ACME ARTISTS, COMPOSERS, MUSICOLOGISTS MARY AU
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MU NU, LOS ANGELES ALUMNI
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EDUCATORS
AUHAUS@GMAIL.COM
IN PURSUIT OF ARTISTIC GROWTH AND EXCELLENCE I was recently asked what ACME stands for. The dictionary defines “acme” as a peak, pinnacle, or highest point. Our acronym ACME means Artists/Composers/Musicologists/Educators, and it stands for an honor bestowed by Mu Phi Epsilon upon members who have reached the acme of excellence in one of these musical fields. “You have to do stuff that scares you,” said Jake Heggie, composer extraordinaire and recipient of the 2014 Mu Phi Epsilon Citation of Merit. “If you just do stuff that’s comfortable ... you never grow as an artist.” Following are examples of ACME honorees’ pursuit of growth and excellence over the past year.
ARTISTS
COMPOSERS
Mary Au (Mu Nu, Los Angeles Alumni) gave the west coast premiere of “The Single Petal of a Rose: from Duke Ellington’s Queen’s Suite and also performed in Harbin, China. Additionally, Au performed works of Adrienne Albert (see below) in multiple recitals in collaboration with saxophonist Chika Inoue (Mu Nu, LA Alumni) and flutist Rik Noyce (Omega Omega, Gamma Sigma).
Adrienne Albert (Phi Nu, Los Angeles Alumni) had multiple commissions and premieres across the U.S. and in Europe. Two commissioned works for flute quintet, Visions of Grace and Across the Seas, were premiered at the National Flute Association convention in August. Upcoming commissioned premieres include Malala, a choral work for Cornell University, and War Stories for the Zinkali Trio. adriennealbert.com
Andrew B. Cooperstock (Mu Kappa, Denver Alumni) with violinist William Terwilliger (Epsilon) performed as Opus Two at Broadway hotspot 54 Below along with singer-actress Ashley Brown. opustwo.org Richard Kravchak (Gamma Sigma, Allied) performed on a 19th century Golde oboe at the International Horn Society convention and premiered two new oboe concertos at the Huntington New Music Festival. He is the founding director of the School of Music and Theatre at Marshall University in West Virginia. marshall.edu/somt/richard-kravchak/
Victoria Bond (Epsilon Psi) enjoyed premieres of her fully orchestrated Bridges by the Michigan Philharmonic; How Lovely is Your Dwelling Place, a setting of Psalm 84 for chorus and organ; and violin concerto Soul of a Nation. Also, the Young People’s Chorus of New York City has commissioned and in December will premiere Bond’s eighth opera Miracle! based on the story of Hanukkah. victoriabond.com
Maquette Kuper (Beta, Sacramento Alumni) and the Davis Youth Flute Choir, of which she is founder and director, represented the city of Davis in a cultural exchange program in sister city Wuxi, China. davisyouthflutechoir.org/Director.html
Lydia Lowery Busler (Omega Omega, Los Angeles Alumni), formerly Busler-Blais, celebrated premieres of her commissioned works Reverence for flute, horn, bass and piano, El Sombrero Atrapado for horn and cello, Irrational Happiness, and flute quartet The Wagonmaker Awakens. Also a hornist and improviser, Lidia is about to launch an online video lecture series. boblyd.com
Arietha Lockhart (Beta Gamma, Atlanta Alumni) presented and performed a recital featuring commissioned music by Atlanta based composers including works by Mary Boyle (Omega Omega, Atlanta Alumni) and Mary Lynn Badarak (Beta Lambda). classicalsinger.net/Arietha_Lockhart
The Metro Chamber Orchestra commissioned and in May premiered Triple Flute Concerto with String Orchestra by Deon Nielsen Price (Gamma, Los Angeles Alumni). Deon recently completed proofing the engraved full score of her eighty-minute Christus: Oratorio for Soloists, Mixed Choirs, and Orchestra.
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