ON
THE BEAT
(To
other issues)
The
Official Newsletter of Moravian College Music Department
Spring 2000, Volume 4, ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS, Vol. 4, ii (spring '00)
SPRING FLINGS
MUTUAL MORAVIAN MILESTONES
MARKED
MEET OUR MAJORS
NEWS FROM SOME ALUMS
FACULTY ACTIVITIES
CORRALING THE CHORAL FOLKS
ACCREDITATION ALERT!
Here are some happenin’ happenings in the Music Department this spring:
 | LINCOLN CENTER JAZZ ORCHESTRA with WYNTON MARSALIS Thursday, APRIL 27!!! Imagine you’re seated cabaret style in a ballroom of the forties, and the infectious tunes of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and Benny Goodman blare through the air. When the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis performs all of those head nodding, toe tapping standards of the fabulous "Swing Era"…you’ll be hep in a heartbeat. An optional swing dance lesson is offered from 6:30-7:15 p.m., with the performance beginning at 8p.m. in Johnston Hall. The For Dancers Only tour is supported by Johnston & Murphy and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support provided by the Moravian College Music Alliance, WDIY 88.1FM Community Public Radio, The Express Times, Lehigh Valley PBS and the Rider-Pool Foundation. For more information about sponsorship opportunities, please call 610-861-1668. Proceeds from this event will benefit the Moravian College Music Alliance Scholarship Fund. Tickets are on sale NOW in the Music Office—$35 a piece. | ||||||||||||
| The Moravian College Big Band, under the direction of Neil Wetzel, will perform at the 2000 Intecollegiate Jazz Festival, held this year on February 22 at Muhlenberg College. Lehigh University will send two jazz ensembles; other participating colleges include the host, Muhlenberg, and Lafayette College. | ||||||||||||
| The concert calendar this year contains two errors. Here are the correct entries—why not attend them both? Moravian College Jazz Combos I & II will perform in Foy Concert Hall on Sunday, March 26 at 4 p.m. Admission is free. In the other event, Moravian College Arts & Lectures brings RETUMBA to campus on Monday, March 27 at 7:30 p.m., again in Foy Hall. Retumba is a 12-person, all-female group performing music and dance of the Caribbean, including Bomba, Plena, Guaguanco, Samba, and Merengue are the among the many style of Afro-Caribbean music this vibrant ensemble will perform. Tickets are free to Moravian College faculty, staff, and students; $10 general admission; $5 for senior citizens, children under 12, and folks with an LVAIC I.D. Tickets are available in the Music Office or at the HUB desk. | ||||||||||||
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Ballet Hispanico, Tina Ramirez, Artistic
Director, performs in Foy Concert Hall on Thursday, March 23 at 8 p.m. Tickets are now on
sale ($15 general admission; $10 senior citizens, students, and children under 12).
Repertoire to be performed includes Guajira (Pedro Ruiz, choreographer), a ballet
about the women of the Cuban countryside; Somethin’ from Nothin’ (David
Roussève, choreographer), a piece inspired by music of Latin jazz artist and
Grammy-winner Eddie Palmierei; and Ritmo y Ruido (Ann Reinking, choreographer),
where the dancers go on an urban prowl. Metropolitan Life is the official sponsore of Ballet
Hispanico’s 2000 National Tour. Additional funding provided by the Mid Atlantic
Arts Foundation in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring
Program, the National Dance Project of the New England Foundation for the Arts with lead
funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation,
the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Philip Morris Companies, MOPAC, the Rider-Pool
Foundation, and Moravian College Arts & Lectures. 
MUTUAL MORAVIAN MILESTONES MARKED The Fourth Bethlehem Conference on Moravian Music, scheduled for October 2000, was recently announced. Plans are in the works to celebrate two significant tercentennial anniversaries: the birth of Count Nicholas von Zinzendorf, the 18th-century renewer of the Moravian Church; and the invention of the modern piano. The conference will meet at Moravian College and Theological Seminary from October 25-28, 2000. The conference will begin with the opening of an exhibit in Payne Gallery entitled "The Square Piano in Pennsylvania, 1790—1850," co-curated by conference chairs Carol Traupman-Carr (Assistant Professor of Music) and Paul Larson (Professor Emeritus of Music). The exhibit will feature at least 19 historic pianos, all built in Pennsylvania, including one constructed by Moravian instrument maker Jacob Till. (This instrument is currently being restored through the generosity of the Moravian College Music Alliance.) Papers, lectures, and recitals begin on Thursday, October 26, and will focus on Zinzendorf, the piano in Moravian musical life, or other aspects of "Moraviana." Three evening concerts are planned. On Thursday, October 26, at 8p.m. in Foy Hall, the Moravian College Choir will perform a new (1999) cantata by adjunct instructor of music Brian Henkelmann. Brian’s work sets texts by Zinzendorf, and includes chorale singing by the audience. On Friday, October 27, at 8p.m. in Peter Hall, the Ensemble Soleil will present a lecture/recital of works from Moravian Archives. The Ensemble Soleil is based in New Hampshire; among its members is Moravian grad and violinist Jeanne Sawyer Twombly. The Ensemble Soleil will be the ensemble-in-residence for the conference, performing in several different venues and capacities. Saturday, October 28, at 8p.m. in Foy Hall, internationally renowned fortepianist Malcolm Bilson, will perform a solo recital of music for piano. Bilson and the Ensemble Soleil will unite to conclude this concert with a performance of Mozart’s Piano Quartet in G minor. For more information, contact Carol Traupman-Carr at caroltcarr@moravian.edu.
MEET OUR MAJORS
Allen Frank After growing up in Ohio, then spending four years in Virginia with the Marine Corps, I now call Bethlehem my home. With my dad and brother being members of the Moravian College Choir in their years here, I knew of the reputation of the Music Department. With that, I chose to come to Moravian where I am a sophomore Tuba Performance major. Within the Music Department I am active in the Wind Ensemble, Big Band, Brass Quintet, Marching Band, and the newly formed Dixieland Band. Other campus activities include the Residence Hall staff, Student Alumni Assn., Christian Fellowship, Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society, and the Alcohol Coalition. I am also a member of the Allentown Band. My interest in music came at an early age. In short, music was always present in my family. I began lessons on the violin in elementary school, moved to trumpet, then on to the tuba. After Moravian I plan to attend grad school to continue my musical studies. With that, my goals are to establish myself as a performer and teach privately at the college level. Emily Rideout I am a junior violin performance major from Collegeville, PA. My original interest in music began at an elementary age when my parents suggested that I start music lessons, and had me pick out an instrument. I remember choosing the violin because it was the smallest, and I was a bit afraid of the larger instruments; if I were to choose today I think I’d likely arrive at the same conclusion, but based on slightly different criteria (perhaps I’d select the violin based on the wonderful literature written for it, rather than my fear of cellos!). I first heard of Moravian through Nancy Bidlack [our cello instructor], when I attended her summer music camp, Kinhaven, after my junior year of high school. At Kinhaven, I was lucky enough to have Michael Locati as a violin teacher; then, a year later, when I heard that he was teaching at Moravian, I decided to look into the school, since I knew I would have an excellent violin teacher there. My major here is violin performance, I participate in the choir, chamber orchestra, and Trillium (flute-violin-cello trio), as well as the Lehigh University orchestra, and a piano trio, also at Lehigh. I also participated in the concerto competitions of both Moravian and Lehigh over the past two years. Outside of the music department, I am also a tutor at the writing center. My hopes for after next year include graduate school for violin performance, and eventually a college teaching job. This is appealing to me because I am interested in both teaching and performing, and as a member of a music department faculty, I would hopefully be able to do both.
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Jenny Collins [adjunct instructor of piano] gave a two-piano recital and master class at Blair Academy, Blairstown, NJ, in December 1999. Jenny plans another two-piano recital at East Stroudsburg University in March 2000 as part of "Women in History" month; her annual "parlor recital" at East Stroudsburg in April 2000 will feature an ensemble of piano, flute, soprano, mezzo-soprano, and baritone.
Lou Carol Fix [adjunct instructor of organ] writes the following: "In November 1999, I coordinated a tour of three historical organs in Bethlehem for the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. Two organs we visited were the 1857 Erben organ in the Kleine Saal of Central Moravian Church, and the 1795 Green organ in Peter Hall of Moravian College. Performers to demonstrate these instruments included Monica Schantz [long-time chair of the Music Department and accompanist for the College Choir], Brian Henkelmann [adjunct instructor of piano], Adam Koch [a senior majoring in music], and myself." Lou Carol Fix [adjunct instructor of organ] writes the following: "In November 1999, I coordinated a tour of three historical organs in Bethlehem for the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. Two organs we visited were the 1857 Erben organ in the Kleine Saal of Central Moravian Church, and the 1795 Green organ in Peter Hall of Moravian College. Performers to demonstrate these instruments included Monica Schantz [long-time chair of the Music Department and accompanist for the College Choir], Brian Henkelmann [adjunct instructor of piano], Adam Koch [a senior majoring in music], and myself." Lou Carol Fix [adjunct instructor of organ] writes the following: "In November 1999, I coordinated a tour of three historical organs in Bethlehem for the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. Two organs we visited were the 1857 Erben organ in the Kleine Saal of Central Moravian Church, and the 1795 Green organ in Peter Hall of Moravian College. Performers to demonstrate these instruments included Monica Schantz [long-time chair of the Music Department and accompanist for the College Choir], Brian Henkelmann [adjunct instructor of piano], Adam Koch [a senior majoring in music], and myself."
Sam Lazzara [adjunct instructor of percussion] reports that he recently played gigs with Skitch Henderson, with Bucky Pizzarelli (jazz guitar), and at FirstNight New York City in Times Square. Sam Lazzara [adjunct instructor of percussion] reports that he recently played gigs with Skitch Henderson, with Bucky Pizzarelli (jazz guitar), and at FirstNight New York City in Times Square.
Barbara Liebhaber [Director of Music Education] will be presenting a "Music Department Showcase" on Thursday, April 27 at 11:30 a.m. in Peter Hall. Barbara will present a lecture/recital of works for violin and piano. Her cousin Taylor will join her on violin. They have been playing together since Barbara was 4 and Taylor was 6 [that’s about 10 years ago, right Barbara?] Taylor now teaches violin and Alexander Technique in New York City. We look forward to hearing them both.
Larry Lipkis [composer-in-residence and Chair of the Music Department] reports a good deal of activity. The Baltimore Consort, of which Lipkis is a member, released its tenth CD in October--"The Mad Buckgoat: Ancient Music of Ireland." Lipkis’ composition "Harlequin: a concerto for bass trombone and orchestra" is being prepared for publication by Warwick Press in Coventry, England. "Harlequin" premiered in 1997 by Los Angeles Philharmonic. In addition, Lipkis is anticipating the release in February 2000 of a new CD of American songs by Metropolitan Opera star Paul Plishka, featuring "Songs from a Cook Book" (which first performed in its original, choral version at the 1986 Emma Cecilia Thursby Memorial Concert).
The highly-anticipated CD of the Complete Works of Norman Dello Joio, Volume 2, with Debra Torok, pianist, was just released and is now available at all Tower Records stores. Dr. Torok, adjunct instructor of piano, worked with the Pultizer Prize and Emmy Award winning composer on these premier recordings, and on a newly-edited publication of his complete piano works. Volume 1 of the CD set was released in August 1999 with great success. Another CD has been recorded by Dr. Torok with a release date set for next year.
This just in!!—"Pleasing for our Use": David Tannenberg and the Organs of the Moravians, a collection of essays from the 1995 Tannenberg Symposium (and others of interest) has been printed and released! The book was edited by Carol Traupman-Carr [assistant professor of music], who edits "On the Beat." "Pleasing for Our Use" is published by Lehigh University Press and Associated University Presses. Dr. T-C already has started editing another collection of essays, these selected from the Second and Third Bethlehem Conferences on Moravian music, and hopes to send this volume to the publisher by the end of the summer.
NEWS ON THE BAND FRONT
On
Sunday, January 23 Moravian hosted the Year 2000 Lehigh Valley Intercollegiate Wind
Ensemble. The Y2K IWE (how’s that for a timely acronym?) is composed of the finest
wind and percussion players from Kutztown University, Lehigh University, Moravian College,
and Muhlenberg College. Conducted by the institutions’ directors (Willis Rapp, David
Diggs, James Barnes, and Albert Neumeyer, respectively), the ensemble performed
Tuthil’s Overture Brillante, Op. 19, Schuman’s George Washington
Bridge, Wood’s Manin Veen, Gould’s American Salute, and
Shostakovich’s Folk Dances.
If you were at a home football game in the past two years you might
have seen an Athletic Band that was missing for decades from the college: The Moravian
College Marching Band! Re-instituted in fall 1998, the MC Marching Band (decked out in
Greyhound Marching T-shirts and jeans) performed half-time shows that included college
fight songs and on-field, well, "shapes." However, in fall 1999 the group
(decked out in new T-shirts, turtle necks, jeans, new mellophones and a new sousaphone)
marched drill patterns derived from marching software, played swing tunes arranged for
marching band, and even had a color guard complete with variously colored flags, guard
rifles, boas (!), and streamer cannons! Come join us next year as the Marching Band
provides school spirit for our football team with new and inventive programming. By the
way, anyone know where we can get money for new uniforms??? GO HOUNDS!
But the Athletic Band support didn’t stop with football. This is
the second year that the Music Department is supporting both our Men and Women’s
Basketball teams with the Moravian College Basketball Pep Band. Although there may
be more rehearsal and performance conflicts between the Music program and all the
basketball games, the Pep Band is scheduled to play at quite a few games this season. You
can find out our schedule by logging on to the department site and following the links to
Instrumental music. See you at a game! GO HOUNDS!
Don’t have enough humor in your life? Well, make sure you get to
the 4 PM Sunday, April 2, 2000 Moravian College Wind Ensemble (MCWE) concert: Music for
the Day After April Fool’s Day! That’s right we’ve got some P.D.Q. Bach
band pieces, classical music a la disco, and some surprise guest soloists! Oh yes,
there’s also Hindemith’s "March" from Symphonic Metamorphosis
and Tchaikovsky’s March slave. After all, this IS a curriculum-based ensemble!
[Editor’s note: The Hindemith and Tchaikovsky are both being studied this spring in
music history courses in the Music Department.]
After an exciting Vespers season last December, the Moravian College Choir and Women’s Chorus, in conjunction with the College Chamber Symphony, are planning a concert of French music to be performed Saturday April 29th at 8pm and Sunday April 30th at 4pm in Foy Concert Hall. The Choir will be performing the eloquent Duruflé’s Requiem, and the Women’s Chorus will be singing a lovely, prayerful piece by Francis Poulenc called Litanies a la Vierge Noire (Litanies to the Black Virgin). Both pieces will be accompanied by the chamber orchestra.
In addition, the groups will be traveling on March 2nd with the College Wind Ensemble to Morris County, New Jersey for a one-day recruitment tour. Bring back lots of tenors and string players!
The National Association of Schools of Music will make its five-year site visit on March 20-22, 2000. This is the first re-accreditation review for the music department since it first became a member of NASM in 1995. The music faculty and full-time staff spent the better part of a year preparing our 250+page self-study and evaluation, which included an assessment of all music degree programs and facilities. We look forward to sharing tidbits from the accreditation team in a future issue of "On the Beat."
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The next issue of ON THE BEAT will be released in early summer 2000. If you are an alumnus, faculty member, current student, or supporter of the Moravian College Music Department and would like to contribute articles, information, recipes, or photos, please e-mail Carol Traupman-Carr (caroltcarr@moravian.edu) or call the Music Department at (610) 861-1650.
Upcoming features:
July Jazz Getaway
announcement
More on Moravian Music conference
Spring 2000 wrap-up
Meet more majors!
COOK’S CORNER
Faculty Lounge Banana Chocolate Chip Bread
(because half of the loaf will end up there so we can all share)
3/4 C. sugar
1/2 C. oil
2 eggs
1 C. mashed bananas
1 3/4 C. flour
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
one+ handful of chocolate chips*
Mix together sugar, oil, and eggs until frothy. Blend in bananas. Mix together the dry ingredients, and fold into the banana mixture. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
Pour into a lightly-greased pan, and bake at 325F for 1 hour, until the crust is brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven. Let set 10 minutes, then invert the pan on a cooling rack.
*Equally good without the chocolate, though why you would want to do that is beyond the comprehension of this cook!
Music Department Concerts
Feb 24 (Thur) 11:30 a.m. Peter Hall Moravian College Clarinet Choir; Christopher DiSanto, director
Feb 25 (Fri) 8 p.m. Peter Hall Jennifer Smull, cello
Feb 26 (Sat) 8 p.m. Peter Hall Nicole Stevenson, flute
Feb 27 (Sun) 4 p.m. Peter Hall Clara Thorne, soprano, & Emily Rideout, violin
March 16 (Thurs) 8 p.m. Peter Hall Erin Jennings, soprano, & Tonya Ogden, soprano
March 18 (Sat) 8 p.m. Peter Hall Kristen Adamson, soprano, & Noah Rachels, baritone
March 19 (Sun) 4 p.m. Peter Hall Moravian College Early Music Ensembles; Larry Lipkis, director
March 23 (Thur) 11:30 a.m. Peter Hall Moravian College Wind Trio; Carol Temlin, director
March 23 (Thur) 8 p.m. Foy Hall Ballet Hispanico. $15 general admission, $10 senior citizens/students with ID/children 12 & under
March 25 (Sat) 8 p.m. Peter Hall Music by Women Composers; $8 adults, $5 senior citizens/students with ID/children 12 & under
March 26 (Sun) 4 p.m. Foy Hall Moravian College Jazz Combos I & II; Tony Gairo and Lou Lanza, directors
March 27 (Mon) 7:30 p.m. Foy Hall Retumba, dance & music from the Caribbean; $10 adults, $5 senior citizens/LVAIC ID/children 12 & under, free with MC ID
March 30 (Thur) 11:30 a.m. Peter Hall Moravian College Flute Ensemble; Robin Kani, director
March 31 (Fri) 8 p.m. Foy Hall Moravian College Dancers & Guest Artist; donation
April 1 (Sat) 8 p.m. Foy Hall Moravian College Dancers & Guest Artist; donation
April 2 (Sun) 4 p.m. Foy Hall Moravian College Wind Ensemble; James Earl Barnes, director
April 9 (Sun) 4 p.m. Peter Hall Dessert Theatre; $5 all seats
April 14 (Fri) 8 p.m. Foy Hall Moravian College Big Band & Fusion Ensemble; Neil Wetzel and Tony Gairo, directors
April 15 (Sat) 8 p.m. Peter Hall Delta Omicron Musicale
April 16 (Sun) 4 p.m. Peter Hall Moravian College Composers’ Concert
April 18 (Tue) 8 p.m. Foy Hall Moravian College Baroque & Percussion Ensembles; Carol Temlin and Sam Lazzara, directors
April 27 (Thur) 8 p.m. Johnston Hall "For Dancers Only"—Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis; $35 all seats
April 29 (Sat) 8 p.m. Foy Hall Moravian College Choir, Women’s Chorus, Chamber Symphony; Paula Ring Zerkle, director; $5 all seats
April 30 (Sun) 4 p.m. Foy Hall Moravian College Choir, Women’s Chorus, Chamber Symphony; Paula Ring Zerkle, director; $5 all seats