LISTEN DEPAUW SCHOOL OF MUSIC NEWSLETTER
FALL 2016
21CMposium: DePauw School of Music Leads the Conversation with Boots on the Ground Effort Mark Rabideau, director, 21CM
To reimagine how we train the next generation of musicians for a 21stcentury world — that was the simple premise behind 21CM.
DePauw is leading the conversation on change.” 21CMposium was a boots on the ground effort to bring the national conversation to DePauw’s campus (September 9–11, 2016). Conceived of, by now President Mark McCoy, this “conference like no other” was a deliberate effort to assemble the most innovative artists, profound thinkers, and dynamic change agents to collectively reimagine our shared, most promising future.
9 Horses, winners of the inaugural 21CM Emerging Artist Competition, take the stage during DePauw’s 21CMposium attended by over 300 international participants (Sept. 9–11, 2016). The brainchild of a world famous artist, a brilliant businessman and a forwardthinking music school dean, 21CM was the entrepreneurial response to a paradox. Music is embraced throughout every culture without boundaries. An increasingly connected world offers influence and inspiration for opening our imaginations, as technology provides unprecedented access to global audiences. Communities gather around music to mourn collective hardships and celebrate shared moments, and every parent
understands that music enhances their child’s chances to succeed in life. Yet it has never been more of a struggle for musicians to make a living at their art — at least when following traditional paths. By any measure, DePauw’s launch of 21CM has advanced the national dialogue about the role musicians must play in modern society. 21CM.org, an online music journal, now attracts nearly 20,000 unique, monthly readers. And if New York Times writer, Greg Sandow has it right, “It’s no longer disputable.
Gathered were the Kronos Quartet, the “inventors” of 21st-century performance practices, and Decoda, the adventurous, nimble Gen Xers that followed. New Amsterdam Records’ Judd Greenstein, Stanford Thompson of Play On, Philly! and Sarah Robinson, author of Clubbing for Classical Musicians, were among many other big thinkers and doers. Change Sessions were led by DePauw trustee Judson Green; Jeff Kimpton, president of Interlochen Center for the Arts; and Ayden Adler, DePauw’s newly appointed dean of the School of Music, among others, sharing ways forward with more than 60 music executives from across the country, including representatives from such prestigious institutions as University of Michigan, Curtis Institute of Music, Eastman School of Music, and New England Conservatory. (Continued on page 2) Fall 2016 I 1
21CMposium (Continued from page 1)
Hands-on workshops engaged our students and emerging artists from around the globe, while DePauw music majors performed during a mixer in the Great Hall. DePauw music faculty members Peter Seymour, Kristina Boerger and Eliza Brown were joined by a panel of judges that included renowned concert pianist Awadagin Pratt, and (Le) Poisson Rouge founder Justin Kantor, in naming the winner of the inaugural 21CM Emerging Artist Competition — 9 Horses — an innovative trio out of NYC that embraces culturally diverse world influences, improvises, composes and arranges original works, and exemplifies the highest levels of artistry. President Mark McCoy delivered the closing Talk21, challenging more than
From the Dean Greetings to the DePauw School of Music community! I am absolutely delighted to take the baton (so to speak!) from now President Mark McCoy and continue the extraordinary work of the School of Music. In this issue of Listen, I am proud to share with you the story about our inaugural 21CMposium, which introduced more than 300 guests from 32 states and seven countries to DePauw University and our School of Music. Attendees exchanged ideas with some of the most innovative performers and music leaders from around the globe, heard outstanding musical performances, and engaged with our faculty, staff and students in this jampacked, no-holds-barred, three-day event. Highlights of this issue include: profile of a generous alumni benefactor of the School of Music, high praise for the DePauw student performance at the Indy Prize annual Gala, release of the University Band’s tenth CD, and the awarding of Fulbright Scholarships to two School of Music alumni. 2 I Fall 2016
300 attendees from 32 states — and as far away as Great Britain, France, Greece, Eygpt, India and Japan — to galvanize in our shared commitment to respond to the challenges that lie ahead and to seize
“I am so incredibly appreciative and awestruck by the artists, individuals and institutions that were represented at the symposium. This has honestly been one of the most impactful weekends I’ve had at DePauw.” — Molly McGuire ’18
the opportunities afforded by new technologies and the entrepreneurial mindset. What did we walk away with? A shared belief in a future where artistry and advocacy are stories we tell with equal conviction and improvisation, global traditions are as fundamental as excellence and innovation, and a commitment that music’s healing powers must be afforded to everyone, with special attention to those at the margins of society. On DePauw’s campus the initiative is unfolding as an ongoing conversation with the faculty about curricular development, the expansion of the School of Music’s Dean’s Cabinet to include leadership training for music majors, and a continued effort to listen to voices from within, beginning with our own students.
As in recent issues, Listen offers updates about School of Music programs, faculty, students and alumni. In addition, you can read about how the School continues to impact the surrounding Greencastle community in meaningful ways. Our summer was again very busy as we hosted the second Global Musician Workshop with Yo-Yo Ma’s Silkroad Ensemble, our Vocal Arts Camp and the American Harp Society competition. Next summer we add to our expanding repertoire by hosting the first King’s Singers U.S. Summer School and our inaugural 21CM Institutes. Finally, we welcomed several stellar musicians to our faculty this fall, including music theorist and composer Eliza Brown and percussionist Ming-Hui Kuo. Please take a moment to look us up online or — if your schedule permits — visit in person to see why the internationally renowned music critic Greg Sandow recently wrote, “DePauw has emerged as the
national leader for change in classical music.” I am thrilled to have joined this amazing team at a university with such tremendous momentum. I look forward to sharing continued good news about the School of Music in future editions of Listen.
Ayden Adler, Ph.D., D.M.A. Dean of the School of Music Professor of Music DePauw University
Douglas B. Wood ’74: Providing Opportunities for Others Kristin Champa ’91, director of School of Music development, and Emily Chew Peláez ’99, development communications writer From 1882 to 1914, the small town of Delphi, Indiana, was home to a grand opera house featuring two to three performances per week. Perhaps it was something about the town’s operatic history that resonated in the life of Doug Wood ’74 when he was growing up there. A Rector Scholar, Wood chose to further his love of opera and his own musical talents by studying vocal performance at DePauw. He fondly recalls the second semester of his junior year spent in Freiburg, Germany, and studying voice with Professor Edward White. Wood credits DePauw Opera Theatre director Thomas J. Fitzpatrick, choral conductor Graeme Cowen, and English professor Dr. Robert Sedlack, among his greatest influences while at DePauw, where he was also active in Delta Chi Fraternity, worked for The DePauw newspaper and WGRE radio, participated in The Collegians music group, the opera and in musical theater. Wood went on to earn a master’s degree in music from Indiana University in 1976. Although he did not become a professional musician, Doug says he draws constantly from the broad knowledge, leadership skills and strong sense of community instilled by his education at DePauw. He has remained involved with the University’s School of Music, contributing to scholarships for high school-age participants in DePauw’s vocal arts camp, and he visits campus to attend performances and reconnect with fellow alumni, including his college classmate Pamela Coburn ’74 , lyric soprano and James B. Stewart Distinguished Visiting
Professor of Music. He is also a dedicated patron of the LA Opera where he is a member of the Music Center Founders. “The School of Music at DePauw and its pioneering 21st-Century Musician Initiative provide a place for collaboration, experimentation and excellence in serious music that fosters more opportunities and creative ventures for all musicians,” Wood says. In response to these initiatives, he has established the Douglas B. Wood Endowed Scholarship Fund for the School of Music in support one of the nation’s oldest schools of music and the important and enriching role it fulfills for all DePauw’s students. “The scholarship support I received so many years ago provided me with opportunities to experience life outside small town Indiana,” he continues. “Endowing this scholarship gives me joy knowing it will provide other young men and women with opportunities to explore their interests, travel, learn and discover their gifts and talents.”
With Gratitude Kristin Champa ’91, director of School of Music development The DePauw School of Music is grateful for recent gifts from alumni, parents and friends that have been given in support of the 21st-Century Musician Initiative. Additionally, we thank those who have chosen to support the School of Music through The Fund for DePauw. Unrestricted support provides the flexibility to prioritize needs, take advantage of arising opportunities and react to unforeseen challenges. This year we especially thank Justin ’95 and Darrianne (Howard) Christian ’95, Mark Z. Orr ’75 and Blair (Andy) ’80 and Teresa Onole Rieth whose collective unrestricted support for the School of Music in the 2016 fiscal year equaled more than $100,000.
LISTEN — Fall 2016 DePauw School of Music Editor: B. Suzanne Hassler Student News: Eleanor L. Price ’17 Graphic Design: Kelly A. Graves and B. Suzanne Hassler Contributors: Ayden Adler, Barb Bryan, Kristin Champa ’91, Suzanne Hassler, Ken Owen ’82, Craig Paré, Emily Chew Peláez ’99, Eleanor Price ’17, Mark Rabideau, Orcenith Smith Photography: Marilyn E. Culler, Suzanne Hassler, Alison (Sherrick) Rushing ’15, Linda Striggo, Julijana Georgievska Zlatevska Special thanks: Caroline Jetton, Steven R. Linville ’06, Terry A. Noble ’03, Heather Sloan, Jennifer C. Soster ’88 Mariel Wilderson, Zoua Sylvia Yang
Fall 2016 I 3
DePauw Musicians Receive Ovation at Indy Prize material was then edited to provide a recording for the other performers, including the Eastern Star Church Choir of Indianapolis, to which they added their recorded tracks. Finally, DePauw vocal soloists Derrick Truby ’17, Angel Riley ’18 and Molly McGuire ’18 laid down their tracks — just in case one of them was ill on the performance day.
The DePauw University Orchestra performs “Man in the Mirror” with soloists Derrick Truby ’17, Molly McGuire ’18 and Angle Riley ’18 at the biennial presentation of the Indy Prize (Oct. 15, 2016). Taking a role in “writing a more joyful script for tomorrow,” DePauw University School of Music students and faculty volunteered the first day of fall break in support of the Indianapolis Zoological Society’s biennial presentation of the Indianapolis Prize to naturalist Carl Jones. Of the six international finalists invited to attend the October 2016 event, only one would receive the $250,000 award for making the world a better place through their contributions to animal diversity and saving species from future extinction. From a simple request made by President Mark McCoy in April, the DePauw University Orchestra focused on the October 15 performance with multiple layers of enterprise. Taking an orchestra on the road is always a large-scale undertaking and especially for special occassions like this with people needing to stay on campus after Fall Break had already begun, getting performers from DePauw to the J.W. Marriott Grand Ballroom in Indianapolis, trucking equipment, and making the necessary accommodations for dietary restrictions and Fall Break flight and travel schedules. 4 I Fall 2016
Plus, this was to be no ordinary performance. First, the music selected, Michael Jackson’s Man in the Mirror, was to be arranged for and then recorded by the orchestra by DePauw sound engineer Matthew Champagne. Edited with the orchestra’s music director Orcenith Smith, the recorded tracks were sent next to bass professor Peter Seymour of Project Trio, the ensemble playing the solo front-ofcurtain performances at the event. This
All this was then mixed and projected through a playback system at the event site, while the orchestra performed live to its recording. Pianist Steve Snyder, DePauw School of Music’s director of jazz ensembles, and drummer Rick Provine, dean of DePauw libraries, joined Project Trio to create the house band that played dignitaries Sigourney Weaver (Gorillas in the Mist), Jane Alexander (NEA), and Anne Thompson (NBC) on and off the stage. Throughout the elegant banquet for over one thousand invited guests, President McCoy was beaming. The recordings came off flawlessly, the orchestra was at its finest, and the student singers hit their marks and performed to cheers and an instantaneous standing ovation — all in joyful support of the future of animal diversity and the Indianapolis Prize.
Bass instructor Peter Seymour performs with Project Trio at tenth anniversary of the Indy Prize.
University Band Celebrates Release of Tenth CD The DePauw School of Music is proud to announce the release of the University Band’s tenth compact disc, Everything Beautiful, recorded April 28–May 1, 2016, in Kresge Auditorium of the Judson and Joyce Green Center for the Performing Arts. Published by Mark Custom Recording Service, the CD has been named to the Mark Masters label, a designation that represents the highest quality of repertoire and performance. The Mark Masters series includes releases that have been honored with eligibility for over 65 Grammy nominations over the last 19 years. This distinction means that the recording will be marketed and distributed through commercial outlets alongside professional ensembles such as the United States Marine Band “The President’s Own,” the United States Air Force Band, Tokyo Kosei Wind Ensemble, and notable university ensembles such as the University of
North Texas, Eastman Wind Ensemble, and The University of Texas at Austin. “As with every single one of our University Band compact discs, I am enormously proud of our students for the level of preparation, musicianship, and mental focus they brought to our recording sessions,” says Craig Paré, professor of music and conductor of the University Band. “One of the many reasons why the CD Recording Project is so important to me is that it adds a dimension to a DePauw School of Music education that is unique to our 21CM program. The rigor and high expectations that go hand-in-hand with playing recording sessions in a professional environment provide our music students with a memorable and valuable lesson in what it takes to be a well-rounded 21stcentury musician. The fact that all of our School of Music applied faculty members perform in the professional recording world is a testament to the need for that
CD cover photo by Michael H. Davies, art direction and design by B. Suzanne Hassler. kind of experience in an undergraduate education.” The band’s tenth CD, conducted by Craig Paré, will be available through Mark Custom Recording Service, and soon will be available through retail outlets including Amazon.com, iTunes, ArkivMusic.com, the Naxos Online Music Library, and a variety of other commercial sites.
Broadway leading lady Laura Osnes (center), who advised singers to “be themselves and shoot for the stars,” poses with voice students and staff after her master class on August 28, 2016. Pictured (back row, left to right): Elise Daniells ’19, William Upham ’20, David Mather ’19, Craig Wallace ’18, Steven R. Linville ’06, pianist Laura Brumbaugh, Derrick Truby ’17, Katrina Iorio ’19, Logan A. Dell’Acqua ’18, Levi Hoffman ’18, David Young ’20, Aidan Catellier ’19, Dylan Prentice ’17, Thomas Speranza ’19; (front row): Sarah Hennessy ’20, Brittny Goon ’17, Cate Hensley ’17, Darby Hayes ’19, Laura Osnes, Kenna McWilliams ’18, Sarah Pistorius ’17, Hannah Gauthier ’17, Marin Tack ’18, Molly McGuire ’18. (Photo: Marilyn E. Culler) Fall 2016 I 5
Two Music Grads Awarded Fulbright Scholarships Eleanor L. Price ’17, contributing editor Two DePauw University School of Music alumni, Xeno W. Carpenter-New ’16 and Josiah Q. Rushing ’13, have received Fulbright Awards to travel to Macedonia and France respectively. Carpenter-New, who graduated from DePauw University with a B.M.A. degree, is the recipient of an English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) from the Fulbright U.S. Student Program and is spending the 2016-17 academic year teaching English in Macedonia. He discovered his passion for teaching after a semester abroad in Vienna, Austria, and his interest in the Balkans grew from his senior seminar thesis on Balkan music. He plans to continue teaching English as a second language after his year in Bitola, Macedonia. On his plans for teaching and connecting to culture in Macedonia, Carpenter-New says, “I was drawn immediately to the Balkans for their rich and lively musical culture. Music is a universal language, and I intend to use it as such. I have spent my life expressing myself and connecting with others through music, because it is everywhere and one can play with anyone. I will attend jam sessions, concerts and
offer private lessons in Western playing technique and theory.” He plans to return to the U.S. following his experience abroad and pursue a master’s degree in English as a second language. “Teaching English is what I intend to spend my life doing,” Carpenter-New noted in his Fulbright application. “I hope to return to the Balkans either through Peace Corps or with a full-time position teaching English at the university level or in a secondary school. I will also continue my study of music and give private lessons to students of all ages and abilities.” Rushing, who graduated from DePauw University with a B.M. degree in percussion performance and a minor in French, spent a semester studying in Paris as an undergraduate. Now a graduate student at the University of Cincinnati and a member of the Percussion Group Cincinnati, Rushing has travelled to France to study with renowned percussionist Jean Geoffroy at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Lyon (CNSMD). “It is my aim to become a professional percussionist who is relevant in the 21st century,” Rushing wrote in his Fulbright
Rushing, student of Amy Lynn Barber, in front of the Conservatoire in Lyon. (Photo: Alison Rushing) 6 I Fall 2016
Carpenter-New, student of Nicole Brockmann, with a sixth-grade class in Bitola, Macedonia. (Photo: Julijana Georgievska Zlatevska) application. “Our current cultural and economic climate requires musicians to redefine their roles within communities, necessitating musicians to cross artistic and cultural borders, and go beyond playing their instruments. Successful 21st-century musicians subsume duties as educators, advocates for art in nonmusical environments, administrators of artistic programs, collaborators with other interdisciplinary artists, creators of planned or even spontaneous music, all with entrepreneurial expertise.” In France, Rushing plans to collaborate with the interdisciplinary participants within Professor Geoffroy’s artist diploma program, which he says is unlike those offered in America. The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U. S. government through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U. S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. The program operates in over 160 countries worldwide.
Faculty and Staff News B. Suzanne Hassler, editor Matthew Balensuela presented the paper “The Music Theory Booklet Balliol 173A ff. 74r–81v: Copying and Content of an Early Medieval Theory Miscellany,” at the Midwest Chapter of the American Musicology Society, October 1, 2016. His other recent presentations include “Social Dancing and Jazz Debates in the 1920s–1930s: Race, Class, and Gender at the Indiana Roof Ballroom,” Milton Steinhardt Musicology Lecture Series, University of Kansas, October 21, 2015 and “New Paths for Music History Pedagogy,” International Musicological Society, Study Group on Transmission of Knowledge as a Primary Aim in Music Education, New York, June 21, 2015. Elissa Harbert, assistant professor of music history, was recently named Book Review Editor for the journal American Music, a position she will hold for three years. Her article “Ever to the Right?: The Political Life of 1776 in the Nixon Era” has been accepted for publication in the same journal and will appear in a special issue titled “Politics on Stage” in Fall 2017. Harbert was invited to speak at the 2016 Society for American Music Annual Conference in Cambridge, MA, as part of the Early American Interest Group Roundtable; her talk was titled, “What Does Early American Music Mean to the General Public?” Kerry Jennings was featured on composer David Arbury’s debut CD Alchemy. Regarding his recording of Arbury’s “If I Shall Ever Return Home: Seven Chinese Poems,” New Classic LA writes, “Kerry Jennings’s dulcet voice and Andria Fennig’s expressive piano skills bring the score to life and transport the listener to a simpler, more pastoral world apart from the hustle and bustle of busy LA.” The CD was released by New Ovation Music
in June 2016. Jennings also adjudicated at the Classical Singer Convention in Boston, MA, in May and joined Professor Caroline Smith for a master class in Louisville, KY, sponsored by the Louisville Youth Choir. In October, he gave a master class at the Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, MA. In October, Mark Rabideau, director of DePauw’s 21st-Century Musician Initiative, presented at the National Conference of the College Music Society (Santa Fe, NM) and the Society of Arts Entrepreneurship Educators Conference (Decatur, IL) on his work developing new pedagogical approaches for teaching music entrepreneurship. Rabideau is currently completing a textbook on the topic, “Creating the Revolutionary Artist: A 21CM Guide to Music Entrepreneurship,” slated for adoption in the 2017-18 academic year at institutions across the U.S. as well as Japan, Egypt, Greece and India. Heather Sloan has been named inaugural chair of the Percussive Arts Society’s Diversity Committee. This newly formed committee will be responsible for assessing current visibility and participation levels among women, people of color, the disabled, LGBTQ-identified members, and others in the PAS community. The committee is also tasked with developing strategies for increasing communication across difference within PAS. The first meeting of the Diversity Committee will take place this November in Indianapolis at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC 2016). Caroline B. Smith, professor of music and voice area coordinator, judged the Classical Singer National High School Competition Finals in May 2016 with judges from The New England Conservatory of Music and The Eastman School of Music. Professor Smith also judged the NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing) National Semifinals Competition, adjudicating the
Musical Theatre collegiate division. This fall, she gave a master class, along with Kerry Jennings, for the Louisville Youth Choir. Professors Leonid Sirotkin (oboe), Kara Stolle (bassoon), and Anne Reynolds (flute) joined with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra (ICO) in presenting the inaugural EarShot Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra Composers Competition, Sept. 22–24, 2016, in collaboration with the Indiana State University Contemporary Music Festival. As the nation’s first systematic program for identifying emerging orchestral composers, EarShot provides professional-level working experience with orchestras from every region of the country and increases awareness of these composers and access to their music throughout the industry. Following the Indianapolis competition, Reinaldo Moya was announced as the Audience Choice Award winner and his Passacaglia for Orchestra was selected to be performed by ICO at ISU in Terra Haute on October 27, 2016. Principal guest composers during Indiana State University’s 50th Anniversary Contemporary Music Festival, October 25-28, 2016, were Libby Larsen, DePauw’s 2013 Music of the 21st Century composer-in-residence, and DePauw School of Music faculty member and Pulitzer Prize-nominated composer James A. Beckel. Among the pieces by Beckel that were performed were his mixed ensemble chamber work Dialogues (Tuesday, October 25, University Hall) and his horn concerto The Glass Bead Game, played by the ICO with renowned horn soloist Jeff Nelsen (Thursday, October 27, Tilson Auditorium). On Friday, the ISU Symphony Orchestra performed The American Dream, and the University Wind Orchestra played Beckel’s Trombone Concerto featuring Randy Mitchell. Since its inception, 18 Pulitzer Prize and five winners of the Grawemeyer Award have participated in the Festival. Fall 2016 I 7
Mankind for Soloists, Chorus, and Orchestra (1970); Concertino for Timpani, Winds, and Percussion (1973); From the Navajo Children for Chorus and Wind Ensemble (1978).
In Memoriam: Donald H. White Ken Owen, director of media relations Donald H. White, a noted composer and music educator who taught in the DePauw University School of Music for more than 30 years and served as its director from 1974–78, died October 4, 2016, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He was 95 years old. Born February 28, 1921, in Narberth, Pennsylvania, White studied music education at Temple University, composition at the Philadelphia Conservatory, and earned his M.M. and Ph.D. from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. In 1947, White joined the DePauw faculty, and served as chairman of composition and theory studies from 1948–81, spending four years leading the School of Music. He left DePauw to chair the music department at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington, serving from 1981–90. Dr. White composed many works for orchestra, chamber, band and vocal performance, including Kennebec Suite (1947); 3 to 5 for Woodwind Quintet (1964); Terpsimetrics (1968); Song of 8 I Fall 2016
Adam Hilkert, a 2008 graduate of DePauw University, who is now a doctoral candidate in instrumental conducting at George Mason University, wrote his master’s thesis on selected works of Dr. White’s for band and is currently preparing his doctoral dissertation on his unpublished piece for band and chorus. “Don was a gifted composer and educator, who had a profound impact on my life. I am eternally grateful to have developed a friendship with him over the past several years, and I will miss him very much.” Hilkert, who is also conductor and bassist and an officer candidate for the U.S. Army Bands, adds, “I will never forget the many things he taught and shared with me.” Craig Paré, professor of music at DePauw, noted, “Over the last fifteen years, I had the privilege of getting to know Don White personally through his wonderful music for band, as well as his great stories from his tenure at DePauw. He delighted in a story (which he told with a huge grin) about introducing Judson and Joyce Green (’74 & ’75) when they were undergraduate students in his music theory class. “As we became friends, I learned more and more how much DePauw meant to Don, and what he contributed to the University and the School of Music. In addition to serving as the director of the School of Music, he helped establish the first contemporary music festival in 1962 that brought world-renowned composers, such as Aaron Copland, Howard Hanson, and Vincent Persichetti, to DePauw to work with DePauw student musicians. He means a great deal to this institution and will be missed by many of us and remembered fondly.”
Student News Eleanor L. Price ’17, editor Shannon Y. Barry ’18 (soprano, five-year double-degree in music and biochemestry) attended the Halifax Opera Summer Festival, performing the title role in Handel’s opera Rodelinda. She is a student of Professor Pamela Coburn. Emily Chen ’18 (piano, Bachelor of Musical Arts) participated in the Madison Early Music Festival this summer, where she sang in small vocal ensembles, studied harpsichord and beginning recorder. Emily studies piano with Professor May Phang and secondary voice with Assistant Profesor Barbara Paré. Elise F. Daniells ’19 (soprano, vocal performance track) won First Place for her age group (ages 17-19) in the global online international competition, The Art of Opera, and placed second in the Musical Theatre division for the same competition. This fall, she was selected to perform on the Laura Osnes master class at DePauw, where she studies with Professor Caroline B. Smith. Logan A. Dell’Acqua ’18 (baritone, Bachelor of Music), won the Classical Singer Online National Summer Competition for the Classical Youth division. He also performed this summer with the Bay View Music Festival SOARS program and was invited to return for their Main Stage season next summer. This fall, he performed the leading role of Bobby in the DePauw production of Company. Logan is a member of Professor Caroline B. Smith’s voice studio. Sara R. DesBiens ’17 (clarinet, Bachelor of Music Education) worked at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp over the summer, serving as a cabin counselor to high school and middle school students. As an instrumental music education major, she had the opportunity to work with both the camper orchestra and band, as well as play in the staff band. Sara studies with Professor Randy Salman.
Allison M. Emata ’17 (violin, Bachelor of Music) interned at Interlochen Center for the Arts as an ensemble manager, managing four different ensembles during the camp season. Allison studies with Assistant Professor Tarn Travers. Mei Fujisato ’18 (violin, Bachelor of Musical Arts with a second major in economics) studied a variety of genres of chamber music at the International Music Festival of the Adriatic in Italy and the AlpenKammerMusik in Austria. She participated in master classes at both festivals and performed in a number of concerts in Piran and Ljubljana, Slovenia. Mei studies violin with Assistant Professor Tarn Travers. Dallas P. Gray ’16 (tenor, Bachelor of Music) interned with the internationally renowned vocal ensemble VOCES8 this summer. He spent five weeks with the ensemble as they toured Germany, and he continued his duties after they returned to Great Britain for their summer workshops at Milton Abbey and Ardingly. Dallas studies voice with Assistant Professor Kerry Jennings. Kazuki Hanado ’17 (cello, Bachelor of Musical Arts) is studying sociology at Gadja Mada University in Indonesia for the semester. She is participating in the Indonesian Youth Symphony Orchestra, the only youth orchestra in the country and one of the only two formal Indonesian orchestras committed to classical music performance, and she is working as the orchestra’s management consultant. She spearheaded a Kickstarter campaign and a sponsorship with a prominent company, allowing the orchestra to host a press conference. She has also had the opportunity to perform with the symphony. Kazuki is a student in Professor Eric Edberg’s cello studio. B. Peter Lockman ’17 (cello, Bachelor of Music) attended Aspen Music Festival, where he worked with and played alongside some of the best
musicians from around the globe. He had the opportunity to hold the principal chair in the Festival’s production of La Bohème and performed throughout the city of Aspen with Festival members. At DePauw, Peter studies cello with Professor Eric Edberg. Julia E. Massicotte ’17 (soprano, Bachelor of Music) was a studio artist at Opera in the Ozarks this past summer. She performed the role of Olympia in the opera Pinocchio, written by John Davies. Julia studies voice with Professor Pamela Coburn. Sarah J. Pistorius ’17 (mezzo-soprano, Bachelor of Music) was selected by the directors and conductors at Opera in the Ozarks as the “Best Female Studio Artist” during their 2016 summer program. Sarah performed the lead in their outreach opera Pinocchio, and she performed the role of Joanna in the DePauw fall musical Company. She studies voice with Professor Caroline B. Smith. Lindsey A. Welp ’19 (saxophone, performance track) won first prize for her age division in the Masters of Winds Concerto Competition. The international competition, sponsored by the Great Composers Competition Series, accepts video submissions from across the world. Lindsey, who studies with Assistant Professor Scotty Stepp, submitted her interpretation of the Henri Tomasi Saxophone Concerto. DePauw University was well represented by 15 students, including 14 music education majors, who attended the Indiana Department of Education listening tour regarding the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) held in Terre Haute on October 11, 2016. Three DePauw music students — Allan R. Whitehead ’18, Ciara A. McManus ’18 and Jamie J. Edwards ’19 — also spoke at the event. “I was so proud of how well prepared our students were, and how clearly they articulated their thoughts regarding the importance of
music in a well-rounded education,” said Jodi Menke, program coordinator for education studies and music education at DePauw University. Voice majors chosen as performers for the Laura Osnes master class given on August 28 were baritone David C. Young ’20 (student of Caroline Smith), mezzosoprano Molly Y. McGuire ’18 (student of Caroline Smith); baritone Thomas A. Speranza ’19 (student of Kerry Jennings), soprano Sarah E. Hennessy ’20 (student of Pamela Coburn), soprano Elise F. Daniells ’19 (student of Caroline Smith), and tenor William M. Upham ’20 (student of Caroline Smith). Ms. Osnes also worked with soloists from the cast of Company, the DePauw fall musical.
“I loved getting the opportunity to work with the talented music and theater students at DePauw University. Their vocal training especially was superb, and I was impressed by their ability to take direction and explore deeper choices, making rich improvements in just minutes! All of the students came well-prepared, eager to learn, supportive of each other and exhibiting a professional confidence.” — Laura Osnes, Tony nominee Fall 2016 I 9
Alumni News B. Suzanne Hassler, editor
Jason A. Asbury ’95 collaborated with DePauw music students to produce a benefit organ-plus concert in Greencastle at the Sanctuary Business and Events Center, home of First Christian Church on Saturday, November 5, featuring music on the theme of rebirth and creation. Good will donations benefited the Asbury Endowment for the Arts of Putnam County. Music includes selections from the Mendelssohn Trumpet Concerto, solo organ works and scenes from Handel’s La resurrezione and Haydn’s Creation. Asbury, who grew up in Putnam County, is the former organist and music director at the church. Soprano Alicia Berneche ’93 performed the lead in The Clever Mrs. Clay on tour in Scotland and the UK with the Chamber Opera Chicago this summer. Berneche, who has spent most of her career in the opera world, performing with opera companies around the world as well as at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, previously appeared as Marian in The Music Man at Light Opera Works, in addition to their productions of Bitter Sweet, The Pirates of Penzance, Iolanthe and The Yeomen of the Guard. Joseph Leppek ’15 was awarded his first professional contract singing chorus and the comprimario role of Mr. Martini with the Houston Grand Opera in the world premiere of Jake Heggie’s It’s a Wonderful Life. He will also perform the role of Lensky in Eugene Onegin in the Spring 2017 opera scenes program at Rice University, where he is pursuing his M.M. degree in vocal performance. This summer, the tenor was a studio artist with Opera Saratoga, where he sang the role of The Priest in Il Postino, as well as covered Basilio in Le Nozze di Figaro. He sang in the chorus of the American premiere of Philip Glass’s 10 I Fall 2016
ballet opera The Witches of Venice, and performed with the orchestra in the “Evening on Broadway,” in addition to other concerts throughout the summer program. As a vocal performance major at DePauw, he studied with Professor Caroline B. Smith. Steven R. Linville ’06 received an Indianapolis Encore nomination for “Best Minor Supporting Actor in a Musical” for his role as “The Proprietor” in the Summer 2016 production of Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins by the Buck Creek Players. He will return to Buck Creek several times during the 2016–17 season, including performing in the holiday show “Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!)”; stage directing the musical You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown; and providing music direction for Bonnie and Clyde. He will also perform with the Indianapolis Philharmonic Orchestra and Intimate Opera of Indianapolis in a concert of operetta in March 2017 and produce Speed Dating Tonight! in conjunction with the Spring 2017 Communiversity offering at Music on the Square. Linville is a former student of Caroline B. Smith. Violinist Steven J. Lubiarz ’00 will perform “Sonic Images of Canada” with Ensemble Resonance (pictured on page 11) on Thursday, January 26, 2017, in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City. This concert, in celebration of Canada’s 150 birthday, showcases contemporary Candadian compositions that evoke the landscapes, peoples and animals of Canada. For more information, visit www. carnegiehall.org/Events. This fall, Federico Mattia Papi ’15 began the master’s program at HEC Paris, the most highly regarded business school in France (www.hec.fr). While at DePauw, Papi was a member of Professor Eric Edberg’s cello studio. Yazid Pierce-Gray ’16 was voted by the
conductors and directors of Opera in the Ozarks as the “Best Male Lead for Main Stage Productions” this summer. Gray performed the roles of Silvio in Pagliacci and also Sid in Albert Herring. He recently matriculated to graduate school with a full scholarship to pursue a M.M. degree in vocal performance at the University of Michigan, where he was cast this fall as Mercurio in the main stage production of Romeo et Juliette. While at DePauw, he studied with Professor Caroline B. Smith. Andrew Richardson ’10, who will complete his D.M.A. in vocal performance at Indiana University’s Jacob School of Music in December 2016, was awarded a Young Artists contract with Sarasota Opera from January through March. Prior to his graduate work at IU, Andrew studied with Professor Caroline B. Smith while completing his vocal performance degree at DePauw. Included among the bass-baritone’s recent performances have been the role of Gregor in a new chamber opera Metamorphosis, with New Voices Ensemble; Zuniga in Carmen and George Benton in Dead Man Walking, both with the IU Opera Theatre; Melchior in Amahl and the Night Visitors at Oswego Opera Theater; a D.M.A. recital featuring Liederkreis, Op. 39 by Schumann and Vier Ernste Gesange by Brahms; and as a soloist in a Rodgers & Hammerstein concert in Syracuse, New York. At the IU Jacobs School of Music, Richarson studies with Andreas Poulimenos. Soprano Julie A. Strauser ’16 is pursuing her M.M. degree in vocal performance at Southern Methodist University. Future opportunities for her include the role of Feu (Fire) in L’enfant et les sortilèges for SMU’s chamber opera and Giannetta in The Elixir of Love during the Spring 2017 semester; singing Lucy in Again, a short chamber opera by Jake Heggie based on the long-running TV show I Love Lucy; performing on a
master class with a Broadway producer; and singing an aria on the next scenes concert from Stravinsky’s Le Rossignol. Strauser studied with Professor Caroline B. Smith while a vocal performance major at DePauw.
This June, baritone Jeremy Wong ’12 joined the University of Hawaii for “From Montreal to Manhattan,” a twelve-day concert tour to the east coast focused on the music of the Pacific Rim and its influences. He then sang in the Berwick Chorus at the Oregon
Bach Festival, performing Bach’s B Minor Mass, Magnificat and motet “Komm, Jesu, Komm,” as well as the world premiere of a new requeim by composer James MacMillan, the Martin Mass for Double Choir, and Brahms’s German Requiem. He returned for his third Weimar Bach Cantata Academy, performing cantatas and masses by J. S. Bach with an international young artist chorus conducted by Maestro Helmuth Rilling in Weimar, Germany. Last year, in addition to conducting a community chorus in Honolulu and teaching voice lessons at the University of Hawaii, Wong was awarded an adjunct position as Director of Choral Activities at Hawaii Pacific University. After completing his undergraduate training at DePauw, where he studied with Caroline B. Smith and Matthew Markham, he received his M.M. degree in vocal performance from the University of Hawaii.
From the Community Music School The Community Music School provides instruction at Music on the Square for nearly 150 members of Putnam County. Assistant Professor Barbara Paré is an integral part of DePauw University’s Community Music School. Here are some of her students’ accomplishments: Sarah Arnold was accepted into Anderson University School of Music, Theater and Dance to study vocal performance beginning in Fall 2016. This summer, she sang the role of “Older Amy” in the Putnam County Playhouse production of the musical Little Women by Howland and Dickstein. Kayla Myer was accepted into Anderson University School of Music, Theater and Dance for Fall 2016, where she is now a music education major. Hannah Brattain, a 2016 graduate of Greencastle High School, was accepted into Wittenberg University, where she will be majoring in voice with a minor in theater. Hannah portrayed the role of
Sandy in the Greencastle High School production of Grease. This summer, Michaela Semac, who is currently a senior at Greencastle High School, portrayed the role of Beth in the Putnam County Playhouse production of the musical Little Women. She is currently singing the role of Nancy in the Greencastle High School’s production of Oliver. Thomas Whitcomb is currently a senior at Plainfield High School. This summer, he portrayed the title role in Billy Elliot with Bob Direx in Indianapolis at Marian University and the role of Judas in the Footlight Musicals production of Jesus Christ Superstar. Thomas is currently playing the role of Donkey in Shrek: The Musical at Plainfield High School. David Maginity, a senior at Greencastle High school, portrayed the role of John
Brooke in the Putnam County Playhouse production of the musical Little Women. He is currently playing the role of Fagin in Oliver at Greencastle High School. Arianna Pershing, a junior at Greencastle High School, is portraying the title role in her school’s production of Oliver. She was also part of the ensemble in the Putnam County Playhouse production of Little Women. Other members of the Community Music Program who performed in Little Women this summer at the Hazel Day Longden Theatre are Greencastle High School choir and music teacher Deborah Lambert, who sang Marmee, and Eleanor Howard, who enacted the role of Aunt March. Anna Harris and Lindsey Bridgewater were ensemble members, and Tim Good, DePauw University professor of Theater and Communications, directed the production. Fall 2016 I 11
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Summer School at DePauw: Global Musician Workshop & The King’s Singers U.S. Camp
DePauw University Summer Schools offer a unique opportunity to work with some of the world’s leading musicians in a fun and supportive environment. Whether you are attending with an ensemble or as an individual, you will be fully immersed in honing your skills and enjoying music-making at a higher level than you may have ever imagined. Two music schools will be offered at DePauw this summer: Silkroad’s third annual Global Musician Workshop, May 30–June 5, 2017, and The King’s Singer’s only U.S. camp, June 13–19, 2017. Each Summer School has a tuition-based structure that includes: joint workshops, performance opportunities, room, board and organized social activities. The focus of The King’s Singers’ school will be on how to listen and to communicate the text of any song to an audience, whatever its language or style, enabling ensembles to achieve a sound that is more balanced, blended and leads to a more enjoyable experience for performers and listeners alike. Silkroad’s Global Musician Workshop, now in its third year at DePauw, fosters a community of globally minded musicians engaged in learning from one another’s traditions and incorporating them into their own artistic voices. For more information, contact Steven Linville (slinville@depauw.edu).
music.depauw.edu/programs/summeradultlearners 12 I Fall 2016