Dr. Jane Schoonmaker Rodgers and Kevin Bylsma will be the keynote speakers/presenters at the inaugural session of the Singers’ Consortia Art Song Festival, which will be held March 4-6, 2012, at West Texas A&M University. The Singers’ Consortia is “a new organization of people personally invested in the creation of new art song,” the brainchild of BGSU alum Dr. Christopher Meerdink. For more information follow this link: http://www.singersconsortia.com.
Category Archives: voice
BGSU Opera Gala launches new Wolfe Center for the Arts
Bowling Green State University’s College of Musical Arts presents an Opera Gala as the first musical performance in the newly opened Wolfe Center for the Arts. The program begins at 8 p.m. on Feb. 24 and Feb. 25 in the Thomas and Kathleen Donnell Theatre.
The evening will feature solo arias, duets, quartets, quintets and overtures to some of world’s greatest operas including Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” and “The Magic Flute,” Beethoven’s “Fidelio,” Bizet’s “Carmen,” Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” and Verdi’s “Rigoletto.”
In a showcase of student and faculty talent, the program features the Bowling Green Philharmonia, University Choral Society, Collegiate Chorale, Men’s and Women’s choruses, and faculty soloists including Christopher Scholl, Doug Wayland, Jane Rodgers, Sean Cooper, Sujin Lee, Ann Corrigan, Ellen Scholl, Lance Ashmore and Jennifer Cooper.
Special commentary and narration will be provided by WGTE-FM Program Manager and Music Director Brad Cresswell. Radio audiences may recognize him as the host of “Afternoon Classics,” “Live from FM 91” and “WGTE in Concert.”
The Wolfe Center for the Arts, a distinctive structure built to advance collaboration across the arts at BGSU, opened its doors in December 2011. Designed by international award-winning architects Snøhetta of Oslo, Norway, the $41 million, 93,000 square-foot building serves as the home for the Department of Theatre and Film and supports instructional and creative activities by the College of Musical Arts and the School of Art.
General admission tickets are $10 and available by calling the college box office at 419-372-8171 or by emailing musictickets@bgsu.edu. Tickets also will be available at the door. Seating is limited. Media sponsorship by WGTE Public Media.
Jennifer Hidgon awarded Koussevitzky Commission
BGSU music alum Jennifer Higdon has received a rare Koussevitzky Commission from the Library of Congress to compose a work for string quartet and soprano, for the Cypress String Quartet and soprano Christine Brandes, on texts by W.S. Merwin (former U.S. poet laureate and Pulitzer winner). For further information, see:
(http://uwmusiclib.blogspot.com/2012/01/koussevitzky-foundations-announces.html)
Champion quartet brings campus more Prestige
Three hours turned into an anxious eternity for the members of Prestige. The barbershop quartet from BGSU had to perform first in a lengthy international competition in Kansas City this past summer . . . and then wait throughout a tension-filled evening while 20 other groups tried to oust them from the lead.
“That part was absolutely terrifying,” said quartet member Nick Gordon. “It was the longest time — I just couldn’t watch.”
When the final singers completed their performance, the judges awarded the gold medal and the distinction as the top college quartet in the world to the group from Bowling Green.
“There was a moment of shock, then a whole lot of extreme joy,” Gordon said. “It was something we had worked very hard for, but you never know what might happen. Sometimes, I still can’t believe it.”
The group — Gordon, Drew Ochoa, Dave Parrett and Gordie Howe — had finished second in 2010 and fourth the previous year. They were close friends prior to arriving at the University, where their singing talents were melded and nurtured within the College of Musical Arts and by Doug Wayland, assistant professor of voice in music performance studies.
“Prestige is a collection of the right individuals,” Wayland said. “They are all fabulous singers, but what’s just as important is they are also very good friends. Barbershop is all about the blend and it’s some of the most difficult harmony singing there is, but they excel at it.”
The Harmony Foundation International Collegiate Barbershop gold medal Prestige won joins a remarkable collection at BGSU. Since retired professor Richard Mathey started the men’s chorus in the 1970s, BGSU’s various singing groups have been awarded nearly 35 gold medals.
“Bowling Green’s got the most, there’s no doubt about it,” Mathey said. “Nobody else in the country is even close. There’s a very strong tradition here in barbershop singing. It’s been a contagious type of thing — it got into the system and it’s never left. And Doug’s done a very good job with this particular quartet.”
The major competitions attract choral directors from colleges and high schools across the country. “People hear the name Bowling Green and associate it with good singing,” Wayland said. “There’s a significant payoff for winning all of these championships.”
[View Magazine Flipbook for complete article, flipbook pages 24]
The Marriage of Figaro’ comes to BGSU stage
Bowling Green Opera Theater brings “The Marriage of Figaro” to the stage for two performances, Nov. 4 and 6, in Kobacker Hall of the Moore Musical Arts Center at Bowling Green State University.
The crown jewel of 18th century comic opera, with music by W. A. Mozart and libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte, “Figaro” features some of the most beloved melodies in all opera. This once-controversial bedroom comedy explores the myriad nuances of wit, passion, neglect, hope, lust and true love. The experiences of both the noble and servant classes are considered, resulting in a collection of characters altogether human.
Continuing where “The Barber of Seville” left off, Count Almaviva has grown weary of his bride and sets his sights on his valet Figaro’s fiancée, the chambermaid Susanna. The young page Cherubino, who’s just beginning to feel the pangs of love, has his sights set on the Countess, or anyone else who might give him her attentions. Figaro merely desires a successful wedding day, unspoiled by the Count’s affections for his bride-to-be. Through a series of schemes, missteps and mistaken identities, an amorous evening rendezvous ultimately gives way to balance and redemption.
A collaboration between the BGSU Department of Theatre and Film and College of Musical Arts, the production features stage direction by Sean Cooper; musical direction by Emily Freeman Brown, musical preparation by Kevin Bylsma, scenic design by Kelly Mangan, costume design by Margaret McCubbin, and lighting design by Keith Hofacker.
BGSU students in lead roles include Stephen Maus of El Paso, Texas, as Figaro, Brianna Sosenheimer of Fort Wayne, Ind., as Susanna, Elizabeth Pearse of LaCrosse, Wis., as Countess Almaviva, Errin Brooks of Detroit as Count Almaviva, and Christine Amon of Grand Rapids, Mich., as Cherubino. The Bowling Green Philharmonia and vocal music students fill out the cast.
Performances are at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, and at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6. Advance tickets are $12 for adults and $9 for students, or $15 and $12, respectively, the day of the performance. Call the College of Musical Arts box office at 419-372-8171 to reserve or email musictickets@bgsu.edu.
12th Annual Artsong Competition to Air on WBGU-TV
The 12th Annual Conrad Artsong Competition will be aired on WBGU-TV this weekend during the following times:
· Friday, September 30 at 10:00 pm
· Saturday, October 1 at 5:00 pm
· Sunday, October 2 at 5:00 pm
The Dr. Marjorie Conrad Art Song Fund provides financial prizes for singers and collaborative pianists in two divisions: undergraduate and graduate. The goal of the contest is to encourage students enrolled at BGSU to approach the art song in a serious and intense manner to enhance their learning experience.
(Submitted by Susan Hoekstra)