DePauw University

SPRING 2010 GUEST ARTISTS

KATE DEVORE, VOCAL HEALTH INSTRUCTOR
February 13, 2010

Kate Devore is a voice/speech/dialect trainer, voice/speech pathologist, and Reiki Master teacher. She operates Total Voice Inc. in Chicago, where she coaches professional voice users ranging from actors to executives. She also teaches at Columbia College, the School at Steppenwolf, and lectures nationally and abroad.

Kate is co-author of The Voice Book: Caring For, Protecting, and Improving Your Voice (Chicago Review Press) and the Laryngeal Teaching Series DVDs showing endoscopic footage of the inside of the throat during speaking, singing, and other sound production (www.LoveYourVoice.com). She is also co-creator of downloadable dialect training materials (www.AccentHelp.com) and author of downloadable material for Accent Modification (www.GeneralAmericanAccent.com).

Kate has given numerous workshops and presentations on voice, speech, and healing arts and has authored many articles. She works with clients ranging from actors to executives on voice, speech, and personal development. She bridges the right and left brain by integrating scientific principles and theories with artistic and holistic training modalities.

Kate has worked at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School), The Voice Center at The University of Illinois Chicago Hospital, Roosevelt University, Columbia College, Wellesley College, Brandeis University, Emerson College, the Acting Studio Chicago, and many other theatre companies and training programs in Boston and Chicago. She also served on the board of directors of VASTA (Voice and Speech Trainers Association).

Kate has an M.A. in Speech Pathology (communication disorders) with an emphasis in professional voice, and a B.A. in Theatre with an emphasis in acting and voice.

JOAN TOWER, COMPOSER
Music of the 21st Century
February 17-21, 2010

Hailed as "one of the most successful woman composers of all time" in The New Yorker magazine, Joan Tower was the first woman to receive the Grawemeyer Award in Composition in 1990. She was inducted in 1998 into the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Letters, and into the Academy of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University in the fall of 2004.

She was the first composer chosen for the ambitious new Ford Made in America commissioning program, a collaboration of the League of American Orchestras (at that time, the American Symphony Orchestra League) and Meet the Composer. In October 2005, the Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra presented the world premiere of Tower's 15-minute orchestral piece Made in America. The work went on to performances in every state in the Union during the 2005-07 seasons.

The Nashville Symphony and conductor Leonard Slatkin recorded Made in America, Tambor, and Concerto for Orchestra for the Naxos label. The top-selling recording won three 2008 Grammy awards: Best Classical Contemporary Composition, Best Classical Album, and Best Orchestral Performance.

Tower has added conductor to her list of accomplishments, with engagements at the American Symphony, the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, the Scotia Festival Orchestra, the Anchorage Symphony, Kalisto Chamber Orchestra and another eight of the Made in America orchestras, among others.

Since 1972, Tower has taught at Bard College, where she is Asher Edelman Professor of Music. She recently concluded her ten-year tenure as composer-in-residence with the Orchestra of St. Luke's, a title she has held at the Deer Valley Music Festival in Utah since 1998 as well as at the Yale/Norfolk Chamber Music Festival for eight years. Other accolades include the 1998 Delaware Symphony's Alfred I. DuPont Award for Distinguished American Composer, the 2002 Annual Composer's Award from the Lancaster (PA) Symphony, and an Honorary Degree from the New England Conservatory (2006). "Tower has truly earned a place among the most original and forceful voices in modern American music" (The Detroit News).

Among her recent premieres: Angels (2008), her fourth string quartet, commissioned by Music for Angel Fire and premiered by the Miami String Quartet; Dumbarton Quintet (2008), a piano quintet commissioned by the Dumbarton Oaks Estate (their third commission after Stravinsky and Copland) and premiered by Tower and the Enso String Quartet; Chamber Dance (2006), commissioned, premiered, and toured by Orpheus; and Copperwave (2006), written for the American Brass Quintet and commissioned by the Juilliard School of Music. As part of her appointment as Season Composer for 2007-08 by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, A Gift (2007), for winds and piano, was commissioned by Chamber Music Northwest and premiered by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center players Tara O'Connor, David Shifrin, William Purvis, Milan Turkovich, and Anne Marie McDermott in February 2008. Other CMS premieres included Trio Cavany (2007), performed by Cho-Liang Lin, Gary Hoffman, and André Michel Schub, and Simply Purple (2008) for viola, performed by Paul Neubauer.

Her compositions cross many genres: Can I (2007) for youth chorus and two percussionists; Copperwave (2006), written for the American Brass Quintet and commissioned by the Juilliard School of Music; DNA (2003), a percussion quintet commissioned for Frank Epstein and the New England Conservatory Percussion Ensemble, Fascinating Ribbons (2001), her foray into the world of band music, premiered at the annual conference of College Band Directors; Vast Antique Cubes/Throbbing Still (2000), a solo piano piece for John Browning; Big Sky (2000), a piano trio premiered by David Finckel, Wu Han, and Chee-Yun; Tambor (1998), for the Pittsburgh Symphony under the baton of Mariss Jansons; and Wild Purple (1998) for violist Paul Neubauer. Tower's 1990 Grawemeyer Award-winning Silver Ladders was written during her 1985-88 St. Louis Symphony residency, and was subsequently choreographed in 1998 by Helgi Tomasson and the San Francisco Ballet. Her 1993 ballet Stepping Stones was commissioned by choreographer Kathryn Posin for the Milwaukee Ballet.

Joan Tower's bold and energetic music, with its striking imagery and novel structural forms, has won large, enthusiastic audiences. From 1969 to 1984, she was pianist and founding member of the Naumburg Award-winning Da Capo Chamber Players, which commissioned and premiered many of her most popular works. Her first orchestral work, Sequoia, quickly entered the repertory, with performances by orchestras including St. Louis, New York, San Francisco, Minnesota, Tokyo NHK, Toronto, the National Symphony and London Philharmonia. A choreographed version by The Royal Winnipeg Ballet toured throughout Canada, Europe, and Russia. Tower's tremendously popular five Fanfares for the Uncommon Woman have been played by over 500 different ensembles.

In addition to two Naxos recordings, Tower's popular Petroushskates opens the new first recording by the innovative group, eighth blackbird, on the Cedille label. Fanfares Nos. 1-5, Duets, and Concerto for Orchestra with the Colorado Symphony (Marin Alsop) may be heard on Koch; and the disc "Four Concertos" — with Elmar Oliveira, Ursula Oppens, David Shifrin, Carol Wincenc and the Louisville Orchestra — is available on d'Note Records. Turning Points (1995), a clarinet quintet for David Shifrin and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, is on Delos. New World Records features he chamber music, including her first string quartet Night Fields. First Edition celebrates her legacy with the St. Louis and Louisville Symphonies with an all-Tower orchestral disc which includes Sequoia, Silver Ladders, Music for Cello and Orchestra, and Island Prelude for oboe and strings featuring soloists Lynn Harrell and Peter Bowman.

Joan Tower has been the subject of television documentaries on PBS's WGBH television station in Boston, on the CBS network program, Sunday Morning, and MJW Productions in England. She is published exclusively by Associated Music Publishers.

ARMONIA NOVA
March 13-14, 2010

Armonia Nova is an ensemble of instruments and voices based in the Washington D.C. area. Its members perform medieval, renaissance and early baroque music of Europe on instruments that are re-creations of historical instruments. Members of Armonia Nova apply scholarship to give an historically informed performance with the desire for the listener to hear this remote yet remarkably beautiful music as it might have sounded when it was newly created. Armonia Nova has been frequently praised for its intelligent and creative programming. The performances of this ensemble capture the emotional content of the music, bringing an intensity and immediacy to the performance while maintaining the purity and clarity of tone so essential to music of these early periods.

Constance Whiteside, Artistic Director, and historical harpist, performs and discusses music from the 12th through 17th centuries on historical re-creations of medieval, renaissance, double and triple row baroque harps. She has been described as “a musician of uncommon depth” by the Washington Post. A highly knowledgeable specialist, scholar and performer on historic harps, she has performed for dignitaries including His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, at the Berkeley and Boston Early Music Festivals, as guest artist at embassies, and with such acclaimed groups as Chanticleer. She performs regularly in the Washington DC area. Originally trained on modern pedal harp she also continues free-lance pedal harp performance. Dr. Whiteside, a physician and graduate of Stanford University, and former tenured faculty in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of California Davis, was a founding member of Musica Coelorum, a medieval ensemble based in northern California, and is the founder of D.C. based Armonia Nova. She is former Chair of the Historical Harp Survey, and former Editor of the Historical Harp Society Journal. She is a co-founder of the Washington Early Music Festival.

Evanne Browne, soprano: Sensitive musicianship and a voice described as “clear” with “sweet highs” and “an impressive range” have brought soprano and early-music specialists Evanne Browne engagements with many outstanding early-music ensembles including the Smithsonian Chamber Players, the Folger Consort, The Orchestra of the 17th Century, Washington Cornett and Sackbutt Ensemble, and the Washington Bach Consort,. She is a frequent performer of Baroque, Renaissance and Medieval works with period instruments including staged versions of the medieval Play of Daniel, Monteverdi’s Orfeo, Purcell’s Dido and Aeneus at the Kennedy Center, and a celebrated performance of Hildegard von Bingen’s Ordo virtutum at the Washington National Cathedral, after which she was pictured on the cover of Early Music America magazine. She sang the Colorado premier of the dramatic Planctus Mariae, a 12th century work from the Cividate (Italy) monastery; and recently performed in The Passion of St. Ursula, a dramatic performance of music of Hildegard von Bingen. At the Smithsonian Institution, she performed in recital accompanied on various original “objects” in the Hall of Musical Instruments collection. This year she performs with period instruments along with the Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado; with Ars Nova Singers in solo works of Luzzaschi and Monteverdi; as soloists for the St. John’s Passion in Helena Montana; and appears at both the Montana and Washington D.C. early music festivals.

A critically acclaimed oratorio and concert singer, Marjorie Bunday has been a featured soloist (both alto and mezzo-soprano roles) with many DC, Maryland, and Virginia based choral and chamber ensembles over the years, in US and European concerts, including Washington Bach Consort, Hesperus, Armonia Nova, Alexandria Choral Society, Cantate Chamber Singers, Musikanten, Cathedral Choral Society “Summer Sing,” Washington Choral Ensemble, University of Virginia Glee Club, Woodley Ensemble, and Washington Men's Camerata. Outside of the Washington area, she has had solos with the Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado, Magnificat, (with a Denver Bach Society B Minor Mass coming up in October 2007); and she is an artist-in-residence with Musikanten Montana's Helena Choral Week yearly since 2004, performing and teaching workshops on choral technique and madrigal singing. Ms. Bunday, a near-life-long resident of the DC area, can be heard in many venues across the city, as she is in great demand as a professional chorister, small ensemble singer, and church singer. Although best known for her performances of the early and baroque music repertoire, she has added her voice to many US and world premieres of choral music, art song, and chamber music.

Allison Mondel, soprano, received her M.M. in Early Music Vocal Performance from the Longy School of Music (Cambridge, MA) in 2003. While at Longy, Allison had the extraordinary experience of studying with Laurie Monahan, and discovered a new love and inspiration: medieval music. She has engaged in extensive scholarly studies of the Montpellier and Las Huelgas manuscripts, and is a notation and performance specialist on the chants of Hildegard von Bingen. Her interpretation of Hildegard has led her to performances in the Boston Early Music Festival and special performances with the Ars Nova Singers (Boulder, CO) in The Passion of St. Ursula, an original passion play based on the martyrdom of St. Ursula and the 11,000 Virgins. She has also led teaching and coaching sessions on the interpretation of Hildegard’s chants and takes the utmost joy in sharing her love of this music with others. In 2001, Allison had the privilege of singing in the Boston Early Music Festival’s production of Lully’s Thesée and Rameau’s La Guirlande presented at Jordan Hall and Tanglewood. Allison co-founded Williamstown Early Music, a concert series based in Western Massachusetts offering unique and adventurous programming. Stemming from her love of Renaissance choral music, Allison has spent many years singing professionally with various choral groups in the greater Boston area and NY Capital region. She has most recently moved to the Baltimore/DC area, where she continues to sing and teach early music.

Craig Resta holds degrees from the University of Maryland at College Park (PhD), Indiana University (MM), and Baylor University (BME). His principal violin teachers include Kevin Lawrence, Stanley Ritchie, and Davis Brooks; research and performance practice mentors are Marie McCarthy, Thomas Binkley and Harry Elzinga. Mr. Resta’s performing opportunities encompass programs at The Round Top Festival, The Berkeley Early Music Festival & Exhibition, and The Bloomington and Washington Early Music Festivals; with concert and recital appearances in Texas, Indiana, California, Washington DC, Virginia, and abroad in Switzerland. His performance experience further consists of the baroque violin and viola, as well as the medieval vielle and rebec. Also a string pedagogue, Mr. Resta is currently Assistant Professor of Instrumental Music Education at Kent State University where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in string pedagogy, pre-service music teacher education, and music education foundational studies.

Jay White, counter tenor:After completing his Masters of Music at Indiana University, countertenor Jay White sang eight seasons with Chanticleer, with whom he produced 14 recordings including two Grammy® Award-winning albums. With Chanticleer he traveled to over 40 states and 15 foreign countries, appeared in many of the world’s prestigious concert halls, performed at national and international music festivals and collaborated with Frederica von Stade, Dawn Upshaw, Jake Heggie, Chen Yi and August Read Thomas among others. As a soloist, Dr. White has performed with members of America’s finest Early Music ensembles including the Smithsonian Players, Tafelmusik and the Seattle and Philharmonia Baroque Orchestras and graced some of the world’s most prestigious stages including New York’s Weill Hall and London’s Globe Theatre. No stranger to the airwaves, Dr. White has been seen on PBS and CBS and heard on NPR as well as television and radio programs worldwide. After receiving his DMA in 2005 from the University of Maryland, Dr. White has taught at his alma mater, Columbia Union College (MD) and the University of Delaware and is currently Assistant Professor of Voice at DePauw University (IN).