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BGSU to host nearly 300 saxophonists

BOWLING GREEN, O.—Nearly 300 saxophonists will converge on Bowling Green State University this weekend for the regional meeting of the North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA). A first for BGSU, the convention is the equivalent of a major medical research convention, representing the five-state region of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin, said Dr. John Sampen, BGSU Distinguished Artist Professor and internationally known saxophonist. Attending the event will be performers and composers from all over the United States and Canada.

The conference is arguably the national hotbed for the concert saxophone in America. “This is our research,” Sampen said. “We’ve been working on this all year.”

Nearly 75 performances, lectures and world premieres will take place at the College of Musical Arts. New works will premiere, and rising stars will be discovered, Sampen said. Events begin with a concert at 8 p.m. Friday, March 1, and continue through the closing concert Sunday afternoon, March 3.

Special guests include Dr. Frederick Hemke, a professor emeritus of saxophone from Northwestern University, and Donald Sinta, the Arthur F. Thurnau and Earl V. Moore Professor of Saxophone at the University of Michigan. Both are internationally known performing artists and teachers. Also featured will be the famous Capitol Saxophone Quartet with Christopher Creviston, Joseph Lulloff , David Stambler and Andrew Dahlke.

Sampen and his 20-piece student saxophone choir will premiere the saxophone version of John Luther Adams’ “Strange Birds Passing” at the opening Friday concert. Sampen will also perform a saxophone premiere of György Kurtág’s “In Nomine all’ongherese” at the 4 p.m. Saturday concert.

For ticket information and a schedule for the regional convention, check the NASA website at http://www.nasa2013bgsu.com/

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BGSU piano students excell at Detroit Symphony Beethoven sonata marathon

32 pianists, chosen from the region’s schools (Univ of Michigan, BGSU, Michigan State, Central Michigan University, Wayne State Univ, Interlochen, etc.), performed all the Beethoven piano sonatas at the DSO’s Max Fisher Music Center.   Six of the 32 participants were selected to have their performances broadcast on WRCJ.  Two of those six chosen were  BGSU pianists Xueli Liu, who performed the Sonata in E-flat, Op. 31, No. 3, “The Hunt,” and Jianhong Hu, who played the Sonata in F-minor, Op. 57, the “Appassionata.”

BGSU Graduate Composes Music for New York City Production

BGSU graduate Andrew Selle (BMus 2012) has taken a big bite out of the Big Apple! He was selected from numerous applicants to compose music and serve as musical director for “Circle of Haunts”, a ghost opera/dance theater event based on Henry James’ novella “The Turn of the Screw.” Selle composed all the opera’s music, which includes nine performers singing numerous a capella arias and recitatives, along with assorted hand-held instruments the performers use on stage. The opera was staged seven times in February, and reviewed by nytheater.com, which hails Selle’s music as “most striking.” http://www.nytheatre.com/Review/martin-denton-2013-2-12-circle-of-haunts

Dr. Andrew Pelletier presents two major premieres

Dr. Andrew Pelletier, Associate Professor of Horn, will be presenting two major premieres at the Los Angeles International New Music Festival at Zipper Concert Hall of the Colburn School of Music, February 23 and March 2, 2013.  He will be giving the U.S. premiere of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s “NEBADON for Horn and Electronic Music” from “KLANG” on February 23, and on March 2 he will present the world premiere of “Positings” by Roger Reynolds, which was composed for the 25th anniversary of Southwest Chamber Music, who is hosting this Festival.  At the festival, Dr. Pelletier will also be performing the “Serenata” of Alberto Ginastera.

Prof. Papanikolaou presents paper at Yale

Dr. Effie Papanikolaou participated at the annual conference of the Society for Christian Scholarship in Music, which took place at the Institute of Sacred Music at Yale University (14-16 February 2013). Her paper presentation, which focused on the 1998 ballet Die Große Messe (The Great Mass) by German choreographer Uwe Scholz (1958-2004), reflects her latest research on the intersections of music and dance.

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