree in piano pedagogy with a primary focus on piano performance.
David Porter (M.M., 1981), tuba student of Karl Hinterbichler and a former member of the New Mexico Brass Quintet, has been performing with the United States Air Force Band in Washington, D.C., since 1982. He is also tubist for the McLean Symphony and has been promoted to the highest enlisted rank in the band, chief master sergeant. Jon Voth (M.M., 1998), tuba student of Karl Hinterbichler and another former member of the New Mexico Brass Quintet, has been a member of the United States Army Band in Washington since his graduation. He recently became the newest member of the United States Army Brass Quintet, an ensemble that tours throughout the world.
Major Jim Keene (B.M., 1988) currently serves as director of The U.S. Army Strings in Washington, D.C. He regularly leads the ensemble in performances for national and international military, civilian leaders, dignitaries, and heads of state. On June 11, 2004, he led The U.S. Army Chorus at the interment of President Ronald Reagan in Simi Valley, California. He has served as the Student Company commander at the Armed Forces School of Music in Norfolk, Virginia, as Executive Officer at the U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR) Band and Chorus in Heidelberg, Germany, and as Executive Officer at the Army Ground Forces/Forces Command (FORSCOM) Band in Atlanta.
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John Masserini |
John Masserini (B.M., 1995) has been promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in the Music Department at Idaho State University. John has also been elected to serve as Vice Chair/Chair Elect of the ISU Faculty Senate for 2006-2007. In the five years he has taught at ISU, Dr. Masserini has been honored with several invitations to perform at regional, national, and international clarinet conferences. He has been a guest artist at several universities and has performed as a concerto soloist and chamber musician across the country. Most notably he was invited to perform at the 2003, 2005, and 2006 International Clarinet Conferences in Salt Lake City, Tokyo and Atlanta, respectively. Recently he has been collaborating with dancer/choreographer Melanie Kloetzel and the two have been invited to perform at national and international contemporary and avant-garde performance venues and conferences, including On the Boards in Seattle and Collision Symposium in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Melanie Torres, former vocal student of Bradley Ellingboe, was recently a contestant on the TV reality show "Nashville Star." During her college years, Melanie performed in several musical theatre and opera productions with lead roles in The King and I, The Secret Garden, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. She also had major roles in The Merry Widow, The Medium and Die Fledermaus. In 1998, she began competing in pageants and was crowned Miss Albuquerque 2001 and second runner-up Miss New Mexico 2001. In Nashville, Melanie landed a job bartending three nights and singing two nights a week at Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, where the legends of country music once sang. While pursuing her career as a singer, Melanie has kept busy writing music, singing demos and going out on the road with her band. She also recently took the stage singing harmony vocals for an opening act for country's hottest newcomer, Gretchen Wilson.
George Robert, 86, professor emeritus of piano, passed away in Albuquerque on February 7, 2006. He was born in Vienna, Austria, and studied piano with Edward Steuermann and theory and composition with Anton Webern. His musical career in Europe included performances in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Holland and Spain, as well as the Vienna premiere of Paul Hindemith's Piano Sonata No. 1. After moving to the United States in 1938, he recorded, made weekly broadcasts, and toured throughout the country as a member of the famed First Piano Quartet, together with pianists Henry Holt, Adam Garner, and Vee Padwa. Brady McElligott relates a conversation with Mr. Robert about the accuracy and finesse of the quartet's recordings; George's comment (with a twinkle in his eye, says Brady) was, "We had to go from start to finish. What you hear on the recordings is the way we played...there was no editing in those days!" Mr. Robert performed as a chamber musician and accompanist with many distinguished artists, including William Primrose, Roman Totenberg, Christian Ferras, Berl Senofsky, Camilla Wicks, Evelyn Rothwell Barbirolli, Ricardo Odnoposoff, Joyce Flissler, Frances Magness, Zvi Zeitlin, Antonio Brosa, Andor Toth, Georges Miquelle, Janos Starker, Sigurd Rascher, Theodore Uppmann, John Boyden, Lawrence Winter, Herta Glaz, Charles Kullman, Leslie Chabay, Eva Likova, Jessica Dragonette, and Robert McFerrin. He also made solo appearances with the St. Louis Symphony, directed by Leonard Slatkin, and the National Orchestra of El Salvador, performing John Donald Robb's Piano Concerto. Audiences in the Southwest were able to hear his solo performances with the UNM Symphony Orchestra, the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra of Santa Fe. At UNM, he performed for seventeen years as a member of the acclaimed Seraphin Trio with his colleagues Joanna de Keyser (cello) and Leonard Felberg (violin), always impressing listeners with his musicianship and tasteful interpretations. He performed with Prof. de Keyser in Carnegie Recital Hall in New York and at the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion Music Center in Los Angeles. He also performed with the Fine Arts Quartet on the June Music Festival series and gave duo piano performances with Norman Shetler in Vienna, and with Neil Stulberg and Ralph Berkowitz in Albuquerque. Despite his amazing technique and vast knowledge about music, Mr. Robert remained modest about his own gifts and was generous toward the abilities of others. His students and colleagues will always remember his kindness and support. He is survived by his wife of sixty-one years, Elaine Robert, their daughter Peggy (Carl) Widhalm, grandsons Jason, Brandon and Ryan Clark of Denver, brother-in-law Fred (Lane) Todrys of New York, and innumerable friends and admirers.
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