Category Archives: events

Pianist Lisa Moore to perform in Bowling Green Dec. 1, 2

Acclaimed avant-garde pianist Lisa Moore will appear at both Bowling Green State University’s College of Musical Arts and at the Clazel Theatre in downtown Bowling Green as part of the Music at the Forefront concert series sponsored by BGSU’s MidAmerican Center for Contemporary Music (MACCM).

Moore’s first concert will begin at 10:15 p.m. Dec. 1 at the Clazel, 127 N. Main St. A $2-$5 donation is suggested. The program will feature an eclectic mix of music by Don Byron, Brian Eno, Rufus Wainwright and Randy Newman, followed by a performance of Terry Riley’s seminal minimalist work “In C” by BGSU’s Combustible Arts Ensemble.

The Dec. 2 concert begins at 8 p.m. in Bryan Recital Hall at the Moore Musical Arts Center. The program will feature Frederic Rzewski’s “De Profundis” for speaking pianist, based on the letters of Oscar Wilde, and Martin Bresnick’s “For the Sexes: The Gates of Paradise,” inspired by the works of William Blake.

The Australian-American Moore lives in New York City where she collaborates with a large and diverse range of musicians and artists. The New York Times says “her energy is illuminating,” and the New Yorker magazine called her “visionary” and “New York’s queen of avant-garde piano.” Moore has released five solo discs and 30 collaborative discs. Her latest solo recording, “Seven,” has just been released on Cantaloupe.

Her performances combine musical and emotional power, whether in the delivery of the simplest song, the most challenging chamber work or complex solo score. She is passionately dedicated to the music of our time as well as the great musical canon. Moore has collaborated with composers from many musical genres, including Elliott Carter, Meredith Monk, Philip Glass and Ornette Coleman. Her repertoire spans works by Robert Schumann, Leos Janacek and Modeste Mussorgsky to music and text settings by Randy Newman. She has given concerts around the world.

Moore won the silver medal in the Carnegie Hall International American Music Competition. From 1992-2008 she was the pianist and founding member for the Bang On A Can All-Stars, the New York based electro-acoustic sextet and winner of Musical America’s 2005 “Ensemble of the Year” Award. As an artistic curator she most recently produced Australia’s Canberra International Music Festival “Sounds Alive ‘08” series, importing musicians from around the world for 10 days of music making at the Street Theatre.

Moore’s Clazel performance is the second time the college has partnered with the theater. In October, saxophonist Branford Marsalis, in town for the BGSU Festival Series, also gave a late-night show at the Clazel, which was attended by about 300 people, said Kurt Doles, MACCM coordinator.

“We are equally excited about having the opportunity to use the Clazel not only to highlight the talents of the BGSU College of Musical Arts but also to help them showcase a greater musical experience to the region,” said Dan Gallerno, Clazel marketing manager. “The Cla-zel has a long history in the Bowling Green community not only as a movie theater but also as a cultural and arts center; we see this as an opportunity to further honor that heritage.”

Music at the Forefront is an annual concert series featuring performances by accomplished and innovative performers of contemporary music. For more information contact the center at 419-372-2685 or email kdoles@bgsu.edu.

BGSU Concert Band, Wind Symphony in concert together

The Bowling Green State University Concert Band and Wind Symphony will be in concert together at 8 p.m. Nov. 19 in Kobacker Hall of the Moore Musical Arts Center. Admission is free.

Directed by Carol Hayward, the Concert Band’s program will include “Epic Fanfaire,” by Emmy Award-winning composer Julie Giroux, and “Rhosymedre” (cq) by Ralph Vaughn Williams, which was originally composed for organ and later transcribed by Walter Beeler and published in 1972. Graduate Assistant Ro Ciesluk will conduct “Rhosymedre.” The band will also perform “Traffic” by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Ned Rorem, which was originally part of his Symphony No. 3 written in 1958. This version for winds was published in 2003 in coordination with the celebration of Rorem’s 80th birthday.

The Wind Symphony, directed by Bruce Moss, will be celebrating two “100ths,” with works by Samuel Barber, who would turn 100 this year, and H. Owen Reed, who just turned 100 in June. Barber was an iconic American composer and H. Owen Reed was a longtime faculty member in composition at Michigan State. “Overture to ‘The School for Scandal’” by Barber was the composer’s first composition for full orchestra. The title refers to the comedic play “The School for Scandal” by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. Barber intended the work to reflect the spirit of the play. “Heart of the Morn” by H. Owen Reed is based on the song “Michigan Morn” from the folk-opera “Peter Homan’s Dream.”

BGSU A Cappella, Collegiate choirs to give joint concert

The BGSU A Cappella Choir and Collegiate Chorale will perform together at 8 p.m. Nov. 20 in Kobacker Hall of the Moore Musical Arts Center.

The A Cappella Choir will perform sacred and secular works from the 1700s to the present. Highlights of the concert will include W.A. Mozart’s lively “Regina coeli” K. 276 for chorus and soloists, Edvard Grieg’s heartfelt “Ave Maris Stella,” Maurice Durufle’s contemplative “Ubi caritas,” Eric Whitacre’s sensuous “Water Night,” and Sean Caldwell’s driving arrangement of the gospel number “John the Revelator.” A Cappella Choir is an auditioned, 60-voice, mixed choir conducted by Timothy Cloeter, the newest addition to the choral faculty at BGSU.

The Collegiate Chorale, under the direction of Sandra Frey Stegman, will perform repertoire from a variety of style periods and genres. The opening sacred selections from the Renaissance period are contrasted with contemporary composer M. Shafer’s soundscape “Epitaph for Moonlight,” selected movements from “Zigeunerlieder” by J. Brahms, and music both beautiful and playful by American composers Samuel Barber and Eric Whitacre. Several members of the chorale will be featured in the uplifting closing gospel piece “He Is Marvelous,” by Rosephanye Powell. The Collegiate Chorale is a select mixed chamber ensemble consisting of predominantly upper class music majors.

Tickets are $10 for adults in advance or $13 if purchased at the door. Students can attend free with their student ID. Tickets may be purchased at the center box office weekdays from noon to 6 p.m. or by calling 419-372-8171, toll-free at 1-800-589-2224, or by e-mail at musictickets@bgsu.edu.

(Submitted by Susan Knapp)

Ryan Nowlin to conduct the BGSU Wind Symphony in his winning composition “Fanfare: Sounds of the Centennial” at the Centennial Academic Convocation

Be part of Nov. 9 Centennial Academic Convocation

On Nov. 9, the University will host a Centennial Academic Convocation to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the state’s decision to locate a state normal school in Bowling Green, Ohio. The convocation will begin at 2:30 p.m. In Anderson Arena. ?More than 200 faculty members have agreed to participate in the event and be part of the academic processional.

Ron Clark, a New York Times best-selling author and the 2000 Disney American Teacher of the Year, will be the keynote speaker. BGSU alumnus Ryan Nowlin, staff arranger for the United States Marine Band, will return to campus to conduct the BGSU Wind Symphony in his winning composition “Fanfare: Sounds of the Centennial.”

President Carol Cartwright will preside over the academic ceremony, and Larry Weiss, BGSU Centennial Anniversary Commission co-chair, will serve as master of ceremonies.

Faculty members who have indicated they will participate in the processional should report to 101 Olscamp Hall at 1:30 p.m. for the robing assembly where they will be lined up according to their colleges. There will be signage in the room to help participants locate their college.

BGSU opera students to perform Gilbert and Sullivan’s ‘Iolanthe’

Students and alumni from Bowling Green State University Opera Theater will present Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera “Iolanthe” at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5, and Saturday, Nov. 6, in the Wooster Center, 1124 E. Wooster St. in Bowling Green.

“Iolanthe,” which premiered in 1882 to hostile criticism, is now one of Gilbert and Sullivan’s most beloved works. Iolanthe, mistress of the fairy revels, marries a mortal, which causes discord among the humans. Also known as “The Peer and the Peri,” the play comments on ineffective political institutions by using the make-believe world of fairies who infiltrate Parliament in order to “re-set” social boundaries.

“There will be a lot of energy and a lot of laughs,” promised Dr. Christopher Scholl, an assistant professor of music performance studies.

Stage Director Jesse A. Koza, a recent BGSU graduate, and Music Director Conrad Chu, a musical arts doctoral candidate in conducting, join forces with costume designer Melissa A. Penkava, a senior; set designer Meghan Johannes, and accompanist Kate Stubbs, also a BGSU alumna. The performance will be sung in English.

The title role of Iolanthe will be played by mezzo-sopranos Aubrey VonAlmen from Lima, Ohio, and Briana Sosenheimer, from Fort Wayne, Ind., both first-year graduate students. In the role of Phyllis will be sopranos Summer Aebker, a first-year graduate student from Lima, and McKayela Collins, a second-year graduate student from Elkhart, Ind. Playing the role of the Lord Chancellor is baritone Austin Heath, a senior from Rockford, Ohio. Playing the role of Lord Tolloller is tenor Chris Jackson, a junior from Cincinnati. Baritone Sean Manterfield, a second-year graduate student, will play Lord Mountararat. Bass Aaron Wagner, a senior from Dayton, will play Private Willis. Baritone Nathan Kendrick, a senior from Carlisle, Ohio, will play the role of Strephon. Mezzo-soprano Christine Amon, a first-year graduate student from Grand Rapids, Mich., will play the Queen of the Fairies. The role of Celia will be played by soprano Grace Hirt, a sophomore from Celina, Ohio. Mezzo-soprano Melissa A. Penkava, a senior from North Ridgeville, Ohio, will play the role of Leila. Soprano Brianna Michalko, a junior from Canadaigua, N.Y., will play Fleta.

The performances are free and open to the public.

Acclaimed opera educator presents master class

Bowling Green State University’s College of Musical Arts will host nationally heralded opera educator Ann Baltz, the founder of OperaWorks, from Oct. 24-26.

This year’s Helen McMaster Endowed Professor in Vocal and Choral Studies, Baltz will coach students on performance and improvisation techniques and conduct career discussion sessions.

Her visit will also include a master class on performance techniques that is free and open to the public at 7 p.m.  Oct. 25 in Kobacker Hall of the Moore Musical Arts Center.

Through her deep commitment to new and experimental works, Baltz has earned distinguished posts as music director and co-creator of Composer-Librettist Studios in San Francisco, New York and Minneapolis, along with music director for New Works Projects at the Minnesota Opera Institute and Portland Opera.

Helen and the late Harold McMaster established this endowed professorship in spring 2000. Helen McMaster, a long-time Perrysburg resident, has supported the arts at BGSU for many years. Generous friends of BGSU, she and her husband previously donated to programs in music, business, science and the Center for Photochemical Sciences. College professors in the vocal, choral or opera area may nominate potential guests for this endowed professorship.