Alabama Wind Ensemble performs at UA

(Tuscaloosa, AL)-The University of Alabama College of Arts & Sciences School of Music presents the Alabama Wind Ensemble on Thursday, September 29, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. in the Concert Hall of the Moody Music Building on the campus of The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, AL.  The program will include “Moving Parts” by David Sampson, “La Fiesta Mexicana” by H. Owen Reed, and “Symphony No. 1” by Frank Ticheli, featuring Bruce Meadows, tenor. UA Professor and Director of Bands Kenneth Ozzello and Assistant Director of Bands Randall Coleman are the conductors of the Alabama Wind Ensemble. The concert is FREE and open to the public. For more information visit: http://www.music.ua.edu/calendaror call 205-348-7111.

Biography

After many years of providing recreational therapy for special populations, Bruce Meadows pursued his dream of performing and became a featured performer at Six Flags Over Georgia. Remaining at Six Flags for several seasons, the urge to take further steps led him to audition for other regional theaters around the country where he performed many roles in stage productions, including Jesus Christ Superstar, Beauty & The Beast, The Wizard of Oz, and many review shows that included all styles of music ranging from standard classic musical theater to decade’s worth of “Rock and Roll” and both classic and contemporary Country. As a result of the connections gained from working at various theaters, Bruce embarked on yet another performing adventure. For 15 years, he has traveled the world on various cruise lines as a lead male singer, performing almost every genre of vocal music, from Giacomo Puccini to Hank Williams, Jr.  Recently promoted to Assistant Cruise Director for Seabourn Cruise Lines, he was afforded the opportunity to create and perform several of his own solo cabaret shows, receiving the highest accolades from guests and cruise line administrators. Bruce has also spent many hours in recording studios doing extensive demo and background vocals for numerous production companies. His work in the studio also led him to record his own collection of musical arrangements, covers, and originals that he performs while at sea and at industrial events on land.   Recently, Bruce was privileged to be a part of the world premiere cast of “I Dream”. Created and produced by Douglas Tappin and Musical Dramatic Arts, the “Rhythm and Blues” opera depicts the life and struggles of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Directed and choreographed by television and stage personality Jasmine Guy, the production is currently undergoing rewrites for its ultimate New York and West End debuts.

Bruce first performed with the Alabama Wind Ensemble in 2008 at their concert presented in Enterprise, Alabama, honoring the city and her citizens on the one-year anniversary of the tornado that ravaged the area. Tonight, Bruce performs with the Alabama Wind Ensemble as they perform Frank Ticheli’s Symphony No. 1.

The ALABAMA WIND ENSEMBLE is a select group of the finest wind players and percussionists from within the University Band Program and the School of Music.  The ensemble has been invited to perform at prestigious events such as the College Band Directors National Association Convention, the Southern Division of the Music Educators’ National Conference and the Alabama Music Educators’ State In-service Conference.  The Alabama Wind Ensemble has been active in commissioning and premiering new works for wind band over the past several years and has worked with numerous outstanding composers including Ira Hearshen, Donald Grantham, Richard Saucedo, and Nigel Clarke.

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UA School of Music presents Huxford Symphony Orchestra in concert

Tuscaloosa, AL – The University of Alabama College of Arts & Sciences School of Music presents the Huxford Symphony Orchestra on Monday, October 3, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. in the Concert Hall of the Moody Music Building on the campus of The University of Alabama. The program will include the “Prelude to Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg” by Richard Wagner, “Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and “Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92” by Ludwig van Beethoven. Demondrae Thurman, UA Associate Professor of Euphonium and Tuba and Chair of the Brass Area at The University of Alabama is the conductor.. The concert is FREE and open to the public.  For more information visit: http://www.music.ua.edu/calendar or call 205-348-7111.

Demondrae Thurman is considered one of the stars of the formidable generation of brass soloists.  His euphonium playing has been described as “awe inspiring”, and he is touted as “an amazing musician”. Demondrae has a firm international reputation as a euphonium soloist having performed in France, Germany, England, Norway, Romania, and throughout North America.  Many of America’s premiere colleges and universities have hosted him as a performer and teacher and he continues to be in high demand.  Over the last ten years, Demondrae has been an invited guest artist/clinician at many of the world’s prestigious euphonium festivals including the International Tuba/Euphonium Conference, U.S. Army Band Tuba and Euphonium Conference and the Leonard Falcone Competition.  His primary teachers are John Stevens, J. Michael Dunn, James Jenkins, and Daniel Drill.

Demondrae’s conducting career began in 1999 when he co-founded the Wind Ensemble at Alabama State University.  In the six years with that ensemble, his reputation grew as a conductor and clinician.  He conducted several honor bands and served as an adjudicator for the Alabama Bandmasters Association.  While living in Montgomery, Alabama, Demondrae conducted a performance of the Christmas portion from Handel’s Messiah with the Alabama State University choir and chamber orchestra.  His symphony orchestra debut came in 2008 conducting Scheherazade, by Rimsky-Korsakov, with the Huxford Symphony Orchestra of the University of Alabama.  Demondrae’s primary conducting teachers Kenneth Ozzello, David Becker, and Gerald Welker.

Demondrae is also an active chamber musician.  He plays first euphonium and trombone in the highly regarded Sotto Voce Quartet which tours extensively.  The quartet has released three recordings on the Summit Records label; all of which have received stellar reviews.  Viva Voce!: The Complete Quartets of Johns Stevens won the International Tuba/Euphonium Association award for best chamber music recording in 2006.  The quartet has been featured several times on American Public Media’s, Performance Today.  He also plays first baritone horn in the Brass Band of Battle Creek, a British brass band comprised of many of the world’s best brass and percussion performers.  In addition to his chamber music work, Demondrae is in demand as a euphonium specialist for symphony orchestras including the Atlanta, Eastern Music Festival, and North Carolina Symphony Orchestras.

In addition to the Sotto Voce Quartet recordings, Demondrae released his first solo recording on the Summit Records label in 2005 entitled, Soliloquies. It received a 9/9 out of 10/10 from classicstoday.com and he was referred to as “having earned (his) stripes as one of the premiere euphonium players in the world”.  Showing his dedication to new music, all of the music on the recording was written for him or with his playing in mind.  His second release, Songs of a Wayfarer, is set for release in 2010. Demondrae can also be heard on recordings with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Brass Band of Battle Creek, and the New South Jazz Orchestra.

Currently, Demondrae is Associate Professor of Euphonium and Tuba and Chair of the Brass Area at The University of Alabama.  His students have been extremely successful having won many of the prestigious international competitions for low brass.  He is also teaches at the annual Miraphone Academy.

Demondrae Thurman is a Miraphone Performing Artist and plays exclusively the Miraphone 5050 Ambassador “Edition” euphonium which was designed specifically for him.  He also plays the custom “Demondrae” model mouthpiece manufactured by Warburton Music Products.

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UA School of Music presents Huxford Symphony Orchestra in concert

Tuscaloosa, AL – The University of Alabama College of Arts & Sciences School of Music presents the Huxford Symphony Orchestra on Monday, October 3, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. in the Concert Hall of the Moody Music Building on the campus of The University of Alabama. The program will include the “Prelude to Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg” by Richard Wagner, “Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and “Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92” by Ludwig van Beethoven. Demondrae Thurman, UA Associate Professor of Euphonium and Tuba and Chair of the Brass Area at The University of Alabama is the conductor.. The concert is FREE and open to the public.  For more information visit: http://www.music.ua.edu/calendar or call 205-348-7111.

Demondrae Thurman is considered one of the stars of the formidable generation of brass soloists.  His euphonium playing has been described as “awe inspiring”, and he is touted as “an amazing musician”. Demondrae has a firm international reputation as a euphonium soloist having performed in France, Germany, England, Norway, Romania, and throughout North America.  Many of America’s premiere colleges and universities have hosted him as a performer and teacher and he continues to be in high demand.  Over the last ten years, Demondrae has been an invited guest artist/clinician at many of the world’s prestigious euphonium festivals including the International Tuba/Euphonium Conference, U.S. Army Band Tuba and Euphonium Conference and the Leonard Falcone Competition.  His primary teachers are John Stevens, J. Michael Dunn, James Jenkins, and Daniel Drill.

Demondrae’s conducting career began in 1999 when he co-founded the Wind Ensemble at Alabama State University.  In the six years with that ensemble, his reputation grew as a conductor and clinician.  He conducted several honor bands and served as an adjudicator for the Alabama Bandmasters Association.  While living in Montgomery, Alabama, Demondrae conducted a performance of the Christmas portion from Handel’s Messiah with the Alabama State University choir and chamber orchestra.  His symphony orchestra debut came in 2008 conducting Scheherazade, by Rimsky-Korsakov, with the Huxford Symphony Orchestra of the University of Alabama.  Demondrae’s primary conducting teachers Kenneth Ozzello, David Becker, and Gerald Welker.

Demondrae is also an active chamber musician.  He plays first euphonium and trombone in the highly regarded Sotto Voce Quartet which tours extensively.  The quartet has released three recordings on the Summit Records label; all of which have received stellar reviews.  Viva Voce!: The Complete Quartets of Johns Stevens won the International Tuba/Euphonium Association award for best chamber music recording in 2006.  The quartet has been featured several times on American Public Media’s, Performance Today.  He also plays first baritone horn in the Brass Band of Battle Creek, a British brass band comprised of many of the world’s best brass and percussion performers.  In addition to his chamber music work, Demondrae is in demand as a euphonium specialist for symphony orchestras including the Atlanta, Eastern Music Festival, and North Carolina Symphony Orchestras.

In addition to the Sotto Voce Quartet recordings, Demondrae released his first solo recording on the Summit Records label in 2005 entitled, Soliloquies. It received a 9/9 out of 10/10 from classicstoday.com and he was referred to as “having earned (his) stripes as one of the premiere euphonium players in the world”.  Showing his dedication to new music, all of the music on the recording was written for him or with his playing in mind.  His second release, Songs of a Wayfarer, is set for release in 2010. Demondrae can also be heard on recordings with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Brass Band of Battle Creek, and the New South Jazz Orchestra.

Currently, Demondrae is Associate Professor of Euphonium and Tuba and Chair of the Brass Area at The University of Alabama.  His students have been extremely successful having won many of the prestigious international competitions for low brass.  He is also teaches at the annual Miraphone Academy.

Demondrae Thurman is a Miraphone Performing Artist and plays exclusively the Miraphone 5050 Ambassador “Edition” euphonium which was designed specifically for him.  He also plays the custom “Demondrae” model mouthpiece manufactured by Warburton Music Products.

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Renowned rock musicians John Kay and Michael Wilk of Steppenwolf will offer a lecture and performance at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 10, in The University of Alabama’s Moody Music Building Concert Hall. The non-ticketed event is free and open to the public.

The School of Music, part of UA’s College of Arts and Sciences, is sponsoring the performance.

The talk and performance will feature Kay and Wilk playing a mix of songs from Kay’s solo efforts as well as the Steppenwolf songs. The production will feature a full-motion video presentation that illustrates the songs.

Steppenwolf was formed in 1967 and is known for such hits as “Born to be Wild,” “Magic Carpet Ride” and “Monster-Suicide-America.” A full history of the band can be found here. The band now is known as John Kay & Steppenwolf.

Born in East Prussia, Germany at the end of World War II, Kay grew up trapped behind the Iron Curtain. His first distinct memory is a daring nighttime escape with his mother to West Germany; where later he was profoundly affected by the American rock ’n’ roll he heard on U.S. Armed Forces Radio. In 1958 he moved to Canada and performed as a folk and blues singer throughout North America before joining a rock band, The Sparrow. In1967, Kay formed Steppenwolf in Los Angeles.

Wilk, Steppenwolf keyboardist, has worked with Boz Scaggs, Mick Fleetwood, Christy McVie, Billy Burnette, Phil Seymour, Rick Derringer, the Pointer Sisters and jazz saxophonist Tom Scott. Wilk and Steve Cropper of the Blues Brothers performed and recorded the music for the movie “Satisfaction” starring Justine Batemen and Julia Roberts. He has worked on television commercials including a Diet Pepsi ad featuring Jerry Lewis, Bo Jackson, Vic Damone and Charro.

The School of Music is part of UA’s College of Arts and Sciences, the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships and memberships on the USA Today Academic All American Team.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Renowned rock musicians John Kay and Michael Wilk of Steppenwolf will offer a lecture and performance at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 10, in The University of Alabama’s Moody Music Building Concert Hall. The non-ticketed event is free and open to the public.

The School of Music, part of UA’s College of Arts and Sciences, is sponsoring the performance.

The talk and performance will feature Kay and Wilk playing a mix of songs from Kay’s solo efforts as well as the Steppenwolf songs. The production will feature a full-motion video presentation that illustrates the songs.

Steppenwolf was formed in 1967 and is known for such hits as “Born to be Wild,” “Magic Carpet Ride” and “Monster-Suicide-America.” A full history of the band can be found here. The band now is known as John Kay & Steppenwolf.

Born in East Prussia, Germany at the end of World War II, Kay grew up trapped behind the Iron Curtain. His first distinct memory is a daring nighttime escape with his mother to West Germany; where later he was profoundly affected by the American rock ’n’ roll he heard on U.S. Armed Forces Radio. In 1958 he moved to Canada and performed as a folk and blues singer throughout North America before joining a rock band, The Sparrow. In1967, Kay formed Steppenwolf in Los Angeles.

Wilk, Steppenwolf keyboardist, has worked with Boz Scaggs, Mick Fleetwood, Christy McVie, Billy Burnette, Phil Seymour, Rick Derringer, the Pointer Sisters and jazz saxophonist Tom Scott. Wilk and Steve Cropper of the Blues Brothers performed and recorded the music for the movie “Satisfaction” starring Justine Batemen and Julia Roberts. He has worked on television commercials including a Diet Pepsi ad featuring Jerry Lewis, Bo Jackson, Vic Damone and Charro.

The School of Music is part of UA’s College of Arts and Sciences, the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships and memberships on the USA Today Academic All American Team.

UA School of Music presents Guest Artist Recital featuring Jason Bergman, trumpet; Ben McIlwain, trombone; and Ellen Elder, piano from the University of Southern Mississippi College of Arts and Letters

Tuscaloosa, AL – The University of Alabama College of Arts & Sciences School of Music presents a guest artist recital featuring Jason Bergman, trumpet; Ben McIlwain, trombone; and Ellen Elder, piano on Sunday, Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 5:30 p.m. in the Recital Hall of the Moody Music Building on the campus of The University of Alabama. The artists are on the faculty at The University of Southern Mississippi College of Arts and Letters.  The program will include “Ballade (1944)” by Trumpet; “ParableXIV for Solo Trumpet, Op. 127 (1973)” by Vincent Peersichetti;  Doolallynastics (2003)” by Brian Lynn;  Legend (1906)” by Georges Enescu; “Gran Trio for tumpet, trombone, and piano (1988)” by Jan Koetsier; and “Fandango (1999) by Joseph Turrin. The concert is free and open to the public.  For more information about the School of Music events, please visit: www.music.ua.edu/calendar or call 205-348-7111.

Biographies

Dr. Jason Bergman, originally from Dallas, Texas, has performed throughout the United States, Europe, the United Kingdom, and South America.  He is currently Principal Trumpet of the Mobile and Gulf Coast Symphonies.  He has also been a member of the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra, Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, and has performed with the Flint Symphony Orchestra.  In 2008, he was named Associate Principal trumpet of the Santiago Philharmonic in Santiago, Chile, where he performed during their 2008 season. He has also performed in concert with the Canadian Brass and with conductor David Robertson, at Carnegie Hall, as part of the Weill Music Institute.

A prizewinner in the International Trumpet Guild Orchestral Excerpt Competition, he has also been a national finalist in the MTNA Young Artist Brass and Chamber music competitions, as well as the National Trumpet Competition. Dr. Bergman has performed as soloist with the Garland Symphony Orchestra and the Brigham Young University Philharmonic.  He has also been a fellow at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, CA.

Dr. Bergman joined the music faculty at The University of Southern Mississippi in the fall of 2010.  He has previously taught trumpet and chamber music at Albion College, The University of Michigan, and the University of Chile’s Conservatory of Music in Santiago, Chile. In 2009, he joined the faculty of the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Blue Lake, Michigan, and was also an assistant faculty member at the International Santa Catarina Music Festival in Jaraguá do Sul, Brasil, during their 2007 festival.

He is currently a Sheet Music and Recording Reviewer for the International Trumpet Guild and his arrangements for trumpet and piano are published by Eighth Note Publications.  He is also a contributing author for the Grove Dictionary of American Music, Second Edition.

Dr. Bergman holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Trumpet Performance from Brigham Young University, Master of Music degrees in Trumpet Performance and Chamber Music from the University of Michigan, and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Trumpet Performance from the University of Michigan. His principal teachers include William Campbell, David Brown, and Woody Yenne. He has also had additional studies with Philip Smith, Paul Merkelo, Tom Booth, and Josef Burgstaller.

Dr. Ben McIlwain joined the faculty of The University of Southern Mississippi in the fall of 2010. He holds degrees from Middle Tennessee State University (B.M.), Manhattan School of Music (M.M.) and The Florida State University (D.M.). He has also taught at Brentwood Academy, MTSU, and FSU.

An active freelance musician, Dr. McIlwain has performed with such artists as Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, Peter Erskin, Rufus Reid, The Impressions, Syndicate of Soul, Denver & The Mile High Orchestra and Joey Richey. Past performances include performing with the Nashville Symphony (TN), the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra (AL), the Chattanooga Symphony (TN), Murfreesboro Philharmonic Orchestra (TN), Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra (FL), Meridian Symphony (MS), Misssissippi Symphony and performing on alto trombone with the Nashville Chamber Orchestra in the opening season of the new Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Also, his recording credits include performing tenor and bass trombones on Mandisa’s (former American Idol contestant) Christmas Joy album and various projects in progress with Orchestra Nashville.

In 2003 Dr. McIlwain was featured as a soloist with the Middle Tennessee State University Wind Ensemble as winner of the 2002 Solo Artist Competition. An avid supporter of modern music, Dr. McIlwain has performed Berio’s Sequenza V, Crespo’s Improvisation No. 1, Rabe’s Basta, Rush’s Rebellion, Suderburg’s Chamber Music III: Night Set, and premiered Whaley’s Delirium and Burton’s The Voice, both written for him. In October 2011, Dr. McIlwain will perform the world premiere of Ken Davies’ Crossroads.

At USM, Dr. McIlwain directs all aspects of the trombone studio including the USM Trombone Choir and Hub Bones (jazz trombone ensemble). He is also a member of the Southern Arts Brass Quintet, the faculty brass quintet of USM. His primary teachers have included Dr. David Loucky, formerly of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, and Dr. Per Brevig, former Principal Trombonist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, along with Dr. John Drew, professor of trombone at Florida State University. In addition, he has participated in master classes with many of the world’s leading trombonists, including Joseph Alessi, David Finlayson, James Markey, and Steve Norrell.

As a Presidential University Fellow at Florida State University, Dr. McIlwain was the first doctoral trombone student and one of two in the entire College of Music at FSU to ever receive this honor. The research for his doctoral treatise titled, “Select Contributions and Commissions in Solo Trombone Repertoire by Trombonist Innovator and Pioneer: Stuart Dempster,” consists of extensive interviews with Stuart Dempster and Pauline Oliveros, among others.

Dr. Ellen Price Elder is Visiting Assistant Professor of Piano at the University of Southern Mississippi, where she is the coordinator of the piano accompanying program, teaches class piano, and collaborates with faculty and guest artists.  In addition to her college teaching, Dr. Elder also serves as founder and director of the Southern Miss Piano Institute.

She holds the D.M.A. in Piano Pedagogy and Performance and the M.M. in Piano Performance and Literature from the University of Michigan.  She received her B.M. in Piano Performance from the University of Southern Mississippi.  She has served on the faculties of the University of Michigan, the University of Michigan-Dearborn, Eastern Michigan University, Schoolcraft College, and William Carey University.  She has taught on the summer piano faculties of the University of Michigan All-State Program at Interlochen and the University of Michigan Summer Arts Institute.

Dr. Elder is the winner of many competitions and awards, both for solo performance and teaching.  She was the first place winner of the Ann Arbor Society for the Musical Arts Competition and the Lansing Matinee Musicale Competition, and second place winner of the Memphis International Beethoven Sonata Competition.  She was the recipient of the MTNA Star Award, as well as the Joanne A. Smith Piano Pedagogy Award for class piano teaching (for two consecutive years).

In 2009, she was selected to receive the HEADWAE Award (Higher Education Appreciation Day/Working for Academic Excellence) established in 1988 by the Mississippi Legislature to honor faculty who have contributed to the promotion of academic excellence at each of the state’s public and private institutions.

She has appeared as soloist with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, the Mississippi Symphony Chamber Orchestra, and the Hattiesburg City Band.  She has also performed with the University of Southern Mississippi Symphony Orchestra and the University of Michigan Philharmonia Orchestra, as winner of the concerto competitions at those institutions.

Dr. Elder is in demand as an adjudicator and clinician throughout the southeastern United States and beyond.  She is an active member of the local and state music teacher organizations, and currently serves as President of the Hattiesburg Music Teachers League and Vice-President for Collegiate and National Competitions of the Mississippi Music Teachers Association.

The University of Alabama, a student-centered research university, is experiencing significant growth in both enrollment and academic quality.  This growth, which is positively impacting the campus and the state’s economy, is in keeping with UA’s vision to be the university of choice for the best and brightest students.  UA, the state’s flagship university, is an academic community united in its commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all Alabamians.

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UA School of Music presents Faculty Recital featuring the Dueling Divas

Tuscaloosa, AL – The University of Alabama College of Arts & Sciences School of Music presents a Faculty Recital featuring the Dueling Divas, Jennifer Cowgill, soprano and Diane Boyd Schultz, flute on Sunday, September 18, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. in the Recital Hall of the Moody Music Building on the campus of The University of Alabama. The program will include “Valentine Trills” by Joan Tower; “Luna y Sierra” by Wil Offermans;  “¿Con qué la lavaré?”;  “¿De dónde venís, amore?”; “De los álamos vengo, madre” by Joaquin Rodrigo; “Mirage” by Gustave Doret;

“Une flûte invisible” by Camille Saint- Saëns; “Warum willst du and’re fragen (Friedrich Rückert)” and  “Liebst du um Schönheit (Friedrich Rückert)” by  Clara Schumann; “Ich schwebe (Karl Henckell) ” and   “Kling! (Karl Henckell)” by Richard Strauss; “Four Little Movements” by Blaž Pucihar; “Liebesruf, Op. 141” by Anton Bernhard  Fürstenau; “Bravour—Variations on a Theme of Mozart” and  “Ah! Vous dirai-je, maman” by Adolpe Adam, and the finale “Good Morning Bluebird!” by Gary Schocker.  This is a finale you do not want to miss! The duo will be assisted by pianist Kevin Chance. The concert is free and open to the public.  For more information about the School of Music events, please visit: www.music.ua.edu/calendar or call 205-348-7111.

The University of Alabama, a student-centered research university, is experiencing significant growth in both enrollment and academic quality.  This growth, which is positively impacting the campus and the state’s economy, is in keeping with UA’s vision to be the university of choice for the best and brightest students.  UA, the state’s flagship university, is an academic community united in its commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all Alabamians.

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UA School of Music presents Jazz Faculty Recital featuring Christopher Kozak, double bass

Tuscaloosa, AL – The University of Alabama College of Arts & Sciences School of Music presents a faculty jazz recital featuring Christopher Kozak, double bass on Thursday, September 8 at 7:30 p.m. in the Concert Hall of the Moody Music Building on the campus of The University of Alabama. The program will include “Sweet ‘N’ Sour” by Wayne Shorter, “Autumn Leaves” by Joseph Kosma,  Johnny Mercer, and Jacques Prevert, “Blues to Steve Lacy” by Dave Douglas, “To Be or Not To Be” by Peter Erskine, “Softly As a Morning Sunrise” by Sigmund Romberg and Oscar Hammerstein, “Dee Wee” by James Black, “Some Other Time” by Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green, and “The St. Vitus Dance” by Horace Silver.  The concert will also feature the Michael Glaser Reputable Quinter featuring Jonathan Noffsinger, tenor saxophone; Rob Alley, trumpet; Christopher Kozak, double bass; Pedro Mayor, piano; and Michael Glaser, drum set. The concert is FREE and open to the public.  For more information visit: www.music.ua.edu/calendar or call 348-7111.

Christopher Kozak is Associate Professor and Director of Jazz Studies at The University of Alabama. He holds both a Master of Music degree in Jazz Arranging and Composition and a Bachelor of Music degree in African-American Jazz Studies in Double Bass Performance from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, MA.

While at UMASS he has studied Jazz Composing and Arranging with Jeff Holmes and Double Bass with renowned Double Bassist and composer Salvatore Macchia. He also studied advanced Improvisation Techniques with saxophonist Chris Merz and multi-reeds artist Adam Kolker.  Professor Kozak was also a composition student of Yusef Lateef and his methods of Autophysiopsyhic Music.

Previously, Professor Kozak was an active performer in the Northeast music scene on the Acoustic and Electric Bass in Jazz, Contemporary, and Popular styles. Since his hire at The University of Alabama, he has maintained an active role as a performer.  Previous performances include: Greg Abate, Joe Alessi, Geri Allen, James Argiro, Victor Atkins, Jamie Baum, Warren Chiasson, the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Peter Ellefson, Peter Erskine, John Fedchock, Sim Flora,  Giacamo Gates, Kathy Kosins, Vladislav Lavrik, the Guy Lombardo Orchestra, Andy Martin, the Michael Glaser Reputable Quintet, David Goloshokin, Danny Gottlieb, Jeff Holmes, Steve Houghton, Marlon Jordan, Adam Kolker, Yusef Lateef, Delfeayo Marsalis, Virginia Mayhew, Dick Oatts, Regis Philbin, The Birmingham Seven, Lew Soloff, Sal Spiccola, and Rob Zappulla.

He was a Downbeat Jazz Award recipient in 2000, 2001, and 2002 with the UMASS Studio Orchestra on Double Bass. He is a former Faculty member of Springfield College, Holyoke Community College, and is a current member of the CMENC, ABA, AMEA, and Jazz Education Network.  He also remains active as a Clinician and High School Jazz Festival Adjudicator at the regional, national, and international levels. One of his notable previous accomplishments was in Colombia South America with the Cultural Exchange Centro Colombo Americano for a Jazz Camp that Dr.  Jonathan Noffsinger and he developed and taught. They spent time in Medellin Colombia working with students at the EAFIT University and the RED Banderas (young children) within the city for one week. The following week they were in Manizales, Colombia for another Jazz Camp for their students at the University Nationale. Several performances were lined up with his quartet at the Moravia Center and San Fernando Plaza in Medellin and the National University and University of Caldas in Manizales.

As current Director of The University of Alabama Jazz Ensemble, he has taken the Ensemble to various Festivals such as the UGA/Athens Twilight Jazz Festival and Competition and to the 1st Annual Jazz Education Network Conference in St. Louis, MO.  Professor Kozak has been on faculty at The University of Alabama since 2005.

Jonathan Noffsinger has performed throughout the U.S., Europe and Japan as a soloist and clinician.  He maintains an active performing career as a concert saxophonist and in diverse jazz and commercial idioms as well.  Noffsinger has played with a variety of professional musical theater productions and performing artists.  As one of the Tuscaloosa Horns, Jonathan Noffsinger added his talent to “A Love I Can See” on the Temptations’ 2001 Motown release Awesome (440016 330-2).   Noffsinger has been honored by the Alabama Music Hall of Fame by inclusion on their list of Music Achievers.  His doctoral studies in Applied Saxophone were with James Forger at Michigan State University and master studies with Griffin Campbell at Louisiana State University.  His Bachelor of Music Education degree was earned at Murray State University where he was a student of Gerald Welker.  As a student of Jean-Marie Londeix, Noffsinger won a gold medal in Saxophone Performance at the National Conservatory in Bordeaux, France.  He has recorded a saxophone quartet disk with Sunrise Studios of Japan and solo performance with Soy Sauce Records of Hong Kong.  A former faculty member at Eastern Illinois University and Albion College, Noffsinger joined The University of Alabama faculty in 1993.

Rob Alley is not only one of the most in-demand trumpeters in the southeastern US, he is also an award-winning composer/arranger, an educator, and over-all one of the most diverse musicians in the region.

Since moving to Alabama in 2000 Alley has performed regularly with a multitude of professional ensembles. From symphony orchestras and brass quintets to big bands and a multitude of small-group jazz ensembles, Broadway musicals, a surf-rock band, rock, R&B, soul, and funk groups, as well as continuing to spearhead his own ensembles of differing sizes and instrumentation to perform his own compositions. The list of performers he has, and continues to work and record with is a virtual mosaic of the music scene of the southeastern United States:

The Tuscaloosa Symphony and Brass Quintet, The Huntsville Symphony, The Arkansas Symphony, the Arkansas State University Faculty Brass Quintet, The University of Alabama Faculty Brass Quintet, The New South Jazz Orchestra, Downright, The Tuscaloosa Horns, The Chad Fisher Group, The Birmingham 7, The Crimson Quartet, The UA Faculty Jazz Quintet, Musical Fantasy, The Night Flight Big Band, Red Mountain Theatre, Bonus Round, to name a few.

In addition, Alley has performed with international artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Patti Austin, Byron Stripling, Marvin Stamm, Bill Watrous, Jon Faddis, Diane Schuur, John Mosca, The Temptations, The Four Tops, The O’Jays, Frankie Valli, and many others.

Highly regarded as a composer and arranger, in 2007 Alley was a recipient of the Arkansas Arts Council’s Individual Artist Fellowship Grant for his jazz composition “12 for 3″.

Thoroughly committed to passing on the gifts that he has been given, Alley is a gifted educator whose pedagogical philosophy can be summed up as “A responsibility not only to train musicians, but to help students develop into better human beings through explorations in music.”

Alley holds a Master of Music (Suma Cum Laude) from The University of Alabama. He is currently a faculty member at UA teaching in the Jazz Department.

Pedro Luis Mayor was born in Cuba where he attended the Ignacio Cervantes Conservatory and graduated with a degree in flute performance.  While attending the conservatory, he began working professionally in Havana both as a flutist, keyboardist, and choral singer.  In the later role, he toured the United States several times as well as Brazil.  In 1998, Mayor began his studies at Huntingdon College, where he majored in composition.  After graduating in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, he began teaching music at a local private school.  In 2003, he left Alabama to complete a Masters in Jazz Performance at the Manhattan School of Music in New York.  He returned to Alabama after its completion in 2005.  Since his arrival in the United States more than ten years ago, mayor has been very active in the local Jazz scene hosting jam sessions and performing throughout the states.  He currently lives in Birmingham with his wife and their two young children.

A first-call drummer in the Birmingham music community, Michael Glaser is an integral part of a diverse group of bands & sounds, ranging from a Charles Mingus/Thelonious Monk tribute (Mingusphere) to  1940′s country music (Bo Butler & The Niceboys) to a pop cover band consisting only of a string quartet + bass & drums (Blue Galaxy String Project) to some of Birmingham’s finest original jazz and rock (The White Oaks, The Chad Fisher Group), and even improvisational duets with dance artist Rhea Speights.  He loves  playing many different styles in varied settings, and has enjoyed sideman work with artists like John P. Strohm (Blake Babies, Lemonheads), Johnny O’Neal (Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, Ray Brown, Lionel Hampton), and Ron McCurdy (The Langston Hughes Project).  Michael’s Reputable Quintet pays tribute to some of his favorite jazz sounds and composers / performers, from Wayne Shorter to Peter Erskine.  Michael holds a bachelor of arts degree in music from Davidson College and teaches drum set lessons in the UAB Jazz program, and in his role as an instructor to drummers of all ages in the Birmingham area, he enjoys finding out what makes the music fun for his students, as well as helping them build a foundation that will help them no matter what musical or creative direction they pursue.

For more information about the Jazz Studies program please visit:

http://music.ua.edu/departments/jazz-studies and www.jazz.ua.edu

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UA School of Music presents Frederic Goossen Memorial Concert and Request Thoughts and Memories for Memorial Book

Tuscaloosa, AL – The University of Alabama College of Arts & Sciences School of Music presents a memorial concert featuring compositions of Frederic Goossen on Sunday, October 23, 2011 at 3:00 p.m. in the Concert Hall of the Moody Music Building on the campus of The University of Alabama. The concert is FREE and open to the public.  For more information visit: www.music.ua.edu/calendar or call 348-7111.

The School of Music is enthusiastic about the beginning of a new year and the opportunity to bring you many great musical events over the course of this coming academic season. As you are likely aware, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa and the greater community, and the musical community worldwide lost a great friend with the passing of Dr. Frederic “Fred”  Goossen earlier in the summer. This is a great loss to all of us and will certainly be felt in many ways throughout our community.

We would like to invite your attendance at this concert. It should be a very special and significant afternoon with wonderful performances of some outstanding music by one of the significant composers of the 20th century, Frederic Goossen. It will also serve as an opportunity to celebrate the man, the teacher, the friend, and his many accomplishments.

We intend to produce a “memory book” devoted to Dr. Goossen which will be available to everyone who attends the concert on October 23, 2011. We are asking anyone who desires to do so, to submit their thoughts and memories regarding Fred. We ask that any submissions be relatively brief and succinct as they will all be collected and included in the published booklet. Frederic Goossen had a deep and lasting impact on many individuals from a variety of walks of life. We hope that this depth and diversity will be represented throughout this collection.

Should you wish to submit your thoughts or memories of Fred, please send it directly to my attention in one of two ways:

1)      Standard mail:

Skip Snead, Director

School of Music

Box 870366

University of Alabama

Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487 – 0366

2)      Electronic (email): ssnead@as.ua.edu

Please send me any contribution that you would like to make by October 1, 2011, so as to ensure timely inclusion in the collection, prior to printing.

Frederic Goossen meant many things to many people. We encourage you to join us for a celebration of the man and his music on Sunday, October 23, 2011 at 3:00 p.m.  In addition, please consider adding your thoughts and comments to the memory book that will be distributed that day.

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