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Mu Phi Epsilon International Professional Fraternity for the Advancement of Music in the Community, Nation, and World.
Triangle VOLUME 114
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ISSUE 3
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Star Student Sterling Award Winner
Grace Sullivan
Living Legend
Pianist/Composer Deon Nielsen Price Reminisces
Classical Comeback The life and times of Chevalier de St. Georges
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The impact made by composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier des St. Georges is felt centuries later.
Drawing by Sho-mei Pelletier, artist, courtesy of the Rachel Barton Pine Foundation, Music of Black Composers, “Coloring Book of Black Composers,” LudwigMasters Publications. musicbyblackcomposers.org
contents FA L L 2 0 2 0
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VO LU M E 1 1 4 , I SS U E 1
FEATURES 7 8 12 13 18 22 26
Founders Day Message ACME Spotlight: Meet Deon Nielsen Price By Mary Au ACME New Honorees 2020 Mu Phi Epsilon Fraternity Award Winners Foundation: Grants & Scholarships Information Shining Knight: The extraordinary life and legacy of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges by Marlon Daniel Sidewalk Soirees
COLUMNS 3 4 5 6
President’s Message: The Song in our Hearts By Rosemary Ames Alumni Corner: Taking Care By Marcus Wyche Collegiate Connection: 2020: Success Redefined By Grace Sullivan Musings: Overcoming Obstacles By Julio J. Sequeira
DEPARTMENTS 30 32 34 35 2
Applause & Encore: Member and Chapter News Final Notes: Compiled by Ann Gibbens Davis District Directors Directory Executive Officers Directory
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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 Ellen Ritscher Sackett editor@muphiepsilon.org DESIGN & PRODUCTION Paul Wilson thetriangle@muphiepsilon.org Send all material for publication to: Ellen Ritscher Sackett, editor@muphiepsilon.org or by mail to 10921 River Road College Station, TX 77845 All materials submitted for publication become the property of Mu Phi Epsilon. Requests for return are accepted and must be accompanied with a self-addressed stamped envelope. Electronic transmissions are preferred. Photos must be the original digital file and as high resolution as possible. Images copied from social media are not acceptable. Please include photographer’s credit information. All photographs are published courtesy of the contributor unless photographer credit is provided. Deadlines for submissions: Fall — August 15 Winter — December 1 Spring — February 15 Summer — May 1 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 1611 County Road, B West, Suite 320 St. Paul, MN 55113 toll free: 888-259-1471 fax: 888-855-8670 email: executiveoffice@muphiepsilon.org The Triangle is published 4 times per year by Mu Phi Epsilon, International Professional Music Fraternity. Member, Professional Fraternity Association. (ISSN 0041-2600) (Volume 114, Issue 3) Subscription price is $20.00 per year. Single copies are $8.00. Periodicals postage paid at St. Paul, MN, and at additional mailing offices. Printed in the United States of America. POSTMASTER: Send all changes of address to: Mu Phi Epsilon, 1611 County Road, B West, Suite 320, St. Paul, MN 55113. © 2020 Mu Phi Epsilon. All rights reserved.
PRESIDENT’S M E S S A G E
ROSEM ARY AM ES, IN T ER N AT I O N A L P R E S I D E N T, O M E G A , B OSTO N A LU M N I P R ESI D ENT@ MU P H I E P S I LO N .O R G
THE SONG IN OUR HEARTS
a Foundation whose total purpose is to give back to Mu Phi members. I have never met a board member who has not said the best thing about serving on the Foundation board is to hand out money in support and encouragement to so many. You will find information about all the winners on the Foundation’s website, mpefoundation.com. The Fraternity also recognized outstanding members and chapters. We were all amazed at the creative ways our members continue to share the gift of music with so many despite the abrupt cancellation of so many events. Once again, Mu Phi members rose to the challenge to keep the music going. As we work our way through this year and beyond, we will continue to be put to the test. Using our talents, creativity, and love for music, together we will move forward with music at our center. Keep the song in your hearts strong and stay safe! Illustration: undefined undefined
he old Yiddish proverb, “We plan, God laughs,” expresses a truth everyone can relate to these days. At every stage of life, we make plans, setting out where we want to go and imagining what we will be like when we have arrived. But things have a way of turning out not quite as we hoped or expected. And that is certainly what happened to Mu Phi this past year. We were anxious and ready for another convention, plans were made, excitement was growing, and wham! It was all over in a blink of an eye. Now we are starting again with the final planning and excitement in hopes that we will gather on July 21, 2021, for our convention. I have been following so many of you through social media and am excited at the many ways you have continued to adapt to our changing world. Recitals on front porches, sidewalks, even a loading dock! And one YouTube offering from a closet because it was quiet, and the acoustics were good! All to continue to share music with others and provide comfort and a moment of peace to our audience, whether they be sitting on yard chairs, or merely passing by. You have not missed a beat in our continual quest to share music in whatever way we can. I am amazed and proud of all of you because you do not let anything silence the song in our hearts. We have learned new ways of having meetings and keeping in touch with each other. We have opened our minds to new, creative ways of doing things. As schools begin to open this fall, our teachers are proving that once again, they are simply amazing. I am no longer in school, but I am learning so much from all of you who are more tech savvy than I, as you give me the courage to try new things. What fun we are having with our Zoom meetings! But I am missing the physical connection too. And so, we are hoping and planning for the 2021 convention in Grapevine once again. We will keep our hopes high that the global situation will allow us to gather, join hands, and renew our vows to Mu Phi Epsilon. I know you will enjoy reading this issue of The Triangle for all our award winners in 2019-2020. Once again, our Foundation recognized some amazing members. We are so fortunate to have
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A LUM N I C O R N E R
BY MARCUS WYCH E, T HIR D V IC E P R ES I D E N T/A LU MN I A DV I S O R D E LTA D E LTA , WAS H I N GTO N DC ALUMNI A LUM NI A DV I S O R @ MU P H I E P S I LO N .O R G
n my last column, I’d expressed enthusiasm for the International Convention, and was looking forward to seeing everyone at our Mu Phi “family reunion.” That seems like a lifetime ago, as we all continue to grapple with the pandemic that’s changed our lives. Like your chapters and members, the Fraternity is doing its best to remain flexible and adapt to the circumstances. The convention was postponed to July 2021. The Fraternity Ritual has been modified so chapters can safely initiate members. The International Executive Board (IEB) appointed a District Director-At-Large (Ashley Bouras, Phi Tau, Dallas Alumni) to cover districts that do not have a permanent director. The IEB also appointed Ann Geiler (Phi Theta, St. Louis Alumni) as a New Chapter Director to nurture the health and longevity of new chapters. The District Directors as a whole are stepping up their communication and interaction with chapters. And the Collegiate Advisor and I are facilitating periodic online meetings where chapter presidents and officers can discuss issues and share ideas. The Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation continues its excellent work, and I encourage you to go through this issue of The Triangle to apply for their ever-expanding grant and scholarship options. If there is an underlying impetus or theme to this activity, it is to acknowledge that we are all in this extraordinarily difficult situation together, and that we need to look after one another. Chapter operations and outreach — dues collection, business meetings, membership recruitment, community service, music performances — are important. But if your Alumni chapter is like mine, we can—and should—scale back programming expectations and take the time to focus on the Friendship and Harmony points of Our Triangle. To stay in communication with members who have limited technology or are in heightened lockdown. To reach out to elderly members. To support those who have been affected economically. And to provide encouragement and love, through music or some other means, as a way to keep the Mu Phi bonds strong. How to do this? As confounding as technology (e.g., videoconferencing) can be for some Alumni, it is one of the vital tools we have for keeping in touch. And the great thing is, it knows no 4
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Illustration: Svetlana Piatigorskaia
TAKING CARE
boundaries. District Directors can assist chapters with technology, but there are Collegiates and Alumni beyond your district who can help. And if music-making is your chapter’s primary activity, there are 21st century ways to get your performances out there. When it comes to pandemic adaptation, I certainly do not have all the answers. And I understand that, for many chapters, being out and about in some way is a large part of their identity. But at this stage, I would find more comfort with a chapter taking more care of its own rather than concerning itself with textbook requirements for being active. The work will always be there; now is an opportunity to focus on each other in ways that help us all manage. I congratulate the 2019-20 Alumni award recipients, and look forward to a 2020-21 that makes us kinder and more resilient. Take care and stay safe.
COLLEGIATE CORNER
2020: SUCCESS REDEFINED
different kind of success — success that goes beyond chapter size, meetings, or fundraising. Eta Delta chapter is filled with students I am proud to know, who have grown as leaders, musicians, and people. For me, leading others by serving them — not comparing myself or our chapter to others — is what has made the last two years a success. Growing ourselves as people often does not lead to recognition or another achievement for our résumés. Our purpose and abilities as a musician, student, or individual cannot be measured on a scale from 1 to 10, so what does being the best even mean? I simply don’t think it’s one size fits all. There is room for many excellent musicians in the world, all of whom have different strengths. When we lift others up — that makes change. Doing our best at what is in our own hands brings real, lasting results.
Illustration: invincible_bulldog
hile 2020 has been many things, predictable is certainly not one of them, and I’ve been tempted at times to believe it would be a year without success. So many of my milestones have been cancelled or postponed, including my senior recital, graduation ceremony, and graduate school. How could I be successful if I couldn’t keep working towards perfection? But 2020 continues to surprise me, including the day when I opened my inbox to read “Congratulations on winning the Sterling Award.” Winning the Sterling Award is a great honor and achievement, and I am grateful to Mu Phi Epsilon for the incredible opportunities, including the value of the lessons I’ve learned over the last two years. I’ve come to realize two things: My definition of success needed serious revision, and this different version of success involves some serious long-term investment. A career and education in music are often highly competitive and perfectionistic, and I frequently become entangled in comparison and all that I am not. Too often, I’ve been scared to try something new or take a risk. What if I’m a failure, i.e., not the best? What if taking a chance lowers my perfection-driven GPA? Being the president of Ripon College’s new chapter these last two years has been difficult! However, continuing to make choices to serve others and do my absolute best, even when the fruit of my work wasn’t evident right away, has led to a
Grace Sullivan, 2020 Mu Phi Epsilon Sterling Award winner, is featured on the cover. To read more about Grace and her accomplishments, turn to page 13. FALL 2020
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MUSINGS
GUEST COLUMNIST
J UL I O J. S EQUE I RA
OVERCOMING OBSTACLES
Completing my masters during the pandemic
Graduation celebration with my wife, Wendy 6
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efore I finished my master’s degree in music teaching and learning from the University of Southern California (USC) last May, I had to navigate murky and uncertain waters. Finishing one’s education is a joyous occasion, but during a pandemic, it’s filled with mixed emotions. At times I thought I was going to drown in the wave of chaos that had overtaken the world in early spring. My journey began in December 2019. Plan A was to study the musical experiences of immigrant music students. Unfortunately, USC’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) determined I had a conflict of interest since I would be interviewing my students at the high school where I teach. I had to abandon that idea and scramble to find a teacher to host the study. Luckily, one of my colleagues had agreed. Threat averted! — or so I thought. The IRB wanted the district’s permission, but its approval window wouldn’t open again until April, and only for studies to be conducted in the 2020-21 academic year. Plan B was also a no-go. January came and went, and I still needed a plan. In February, another colleague at another district offered to host me and my study. His principal was on board too. They both petitioned their district on my behalf for a fast-track approval. Their superintendent was also notified. I needed to submit my paperwork right away. I was told it would be about three weeks until I could do my interviews, which put me at the beginning of March. The first week of March, I received my letter of approval from the host district and sent it to the IRB. I still had enough time to finish my paper by the middle of April. By now the COVID-19 was making an impact in the US. During the second of week of March my district shut down, and shortly after, the host district closed down too. USC also shut down its campus. I hoped I could interview the students for the study via Zoom, but I never got a chance to meet with the interviewees nor were my emails responded to. I don’t blame the schools for not responding; they had bigger issues to deal with than my thesis. Plan C went down the drain. By mid-March, my advisor and I were looking for a Plan D. The department chair suggested an extensive literature review on the topic of immigrant music students. I quickly found out
“Graduation Day”with my mom there was not much literature on it. What was available focused on Europe and Australia, and very little existed that focused on the United States. My advisor suggested that I used my personal experiences in the classroom to bring the literature review to life. We found a Plan D! I spent the following month reading all the literature that I could get my hands on the subject. Toward the end of April, I had what resembled a master’s thesis. Did I mentioned that at the same time, I was also working, trying to navigate remote learning with my high school students? By the first week of May I had completed my paper. It was a marathon writing session that often took me well into the late night. But I was done! I just had to wait to defend my thesis during the second week of May. After my defense I was finally able to sleep! Graduation was a subdued event as USC had a virtual conferring of degrees. Later that day, my wife and mom conspired to throw me a surprise drive-by graduation parade. I walked outside and said, “Look, someone is having a drive-by care parade today.” My wife looked at me and said, “Yeah, you are! This is for you!”
Julio Sequeira (Gamma Sigma, Palos Verdes/South Bay Alumni) has taught music at all levels from elementary to high school. He is currently the music director at Belmont High School in Los Angeles, where he is rebuilding the band program and developing a guitar program. He was also responsible for securing a JDilla Music Tech grant from Save the Music for the school. Julio holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in music education and single-subject credential from California State University, Dominguez Hills. Most recently, he completed his master’s degree in music teaching and learning from the University of Southern California where he was also a member of the Thornton Guitar Orchestra. He is currently the historian for the Palos Verdes/South Bay Alumni chapter and has served as the chapter’s president. He is also a member of the Guitar Foundation of America and the National Association for Music Education. Julio’s wife, Wendy, is also a member of the Gamma Sigma and Palos Verdes/South Bay Alumni chapters.
FOUNDERS DAY MESSAGE NOVEMBER 13, 2020 Greetings! We often comment, “what would our Founders’ think if they were with us today?” I imagine it would be with an overwhelming sense of pride in our Fraternity but with a healthy dose of concern given the challenges we as an organization face. I believe those concerns would be alleviated when they see a strong group of members today, each one of you leading Mu Phi Epsilon with passion and compassion. I send warm greetings to everyone on the 117th anniversary of Mu Phi Epsilon’s founding. Our membership means many things to many people, but Founders’ Day holds a special significance for each of us. It is a time to honor our history, celebrate our present and contemplate the future of our Fraternity. Through prosperity and hard times, global conflicts, and vast social change, so much is different in our world, yet so much has remained the same in Mu Phi Epsilon. Mu Phi’s mission is to inspire members to reach their full potential, so let us remember this November that our founders were the first to encourage and instill confidence in our earliest members. As our fraternity grows, may it continue to grow stronger in our commitment to one another and on the simple yet powerful premise of Music, Friendship, and Harmony, and it is these bonds that give us the strength and confidence to make our future bright. May our lives so reflect the true spirit of Mu Phi Epsilon that everyone we meet may be touched by the spirit of boundless music that we so humbly share. Let your light shine so that wherever it casts its beam, your gift of music may lighten a heart, lift a burden, soothe a soul. May our remarkable history inspire us to inspire others.
Happy Founders’ Day!
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SPOTLIGHT AC M E CO-C HA IR MA RY AU, M U N U, LOS A N G E L E S A LU M N I AU H AU S @ G M A I L .CO M
MEET ACME HONOREE
DEON NIELSEN PRICE eon Nielsen Price is a prolific composer; published author; award-winning pianist, performing and recording artist; choral and instrumental conductor; vocal coach; college adjunct professor; publisher; film composer; church musician; and competition adjudicator. She and her son Berkeley, D.M.A. (Mu Upsilon, Los Angeles Alumni) perform as the clarinet and piano Price Duo, for which she has written a number of works. Dr. Price serves on the boards as president and past-president of the National Association of Composers, USA (NACUSA) and the International Alliance for Women in Music (IAWM). She has also been an officer in Mu Phi Epsilon International Music Fraternity (MFE) and the International Congress on Women in Music (ICWM) and is a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). Since 2017, she has been composer-in-residence and curator of the Sunday Concert Series for the Interfaith Center at the Presidio. Since joining Mu Phi Epsilon in 1961, Deon has won multiple awards from the Fraternity and the Foundation including the Marian Davidson Accompanying Award, Liana K. Sandin Grant-in-Aid, Composition Winner in Large Works category, MFE Helen Haupt Alumni Chapter Project Grant to Los Angeles Alumni Chapter, MFE Travel grant, Los Angeles Alumni Chapter Grant, James and Lola Faust Chamber Music Award, and the Orah Ashley Lamke Distinguished Alumni Award. She is author of “Accompanying Skills for Pianists, 2nd Edition,” and the manual, “SightPlay with Skillful Eyes” (Culver Crest Publications). She has written articles on piano accompanying and sight-playing for Clavier Magazine and Keyboard Companion and edited the text College Class Piano-Comprehensive Approach (Demibach Editions; Reading Keyboard Music, Ltd.). Information about her musical compositions and books is online at www.culvercrest.com. Her works are archived at the Brigham Young University Harold B. Lee Library in Special Collections. Many are recorded on the Cambria and Albany labels distributed by NAXOS. Dr. Price earned her Bachelor of Arts at Brigham Young University, 1954; Master of Music at University of Michigan, 1961; and Doctor of Musical Arts with Honors in Accompanying at University of Southern California, 1977. She is wife to the late psychologist Kendall O. Price, Ph.D., and mother of 5 children, 18 grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren.
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For Deon Nielsen Price (Gamma, LA Alumni), music is a constant and irreplaceable factor in her life. A holistic doctor once told her, “Pay attention to your own musical compositions; they tell you who you are.” For nearly 70 years, since 1951, Deon has been a professional musician as pianist, composer, conductor, music educator, church musician, author, and advocate for living composers, especially women, “driven by an insatiable appetite for music and a yearning always toward perfection in the realization of the score,” she says. She still regularly plays piano and composes music and has no intention of stopping. Her motivational attitude that she was gifted with since birth remains with her to this very day. “May I have continued energy and ambition to complete more musical projects,” she says, at age 86. What prompted you to learn the piano initially? I begged for a piano from the time I was 4 years old and my family finally bought one when I was 7. My first lessons were when I was in second grade. I was excused from class (It was arithmetic) for two 20-minute lessons a week in the room down the hall. Where were you trained? We moved about every three years when I was growing up; I studied with teachers wherever my father was stationed in the U.S. Army: Dupont, Washington; Palm Springs, California; Seattle, Washington; Panama Canal Zone; San Francisco; then Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah; Akademia Pro Arte in Heidelberg, Germany; University of Michigan in Ann Arbor; UCLA Extension in Los Angeles; University of Southern California. I am still developing my musical skills. When you were going to college, how did you manage your time between being a mother, a wife, a student, a church musician, and a performing artist? We scheduled every hour of every day. The two children napped at the same time, they went to bed at 7 p.m., and my practice time was from 7 to 10 p.m., plus five hours on Saturday and five hours on Sunday. We did all the chores, cooking, and housework with the children while they were awake. Their sleep-time was my practice and performance time. Performing was mostly local when the children were small. My husband was in graduate school also and studied with his cohorts every evening. He came home to bathe and enjoy the children from 5 to 6 p.m. while I prepared dinner for the family and our four FALL 2020
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SPOTLIGHT
Deon Nielsen Price takes center stage for the final bows from the premiere of her light opera, “Light of Man and Woman.”
roomers and total of six boarders, who were paying my graduate school tuition. Church music rehearsals and services were mostly on Sunday only. I was primarily doing choral conducting in church at that time, some composing and arranging of church music, and sometimes playing organ. I had a babysitter while I attended classes — just a five-minute walk from home. Both my husband and I were steeped in study. As our graduate schooling neared the end, I was offered a professional opportunity as a pianist, which would perhaps have catapulted my career. I turned it down, however, because, at the same time my husband was writing his doctoral dissertation and needed my help for extensive editing. Besides the classical masters (Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Debussy, Stravinsky and Bartok), which composers do you admire and why? I generally admire contemporary composers whose music I find both intriguing musically and enjoyable to listen to. These are too many to name. Composer members of Mu Phi Epsilon whose music I admire are Chen Yi (Alpha Kappa), Mary Lou Newmark (Mu Chi), Alex Shapiro (Phi Nu), Adrienne Albert (Phi Nu), and Carol Worthey (Phi Nu). A few of the composers in the National Association of Composers USA (NACUSA) who have composed works I admire include Gernot Wolfgang, Daniel Kessner, Deborah Kavasch (Delta Alpha), Nancy Bloomer Deussen (Mu Nu), Sandra Bostrom-Aguado, Frank Campo, 10 MuPhiEpsilon.org
Richard Derby, and Jeannie Pool. Composers in the International Alliance for Women in Music (IAWM) would include, among others, Hilary Tann, Sally Reid, Beverly Grigsby, Patsy Rodgers, Li Yiding, Joan Huang and Zenobia Powell Perry (Gamma Eta). How is being a woman composer today different from when you were starting out? Generally speaking, I believe women composers are accepted quite well in new music circles today even though their compositions continue to be only rarely included in the seasons of major orchestras. For me, personally, as a graduate student at The University of Michigan, my works were performed as soon as the ink was dry, often on Mu Phi Epsilon concerts. That is still true today for many of my works; in 2019, I composed two one-act chamber operas, and both received workshop performances in 2019. I am often commissioned by specific performers who are ready then to perform the works. However, as a doctoral candidate at the University of Southern California (USC), I had both negative and positive experiences. One, when applying to pursue a Ph.D. in composition in 1972, the department chair glanced at my work and dismissed me saying that you don’t have to have a degree to compose. Two, on a NACUSA (National Association of Composers/USA) concert held at the Arnold Schoenberg Institute, at which German and Austrian
Schoenberg society patrons were in attendance, my new work “Stile Antico” for solo cello was performed. There was enthusiastic applause, so I stood up in the audience to acknowledge it. Immediately there was a wall of absolute silence. During the reception no one spoke to me and seemed to look right through me. It was like “How dare I presume to be a serious composer?” Three, when I took my first work for full orchestra to the USC Symphony conductor, he glanced at it and bellowed, “Why did you write it?” Also, at USC, I had positive experiences: As soon as I was accepted into the D.M.A. program in piano, there was a lot of interest in the compositions that had been languishing in a drawer. There was even a time in the late 1970s and early 1980s that performers called me “the most performed living Los Angeles composer.”
“ Get the highest level of training possible in your area with the best teacher you can find. Aim for the top.” How do you decide on instrumentation? Usually I have composed for the instrumentalists and singers with whom I collaborated in performances. I have also received commissions from other singers and instrumentalists, and chamber ensembles. What are some challenges of writing for different kinds of instruments? The challenges are making the most of each instrument in the musical texture they are part of, including being aware of the qualities of each instrument in various registers, writing parts that enhance those qualities, and giving the piano and other instruments parts that allow each instrument to shine and not be covered up. Here are just a few observations: • Clarinets have a beautiful rich low chalumeau register with a piercing ultra-high register and a clear middle range for sweet melodies. • Saxophones have a rich large sound and can handle rapid skips of large intervals with ease. • String instruments generally need a stronger support when they play in a high register but minimal support when they play in a middle or low register. • Vocalists are strong in certain registers and weak in others, depending on the voice type and the individual singer. How do you pick vocal lyrics? I look first at the meaning of the poetry, then the suitability of the words for setting. I prefer simplicity in the words, few
syllables, long vowels, and some rhythmic ideas when speaking the poem. I read books of poetry to search for poems to set, such as Walt Whitman, Maya Angelou, and Carol Lynn Pearson. Singers sometimes give me texts to set. I sometimes write my own lyrics or adapt words from writings such as scriptures of different religions. You have taught a course in sight-reading. Why is it important for all musicians to be good at sight-reading? My sight-reading course is for pianists and is called sight-playing, the ability to see what’s on the page with instant response of the fingers. The word sight-reading implies a thinking process in the brain, but that takes too much time. The technique for efficient use of the eyes along with the relevant exercises is included in my text “Accompanying Skills for Pianists, 2nd Edition.” How important is it for non-pianists to gain proficiency in piano? Proficiency in piano helps singers and instrumentalists who usually play only one horizontal line to think and hear vertically also. When they listen to the harmonies so they can tweak the pitch a bit as the ear demands; when they understand the function of the note they are playing in the line, they can “lean on” appoggiaturas, produce the resolution of dissonances, et cetera. In studio teaching, the instructor who plays piano accompaniments for their vocal or instrumental students do not need to rely on hiring accompanists. What advice do you have for those interested in a music career? Get the highest level of training possible in your area with the best teacher you can find. Aim for the top. In addition, prepare for a practical way to support yourself and your music. This could be in commercial music, video games, music education, piano pedagogy, arts administration, or in another field altogether. You will undoubtedly need to rely on such practical skills at some time in your life. Keep learning. Music is more than a lifetime study.
ACME Nominations ACME recognition highlights the strengths and accomplishments of our fraternity’s Artists, Composers, Musicologists and Educators. We encourage members to nominate deserving, actively affiliated candidates who have achieved national and/or international acclaim in their music fields for ACME consideration. Nomination information is at muphiepsilon.org (click About, Honors & Awards, ACME).
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ACME
In Recognition NEW HONOREES
Mu Phi Epsilon is pleased to announce the latest ACME honorees: Marlon Daniel (Mu Xi, New York Alumni), Karen McFarlane Holtkamp (Phi Theta, Cleveland Area Alumni) and Dr. Danielle M. Kuntz (Mu Phi, Cleveland Area Alumni). We are pleased to include them among our most accomplished members whose achievements place them at the acme of our profession. Like all ACME honorees, they welcome mentoring requests and other contacts from Mu Phi members.
Chevalier de Saint-Georges on page 22. Marlon Daniel was also featured in the Winter 2017 issue of The Triangle. For more information, visit marlondaniel.com.
Karen McFarlane Holtkamp Phi Theta, Cleveland Area Alumni
Marlon Daniel Mu Xi, New York Alumni
American conductor Marlon Daniels has been described as “a natural and enormous talent” by the Chicago Sun-Times and as “fabulous and exceptional” by Pravda, Moscow. He is one of the most dynamic conductors of his generation and a bright light for diversity in music. He has performed in prestigious venues in Asia, Europe, and the United States, from Carnegie Hall in New York City to the Rudolfinum in Prague. He is an exponent and interpreter of the music of Chevalier de Saint-Georges and a champion of works by living composers, especially of African descent. Fluent in French, he enjoys working with young people worldwide. Marlon is artistic and music director of the Festival International de Musique Saint-Georges, Music Director of Ensemble du Monde (chamber orchestra), director of the Diversity in Classical Music Program at Teachers College, Columbia University, and director of Orchestra Ensembles on the faculty of Fordham University. Read Marlon’s article on 12 MuPhiEpsilon.org
Karen McFarlane Holtkamp has given her life to those who play the organ and who, like her, embrace its quirks and abilities of the organ and try to tame it. As head of the Karen McFarlane Artists, Inc. (1976 – 2000), Karen has represented international concert organists and the great men and boy choirs of the English choral tradition. Post retirement, she continues to work for its management as a consultant. For over 50 years, she has also educated many students and is still influencing collegiate Mu Phi members. On May 8, 2020, Karen was to have received the American Guild of Organists 2020 Endowment Fund Distinguished Artist Award for her work with young concert organists; however, due to COVID-19, the event has been postponed to 2021.
fr at er ni t y AWA R D S
Dr. Danielle M. Kuntz Mu Phi, Cleveland Area Alumni
Dr. Danielle M. Kuntz is currently assistant professor of music history and Riemenschneider Bach Institute Scholarin-Residence, at the Conservatory of Music, Baldwin Wallace University. A graduate of University of Minnesota in historical musicology (Ph.D. 2014 and M.M. 2009), Kuntz’s primary research focused on the archival and interdisciplinary study of music in the 18th century, with special expertise in the music of Portugal and the Luso-Hispanic World, as well as the relationship between music and issues of representation and power. Kuntz has presented her research nationally and internationally. For more information, visit bw.edu.
ACME is the acronym for Artists, Composers, Musicologists and Educators ACME highlights the strengths of our Mu Phi Epsilon artists, composers, musicologists, and educators. It is an honor bestowed upon Mu Phi Epsilon members who are distinguished in their respective fields of musical endeavors. We therefore encourage members to nominate deserving dues-paying candidates who have achieved national and/or international acclaim in their music-related fields for ACME consideration. Information about ACME members and their attainments are published to recognize outstanding achievements of our members as well as to provide mentors who are willing to advise other musicians in the same category of the music profession. ACME nominations may be submitted by an alumni or collegiate chapter, or by individual members year ‘round. Mail or email the form to the ACME chairman noted on the application. For more information, contact: ACME Chairman Arietha Lockhart (Beta Gamma, Atlanta Alumni), 404-291-5162, ACME@muphiepsilon.org ACME Co-Chair Mary Au (Mu Nu, Los Angeles Alumni), 310-508-8116, auhaus@gmail.com
STERLING AWARD WINNER
GRACE SULLIVAN Grace Sullivan (Eta Delta) teaches middle and high school band and choir and leads the worship team at Valley Christian School in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. She graduated summa cum laude from Ripon College, Ripon, Wisconsin, with a music performance degree in voice, cello, and piano. She was on the dean’s list for all eight semesters throughout her undergraduate years and was the recipient of several merit-based arts scholarships and the Ripon College Founder’s Award, a yearly scholarship based on academic excellence. Grace participated in the Green Lake Festival of Music as an intern and performer and served as a counselor during the festival’s two-week chamber music camp. She is the owner of Grace Note Music Studio for which she offers private instruction in voice, cello, and piano, as well as courses in adaptive music. She was a solo and ensemble accompanist for Berlin High School and the rehearsal accompanist with the Ripon College Chamber Singers. Her other campus activities include serving as the orchestra librarian, tutoring, and president/captain for the Ripon College Equestrian Team. For the last two years, Grace has been president of Mu Phi Epsilon’s Eta Delta chapter since its installment at Ripon College in the spring of 2018. FALL 2020
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MUSICOLOGICAL RESEARCH CONTEST WINNERS UNDERGRADUATE - WINNER
MARIAN BOWKER DAVIDSON COLLABORATIVE PIANO AWARD
ANNA NIEMOTH Anna Niemoth (Beta Pi), a junior at Nebraska Wesleyan University (NWU), is pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance and has studied piano with Dr. Larry Jones since fall 2014. Anna went to high school in Louisville, Nebraska, and was the accompanist for the Louisville Middle School and High School choirs and show choirs from fall 2009 to her graduation in spring 2017. She was the LOGOS youth choir accompanist at Faith Presbyterian Church in La Vista, Nebraska, from fall 2014 to spring 2017 and the chancel choir accompanist and praise team pianist at St Andrew’s Lutheran Church in Lincoln, Nebraska, from fall 2017 to spring 2019. Currently, Anna is the accompanist for the Elmwood Murdock Middle School and High School choirs as well as a student accompanist at NWU. She is a member of Mu Phi Epsilon and is serving as the Beta Pi chapter president during 2020. 14 MuPhiEpsilon.org
LUCY SHIRLEY Fauré and the Authenticity of Music Lucy Shirley (Beta Psi) is a composer, pianist, and teacher based in Indianapolis, Indiana. She has worked with composers such as John Berners, Christopher Dietz, Chen Yi, Douglas Knehans, and Anthony Plog. In 2019, she won 1st place in the University of Indianapolis Concerto Competition and 2nd prize in the Charles Joray Piano Competition. She has presented research at musicology conferences throughout the Midwest and was named a 2019 Shaheen Leadership Fellow for her scholarly work. Her compositions have been played by university and community ensembles in the greater Indianapolis area, and she has participated in festivals and workshops across the nation. A lover of poetry and literature as well as music, Lucy’s works have been praised for their quirky neo-classicism and often focus on the idiosyncrasies of language and the way music relates to the spoken word. Lucy is currently a senior at the University of Indianapolis and plans to attend graduate school in the fall for music composition.
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GRADUATE - CO-WINNERS
AURELIEN BOCCARD A Historical, Analytical and Pedagogical Overview of Claude Debussy’s Twenty-Four Préludes for Piano with a Performance Analysis of La Cathédrale
Aurélien is the president of the Kansas City Mu Phi Epsilon Alumni Chapter and serves on the board of Kansas City Music Teachers Association (KCMTA) as the coordinator of Music Progressions. On top of his activity as a pianist and educator, he is also a consultant for the Tomatis® Method, a sensorineural program that helps children and adults cope with attention, learning, motor, and language disorders.
Engloutie Dr. Aurélien Boccard (Alpha Kappa) is an experienced pedagogue, specializing in keyboard injury prevention, He has taught piano to children, teenagers and adults for over 17 years in the U.S. and internationally. On top of maintaining a private studio, he is currently on the teaching faculty of the University of Missouri Kansas City Conservatory Academy. As a performer, Aurélien has been an active soloist and collaborator in Europe as well as in the United States. A French native speaker from Geneva, Switzerland, his love for languages has brought him to work with many singers as well. The recipient of numerous national awards and scholarships, he was a national finalist in the 2016 American Prize in Piano Performance. Aurélien holds a doctorate in piano performance and a master’s degree in Musicology from UMKC Conservatory. He previously obtained degrees in German, Music Education, and Musicology at the Geneva Conservatory, the University of Geneva, and Bern Conservatory respectively.
IAN WIESE Synthesizing Serialism and Harmony: Walter Piston’s Reconciliation of Harmonic Rhythm and Twelve-Tone Music A “captivating mix of busy and sparse” according to Boston Musical Intelligencer, Ian Wiese (Lambda, Boston Alumni) is a truly multifaceted composer. A Boston-based composer and current doctoral student under John Heiss at The New England Conservatory of Music, Ian’s works have been heard in places as far as Oslo, Norway and The Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Pieces of his have been performed by Imani Winds, Box Not Found, Some Assembly Required, Aaron Larget-Caplan (Beta) as part of his New Lullaby Project, and many others; Wiese was also a participant in the 2018 Collage New Music Composers Colloquium at Longy School of Music at Bard College, tutored by John Harbison of MIT and Paul Brust of Longy. He is working towards his Doctor of Musical Arts in composition and currently holds a Master of Music degree in composition from New England Conservatory and a Bachelor of Music degree in composition from Ithaca College. FALL 2020
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ALUMNI AWARD WINNERS
Outstanding Newsletter: Palos Verdes/South Bay Katherine Doepke Creative Programming Award: Dallas Musicological Research Competition: Lucy Shirley (Beta Psi), Aurélien Boccard (Kansas City Alumni) and Ian Wiese (Lambda, Boston Alumni) Marian Bowker Davidson Collaborative Piano Award: Anna Niemoth (Beta Pi)
PROVINCE ALUMNI CHAPTER ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS Atlantic: Boston Dallas Alumni
Eastern Great Lakes: Cleveland Great Lakes: Detroit
Int’l Alumni Chapter of the Year: Dallas Winners’ Circle: 2nd Place: Boston
East Central: Indianapolis Southeast: Atlanta
3rd Place: Atlanta
South Central: Dallas
4th Place: Palos Verdes/South Bay
Central: St. Louis
5th Place: Cleveland
North Central: Minneapolis-St. Paul
HM: Minneapolis-St. Paul
West Central: Denver
Noteworthy Community Service Project: St. Louis
Pacific: Fresno
Outstanding Yearbook: Atlanta and Minneapolis-St. Paul
Pacific Southwest: Palos Verdes/South Bay
2020 COLLEGIATE AWARD WINNERS International Collegiate Chapter of the Year, Tier 1: Lambda, Ithaca College International Collegiate Chapter of the Year, Tier 2: Gamma Zeta, Delta State University International Collegiate Chapter of the Year, Tier 3: Zeta Epsilon, Randolph-Macon College Collegiate Chapter of the Year Honorable Mentions: Tier 1, Phi Tau University of North Texas; Tier 2, Alpha Nu, West Texas A&M University and Gamma Sigma California State University Dominguez Hills; Tier 3, Zeta Kappa, Young Harris College International Sterling Achievement Award: Grace Sullivan, Eta Delta, Ripon College Outstanding Chapter Service Project To School: Lambda, Ithaca College - “Activity Book” project.This activity book has been compiled and formatted by the MFE members, engaging students, faculty, and administration and was distributed to Elementary General Junior Student Teachers who used this to aid in their learning and teaching when their student teaching was pushed online. Outstanding Chapter Service Project To Community: Kappa Butler University - Coming-Out Day Recital. Composers from Butler who identify with the LGBTQ community wrote pieces for members. The recital was well-received and open to everyone. It included historical composers who could not come out during their time, such as Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Samuel Barber. Honorable Mention, Service Project To Community: Phi Pi, Wichita State - Once the quarantine started, the chapter provided sidewalk art and music for retirement community residents. This included a few Mother’s Day-themed designs. Lambda Ithaca College - The chapter worked with children, especially the ICSD and Montessori elementary schools, to begin a music lesson partnership with the beginner and modern bands, orchestra, and voice and piano students. Coronavirus video music lessons were recorded and distributed for students online. Most Overall SERV Hours: Phi Tau, University of North Texas, 1156 hours Honorable Mention, Overall SERV Hours: Lambda, Ithaca College 1095 hrs; Zeta Epsilon, Randolph-Macon College, 808 hrs Most Reported SERV hours per member: Zeta Epsilon, Randolph-Macon College, 67 hrs/member Most Chapter Total SERV Projects: Gamma Zeta, Delta State University (16), Outstanding Collegiate Communications (Newsletter, Website, and/or Social Media): Alpha Nu, West Texas A&M; Beta Alpha, CSU Fullerton; Phi Tau, University of North Texas 16 MuPhiEpsilon.org
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2 0 2 0 C O L L E G I AT E A W A R D WINNERS CONTINUED
District Directors of the Year: Arietha Lockhart, SE2; Ashley Bouras, SC2 Honorable Mention, District Directors: Tanner Wilson, PSW; Ann Geiler, C1
Arietha Lockhart
Ashley Bouras
Tanner Wilson
Ann Geiler
Chase Crispin
Melinda Coleman
My Lihn Daley
Adriana Ezekiel
Avery Hendrickson
Melanie Lota
PROVINCE SENIOR ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS Atlantic
Noah Saberhagen, Zeta Epsilon (Randolph-Macon College)
East Central
Rowan Squire-Wiley, Kappa (Butler University)
Eastern Great Melanie M Lota, Lambda (Ithaca College) Abbey Lakes Senatore, Phi Omega (Westminster College) Great Lakes
Grace Sullivan, Eta Delta (Ripon College)
North Central Chase Crispin, Beta Pi (Nebraska Wesleyan University) Pacific
Miranda Morse, Mu Eta (University of the Pacific)
Pacific Southwest
My Linh Daley, Beta Alpha (California State University, Fullerton)
South Central Melinda Coleman, Phi Tau, University of North Texas, Avery Hendrickson, Epsilon Pi, Texas Tech University Southeast
Adriana Ezekiel, Gamma Zeta (Delta State University)
West Central
Mary-Anne McMillion, Phi Pi (Wichita State University)
PROVINCE COLLEGIATE CHAPTER ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS Atlantic
Zeta Epsilon, Randolph Macon College
Central
Zeta Alpha, Williams Baptist College
East Central
Kappa, Butler University
Eastern Great Lambda, Ithaca College Lakes Great Lakes
Epsilon Lambda, Eastern Michigan University
North Central
Mu Psi, Coe College
Pacific
Mu Eta, University of the Pacific
Pacific Southwest
Beta Alpha, California State University, Fullerton
Mary-Anne McMillion Miranda Morse
Noah Saberhagen
South Central Phi Tau, University of North Texas Southeast
Gamma Zeta, Delta State University
West Central
Phi Pi, Wichita State University
Abby Senatore
Rowan Squire-Wiley
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FOUNDATION
Scholarship and Grant Applications Available online only starting January 1, 2021 mpefoundation.org/grants-and-scholarships
Important Updates and Reminders – Scholarship and Grant Applications SCHOLARSHIP CHAIRMEN Grant/Scholarship Coordinator KIRA DIXON grants@mpefoundation.org SOPHIA TEGART president@mpefoundation.org MEGAN CARFA vicepresident@mpefoundation.org LIANA SANDIN treasurer@mpefoundation.org DR. KRISTÍN JÓNÍNA TAYLOR secretary@mpefoundation.org ZACHARIAH CARLSON admin@mpefoundation.org JACK RINKE jackr@key-ring.com DR. LEI WENG Leiweng@gmail.com
The Foundation Board is excited to announce that many of our scholarship and grant awards have increased this year! All scholarships now have a minimum of $2,000. Please check the list of scholarships and grants for details. BIG NEWS: The Foundation Board made a decision this summer that previous winners may apply for the same scholarship or grant as long as three grant cycles have passed since they last won (for example, winners in 2017 and before may apply in 2021). Winners of the Helen Haupt Alumni Chapter Project Grant or the Wiese-Abegg Collegiate Chapter Project Grant may apply every year. New this year is an exciting opportunity for music educators in the field. We are offering three music educator grants which may be used to supplement classroom supplies, equipment, or other educational expenses. Other reminders: • Dues deadline. Applicants are only eligible if they are members in good standing (a.k.a. have paid their dues) by 11:59 p.m. CT on December 31, 2020. This is a firm deadline with no exceptions. • Application deadlines. All applications (except for Wilson Summer Scholarships) are due by 11:59 p.m. CT on March 1, 2021. The Wilson Summer Scholarships are due by 11:59 p.m. CT on April 15, 2021. • References and recommendation letters must be uploaded separately to each scholarship for which the applicant is applying. The system doesn’t transfer information between scholarships, and judges don’t have access to information on scholarships they aren’t judging. So even though it may be a hassle to ask for multiple recommendation letters from your references, this is required. • Recordings are accepted via links to websites such as YouTube (preferred). Websites such as Dropbox where sign-in by a third party is required to access materials will not be accepted. Make sure the listing is marked either Public or Unlisted. The Foundation Board continues to encourage all Mu Phis, whether collegiate, alumni, or affiliated, to apply for our scholarships and grants. We still received no applications this past season for several grants and scholarships, some of which have large awards. The Foundation exists to help as many Mu Phis as possible to be guided “in the path that leads upward toward the stars.” Don’t be bashful — apply for these opportunities to help further your own aspirations. –The Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation Board
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• Application fees are non-refundable, even in the case of incomplete applications. • Applicants must be dues-paying members as of December 31, 2020. • Applicants may apply for more than one scholarship/grant. • Previous winners may apply for the same scholarship or grant as long as three grant cycles have passed since they last won (winners in 2017 and before may apply in 2021). Winners of the Helen Haupt Alumni Chapter Project Grant or the Wiese-Abegg Collegiate Chapter Project Grant may apply every year. • A Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation scholarship or grant may not be used for everyday living expenses, to repay educational loans, or to repay personal debt. • Required recordings must not be older than two years from the date of application.
GRANTS General NEW THIS YEAR! MUSIC EDUCATOR GRANTS Grants awarded to music educators. Grants may be used to supplement classroom supplies, equipment, or other educational expenses. Value $2,000 (3 awards) Chairman: Dixon MERLE MONTGOMERY DOCTORAL GRANT* To a bona fide doctoral candidate whose advanced work toward the degree is at a significant stage of completion. Value $3,000 Chairman: Taylor LIANA K. SANDIN GRANTS-IN-AID** For a specific purpose essential to completion of an exceptional musical project or undertaking well beyond the planning stage. Value $2,000 (3 awards) Chairman: Taylor
WIESE-ABEGG COLLEGIATE CHAPTER PROJECT GRANTS* To help support one or more special projects undertaken by collegiate chapters. Value up to $2,000 Chairman: Carlson MARY ALICE COX GRANT FOR LIFELONG LEARNING To an alumni member, in good standing for 10 years or more at time of application. To be used for continued or renewed development of a mid-career transition in any field of professional music, including but not limited to performance, composition, pedagogy and education, music therapy, music administration, and music technology. Value $2,000 Chairman: Tegart
Composition & Theory LILLIAN HARLAN RAMAGE GRANT FOR GRADUATE STUDY IN COMPOSITION* To a graduate student in composition. Value $2,000 Chairman: Rinke ELLEN JANE LORENZ PORTER GRANT FOR GRADUATE WORK IN COMPOSITION* To a graduate student working on an advanced degree in composition. Value $2,000 Chairman: Rinke RUTH DEAN MORRIS SCHOLARSHIP To a student majoring in music theory or composition. Value $2,000 Chairman: Rinke
Jazz JAZZ STUDY GRANT To a student studying jazz performance or composition. The funds must be used to fund a project or jazz studies. Value $2,000 Chairman: Tegart
MABEL HENDERSON MEMORIAL GRANT FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDY To support study outside the United States in a country other than the country of the applicant’s birth or citizenship, awarded on the basis of high achievement in the applicant’s major field. Applicants must be 21 years of age by June 1, 2021. Value $2,000 Chairman: Taylor HELEN HAUPT ALUMNI CHAPTER PROJECT GRANTS To support one or more special projects undertaken by an alumni chapter. Previous winners of this grant may re-apply for consideration of a significantly different project. Value up to $2,000 Chairman: Carlson FALL 2020
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FOUNDATION
SCHOLARSHIPS Conducting JOHN AND MARY VIRGINIA FONCANNON CHORAL CONDUCTING OR SACRED MUSIC SCHOLARSHIP For study in choral conducting or sacred music. Value $10,000 Chairman: Carlson JOHN AND MARY VIRGINIA FONCANNON CONDUCTING/COACHING SCHOLARSHIP To support study of conducting/coaching. Value up to $10,000 Chairman: Carlson
Instrumental ALBERTA DENK SCHOLARSHIP FOR VIOLIN, VIOLA, CELLO, DOUBLE BASS* To support a music major’s study of music performance. Value $2,000 Chairman: Carfa GERKE COLLEGIATE ARTIST SCHOLARSHIPS* Woodwinds, Brass, Percussion, Strings. To an undergraduate music major with a minimum 3.0 GPA in music and a 2.0 GPA in all other subjects. Value $2,000 (2 awards) Chairman: Tegart BETH LANDIS VIOLIN SCHOLARSHIP For undergraduate or graduate study in violin. Value $5,000 Chairman: Carfa JEAN LOUISE MARTIN SCHOLARSHIP To an undergraduate or graduate instrumentalist (brass, woodwinds, strings or percussion) for study in music performance. Value $2,000 Chairman: Tegart ELEANOR HALE WILSON CELLO SCHOLARSHIP To an undergraduate or graduate music education, music therapy, or performance major whose primary instrument is cello. Value $2,000 Chairman: Carfa
Chamber Music JAMES AND LOLA FAUST CHAMBER MUSIC SCHOLARSHIP To a chamber ensemble with one or two Mu Phi Epsilon members (depending on total number of members) demonstrating a performance history of at least two years. Value up to $5,000 Chairman: Tegart
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Arts Management EDYTHE G. BURDIN SCHOLARSHIP To a student studying arts management. Value $2,000 Chairman: Carfa
Music Education MADGE CATHCART GERKE SCHOLARSHIP To an applicant in music education with no professional classroom teaching experience who will complete certification requirements at the end of any term of the current academic year. Value $2,000 Chairman: Dixon BETH LANDIS MUSIC EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIP For undergraduate or graduate study in music education. Value $5,000 Chairman: Dixon HAZEL B. MORGAN SCHOLARSHIP* For graduate study in music education. Value $2,000 Chairman: Dixon NADINE WILLIAMS SCHOLARSHIP To an applicant currently enrolled in an accredited program of graduate study in music education. Value $2,000 Chairman: Dixon INES PRATT JAMISON SCHOLARSHIP Value $2,000 (see Voice) DR. FRAN IRWIN MUSIC EDUCATION MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP For a junior or senior majoring in music education. Value $2,000 Chairman: Dixon
Music Technology BETTYLOU SCANDLING HUBIN SCHOLARSHIP FOR MUSIC TECHNOLOGY In memory of Lucie Benefiel Scandling for a project or study involving music technology. Value $2,000 Chairman: Carlson
Music Therapy LA VERNE JACKSON MEMORIAL MUSIC THERAPY SCHOLARSHIP To an applicant who is enrolled in an accredited music therapy program and will be doing a pre-internship/internship with a special population. Value $2,000 Chairman: Carfa
FOUNDATION
Keyboard BERNSTEIN-CROSMAN SCHOLARSHIP Piano scholarship for study outside the United States in a country other than the country of the applicant’s birth or citizenship. Value $2,000 Chairman: Weng ELEANOR B. WEILER AND MILDRED B. FRAME PIANO SCHOLARSHIP To support piano study in France (preferably Paris). One or more scholarships available. Value up to $6,000 Chairman: Weng HELEN HAUPT PIANO SCHOLARSHIP To a pianist. Value $2,000 Chairman: Weng WIHLA HUTSON ORGAN SCHOLARSHIP To an organist. Value $2,000 Chairman: Weng
World Music BETTYLOU SCANDLING HUBIN SCHOLARSHIP FOR WORLD MUSIC/MULTICULTURAL MUSIC Awarded in memory of Lucie Benefiel Scandling. Value $2,000 Chairman: Tegart
BRENA HAZZARD VOICE SCHOLARSHIP To any Mu Phi Epsilon member pursuing vocal study, awarded on behalf of the Los Angeles Alumni Chapter. Value $5,000 Chairman: Sandin
Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. CT March 1, 2021. Complete information, qualifications, requirements, and online applications are available on Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation website at: https://mpefoundation.org/grants-and-scholarships
ELEANOR HALE WILSON SUMMER SCHOLARSHIPS For study at any American or International Summer Music Program. Scholarship application may be made before program acceptance is confirmed. Value $2,000 (6 awards) Chairman: Taylor
Applications for Wilson Summer Scholarships are due by 11:59 p.m. CT April 15, 2021. Complete information, qualifications, requirements, and online applications are available on Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation website at: https://mpefoundation.org/grants-and-scholarships
* Designates grants and scholarships funded through generosity of the Eleanor Hale Wilson Charitable Trust ** Designates grants significantly funded by the Pearle Francis Finigan Foundation
Voice ELIZABETH BOLDENWECK VOICE SCHOLARSHIP* For undergraduate study in voice. Value $2,000 Chairman: Sandin MIKANNA CLARK TAURMAN VOICE SCHOLARSHIP* For postgraduate study in voice. Value $2,000 Chairman: Sandin SARA EIKENBERRY VOICE SCHOLARSHIP* – UNDERGRADUATE To a deserving mezzo-soprano or contralto voice student. Value $2,000 Chairman: Sandin SARA EIKENBERRY VOICE SCHOLARSHIP* – POSTGRADUATE To a deserving mezzo-soprano or contralto voice student. Value $2,000 Chairman: Sandin INES PRATT JAMISON SCHOLARSHIP To a music education major who is studying voice. Value $2,500 Chairman: Sandin
Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation is also proud to support, through our philanthropic gifts, the following summer programs:
Aspen Music School Banff Center for the Arts Brevard Music Center Chautauqua Institution Inspiration Point Fine Arts Colony International Festival at Round Top Lyra Summer School Music Academy of the West Tanglewood Music Center LMTA Mop Mu Phi Epsilon members applying to the above summer programs should advise them of your membership in the Fraternity for consideration of scholarship funds distributed directly by the institutions.
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Shining Drawing by Sho-mei Pelletier, artist, courtesy of the Rachel Barton Pine Foundation, Music of Black Composers, “Coloring Book of Black Composers,” LudwigMasters Publications. musicbyblackcomposers.org
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BY MA R LON DA N I E L
g Knight
The extraordinary life and legacy of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745–1799)
he name Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges may not strike a chord because history has all but forgotten this historical musical figure of the classical period. His celebrity and outstanding qualities deserve recognition for far more than the racist moniker and misnomer to which he is often referred: “Black Mozart.” And while he crossed paths with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Saint-Georges was, in fact, the more popular composer in Europe in his day. His influence on music, arts and culture was remarkable. U.S. President John Adams declared that “Saint-Georges was the most accomplished man in Europe.” While today Mozart’s memory shines most and his works continue to be played by all major orchestras, Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges remains virtually unknown. BEGINNINGS Joseph Bologne was born in 1745 on the Island of Guadeloupe, a French Colony in the Caribbean. At a time when colonial slavery was the norm, he was not only free but also became an aristocrat. Saint-Georges was the illegitimate son of a wealthy white plantation owner, George Bologne, and Anne Nanon, an enslaved Guadeloupe woman of African descent, and was given his father’s name, Bologne. Young Joseph received an exemplary education. He attended Tessier de La Boëssière’s famed Académie royale polytechnique des armes et de ‘l’équitation (fencing and horsemanship) and also studied music. He was a true savant, a Jack of all trades, and master of them all.
Saint-Georges was considered a Superman of his time for this athletic prowess. His swimming, horseback riding, dancing, shooting, boxing, and especially fencing exploits are well-documented. He was renowned as the greatest fencer in Europe. He won matches over celebrated swordsmen, including the famous duel with fencing master Alexander Picard, which earned him knighthood and a place as King Louis’ only Black knight in his private guard. His duel with the crossdressing spy Chevalier d’Eon is famously portrayed in the painting by Alexandre-Auguste Robineau (1747-1828) and hangs in the Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace in London. But music was Saint-Georges’ greatest love. While nothing definitive is known about his early music training, his teachers likely included composer François Gossec and violinist-composers Antonio Lolli and Jean-Marie Leclair. A prolific composer, Saint-Georges’ surviving works include 14 violin concertos works, 10 keyboard sonatas, eight sinfonia concertantes, three sets of six string quartets, three sonatas for violin and keyboard, two symphonies, a sonata for harp and flute, the opera “The Anonymous Lover,” various songs, and arias from incomplete operas. And this — but a small representation of his output — is more than enough to define him as a major composer and influencer of the 18th century. In addition to his being an innovative composer, Saint-Georges was a contemporary music advocate, conductor, and virtuoso violinist, as one can deduce from his many string works. In 1769, Saint-Georges joined Gossec’s new orchestra FALL 2020
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Concert des Amateurs and became its leader and conductor in 1773. His prodigious skill on the violin and compositional style inspired many composers to dedicate works to him; an illustrious example is Josef Haydn’s six “Paris” symphonies, which he commissioned. SAINT-GEORGES AND MOZART In 1787, when 31-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart arrived in Paris hoping to rekindle the success he had as a 7-year-old prodigy, Paris was an exciting metropole filled with the arts. This was the Age of Enlightenment when Louis XIV, known as the Sun King (Roi Soleil), and his Austrian-born queen, Marie Antoinette, sat on the throne. Surely, a composer of Mozart’s talents could land himself a job in the City of Light! — but this was not the case. Paris was filled with musicians, and at the apex was Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, then 41, who influenced many composers of his day including Mozart, who desperately tried to assimilate this new French style. In 1778, from March to September, Mozart and Saint-Georges lived under the same roof in a residence hosted by Count Karl Heinrich Joseph von Sickingen. While there is no documentation, one can assume that due to the close proximity of their habitations, the two composers likely encountered each other on a regular basis. Many have speculated that Mozart was resentful of Saint-Georges’ success and that he felt threatened by his celebrity and music, as most composers in 18th century France emulated his musical style. One can see traces of Saint-Georges’ style in Mozart’s quartets and violin concerti, which adopt the French rondeau. It should be noted that the sinfonia concertante genre was also most prevalent in Paris. Even if Saint-Georges did not originate this double concerto-symphony hybrid, it is obvious he was its major exponent, composing an unprecedented eight that we know. There is little doubt that Saint-Georges’ Sinfonia concertante in G Major Op. 13, No 2, written a year earlier than Mozart’s famous Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat, K. 394, made an impact on Mozart. In the 3rd movement (Presto) of Mozart’s work, the soloists’ climactic final rising passage is almost identical to the virtuosic final passage in the 1st movement of Saint-Georges’ work. Even earlier, Saint-Georges used this same compositional technique in his Violin Concerto in A Major, Op. 7 No. 1 composed in 1777. Mozart never used this virtuosic type of writing until after his visit 24 MuPhiEpsilon.org
to Paris. Maybe this was a nod to Saint-Georges — or something Mozart might have heard while he and Saint-Georges lived under the same roof. THE QUEEN Saint-Georges became the director of Le Concert Olympique in 1781 after the Concert des Amateurs disbanded due to a lack of funding. It was with this orchestra that Saint-Georges premiered Haydn’s Paris symphonies. Marie Antoinette attended many of these concerts, often unannounced. Unfortunately, her fondness for Saint-Georges was not enough to garner him the position of artistic director of the Académie Royale de Musique, now known as the Paris Opera, for which he was being considered. Had he been given this opportunity; the course of history would have been changed. Unfortunately, a 1776 petition to Queen Marie Antoinette from the three leading opera divas assured Her Majesty that “their honor and delicate conscience could never allow them to submit to the orders of a mulatto,” according to Baron von Grimm’s Correspondance Litteraire, Philosophique et Critique. Rather than embarrassing himself or the queen, with whom Saint-Georges had a close relationship, he withdrew his name. LIBERTY, EQUALITY, FRATERNITY Saint-Georges was an ardent supporter of the ideals of the French Revolution and believed in “Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité,’ a slogan which later became France’s motto. He became a colonel and the leader of the all-Black Légion franche de cavalerie des Américains et du Midi, which was referred to as “Légion StGeorges” in his honor. He was an abolitionist and a celebrated hero who fought injustice and for the rights of those who could not fight for themselves. Racism was as prevalent then as now. At that time, France was in great turmoil as the country moved toward revolution and freedom for all. Le Code Noir, a decree originally set forth by King Louis XIV in 1685, defined slavery during the French colonial period and restricted the activities of free Blacks. Saint-Georges was in direct opposition to it and to military leader Napoléon Bonaparte who wanted to eradicate everything and everyone in opposition to his ideals. He wanted to reinstate slavery (and did so in 1802). The all-or-nothing mentality of the French people
Fencing Match between St.-Georges and ‘La chevalière D’Eon’ on April 9, 1787, by Abbé Alexandre-Auguste Robineau.
was out with the old, in with the new. This resulted in much of Saint-Georges music being destroyed. Saint-Georges died on June 12, 1799, of a bladder infection caused by an ulcer, only months before the end of the French Revolution. It is miraculous that his reputation has endured, despite two centuries of neglect. LEGACY Saint-Georges is increasingly acknowledged by celebrated musicologist and composers. Noted violinist Gabriel Banant wrote the comprehensive book, “Virtuoso of the Sword and the Bow,” and Pulitzer prize-winning composer Georges Walker created the work “Foils” for orchestra in homage to Saint-Georges. Saint-Georges is also honored in his birthplace in Guadeloupe at Festival International de Musique Saint-Georges, where many of his works are performed regularly by internationally renowned artists. Without Saint-Georges, France would have little to no musical representation in the classical period. We are led to believe today that this period was exclusively the domain of composers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The existence of Saint-Georges’ music proves otherwise. Today, his remarkable compositions are slowly but steadily matriculating into concert programs.
Saint-Georges is not a minor composer — history belies this — thus, he should be included in all music history books and also taught in music schools and universities alongside the pantheon of great classical composers: Beethoven, Haydn, Mozart, and Schubert, et al. A great need exists for diversity in classical music. Many conservatories, music schools, and competitions require violinists to perform a concerto by an 18th century composer — or simply stated, by Mozart. Why not add one of Saint-Georges’ 14 violin concertos to the list? This is but one example; there are many more. It would be an exceptional way to honor a contribution of a wonderful composer of color to the classical music repertoire. By purposefully performing his music, Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges and his extraordinary achievements will be celebrated again. Marlon Daniel (Mu Xi, New York Alumni) is the director of ensembles at Fordham University, music director of Ensemble du Monde (chamber orchestra) and the artistic and music director of the Festival International de Musique Saint-Georges. He is active member of the New York Alumni chapter and chair of the Mu Phi Epsilon International Committee. FALL 2020
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SIDEWALK Soirees
Come rain or shine, making music is what Mu Phis do! Throughout the pandemic, these Mu Phis have put forth extra effort to share their music safely with others. These events began organically and filled a need for both players and listeners. Performing outdoors in impromptu and organized fashion, the musicians have been careful to social distance while generously giving their time and talents to benefit neighbors, families, and friends. Have you found a way to share your music-making since the onset of COVID-19? Perhaps these members will inspire you to plan a program of your own.
Vocal VENTURE
Students from the vocal studio of Lenita McCallum take their final bows at the top of the staircase. From left to right: Alison Cool, Emma Cool, Joyce Balajadia, Allegra Dittman, and Lenita McCallum.
FROM LENITA MCCALLUM Phi Iota, Palos Verdes/South Bay Alumni
The audience enjoys a porch program presented by the voice studio of Lenita McCallum from the bottom of the stairs leading up to the front porch, which served as the stage.
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I hosted a live vocal recital on July 16, 2020, featuring four of my students on my front porch in Rolling Hills Estates, California, as a special treat for all my neighbors and students’ families. The hour-long program ranged from operatic arias to art songs and selections from musical theater and the movies. The audience was enthusiastic and clapped and expressed their gratitude for being able to hear some live music again. Mu Phi Patron Shirley Ho added her voice to the mixture remotely from her home in West Los Angeles. About 40 people attended the porch concert, and another 20 or so viewed it via Zoom.
FROM REBECCA SORLEY Kappa, Indianapolis Alumni
Driveway
CONCERTS
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra string players, along with Vera Parkin and students from Webster University’s Community Music School and the SLSO Youth Orchestra, join forces to perform Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue.
On July 22, 2020, the Sorley family performed at Woodland Terrace of Carmel for assisted living residents. Woodland Terrace’s Regional Music Therapist, pianist Allegra SorleyHein (Beta Psi, Indianapolis Alumni), had created a concert series in the summer of 2019 and found a creative solution in 2020 by organizing the Window Concert series, during which musicians performed in a courtyard while the residents listened from their balconies. The residents were thrilled to witness live music and enjoyed hearing from Allegra’s family, who performed a program of piano duets, as well as horn and vocal selections with piano. Some residents were even able to come outside in a socially distanced way for the first time since the restrictions on assisted living facilities had been implemented. Performers included Allegra Sorley-Hein, piano; Darin Sorley, horn; Adam Sorley, baritone; and 4th Vice President Rebecca Sorley, piano (Kappa).
FROM DIANA HASKELL, Mu Epsilon Associate principal clarinet, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
“Driveway concerts were the brainstorm of Thomas Jöstlein, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s associate principal horn, and so far, he has held over 130 concerts at his home. The very evening SLSO musicians were told to stay home, Thomas performed by himself on his driveway for any neighbor who cared to listen. He repeated this every night, adding family and a few friends. Groups grew, and the great chamber music repertoire we have at our disposal now became a part of Thomas’ Friday night concerts. More neighbors came. Then Thomas asked me to play. Though nervous at first, it was gratifying and joyful to perform again. Never had I been so happy to play with my dear colleagues! I started holding Saturday concerts on my driveway and am determined to continue as long as weather permits. We have three rules for performing: we do not rehearse; we dress casually, and whoever can play the part gets the part. If we cannot find an oboist, for example, we might substitute a trumpet player with a mute. This happened for a Mozart Serenade! Our neighbors love the atmosphere. Everyone is starved for the beauty found in art music. The goals we have of sharing beautiful music with neighbors, building community, and coming together to perform again, have resulted in a gratifying outreach during a tough time.”
Window
CONCERT
From left to right: Allegra Sorley-Hein, piano (Beta Psi, Indianapolis Alumni), Darin Sorley, horn, Rebecca Sorley, piano (Kappa, 4th VP) and Adam Sorley, baritone,
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SIDEWALK Soirees continued
INSPIRATION
Weekly
FROM VALERIE STARK, Beta, Boston Alumni
In the spring, I was speaking with a church friend about how to encourage people in this season of isolation. He suggested I figure out a way to share music, since I am a pianist. I thought about bringing an electronic keyboard out onto our front porch to play inspirational music once a week. My husband is a singer and enjoys playing a cajon. He also has been a part of a Beatles tribute band and is a big fan of their music. It was natural to plan to include some vocal tunes from him. We began in the middle of April and have continued nearly weekly since then. Performance times are regularly Friday evenings at 7 p.m., weather permitting, and begin with me playing a meditative piece as a prayer for frontline and essential workers and those affected by the virus. The first one I played was the J.S. Bach C Major Prelude (WTC, Vol. 1). I have also played “You’ve Got a Friend” by Carole King, “The Prayer” by Carole Bayer Sager and David Foster, and other similar pieces. After that, we perform about four songs, mostly Beatles covers, on themes of inspiration, perseverance, the love of travel and wandering, et cetera. We have also covered James Taylor tunes and a few Chicago tunes — artists we have loved since youth. Occasionally we have been joined by a young banjo-playing neighbor (at a safe social distance) and most recently, by our daughter, Joy, who provides a strong third vocal harmony. 28 MuPhiEpsilon.org
Pianist Valerie Stark and her husband, Jeff, are joined by their daughter, Joy, for one of their weekly Stark Family Porch Music concerts.
Initially we invited our proximate neighbors by email to stand on their porches for the 15-minute concert. They in turn have invited other neighbors to join. There are also many dog walkers who catch a tune on their way down the street. In the summer, we began sharing our concerts on Facebook, and friends far and wide have responded that they enjoy singing along or just listening in. As we gained in momentum with live and media performing, so has our investment in equipment. A large used keyboard amplifier and full keyboard purchases and tweaks to the computer connection have raised the sound quality. My husband has enjoyed the challenge of constantly improving sound as well as programming the evenings. The repertoire list is up to 42. We will continue as long as weather and daylight permit. We are still having fun. People gather in cars in the driveway, on the street, at distances on our front lawn, or across the street on porches or seated on a stone wall. It gives them an event to attend safely and a great way to connect with each other.
FROM BARBRA BAILEY BRADLEY Epsilon Omicron, Washington, D.C. Alumni “The first weekend of June is billed as Random Acts of Harping (RAOH), an annual event now in its tenth year that encourages harpists and harpers to share their music and instruments with the public. As part of that, I gave a porch concert of some of my original compositions and arrangements. I had an in-person audience of two, plus the birds who sang along, but I know that some of the neighbors also heard it because they commented later. I haven’t always been able to participate in RAOH but was thrilled to be part of it this year, which was particularly special because of the pandemic with everyone staying as close to home as possible. My participation in this event was included in the Fall 2020 Issue of the Folk Harp Journal, published by the International Society of Folk Harpers and Craftsmen.” You can hear Barbra perform on her YouTube channel (search for Barbra Bailey Bradley) or go to youtube.com/channel/UCJXmeFl_jGVivau35R0JQgg
Porch
PROGRAM
Barbra Bailey Bradley performs some of her original harp compositions and arrangements on her porch in June 2020 as part of an annual worldwide event called Random Acts of Harping.
Senior RECITAL Flutist Breanna Daley performs her senior recital outside at Washington State University while the audience social distanced during COVID-19.
FROM SOPHIA TEGART Mu Beta, Portland Alumni Flute professor at Washington State University
My student, Breanna Daley (Mu Beta), who recently graduated from Washington State University as a flute performance major, postponed her senior recital that was scheduled for last April due to Covid-19. She rescheduled it for July 16 and pushed back her graduation to August in the hopes of performing her recital live. By the time her newly scheduled recital came around, Covid-19 was just starting its second wave, and the university was forced to cancel the concert hall performance. Instead of giving up, the staff and faculty at WSU found another option. The WSU School of Music moved Breanna’s recital outside of the concert hall to a lovely nook by the loading dock! They built her a stage, rolled out a grand piano, brought in staff to livestream the concert, and even allowed a small socially distanced audience. The other members of Mu Beta and the flute studio brought in flowers to decorate the stage; it was all hands on deck! Breanna’s recital, titled “Sounds of the Forest,” suddenly had the perfect setting and included works by Anna Bon di Venezia, Otar Taktakishvili, Sofia Gubaidulina, Pietro Morlacchi, and Claude Debussy. It was a wonderful evening concert with perfect weather that just missed the next-day Washington mandate to ban indoor and outdoor concerts due to Covid-19. Breanna’s story is one of hope, perseverance, and a never-ending love of sharing music. This outdoor concert has inspired the WSU School of Music to start a summer music series, hopefully, in summer 2021. FALL 2020
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A P P L AUSE & ENCOR E: MEMBER AND CHAPTER NEWS
Congratulations to pianist Geoffrey Burleson (Phi Gamma, New York City Alumni, ACME Honoree) on the release of his recording of the complete piano works of Camille Saint Saëns on the Naxos label. The eight world premiere recordings are played from unpublished manuscripts Geoffrey Burleson obtained from the Bibliotheque nationale de France. These recorded virtuosic rarities by Saint-Saens include a solo transcription of his Africa for piano and orchestra, and fantasies on works by Beethoven, Gounod, Liszt, Bizet, and others. Geoffrey Burleson has performed at the Eglise St-Merri, Paris; American Academy in Rome; Sibelius Academy, Helsinki; Dimitris Mitropoulos Hall, Athens; National Museum of Art, Mexico City; De Doelen, Rotterdam, Netherlands; and with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra; Arlington and New England Philharmonics; and the Holland Symfonia. He is on the piano faculties of Princeton University and the City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center and is professor of music and director of piano studies at Hunter College, CUNY. Visit geoffreyburleson.com for more information.
Pianist Deborah Aitken (Palos Verdes/South Bay Alumni) performs a “Tune of the Week” on her Facebook page, which are generally posted on Monday mornings. Performances include a Scarlatti sonata, “Danza de la mosa donosa” by Ginastera, a Spanish Dance by Granados, “Girl with the Flaxen Hair” by Debussy and the E-flat Nocturne, Op. 9, No. 2 by Chopin. Visit facebook.com/deborah-aitkenrealtor to listen and leave a comment.
On May 27, 2020, pianist Shanice Aaron (Palos Verdes/South Bay Alumni) collaborated with bassist John Mietus — she in Los Angeles, he in Ohio — for the UCLA Mindful Music channel’s Take it Easy: Classical Piano and Bass Series, dedicated to the UCLA School of Nursing. The three videos aired on May 27, 2020. The series features soothing arrangements of J.S. Bach’s “Air” on the G String, Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Sonata, and Chopin’s Nocturne No. 20 in C# minor. Shanice also performed with Daniel Lim, cellist, that are presented on Mindful Music’s Spiritual Bliss with Bach Playlist, which aired on July 1, 2020. Visit Mindful Music LA on YouTube. Congratulations to Elizabeth “Betty” Swist Holderried (Phi Upsilon, Boston Alumni) who was recognized for 60 years of service to Mu Phi Epsilon. She received a Diamond commendation from the Fraternity. Betty was initiated into Mu Phi Epsilon on December 12, 1960.
Mary Feyk
Linnea Eades
Congratulations to two members of Palos Verdes/ South Bay Alumni chapter: Mary Feyk (Phi Nu, Palos Verdes/South Bay Alumni) received Amethyst commendation for 70 years of service to the Fraternity. Mary was initiated into the Phi Nu chapter on October 23, 1950.Linnea Eades was awarded a Diamond commendation for 60 years of service to the Fraternity. Linnea was initiated into Phi Nu on February 14, 1960. 30 MuPhiEpsilon.org
The TLC Singers, led by Debra Shrader with participation by MFE PV/ SB Co-president Laverne M. McCoy, sang in a couple of socially distant backyards for friends who are home-bound. Although difficult, they sang with masks, necessary during the pandemic.
Phi Pi students Patrick Orr, Dakota Bennett, and Courtney Houston from Wichita State University, Kansas, sang for residents at Larksfield Place Retirement Community. They socially distanced, while residents listened from the courtyard and balconies, and created colorful sidewalk chalk drawings that said, “Music,” “Friendship,” and “Harmony!”
Jessica Dodge
Hannah PorterOcceña
Patrick Orr
Yi-Yang Chen
Congratulations to Mu Phi Epsilon International Competition finalists Jessica Dodge (Phi Tau) saxophone; Hannah Porter-Occeña (Alpha Kappa), flute; Patrick Orr (Phi Pi), pianist; and Yi-Yang Chen (Mu Upsilon, New York City Alumni), pianist, who are each recipients of a “Just Because We Wanted To And You Deserve It” Award for $500, presented by the Denton Alumni chapter. The final competition is scheduled to take place in Denton, Texas, next summer and will precede the Fraternity’s international convention to be held in Grapevine, Texas. “This is Why We Kneel,” by composer Charles Dickerson (Omega, Omega, Palos Verdes/South Bay Alumni), which was recorded with a men’s chorus and the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles, was recently updated to include event of racial inequality and pain. This video can be viewed via YouTube on the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles channel at https://youtu.be/ PuxPSekKJk8. Charles has also recently completed two choral works with orchestra, “Psalm 91” and “The Storm is Passing Over,” which uses the text of a gospel song by Charles Tindley, African American Methodist minister and gospel music composer.
Congratulations to conductor Marlon Daniel (Mu Xi, New York City Alumni) who joined the faculty as director of orchestral ensembles this fall at Fordham University in the Bronx, New York. He will lead the symphony orchestra at Rose Hill and the Chamber Orchestra at Lincoln Center. This past summer he appeared on KOPN, 89.5 FM “Speaking of the Arts”; Facebook Live “Across the Arts with Patrick McCoy” on the Maestro Series; Mostly Mozart Festival on WQXR-FM with Terrence McKnight; the Intercultural Music Initiative; and PlutonMagazine.com.
Maquette Kuper
Congratulations to Nina Crecia (Beta Alpha) for the publication of her new choral composition, “The New Colossus,” now available from J.W. Pepper. The SATB work is based on the sonnet by American poet Emma Lazarus, which is mounted on the base of The Statue of Liberty. The piece “reflects changing times through key modulations and ends with the statue’s open call into the world as a beacon of hope for those in need of sanctuary,” according to the publisher’s website. Parts and audio-file rehearsal tracks and piano accompaniment, can be purchased at jwpepper.com.
Rejean Anderson
Two members of the Sacramento Alumni chapter, Maquette Kuper (Beta) and Rejean Anderson (Phi Nu), held a porch concert with outdoor seating at Rejean’s home on June 11, 2020. “This was a fun solution to the social distancing problem,” says Dr. Barbara Baker (Alpha Delta). FALL 2020
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FINAL NOTES AN N G IB B EN S DAVI S , P H I L A M B DA , WAS H I N TO N D.C . A LU M N I DAV I S M U S E C @ CO MC AST. N E T
Eva Frantz Anderson Phi Gamma, February 19, 1950 Died April 4, 2020
Rosaleen Marie (Malooly) Evans Mu Nu, June 6, 1948 Died April 29, 2020
Cellist, pianist and organist. Eva was a lifetime resident of Baltimore where she taught piano, cello and organ. She was a performing member of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra from 1961-1995. She played in the York and Gettysburg Symphony and served as church organist with Glyndon United Methodist Church and the First Church of Christ in Annapolis, Maryland. During her retirement years she played the piano, organ and cello for her retirement community.
Pianist, singer, and musical theater actor. Rosaleen received degrees in piano performance from Colorado College and the University of Southern California and completed post-graduate work at USC toward a doctorate in musicology. debuted in piano with the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra. She went on to study theater in London at the Shakespeare Theater. She sang many roles at the Biltmore Theater in Los Angeles. She returned to Texas where she maintained a private studio and taught voice at the University of Texas in El Paso. She was director of over 20 Theaters productions in El Paso. Rosaleen was the Music Director of the Dictionary of International Biography, Who’s Who of American Women and awarded The Image Award for Music by the El Paso Association of Performing Arts.
Dr. Helen Marie Bilhorn Baumgartner Phi Iota, December 19, 1979 Minneapolis-St. Paul Alumni Died June 14, 2020 Pianist and violinist. Helen was a guest soloist with the Boston Pops in a performance Beethoven’s Concerto No. 3, conducted by Arthur Fiedler. She was violinist with the Mankato Symphony orchestra and a duet partner with her husband Paul Baumgartner for the Global Mission Institute of Luther Seminary in St. Paul. The two met while graduate students at Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NewYork, and both taught at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota, where Dr. Helen Baumgartner was a retired professor of music. Klari (Mandel) Englander Kappa, April 22, 1961 Died June 19, 2015 Pianist. Klari began her teaching career in Indianapolis and later moved to New York City where she joined the faculty at BrooklynQueens Conservatory of Music. She taught and played piano in Queens, New York, until her 92nd year. She passed away at 100 years old.
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Thelma (Larson) Johnson Mu Epsilon, June 2, 1944 Died May 14, 2020 Pianist, accompanist. Thelma received her bachelor’s degree from MacPhail College of Music where she also taught. She was a professional accompanist for many musicians of the Minnesota Symphony Orchestra and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra as well as masterclasses for visiting artists, including Joseph Gingold, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Leonard Rose, and Isaac Stern. Thelma was an active member of many local musical organizations, including the Minnesota Music Teachers Association, Women’s Association for the Minnesota Orchestra, Thursday Musical, Shubert Club and Minneapolis Women’s Club Music Committee. Marcellene (Hawk) Mayhall Mu Phi, December 10, 1951 Cleveland Area Alumni Died March 24, 2020 Pianist, harpsichordist, forte pianist. Marcellene was the principal keyboardist with the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra and a member of the piano faculty of Youngstown
State University in Ohio. She performed in solo recital, as soloist with orchestras, as duo-pianist, as chamber musician, and as collaborative pianist. Marcellene gave piano recitals in Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania, California and Florida, and was director emeritas of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Cleveland, Ohio, where she founded its annual Bach Festival, and was the primary pianist at the First Unitarian Church in Youngstown. She was the president of the Midwestern Historical Keyboard Society (now the Historical Keyboard Society of North America). She and her late husband, Walter S. Mayhall, collected an extensive library of over 16,000 items, including a bibliography of more than 31,500 citations devoted to the life, works and performance practice of Johann Sebastian Bach, his family, students, and his time. The collection now resides at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China. Virginia (Ralles) Parker Mu Gamma April 27, 1952 Lincoln Alumni Died August 20, 2020 Vocalist. Virginia “Ginny” Parker had a varied career in opera, musical theater and concert performances. A versatile coloratura soprano, she was a regional winner of the Metropolitan Opera Auditions and a winner of the “Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts” television competition and worked with him at CBS in New York. She appeared as guest artist with symphony orchestras in New Orleans, St. Louis, Sioux City, Iowa; and Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska. Ginny sang leading roles with the Omaha Civic Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, and Houston Grand Opera. She served on the boards of the Lincoln Community Playhouse, the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra, and was founding member of the Friends of Opera the Musical Art Club and the Nebraska State Arts Council. Joann Irene (Utley) Reed Gamma, February 15, 1947 Died May 13, 2020 Pianist, vocalist, handbell player, educator. Joann attended the University of Michigan where she received her Bachelor of Music degree and sang in the university choir. Joann
gave private piano lessons, taught for two years in the public schools, and was founder and director of two church children’s choirs. She sang in choirs and played hand bells in several churches in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Florida. Joann’s passion was wildlife rescue. She was a member of Mote Marine Laboratories in Florida and specialized in protecting the nests of the Florida’s sea turtles. Dr. Margaret Rickerd Scharf Mu Upsilon, February 11, 1949 Cleveland Area Alumni Died July 31, 2019 Organist, teacher, clinician. Margaret “Maggie” Scharf was known as an active recitalist, teacher and clinician for over 50 years. She was a soloist with the Eastman-Rochester Orchestra, Toledo Symphony, and the Ohio Chamber Orchestra. She performed many times at conventions for the American Guild of Organists and served as the dean of the Cleveland chapter for 30 years. She taught in Nebraska and served on the faculties of Mississippi Southern University, Oklahoma State University, Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio, Cleveland State University and Baldwin-Wallace University in Berea, Ohio. For two years, she was also the chair of the organ department at American University in Washington, D.C. She was a performance artist and adjudicator for the American Guild of Organists and was awarded the Orah Ashley Lamke Award in 2011 by Mu PhI Epsilon. Willena Louise(Bourquein) Schlueter Mu Omicron, February 15, 1953 Died May 10, 2020 Pianist, organist, and music educator. Willena graduated from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in music education and majored in piano and organ. She taught in the public schools of Deer Park and Mt. Healthy, Michigan, for 25 years. Willena taught private piano lessons for 66 years and was a pipe organist for 56 years for the Second Church of Christ Scientist-Clifton and other area churches.
Carol Ann (Vogt) Sharp Mu Chi, May 11, 1963 Died July 26, 2020 Pianist, vocalist, teacher. Carol graduated cum laude from Southern Methodist University with a degree in music. She taught hundreds of students over the course of more than 40 years. She and her sister, a singer, performed together for numerous church groups and other venues, and were frequent guest artists for Christian Women’s Clubs and performed two-woman Broadway shows in the Dallas area. She was active as a member of the Garland (Texas) Music Teacher’s Association throughout her career and served as an adjudicator throughout the state. Marjorie (Horn) Shelly Zeta, May 17, 1948 Fullerton Alumni Died July 21, 2020 Pianist, vocalist, teacher, choral conductor. Marjorie earned her Bachelor of Music degree from DePauw university and a Master of Fine Arts degree in voice from California State University, Fullerton. She taught piano and voice at her home and several community colleges in Fullerton and Cypress, California. She sang and conducted adult choirs at University Park United Methodist Church in Denver, Colorado, and First Congregational Church in Buena Park, California. For more than 22 years, she led the adult choirs and handbell choirs at Orangethorpe United Methodist Church, Fullerton. Paul Xavier Verona Epsilon Psi, December 12, 1996 New York City Alumni Died June 17, 2020 Pianist. Paul appeared as soloist with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, The Brooklyn Symphony, the Manhattan Contemporary Ensemble, the Sheboygan Symphony and the Catholic Symphony Orchestra of Wisconsin. He has twice performed in recital at the Metropolitan Museum of Art under the auspices of the Department of
Musical Instruments and at the Town Hall in New York City. His many performances in Austria, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Italy have brought him wide critical acclaim. He performed numerous times for the U.S. Department of the Interior and was a frequent guest artist on the Goethe Institute’s recital series. His performances been aired on the VARA radio in Holland, RAI in Italy and the USA, and radio and television stations throughout the U.S. Paul received many awards including the Viotti-Valsesia International Piano Competition for Romantic Music, the National Society of Arts and Letters Piano Career Award and was twice awarded first prize in the International Piano Recording Competition. He has been the recipient of performance and research grants from the Mu Phi Epsilon and Eccola Foundations. He was highly regarded for his interpretation of music from the romantic period, particularly Chopin, Schumann, Brahms, Rachmaninoff, Liszt, and Albéniz. His recording of Isaac Albèniz’s Iberia Suite was released by Centaur Records in 2012. He holds degrees from the Bologna Conservatory of Music, the Juilliard School, and the Manhattan School of Music. Paul served as vice president of the Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation. Lynda (Coye Smith) Donaca Wienk Mu Beta, May 22, 1960 Portland Alumni Died February 14, 2020 Vocalist, teacher. Lynda taught elementary music in the Portland Public Schools in Oregon for three years and conducted the children’s choirs at Lake Grove Presbyterian Church. She taught private voice lessons from 1982-2019 to more than 1,000 students. She sang in the Portland Opera Chorus for 20 years and the Novum Chamber singers for many years. Lynda was an integral part of Good Samaritan Ministries in Beaverton, Oregon, where she was a co-director of International Education and was also a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singers. She was active in Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Lake Oswego and toured with its choir to Europe four times.
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DISTR ICT DIRECTORY
ATLANTIC DISTRICT A1 Stephanie Berry 574.596.8285 bmpenguin69@hotmail.com
SOUTHEAST DISTRICT SE1 Marshall Pugh 252.599.2492 se1dd@muphiepsilon.org
WEST CENTRAL DISTRICT WC1 Ashley Roever 580.822.5682 amroever@hotmail.com
DISTRICT A2 Susan Todenhoft 703.323.4772 H 703.509.0224 C todenhoft@gmail.com
DISTRICT SE2 Arietha Lockhart 404.284.7811 ariethal@hotmail.com
DISTRICT WC2 Ashley Bouras 972.765.3252 ashley.kimmel12@gmail.com
DISTRICT SE3 Ashley Bouras 972.765.3252 ashley.kimmel12@gmail.com
PACIFIC NORTHWEST DISTRICT PNW1 Sophia Tegart 509.991.4906 sophia.tegart@gmail.com
EASTERN GREAT LAKES DISTRICT EGL1 Ashley Bouras 972.765.3252 ashley.kimmel12@gmail.com DISTRICT EGL2 Ashley Bouras 972.765.3252 ashley.kimmel12@gmail.com DISTRICT EGL3 Nancy Jane Gray 330.688.7990 bobgrayz@aol.com GREAT LAKES DISTRICT GL1 Susan Owen-Bissiri 734.971.1084 slbissiri@sbcglobal.net DISTRICT GL2 Ashley Bouras 972.765.3252 ashley.kimmel12@gmail.com EAST CENTRAL DISTRICTS EC1 Herbert Jackson 678.577.3637 herbertjackson5@gmail.com DISTRICTS EC2 & EC3 Sean Kilgore 317.750.3206 smk193@gmail.com
DISTRICT SE4 Adriana Ezekiel 256.443.5339 adrianalezekiel@gmail.com SOUTH CENTRAL DISTRICT SC1 — OPEN DISTRICT SC2 Sam Melnick 512.673.3822 samelnicomposer@gmail.com DISTRICT SC3 Anissa Martinez 806.217.4445 anissa.martinez@wheelerschools. net DISTRICT SC4 Isabel De La Cerda 210.204.6425 idelacerda@hotmail.com CENTRAL DISTRICT C1 Ann Geiler 314.691.7648 celloanng@centurytel.net DISTRICT C2 Paula Patterson 417.773.1176 paulapatterson@missouristate.edu NORTH CENTRAL DISTRICT NC1 Zack Carlson 218.201.1437 zachariah.davin@gmail.com DISTRICT NC2 Liana Sandin 402.483.4657, 402.560.7126 Liana.Sandin@gmail.com
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DISTRICT PNW2 & PNW3 Michael Lasfetto 971.275.3800 pnw3dd@muphiepsilon.org PACIFIC DISTRICT P1 Ashley Bouras 972.765.3252 ashley.kimmel12@gmail.com DISTRICT P2 Patrick Aguayo 408.991.4011 patrickanthony551@gmail.com PACIFIC SOUTHWEST DISTRICT PSW1 Tanner Wilson 951.515.9680 tannerwilson263@gmail.com
OF F ICERS DIRECTORY
2017-2021 INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE BOARD
INTERNATIONAL CHAIRMEN
2020-2021 FOUNDATION BOARD
Rosemary Ames, Omega International President 508.498.4669 president@muphiepsilon.org
ACME Arietha Lockhart (Chair) Beta Gamma, Atlanta Alumni 404.284.7811 ariethal@hotmail.com
Dr. Sophia Tegart, President Mu Beta 509.991.4906 president@mpefoundation.org
Julia Scherer, Alpha Kappa 1st VP/Extension Officer 816.225.2987 extensionofficer@muphiepsilon.org
Mary Au (Co-Chair), Mu Nu Los Angeles Alumni 323.666.2603 auhaus@gmail.com
Jenny Smith, Phi Xi 2nd VP/Collegiate Advisor 214.662.5087 collegiateadvisor@muphiepsilon.org Marcus Wyche, Delta Delta 3rd VP/Alumni Advisor 301.484.3652 alumniadvisor@muphiepsilon.org
BYLAWS & STANDING RULES Kurt-Alexander Zeller, Mu Chi Atlanta Alumni 770.961.4400 zellertenor@aol.com FINANCE
Rebecca Sorley, Kappa 4th VP/Music Advisor 317.885.1103 musicadvisor@muphiepsilon.org Terrel Kent, Beta Zeta 5th VP/Eligibility Advisor 225.772.7384 eligibilityadvisor@muphiepsilon.org Jess LaNore Executive Secretary-Treasurer 888.259.1471 executiveoffice@muphiepsilon.org Ellen Ritscher Sackett Phi Tau, Denton Alumni International Editor 940.395.1300 editor@muphiepsilon.org
Evelyn Archer Omega Omega, St. Louis Area Alumni 314.481.2361 archerbe@sbcglobal.net INTERNATIONAL Marlon Daniel, Mu Xi New York City Alumni 212.641.0305 marlondanielnyc@gmail.com
Megan Carfa, Vice-President Phi Tau 817 673 7341 vicepresident@mpefoundation.org Dr. Kristín Jónína Taylor, Secretary Alpha Kappa 641.590.0547 secretary@mpefoundation.org Liana Sandin, Treasurer Beta Pi, Lincoln Alumni 402.560.7126 treasurer@mpefoundation.org Zachariah Carlson Zeta Lambda 218.201.1437 admin@mpefoundation.org Kira Dixon, Artist Concert Manager Grants and Scholarship Chairman Phi Mu 408.439.6076 grants@mpefoundation.org Rosemary Ames Omega 508.498.4669 president@muphiepsilon.org
MUSIC LIBRARIAN & ARCHIVES Wendy Sistrunk, Mu Mu Kansas City Alumni 816.836.9961 SistrunkW@umkc.edu
HONORARY ADVISORY BOARD Katherine Doepke, Phi Beta 612.377.2043 katdoepke@gmail.com Lee Clements Meyer, Phi Xi 512.345.5072
FALL 2020
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International Executive Office 1611 County Rd B, West, #320 St Paul, MN 55113 executiveoffice@muphiepsilon.org 888 259 1471
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