The 2009 East Carolina University Summer Guitar Festival and Workshop takes place July 11-14 in the A. J. Fletcher Music Building on the ECU campus in Greenville.

The ECU Summer Guitar Workshop is open to students ages 12-and-up who wish to acquire or improve skills on the classical guitar. The workshop draws talented students from across the United States and abroad. Applications for the workshop are being accepted currently.

The Concert Series features the artist-faculty, nationally and internationally known concert artists and teachers. Students have lessons with these gifted artists and area music aficionados can hear these musicians perform in recital during the workshop. Concerts will feature 2008 solo competition winner Jeremy Collins, Slovenian virtuoso Marko Feri and workshop director Elliot Frank, Andrew Zohn and workshop headliner Adam Holzman, the Akerman Teixeira Duo, and the great American virtuoso, Jason Vieaux.

Master teachers Bruce Holzman, Joseph Ikner, and Patrick Lui will also be a part of the workshop faculty.

On Tuesday, July 14, some of the country’s finest young guitarists will compete in the finals of the ECU Solo Guitar Competition. This year’s event takes place with sponsorship from the D’Addario Foundation for the Performing Arts.

For further information regarding the workshop or concert series, please contact
Dr. Elliot Frank at 252-328-6245 or by email, franke@ecu.edu, or visit www.ecu.edu/music/guitar/workshop.

 

New television show features East Carolina School of Music performances (3/1/09)
Greenville cable viewers have access to a new music performance television program featuring faculty and students from the School of Music at East Carolina University.
           
“ECU School of Music Presents” is a 30-to-60 minute music performance and interview show airing on Suddenlink Cable Channel 99, also known as ECU-TV.
 
The first episode, featuring professor of guitar Elliot Frank, aired Monday, March 16. New shows will be aired as they are recorded and will be rebroadcast at various times.
 
The show’s host is Christopher Buddo, director of the school of music.
 
“The faculty at the ECU School of Music includes world-class performers- they truly appear in venues all over the world- and this program gives music aficionados in our region the opportunity to see and hear these gifted musicians play in the comfort of the viewer’s living room,” Buddo said. “And while it is impressive and fun to watch the student performances, it is important to remember that performance is part of the curriculum for many of these young men and women.”
 
Harley Dartt, assistant director at the school of music and one of the show’s executive producers said the format is designed for education as well as pleasure viewing.

“The various musical pieces are introduced and explained by the performers and faculty before each piece is performed, giving the audience unique insight into what they will hear,” Dartt said. “The taping format allows for multiple camera angles and very close shots of performers and instruments.”
 
The April show features Henry Doskey, pianist and chairman of the keyboard department, performing an all-Chopin program. Future shows will include a variety of performances including large ensemble vocal, percussion and steel drum, solo tuba and performances on historic instruments.

In addition to public broadcast, the school will use the recorded programs for student recruitment and classroom education.

Jazz vocalist Nnenna Freelon to headline
Billy Taylor Jazz Festival in Greenville
 (03/1/09)
Again this year, the East Carolina University School of Music Jazz Studies Program brings a world-class jazz performer to Greenville for the Billy Taylor Jazz Festival on April 16-17.

Award-winning and multiple Grammy-nominated North Carolina vocalist Nnenna Freelon headlines this year’s event. Freelon has been awarded the Eubie Blake Award from the Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and the Billie Holiday Award from the Academie du Jazz. Freelon performed a film soundtrack for “The Visit,” starring Billy Dee Williams, remaking Frank Sinatra's classic "Fly Me to the Moon.”
She also had a cameo as a nightclub singer in the 2001 blockbuster Mel Gibson romantic comedy “What Women Want,” performing her trademark song "If I Had You.” In addition, she has been nominated twice for the “Soul Train” Lady of Soul award. On February 21, 2001, Freelon earned a rousing standing ovation for her stunning live performance at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards telecast in Los Angeles, performing “Straighten Up And Fly Right.”

Dr. Billy Taylor—house pianist at Birdland, arts correspondent for CBS News “Sunday Morning,” artistic advisor for jazz to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, recipient of two Peabody Awards, an Emmy, a Grammy, and 23 honorary doctoral degrees—is a national treasure, Greenville’s native son and the festival’s namesake.

Schedule here.

ECU music education student Jason L. Morton is the recipient of the North Carolina Music Educators Association (NCMEA) Bill McCloud Merit Scholarship and the NCMEA Ruth Jewell Scholarship for 2009.

The Bill McCloud Merit Scholarship is presented to a North Carolina music education student based on leadership, activities and character. The Ruth Jewell Scholarship is presented based on musical talent, leadership and service.

Morton is president of the NC Collegiate Chapter and membership taskforce chair of the NCMEA.

The ECU music therapists will be hosting the Music Therapy Association
(3/24/09)

The ECU music therapists will be hosting the Music Therapy Association of North Carolina on April 24, 2009.  Dr. Michael Rohrbacher from Shenandoah University will be the guest clinician on "The Art of Playing Gamelons."

Dr. Michelle J. Hairston, MT-BC
Prof. & Chair, Music Education & Music Therapy Dept.
East Carolina University
Past President, American Music Therapy Association
Greenville, NC 27858
252-328-4871
hairstonm@ecu.edu

ECU Trumpet Ensemble Wins Fourth Place at National Trumpet Competition (3/13/08)
During Spring Break, the ECU Trumpet Ensemble competed in the national Trumpet Competition in Fairfax, VA.  There were 27 groups accepted into the semifinal round.  After the first round on Thursday, ECU was invited to participate as one of five finalists later in the evening, outplaying such schools as Juilliard School, Indiana University, and Boston University. They were awarded fourth place and received a check for $1,500.

The students involved include Alex Jackson, John Maye, Robert Goodwin, James Old and Chris Neverve (pictured above). They performed Ronald Lo Presti's three-movement Suite by memory. Several professors at the competition said it was the finest performance of that piece they had ever heard.  The ECU Trumpet Ensemble is coached by Professor Britton Theurer.

ECU Student wins prize in National Vocal Competition (3/3/08)
Gary Harwell, a Senior Vocal Performance major was recently awarded fourth place, and the Nora Sands Encouragement Award at the 13th annual Orpheus National Vocal Competition, held at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Harwell competed against over 100 other singers in three rounds of the competition. Following a preliminary round where contestants submit recordings to a panel of judges, Harwell was invited to travel to Tennessee for the competition’s semi-final round on March 1, 2008. His performances of Schubert’s Ganymed, and Korngold’s Pierrot’s Tanzlied earned him a spot in the final round, where he competed against six other singers. He offered Poulenc’s Sanglots, and Fauré’s Hostias for the final round of the competition. Other finalists in Harwell’s category included graduate students from Eastman School of Music, Florida State University, and Indiana University.

Gary is a native of Wendell, North Carolina. He is the voice student of John Kramar at ECU, where he has performed the title role in their recent production of Sweeney Todd, as well as leading roles in The Magic Flute, Curlew River, and Gianni Schicchi. He plans to attend the American Institute for Musical Studies in Graz, Austria this summer for further studies in opera and art song.

John Wustman named Distinguished Professor for 2008-09 (2/4/08)
The School of Music is delighted to announce that John Wustman "dean of American accompanists" has been named the Robert L. Jones Distinguished Professor of Music for the 2008-2009 academic year.

Professor Wustman's biography reads like veritable history of singers and singing.  After becoming affiliated with Robert Shaw his long and illustrious career took off.  He has appeared in the leading concert halls on five continents with some of the world’s greatest singers; including Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Birgit Nilsson, Régine Crespin, Christa Ludwig, Nicolai Gedda, Carlo Bergonzi, Luciano Pavarotti and a host of others.  Leading highlights in an already brilliant career include a series of televised recitals with Mr. Pavarotti, including the first recital from the Metropolitan Opera House in 1978.

For more information contact Chair of the Vocal Studies Department via e-mail: Professor Sharon Munden.

On February 23rd, ECU will host the 2008 "Day of Percussion". This is an annual event of the North Carolina chapter of the Percussive Arts Society. ECU professor Dr. Jonathan Wacker is currently the President of the NCPAS and will host the event.

The "Day of Percussion" will bring percussionists of all ages, from across North and South Carolina to ECU to enjoy a full day of performances, masterclasses and clinics from some of the best drummers and percussionists in the world. Attendance is expected to be between 300-400.

The event runs from 8AM until 6PM. Student admission is $5, Adults $10 and all PAS members (with a valid PAS ID card) are free!

For more information, contact Dr. Wacker at wackerj@ecu.edu or go to the PAS webpage at http://www.pas.org/Chapters/NorthCarolina/dop2008.htm

The ECU Chamber Singers, under the direction of Daniel Bara, has recorded their first professional compact disc recording in collaboration with international concert organist and ECU organ professor, Janette Fishell. The project was produced and is now being internationally distributed on the Gothic recording label and in the Gothic Catalog: Choral and Organ Recordings of Distinction. The recording features primarily twentieth-century sacred English works for chorus, and chorus & organ-music dear to the hearts of Fishell and Bara. These works of Britten, Howells, Tippet, Ireland, Pearsall, and Wilbye were first performed live by the Chamber Singers, Bara and Fishell at the 2007 Religious Arts Festival Opening Concert in January of 2007. After traveling to Miami in March for a featured performance at the American Choral Directors Association's National Convention, the Chamber Singers returned to Greenville for two days of recording in May.

The recording was made at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Greenville, home of the Fisk pipe organ Op. 126, and the primary instructional instrument for ECU Organ Majors.

Read Steve Row's review from the Classical Voice of North Carolina HERE.

Recordings can be purchased through most online classical music recording distributors, including the Gothic Records website. You may also purchase recordings directly through the ECU School of Music. Just send a check for $15.00 to:

Dr. Daniel Bara
School of Music
East Carolina University
Greenville, NC 27858

ECU Welcomes new viola professor (8/1/07)
The ECU School of Music is pleased to announce that Melissa Reardon has joined the faculty as professor of viola.
 
Melissa received her BM from the Curtis Institute of Music, and her MM and GD from the New England Conservatory of Music. She received the prestigious Tourjee Award from the New England Conservatory for her third year of graduate study in 2002. Melissa has studied with Kim Kashkashian, Michael Tree, Joseph dePasquale, Karen Tuttle, Samuel Rhodes, and Hsin-Yun Huang.

She won First Prize of the 2003 Washington International Competition, and has performed extensively in both solo and chamber music settings. Melissa made her debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at the age of thirteen and has since garnered top prizes in several international competitions including HAMS International and Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. As a collaborative musician, Melissa has performed in numerous festivals across the US, Europe and Korea. She has performed with the Borromeo String Quartet, the Boston Chamber Music Society, International Sejong Soloists, Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra, at Bargemusic and has toured with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble. Melissa is also a founding member of the East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO) and has spent several summers at the Marlboro Music Festival. She toured with Musicians for Marlboro in 2004, and toured France with the same group in May-June of 2005. Melissa was also a founding member of the Amaryllis String Quartet (1991-2000) whose engagements included performances at the Kennedy Library, Caramoor Music Festival, Jordan Hall, Steamboat Springs, Boulder and Rockport Chamber Music Festivals.

ECU Welcomes new tuba/euphonium professor (5/10/07)
The ECU School of Music is excited to announce that Tom McCaslin has joined the faculty as professor of tuba and euphonium.
 
Raised in Regina, Saskatchewan, Tom McCaslin began his musical training on the trombone at the age of nine and switched to the tuba three years later.  Tom holds a Licentiate in Music Performance from McGill University (Montreal) and a Master’s degree in Music Performance at Arizona State University. Tom’s principal teachers include John Griffiths, Fritz Kaenzig, Roger Bobo, Dennis Miller, Floyd Cooley and Samuel Pilafian.  In 2006 he was acting principal Tuba in the Auckland Philharmonia (New Zealand).  In 2003 Tom became the first tuba player to return three summers to the prestigious Tanglewood Music Center, the summer training center for the Boston Symphony.  

Tom has performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Winnipeg Symphony, the Ann Arbor Symphony, the New Mexico Symphony, the Santa Fe Symphony, and the Regina Symphony Orchestra.  As a soloist, Tom has been a semi-finalist in the Marneukirchen world instrumental competition, a two-time finalist in the Montreal Symphony’s concerto competition, a finalist in the National Canadian Music Festival, the winner of the Saskatchewan Music Festival’s Brass division and the winner of Arizona State University’s Concerto competition.  He has presented recitals in USA, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland and Australia. He has also recorded for the Canadian Broadcast Company, National Public Radio and performed on Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor.

Winners Announced for the ECU Pre-College Piano & Organ Competition (3/19/07)
We are pleased to announce the winners of both the Piano and Organ Divisions of the first annual ECU Pre-College Piano and Organ Competition. The field was made up of a number of exceptionally talented young high school students from North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. The piano competition judges were, in the Junior Section, Dr. Richard Lucht of Greenville, and, in the Senior Section, Ms. Constance Kotis of Greensboro. The organ competition was judged by guest adjudicator, Dr. Wilma Jensen. Winners are as follows:

Junior Piano Section:

• SPECIAL PRIZE: THE GILLOCK PRIZE, $100, sponsored by Green Mill Recordings - DANIEL PETERSON (Wilson, NC)
• SPECIAL PRIZE: THE AMERICAN MUSIC PRIZE - $100, sponsored by The Greenville Piano Teachers Association - NICHOLAS PETERSON (Wilson, NC)
• THIRD PRIZE: THE CHAUNCEY PRIZE - $200, sponsored by Ms. Bea Chauncey – MARIKA YASUDA (Williamsburg, VA)
• SECOND PRIZE – THE BURRAGE MUSIC PRIZE - $300, sponsored by Burrage Music Company - NICHOLAS PETERSON (Wilson, NC)
• FIRST PRIZE: THE TRANS EAST PRIZE - $500, sponsored by Mr. Ed Glenn of Trans East - LUCI DUAN (Cary, NC)

Senior Piano Section:

• THIRD PRIZE: THE BATH/LALIK PRIZE - $350, sponsored by Dr. & Mrs. Charles Bath and Mrs. AnneMarie Lalik – SANDY KIM (Lillington, NC)
• SECOND PRIZE: THE HENRY HUSTED WOOTEN PRIZE -$500, sponsored by Mrs. Harriet H. Wooten - JI-WON LIM (Charlotte, NC)
• FIRST PRIZE: THE CHARLES AND JOANNE BATH PRIZE - $750, sponsored by Dr. Charles and Mrs. Joanne Bath - PATRICK KREEGER (Greenville, NC)

Organ Competition Winners

• First place winner of the Fisk Prize and the Special Prize for outstanding Bach performance (presented by the NC Bach Society): Paul Thomas, HS Senior from Charlotte, NC.
• Second place winner of the Fishell Prize: Chris Lynch (senior), Woodberry Forrest Prep School.
• Third place winner of the AGO Prize: Caroline Robinson, HS Freshman from Greenville, SC.
  

Acclaimed Vibraphonist Arthur Lipner performs at ECU (2/2/07)
On February 1, acclaimed vibraphonist Arthur Lipner--one of the most talented marimba and vibes voices performing today--performed the world premiere of Hybridisation, a sound sculpture for Vibraphone/Marimba soloist and percussion ensemble. The performance took place in A. J. Fletcher Recital Hall with the ECU Percussion Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Jonathan Wacker. Included on the program was the Greenville Children's Choir under the direction of Paul Flowers.

On Friday, February 2, Lipner performed with the ECU Jazz Ensemble A under the direction of Carroll V. Dashiell Jr. Joining the ensemble are ECU jazz faculty members Jeff Bair, saxophone; George Broussard, trombone; Ernest Turner, piano; and Jonathan Wacker, percussion. Also on the program is the ECU Symphonic Wind Ensemble, under the baton of Scott Carter. The performance was offered as a part of the All-East Band Festival.

For more information on Arthur Lipner, visit his web site at www.arthurlipner.com.

ECU Voice Professor Appointed to NC Arts Council Board (2/1/07)
Dr. Louise Toppin, acclaimed soprano and voice instructor at ECU's School of Music was recently appointed by the governor of North Carolina to the NC Arts Council. This group sets policy and determines arts funding for all organizations across the state.

ECU Students Win Raleigh Symphony Concerto Competition (1/31/2007)
Three of our string students were selected as winners of the Raleigh Symphony Concerto Competition and will play with the Raleigh Symphony on May 6.

Leo Perez will perform the Prokofiev Concerto #2 1st movement, Ashley Dyer will perform the Saint-Säens Concerto #3 1st movement, and Elizabeth York will perform the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto movements 2 and 3.

We congratulate these students and their teacher, Ara Gregorian, for this terrific achievement.

ECU Music Students to compete in semi-finals of ACDA Conducting Competition (1/31/2007)
We are pleased to announced that two of our choral conducting students have been selected to participate in the semi-final round of the ACDA Conducting Competition.

Anthony Maglione, a semi-finalist in the graduate division, and Josh Dearing, a semi-finalist in the undergraduate division, were two of the sixteen semi-finalists chosen nation-wide.

We congratulate these students and their teacher, Dr. Dan Bara, for this fine achievement.

ECU Announces Concerto Competition Winner (12/6/06)
Alicia Arnold, graduate violin student of Ara Gregorian was named ECU’s concerto competition winner in a competition held December 5, 2006.  Performing Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole, Alicia competed against other students chosen as finalists from preliminary rounds held earlier in the semester.  Other finalists included, Adam Fussell (trombone), Shrieka Gilliard (bassoon) and Matthew Gillette (voice).  Ms. Arnold performed with the ECU Symphony Orchestra on January 28, 2007 in Wright Auditorium on the ECU campus.

ECU to host Southeast Chapter of the American Musicological Society (11/28/06)
The ECU School of Music is proud to host the Spring 2007 meeting of the American Musicological Society-Southeast Chapter. The meeting will take place in the recently completed addition of the A. J. Fletcher Music Center on Saturday, February 24 from 9am to 5pm. For further information, visit the AMS-SE web site or contact the meeting host, Dr. Francesco Izzo.

Jazz Vocalist Vanessa Rubin performs at ECU (11/28/06)
A frequent jazz performer worldwide, and just coming off two performances at "The Half Note" in Athens, Greece, the renowned vocalist, composer, producer, and clinician Vanessa Rubin provided a jazz vocal clinic and performed with the ECU jazz faculty during the recent Jazz Ensembles concert on Friday, December 1 at 7:00 PM in Wright Auditorium on the ECU campus.

The list of great musicians who have graced Rubins recordings and bandstands is quite impressive: Monty Alexander, Cecil Bridgewater, Kenny Burrell, Frank Foster, Billy Higgins, Etta Jones, Lewis Nash, Houston Person, Toots Thielemans, Steve Turre, Cedar Walton, Grover Washington, Jr., and James Williams are just a few of the masters who’ have lent their skills to support Ms. Rubin’s artistry. More recently she has completed auspicious global tours with Herbie Hancock, the Woody Herman Orchestra, and the Jazz Crusaders.

After teaching for a number of years, Rubin headed to New York City in 1982 and landed early gigs with the likes ofKenny Barron, Pharoah Sanders, Lionel Hampton, and the Mercer Ellington Orchestra. Since then, she has performed countless performances and recorded and released numerous CDs on Telarc and RCA/Novus labels. Visit Rubin's web site for more information and audio samples from each of her seven albums.

Links:  Vanessa Rubin Official Web Site

Fall 2006 Issue of Tones Now Available
You don't want to miss this issue of our alumni and friends newsletter!

Features include "From Beauty Parlor to Beauty Queen" which tells the story of music major Jessica Lim's experiences involving the Miss Korea pageant in Atlanta; student news; news on the Chamber Singers invitation to the National ACDA convention; "Opera Professor Sings to Cows, Crosses Nation" which covers Oliver Henderson's trek via bicycle across the U.S.; faculty creative activity; news of Katrina refugee earning a masters at ECU School of Music; and our concert calendar.

Click to view/download a PDF version of the Fall 2006 edition of Tones.

Chamber Singers heads to "World Series" of Choral Events (10/31/06)
The American Choral Directors Association’s national convention attracts between 10,000 and 15,000 conductors, singers, teachers and church musicians from across the country, and features a collection of the nation’s best choirs. The conference is so well attended that attendees are divided into more than one schedule. Each concert, interest session and lecture is offered in triplicate, as no convention center or performance hall can hold the multitude that throngs to the annual event.

East Carolina University’s Chamber Singers were selected to perform at this convention. A national committee reviewed more than 300 audition CDs in a blind process, selecting 32 choirs in a variety of categories from across the country to perform. “These choirs tend to be the cream of the crop at the convention,” Bara says. “To my knowledge, this is the first time an ECU choral ensemble has received national level attention, and perhaps the first time that any ECU musical ensemble has been invited to a national level event that was juried.”

The ACDA appearance falls on the heels of having been invited to perform for the Southern Division ACDA last spring. East Carolina’s was the only North Carolina choir invited to that event. “This is our Rose Bowl, our trip to the College World Series,” Bara says.

Links: ACDA National web site || ASTA National Convention || NC-ASTA web site ||

New School of Music web site unveiled (10/27/2006)
After five months of development and even more time for the planning phase, the ECU School of Music has released its brand-new web site. This is the first major overhaul of the school's web site since it was first created in the mid-1990s.

Michael B. Dixon, a School of Music alumnus (BM '92, MM '94) and current Instructional Technology Consultant for the ECU College of Fine Arts & Communication, built the new site using the university's official web authoring tool, CommonSpot. Significant planning and consultation with Mr. Christopher Ulffers (assistant director for administrative support), Dr. Christopher Buddo (director) and Dr. Susan Beck-Frazier (assistant director for student services) along with various music faculty members helped to hone in on the desired result.

"The approach we took with this new site was to streamline the information available; to focus on providing easy-to-access information for prospective students, as well as to better serve our current students and faculty," Dixon stated. "We also wanted to provide dedicated web pages to all departments within the School, and expand areas for our Friends groups and Alumni."

In the past, not all departments have had web presence, and trying to find contact information had been one of the main weaknesses of the old site. Both issues are resolved with redundancies throughout the site enabling visitors to quickly find what they need with very view clicks.

One major improvement will be the way the site is managed. Several faculty and staff will have access to specific portions of the new site, enabling them to better maintain the information displayed. The system is easy enough that you need not be a true "webmaster" to make changes.

Dixon added, "As an experienced web site designer, using CommonSpot to build the new site was a bit frustrating for me to use, as it adds so many more steps to create or modify information than standard web design tools. However, this system is ideal for enabling many  non-webmasters to maintain the site simultaneously, without redundancy or duplication of efforts."

Have comments? Please feel free to e-mail Chris Ulffers, Chris Buddo, or Mike Dixon