music at yale
Alumni News
Listings are by year of the last degree awarded. Please send in news and updated information to musicnews@yale.edu. Dr. Eugene Thamon Simpson ’53bm, ’54mm, Professor Emeritus of Voice and Choral Literature at Rowan University, has completed a definitive biography of Francis Hall Johnson, the greatest collector, preserver and arranger of the Negro Spiritual, and the most charismatic African-American conductor of the twentieth century. The book, Hall Johnson: His Life, His Sprit, and His Music, was published in February by Scarecrow Press and includes a detailed history of Johnson’s life; his work with his famous Hall Johnson Negro Choir on Broadway, in concert, and in motion pictures; and chapters on his letters, his music, and his poetry. Johnson’s arrangements, first made famous by Marian Anderson, have been staples on the recital programs of African-American singers since 1950 and have been recorded by Robert McFerrin, Leontyne Price, and Kathleen Battle. www.eugenetsimpson.com Walter Schenkman ’55mm released two new cds in 2007 featuring four Clementi piano sonatas and four Beethoven Sonatas (including the “Waldstein” and the “Lebewohl”). A prolific writer on musical topics, Schenkman also saw publication of two of his articles during the past year in the Italian musical journal Ad Parnassum. One study considers the treatment of Diabelli’s theme in the performance of Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations, while the other offers a comprehensive review of “Numbers in the Goldberg.” A complete listing of Schenkman’s CDs and articles may be found at www.wspiano.com, and selections from his performances may be downloaded at www.bravomaestro.com. John Contiguglia ’61mm and Richard Contiguglia ’61mm were the featured pianists for Myra Hess Day, 2008, Nov. 25th, at London’s National Gallery. In recognition of their associations with Dame Myra Hess, with whom they studied for four years, they were invited to be the featured pianists for Dame Myra Hess Day, 2008, at the National Gallery in London. Their performance of a lunchtime concert at 1:00 pm called to mind the 1:00 pm lunchtime concerts (1,698, over a period of 6½ years) that Dame Myra organized during World War II at London’s National Gallery, for which she was made Dame Commander of the British Empire by King George VI. Their program included Schubert’s Variations on an Original Theme in A-Flat, Op. 35, D 813; the Finale of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, in Liszt’s transcription for
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two pianos; and Howard Ferguson’s four-movement Partita, Op. 5b, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Ferguson’s birth. Ferguson was actively involved with Hess in organizing the programs for the lunchtime concerts. For further information and tickets, readers should consult the website of London’s National Gallery, www.nationalgallery.org.uk. Acclaimed composer Lori Laitman ’75ba ’76mm has teamed up with award-winning American poet David Mason to create a new dramatic opera, The Scarlet Letter. The opera is based on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 19th century American novel. Commissioned by the University of Central Arkansas, the opera saw its world premiere on November 6, 7 and 9, 2008, at the Donald W. Reynolds Theater at UCA in Conway, Arkansas. Robert Holden, co-director of the UCA Opera Theater, developed the idea for the commission. “We are beginning a commissioning project for new operas based on classic American literature. In The Scarlet Letter, Lori Laitman and David Mason have created something spectacular that should become part of standard operatic repertoire.” On October 25, the Catskill Symphony Orchestra conducted by Charles Schneider presented five works by Frank Bennett ’69mma, ’76dma in Oneonta, NY. Featured on the program were Frank’s concert for Indian veena (lute); Asian Colors; Big City Styles, a jazz/Latin work; and Oneonta Fanfare, written for this program. Two arrangements, West Side Variants for clarinet and orchestra and Mokshamu Galada by Sri Tyagaraja for Indian voice and orchestra strings, were also included. Soloists were Timothy Perry ’77mm, clarinet, and Geetha Bennett, veena and voice. The Catskill Conservatory under the direction of Carleton Clay ’69mm has presented several festivals of Frank’s music on other occasion. In addition to the Catskill concert, Frank and Geetha gave lecture/demonstrations at SUNY Binghamton, Hamilton College, and SUNY Oneonta on Indian Carnatic classical music and performed a concert at Colgate University. Frank also talked to classes at SUNY Binghamton and SUNY Oneonta about working as an orchestror for the film industry, demonstrating some of his arrangements. On Friday January 23, 2009, Sharon Isbin ’79mm joined Grammy-winning violinist/fiddler Mark O’Connor in concert at Symphony Space in New York City. They performed the New York premiere of O’Connor’s Strings & Threads Suite for Violin & Guitar. This work, along with John Duarte’s Joan Baez Suite for solo guitar, is featured on her new recording, Journey to the New World on Sony Classical. Joan Baez is featured on the CD in duo performances with Isbin. www.sharonisbin.com A new solo CD of music by composer Arthur Levering ’79mm came out recently on the New World label. Titled Still Raining, Still Dreaming, it includes performances by Donald Berman, piano and celesta, Nicholas Kitchen, violin, Fumito Nunoya, vibraphone, as well as the Dinosaur Annex Chamber Orchestra. Copies can be purchased on