FACULTY WOODWIND QUINTET
Wind Quintet, Opus 28
Belmont University School of Music
Heinrich Kaspar Schmid
Allegro (1874-1953)
Grazioso amabile
Moderato – Allegro guisto
Humoreske – Rondo
Brief Intermission
Atrasadinho & Choro Agitadinho
Alexander Zemlinsky (1871-1942)
Calder’s Circus for Woodwind Quintet
Tony Moreira (b.1968)
Robert S. Cohen
Big Top Parade (b.1945)
Rigoulot, the Strong Man
Lion Lullaby (with Mouse)
Doze Friggin’ Clowns
Carolyn Totaro, flute
Rebecca Van de Ven, oboe
Daniel Lochrie, clarinet
Dong Yun Shankle, bassoon
Tara Johnson, horn
TUESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2023 7:30 P.M. MCAFEE CONCERT HALL
Premiere
Program Notes
German composer, Heinrich Kaspar Schmid, began his earliest musical studies with his father and then trained as a singer in the boys’ choir at Regensburg Cathedral. He studied with composer Ludwig Thuille at the Munich Academy, and was subsequently hired by the Academy as a teacher, being promoted to full professor in 1919. His career as a composer and performer flourished after World War I with tours in Austria, Scandinavia, and Russia. In 1921 he became director of the Karlsruhe Conservatory and then director of the Augsburg Music School in 1924. Influenced more by the late Romantic composers rather than contemporary trends in composition, Schmid’s output contains wonderful chamber music for flute, clarinet, viola, and piano in addition to the Woodwind Quintet, Op. 28. Schmid dedicated the work to his friend Adolf Martini.
Composer and conductor, Alexander Zemlinsky was one of the most highly regarded musicians of his time. Born and educated in Vienna, Zemlinsky began his studies at the Conservatory at the age of thirteen and had his first chamber works performed when he was twenty-two. During his time as a successful and influential opera director and conductor throughout Europe, Zemlinsky received praise for his interpretations of Mozart and for his premieres of new works by composers such as Bedrich Smetana, Arnold Schoenberg, Anton Webern, Alban Berg, and Gustav Mahler. In 1904, Zemlinsky and Schoenberg founded the Vereinigung Schaffender Tonkünstler (Association of Creative Musicians) to promote contemporary music in Vienna. Zemlinsky’s output reflected the influences of Brahms, Wagner, and Mahler and some of the milder tendencies of the Expressionist composers.
His compositions include operas, choral works, orchestral works, works for voice and orchestra, voice and piano, chamber music, and piano pieces; his lieder regarded as his greatest gift. Because of the Anschluss (Germany’s violation of the Treaty of Versailles in annexing Austria in March 1938), Zemlinsky first fled to Prague and then the United States. Sadly, his career stalled during his time in the United States due to a series of strokes. The Humoreske, composed in 1939, is the sole work for woodwind quintet and possesses the subtitle: “Schulstück für Bläserquintett” (School piece for Wind Quintet).
Tony Moreira has extensive experience as an arranger, composer, educator, pianist, and music producer. A highly qualified professional in the music business, he has been in this field for more than twenty years doing outstanding projects in Brazil and the United States. In the United States, he was the main composer and producer of SoundPlanet Advertisement Studios located in Denver, Colorado. His works at SoundPlanet include Peak Kia Vehicles, Floyds Barber Shop, Egg and I Breakfast and Lunch, Rooter Town, Golden Spike Roofing, Breeze Thru Car Wash, and Down Digital Marketing to name a few. In Brazil, he worked with the renowned composer, conductor and producer Ruria Duprat in major advertisement projects such as McDonalds, Red Bull, Banco do Brasil, Caixa Economica Federal, CocaCola, Pfizer, Mattel Toys, Citroen, Peugeot, Nissan, and Nestle. As a side-musician, he performed and recorded with: Maffalda Minozzi, Negritude Jr., Raça Negra, Rick e Renner, Flavio Gutok, Gal Costa, Isidro Aybar, New York Voices, Katie Mackey, Gregg Bissonnette, Steve Turre, Ingrid Jensen, Danny’s and the Juniors, among others. As an educator, he taught music theory at University of Kansas and Music Technology at Rowan University in New Jersey. He is currently Assistant Professor of Composition at Belmont University in Nashville and one of the “Bangaloo” Music Content’s composers, in Brazil.
“The Brazilian choro is a popular style of music that can be traced to the late 19th century. It combines elements of European classical music with African rhythms. The style is well known in the United States as well – almost everyone would recognize Zequinha de Abreu’s “Tico-tico no Fuba” from 1917. Although it peaked in popularity in the 1930s and 1940s the choro continues to be a vital part of Brazil's cultural landscape today especially in jazz. Another well-known choro composer is Pixinguinha, whose career spanned the middle of the 20th century. The music of both of these composers inspired me to compose the two movements "Atrasadinho e Agitadinho." The title translates to "a little bit late” and “agitated" in English. Each movement features intricate melodies and syncopated rhythms that reflect the lively, energetic spirit of choro music. The piece also incorporates elements of samba and other traditional Brazilian music forms. The syncopated rhythms in the accompaniment are supported by
melodic lines that are playful but also quite sophisticated. For this piece I tried to compose music that is full of energy and virtuosity as a way to appreciate the influence of Pixinguinha. Pixinguinha had a great ability to blend traditional and modern elements in his compositions and I’ve tried to do that in these works.
It is my hope that these pieces are a delight to audiences of all ages and backgrounds, and that they serve as a testament to the enduring popularity and vitality of choro music in Brazil and around the world.”
Progam Notes provided by Tony Moreira, composer and School of Music Faculty
Robert S. Cohen has written music for chorus, orchestra, chamber ensemble, dance and theatre and has been the recipient of numerous awards and commissions, including a New Jersey State Council on the Arts Fellowship, an American Music Center Grant, a Meet the Composer Award, New York Composer’s Circle Award, the 2011 New England String Quartet International Composition Competition and several grants from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. His works have been performed in such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall, Severance Hall, Symphony Space, Bargemusic and the Sofia Opera House. His music is published by Edition Peters, Hal Leonard, Shawnee Press, Absolute Brass, Dramatic Publishing, HoneyRock Music and his own Leapfrog Productions. Cohen received his A.B. in music from Brown University where he studied with Ron Nelson; his M.A. in Composition from Queens College; and served time in the doctoral program at Columbia University. He currently lives in Montclair, New Jersey with his wife Maryann and two cats, Fred & Ginger. Calder’ s Circus for Woodwind Quintet was inspired by the circus sculptures of Alexander Calder on permanent exhibition at the Whitney Museum in New York and is a terrific example of programmatic music.
Program Notes compiled by Carolyn Totaro, School of Music Faculty
About the Performers
Carolyn Totaro is Assistant Professor, (Flute), in the Belmont University School of Music. Before moving to Nashville in 2005, Totaro taught applied flute, music history, and music appreciation at Southeastern Louisiana University and then served as the Graduate Coordinator for the School of Music at the University of Southern Mississippi, where she also served as an adjunct flute instructor.
She has performed with symphony orchestras in Alabama, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, and Texas. Totaro has been the director of the Nashville Philharmonic Flute Ensemble and currently teaches flute and coaches chamber ensembles at the Tennessee Valley Music Festival each summer. Totaro received the Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Texas (at Austin), Master of Music (Flute) and Master of Music (History) from the University of Akron and Bachelor of Music Education and Bachelor of Music from Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory of Music. Totaro’s primary instructors have included William Hebert (Cleveland Orchestra), Jaqueline Hofto (Interlochen Arts Academy), Peter Lloyd (London Symphony, London Virtuosi), and George Pope (Akron Symphony, Solaris Wind Quintet).
Rebecca Van de Ven, (Oboe), joined the faculty at Belmont University and Tennessee State University in 2018 and the faculty of the University of the South in 2011. Prior to that Van de Ven taught at Middle Tennessee State University, Albion College, and Spring Arbor University. In addition, she is on faculty at the Sewanee Summer Music Festival where she coaches and organizes the wind chamber music program.
Van de Ven frequently records music in Nashville and can be heard playing English Horn on season three of the Emmy winning hit TV series Fargo as well as the 2016 Evanescence Album. She currently plays second oboe in the Nashville Opera. Her orchestral engagements have included orchestras such as Nashville Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, and Grand Rapids Symphony. She can also be found playing regionally in Chattanooga and Huntsville Symphonies and in staged works at Tennessee Performing Arts Center.
On a full tuition scholarship, Van de Ven received a Master of Music degree from the San Francisco Conservatory in oboe performance where she was a student of Eugene Izotov, current Principal Oboe of the San Francisco Symphony. She attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison on tuition scholarship where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and Bachelor of Science degree. She was a student of Professor Marc Fink. Van de Ven attended the Pierre Monteux Music Festival in Maine and was awarded a full scholarship to the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California. She currently resides in Sewanee Tennessee with her husband and two children.
Daniel Lochrie is Adjunct Instructor (Clarinet) in the School of Music, teaching applied private lessons, classical woodwind seminar, and woodwind techniques. Lochrie received degrees from The University of Michigan, Cleveland Institute of Music, and The Ohio State University, where he studied with James Pyne. Other teachers included Paul Schaller, Brian Schweickhardt, John Mohler, Franklin Cohen, and bass clarinetist, Oliver Green. Before entering graduate school, he joined the National Orchestra of New York, studying with Leon Russianoff and performing regularly with the orchestra in Carnegie Hall.
In addition to teaching experience at Lipscomb University, Middle Tennessee State University, The Ohio State University, and the Corsi Internazionale Di Musica, Lochrie has been a member of the Nashville Symphony (with recent recordings on the Naxos and Decca labels) since 1992. His chamber music activities include regular appearances on clarinet and bass clarinet at several area universities, recital appearances throughout the United States, and performances at summer festivals in Ohio, Colorado, and Italy. With further experience as a Nashville studio musician, managerial experience in the Nashville Symphony, and success as a composer and arranger (performances by ensembles such as the Tennessee Tech faculty woodwind quintet and the Pacific and Nashville Symphonies) Lochrie maintains a multifaceted musical career.
Dong-Yun K. Shankle is Ajunct Professor (Bassoon) at Belmont and Trevecca Universities. She is a member of Belmont’s Faculty Woodwind Quintet and has also taught at Western Kentucky and Campbellsville Universities. She is the principal bassoonist in the Paducah Symphony Orchestra, and Parthenon Chamber Orchestra. Shankle has also been principal in Orchestra Kentucky, Jackson Symphony, Owensboro Symphony and Western Kentucky. Shankle has had a distinguished career as a symphony bassoonist, recording artist, chamber musician, and soloist with orchestras in Asia, Europe, Russia and America.
During her twenty year career in Korea, Shankle worked in the Seoul KBS Symphony Orchestra. She was the principal bassoonist in the Busan Philharmonic Orchestra and the Asian Six Nations Orchestra in Fukuoka, Japan. She has appeared as a soloist with the Russia St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra, Sofia Orchestra both in Bulgaria, Seoul KBS Chamber Orchestra, Busan Philharmonic Orchestra, Port Angeles Symphony Orchestra, Paducah Symphony Orchestra and many other orchestras all over Asia, Europe and America. Shankle had the honor of playing principal bassoon in some of the world's greatest concert halls such as: Carnegie Hall in New York, Kennedy Center in Washington DC, Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Esplanade Concert Hall in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur Hall in Malaysian.
She has performed recitals with internationally known performers such as Emmanuel Abbuel (Principal Oboist/London Philharmonic), Kirill Sokolov (Principal bassoon/St.Petersburg Philharmonic), Valeri Popov (Principal bassoon/Moscow Symphony), Otto Eifert (Principal Bassoonn/Cincinnati Symphony), and many more. Shankle graduated from Daegu Catholic University, where she received a Bachelors and Master’s degree in Bassoon Performance and Music Education. After that, she studied in Holland for a Performance Soloist Degree from the Rotterdam Conservatorium. While in school she won the prestigious Seoul Dong-A International Music Competition. Shankle has three solo CDs on the SungEum label. Her CD’s have received favorable reviews from Ron Klimko of the IDRS.
Tara Johnson is Adjunct Instructor (French Horn) at Belmont University where she also teaches Aural Skills courses. Originally from Hudsonville, Michigan, Johnson began her studies in French horn
at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. From there she moved to Nashville to attend Belmont University, where she received the Bachelor of Music degree in Horn Performance, with a minor in Music Business.
She worked in Nashville as a freelance music transcriber and copyist. Johnson earned the Master of Arts in Music degree in Horn Performance from Middle Tennessee State University in 2012, where she studied with Angela DeBoer, and worked as a teaching assistant in the brass department and in general music and music theory courses. Johnson currently plays as 3rd Horn of the Evansville Philharmonic in Evansville, Indiana, and 2nd Horn of the Owensboro Symphony in Owensboro, Kentucky. Additionally, she has performed with the Nashville Symphony, Huntsville Symphony, Chattanooga Symphony, and Jackson Symphony. She has taken her horn playing to China with the Hollywood Film Orchestra, and to other parts of the world such as Israel, Romania, and Hungary. As an active freelance horn player, she can also be heard on several soundtrack recordings for movies, video games, and television shows, recorded in Nashville at Ocean Way Studios. She maintains a private studio of horn students across the Nashville area, and enjoys playing as a member of the Music City Horn Quartet.
Upcoming Concerts and Events
Jazz String Septet & Jazz String Quartet
Wednesday, March 1, 10:00 am
Massey Concert Hall
Rock Ensemble
Wednesday, March 1, 7:30 pm
Massey Concert Hall
Voxology
Thursday, March 16, 8:00 pm
Massey Concert Hall
Opera: Cendrillon
Friday, March 17, 7:30 pm
Sunday, March 19, 2:00 pm
Troutt Theater for the Performing Arts
Tickets for these performances can be reserved through the Belmont Box Office. Belmont students receive free tickets.
For more information on upcoming concerts and events, please visit www.belmont.edu/cmpa or “like” Belmont University School of Music on Facebook.
