ON THE BEAT (To other issues)
The Official Newsletter of Moravian College Music Department
Fall 1998, Volume 3, issue i

This newsletter is only available via the world wide web.    
ON THE BEAT is produced three times a year (beginning of Fall term, beginning of Spring term, beginning of summer).
To send information for inclusion in the next edition of ON THE BEAT, e-mail Carol Traupman-Carr at mecat01@moravian.edu

WE KEEP GROWING, AND GROWING, AND GROWING...

The Music Department continues to attract large numbers of talented, bright, and able students.  For the Fall 1998 term, we welcome one of our biggest classes in years, which includes more than 25 incoming freshmen, 5 transfers, and 2 new DCS (Division of Continuing Studies) students -- and who knows how many music minors and ensemble members will join our ranks? 

Among the incoming DCS students is the reigning Miss Pennsylvania, Mayra Acosta, who will be attending Moravian to complete teacher certification in music.   But you'll have to video-tape the Miss American pageant to see if she wins, because of a big Music Department event scheduled for the same evening.  (See GREAT ARTIST SERIES TO CONTINUE below.)

We welcome this large class, as the Class of 1998 was one of the largest, most talented classes we've had in years, and their places will be tough to fill.   (For more on the newest MC alumni, see below, or look at the Music Department Alumni Page!)

Of course, large numbers means an expansion of our department in many other ways.  While right now this does not include the renovation of the fourth floor (keep your fingers crossed, though), it does mean the addition of new faculty.

MUSIC DEPARTMENT WELCOMES NEW FACULTY

The Music Department is proud to welcome to the faculty ranks several new faculty.  Each is profiled below:

Barbara Liebhaber is no newcomer around here, but this year she takes on new responsibilities in a one-year position as a Visiting Instructor of Music.  Professor Liebhaber has the difficult task of taking over (not replacing) the Music Education responsibilities with the retirement of Paul Larson.  (For more on Paul's retirement, see below.)  Professor Liebhaber will teach the 2 music education classes, supervise student teachers (no small task), and teach the world music sections of MU 160 (The Art of Music), as well as a section of Musicianship.   Professor Liebhaber received her Bachelor's degree from Brandeis University and her Master's from Columbia University Teacher's College.  Presently, she is currently enrolled in the doctoral program in education at Columbia University, where she dazzles her instructor with her knowledge of music theory, leaving her classmates in awe as she respells German sixths as dominant sevenths with the speed of a Japanese bullet train...

Peggy Deak will join us to offer practica in Music Therapy.  Ms. Deak is a 1983 graduate of Moravian College, and received her Master's from Hahnemann University in 1990, where she also completed her certification as a music therapist.  Ms. Deak is currently employed at the Valley Youth House in Easton.  Ms. Deak will teach an introduction to music therapy in the Fall 1998 term, and will be instrumental as a consultant as the Music Department explores the possibility of adding a track in music therapy.  Welcome back, Peggy!

Dr. Yvonne Robinson, lyric soprano, begins what we hope will be a long and fruitful association with Moravian College after serving the Music Department of Cedar Crest College for many years.  Dr. Robinson helps fill a great need in our vocal faculty, where the number of students taking lessons has far exceeded our expectations.  Dr. Robinson is a graduate of Cedar Crest College, where she studied with the late and legendary Wilbur Hollman.  She then continued her studies immediately with a Masters of Music from the Manhattan School of Music.  Later, Dr. Robinson attended the Juilliard School of Music on a full vocal scholarship, an became the first woman ever to receive a D.M.A. in Vocal Arts in the history of the Juilliard School.  Dr. Robinson has been featured soloist with the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, was the founder and president of the Chinese American Music Educators Exchange Association, and received a Meritorious Achievement Award (1997) from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival for her direction of Allentown College's production of "Oklahoma."   While maintaining a thriving private studio in her home, Dr. Robinson will teach studio voice and vocal practica for Moravian College.

Eduardo M. Azzati, baritone, also joins our faculty as a vocal instructor, filling a long void in our faculty.  Mr. Azzati is a native of Argentina, where he graduated from the Conservatorio Provincial "Juan Jose Castro," majoring in choral conducting.  Currently, Mr. Azzati is a graduate student at Westminster Choir College, where he maintains a perfect 4.0 average in vocal performance and pedagogy.  Mr. Azzati is a bit of a linguist as well, speaking both Spanish and English fluently, and having extensive experience with both French and German.  He also has a private voice studio, has participated in seminars, conducted choirs and musicals.  Mr. Azzati will also teach studio voice and vocal practica for Moravian College.

Ronald Demkee is no stranger to music in Bethlehem.   For years, he was employed as the instrumental director at Freedom High School in Bethlehem.  Mr. Demkee received his B.S. in Music Ed. and a M.Ed. in Music Ed. from West Chester.  He later received his principal's certificate from Lehigh University. Mr. Demkee continues as the director of the Allentown Band, and as associate conductor and personnel manager of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra.  Though his primary task will be as a studio instructor in tuba, Mr. Demkee will no doubt have a lot to contribute to our music education students from his years of experience in the local public schools.

Linda Ganus comes to us with extensive experience as a soloist and orchestral performer on flute. Ms. Ganus received a B.Mus. from the University of Michigan.  She has participated in several seminars and master classes, including some by James Galway, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Paula Robison, and John Krell, to name a few.  Her teaching experience has taken her from nearby Lehigh University to as far away as Bern, Switzerland.  Ms. Ganus will teach studio flute in the Moravian College Music Institute, our community music program.

Darcy (Doris) Fair joins us in our ever-expanding Celtic connection.  Ms. Fair will teach our Celtic Music Traditions course, offered this fall in the evening session.  The course fulfills the II.B. (Fine Arts) guideline.  Ms. Fair is a Ph.D. candidate in Folklore and Folklife at the University of Pennsylvania, from which she also received her M.A.  Prior to that, Ms. Fair received an MLS from Drexel University (perhaps our students can get help with bibliographies from her?), and a B.A. from Beaver College.   Ms. Fair has extensive experience as a librarian, a teacher of Irish music and Celtic music in general, and as a performer (she has played Irish harp for more than 14 years).

Academic Afficionados Anticipate Assembly in Autumn

This fall, the Bethlehem Conferences on Moravian Music return to the Church Street Campus.

The Third Bethlehem Conference on Moravian Music, held this October, is co-sponsored by:

"Today the cornerstone for our new Single Brethren’s House was laid . . . and after dinner, instead of our quarter hour, the entire Single Brethren’s and Large Boys’ Choir met in our chapel, . . . then we all walked in pairs with music to the site, and surrounded the same. . . . Thereupon several hymns were sung, and so the cornerstone was laid in the first front corner. . . . Then we went into our chapel where a lovefeast had been set up, which we held, during which so many important and blessed conversations occurred, it was above all a day of blessing for our entire Choir."

— Bethlehem Single Brethren’s Diary, 7 April 1748

From its very beginning, the Single Brethren’s House in the historic Moravian settlement of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, has had a pleasant and welcome association with music.

That musical tradition continued through the transformation of part of the building into a Revolutionary War hospital, into the home of the Young Ladies’ Seminary (1815)—where among the residents were Francis and Elizabeth Wolle, parents of J. Fred. Wolle—and finally, since l956, the home of the Moravian College Music Department.

The Third Bethlehem Conference on Moravian Music, held this year at Moravian College and Lehigh University, celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Single Brethren’s House and the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, with J. Fred. Wolle as the first conductor. Highlights of this conference include performances by the Moravian College Choir and Wind Ensemble, and a performance by members of the Bach Choir and conference participants in Central Moravian Church, the first home of the Bach Choir.

The Bethlehem Conferences on Moravian Music are held biennially in late October to celebrate the rich musical tradition of the Moravians; to view this music within Moravian culture in general and in relation to the broader musical culture of its time; to cultivate interest in Moravian scholarship among college students and younger scholars; and to present the results of these studies in programs of interest to the general public, scholars, and performers.

This year, the general schedule of events is as follows:

Thursday, October 22 (Music Department, Moravian College)

9:00 a.m.–noon: Registration, exhibits

1:00 p.m. (Peter Hall) Session 1: Moravian and American Musical Life, 1748-1900; Larry Lipkis (Moravian College), chair

4:30 p.m. Moravian lovefeast. The Saal, Moravian Museum of Bethlehem

7:00 p.m. (Peter Hall) Lecture/recital: Helen Beedle (Lehigh University): American piano music of the Civil War era

8:00 p.m. (Foy Hall) Concert of Moravian Music, featuring the Moravian College Choir, Moravian College Wind Ensemble, and various student vocal and instrumental soloists

Friday, October 23 (Music Department, Moravian College)

8:30 a.m. (Peter Hall) Panel discussion: "Doing Moravian Music Research". Albert Frank (Moravian Archives, Bethlehem), moderator

9:30 a.m. (Peter Hall) Choral reading session, featuring Moravian anthems; Paula Ring Zerkle (Moravian College), director

11:00 a.m.(Peter Hall) Session 2: Musical Training in Colonial American Moravian Schools; Nancy Clark (Moravian College), chair

Noon Luncheon, sponsored by the Moravian College Music Alliance

1:00 p.m. (Peter Hall) Session 3: Women in Music in America; James Earl Barnes (Moravian College), chair

5:00 p.m. Cash bar at the historic Sun Inn

5:30 p.m. Banquet at the Sun Inn

7:30 p.m. (Peter Hall) Pre-concert lecture: Laurence Libin (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City): Construction, importance and historical significance of the organ (1790) of Samuel Green, instrument builder for King George III (using the instrument on loan to Moravian College from the Metropolitan Museum collection) and the "Orchestral" Matushek square piano (1875-1880) in the keyboard collection of Moravian College.

8:00 p.m. (Peter Hall) Martha Schrempel (Moravian College) and Jewel Ann Smith: A lecture-recital of solo and duet piano literature performed at the Young Ladies’ Seminary, Bethlehem, in the nineteenth century

Saturday, October 24

9:30 a.m. (Peter Hall) Rehearsal of Cantata BWV 140 (Wachet auf) and J. Fred. Wolle anthem; Greg Funfgeld, Musical Director, Bach Choir of Bethlehem

1:00 p.m. (Linderman Library, Lehigh University) Session 4: Bach in America; J. Fred. Wolle and the Bach Choir; Philip Metzger (Lehigh University), chair

8:00 p.m. (Central Moravian Church) Concert featuring the Bach Choir of Bethlehem Bach Festival Orchestra, Moravian College Choir, and conference attendees, including performances of Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, "Singet dem Herrn," Cantata 140, and a J. Fred. Wolle anthem

Sunday, October 25 (Central Moravian Church)

11:00 a.m. Sunday service, featuring performances by the Central Moravian Choir, Richard Schantz, director, of Moravian music of the 19th century; immediately following the service, a procession to grave of J. Fred. Wolle lead by Vernon Nelson

 

For a detailed list of lectures and presentations, or for registrations materials, contact the Music Office at 610-861-1650.

Department Wins Pharo Foundation Grant

In May 1998, the Music Department was awarded a grant from the Pharo Foundation for a project entitled "From Archives to Alive."  With the grant, three students (Kelly Dolan, '99; Chris Connelly, '99; and Matt Berry '01) will spend part of their summer transcribing music from the Moravian Archives into performable editions for various wind combinations.  James Earl Barnes, Director of Instrumental Music, selected the music and is supervising the students' work.  Carol Traupman-Carr, department musicologist, will check that the students follow the editorial policies of the Moravian Music Foundation, and will assist the students in the writing of program notes for the works they edit and arrange.  The works used for the project include several movements of suites by David Moritz Michael and an overture by Frances Hagen (known as the composer of "Morning Star").  These works will be featured in the wind ensemble performance at the Third Bethlehem Conference on Moravian Music in October.

Teachers Tackle Technology

or

What we did over our summer vacation.

The Moravian College Music Department was pleased and honored to be awarded a grant from the Presser Foundation for a teaching systems development project (TSDP).  The grant, which was matched with funds from the College, allowed the faculty to purchase new computers, equipment, and software, and to receive training in this technology.  More than 40 hours were tallied by each full-timer (Barnes, Lipkis, Traupman-Carr, and Zerkle), and a few adjuncts who teach theory and history courses were invited to join (Liebhaber, Torok, Wetzel). 

The grant allowed faculty to turn in their Macs (which will be adopted by the Art Department) in favor of IBM Thinkpads (laptop computers).  Now, they can take their work with them anywhere -- to class, home, the playground, pediatrician, plane, beach....yippee. 

In addition to getting familiar with PCs after years of working with Macintoshs, the faculty received training in:

Among the visual vestiges of this training are/will be the newly-designed departmental website (in part still under construction), more professional-looking productions in class, use of Finale in theory and ear-training classes,  use of theory/ear-training software for reinforcement of classroom learning, and multi-media productions to "jazz up" (sorry Mr. Wetzel) classroom lectures.

But the learning's not over.  The faculty have more training sessions waiting for the summer of '99.  Wait til you see what's coming then!

GREAT ARTIST SERIES TO CONTINUE

On Saturday, September 19, 1998, at 8PM in Foy Concert Hall, Paul Plishka, world-renowned Bass from the Metropolitan Opera Company, will give a recital featuring Russian and American Art Songs.   Mr. Plishka has a personal connection with Moravian, in that his niece, Heather Colgan, received a B.Mus. from Moravian in 1996. Tickets: $25 general admission; $20 senior citizens and LVAIC members; $15 students with ID.

Like Marilyn Horne two years ago, Mr. Plishka will also serve our community by presenting a Master Class on Sunday, September 20, 1998 3PM Foy Concert Hall.  Voice majors from Moravian College as well as other area institutions will be the featured singers.  Tickets: $15 general admission; $10 senior citizens, LVAIC members and students with ID. 

Proceeds from the recital and master class will benefit the Moravian College Music Alliance Scholarship Fund.  If you would like tickets, or more information on the Music Alliance, please call (610)861-1650.

For another master class featuring a world-renowned artist, see the fall highlights list below!

Other highlights of the fall term include the following:

Saturday, September 12, 1998 12 noon to 4PM

Mexican Independence Day Festival at Moravian College's Church Street Campus
(Foy Concert Hall)
Invited guests include the honorable Manuel Lombera (Council of Mexico, Philadelphia,PA) and performers, Grupo Mexicano, Compania de Danza Regional del Estado de Puebla (Mexican Folk Ballet Company), and Luis Perez (Pre-Columbian New Age Music)

-FREE ADMISSION-

Saturday, October 3, 1998 8pm Peter Hall

Concert commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Single Brethren's House.  Performers include student piano trio (Buschta, Rideout, Smull), student soloists (Voyajolu; Stevenson; Malerba), and faculty performers (Fix; Robinson, Steelman), as well as a guest appearance by Professor Emeritus Richard Schantz, who founded the Moravian College Choir, and was a major force in the creation of the music major, the rennovation of the Brethren's House and West Hall, and the building of Foy Concert Hall. 

Tickets $8 adults; $5 students, senior citizens, and children 12 and under

 Monday, October 5 1998 8PM Foy Concert Hall

contemparary dance program featuing ROKO KAWAI

Tickets: $12 general admission; $10 LVAIC members; $8 senior citizens/students with ID

 Saturday, October 17, 1998 3PM Foy Concert Hal

"Bearly Lovable" Children's concert with Dave Fry and Barbara Pearson.  Bring your teddy!

Tickets: $5 general admission; $3 children 12 and under

 Saturday, November 21, 1998 12 noon Foy Concert Hall Master class by Yo-Yo Ma

Tickets: $15 general admission; $10 senior citizens, LVAIC members, students with ID