Monthly Archives: October 2014

BGSU Flute Studio Sweeps the Ohio MTNA Competition

This past weekend, October 24-26, the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) held their Ohio competition in Columbus.  BGSU students of Dr. Conor Nelson won prizes in both age categories for woodwinds, as well as second and third place in the “Senior Performance” category:

Young Artist Performance Competition (Woodwinds)

Octavian Moldovean (MM16), winner

Senior Performance Competition (Woodwinds)

Elizabeth Ritter (BM 2018), winner
Francesca Leo (BM 2018), alternate
Samantha Tartamella (BM 2018), honorable mention

“Paul Dresher is both composer and inventor”

Dresher Double Duo

This past weekend, October 15-18th, Bowling Green heard some of the freshest and boldest voices in contemporary music. The 35th Annual Bowling Green New Music Festival featured a number of prominent artists active in the creation of new works, including featured guest composer Paul Dresher. The Sentinel Tribune covered his recent residency and writes on the background Dresher’s eclectic body of work.

Click here for the full story.

Magic Deuce Duo to Premiere New Work

Magic Deuce Duo

Eric Salazar and Caitlin Phillips of the Magic Deuce flute and clarinet duo have commissioned a new piece of music from Chelsea Komschlies, composer and graphic artist of the Colorado based Pendulum New Music Ensemble. Salazar and Phillips were exposed to Komschlies’ music at the 2014 Fresh Inc Festival. The Magic Deuce were both so taken with Komschlies flute-clarinet duo entitled “Steam” that the duo decided to ask the composer to write them a new piece of music. The new piece entitled “Book of Spells” is to be premiered this November. Komschlies’ new work is an interdisciplinary adventure containing both sound art and visual art created by the composer. Graphic artwork will be displayed on a projector as the Magic Deuce performs the music. In addition to “Book of Spells” the duo will be performing works by Muczynski, Osmun, Liang, and Villa-Lobos.

Magic Deuce can be found on their Facebook page or contacted at themagicdeuce@gmail.com.

Student Recital: Caitlin Philips, flute & Eric Salazar, clarinet

November 16, 2014 | 6 p.m. | Bryan Recital Hall

More information on the ensemble and the piece:

 

Chelsea Komschlies, composer

Komschlies writes about the piece: “Book of Spells” is a whimsical piece in which each movement represents its own imaginary spell. The music is dark and mysterious at times, sprightly and bubbling at others, while keeping an overall lighthearted fairytale mood.

Appraisal for the Magic Deuce:

“The Magic Deuce have an infectious personality that is projected through their relaxing stage presence and cohesiveness as a duet. The audience can experience the strong friendship between “the deuce” simply by viewing a live performance. This must be where the magic came from.” -Eric Heidbreder, Fifth House Ensemble

“Eric Salazar and Caitlin Phillips of The Magic Deuce are adventurous interpreters and fearless performers. They perform with conviction, and are dedicated to broadening the repertoire for their unique instrumentation.” -Melissa Snoza, Executive Director: Fifth House Ensemble, Adjunct Professor of Flute: Carthage College, Professor of Performing Arts Management, DePaul University

CMA announces The Hansen Music Fellowship Program

Hansen's 2014

By Terri Carroll

To attract the brightest students, universities traditionally offer the best scholarships. But when it comes to convincing top music students to choose BGSU over, say, Julliard or Indiana University, even the most generous academic and music scholarships are no longer enough.

Dr. DuWayne and Dorothy ’62, ’69 Hansen hope their initiative for the most talented music students will be too good to refuse.

“We wanted to figure out what more we could do to make BGSU the most attractive choice for talented students to consider.”With the newly launched Hansen Music Fellowship Program, the best students will receive funding for beyond-the-classroom musical experiences and education. Students can tailor their fellowship experience to include activities that are best suited to their needs and career aspirations, from attending summer camps, conferences and festivals to recording, seeking new performing opportunities or touring.

“A scholarship only goes so far,” DuWayne said. “We wanted to figure out what more we could do to make BGSU the most attractive choice for talented students to consider.”

The Akron couple, who both have strong ties to BGSU’s College of Musical Arts, decided that giving the University a truly competitive edge would require funding a set of professional musical experiences for students above and beyond the typical scholarship.

The Hansen Fellowship can help students stand out from their peers by enabling them to participate in activities that will become an asset for them in today’s highly competitive job market.

The Hansens believe a music fellowship that allows students to pursue professional development in addition to their BGSU studies will be advantageous not only for the fellows themselves, but also for their peers and the music faculty.

“They can benefit enormously from a summer spent at the Chicago Symphony or the Cleveland Orchestra — it can open their eyes in a marvelous way,” DuWayne said. “They come back with so many new ideas.”

Back in the classroom and residence halls, fellows can share what they’ve learned from those experiences and serve as examples for other students of how broad the scope of a musical education can be, the Hansens said.

“We hope having these model students interacting with other students will help raise the bar for everyone around them,” Dorothy said.

The Hansens, who met at BGSU more than 50 years ago, are longtime supporters of the University’s music programs. Dorothy is a two-time alumna of the College of Musical Arts and DuWayne is a former chair of the Department of Music Education.

The Dorothy E. and DuWayne H. Hansen Musical Arts Series has brought dozens of renowned performers to the University since 1996. Dorothy has also served on the BGSU Foundation Board of Directors.

“We feel a very strong connection to BGSU. We lived here, we raised our daughter here, we worked with so many fantastic faculty and students here,” DuWayne said. “Our goal is to help improve the music programs and the University in whatever way we can.”

Two incoming freshmen will be chosen as Hansen Fellows each year.

Fellowship applicants must demonstrate a record of exceptional musical performance and strong academic achievement, including a minimum ACT score of 26.

A committee appointed by the dean will oversee the selection process, and the Department of Music Performance Studies chair will manage the program.

Once selected, each Hansen Fellow will receive funding on a yearly basis, and will work with faculty to identify goals and determine how best to use the funds. Each fellow will be expected to maintain a grade point average of 3.5 each semester and to perform in a recital or featured concert each year they receive funding.

Professor Papanikolaou’s latest Musicology Publication on Gustav Mahler

Mahler--001

Eftychia Papanikolaou, Associate Professor of Musicology, has had her latest publication appear in print. Her chapter “Trauma as Memory in Ken Russell’s Mahler” is included in an interdisciplinary collection of studies titled After Mahler’s Death. Each chapter in the book traces an aspect of reception history following Mahler’s death. Her essay discusses how Ken Russell’s biopic Mahler (1974) serves as a microcosm of reception history of Mahler’s life and music; it also addresses modes of memory and trauma analyzed through Russell’s cinematic approach.

This book follows the success of the International Gustav Mahler Symposium After Mahler’s Death, which took place in May 2011 at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna and the Department of Musicology of Palacký University in Olomouc, Czech Republic. It is edited by Gerold W. Gruber, Morten Solvik and Jan Vičar; published by Palacký University in Olomouc, Czech Republic.

BGSU Choral Program announces collaboration with Santa Barbara Music Publishing Company

wc_panorama2_web

“Bowling Green State University College of Music has found a new way to leave its mark on the world of choral music,” writes the Sentinel Tribune.

“Mark Munson, the director of choral studies, hit upon the idea to create a Bowling Green State University Series with Santa Barbara Music Publishing. Munson called the company “the cutting edge publisher for choral music.”

The series would include pieces  composed for BGSU vocal ensembles.”

The first piece in the collaboration with the publishing company is a composition by American composer Libby Larsen. As the 2012 McMaster Professor in Vocal and Choral Studies, Larsen  worked closely with the choral program at the College of Musical Arts during  her residency.

“Look! Be: leap;” was commissioned to commemorate the centennial of the University Women’s Chorus and will be premiered at the 2014 New Music Festival on Thursday, October 16  in Kobacker Hall.

To read the full article click here.

For more information on the upcoming premiere of Libby Larsen’s “Look! Be: leap;” visit the New Music Festival page for a full event listing.