October 2018 Newsletter

Immaculata University Music Department Newsletter October 2018

Table of Contents Music Education Club Update…2 Music Therapy Club Update…2 Update on the newest members of the music therapy staff ............2 Review of the Symphony Chamber Concert ......................................3 Review of the High School Honors Choir Festival ............................3 Fall Semester Concert Schedule…4 Update on The Curtis Institute of Music .........................................5 Rules for appropriate upkeep of the music hall ..................................5

On Friday, September 28, 2018, members from six area high schools visited campus for a day full of learning and singing. The day ended with a performance open for parents the community to come enjoy. Read the story on page 3 to learn more!

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Music Therapy Club Music Therapy Club is getting a fresh start this academic year! Professor Daniel Benonis, MT-BC is the new advisor and there is a new executive board including: President, Madison Molnar; Vice President, Krista Quinn; Secretary, Breanna Tocci; Treasurer, John Antosh; and Public Outreach Chair, Cathy Sucgang. There is always new information posted on Instagram: @iu_music_therapy_club and snapchat: IU Music Therapy Club. The club holds bi-weekly meetings on Thursdays at 4pm. During meetings, the club discusses current research, resources, addresses questions regarding the field,

and participates in student run experientials for various populations. In October, the club will sponsor a Halloween themed movie night with mocktails and spooky treats! Other possible upcoming events include karaoke nights, rap battles, and multicultural music therapy speakers. Music therapy club also holds fundraisers to cover the cost of attending regional conferences and this year, Venmo will be an accepted form of payment at any fundraiser. Keep an eye out for a bakesale by the cafeteria or in Loyola lobby!

Madison Molnar, Class of 2020

Welcoming our Music Therapy Staff!

Immaculata has the privilege of welcoming two new professors to the music therapy staff, Professor Corey Olver and Professor Daniel Benonis.

Professor Olver is the new director of music therapy. Her undergraduate degree is in piano performance from Ithaca College. She is also a graduate from the Immaculata music therapy master program, has advanced training in cognitive behavioral therapy, and is currently working toward her PhD in Psychology. Her clinical background is rooted in psychotherapeutic music therapy and she has been an adjunct in the MAMT program at Immaculata since 2014.

Professor Daniel Benonis is the new clinical coordinator for the music therapy department. Professor Benonis is also a graduate of Immaculata, for both his undergraduate degree and graduate degree in music therapy. He is currently working on receiving his PhD in music therapy from Temple University. Professor Benonis specializes in psychologic music therapy and addictions as well as having advanced training in Neurologic Music Therapy. The music therapy department is excited to welcome these two new professors onto campus and to start working with them!

Music Education Club Alyssa Wiltbank, Class of 2019 Immaculata University's Music Education Club/PCMEA is an organization that discusses current topics in the field of music education, researches for valuable classroom resources, and prepares our future music educators for the field through professional development opportunities.

Through the Pennsylvania Collegiate Music Educators Association, our students have attended district, regional, and state workshops hosted by PMEA (Pennsylvania Music Educators Association) and PMEA District 12. Throughout the academic year, we host meetings Mondays from 3:30-4:20pm when there is not music convocation. We also discuss fundraising for our conference expenses as well as plan events for students to attend.

We strongly encourage non-music majors to join us, whether you are a supporter of education or music!

Currently, our PCMEA members are preparing to attend the PMEA Fall District 12 In-Service on November 6, 2018 at Great If there are any questions, please Valley High School. contact Alyssa Wiltbank, Class of 2019; Madison McGrogan, Class of 2021; or Carrie Hawbaker, Class of 2021.

Taylor Stroup, Class of 2019

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Review of the Symphony Chamber Concert “…mentioned that Mozart preferred the viola to the violin.”

On Friday September 21st, the Immaculata Symphony hosted its annual chamber concert. Featured were works from the classical era up to the twentieth-century. The concert highlighted well known composers as Mozart, Schumann, and Vivaldi, as well as more obscure composers such as Paul Bowles and Denes Agay. The concert began with a wonderful performance of Mozart’s Oboe Concerto in C Major K. 314 by Christa Converse and accompanied by Matthew Jones. Gail Habecker and Gail Busch then performed Robert Schumann’s piano duet Bilder aus Often (Pictures from the East) Op. 66. This was followed by movements from Music for a Farce by Paul Bowles.

Orchestrated for clarinet, trumpet, percussion, and piano it had a lighter humorous feel and had jazz influences. Next

was a performance of Mozart’s Horn Quintet in Eb K. 407. This piece has an unusual instrumentation of only one violin, two violas, one cello, and one horn. Mr. Joseph Gehring, director of the Immaculata Symphony, mentioned that Mozart preferred the viola to the violin. Then came Denes Agay’s Five Dances for Wind Quintet. It includes a polka, tango, bolero, waltz, and rumba. The second to last piece was Vivaldi’s Concerto for Four Violins Op. 3.

Mr. Gehring reminded the audience that George Bizet composed orchestral pieces along with his stage shows, prior to the chamber’s performance of the final piece, Georges Bizet’s Symphony in C Major.

Alexis Reavill, Class of 2019

Review of the Honors Choir Festival On September 28th, Immaculata hosted the first annual High School Honors Choir Festival. Six high schools nominated their top vocalists to participate in this event. Immaculata’s Chorale director, Mrs. Dorina Morrow led the group along with the help of her husband, Mr. Bill Morrow, and Dr. Jack Carr. The festival day consisted of several full rehearsals, sectionals, a masterclass with Ms. Jennifer Campbell, a tour around Immaculata’s campus, and it concluded with a concert for faculty, parents and I.H.M sisters. The program started with the Kyrie from Schubert’s Mass in G and ended with Hand in Hand

by Rollo Dilworth. The concert varied in music genres, from Vivaldi’s Laudamus Te from Gloria to Rogers and Hammerstein’s, It’s a Grand Night for Singing. Mrs. Morrow selected a wide variety of pieces and the talented musicians accepted the challenge.

Students enjoyed their day on Immaculata’s campus and performed a wonderful concert in the evening. The music department looks forward to a second annual festival in the following year!

Emma Richey, Class of 2019

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Fall Semester Concert Schedule Although all music students should have received a handbook with the concert dates for the fall semester, below are the dates for each upcoming concert, and details regarding each performance.

Sunday, October 21st: Concert Band Fall Concert, The Great Hall, 3pm, free to all students and community members Saturday October 27th: The Curtis Symphony Orchestra performing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concert No. 3, Alumnae Hall, 7pm, tickets can be purchased at Curtis.edu/Immaculata Saturday November 3rd: The Immaculata Symphony Fall Concert entitled “Our New World”, Alumnae Hall, 7:30pm, free admission to Immaculata students with ID Friday, November 9th: The Immaculata Chorale Fall Concert, The Great Hall, 7:30pm, free to all students and community members Tuesday, November 13th: The Ensembles Concert, Memorial Hall, 7:30pm, free to all students and community members Thursday, November 29th: The Immaculata Jazz Ensemble, Memorial Hall, 7:30pm, free to all students and community members Sunday, December 2nd: The Immaculata Symphony and Immaculata Chorale Christmas Concert, Alumnae Hall, 3pm, free admission to Immaculata students with ID Wednesday, December 5th: Evening Student Recital, Memorial Hall, 7:30pm, free to all students and community members As you can see, the music department will be quite busy this semester preparing for the many performances.

Please take some time to come and support each group, and for convocation students, remember to complete your performance attendance requirements!

Taylor Stroup, Class of 2019

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The Curtis Institute of Music Immaculata University is thrilled to welcome The Curtis Institute of Music for a 2-year, six concert series. In the 20182019 academic year, the orchestra will perform 3 concerts. The first will be on Sunday, October 27th at 3pm.

This concert features Hoachen Zhang on the piano with the Curtis Symphony. They will perform the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3. The Curtis Symphony will also perform on Saturday, January

26th, 2019 at 8pm, and Saturday, April 13th, 2019 at 3pm. All concerts will take place in Alumnae Hall theater. Students that perform with the Curtis Symphony are top ranked soloists, composers, and conductors, and are principle players in all major American orchestras. Tickets for the concert on October 27th can be purchased at Curtis.edu/Immaculata. Use the code LEGACY to get 20% off your purchase as a first-time buyer!

Taylor Stroup, Class of 2019

Practice Room Etiquette The music hall, or practice rooms as most students know it, is an area gifted to us music majors and we are expected to treat it as such.

The purpose of the individual practices rooms is for students to practice either individually for a lesson or with friends for a group musical presentation. The individual practice rooms should not be used as a space for you to study your philosophy notes, or a quiet place to eat your lunch.

Also, please respect the pianos in each practice room, whether the piano is your main instrument or not. They are not meant to be used as a place to sit or something to just bang on when you are frustrated. If you notice something is wrong with a piano, please inform either a music work study student, a music council member, Mauri, or Dr. Carr. The central space in the music hall has

become the “music major hang out� in years past. This space can be used for that, but it is also occasionally used for classes or club meetings. Please be courteous about where the chairs are placed and if you move one, just move it back to the original location. Be cautious of the volume level in the community space, as people are having lessons or practicing in the individual rooms. Finally, the instrument storage rooms are meant for students who have reserved a locker through Mauri.

It is not a place to keep your guitar against the wall for the semester, so you do not have to carry it back and forth from your dorm. Please keep the locker rooms looking neat and make sure your instruments are put away in their correct locations.

Taylor Stroup, Class of 2019

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