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UCM Music Faculty continue to achieve excellence as Teachers, Artists, and Scholars

Mar 11, 2009 1
Posted by music

In addition to many on-campus responsibilities and performances – the Department of Music recently hosted a New Music Festival with nearly 100% participation from music faculty – UCM music faculty display excellence in off-campus regional, national, and International events.

Dr. David Aaberg (Director of Jazz / Commercial Music) has been involved in the following off-campus activities:

Director/Clinician, Central District Jazz Ensemble (School of the Osage HS, Kaiser, MO), January 24, 2009;

Trumpet soloist with the Boulevard Band for the production number opening the 2009 Sam’s Club Convention (Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, MO) (also commissioned to arrange the production number), February 4, 2009;

Adjudicator for Missouri Western State University Jazz Festival (St. Joseph, MO), February 7, 2009;

Directed UCM Jazz Ensemble 2 in a performance for the Helen G. Steele Music Club annual banquet (Sedalia, MO), February 12, 2009;

Directed UCM Jazz Ensemble 1 in a performance for the State Fair Community College Sweetheart Gala (Sedalia, MO), February 14, 2009;

Performed as trumpet soloist with the Steve Miller Orchestra for a Muriel Kauffman Foundation Swing Dance (Stanley, KS), February15, 2009;

Director/clinician, Arkansas All-State 2nd Jazz Ensemble (Hot Springs, AR), February 18-19, 2009

Coordinator, 34th Annual Central Missouri Jazz Festival (34 high school and middle school ensembles participating), February 21, 2009;

Lead Trumpet with the Louis Neal Big Band at the Blue Room (a part of the American Jazz Museum, Kansas City, MO), February 23, 2009

Jason Bolte, Visiting Instructor of Music Technology and Composition, has several performances of his compositions coming up in March and April, including the premiere of his work Noises Everywhere. Noises Everywhere was commissioned by the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States and the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers as part of the 2008 SEAMUS/ASCAP Student Composition Competition.

March 7: AMI ensemble, Struass Performing Arts Center, Omaha, Nebraska, Scrap Metal for piano and fixed media

March 27: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, K.C., MO, WritersBlock installation for text and algorithmic processing

April 2-4: Society of Composers Inc. National Conference, Santa Fe, New Mexico, And Death… for fixed media

April 2-4: New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival, New York, NY, Scrap Metal for piano and fixed media

April 16-18: SEAMUS Conference, University of Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM, Noises Everywhere for fixed media

Dr. Lisa Fredenburgh, (Director of Choral Activities), spent the week of March 2-7 at the National ACDA Convention in Oklahoma City, OK to fulfill her duties as Assistant Program Chair of the convention. She was honored to be asked to serve this organization in the 50th anniversary year to ensure a smoothly operating conference for over 3000 choral directors from the United States and across the globe. She has been on a planning team for the past two years working to bring this convention from idea to reality. The convention features 28 choirs from the US, Asia, Canada, UK and South America and interest sessions given by choral experts from North America.

Dr. Fredenburgh also performs with the Grammy Award winning Kansas City Chorale, Charles Bruffy – Conductor, in the alto section and as soloist. She is deeply honored to be a part of this extraordinary group and feels that it has amplified and energized her own conducting in exciting ways.

Dr. Mia Hynes was a featured guest soloist on the Sedalia Symphony program performing works by Chopin, Corigliano, and Bolcom, March 2, 2009.

Jon Gregory, Adjunct Instructor in Music, gave a recital and master class at Eastern New Mexico University February 19, 2009, in Portales, NM.

Dr. Gary Moege has been playing horn with the Liberty Symphony during the 2008 – 2009 concert season. The Liberty Symphony began as a small community orchestra, but has grown recently to 80 members, comprised primarily of Kansas City professional and amateur musicians.

Dr. John Rutland recently participated in several sessions at the College Orchestra Directors Association divisional conference held at Hofstra University, NY. Sessions attended include new music for orchestras, resources for college orchestra directors, a clinic on Dvorak 9, and an advocacy session.

Dr. Michael Sekelsky served as an adjudicator for the Mid-Missouri Percussion Arts Trophy competition, Saturday, March 7, 2009 (Multiple-Percussion / Drum Set division) in Lebanon, Missouri. MMPAT was held in conjunction with the 2009 Missouri Day of Percussion. Sekelsky was also featured as the Multiple-Percussion / Drum Set Masterclass artist, sponsored by Sabian Cymbals, Ltd. and Vic Firth sticks and Mallets. UCM sophomore percussion major Ian McClaflin took top honors in the Collegiate Multiple-Percussion / Drum Set division with an Exceptional rating (96). The Lebanon Junior High School percussion ensemble performed Sekelsky’s arrangement of Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies.

Dr. Sekelsky has published 5 articles during the current academic year including 3 articles for the Missouri School Music Magazine, primary contributor to the November 2008 drum set workshop column, Teaching, (national publication of MENC), and primary contributor to “Percussion Tone Production,” February national publication of In Tune magazine.

Dr. Richard Smith will attend the MTNA National Convention in Atlanta, Georgia March 28-April 1, 2009 to be with his student, James Cockman III, who will be competing in the MTNA Steinway Young Artist Competition as a result of winning the MMTA and West Central Division competitions. There are a total of seven competitors, one from each of the seven divisions, and the winner will receive a Steinway M grand piano.

Dr. Richard Smith has had his paper on the early compositional style of Alberto Ginastera accepted for presentation at the fourth International Conference on Arts in Society in Venice, Italy this summer. The conference will be held July 28-31. Dr. Smith has also presented papers and performed at the Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities in Honolulu the past four years.