Five Faculty Honored for Excellence in Teaching</h1> <article> <h1>Five Faculty Honored for Excellence in Teaching</h1> <p>eburnett — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 15:15:56 +0000</p> <span>Five Faculty Honored for Excellence in Teaching</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2026-03-24T11:15:56-04:00" title="Tuesday, March 24, 2026 - 11:15">Tue, 03/24/2026 - 11:15</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Five �鶹��Ƶ faculty members have been recognized with Excellence in Teaching Awards for the 2024-25 academic year.</p><p>Presented annually, the awards recognize faculty across the college and conservatory who have demonstrated sustained and distinctive excellence in the classroom and beyond.</p><p>"The awardees represent the very best of undergraduate teaching and are deeply admired by colleagues and students alike for their mastery as pedagogues and their dedication to the learning and growth of their students,” says<a href="/node/4921"> David Kamitsuka</a>, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “Their insights and mentoring will be a lifelong inspiration for their students."</p><p>Three college faculty and two conservatory faculty earn the honor each year.</p><p>“In their steadfast commitment to their students—and to all of our students—and their transformative work in and beyond the classroom and studio, these five individuals represent the highest ideals of the institution,” says Dean of the Conservatory <a href="/william-quillen" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="ae2f8811-f23e-458f-87e3-6d455d557536" data-entity-substitution="canonical" title="William Quillen">William Quillen</a>. “We are grateful to them for their extraordinary work and fortunate to count them as colleagues.”</p><p>A dinner reception was held March 19 at the home of President Carmen Twillie Ambar. The honorees are as follows:</p><div class="image_resized media-embed-resized" style="width:200px;"> </div> <p><a href="/grace-an" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="3b336afb-7a55-45fc-9ebc-8a894957b3c7" data-entity-substitution="canonical" title="Grace An"><strong>Grace An</strong></a><br><strong>Associate Professor of French and Cinema and Media</strong><br>“Grace An is a brilliant innovator in immersive pedagogies, leading our students on transformative experiences in France,” Kamitsuka says of An, a driving force behind the popular �鶹��Ƶ in Paris study-away program, which launched in fall 2025. “Students literally hear, see, touch, smell, and taste French culture through her multidisciplinary advanced courses.”</p><div class="image_resized media-embed-resized" style="width:200px;"> </div> <p><a href="/paul-brehm" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="0b425ae3-159b-4795-8db5-22eeb3e6864e" data-entity-substitution="canonical" title="Paul Brehm"><strong>Paul Brehm</strong></a><br><strong>Associate Professor of Economics and Environmental Studies</strong><br>“Paul Brehm is masterful in cultivating the virtuous educational circle of celebrated lectures and super-popular individual office hours,” says Kamitsuka. “He makes the study of economics into an adventure of discovery.”</p><div class="image_resized media-embed-resized" style="width:200px;"> </div> <p><a href="/dmitry-kouzov" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="b85376d2-ae5a-4e3d-abad-9f105194fa92" data-entity-substitution="canonical" title="Dmitry Kouzov"><strong>Dmitry Kouzov</strong></a><br><strong>Associate Professor of Cello</strong><br>“Dmitry Kouzov is one of the great cello pedagogues at work in the country today,” says Quillen. “In his time at �鶹��Ƶ, he has not only cultivated an extraordinary studio; he's helped support the flourishing—artistically, personally, and more—of so many of our students through his engaging, inspiring work as a teacher and chamber music coach.” </p><div class="image_resized media-embed-resized" style="width:200px;"> </div> <p><a href="/gunnar-kwakye" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="a4ff3436-3ac9-4e9b-968d-9dad71694d40" data-entity-substitution="canonical" title="Gunnar Kwakye"><strong>Gunnar Kwakye</strong></a><br><strong>Robert W. & Eleanor H. Biggs Associate Professor of Neuroscience</strong><br>Kamitsuka notes that an incredible 33 �鶹��Ƶ students have served as co-authors with Gunnar Kwakye on peer-reviewed scientific publications. “And that is just the tip of the iceberg regarding his integral role in the success of his students,” the dean says. “Professor Kwakye is a living legend as a mentor for our neuroscience students.”</p><div class="image_resized media-embed-resized" style="width:200px;"> </div> <p><a href="/james-oleary"><strong>James O’Leary</strong></a><br><strong>Frederick R. Selch Associate Professor of Musicology</strong><br>“Jamie O’Learly is not only one of the most respected musicologists of his generation,” says Quillen; “he's also an extraordinary pedagogue, consistently transforming students' lives through his extraordinary classroom teaching, his mentorship work directing individualized research, and more.”</p><hr><p>About the Excellence in Teaching Awards: Each year, College of Arts and Sciences faculty are selected for consideration through nominations presented to the College Faculty Council, which are then reviewed by a faculty committee. An award is presented in each division of the college: arts and humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and natural sciences and mathematics. The conservatory dean recommends a number of conservatory faculty to the Conservatory Faculty Council for consideration, and together they review and narrow the recommendations to two recipients.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Annual awards celebrate distinguished and sustained leadership across the college and conservatory.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2026-03-24T12:00:00Z">Tue, 03/24/2026 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2373">Awards and Honors</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=4303">A&S Faculty</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3341">Conservatory Faculty</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35261">Cello</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25356">French</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25351">Environmental Studies and Sciences</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=4861">Neuroscience</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25341">Economics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25256">Cinema and Media</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=28856">Musicology</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/grace-an" hreflang="und">Grace An</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/dmitry-kouzov" hreflang="und">Dmitry Kouzov</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/james-oleary" hreflang="und">James O’Leary</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/gunnar-kwakye" hreflang="und">Gunnar Kwakye</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/paul-brehm" hreflang="und">Paul Brehm</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/french-and-italian" hreflang="und">French and Italian</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/cinema-studies" hreflang="und">Cinema and Media</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/neuroscience" hreflang="und">Neuroscience</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/economics" hreflang="und">Economics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/environmental-studies" hreflang="und">Environmental Studies and Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/strings" hreflang="und">Strings</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/musicology" hreflang="und">Musicology</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Honorees were celebrated at a March 19 dinner hosted by President Carmen Twillie Ambar. Pictured from left are Dean of the Conservatory William Quillen, Paul Brehm, James O'Leary, Gunnar Kwakye, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences David Kamitsuka, and President Ambar. Not pictured: Grace An, Dmitry Kouzov.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Tanya Rosen-Jones '97</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-article-header field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">0</div> </article> <article> <h1>Wielding Power for Good</h1> <p>azaleski — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 17:29:44 +0000</p> <span>Wielding Power for Good</span> <span><span>azaleski</span></span> <span><time datetime="2026-02-26T12:29:44-05:00" title="Thursday, February 26, 2026 - 12:29">Thu, 02/26/2026 - 12:29</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Annika Krafcik ’20 had never set foot in Alaska before the summer of 2018. A double-degree student at �鶹��Ƶ, she decided to attend the Sitka Cello Seminar—and there was no turning back. “I applied because my mom really wanted to visit,” she says. “Little did she know she would lose me to Alaska forever.”</p><p>The triple major in <a href="/cello">cello performance</a>, <a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/history">history</a>, and <a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/russian">Russian & Eastern European studies</a> instantly fell in love with Sitka, the close-knit community of 8,000 on the shores of southeast Alaska.</p><p>Whether through playing music or doing public interest work, “ the things that people were asking me to do to contribute to the community were things that I really loved about myself and wanted to nurture,” she says.</p><p>Seven years later, Krafcik now lives in Sitka full time, giving back to her community in a new position: as deputy legal director for the Sitka Tribe of Alaska. Her path from �鶹��Ƶ to law school—and finally back north to “The Last Frontier”—held plenty of twists and turns, but it paid off in a big way.</p><p>The year after that first Alaska trip, Krafcik used her leadership experience in OSCA, �鶹��Ƶ’s student-run housing and dining cooperative, to apply for a job as a chef at the Sitka Fine Arts Camp. The multidisciplinary summer camp, run by �鶹��Ƶ alum Roger Schmidt ’92, encourages creativity and community among the campers and staff. After 11 weeks serving meals and playing the cello around camp, “I was like, ‘Okay, I'm moving here,’” she says.</p><p>Graduating in 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, added new roadblocks to her path back. Frustrated by many of the political decisions being made at high levels of government, she “spent a lot of time thinking about who has power in society and how power is wielded for good or for evil,” she says. </p><p>“There are so many flaws in the legal system, and it's so deeply broken, but we need good people to at least try to wield it for good. If we just hand over the broken system to the people who want to manipulate it even further, we are so screwed.”</p><p>To get back to Alaska—a state with no law schools—an energized Krafcik took the LSAT and enrolled in the UCLA School of Law. “[While there] I definitely got the rap of, ‘Oh, that's the Alaska girl,’” she says. But having Sitka as her north star helped her stay focused in a system designed to push students toward corporate law. </p><p>Her course load focused on topics that would best serve her small community, including a climate change seminar, a tribal legal development clinic, and classes on General Law of the Sea and Indigenous Peoples' Rights. </p><p>The latter two were part of her study abroad experience in Norway during her second year of law school—an adventure funded in part through grants from <a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/russian/ocreecas">�鶹��Ƶ's Center for Russian, East European, and Central Asian Studies</a> .</p><p>Ten days after graduating from UCLA in 2024, Krafcik packed her bags and drove more than 3,000 miles from Southern California to Skagway, Alaska. After almost a year clerking for Judge Amanda Browning, the perfect opportunity arrived.</p><p>”When the position opened with the Sitka Tribe, I couldn't believe it,” she says. “It’s Native Law, which I specialized in during law school. It allows me to live in Sitka, and it’s a long-term position.” As an associate tribal attorney, she advocates for the court, manages grants from the Department of Justice, updates policies and ordinances, and reviews contracts.</p><p>“There’s definitely a steep learning curve, and a cultural learning curve too,” she says. But “I’m really loving all of the work that I get to do.”</p><p>Of course, living in Sitka, Krafcik is more than just a lawyer. She sits on the board of the Fine Arts Camp, recently joined a water polo team, and continues to play cello with the Juneau Symphony. She's also excited about her recent appointment to the board of the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council. “The amazing thing about Sitka is you never know what's coming next.”</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">As a public interest lawyer, Annika Krafcik ’20 improves the lives of people in her southeast Alaska community. And her journey to get there started at �鶹��Ƶ.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2026-02-26T12:00:00Z">Thu, 02/26/2026 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Stephanie Manning ’23</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2368">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3924">Law and Society</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35261">Cello</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25426">Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/history" hreflang="und">History</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/russian" hreflang="und">Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/law-and-society" hreflang="und">Law and Society</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Courtesy of Annika Krafcik ’20</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-article-header field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">0</div> </article> <article> <h1>Conservatory Celebrates Standout Students for 2024</h1> <p>eburnett — Mon, 13 May 2024 20:02:44 +0000</p> <span>Conservatory Celebrates Standout Students for 2024</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-05-13T16:02:44-04:00" title="Monday, May 13, 2024 - 16:02">Mon, 05/13/2024 - 16:02</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Each spring, �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory’s faculty and administration celebrate students whose academic and artistic work is especially meritorious. They are selected by committees and competition juries for exemplary musicianship and academic and personal achievement. Awards generated by numerous endowed funds are dedicated to acknowledging these musicians’ demonstrated excellence, supporting their ongoing study and creative projects, and even assisting with instrument purchases.</p> <p>This year’s honorees were celebrated at a May 13 reception in Stull Recital Hall (<a href="https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBqtKj">see photos</a> of the event on Flickr). They are listed below in alphabetical order by last name:</p> <p><strong>Beethoven Prize in Piano: Finalist</strong><br> Awarded to piano majors by the piano faculty for excellence in performing works by Beethoven<br> <em><strong>Nio L. Ajero</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Louis and Annette Kaufman Music Achievement Award in Violin</strong><br> Awarded to an outstanding student of violin<br> <em><strong>Max W. Ball</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Theodore Presser Undergraduate Scholar Award</strong><br> Awarded to an outstanding returning student for excellence in musicianship<br> <em><strong>Max W. Ball</strong></em></p> <p><strong>James H. Hall Prize in Musicology</strong><br> Awarded to a graduating senior for excellence in work in musicology<br> <em><strong>Eliza R. Balmuth</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Delores and Donald White Prize</strong><br> Awarded to conservatory students who demonstrate leadership in elevating �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging goals through music performance<br> <em><strong>Joshua A. Barron</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Walter E. Aschaffenburg Prize</strong><br> Awarded to a graduating senior for outstanding music composition<br> <em><strong>Jake L. Berran</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Flint Initiative Grant</strong><br> Awarded to innovative, motivated, and prepared conservatory and double-degree students to develop imaginative artistic projects<br> <em><strong>Holly Bogle </strong></em></p> <p><strong>Faustina Hurlbutt Prize</strong><br> Awarded to an outstanding graduating student in cello, piano, violin, or voice<br> <strong><em>JJ Jun Li Bui</em></strong></p> <p><strong>Beethoven Prize in Piano: Finalist</strong><br> Awarded to piano majors by the piano faculty for excellence in performing works by Beethoven<br> <em><strong>James Chen</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Arthur Dann Senior Piano Competition</strong><br> Awarded to the winner of this juried competition for excellence in piano performance<br> <em><strong>Yihang Chen</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Senior Concerto Competition</strong><br> Awarded in a juried competition each fall. Four winners are featured as soloists in performances of complete concertos with �鶹��Ƶ orchestras during the spring semester<br> <em><strong>Drew Dansby</strong></em>, cello</p> <p><strong>Senior Concerto Competition</strong><br> Awarded in a juried competition each fall. Four winners are featured as soloists in performances of complete concertos with �鶹��Ƶ orchestras during the spring semester<br> <em><strong>Juan Pedro Espinosa Monteros</strong></em>, clarinet</p> <p><strong>Margot Bos Stambler ’84 Professional Development Award</strong><br> Awarded to an outstanding voice major of great promise<br> <em><strong>Elizabeth N. Hanje</strong></em></p> <p><strong>James H. Hall Prize in Musicology</strong><br> Awarded to a graduating senior for excellence in work in musicology<br> <em><strong>Sam C. Hart</strong></em></p> <p><strong>TIMARA Founders Fund John Clough Prize</strong><br> Awarded to a TIMARA major for distinctive work within the department<br> <em><strong>Ben P. Hochster</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Carol Nott Piano Pedagogy Prize</strong><br> Awarded to an outstanding graduating senior for continued study in piano pedagogy<br> <em><strong>Soyoung Jeong</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Delores and Donald White Prize</strong><br> Awarded to conservatory students who demonstrate leadership in elevating �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging goals through music performance<br> <em><strong>Daniela Jimenez Ochoa</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Senior Concerto Competition</strong><br> Awarded in a juried competition each fall. Four winners are featured as soloists in performances of complete concertos with �鶹��Ƶ orchestras during the spring semester<br> <em><strong>Maya Irizarry Lambright</strong></em>, violin</p> <p><strong>John Elvin Piano Prize</strong><br> Awarded to the student judged by the piano department to be the most talented in the junior class<br> <em><strong>Yu-Wei Lee</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Beethoven Prize in Piano Third Place: Howard Karp ’51 Prize</strong><br> Awarded to the third-place finisher of this juried competition for excellence in performance of works by Beethoven<br> <em><strong>Leo Lu</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Beethoven Prize in Piano First Place: Peter Takács Prize</strong><br> Awarded to the winner of this juried competition for excellence in performance of works by Beethoven<br> <em><strong>Iskandar O. Mamadaliev</strong></em></p> <p><strong>TIMARA Founders Fund Olly Wilson Prize</strong><br> Awarded to a TIMARA major for distinctive work within the department<br> <em><strong>Maya T. McCollum</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Watson Fellowship</strong><br> Awarded by the Thomas J. Watson Foundation to graduating seniors for purposeful, independent exploration outside the United States<br> <strong><em>Maya T. McCollum</em></strong></p> <p><strong>Ohio Federation of Music Clubs Agnes Fowler Collegiate Scholarship</strong><br> Awarded to a junior majoring in music and strong in instrumental or vocal performance<br> <em><strong>Ian N. McEdwards</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Ruth Cogan Memorial Scholarship in Vocal Performance</strong><br> Awarded to an outstanding voice major who has dedicated significant time to the Otto B. Schoepfle Vocal Arts Center<br> <em><strong>Isabel Merat</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Pi Kappa Lambda Prize for Musicianship</strong><br> Awarded to students judged to be the most outstanding of those elected to Pi Kappa Lambda<br> <em><strong>Immanuel B. Mykyta-Chomsky</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Piano Faculty Prize in Accompanying</strong><br> Awarded to a graduating senior who has demonstrated excellence in accompanying singers and instrumentalists<br> <em><strong>Immanuel B. Mykyta-Chomsky</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Ernest Hatch Wilkins Memorial Prize</strong><br> Awarded to a returning student who has demonstrated academic excellence in the three preceding years<br> <em><strong>Khai Nien K. Nguyen</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Flint Initiative Grant </strong><br> Awarded to innovative, motivated, and prepared conservatory and double-degree students to develop imaginative artistic projects<br> <em><strong>Sangeetha Ramanuj</strong></em></p> <p><strong>David S. Boe-C. B. Fisk Prize for Excellence in Organ Performance</strong><br> Awarded to an outstanding organ student<br> <em><strong>William F. Rehwinkel</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Earl L. Russell Award in Historical Performance</strong><br> Awarded to a student majoring in Historical Performance to assist with the purchase of a musical instrument<br> <em><strong>William F. Rehwinkel</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Margot Bos Stambler ’84 Professional Development Award</strong><br> Awarded to an outstanding voice major of great promise<br> <em><strong>Alan F. Rendzak</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Pi Kappa Lambda Prize for Musicianship</strong><br> Awarded to students judged to be the most outstanding of those elected to Pi Kappa Lambda<br> <em><strong>Alan F. Rendzak</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Wendell and Bettye Logan Prize in Jazz Studies</strong><br> Awarded to a graduating student who has demonstrated excellence in performance or composition<br> <em><strong>Coleman Rose</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Selby Harlan Houston Prize</strong><br> Awarded to a graduating senior whose performance in organ and music theory is of distinguished quality<br> <em><strong>Mark U. Slatter</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Rudolph Serkin Scholarship</strong><br> Awarded to a student demonstrating excellence in piano performance<br> <em><strong>Chau Minh Tran</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Flint Initiative Grant </strong><br> Awarded to innovative, motivated, and prepared conservatory and double-degree students to develop imaginative artistic projects<br> <em><strong>Sebastien Tsai</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Louis and Marguerite Bloomberg Greenwood Prize in Voice</strong><br> Awarded to a graduating student excelling in cello, piano, violin, or voice<br> <em><strong>Jordan L. Twadell</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Senior Concerto Competition</strong><br> Awarded in a juried competition each fall. Four winners are featured as soloists in performances of complete concertos with �鶹��Ƶ orchestras during the spring semester<br> <em><strong>Jiongli Wang</strong></em>, piano</p> <p><strong>Beethoven Prize in Piano Second Place: Leon Fleisher Prize</strong><br> Awarded to the second-place finisher of this juried competition for excellence in performance of works by Beethoven<br> <em><strong>Fiona Wu</strong></em></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Annual reception held May 13 in Stull Recital Hall.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2024-05-13T12:00:00Z">Mon, 05/13/2024 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2373">Awards and Honors</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=29541">Piano</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=39981">Piano and Vocal Accompanying</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=42726">Piano Pedagogy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35116">Violin</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35596">Voice</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=33331">Composition</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=33031">TIMARA</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=32966">Organ</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35261">Cello</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=34691">Jazz Performance</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/vocal-studies" hreflang="und">Vocal Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/keyboard-studies" hreflang="und">Keyboard Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/strings" hreflang="und">Strings</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/musicology" hreflang="und">Musicology</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/music-theory" hreflang="und">Music Theory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/historical-performance" hreflang="und">Historical Performance</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/winds-brass-and-percussion" hreflang="und">Winds, Brass, and Percussion</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/jazz-studies" hreflang="und">Jazz Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Elizabeth Hanje (middle), a fourth-year soprano from Vestavia Hills, Alabama, won the Margot Bos Stambler ’84 Professional Development Award. She is pictured with Dean of the Conservatory Bill Quillen and Associate Dean for Student Academic Affairs Leah Brockman.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yevhen Gulenko</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Cellist Drew Dansby to Perform Jazz-Influenced Cello Concerto</h1> <p>cstrauss — Fri, 12 Apr 2024 03:30:37 +0000</p> <span>Cellist Drew Dansby to Perform Jazz-Influenced Cello Concerto</span> <span><span>cstrauss</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-04-11T23:30:37-04:00" title="Thursday, April 11, 2024 - 23:30">Thu, 04/11/2024 - 23:30</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Each October seniors in the Conservatory are eligible to compete in the annual Concerto Competition. An external jury selects four young artists to perform complete concertos with �鶹��Ƶ's orchestras, conducted by Raphael Jiménez.</p> <p>This year cellist Drew Dansby entered the competition with David Baker’s 1987 Concerto for Cello and Jazz Band, and earned one of these four solo spots. On <a href="https://calendar.oberlin.edu/event/concert_oberlin_orchestra_oberlin_jazz_oberlin">Friday, April 12</a>, he'll perform this work accompanied by an ensemble of students from �鶹��Ƶ's Jazz Division under the leadership of <a href="/chris-anderson">Chris Anderson</a>, director of the �鶹��Ƶ Jazz Ensemble. It is the first time a jazz ensemble has been employed as collaborators for a Concerto Competition winner's solo date.</p> <p>The evening's program in Finney Chapel will also showcase the �鶹��Ƶ Orchestra, with <a href="/raphael-jimenez">Raphael Jiménez</a>, in performances of Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 9 and Carlos Simon's AMEN!, written in 2017 and revised in 2019.</p> <h6><em>Meet the soloist</em></h6> <p>At 23, Drew Dansby is the youngest member of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and he is the cellist of the award-winning <a href="https://poiesisquartet.com/">Poiesis Quartet</a>, formed at �鶹��Ƶ in the Advanced String Quartet Seminar. Dansby won the position with Cincinnati last spring. He will graduate from �鶹��Ƶ this spring with dual degrees—a Bachelor of Music in cello performance and a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry, along with minors in sociology and comparative American studies. He is a student of <a href="/darrett-adkins">Darrett Adkins</a>.</p> <p>With the Poiesis Quartet, Dansby won the Grand Prize at the 2023 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, as well as the gold medal at the 2023 St. Paul String Quartet Competition. Highlights of the quartet's 2023-24 season include a recording project with Grammy-winning producer Elaine Martone and mezzo-soprano Nancy Maultsby, the quartet's New York City debut on the Schneider Series at the Mannes School of Music, and a summer residency at the Emilia Romagna Festival in Italy. The Poiesis Quartet is continuing their studies in the Graduate Quartet Program at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.</p> <p>Dansby began playing both violin and cello at the age of 4 and continues to perform on both instruments. He was a member of the National Youth Orchestra of the United States for three international summer tours, and was recognized as the first person in the history of that orchestra to be accepted on two instruments. </p> <p>He made his solo debut with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra at age 15, and he has performed with the Eastern Festival Orchestra as a winner of the Eastern Music Festival Concerto Competition. He was recognized as a National YoungArts Winner and was awarded the gold medal in the Cleveland Cello Society competition. </p> <p>Committed to using music as a tool for community building, Dansby has worked as a volunteer to expand access to music education for young people and created organizations and programs that have served as fundraisers and outreach vehicles to nursing homes, hospitals, and after-school programs.</p> <p>As a chemistry major at �鶹��Ƶ, Dansby conducted molecular dynamics and computational chemistry research under Professors <a href="/manish-mehta">Manish Mehta</a> and <a href="/shuming-chen">Shuming Chen</a>, and he was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honors society. He also interned as an air quality analyst at the Charlotte branch of Civil and Environmental Consultants and conducted atmospheric chemistry research with Dr. Terry Miller at The Ohio State University. </p> <h6><em>Q&A</em></h6> <p><strong>How did you come to choose the David Baker Concerto for Cello and Jazz Band?</strong></p> <p>I first learned about David Baker in 2020 during the George Floyd uprisings, when there was increased interest in the classical music community in platforming works by Black composers. David Baker was a prolific multi-instrumentalist (including cellist), improviser, and composer, who many remember for his warm sense of humor and his brilliant teaching at Indiana University. He wrote a concerto for cello and chamber orchestra and a solo cello sonata, which are perhaps more well known. But, I came across his Concerto for Cello and Jazz Band and was really curious. No recordings were publicly available at that time. I reached out to the Conservatory Library, where Deborah Campana (Head of the Conservatory Library at the time) was able to find a recording of the first movement from a limited edition CD recorded shortly after Baker finished the composition in 1987. The piece sounded wicked hard, but also had some achingly beautiful moments, and I knew I had to learn it. The library also had a scan of Baker’s handwritten manuscript of the big band score, which gave me the idea to make a transcription of the composition for cello and jazz piano so I would be able to play it for the rounds of the �鶹��Ƶ Concerto Competition. I eventually met and partnered with Mitchell Galligan, a really talented jazz piano student who agreed to play my arrangement with me. I hoped this piece would be a good alternative to playing a canon cello concerto with orchestra, and thought it could also be an opportunity for collaboration between the classical and jazz departments of the Conservatory.</p> <p><strong>What has the piece taught you about your playing and how to reach an audience?</strong></p> <p>Baker wrote this work to encompass a variety of Black American music styles that are generally grouped under the blanket term “jazz,” including bebop improvisation, early R&B, and soul. The structure of the work—featuring three movements, two extended cadenzas that open and close the piece, and big band sections—bring aspects of the jazz idiom to closely resemble a European concerto for soloist and orchestra. Every main melody in the work is very accessible, almost cinematic. There is a beautiful waltz that opens the second movement, and the driving main theme of the third movement could be heard as an intro in a 90’s action film. However, each theme is cloaked in very technical cello writing. It’s been a challenge to explore how the solo part’s virtuosity contributes to the spirit of each melody or line, while not getting distracted by its difficulty. For me, this piece is also a reminder that every aspect that is cool and popular in classical music—especially contemporary American music—is Black American music adapted to more traditional European forms. </p> <p><strong>When you think back on your time at �鶹��Ƶ, what stands out about the experience of going to school here?</strong></p> <p>�鶹��Ƶ has incredible professors and an academic culture that encourages critical inquiry, and I felt like I had the resources and support to pursue anything I was interested in. But I also feel like I learned as much from my classmates as I did from my classes and professors. The conservatory is a place where we often end up spending more time than even our homes or dorms. Everyone I’ve met at �鶹��Ƶ is deeply passionate about community building, and it reflects in the ways we all show up and look out for each other.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">In a "first" for the �鶹��Ƶ Concerto Competition, the soloist will be accompanied by a jazz ensemble.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2024-04-11T12:00:00Z">Thu, 04/11/2024 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Cathy Partlow Strauss ’84</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3878">Conservatory of Music</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=4052">Concerto Winners</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2410">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2357">Double Degree Program</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35261">Cello</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/darrett-adkins" hreflang="und">Darrett Adkins</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/raphael-jimenez" hreflang="und">Raphael Jiménez</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/chris-anderson" hreflang="und">Chris Anderson</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/manish-mehta" hreflang="und">Manish Mehta</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/shuming-chen" hreflang="und">Shuming Chen</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/strings" hreflang="und">Strings</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/chemistry-biochemistry" hreflang="und">Chemistry and Biochemistry</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Tanya Rosen-Jones</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Conservatory Celebrates Recipients of 2022-23 Honors & Awards</h1> <p>jreinier — Tue, 23 May 2023 18:41:50 +0000</p> <span>Conservatory Celebrates Recipients of 2022-23 Honors & Awards</span> <span><span>jreinier</span></span> <span><time datetime="2023-05-23T14:41:50-04:00" title="Tuesday, May 23, 2023 - 14:41">Tue, 05/23/2023 - 14:41</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Recipients of �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory’s 2022-23 Honors and Awards included 43 outstanding students from across the Conservatory’s 11 divisions. Most of the prizes were given to graduating seniors honored for their achievements throughout their time at �鶹��Ƶ. </p> <p>Some awards, such as the Beethoven, Serkin, Elvin, and Dann prizes in piano, and the Senior Concerto Competition winners, were earned earlier in the year through juried competitions. </p> <p>The Flint Initiative, Grindlay, and XARTS grants were awarded by Conservatory Professional Development to fund exceptionally creative, collaborative, and entrepreneurial projects that students completed during Winter Term and summer break. </p> <p>Conservatory Dean Bill Quillen shares: “On behalf of the Conservatory’s faculty and staff, it is a great pleasure to congratulate the 2023 Conservatory Honors and Awards winners. We are incredibly proud of these students — and, indeed, all of our students — and we are inspired every day by their creativity, artistry, hard work, open-mindedness, and their commitment to service and to making the world a better place through music.”</p> <h3>2022-23 Honors and Awards</h3> <p><strong>The Arthur Dann Piano Competition</strong><br> <em>Awarded to the winner of this juried competition for excellence in piano performance.</em><br> <strong>JJ Bui</strong>, third year</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Prof. Alvin Chow, Jiongli Wang</figcaption> </figure> <p><strong>The Beethoven Prizes in Piano</strong><br> <em>Awarded in a juried competition to piano majors for outstanding performance in works of Beethoven.</em><br> The Takács/Beethoven Prize (First): <strong>Jiongli Wang</strong>, third year<br> The Leon Fleisher Prize (Second): <strong>Yihang (Alex) Chen</strong>, third year<br> The Howard Karp '51 Prize (Third): <strong>Natasha Wu ’23</strong><br> Semi-finalist prize: <strong>Leo Lu</strong>, first year</p> <p><strong>The Carol Nott Piano Pedagogy Prize</strong><br> <em>Awarded to an outstanding graduating senior for continued study in piano  pedagogy. </em><br> <strong>Annie (Guoanni) Qin ’23</strong></p> <p><strong>The David S. Boe - C. B. Fisk Prize for Excellence in Organ Performance</strong><br> <em>Awarded to an outstanding organ student.</em><br> <strong>Oziah B. Wales ’23</strong></p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Malcolm Bamba, Chris Jenkins</figcaption> </figure> <p><strong>The Dolores and Donald White Prize</strong><br> <em>Awarded to Conservatory students who demonstrate leadership in elevating �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging goals through music performance.</em><br> <strong>Malcolm F. Bamba</strong>, fourth year, Independent Major in Arts Leadership & Marketing<br> <strong>Blake Logan</strong>, second year, Cello Performance and Undecided B.A.</p> <p><strong>The Earl L. Russell Award in Historical Performance</strong><br> <em>Awarded to worthy students majoring in Historical Performance to assist with the purchase of a musical instrument.</em><br> <strong>Kailah Grace Robbins</strong>, third year, Flute Performance and Baroque Flute</p> <p><strong>The Ernest Hatch Wilkins Memorial Prize</strong><br> <em>Awarded to a returning student who has demonstrated academic excellence in the three preceding years.</em><br> <strong>Nik D. Rejto (Divall)</strong>, third year, Classical Guitar</p> <p><strong>The Faustina Hurlbutt Prize</strong><br> <em>Awarded to an outstanding graduating student in cello, piano, violin, or voice.</em><br> <strong>Luka C. Stefanovic ’23</strong>, BM/MM, Cello Performance, Historical Performance, Baroque Cello</p> <p><strong>The Flint Initiative Grant (FIGs)</strong><br> <em>Awarded to innovative, motivated, and prepared Conservatory and Double-Degree students to develop imaginative artistic projects.</em><br> <strong>Ishan Loomba ’23</strong>, Piano Performance and Psychology, minor in Computer Science<br> <strong>Ilana McNamara</strong>, fourth year, Viola Performance and Mathematics<br> <strong>Ozüm Pamukcu ’23</strong>, Musical Studies and Economics<br> <strong>Sangeetha Ramanuj</strong>, second year, Musical Studies and Mathematics<br> <strong>Katia Rumin</strong>, second year, Viola Performance</p> <p><strong>The Graham Grindlay '00 Endowed Memorial Music & Computer Science Innovation Fund </strong><br> <em>Supports the development and execution of projects that bring together music and sound with computer science or technological innovation.</em><br> <strong>Ivy Fu ’23</strong>, TIMARA and Art History<br> <strong>Julia Collins</strong>, third year, TIMARA <br> <strong>Maya McCollum</strong>, fourth year, TIMARA and Studio Art</p> <p><strong>The John Elvin Piano Prize</strong><br> <em>Awarded to a student judged by the Piano Department to be the most talented in the junior class.</em><br> <strong>Yihang (Alex) Chen</strong>, third year, Piano Performance</p> <p><strong>The Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts</strong><br> <em>Awarded in the Conservatory every five years and on the faculty’s recommendation to a graduating senior who has performed with uncommon distinction in music performance. The award was established in 1982 by Louis Sudler of Chicago, a musician with a lifelong commitment to the training of young artists in university.</em><br> <strong>Adam S. Chlebek ’23</strong>, Organ Performance</p> <p><strong>The Louis and Annette Kaufman Music Achievement Award in Violin</strong><br> <em>Awarded to an outstanding student of violin.</em><br> <strong>Matthew S. Cone ’23</strong>, Violin Performance</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Bill Quillen, Gillian Piper</figcaption> </figure> <p><strong>The Louis and Marguerite Bloomberg Greenwood Prize</strong><br> <em>Awarded to a graduating student excelling in cello, piano, violin, or voice.</em><br> <strong>Gillian B. Piper ’23</strong>, Jazz Voice Performance<br> <strong>Kylie P. Buckham ’23</strong>, Vocal Performance</p> <p><strong>The Margot Bos Stambler '84 Professional Development Award</strong><br> <em>Awarded to an outstanding vocal performance major of great promise to enhance career opportunities.</em><br> <strong>Kylie A. Kreucher ’23</strong>, Vocal Performance<br> <strong>Brian R. Wacker ’23</strong>, Vocal Performance</p> <p><strong>The Ohio Federation of Music Clubs (OFMC) Agnes Fowler Collegiate Scholarship</strong><br> <em>Awarded to a junior majoring in music, and who is strong in instrumental or voice performance. Made possible by the OFMC, a statewide organization devoted to the love and encouragement of music in Ohio.</em><br> <strong>Felix J. Veser</strong>, third year, Viola Performance</p> <p><strong>The Pi Kappa Lambda Prize for Musicianship</strong><br> <em>Awarded to students judged to be the most outstanding of those elected to Pi Kappa Lambda, an American honor society for undergraduate students, graduate students, and professors of music.</em><br> <strong>Clara I. Dahmer ’23</strong>, Vocal Performance<br> <strong>Kylie A. Kreucher ’23</strong>, Vocal Performance<br> <strong>Matthew S. Cone ’23</strong>, Violin Performance</p> <p><strong>The Piano Faculty Prize in Accompanying</strong><br> <em>Awarded to graduating seniors who have demonstrated excellence in accompanying singers and instrumentalists.</em><br> <strong>Kai-Min Chang ’23</strong>, Piano Performance<br> <strong>Ishan Loomba ’23</strong>, Piano Performance and Psychology, minor in Computer Science</p> <p><strong>The Rudolph Serkin Scholarship</strong><br> <em>Awarded to a student demonstrating excellence in piano performance.</em><br> <strong>Yubo Deng</strong>, second year, Piano Performance</p> <p><strong>The Ruth Cogan Memorial Scholarship in Vocal Performance</strong><br> <em>Awarded to a vocal performance student who has demonstrated significant work in voice pedagogy or in the PACE concentration.</em><br> <strong>Nisha P. Caiozzi ’23</strong>, Vocal Performance</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Adam Chlebek, Oziah B. Wales,<br> Katherine Johnson, Prof. Jonathan Moyer</figcaption> </figure> <p><strong>The Selby Harlan Houston Prize</strong><br> <em>Awarded to a graduating senior whose performance in organ and music theory is of distinguished quality.</em><br> <strong>Katherine E. Johnson ’23</strong>, Organ Performance and English</p> <p><strong>The Senior Concerto Competition</strong><br> <em>Awarded in a juried competition each fall. Winners are featured as soloists in performances of complete concertos with the �鶹��Ƶ orchestras during the spring semester.</em><br> <strong>Kylie P. Buckham ’23</strong>, Vocal Performance<br> <strong>Annie (Guoanni) Qin ’23</strong>, Piano Performance<br> <strong>Matthew S. Cone ’23</strong>, Violin Performance<br> <strong>Jonathan Kronheimer ’23</strong>, Oboe Performance</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Rachel Yee, Prof. Tom Lopez, Gabriel Baskin</figcaption> </figure> <p><strong>The TIMARA Founders Fund John Clough Prize</strong><br> <em>Awarded to a TIMARA major for distinctive work within the department.</em><br> <strong>Gabriel L. Baskin ’23</strong></p> <p><strong>The TIMARA Founders Fund Olly Wilson Prize</strong><br> <em>Awarded to a TIMARA major for distinctive work within the department.</em><br> <strong>Rachel Yee ’23</strong>, TIMARA and Computer Science, minor in Music and Cognition</p> <p><strong>The Theodore Presser Undergraduate Scholar Award</strong><br> <em>This award, made possible by the Presser Foundation, is awarded to an outstanding returning student for excellence in musicianship.</em><br> <strong>Abby Lopez</strong>, second year, Bassoon Performance</p> <p><strong>The Walter E. Aschaffenburg Prize</strong><br> <em>Awarded to a graduating senior for outstanding music composition.</em><br> <strong>Isaac Santos ’23</strong>, Composition</p> <p><strong>The Wendell and Bettye Logan Prize in Jazz Studies</strong><br> <em>Awarded to a graduating student who has demonstrated excellence in performance or composition.</em><br> <strong>Kamran M. Curlin ’23</strong>, fourth year, Jazz Bass and History</p> <p><strong>The XARTS Fund</strong><br> <em>Supports the development and execution of collaborative, multi-disciplinary, artistic projects.</em><br> <strong>Awen McKee</strong>, second year, Composition<br> <strong>Analise Granados</strong>, second year, Violin Performance and Undecided (B.A.)<br> <strong>Katie Galt</strong>, fourth year, Viola Performance and Comparative Literature<br> <strong>Mariah Leontopoulou-Cochran</strong>, fourth year, Jazz Voice, minor in �鶹��Ƶ<br> <strong>Maya Irizarry Lambright</strong>, third year, Violin Performance<br> </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">43 outstanding students from the Conservatory were selected for honors and awards this year.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2023-05-23T12:00:00Z">Tue, 05/23/2023 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>At the end of each spring semester, �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory’s faculty and administration celebrate students whose academic and artistic work is especially meritorious. They are selected by committees and competition juries for exemplary musicianship, academic work, and personal achievement. Awards generated by numerous endowed funds are dedicated to acknowledging these musicians' demonstrated excellence, supporting their ongoing study and creative projects, and even assisting them with instrument purchases.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2373">Awards and Honors</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=33031">TIMARA</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=33331">Composition</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=34691">Jazz Performance</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35116">Violin</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=36206">Viola</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35261">Cello</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=33041">Baroque Cello</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=29541">Piano</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=32966">Organ</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35881">Bassoon</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=37361">Oboe</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35596">Voice</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/jazz-studies" hreflang="und">Jazz Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/vocal-studies" hreflang="und">Vocal Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/strings" hreflang="und">Strings</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/keyboard-studies" hreflang="und">Keyboard Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/winds-brass-and-percussion" hreflang="und">Winds, Brass, and Percussion</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/contemporary-music" hreflang="und">Contemporary Music</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/historical-performance" hreflang="und">Historical Performance</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/music-theory" hreflang="und">Music Theory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/musical-studies" hreflang="und">Musical Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/pace" hreflang="und">Pedagogy, Advocacy, and Community Engagement</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/musicology" hreflang="und">Musicology</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Joshua Reinier</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>�鶹��Ƶ Ensembles Perform for United Nations at Carnegie Hall</h1> <p>eburnett — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 21:47:39 +0000</p> <span>�鶹��Ƶ Ensembles Perform for United Nations at Carnegie Hall</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2022-11-10T16:47:39-05:00" title="Thursday, November 10, 2022 - 16:47">Thu, 11/10/2022 - 16:47</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>�鶹��Ƶ student musicians will take to the stage of New York City’s Carnegie Hall in December for a closed concert before the General Assembly of the United Nations.</p> <p>The performance is part of a wide-ranging new partnership between �鶹��Ƶ, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research New York Office (UNITAR NYO), and the Global Foundation for the Performing Arts (GFPA). <a href="/news/united-nations-institute-training-and-research-oberlin-college-conservatory-global-foundation">Announced in September</a>, the relationship is intended to promote improved access to education for students around the world and to enhance quality of life through higher education and arts training.</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Carnegie Hall in New York City<br> (photo by Ajay Suresh)</figcaption> </figure> <p>The �鶹��Ƶ Orchestra and �鶹��Ƶ College Choir, joined by performers representing the conservatory ensembles Musical Union and �鶹��Ƶ Gospel Choir, as well as musicians of the United Nations, will share the stage of Carnegie’s Stern Auditorium. The concert, held in conjunction with the U.N.’s 77th General Assembly, bears the title “A Watershed Moment: Transformative Solutions to Interlocking Challenges.” It features works spanning the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries: Adolphus Hailstork’s vivacious curtain-raiser Fanfare on "Amazing Grace;" Sergei Rachmaninoff’s peerlessly popular Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18; and Ludwig van Beethoven’s groundbreaking Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125, commonly known as the “Choral Symphony.”</p> <p>The December 2 concert is a private event presented for the U.N. A <a href="https://calendar.oberlin.edu/event/musical_union_and_oberlin_college_choir_with_oberlin_orchestra_8604">public performance</a> of the Carnegie Hall program is scheduled for �鶹��Ƶ’s Finney Chapel on Tuesday evening, November 29.</p> <p>“At �鶹��Ƶ, we believe deeply in the power of music, and the arts more broadly, to foster connections between individuals and facilitate expansive new opportunities and access,” says <a href="/node/49511">William Quillen</a>, dean of �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory. "We are deeply honored to join in the global conversation with our partners at UNITAR and the GFPA, and we are so very proud to share our belief in the transformative power of music through this remarkable concert experience for our students.”</p> <p>Annual concerts are a U.N. tradition, though previous performances have typically featured only professional musicians. This year’s event is made possible through the support of the U.N.’s presenting partners: the Member States of Costa Rica, Ecuador, Hungary, Monaco, Oman, Rwanda, and Singapore.</p> <p>Created in 1963, UNITAR is dedicated to developing high-quality learning opportunities for United Nations delegates. The organization believes that a sustainable world is one where people can escape poverty and enjoy decent work without harming the earth's essential ecosystems and resources. UNITAR’s partnership with �鶹��Ƶ represents the group’s first major foray into undergraduate cultural arts education. A longtime partner with UNITAR, the GFPA promotes education in the arts and support to individuals engaged in the performing arts through cross-cultural exchange.</p> <p>�鶹��Ƶ is one of a small number of U.S. institutions of higher education invited to take part in the initiative—and the only higher ed partner focused on undergraduate study.</p> <p>The partnership will create new opportunities for students worldwide to know and discover �鶹��Ƶ. The first students selected through the program may begin as early as fall 2023. The agreement may also extend to the implementation of joint programs based on performance, research, conferences, and other experiences. A separate facet of the partnership, focusing on teaching English for speakers of other languages, is also being developed and would be hosted at �鶹��Ƶ.</p> <p>The December 2 concert at Carnegie Hall will be led by �鶹��Ƶ Professor of Conducting <a href="/node/6636">Raphael Jiménez</a>. It features artist Byron Wei-Xin Zhou as piano soloist for the Rachmaninoff, as well as four accomplished international vocal soloists: �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory alumni mezzo-soprano Kathryn Leemhuis ’05 and tenor Joshua Blue ’16, and a pair of world-renowned artists invited by UNITAR, baritone Marco Chingari and soprano Sarah Tisba of Italy.</p> <p>“We could not be more excited by the invitation to participate in such a special event,” says Jiménez, who also led the �鶹��Ƶ Orchestra in Carnegie Hall performances in 2019 and 2013. “Every aspect of it makes it a unique experience for our students: the occasion, the venue, the audience, and the repertoire, which includes the awe-inspiring Beethoven Symphony No. 9. I cannot think of a more appropriate occasion and place to play this universal hymn of brotherhood.”</p> <p>“Music is a universal language and a powerful tool for cultural exchange. Its many positive spirits are the elements required for transformative solutions, and it will help to lead us through this watershed moment,” says pianist Zhou, who performed a solo recital for the 2021 U.N. Gala at Carnegie Hall. “As a musician, I firmly believe that utilizing music could promote the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and eventually lead us to a better future.”</p> <p>For �鶹��Ƶ’s student musicians, the December U.N. concert marks the first of two engagements at Carnegie Hall in a span of less than two months: The orchestra and choral ensembles return for a public performance in Stern Auditorium on January 20.</p> <p>Learn more on the <a href="/united-nations-partnership">United Nations Partnership page at �鶹��Ƶ.edu</a>.</p> <hr style="margin: 1.25rem 0;"> <p><em>The <strong>United Nations Institute for Training and Research</strong> (UNITAR) was established in 1963 pursuant to a United Nations General Assembly resolution. UNITAR is governed by a Board of Trustees with the mission to develop the individual, institutional, and organizational capacities of countries and other United Nations stakeholders through high-quality learning resources. Rooted in the goal of enhancing global decision-making and supporting country-level political and social action, UNITAR provides innovative learning resources to individuals, organizations, and institutions, with established programs offering advanced degrees in international leadership, diplomacy, law, and policy, as well as science and business. The partnership marks UNITAR’s first major program in arts and cultural education.</em></p> <p><em><strong>�鶹��Ƶ </strong>uniquely combines a world-class conservatory of music with a top-ranking liberal arts college. An independent institution in Ohio, �鶹��Ƶ was the first college to grant undergraduate degrees to women in a coeducational program and, historically, has been a leader in the education of African American students. The �鶹��Ƶ community is known for its commitment to social and global engagement and diversity. The Conservatory of Music provides flexible programs to prepare students as professional musicians and teachers of music. Deeply committed to academic excellence, �鶹��Ƶ’s College of Arts and Sciences offers a rich and balanced curriculum in the humanities, social sciences, mathematics, and natural sciences. Recognizing that diversity broadens perspectives, �鶹��Ƶ is dedicated to recruiting a culturally, economically, geographically, and racially diverse group of students. �鶹��Ƶ aims to prepare graduates with the knowledge, skills, and perspectives essential to confront complex issues and to create change and value in the world.</em></p> <p><em>The <strong>Global Foundation for the Performing Arts </strong>(GFPA) is an international foundation with a mission to provide valuable artistic education and professional support in service of those in the performing arts while fostering a global community and enabling cross-cultural exchange. A longstanding partner of UNITAR, the foundation is dedicated to supporting the performing arts, particularly in the realms of classical music and ballet through education, mentorship, and collaboration. GFPA is centered in the belief that young artists deserve professional guidance from experienced musicians in order to remain true to their artistic practice. The foundation provides advice to artists, competitions, and institutions dedicated to rewarding the world’s future performers. It has been a long-term partner of UNITAR.</em></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">December 2 concert before U.N. General Assembly celebrates new partnership;  public preview in �鶹��Ƶ slated for November 29.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2022-11-10T12:00:00Z">Thu, 11/10/2022 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Office of Communications</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3859">United Nations Partnership</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35596">Voice</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35116">Violin</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=36206">Viola</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35261">Cello</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=36156">Double Bass</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=37361">Oboe</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35911">Flute</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35881">Bassoon</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=37266">Clarinet</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=7491">Percussion</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35266">Trumpet</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=37371">Horn</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35836">Trombone</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=37356">Tuba</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/raphael-jimenez" hreflang="und">Raphael Jiménez</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/vocal-studies" hreflang="und">Vocal Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/strings" hreflang="und">Strings</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/winds-brass-and-percussion" hreflang="und">Winds, Brass, and Percussion</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">The �鶹��Ƶ Orchestra, seen here at Carnegie Hall in 2019, returns to the famed New York City venue in December.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Fadi Kheir</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Faculty Composer Jesse Jones Featured on New �鶹��Ƶ Music Recording</h1> <p>eburnett — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 19:19:09 +0000</p> <span>Faculty Composer Jesse Jones Featured on New �鶹��Ƶ Music Recording</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2021-11-30T14:19:09-05:00" title="Tuesday, November 30, 2021 - 14:19">Tue, 11/30/2021 - 14:19</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p></p> <p>The music of <a href="/node/6626">Jesse Jones</a> has been described as “striking,” “elegant,” and “poised” by <em>The New York Times</em> and as “engaging” and “eerie” by <em>The Los Angeles Times.</em></p> <p>Now a new recording of five disparate works by the �鶹��Ƶ faculty composer could expand the roll call of superlatives.</p> <p><em>Jesse Jones: In Profile</em>, released on the <a href="https://naxosdirect.com/labels/oberlin-4456">�鶹��Ƶ Music label</a> and available for download December 3, offers a glimpse into the composer’s wildly varied musical language, providing a six-year snapshot from his prolific two-decade career. Each of the pieces included is a recording premiere.</p> <p>Jones writes for soloists and ensembles of all sizes, and for an ever-growing list of collaborative partners. He is joined here by the �鶹��Ƶ Contemporary Music Ensemble and �鶹��Ƶ Orchestra, under the direction of <a href="/node/6651">Timothy Weiss</a> and <a href="/node/6636">Raphael Jiménez</a>, as well as a host of fellow �鶹��Ƶ faculty: <a href="/node/7086">Richard Hawkins</a> on clarinet, <a href="/node/7131">Alexa Still</a> on flute, <a href="/node/7136">Robert Walters</a> on English horn, and <a href="/node/46376">Drew Pattison</a> on bassoon. Also featured are guest cellist Jeffrey Zeigler, pianist David Riley, and guitarist Dieter Hennings Yeomans, and �鶹��Ƶ students Zheyong “Jerry” Xiong '19 (violin), Jeremy Kreutz '18 (cello), and Liam Kaplan '20 (piano).</p> <p><em>In Profile</em> opens with<em> …neither am I a bloodless angel </em> for cello and piano (2012), which borrows its title from the Chaim Potok book <em>My Name is Asher Lev</em>, about a young man torn between his family’s expectations and his personal ambitions—a situation Jones found himself in at the time of this work’s creation. “Reading Potok’s novel left an indelible impression on me,” Jones explains in the recording’s accompanying notes, “and one that inspired me to live my own life and create music as I saw fit: somewhere in the middle of all the polarizing <em>isms</em> and schools of thought.”</p> <p><em>Snippet Variations</em> for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano (2009) lightheartedly explores the link between past masters and modern-day composers, who sometimes strive to emulate the sound of their predecessors without appropriating any notes. Such efforts can result in a sort of creative pressure that Jones calls the “anxiety of influence”—a phenomenon he takes on here with good humor and no shortage of reverence for those who came before him.</p> <p><em>So Eden Sank to Grief</em> for double wind quintet (2014), named for a line in the Robert Frost poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” explores the notion put forth by the poet: that even the loveliest of creations eventually falls into decay. “Frost’s poem is fairly grim,” Jones notes, “but it somehow leaves me with a strange feeling of anticipation: a type of joy or thankfulness for the rejuvenation of nature’s golden hue.”</p> <p><em>…innumerable stars, scattered in clusters</em> for orchestra (2013) finds Jones pondering the life and work—and lingering inspiration—of Galileo, who scrawled the titular words upon glimpsing the cosmos through his invention, the telescope. The concept came to Jones during his studies as a fellow at the American Academy in Rome. “I would often wake up before the sunrise and walk to my studio beneath the very same sky Galileo had observed so many centuries earlier,” he recalls. “At these moments, when the city was still and the stars shone brightly, I would feel a deep connection to history, a special, timeless kinship with Galileo, and above all, an urge to be productive with my allotted time.”</p> <p>The recording closes with <em>Languido</em> for solo guitar (2015), which was written for and is performed here by Jones' friend Dieter Hennings Yeomans. “Having studied several instruments over the course of my lifetime, I have come to believe that classical guitar…is one of the most difficult to fully master,” Jones says. “I have been trying for about 25 years now, with minimal success.”</p> <p></p> <p>�鶹��Ƶ Music is the official recording label of �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory. �鶹��Ƶ Music titles are available through online retailers everywhere.</p> <p><em>Jesse Jones: In Profile</em> is the second �鶹��Ƶ Music recording of 2021 to feature music by Jones. It follows the April release of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hartke-Ogonek-Jones-Chamber-Works/dp/B08XYCXMQ3/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=hartke+ogonek+jones&qid=1638396020&sr=8-1"><em>Hartke | Ogonek | Jones</em></a>, a collection of works by �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory composition faculty that includes Jones’ 2015 piece <em>One Bright Morning…</em>, which once again reveals the lighter side of his artistry, through the sophisticated setting of a nonsense rhyme.</p> <p>Learn more about �鶹��Ƶ Music titles by visiting <a href="https://naxosdirect.com/labels/oberlin-4456">Naxos Direct</a>.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">"In Profile" includes performances by �鶹��Ƶ students, faculty, and guests.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2021-12-02T12:00:00Z">Thu, 12/02/2021 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Erich Burnett</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2375">�鶹��Ƶ Music Label</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=33331">Composition</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=29541">Piano</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35116">Violin</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35261">Cello</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/jesse-jones" hreflang="und">Jesse Jones</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/alexa-still" hreflang="und">Alexa Still</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/richard-hawkins" hreflang="und">Richard Hawkins</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/robert-walters" hreflang="und">Robert Walters</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/timothy-weiss" hreflang="und">Timothy Weiss</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/raphael-jimenez" hreflang="und">Raphael Jiménez</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/drew-pattison" hreflang="und">Drew Pattison</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/contemporary-music" hreflang="und">Contemporary Music</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/conducting-and-ensembles" hreflang="und">Conducting and Ensembles</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/strings" hreflang="und">Strings</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">courtesy Jesse Jones</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Winners Named in �鶹��Ƶ’s 2021 Senior Concerto Competition</h1> <p>eburnett — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 15:23:45 +0000</p> <span>Winners Named in �鶹��Ƶ’s 2021 Senior Concerto Competition</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2021-11-18T10:23:45-05:00" title="Thursday, November 18, 2021 - 10:23">Thu, 11/18/2021 - 10:23</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>�鶹��Ƶ Conservatory punctuated the fall semester with the annual Senior Concerto Competition. Students who brought winning performances have been awarded spring-semester solo appearances with the �鶹��Ƶ Orchestra in historic Finney Chapel.</p> <p>The winners and works that emerged from the 2021 field are Leo Choi in Samuel Barber’s Piano Concerto, Op. 38; David Lee, who performed Sergei Prokofiev’s Sinfonia Concertante in E Minor for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 125; Evyn Levy, with Aaron Copland’s Clarinet Concerto; and Johnum Palado, with Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 63.</p> <p>Each student will present their winning repertoire in free, public concerts with the �鶹��Ƶ Orchestra under the direction of Raphael Jiménez. The performances will be part of the Fridays at Finney series during April and May 2022, with specific dates to be announced at the beginning of the 2022 spring semester. These concerts are presented for in-person audiences and are streamed live.</p> <p>All fourth- and fifth-year performance majors, as well as Artist Diploma students, were eligible to compete. They were adjudicated by conservatory faculty in the first round, and finalists moved forward to a public round in Finney Chapel with a guest jury.</p> <p>The four esteemed artists who served on the jury included Norman Fischer ’71, professor of cello at Rice University Shepherd School of Music; Alexander Korsantia, professor of piano at New England Conservatory; Bramwell Tovey, a conductor, pianist, composer, principal conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra, and music director designate of the Sarasota Orchestra; and Alain Trudel, a conductor, trombonist, composer, and music director of the Toledo Symphony.</p> <p><strong>About the winners</strong></p> <p>A native of Hong Kong, Pui Wang (Leo) Choi began playing the piano at age 5 and joined the junior music program of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) at age 8. He has presented concerts in the U.S. and Hong Kong, including �鶹��Ƶ’s Danenberg Honors Recital and numerous public recitals held by HKAPA. Choi has earned prizes at numerous competitions throughout China including the 2016 Asian Youth Music Competition. He has studied with pianists such as Robert Levin and Jacques Rouvier at the Mozarteum, and has attended numerous music festivals. He regularly participates in master classes presented by �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory and the Beijing International Music Festival and Academy, where he has studied with Dang Thai Son, Stanislav Ioudenitch, and Yun Lin Yang. At �鶹��Ƶ, Choi is a student of <a href="/angela-cheng">Angela Cheng</a>.</p> <p>Cellist David Lee was raised in Daegu, South Korea, where he studied with cellists Domzal Jaroslaw, John Koen, and Kyung-suk Park. He was selected for membership in the Daegu Genius Youth Orchestra and participated in its 2010 concert tour with performances at Philadephia’s Kimmel Center and in New York City at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall. He has participated in numerous young artist music competitions, taking first prizes in the competition of the Gyeongbuk Arts High School, the Junior Cello Competition of the Music Association of Korea, and the Junior Competition of Eumak-Chunchu in Seoul. In 2014, Lee won first prize at the TBC Concours, earning a performance with the Daegu Philharmonic Orchestra. He entered �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory to pursue studies with <a href="/darrett-adkins">Darrett Adkins</a>. In the United States and abroad, Lee has continued to enter music competitions. He was invited to the Czech Republic to participate and perform in the first round of the 2018 Prague Spring International Music Competition. He won third prize at the 2018 Tuesday Musical Association Scholarship Competition, and he took home the gold prize and Agnew Bach Prize from the 2019 Cleveland Cello Society Competition.</p> <p>A native of St. Louis, clarinetist Evyn Levy performed as a member of the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra and the Webster Young People’s Symphonic Orchestra before arriving at �鶹��Ƶ in 2018 to study with <a href="/richard-hawkins">Richard Hawkins</a>. Levy is a winner of the Aspiring Artist Concerto Competition, through which she earned a 2018 solo date with the St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra. She has attended summer festivals including Round Top Festival Institute, Eastern Music Festival, and Boston University Tanglewood Institute. At �鶹��Ƶ, she has performed in leadership roles with the �鶹��Ƶ Orchestra and Contemporary Music Ensemble, and has performed in two Winter Term contemporary operas. She is a recipient of the Buder Foundation Music Studies Grant.</p> <p>Violinist and composer Johnum Palado of Shreveport, Louisiana, has served as concertmaster of the �鶹��Ƶ Contemporary Music Ensemble and performed in the Danenberg Honors Recitals. He gained additional training and experience at the Sewanee Summer Music Festival, Texas Music Festival, and Taneycomo Festival Orchestra, among others, and he has performed in master classes with Emanuel Borok, Alexander Kerr, Ayano Ninomiya, Guillaume Sutre, and the Apple Hill String Quartet. His compositions have been performed by Presidio Brass and the clarinet-viola duo VIOLET. Palado serves in numerous churches as a violinist, pianist, and organist throughout Shreveport and �鶹��Ƶ. This work has led to a collaboration, with �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory cellist Simon Housner, called the Sacred Heart Concert Series, which engages the local community with student performances outside of the conservatory setting. Palado also works for the Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra as an assistant conductor and sectional coach. He is a student of <a href="/david-bowlin">David Bowlin</a>.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Four instrumentalists will perform with the �鶹��Ƶ Orchestra in April and May 2022.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2021-11-18T12:00:00Z">Thu, 11/18/2021 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Cathy Partlow Strauss ’84</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3154">Senior Concerto Competition</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2373">Awards and Honors</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=29541">Piano</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35116">Violin</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35261">Cello</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=37266">Clarinet</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/angela-cheng" hreflang="und">Angela Cheng</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/darrett-adkins" hreflang="und">Darrett Adkins</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/richard-hawkins" hreflang="und">Richard Hawkins</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/strings" hreflang="und">Strings</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/keyboard-studies" hreflang="und">Keyboard Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/winds-brass-and-percussion" hreflang="und">Winds, Brass, and Percussion</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">�鶹��Ƶ's Senior Concerto Competition winners for 2021 (clockwise from top left): Leo Choi, David Lee, Johnum Palado, and Evyn Levy.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Sound and Sport Converge in Season-Opening Festival October 9-10</h1> <p>eburnett — Wed, 29 Sep 2021 13:36:56 +0000</p> <span>Sound and Sport Converge in Season-Opening Festival October 9-10</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2021-09-29T09:36:56-04:00" title="Wednesday, September 29, 2021 - 09:36">Wed, 09/29/2021 - 09:36</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Athletes and musicians share plenty in common, from their determination to perform at the highest levels to their strategies to stave off anxiety.</p> <p>At �鶹��Ƶ, they’ve even shared a gym: One year ago, the athletics department offered up its wide-open spaces for use by conservatory students, as sports seasons were canceled and musical instruction was retooled for an age of social distancing.</p> <p>Out of that shared experience—and inspired by the return of the Olympic Games in the summer of 2021 and the winter of 2022—violin professor <a href="/node/44016">Sibbi Bernhardsson</a> devised a season-opening festival that links the worlds of musicians and athletes, as well as the influential culture that exalted them both.</p> <p>“Music, Sports, and the Enduring Influence of Ancient Greece” features concerts, symposiums, sporting events, and more taking place throughout Saturday and Sunday, October 9 and 10. The programs draw upon resources from across the campus, including conservatory musicians, college and conservatory faculty, student athletes, and the Allen Memorial Art Museum.</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Sibbi Bernhardsson</figcaption> </figure> <p>“I love sports, and I’ve always been interested in the many similarities between music and sports,” says Bernhardsson, an avid fan of soccer and a former longtime member of the Pacifica Quartet. Every Tuesday last year, Bernhardsson held his violin studio classes on the auxiliary basketball courts of Philips Gymnasium, across campus from the conservatory. He and his students felt right at home. “�鶹��Ƶ’s conservatory students and its athletes have more in common than perhaps anyone else, in terms of time management and so many other factors,” he says.</p> <p>This year’s celebration marks the third time in recent years Bernhardsson has opened a new academic year with a festival of music and more. In fall 2018, he organized “Creative Arts and Music in the Shadow of War,” a commemoration of the centenary of World War I; in fall 2019 he followed it with “End of Life, End of Time,” an interdisciplinary examination of mortality and the late-career works of artists across the creative spectrum.</p> <p>For Bernhardsson, programming this year’s festival came with no rigid constraints. “As we celebrate hosting public events again, I was looking for music that was fun, or beautiful—or fun <em>and</em> beautiful,” he says with a grin. “That’s the only thing I’m looking for in the repertoire!”</p> <p>The schedule of events is as follows:</p> <p><strong>SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9</strong></p> <p><a href="https://calendar.oberlin.edu/event/music_sports_and_the_enduring_influence_of_ancient_greece_faculty_recital"><strong>Faculty Recital I: 1:30 p.m. (Warner Concert Hall)</strong></a><br> Conservatory faculty and staff present music by Beethoven, Handel, Mendelssohn, and Haydn. Performers include cellist <a href="/node/183156">Dmitry Kouzov</a> and pianist <a href="/node/314061">Yulia Fedoseeva</a> (Beethoven’s Cello Sonata No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 5); soprano <a href="/node/130681">Katherine Jolly</a> and pianist <a href="/node/351766">Kyung-Eun Na</a> ("E pur così in un giorno...Piangerò la sorte mia" from Handel’s <em>Giulio Cesare</em>); bassoonist <a href="/node/46376">Drew Pattison</a> and pianist <a href="/node/6831">Brian Alegant</a> (Mendelssohn’s Song Without Words, Op. 109); and the �鶹��Ƶ Trio, which features violinist <a href="/node/6956">David Bowlin</a>, pianist <a href="/node/6786">Haewon Song</a>, and cellist Kouzov (Haydn’s Piano Trio in D Major, Hob. XV:16). Between selections in the program, creative writing professor <a href="/node/171156">Robin Beth Schaer</a> will recite poetry related to the festival’s themes, penned by poets ranging from the classic to the contemporary.</p> <hr> <p><a href="https://calendar.oberlin.edu/event/music_sports_and_the_enduring_influence_of_ancient_greece_symposium_i"><strong>Symposium I: 4 p.m. (Stull Recital Hall)</strong></a><br> <em>The following topics will be explored:</em></p> <p><strong>“Athlete-Heroes and Civic Politics in Ancient Greece”</strong><br> �鶹��Ƶ College classics professor <a href="/node/5306">Kirk Ormand</a> explores examples of athletes from the ancient world who were worshipped as heroes and commemorated with statues and ongoing religious rituals. The presentation also addresses ways in which these athletes often used their status as athletic victors to influence local politics in their home city-states, much as today’s athletes often become societal influencers.</p> <p><strong>“Musicians and Athletes: United in Commitment”</strong><br> A panel representing the conservatory and athletics discusses the many common themes in the lives of �鶹��Ƶ musicians and athletes, from their dedication to performing at their best to their strategies for overcoming performance-related stress. Included are conservatory professors Bernhardsson and Jolly, psychology professor <a href="/node/6331">Paul Thibodeau</a>, head softball coach Sara Schoenhoft, and head lacrosse coach Kim Russell. They will be joined by student lacross player Caroline Lee and softball player Caley Dunlop.</p> <p><strong>“Herodotus Goes to the Olympics”</strong><br> Classics professor <a href="/node/5301">Ben Lee</a> explores the non-athletic cultural events that were a vital part of the ancient Olympic festival: religious feasting, art, even oratory and readings by famous historians of their contemporary work.</p> <hr> <p><strong>Family Field Day: 5:30 p.m. (Heisman Field House)</strong><br> Students from �鶹��Ƶ’s varsity teams as well as the Conservatory Council of Students lead athletic and musical activities for children.</p> <hr> <p><a href="https://calendar.oberlin.edu/event/music_sports_and_the_enduring_influence_of_ancient_greece_faculty_recital_ii"><strong>Faculty Recital II: 7:30 p.m. (Warner Concert Hall)</strong></a><br> Day 1's evening performance includes pianists <a href="/node/6726">Angela Cheng</a> and <a href="/node/6736">Alvin Chow</a> (Astor Piazzolla’s <em>Oblivion</em>, arranged by Kyoto Yamamoto, and a movement from Carlos Guastavino’s <em>Tres Romances</em>); violinist Bowlin and pianist Tony Cho (Stravinsky’s Divertimento from<em> The Fairy’s Kiss</em>); violist <a href="/node/6996">Peter Slowik</a> (Hindemith’s Sonata for Solo Viola, Op. 25, No. 1; violinist <a href="/node/182896">Francesca dePasquale</a> and pianist Scott Cuellar (Mozart’s Six Variations for Violin and Piano, K. 360); and the <a href="/node/304811">Verona Quartet</a>, �鶹��Ƶ’s ensemble in residence (Reena Esmail’s <em>Ragamala</em>). Between selections in the program, creative writing professor <a href="/node/51951">Chanda Feldman</a> will share poetry related to the festival’s themes.</p> <hr> <p><strong>Listening Party: 10 p.m. (Warner Concert Hall)</strong><br> Three varsity athletes will share their pregame playlists, and three conservatory musicians will share the sounds that inspired them to pursue lives in music. Featured will be Darien Knowles (men’s basketball), J.T. Starke (men’s lacrosse), and Vianca Dagnino (softball).</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>SUNDAY, OCTOBER 10</strong></p> <p><a href="https://calendar.oberlin.edu/event/music_sports_and_the_enduring_influence_of_ancient_greece_faculty_recital_iii"><strong>Faculty Recital III: 1:30 p.m. (Warner Concert Hall)</strong></a><br> The program includes flutist <a href="/node/7131">Alexa Still</a> and pianist <a href="/node/6756">James Howsmon</a> (performing Aaron Jay Kernis’ Air for flute and piano); pianists <a href="/node/6801">Peter Takács</a> and Cuellar (Debussy’s <em>Six épigraphes antiques </em>for piano four hands); cellist <a href="/node/6946">Darrett Adkins</a> and pianist Cheng (Schumann’s Adagio and Allegro, Op. 70); pianist Cheng, violinist Bernhardsson, violist <a href="/node/6971">Kirsten Docter</a>, and cellist Kouzov (Brahms’ Piano Quartet No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 60); and vocalist <a href="/node/6696">La Tanya Hall</a> and guitarist <a href="/node/6686">Bobby Ferrazza</a> joining forces for a jazz set. Feldman once again will share poetry between pieces.</p> <hr> <p><a href="https://calendar.oberlin.edu/event/music_sports_and_the_enduring_influence_of_ancient_greece_symposium_ii"><strong>Symposium II: 4 p.m. (Stull Recital Hall)</strong></a><br> <em>The following topics will be explored:</em></p> <p><strong>“Alcimedon: An Olympic Victor from Aegina”</strong><br> Classics professor <a href="/node/5311">Chris Trinacty</a> offers a reading of a poem by the Greek poet Pindar about an Olympic victor from the island of Aegina. By connecting this young man to mythological heroes from the island and stressing his familial honor, the presentation illuminates Greek values and the historical situation of the time (460 BCE).</p> <p><strong>“Diversity and Inclusion in �鶹��Ƶ Athletics”</strong><br> Representatives from numerous �鶹��Ƶ athletic teams discuss the work �鶹��Ƶ has done, how they have handled various challenges related to students’ social-justice initiatives, and underscoring the ways in which today’s athletes use their platform to bring attention to important social issues. Featured panelists include women’s basketball coach <a href="https://goyeo.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/stephany-dunmyer/938">Stephany Dunmyer</a>, director of track and field and cross country Ray Appenheimer, and admissions counselor and former �鶹��Ƶ athlete <a href="/node/169251">Ana Richardson ’18</a>.</p> <p><strong>“Reimagined Approaches to Music Theory”</strong><br> Music theory professor <a href="/node/6866">Megan Kaes Long</a> discusses influences related to the implementation of �鶹��Ƶ's new music theory curriculum and examine how music theorists around the country are responding to the recent critique of music theory's historical bias toward the Western European tradition.</p> <p><strong>“Cheating and Magic in Ancient Sports”</strong><br> Classics professor <a href="/node/5316">Drew Wilburn</a> traces the origins of today’s sports scandals to the pervasive instances of cheating perpetrated by early athletes. Even before the first Olympiad in 776 BCE, mythical heroes had cheated in sport and gotten away with it. This talk explores foul play in ancient sports in Greece and Rome, focusing on how magic could be used to ensure a win and defeat one’s enemies.</p> <hr> <p><a href="https://calendar.oberlin.edu/event/music_sports_and_the_enduring_influence_of_ancient_greece_faculty_recital_iv"><strong>Faculty Recital IV: 7:30 p.m. (Warner Concert Hall)</strong></a><br> Performances include flutist Still (Eve Beglarian’s<em> I will not be sad in this world</em> for flute and electronics), baritone <a href="/node/7046">Timothy LeFebvre</a> and pianist Takács (Ravel’s<em> Don Quichotte à Dulcinée</em>), the Verona Quartet with pianist Cuellar (Grażyna Bacewicz’s Piano Quintet No. 1), and an ensemble featuring faculty trombonist <a href="/node/6671">Jay Ashby</a> and percussionists <a href="/node/7081">Jamey Haddad</a> and <a href="/node/321206">Pablo Rieppi</a>, alongside guest percussionist Dylan Moffitt and student musicians from the conservatory’s Performance and Improvisation program (performing works by Edu Lobo and Claudio Roditi). Between musical selections, Schaer will recite poetry.</p> <hr> <p>On Saturday, <a href="/node/33031">TIMARA</a> technical director <a href="/node/49256">Abby Aresty</a> and students from the Crafting Sound Lab will present the <strong>sound installation <em>Gratitude Showers</em></strong> near the east entrance to Bibbins Hall. (Powered by solar energy, the work is best experienced during midday.)</p> <p>�鶹��Ƶ’s <a href="https://amam.oberlin.edu/">Allen Memorial Art Museum</a> will join in the fun as well: Curators <a href="/node/180311">Alexandra Letvin</a> and <a href="/node/183146">Hannah Wirta Kinney</a> have prepared a <strong>self-guided tour</strong> accessible <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mytoursapp.android.app2820&hl=en_US&gl=US">using the museum’s cell phone app</a>. It features works of art from across the collection related to the festival’s themes: Learn how ancient Greek athletes removed dirt and oils from their bodies after competition with a bronze scraper and explore the continuing resonance of Greek mythology in later European and American paintings. The museum is open from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays (closed Mondays).</p> <p>As the fall 2021 semester begins, plans are in place for �鶹��Ƶ students and faculty to perform live concerts with audiences—a significant step closer to normal compared to the previous year, when most performances were recorded for virtual audiences and strict social distancing guidelines were enforced.</p> <p>Likewise, �鶹��Ƶ sports are back to full competition with spectators welcome, and athletes will be in action on campus throughout the weekend: <a href="https://goyeo.com/sports/field-hockey">women's field hockey</a> plays DePauw on Saturday (11 a.m.) and Earlham on Sunday (noon); the <a href="https://goyeo.com/sports/womens-volleyball/stats/2021/john-carroll-university/boxscore/6129">volleyball team</a> takes on St. Vincent College Saturday at 3 p.m.; <a href="https://goyeo.com/sports/womens-soccer">Women's soccer</a> hosts Wittenberg Saturday at 4 p.m., followed by <a href="https://goyeo.com/sports/mens-soccer">men's soccer</a> vs. Wittenberg at 7. Visit <a href="https://goyeo.com/index.aspx">GoYeo.com</a>—the �鶹��Ƶ College Athletics website—for details on each event.</p> <p>Through October 18, all �鶹��Ƶ students, employees, and guests are required to wear masks indoors and outdoors, regardless of vaccination status. Learn more about �鶹��Ƶ’s COVID-19 policies and precautions on the <a href="/obiesafe">ObieSafe website</a>.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">“Music, Sports, and the Enduring Influence of Ancient Greece” draws upon resources from across �鶹��Ƶ’s campus.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2021-09-29T12:00:00Z">Wed, 09/29/2021 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Erich Burnett</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2378">Allen Memorial Art Museum</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2771">Athletics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2583">College of Arts and Sciences</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=29541">Piano</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35116">Violin</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35261">Cello</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=36206">Viola</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=33031">TIMARA</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/sibbi-bernhardsson" hreflang="und">Sibbi Bernhardsson</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/classics" hreflang="und">Classics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/music-theory" hreflang="und">Music Theory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/strings" hreflang="und">Strings</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/winds-brass-and-percussion" hreflang="und">Winds, Brass, and Percussion</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/jazz-studies" hreflang="und">Jazz Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/creative-writing" hreflang="und">Creative Writing</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/psychology" hreflang="und">Psychology</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/keyboard-studies" hreflang="und">Keyboard Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/vocal-studies" hreflang="und">Vocal Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Verona Quartet Begins Second Year at �鶹��Ƶ with Debut Recording and Concert</h1> <p>eburnett — Wed, 30 Jun 2021 15:11:46 +0000</p> <span>Verona Quartet Begins Second Year at �鶹��Ƶ with Debut Recording and Concert</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2021-06-30T11:11:46-04:00" title="Wednesday, June 30, 2021 - 11:11">Wed, 06/30/2021 - 11:11</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The <a href="/node/304811">Verona Quartet</a>, �鶹��Ƶ’s ensemble in residence since fall 2020, will return to campus in that capacity for the 2021-22 academic year—and the quartet’s second season at �鶹��Ƶ begins with a bang: It <a href="http://www.veronaquartet.com/news/2021/6/27/check-out-our-newly-released-album">released its debut recording</a>, <em>Diffusion</em> (Azica Records), on June 25 and will <a href="https://calendar.oberlin.edu/event/faculty_recital_verona_quartet_and_scott_cuellar_piano">team up with faculty pianist Scott Cuellar</a> for a 7:30 p.m. performance in the conservatory’s Stull Recital Hall on Wednesday, July 7.</p> <p>The concert marks �鶹��Ƶ’s first indoor performance to welcome a live audience since March 2020 and signals an anticipated return to regularly produced faculty and student concerts on campus in the fall semester and beyond.</p> <p>The July 7 recital will also be <a href="/conservatory/on-stage/live-webcasts/stull-recital-hall-live-webcast">livestreamed</a>.</p> <p>The program will open with Giacomo Puccini’s 1890 quartet <em>Crisantemi</em> (“Chrysanthemums”) and includes a late piano sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven—No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109—as well as Igor Stavinsky’s Concertino for String Quartet, Ernst Krenek’s Fünf Klavierstücke, Op. 39, and Grażyna Bacewicz’s Piano Quintet No. 1.</p> <p>Winner of Chamber Music America’s Cleveland Quartet Award for 2020, the Verona Quartet devoted the past year to leading lessons and coaching chamber music with students from the College of Arts and Sciences, as well as collaborations with the �鶹��Ƶ Arts and Sciences Orchestra. The quartet presented a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obozzyJtuc0">virtual performance and discussion</a> on �鶹��Ƶ Stage Left in August 2020, and performed a livestreamed recital from Kulas Recital Hall in March.</p> <p>The Verona Quartet consists of violinists Jonathan Ong and Dorothy Ro, violist Abigail Rojansky ’11, and cellist Jonathan Dorman. Together, their membership represents the nations of Canada, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.</p> <p></p> <p>The new album celebrates cross-cultural connections through the music of Janáček, Szymanowski, and Ravel.</p> <p>“As a quartet of musicians hailing from across the world, we knew we wanted our first album to reflect the essence of the cultural migration that is such a big part of our identity," the quartet shares <a href="http://www.veronaquartet.com/">on its website</a>. "Through <em>Diffusion</em>, we celebrate the spirit of intercultural exploration that permeates many of the great works of the string quartet canon. This music and the weaving together of global traditions is incredibly meaningful to us and we hope that listeners will love it too.”</p> <p>A 2011 graduate of �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory, Scott Cuellar serves as assistant professor of class piano at the conservatory.</p> <p>In accordance with <a href="/campus-resources/bulletins/changes-campus-covid-19-protocols">campus guidelines</a>, fully vaccinated guests may visit campus without wearing face coverings. Unvaccinated guests are recommended to wear a mask and maintain distance when possible.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">July 7 recital with faculty pianist Scott Cuellar marks first live, indoor campus performance with an audience since March 2020.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2021-06-30T12:00:00Z">Wed, 06/30/2021 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Erich Burnett</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3476">Residencies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2974">Conservatory Alumni</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35116">Violin</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=36206">Viola</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35261">Cello</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/verona-quartet" hreflang="und">Verona Quartet</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/strings" hreflang="und">Strings</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/musical-studies" hreflang="und">Musical Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> </main></body></html>