Category Archives: voice

BGSU Alum becomes president of the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music

alumni, education, music-education-alumni, voice

The Wisconsin Conservatory of Music has hired Gregory Ruffer for the position of President/CEO.
Ruffer is a performing arts leader, conductor and voice teacher with a quarter century of experience in the field. He has served most recently as the Music Department Chair at the Patel Conservatory and Chorus Master for Opera Tampa, both at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa, Florida. In these positions, Mr. Ruffer was the administrative leader of a large, multi-faceted music department that included children’s music, Suzuki, youth orchestra, rock school, vocal arts, guitar, jazz and private lessons. He managed a department of nearly 50 music teachers and administrators, a professional opera chorus of 50 singers, and created and oversaw a large departmental budget.

Ruffer holds B.M. and M.M. degrees from BGSU.

Merry Widow waltzes onto BGSU stage

events, student news, voice

BOWLING GREEN, O.—Celebrate one remarkably romantic night in Paris in June of 1914 with “The Merry Widow,” performed March 22 and 24 in the Wolfe Center for the Arts at Bowling Green State University.

Performances of the operetta are at 8 p.m. Friday, March 22, and 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 24, in the Thomas B. and Kathleen M. Donnell Theatre.

Those who are interested in learning more about the popular hit are invited to a Director’s Forum, one hour before curtain, at 7 p.m. on March 22 and 2 p.m. on March 24, in the Eva Marie Saint Theatre. BGSU musicologist Dr. Eftychia Papanikolaou and Christopher Scholl, an associate professor of voice and opera studies, will provide commentary on the music and stage history of Franz Lehar’s operetta, with musical examples prepared especially for the forum. Dr. Ron Shields, a professor of theater and film, will also share insights into his role as stage director for the production.

Set within the walls of the humble Pontevedrian Embassy, yet within sight of the newly electrified Eiffel Tower, provincial and urbane worlds gently collide through flirtations and stolen kisses. The plot follows the intrigues of the characters as they amusingly waltz to delightful conclusions in this musical comedy of manners.

Widely believed to be the most popular operetta of all time, Lehar’s “The Merry Widow” has been presented over 500,000 times since it first won audience applause at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna in 1905. Both a popular cultural phenomena and a stage sensation, the operetta prompted distinctive marketing ploys, including cocktails, songbooks in multiple languages, hats and shoes, and even a “Merry Widow” cigar.

The production is a collaboration among the BGSU Department of Theatre and Film, BGSU Opera Theater and the College of Musical Arts.

For ticket information, visit the BGSU Box Office online at http://BGSU.edu/Arts, or call 419-372-8171.

BGSU Festival Series hosts American Spiritual Ensemble

events, theory-musicology-ethnomusicology, voice

BOWLING GREEN, O.—Bowling Green State University’s College of Musical Arts Festival Series celebrates Black History Month with a special performance by the American Spiritual Ensemble at 8 p.m. on Feb. 23 in Kobacker Hall of Moore Musical Arts Center.

Directed by Dr. Everett McCorvey and founded in 1995, the ensemble’s mission is to keep the American Negro spiritual alive. The group has entertained audiences around the world with its dynamic renditions of classic spirituals, jazz and Broadway numbers highlighting the black experience.

On the Festival Series program are classic spirituals such as “Walk Together Children,” “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel,” “I Wanna Be Ready,” “Ezekiel Saw de Wheel,” “Is There Anybody Here” and “His Name Is So Sweet.” A musical arrangement of poems from American Negro folk sermons and James Weldon Johnson titled “God’s Trombones” will be featured, along with “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” The ensemble will also perform a special Duke Ellington medley and the perennial favorite “Old Time Religion.”

A native of Montgomery, Ala., McCorvey received degrees from the University of Alabama, including a Doctorate of Musical Arts. As a tenor soloist, he has performed in major venues including the Kennedy Center, Metropolitan Opera, Aspen Music Festival, Radio City Music Hall and in England, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, China, Hungary, Poland and the Czech and Slovak republics. During the summers, he serves on the artist faculty of the American Institute of Musical Study in Graz, Austria, and the Intermezzo Opera Program. He also holds an endowed chair in opera studies and is director of opera at the University of Kentucky. McCorvey was the executive producer of the opening and closing ceremonies for the Alltech 2010 World Equestrian Games, the largest equestrian event held in the United States.

For the American Spiritual Ensemble, McCorvey has assembled a talented group of soloists and members who have sung in theaters and opera houses around the world, including the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera and Houston Grand Opera, and abroad in Italy, Germany, Scotland, Spain, China and Japan.

To purchase tickets online for the performance, visit http://bgsu.edu/arts. Tickets can also be purchased by calling 419-372-8171. BGSU students can get a free ticket to the performance at the BGSU Student Union Information desk, courtesy of the Office of Student Affairs.

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BGSU’s Black History Month celebration to include the American Spiritual Ensemble

events, voice

BOWLING GREEN, O.—February is officially national Black History Month, but at Bowling Green State University commemorative events will begin in January and continue through mid-March, including the appearance of the American Spiritual Ensemble on Saturday, February 23, 2013 at 8 p.m. in Kobacker Hall.

Bridging the University and the city, Dr. Jack Taylor, a professor emeritus of ethnic studies, will deliver the keynote address for the city of Bowling Green’s 24th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Tribute on Jan 18. Hosted by the city’s Human Relations Commission, the talk will be held at 1:30 p.m. in the Wood County District Public Library, 251 N. Main St., and will feature musical selections by the Shades of Brown Singers.

Once again, BGSU students, faculty, staff and alumni will make Martin Luther King Jr. Day “a day on, not a day off,” by spending it in service to the community. The University expects nearly 500 participants on Jan. 21 to give about 4,000 combined hours helping a number of Bowling Green and Toledo agencies and organizations. The event is coordinated by the Civic Action Leaders in the Office of Service-Learning.

This year’s event will also honor former Undergraduate Student Government President Johnnie Lewis, a student leader at BGSU who passed away in July 2012.

“A Taste of February” on Feb. 1 will kick off the month with the theme “E Pluribis Unum: Out of Many, One.” The diversity event celebrates cultural awareness through educational entertainment, food and conversation. Sponsored by the Office of Residence Life, the SMART Program and the Black Graduate Student Organization, the event takes place from 6-8:30 p.m. in the ballroom and is free for BGSU students with ID, $15 for BGSU faculty and staff and $25 for community members. Register online at https://reslife.bgsu.edu/forms/taste-feb.php or contact Ana Brown at acbrown@bgsu.edu.

An annual highlight of Black History Month at the University, the Black Issues Conference will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 2 in the Bowen-Thompson Student Union’s Lenhart Grand Ballroom. The title of this year’s conference is “The Power of One: Building a Commitment to Constructive Cooperation.” Attorney Kathryn A. Williams, an educator and activist, will give the keynote address. The event provides an opportunity to learn about and address key issues that affect the African-American/black community in the U.S. and provides a forum for discussion, dialogue and research presentation. The conference is free for BGSU students with ID, $15 for BGSU faculty and staff, and $25 for community members. Register online at https://reslife.bgsu.edu/forms/taste-feb.php.The conference is sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Black Graduate Student Organization. For more information, contact Sheila Brown at stbrown@bgsu.edu.

The BGSU Festival Series celebrates the Negro spiritual on Feb. 23 when the American Spiritual Ensemble comes to Kobacker Hall in Moore Musical Arts Center. Featuring some of the finest classically trained singers in the United States, the ensemble’s mission is to keep the American Negro spiritual alive. Since its inception by Dr. Everett McCorvey in 1995, its vocalists have thrilled audiences around the world with their dynamic repertoire ranging from spirituals to classical to jazz and Broadway numbers highlighting the black experience.

Tickets range from $12 to $38. For information, visit http://www.bgsu.edu/arts or call 419-372-8171. The series is sponsored by the College of Musical Arts.

Black History events culminate in March with the annual Africana Studies Conference, “Catalysts for Change in the Africana World,” on March 15, hosted by the Africana Studies Program, and the 17th annual State of the State Conference on March 21, “Creating an Inclusive Environment for Many Voices,” sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs.

For a complete list of events, visit http://www.bgsu.edu/blackhistorymonth/index.html.