Adams State Music Newsletter

Adams State Music Winter 2018 Newsletter

Welcome to the first edition of the Adams State University Department of Music newsletter. This bi-annual publication will allow us to share the accomplishments of our students and faculty, the exciting events and performances that we have planned, and other activities and important information concerning the music department.

In addition to the events highlighted in this newsletter, we are preparing for our 10-year re-accreditation visit with the National Association of Schools of Music this year. This is an opportunity to assess the rigor of our degree programs and show that we are meeting all of the standards of our national accrediting agency.

Please enjoy catching up with the ASU Music Department.

Best wishes, Dr. Beth Robison, Music Department Chair

Music Department Events Spring 2019

Feb. 14 • 7pm • Richardson Hall

March 28 • 7pm • Richardson Hall

Feb. 16 • 2pm • Richardson Hall

April 14 • 7pm • Richardson Hall

Feb. 28 • 7pm • Richardson Hall

April 18 • 7pm • Richardson Hall

March 2 • 12pm • Richardson Hall

April 28 • 7pm • Richardson Hall

March 10 - 12

May 2 • 7pm • Richardson Hall

ASU Choir Showcase Concert

TOTN Honor Choir Festival Concert ASU Band Concert

TOTN Honor Band Concert NASM on-site visit

ASU Jazz Concert

SLV Symphony Concert ASU Choir Concert

ASU Percussion Ensemble Concert ASU Band Concert

What our alumni are up to Juan Francisco, a native of Guatemala, graduated from Adams State in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in music education. When he came to Adams State he had been playing the marimba for a while, but had no idea how to read music.

He has recently gone on to complete a master of arts in ethnomusicology from UCLA and has just been accepted as a PhD candidate in the same program.

On September 19th, Juan shared his grad school experiences and wisdom with current Adams State students. While pursuing his doctorate, Juan plans to return to Guatemala to research his culture’s music. As he puts it, “There are small communities of Guatemalans throughout the 48 states and I’d like to include in my research how they maintain their cultural identity and music.”

Juan Francisco

HSI Concert ASU Music Department Celebrates the ETHOS Project During HSI Week As part of HSI week, the Department of Music was invited by the Title V Office to create a performance celebrating the third year of our ETHOS: Exploring Equity through Music initiative. ETHOS is an overarching multi-year commitment to addressing equity and diversity issues in the programming of our ensembles and the development of new curricula, making diverse and inclusive programming and research in all of our performances the norm, not the exception.

The September 11th concert, titled “Folk and Classical Music of the Americas,” was a collaborative performance of music students and faculty, including the ASU Winds and Percussion, Chamber Choir, solo works and chamber ensembles. Composers featured included Carlos Chávez, José L. Elizondo, Ariel Ramírez, and Alberto Ginastera, as well as traditional music from Chiapas, Roatan, and Tabasco, México, and Peru.

The Department of Music brought the ETHOS project to the regional stage in 2017 and 2018, performing two consecutive years at the Colorado Music Educators Association conference. The ASU Percussion & Winds performance, World Premieres Dedicated to the San Luis Valley, consisted of works commissioned specifically for the ensemble reflecting

photo by Carmille Garcia

the heritage, culture and geography of the San Luis Valley. The ASU Chamber Choir performed a timely program less than a year ago, titled Immigrant Stories: Hopes, Dreams and Fears in Uncertain Times, celebrating our immigrant heritage while recognizing the current challenges we are living in.

Additional ETHOS performances on campus have included the following programs: Her Voice Uplifted: A Concert Celebrating Female Composers; Xochiquetzal: Percussion Works of Goddesses, Earth, Skies, and Souls; and Visibly Heard: An Exhibition of Sexual and Gender Diversity in Song, among others.

We celebrate the complete human family to which we all belong. May we be mindful of the beauty that is always around us in the many colors and perspectives with which it presents itself.

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ASU Music students enjoying a beautiful Alamosa autumn afternoon

Rare AIR Series Adams State University, seated at 7,543 ft., offers that “rare”, crisp mountain air to all who visit. But more than just providing fresh air, Adams State’s new RARE A.I.R. Program brings fresh art to campus.

A.I.R. stands for Artist in Residence. In the collaboration with the Adams Music, Theater, Art departments, the RARE A.I.R. program brings artists of all disciplines to Adams State University for a residency. The residences last anywhere from two weeks to five weeks. Adams State University first welcomed Painter, Les Caison III, whose residency lasted from August 29 to September 26.

The music department then welcomed Kenneth D. Friedrich, musician and composer. Friedreich has a variety of experiences in composing, creating many works for church music and recently, for concert band. While at Adams State, Friedrich composed music for five Adams State University Ensembles. September 22 Kenneth D. Friedrich

(the last day of Friedreich’s residency), a concert was held, featuring Friedreich’s work. The Adams State Brass Choir, Woodwind Quintet, Chamber Choir, Wind Ensemble, and other groups performed on the concert. The works written for choir were created using words by Adams State Prof. Aaron Abeyta, based on poems: I Have Come and Love Poem After a Passing Antelope. Friedrich

himself also performed in the concert, performing the virtuosic Euphonium part of the Adagio from his Suite for Euphonium and Woodwind Quintet (premiered 2015, Wichita State University). The concert concluded with a expressive arrangement for Wind Ensemble of the hymn Nearer My God Franklin Stroble to Thee.

Adams State has now welcomed musician Franklin J. Stroble, whose residency spans from October 15 to November 3. In addition to a full concert featuring Stroble’s work, the Adams State Wind Ensemble premiered Stroble’s new work for band, Flatirons Fanfare, on the October 18 concert. The Adams State Department of Music also looks forward to the residency of Briay Conditt, musician and composer, who will be at Adams State University from November 25 to December 18. Look out for these upcoming concerts and partake in Briay Conditt this great celebration of art at Adams State University.

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Faculty News Accomplishments from 2018 Dr. Angela K. Winter, Director of Bands at Adams State University and Associate Professor of Brass, remains active in multiple professional ensembles. In 2018, Winter was awarded 4th horn position in the San Juan Symphony, returned as principal of the Pueblo Symphony, and completed her 11th year playing for the Lawton Philharmonic. Winter is also active in chamber music. The Wind Quintet Madera gave the premier performance of Jack Stamp’s new work for wind quintet, Suite Mardera, dedicated to the group.

Session Brass Quintet performed a solo recital and gave a masterclass at the University of Texas at Brownsville. In addition, Winter participated in the 50th International Horn Symposium hosted at Ball State in Muncie Indiana.

Dr. Matthew Valverde, Assistant Professor of Voice at Adams State University, was selected to serve as Inclusive Excellence Liaison to the President. In this role, he sits on the President’s Cabinet and presides as chair of the President’s Advisory Group on Equity. Early this summer, Valverde participated in the prestigious 2018 National Association of Teachers of Singing Intern Program hosted at CU Boulder. In July, Valverde sang with the National Repertory Orchestra (Michael Stern, conductor) on Pat Metheny’s Imaginary Day in Breckenridge, CO. Valverde was also selected as tenor section leader for Detroit-based EXIGENCE Vocal Ensemble (Eugene Rogers, conductor) and performed at the June Chorus America Conference in Chicago and in Carnegie Hall in October. He also served on the teaching and performing faculty of the Mt. Blanca Summer Music Conservatory. Here at Adams State, Valverde performed a solo faculty recital with pianist Ksenia Leletkina (Palm Beach Opera) during Homecoming Week entitled “Nachtmusik: Night Songs and Moonlight,” which featured nineteen nocturnes, lullabies, and dream-songs in nine languages. And in November, Dr. Valverde participated in and performed at the second Think Tank for the National Institutes for Historically-Underserved Students hosted at West Virginia University at Parkersburg.

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Dr. James Doyle, Associate Professor of Percussion, was appointed to principal percussionist of the San Juan Symphony in 2018 after an audition in May. Doyle played with Music in the Mountains Festival Orchestra for the 10th season. Doyle also performed with Austin-based Americana artists Bob Livingston, Shake Russell, and Michael Hearne in Taos for a music festival and recorded their albums. Doyle has also been active recording projects throughout the summer and fall with Howlin’ Dog Recording Studio. Locally, Doyle performed with the regional group, The Rifters.

In addition in October, Doyle performed on a concert/clinic tour in California with Doyle’s former percussion trio. At the end of this year, Doyle will travel to Japan to teach and perform. While in Japan, he will perform with Dr. Tracy Doyle, Flute and Chiho Sugo, Clarinet.

Dr. William A. Lipke, Professor of Piano and Director of Orchestra, performed as soloist in the Grieg Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16, with the San Luis Valley Symphony Orchestra this fall. In November, Lipke served as a judge for the Steinway/Colorado Symphony performance competition in Denver.

Lipke also judged for the Colorado Music Teachers Association State performance competition at CU-Boulder. The summer of 2018, he helped to acquire a donated Steinway piano for the Music Department moving it closer to becoming an All-Steinway School. In addition, this July Lipke performed three piano recitals in Serbia and Russia.

Dr. Matthew Schildt, Professor of Theory and Composition, has also experienced a successful year.

The music of Schildt’s album “This Little Light” has been included on the Heart Dance Records sampler “Music from the Heart”. In addition, the music from “This Little Light” has been included on an on-air playlist for Malaysian Airlines. In November, Schildt attended the Vale Media Industries Conference, which will focus on women in the music industry.

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WWI Memorial Concert

New Music Business Courses

ASU Chamber and Concert Choirs Remember WWI and Community Veterans On Friday, November 2, the Adams State University Chamber and Concert Choirs performed a concert titled, “World War I Requiem: Remembrance and Reconciliation,” in Richardson Hall Auditorium. The performance recognized the 100th anniversary of the signing of the armistice ending World War I. It was also an evening to honor all of our veterans, with ticket proceeds donated to the Wounded Warrior Project.

The program included selections from Mark Hayes Requiem, Ralph Vaughan Williams Dona Nobis Pacem, Paul Aitken’s setting of John McCrae’s famous poem, “In Flanders Fields,” and readings by Theatre professor, Dr. John Taylor, from the war poetry written

by Wilfred Owen, a British soldier who died one week before the signing of the armistice.

A special recognition was given to long-time Alamosa resident and WWII veteran, Mac McFadden, who has sung extensively with barbershop quartets and the San Luis Valley Community Chorus, and has been a wonderful supporter and Friend of Music to the ASU Music Department.

The music department is excited to offer new courses in the music business emphasis, with focus on courses in recording, careers in music, and capstone courses. In 2016, the course “Music Recording Seminar” was added to the music business course offerings and is a course that continues developing student’s knowledge and skills in the recording studio.

During its first offering, the recording seminar class recorded a department compilation CD that showcased student performances that ranged from ensembles to chamber music and solo works. The course also had a series of guest speakers via skype and included multiple Grammy-winning recording engineer Ryan Freeland as well as numerous other studio and live sound engineers and producers. Other courses have been added to the music business emphasis, including the course “Commercial Songwriting and Production” and a final capstone course where students work individually with faculty on a music business or music recording project that aligns with the student’s career goals. Another new course offering is the “Careers in the Music Industry” course for all freshman music majors. In the area of recording, the Richmond Recording Studio continues to evolve to remain state-of the-art and to meet the changes in the music industry. The studio is now fully equipped for mastering with the program Wavelab 9 and several projects were mastered in 2018, including graduate Jon Moffat’s album “The Euphoric Mind.” In addition, the studio has two new Mac computers, new microphones, and new Universal Audio Satellites offering the latest in audio effects.

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Music Internships Emily Johnson Can you please tell me about your experience?

Two summers ago I was fortunate enough to work as an office intern for Music in the Mountains where I spent roughly a month and a half in the office preparing for our three-week long music festival and conservatory. Throughout the summer, I worked directly under our Operations Manager and once the festival started my duties switched largely to day-today assistance for all of our events up at Purgatory.

Largely, I assisted with set-up, tear-down, ticketsales, artist relations, merchandise, and volunteer coordination. All of this experience was crucial to me as this past semester, they asked me to step in as the Interim Operations Manager. Under this new role, I was in charge of all of the activities and duties I was assisting with the previous summer.

What did you learn?

I learned a lot about the importance of great communication to people of all different levels. It was vital that the musicians, staff, patrons, and directors were all on the same page. If there is any kind of miscommunication it has the ability to affect everyone in various ways. There were also a few occasions where I was reminded about how important it was to trust my gut. Chances are, if something doesn’t feel right, it’s not, and I just think it was a really important reminder.

How did you get the internship?

I initially started searching for internships during the beginning of my Spring Semester of my Sophomore year. With the help of Dr. James Doyle, he

put me into contact with Angie Beach, Music in the Mountain’s Executive Director to see if there would be an internship opportunity available in that upcoming summer. After discussing possibilities with her further, we set up an interview date during my time in Durango with the Percussion Studio while we were completing our Music in the Mountains Goes to School Tour.

How do you hope to apply the knowledge you have acquired?

I think of all of the knowledge and skills that I have gained over the past two summers will ultimately just make me more hirable. I think having the soft skills, like communication and reading a room, are just as important as using Excel or Tix. What are your future career goals?

Though I know that I would be happy doing almost anything in live music, I really aspire to be an artist or tour manager.

Why did you choose this particular internship?

I thought this internship would be a great look into what I want my future to look like. As an intern, I was constantly blown away by how much really went on in the buildup to the actual festival. I knew at the end of my first summer that music business was still definitely the path for me. And by the end of my second summer, I was positive that management was the route that I wanted to go in!

Zachary Carpenter Zachary Carpenter graduated from Adams State University just this last spring with a bachelor’s degree in music business.

While at Adams State he participated in an internship with Heart Dance Recordings, a New Age Music label out of Phoenix Arizona started in 2009 by composer Sherry Finzer. Carpenter has been doing

research for Heart Dance Recordings, including finding stores to distribute CDs too, as well as promoting Spotify playlist. According to Finzer, “Zachary is working on a project to bring exposure of our label and music to students at Adams State, with the help of Dr. Matthew Schildt, by promoting the music as a tool to be used while studying.” Part of the music business degree at Adams State requires completing an internship of at least 45 hours. As Carpenter puts it, “There are so many opportunities Adams State, if you apply yourself and take advantage of those that come your way”.

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The annual holiday concert

We’ll see you next semester.

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Adams State University Department of Music 208 Edgemont Blvd Suite 3040, Alamosa, CO 81101 (719) 587-7621 • adams.edu