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Welcome to Music Notes, an e-newsletter published by the MSU College of Music for its alumni and friends. We encourage you to share your news with us! Please send information to the editor.
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At commencement ceremonies earlier this month, the College of Music celebrated the graduation of more than 50 undergraduates. Nearly that many earned master's degrees in the fields of musicology, jazz studies, composition, conducting, music education, performance, theory, and piano pedagogy. Forty students received Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in composition, conducting, or performance and nine students received PhDs in music education. The undergraduate commencement address was delivered by Mark Stryker (at the podium above), who has been an arts reporter and music critic covering classical music and jazz for the Detroit Free Press since 1995. His columns on the recent Detroit Symphony Orchestra strike and negotiations received national and international attention. He also served as a guest lecturer earlier this year in the College of Music's new course "Business of Music," which is designed for musicians thinking about developing a small business start-up such as a performance ensemble, a teaching studio, or a composing/publishing company. Instructors include faculty in the Eli Broad College of Business and the College of Music, as well as graduates of the College of Music and elsewhere who have established successful music careers.
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A fully staged operatic adaptation of John Steinbeck's 1939 classic "The Grapes of Wrath" (shown above) was one of the highlights of the College of Music's spring performance calendar. Produced in April as part of a yearlong, campus-wide examination of work and community organized by the university's Cultural Engagement Council, the opera tells the Depression-era story of the Joads, a family of sharecroppers forced to abandon their home in Dust Bowl-stricken Oklahoma and set out for California in search of employment. The work was composed by Ricky Ian Gordon with libretto by Michael Korie. The MSU production was directed by Melanie Helton, associate professor of voice, and conducted by Raphael Jimenez, associate professor of music and associate director of orchestras.
"The music of the opera could not sound more American," says Jimenez. "Not because of the use of folk instruments or because it is based on a very American book, but because of the entire musical language that Gordon uses -- his inspired melodies, his sophisticated harmonic language, and his careful setting of the text."
More than 100 students were involved in the production as singers and members of the orchestra. "Staging this opera has been an extremely emotional experience for singers and director alike," says Helton. "The journey of the Joad family is both harrowing and hopeful, ugly, and yet so beautiful. The strength of this ordinary American family, forced to survive extraordinary circumstances, is so evocative of so many American families and their present struggles."
Gordon was in residence at the College of Music for a week in January. "It was an honor to have him come and work with our students," Helton says. "Artists-in-residence are a great part of our program and something most students don't get the chance to experience." Selections from the opera, along with excerpts from a stage play version of the novel presented by students in the Department of Theatre, were performed at a regional UAW office in Grand Rapids and at the Michigan Historical Museum in Lansing and followed by audience discussions facilitated by John Beck, MSU associate professor human resources and labor relations. The Grapes of Wrath opera production was generously sponsored by Sue Davis and Loomis, Ewert, Parsley, Davis & Gotting, P.C.
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 After an extraordinarily successful first year, the College of Music's West Circle Series is set to become an annual tradition, thanks in part to the generosity of sponsors Joanne and Bill Church (shown at left). Concerts this year featured chamber and solo piano music by Chopin, Schumann, Mozart, and Beethoven, followed by the critically acclaimed Cello Plus Series. Each concert was preceded by a preview lecture by one of the college's musicologists, who discussed little-known aspects of the composers' lives, traditions, and techniques. The 2011-12 series will feature the works of Liszt (October 24), Gershwin (November 11), Mozart (January 25), and Bach (February 29). For ticket information, visit www.music.msu.edu.
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The College's Showcase Series, underwritten by the MSU Federal Credit Union, will present five exhilarating concerts of classical, jazz, and contemporary music in 2011-12. In addition to "MSU's Home for Holidays" (December 10), "A Jazzy Little Christmas" (December 17), and "Collage V" (February 17), the series will include a night with three-time Grammy winner Branford Marsalis (May 3) and a Piano Monster concert on Mother's Day (May 13). For ticket information, visit www.music.msu.edu.
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Professor Leon Gregorian, director of orchestras and graduate orchestral conducting (at right), will retire at the end of the 2011-12 academic year. Gregorian joined MSU in 1984 and built the orchestra program into one recognized nationally and internationally for its excellence. His orchestras have performed in concert halls across the country, including Avery Fisher Hall and Alice Tully Hall in New York City, Orchestra Hall in Chicago, and Orchestra Hall in Detroit, as well as at prestigious music festivals in the U.S. and abroad. His final concert, on Saturday, April 28, at 8:00 p.m. in the Wharton Center, will include a performance of Strauss's Don Juan and Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D minor featuring the MSU Symphony Orchestra with the University Chorale, State Singers, and Choral Union.
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An article co-authored by Ted Tims, professor of music therapy, on the ways that music therapy increases serum melatonin levels in patients with Alzheimer's disease, has been named one of the top ten articles published by the Journal of Alternative Therapy in Health and Medicine since 1999. Tims
worked with a research team that included physicians, biochemists, and neuropsychologists on the pioneering study.
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Kevin Bartig, assistant professor of musicology, has been named a Lilly Teaching Fellow for the 2011-12 academic year. The program identifies future faculty leaders and provides them with an opportunity to explore best practices in university teaching. Fellows participate in monthly seminars and produce an individual research project on their teaching with the support of a senior faculty member.
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Two works by student Kevin Wilt (DMA, Composition, 2011), shown above sketching out a melody on a Music Building window, received world premieres this spring."Fanfare for Winds" was performed by the Boston-based Metropolitan Wind Symphony; "Mobilis in Mobile: Scenes from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" was commissioned and performed by the MSU Philharmonic Orchestra. Of the latter, Wilt says, "Of all the images remembered from the [Jules Verne] book and subsequent films, perhaps the most prominent is that of the villain, Captain Nemo, playing the ship's pipe organ in a state of grim introspection. However, any such scenes are somewhat rare in the story itself. I scoured the novel, looking for any musical hints that could guide me, but only found a single mention of the music Nemo played. Professor Pierre Aronnax, the novel's protagonist and narrator, describes Nemo's performance, saying, '...he touched only the black keys, which gave his melodies an essentially Scotch character.' The idea that Nemo's musical language was built on an anhemitonic pentatonic scale provided the perfect material to illustrate both his enigmatic character and ethnically ambiguous appearance."
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Michigan's past was the inspiration for original music and narration presented within the galleries of the Michigan Historical Museum in Lansing earlier this month in an immersive story-telling experience led by the MSU Community Music School (shown above). More than 200 people attended "Cycles--A Musical Journey through Michigan History," which was presented as a progressive concert-tour in which six original works were performed in four different areas of the museum. Featured themes and galleries included Michigan's First People, the Mining Era, the Lumbering Era, and the Dawn of Mechanized Farming and Industrialization. All music was composed by CMS's Composer-in-Residence Marjan Helms. "This concert-tour explores the relationship between Michiganians--past and present--and the land and resources that sustain our lives," Helms says. "Through music, I have attempted to address the complexity of that interconnectedness and to offer a vision of hope and possibility." Performers included MSU clarinetists Sara Stolt and Will Cicola, Native American flutist Karen Burr, and composer/pianist Helms. The MSU Children's Choir and the CMS Spartan Strings also performed. Humanities consultant Martha Bloomfield narrated the concert-tour. The event was born from an ongoing partnership between the CMS, the museum, and the College of Music, which have been working collaboratively over the past three years to bring arts and culture together. It was sponsored in part by the Arts Council of Greater Lansing with additional support from the Michigan History Foundation and Friends of Michigan History.
~ The West Circle Saxophone Quartet (Matthew Tracy, Todd Gaffke, Megan Hendrick, and Justin Bayne) won the winds, brass, and percussion division of the Plowman Chamber Music Competition last month in Columbia, Missouri. After screening a large pool of applicants, 25 ensembles were chosen to compete in this division, with MSU coming out on top. ~  The twelve-member MSU Trombone Choir (shown at left) participated in the Eastern Trombone Workshop, one of the largest annual events for trombone in the world, in March. The ensemble, which is directed by Ava Ordman, associate professor of trombone, played a varied program that included a work by MSU composition major Patrick Gullo and a new work based on "MSU Shadows" by Allan Kaplan, professor of trombone at New Mexico State University. The program also featured Ordman and MSG Darryl Buning (principal bass trombone of Pershing's Own and an alumnus of MSU) as soloists with Curtis Olson, College of Music associate dean for undergraduate studies, conducting. The workshop was held at Brucker Hall, the U.S. Army Band's performance center, which is located on historic Fort Myer, Virginia, just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. ~ MSU Jazz Octet I and Jazz Orchestra I recently participated in the 44th Annual Elmhurst Collegiate Jazz Festival. MSU Jazz Octet I was awarded outstanding recognition as an ensemble and the following students all received outstanding recognition for their solos: Adam Rongo, Anthony Stanco, Jonathan Beshay, Len'I Glenn, Peter Nelson, Jordan Otto, Samuel Copperman, and Ryan Goh. MSU Jazz Orchestra I was also awarded outstanding recognition and the following students all received outstanding recognition for their solos: Bernard Long, Jr., Jeron Fruge, Kevin Bene, Walter Harris, Tamara Mayers, Ralph Tope, Marcus Miller, Adam Rongo, Jonathan Beshay, and George Delancey. The saxophone section for MSU Jazz Orchestra I was selected as outstanding, as well: Adam Rong, Kevin Bene, Jonathan Beshay, Marcus Miller, and Len'I Glenn. ~ Jie Zhou, a doctoral student in conducting working with Leon Gregorian, has been accepted into the Tanglewood Music Center as one of seven selected conducting guests. He will attend rehearsals of the TMC Orchestra and Boston Symphony Orchestra and participate in conducting classes. ~ Rebecca Surian, the college's director of development, was one of six recipients of this year's Jack Breslin Distinguished Staff Award. This award, one of the most prestigious commendations given to MSU employees, is named in honor of Jack Breslin, who served the university as a student leader, honored athlete, top administrator, and steadfast advocate. Surian joined the College of Music in 2006. Under her leadership, and working closely with the dean and faculty, private funding has increased significantly in support of the musical arts, and advancement efforts for the college were strengthened through the establishment of the College of Music Alumni Board and the College of Music National Leadership Council -- volunteer groups serving the needs of music alumni, faculty, students, donors, and patrons.
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| Art, Music, Life: The Legacy of the Hollanders |
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Selma Hollander
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In a typical week, Selma Hollander can be found applauding a breathtaking chamber music performance among a capacity audience, contemplating a mind-expanding art exhibition, taking a front row seat to hear a Metropolitan Opera singer, or savoring rare literature expertly preserved in a distinguished collection. And she does it all right on the MSU campus.
Not bad for a woman in her 90s, she notes, adding that Michigan State's commitment to the arts has provided her with a rich life for more than 50 years. "To me, the arts are one of the basic elements in life," says Selma Hollander. "Like food, water, and shelter."
Selma, a member of MSU's Kedzie donor society, recently added significantly to a legacy of giving to areas of MSU she is passionate about with charitable gift annuities that will benefit the College of Music, the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, and Special Collections at the MSU Libraries.
Selma and Stanley Hollander joined the MSU community in 1958. Stanley, who passed away in 2004, was a University Distinguished Professor in the Eli Broad College of Business, and Selma became an alumna of the College of Arts and Letters. She later joined the Home Economics faculty, teaching weaving, crafts, and fabric design and exhibiting regionally as an artist. From day one, the Hollanders were heavy users of the libraries and enthusiastic supporters of the arts.
Over the years, they established numerous endowments to honor Professor Hollander's devotion to the MSU Libraries and the couple's dedication to literature, arts, and music. "We had an incredible life because we were involved with the arts," Selma says. "Everybody works hard and you need a balance. We've got it all right here at MSU. The quality is second-to-none and it is all very affordable."
Selma found the option of a charitable gift annuity to be an excellent investment not only for the future benefit of the arts at MSU, but also for her current needs. Her charitable gift annuities provide Selma with a fixed and guaranteed income for the rest of her life, one that she was pleased to learn not only offers higher rates of returns than she might receive from other fixed income investment vehicles, but also included tax benefits. A charitable federal tax deduction may be claimed and a portion of the income can be received tax-free. All gift annuity contracts are guaranteed by over $400 million of unrestricted assets of the MSU Foundation and the annuity rate depends solely on the age of the beneficiary(ies).
Selma's most recent gifts will add to two endowments already established: one supports the acquisition, preservation, and access of important rare books of literature, music, and art in the MSU Libraries Special Collections; the other supports chamber music in the College of Music in honor of Dean James Forger. She also created a new endowment to support piano scholarships and guest lectures and performances in the college in honor of Professor Deborah Moriarty as well as a second new endowment to create a distinguished lecture series at the Broad Art Museum, slated to open in 2012.
For more information on making a future gift to the College of Music, contact Rebecca Surian, director of development, at (517) 353-9872 or surian@msu.edu.
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Houston Scholarships in Brass Ensure Continuing Excellence
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Eileen Houston (left) with Ava Ordman, MSU associate professor of trombone and chair of the brass and percussion area, at Houston's home in Delta township, a part of the Grand Ledge School District.
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When Eileen Houston established two scholarship funds in the College of Music on behalf of herself and her late husband, both of which support music majors studying trumpet or trombone, it was out of gratitude to their MSU brass professors Merrill Sherburn and Byron Autrey.
"To this day I remember the encouragement that the faculty provided," Eileen says. "It meant everything to work with faculty members who believed in your talent and who went out of their way to create opportunities for you to succeed."
Eileen (BM '62 and MM '68) and her husband, Bob (BM '68), who died in 2009, grew up in Wyandotte, Michigan. Bob, the oldest of three boys, first picked up a cornet in the fourth grade. Eileen studied piano and violin as a child. After a family visit to relatives in Kansas during which Eileen experimented on a variety of brass instruments, she settled on the trombone. Both families were generous in their encouragement of musical pursuits and provided opportunities to hear and see musical performances in addition to private lessons.
Following high school graduation, Eileen studied music education at MSU, majoring in trombone under Sherburn. It was as a member of the university's top band, then under the direction of Leonard Falcone, that she learned the intricacies of musical interpretation. She also played in orchestras and cites pieces by Mahler, Elgar, Verdi, and J. S. Bach among her favorites. Bob worked one year, served four years in the U.S. Navy, and then worked another year before spending one year at Flint Community College. He then transferred to MSU, where he majored in music education and studied trumpet with Autrey. Bob taught high school and then middle school band in Grand Ledge for two years; Eileen spent three years teaching elementary and junior high band in Fenton, two years teaching elementary and junior high strings in Jackson, and then 33 years in Grand Ledge teaching elementary, junior high, and middle school band. Both continued to perform as members of the Flint Symphony Orchestra, Flint Concert Band, and Lansing Symphony Orchestra.
She notes that although music education as a profession continues to evolve, the fundamental basics of developing young musical talent are the same now as they were at the beginning of her career. "Once young students recognize that a band, an orchestra, or a choir is a very large team, with everyone working together and learning from their mistakes, things fall into place," she says. "It's the responsibility of the teacher to set standards that are both high and realistic, so that every student can achieve his or her full potential as a musician. Expecting excellence usually results in excellence."
Bob and Eileen shared fond memories of Michigan State and appreciated the support shown by their respective instructors. Eileen has chosen to honor them by ensuring that future generations of brass students will be able to pursue their own musical paths. Recipients of the scholarships are selected for their promise, dedication, and perseverance.
To learn more about the J. Robert Houston III and Eileen G. Houston Brass Expendable Scholarship and the J. Robert Houston III and Eileen G. Houston Brass Endowed Scholarship, contact Linda Conradi, assistant director of development, at (517) 353-9872 or conradi@msu.edu.
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Abby Zarimba
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Abby Zarimba is the newest member of the College of Music Alumni Association Board. Abby received a BM in Music Education from MSU in 2005 and an MM in Music Education, also from MSU, this year.
While working on her undergraduate degree, she studied percussion with Alison Shaw and Jon Weber and conducting with Paul Popiel. In 2005 she accepted a teaching position with the Lansing School District, where she currently serves as a middle school band director. She also served as primary band and music teacher in the Shared Partnership Program, piloted in 2006 and still thriving, which brings public school teachers of specialty subjects into private school classrooms. Abby is the assistant band director for the MSU Community Music School's New Horizons Band. Through this organization, adults of all abilities and experience levels are able to participate in band instruction, many of them for the first time in their lives. Abby is also an active member of the MSU Alumni Band and has traveled with the group on concert tours to Europe. She looks forward to seeing what is in store for the Alumni Band tour in 2013 and hopes to see many more College of Music alumni join her!
Maxine Ramey (MM '81; DMA '10) was recently appointed director of the School of Music at the University of Montana. In August 2010, she was elected to the Board of Directors-Secretary of The International Clarinet Association. Ramey served as professor of clarinet at the University of Montana for nineteen years, and at Eastern New Mexico University for five years. She performs with The Sapphire Trio (clarinet, violin, and piano) and has toured across the U.S., in Ireland, Europe and Japan and as a U.S. Cultural Ambassador to the Persian Gulf. The Sapphire Trio most recently presented concerts, master classes, and workshops in the West Bank, Palestine, during the region's Spring Festival events in March and April 2011.
Ross C. Bernhardt (DMA, Choral Conducting, '97) won first prize in the Amadeus Choral Composition Competition for "Salmo 23," which will be published in Spain by Coro Amadeus. Another of his compositions, "The Gift Disguised," won first place in the Ithaca College Choral Composition Competition ("Salmo 23" won one of the six finalist slots in the same competition, making Bernhardt the first composer ever to have two compositions in the finals.) A third composition, "How Clear, How Lovely Bright," won special commendation in a competition sponsored by the Phoenix Singers of Shrewsbury (England), who performed its premiere last month.
Peter Eichler (BA '06) coached MSU's State of Art Winterguard to a win at the Independent Open Mid-South Color Guard Championship earlier this year. The team, most of whom are members of the Spartan Marching Band, also earned its fifth consecutive Michigan Color Guard Circuit championship and came in seventh in their division at the Winter Guard International World Championships held in Dayton in April.
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Giving to the College of Music
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From our modest beginnings as a regionally respected department of music to a college that is nationally and internationally acknowledged to be among the best in several areas of performance and music education, the MSU College of Music aims at nothing less than becoming a model training ground for a new generation of performers, scholars, and music educators. We firmly believe that every person deserves an expressive life -- one that is enriched and transformed by the power and unique beauty of music.
As the 2010-11 academic year draws to a close, we ask that you consider making a financial gift that will help ensure our ability to develop an even more vibrant creative community that attracts and nurtures the best and brightest. The importance of private gifts in helping us achieve that goal cannot be overstated. Your donations support student scholarships, fellowships, program endowments, instrument acquisitions, guest artists, outreach activities, student travel, and many other crucial areas that make the College of Music an exemplary place of learning.
To make a gift, please contact the College of Music Advancement Office at (517) 353-9872 or email Rebecca Surian, director of development, at surian@msu.edu. Gifts can also be made securely online at www.givingto.msu.edu. Thank you for your support.
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| The Music Education Endowed Scholarship |
Last year we announced the new Music Education Endowed Scholarship. At this year's Michigan Music Conference in Grand Rapids, Professor Cindy Taggart reported that this university-initiated scholarship fund established to support the recruitment of talented undergraduate music education students has reached $20,285 thanks to the private support of our Music Education faculty and alumni. An incoming music education major will be the first recipient of a partial scholarship this fall. We are grateful to those who have stepped forward to lend financial assistance, but we still need your help to grow the fund so that it can become a fully functioning endowment that will operate in perpetuity.
Please consider making a gift to this endowment. Your contribution will enable the MSU College of Music to recruit the best possible potential teachers to carry on its tradition of excellence in music education.
You can make a secure online gift by clicking here.
To discuss other giving options, please contact the College of Music Advancement Office at (517) 353-9872 or email Linda Conradi, assistant director of development, at conradi@msu.edu.
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| Community Music School - Detroit Receives Gift of Instruments |
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The Community Music School-Detroit recently received a very welcome gift from the MSU Alumni Association's Oakland County Regional Club -- nearly 40 instruments that will be put to good use by the growing number of children and adults taking classes at the school's Woodward Avenue facility! Shown above are club members David Himmelhoch ('78) and Helen DyKe with Rhonda Buckley, associate dean of outreach and engagement and executive director of the Community Music School.
If you're interested in making a similar donation, please contact Linda Conradi,
assistant director of development, at (517) 353-9872 or conradi@msu.edu.
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Four trombone students were the most recent beneficiaries of our Miles for Music program. Thanks to the generosity of airline mileage donors Joanne and Bill Church, first-year DMA student Brian Wagner, second-year MM student John Szczerowski, senior Nora Olson, and first-year DMA student Charles Morris traveled to Virginia as part of the MSU Trombone Choir to perform at the Eastern Trombone Workshop.
Not sure what to do with your own airline miles? Want to make a difference and support a student?
The College of Music's Miles for Music program matches donors with students who need travel assistance. Donors receive an in-kind gift credit from Michigan State University.
Although MSU does not have formal partnerships with airlines, the university can use transferable airline vouchers or tickets on a case-by-case basis to support student travel. We encourage you to check with your carrier directly about donation limits and fees associated with your transfer of miles. (Fees are the responsibility of the donor.)
The IRS treats award points and frequent flier miles as a gift from a corporation (the airline) to an individual. Therefore, points and miles donated to charity are not tax deductible. However, MSU will give the donor soft credit for the gift of the miles.
If you would like to sponsor travel opportunities for a student musician through our Miles for Music program, please contact Linda Conradi at (517) 353-9872 or conradi@msu.edu.
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Consider serving on the College of Music Alumni Association Board. The board serves in an advisory capacity to the college and represents the interests of the college's alumni and friends; strengthens the reputation and public awareness of the college's programs regionally, nationally, and internationally; assists in efforts to recruit exceptionally talented students to the college; and helps in fundraising efforts.
View or download the application here.
Nominate yourself or another outstanding College of Music graduate for MSU's "Spartan Saga" series. Every day, ordinary Spartans are accomplishing extraordinary things, and MSU wants to tell their stories. Learn more at http://spartansagas.msu.edu.
For more information about these opportunities, please contact Linda Conradi at (517) 353-3844 or conradi@msu.edu.
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Join the College of Music Alumni Association
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Graduates of the Michigan State University College of Music are found on the world's concert stages, on the faculties of the nation's best schools of music, in outstanding ensembles, and in the country's most successful music education programs. They are accomplished performers, composers, and educators who are transforming the world with their vision, talent, and creativity. Get connected with this outstanding group of musicians and music educators by joining the College of Music Alumni Association today.
Benefits of Membership
- Connect with MSU and College of Music alumni in your community.
- Build your network of music and music education professionals across the country and around the world.
- Receive regular updates about College of Music people and programs.
- Attend special events designed for College of Music alumni.
- Enjoy all the benefits of membership offered by the MSU Alumni Association, including cultural and athletic events; early football ticket applications; expanded career services; valuable discounts on a wide range of products and services; opportunities for foreign travel-study and international tours, and publications.
- A network of nearly 100 regional clubs and international clubs in a dozen countries.
How to join: You join the College of Music Alumni Association by joining the MSU Alumni Association and indicating the College of Music as your constituent group on the application. An annual membership is just $45. New alumni are eligible for a complimentary one-year membership upon graduation. Life memberships are also available. Learn more about the benefits of membership or join online at www.msualum.com.
Complimentary memberships are available to unemployed alumni through the Economic Stimulus Package program. For information, contact David Isbell in Career Services at (517) 432-8023 or at isbelld@msu.edu.
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 College of Music memorabilia and gift items are available online. Shop for t-shirts, hooded sweatshirts, travel mugs, pens, mousepads, portfolios, coasters, luggage tags, window clings, coffee mugs, and more! Visit MSU's online store.
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