Chronicles

Faculty

In August, Jeffrey Bush, Associate Professor of Music Education presented a paper, "National Levels of School Music Ensemble Participation and Relationships with Academic Achievement," at the Third Asia-Pacific Symposium in Music Education Research held in August in Nagoya, Japan. Bush was the principal author; co-authors were fellow faculty member, Jere Humphreys, Associate Professor of Music Education, and Douglas Allen and Dr. Sharon Lohr. The paper was published in the symposium proceedings. In November, Bush participated in a panel presentation, "Online Tools for Teaching," at the 2001 annual meeting of the College Music Society in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

On September 9, Professor of Piano Walter Cosand performed as part of the University of Arizona's Guest Artist Series. His appearance was part of an unofficial exchange program between the Schools of Music at UA and ASU and the first by a professor of piano from ASU. The program included the organ chorale prelude, "Nun freut euch, lieben Christen g'mein" ("Rejoice Beloved Christians") by J.S. Bach; "Kreisleriana" by Robert Schumann; two selections from Iberia by Isaac Albeniz; and "Douze Grandes Etudes" by Frederic Chopin.

The ASU Jazz Studies program has hired renowned multi-instrumentalist and arranger for the U.S. Airforce Airmen of Note, Mike Crotty. As a Faculty Associate, his teaching responsibilities include big band direction, combo coaching, teaching Modern Arranging and Jazz Brass Studio.

Professor of Music Therapy Barbara J. Crowe has signed a book contract with Scarecrow Press to publish her book, Music and Soulmaking: Toward a Theory and Philosophy of Music Therapy. She presented two presentations at the recent American Music Therapy Association conference in Pasadena, California on October 24-28: "Educators Forum: Implementing the New Standards of Education and Clinical Training" and "Group Percussion Experiences as an Intervention for Gang Involvement: Music Therapy in Schools."

Assistant Professor of Horn John Ericson was featured this past summer as a presenter on the history of the horn at the 33rd International Horn Symposium of the International Horn Society, where he also received the Harold Meek Award for his article, "Crooks and the Valved Horn," which was published in the November 1999 issue of The Horn Call. His most recent article, "Playing the Descant Horn," was published in the May 2001 issue of The Horn Call. Ericson served this past summer for his third season as Artist-Faculty at the Brevard Music Center in Brevard, North Carolina; he was also featured at a horn day in Vermont and toured New York state and Florida with the Potsdam Brass Quintet. A new CD of works composed and arranged by Arthur Frackenpohl was released in December by Potsdam Brass Quintet, featuring Ericson as soloist in an arrangement of Mozart's Horn Concerto No. 3. This fall, Ericson was asked to serve as managing editor of The IHS Online. His own Internet site, Horn Articles Online, passed 20,000 visitors; http://www.hornarticles.com.

Robert Fleming, Associate Director of Bands and Director of the Sun Devil Marching Band, received the ASU Alumni Appreciation Award. It was presented during half time at the ASU Homecoming game on Nov. 10.

Director of Bands and Professor of Music Gary W. Hill taught a conducting workshop for area instrumental teachers in June. In July, he conducted the High School Symphonic Band at the Interlochen Academy in Michigan. In August, Hill conducted a band of high school and college age musicians from throughout Belgium. In October and November, he conducted three School of Music ensembles, iChamber, Chamber Winds and Wind Symphony, in eight performances throughout the Valley.

Professor of Music Education Jere Humphreys co-authored an article with graduate student Joelle Lien (principal author) that appeared in the Journal of Research in Music Education (Summer 2001). He also co-authored a research report sponsored by the Music Educators National Conference, with Martin J. Bergee of the University of Missouri, Columbia (principal author); this report now appears on the MENC web site, http://www.menc.org. In addition, Humphreys edited two issues of the Journal of Historical Research in Music Education, including a special issue on Allen P. Britton.

Soprano Anne Kopta, Associate Professor of Voice, was in Graz Austria, teaching at the American Institute of Musical Studies during July and August. She also gave a weeklong series of master classes for students and teachers at the Conservatorio Nacional de Musica in Mexico City.

Associate Professor of Bassoon Jeffrey Lyman hosted a virtual and live conference on electro-acoustic music in Summer and Fall 2001 through his web site, Hopping the Electric Fence. The project, sponsored by the Herberger College Institute for Studies in the Arts (ISA), addressed the current state of electro-acoustic music from the perspectives of composers, performers, technologists and audience members. To close the project, a weekend of live events brought together composer Jon Nelson from the University of North Texas, composer David Gompper of the University of Iowa, ASU School of Music faculty artists Lyman, Katie McLin, Thomas Landschoot and J.B. Smith, and graduate student Andrea Urrutia for a colloquium, lecture and concert on October 19 and 20. A new work was commissioned especially for the concert, Kuta Muela for bassoon, ensemble, electronics and video by David Gompper. The companion video, Huya Ania, was created by Steve Snow, Sheilah Britton, Patricia Clark and Anna Vida of the ISA. Both the music and video were inspired by Yaqui music, dance and culture. Lyman then took Kuta Muela and Huya Ania on tour in a series of concerts performed at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, Russia (October 30 and November 2) and at the Center for New Music at the University of Iowa (November 5). As guest of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Lyman was also able to bring his inimitable rendition of Michael Daugherty's Dead Elvis to a stunned Russian audience. More concerts followed immediately upon his return as Lyman joined fellow School of Music professors Martin Schuring and Robert Spring in their reed trio, Ocotillo Winds, for a tour of Midwest universities from November 6 through 10. The trio performed at Eastern Michigan University, Ashland University, Western Michigan University, Michigan State University and Northwestern University, and gave master classes at each institution. Lyman opened the new Graduate Research Colloquium on September 14 with a lecture titled, "It's All on the Page, or Is It? -- Research Strategies for the Performer."

Mezzo Soprano Judy May, Associate Professor of Voice, sang selections from Homage to Hildegard by Elizabeth Austin in a concert at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. presented by the International Alliance of Women in Music on June 10.

Director of Jazz Studies and Professor Music Chuck Marohnic has completed a new collection of jazz piano arrangements of classic spirituals for Morningstar Music Publishers. This collection, which is Marohnic's tenth, will be released in Spring 2002.

John Metz and Barbara Bailey Metz brought to a conclusion their research into the chamber music of Rayner Taylor, with the publication in October 2001 of their edition of the violin sonatas and the cello sonatas of the early American composer for A-R Editions (Recent Researches in American Music). They recorded the cello sonatas two years ago for Soundset records. Two of the sonatas were performed in a program of Federalist music at the Connecticut Early Music Festival in June. Metz is Director of the Early Music Studies and Professor of Harpsichord. Bailey-Metz is a Faculty Associate.

Pianist Caio Pagano, who is an Arizona Regents' Professor of Piano, performed in several festivals during the summer" in Portugal with Portuguese pianist Maria Joao Pires and French violist Gerard Causse; in Denmark, Brazil and Switzerland. He toured Japan with the Jacques Thibaud Trio. Pagano also began his sabbatical with an ambitious project together with Maria Joao Pires at the Center for the Studies of the Arts in rural Portugal; the project's Web site address is http://www.belgais.net.

Faculty from the Jazz Studies program, Sam Pilafian, Mike Crotty, Chris Champion, Dom Moio, Dwight Killian and Chuck Marohnic performed at the Kerr Cultural Center in Scottsdale on October 9. The group played to a "packed" house.

Associate Professor of Viola Carol Rodland's activities include recitals in New Jersey with her duo partner, Tatevik Mokatsian, as well as a tour of Germany as guest violist of the Henschel Quartet. Performances include live radio broadcasts for West German Radio in Cologne and for German Radio in Dresden.

Director of Orchestras and Professor of Music Timothy Russell, made his 17th consecutive summer appearance conducting at the Interlochen Arts Camp for three weeks of concerts including programs with the World Youth Symphony. He also guest conducted the Las Vegas Honors Orchestra and completed work on two CD's, a recording as conductor of jazz-inspired concertos with the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra of Columbus, Ohio and as producer of a disc for the Phoenix Boys Choir.

On Sept. 15, Margaret Schmidt, Assistant Professor of Music History, presented at an all-day workshop for the Arizona chapter of American String Teachers Association. Her three sessions were: "Brain Research and Music: Good News for Music Teachers?" "Improvising in Orchestra without Jazz" and "Composing in Orchestra Classes."

Professor of Music Theory and Composition Randall Shinn's opera Sara McKinnon premiered July 27-August 5 in Las Cruces at New Mexico State University, where Shinn spent the 2000-2001 academic year as Composer in Residence. Mark Medoff (Tony-award-winning playwright) wrote the libretto. The plot takes place in the mythical Old West, and includes some dialogue in Spanish. The opera was so well received that by the final performances the 500-seat theater was sold out.

In June, Professor of Clarinet Robert Spring taught and performed at Iron County Band Camp with fellow faculty member J.B. Smith, Assistant Professor of Percussion, in Crystal Falls, Michigan. He also taught and performed at the Domaine Forget Music Academy. He taught and performed at the Belgian Clarinet Academy in Ostend, Belgium; six of his clarinet students, Bethany Brestel, Sean Dennison, Kelly Hayes, David Kerr, Natalie Pascale, and Anne Watson, also attended and performed. In July, Spring taught and performed at the National Music Camp at Interlochen, Michigan; while there, he performed the Hardy Mertens' Concerto for Clarinet and Wind Ensemble in a concert conducted by ASU Director of Bands Gary Hill. In August, Spring attended and performed for 2001 International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest in New Orleans. In September, he gave a solo recital at ASU in Katzin Concert Hall for a standing-room-only audience as part of the school's Faculty Artist Recital series. The program showcased two premieres, including Glenn Hackbarth's Shadow Boxing for Clarinet and Computer Controlled Electronics. In October, Spring performed with the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra in Columbus, Ohio; gave a solo performance of the Weber Concerto #1 with the Mesa Symphony Orchestra, a solo performance of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto with the ASU Chamber Orchestra in Gammage Auditorium and a solo recital and master classes at Northern Plains Clarinet Symposium in Grand Forks, North Dakota. In November, he performed with the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra in Columbus, including a concerto performance of Copland's Concerto for Clarinet; performed as a member of the Ocotillo Trio, along with fellow faculty members Assistant Professor of Oboe Martin Schuring, Oboe and Associate Professor of Bassoon Jeffrey Lyman at Eastern Michigan University, Ashland University in Ohio, Western Michigan University, Michigan State University and Northwestern University in Illinois. Spring also gave a solo performance of the Hardy Mertens' Concerto for Clarinet and Wind Ensemble with the ASU Wind Symphony in Gammage Auditorium and presented a solo recital, concerto appearance and master classes at Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota.

Pianist Jan Meyer Thompson, Professor of Piano, had a successful and enjoyable recital tour to Italy and southern Germany during Summer 2001 with The Kent Camerata, a five-member vocal/instrumental ensemble based at Kent State University. The ensemble performed in conservatories, festivals, 18th-century villas and community music centers in and near Florence, Cremona, Pianello, Munich, Aub and Wurzburg. In October, Thompson collaborated with new faculty members Jonathan Swartz, violin, Thomas Landschoot, cello, and Carol Rodland, viola, in a Katzin Concert Hall program of Mozart and Brahms piano quartets as part of the school's Faculty Artist Recital series. This fall, she also conducted a week of recitals and master classes in New Hampshire and Vermont in November with Transcontinental Duo partner Elaine Greenfield of Burlington, Vermont.

Joseph Wytko, Professor of Saxophone, taught and performed during the 2001 summer at the Eugene Rousseau saxophone camp in Shell Lake, Wisconsin at the University of Wisconsin extension campus. He also attended the September 2001 International Competition of the ARD in Munich, Germany, where he coached several American saxophone-piano duo participants. In October, Wytko performed as guest soloist with the Orchestra Sinfonica UANL in Monterrey, Mexico. Other solo concerts and master classes were presented at the University of Iowa (November), at St. Olaf College in Minnesota (December) and at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota (December). The Wytko Saxophone Quartet, which will premiere a new work with band at the 2002 CBDNA Conference (March) in Reno, also presented a three-day school residency and public formal concert in Sierra Vista, Arizona, as well as performances in the Phoenix metropolitan area.

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