News

by Erica Walsh, communications and marketing — last modified Mar 14, 2014 02:08 PM

Big Robot is ready to break the barriers of sound and space at a guest artist appearance at the University of Louisville. Big Robot to bring computer-acoustic sound to UofL Big Robot

Big Robot, a computer-acoustic trio composed of classically trained musicians and sound artists Scott Deal, Michael Drews and Jordan Munson, will combine music, art and technology at its concert at 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 25, in Bird Recital Hall at the School of Music.

Reviews have labeled the trio “innovative, weird and wonderful” and called Big Robot’s show “serious mind-bending art.” Integrating live percussion, acoustic sampling, electronic music and real-time video, Big Robot presents music in a multisensory performance beyond that of a traditional concert.

The group, based in Indiana, has performed worldwide since 2009, but this will be the first performance at UofL. The show is free and open to the public.

Check out Big Robot’s previous performances at www.bigrobot.org. For more information, call John Ritz at 502-852-4137.

by Erica Walsh, communications and marketing

Two University of Louisville music professors are readying a group of gifted young musicians for a trip across Europe.

Kent Hatteberg, director of choral activities at UofL, and Frederick Speck, director of bands at UofL, will lead about 200 Kentucky student musicians to six different European countries this July as part of the Kentucky Ambassadors of Music program.

The Kentucky Ambassadors of Music is an educational program designed for music honor students to perform and share their talent while gaining cultural enrichment abroad. Hatteberg and Speck have been leading students on the tours every other year since 2000.

Prior to the trip, there will be an intensive camp for the musicians at UofL June 25-29. The students will give two pre-tour concerts June 29 in Comstock Hall at the School of Music. The concert bands will perform at 5:15 p.m. and the chamber orchestra and choir will perform at 7:15 p.m. Both concerts are free and open to the public. The trip to Europe runs from June 30-July 15.

This year’s group will perform in England, France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Italy during their 16-day trip. The students will be split into two concert bands, a concert choir and a string chamber orchestra.

The 2014 ambassadors are mainly high school students with a few college students who were nominated while still in high school. All were nominated for the program by their high school music directors or private teachers based on their musicianship, leadership and character.

“One of the beauties of the whole program is that regardless of whether a student lives in an area with large music programs or not, if they’re talented they have the opportunity to be nominated,” Speck said.

The students will learn as many as 30 pieces to perform during the trip, many of them classical arrangements with historical ties to the locations the group will visit.

“It’s such a rewarding thing to see their faces as they perform,” said Alexis Paxton, choral director at Louisville Male High School. Paxton is attending the trip this year with six students from her high school. “To watch them singing in St. Mark’s Cathedral in Venice, for example, you can tell it really assimilates what you’ve been trying to teach them all along.”

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The annual New Music Festival at the University of Louisville School of Music will feature several of Europe’s leading contemporary composers and musicians.

Danish composer Bent Sorensen is the featured guest composer for the New Music Festival which will be Nov. 5-9 at the School of Music. International guest artists including Polish composers Agata Zubel, Cezary Duchnowski and Pawel Hendrich and Danish pianist Katrine Gislinge will join UofL students and ensembles for performances throughout the week. The visiting artists also will conduct master classes and lectures with UofL students throughout the festival.

Sorensen is a renowned composer and musician known for his aesthetic take on contemporary music. He is the recipient of the Nordic Council Music Prize and the Wilhelm Hansen Composer Prize and composer-in-residence at the Danish ensemble Scenatet.

Sorensen’s pieces will be played throughout the week, including a performance of “Pantomime – Papillons” with the University Symphony Orchestra and the premiere of “Nocturns” for piano and wind ensemble.

All concerts are free and open to the public. Unless otherwise noted, performances begin at 8 p.m. in Comstock Concert Hall.

• Wednesday, Nov. 5 – Faculty Chamber Music featuring Sorensen’s “Trotto” and  “Cascando,” composed and performed by Zubel.
• Thursday, Nov. 6 – Electronic and Improvised Music featuring compositions and performances by Zubel, Duchnowski and Hendrich in Rauch Planetarium.
• Friday, Nov. 7 – University Symphony Orchestra and New Music Ensemble featuring works by Sorensen.
• Saturday, Nov. 8 – University Wind Ensemble with pianist Katrine Gislinge. The group will premiere “Nocturns” by Sorensen.
• Sunday, Nov. 9 – University Collegiate Chorale and Cardinal Singers performing Sorensen’s “Fragments of Requiem.” Concert will begin at 7:30 p.m.

The concerts of Zubel, Duchnowski and Hendrich are presented by the University of Louisville New Music Festival in partnership with the Polish Cultural Institute New York, the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Chicago and the Adam Mickiewicz Institute under its flagship brand Culture.pl.

Following this year’s festival, the School of Music will host a New Music Festival Postlude. The event, to be held Nov. 14, will feature the Illinois Modern Ensemble conducted by Stephen Andrew Taylor with performances by Zubel, Duchnowski, Hendrich, composer Ewa Trebacz and New Music Festival director and UofL professor Krzysztof Wolek.

For more information, contact Wolek at 502-852-7879 or krzysztof.wolek@louisville.edu.

http://louisville.edu/music/newmusic

A graduate of the School of Music (MM, 1978), he became a member of the School of Music faculty in 1988 when appointed by Dean Jerry Ball to follow Mike’s own UofL teacher and mentor, Leon Rapier, as the principal trumpet teacher at the school. Dr. Tunnell quickly established his musical and pedagogical reputation as an inspirational colleague and leader among the music faculty and a remarkable performer in ensembles ranging from symphonic orchestras, historical period brass ensembles, brass bands, and other chamber ensembles including the UofL resident faculty ensemble, the Louisville Brass, and the Sonus Brass. As a solo trumpet and corno da caccia performer, Mike commissioned and recorded several discs that illustrated his versatility and mastery of the trumpet and its many variations. While music performance was a very important part of his professional life, Dr. Tunnell’s dedication was always most evident in his concern for his trumpet studio and all the students to whom he was devoted. Mike's students quickly became aware of his interest and commitment to their development as fine people and as wonderful musicians. His commitment to them while students, and later in their lives was always clear, as was their respect and admiration for him as a teacher and, later, as a friend and peer.

The School will host a memorial concert at the School of Music for Professor Michael Tunnell at 2 pm on the afternoon of Sunday, January 25. Additionally, a special trumpet scholarship fund has been established in the name of Dr. Tunnell.

In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy can be made to the University of Louisville School of Music, Michael Tunnell Trumpet Scholarship Fund. Please contact Lauren Zachry-Reynolds at 502-852-0516 for more information about how to give.

The School of Music at the University of Louisville recently received the largest planned financial gift in its 82-year history.

The jazz studies program will receive $6.3 million thanks to a generous donation from Max Baumgardner, a retired pilot and investor from Louisville. The “Max Baumgardner Endowed Fund for Excellence in Jazz Studies” will support faculty positions, student scholarships and additional programming.

The substantial bequest is part of a $12.6 million total planned gift from Baumgardner. The remaining $6.3 million will go to UofL athletics in part to support student academic resources.

“This gift will preserve the jazz studies program and ensure that it remains the premiere program of its kind in the state for the foreseeable future,” said Christopher Doane, dean of the School of Music. “Not many university programs have support to this degree and we are exceedingly grateful to Max as our benefactor for recognizing the value of jazz studies and the significance of supporting the arts.”

Baumgardner’s passion for music is one of the reasons he chose to focus his gift toward the university.

“I’ve always loved music,” he said. “I’m sort of a fanatic.”

Along with music, his other passion is UofL – where he attended for two years before joining U.S. Naval Aviation and deploying to the Korean War. He was an avid fan of the athletics teams when he was a student and that continues today.

Of the $6.3 million for athletics, 10 percent will exclusively benefit academic programs supporting student athletes and the new academic resource center.

“We are extremely grateful for the generosity of Max Baumgardner for the major gift that will be used to assist our student-athletes in achieving the academic success that we stress within our department,” said UofL Vice President/Director of Athletics Tom Jurich. “The academic success of our student-athletes and the importance of earning their degrees are among the most important objectives within our department, and this gift ensures that we will have the resources in place to impact the academic success of our student-athletes.”

Baumgardner thanked his friends and advisers and said he hopes his gift will inspire others to think about making a lasting impact and “kicking in money of their own.”

“It was neat accumulating this money with help along the way from people like Joe Wright, Joyce Meyer and John Snyder,” Baumgardner said. “But it’s even neater to give it away.”

http://insiderlouisville.com/lifestyle_culture/u-l-jazz-fest-continues-pull-top-notch-talent/

http://louisville.edu/music/jazzfest

The University of Louisville is taking opera to the masses. And to the bar.

The School of Music will present “Four on Tap” at The Bard’s Town, a “pub theatre” in the Highlands, in March and April. “Four on Tap” is a series of four one-act operas performed in English by students in UofL’s School of Music. Two operas will be performed in March and two in April. Admission to all shows is free and open to the public.

“We want to make opera accessible,” said Michael Ramach, co-director of opera theatre at UofL. “Partnering with The Bard’s Town brings an opportunity for a new audience to see what our students can do and to experience music theatre in an unconventional way. People can grab a beer and a snack and watch an opera.”

Each “Four on Tap” night will feature two operas. The first round is March 25 and 26 with “The Stronger” by Hugo Weisgall and “The Old Maid and the Thief” by Gian Carlo Menotti.

Based on the play by August Strindbert, “The Stronger” takes place at a bar on Christmas Eve and shows the conflict between two women after one accuses the other of being in love with her husband. “The Old Maid and the Thief” is a twisted tale of a thief and two gossips and their ensuing love triangle and crime spree. It was originally conceived as a radio opera and will be performed as such.

The last call will be April 21 and 22 when guests will be treated to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “The Impresario” and “Riders to the Sea” by Ralph Vaughn Williams.

For “The Impresario,” Ramach adapted the libretto from Mozart’s original opera about dueling divas fighting for a starring role in the impresario’s new opera company. Based on the play by John Synge, “Riders to the Sea” tells the story of an Irish woman whose husband, father-in-law and four of six sons have been lost at sea. She is convinced her two remaining sons will follow the same fate.

All performances begin at 7:30 p.m. While admission is free, there is limited seating and reservations are encouraged. The March 26 show is sold out. However, if reserved seats are not filled the night of the show, guests will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis.

For reservations, visit www.thebardstown.com. The Bard’s Town is located at 1801 Bardstown Road.

A two-time graduate of the School of Music (BM, 1972 and MM,1974) where he was a student of James Livingston, Dallas joined the School of Music faculty as an adjunct faculty member in1975 and became an associate professor in 1996. Prior to his full-time appointment at UofL, Professor Tidwell performed for 26 years as the associate principal clarinetist of the Louisville Orchestra where he participated in approximately 8,000 rehearsals, concerts, ballets and chamber music concerts. In addition to his orchestral career with the LO, Dallas was an active collaborative musician, including serving as a founding member of the School of Music’s Faculty Chamber Artists and Grawemeyer Faculty Chamber Players, as well as the Commonwealth Clarinet Quartet and Kentucky Center Chamber Players. As a soloist, Professor Tidwell was a well-known recitalist throughout the region, presenting solo performances in Japan and the eastern United States, and concertos with the Louisville Orchestra, the University Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble. Notably, Dallas’ affiliation with the LO during the orchestra’s First Edition Records program reinforced his commitment to contemporary music and the commissioning of new works.

While music performance was a very important part of his professional life, Professor Tidwell’s devotion to his students was unmistakably clear and consistent throughout his career at UofL and one of the reasons he was among the most popular faculty members in the School of Music. Notably, his students quickly realized that their clarinet teacher embodied the professional and musical skills each sought in themselves, and moreover, that his goals for them went well beyond musical ones in seeking to achieve his goals for them as people; a sense of mature self-confidence, curiosity, modesty, commitment, patience, and high standards. Dallas’ commitment to his students while they studied with him and later in their lives was always clear, as was their respect and admiration for him as a teacher and, later, as a friend and peer.
Dallas retired from service to the School of Music at the end of the academic year in 2014 along with his wife, UofL Professor of Voice Edith Davis Tidwell. Both had been previously honored as Alumni Fellows of the School of Music, the most prestigious honor bestowed by the university Alumni Association, and at their retirement an endowed scholarship fund was established to honor their legacy of excellence in music performance, teaching, and service to the university and Louisville community. Friends who would like to make a memorial donation to this endowment may send a gift to the Dallas Tidwell and Edith Davis Tidwell Endowed Fund in Clarinet and Voice Studies at the University of Louisville School of Music, Louisville KY 40292.

A service celebrating Professor Tidwell’s life will be held on Wednesday, May 20th at 11a.m. at Highland Presbyterian Church, 1011 Cherokee Road, with burial at Cave Hill Cemetery immediately following. Visitation will be at Pearson’s, 149 Breckenridge Lane, on Tuesday, May 19th from 3 to 8 p.m.

The only known manuscript of Louisville native Mildred Hill’s song “Good Morning to All,” which evolved into the world-famous “Happy Birthday” song, was recently uncovered in the Dwight Anderson Memorial Music Library at the University of Louisville.

Hill, along with her sister Patty, co-authored the piece originally known as “Good Morning to All,” in the early 1890s as part of their publication “Song Stories for the Kindergarten.” The words evolved over the years but the tune has remained the same and eventually became known as “Happy Birthday.” The song has grabbed national headlines recently as the subject of a high-profile copyright and public domain court case.

The manuscript was discovered by library director James Procell, who found it in Hill’s sketch book. The manuscript, along with several additional musical compositions and papers belonging to Hill, were donated to the library in the 1950s by local philanthropist Hattie Bishop Speed, a friend of the Hill sisters. These documents weren’t cataloged upon receipt and were thus filed away and remained hidden in the library’s archives for decades.

Some differences from the familiar “Happy Birthday” tune are noticeable. The song is written in a different key, and has a slightly different melody, though the rhythm and words remain the same as the published version.

“The question is, is this the original version of the song, or was Ms. Hill somehow unhappy with the published version and this represents a revision of the song?” Procell said.

The first page of the manuscript is missing, making it harder to answer those questions and know the composer’s intentions.

“That’s a mystery in itself,” Procell said. “Where is page one?”

The Mildred Hill papers are a significant addition to the UofL music library’s collection, which is the largest academic music collection in Kentucky and considered one of the best in the U.S.

Procell plans to fully catalog and digitize Hill’s materials in the coming months and is working with School of Music faculty and students to organize a concert of her music in 2016, a century after her death.
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Click here to view a video of the music as it is played and Procell describing the manuscript.

by Niki King, communications and marketing 

The University of Louisville School of Music presents the 2015 New Music Festival celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Grawemeyer Award Nov. 10-15 with guest composer and Grawemeyer Award winner Kaija Saariaho. Saariaho is a Finnish composer internationally known and recognized for her work involving electronics.

Kaija Saariaho

Featured guests also include renowned French composer and visual artist Jean-Baptiste Barrière, American flutist Camilla Hoitenga and Danish cellist Jakob Kullberg.

“It’s a great honor for us to be able to work with international composers and performers of the finest caliber during this year’s edition of the New Music Festival. The quality of talent represents well the impact that the Grawemeyer Award has had on the development of research in the humanities,” said Krzysztof Wolek, assistant professor of music composition and festival director.

The Grawemeyer Awards program at the University of Louisville pays tribute to the power of creative ideas in music composition, education, religion, psychology and ideas improving world order.

During the New Music Festival, the Louisville Orchestra will present a concert featuring works composed by Grawemeyer-winning composers including “Notes on Light” by Saariaho.

In addition to nightly concerts, featured guests will hold master classes and lectures throughout the week.

Unless otherwise noted, concerts start at 8 p.m. and are in Comstock Concert Hall at the School of Music. Admission is free and open to the public.

·       Nov. 10: Faculty Chamber Music including selection from Saariaho’s “Six Japanese Gardens”

·       Nov. 11: The University New Music Ensemble and Wind Ensemble will feature “Duft” by Saariaho

·       Nov. 12: Louisville Orchestra will present a program including music by Saariaho, Krzysztof Penderecki, JohnAdams, WitoldLutoslawski and Esa-PekkaSalonen

·       Nov. 13: The University Symphony Orchestra will present a portion of “Cinq Reflects” by Saariaho as well as performances of “Elegy, Soliloquy and Epilogue,” for flute and string orchestra by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, which was commissioned by a consortium of universities including UofL’s School of Music. The piece will be performed by UofL faculty member Kathy Karr.

·       Nov. 14: Camilla Hoitenga will present an evening of audio visual performances of music by Saariaho and Barrière

·       Nov. 15, 7:30 p.m.: Cardinal Singers and the University Collegiate Chorale will showcase a selection of contemporary choir music

As a special event, the Gheens Science Hall and Rauch Planetarium also will present “Nox Borealis,” an audio-visual installation by Barrière and Saariaho on:

·       Nov. 12 at 1, 1:20, 1:40 and 2 p.m.

·       Nov. 13 at 2, 2:20, 2:40 and 3 p.m.

·       Nov. 15 at 3, 3:20, 3:40 and 4 p.m.

For more information, contact Wolek at 502-852-7879 or krzysztof.wolek@louisville.edu.

Due to potentially hazardous weather conditions, the University of Louisville School of Music is cancelling the auditions scheduled for Saturday, January 23.

by Cindy Hess, communications and marketing — last modified Jan 14, 2016 01:13 PM

The UofL School of Music’s annual African American Music Heritage Institute celebrates African American History Month this year with an 8 p.m. public performance on Feb 8.and special classes.
The concert features jazz vocalist Carmen Bradford who was the featured vocalist with the Count Basie Band for nine years. Since then, Bradford has embarked on a successful solo career. She’s performed on four Grammy Award-winning albums, sixteen recordings and keeps a rigorous, world-wide touring schedule.

Bradford was also included in a two-hour, world premiere of A&E Network’s “Forever Ella.” The documentary about Ella Fitzgerald is narrated by Nancy Wilson and consists of interviews with Benny Carter, Billy Taylor, Quincy Jones, Rosemary Clooney and others.

The show is $10 for general admission at the door, $5 for students with ID and free for UofL students with ID. Call 502-852-6907 for ticket information.

The mission of the African American Music Heritage Institute is to provide an educational and enrichment experience in music from the heritage of African Americans and the diaspora.

There will be master classes Feb. 8-9 at the School of Music during the day and workshops for JCPS students the morning of Feb. 9.

For more information, contact Jerry Tolson, School of Music professor and institute director, at 502-852-6972 or email.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – World renowned jazz artists Denis DiBlasio, Carl Allen and Ryan Cohan will headline the University of Louisville’s annual Jazz Festival.

Jazz Fest 2016 is Feb. 25-28 at the UofL School of Music. In addition to the headliner shows, the festival features workshops, master classes and more.

The first Jazz Fest concert is 8 p.m. Feb. 25 in Comstock Concert Hall. The performance will feature UofL Jazz Ensemble II and a UofL Student Combo. Admission is $5.

DiBlasio, a baritone saxophonist, flutist, educator, composer and arranger, will play at 8 p.m., Feb. 26. He serves as executive director of The Maynard Ferguson Institute of Jazz and is director of jazz and composition at Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J. He travels the world performing and running personalized clinics with people of all ages. He is known for his virtuosic playing and his engaging, entertaining personality. UofL Jazz Ensemble I will join DiBlasio during the performance.

Allen, a drummer, business manager and prolific recording artist, will play at 8 p.m., Feb. 27, with his band “The Art of Elvin Jones.” Allen, who has played with some of jazz’s greatest names, was the artistic director of Jazz Studies at The Juilliard School from 2008-2013. In 2011, he appeared, as himself, in two episodes of the HBO series Tremé.

Cohan, an elite composer and pianist in the world jazz scene, will play at 3 p.m., Feb. 28. Cohan has embarked on multiple U.S. Department of State-sponsored tours in partnership with Jazz at Lincoln Center. Leading his quartet, Cohan traveled across Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle East, performing for and working with local musicians from a variety of musical and cultural backgrounds. Cohan has won the GuggenheimFellowship in composition and Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Music and Sound Design Fellowship, among other prestigious awards. General admission is $10.

Performances are $20 for general admission and student tickets are $5 with a valid student ID, unless otherwise noted. Tickets can be purchased in the School of Music lobby. For more information or a full schedule of events, call 502-852-6907 or visit louisville.edu/music.

UofL’s Jazz Fest, now in its 24^th year, celebrates America’s indigenous music and is part of the university’s diversity celebration and observance of African American History Month.

Hans Abrahamsen wins 2016 Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition

let me tell you, a song cycle for soprano and orchestra, has earned Danish composer Hans Abrahamsen the 2016 Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition.

Abrahamsen’s half-hour work presents a first-person narrative by Ophelia, the tragic noblewoman from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The libretto by Paul Griffiths is adapted from his 2008 novel—also titled let me tell you—and consists of seven poems created using only the minimal vocabulary that Shakespeare originally scripted for Ophelia.

“My words may be poor but they will have to do,” intones Ophelia in the opening poem. Abrahamsen’s score infuses those limited words with emotional nuance and depth, said Grawemeyer award director Marc Satterwhite.

“The vocal lines exquisitely mirror Griffiths’ fragile texts of the doomed Ophelia,” said Satterwhite. “The orchestra is a partner rather than mere accompanist and the composer draws a huge array of colors from the orchestra, delicate and shimmering more often than not, but occasionally in fuller force.”

let me tell you was commissioned by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra with support from the Danish Arts Foundation. The work premiered in 2013 with the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Andris Nelsons and featured soprano Barbara Hannigan, to whom the work is dedicated. It since has been performed by orchestras around the world. Performances in the U.S. are scheduled in Cleveland and Boston in early 2016.

Abrahamsen, 62, was born in Copenhagen and teaches at The Royal Danish Academy of Music, where he also studied music theory and history. He studied composition with Per Nørgård and later with the 1986 Grawemeyer Award winner György Ligeti.

Abrahamsen’s accolades include prestigious awards such as the Carl Nielsen Prize (1989), the Wilhelm Hansen Composer Prize (1998) and a Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award (2015).

let me tell you is the second Grawemeyer Award-winning work on which music critic, poet and novelist Paul Griffiths collaborated. He also wrote the libretto for Marco Polo, which won Tan Dun the 1998 Grawemeyer Award in Music Composition.

The Grawemeyer Award winners are being named next week, pending formal approval by the university’s board of trustees. The University of Louisville presents the prizes annually for outstanding works in music composition, ideas improving world order, psychology and education and gives a religion prize jointly with Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. The 2016 winners will present free lectures about their award-winning ideas when they visit Louisville in April to accept their $100,000 prizes.

**Note: Due to a news embargo break, this information, originally scheduled for Nov. 30 @ 10 p.m., was announced ahead of schedule.**

For its annual production, UofL’s Opera Theatre presents one of the most beloved, family-friendly classics: Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” April 8 and 10 in the Kentucky Center’s Bomhard Theater.

With witches and wizards, a dragon, a magical battle and an epic love story, the opera is essentially a fairy tale, said Michael Ramach, co-director of opera theatre at UofL.

UofL’s rendition will play up the story’s magical aspects with special effects such as smoke, black lights, video projections and slight-of-hand tricks.

The show is an accessible introduction to opera for those who may be unfamiliar with the age-old art form, but are curious. The two-act production is in English and is a Singspiel, a form that includes both singing and spoken dialogue.

With the full orchestra behind the singers, who will be staged front-and-center, the show will feel intimate, Ramach said.

“For 500 years, opera was the most popular art form on earth, so they were written for everyone to enjoy,” he said. “‘The Magic Flute’ is a wonderful story of good and evil with great tunes. It’s for everyone in your family.”

The story, alternately a serious and comic exploration of love, truth and the search for enlightenment, portrays the education of mankind, progressing from chaos to rational enlightenment by means of trial and error. “The Magic Flute” premiered in 1791 in Vienna and was one of Mozart's last works before he died.

The show is at 8 p.m. on April 8 and 2 p.m. on April 10. Tickets are $20, $10 for students and seniors, free for all UofL students, staff and faculty. For tickets go to kentuckycenter.org or call 502-584-7777. Kentucky Center members call 502-566-5144.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Israel Cuenca, an IT, sound and video engineering assistant with the University’s School of Music is throwing a benefit concert to support his home country of Ecuador in its efforts to recover from a devastating earthquake.

The Hope for Ecuador Benefit Concert will be 6-8 p.m., May 22, in Comstock Hall and feature beloved local acts such as Harry Pickens, Appalatin, Carly Johnson and Craig Wagner, Michael Tracy and Winton Reynolds, Lunares Flamenco Ensemble, the Reese Land and Carlos Cuenca duo, Sarah Stivers Band, Jerry Tolson Band, Daniela Carrion and Paula Andre Duo (Ecuadorian Singers). A $10 donation is suggested.

“This event will bring together hundreds of people for great music, dancing and community support in a lively atmosphere,” Cuenca said. “The people of Ecuador need help and this is a way our Louisville community can help them.”

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Ecuador April 16 with the epicenter in the province of Manabí, in the Ecuadorian coastline, where many cities and villages have been completely destroyed. Reports estimate more than 660 deaths, 15 people missing, 4,000 injured and 33,757 people directly affected, having lost their homes and sources of income.

Funds raised will go to Water Step, Sister Cities, Red Cross Ecuador and the Minister of Social Inclusion in Ecuador, which are all providing on-the-ground disaster relief.

Follow the effort on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

UofL Jazz Professor Michael Tracy has hit the road again.

Last week he left for teaching engagements and performances in China, and later this summer he’ll land in the Republic of Georgia and Columbia.

Not that such globe-trotting is new to the saxophonist and director of the Jazz Studies Program in the School of Music.

The number of countries he’s visited in his life will likely reach 50 this year.

“It’s all been through jazz,” he said. “It’s pretty neat. Everyone wants to play music.”

Tracy, who directs UofL’s renowned Jazz Fest, which he founded in 1994, has been especially adept at establishing international exchanges and collaborations with students and faculty. This summer is no different.

Tracy will travel with pianist Winton Reynolds to five cities in China for two weeks this month where they’ll work with students, including some special needs children, educators, performers and administrators in concert and in the classroom. UofL math professor, Wei-bin Zeng, helped coordinate the trip. Zeng and Tracy know each other as fellow board members of Sister Cities, Louisville.

“He’s been trying to get me to make the trip for years and it finally worked out,” Tracy said.

As a Fulbright Senior Specialist, Tracy also will perform and teach at the Tbilisi State Conservatoire and Kavkaz Jazz Festival in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia.

“A major feature of my work will be to act in the role of coordinator/mediator, bringing together musicians from Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and other countries throughout the region through playing jazz,” he said. “What we do here in the states is all kind of new there.”

UofL guitar professor Craig Wagner will join him, along with local journalist Marty Rosen, who will document the endeavor with articles, video, photos and social media.

Lastly, Tracy will join faculty going to Columbia in August, where they’ll work with two School of Music alums there — Adriana Guzmán, Calí – University of Valle, and Javier Perez, Bogota – Universidad El Bosque — to establish a connection between the universities.

Of course, Tracy already has an eye toward future travels. He says he’s planning to go to Cuba next.

For Louisvillians who would like to hear what Tracy has picked up in his many trips to Brazil and South America, the Mike Tracy Brazilian and Latin Ensembles often play around town. Just check Tracy’s webpage for upcoming dates.

Sarah Morgan (left) and Anna Patterson will be the student commencement speakers on May 14.

More than 1,800 students are expected to take part in the May 14 commencement at the KFC Yum! Center.  Overall, about 3,000 students will finish their degrees this semester.

Two of those soon-to-be graduates were selected as commencement speakers.

Anna Patterson, a Georgetown, Indiana native who is graduating from the School of Music, will speak at the 10 a.m. ceremony and Sarah Morgan, who is graduating from the Kent School of Social Work, will speak at the 2 p.m. ceremony.

After UofL, Patterson plans to head to graduate school at DePaul University, Chicago, to continue her music education.

Morgan, who hails from Alexandria, Va., also plans to go to graduate school. But first, she plans to spend a year with the nonprofit organization AmeriCorps.

UofLNews caught up with Patterson and Morgan to learn more about their time at UofL and their plans for the future. Here’s what they had to say:

UofLNews: Why did you choose UofL?

Morgan: After attending small Catholic schools my entire life, I chose UofL to get out of my comfort zone. I wanted to experience a large school with a diverse student population in a new state. UofL was such a great choice for me and I have completely fallen in love with Louisville and Kentucky as a whole.

Patterson: I had been studying with cello professor Paul York for several years before attending college. As my high school career came to a close, I felt I still had more to learn from Mr. York. Also, the UofL School of Music is a great institution on its own. So I applied, was accepted, and the rest is history. Also, UofL was the most financially responsible option. I would be able to graduate debt free — a huge selling point for any student. It’s not a romantic story, but it was a huge factor in my decision.

UofLNews: What was the most memorable moment of your college experience?

Morgan: I would have to say the most memorable moment took place not on campus, but in Zastron, South Africa. I was lucky enough to go to Africa with the Institute for Sustainable Health and Optimal Aging this last year and see a community of children raising other children due to the AIDs epidemic taking the lives of many of their parents. On this trip, I saw such an immense amount of compassion, joy and love, as well as resilience and survival. I think that being able to represent the university in such a remarkable area, and experience so much, will leave a lasting impression on me.

Patterson: During the summer of 2014 I traveled to Costa Rica with a small orchestra from the university. We were completely immersed in the culture, which was an incredible experience. I had to channel all the Spanish I learned in a two-week crash course when I was 13, as my host family spoke no English. The orchestra performed for a sold-out house at the Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica and at other local venues around the country. The people, the food, the adventures — all of it was unforgettable.

UofLNews: How do you define success?

Morgan: (Novelist) Maya Angelou captured perfectly how I define success: “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”

Patterson: It’s difficult not to respond to this question with a cliché answer. But I believe success is what you make of the circumstances you are given. It is in the eye of the beholder, if you will. While I was applying and auditioning for graduate school, I constantly had to tell myself, were I to be rejected, that it did not mean I was a failure. My success was based on my willingness to persevere. And I believe that is the definition of success: The willingness to persevere through challenges and come out on the other side stronger.

UofLNews: Who inspired you during your academic journey?

Morgan: The Institute for Sustainable Health and Optimal Aging is full of some of the most inspirational, intelligent and compassionate people in the city. Dr. Anna Faul, Dr. Joseph D’Ambrosio, and Sam Cotton are impacting the field of social work and healthcare in such a positive, brilliant manner. I was so lucky to be given the opportunity to surround myself with people who believed in compassion for others and who work tirelessly to improve the world around them for themselves and others. The Kent School has been a constant inspiration as well. I have been lucky enough to work with brilliant students and pioneers in the field, including Jeanelle Sears, Lori Mellor and Debi Heisler. My cohort and fellow students of the Kent School Class of 2016 have been my backbone through the last two years, and have challenged me to think differently, critically, and from all perspectives.

Patterson: My family has been a constant support system throughout my academic career. Even when I said I wanted to be a musician — which we all can admit is not the most lucrative occupation — they never batted an eye. My dad would spend hours researching cello cases while my mom took copious notes during my lessons.

UofLNews: What’s next for you?

Morgan: At the end of May, I swear in as an AmeriCorps VISTA for the Louisville nonprofit Louisville Grows for the next year. I am thrilled to be staying in Louisville for another year, and engage with more citizens, working to empower communities and promote sustainable living.

Patterson: This summer I will be getting married, then moving to Chicago. In September I will begin attending DePaul University, where I will be pursuing a master’s degree in instrumental performance.

UofLNews: What will you tell your peers during your commencement speech?

Morgan: I plan to tell my peers to continue to practice what we have learned at the University of Louisville. We shouldn’t give up on our vision for the future and work to achieve it, just like we worked to get where we are now.

Patterson:Although I have been given the honor to speak, I can in no way fully encompass all the thoughts, accomplishments and experiences that sit before me in this room. Each one of us has taken a different path that has brought us to this point. Our mistakes, our triumphs, our failures and successes have shaped us these past four years. We’ve all written a story, each as beautiful and unique as the next. But this chapter has come to a close. Now we begin the next.

The University of Louisville Dance Theatre presents its annual Spring Gala at 7 p.m. May 20 and May 21 at the UofL School of Music’s Margaret Comstock Concert Hall. The mixed-repertoire program will feature the work students have done throughout the year.

Selections will include classics such as “Swan Lake” as well as new choreography from dance theatre co-directors Chuck Bronson and Cynthia Bronner, Louisville dancer Theresa Bautista and student choreographer Jacob Lichtefeld. Eduard Forehand, who recently retired from the Louisville Ballet, will appear as a guest dancer.

“The real strength of the show is the variety,” Bronson said. “We run the gamut; all styles for all tastes and everything in between.”

The UofL Dance Theatre is a pre-professional ballet company affiliated with the UofL Dance Academy. Students in the invitation-only program are required to take a minimum of four weekly classes and attend rehearsals. The Spring Gala is for students who are apprentice level and above.

“You never know, you may see the next future star,” Bronson said.

Tickets for the Spring Gala are available at the door. The box office opens at 6:15 p.m. the day of performance. General admission is $15, $5 for students and senior citizens.

Jordan Taylor, a graduate teaching assistant at UofL’s School of Music, has spent the past year and a half planning the Ghana National Music Festival, which will come to fruition July 24-31 at the University of Ghana in Accra.

Taylor claims this will be the first festival of its kind in Ghana, with a focus on classical music pedagogy, performance and academic training. His objectives are to promote artistic development among that country’s youth, and to facilitate international collaboration.

The festival will also mark a sort of homecoming for Taylor, who spent his formative years – 1993 through 2006 – growing up in Ghana with his missionary parents. His family lived in the capital city of Accra for a year, then moved to a remote area, Ho, for three years before spending the rest of their time in Takoradi.

“Growing up there was fantastic. I love the people, the culture, the food, everything about it,” Taylor said. “The musical history and style is very interesting.”

Taylor himself didn’t pick up music until he was back in the United States, however. He “failed at” piano and trumpet, but gravitated toward the guitar – folk and steel string, specifically – after learning Johann Sebastian Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.

“That song made me realize this is what I really loved to do. A few years later, in 2009, I began studying classical music formally,” he said. “It was something that just happened by chance and it helped me transition back to the States.”

Taylor admits he was socially awkward upon his return to the U.S. Although he was born in Florida, he had lived in Ghana since he was 1.

“Coming back to the U.S. was a culture shock. It was classical guitar that got me out of that rut,” Taylor said. “Music resonated with me. It pushed my social skills beyond where I was at the time.”

From left, Thomas Woernle, concert master of the Ghana National Symphony Orchestra, Isaac Anoh, director and conductor of the Ghana National Symphony Orchestra, Jordan Taylor.

Taylor stuck with it, eventually receiving his bachelor’s degree in music and performance from Columbus State University in Georgia. He received a full TA, alongside Professor Stephen Mattingly, to receive his master’s degree from UofL, and graduated last month. He calls Mattingly a mentor.

“We really hit it off and I cannot even begin to explain how much I learned from his program. It’s been really incredible. (Mattingly) is a big reason the festival in Ghana is actually happening,” Taylor said.

Taylor received a $1,000 summer music grant and Mattingly suggested he pursue something “non-generic; something greater than what I wanted to do.” He put the money toward the initial visit to Ghana to facilitate planning sessions with the university and symphony there.

Professor Mattingly will accompany Taylor to Ghana for the inaugural festival in July, as will Ciyadh Wells, also from UofL’s School of Music. The three of them will work to build relationships, as well as teach and perform alongside young Ghanaian musicians and symphony members. Taylor hopes they are also successful at planting seeds for future, annual festivals.

“This year’s event is specifically a collaboration with UofL and the University of Ghana. The priority is just to make sure it happens. I don’t expect it to be easy, but we are keeping it small so we have room to grow and the infrastructure in place to do it again,” Taylor said.

In the fall, Taylor will move onto another opportunity as a TA at the Shenandoah Conservatory in Virginia, where he will pursue a PhD. If he reaches his goal of extending this festival beyond the first year, however, he will keep the invitation open for UofL faculty to be collaborators.

“I am not concerned about personal gains from this. It doesn’t need to be tied to a school I teach at,” Taylor said. “I just want it to be a partnership between the U.S. and Ghana. We have strong relations politically, economically. But within the arts, there is very little collaboration. I want this to be a catalyst for new opportunities for performance initiatives, classical music programs, exchange programs and more.”

http://uoflnews.com/section/arts-and-humanities/school-of-music-ta-creates-homecoming-festival-in-ghana/

In a quiet room of Norton Women’s & Kosair Children’s Hospital, UofL Music Therapist Michael Detmer cooed a familiar children’s song: “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine…”

As he hummed, he carefully monitored 11-day-old William Receveur, who was born six weeks early and weighs just 3.2 pounds. 

He paused to give Amy Rodgers Smith, another music therapist from Morgantown, West Virginia, lessons on how to introduce massage with the music and gauge William’s response, especially for signs of distress.

But on this day, baby William was a happy listener.

“As we moved forward … you could just feel him melt into me a little bit more, his whole body relaxed and he made more consistent eye contact and we got a few smiles from him and these little rumbles they call purrs and that’s a sign of positive interaction and relaxation,” said Rodgers Smith.

And that’s what music therapists are hoping to achieve with preemies like William, a state of relaxation that can help them adapt to the outside world.

“Babies born prematurely have difficulty regulating what is happening to them in their environment,” said Darcy DeLoach, director of Music Therapy at UofL. “Music, as an intervention, provides a very structured way for the brain to process another layer of input while staying calm. So we’re teaching premature babies how to regulate what’s happening to them when they get a bath, when they’re being held, or when they’re seeing lights or hearing sounds. Music calms them and allows them to see pleasure around them. Then they’re able to tolerate whatever the next thing is in their schedule better.”    

Research has shown that music therapy for premature babies can ultimately reduce reliance on medication, decrease the length of time in the hospital and promote brain development.

DeLoach said music therapy is increasingly recognized as a treatment option for premature babies and babies who were exposed to drugs in utero, a problem that has worsened in the region with the recent heroin epidemic.

Last week, DeLoach and Detmer provided special training for 12 music therapists from the U.S. and Canada who want to learn how to help preemies with music therapy. The training was offered through the National Institute for Infant & Child Medical Music Therapy in partnership with Florida State University. The institute, now in its 15th year, was held in Louisville for the first time at Norton Healthcare.

Rodgers Smith, an institute participant, said NICU music therapy currently isn’t an option in her home state of West Virginia.

“I hope to start the education process there,” she said. “Hopefully I can take what I’ve learned back and demonstrate the value.”

Lee Receveur, mom of baby William, said learning ways to help calm her child and recognize his stress signs has been beneficial. And, it helps alleviate feelings of helplessness while waiting to go home. 

“It’s another opportunity to spend time with him and work with him,” she said.

Check out a video about the music therapy training: 

Help fuel your student through finals with a basket of delicious treats. Each $25 gift basket will be filled with 10-15 favorites like potato chips, movie theater candy, popcorn, trail mix bars, Snyder's pretzels, Campbell's Soup on the Go, and General Mills cereal cups. You can include a personalized message to boost their spirits–while quieting that rumbling tummy!

Order Details –Please return form no later than November 11th, 2016.

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Some of the nation’s leading classic guitarists will gather at the University of Louisville Sept. 15-18 for the UofL Guitar Festival and Competition.

The four-day festival, now in its sixth year, will feature concerts, master classes, youth ensemble showcases and an international competition with a first prize of $1,000.

Stephen Mattingly, UofL guitar instructor and festival director, said the event is open to all enthusiasts and playing levels and draws players from around the world.

“The festival offers stylistically varied concerts for all guitar fans and an array of workshops for guitarists of any age or level,” Mattingly said.

Concerts will be held in the Margaret Comstock Concert Hall, School of Music, on UofL’s Belknap Campus. The opening concert will feature the award-winning French guitarist Thibaut Garcia. Later concerts will present an array of virtuosic solo guitar music. Highlights include:

• Sept. 15, 7 p.m. evening concert: Thibaut Garcia
• Sept. 14, 4 p.m. afternoon concert: Tantalus Quartet; 7 p.m. evening concert: Marek Nosal
• Sept. 17, 4 p.m. afternoon concert: Stephen Lochbaum; 7 p.m. evening concert: Kevin Manderville and Emma Rush
• Sept. 18, 1 p.m. competition final round; 7:30 p.m. University Orchestra concert: Mattingly performs “Concierto de Aranjuez”

Tickets are $50 for concert series, $20 for individual concerts and free for UofL students. The general registration fee for participants is $150 for adults or $75 for a youth weekend fee. Tickets and registration forms are available at the door or online at louisville.edu/music/guitarfest.

For more information, contact Mattingly at 502-852-5607 or s.mattingly@louisville.edu.

Dr. Randi Bolding is embarking on her third year as an assistant professor of choral music education and conducting at UofL’s School of Music. She jokingly admits it will be hard to top Year Two.

Bolding launched the Singing Cardsmen last school year, a UofL men’s choir for non-music majors that includes about 20 members and an accompanist. Starting a men’s choir was one of her first priorities after coming on board at UofL. Her objective was to get away from the rigorous, audition-centered nature of music ensembles and get back to the basics.

“So many people love to sing, love music, not just music majors. They just want a place where they can be involved. They don’t want the stress of auditioning, it’s intimidating. And they don’t have four or five times a week to practice,” she said. “The idea for the Cardsmen is that singing is for everyone. We have some members who can’t read music or who have never been in a choir before.”

Overcoming such musical deficiencies, Bolding said, falls on her as the group’s teacher.

“I’ve always hated putting up that cut list. We wanted a place for everyone, where everyone plays a part,” she said. “The experience is what makes this what it is.”

Sing for Survivors

Last year’s season was focused on building the foundation of the group, which eventually became an RSO in order to get funding for certain projects and to be more efficient. In its first year, the Cardsmen held a retreat, launched a small tour to Kentucky high schools and held a few performances around campus and the community.  

They were also asked to attend the invite-only Kentucky Music Educators Association Conference. According to Bolding, this is a very big honor.

The group built a solid portfolio in its first year, but it was one project in particular that really solidified their bond and that continues to motivate members: the “Sing for Survivors Contest,” sponsored by the White House’s “It’s On Us” initiative and the campus rape documentary, “The Hunting Ground.”

The contest took place during the spring semester and called for college students to create videos of themselves singing an a capella version of Lady Gaga’s “Till It Happens to You.”

Their effort was a collaboration with UofL’s PEACC Program. Sally Evans, director of the PEACC Program, emailed Bolding about the project. She then pitched it to the Cardsmen who voted unanimously to compete after watching Lady Gaga’s original video. One of the Cardsmen came up with the arrangement after the group talked about how to approach the topic of sexual assault from a male perspective.

“This project lit a fire for the guys. I always thought they sounded good, but this project took it to a different level emotionally,” Bolding said. 

Their video went viral and ended up in the top 10 in the country. A popular vote pushed it into the top five.

“I don’t know if this project was ever about the competition. They knew it meant something more and they used their voice to help. It took things to a different level emotionally. Because of that project, they call themselves a family, not a choir. I’m very proud of that,” Bolding said. 

What’s next 

The Cardsmen are just getting started. They have more concerts and events on the calendar for this year, including the Alumni Awards Ceremony and the Legacy Society event, and are meeting with a UofL theater group with the hopes of creating a collaborative holiday production. They also hope to tour elementary schools and performing arts schools throughout the community and to start a mentorship program.

“From middle school to about 10th grade, there is a negative stigma of men who sing,” Bolding said. “This is an avenue for these guys to help kids get past that. It’s very special.”

So far, everyone who participated and who is eligible is coming back this year.

“Nobody wanted the year to end last year,” Bolding said.

In addition to increasing appearances and collaborations for the Cardsmen, one of Bolding’s other goals is to start a similar group for women.

“When I first interviewed for the job here, I mentioned that I wanted to start a men’s group and a women’s group,” Bolding said. “There is just something really special about a men’s group. I think we can do something special if we get a women’s group started, too.”

Watch the Singing Cardsmen’s video from the “Sing for Survivors” contest below: 

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — What music might have inspired Shakespeare?

 The public can find out at a special Nov. 4 concert titled “Music of Shakespeare’s London” by the University of Louisville’s Early Music Ensemble. The show is part of Will in the Ville, the city-wide collaboration of more than 45 arts, cultural and educational organizations celebrating all things Shakespeare before the arrival of the national traveling exhibit, “First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare.”

The concert will feature songs, dances and fantasias heard in England’s streets, pubs and common areas, as well as the stately homes of the upper class. Listeners will enjoy sounds of traditional renaissance instruments such as the viola da gamba, recorder, lute and virginal - a type of upright harpsichord - along with the cello and violin, which had just become popular at the time.

 Jack Ashworth, Professor of Music History Emeritus at UofL’s School of Music and resident expert of renaissance music, is directing. There will be three guest performers, all of whom sang with the ensemble in years past and went on to highly successful careers in early music: Phoebe Jevtovic Rosquist of San Francisco, Calif., Kathleen Cantrell of New York City. and Laura Lea Duckworth of Louisville. 

 Ashworth said some of the songs will be the same ones Shakespeare mentioned in his plays.       

“He obviously knew them and expected his audience would as well,” Ashworth said.   

He also promised attendees will hear street cries --town-criers advertising wares for sale-- set to music, just as those in the 17^th century would have heard in the streets of London.  

 The music of the night will be fun and accessible to today’s audiences, he said. After all, it was largely written at the time for entertaining in people’s homes.

 “It was a time of amateur involvement in music. Part of a person’s education was to read music and to sing. If you didn’t know how to do that, you weren’t considered sufficiently cultured,” he said. “The chamber music of the time – some of it quite difficult -- was all intended for amateur players.”

The concert is 8-10 p.m. Nov. 4 in the School of Music’s Comstock Hall, 105 W. Brandeis Ave. It is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Ashworth at jack.s.ashworth@gmail.com.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The University of Louisville School of Music presents the annual New Music Festival Nov. 9-13, with world-renowned composer Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez as the featured guest.

Faculty from the Conservatory of Castilla-La Mancha will also appear and present the premiere of “Sound Spaces for Cervantes,” a cutting-edge performance of lights, sound and space at the Gheens Science Hall and Rauch Planetarium. The piece pays tribute to the life and works of Miguel de Cervantes, the pre-eminent Spanish novelist of “Don Quixote” who died 400 years ago this year. Faculty from Castilla-La Mancha include composers Julián Ávila and José Fayos, trumpeters Manuel Blanco and José García, cellist Eduardo González, percussionist Miguel Orero and clarinetist Raúl Traver.

The University Wind Ensemble, directed by Frederick Speck, will perform the world premiere of Sanchez-Gutierrez’s “Ariles.” Other works by Sanchez-Gutierrez, who is professor of composition at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., will be performed throughout the festival. Sanchez-Gutierrez was born in Mexico City and has studied at the Peabody Conservatory, Yale and Princeton universities and Tanglewood Music Center. He’s highly decorated in his field with numerous awards, fellowships and residencies at international festivals.

In addition to taking part in nightly concerts, festival guests will present master classes and lectures throughout the week. See the detailed event schedule for all events. Admission is free and open to the public.

Wed., Nov. 9, 8 p.m. – Rauch Planetarium Faculty from the Conservatory of Castilla-La Mancha present “Sound Spaces for Cervantes”

Thur., Nov. 10, 8 p.m. – Bird Recital Hall University Percussion Ensemble and Electronic Music

Fri., Nov.11, 8 p.m. – Comstock Concert Hall University Wind Ensemble and New Music Ensemble

Sat., Nov. 12, 3 p.m. – Comstock Concert Hall Faculty Chamber Music

Sat., Nov. 12, 8 p.m. – Comstock Concert Hall Eastman BroadBand Ensemble

Sun., Nov. 13, 3 p.m. – Comstock Concert Hall University Symphony Orchestra

Sun., Nov. 13, 7:30 p.m. – Comstock Concert Hall University Collegiate Chorale and Cardinal Singers

For more information, contact John Ritz at 502-852-4137

On Monday, December 5, 2016 at 8 pm, the UofL Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, and the Louisville Concert Band will perform under the baton of guest conductor, Timothy Reynish. This will be Maestro Reynish's third visit to Louisville since 2004. Repertoire will include Second Suite in F by Gustav Holst, Elegy for Ur by Edwin Roxburgh (featuring Professor Jennifer Potochnic as oboe soloist), Illyrian Dances by Guy Woolfenden, Yiddish Dances by Adam Gorb, Flourish for Wind Band by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Through the Looking Glass by Jess Langston Turner and more!

During the concert, one of our own alumna, Linda Pulley, will be honored as recipient of the National Federation of High School Associations Section 2 Outstanding Music Educator Award. Section 2 includes Delaware, District of Columbia, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. The concert is free and the public welcome.

Andrew Norman wins Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — "Play," a 47-minute orchestral work by American composer Andrew Norman, is the winner of the prestigious 2017 University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition.

In three movements, "Play" explores the relationship of choice and chance, free will and control. It investigates the ways musicians in an orchestra can play with, against, or apart from one another; and maps concepts from the world of video gaming onto traditional symphonic structures to tell a fractured narrative of power, manipulation, deceit and, ultimately, cooperation.

"Play" was commissioned by the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, with funding from Music Alive, a national residency program of the League of American Orchestras and New Music USA. The Boston Modern Orchestra Project performed the piece's premiere in 2013, and released a recording on its own label. Since then, the piece has garnered considerable attention and critical acclaim. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition, and critic and musicologist William Robin said it "might be the best orchestral work that the twenty-first century has seen thus far."

" 'Play' combines brilliant orchestration, which is at once wildly inventive and idiomatic, with a terrific and convincing musical shape based on a relatively small amount of musical source material," said Award Director Marc Satterwhite. "It ranges effortlessly from brash to intimate and holds the listener's interest for all of its 47 minutes—no small feat in these days of shortened attention spans."

Norman, a Los Angeles-based composer of orchestral, chamber and vocal music, draws on an eclectic mix of instrumental sounds, notational practices and non-linear narrative structures in his work. His symphonic music has been performed by leading ensembles worldwide, such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw and the Orchestre National de France. Norman has won both the Rome Prize and the Berlin Prize, the Guggenheim Fellowship and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Music in 2012 for his string trio "The Companion Guide to Rome." He recently was named Musical America's 2017 Composer of the Year. Norman's music is published exclusively worldwide by Schott Music.

All 2017 Grawemeyer Award winners will be announced this week, pending formal approval by the university's board of trustees. The University of Louisville presents the prizes annually for outstanding works in music composition, ideas improving world order, psychology, and education, and gives a religion prize jointly with Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. The 2017 winners will present free lectures about their award-winning ideas when they visit Louisville in April to accept their $100,000 prizes.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Acclaimed trombone player Wycliffe Gordon will headline the University of Louisville School of Music's 25th annual Jazz Fest Feb. 22-25.

Since 1992, Jazz Fest has brought jazz music's most celebrated names to Louisville for concerts, workshops and master classes and Jazz Fest 2017 is no different.
The festival kicks off at 8 p.m. Feb. 22 in Bird Recital Hall with an International Night of Jazz featuring musicians from Colombia, Brazil, Republic of Georgia and other countries.

Mike Tracy, director of the festival and the School of Music's jazz studies program, met several of the musicians in his travels last year as a Fulbright Senior Specialist to Tbilisi, Georgia, where he taught workshops and performed at the Kavkaz Jazz Festival.

"This night is really a highlight for me. It brings the collaboration between UofL and the Tbilisi State Conservatoire full circle," Tracy said.

Metta Quintet will play 8 p.m. Feb. 24 in Comstock Concert Hall. The quintet is the resident ensemble for JazzReach, a nationally recognized New York City nonprofit dedicated to the promotion, performance, creation and education of jazz music.

Gordon will perform at 8 p.m. Feb. 25 in Comstock. His technique, signature sound and mastery of the plunger mute has solidified him as a top trombonist of his generation. Downbeat Critics Poll named Gordon "Best Trombone" for the last four years and the Jazz Journalists Association named him "Trombonist of the Year" for the past nine years. In 2015, Gordon was dubbed "Best Trombone" by the Jazzed Reader's Poll and the Swing Jazz Culture Foundation awarded him with the Louis Armstrong Memorial Prize.

UofL's Jazz Fest celebrates America's indigenous music and is part of the university's observance of Black History Month. Since Tracy started the festival, it's become a beloved Louisville tradition, furthered the education of hundreds of students and drawn jazz greats to Louisville such as Dave Brubeck, Elvin Jones, McCoy Tyner, Dr. Billy Tayor, Marian McPartland, Wynton Marsalis, Michael Brecker, Toots Thielemans, Paquito D'Rivera, The Heath Brothers and more.

Performances are $20 for general admission and student tickets are $5 with a valid student ID, unless otherwise noted. Tickets can be purchased in the School of Music lobby. For more information or a full schedule of events, call 502-852-6907 or visit louisville.edu/music/jazzfest.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The University of Louisville School of Music is collaborating with Frederick Law Olmsted Academy South, the only all-girls public middle school in Kentucky, to present a musical program titled “Because She Did, I Can” March 23.

The event, which celebrates Women’s History and Music in Our Schools month, will feature the Olmsted Academy South’s string orchestra playing with the UofL Symphony Orchestra.

The groups will perform the premiere of “Revolt of the Brave” by composer and UofL alumna Rene Orth. The piece was commissioned and funded through Composers and Schools in Concert, a national organization which strives to introduce students to the experience of creating and performing new music.

“The purpose of this event is to show young ladies what they can do,” said Kimcherie Lloyd, UofL Director of Orchestral Studies and Co-Director of Opera Theatre.

The 6 p.m. event will also feature student presentations of famous women in history and students’ artwork with accompanying string ensemble music.

“We are so excited to collaborate with UofL for our third year of ‘Because She Did, I Can’,” said Courtney Schisler, Olmsted Academy South’s Orchestra teacher and UofL alumna. “Our motto is that we are brave. This event gives our young ladies the opportunity to show how brave they are and allows them to connect with and learn from brave women of the past and present.”

The event is free and open to the public. Attendees will be directed to programming in Comstock and Bird Recital halls, School of Music, 105 W. Brandeis Ave.

 For more information, contact Lloyd at 502-773-1967 or email .

The University of Louisville Grawemeyer Players will perform works from Grawemeyer-Award winning composers in a free, public concert at the Kosciuszko Foundation House in New York City March 26.

The 80-minute Kosciuszko concert will feature music by eight composers, four of whom have won the Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition, and six of whom are Polish. They’ll play pieces by renowned composers Frederic Chopin, Krzysztof Penderecki, Witold Lutosławski and Esa-Pekka Salonen; along with music by Aleksandra Chmielewska, an emerging composer of Warsaw; and Kazimierz Machala, a successful, active composer of Warsaw; and the award-winning film composer, Wojciech Kilar.

Click here for more information, including a full program and list of performers.

The Kosciuszko Foundation, at 15 East 65th St, promotes ties between Poland and the U.S. through educational, scientific and cultural exchanges.

The University of Louisville presents the Grawemeyer Award annually for outstanding works in music composition, ideas improving world order, psychology, and education, and gives a religion prize jointly with Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. The 2017 winners will present free lectures about their award-winning ideas when they visit Louisville in April to accept their $100,000 prizes.

For more information, contact Bruce Heim, Professor of Music, at 502-821-4676 or bruce.heim@louisville.edu.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — University of Louisville Theatre Opera presents the classic American opera “The Tender Land” by Aaron Copland April 7 and 9 at The Kentucky Center’s Bomhard Theater.

Before the opera begins, the University Symphony Orchestra will also treat attendees to a performance of Copland’s iconic orchestral suite “Appalachian Spring.” 

 “The Tender Land,” set in a Midwest farming community during the depression era, tells the story of a young woman who yearns to experience more of the world that lies beyond her family’s picket fence. When two itinerant farmhands come to town, her feelings of love and desire to leave come into conflict with her obligation to family and farm ties. The score in Copland’s first full-length opera evokes the beauty and wide-open spaces of the American heartland. 

Michael Ramach, co-director of the opera theatre program, said the piece beautifully suits the ensemble of 30 students.  

“It’s quintessentially Americana and accessible for everyone,” Ramach said.

The show is at 8 p.m. April 7 and 2 p.m. April 9. Tickets are $20, $10 for students and seniors, free for all UofL students, staff and faculty. For tickets, go to kentuckycenter.org or call 502-584-7777. Kentucky Center members call 502-566-5144. 

http://uoflnews.com/section/arts-and-humanities/music-therapy-study-brings-young-and-old-together/

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The University of Louisville Dance Theatre presents its annual Spring Gala, a mixed-repertoire program and celebration of work students have done throughout the year.  

The 2017 program includes selections from classics such as “Swan Lake” as well as new choreography from dance theatre co-directors Chuck Bronson and Cynthia Bronner, Louisville dancer Theresa Bautista and student choreographer Jacob Lichtefeld.

 “The real strength of the show is the variety,” Bronson said. “We run the gamut; all styles for all tastes and everything in between.”

The UofL Dance Theatre is a pre-professional ballet company affiliated with the UofL Dance Academy. Students in the invitation-only program are required to take a minimum of four weekly classes and attend rehearsals. The Spring Gala is for students who are apprentice level and above.

 “You never know, you may see the next future star,” Bronson said.

The Gala is at the UofL School of Music’s Margaret Comstock Concert Hall at 7 p.m. May 19 and 20. Tickets are available at the door. The box office opens at 6:15 p.m. the day of performance. General admission is $15, $5 for students and senior citizens.

 For more information, contact Judith Hake at Judith.hake@louisville.edu or 852-6878.

The University of Louisville School of Music is hosting a May Music Festival, a new, eclectic array of concerts and music programs set for May 20-25, 2017.

The festival offers varied performances that include a unique collaboration between UofL’s Opera Theatre and The Kentucky Shakespeare Festival to a Brazilian jazz concert.

“There are performances in great locations, with some focusing on new music. You have everything from opera to steel drum lines. It’s a cool, interesting collection,” said Michael Ramach, director of UofL’s Opera Theatre who served as festival organizer.

May Music Festival Events:

•  May 20, 2 p.m., Speed Art Museum Plaza, Belknap Campus, Opera Theatre and The Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, “Songs of Shakespeare” arias, songs and monologues.
•  May 20, 7:30 p.m., Cardinal Singers European Tour Concert, Christ Church Cathedral
•  May 21, 2:30 p.m., School of Music's Bickel Terrace,  UofL Trumpet Ensemble.
•  May 21, 3 p.m., School of Music’s Comstock Hall, Speed Concert Series presents pianist Olga Kern.
•  May 22, 4 p.m., Indiana’s Big Four Bridge pavilion at the intersection of Pearl and Chestnut streets in Jeffersonville, Brazilian jazz ensemble Hora Certa and Gabe Evans Trio. 
•  May 24, 6 p.m., School of Music’s Comstock Hall, UofL Percussion Project featuring UofL Percussion Studio, Jecorey “1200” Arthur, The Wood’n Steel Duo and others.
•  May 25, 6 p.m., School of Music’s Comstock Hall, UofL Percussion Project featuring guest artist Andy Harnsberger, Trio of Chance Designs, UofL Percussion Ensemble and others.

All events are free. For more information, call 502-852-6907 

UofL Guitar Festival and Competition to feature premier musicians

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Some of the nation’s leading classic guitarists will gather at the University of Louisville Sept. 14-17 for the annual Guitar Festival and Competition.

The festival, the largest in Kentucky, features concerts, master classes, youth ensemble showcases and an international competition with a first prize of $1,000.

 Stephen Mattingly, UofL guitar instructor and festival director, said the event is open to all enthusiasts and playing levels and draws players from around the world.

 Of note this year are headliners San Francisco Guitar Quartet and Ricardo Cobo.

 “The San Francisco Guitar Quartet is the premier quartet in the world. Their exciting program includes new music and favorites. And, Ricardo Cobo has won about every major guitar competition in the world,” said Stephen Mattingly, associate professor of guitar and festival organizer.

 Concerts are in the Margaret Comstock Concert Hall, School of Music, on UofL’s Belknap Campus. Click here for a full schedule of events. Highlights include:

• Sept. 14,7 p.m. evening concert: Xavier Jara   
• Sept. 15, 7 p.m. evening concert: Ricardo Cobo
• Sept. 16,4 p.m. afternoon concert:Ilie Dragos;7 p.m. evening concert: San Francisco Guitar Quartet
• Sept. 17, 1-3 p.m. Youth, Collegiate and Solo Artist Competition Finals

Tickets are $50 for concert series, $20 for individual concerts and free for UofL students. The general registration fee for participants is $150 for adults or $75 for a youth weekend fee. Tickets and registration forms are available at the door or online at louisville.edu/music/guitarfest.

For more information, contact Mattingly at 502-852-5607 or s.mattingly@louisville.edu.

The UofL School of Music kicks off a new season of performances Friday with its 25th annual Faculty Gala. 

The 8:15 p.m. concert features School of Music faculty artists in both solo and chamber music ensemble performances and showcases new faculty. 

“It’s also the only concert that features so many performers, probably more than 20 of our performing faculty, and it’s great way to get to know a lot of folks,” said School of Music Dean Christopher Doane.

For years, audiences streaming into Comstock Concert Hall for the Faculty Gala were greeted to the sounds of bagpipes by Anne Marie de Zeeuw and Larry Frederiksen, and that tradition will continue. There will also be a pre-concert dinner hosted by the Friends of the School of Music at the University Club. Click here for tickets.

As usual, the Faculty Gala serves as the gateway into the School of Music’s jam-packed year of performances, which includes world-class visiting artists along with student and faculty performances. Most of these events are free and open to the public. 

Check the calendar for a full list. Highlights include:

• Sept. 14-17, annual Guitar Festival and Competition.

• Sept. 24, Music eX Series: Brittany MacWilliams, violin, Paul York, cello and Lee Luvisi, piano.

• Sept. 25, Guest Artist: Pianist Yekwon Sunwoo, Van Cliburn International Piano Competition Gold Medalist.

• Sept. 30, Friends of the School of Music 5k Walk/Run at Cherokee Park.

• Oct. 31, University Symphony Orchestra Halloween Spooktacular.

• Nov. 6-10, New Music Festival.

The School of Music will also sponsor a series of free concerts at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 3640 River Park Drive, in West Louisville on weekends in September and early October. This concert series is a part of the School of Music’s Signature Partnership outreach. 

Sandwiched into the performance season are numerous workshops with dozens of middle and high school students studying music.

“We’re committed to our instructional work with students, and also our outreach and cultural mission for the region,” Doane said. “We’re off to a fast start, as always.”

The University of Louisville School of Music will sponsor “Fall Musicale,” a series of concerts at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 3640 River Park Drive, on weekends in September and early October. This concert series is a part of the School of Music’s community outreach through Signature Partnership, a university-wide effort to enhance the quality of life and economic opportunity for residents of West Louisville.

The series represents a diversity of music and features both UofL students and faculty. The performances are free and open to the public.

Fall Musicale Concert Series

• 12 p.m. Sat., Sept. 9: UofL International Jazz Quartet.
• 1 p.m. Sun., Sept. 17: UofL Graduate String Quartet.
• 1 p.m. Sun., Sept. 24: Classical Guitar with Arturo Gonzalez and Jeremy Waldrip.
• 1 p.m. Sun., Oct. 1: Louisville Brass with Reese Land and Ansyn Banks on trumpet, Bruce Heim on French horn, Brett Shuster on trombone and Clinton McCanless on tuba.

For more information, contact Jerry Tolson, series coordinator and professor of Jazz Studies and Music Education, at 502-852-6972 or jerry.tolson@louisville.edu.

On Wednesday and Thursday, 18–19 October, Elizabeth West Marvin will speak in the School of Music about her experience as a music theory pedagogue and her expertise as a researcher on absolute pitch (sometimes called “perfect pitch”).

Dr. Marvin will speak Wednesday at 3 pm in the second floor seminar room of the Music Library. Her talk is titled “What I Know Now: Reflections on Music Theory Pedagogy.”

Dr. Marvin will speak Thursday at 3 pm in Comstock Hall as part of the School of Music Convocation series. Her talk is titled “In Their Own Words: Analyzing the Extents and Origins of Absolute Pitch.” This talk provides background with theories about absolute pitch (AP) acquisition and then relates quotations from 30 Eastman students with AP to current cognitive theories about AP.

Elizabeth West Marvin is Professor of Music Theory at the Eastman School of Music and Professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at The College, University of Rochester. In 2012, she was awarded the prestigious Gail Boyd de Stwolinski Prize for Lifetime Achievement in Music Theory Teaching and Scholarship by the University of Oklahoma. Professor Marvin’s work in music cognition has resulted in numerous publications, ongoing research, interdisciplinary collaborations, and consultations in brain surgery. Additionally, she is co-author of The Musician’s Guide series of textbooks; UofL undergraduates use The Musician’s Guide to Theory and Analysis.

Both talks are free and open to the public.

Sponsors include: University of Louisville School of Music Department of Academic and Professional Studies, Guest Artist Committee, and a grant from the national organization of Pi Kappa Lambda, the music honor society.

 For more information, contact Rebecca Jemian, Assistant Professor of Music Theory, rebecca.jemian@louisville.edu.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The School of Music presents its annual New Music Festival Nov. 6-10, with a slate of renowned guest artists such as composers David DzubayandRyan Ingebritsen and the chamber music group Elysian Trombone Consort. 

The festival will include the premier of “Sacred Heart” a collaborative piece by the Boston playwright Heidi Decker and UofL professor of composition Steve Rouse during the Faculty Chamber Music concert Nov. 6. The two will also give a presentation about their collaboration before the concert at 7 p.m. in which Decker will describe and perform selections of her monologues.

Dzubay, the festival’s headlining composer, is currently professor of music, chair of the Composition Department and director of the New Music Ensemble at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington. He’s received numerous top fellowships and his music has been performed by orchestras, ensembles and soloists in the U.S., Europe, Canada, Mexico and Asia.

In addition to taking part in nightly concerts, festival guest artists will present master classes and lectures throughout the week. See the detailed schedule for all events, which are free and open to the public.

• Mon., Nov. 6,  8 p.m., Comstock Concert Hall
  Faculty Chamber Music
• Tues., Nov. 7,  8 p.m., Bird Recital Hall
  Electronic and Computer Music
• Wed., Nov. 8,  8 p.m., Comstock Concert Hall
  University Symphony Orchestra
• Thurs., Nov. 9, 8 p.m., Comstock Concert Hall
  University Collegiate Chorale and Cardinal Singers 
• Fri., Nov. 10, 8 p.m., Comstock Concert Hall
  University Wind Ensemble and New Music Ensemble

For more information, contact John Ritz at 502-852-4137.

http://louisville.edu/music/NewMusicFestival/

The University of Louisville Dance Theatre continues its beloved, holiday tradition with the 22nd annual performance of “Clara’s Dream” Dec. 1-3 at the School of Music’s Comstock Hall.

“Clara's Dream” is the familiar story of “The Nutcracker” from the time that Clara starts dreaming of snow and the land of sweets. There are cotton candy angels and toy soldiers, as well as the variations from foreign lands and, of course, the Sugar Plum Fairy appears. Her dream takes the audience along for a joyful ride through fantasy.

Directed by Cynthia Bronner and Chuck Bronson, UofL Dance Theatre is the elite level of the UofL Dance Academy. The ULDA is a pre-professional, civic level ballet company that focuses on preparing middle and high school age dancers to pursue ballet after they graduate from high school. About 50 dancers from all levels of the academy will have roles in the show.

There are three chances to catch “Clara’s Dream” this season: 7 p.m. Dec. 1, 3 p.m. Dec. 2 and 2 p.m. Dec. 3.

The production is appropriate for all ages. Reserved tickets are on sale and available by mail through the UofL Dance Academy website: $15 for adults and $10 for children under age 13 or adults over age 65. Group rates also are available for ten or more.

For more information and to order tickets, call 502-852-6878 or visit the UofL Dance Academy website at www.uldanceacademy.com. 

 Contact Judy Hake at judith.hake@louisville.edu.

School of Music scholar one of 12 Americans selected and the first in UofL history

 

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A University of Louisville School of Music graduate student has been selected as a George J. Mitchell scholar.

 

James May is the university’s first Mitchell Scholar, an award given to just 12 Americans each year for Ireland postgraduate study that includes tuition, accommodations, travel expenses and a stipend. Awardees are selected based on scholarship, leadership and community service. He will use the scholarship to study new music production and performance at Ireland’s University College, Cork.

 

May has created over a dozen original compositions that have been performed by students and ensembles around the country. He has served as a peer mentor, volunteer program coordinator and student speech coach while an undergraduate student and currently teaches contemporary music at Louisville’s Youth Performing Arts School. 

 

"James is a perfect fit for this award," said School of Music Dean Chris Doane. "His work as a composer, volunteer, teacher and leader is inspiring to all of us and I have no doubt that he will use this scholarship as a springboard to continue these good works on an international level."

 

A native of Pittsburgh, Pennslyvania, May came to UofL on the Bomhard Fellowship after graduating from The College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio, with degrees in music composition and English.

 

Patricia Condon, who heads the university’s Office of National and International Scholarship Opportunities, said she “had no doubt” that May would earn the scholarship.  

 

"Rarely, in 15 years at the University of Louisville working with fellowship candidates from across the university, have we ever presented an applicant better matched to the ideals of the scholarship the candidate is applying for. The minute we saw the opening of May's personal statement for his Fulbright application, which stated 'I decided to study classical music because of punk rock,' we knew we were working with a candidate of exceptional creativity and humor."

 

May expects to begin his study in Ireland next fall after his spring graduation from UofL.

 

#WeAreUofL

Acclaimed saxophone player Bill Evans will headline the University of Louisville School of Music’s 26^th annual Jazz Fest Feb. 22-24.

Jazz Fest brings jazz music’s most celebrated names to Louisville for concerts, workshops, master classes and comradery for players and the public alike. 

The festival kicks off at 8 p.m. Feb. 22 with a highly renowned group of performers: Bruno Pegoraro on saxophone, Rob Parton on trumpet, Phil DeGregon piano and Natalie Boeyink on bass.  

Acclaimed drummer Adam Nussbaum will play with jazz faculty at 8 p.m. Feb. 23.

Finally, Evans will round out the festival with a performance at 8 p.m. Feb. 24 along with the UofL Symphony Orchestra. Evans, who plays tenor and soprano saxophones, was a member of the Miles Davis group in the 1980s and the fusion band Elements. He has recorded 17 solo albums and received two Grammy Award nominations.   

UofL’s Jazz Fest celebrates America’s indigenous music and is part of the university’s observance of Black History Month.

Nightly concerts are in Comstock Concert Hall, School of Music, 2301 S. Third St. Performances are $20 for general admission and student tickets are $5 with a valid student ID, unless otherwise noted. Tickets can be purchased in the School of Music lobby. For more information or a full schedule of events, call 502-852-6907 or visit louisville.edu/music. 

The University of Louisville School of Music’s 22 annual African American Music Heritage Institute celebrates Black History Month this year with clinics, lectures, workshops and performances Feb. 5.

At 8 p.m., Core Ensemble, a group that celebrates diversity through chamber music theater, will present the program “Ain’t I a Woman!” The program features actress Shayla Simmons and a trio of cello, piano and percussion players honoring the lives of four significant African American women: ex-slave and abolitionist Sojourner Truth, novelist and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston, folk artist Clementine Hunter and civil rights worker Fannie Lou Hamer. The text is by Kim Hines, and the musical score is drawn from the spirituals of the Deep South, the urban exuberance of the Jazz Age and concert music by African American composers including Diane Monroe.

The show is $10 for general admission at the door, $5 for students with ID and free for UofL students with ID. Call 502-852-6907 for ticket information.

Other institute events include a workshop presentation for area students and their instructors at 10 a.m. and an informal question-and-answer session with performers at 3 p.m. These events are free and open to the public. All events are in Comstock Concert Hall, School of Music, 2301 S. Third St.

The mission of the African American Music Heritage Institute is to provide an educational and enrichment experience in music from the heritage of African Americans and the diaspora.

For more information, contact Jerry Tolson, School of Music professor and institute director, at 502-852-6972 or jerry.tolson@louisville.edu.

The UofL School of Music’s 26th annual Jazz Fest, is Feb. 22-24. As usual, it will bring jazz music’s most celebrated names to Louisville for concerts, workshops, master classes and comradery. 

The festival kicks off at 8 p.m. Feb. 22 with a highly renowned group of performers: Bruno Pegoraro on saxophone, Rob Parton on trumpet, Phil DeGreg on piano and Natalie Boeyink on bass. Acclaimed drummer Adam Nussbaum will play with jazz faculty at 8 p.m. Feb. 23.

UofL’s Jazz Fest celebrates America’s indigenous music and is part of the university’s observance of Black History Month.

Jazz Fest was founded by UofL’s own jazz great, Mike Tracy, professor and director of the School of Music’s jazz studies program. Tracy is considered one of America’s foremost jazz educators, with more than 40 years of experience performing and teaching jazz in nearly 50 countries. 

Tracy put his sax down long enough to tell UofL News what’s so exciting about Jazz Fest 2018.

UofL News: How did you pick the guest artists appearing this year?

Tracy: Our goal is to select master jazz performers who are also accomplished educators because all will interact with our students and all those visiting. We consider who we have had in the past and the instruments they played because we want to present a balanced event, the long view. The faculty and I personally know a great many artists and we reach out to see who is available. Bill Evans (saxophone) and Adam Nussbaum (drum set) are incredible musicians who have played with everyone in and out of the jazz field, from Miles Davis to Gregg Allman and Michael Brecker to Toots Thielemans. I have known them since we were all just starting our careers. They are highly personable and committed to working with others. They also fit nicely into our long history of artists. Everyone will enjoy working with them.

UofL News: What makes this year’s lineup exciting?

Tracy: Bill and Adam are exciting, energetic performers. We will be placing both in a variety of settings, ones they don’t normally face. The range of material that will be performed is also quite diverse. Adam, best known for working in trios to quintets, will be performing with Jazz Ensemble I directed by Ansyn Banks and with our jazz faculty. Gabe Evens, our newest jazz faculty person, has written new compositions and arrangements for jazz saxophone and orchestra. Bill will be performing these pieces with UofL’s Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Kimchere Lloyd. UofL jazz faculty will also be playing. We always strive to present interesting material and I think this year will be a special one.

UofL News: This is the 26th annual Jazz Fest. What keeps audiences coming back, year after year?

Tracy: I trust that our audience recognizes that we are committed to excellence, knowing that the guest artists, adjudicators and all performing groups will be of world-class quality. Also, that there are likely to be concerts that they could not find anywhere else in the region. Over the 26 years we have established a fantastic record by presenting master jazz musicians like Dave Brubeck, Elvin Jones, McCoy Tyner, Paquito D’Rivera, Winton Marsalis, Chick Corea, Marian McPartland, Lionel Loueke and many more. No one can match what we have done. 

UofL News: Masterclasses and workshops are included in Jazz Fest, so obviously Jazz musicians can get a lot out of it. But what about newbies? 

Tracy: Jazz Fest is primarily about music education focused on jazz. The evening concerts are of course wonderful but what makes the event special for me is seeing and hearing the visiting middle and high school, college and university ensembles perform. It is great watching the students interact with each other, the adjudicators (who are also fantastic performers and educators) and the visiting guest artists. One does not have to be jazz knowledgeable to appreciate the depth of learning and communicating that occurs. The scope of music is vast and I am confident even the jazz novice will enjoy what they hear.

UofL News: Do you think Jazz Fest has had an impact on the local jazz scene? How so?

Tracy: Jazz Fest (previously known as Jazz Week) has had a major impact on the local jazz scene and throughout the region. Bands and musicians annually visit and then return home having experienced wonderful performances and insightful educational classes. Local venues may occasionally present master jazz musicians but certainly not on a regular basis, with limited, if any, educational outreach. We are committed to bringing in master jazz performers and educators to Louisville throughout the year with Jazz Fest being the highlight. There is likely at least one free jazz concert every week of the school year – more than 35 in this year alone. The Jamey Aebersold Jazz Studies Program can be counted on to offer the finest jazz experience possible.    

UofL News: Anything else you’d like us to know?

Tracy: Attend a concert or visit a master class. Jazz is about communicating personal experiences through music. You don’ have to play an instrument to be involved. Tell us about that experience, what you liked, what you would like us to do. We will listen. Hope to see you at Jazz Fest but also anytime throughout the year. 

About Jazz Fest

Jazz Fest concerts are in Comstock Concert Hall, School of Music, 2301 S. Third St. Performances are $20 for general admission and student tickets are $5 with a valid student ID, unless otherwise noted. Tickets can be purchased in the School of Music lobby. For more information or a full schedule of events, go online. 

Save the Date

Mark your calendars for our newest jazz event: Jazz-4-Sight with trumpet legend Doc Severinsen at 8 p.m. April 7 at the School of Music. This is a concert presented by UofL’s Department of Ophthalmology and Jazz Studies with all proceeds going to benefit the Kentucky Lions Eye Center and the jazz students. Best known for his work with Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show, Doc is 90 years old and still playing great. You don’t want to miss this concert, and help support folks with vision challenges.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – University of Louisville Theatre Arts wraps up its season of plays written by women with “The Long Christmas Ride Home” April 13-22.

When the production opens, a family of five is heading to a Christmas celebration. Tired and stressed, the father snaps and does something his three children will never forget. Using a form of traditional Japanese puppetry called Bunraku, the play moves between past and present to examine how that traumatic moment impacts the course of each child’s life.

The play is by renowned playwright Paula Vogel, winner of the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Geoffrey Nelson and Charles Nasby, both of Theatre Arts, co-direct. Nasby spent three summers studying visual theatre at a university in Sáo Paulo, Brazil. He learned Bunraku puppetry from artists there influenced by the city’s large Japanese immigrant community.

While the child-size puppets are made of simple materials, they are visually striking and move with surprising fluidity and grace, Nasby said. Each puppet requires three performers to move it.

“The puppets take some of the weight off this incredibly moving story, allow you to identify with the characters and laugh too,” Nasby said.

School of Music faculty members John Ritz, Gabe Evens and Greg Byrne will perform music they produced for the play.

The play begins at 8 p.m. April 13-14 and at 3 p.m. April 15. It resumes at 8 p.m. April 19-21 and 3 p.m. April 22 in the Thrust Theatre, Studio Arts Building, 2314 S. Floyd St. Tickets are $8 for UofL students; $12 for other students and alumni, faculty, staff and seniors; and $15 for general admission. Click here to buy tickets.

For more information, contact Blair Boyd at 502-852-7682 or blair.boyd@louisville.edu.

When Dr. Matthew Nelson was choosing the music for his new clarinet solo album, he knew one thing.

“I didn’t want it to be the same old stuff,” said Nelson, an assistant professor of Clarinet at the University of Louisville School of Music.

So, he spent a breakneck year selecting, researching, recording and mastering music that offered something new — a new timbre, a new technique, a new way of mimicking modern electronic sounds. The result is “Meditations and Tributes: Works for Solo Clarinet.”

This is a premiere recording, so, “in a certain way, it’s all uncharted territory,” Nelson said. “This was a particularly forward-looking kind of recording project.”

The album is all contemporary music, including several recordings and work from four winners of the UofL Grawemeyer Award for music composition. Composers Kaija Saariaho, Karel Husa and Krzysztof Penderecki were all previous winners, and Bent Sorensen won just recently.

There were several complicated pieces, including one that required Nelson to borrow a special instrument with an extra note and learn all new finger configurations.

“They’re just very challenging pieces to get right,” he said. “And there’s nothing but me on these tracks, so it’s pretty revealing if something doesn’t sound right.”

The project was backed by a grant from the UofL Office of the Executive Vice President for Research and Innovation. Nelson said the grant funding allowed him to spend a “significant” amount of time in the studio recording, editing and mastering each track.

“This project is a great example of the innovative research going on across campus,” said Dr. Robert Keynton, interim EVPRI. “UofL strongly supports research and scholarly activity of our faculty from all schools, all departments across the campus community — they all are passionate about exploring and creating something new.”

There are other research projects at the UofL School of Music, several of which have received support from the EVPRI throughout the past few years. There’s a lot to explore, whether you’re working to discover little-known pieces of music or diving headfirst into uncharted waters.

Just recently, for example, Nelson said he was asked by a colleague to go into a sound booth with his clarinet and make as many sounds as he could, whether pleasant or not — hisses, sputters, off-notes. The plan is to take those and make them into something coherent.

“There are elements of history, innovation, music and math,” Nelson said. “All sorts of things are going on and it’s a very exciting field in that way — you can go in so many directions.”

Nelson said the album has so far been well-received. It is available on iTunes and Amazon, or you can stream it on Spotify or YouTube.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – “Heeeeere’s Johnny!” That lead-in, followed by a big-band trumpet blast, was the hallmark of late-night television for three decades. “Johnny” was Johnny Carson, the announcer was Ed McMahon and the bandleader was Doc Severinsen. Beginning in 1962, “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson ruled the night airwaves for 30 years.

A Louisville audience will have the chance to hear Severinsen’s iconic big band sound next month. UofL’s Department of Ophthalmology and Jazz Studies Program will present “Jazz-4-Sight” featuring Severinsen performing with the UofL Jazz Ensemble at 8 p.m. April 7 at the School of Music’s Comstock Hall, 105 W. Brandeis Ave. Concert tickets are $50 a person, with all proceeds benefiting the Kentucky Lions Eye Center and UofL jazz students.

Doc Severinsen and His Big Band hit the road in 1992, following the final telecast of Carson’s show, and hasn’t stopped touring since. Audiences enjoy Severinsen’s shows not only because he shared their living rooms for so many years but also because of the Big Band repertoire, which includes Duke Ellington and Count Basie standards, pop, jazz, ballads, big band classics and, of course, “The Tonight Show” theme.

Severinsen, 90, can still play hard and hit all the high notes, a result of his continued commitment to studio practice and the refinement of his craft. The trumpeter also surrounds himself with the best in the business and enjoys sharing the spotlight.

The public also is invited to a 6 p.m. gala that includes dinner and a silent auction at the University Club, 200 E. Brandeis Ave. 

Click http://bit.ly/UofLJazz4Sight to purchase tickets for the concert or gala. For questions or more information, contact the School of Music at 502-852-6907. 

#WeAreUofL

 University of Louisville Opera Theatre presents two, one-act operas April 19 and 20 at the historic Playhouse Theatre on UofL’s Belknap campus.

First on the bill is “Down in the Valley,” a folk-opera by composer Kurt Weill and librettist Arnold Sundgaard. It tells the tragic story of a teenage boy who falls in love with a girl, Jennie, after an Appalachian prayer meeting. Jennie’s father wants her to go to a dance with a shyster creditor who the father thinks will bail him out of his money troubles. Jennie disobeys and goes to the dance with the boy, setting a series of tragic events into motion.

The second program will be “Doctor Miracle,” an opérette by the French composer Georges Bizet. This hilarious opera is about a young man’s quest to marry histrue love, the mayor’s daughter. Trying to win her hand, he disguises himself as a servant, who makes a poison omelet, and, later, as a doctor who saves the family.

Michael Ramach, co-director of the opera theatre program, said these shows beautifully suit the cast of 17 vocal students accompanied by members of the University Symphony Orchestra.    

“Audiences will enjoy seeing these operas together, both musically and thematically because you’re getting a tragedy and a comedy,” Ramach said. “And, they’re accessible for everyone. For people who’ve considered opera and want to dip their toes into the experience, this is a great exposure.”  

The shows are 8 p.m. April 19 and 20 at The Playhouse, 1911 S. 3rd St. Tickets are $20, $10 for students and seniors, free for all UofL students, staff and faculty. For tickets, call 502-852-6907.

For more information, contact Ramach at 502-852-0544 ormichael.ramach@louisville.edu.

#WeAreUofL

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville School of Music’s Music in May Festival is back for a second year with a larger, more diverse lineup of performances in venues throughout the community May 18-28.

The festival allows the school to demonstrate its commitment to outreach and bring music to the wider public via partners such as the Louisville Mayor’s Office, The Kentucky Center, The Kentucky Derby Museum, The Kentucky Science Museum and 21c Museum Hotel. The UofL Percussion Project series of events and concerts anchors the festival.

“The festival is a way for the UofL School of Music to raise awareness of the strength and depth of the talents of our faculty, alumni and students,” said Michael Ramach, director of UofL’s Opera Theatre who serves as festival organizer. “Besides raising our profile in the community, these musical events are our gift to our partners and the city at large.”

Performances include:

Kentucky Center

Cardinal Guitar Trio: 7 p.m. Friday, May 18, Brown Theater

Under the direction of guitar professor Stephen Mattingly, School of Music students will play classical pieces before the Jessica Lang Dance performance.

Pop Up Concert: 11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m., May 22, on the steps in front of the building

Louisville Brass Band performing favorites for a spring lunch time concert.

 Kentucky Science Center

Gabe Evens Trio: 6-8 p.m., May 18

The trio will play jazz for the “Mystery at the Museum” benefit for the science center.

21c Museum Hotel Louisville

Music at Night: 9-10:30 p.m., May 21, in the museum

Alumni and students will perform an eclectic repertory.

The Derby Museum

Graduate Woodwind Quintet: 11 a.m., May 23

Students will perform for 20 minutes in the Great Hall. A movie plays from 11:10–11:25 in the same room. Following that, there will be ragtime music for 15 minutes and a docent will do a story about “Seabiscuit.” 

 University of Louisville School of Music 

ArtWorks: CirqueLouis, Chance Designs, and Jecorey “1200” Arthur: 7-8 p.m., May 24, Comstock Hall

Mayor’s Office

Brass Quintet: 10 a.m., May 28, Big Four Bridge

School of Music students will perform for the Subway Fresh Fit Hike, Bike & Paddle event

For a full schedule of festival events, check the School of Music calendar.

For more information, call 502-852-6907 or visit louisville.edu/music. 

UofL’s most selective choir won the Grand Prize in the 11th International Choir Competition in Zadar, Croatia.

The 34 singers, mostly School of Music majors, competed against about a dozen other choirs from across Eastern Europe and beyond.

“We had a really well-rehearsed and diverse program,” said director Kent E. Hatteberg.

The group was required to sing a song written by a composer born before 1600, a contemporary piece, a song from the U.S., and it was recommended they include music from a Croatian composer, too. The performance needed to total 15-20 minutes of music, all sung a cappella.

“We all worked very hard and stayed focused to give our best performance,” said Seon Hwan Chu, a graduate student of choral conducting.

As prestigious as the honor was, it was hardly the first for the group.

Since 2003, the group has traveled widely, making an international trip nearly every year, sometimes more, racking up dozens of awards.

For example, in 2013, the group won the Grand Prize at the Yeosu (Korea) International Choir Competition and the Hội An Choir Prize at the 3rd Vietnam International Choir Competition. They won the German Chancellor’s Prize at the Harmonie Festival in Linden-Holzhausen in 2011. 

So many accolades have solidified the Cardinal Singers’ reputation as one of the top amateur choirs in the world.

They are often invited to perform at concerts across the globe, like last year’s Gotham SINGS! Collegiate Choral Showcase in Carnegie Hall, New York City, and the China International Chorus Festival in Beijing in 2016.

On such trips, Hatteberg always makes sure the students do some sightseeing and extra performing along the way. For example, on their recent trek, they performed additional concerts in Vienna, Slovenia and Croatia and had some tourist fun at each stop.

Hatteberg said that for many students, these trips are life-changing experiences.

“They’re kind of awe of everything,” Hatteberg said. “I say take it all in because it may not happen again for the rest of their lives.”  

The trip to Croatia was the fourth time Chu has been abroad with the Cardinal Singers. His undergraduate degree was in biology, and he was considering dentistry. But, he’d always loved music and wanted to study it. His time with the Cardinal Singers made him realize he wanted to become a choral director.

“It built me into a musician,” he said.

Hatteberg said he’s had other students who met their spouse abroad or decided to go back and teach in that country.

“Sometimes it completely changes someone’s life,” he said.   

Follow the Cardinal Singers on Facebook to learn about upcoming performances. 

http://uoflnews.com/section/arts-and-humanities/cardinal-singers-take-home-another-international-award/

The University of Louisville School of Music presents its annual New Music Festival Nov. 5-9, with a slate of renowned guest artists and composers such as Amy Williams, Sam Pluta, the Elysian Trombone Consort and A/Tonal. 

The festival will include a screening of Zahra Partovi’s new film “Softly: A Giant Step,” an experimental film focusing on the music of American modernist composer Morton Feldman. Following the film, UofL faculty and guest artists will perform three of Feldman’s shorter works.

Williams, the festival’s headlining composer, is associate professor of music at University of Pittsburgh. Her award-winning music has been performed in the United States, Asia, Australia and Europe. 

“I am a composer and I am a new music pianist,” she says. “The two are inseparable in my artistic objectives. I often write pieces with specific performers in mind, exploiting their individual technical abilities and qualities. My sound arises from a modernist aesthetic but also benefits from a polystylistic approach that is distinctly American.”

Williams, who grew up in Buffalo, New York, recently spoke with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about her life as a musician of new “classic” music. Here’s an excerpt from that conversation:

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: You recently returned from a Fulbright Fellowship in Ireland — any fond memories?

Williams: Oh yes, I was teaching at the University College Cork, Ireland, for a year. I remember… there’s a great sense of community around music there. I was at a pub once when the woman behind the bar rang the bell and a gentleman started singing in a proper Irish tenor. Soon the entire pub was singing along. It was this amazing feeling of connection and community … I won’t forget that.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: And now that you’re back home, what’s a day in the life for a composer-teacher-pianist? 

Williams: Well, my primary job is as a professor at University of Pittsburgh. For me it’s all about balance, and it depends on what deadline is next. The ideal day involves practicing a couple of hours and composing a couple of hours. I spend a couple of hours handling the business side of things —- I’m also the artistic director and composer-in-residence of New Music on the Point Festival in Vermont. Really, a day is bouncing around between these things. I can’t give up any of them — performing and composing are completely integral.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: … Can you talk about your compositional style?

Williams: I try to incorporate techniques and sounds from all different kinds of music and internalize it into my own style. I think that kind of cultural openness is a very American thing.

Samples of Williams’ music are available for listening on her website, amywilliamsmusic.com.    

As for UofL’s New Music Festival, in addition to performing in nightly concerts, festival guest artists will present master classes and lectures throughout the week. See the detailed schedule for all events, which are free and open to the public. 

• Monday, Nov. 5, 8 p.m., Comstock Concert Hall    
  Faculty Chamber Music
• Tuesday, Nov. 6, 8 p.m., Bird Recital Hall
  Electronic and Computer Music
• Wednesday, Nov. 7, 8 p.m., Comstock Concert Hall
  University Symphony Orchestra
• Thursday, Nov. 8, 8 p.m., Comstock Concert Hall
  University Collegiate Chorale and Cardinal Singers 
• Friday, Nov. 9, 8 p.m., Comstock Concert Hall
  University Wind Ensemble and New Music Ensemble  

In our third year of helping children in need, our Jazz-4-Kids concert (cosponsored by Doctors & Lawyers for Kids) will feature Louisville native Don Braden in Concert with UofL Jazz Ensemble I.  Braden is known around the world as an exciting and interactive jazz soloist, a creative and prolific composer, and a passionate and energetic educator. He is also known as a specialist at arranging and performing classic popular songs in the modern jazz style. 

Proceeds will go to improving the health of children in our community.

Event Details:

Postponed. Watch for further announcements. 

Comstock Concert Hall

Ticket information:

$25 General Admission, $5 Students

Available at:

eventbrite.com/e/92744506315 or

School of Music @ 502-852-6907 or

Louisville Bar Association @ 502-583-5314

Parking

Free parking available next to the School of Music

UofL’s School of Music commences a busy 2019-20 season Sept. 8 with its 27th annual Faculty Gala Concert. 

The 7:30 p.m. concert features some three dozen music faculty members in performance, receptions before and after the show, the chance to meet the new dean, Teresa Reed, and hear the premier of the school’s Hamburg Steinway Piano.

“I think the Gala is a wonderful tradition,” Reed said. “It’s a chance for the School of Music to feature and celebrate the performing artists who are our faculty. This really shines the spotlight on them. There will be a range – really to suit every taste – of performances. Audience members will get the chance to sample the range of talent that our faculty represents.”

The program includes numerous works using the department’s new piano, which traveled from Hamburg, Germany, to UofL this summer. The purchase was made possible by the estate of Calvin and Helen Lang.

Naomi Oliphant, associate dean, will join Brenda Kee, emeritus professor of Piano, on Dvorak’s “Slavonic Dance” Op. 46 #1 for piano four hands.

“It’s a wonderful dance depicting the spirit and traditional rhythmic patterns of the folk music of his Eastern European background,” Oliphant said. 

They also will be joined by vocal faculty, Emily Albrink Katz, soprano; Katherine Donner, mezzo; Chad Sloan, baritone and Jesse Donner, tenor; to perform a grouping of Brahms’ “Liebeslieder Waltzes.”

Other pieces of instrumental chamber music also will be performed, including slow, romantic works that show off the “expressive and singing capabilities” of the new piano, Oliphant said.

"We picked the pieces because they showcase the full range of sound and colors that the new instrument is able to produce and because they are well-known works that are so popular with audiences," she said.

The concert is free and open to the public, but the champagne and dessert reception before the concert is $20 and requires registration. 

As usual, the Faculty Gala serves as the gateway into the School of Music’s jam-packed year of performances, which includes world-class visiting artists, along with student and faculty performances. Most of the events are free and open to the public. 

Check the calendar for a full list. Fall highlights include:

• Sept. 28, Friends of the School of Music 5k Walk/Run at Cherokee Park.
• Sept. 29, All You Have to Do is Listen: The Center for Free Enterprise and School of Music present nationally-known composer Rob Kapilow for an entertaining and informative talk. Kapilow will take attendees into the mind and music of Mozart to discover the unique role of “listening for possibility,” in entrepreneurship, leadership, innovation and collaboration. He will be accompanied by a UofL quintet.
• Oct. 1, What Makes It Great: Music of Duke Ellington with Rob Kapilow & Jazz Ensemble I, $20 general admission, $5 for students.
• Oct. 4, What Makes It Great: Great Broadway Composers with Rob Kapilow, Emily Albrink Katz, & Chad Sloan, $20 general admission, $5 for students.
• Oct. 18-20, Guitar Festival: Top-rate guitarists, devoted students and casual enthusiasts are welcome for study and artistic development.
• Oct. 27, Music eX Series: Anna Petrova, piano; Jennifer Ross, violin; Paul York, cello. A subscription for this four-concert series is $50. Individual concert is $15 and student tickets are $5. All proceeds go to piano and string scholarships.
• Oct. 31, University Symphony Orchestra performs Halloween Spooktacular.

http://www.uoflnews.com/section/arts-and-humanities/school-of-music-kicks-off-2019-20-season-with-faculty-gala/

The School of Music presents its annual New Music Festival Nov. 10-14, with a slate of renowned guest artists and composers such as Sky MackLay, Longleash Trio and Elysian Trombone Quartet.

Premiered in 1998, the festival showcases the School of Music’s commitment to innovation, creativity and the presentation of contemporary music.

“As with past festivals, this fall’s program invites us to engage with artists whose creative approaches and unique perspectives awaken our curiosity and deepen our appreciation for the expressive power of music’s many dialects,” said Teresa Reed, School of Music dean.

Sky Macklay, an oboist and installation artist, is the featured composer this year. Macklay says her music “explores bold contrasts, audible processes, humor and the physicality of sound.”

Her works have been performed by ensembles such as ICE, Yarn/Wire, Wet Ink Ensemble, and Spektral Quartet. Two of her pieces, including the string quartet “Many Many Cadences” have received ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards.

Originally from Minnesota, Macklay completed her DMA in composition at Columbia University. She also holds degrees from The University of Memphis (MM) and Luther College (BA). An enthusiastic practitioner of creative music education, Sky has been a composition and musicianship faculty member at The Walden School Young Musicians Program for nine summers. She is Assistant Professor of Music at Valparaiso University in northwest Indiana. 

“I love weird contemporary music and sharing it with the next generation. I think a lot of it is sharing my own personal perspective on it—just show how much a particular sound excites me and how beautiful I think it is... I think that’s sort of contagious, or at least let’s people perceive it as a beautiful thing. I also think that exposure, experience, experiential education and experiential pieces are really a great way to do outreach.… That’s something I think more composers should do: write music that has a participatory role for amateur musicians or for just audience members,” Macklay said in a recent interview with New Music Box magazine.

Longleash Trio will perform a premier of Macklay’s composition “FastLowHighSlow” for violin and piano on Wednesday night. Strad Magazine described Longleash Trio's playing as “lovely,” “expert” and “meticulous.”

“We are delighted to feature Longleash as this year’s principal guest ensemble. Their performance of Dr. Macklay’s music during this year’s festival promises to be both memorable and inspiring” Reed said. 

In addition to performing in nightly concerts, guest artists will present master classes and lectures throughout the week. See the detailed schedule for all events, which are free and open to the public. 

New Music Festival 2019

Sun., Nov. 10, 8 p.m., Comstock — University Percussion Ensemble

Mon., Nov. 11, 8 p.m., Comstock – Faculty Chamber Concert

Tues., Nov. 12, 8 p.m., Comstock – New Music Ensemble

Wed., Nov. 13, 8 p.m., Comstock – Longleash Trio

Thurs., Nov. 14, 5 p.m., Comstock – Elysian Trombone Quartet

Thurs., Nov. 14, 8 p.m., Bird – Electronic Music Concert

Thurs., Nov. 14, 3 p.m., Comstock — “Women in Music” panel discussion featuring Sky Macklay

Climate change-inspired piece wins Grawemeyer music award

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Chinese-American composer Lei Liang has won the 2020 University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition for an orchestral work evoking the threat posed by climate change and the opportunity it offers for redemption.

Boston Modern Orchestra Project commissioned the winning piece, “A Thousand Mountains, a Million Streams,” which premiered in 2018 in Boston’s Jordan Hall with Gil Rose conducting.

“The world we live in today is dangerous,” Liang said. “Our very existence is threatened by global warming, which is causing violent disruptions to the living things on our planet and being made worse by human irresponsibility.”

The half-hour piece takes listeners on a journey through a virtual landscape that first sings and dances but later jolts and collapses into fragments. Near the end, the sound of rain emerges and resurrects nature.

“When creating the work, I wanted to convey the importance of preserving our landscapes, both physically and spiritually, to sustain a place where we and our children can belong,” he said.

Liang, 47, is a music professor at University of California, San Diego, and research-artist-in-residence at Qualcomm Institute, the UC San Diego division of the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology.  He has composed more than 100 works, including pieces addressing other contemporary social issues such as human trafficking and gun violence.

“Xiaoxiang,” his concerto for saxophone and orchestra, was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Music in 2015.

“Liang’s piece, which explores a huge range of emotions and ends with both hope and ambiguity, has a forceful, convincing arc and wonderful orchestral colors,” said Marc Satterwhite, music award director. “Like some of our other winners, he challenges people inside and outside the field of music to ponder important things, even when it's uncomfortable to do so.”

Schott Music, a company founded in 1770 in Germany now with offices worldwide, publishes all of Liang’s compositions. BMOP/sound record label released a recording of his Grawemeyer-winning piece in 2018.

Recipients of next year’s Grawemeyer Awards are being named this week pending formal approval by university trustees. The annual, $100,000 prizes reward outstanding ideas in music, world order, psychology, education and religion. Winners will visit Louisville in April to accept their awards and give free talks on their winning ideas.

#WeAreUofL

U of L African American Music Heritage Institute

THIRD STREAM: THE FUSION OF JAZZ AND CLASSICAL MUSIC

Thursday-Monday, February 13-17, 2020

Dec 2, 2019

The University of Louisville School of Music will sponsor the twenty-fifth annual African American Music Heritage Institute (AAMHI) on February 13-17, 2020 on the Belknap campus of the University of Louisville. This celebration of the history of the music of African Americans will feature concerts, clinics, lectures, and workshops for Kentuckiana elementary and secondary school students, University of Louisville students, and the general public.  This year’s theme is “Third Stream:  The Fusion of Jazz and Classical Music.”  The Institute will feature trumpeter, Orbert Davis, musical director of the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic (CJP), members of CJP, as well as University of Louisville’s own University Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Prof. Kimcherie Lloyd. Members of the U of L Jazz Studies program will also be featured.

On Thursday afternoon there will be a convocation lecture in Comstock Concert Hall at 3:00 PM. On Friday morning, February 14, at 10:00 AM there will be a masterclass and workshop for students focused on improvisation.  On Sunday evening, February 16th, there will be a public performance by Davis, the U of L Symphony Orchestra, and U of L Jazz Studies students at 7:30 pm in the Comstock Concert Hall at the School of Music.  The admission for this performance will be $10.00 general admission.   U of L students will be admitted free with their valid student ID.  Tickets may be reserved by calling (502) 852-6907, or they may be purchased at the door.

 On Monday, February 17th, there will be a lecture presentation for area students and their instructors at 10:00 am in the Comstock Concert Hall of the U of L School of Music.  The public is invited to attend the convocation lecture and the masterclass for which there is no charge.

This event is a part of U of L's celebration of diversity and recognizes the contributions of African-Americans to American culture and history.  The African American Music Heritage Institute is being made possible through the generous support of numerous community and University organizations including the U of L School of Music, The office of the Vice President for Diversity and Equity, The Commission on Diversity and Racial Equality, Chris and Marcia Hermann, Sam Rechter, and an anonymous benefactor.  Enclosed you will find a copy of the Institute schedule. 

2020 AAMHI Workshop Registration Form

The University of Louisville School of Music Jazz department is excited to announce the University of Louisville's new Mini-Workshops. These innovative workshops - Brazilian/Latin, Big Band, Jazz Piano and Jazz Vocal - will be held in in conjunction with the world renowned Summer Jazz Workshops. Taught by expert educators, the Mini-Workshops are designed to enhance the Summer Jazz Workshop experience and scheduled so that you can attend without missing a beat.

Check out the video links below and feel free to write if there are any questions. We hope to see you at the University of Louisville this summer for the most complete jazz education experience possible with the Summer Jazz Workshops and new Mini-Workshops.

Intro video

Brazilian/Latin	Big Band
Jazz Piano	Jazz Vocal

To register go to:

Summerjazzworkshop.com
812 944 8141
Jason@jazzbooks.com

UofL drum major plans virtual performance of ‘My Old Kentucky Home’ on what would have been Derby Day

By ALICIA KELSO

Although the flowers are still in bloom and the grass has turned that signature blue-ish green, things are no doubt different this year.

The traditional pageantry that kicks off springtime in the commonwealth – the Kentucky Derby – isn’t happening on the first Saturday in May for the first time since 1945.

A pandemic has put us all on pause.

However, while we’re relegated to our homes, left to wait for an unpredictable amount of time for things to get back to “normal,” our spirit still resonates. You see it when the green lights turn on. You hear it when the bells toll.   

On Saturday, you’ll feel it when that old familiar song plays. Our song.

Since 1936, UofL’s Marching Cards have served as “The Official Band of the Kentucky Derby,” opening up the “Most Exciting Two Minutes In Sports” with our rendition of “My Old Kentucky Home.” Each year, our students play this song to about 150,000 people at Churchill Downs and an additional 15 million television viewers across the world.

By the time the band is finished playing, there typically aren’t many dry eyes left. A Courier Journal columnist described this experience best last year: “I’ve interviewed Kentuckians who haven’t set foot in the state for 30 years who still stand in front of their televisions and weep when they hear the woodwinds and brass instruments strike the first few notes of ‘My Old Kentucky Home.’

The lyrics tell us that there’ll be hard times, by and by. But at the crescendo, it’s as if 150,000 voices nudge us to weep no more.” 

Has there been a better time for such a nudge than now?

UofL’s drum major Natalie Humble didn’t want that feeling – this experience – to get lost this year.

So, she reached out to a few of her friends, both at UofL and at other colleges and universities across Kentucky, and asked if they would want to perform a virtual version of the state song and debut the finished piece on May 2, what would have been Derby Day. 

“I came up with the idea one day while doing online schoolwork and reflecting on what the semester would have been like in a normal situation. ‘My Old Kentucky Home’ popped into my head and I immediately wanted to create something that brought some normality back into the spring. But I wanted it to be something that all of us – as Kentuckians – resonated with,” Humble said.

Everyone she reached out to was interested. In fact, Humble recruited about 100 total participants – about half of whom are UofL students. Another 20 or so are UofL School of Music alums, a handful are UofL faculty and the rest are from other institutions throughout the state. Thirteen total institutions, to be exact.

“We had a massive amount of interest from students at UofL, and it was really incredible to see the alums show so much interest. I am truly proud of how many other schools we got to participate,” she said.

Humble, a rising senior Music Education major from Monticello, Kentucky, has performed at the Derby twice. Her favorite memory was during her freshman year, when it down poured. 

“It doesn’t sound like much fun, but it was so memorable that I can still feel the adrenaline now just the same as I did on that day,” she said.

Although performing “My Old Kentucky Home” to kick off the Derby is a signature UofL experience, Humble said it was important to get other schools involved this year because of the unusual circumstances created by COVID-19.

“As a college student and as a Kentuckian, I know how hard it is to adjust, and this experience is something that we all share. In times like this, it is especially important for all of us to realize that we aren’t alone and that we’re a team, so inviting everyone to be part of such a meaningful project was the most valuable part of the whole idea,” she said.

“The Derby performance always represents togetherness for me. It is such a short part of the timeline, but it is a time where all the people watching – no matter where they are in the world – are taking a moment to pause and come together. I think this year’s performance represents the same thing, just in a different way.”

Stay tuned for this version of the “My Old Kentucky Home” performance, which will be available on both the UofL and UofL Cardinal Marching Band Facebook pages Saturday, May 2.

Announcing the School of Music's Fall Concert Schedule 

Almost all concerts are virtual this semester. Due to COVID, all dates and times are subject to change. All concerts can be viewed virtually and broadcast on our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/uoflschoolofmusic. Follow UofLMusic on Facebook and Instagram for the most up-to-date concert information or check www.louisville.edu/music.

UofL School of Music Alumna named Indiana ASTA Middle School Orchestra Teacher of the Year 

Congratulations are in order for Courtney Schisler Raines, Master of Arts in Teaching, 2012, who has been selected by the Indiana State Chapter of ASTA (American String Teachers Association) as the Primary/Middle School Orchestra Teacher of the Year for 2021! 

Currently Courtney is in her third year as co-director of orchestras at Highland Hills Middle School in the New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated Schools. Before teaching at HIghland Hills, she spent five years teaching orchestra at Fredrick Law Olmsted Academy South Middle School in the Jefferson County Public School District in Louisville, Kentucky.

At Highland Hills, Courtney directs students in 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade, impacting over 350 students daily. She also co-directs the Floyd County Youth Symphony Mini Orchestra, coaches sectionals for youth orchestras, and helps organize and conduct the district’s summer orchestra programs. During her time at Highland Hills she has led the orchestras to multiple gold awards at ISSMA contest, and has conducted the Highland Hills Concert Orchestra at the 2020 IMEA Professional Development Conference in Forty Wayne Indiana. 

When she is not working with orchestras or groups of students, she spends much of her time teaching violin privately. She first realized her passion for string teaching in high school when she began volunteering to teach after school lessons to middle school students. At UofL she studied violin under Brittany MacWilliams and conducting under Kimcherie Lloyd. 

“I am grateful to be able to teach orchestra in a district with such a rich history of string education. It has been my privilege to have worked alongside incredible music educators, especially my co-director Doug Elmore.  I am truly blessed to get to do what I love every day and am deeply honored to be the INASTA 2020 Middle School Orchestra Teacher of the year.”

The School of Music would like to take a moment to brag about and congratulate two of our own.  

Alumni Lydia Cox, Bachelor of Music Education '11 and Master of Music in Choral Conducting '14 and Cory Zilisch, Bachelor of Music Education '11 who have both been named to Yamaha’s inaugural “40 under 40” music educators list.

Yamaha launched the "40 Under 40" music education advocacy program to celebrate and recognize outstanding music educators who are making a difference by growing and strengthening their music programs. Their students range from transitional kindergarteners to college undergrads at public, private and charter schools, as well as private music students. Their programs are small and large, brand new and with storied histories. 

Cox, a part-time lecture for the SOM is part of the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) program at Crosby Middle School in Louisville, KY. Cox takes a unique approach to teaching music. “The entire STEAM program focuses on innovation and individualized learning,” she said. “Students in my digital music class experience trial, error and reflection through daily exploration of the elements of music using technology. They apply STEAM knowledge and processes through creating podcasts, composing music, and recording and manipulating sounds.”

Zilisch is the orchestra director at Westport Middle School in Louisville, KY. His orchestra has been described as electrifying — that’s because it’s an electric orchestra! “The Westport Rock N’ Warhawks is the only one of its kind in a middle school … It is the most technologically advanced orchestra program in the United States today, and it is known throughout the country for its highly skilled and diversity of talent,” said Cory Zilisch, Westport’s director of orchestras.

To see the full list and read more visit https://yamahaeducatorsuite.com/40-under-40?fbclid=IwAR0emh1ThqOYbW1KGa8YZHCGoPHD83x9mOgA-_V6JJ9rnrsUzLZq-kBhRiE

One year later. I never imagined when we ceased operations in our Music building in March 2020 that one year later, we’d still be addressing the many challenges of COVID-19. Our students, faculty, and staff have all shown tremendous agility and dedication in the face of these challenges.  Their creativity and commitment inspire me daily.

Our number-one priority is to ensure that our music students have the best educational experience possible.   Because of the pandemic, this looks differently than in years past; yet, our students remain at the center of our focus.  By adjusting our normal activities to the realities of the current crisis, we have been able to provide music to our campus, to our local community, and to listeners both nationally and internationally.  Our faculty offered exciting online camps and workshops in string bass and guitar, reaching audiences and participants throughout the country and around the world.  Our Cardinal Marching Band reconfigured its normal routine and gave several performances in the Fall semester for Louisville's heroic health care workers.  Our Music Therapy program literally took to the streets, utilizing its van to deliver services to patrons around our community. Our choirs and vocal faculty gave stirring open-air performances to audiences on Belknap and Shelby campuses.  Many performances of our faculty and student groups moved online for enjoyment by audiences on social media and Youtube.  Student composers presented an outdoor concert of intriguing electronic works. And dozens of student performers, including vocalists, jazz combos, guitarists, brass quintets, and various other chamber groups, provided music in Belknap's common areas as a part of the inaugural Beth Boehm Concert Series. As we move forward, we will continue to utilize technology and other innovative approaches to provide the creative and educational outlets and engagement that our students and faculty need.  In this way, we can continue to deliver music that will lift and inspire our campus, our city, and our world.

We are sensitive to the impact of COVID upon many families of the students in our Cardinal Family.  To address these special needs, we started an emergency fund specifically for our students in the School of Music. Our goal is to ensure that no student suffers academic disruption as a result of the crisis, and that all, instead, have the financial safety necessary for them to focus on their studies. To make a true impact on our students’ lives you can donate at give.louisville.edu/music and type in Student Emergency Fund in the “other” box.  Your gift will make a difference.

Your support and interest in the University of Louisville School of Music continue to drive our success. For all that you do, we are deeply grateful. I look forward to the day when we can engage with our audiences and friends in person again.  In the meantime, please accept my "socially distanced" hugs and best wishes for continued health, safety, and peace for you and all those you love.

Warmly,

Dean Teresa L. Reed