The Triangle, publication of Mu Phi Epsilon music fraternity, Volume 118, Issue 2 Summer 2024
DOUBLE THE MUSIC, DOUBLE THE FUN! Identical twins fondly recall heyday in Hollywood
Pianist, composer and educator Francisco Pulgar-Vidal (1929-2012) gained recognition in Peru for his blend of avant-garde contemporary style with traditional Peruvian sounds.
Fraternity Mission Statement: Mu Phi Epsilon International Professional Music Fraternity is a coeducational fraternity whose aim is the advancement of music in the community, nation, and world through the promotion of musicianship, scholarship and music education with emphasis on service through music.
EDITOR Kat Braz editor@muphiepsilon.org
DESIGN & PRODUCTION Paul Wilson thetriangle@muphiepsilon.org
Send all material for publication to: Kat Braz, editor@muphiepsilon.org
The Triangle welcomes story suggestions from Mu Phi Epsilon members and friends. Publication selections will be made at the discretion of the editor. Photos must be provided as the original digital file at high resolution. Please include photographer credit information. All photographs are published courtesy of the contributor unless photographer credit is provided.
Deadlines for submissions: Spring — November 15 Summer — March 15 Fall — July 15
Change of address, renewals, notice of deceased members, requests for extra copies and subscription requests should be sent to:
Mu Phi Epsilon International Executive Office 6510 Telecom Drive, Suite 200 Indianapolis, IN 46278 toll free: 888-259-1471 fax: 888-855-8670 email: executiveoffice@muphiepsilon.org
The Triangle is published three times per year by Mu Phi Epsilon, International Professional Music Fraternity.
Member, Professional Fraternity Association. (Volume 118, Issue 2)
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POSTMASTER: Send all changes of address to: Mu Phi Epsilon, 6510 Telecom Drive, Suite 370 Indianapolis, IN 46278
KURT-ALEXANDER ZELLER, INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT, MU CHI, ATLANTA ALUMNI PRESIDENT@MUPHIEPSILON.ORG
Pivoting to Find Your Place in the Fraternity
ne of my favorite types of harmonic progression is the chromatic third relationship, which was a trick Schubert loved — and probably is a reason why Schubert is one of my favorite composers to sing! For anyone who is not as much of a music theory geek as I am, an example of a chromatic third modulation would be when one begins in F major, but the tonic F pitch becomes the third of a major triad on D-flat and serves as a pivot pitch for a modulation to D-flat major. D-flat is a key very harmonically remote from the original F major, but the two tonalities have in common the F pitch that pivots from the function of root (do) to that of third (mi). In so doing, the F remains itself but finds a completely new relationship to the current key. It’s magical!
Why am I inserting a music theory lesson into my president’s message? Because our theme this triennium is “Together in Harmony,” and I think the chromatic third modulation is a perfect metaphor for one way we hope to see that theme carried out. One person, like one pitch, cannot truly have harmony — harmony requires togetherness, whether pitches that must be sounded together to produce a harmonious triad or people who must work together to create harmonious relationships. Right now, each of us has a context in Mu Phi Epsilon for our experience and enjoyment of harmony — we’re members of a collegiate chapter or an alumni chapter, or perhaps we’re an affiliate member. We
feel rooted in familiar surroundings and know we belong — just like that F as the tonic of F major.
But our circumstances in life change. We graduate, we get a new job, we move to a new city, we retire—we constantly find ourselves in new contexts, even if we are “the same old F” we were before. It can be tempting to think that since our familiar context is no longer there, we can’t find a place for ourselves to continue in Mu Phi Epsilon harmony. Not so! I want to urge us all to “pivot” to find a new context to have a place in Mu Phi Epsilon, much as the F in my example pivots from root to third to find a new home and function in the harmony of a remote key. If you’re leaving your current context — graduating, transferring, moving — find a new place in Mu Phi Epsilon where you can be part of the harmony. Join an alumni chapter. Become an affiliate member. Be like Shania Carden (Beta Alpha) and Chester Perez-Bingham (Beta Alpha), who left their undergraduate chapter and started our newest chapter, Eta Theta at California State University, Long Beach, to find their Mu Phi Epsilon harmony in graduate school. Volunteer as a district director or as a chapter advisor to a chapter that doesn’t have one. No matter how “remote” you may be from where you started, there’s always going to be a place for you to fit into the harmony of Mu Phi Epsilon!
FOUNDATION
n November 13, 2023, Mu Phi Epsilon celebrated its 120th birthday! And the Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation, established in 1963 to honor the 60th anniversary of the Fraternity, marked its 60th birthday.
On Founders Day 2023, the Fraternity and Foundation launched the 120/60 Campaign to celebrate these Diamond and Double-Diamond anniversaries. The 120/60 Campaign builds on our historic tradition of “Founders Day Pennies,” in which members contributed a penny for every year of the Fraternity’s existence, to help fund the many grants, scholarships and programs run by the Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation for the benefit of all Mu Phi Epsilon members.
How Can You Help?
The Fraternity and Foundation have a goal of raising $12,060 to mark these historic double anniversaries and we need your help to get there. We encourage all members and chapters to consider a special 120/60 Campaign gift that fits your own finances. Whether it’s $1,200 or $6, we encourage you to give at the level that is meaningful to you, no matter the size.
We hope that, like the founders of Mu Phi Epsilon in 1903 and the founders of the Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation in 1963, each of you will help make the dream of a “brilliant” future for both organizations a reality through a donation to the 120/60 Campaign.
Anniversary Pins
In recognition of major gifts during the campaign, the Foundation is presenting two limited edition anniversary pins. To receive a pin, you must pledge certain donation amounts during the campaign. Completion of these gifts can be outside of the campaign’s timeframe. Both pins are made with sterling silver, depicting the violet and triangle at the center surrounded by the two founding dates of 1903 and 1963. The Fraternity pin adds a 4mm cubic zirconia stone to commemorate this significant milestone.
FRATERNITY ANNIVERSARY PIN
Pledges of $1,200 or more will be honored upon completion with a limitededition pin celebrating the Fraternity’s 120th anniversary.
FOUNDATION ANNIVERSARY PIN
Pledges between $60-$1,199 will be honored upon completion with a limitededition pin celebrating the Foundation’s 60th anniversary.
CELEBRATING A SUCCESSFUL GRANT CYCLE
The Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation has led a productive and eventful year since our annual meeting in Grapevine, Texas. With many changes and revisions to our scholarships and grants, we hope that our application process was made slightly easier for you! If you have any feedback as an applicant, please do reach out to our grants and scholarships coordinator, Danielle Kuntz (Mu Phi, Cleveland Area Alumni) at grants@mpefoundation.org.
The Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation board is happy to report we received over 225 applications for our 2023-2024 scholarships and grants cycle. One of our many fantastic winners is Chase Crispin (Beta Pi, Lincoln Alumni), recipient of the 2024 music educators grant. Crispin teaches jazz band, guitar and music theory and runs after school instrumental and vocal music programs at Muchin College Prep in downtown Chicago. This is a highly diverse charter school in the Chicago Loop serving students from more than 60 Chicago area zip codes. With the grant, Crispin was able to provide a Yamaha keyboard, an amplifier and sheet music for his students.
Kara Dixon, (Phi Mu, Palo Alto Alumni), President, Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation
The music educators grant is one of many grants offered by the Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation that are currently unnamed. If you would like to have a scholarship or grant in your name, please contact vicepresident@mpefoundation.org to learn more.
Chase Crispin (Beta Pi, Lincoln Alumni), music teacher at Muchin College Prep, stands near the Yamaha keyboard procured for the school through a 2024 music educators grant.
Nominate a Philanthropic Organization to Receive Funding from MFE Foundation
APPLICATIONS DUE MARCH 15
The Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation is seeking nominations for 2025 philanthropies. Any current dues-paying-member of Mu Phi Epsilon may nominate a philanthropic organization for funding. Not all nominations will be awarded. Nominations are due March 15, 2025. Please contact Matthew Hoch (Lambda), philanthropies chair, at philanthropies@mpefoundation.org with any questions regarding the application.
Nominations must include:
• Organization name
• Organization mission statement
• Contact (email and phone) for executive director or president of board
• Link to or hard copy of annual financial report
• Names of active dues-paying members connected to Mu Phi Epsilon
• Name of active dues-paying nominator
To ensure the greatest impact, the organization must:
• Have an operating budget of less than $250,000
• Demonstrate how its mission aligns with that of the Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation
• Be involved primarily in music making whether that be schooling, lessons, camps or perfor mances, etc.
• Provide services for or support historically underrepresented and minoritized communities of music makers
More information and an application may be found on the Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation website, mpefoundation.org/philanthropies.
JORDAN RIEK, EPSILON EPSILON
MUSIC FEST PERUGIA
Collegiate recounts journey to perform opera in Italy
n August 2023, I traveled to Perugia, in the Umbria region of Italy with four other Mu Phi Epsilon members from the Epsilon Epsilon chapter at Texas Christian University. We were so excited to perform in the Music Fest Perugia where we would have a chance to sing arias in recital with full orchestra, sing in masterclasses and potentially perform in our first opera abroad. My trip was funded by the Ines Pratt Jamison Scholarship from the Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation. I am incredibly grateful for this life-changing experience and for all the support I have received from my Mu Phi family. I met so many amazing people and made such wonderful music while in Italy.
When we arrived, we traveled up through the Perugian fort that was built in 1540 to get to the center of town where we would spend most of our time. The town was absolutely beautiful and looked like it was straight out of an Italian fresco painting. We could see the rolling hills of Umbria and the whole town from our small hotel in the center of town. The food was also incredible. Perugia specializes in the production of truffles and chocolate. We ate a lot of truffle pizzas and umbricelli, a style of pasta unique to Umbria, made with sausage and truffles.
The day after we arrived, we had callbacks for the opera Le Nozze di Figaro. My friends and I walked to the oratorio for our auditions and performed our arias and the finale with a pianist. After our callbacks, I found out that I would be performing the role of Barbarina in Music Fest Perugia’s production of Le Nozze di Figaro with a full orchestra. I was overjoyed at this news and very excited to perform with many talented musicians. We performed in the most beautiful hall, called Sala dei Notari. The hall was covered wall to wall with frescos that even went over the ceiling, it was magnificent.
Watching my friends and fellow Mu Phi members perform beautifully with an orchestra was absolutely breathtaking. I am so grateful to have experienced this with them. We all grew so much as musicians and as humans while we were in Italy. We also got to watch concerto performances with an orchestra every night of the festival in which people from all over would play their instruments.
In addition to the opera that I performed with the orchestra, I also performed two recitals with piano. I had the honor of performing the Lamké “Flower Duet” with one of my best
friends. We also got to work in masterclasses every day for three weeks and have private lessons with teachers from other countries. One of the guest artists who worked with us was world-renowned opera singer Eva Mei. She taught multiple masterclasses and had lessons in which she helped with my arias and my acting.
On August 5, I made my European debut in the opera. I performed with singers from all over the world including
The cast of Le Nozze di Figaro from Music Fest Perugia, Riek is wearing blue.
Jordan Riek and Anna Borges performing the Lakmé Flower Duet.
Uruguay, Poland, China, Italy, Slovakia and Israel. We did the majority of Le Nozze di Figaro, semi-staged, with a full orchestra and costumes. I vividly remember the moment where I took a deep breath and entered the stage for my aria, “L’ho perduta,” in the beginning of the final act. I entered through the audience, searching as I made my way to the stage. The sound of the orchestra flowed through my body as I sang my final cadenza at the end of the aria. This was genuinely one of the greatest feelings of my life. Nothing else in the whole world feels like performing with a full orchestra.
After the opera, we all ate together at a lovely restaurant and celebrated our performance. I made lifelong friendships from this experience and learned so much about myself as a musician and as a person. I have since grown immensely in my technique and musicianship. I also have even greater appreciation for my fellow Mu Phi members who traveled with me to perform at Music Fest Perugia. I could not have asked for better humans to accompany me on my Italian opera journey last summer. I am incredibly grateful.
From left: Jordan Riek, Alicia Cruz, Anna Borges and Catherine Digrazia, four active members of the Epsilon Epsilon chapter at Texas Christian University who traveled to Italy for Music Fest Perugia in August 2023.
The view from a bridge in Perugia.
WENDY A. SISTRUNK, INTERNATIONAL LIBRARIAN/ARCHIVES
PIONEERS IN ORCHESTRAL CONDUCTING: ETHEL LEGINSKA
“Women in Music Today: An Interview with Ethel Legenske, Conductor of the Boston Women’s Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Women’s Symphony”
BY ETHEL LENGINSKE, (IOTA ALPHA)
TRANSCRIBED FROM THE TRIANGLE, VOL. XXIII, NO. 2 (FEB. 1929)
terrific problem faces the woman who wishes to take her place on the same par with man in music, because no one wants to give her a chance.
I went to Munich to study the technique of the baton that I might intelligently conduct my own compositions. Then too, conducting held great fascination to me. My teacher, Rupert Hagen, gave me much encouragement, insisting that I had a talent in this field. He arranged two programs in one week in Munich for me and the critics were most favorable and said, “She conducts with authority.”
The critical moment was at hand. I was urged on every side to make this my life work. I did not decide in a moment, even to take a further step in this direction. I thought very seriously. My career as a pianist was established. Was I to give up a certainty for something so very uncertain and enter an entirely new field not only in my own life but in the life of woman? But — it was a big thing, a much bigger thing than being a soloist. The symphony is bigger than the sonata, the orchestra than one performer. I accepted the offer to conduct the orchestra in Berlin and a little later in London and had no more trouble than any new man conductor. I came back to America and you know what has followed.
All the time my thoughts were forming a women’s orchestra. Why not a women’s orchestra? Many women play as well as men, and it is very unjust not to give them the same opportunity. To be sure women do not yet take such work seriously enough. They say they are tired of working for so little pay Yet, until they prove that they can fill their place in a big orchestral organization, they cannot demand the same pay as men receive. It is a vicious circle arguing around and around, that time alone can break into.
A woman should have the chance to play in our big orchestras. If she has talent, and her performance, her interpretation and musical background are as good as a man’s, why not? What do I care if the player be woman or man, young or old, as long as she is serious? Of course, if, as men think, all women are frivolous, wanting to take time to look in her mirror to rouge and use lipstick: Out she goes! But women are not all of this type. Many of them are much more talented and proficient than many of the men now engaged in our orchestras. I should say that 25% of our orchestras today could be women to good advantage, for a woman when talented and serious is a worker, and lends a spirit of enthusiasm that fires the ambition of all who come in contact with her, and man does not like to have woman’s work better than his.
There should be a women’s orchestra in every city, and they should play the same works as our big orchestras anywhere. I never compromise because they are women. That would not be good for them. We play Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, in fact all the great composers. Every program should have some modern work also, of the good writers. There is much of beauty as well as interest in these modern works that we must know. Music like life goes ever forward, there is no going backward and we must not find ourselves left behind in this great life of ours.
In the future there will be a great women’s orchestra, if we get the backing, and the people with means will only take us seriously as indeed we are. All great orchestras are underwritten for thousands of dollars. If we could get thirty thousand dollars, much less any amount for other orchestras, the future of our orchestra would be assured.
Every conductor must live the music of the players. Every movement must be an interpretation of the soul of the text. To do this, one must study always. The technique of the baton is of just as much importance as the technique of any instrument is to the player of that particular instrument. One should study under different conductors. Each one has something of his own individuality to give to his pupils. As soon as my season is over, I will go this year to sit at the feet of Toscanini, to study his methods. We must not forget the children. In our tour this year we gave a
number of afternoon concerts for children. These concerts given by many orchestras over the country are one of the biggest things in American music today.
I always give the children a little friendly talk first, telling them that they have to work when they attend a concert, just as hard as the players, because if they sit still and listen carefully, and intelligently, they are working as hard as the orchestras. And really the children are often better in this respect than the grown folk. We then talk over the compositions on the program, and the tone quality of the different instruments. It is surprising how much these children know of both the instruments and the main themes of the great works. I also show them what the beat of the baton means by having a little drill, such as having them all say the word “Oboe” on my down beat. After a few attempts the whole audience gives me back a big “Oboe,” in perfect unison instantly on my down beat. Thus the children unconsciously learned the meaning of the baton. These concerts mean a bigger and better audience in the future; an audience of musical intelligence demanding the best of everything in music; an audience which means a musical America.
It has been hard, but any pioneer finds it hard — hard not to be taken in all seriousness, but we are serious. We are here to stay. We will have a great women’s orchestra. Women will have her place in the big orchestras of the world. Great things are before us in the future.
This article was written from an interview given to our national editor and national president after a luncheon given by the St. Louis Alumnae Club in honor of Ethel Leginska, guest conductor of the St. Louis Symphony and Mary McCoy, leading lady in My Maryland. If you can in these lines get just a little of the keen intellect and intense personality of our Ethel; of the dynamic force behind each word that made one feel as if every word should be in italics or underscored, we will feel we have given you much. Her hands and expression are just as persuasive when she speaks as when she is conducting and one must hear her to realize the great seriousness, charged with such vitality and friendliness that it electrifies one to be in her presence. Indeed we are proud to claim one who in such a great pioneer movement has created an organization of women that in so short a time has made a place in the world that the world will always feel the need of from now on.
We are happy to give you this new picture in which she proudly pointed out her Mu Phi pin which had photographed so well. We too, are proud of that pin, and her great musicianship and sisterly interest. She will inspire each and every one of us to make more serious efforts towards greater attainments in the greatest of all arts, music.
—Pearl N. Johnson (Theta), Triangle editor (1929)
Born Ethel Liggins in 1886, Ethel Leginska (Iota Alpha) was a British pianist, conductor, composer and pioneer of women’s opportunity in music performance. She adopted the stage name Leginska in 1906 at the suggestion of British socialite Lady Maud Warrender. At that time, many of the top-class musicians were Polish. Leginska established the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, which she conducted (1926-27); she was head of the Boston Women’s Symphony Orchestra (1926-1930); she founded the National Women’s Symphony Orchestra in New York in 1932 and served as the director of the Chicago Women’s Symphony Orchestra (1927-1929). She died in Los Angeles in 1970 at age 83.
Andean ancestral Roots
The Peruvian Sounds in Francisco Pulgar-Vidal’s Piano Works
eru, the third largest country in South America, boasts a vast array of geography, ecology, demographics and politics. This diversity is reflected in Peru’s art and folk music, including its solo piano repertoire. Peruvian folk music varies depending on the region, and Peruvian composers have been incorporating unique folk elements for decades, if not centuries. The emergence of Peruvian art music during the early and mid-20th century was particularly significant for current composers and their works. Francisco Pulgar-Vidal (1929-2012), a pianist, composer and educator belonging to the Generation of Fifty, explored a variety of indigenous musical traditions while utilizing twelve-tone and other European techniques. This article aims to introduce him and his contribution to Peruvian music. Specifically, this article will look at the use of traditional musical elements in his piano works.
Francisco Pulgar-Vidal was born on March 12, 1929, in Huánuco, a city located in central Peru. He grew up with eight siblings, including his eldest brother Javier Pulgar-Vidal (19112003), who was a renowned historian and geographer. Despite graduating as a lawyer from the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in 1950, where he also completed studies in art and literature, Francisco’s real passion was for music. In 1943, he started taking music lessons and learned to play the violin and piano with Mariano Béjar Pacheco and Gustavo Leguía, respectively. Additionally, he studied bassoon performance at the National Music Conservatory in Lima in 1949.
A composer of the Generation of the Fifty, Pulgar-Vidal gained recognition in Peru for his blend of avant-garde contemporary style with traditional Peruvian sounds. He was awarded the Dunker Lavalle Prize three times, for his first and third string quartets, as well as his piano sonata. His vocal piece, Tres Poemas Líricos (Three Lyrical Poems) for a cappella choir, was also praised
as “the most widespread and important works of Peruvian choral literature.” In 1971, his cantata Apu Inqa earned him the only prize at the Choral-Symphonic Composition Contest, which was organized for the 150th anniversary of Peruvian Independence. He was also honored with the Kunter National Folklore Prize in 1995.
Characteristics in Pulgar-Vidal’s Piano Works
Pulgar-Vidal’s piano compositions showcase a blend of European and Peruvian musical styles, much like his orchestral and choral works. In this article, I will explore four of his piano pieces — Paco Yunque (1960), Pases (1974), Sonatina Chuscada (1972) and Taki No.1 (1956-for piano; 1960-for orchestra) — and classify them based on their incorporation of national themes, use of pentatonic scales, bimodality and interlocking technique, call-andresponse patterns, hemiola, parallel harmonization, syncopation and offbeat accents.
1. Use of Nationalistic themes
The composer incorporated elements of Peruvian culture into his piano compositions using nationalistic themes. One of his most well-known works is Paco Yunque, a suite consisting of three pieces based on Peruvian novels and poems. The first piece, Paco Yunque, was inspired by a popular children’s book of the same name written by Peruvian writer and poet César Vallejo in 1931. Taki no.1 is an eight-piece suite that reflects the scenes and activities in the Andes through its titles. Additionally, Pases, a short piece that can be played solo or with a cajón, is based on the Peruvian folk dance festejo and Latin dance zapateo. Both dances are associated with the movements and rhythms created by foot-tapping. Finally, Sonatina Chuscada, a piece in three movements, is inspired by the wayno, a popular genre in the South Andes and is also known as Chuscada.
2. Use of pentatonic scale
Peruvian music is renowned for its use of the pentatonic scale. The quena and antara are some of the traditional instruments that have a restricted range within this scale. In Peruvian culture, these are generally used in solo pieces. The pentatonic scale holds great significance in religious and ceremonial music, particularly among the Inca community. In the Harawi genre, a group of elderly women sing, and the pentatonic scale plays a crucial part. The first movement of Pulgar-Vidal’s Sonatina Chuscada is an example of the use pentatonic scales. The piece also employs two pentatonic scales, with the same tonal center in both the right-hand melody and left-hand accompaniment.
3.
Bitonality and Interlocking
Peruvian and Andean music commonly employs bimodality, where two different sets of pitches are alternated or even placed side by side within a piece. In Andean music, instrument tuning was crucial, with neighboring tones and microtonal intervals often utilized.1 Traditional Sikuri ensembles use an interlocking technique called tenzado. This technique involves players of larger panpipes working together to provide continuity and longer phrases. The players are often divided into two groups, with each group playing a different melody or rhythmic pattern alternately to create a complete melodic or rhythmic line.2 This technique was developed in response to the difficulty posed by playing Peruvian panpipes in high altitude of the Andes, which requires a lot of air. In the final movement of Sonatina Chuscada, Pulgar-Vidal applies a pentatonic scale in the right hand and a diatonic scale in the left to mimic the interlocking dissonance characteristic of sikuri ensemble music.
4. Call-and-response
Call-and-response refers to a musical pattern between two successive phrases where the second phrase is a response to the first phrase. It is a common pattern found in African music and it was brought to Peru in the nineteenth century. It is found in ritual music and Afro-Peruvian genres, such as marinera, festejo, and contrapunto de zapateo.3
In Pulgar-Vidal’s piano works, the call-and-response pattern is often paired with a contrapuntal texture and accompanied
1 According to Mark Brill, an occasional juxtaposition of major and minor keys can be found in traditional Andean music. Mark Brill, Music of the Latin America and The Caribbean (New York, NY: Routledge, 2016), 303
Brill, 307.
Brill, 330.
Example 1. Sonatina Chuscada, first movement, mm.1-4.
Example 2. Sonatina Chuscada, third movement, mm.1-6.
by some baroque compositional techniques such as diminution, imitation and stretto. For example, in Fuiste a la puna grande, the subject between the upper and the lower voice is the calland-response pattern. It is sometimes present in contrapuntal texture when a countersubject is played against the main subject.
5. Hemiola (sesquialtera in Latin American)
Hemiola in Pulgar-Vidal’s music reflects the influence of marinera, a blend of Spanish Roma and Afro-Peruvian music that was popular in 1950s Peru.
In the following examples, Pulgar-Vidal uses the hemiola to evoke disparate moods. Mi pobre pollo pintado and Quebrada Pedregosa are two contrasting compositions featured in Taki No.1. Mi pobre pollo pintado is a serene and melancholic piece where hemiola is used in a nondisruptive manner. Quebrada Pedregosa, on the other hand, employs hemiola as a consistent rhythmic beat throughout the entirety of the composition.
6. Parallel Harmonization and simple harmony
Sikuri ensembles typically consist of four instruments, ranging from soprano to bass. Usually, the instruments doubled the melodies in octaves or parallel thirds and fifths apart, forming a parallel harmonization.
Parallel harmonization takes place in many of the selected works. For example, in Lucero de la mañana from Taki no.1, the voices are played in parallel motion, and the bottom two voices are set a third apart for almost the entire piece.
7. Syncopation and off-beat accent Syncopation, with the short-long-short rhythmic pattern, is an element of Andean music. Such rhythmic pattern is found frequently in Pulgar-Vidal’s music, like in Danza Turcos and Cóndor de diamante from Taki No.1. The syncopated rhythm enhances the dancelike mood in Danza Turcos, while in Cóndor de diamante it creates a more gentle and elegant feeling. An offbeat accent is sometimes added in the syncopations, such as the ending of Lucero de la mañana.
Example 6. Lucero de la mañana from Taki No.1, mm.1-16.
Example 7. Danza “Turcos” from Taki No.1, mm.1-3.
Example 8. Cóndor de diamante from Taki No.1, mm.1-4.
Example 9. Lucero de la mañana from Taki No.1, mm.33-37.
Example 3. Fuiste a la puna grande from Taki No.1, mm.16-22.
Example 4. Mi pobre pollo pintado from Taki No.1, mm. 7-13.
Example 5. Quebrada Pedregosa from Taki No.1, mm.1-4.
The off-beat accents are used effectively in Pases. Based on the Peruvian folk dances, the rhythmic patterns in Pases are created by imitating the dancing rhythm of the tap dancer and the off-beat accents generate excitement in the piece.
Pulgar-Vidal, a prominent composer of his time, ingeniously combined traditional folk elements with experimental techniques of the European avant-garde to create a unique sound. The selected piano pieces by Pulgar-Vidal showcase his creativity in bringing the vibrant Peruvian culture into piano music. Although these works are not typically included in the piano repertoire, they are worth exploring for a broader audience. Playing these pieces can help audiences appreciate the unique and appealing musical styles of Peruvian music. I hope this article serves as a foundation for future research in this area and encourages the discovery of other undiscovered Peruvian musicians. I would like to acknowledge Elsa Pulgar-Vidal (the widow of Pulgar-Vidal) and Filarmonika Music Publishing, for granting permission and providing support in writing this article.
Pases, Paco Yunque, Sonatina Chuscada and Taki no.1 by Francisco Pulgar-Vidal is exclusively published by Filarmonika Music Publishing.
Between the Andes & the Amazon Latin American Piano Works
Francisco Pulgar-Vidal, composer
Blanca Layana Gómez, composer
Po Sim Head, piano
Antara: an Andean panpipe and is the major instrument in sikuri music.
Cajón: a Peruvian box-shaped percussion instrument.
Harawi: an ancient traditional genre of Andean music that’s typically a moody, soulful slow and melodic tune played on the quena.
Marinera is a courtship dance where a man in an elegant suit dances with a barefooted girl in a flowing dress.
Paco Yunque: a children’s story originally written in Spanish by César Vallejo, a Peruvian well-known poet, and writer. First published (posthumously) in 1951, the story was based on a real-life experience the writer encountered.
Quena: a traditional Andean flute with six holes and one thumb hole. It is often made of cane or wood.
Wayno: a genre of popular Andean music and dance that combines traditional rural folk music and popular urban dance music.
Born in Hong Kong, Po Sim Head (Omega Omega, Kansas City Alumni) is a pianist, educator and musicologist who has a strong passion for discovering lesser-known piano repertoire from Latin America. Head received a doctorate degree in piano performance and pedagogy from the University of Kansas under the instruction of Scott McBride Smith. Her thesis introduced a few piano compositions written by a Peruvian composer Francisco Pulgar-Vidal, some of which are included on her Navona Records release. Prior to her doctorate degree, Head received her master’s degrees in piano performance and musicology from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and earned a bachelor’s degree in music composition and production at Hong Kong Baptist University.
Example 10. Pases, mm. 40-49.
JAN BUNKER, BETA ALPHA, PALOS VERDES/SOUTH BAY ALUMNI
WHICH ONE ARE
TWIN TALES FROM THE HEARTLAND TO HOLLYWOOD
As a small child, I used to lie under the family piano and listen to my dad playing Chopin. I knew I wanted to play like him and seriously studied piano throughout my childhood and teen years. Little did I know this childhood daydream would change my whole life.
I was inspired to write our book, Which One Are You?, because I recently retired from a fifty year career of performing and teaching. I have an identical twin sister, and we had quite an incredible performing career in our 20s, which morphed into many different musical identities during our 30s and 40s. I continued to perform in my 50s but also began teaching piano and voice.
One of the reasons I was able to always make a living in music was my early piano lessons and the discipline and perseverance music education fosters. Mu Phi Epsilon was a big influence in my teaching career and the friendships and opportunities it continues to offer are invaluable.
The book makes for an interesting read about being an identical twin, TV show appearances, life on the road, the recording industry, and making a living as a musician/teacher for over 50 years.
The Burgundy Street Singers
EXCERPT FROM “WHICH ONE ARE YOU?”
Showbiz — Believe It or Don’t
JAN: “There I was in the Miami Playboy Hotel opening night, waiting for the revolving stage to start turning. I was playing the upright piano, the band was grooving, we all were singing. Suddenly I thought, ‘Why is the piano moving away from me?’
I scooted the piano bench closer to the piano, but the keyboard kept inching away. We were still in motion and the
stage hadn’t clicked into its final position. When it did ... I almost fainted.
The scene in my memory was in slow-motion. The piano began to vibrate and performed a back dive at least ten feet into the empty orchestra pit. KA-BOING-G-G-G-G-G!
The sound of the piano hitting the floor and the strings reverberating on and on was something I’ll never forget. The audience screamed and we were all in shock. It was a miracle no one was killed. We obviously didn’t perform that night, and the hotel bought everyone drinks. I needed one. OK, two.”
The Cocoanut Grove Incident JILL: “Les Brown’s band was electrifying. The trumpets were blaring, the saxophones wailing and it was almost showtime. My heart was pounding and my throat felt like it was closed off, but this was the opening night at the Cocoanut Grove — the premiere nightclub in Los Angeles.
Dick Haymes, once a famous crooner in the 50s, was making a comeback, and Jan and I and the Burgundy Street Singers were the opening act. It had only been a short time since we were playing gyms and officers clubs across Kansas.
I nudged Jan as we noticed famous faces in the front row. Oh my God — was that Debbie Reynolds? Jack Nicholson? Jane Powell? Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme? Elizabeth Taylor? I thought I might pass out!
We peeked out from behind the curtain as Dick Haymes was crooning one of his famous songs. The crowd loved it. My legs felt like lead as Jan grabbed my hand and we ran into the spotlight. All of a sudden we were performing ‘Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy’ with Patty Andrews, of the Andrews Sisters. The crowd went crazy.
‘You’re great!’ said Patty, a moment our parents never forgot. Then the group sang five-part jazz harmony with Dick Haymes on a medley of his hits: ‘You’ll Never Know,’ ‘Tangerine,’ ‘The More I See You’ and ‘It Might as Well Be Spring.’
As we danced across the stage, Henry Mancini called out ‘Great job, Twinnies! I have two at home, you know!’
Les Brown started playing ‘String of Pearls.’ Jan and I were about to do a somersault over our partners’ arms, a toss through their legs and a final throw high in the air that culminated in a landing on one leg.
Fortunately, I landed it. I looked over at the spotlight on the other side of the stage. Jan wasn’t there. What in the world had happened?
JAN: Oh, nothing ... except after I landed my first jitterbug flip over my partner’s arms, my skirt buttons burst. I looked down at the puddle of my skirt around my feet. I was standing in ‘dance pants,’ which look exactly like white panties. I immediately turned and ran backstage, followed by my partner who did a ‘Va-va-voom-and-away-we-go’ move.
All during the two-week run of the show, every time one of the members of the band would ask me ‘Which one are you? Are you the one who lost her skirt?’ I would answer, ‘No, that was my sister!’
But the really amazing thing was many years later, my dance partner was in Aspen and ran into Jack Nicholson. He told Jack that he was one of his favorite actors and had been in the audience at the Cocoanut Grove when he was onstage with Dick Haymes.
Jack smiled and asked lazily, ‘Was that when one of the twins lost her skirt?’
The twins appeared in many commercials and TV specials with Ed McMahon.
The Burgundy Street singers appeared in season three of the Carol Burnett Show.
Jan and Jill started small, (tiny, actually.) They were premature twins weighing just four pounds apiece, born in the equally small town of Junction City, Kansas.
Growing up, they loved piano, voice and dance lessons, never dreaming of a life in show business.
But sometimes dreams find you.
The stories behind how they made it from the heartland to the most popular shows on television (like Happy Days) as well as opening for legends like Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope and Johnny Mathis are inspiring and often hilarious.
Through all their ups and down, the twins’ lives have always been entwined. Even when they were apart, eerie “twin coincidences” continued to happen, along with “twin magic.”
It’s an exhilarating journey that may have you wishing you were a twin. These award-winning musicians, songwriters and teachers have devoted their lives to music and helping others reach their dreams.
BUY THE BOOK
Which One Are You? Twin
Tales: From the Heartland to Hollywood by Jan Bunker and Jill Jaxx is available on Amazon. For more information, visit the authors’ website, www.janandjilltales.com.
On the set of Happy Days with Ron Howard.
A performance at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas.
Live on air with Frankie Avalon.
graduated from Oglethorpe University in May 2022 and works as a receptionist at a law firm.
The Great Plains Piano Company celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Founded by Nebraska native Morgan Cowell (Beta Pi, Lincoln Alumni) in 2014 as M.T. Cowell Piano Services, the Great Plains Piano Company is the largest piano service business in the region, servicing Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas. The company expanded into a retail location in historic University Place in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 2019.
Cleveland Area Alumni celebrated the 100th anniversary of their charter in November with a recital at Baldwin Wallace Conservatory in Cleveland.
The Lincoln Alumni chapter celebrated its 100th anniversary with a gala centennial luncheon and recital in October.
Alto Amanda Howie (Eta Eta, Atlanta Alumni) joined Atlanta’s New South Festival Singers in November. Howie
The Palos Verdes/South Bay Alumni chapter presented the Young Performers Showcase in December. Performers and teachers gathered for a photo at the end of the concert. The audience also recognized Kristal Basua (Gamma Sigma, Palos Verdes/South Bay Alumni) for her 21 years of leadership in producing the showcase, typically held on the weekend of her birthday.
Members of the Sacramento Alumni chapter performed a public concert featuring a flute trio with soprano and piano, soprano solos and piano solo in Eskaton Village Senior Living in Carmichael, Calif., in February. Pictured from left are Carole Barnes (Epsilon Tau, Sacramento Alumni), Sarah Joy Sy (Alpha Delta, Sacramento Alumni), Jason Sia (Alpha Delta, Sacramento Alumni), Maquette Kuper (Beta, Sacramento Alumni), Rachel Geier (Zeta, Sacramento Alumni), Cathie Apple (Alpha Alpha, Sacramento Alumni).
Cathy Johnson (Epsilon Sigma) was inducted into the Washington Music Educators Association Hall of Fame. She is former teacher in the Puyallup School District and a cellist in Symphony Tacoma.
Ashley Bouras (Phi Tau, Dallas Alumni) and Lisa
Storm Beyer (Phi Tau, Dallas Alumni) will present Mindful Movement at the 2024 American Orff-Schulwerk Association conference in Des Moines, Iowa, in November.
Members of Alpha Mu at Missouri State University performed a recital in honor of International Women’s Day in March.
Marilyn Hitchcock (Epsilon Phi, Wichita Alumni), awards chairman for the Wichita Alumni chapter, stands with six of the eight 2024 winners of the chapter’s collegiate awards. Awardees held a recital in February.
A trio of singers from the Alpha Nu chapter at West Texas A&M University placed second at the National Opera Association’s Robert Hansen Collegiate Opera Scenes Competition in Phoenix in January with their performance of “Hatbox Trio” from Postcards from Morocco. Pictured from left are Sarah Beckham-Turner, assistant professor of voice; sophomore Sarah Estes; senior Erin Hinds; junior Brooklynn King; and Robert Hansen, the Regents Professor of Music.
Ann Geiler (Phi Theta, St. Louis Alumni) was honored to serve as the guest conductor for the St. Louis Suburban Music Educators 7th and 8th grade Honors Orchestra. The 70 piece orchestra, an audition group from several programs in the area, performed a concert of six pieces in January.
APPLAUSE & ENCORE
Members of the St. Louis Alumni chapter performed a holiday concert and singalong at Meramec Bluffs-Lutheran Senior Services Community. First row from left: Linda McNair (Omega Omega), Beth Baile (Epsilon Tau), Nannette Tornblom (Phi Kappa), Jeanine Garesche (Mu Gamma) and Elaine Repking (Beta Iota). Second row from left: Daniel Shavers (Epsilon Tau), Kendra Ruesler (patron) and Ann Geiler (Phi Theta)
Eighteen collegiate and alumni members attended the Mu Phi Epsilon Spring Virtual Conference in March. Discussion topics included leadership, rush ideas, college to alumni transitions, SERV successes and professionalism.
Joyce Besch (Epsilon Alpha, Lincoln Alumni) was recently featured on the Nebraska Wesleyan University website. Besch is an adjunct instructor in bassoon and performs with in the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra, Omaha Symphony, Nebraska Symphony Chamber Orchestra and the Lincoln Municipal Band.
Marcia Weiss celebrated her 100th birthday in March. She became a special election member of the Los Angeles Alumni chapter in 1995. At the chapter’s March meeting, Weiss was awarded the Violet Achievement Award for her many years of active participation and generous support of student scholarships.
Chapter president Jewelianna Fuqua reports that Zeta Omega at Illinois College reached its largest enrollment this semester since the chapter was established. Members volunteer at various campus and community organizations throughout the year.
Deon Nielsen Price (Gamma, Los Angeles Alumni) placed third in the 2023 American Prize in Composition for her work on her Rendezvous album.
LET US CLAP FOR YOU!
Send your newsworthy member and chapter news to editor@muphiepsilon.org for consideration in Applause & Encore. Please include a sharp, high-resolution photo and include any identifying information, including the place, date, event or award, and name(s).
Yuki Sekino (Omega Omega, Boston Alumni) performed a solo recital featuring works by Debussy and Scriabin in Ashburnham, Mass., in April.
Chrisalyne Hagood (Gamma Gamma, Oklahoma Alumni), band teacher for Weatherford Public Schools, received the Shortgrass Honor Band 2024 Jim Clark Band Director of the Year Award.
FINAL NOTES
Rosellen (Cornett) Gates
Phi Mu, November 16, 1941
Fullerton Alumni
Died July 16, 2023
Educator, pianist. Rosellen graduated from San Jose State University with a degree in music and taught elementary school for a few years. During the latter part of WWII, she served in the Navy WAVES in Washington, D.C. In 1950, she and her husband, Bob, moved to Fullerton, Calif., when he took a job at Fullerton College, where he taught science before becoming a dean. Rosellen lived in Fullerton for 65 years, where she taught private piano lessons in her home for many years. She and Bob were involved since the early days with Fullerton Friends of Music. Rosellen organized and conducted the Windsong Players, a recorder music group, for 40 years. She also was an active member of the Fullerton Alumni chapter, sang in the choir at her church, and was a Girl Scout leader. Rosellen had an active life filled with music and a love for helping others. When she moved to a senior residence in Santa Rosa at age 93, she immediately got busy helping other new residents get settled into the community by befriending them and encouraging them to join an exercise group, a drumming class and a book group. She was an inspiration and made a positive impact wherever she went.
FINAL NOTES
ANN GEILER, THIRD VICE PRESIDENT/ALUMNI ADVISOR, PHI THETA, ST. LOUIS ALUMNI ALUMNIADVISOR@MUPHIEPSILON.ORG
Katherine Louise (Guldberg) Doepke
Phi Beta, February 5, 1943
Minneapolis/St. Paul Alumni
Died April 20, 2024
The Mu Phi Epsilon community was saddened to learn of the death of Katherine Doepke, past international president (1992-1995), at age 102. She remained active in Mu Phi Epsilon, hosting the Minneapolis/St. Paul Alumni chapter meeting the week before she died. Katherine held degrees from Bethany College and the University of Minnesota. In addition to her leadership in Mu Phi Epsilon, she also served in the American Choir Directors Association, Thursday Musical and the American Association of University Women. A tribute to Katherine and her work with the Fraternity will appear in the fall issue of The Triangle.
Anne (Dowling) Ormand Gamma, May 27, 1999
Ann Arbor Alumni Died October 15, 2023
Clarinetist, pianist. Anne started playing piano at age 10. She learned Spanish during her first marriage and taught language in various junior high and high schools. She performed in the Ann Arbor Concert Band, Dexter Community Band, Ypsilanti Symphony Orchestra and Pittsfield Open Band. She particularly enjoyed the opportunity to play the E♭ clarinet, triumphantly playing a trumpet solo on it when the band lacked the necessary trumpet players. She even played in the percussion section when an injury rendered her unable to perform on the clarinet. Anne returned to Interlochen, Mich., to participate in adult music camps; traveled to Ischia, Italy, for the annual music festival there; and participated in numerous “bands at sea” cruises. She stopped playing the clarinet after a stroke late in life. Anne was a wonderful friend and a vi-
brant and enthusiastic member of the Ann Arbor Alumni chapter for close to 25 years. She shared her music with us, collaborating with many in various venues and in our homes; she read her poetry to us and inspired us with her zest for life. She played her clarinet at every opportunity. Anne always had a story to tell, usually amusing, always poignant.
Sandra Lee (Major) Wiese
Zeta, January 13, 1960
Cleveland Area Alumni
Died October 31, 2023
Vocalist, pianist. Sandy attended DePauw University majoring in mathematics and music (voice and piano). She went on to become a high school mathematics teacher and piano teacher for many years. Besides being very active in the Cleveland Area Alumni chapter and for many years the treasurer of the Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation, she was an active member of Fortnightly and Three Arts Club of Lakewood, Ohio. She also served
on the board of the Kirtland, (Ohio) Public Library for 10 years.
Mary Frances Feyk
Phi Nu, October 23, 1950
Palos Verdes/South Bay Alumni
Died November 17, 2023
Pianist, organist. Mary had a passion for music and at the age of 14, began teaching piano lessons to children in her neighborhood. Mary attended UCLA and earned her degree as a music major in 1952. While at UCLA, she played the glockenspiel in the UCLA Bruin Marching Band, and joined both Mu Phi Epsilon and Alpha Delta Pi sorority. Mary taught private piano lessons out of her home. She also worked as a piano teacher at the Los Angeles Harbor College Conservatory of Music. In addition, Mary played the organ at several churches throughout the South Bay. In total, Mary taught piano lessons for 74 years. She had been an active member of the Palos Verdes/South Bay Chapter of Mu Phi Epsilon and was president in 1974-1975. She could always be counted on to volunteer and hosted many meetings and recitals in her home.
Darlene Vlasek
Gamma Sigma, October 24, 1987
Palo Verdes/South Bay Alumni
Died November 21, 2023
Organist, pianist, educator. Darlene was a very active and devoted member of the Palos Verdes/ South Bay Alumni chapter. She was president in 20102015 and in 2020-2022. For the last 12
years she was not only the face, but the engine behind the Musical Mosaic, the very successful fundraiser that has provided grants to music teachers in the area. She received the Violet Award in 2013. Darlene had a piano studio for over 50 years. She was also an organist at the First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Palos Verdes Estates. Darlene was a dedicated member of many organizations, taking on leadership roles in the California Association of Professional Music Teachers, the Music Teachers’ Association of California, the American Guild of Organists and the Peninsula Committee of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Wilma Jean (Froman) Sheridan Phi Lambda, January 9, 1945 Portland Alumni Died December 15, 2023
Pianist, educator. Wilma graduated from Willamette University in 1945, where she earned a Bachelor of Music with concentrations in piano performance, choral directing and composition. She completed a master’s degree in music education at Lewis & Clark College followed by a PhD in music education at the University of Oregon in 1979. Wilma was a founding member of the Portland Orff Schulwerk Association and introduced Oregon teachers to the music and teachings of Carl Orff. During her long career, she taught piano lessons, performed with the Everett Chamber Orchestra, directed a choir on a submarine base, performed with the Honolulu Symphony, taught public school and volunteered to teach music to students with disabilities. She taught music at Lewis & Clark and Portland State University and was the first woman
dean of a school within Portland State. Her articles about effective teaching strategies appeared in state and national professional journals and she presented workshops at many state and international conferences. Wilma served on the board of several organizations, including the Community Music Center, the Portland Symphonic Choir, the Christensen Foundation and Willamette University Alumni. She was active with the Portland Alumni chapter, served on the international executive board as 1st vice president (1992-1998) and compiled and edited the book A Centennial History of Mu Phi Epsilon 1903-2003 with substantial contributions by Katherine Doepke, Rona Commins and Ann Gibbens Davis. On her retirement from Portland State, she was awarded the Distinguished Faculty Service Award in recognition of her “extraordinary contributions to the university and to the Portland community.”
Bettylu Hines Lynn Mu Phi, January 27, 1946
Washington D.C. Alumni Died December 25, 2023
Vocalist, pianist. Bettylu attended the Ohio Wesleyan University where she majored in music and was a member of the a cappella choir. She was a member of Mu Phi Epsilon and Chi Omega. Bettylu was a constant presence at Mu Phi meetings. Much of her early life was spent in music performance, both vocal and piano.
Shirley Smith
Phi Theta, November 11, 1955
Washington D.C. Alumni Chapter
Died January 12, 2024
Pianist. Shirley graduated from Lindenwood College for Women (now Lindenwood University) in Missouri in 1956 with a Bachelor of Music Education. She first worked in the public schools then transitioned into private home instruction in piano and voice. In 1973, she earned her master’s in music education from the University of Maryland. She entered many students into Piano Guild competitions over the years. She was well liked and respected by her students, some who have kept in touch with her over the years. Her other music affiliations were the Music Teachers National Association and the Prince George’s Music Teachers Association. As a vocalist, she sang with the U.S. Air Force Skylarks, the Southern Maryland Choral Society and the choir at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, performing at the Vatican in 1994. Shirley was active in the Washington D.C. Alumni chapter and served as president from 1979-1981.
Emily Joy
Phi Iota, November 19, 1945
Denver Alumni Chapter
Died January 12, 2024
Pianist, educator. Emily earned her Bachelor of Education at Valley City State College in North Dakota. She taught in the Denver Public Schools from 1946 to 1984. She began teaching as a choir director, then taught piano and finished her career as a kindergarten
teacher. During the summers in the 1940s, she sang in the Central City Opera. Not only did she teach piano individually and in Denver Public Schools, but also directed as well as sang in church choirs, and played the organ at Sunday mass. Throughout her adult life, friends and party guests would all gather around her piano while she played favorite requests for their singalongs, all by ear. She was an accomplished musician and enjoyed sharing the art and encouraging others. Emily was an active member of Mu Phi Epsilon for more than 79 years and had once served as chapter president. She continued to tickle the ivories until the week before her passing.
Donna Durgan Weller Mu Beta, December 12, 1948 Died January 23, 2024
Educator, violinist. Donna graduated from Washington State College where she majored in music education. She played violin in the Portland Youth Philharmonic during her high school years. Donna loved teaching violin students at her home. Several of her students went on to professional careers as musicians. In addition to her membership and dedication to the Seattle Alumni chapter of Mu Phi Epsilon when it was active, Donna was involved in Ladies Musical Club of Seattle, the Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra, the Broadway Chamber Orchestra and the Magnolia Congregational Church. As she transitioned in retirement to Horizon House in Seattle, she loved attending the music programs and offered her violin and piano skills for assisted living and memory care patients.
FINAL NOTES
Phillip Sheridan Gehm
Phi, November 3, 1996
Alliance Alumni Chapter
Died January 29, 2024
Organist, educator. Phillip graduated summa cum laude from Mount Union College (now University of Mount Union) in 1954 with Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Music Education degrees. He graduated from United Theological Seminary in 1957 with a Master of Divinity and was ordained later that year. After earning his elementary teaching certificate from Kent State University in 1965, he taught in the Marlington Local Schools in Stark County, Ohio, for 25 years. Phillip became organist at the Union Avenue United Methodist Church in Alliance in 1966 and became its director of music in 1989, a role he held until he retired in 2010. He also taught piano and organ privately. He was active member in many organizations including the American Guild of Organists, the National Education Association, Alliance Symphony Orchestra and Mu Phi Epsilon.
Patricia Crenshaw
Mu Chi, November 25, 1947
Dallas Alumni
Died January 31, 2024
Vocalist, organist, educator. Patricia earned a Bachelor of Music in voice and performing arts from Southern Methodist University and a Master of Music in vocal performance from the University of North Texas. Patricia devoted her professional life to music education, training classical singers, conducting
choral groups and performing her musical comedy show. She taught music education in the Dallas Independent School District at Margaret B. Henderson Elementary for 25 years and Lakehill Preparatory School for 15 years. As a classically trained singer and musician, Patricia supported the arts by singing as a soloist and chorus member with the Dallas Opera and the Dallas Civic Chorus for more than 20 years. She conducted and toured internationally with the Dallas Girls Chorus. She also served as musical director of the chancel choir at Casa View Christian Church and the chancel choir at Kessler Park United Methodist Church for decades. Upon her retirement, she continued to sing and contribute her extraordinary musical talent with the chancel choir of Christ Episcopal Church in Dallas. Patricia’s musical genius, comedic timing and dry wit excelled when performing her infamous one-woman hat show, Comedy Tonight. With outrageous lyrics and flamboyant hats, she shared her songs, poems, stories and life experiences while providing unforgettable memories in more than 1,800 shows, 38 states and 50 years of musical fun. “If music is a remedy and laughter lifts the blues, then Pat’s hat lady show will cure what’s ailing you!”
Annette DerSarkisian
Phi Upsilon, December 12, 1960
Boston Alumni Chapter
Died February 8, 2024
Educator, pianist. Annette graduated from Boston University. She taught elementary music in the Needham, Mass., public schools. Annette was also the accomplished accompanist for the Commonwealth Chorale for 46 years
and the beloved accompanist for the Newton Choral Society for 25 years. Annette was the treasurer for the Boston Alumni chapter forever!
Katherine “Kathy” A. Rice
Beta Pi, February 18, 1968 Died February 12, 2024
Educator. Kathy earned a teaching degree from Nebraska Wesleyan University and taught music at various school districts in Nebraska. At age 40, she followed her dream of becoming a Methodist minister through St. Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, Missouri. She served at multiple Methodist churches across Nebraska. Kathy was a charter member of Beta Pi at Nebraska Wesleyan.
Rona Dee Meinzer Commins
Alpha Delta, May 5, 1968 Sacramento Alumni Died February 20, 2024
Pianist, clarinetist, violinist, saxophonist, organist, vocalist. Rona earned a Master of Music Performance at Sacramento State University. She shared her talents by teaching and performing music all over the world. Rona taught voice lessons to many students throughout the years and was known as one of the premier vocal teachers in Sacramento. She taught at San Francisco State University, American River College and Brigham Young University. Rona studied and performed all over the world but was in love with Florence, Italy. Her love of music and Florence drove her to write the book Forever Florence: True Tales of Italian
Intrigue. Rona served as president of the Sacramento Alumni chapter and received the Mary Alice Cox Grant for Lifelong Learning. She also served Mu Phi Epsilon as director of the Mu Phi Outreach Program and for many years served as the editor of Bookshelf for The Triangle. Rona was able to attend the January meeting of the Sacramento Alumni, insisting on coming to see her friends.
Delores Stevens
Xi, May 14, 1949
Los Angeles Alumni Died March 7, 2024
Pianist. Delores studied with the noted Bach authority Jan Chiapusso at the University of Kansas and upon graduation took a position teaching piano at the Punahou School in Honolulu. Throughout her career, she was recognized as a leading soloist, chamber musician and music educator across the United States and the world. With the Montagnana Trio she recorded 28 pieces of commissioned music and as a soloist she gave premieres of music by many contemporary composers. Her consistent support of contemporary composers led to receiving the prestigious awards from the National Association of Composers, the Presidential Award of Merit from Mu Phi Epsilon and the prestigious Living Legends Award from the Young Musicians Foundation presented to her by the legendary composer John Williams. She served six terms as director and a trustee of the Recording Academy (the Grammys) and was a founder of Grammys in the Schools. Delores recorded for over 15 record labels. She co-founded the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Society in 1971 and was the sole artis-
tic director from 2002-2019.
Delores was also the co-founder and co-artistic director of Chamber Music Palisades for 23 years. She taught young classical artists for more than 30 years in her role as director of chamber music for the Young Musicians Foundation in Los Angeles, 33 years as head of piano studies at California Institute of the Arts, 33 years as head of piano studies at Mount St. Mary’s University. In 1988, she was awarded a six-year Touring Solo Artist Grant from the California Arts Council.
Joyce Electa Whitney Gamma, February 3, 1946 Died December 24, 2023
Pianist, vocalist. Joyce attended the University of Michigan and earned her Bachelor of Music in piano, followed by her Master of Music in piano. She continued her music study for several years as a voice student at the American Conservatory in Chicago. Joyce combined her family life with an active music career in local musical endeavors. She starred in several Corn Stock and Peoria Players productions (Little Jo, Wizard of Oz). She directed the Peoria Players production of Amahl and the Night Visitors and Cavalleria Rusticana. Joyce starred in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. In addition to her achievements in musical productions, she was a regular soprano soloist with the Bradley Community Chorus (Messa da Requiem, King David). Joyce was an active member of Monday Music Club. She also served as the president of Peoria’s Amateur Music Club from 1965-66. For many years, she enjoyed singing in the choir at Grace Presbyterian Church in Peoria, Ill.
