THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS SCHOOL OF MUSIC
Spring 2019
Faculty NEWS
Saxophonist Jeff Coffin, a member of the Dave Matthews Band and a former member of the Grammy-winning Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, performed with the KU Jazz Ensemble I, directed by Dan Gailey. Coffin was the headliner of the 2019 Prairie Winds Festival, which was held the first weekend in February and brought in musicians from 32 high schools across six states. The annual event featured clinics with applied faculty, likeinstrument ensembles and performances by KU students. On Saturday evening, the participants attended a concert by the KU Wind Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble I and the Crossroads Wind Symphony. Thanks to the support of Reach Out Kansas, Inc. Coffin was featured with the Wind Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble I and presented clinics for the participants and KU students. The weekend concluded with a full band performance conducted by Paul W. Popiel, director of bands; Matt Smith, associate director of bands; Sharon Toulouse, assistant
director of bands; Martin Bergee, associate dean of academic affairs; and Nick Waldron, a doctoral student in conducting. Joyce Castle, University Distinguished Professor of voice, performed a concert entitled “Oldies but Goodies (19211945)” with Mark Ferrell, director of KU Opera, accompanying on piano for a KU Endowment donor event at the Lied Center Pavilion in December.
The KU Jazz Ensemble I, directed by Dan Gailey, director of the jazz studies program, was selected as one of six collegiate big bands internationally
to perform in the 49th annual Next Generation Jazz Festival this month. Presented by the Monterey Jazz Festival, the event, which runs from April 5 thru 7, brings together more than 1,300 of the nation’s top middle school, high school and college student musicians. It features more than 100 big bands, combos, vocals ensembles, vocal soloists, conglomerate bands and special guests. Finalists are selected through recorded auditions that are reviewed by a panel of nationally renowned jazz educators. The winning ensembles from each of the festival’s competitive divisions are invited to perform at the 62nd annual Monterey Jazz Festival in September.
Vince Gnojek, professor of saxophone, and the KU Saxophone Quartet I presented the Central Kansas Saxophone Workshop at Abilene High School on January 18. Thanks to the efforts of A aron Tompkins, BME ’98, director of bands at Abilene High School, the event took place in the school’s beautiful new auditorium.
Cover Photo: The KU Percussion Group, directed by Michael Compitello, assistant professor of percussion, had the thrill of performing alongside renowned percussionist and composer Andy Akiho in a concert presented by the Lied Center on Jan. 31. Photo credit: Andy White, KU Marketing Communications
QuickNotes - Spring 2019 - music.ku.edu
More than 50 middle school and high school saxophone students attended. Gnojek presented a saxophone clinic including “Tips and Tricks” for saxophonists of all ages. The KU Saxophone Quartet I members Lingxiao Li, Tyler Walker, Noah Zoller and Zach Dixon performed a 45-minute program that included a variety of musical styles from Tartini to Grainger to Piazzolla. Debr a Hedden, professor and director of music education at the University of Kansas School of Music, was one of three Kansas educators inducted into the Kansas Music Educators Association’s Hall of Fame in February. Hedden, who has spent 46 years as a music educator, was inducted into the KMEA Hall of Fame along with Donald Farthing and John Buehler on Feb. 22 at a ceremony during the annual KMEA In-Service Workshop in Wichita. The Hall of Fame is KMEA’s highest honor and is given to members of the music education community in Kansas who have made a significant contribution to the growth of music in the state. The KMEA Hall of Fame began in 1975, and Hedden is the 11th KU faculty member to be recognized. Paul Laird, professor of musicology, was in residence on January 25 and 26 at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick for a conference on the musical theater works of Leonard Bernstein, an event based on a similar conference that took place at KU in January 2018 with visiting musicologist Elizabeth Wells of Mount Allison University. Laird presented papers on On the Town, Candide, Mass and A Quiet Place, provided commentary on excerpts from Bernstein’s video legacy, and Wells interviewed Laird on his interview with Bernstein in 1982.
In other news Leisring, Margaret Marco, professor of oboe; and Scott Watson, professor of tuba-euphonium; traveled to Harbin, China in February where they served as adjudicators on the annual auditions for the Harbin Symphony Orchestra. Leisring also performed with the orchestra while there on Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scherezade. Bill Matney, assistant professor of music therapy, recently had the article “A Knowledge Framework for the Philosophical Underpinnings of Research: Implications for Music Therapy” published in the Journal of Music Therapy. The article introduces a way to organize, understand, and clearly report the philosophical underpinnings of a research study. Given the great diversity in types of music therapy research and the need for clearer terminology, this article addresses an important topic. Genaro Méndez, associate professor of voice, was recognized for his success as a first-generation college student in a poster entitled “I Am First Too.” The poster, sponsored by the KU Center for Educational Opportunity Programs and KU TRIO SES and STEMS, honored 12 KU alumni, students, staff members and faculty who excelled as role models, trailblazers and advocates for firstgeneration student success. Br ad Osborn, assistant professor of music theory, was named associate editor of Music Theory Online, an official journal of the Society for Music Theory.
Forrest Pierce, professor of music composition, was in residence at Vanderbilt University in mid-January for the world premiere of his cello concerto Scorpion Zikr with Vanderbilt Percussion Group, directed by Ji Hye Jung, and cellist Kivie Cahn-Lipman. Also on the concert were Pierce’s works Raw Silk for solo marimba and Silver Birch Scroll for cello and electronics. Steve Leisring, professor of trumpet, was chair of the Brass Division of the jury for the National Wind Brass Competition of Estonia, held at the Academy of Music in Tallinn, Estonia in December. Pictured above Leisring (center) is with other jury members from Denmark, Lithuania, Latvia, Switzerland, and Czech Republic. QuickNotes - Spring 2019 - music.ku.edu
Paul W. Popiel, director of bands, conducted honor bands for the Central Oklahoma Band Directors Association at the University of Oklahoma, Prairie Winds Festival at KU, Southwest Honor Band at New Mexico State University, and Arkansas Intercollegiate Band at the Arkansas Music Educators Association. Colin Roust, assistant professor of musicology, published a book chapter entitled “The Concert Works of Georges Auric, 1945–1983,” in Double Lives: Film Composers in the Concert Hall, edited by James Wierzbicki (Routledge, 2019).
Matt Smith, associate director of bands, conducted the Southeast Kansas Music Educators Association Honor Band on December 1 in Pittsburg. In February he conducted the Lawrence Community Orchestra in Berlioz’s Roman Carnival Overture and Michael Torke’s Sylvan. This semester he is serving as a sabbatical replacement for Paul W. Popiel, director of bands. The KU Chamber Singers, directed by Paul Tucker, director of choral activities, performed at the Kansas State Capitol in Topeka on Jan. 29 as part of the Kansas Historical Society’s Kansas Day celebration. The performance was sponsored by Jim Zakoura (pictured above with the ensemble) and Reach Out Kansas, Inc. Daniel Velasco, assistant professor of flute, had a residency at the Conservatorio Nacional de Música in Quito, Ecuador that included masterclasses, question and answer sessions and a recital. Velasco, who grew up in Ecuador and attended the Conservatory starting at age six, enjoyed the opportunity to see so many enthusiastic flutists following their passion for the instrument from such a young age. He shared his experiences, as well as offered advice and ideas on career paths in music. In January, Carolyn Watson, director of orchestral activities, led the Symphony Orchestra at Melbourne Youth Orchestra’s Summer Camp in a program of Tchaikovsky,
Kabalevsky and Britten. The Australian YouTube duo Two-Set Violin gatecrashed one rehearsal (pictured left) and included the rehearsal in a video. Also in January, Watson led the summer conducting school for the Australian Bands and Orchestra Directors Association in Victoria, Australia as well as served as the cover conductor for Michael Stern with the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra in a program of Nielsen, Rachmaninov, Griffes and Stravinsky. Watson traveled to Boston in February to present a paper at the National Conference of the College Orchestra Directors Association, where as president-elect of the South-Central chapter, she ran the regional meeting of the national organization. The key note speaker was PDQ Bach, the alter ego of Peter Schickele, who is pictured with Watson above. Also that month, she presented the clinic “Gesture as Communications” at the Kansas Music Educators Association In-Service Workshop in Wichita and led the Georgia All-State Symphony Orchestra. At the end of March, Watson conducted the world premiere performance of an arrangement of Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Penelope with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, her second production with the opera company this year. In other news, Watson’s article “A Conductor Considers Four Orchestral Works of Kodály” was published in the international peerreviewed journal Bulletin of the International Kodály Society last fall.
In Other News KU Music Therapy faculty and students had the opportunity to present research at the Annual American Music Therapy Conference, which was held in Dallas in November. Ashley Gr af, B.M. ’18 music therapy, presented her undergraduate research project, “Perceived Meaning of Sung and Spoken Stories for Musicians and Non-Musicians.” The project is mentored by Deanna Hanson-Abromeit, associate professor of music education and music therapy. Elizabeth VanSant, B.M. ’18 in music therapy, presented her undergraduate research project, “A Fidelity Study of the Therapeutic Function of Music for Toddlers At-Risk for Autism,” which is also mentored by Hanson-Abromeit and supported by a grant from the Center for Undergraduate Research. VanSant also co-presented with professional music therapists at a concurrent conference session, “Digging In: A Panel Discussion on How Music Functions for Therapeutic Change,” which was moderated by Hanson-Abromeit. Hanson-Abromeit, along with doctoral candidates K ar a Caine and Amy Smith, presented a continuing education course, “Promoting the Value of Phase I Research in NICU Music Interventions,” with Helen Shoemark, associate
QuickNotes - Spring 2019 - music.ku.edu
professor of music therapy at Temple Univeristy and KU M.M. ‘85. Hanson-Abromeit gave a presentation entitled “Can Music Support Emotion Regulation Development? Creating a Music Intervention Strategy” with Kimberly Sena Moore, an assistant professor of professional practice at University of Miami. This presentation highlighted the process of developing the Musical Contour Regulation Facilitation music intervention to practice emotion regulation strategies for at-risk preschoolers. The presentation included the feasibility study published this winter in the Journal of Music Therapy, titled “Feasibility of the Musical Contour Regulation Facilitation (MCRF) intervention for preschooler emotion regulation development: A mixed methods study.” It also included the preliminary analysis of the intervention fidelity outcomes. Hanson-Abromeit co-presented with Sheri Robb, professor with the Indiana University School of Nursing and KU PhD ‘99, “What’s in a Label? The Importance of Intervention Reporting Quality and Terminology,” highlighting outcomes for their recently published systematic review, “Reporting Quality of Music Intervention Research in Healthcare: A Systematic Review,” in Complementary Therapies in Medicine. This study was an interprofessional project conducted by a team of music therapy students from the KU School of Music and a team of nursing students from Indiana University School of Nursing.
In February, Sar a McLure, doctoral student in musicology, presented a paper entitled “’The exile listens secretly... and shakes his head’: Johannes Brahms, Duke Georg II, and German Nationalism” at the international conference The Intellectual Worlds of Johannes Brahms at the University of California-Irvine. Jennifer Potter, a doctoral student in general music education, presented on Feb. 22 her research “The Effect of Instruction Differentiation in Preventive Classroom Management Strategies on Early Childhood and Elementary Preservice Teachers’ Selected Behaviors” at the Desert Skies Symposium for Research in Music Education at Arizona State University.
Student NEWS Tyler Boehmer, a doctoral student in organ performance, took first place at the Ninth Miami International Organ Competition in February. Out of more than 30 submitted recordings, Boehmer was one of eight organists selected in 2018 to advance to the semi-final round, which required each contestant to submit a recording of a 25-minute final program. Boehmer was then one of three finalists chosen to come to Miami and compete in the final round, which was an evening recital on Feb. 22 in front of an audience of more than 300 people at the Church of the Epiphany in Miami. The competition is sponsored by Fratelli Ruffatti, renowned organ builders from Padua, Italy, and the Church of the Epiphany, with the intent of encouraging and recognizing talented young organists from around the world. The chamber group Trio Soave, comprised of doctoral students (pictured left to right) Hilary Lowery, clarinet; Shulin Guo, piano; and Zhaolin Wang, viola; performed an Honors Recital at the annual Kansas Music Educators Association In-Service Workshop in Wichita in February.
Brian Sussman, a master’s student in voice performance, received an encouragement award at the Metropolitan Opera Kansas City auditions in January. He is pictured second to left with the other award winners. The Marching Jayhawks celebrated their season with the annual band banquet January 20 at the Kansas Union. Students, directors and staff had the opportunity to reflect on the season via the banquet video, recognize seniors and acknowledge the many efforts of the students. The following awards were distributed: Outstanding Colorguard/Auxiliary Member: Nicole Johnson Outstanding Drumline Member: Mike Selbert Outstanding Brass Member: Br ady O’Donnell Outstanding Woodwind Member: Peyton K aercher Spirit and Dedication Award: Val Jardon Outstanding Band Member Award: Andre Womack Thomas Stidham Award: Megann Lawrenz James Barnes Award: K ayn Milholland Robert E. Foster Award: Matt MacK ay John G. Wall Award: Ella Galbr aith KU MUSIC ALUMNI - SEND US YOUR NEWS Land a new job or finish that Ph.D? We want to hear about the great work our alumni are doing in the world of music. Send your music related news to musicnews@ku.edu.
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QuickNotes - Spring 2019 - music.ku.edu
is also the founder and CEO of the Chicago International Music Competition and Festival. The first festival was held last summer in Wheaton, Illinois. A second competition and festival is planned for this summer.
On March 26, ten students had the opportunity to showcase their musical talents at the spring Undergraduate Honor Recital in Swarthout Recital Hall. The students selected to perform were (pictured left to right): Guobi Malcom Liu, a senior piano major; Lingxiao Li, a junior music performance major studying saxophone from Dalian, China; Ethan Martin, a junior majoring in percussion performance and composition from Spring Hill, Kansas; Lauren Molloy, a junior majoring in music theory and percussion performance from Austin, Texas; Debor ah Hass, a senior flute performance major from Shawnee, Kansas; Gr ace Heldridge, a sophomore vocal performance major from Omaha Nebraska; Victoria Searles, a junior vocal performance major from Topeka,Kansas; K atherine Anderson, a sophomore majoring in clarinet performance and music education with a voice emphasis from Omaha, Nebraska; AnnaMarie Sosa, a junior vocal performance major from Junction City, Kansas; and Jane Trembley, a junior vocal performance major from Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Gretchen Pille, MM ‘18 in voice performance, was placed under contract with the Des Moines Metro Opera for its spring outreach program. She will sing the role of First Lady and Queen in the Magic Flute and Little Red in Little Red Riding Hood’s Most Unusual Day.
Mark your calendar for Oct. 18 thru 20, 2019, for a special celebration recognizing Tuba Professor Scott Watson’s 40th year of teaching at KU and a reunion of former tuba and euphonium students. The weekend will include performances and social events for both current students and alumni. Email event coordinator Jarrod Williams, MM ‘02 in tuba performance and professor of tuba-euphonium at East Carolina University for more information.
Alumni NEWS Lindsay Taylor Hatfield, B.M.E. ‘07, received the KU Outstanding Music Educator Award at the annual Kansas Music Educators Association In-Service Workshop in Wichita in February. Hatfield, pictured with MEMT Chair Chris Johnson, is a music teacher at Schwegler Elementary School in Lawrence. The award is given each year at the KMEA KU Alumni Reunion and the honoree is selected by KU Music Education faculty. Mezzo-soprano Kristee Haney, DMA ‘14 in voice performance, sang the role of The Fox in The Little Prince by Rachel Portman in February for the Tulsa Opera. This fall Mei Li, DMA ’18 in piano performance, joined the piano faculty at Hesston College in Hesston, Kansas. She
Upcoming Events APRIL APR. 7 FACULTY RECITAL SERIES: DAVID COLWELL, violin and AYAKO TSURUTA, piano 7:30 p.m. | Swarthout Recital Hall APR. 10 KU WORLD PERCUSSION ENSEMBLES 7 p.m. | Lawrence Arts Center APR. 11 KU JAZZ COMBOS II, III and V 7:30 p.m. | Swarthout Recital Hall APR. 15 VISITING ARTIST SERIES: TIM THOMPSON, horn 5 p.m. | Swarthout Recital Hall APR. 16 KU WIND ENSEMBLE* 7:30 p.m. | Lied Center APR. 17 KU JAZZ COMBOS I, IV and VI 7:30 p.m. | Swarthout Recital Hall
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APR. 18 KU PERCUSSION GROUP 7:30 p.m. | Swarthout Recital Hall
APR. 28 COLLEGIUM MUSICUM CONCERT 7:30 p.m. | Swarthout Recital Hall
APR. 20 FLUTE STUDIO RECITAL 2:30 p.m. | Swarthout Recital Hall
APR. 30 KU UNIVERSITY BAND & JAZZ ENSEMBLES II and III* 7:30 p.m. | Lied Center
APR. 20 SPOONER STUDIO: BEETHOVEN SONATA RECITAL SERIES 2:30 p.m. | Lied Pavilion APR. 22 KU TUBA-EUPHONIUM CONSORT 7:30 p.m. | Swarthout Recital Hall APR. 23 KU SAXOPHONE QUARTETS 7:30 p.m. | Swarthout Recital Hall APR. 24 VIOLA STUDIO RECITAL 5 p.m. | Swarthout Recital Hall APR. 25 COMPOSITION & PIANO RECITAL 7:30 p.m. | Swarthout Recital Hall APR. 26 KU CHOIRS: GLEE CLUB, TREBLE CHOIR, UNIVERSITY SINGERS 7:30 p.m. | First United Methodist Church (downtown)
MAY MAY 1 CELLO STUDIO RECITAL 7:30 p.m. | Swarthout Recital Hall MAY 2 MAY 2
SPOONER STUDIO: BEETHOVEN SONATA RECITAL SERIES 7 p.m. | Lied Pavilion KU SYMPHONIC BAND* 7:30 p.m. | Lied Center
MAY 3 KU CHOIRS: CHAMBER SINGERS, CONCERT CHOIR, VOCAL COLLEGIUM MUSICUM 7:30 p.m. | Swarthout Recital Hall MAY 3 KU JAZZ ENSEMBLE I with NICK WEISER, piano 7:30 p.m. | Lawrence Arts Center MAY 5 PHI MU ALPHA AMERICAN MUSIC RECITAL 7:30 p.m. | Bales Organ Recital Hall MAY 7 KU CHOIRS: BALES CHORALE 7:30 p.m. | Bales Organ REcital Hall MAY 7 KU TROMBONE & HORN CHOIRS 7:30 p.m. | Swarthout Recital Hall MAY 8 TROMBONE CHOIR CONCERT 7:30 p.m. | Bales Organ Recital Hall MAY 11 SAXOPHONE STUDIO RECITAL 9 a.m. | Swarthout Recital Hall MAY 18 SCHOOL OF MUSIC RECOGNITION CEREMONY 10:30 a.m. | Crafton-Preyer Theatre
All events subject to change. Please visit music.ku.edu for the latest event information. Admission is free unless otherwise noted. *Concert will be live streamed. Live stream updates available here.
APR. 26 KU OPERA: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM MAY 2,4 7:30 P.M. | Crafton-Preyer Theatre APR. 28 2:30 p.m. | Crafton-Preyer Theatre Tickets at KU Theatre Box Office
QuickNotes - Spring 2019 - music.ku.edu