1 Department of Music Newsletter Fall 2016 We strive for excellence in performance, music education and academics within a liberal arts tradition. Our mission is to advance musical culture within the UNH community, among residents of the state, and beyond. To that end, our students actively participate in a variety of ensembles: chamber groups that tour the region, choral groups that compete internationally, and a symphony orchestra and bands that inspire from the stage to the football field. Our students acquire skills of creative expression, mastery of their instruments, and innovation through our NASM- accredited curriculum, taught by nationally and internationally recognized faculty leading to careers as teachers, performers, composers, and contributors to the music industry. While attending UNH, they share their skills and training with the Durham community by teaching in the Piano Extension Program, volunteering with the New Hampshire Youth Band and Youth Orchestra programs, and teaching private lessons. Our alumni are cultural leaders in their own communities. is year, our students will have the experience to develop their own successful career paths by working with a panel of alumni in diverse fields of music through the College of Liberal Arts Career and Professional Services. Each year we bring a significant number of guest artists to campus, many of whom are distinguished alumni, to perform and to hold master classes for our students. We are committed to providing rich and diverse experiences for our students to better prepare them for music careers now and in the future. Jenni Cook, Chair Department of Music
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Department of Music NewsletterFall 2016
We strive for excellence in performance, music education and academics within a liberal arts tradition. Our mission is to advance musical culture within the UNH community, among residents of the state, and beyond. To that end, our students actively participate in a variety of ensembles: chamber groups that tour the region, choral groups that compete internationally, and a symphony orchestra and bands that inspire from the stage to the football field. Our students acquire skills of creative expression, mastery of their instruments, and innovation through our NASM-accredited curriculum, taught by nationally and internationally
recognized faculty leading to careers as teachers, performers, composers, and contributors to the music industry. While attending UNH, they share their skills and training with the Durham community by teaching in the Piano Extension Program, volunteering with the New Hampshire Youth Band and Youth Orchestra programs, and teaching private lessons.
Our alumni are cultural leaders in their own communities. This year, our students will have the experience to develop their own successful career paths by working with a panel of alumni in diverse fields of music through the
College of Liberal Arts Career and Professional Services.
Each year we bring a significant number of guest artists to campus, many of whom are distinguished alumni, to perform and to hold master classes for our students. We are committed to providing rich and diverse experiences for our students to better prepare them for music careers now and in the future.
Jenni Cook, Chair Department of Music
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Welcome New Faculty
Hsiang TuThe New York Times has praised the “eloquent sensitivity” in pianist Hsiang Tu’s performances. Born in Taipei, Taiwan, he debuted in New York at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center as the winner of the Juilliard School Concerto Competition in 2004, and he returned to the same venue in 2013 as a soloist with the World Civic Orchestra. Dr. Tu has held adjunct teaching positions at Utah Valley University and Snow College prior to coming to University of New Hampshire as a lecturer in music (piano).
Hazel Dean DavisHazel Dean Davis moved to Boston in 2015 where she is a freelance horn player, playing regularly with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Pops, and the Grammy
nominated chamber orchestra, A Far Cry. Prior to that, Hazel played second and fourth horn with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra for 11 years. She spends her summers teaching and performing at the Brevard Music Center.
Bronek SuchanekBronek Suchanek is one of the most respected double bass players in New England, known for his ability to straddle both the Jazz and Classical genres. After immigrating to the Boston area, he made a name for himself playing and recording with such big bands as the Artie Shaw Orchestra, Woody Herman Big Band, and Kenny Hadley Big Band. He has recorded and performed with numerous small jazz groups, accompanying such jazz artists as Rebecca Parris,
Herb Pomeroy, and Amanda Carr. He keeps up his classical skills playing bass with the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra and other classical ensembles.
Anna Marie WilliamsViolinist Anna Marie Williams continues to win over the hearts of audiences and critics alike, with her “heart-on-sleeve” (Classical New Jersey) performances as a soloist and chamber musician. Ms. Williams holds degrees from the Manhattan School of Music (BM), the Longy School of Music of Bard College (MM, GPD, Chamber Music Ambassador) and San Diego State University (Artist Diploma). Principal teachers include Patinka Kopec, Irina Muresanu, Laura Bossert, and Magdelena Richter.
Hsiang Tu, piano AnnaMarie Williams, violin/violaBronek Suchanek, string bassHazel Dean Davis, horn
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Scholarships and AwardsPresser Scholar 2016 Kelli Minelli
The Department of Music has named Kelli Minelli as the 2016 Presser Scholar. Kelli is an alumna of Hanover High School, and is currently a Voice Performance major at the University of New Hampshire. A member of the University’s Honors Program, Kelli has been named to the Dean’s List Highest Honors for six semesters, and received a Student Undergraduate Research Fellowship in the summer of 2015. With this grant, she studied Bernard Herrmann’s opera, Wuthering Heights, and presented this research in the 2015 Keith Polk Lecture Series. Kelli traveled
The Keith Polk Lecture Series is an annual series of lectures named for emeritus and former chair, Keith Polk and inaugurated last year with the generous support of the Center for the Humanities. Presenting an average of four lectures per academic year, the series hosts guest speakers as well as UNH faculty. Professor Rob Haskins gave the inaugural lecture on September 17, 2015.
The second season began September 8th with Tom Moore (Florida International University) speaking on the philosophical writings of 18th-century French composer André Grétry. The series continues with a lecture by UNH professor Robert Eschbach on December 1st. Spring semester, speakers will include Keith Polk, Rebecca Marchand (Boston
Conservatory at Berklee), Glenn Stanley (University of Connecticut) and Rose Pruiksma (UNH). All talks are held in the Verrette Recital Hall. For complete schedule and details, see http://cola.unh.edu/music/polk-series.
Keith Polk Music Lecture Series
Kelli Minelli ‘17
to Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, CA this past summer with funding from the Steele Grant to continue
her research on the compositions of Bernard Herrmann. Kelli performs with the UNH Chamber Singers and Concert Choir and was the mezzo soprano soloist in the Fall 2014 performance of Beethoven’s Mass in C Major. Last winter Kelli was also a finalist for the Portsmouth Symphony Young Artist Vocal Competition. Ms. Minelli teaches group voice lessons at Spaulding High School as well as private voice lessons. She hopes to continue her work on
film music and twentieth century opera at the graduate level and plans to pursue a long-term academic career in this field.
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Symphony Orchestra The University Symphony Orchestra opened the 2016-17 season with a program featuring Rossini’s Semiramide Overture, Barber’s First Essay for Orchestra, Bartok’s Dances of Transylvania, and Copland’s Music for Movies. Our biennial collaboration with the Choral program in December featured Brahms’ Schicksalslied and Vaughan Williams’ Toward the Unknown Region. The 2015-2016 season featured two very successful collaborations: In April of 2016, members of the UNH Orchestra joined forces with the UNH Opera workshop to present scenes and arias from La Traviata,
The Magic Flute, and Lakmé. The previous December, the orchestra collaborated with the UNH Dance Department to present excerpts from The Nutcracker. Dance and orchestra will again join forces in April 2017 to present Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, with performances planned around the state. Finally, congratulations to Danielle Janos, clarinet ‘18 and Colin Geaghan, baritone ‘16, winners of the Music Department’s Concerto & Aria Competition. Danielle performed in the Krommer Double Clarinet Concerto, while Colin sang “The
Toreador Song” from Carmen.
Concerto competition winner Danielle Janos ‘18with UNH Symphony Orchestra conductor, Dr. David Upham
NHASTA Orchestra Rehearsal
Professor William Kempster in rehearsal with the UNH Concert Choir
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Choirs
The new Chamber Singers CD Pourquoy non? was released at the Chamber Singers’ concert on February 7, 2016. It presents vastly contrasting repertoires, but—as the title suggests—why not? The main work on the new disc is the world premiere recording of the Missa Pourquoy non of Renaissance master Pierre de la Rue, and the other major pieces featured are Clare Maclean’s Et misericordia, and Morten Lauridsen’s Madrigali. The CD is rounded out by conductor William Kempster’s arrangement of the famous spiritual “Steal Away,” as well as his original work based on a spiritual verse “You may bury me in de eas’.”
On Tour in Poland
In the first week of June, sixteen UNH vocalists, along with Professor William Kempster and pianist Paul Merrill, travelled to
appeared with the two top choirs of the week: MKC, a female youth choir from Skopje, Macedonia, and Gintarėlis, a mixed chamber choir from Kłajpeda, Lithuania. After our performance the large audience gave the UNH ensemble the first spontaneous standing ovation we had witnessed in Poland, where
such reactions are less common than they are back home. The group then travelled to Kraków for two nights, presenting a concert in Peter and Paul church in the center of Kraków on the evening of June 7. The final concert on the tour was presented in conjunction with two local choirs in the city of Łódź, about half-way between Kraków and Warsaw.
Poland to present performances in three different cities in the western part of the country. The first leg of the tour included the group’s participation in the 6th International Wrocław Choir Festival “Vratislavia Sacra.” The UNH ensemble was entered in two competition sections, one
for Sacred Music for Mixed Chamber Choirs, and another focused on Spirituals and Gospel repertoire. Despite having only three male singers, the group sang wonderfully, gaining third place in the Spirituals section. Perhaps the highlight of the Wrocław leg of the trip, however, was the final concert, after the competition was over, in which the UNH group
Professor William Kempster in rehearsal with the UNH Concert Choir
Traveling in Poland was by far one of the most eye-opening and exhilarating experiences of my life.
Amanda Roswick ‘18
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Concert BandsLast year was another terrific one for the concert bands at UNH. The Wind Symphony was selected to perform at the NHMEA convention in Concord in April, where they shared a performance with the Chamber Singers. The concert included David Del Tredici’s In Wartime, Joaquin Rodrigo’s Adagio for Wind Instruments, and Percy Grainger’s Children’s March. Immediately after, the Wind Symphony participated in a reading session for teachers in the state. The bands bid farwell to four conducting graduate students: Aileen Sullivan, Joel Graham, Angela Bowker, and
Kayla Peard, each of whom led the Wind Symphony in a major work over the course of the year. Other highlights for the bands included premieres of the following works: Symphony No. 1 (Paul Cravens, graduate composition student), Remembrance (Ian Nelson, graduate composition student), As the Heart Dies (Trevor Frost, undergraduate), and Steampunk Scenes (Erika Svanoe, former Director of Athletic Bands at UNH). The Wind Symphony also had the honor of performing Charles Rochester Young’s Concerto for Alto Saxophone with faculty member Nate Jorgensen.
Last year’s guest for the annual Wind Band Invitational was 1st Lt. Ryan Nowlin, Assistant Conductor of the United States Marine Band. Nowlin conducted all three of the UNH concert bands in performance, including his setting of Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor and his own new fanfare, Deadline. The band area has four graduate conducting students: Ashley Paradis, Benjamin Cox, Daniel Buchner, and James L’Italien. We are so fortunate to have these talented conductors with us and look forward to their performances over the course of the year.
Andrew Boysen Jr. with the UNH Wind Symphony
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Opera Workshop
This past season Opera Workshop continued its marvelous tradition with Sing For Your Supper in the fall, a delightful cabaret evening of famous opera excerpts and the songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein. Many patrons attended both performances. Colin Geaghan and Druinn Johnston starred in the “Toreador Song” and “Habanera” from Bizet’s Carmen. The second half included songs from Oklahoma, Carousel, South Pacific and The Sound of Music. This fall Professor Ripley created a program called Extremes!. Two chamber operas, The Medium by Gian-Carlo Menotti and
Gallantry by Douglas Moore, explore the tragic and humorous extremes of human behavior. Madame Flora in The Medium, played superbly by Rebekah Londoff, is a fraudulent séance leader who ultimately murders the innocent mute gypsy boy, Toby, taken in by her and her daughter Monica. In Gallantry, a soap opera complete with commercials, the married Dr. Gregg loves nurse Lola and now must operate on her fiancé! What will happen? In the spring, UNH singers will present Aaron Copland’s The Tender Land, starring Morgan King as Laurie and Dan Cain as Martin.
William Carleton ‘19, Patrick Berry ‘19, Joe Harris ‘18, and Colin Geaghan ‘16 in Sing for Your Supper
Amanda Roswick, soprano ‘18
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Athletic Bands
The 2016 Wildcat Marching Band’s show, entitled “What Happens in Vegas…” featured a Godzilla Eats Las Vegas theme with music including “It’s Not Unusual” by Tom Jones, “Godzilla” by Blue Oyster Cult, “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites” by Skrillex, “Godzilla Eats Las Vegas” by Eric Whitacre, and “Waking Up in Vegas” by Katy Perry. In addition to the usual performances on campus, the band performed at the Salem Band Show, MBDA show in Sanford, Peabody MA Centennial Parade, Woburn Halloween Parade, and the band hosted the 3rd annual New England Collegiate Marching Band Festival.
It was exciting to play in the new Wildcat Stadium, which is beautiful and a great addition to the campus. Make sure you come back for a game to check it out!
The Beast of the East Band has plans to play at Fenway Park for men’s ice hockey this January and looks forward to what should be an exciting year for men’s basketball in particular.
Please visit http://bit.ly/wmbalumni to join our alumni mailing list if you have not already done so. If you’re on Facebook, please join the UNH Wildcat Marching
Wildcat Marching Band in action at the first game in Wildcat Stadium Guest Artist Donny McCaslin in concert with the UNH 3 O’Clock Jazz Band
Band Alumni group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/UNHWMBAlumni/. To keep tabs on what’s going on with ALL of the UNH bands, bookmark our website at http://bands.unh.edu/. If you would like to donate to the WMB, please visit http://giving.unh.edu/marchingband.
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Jazz Studies
UNH Jazz Studies hosted a short residency in October 2015 with acclaimed big band composer, John La Barbera. He composed the second composition for the annual Seiler Commissioning Project. The project was started by Dr. Nathan Jorgensen in 2014 as a way to honor retired professor Dave Seiler for his more than 40 years of teaching and service at UNH. Mr. La Barbera taught a jazz composition class and several composition lessons while in residency at UNH. Both jazz bands featured a full program of Mr. La Barbera’s music and the 3 O’clock Jazz Band premiered La Barbera’s new work Ireggaeular
Blues. In December 2015, Grammy-nominated saxophonist Donny McCaslin came to UNH for a short residency and performed a concert of his music with the 3 O’clock Jazz Band. Mr. McCaslin also gave an improvisation workshop and taught several private lessons while he was on campus. In April of 2016, the 3 O’clock band released their first CD under the direction of Dr. Jorgensen. The CD features eight tracks in total and contains the first two compositions in the Seiler Commissioning Project. If you are interested in getting a copy please contact Dr. Jorgensen at [email protected].
Clark Terry Jazz FestivalThe 2016 Clark Terry UNH Jazz Festival was a huge success. We hosted nearly 70 performing groups this past March. More than 1,300 students, parents, and directors had the opportunity to hear trumpeter Bobby Shew and saxophonist Bob Sheppard perform with the 3 O’clock Jazz Band in the afternoon and with our outstanding jazz faculty rhythm section at the evening concert. The festival was
Guest Artist Donny McCaslin in concert with the UNH 3 O’Clock Jazz Band
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Special Programs and Outreacheither oboe or bassoon ensembles. The day ended with a recital by UNH Faculty members Margaret Herlehy, oboe, Janet Polk, bassoon and David Newsam, guitar followed by a reading with all participants of a Double Reed Ensemble. Double Reed Day 2017 will be on Sunday, January 29, 2017.
UNH Youth SymphonyThe UNH Youth Symphony Orchestra program began its fourth season this fall by auditioning over 60 students. The program is strong and thriving. The 2015–16 season culminated with a concert featuring both youth orchestras combined with UNH woodwind, brass, and percussion students on an arrangement of Holst’s Mars, The Bringer of War. The youth orchestras give two performances during the year, in November and May. All performances are free and open to the public. The youth symphony program is an opportunity for local young string players to gain orchestral experience, as well as for UNH music education students to receive guided practice in teaching. Anyone interested in auditioning or who would like more information about the program should contact Dr. David Upham at [email protected].
also an excellent way to feature our new jazz choir director, Liz Tobias. Ms. Tobias gave a clinic and performance in the afternoon and adjudicated choirs throughout the morning session. Choir participation at the festival doubled last year and we are hoping to continue that upward trend with the 2017 festival as well. A huge thank you goes out to Lyndsay Boysen, Susan Adams, and Kappa Kappa Psi, for all of their help in making the festival such a success. Events like this could not exist without their tireless efforts.
Double Reed DayDouble Reed Day celebrated its 18th anniversary this past January 2016. It was the 23rd year for the bassoons. Alumnus, Sharon Phipps, award winning teacher and oboist, brought 10 of her Belmont, MA Chenery Middle School Double Reed players with her to demonstrate techniques for teaching beginning double reeds. This group performed several selections for the audience.
A new approach to the lunch hour found participants chatting with the vendors, participating in beginning double reed ensemble, floating in and out of the REED room (a chance to make a reed) or the READING room for playing in
NHASTA Fall Orchestra FestivalNow an annual event at UNH, the UNH orchestra and the New Hampshire chapter of the American String Teachers Association hosted the Fall Orchestra Festival on October 15, 2016. Over 100 high school string students were placed in two orchestras. The Festival Orchestra was led by George Wiese, who serves as the Executive Director of the Mountain Top Music Center in Conway, NH. The Chamber Orchestra was led by Dr. David Upham. Current and future music educators met in the PCAC for the second annual NHASTA-UNH String Teachers Conference. Sessions were presented by special guest Dr. Stephen Benham (Immediate Past President of ASTA), Dr. Walter Pavasaris, Jan Farrar-Royce, and Mimi Bravar. The day culminated in a free, public performance in Johnson Theatre,
UNH Chamber Tour: Emily Silva ‘17 , Pam Choinksi ‘17, Jordan Hastings ‘18 , Danielle Janos ‘18, Lea Cunningham ‘16, Karena Pezzullo ‘18, Mitchell Bailey ‘19, Ashley Paradis ‘17G, Patrick Berry ‘18, Giselle Wallace ‘18, Amanda Roswick ‘18, Taryn Anderson ‘18, Jake Smith ‘18,
Jordan Strickler, Nicholas Pitcher ‘18, Chris Smith ‘18, and Tracey Crain, ‘17
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Chamber Music ProjectThe musical offerings of the Chamber Music Project continue. Now in its fourth year, CMP has
visited 34 schools in its efforts to bringing chamber music to students throughout New England. Feedback has been positive and inspiring:
“My kids LOVED it! The groups sounded great and they were awesome in answering all my kids' questions. Thanks for all
featuring the UNH Symphony Orchestra and the festival student orchestras. Next year’s Festival and Conference will take place on Saturday, October 14, 2017.
Thanks for sending such talented and professional students to perform at Hollis-Brookline. It was a treat on our end for
certain. Your students absolutely represented the UNH music department in the best possible light with their conduct and
their musicianship. Dave Umstead, Hollis-Brookline
UNH Chamber Tour: Emily Silva ‘17 , Pam Choinksi ‘17, Jordan Hastings ‘18 , Danielle Janos ‘18, Lea Cunningham ‘16, Karena Pezzullo ‘18, Mitchell Bailey ‘19, Ashley Paradis ‘17G, Patrick Berry ‘18, Giselle Wallace ‘18, Amanda Roswick ‘18, Taryn Anderson ‘18, Jake Smith ‘18,
Jordan Strickler, Nicholas Pitcher ‘18, Chris Smith ‘18, and Tracey Crain, ‘17
your outreach — it is huge and I appreciate it very much! My kids truly enjoyed it and it led to a really good conversation after you all left about continuing in music beyond high school and how there are many options for involvement. It was great!” — Michelle Jacques, Bow High School
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The Arlene Kies Enrichment Fund for Pia-no StudentsA permanent endowed fund has been established at UNH to remember the achievements and dedication of the late Arlene Kies, who was a piano faculty member in the department from 1995 through 2014. This new fund will tentatively be called the Arlene Kies Enrichment Fund for Piano Students, and its main purposes will be to establish a guest artist piano master class and recital series at UNH, to facilitate day trips for UNH piano students to hear professional pianists perform in world class concert halls, and also to establish an annual piano competition for high school age piano students to be held at UNH. This fund has been set up through the generosity of Arlene's friends, family members and former students, to preserve the memory of her passion for piano teaching and piano performance within the UNH Music Department. Further donations to this fund are welcome, and the benefits to the UNH piano students will begin in earnest in the next academic year. Contact UNH Foundation at (603)862-1627.
Highlights
Arlene Kies
Piano faculty member Dr. Hsiang Tu with piano students Emma Theberge ‘20, Andrew Lefoley ‘17, and Erin Bruce ‘17
13Piano faculty member Dr. Hsiang Tu with piano students Emma Theberge ‘20, Andrew Lefoley ‘17, and Erin Bruce ‘17
Rubbing ElbowsThe Clarinet Collection was invited to perform on April 6, 2015 for New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan and Executive Councilors at their State House meeting. This high profile meeting is attended by state officials such as department heads, members of the press and the public. Clarinetists included Pam Choinski, Lea Cunningham, Danielle Janos, Ashley Paradis, and Emily Silva. The quintet was coached by faculty member Dr. Elizabeth Gunlogson.
Catalogue Completion: Mary Rasmussen’s GiftSarah Theimer, Head of Cataloguing and Metadata announced that they have finished cataloging the Rasmussen score gift. Over 4,000 scores were donated in the mid-1990s by Professor Rasmussen and many staff have worked on this project over the years. These scores now will be bound, processed and when shelved will add substantially to our library score collection.
We remember and honor Mary’s great dedication
to the library, and her selfless and generous gift
to future generations of students and faculty.
Associate Professor of Music Robert Eshbach
The Clarinet Collection performed for Governor Maggie Hassan and executive councilors, shown here with Dr. Elizabeth Gunlogson
Piano DonationWe are grateful for the recent donation of a beautiful Yamaha C3 by the Smith Family Living Trust, in the name of Philip and Glenice Smith.
Audrey Balaska ‘19, cello and Paul Merrill ‘
Professor Mary Rasmussen taught in the Music Department from 1968-1997
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In Memoriam
John Rogers 1938-2016
An event to celebrate the life and works of Professor Emeritus John Rogers was held on Saturday, October 22 in the Verrette Recital Hall. Professor Rogers was a faculty member of the Department for 38 years, and served for 9 years as its chair. He passed away in April of this year. Originally trained as a trombonist, he became one of the early experts on the use of computers in musical composition. The concert included his early trombone sonata, performed by Nicholas Orovich and Christopher Kies using Rogers’ own trombone, and his later all-electronic and mixed compositions. Special guest performers included Rogers’ daughter Louise and her son, percussionist Alexander Strong, who follows in his grandfather’s footsteps as a composer.
Kendall Betts 1947-2016 It is a great honor to take over the UNH horn studio from my teacher Kendall Betts. Kendall taught me during my formative high school years. His tough-love teaching, along with his notoriously rigorous method, laid the foundation for my professional career and everything I have accomplished on horn.
Kendall was a true task-master but he also had another side. In fact he had an alter-ego: Professor I.M. Gestopftmitscheist. Dressed in fake glasses and moustache, Kendall would present hilarious comedy skits. At his camp in New Hampshire students and faculty alike would spend many an evening rolling on the ground in fits of uncontrollable laughter. Many of Kendall’s fantastic stories have become legend in the horn world.
Kendall attended the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music. He won a job in the horn section of the Philadelphia Orchestra in his first year out of college, one of the youngest members ever in that orchestra. After 5 years he left to pursue a freelance career and played as guest soloist and principal horn throughout the world. In 1974 he won principal horn in the Minnesota Orchestra where he
played until his retirement in 2004. After his retirement he moved to New Hampshire where he had already established the North Country Chamber Players and his famous Kendall Betts Horn Camp, and joined the UNH Music faculty.
It was a shock to everyone when Kendall was diagnosed with late stage lung cancer last summer and was gone within a few weeks. Having recently moved to New England, I had been looking forward to working together with Kendall as colleagues and am deeply saddened that we won’t have this opportunity. But I am forever grateful for all he taught me and will do my best to carry on his work at UNH.w
Hazel Dean Davis, horn UNH Artist in Residence
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Faculty NewsJenni CookIn October, soprano and new Department of Music Chair, Jenni Cook led an interactive clinic on Francesco Durante’s “Danza, danza fanciulla gentile” at the Fall 2016 New Hampshire Music Educator’s Association conference. Dr. Cook will present her UNH Faculty Concert Series recital in March of 2017 with pianist Dr. Hsiang Tu. She continues to serve as the faculty liaison for the music student international exchange program between Cardiff University and UNH. As part of this exchange program, in the Fall of 2017 she and Dr. Tu will perform at the National Welsh Museum in Cardiff, Wales and will hold master classes in voice and piano for Cardiff University School of Music students.
Mark DeTurkMark DeTurk, Coordinator of Music Education, spent the spring semester of 2016 studying and comparing common national forms of teacher evaluation with the newer one being field tested by New Hampshire’s teacher education institutions, including the University of New Hampshire. With the loud criticism of tools such as Pearson’s edTPA, the New Hampshire tool hopes to meet
with greater teacher satisfaction and comfort. Making this tool compatible with arts educators remains an important step and one that DeTurk discussed with the Fine Arts Specialists from the 50 state boards of education in Dallas in November when he addressed the SEADAE Arts Assessment Symposium.
As a conductor DeTurk continues with Eric Kobb to lead the New Hampshire Youth Band in its weekly rehearsals and two annual concerts. Last spring he appeared as a guest conductor with the UNH Wind Symphony where he helped present, with Andrew Boysen, a session at the New Hampshire All State Conference on contemporary music for school bands.
Lori DobbinsDid You Know His Name?, Professor Lori Dobbins’ composition for tenor saxophone, bass and drum set, was premiered by Nathan Jorgensen, John Hunter and Les Harris Jr. at the Annual Martin Luther King Celebration at UNH, February 3, 2016.
Robert EshbachIn June, professor of music history Robert W. Eshbach hosted an international conference at the Goethe Institut, Boston, focusing on the 19th-century violinist and composer Joseph Joachim
(1831–1907). The conference drew participants from Japan, Australia, Greece, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, England, Canada and the United States, and included a concert featuring internationally acclaimed soloists James Buswell, violin, and Victor Rosenbaum, piano. Eshbach delivered the keynote address, “The Quest for the Historical Joseph.” The three-day event concluded with a festive banquet at the elegant College Club of Boston. The symposium was planned in partnership with Prof. Valerie Goertzen of Loyola University, New Orleans. In July, Eshbach delivered a paper on the composition of Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto at the 19th Biennial International Conference on Nineteenth-Century Music at the University of Oxford, in England.
Elizabeth GunlogsonProfessor of Clarinet Elizabeth Gunlogson maintained a busy performing schedule during the 2015–2016 academic year. Off campus, Dr. Gunlogson accepted an invitation to perform at the 2016 International Clarinet Association conference. Along with her trio Northern Accord (soprano, clarinet and piano) she presented Pioneer Woman: From Skagway to White Mountain. Additionally, she performed a number of concerts while on tour with The New
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Sousa Band in Iowa. On the UNH campus, Dr. Gunlogson presented her annual faculty solo recital along with Chris Kies and Nathan Jorgensen, featuring works by Schumann, Milhaud, Eitler and Quate. In addition, she joined saxophonist Nathan Jorgensen on his faculty recital in a performance of two chamber works, Talking Pictures by Amy Quate and Eclectic Trio by Catherine McMichael.
Rob HaskinsMusicologist and pianist Rob Haskins was promoted to the rank of full professor as of June 2015. His recent publications include “Robert Ashley: A Remembrance.” Open Space Magazine 17 (Spring 2015): 157; “John Cage,” in Oxford Bibliographies in Music, edited by Bruce Gustafson <http://oxfordbibliographiesonline.com> New York: Oxford University Press, 2015 http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199757824/obo-9780199757824-0027.xml (accessed 30 April 2015); and “Aspects of Zen Buddhism as an Analytical Context for John Cage’s Chance Music.” Contemporary Music Review 33, no. 5 (2015): 616–29. In 2016, he also published a book collecting twenty years of his reviews with the American Record Guide called Classical Listening: Two Decades of Reviews from the “American Record Guide”
(Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2016).
In addition, Professor Haskins continues to perform and record new music. He has two recordings in press: (1) a contribution to an album of woodwind music by the American composer Scott Pender (his Variations for Oboe and Piano, with UNH Resident Artist Margaret Herlehy) and a solo piano work called My Wounded Head 3, composed by the Singaporean composer Marc Chan and dedicated Professor Haskins. The Chan piece will be released on Mode Records in September.
Nathan JorgensenIn fall 2016, Centaur Records released Dr. Nathan Jorgensen’s CD of saxophone and percussion duo music. Jorgensen also presented two recitals during the past year—one with the faculty jazz sextet in September of 2015 and his classical recital in February 2016. Jorgensen performed with Dr. Elizabeth Gunlogson on her faculty recital in October 2015 and in February 2016 with Dave Newsam on his recital that featured the music of the Paul Desmond Quartet. In addition to his on campus activities, Dr. Jorgensen was invited to give a recital and master class at Reinhardt University in Waleska, GA, in November 2015. Jorgensen has been a regular performer at the
Press Room in Portsmouth both as a leader and sideman, and he has also become a regular member of two New England big bands — the Portland Jazz Orchestra (lead alto) and the Capitol City Jazz Orchestra (tenor).
William KempsterThis past Spring saw the publication of Dr. William Kempster’s first scholarly article: “Pierre de la Rue’s “Missa Pourquoy non: A Case for Re-Evaluation,” which appears in the Spring 2016 issue of The Choral Scholar (the journal of the National Collegiate Choral Organization, U.S.A.). In his paper, Dr. Kempster argues for a reassessment and renaming of this mass, today known as Missa alamana, showing that the scribe’s identification of it with La Rue’s chanson “Pourquoy non” correctly identified the mass as having been based on the chanson. Through a close analysis of La Rue’s chanson, his mass, and Mathieu Gascongne’s (fl. 1517–1518) Missa Pourquoy non, Dr. Kempster shows that, contrary to previous assessments, La Rue’s mass draws important musical motives from the chanson.
Nicholas OrovichNic Orovich completed his fourth and final year as chair of the department in 2015. In addition to his low brass studio, he has joyfully returned to conducting
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the Symphonic Band. The feature piece on the October concert was W. Francis McBeth’s Of Sailors and Whales, a five-movement work inspired by Herman Melville’s epic Moby Dick.
This fall, Nic began his 38th season as principal trombonist with the Portland Symphony Orchestra. He is now the longest serving principal chair in the orchestra. Performance highlights from last season included Stravinsky’s Petrushka, Kurt Weill’s Suite from The Threepenny Opera, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5.
Rose PruiksmaLecturer in Music History, Rose Pruiksma presented a paper, “Embodying Cosmological Order and Motion: Celestial Bodies, Royalty, and Mythology in French Court Ballets,” in March of 2016 at the Renaissance Society of America in Boston, MA. Since May 2016, she’s been making connections with faculty across the university and reading books and articles in video game studies with the goal of developing an interdisciplinary cognate in Video Game Studies at UNH.
David RipleyHighlights of baritone Professor David Ripley’s performances this past year include an appearance with the Portsmouth Symphony
Orchestra singing excerpts of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, and performances of Samuel Barber’s Dover Beach with PSO quartet and with the Tufts String Orchestra under John Page. He also sang at the Cloisters in New York. 2016 marked the tenth consecutive year Professor Ripley has performed at UNH Commencement, always with UNH singers. In May, he presided over the very moving tribute to Arlene Kies given in Johnson Theater.
Peter Urquhart It’s been a busy year of presentations for music history professor, Peter Urquhart. After giving two talks at the end of Aug. 2015 in Antwerp—on “Renaissance Choral Music Revisited” and “A Very Short Presentation on Musica Ficta”—Dr. Urquhart was involved in the conference Valorizing Clemens non Papa at Boston University in November with a paper, “Clemens and the Cadence.” He presented another paper, “An Interpretation of Antico’s 1520 Print of Double Canons,” at the Renaissance Society of America National Meeting in Boston at the end of March. Some of these presentations are slated for publication, following two articles on Mouton and Gombert published in 2015, in the Journal of the Alamire Foundation, the Dutch Tijdschrift, and
the Journal of Musicology. The papers on canon and on cadence form in Clemens are part of the book, Sound and Sense: Sharps, Flats, and the Problem of “Musica ficta” in Music of the Renaissance, which has just been sent out to publishers this fall.
Peggy VagtsPeggy Vagts served as interim chair of the Department of Music for the Spring 2016 semester, after co-chairing the search for the new dean of the College of Liberal Arts and two associate deans. This summer she was the flute soloist for Vivaldi’s Cardinal Concerto with White Mountain Musical Art’s Bach Festival. She also performed with the Medomak Conductor’s Retreat Orchestra. She shared an August recital at the Trinity Church Concert Series with colleagues Elizabeth Gunlogson, Hsiang Tu, Nathan Jorgensen, and David Ripley; a highlight of the recital was the performance of Willie Was Different, composed by Seymour Barab and based on the children’s book by illustrator Norman Rockwell. In outreach last year, Peggy gave a master class to the flutists at Milford High School and brought the UNH student woodwind quartet to perform at Souhegan High School. Along with colleagues Andrew Boysen and Elizabeth Gunlogson, she continues to promote the UNH Chamber
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Alumni NewsChris Jeffery ‘84
Chris Jeffery, one of the first true “Stiblerites,”has settled in the Dayton Ohio area after a 25 year career as a US Air Force Bandsman, having played all over the US in 35 States and 32 different countries. After retiring from the USAF in 2011, he worked his way into the active music scene in southwest Ohio. He is currently the solo Eb Cornet player in The Ohio Valley British Brass Band, a member of the Dayton Jazz Orchestra, a regular member of the Pit Orchestra for Wright State University’s Theater Department, and has an active studio of adult, high school and middle school students. He is married to Susan Palmer, who he met performing with Riverside
Theater in Hyde Park, MA. Their son, Ryan, is a junior in high school this year spending most of his time involved with the band as a saxophonist at Beavercreek High School. Daughter Sarah is a freshman at Bowling Green State University, and his oldest, Chelsea, is married and expecting their first child in January.
Marcus Davis ‘98
Marcus Davis is a teacher with the Prince George’s County Public School System in Maryland. For the past 10 years, he has faithfully served as the Minister of Music for three churches in the Maryland and Washington DC Metropolitan areas. His greatest joy in life is being a father to his eight year old son Donovan.
Chris Jeffery
Marcus Davis
Music Project, in which UNH music students perform about ten concerts annually for area high school students.
New Chapters:Liesl Schoenberger DotyWe bid farewell to violin/viola faculty member Liesl Schoenberger Doty this year. She accepted a full time position as Assistant Professor of Violin at SUNY Potsdam. We wish her all the best in her new ventures.
John HunterAfter 35 years on the faculty at UNH, string bass faculty member John Hunter is also exploring new avenues and continues on with a busy performing schedule. We are grateful for his many years or service to the UNH Music Department.
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David Cushing ‘00
David Cushing is happily entrenched in the opera world and has been building a fabulous career for quite some time. In 2016, he performed with Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra in their production of Otello, then headed for Opera Tampa as Leporello in their production of Don Giovanni. He sang both the roles of Masetto and Commendatore in a production of Don Giovanni with Bar Harbour Music Festival this past summer.
David made his BSO debut (having made his Symphony Hall debut as bass soloist in Beethoven’s 9th, while at Boston University), singing the police officer in Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier with Renée Fleming and Susan Graham. This year he will be in a production of Purcell’s
David Cushing
King Arthur with the Henry Purcell Society of Boston. In 2017, David will return to Opera Tampa as Friar Laurent in their production of Romeo et Juliette, then back to his home company, Boston Lyric Opera (25 productions and counting), to sing Trulove in The Rake’s Progress with Stephanie Blythe, and Dr. Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro.
David periodically checks in with his UNH roots and one of his mentors, faculty member Professor David Ripley for coaching. As he recently said in an email. “I love being reminded of my roots and times and folks I hold dear”.
Andrea Von Oeyen ‘02Andrea (Passanisi) is teaching grades 5 -12 in the Oyster River School District and running a thriving string program (160 students in the third year of the program). She is also currently pursuing a Master of Arts degree in orchestral conducting with Dr. David Upham. She is a performer and manager of a freelance string quartet: www.stringsforalloccasions.com.
Karl Blench ‘03Karl Blench is a composer and conductor who holds Bachelor’s degrees in education and music theory from the University of New Hampshire and a Master’s degree and DMA in composition
from Rice University. His music has been performed throughout the United States, Europe, and Cuba. Recent engagements include performances of his work by the Shepherd School Chamber Symphony, the h2 Saxophone Quartet, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and the University of New Hampshire and University of Houston Wind Ensembles. Notable prizes include the H. Robert Reynolds Composer’s Competition, the Cooper Prize from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice, an ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Award, and the Indianapolis Symphony Prize. As a conductor he focuses mainly on music from the 20th and 21st centuries and frequently conducts premieres of new works throughout the country. He has recently worked with the Foundation of Modern Music in Houston, and Syzygy, the new music series at Rice. He currently teaches in the Houston area.”
Jared Cassedy ‘04Jared is currently Director of K-12 Performing Arts and Performing Arts Center for Salem School District (his alma mater) in Salem, NH where he supports, supervises, and guides the performing arts department’s curriculum and programming. Additionally, he is with the New England Conservatory Preparatory
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Department working with the Jr. Massachusetts Youth Wind Ensemble.
Heather de Savage ‘07Heather de Savage recently completed a Ph.D. in music history and theory at the University of Connecticut. Her dissertation examines the American reception of Gabriel Fauré, with a concentration on critical writings and performance activities in Boston, 1892-1945.
Chris Klaxton ‘07Trumpet alumnus Chris Klaxton, one of the busiest Seacoast musicians, has added trumpet studio to his duties at Plymouth State University, and is also now on the faculty of Southern New Hampshire University teaching trumpet, jazz, and theory. (Another trumpet alum, Rick Cook, is the head of the music department at SNHU.) In fall 2016, Chris also performed at the Chicago Jazz Festival with Kendall Moore’s band.
Lindsey McChord ‘09Lindsey is a flute finisher and headjoint cutter for Powell Flutes, one of the most prestigious flute makers in the world. In addition to her flute-making skills, Lindsey is also a professionally-trained flutist. She majored in flute performance for her undergraduate and graduate
studies, receiving her Bachelor of Music degree from the University of New Hampshire and her Master of Music from the Longy School of Music. Lindsey is a devoted Powell player.
Melody Chapin ‘10
Melody Chapin is currently pursu-ing at PhD in Ethnomusicology at Brown University. She earned a MA in Ethnomusicology from Tufts University in 2016. In 2010, she graduated from UNH with a Bache-lor of Music degree in vocal perfor-mance. Melody’s research in Brazil has been aided by grants from the Fulbright Commission (2012), Tufts University, and the University of New Hampshire’s International Research Opportunities Program (2009). Her broader research inter-ests include the construction and performance of national identity; intersections of Brazilian literature and Brazilian music; intersections of popular and classical music; and
music and modernity in the 20th-21st century.
Lilly Haley ‘12
Lilly is halfway through her DM in clarinet performance and literature at Florida State on a teaching assistantship and planning a research project involving incorporating jazz technique and history into classical clarinet pedagogy. She visited some family she had never met in France and Ireland this summer, serenaded a particularly appreciative audience of cows, and is now back and enjoying feeding her carnivorous plant and continuing on with her studies.
Melody Chapin
Lilly Haley
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Brian Lew ‘13
Brian Lew graduated from Memorial University in Newfoundland with a Master of Music in Performance/Pedagogy. He will begin his DMA at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with Dr. Scott Anderson on a competitive full scholarship TA.
Ryan O’Connell ‘13Trumpeter Ryan O’Connell re-ceived a Master’s degree from Tufts University and has begun work teaching music at the Lawrence, Mass. Family Development Charter School.
Colin Geaghan ‘16Colin has put to good use the skills he honed as a BA Voice Performance major and Business Administration minor. He served as a public relations intern with the Portsmouth Music Hall and as a public affairs intern with the BSO. While at UNH, Colin publicized events in the Department of Music on social media. Currently, he is
Brian Lew
employed at the New England Conservatory School of Continuing Education as the Student Services Coordinator.
Michele Nunnelley ‘16Michele Nunnelley is teaching K-5 music at Beech Street Elementary in Manchester, NH.
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UNH Alumni in the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra
l to r: Crystal Carr, Michele Boulanger ‘76 and 91G, Tracey Crain ‘17, Brandon Duras ‘17, Katrina Veno (née Michaud)‘12,
Adam Gallant ‘08 and ‘12G, Susan Thornbury Williams ‘94, Greg Bechtold ‘10, Matt Mitchell ‘07
Faculty Retreat at the UNH Browne Center
l to r: Current Chair Jenni Cook, John-Michael Albert, Chris Kies, David Ripley, Bob Eshbach, Mark Zielinski,
Nicholas Orovich, Michael Annicchiarico, Nathan Jorgensen, Peggy Vagts, Rob Haskins, Peter Urquhart,
Rose Pruiksma, Alexis Zaricki, Mark DeTurk, Elizabeth Gunlogson, Susan Adams, Dan Beller-McKenna, and David Upham
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Faculty Retreat at the UNH Browne Center
l to r: Current Chair Jenni Cook, John-Michael Albert, Chris Kies, David Ripley, Bob Eshbach, Mark Zielinski,
Nicholas Orovich, Michael Annicchiarico, Nathan Jorgensen, Peggy Vagts, Rob Haskins, Peter Urquhart,
Rose Pruiksma, Alexis Zaricki, Mark DeTurk, Elizabeth Gunlogson, Susan Adams, Dan Beller-McKenna, and David Upham
Department of Music Paul Creative Arts Center30 Academic WayDurham, NH 03824 Phone: 603.862.2404Fax: 603.862.3155Email: [email protected]/music
