Nazareth College Department of Music Presents Musical Celebration of the College's 90th anniversary

ROCHESTER, NY (09/24/2014)(readMedia)-- The Nazareth College Department of Music is pleased to present its 2014-2015 Concert Series. This season is celebrating the 90th anniversary of Nazareth College, and features concerts from violinist Margaret Leenhouts; cellist Mimi Hwang; pianist Kevin Nitsch; Nazareth College bands conducted by Jared Chase, featuring pianist James Douthit; and many more members of the Department of Music's talented and acclaimed faculty.

The Nazareth College Department of Music's 2014-2015 Concert Series is a musical celebration of Nazareth College's 90th anniversary. The College was founded in 1924. The Department of Music will present a series of concerts featuring music by various composers written in 1924 or centered around the theme opus 90.

All events are free and open to the public. The celebratory roster includes:

Transitions 1924: A Birth, A Death, A Premiere | Sunday, October 5 at 3:00p.m. | Wilmot Recital Hall

• Featuring: Margaret Leenhouts, violin; Mimi Hwang, cello; Kevin Nitsch, piano
• 1924, Nazareth College's founding year, saw the birth of Henry Mancini, the loss of Gabriel Fauré and the premiere of Leos Janá?ek's string quartet based on Tolstoy's novella, The Kreutzer Sonata.

Opus 90/1924: An Anniversary Gala | Friday, October 17 at 7:30p.m. | Wilmot Recital Hall | Excerpts from:

• Sonata in E Major, Op. 90, Ludwig van Beethoven, Brian Preston, piano
• Impromptus, Op. 90 Franz Schubert, Sarah Rhee-Tirré, piano
• Adagietto (from Les Biches), Francis Poulenc
• O Alvorecer-Tango de salão, Ernesto Nazareth
• Requiem, Op. 90 No. 7 (on an anonymous Catholic text) Robert Schuman
• Ronsard à son âme (Pierre de Ronsard), Maurice Ravel, Matthew Valverde, tenor and Kevin Nitsch, piano
• Choros No. 2 for flute and clarinet, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Annette Farrington, flute and Marcy Bacon, clarinet
• Fascinating Rhythm and other tunes (Ira Gershwin), Kimberly Upcraft, soprano and Josh Massicot, piano
• Trio No. 4 for violin, cello and piano in E Major, Op. 90 ("Dumky"), Antonin Dvorak, Margaret Leenhouts, violin; Sandra Halleran, cello; and Beverly Smoker, piano

The Roaring 20's: Sunday, October 26 at 3:00p.m. | Wilmot Recital Hall

• Featuring: the newly formed Rochester Chamber Winds, Jared Chase, conductor
• The program include works written in 1924 by Goosens and Gal. Hans Gál's style is rooted in the Austro-German musical tradition, but from the early 1920s he had developed his own musical language. His works combine romantic intensity with emotional restraint, and the chromatic harmonies and extended tonality of the pre-serial early moderns with a Schubert-like love of melody, integrated with a polyphonic texture that derives from his lifelong engagement with the works of J. S. Bach. His output was considerable: over 150 published works in virtually all genres, including, in addition to his four operas, four symphonies, four string quartets, two large-scale cantatas with orchestra, other orchestral works, chamber music and vocal works of various kinds.

Four Somethings: Saturday, November 15 at 7:30p.m. | Linehan Chapel

• Featuring: Nazareth College Wind Symphony, Jared Chase, conductor and James Douthit, piano
• A variety of something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. This concert features the 90th anniversary of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and Krance's transcription of Carmina Burana. Two pieces from David Biedenbender, written for wind symphonies, will be featured in this program: Stomp and Luminescence. According to the composer's website, "The title, Stomp, refers to a heavy, syncopated dance with some serious attitude-picture a Saturday night jam session-in a barn-featuring a crazed country fiddle band and Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers." Also from Biendenbender's website, "Luminescence is based on fragments from the melody Ermuntre dich, mein schwacher Geist (Rouse thyself, my weak spirit), which was written by Johann Schop and subsequently harmonized in several settings by Johann Sebastian Bach. It is most commonly known as the Christian hymn, "Break Forth O Beauteous Heavenly Light". It may enrich the overall musical experience, both for the ensemble and for the audience, to hear the original chorale before the piece is played."

Biographies

Composer David Biedenbender's music has been described as "simply beautiful" [twincities.com], "striking" and "brilliantly crafted" [Times Argus] and is noted for its "rhythmic intensity" [NewMusicBox] and "stirring harmonies" [Boston Classical Review]."Modern, venturesome, and inexorable...The excitement, intensity, and freshness that characterizes Biedenbender's music hung in the [air] long after the last note was played" [Examiner.com]. He has written music for the concert stage as well as for dance and multimedia collaborations, and his work is often influenced by his diverse musical experiences in rock and jazz bands as an electric bassist, in wind, jazz, and New Orleans-style brass bands as a euphonium, bass trombone, and tuba player, and by his study of Indian Carnatic Music. His present creative interests include working with everyone from classically trained musicians to improvisers, acoustic chamber music to large ensembles, and interactive electronic interfaces to live brain data.

Biedenbender has had the privilege of collaborating with many renowned performers and ensembles, including Alarm Will Sound, the PRISM Saxophone Quartet, the Stenhammar String Quartet (Sweden), the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, the United States Navy Band, the Philharmonie Baden-Baden (Germany), VocalEssence, the Eastman Wind Ensemble, the Music from Copland House Ensemble, Detroit Symphony Orchestra bass trombonist Randall Hawes, the Juventas New Music Ensemble, the Washington Kantorei, the Atlantic Chamber Ensemble, the Boston New Music Initiative, Ann Arbor Dance Works, Composer's Inc. (San Francisco), the Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble, and the University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Choir. Recent recognition for his work includes two ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards (2011, 2012) and the 2012 Suzanne and Lee Ettelson Composers Award. His music has been heard in many diverse venues, including Symphony Space (New York City), the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church (NYC), the Smithsonian Museum, the German Embassy (Washington, DC), the Antonín Dvo?ák Museum (Prague), the Old First Church (San Francisco), Harris Hall (Aspen Music Festival), the Interlochen Center for the Arts, Hill Auditorium (Ann Arbor, MI), the University of Michigan Museum of Art, as well as at numerous universities and conservatories, and it has been broadcast on NPR stations around the country, including on WNYC's Soundcheck with John Schaefer and on Center Stage from Wolf Trap. David's music can also be heard on several commercially available recordings, including the U.S. Navy Band's most recent album. Recent and upcoming commissions and projects include works for the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, soprano Lindsay Kesselman, San Francisco Symphony principal trombonist Tim Higgins, the Edge Ensemble, the Donald Sinta Saxophone Quartet, the Akropolis Reed Quintet, Christopher Lees and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts Orchestra, Wild Rumpus New Music Collective, and pianist Jeannette Fang.

In addition to composing, Biedenbender is a dedicated teacher. He is Assistant Professor of Music Theory and Composition at Boise State University, and he was previously on the composition and theory faculty at Eastern Michigan University, Oakland University, Madonna University, and the Interlochen Arts Camp. He has also taught an interdisciplinary course in creativity and collaboration in the Living Arts program at the University of Michigan. His composition students have achieved regional and national recognition for their creative work, including numerous awards and acceptance into renowned summer music festivals and undergraduate and graduate composition programs.

He received the Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees in composition from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and the Bachelor of Music degree in composition and theory from Central Michigan University. He has also studied at the Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study in Uppsala, Sweden with Anders Hillborg and Steven Stucky, the Aspen Music Festival and School with Syd Hodkinson, and in Mysore, India where he studied South Indian Carnatic music. His primary musical mentors include Stephen Rush, Evan Chambers, Kristin Kuster, Michael Daugherty, Bright Sheng, Erik Santos, Christopher Lees, David R. Gillingham, José Luis-Maurtúa, John Williamson, and Mark Cox.

Dr. Jared Chase came to Nazareth College in 2012. At Nazareth College Dr. Chase directs the wind symphony, teaches courses in conducting and brass methods, coordinates the instrumental department and performs in the Wilmot Brass Quintet. Before coming to Nazareth, Dr. Chase was the Director of Bands and Chair of the Department of Music at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas where he directed the Symphonic Band, Jazz Ensemble, Brass Ensemble, Pep Band and taught trumpet as well as courses in instrumental music and conducting.

Dr. Chase received his M.M. in trumpet performance and D.M.A. in wind conducting from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) where he studied conducting with Terence Milligan and Rodney Winther as well as trumpet with Alan Seibert, Kim Pensyl, and Phil Collins (former principal trumpet of the Cincinnati Symphony). While at CCM, Dr. Chase conducted on numerous concerts with the CCM Chamber Players, Wind Symphony, Wind Ensemble, Chamber Winds and Brass Choir. He also served as music director of the Cincinnati Youth Wind Ensemble, and music director of First Presbyterian Church of Fort Thomas, Kentucky. He founded the Seven Hills Brass (a professional brass ensemble) which was invited to perform for the opening ceremony of the 14th International WASBE (World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles) Conference in 2009. He has guest conducted the United States Military Academy "West Point" Band, the United States Coast Guard Band, and the Salina Symphony. In addition, he also enjoys conducting musical theatre and recently led performances of the musicals Annie, Company, Willy Wonka, White Christmas, and Cabaret.

He was awarded a Burmeister grant to present research on the wind music of Gustav Mahler at the College Band Directors National Association Southwest Conference. He won the Garrett award at Bethany College for a presentation of his critical edition Le Bal de Béatrice d'Este at the College Band Directors National Conference. This edition is currently being performed by colleges, universities, and professional orchestras around the country.

Also an accomplished trumpet player, Dr. Chase studied music education and trumpet performance with Terry Sawchuk at the University of Colorado, Boulder. At home in solo, commercial, and classical idioms, he has performed as principal trumpet of the nationally acclaimed CCM Chamber Players as well as the Wind Symphony and Philharmonia Orchestra and as a member of the Cincinnati Brass Quintet. He continues to be an active freelance performer and has performed with the Boulder Broadway Company, Colorado Light Opera, the Boulder Dinner Theatre, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, Dayton Philharmonic Concert Band, Springfield Symphony, Blue Ash Symphony, Kentucky Symphony, Lima Symphony Orchestra, Richmond Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Vocal Arts Ensemble, the Dayton Bach Society, Salina Symphony, Hutchinson Symphony, and as first call with the Wichita Symphony.

In the fall of 2013 Dr. Chase was also a Visiting Professor of Ensemble and Conducting at the Eastman School of Music where he will conduct the Eastman Wind Orchestra. Dr. Chase has also taught courses at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Bethany College, Sinclair Community College, Central State University and grades 4-12 band and choir in the public schools of Ohio and Colorado and is in demand as a conductor and adjudicator.

Dr. James Douthit maintains an extensive career as a collegiate professor, performing musician, and piano pedagogy clinician. Reviews of Douthit's recitals evidence a pianist with extensive technical and interpretive skills. "His sweeping gestures at the piano and obvious technical abilities extend his passion for the music and its communication to the audience". (The Shepherd College Picket). A recent performance of the Beethoven's "Emperor Concerto" with the Southwest Symphony in Hobbs, New Mexico, drew strong reviews, indicating that Douthit's performance "was both technically proficient and musically poetic". (Hobbs Sun Times) Douthit is noted for his performance of piano compositions of Theodor Leschetizky (1830-1915), one of the most noted piano pedagogues of the nineteenth century. Invited by the Leschetizky Association of America to present a concert honoring the birthday of Theodor Leschetizky, the review of the New York recital stated, "The crowd loved it and responded with a standing ovation." (Leschetizky Association News Bulletin) Venturing into the arena of new music, Douthit has performed a number of compositions by twentieth century composers, including the world premiere of two compositions of Pulitzer Prize nominated composer, Nicholas D'Angelo. Reviews of these performances state, "The music reverberated the unconscious voices, perhaps even the id." (The Shepherd College Picket)

In demand as a teacher and coach, Douthit's students have presented successful performances in competitions and recitals throughout the world. His students have won prizes in local, regional, and national level competitions. In addition, Douthit's collegiate students have gained successful admissions and earned scholarship awards to attend the nation's most prestigious universities and conservatories. Douthit has presented a number of master classes to a variety of organizations and maintains an active profile as a competition adjudicator. Douthit has published articles in Clavier, The American Music Teacher, and the online journal, The National Piano Pedagogy Forum.

Dr. Douthit holds a doctoral degree in piano performance from the Eastman School of Music, a masters degree in piano performance from Northwestern University and a bachelor of music degree from Mars Hill College in western North Carolina. His teachers have included some of the most prominent pianists and pedagogues of the twentieth century, including Rebecca Penneys, George Driscoll, Kenneth Drake, Gui Mombaerts, and May Jo Gray. During his doctoral work at Eastman and immediately following the completion of his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree (1990-1994), Douthit was a lecturer at Nazareth College, teaching piano, class piano, theory, and music appreciation courses.

The daughter of Chinese immigrants, cellist Margery (Mimi) Hwang was born and raised in Los Angeles. She was a founding member of the Franciscan String Quartet, first-prize winner of the Banff International String Quartet Competition, and top prize winner of the Evian International String Quartet Competition. The Quartet performed in concert halls throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, including Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and Casals Hall in Tokyo. The Quartet held the position of Wardwell Fellows at the Yale School of Music and was Quartet-in-Residence at the Hopkins Center at Dartmouth College, where Hwang was on the faculty of the Department of Music. She has recorded for Verdi Records. She has also performed with the Tokyo, Ying, Colorado, and Ciompi Quartets, as well as Raphael Hillyer, Laurence Lesser, and Michael Tree. She was a member of the Peabody Trio, winners of the Naumberg Chamber Music Award. As a soloist, Hwang has performed with the Beijing Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra. She received her master's degree at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, a bachelor's degree with distinction at the New England Conservatory of Music, and studied with Bonnie Hampton, Laurence Lesser, Paul Katz, and Eleonore Schoenfeld. She was a founding member of the Cello Divas and Quartos and has appeared in the Aspen, Banff, Norfolk, Roycroft, Skaneateles, and Yellow Barn festivals.

Hwang is currently a lecturer in Music at Nazareth College, an assistant professor of Chamber Music at the Eastman School of Music, and a founding member and cellist of the Amenda Quartet. She is also Co-Artistic Director of Yellow Barn Music School and Festival's Young Artists Program, a three-week summer chamber music program for talented high school student, held in Putney, Vermont. Ms. Hwang serves on the Board of Trustees of the Rochester Area Community Foundation, where she chairs the Program-Distributions Committee. She also serves as a Trustee of the Arts and Cultural Council for Greater Rochester and lives in Brighton with her two daughters.

In addition to performing with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Margaret Leenhouts has appeared regularly with Eastman faculty in the Kilbourn Hall recital series and returned to her native Arizona several times to give benefit concerts for the Sedona Chamber Music Society and the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra. The recipient of the First Prize for Chamber Music at the American School of Arts in France, Dr. Leenhouts appeared with Amadeus Trio members Marian Hahn and Jeffrey Solow and has performed chamber works at the British Arts Center of Yale, at the Eastern Festival of Music and in Eastman School of Music's Virtuosi Series with RPO concertmaster Ilya Kaler.

In addition to her solo and chamber music work, Dr. Leenhouts has been a member of the Honolulu Symphony, the Grand Rapids Symphony, and the Aspen Festival Orchestra. She toured throughout Germany with the American Sinfonietta.

Currently on the faculty of Nazareth College, Dr. Leenhouts has taught extensively at all age and ability levels. Collegiate faculty appointments include Hope College, Mansfield University, and Nazareth College. She spent thirteen years teaching at the Eastman School of Music's Community Music School where she directed the Summer Chamber Music and Middle School Strings Workshops and served as chair of the string department.

Dr. Leenhouts earned a bachelor of arts magna cum laude in European History from Yale University and a doctorate in violin performance and literature with Charles Castleman at the Eastman School of Music. She performed in master classes with Josef Gingold, Henryk Szeryng, and Glenn Dicterow. Additional musical studies included work at the Mannes College of Music and the Juilliard School with Dorothy DeLay.

Kevin Nitsch is a performer, collaborator, teacher, and composer in the Rochester area. Nitsch is a member of the piano and music theory faculty at Nazareth College of Rochester and is the Music Director at the Baptist Temple in Brighton. In collaboration with Rochester artist, Kathleen Nicastro, Nitsch is the pianist for Labyrinth of Sound and Light, a series of concerts that offers the audience a creative way to interact with art and music. Nitsch has been composer-in-residence at Webster Thomas High School, sponsored by The Commission Project to compose music for the performing ensembles and to afford the students the opportunity to observe and participate in the composing process. Nitsch is the pianist for the Rochester Oratorio Society. Nitsch holds a B.M. in piano performance from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music, and a M.M. and a D.M.A. in performance and literature in piano performance from the Eastman School of Music. Nitsch recently completed the 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training at Open Sky Yoga in Rochester.

About the Nazareth College Department of Music

The Department of Music at Nazareth College integrates intensive studies in music (musicianship and performance), with professional programs and the liberal arts, for a truly unique experience that prepares students for careers in music and equips them with the skills to share the art of music in a variety of capacities.

Each degree program is designed to prepare students not only for careers within the various degree areas, but also for exciting endeavors that will perpetuate and sustain the art of music in local and global communities.

The department is a vibrant community of musicians focused on the art of music, the professional domains of knowledge within the musical career areas, and the relationship of these areas to the liberal arts. For more information, visit: naz.edu/music.

About Nazareth College

Nazareth College's academic strengths cross an unusually broad spectrum of 60 majors, including education, health and human services, management, the fine arts, music, theater, math and science, foreign languages, and the liberal arts. The coeducational, religiously independent, classic campus in a charming suburb of Rochester, N.Y. challenges and supports 2,000 undergrads and 800 graduate students. Nazareth is recognized nationally for its Fulbright global student scholars and commitment to civic engagement. Rigorous programs, an uncommon core, experiential learning, career skills, and a global focus prepare graduates for not just one job, but for their life's work. For more information, visit naz.edu.

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