naz notes fall 2009

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From the Department Chair The Department of Music is a busy place, and as we begin the fall semester, we have a record number of 186 undergraduate music majors in the 7 programs we currently offer. There are 22 students enrolled in the graduate program in music education and we work cooperatively with the Department of Theatre to support the Bachelor of Science in Music Theatre, as well as the Creative Arts Therapy Department to support the Master of Science in Creative Arts Therapy with a Music Therapy Specialization. Additionally, our Community Music Program enrolls over 185 students in lessons and classes, as well as 75 students in the Bach Children’s Chorus in residence at Nazareth College. We are fortunate that many of you graciously provide gifts to the Department of Music each year. We use those gifts to send students to professional conferences, support international travel, and provide instruments that are above and beyond our operating budget. Your gifts have allowed our students to enrich their Nazareth education with valuable insights into the various professions as they attend conferences with faculty, students, and practitioners from other schools. This year we will be preparing for our reaccreditation from the National Association of Schools of Music. As a part of this process, we have an Alumni Survey that we would like to ask you to complete and return by October 15. Please see the instructions within NAZNOTES. Your participation will not only help us in our efforts to maintain our credentials, it will be a means by which we can develop our curriculum to meet the ever-changing and complex needs in the workplace. Our best wishes for a great year. If you are on campus, please don’t hesitate to stop by for a visit! Dr. James Douthit, Chair Professor of Music ALUMNI NEWSLETTER Fall 2009 The Department of Music is excited to announce that the recent trip to Poland featuring the Nazareth Choir and several Nazareth music faculty is now leading to the establishment of an exchange program between Nazareth College and the University of Rzeszów, Poland. The College will be hosting the University of Rzeszów Choir this Fall, and Nazareth has been invited to return for a series of performances in Poland and Hungary in 2011. There are also plans to expand the exchange program to include other departments at both institutions. "Nazareth's Department of Music has long been a place where strong teachers, therapists, performers, scholars and liberal arts students have been educated, nurtured and transformed into musicians who will be leaders in their vocations," said Dr. James Douthit, Chair of Nazareth's Department of Music. "I believe this trip and the impressions made by our department are tangible evidence that more and more people are beginning to discover something we've known for a long time: The Nazareth College Department of Music has a transformational effect on the lives of our students. And in turn our local, regional, and now worldwide, communities benefit as well." The Nazareth College Choir trip occurred this past Spring. It was organized by Dr. Zbigniew Granat, assistant professor of music at Nazareth, a native of Poland. "Dr. Granat organized the trip to perfection," said Douthit. "This was his home turf and he did more than his fair share to make sure the performances were well-received and well-attended, that the audiences understood our texts, that our students experienced the new culture, and that our faculty were introduced to Polish leaders in the community and in the arts." The Nazareth College Choir, directed by Dr. Mark Zeigler, performed three concerts in Poland at the Theodor Leszetycki School of Music in Lancut, the La Salette Church in Rzeszów, and the Institute of Music of the University of Rzeszów. The repertoire included Mozart's Regina Coeli, Randall Thompson's setting of Robert Frost's poetry, Aaron Copland's Stomp Your Foot, and two gospel pieces presented in authentic style. Douthit and Nazareth voice faculty members, Soo Yeon Kim and JJ Hudson, also performed with the group, along with Nazareth pianist Sarah Rhee. When our Nazareth musicians return to Poland in two years, the choir will join together with the Institute of Music Choral Ensembles to sing with the Rzeszów Philharmonia in its newly remodeled performance hall. Dr. Douthit has been invited to perform two concertos with the Rzeszów orchestra, and Drs. Kim and Hudson have been invited to return as soloists. Exchange Program with University of Rzeszów, Poland Department of Music NAZ Notes

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Nazareth College Department of Music Alumni Newsletter

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Page 1: Naz Notes Fall 2009

From the Department Chair

The Department of Music is a busy place, and as we begin the fall semester, we have a record number of 186 undergraduate music majors in the 7 programs we currently offer. There are 22 students enrolled in the graduate program in music education and we work cooperatively with the Department of Theatre to support the Bachelor of Science in Music Theatre, as well as the Creative Arts Therapy Department to support the Master of Science in Creative Arts Therapy with a Music Therapy Specialization. Additionally, our Community Music Program enrolls over 185 students in lessons and classes, as well as 75 students in the Bach Children’s Chorus in residence at Nazareth College.

We are fortunate that many of you graciously provide gifts to the Department of Music each year. We use those gifts to send students to professional conferences, support international travel, and provide instruments that are above and beyond

our operating budget. Your gifts have allowed our students to enrich their Nazareth education with valuable insights into the various professions as they attend conferences with faculty, students, and practitioners from other schools.

This year we will be preparing for our reaccreditation from the National Association of Schools of Music. As a part of this process, we have an Alumni Survey that we would like to ask you to complete and return by October 15. Please see the instructions within NAZNOTES. Your participation will not only help us in our efforts to maintain our credentials, it will be a means by which we can develop our curriculum to meet the ever-changing and complex needs in the workplace.

Our best wishes for a great year. If you are on campus, please don’t hesitate to stop by for a visit!

Dr. James Douthit, ChairProfessor of Music

A L U M N I N E W S L E T T E R Fall 2009

The Department of Music is excited to announce that the recent trip to Poland featuring the Nazareth Choir and several Nazareth music faculty is now leading to the establishment of an exchange program between Nazareth College and the University of Rzeszów, Poland. The College will be hosting the University of Rzeszów Choir this Fall, and Nazareth has been invited to return for a series of performances in Poland and Hungary in 2011. There are also plans to expand the exchange program to include other departments at both institutions.

"Nazareth's Department of Music has long been a place where strong teachers, therapists, performers, scholars and liberal arts students have been educated, nurtured and transformed into musicians who will be leaders in their vocations," said Dr. James Douthit, Chair of Nazareth's Department of Music. "I believe this trip and the impressions made by our department are tangible evidence that more and more people are beginning to discover something we've known for a long time: The Nazareth College Department of Music has a transformational effect on the lives of our students. And in turn our local, regional, and now worldwide, communities benefit as well."

The Nazareth College Choir trip occurred this past Spring. It was organized by Dr. Zbigniew Granat, assistant professor of music at Nazareth, a native of Poland. "Dr. Granat organized the trip to perfection," said Douthit. "This was his home turf and he did more than his fair share to make sure the performances were well-received and well-attended, that the audiences understood our texts, that our students experienced the new culture, and that our faculty were introduced to Polish

leaders in the community and in the arts."

The Nazareth College Choir, directed by Dr. Mark Zeigler, performed three concerts in Poland at the Theodor Leszetycki School of Music in Lancut, the La Salette Church in Rzeszów, and the Institute of Music of the University of Rzeszów. The repertoire included Mozart's Regina Coeli, Randall Thompson's setting of Robert Frost's poetry, Aaron Copland's Stomp Your Foot, and two gospel pieces presented in authentic style. Douthit and Nazareth voice faculty members, Soo Yeon Kim and JJ Hudson, also performed with the group, along with Nazareth pianist Sarah Rhee.

When our Nazareth musicians return to Poland in two years, the choir will join together with the Institute of Music Choral Ensembles to sing with the Rzeszów Philharmonia in its newly remodeled performance hall. Dr. Douthit has been invited to perform two concertos with the Rzeszów orchestra, and Drs. Kim and Hudson have been invited to return as soloists.

Exchange Program with University of Rzeszów, Poland

Department of Music NAZNotes

Page 2: Naz Notes Fall 2009

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Keyboard Notes

Mozart's Così fan tutte

The Nazareth College Opera Workshop will soon present a fully staged production of Mozart’s masterpiece, Così fan tutte. Director Dr. Robert Strauss and music director Dr. Linda Boianova are thrilled to be able to have the opportunity to stage this seminal work of the operatic canon. Strauss says, “It takes just the right complement of players to cast this particular work, and opera workshops can wait years to have an ideal group of students to stage it. We are thrilled to have everyone in place this academic year, as well as having it occur in the year that the Nazareth College Arts Center reopens.” The opera will be performed in the newly renovated Callahan Theatre on February 19th at 7:30 PM and February 21st at 2:00 PM. The opera will be double-cast, with one group of six singers performing the entire work on their own Friday night, including faculty members Dr. JJ Hudson and Dr. Kimberly Upcraft-Russ; for the Sunday matinee, a group of twelve students will divide up the opera in a kind of operatic relay race. Students involved include Julia Natoli, Kate Keating, Nicholas Gerling, and Zach Ligas performing the full roles, and Laura Isabella, Christina Wojtanik, Megan Bailey, Stephanie Kawzenuk, Alison Hearty, Kailey Pulos, Amy Schnitzler, Jeffrey Cannon, Jordan Johnson, Justin Soble, Michael Boerner, and Ryan Gerling in the tag team version.

Così fan tutte is one of Mozart's glorious collaborations with librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte in which a lampooning of the upper class played against the strength and ingenuity

of their lower class servants. The opera will be presented in English, to allow our audience to better understand the poignant humor. The center of its plot is the seduction of two sisters by the other's suitor in disguise; the audience is left to figure out exactly what ultimately happens to the couples. Do they end up together? Do they switch partners? Do they move on separately? This is left up to each director to decide, and we cannot wait to find out what is in store for the poor sisters and their hapless boyfriends.

The Nazareth College Opera Workshop strives to give our students the opportunity to perform in works from the operatic repertoire, encouraging as much diversity as possible. In the past several years, the workshop has presented scenes programs, including Women in Pants . . . and other strange stories, and Some Hot Guy and a game of cards, both of which included works from the Baroque era to the present. It has presented fully staged operas as well, ranging from the Gilbert & Sullivan operetta, Trial by Jury, Benjamin Britten’s psychological thriller, The Turn of the Screw, and to the New York State premiere of Felice by Benton Hess. Most recently, the Workshop presented five contemporary one-act operas, including works by Paul Hindemith, Robert Ward and Gian Carlo Menotti.

Friday, February 19, 2010 at 7:30 pmSunday, February 21, 2010 at 2:00 pm

Callahan Theater, Arts Center

The Nazareth College Department of Music piano area is pleased to announce the inauguration of The Advanced Certificate in Piano Pedagogy. Already approved by the National Association of Music Schools and the New York State Board of Education, this 15-credit graduate program provides specialized investigation into piano methods, teaching philosophies, the literature for the instrument, developmental theories and piano technique. Comprehensive strategies for teaching, choosing instructional materials and repertoire, understanding the business aspects of studio teaching, pursuing current topic research, along with teaching observation and feedback, and portfolio outcomes for MTNA certification are included in the curriculum. You can learn more at naz.edu/dept/music/degree/keyboard.cfm

Nazareth piano students continue active development as performing musicians. David Pacific (piano performance)

played the Ginastera Sonata No. 1 in a master class with Douglas Humpherys here at Nazareth. Elaine Vuong (music therapy), Jessica Jarvis (music therapy) and Julia Broman (music history) performed in a master class with Michael Salmirs. Piano students were prominent in this year’s Music at St. Andrews recital and several students performed Honors, Performance degree and Senior recitals. Piano Ensemble students contributed a piano quartet arrangement of Faure’s Dolly Suite to the annual Family Weekend recital and continued the traditional Holiday program at the Friendly Home.

Our members of the piano faculty were busy as well this past year. "Is Music in My Student’s Future" was the topic for the fifth annual Nazareth Keyboard Forum presented by keyboard faculty to area piano teachers last October. More recently, June 21 – 27 was a particularly active week for faculty. Gail Berenson, immediate past president of MTNA,

was the featured clinician in our annual Summer Piano Pedagogy Workshop co-sponsored with the Rochester Piano Teachers Guild and NYSMTA District 12. The Pedagogy Workshop was followed by an open house celebration of our Advanced Certificate in Piano Pedagogy. The week culminated with the first annual Nazareth College Summer Piano Camp, attended by a lively group of piano students from as far away as Albany.

Facilities for pianists continue to improve here in the Wilmot Music Building. In addition to our two Steinway D's in Wilmot Hall, we now have a beautiful Schimmel concert grand for Linehan Chapel. We have also acquired a Steinway B for James Douthit’s new studio in the former Admissions House, four Steinway uprights and a Petrof upright. We hope you will join us at one of our musical events, or just stop to say “hello” when you are in the area.

Page 3: Naz Notes Fall 2009

Tony Bisbano, class of 2006

The Nazareth College Symphony Orchestra (NCSO) is gearing up for an exciting 2009–2010 season featuring faculty and students in concert under the direction of conductor Nancy Strelau. The season opener on October 23rd, entitled “20th Century Consonance”, features guitar professors Petar Kodzas and Jeffrey Miller in a performance of Joaquin Rodrigo’s evocative Concierto Madrigal for two guitars and orchestra. We celebrate the 2010 centennial of Samuel Barber in a performance of his First Essay for Orchestra, followed by audience favorites Vocalise (Rachmaninoff), Bolero (Ravel) and the final sections of The Firebird Suite (Stravinsky).

The Nazareth College Chamber Orchestra (NCCO) joins NCSO on November 14th to present more audience favorites starting with Camille Saint-Saëns’ Danse Macabre. The Winter’s Passed for oboe and orchestra by Rochester composer Wayne Barlow features faculty oboist Euridice Alvarez. Borodin’s intense Noctourne from his String Quartet No. 2 follows and the music making concludes in a

Nazareth College Symphony Orchestracolorful rendition of Prokofiev's Lt. Kjie Suite.

Winners of the NCSO Aria & Concerto Competition are featured in solo performances with the orchestra on March 5th, in a program featuring the powerful and passionate Symphony No. 6 ("Pathetique") by Pyotr Tchaikovsky.

A newly composed work, Echo of a Footfall, by Philip Klein, a former composition student of Professor Strelau’s and featuring trumpet professor Barbara Hull, is the centerpiece of the NCSO’s Annual Spring Concert on April 11th. Cello professors Kathleen Kemp and Sandra Halleran are highlighted in a performance of Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Cellos, and Respighi’s Ancient Airs and Dances round out this program of light classics.

All concerts are free and open to the public and take place in Linehan Chapel on the Nazareth campus. Experience the excitement and passion of these young musicians while supporting your Music Department!

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The sixteen months between February of 1809 to June of 1810 comprise a particularly notable annus mirablis in the history of music, during which time the beloved Romantic composers Felix Mendelssohn (2/3/09), Frederic Chopin (3/1/10) and Robert Schumann (6/8/10) were born. The Nazareth College Department of Music has selected the youngest of these three for a commemorative concert series during the upcoming school year. Five recitals featuring Robert Schumann’s music will showcase the performance faculty of the Department. Each of the programs will present a variety of his solo piano, vocal, instrumental and chamber works. In light of some of

the remarkable elements of his life (the love story of Robert and Clara, the relationship of his psychosis and creativity, his work as one of the most significant journalists of his time, his fascination with cryptography in composition), there will be short talks on these topics offered at four of the concerts by members of the Department faculty.

The five concerts commence in February of 2010 and occur once per month thereafter.

Sunday, February 14 at 3:00 pm The Schumanns' "Song of Love"

Sunday, March 21 at 7:30 pm Schumann's Flights of Fancy

Sunday, April 25 at 3:00 pm Schumann's "Da Vinci Code"

Sunday, May 23 at 7:30 pm

Schumann's Versatile Pen

Tuesday, June 8 at 7:30 pm ...Happy Birthday, Dear Robert...

The final concert on Tuesday, June 8 takes place on the actual 200th birth anniversary. A birthday cake will be one of the highlights of that evening! All concerts will take place in the Gerald G. Wilmot Recital Hall in the Wilmot Music Building. Please refer to the Department of Music Concert Calendar brochure for 2009 – 2010 for details, as well as visiting www.naz.edu/dept/music/events.cfm

A Celebration of Schumann

Page 4: Naz Notes Fall 2009

Faculty Profile: Zbigniew Granat, Assistant Professor

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Musicologist Zbigniew Granat, now in his third year on the faculty of the Nazareth College Department of Music, brings with him the experience of having participated in the some of the twentieth-century's most significant events. As a native of Poland, Zbigniew lived through the 1989 revolution which ended Communist rule in his homeland and the whole of Eastern Europe. “Everybody wanted change at that time,” Zbigniew recalls. “Limits in both economic and political freedom were felt by everyone.” Zbigniew participated in the student protests of the mid-1980s. He remembers being hit by a policeman during a huge protest. As events played out to their historic conclusion, the newly gained freedoms of speech, writing and commerce for Poland provided a true euphoria for the nation.

Upon graduation from the Jagiellonian University of Krakow in 1991, the decision by Zbigniew and his wife, Bozena, to move abroad was facilitated by their fluency in English. They had already fallen in love with Cape Cod during an early exchange program, and, upon making their final move in 1993, settled in the Berkshires. Zbigniew started his Ph.D. studies at Boston University in 1997, commuting back and forth between Boston and western Massachusetts, where Bozena was continuing her studies and teaching in the local schools. His love for American music, jazz in particular, enabled him to maintain professional connections with his homeland as a correspondent for a Polish jazz journal.

Zbigniew enjoyed the benefits of two

different educational traditions. The Polish tradition is an all-encompassing knowledge of the entire literature and its resources. Combined with the more selective and focused approach of American scholarship, with its closer interaction between teacher and student, Zbigniew earned an education which provided him the readiness to teach all areas of history.

Current trends in musicological inquiry, Zbigniew explained in a recent conversation, aim at enhancing the validity and contribution of subjective reactions to the understanding of an artwork, partnering with a more objective analysis. The impact of such a shift would have profound implications for teaching in the Liberal Arts, by encouraging an artwork’s relevance to the contemporary student. For Zbigniew Granat, the goal of teaching music history is for the student to experience a revelation though the encounter with a particular piece. Combining imaginative approaches, such as story lines, with analytical elements, Zbigniew is constantly aiming to make a musical activity more real to the student, to be able to experience the work on several levels simultaneously, most especially to hear it as if with the ears of the time at which it was written. He wants them to engage a piece in a way that can actively inform their experience with the next piece; he wants the student to know that a piece of music is a living organism, not merely a series of formulas being worked out. Zbigniew’s excitement was palpable as he described how receptive his students have been to this sort of creative and personal involvement

in the musical encounter.

Zbigniew was centrally involved with the recent trip to Poland by the Nazareth College Choir. Being so very aware of the cultural and physical beauty of his homeland, it was especially important to Zbigniew that the Nazareth voice students be able to experience them intimately. He recalled the visit to the Kraków Cathedral, where much still exists from Medieval times. Several of the students began to cry, overwhelmed by the grandeur and beauty of the building and all that it represented. A choir from the Music Institute at the University of Rzeszów will be visiting Nazareth in the Spring of 2010, as part of the newly- established exchange program.

Zbigniew is looking ahead with new ideas for the music curriculum here at Nazareth. As he develops new courses, he envisions a greater focus on the music of more recent times, starting with a graduate-level jazz course. He is also involved with online education, and looks forward to offering such courses in the future through Nazareth.

The Advanced Certificate in Piano Pedagogy 15-credit graduate program

For more information, please visit http://www.naz.edu/dept/music/degree/keyboard.cfm or call the Department of Music at 585-389-2700

• Comprehensive strategies for teaching• Developmental theories• Instructional materials, repertoire, musical styles, performance practice• Technical development and healthy practice techniques• Business aspects of studio teaching• Current pedagogical research• Performance skills• Portfolio outcomes to support MTNA Certification

Page 5: Naz Notes Fall 2009

Faculty Profile: Zbigniew Granat, Assistant Professor

One measure of a school’s academic program can be by those graduates who return as members of the faculty. If Alice Sciscioli Pratt is any indication, the Music Education program of the Nazareth College Department of Music is well on its way to establishing a legacy of producing great teachers. Alice has been a Visiting Professor of Music Education since last year, as supervisor of student teachers and seminar and methods teacher. A recent conversation with her revealed an individual whose passion for what she does, for what she so deeply believes in, burns brightly.

Successful professionals often recognize childhood experiences as setting them on their way. Alice’s were filled with the people and opportunities best suited for starting a lifetime in music. Alice’s parents were utterly determined that their children would receive the finest possible education, knowing that it had to start at home. There was deep respect for music in the Sciscioli household. Saturdays meant the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts. Impromptu musicales for relatives and neighbors could take place at almost any time, in the back yard or in the garage. One of Alice’s earliest memories is of sitting on the ground, looking up at a string bass played by her uncle. She and her siblings would just as soon sing a greeting to someone than ring their doorbell. Ed Sullivan, Louis Armstrong, Liberace and Duke Ellington were all welcome “guests” in their home. That she would want music as her life could not have been an easier choice for Alice, as there was simply never any question of it.

Alice’s good musical fortune early on followed her to public school in Rochester. She sang constantly, by herself and in chorus. She played the violin. There was the piano. And there were the nurturing teachers at School #43 and Jefferson High School who, in Alice’s words, “changed her life.” She especially recalls Jerry Exline, her seventh grade vocal music teacher who later became a Nazareth music faculty member. He recognized Alice’s musical potential and encouraged her to play the music of her heart’s desire. He even bartered piano lessons in exchange for products from the family’s milk delivery business.

Alice fell in love with Nazareth after an overnight visit with her sister, a student here (as would be all of the Sciscioli sisters). During a much earlier visit to Nazareth, the three and one-half year old Alice was given a prayer by Sister Irmina, one of the original music faculty members at Nazareth. It still hangs in her bedroom. Several individuals from Alice’s days at Nazareth are remembered with great fondness and gratitude. Sr. Jeanne Troy, Department Chair, taught her to cope with life’s stresses. Donald Hayden’s method classes held her to the highest possible standards. Stanley Gaulke’s guidance with conducting, Robert Hobstetter’s for piano, Sr. Josepha Kennedy’s for music history—all were mentors who left an indelible mark on Alice. Alice made particular mention of her gratitude for the

Nazareth Art Center which provided the opportunity to see a multitude of international dance ensembles. Engaging world cultures this way was simply not available in any other local music school, and it deeply influenced her approaches to rhythm and movement. The liberal arts foundation of Alice’s Nazareth education—literature, history and philosophy, as well as music—planted the seeds of a well-rounded training, for herself and for her own students. Her introduction to Orff Schulwerk training in Donald Hayden’s classes, with its combination of playing, singing, dancing and instrumental ensembles, reflected in this more focused part of her program the broader holistic and comprehensive approach of the school.

Her early years of teaching included social studies and language arts, further convincing Alice of the need for integrated curricula. A child should learn not only how to sing a song, but also its place in cultural history. For an at-risk child, this could be of exceptional importance. If that child could see the connection between the song and his own experience, Alice knew that the child was “hooked”! Maintaining the solid musicianship of her training has been essential. To be versatile with musical styles, to be truly musical with each of the activities—all this has been essential with the students, who could always tell the difference.

Alice’s passion for her work informs her concern for the future of classical music. It remains her goal to inspire young students to love it as much as she. Through her advocacy in professional organizations, workshop presentations, composing and teaching, Alice Pratt continues to inspire and train and lead new practitioners. She has been listed numerous times in “Who’s Who Among American Teachers”. She was the recipient of the Rochester Philharmonic’s Music Educator Award in 1994. As for advice to someone considering following in her professional direction, Alice knows whereof she speaks. Have a great passion for what you intend to do; go after it fully and without doubt or reservation. Build the strongest foundation of skills that you can, and possess a dynamism for teaching them to your students. Come to know a wide range of subjects, so that what you teach is not narrow. Be able to inhabit the music and the composer, even if literally acting the role. Be ready to capture the imagination of your students in whatever way works. Alice Pratt has done this, and those who have been in her classes are the better for it.

Faculty Profile: Alice Pratt, class of 74Visiting Instructor on Music Education

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Page 6: Naz Notes Fall 2009

Alumni Spotlight: Anthony Bisbano, known as Tony to everyone, has embarked on a path rather different from those of his Music Education colleagues in the Nazareth class of 2006. As with all music professionals, he grew up listening constantly to music, playing the piano and percussion since early childhood. Broadway and easy listening music were to be heard in the Bisbano household most days. So it was natural that Tony should pursue music in his college studies. His initial interests in the teaching of music have since given way to the arrangement of music, from small groups to big band, on up to full orchestral works. And given the fine successes Tony has already enjoyed, it is easy to expect that we will see his name more and more in concert programs.

Coming to Nazareth College was an easy choice for Tony. With its reputation as an outstanding school for education, along with its location in his hometown, Tony and Nazareth were a good fit. He was also able to maintain the established contacts he had made while involved with many local production of musicals. While at Nazareth, he found himself evolving into different directions due to the various new opportunities now available to him. For the first time Tony would be able to hear his arrangements done professionally, being surrounded by the enthusiasm, generosity and talents of his student colleagues. Working with violin faculty member David Hult of the Rochester Philharmonic, provided a significant mentoring experience as well. Tony gratefully recalls as well the support, encouragement and guidance of Department Chair James Douthit.

Tony’s first forays into commercial music-making carried with them concerns about the difficulties of breaking into such a vast market. Yet, an email to Jeff Tyzik, Principal Pops Conductor of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, regarding an arrangement was met with not only a positive response but also with strong words of encouragement. A studio recording of an arrangement, done much as an exercise, was sent to several orchestras around the country. The Pittsburgh Symphony replied, and its 2007 Christmas Concert featured a total of three of Tony’s arrangements.

That concert initiated a collaboration with the composer, conductor and arranger Marvin Hamlisch, Principal Pops Conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony. Tony’s first “assignment”

was to work with a song called “Chanukah Lights”, written especially for the PSO. Tony was given a vocal line with lyrics and chords, nothing more. He proceeded to fashion an introduction

and different segues between the verses, providing Tony with an opportunity for original composition along with orchestration. Tony speaks warmly of Marvin Hamlisch’s generosity of feedback and advice regarding his work, always in a supportive and encouraging manner. Tony looks forward to continued work with Mr. Hamlisch’s symphonic orchestrations.

Tony’s “big-name” orchestral collaboration is taking place as well with his “favorite hometown band”, the RPO! Tony interned with the RPO’s Education and Outreach Program in the Fall of 2006. The Orchestra performed Tony’s arrangement of an Irving Berlin standard last

October, and recently programmed two additional arrangements in a May 2009 concert.

Other American orchestras which have performed Tony’s arrangements include the Nashville, San Diego, Syracuse and National Symphonies, along with the Buffalo Philharmonic. Orchestras currently considering Tony’s work include the Boston Pops and the Philadelphia Pops, with Peter Nero. Current projects here in Rochester include a benefit concert for the Golisano Children’s Hospital, an event for which Tony is to be both arranger and conductor. His longer range goals are to work on Broadway, as well as with television and movies.

When asked what sort of advice he might have for students looking ahead to their impending careers in any of the various avenues available in the music field, Tony did not hesitate to share his thoughts. Respect deadlines. Pay attention to the accuracy of even the smallest detail. Build connections by establishing and maintaining good professional relationships. Take on opportunities which come your way, even if there is no pay. And be sure to appreciate your roots in classical music. The foundation for all music is the same—everything starts with a solid knowledge of the classics, which have provided the language and the tools of the trade.

Tony Bisbano is a young man on the rise. Let’s be sure to look for his name in the program of the next pops concert we attend; we are likely to find it!

Tony Bisbano, class of 2006

2009 Alumni Luncheon Reception at the

8th NYSSMA Annual Winter ConferenceSaturday, December 5, 2009

11:00 am - 1:00 pmWe look forward to seeing you there!

Lilac Room, Radission Hotel 120 East Main Street, Rochester

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Page 7: Naz Notes Fall 2009

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Some of our 2009 GraduatesJulia Broman, Bachelor of Arts with major in musicCompleted a semester of study abroad in Japan and will attend the Eastman School of Music to pursue a Masters Degree in Ethnomusicology.

Sarah Chasey, Bachelor of Music in Music PerformanceWill attend the Manhattan School of Music to pursue a Masters Degree in Vocal Performance.

Nick Cicero, Bachelor of Arts with major in musicWill attend the Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse University, to pursue a graduate degree in advertising.

Lindsey Everitt, Bachelor of Music in Music TherapyProvides in-home care and services for adults and children with developmental disabilities through Heritage Christian Services

Nathan Frink, Bachelor of Arts with major in musicReceived a full four-year fellowship from University of Pittsburgh to pursue a PhD in Ethnomusicology with a concentration in Jazz studies.

Kyle Potter, Bachelor of Arts with major in musicWill attend Towson University to pursue a Master of Arts in Developmental Psychology & Certificate in School Psychology

Anne Rimbach, Bachelor of Arts with major in musicSpent the summer at Interlochen School of Music where she received an internship in the study of music librarianship and has joined the Department of Music staff as the new Community Music Program Registrar.

Megan Smith, Bachelor of Music in Music TherapyWas awarded a prestigious music therapy internship at Beth Israel Medical Center and plans to travel to Kenya to implement Arts in Medicine programs at hospitals specializing in the treatment of children with AIDS

Deanna Spiotta, Bachelor of Arts in MusicAccepted in the inaugural class at Liverpool Hope University in the UK to pursue the new Masters of Arts in The Beatles and Popular Music and Society.

Kyle Yacobucci, Bachelor of Music in PerformanceWill attend Bowling Green State University to pursue a Masters of Music in Oboe Performance.

Alums from other recent classes are:• Arranging scores performed by the RPO and the Pittsburgh Symphony for Marvin Hamlisch• Performing in the Miami Opera Company• Music therapist in Saint Barnabas Medical Center, Burn Unit• Music therapist working with oncology and hematology patients at the Norton Cancer Institute Resource Center in Louisville, KY• Freelancing as a Percussionist in Los Angeles,• Teaching in school districts throughout New York State, in Rochester, Tonawanda, Albany, Ilion and Hornell

Perhaps our most famous alum, Jack Allocco, who recently won a Daytime Emmy Award, plans to attend and participate in the Arts Center Opening Weekend PRISM Concert by the Department of Music Ensembles on Sunday, September 27th. Jack will perform one of his Emmy-nominated songs as well as conduct the Nazareth College Symphony Orchestra in a performance of the theme song from the CBS soap opera, "The Bold and the Beautiful" composed by Jack.

Music/Business Program

The inaugural year of the new Bachelor of Science program in Music/Business has gone very well, according to the Program Directors, Dr. Mark Zeigler and Dr. Roy Stein. With ten majors continuing from last year, the core courses for the program are unfolding. Music Business I, taught by Dr. Stein, included a series of guest lecturers. Dr. Zeigler's History of Rock and Roll class was very heavily in demand, both by majors and non-majors. The Introduction to Digital Recording class will use Nazareth’s new state-of-the-art digital recording studio. Students will be working with various recording software platforms and learning the basics of mixing and mastering audio files. They will also be gaining hands-on experience recording performances on- and off-campus. Music Business II will focus primarily on the legal issues confronted in the field of music entertainment, including licensing, publishing, copyright and contract law, along with the many issues created by the rapid changes currently taking place in technology. Student interns will be placed this year at local recording studios, radio stations, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and various other commercial music organizations.

As the program develops, Roy and Mark anticipate the participation of as many as forty majors, including transfer students who would be attracted to the flexibility and the opportunities offered in the Nazareth program. They speak of an expansion of the recording capabilities in the Wilmot Recital Hall, enhancing the skills experience of the students in training as recording engineers as well as the musical experience of the student performers. Music business clubs in the areas of recording and entrepreneurship will soon be established in the Department. Plans are underway for the creation of a rehearsal space to accommodate the needs of the students interested in pop, rock and urban music.

Page 8: Naz Notes Fall 2009

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Fall 2009 Calendar of Music Events

For a full listing of Department of Music events, please call (585) 389-2700 or visit us at www.naz.edu/dept/music/events.cfm

Sun., Sept.13, 3 pm

Sun., Sept. 20, 3 pm

Sat., Sept. 27, 7:00 pm

Fri., Oct. 2, 9:30 am

Sun., Oct. 4, 3 pm

Sun., Oct. 18, 3 pm

Fri., Oct. 23, 7:30 pm

Sat., Oct. 24, 2:30 pm

Sun., Oct. 25, 3 pm

Sun., Nov. 1, 3 pm

Fri., Nov. 6, 7:30 pm

Sat., Nov. 7, 4 pm

Sat., Nov. 14, 4 pm

Latino Nuances, Euridice Alvarez, oboe and voice, Wilmot Hall (WH)

A Low Brass Journey, Chris Van Hof, trombone, WH

Prism Concert, Callahan Theater

Keyboard Forum, Rehearsal Hall

The Glory of the 17th & 18th Century Cello, Colleen McGary-Smith, baroque cello, WH

Britten's Chamber Music, Robert Strauss, tenor, WH

Symphony Orchestra, Linehan Chapel (LC)

Family Weekend Student Recital, WH

Linda Boianova and Friends, Linda Boianova, piano, WH

Jazz Combo, WH

Choirs, LC

Band, LC

Orchestra, LC