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California State University, Northridge
Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication
Department of Music presents
Faculty Artist Recital
CSUN Music Department
www.csun.edu/music
(818)-677-3181
@csunmusic
TEMPO
Sunday, February 5, 2023
7:30 PM
Shigemi Matsumoto Recital Hall
CONCERTS 2022-2023
is a new music ensemble based in Los Angeles comprised of flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, piano and percussion. The group routinely performs premieres and recently composed works in addition to standard works of the 20th century. TEMPO celebrates its 14th season in 2022-2023
Ensemble Members
David Shostac, flute
Julia Heinen, clarinet
Lorenz Gamma, violin
Nancy Roth, viola
Erika Duke-Kirkpatrick, cello
Françoise Régnat, piano
Evangeline Yip, percussion
Glenn Price, conductor
Guest Performers:
Nelly Guevara, violin
Michael Christ Powers, conductor
PROGRAM
The Book of Zodiac (2020)…………………………..…...Paul Kopetz for clarinet, violin, viola, cello, and piano (b.1968)
CHAPTER 1 - Chrysomallus the Ram
CHAPTER 2 - The Bull of Heaven
CHAPTER 3 - Castor and Pollux
CHAPTER 4 - Beta Cancri
CHAPTER 5 - The Lion of Nemea
CHAPTER 6 - Shala the Goddess of Fertility
CHAPTER 7 - Lady Justice
CHAPTER 8 - Urania’s Mirror – Scorpius
CHAPTER 9 - Chiron the Centaur
CHAPTER 10 - Enki the God of Creation
CHAPTER 11 - Ganymede the Son of Tros
CHAPTER 12 - Alpha Piscium
INTERMISSION
Another Time (2017)….......................................................David Maki for flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, piano and percussion (b.1966)
Orientalism (2020, rev. 2021)…………………………...…..Sami Seif for string quartet (b.1998)
How on Earth (2022)………………………..…….David Werfelmann (b.1983) World Premiere
Commissioned by TEMPO with support from the Doug Davis Composition and Performance Endowment
COMPOSER BIOGRAPHIES AND PROGRAM NOTES
Paul Kopetz is an award-winning composer and a multiinstrumentalist, arranger, conductor, adjudicator, and teacher. He is a graduate of The University of Melbourne, The Victorian College of the Arts, The Rotterdam Conservatorium, and Monash University. His works have been performed in the USA, Asia, Europe, and Australia. Paul’s music has been described as “a highly emotive and colourful mix of poly-stylistic soundscapes where Contemporary Classical forms provide a flexible springboard for personal journeys of reflection, social commentary, explorations of the natural world and above all artistic integrity”.
Paul's music has been awarded numerous prizes in composition contests around the world. He has been commissioned and performed locally and internationally at festivals and in concert series by acclaimed Australian and international artists. His creative output includes music for chamber ensembles of various sizes and instrumentation, strings, choirs, wind orchestra, solo instruments, and voice.
This suite of 12 miniatures (chapters) was written during the first COVID lockdown and was inspired by all my friends and family scattered around the world. The pieces’ character either draws on the mythological origins of a sign or its astrological significance. Several are dedicated to members of my family and as such are their musical portraits.
The work comprises 12 chapters of approximately two minutes long, 12 key signatures, and an eclectic range of musical styles. The pieces are arranged and internally structured according to the four elements. All ‘fire’ sign movements are tempestuous, fast and turbulent. All ‘earth’ signs are grounded, reserved and moderately paced. All ‘air’ signs are frivolous, light-hearted and buoyant. All ‘water’ signs are expressive, wistful and moody.
David Maki earned his degrees in Composition at Northern Illinois University (B.Mus.), the University of Iowa (M.M.), and the University of Michigan (D.M.A.). Maki’s works have been performed widely at regional, national, and international venues. His music has been described as “fresh and unusual” (All Music Guide), “vivid, introspective” (American Record Guide), and “meditative and beautiful” (Fanfare). Recordings can also be found on the Albany, Avid Sound, and Parma labels. He has substantial experience as a pianist and collaborative artist performing a variety of genres including classical, jazz, and new music. Maki enjoys finding inspiration from nature, literature, arts, design, and a wide variety of music in order to compose multilayered works that speak clearly. He also seeks to employ a harmonic language that varies from lushly tonal to jaggedly chromatic, within clear formal structures specific to each project. Dr. Maki is Professor of Music and Coordinator of Music Theory and Composition at Northern Illinois University.
In 2017, I was honored to be one of several alumni asked to help celebrate the opening of the Voxman Music Building at the University of Iowa. Another Time was written for the occasion and performed by the Center for New Music on April 23, 2017. My students days at Iowa were "another time" in my life, but the title also refers to the layering of different divisions of pulse and rhythmic activity in the piece sometimes the strings might be moving very slowly while the winds are fast; often groups of instruments are playing simultaneously in compound and simple divisions on several levels. Pitch materials are layered as well. The piece opens with three diatonic pitch collections presented consecutively and soon moves to a contrapuntal section where each instrument is playing a different diatonic set, layered on top of one another. The central section of the piece features strata of activity grounded in an unlikely key area before a brief, solo piano passage leads to the final section. – David
MakiThe Book of Zodiac was premiered online by Opus 5 during the 2021 ClarinetFest held in Fort Worth. I am thrilled that Tempo will present the work’s first live performance in concert today. – Paul Kopetz
Sami Seif is a composer and music theorist. His music is inspired by the aesthetics, philosophies, paradigms and poetry of his MiddleEastern heritage. His work has been described as “very tasteful and flavorful” with “beautiful, sensitive writing!” His latest musical
concerns center around the phenomenology of time and of differing degrees of focus.
Seif’s music has been performed by such renowned artists as Mary Kay Fink and Stanley Konopka of The Cleveland Orchestra, and has been recognized internationally by a number of institutions such as ASCAP, the RED NOTE New Music Festival, the Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra, and the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of New York, among others.
Originally from the small town of Ashkout in Mount Lebanon, he was born to a non-musical family in Abu Dhabi and he is fluent in Arabic, French and English. He started out at the age of twelve as a selftaught musician, composing and playing keyboard instruments. He then formally studied piano, composition, audio engineering, and sound synthesis.
Seif studied composition and music theory at the Cleveland Institute of Music where he won prizes in composition and in music theory. He is currently pursuing his doctoral studies at the CUNY Graduate Center.
Orientalism derives its name from the eponymous book by the Palestinian-American intellectual Edward Said. My interest in orientalism started with the constant disparity I felt between my experience of being an Arab, and the representations of Arabs which I saw in art, media, and what even claimed to be scientific literature. Those representations of “the Orient” had very little to do with what I know about my own background, my lived experiences, and everything that I have read in Arabic. This piece is a result of my reflections, it is a commentary as well as an artistic response to that phenomenon.
Another interest of mine has been the passage of time, especially the passage of musical time, as opposed to chronometric time. In my quartet, the measurement of time is passed from player to player, so as to create a flowing evolution of the sense and function of time. As each player takes control of measuring time for the whole ensemble, a natural shift in the perception of time will occur for interpreters and audience alike. The passage of time thus interacts with perspective and with focus. Every player will get the chance to manifest their
experience of time, resulting in four different perspectives on the flow of time. These different time-layers ultimately create a counterpoint of tempi between players. Essentially, my quartet intersects my interests in Orientalism and the passage of time – both of which are part and parcel of phenomenology, of conscious experience.
Unlike a traditional string quartet, which seeks to blend the individual player with the quartet, my piece seeks to identify the individual in opposition to the ensemble. Just as time flows smoothly from player to player, so too do sounds bleed into each other like different colors, or different perspectives continually intruding into one another –whilst alternating with solo passages. This draws a parallel with the disconnection between the individual and the system, between my individual sense of self as an Arab in America, or a Christian from a Muslim-majority country (both of which Edward Said himself experienced), and the system and politicized representation of the Middle-East and of its peoples (often viewed as only one people).
Orientalism received first prize at the Foundation for Modern Music’s 2021 Robert Avalon International Competition for Composers, first prize at the 2021 Suzanne Culley Senior Composition Competition, first prize at the 2022 Cleveland Composers Guild Collegiate Composition Competition, third prize in the SOCAN Foundation’s 2021 Young Composers Awards, Chamber Music Category, and honorable mention in the 2021 ASCAP Foundation’s Morton Gould Young Composer Awards. – Sami Seif
David Werfelmann is an American composer of instrumental, vocal, and electronic music whose works are widely performed and recorded by ensembles and soloists throughout the US. Among the many professional ensembles that have performed his works are the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, The Zzyzx Quartet, and the Hear Now Ensemble. David’s music can be heard on five professionally recorded CDs, including the Fischoff Award-winning Barkada
Quartet’s premiere album Aventura. His music is heard frequently at conferences and festivals, such as the CMS International Conference, the NOW HEAR Festival, several North American Saxophone Alliance conferences, the Society of Electroacoustic Music in the United States convention, the CSU Fullerton New Music Festival, and
the Berkeley Arts Festival. David has been commissioned by ensembles such as Chamber Project Saint Louis, the Slipstream Quartet, the HOCKET piano duo, the Hear Now Ensemble, the WMTA, and a consortium of college wind ensembles, as well as soloists including Michael Mizrahi, Andrew Harrison, and Rafael Liebich. David is currently an Associate Professor of Music at Webster University in Saint Louis and has received music degrees from USC (DMA), Indiana University (MM), and Lawrence University (BM). For scores, recordings and to contact David, please visit www.davidwerfelmann.com.
How on Earth serves as an emotional response to the destruction of the natural world as a result of human-caused climate change. The work aims to express the deep sense of loss, bewilderment, and at times anger that many of us feel as we witness the devastating impacts of climate change on the planet. How on earth do we address the challenges we face?
Reverence and joy are found in this work as well. A bright future born of optimism and commitment to change is yet possible, but only through individual and collective action. We must not take for granted the limited time we have to heal our planet. How on Earth, therefore, urges its listeners to reflect on the precious and fragile condition of our planet, to delight in its natural beauty, and to work together towards a better, more sustainable future. –
David WerfelmannHow on Earth was commissioned by the TEMPO Ensemble with generous support from the Doug Davis Composition and Performance Endowment.
PERFORMER’S BIOGRAPHIES
Lorenz Gamma has a varied career as soloist, recitalist, chamber musician and teacher. With the Amar Quartet he won the Millennium Award at the 2000 London International String Quartet Competition and has since then performed in countless venues in London, Paris, New York, Zurich, Geneva, Munich, Cologne, Mexico City and many Asian cities. He also served as principal of the Zurich Opera orchestra and has performed over twenty different concertos. He has collaborated with musicians such as Heinz Holliger, Paul Katz, Joseph Silverstein and many others.
Nelly Guevara began her violin studies in Honduras. She obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Music in Costa Rica with Prof. J. Castillo. She was a student at the School of Music Reina Sofía, with Prof. Rainer Schmidt and Prof. Marco Rizzi, and subsequently at the IICM of Madrid with Prof. Gothoni. She was honored as a member of the “Albeniz Quartet” as the Best String Quartet in the ESMRS. She received Violin Master Classes with Leon Spierer, Oleh Krysa, Mauricio Fuks, Ana Chumachenco and Chamber Music with the Alban Berg Quartet members and Menahem Pressler. She won the “Young Soloists” and “Gold Medal” competition in Costa Rica where she participated as a soloist. She has been member of the National Symphony Orchestra of Honduras, Costa Rica and Colombia, 2nd assistant of concertmaster of the Gulbenkian Orchestra in Portugal, and recently member of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Buenos Aires as Assistant of the 2nd violins section. She is currently student and teaching assistant of Prof. Lorenz Gamma at CSUN for a Master's degree in Music Performance.
As a solo clarinetist, Julia Heinen has performed hundreds of concertos and recitals around the world including recent performances in Poland, Italy, Belgium, Hungary, France, El Salvador, the Czech Republic, Spain and Portugal. As an adjudicator, she has judged hundreds of competitions including chairing the jury of the 9th International Mercadante Clarinet Competition in Noci, Italy and serving on the jury for the 2nd Biannual International European Clarinet Competition in Ghent, Belgium. She served as the co-artistic director of the International Clarinet Association’s ClarinetFest®
2011 and serves as their National State Chair Coordinator. Julia is Professor of Music at California State University, Northridge and a Buffet Crampon, D’Addario and Silverstein Performing Artist.
Erika Duke-Kirkpatrick, a member of the CalArts faculty since 1987, currently holds the Larry Levine Chair in Contemporary Music. She has worked with composers including; Louis Andreissen, Earle Brown, Jason Robert Brown, John Cage, Elliott Carter, Morton Feldman, Brian Ferneyhough, Sofia Gubaidulina, Lou Harrison, Stephen Mosko, Mel Powell, Roger Reynolds, Terry Riley, Frederic Rzewski, Iannis Xenakis, and Morton Subotnick and Joan La Barbara, with whom she toured and recorded for over twenty years. Erika was cellist and founding member of the California EAR Unit, with whom she performed from 1981-2008. She has performed throughout the US, Europe, Japan and New Zealand including Tanglewood, Aspen, Ravinia, and Santa Fe Chamber Music Festivals, and at the Kennedy Center. From 1992-98 she was principal cellist and soloist with the Santa Fe Pro Musica. She is also a founding member of the CalArts faculty ensemble Bach's Circle, with whom she has performed at the Oregon Bach Festival and Chamber Music Northwest . She was a featured performer at the Dartington Summer Music Festival, the Sospeso Chamber Series at Carnegie Hall, and with pianist Eric Huebner at the Ojai Festival. Erika is also active in the film industry, having recorded on over 900 motion pictures and television series over the past thirty-five years. She is particularly proud of her former students, CalArts alumni, who are at the forefront of contemporary music in Los Angeles, New York and beyond.
A native Angeleno, Michael Christ Powers is an advocate for music and its transformative and uplifting power in the lives of all people. As a conductor, educator, and arts advocate he has dedicated his career to connecting to students, musicians and audiences through the medium of music. He is the founder and Artistic Director of the newly formed Orchestra Los Angeles, an organization that connects, creates and celebrates the LA community through transformative collaborations of the arts in our city. As a conductor, Michael has led a wide variety of orchestras and ensembles in Europe, Asia, and the United States which have promoted community building through cultural exchanges of music. Described as…“born to
conduct…Powers has a special gift of creation, a unique and true version of each and every piece played.”…Michael brings a deeply personal and expressive musicality to his musical collaborations.
As an ambassador and advocate of music education, Michael has served his community through his podium work on outreach initiatives with the Brooklyn Philharmonic, Philharmonic Society of Orange County, USC Thornton School of Music, The Juilliard School MAP Orchestra, Harmony Project, American Youth Symphony, Colburn School, YMF Debut Orchestra and many others. He has been a music faculty member of various esteemed institutions of higher education including The Juilliard School, University of Southern California, Los Angeles Community College, Pasadena Community College, and Chapman University.
A graduate of the Paris Conservatory and Indiana University, pianist Francoise Regnat has performed extensively throughout the United States. Her solo and collaborative performances have taken her to such venues as New York's Alice Tully Hall, Boston's Gardner Museum, Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis as well as colleges and universities across the country. Francoise Regnat is Professor Emeritus at CSUN where she was on the faculty from 1972 to 2010.
Nancy Roth, violinist and violist, is currently concertmaster of the Chamber Orchestra of the South Bay and is a member of the Pasadena Symphony. She is a former member of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and was co-principal violist of the Graz Philharmonic (Austria). Nancy has toured with the London Early Music Group, and she has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in Europe, USA and Mexico. Dr. Roth holds degrees from CSUN, Juilliard and USC.
David Shostac, well-known for his performances throughout North America, is also principal flutist and a frequent soloist with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. He has collaborated as a featured artist with conductors Sir Neville Marriner, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Gerard Schwarz, Claudio Scimone, Karl Richter, Helmut Rilling, Jorge Mester, Henryk Szeryng, Jeffery Kahane, and many others. Solo appearances have included the Hollywood Bowl, Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival, the Casals Festival of Puerto Rico, the Aspen
Music Festival, Ojai Festival, Stratford (Ontario) Festival, Carmel Bach Festival, and four National Flute Conventions.
Shostac studied on scholarship with Julius Baker at Juilliard, from which he holds a Masters Degree, and also graduated "cum laude" from Occidental College. As a student at Tanglewood he was awarded the Henry B. Cabot Prize as the outstanding orchestral player, and the William Schwann award as well. Recipient of two Rockefeller performance grants, he was also a prizewinner in the national Young Musicians Foundation solo competition and a first prize winner in the Coleman Chamber Music Competition, judged by Heifetz and Piatigorsky. He was also a touring artist for many years with the California Arts Council.
Formerly a professor at the University of Southern California and a member of the faculties of UCLA, UC Irvine, the Aspen Music School and California Institute of the Arts, he is currently on the faculties of California State University at Northridge and the Henry Mancini Institute. His book, Super Warmups for the Flute (1992) is popular with students, teachers, and professionals.
Evangeline Yip is a graduate from California State University, Northridge with a bachelor of music degree in percussion performance. She has studied under the direction of John Magnussen and Karen Ervin. Evangeline has performed as a percussionist with orchestras and ensembles such as Peninsula Symphony Orchestra, Peninsula Symphonic Winds, Torrance Civic Chorale, Moorpark Symphony Orchestra, Moorpark Percussion Ensemble, Symphony Irvine, San Fernando Valley Symphony, Westlake Village Symphony and Huntington Beach Symphony Orchestra. Evangeline is the music director and pianist at Baldwin Park United Methodist Church and maintains a thriving piano studio in Los Angeles.