NAME THAT TUNE

VOLUME 8 SUMMER 2004

Don’t forget our new contest – entries should be e-mailed to bmusalum@post.queensu.ca

STUDENT OPERA COMPANYThe Student Opera Company at Queen’s University is operatedat all levels by undergraduate students, and is one of only afew companies in North America offering students the oppor-tunity to perform and produce opera. This year, in their sixthseason, they presented Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, at Kingston’sGrand Theatre.

Orfeo, the most gifted of musicians and son of the god Apollo,lost his wife Euridice to the bite of a poisonous snake. Over-wrought with grief and loss, Orfeo resolves to reclaim Euridicefrom the underworld. With exceptional performances by Chris Mayell as Orfeo, Natalie Teal as Euridice and ChristySeiders as Amore, and a strong and supportive chorus, the operareceived rave reviews.

Director Madeline Young writes, “I think the first thing thatstruck me about the story of Orfeo ed Euridice is not only thenumber of times it has been set to music over the course ofoperatic history, but the diversity of the interpretations. Evenafter hundreds of years, people still relate to this story. One ofthe must beautiful things about this version is Gluck’s abilityto capture the most complex element of the human condition,the ability to feel more than one emotion at once. This infusiongives the opera great depth and provides the opportunity for theartists involved to genuinely put themselves into the production.”

Musical Director Sean Militello writes, “When taking in thiswork our feelings are continually exposed like bare wet handsto raw winter winds. I resolutely believe this to be Gluck’s realintention, the best reason the work endured. In the end, themusic is only a medium for this intention. Like paint on a canvas or words on a page, the pigments, brushes, paper andtypefaces are nothing… what you feel when you engage thework is everything.” For more photos see our website atwww.queensu.ca/music.

www.queensu.ca/music

2 Queen’s Music

HOMECOMING 2003Homecoming 2003 proved to be a wonderful opportunity to have some of the hundreds of photos we have on hand identified andlabeled. The Saturday night dinner was enhanced with entertaining stories from alumni. One story that comes to mind are a fewB.Mus. alumni, who surprisingly enough went back to the student ghetto to visit their old house. We are always happy to hear yourstories and hope to see you at Queen’s this October.

HOMECOMING 2004 The School of Music has planned the following events:

Friday, October 22, 2004

7:30 pmAlumni Reception at the University Club on Stuart Street –cash bar. A wonderful opportunity to get together with “old”faculty and “old” friends, and of course to exchange stories.

Saturday, October 23, 2004

10 amIn the foyer of Harrison LeCaine Hall there will be a veryinformal Messiah Sing-A-Long. You are welcome to bring yourinstrument. Coffee will be served.

12 pmAt 12 noon we will take the official Alumni Photo. Also on displayfor your viewing pleasure will be hundreds of photos of studentsand faculty from years gone by. (Remember some still need tobe identified.)

In a ceremony in Ottawa in 2003 Canada’s Governor-GeneralAdrienne Clarkson presented Professor Emeritus Istvan Anhaltwith the Order of Canada (Officer).

In comments to the Kingston-Whig Standard Anhalt says themotto of the Order of Canada, which translates from Latin as‘they desire a better country,’ aptly describes his music. “I thinkthis tells us why I was so stimulated by living and working inthis country because this country is never a finished project – it’salways in the making, it’s always questioning how I can dothings a bit better.”

Although Istvan Anhalt officially retired from Queen’s Schoolof Music in 1986 he is an active composer (see article on page 7),and an inspiration to us all.

2 pm Special Saturday EventAlumni are welcome to attend a rehearsal of the KingstonSymphony Orchestra at the Grand Theatre as conductor GlenFast, and the KSO will be rehearsing for the premiere of JohnBurge’s Clarinet Concerto. The soloist will be longtime Queen’sprofessor and principal clarinetist of the KSA, Gordon Craig.John Burge has written numerous works for the KingstonSymphony over the years including a Piano Concerto, a TrumpetConcerto, a Symphony and many shorter pieces. Alwaysadmiring Gordon’s virtuosity and musicianship on the clarinet,John has never hesitated to give Gordon a prominent solo passage.Now he is going to give him approximately 25 minutes ofprominence in this new two-movement concerto.

8 pm Saturday Dinner at Megalo’sFor those of you who have fond memories of going to Megalo’safter ensemble concerts, we have decided to hold the alumnidinner there this year. Stories of past and present experiencesat Queen’s would be most welcome! (Headcount figures arealways appreciated – please e-mail Shirley Roth to confirmyour attendance at the dinner – sr14@post.queensu.ca)

ISTVAN ANHALT RECEIVES THE ORDER OF CANADA

Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson with Professor Istvan Anhalt.

Queen’s Music 3

ALUMNI ART DONATIONAndrew Olscher, B.Mus. ’79 (trombone), has generouslydonated several works of art to Queen’s University, includingthe School of Music. The pieces donated to the School of Musicare displayed in Harrison-LeCaine Hall, where they can beenjoyed by students and faculty for years to come.

One striking piece entitled, Summer Garden Mix, which is in the main foyer, has received an enormous amount of positive comments from students, faculty and staff. Marcy(Swance) Satnik, B.Mus.’03, was immediately struck by thebold textures, then was surprised to hear that the painting wasnot commissioned especially for that location. Depending onthe time of day and the amount of sun coming into the build-ing through the skylights, the flowers in the painting becomeboth magical and lifelike.

In addition to holding a B.Mus. degree from Queen’s,Andrew Olscher was a scholarship winner to the Banff Schoolof Fine Arts, where he studied with the Canadian Brass. As awriter Andrew’s commentaries and articles have been publishedby a number of local and major newspapers including theToronto Star and The Globe and Mail; and to round out his artisticskill set, he recently earned his first degree black belt in TaeKwon Do.

Andrew’s bold thickly textured, acrylic paintings and plastercast and clay sculptures have been shown and purchased byprivate and corporate collectors and galleries both locally andinternationally. Drawing on a rich multicultural heritage andmulti disciplined artistic experiences, Andrew began paintingas an experiment in expression of “simple notions of beauty.”“I had no intention of making any social or political statement,”

he explains. Ironically that changed when he was invited toexhibit his work some years ago in Barbados, at the Village ofHope, in association with a United Nations Global Conferencethat dealt with environmental issues. Showing my work as asymbol of ‘environmental hope’ really changed the way I lookat what I do. In an interview he stated, “there is no doubt inmy mind that working in one artistic medium reflects heavilyon the others. As a self-taught visual artist I am very aware ofthe effects that my classical training has had on my work.There is a very obvious connection between how I perform asa visual and martial artist, writer, musician and actor. I couldnot be one without being the other.”

Andrew Olscher beside Summer Garden Mix

This has been another full and exciting year in the School ofMusic. You can read about many of the events and develop-ments that took place in these pages. I take this opportunity tohighlight the fact that 2003/04 saw the inaugural class of theConcurrent Education students in music program [B.Mus./B.Ed.].Queen’s is one of the few universities in the province to offerthis much sought after program. The response from ConEdmusic students finishing their first year of the program hasbeen overwhelmingly positive, and to quote one, “The ConEdmusic program at Queen’s is turning out to be everything Ihad hoped for, and more.”

I am pleased to report that there is serious interest in, andincreasing support for, the construction of a much neededRecital Hall attached to Harrison-LeCaine Hall. We are work-ing hard on this project in conjunction with the Faculty of Arts & Science, and the Office of Advancement at Queen’s, inthe hope that this longstanding dream may become a reality.

Finally, I take this opportunity to ask of you all a favour. We are in the process of establishing a computer database ofthe professional activities of B.Mus. alumni and BAH (music)alumni. We know that many of you now have various careers

in music and other areas, and we would like to consolidate this information.

Many thanks for your help with this project, keep in touch,and my sincere best wishes,

Gordon E. Smith

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR

We would greatly appreciate it if you would take a few minutesto answer the following questions. Please send your responsesdirectly to the e-mail address below.

1. If you went on to graduate programs (composition, theory,musicology, ethnomusicology, other) following yourundergraduate degree at Queen’s, we would like to knowwhere, if you had funding, and what degree(s) you completed.This includes those of you who went to Faculties of Education.

2. What are your current professional activities (i.e., position, etc.)?

Please reply to bmusalum@post.queensu.ca

Also, check the School of Music website. We plan to set up alink for responses to these questions.

4 Queen’s Music

GUITAR ROAD TRIP TO YALE UNIVERSITYThe Yale School of Music and Benjamin Verdery hosted the2003 Yale Guitar Extravaganza in November of 2003. The oneday event featured several guitar concerts, lectures and masterclasses, including the Canadian Guitar Quartet, ThomasHumphrey, Dennis Koster and the main event, an eveningconcert by Roland Dyens.

Queen’s guitarists with Ben Verdery at the Yale School of Music.From left to right: Dennis Koster, Jim Thorpe, Robin Ghosh,Rebecca Phillips (kneeling in front), Ben Verdery (back row, cen-tre), Jesse Fegelman, Matt Hills, Jeff Hanlon and Mike Matthews.

CONCERTO/ARIA COMPETITIONThe 2004 Concerto/Aria Competition took place on Saturday,January 17, and Sunday, January 18, 2004 in Dunning HallAuditorium. The Saturday event involved a preliminaryround followed by the finals on Sunday afternoon.

Five students performed in the finals, which were open tothe public. The event was well attended by fellow students,faculty and friends, and the level of musicianship was extremelyhigh. The Kingston Symphony was represented by its musicdirector, Glen Fast, the Queen’s Symphony Orchestra by itsconductor, Gordon Craig, and the Merriam School of Music by

its head of Human Resources, Linda Fowle. The winner of the Kingston Symphony prize was third-year

B.Mus. soprano, Christy Seiders, with first-year B.Mus. pianist,Maggie Ho, winning the Queen’s Symphony prize. Fourth-yearB.Mus. soprano, Sharon Tikiryan, won the Merriam Scholarshipwhich, in addition to excellence in performance, also considersthe student’s academic record and potential for teaching. Thisevent proved to be so successful that the School of Music’sScholarship Committee is planning to follow the same processnext year.

PERFORMANCEThe performance area at the School of Music enjoyed anotheryear of stimulating events, and after several piano festivals,2003/04 saw the first Voice Festival in the School.

The School also enjoyed recitals and lecture-recitals bypianists Pam Reimer, Yoko Hirota, Tarina Kim and laureate ofthe IBLA Grand Prize International Piano Competition, ChieTsuyuki. French pianist, Pascal Gallet, who appeared in thePAO’s Faculty Recital Series, gave a stimulating master class.Other concerts in that series featured Gisele Dalbec withMichel Szczesniak and Lakshmi Ranganathan.

Guest performers included the jazz group, Primal Orbitand saxophonist, Mike Anklewicz, B.Mus ’99 who also gave amaster class for current students. Alexander Technique practi-tioner, Malcolm Balk, a frequent visitor in the School, providedan excellent workshop for string students as well as a lecture-demonstration for all students.

Faculty members, Gisele Dalbec, Michel Szczesniak andBruce Kelly appeared as soloists with the Kingston SymphonyOrchestra. In its season, the KSA performed works by com-posers John Burge, and world premieres by Istvan Anhalt, andAlfred Fisher.

David Bender, Barbara Meister-Bender (back) Natalie Teal, MaggieHo, Sef Wood, Cady Pocrnich, Ireneus Zuk (front) Christy Seiders, Ali Bachert, Jaclyn Cunningham, Nicole Vaillancourt.

IBLA COMPETITION WINNER IN RECITALIn February, 2004 the School of Music presented Chie Tsuyuki,laureate of the 2003 IBLA Grand Prize International Piano Competition, in an impressive piano recital in Dunning HallAuditorium. A grant from the Japan Foundation in Torontomade it possible to invite Miss Tsuyuki for concerts at Queen’sand McGill Universities. This is the third time in the past fewyears that the Foundation’s financial support has made it possible to present a promising young Japanese artist.

Queen’s Music 5

CANADIAN COMPOSERS: JOHN BECKWITH, CLERMONT PÉPINThe School of Music had the great privilege of being visited bytwo of the country’s foremost composers, John Beckwith andClermont Pépin.

John Beckwith spoke on The Music of Canada: Some ResearchTopics. His compositions cover a broad range of genres and muchof Beckwith’s music connects with historical or regional themesof Canada. Beckwith holds honorary doctorates from five Canadianuniversities, was recipient of the Canadian Music Council’sannual medal in 1972 and Composer of the Year citation in 1984, as well as the Toronto Arts award for music in 1995 and theDiplome d’honneur of the Canadian Conference of the Arts in 1996. In 1987 he was named a member of the Order of Canada.

Clermont Pépin was at Queen’s University as this year’s distinguished Michener Visitor. He presented an illustrated public lecture entitled, The Creative Process/Le processus createur.Pépin has written more than 80 works for a range of musicalensembles and several articles about his works have appeared inspecialized studies. He has won several awards, including threescholarships from CAPAC, the Prix d’Europe in 1949 and the Prix de Composition of Radio-Luxembourg in 1955. In 198l,Pépin became Officer of the Order of Canada

in recognition of his contribution to the advancement of music in this country. During Pépin’s visit, the Kingston Symphony performed L’Oiseau-Phenix, Suite for Orchestra, one of Pepin’scolourful orchestral pieces.

Istvan Anhalt, John Beckwith, John Burge, Clermont Pepin, Alfred Fisher.

VISITING PERFORMER MATHIAS WÜRSCH

Swiss percussionist Mathias Würsch performing a compositionfor solo percussion and live electronic music titled, Food byMax Eugen Keller in a concert of live electronic music atQueen’s School of Music, March 1, 2004. Compositions performedby Mathias Würsch and composer Thomas Kessler at the concertincluded Food by Max Eugen Keller, Le Corps a Corps by GeorgeAsperghis, and Drum Control by Thomas Kessler.

VOICEIt has been a busy year for the voice area and due to increasednumbers we are happy to welcome new instructor DianneBaird, who is from the Ottawa area.

In December, Christy Seiders and Sharon Tikiryan wereasked to perform with the Kingston Symphony Orchestra attheir Christmas concert at St. Mary’s Cathedral. As well,Natalie Teal and Madeline Young were featured in the roles ofFrasquita and Mercedes, respectively, in the Kingston Symphony’sperformance of Carmen. Elsewhere in the newsletter are featureson: The Queen’s Student Opera’s performance of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, the very successful Tribute to Gilbert and Sullivan and the Concerto/Aria Competition.

In early March the School of Music presented VoiceFest,Opus 1, made possible by a grant from the George TaylorRichardson Memorial Fund. During the first weekend, two ofQueen’s University School of Music alumni, Jessica Sage andPeter Blanchet presented recitals. Peter Blanchet gave a masterclass with the voice students and Jessica Sage met with performance students to talk about the path of her career. The following weekend, Toronto soprano, Kathryn Domoneypresented a recital and master class. Barbara Meister-Benderand David Bender, from New York City, conducted workshopswith the voice students, culminating in a student recital.

6 Queen’s Music

A TRIBUTE TO GILBERT & SULLIVAN

In February, 2004 Queen’s School of Music and the KingstonWhig-Standard presented A Tribute to Gilbert and Sullivan, featuring the Queen’s Orchestra, directed by Gordon Craigand Queen’s voice students.

Favourites from Mikado, HMS Pinafore, The Gondoliers, and of course Pirates of Penzance entertained audiences, and thisexciting fundraiser was not only a joy to participate in, but also a joy to watch.

Chris Mayell delighted (perhaps shocked) audiences withhis unofficial version of I Am the Very Model of a Major General. (Perhaps all vertically challenged individuals should not readthe following):

“And now tonight I sing for you at this fine University,

Though forced to take out florid words that had too much perversity,

So I’ll avoid the issues that I have been told to stay clear of,

Like how the maestro one-foot-seven inches – I do stand above.”

“My observations of this school astute with all my where-with-all,

Find rum a 30-year-old plan that still yields no Recital Hall,

And students who sustain themselves on coffee booze and auto-fry,

(Ooo, auto fry)

Whose only aspiration is to someday, win the “l o t t e r y”.

And so I take my leave of you and set a course for out-to-sea,

Where drinking’s so much cheaper than when going out to the QP.

And so I offer sentiment conclusive circumlittoral,

I AM THE VERY MODEL OF A MODERN MAJOR GENERAL!”

SAMBA WORKSHOPIn addition to a performance at Grant Hall this year, the newlyformed samba group, World Beats, was proud to kick off thefirst day of activities at International Development Week lastFebruary. Their workshop provided a comprehensive look intoroots of Samba music, including a lecture, an instrument demon-stration, dancing and an informal jam session at the end.

Guiomar Campbell, a native of Brazil, (now living inCanada), captivated her audience with her vast knowledge ofBrazilian dance, music and culture. Guiomar recently receivedan award from the Ministry of Multiculturalism, and she hasalso has been recognized for her contributions in promotingBrazilian culture in Toronto.

World Beats look forward to a very successful year in 2004/05.

Kelly-Anne Vander Meer

Guiomar Campbell

Queen’s Music 7

KINGSTON SYMPHONY 50TH ANNIVERSARYAs part of the 50th Anniversary for the Kingston SymphonyAssociation there were world premieres by two past directorsof Queen’s School of Music. Our most sincere thanks to Dr. DrewStephen, Sessional Professor in Musicology at the School of Musicfor his insightful reviews of the two spectacular symphonies.

ISTVAN ANHALT: The Tents of AbrahamOn January 11, 2004 a sell-out audience was on hand in GrantHall to witness the premiere of Istvan Anhalt’s ambitious newwork, The Tents of Abraham. Inspired by the story of Abraham,as depicted in the Book of Genesis and set in the dry heat ofthe Middle Eastern desert, the subject matter seemed farremoved from the inclement weather outside. And yet not sodistant from current world events. Anhalt was drawn to thesubject by contemplating the situation in the Middle East.Focusing on Abraham as a central figure in both the Bible andthe Koran, he attempts an understanding of the root causes ofthe current conflict while also suggesting a possible resolution.The work is dedicated to “the peace-seeking descendants ofIsaac and Ishmael,” a reference to Abraham’s two sons who,respectively, have a special status for the followers of Judaismand Islam.

The first of five movements depicts the desolation of thebarren desert through widely spaced chords sustained in thestrings. The second movement focuses on Abraham’s destruc-tion of idols in his search for the one true God. To realize thisevent, a new percussion instrument was constructed from sev-eral large pieces of scrap metal suspended by chains from thehooks of a three-metre long rack. When vigorously attacked bymallets at the end of the movement, it produced a racket bothmemorable and spectacular. The final three movements areplayed without a break. The third movement conveys the strifebetween Abraham’s wife, Sarah, and his concubine, Hagar.The fourth movement, although innocently titled Boys’ Games,is a dramatic contest between Abraham’s sons, Ishmael andIsaac (born, respectively, to Hagar and Sarah). The final movement addresses God’s promises to Isaac and Ishmael. It concludes with delicate string melodies that gradually fadeaway leaving the listener with the poignant anguish of theevents depicted, but also the hope for a better future.

The Tents of Abraham is a work of great breadth, power, andoriginality. In sharing his personal feelings about the tragic situation in which two intense peoples, the Jews and the Muslums,find themselves, Anhalt has created a deeply moving workthat is relevant to our times. The Kingston Symphony Associa-tion and conductor Glen Fast must also be applauded for aninterpretation that was utterly confident and convincing. Theperformance has been preserved in a live recording and will be released on the Centrediscs label as part of the CanadianComposers Portraits series.

ALFRED FISHER: La Rosa EnfloreceAlfred Fisher’s La Rosa Enflorece, was commissioned with thesupport of The Canada Council for the Arts and given its première on March 7, 2004 in the Grand Theatre. Scored forsolo ‘cello and orchestra, it is a moving and intensely poeticwork that will make a welcome addition to the repertoire.

Dr. Fisher possesses a rare ability to speak directly to the listener, albeit on a complex and challenging level. This abilityis particularly evident in La Rosa Enflorece. The title, whichtranslates into English as “The Rose Blooms,” refers to anancient love song of the Sephardic Jews of Spain. This referenceprovides the piece with an epic quality but also has personalsignificance. “My mother,” Fisher explains, “was a Rosa anda Sephardite.” Although its program is not made explicit, thework’s essence is suggested by the titles given to the twomovements: el mundo de esfuenyos (the world of dreams) and la rosa se muere (death of the rose). Following this outline, La rosa constructs and reconstructs, fragments and regenerates,until finally it rises to the surface unabstracted and lyric. The moment of realization, however, is short lived. It recedesto a half-light, a whisper over which a new “voice” is heard. Resistance follows, but ultimately the course is marked. Thework ends in mystery and serenity.

The piece was realized brilliantly both by the soloist, cellist Tanya Prochazka, and by the members of the KingstonSymphony Association under music director Glen Fast. La Rosa Enflorece is a complex work that is laden with a senseof intimacy and emotional depth. Particularly noteworthy isDr. Fisher’s effective use of orchestration and the variety ofharmonic languages, both of which contributed to the broadscope of expression. In preparing the work, Prochazka’sapproach was to “transcend cello,” thereby conveying thedeeper truths of the music. This intensity and sincerity ofexpression was apparent throughout the performance and notlost on the audience members. The response was overwhelm-ingly warm, supportive, and enthusiastic. Although obviouslya personal work for Dr. Fisher, the music speaks powerfullyfor itself, affecting listeners and players alike.

Ed Reifel B.Mus.’95, Tim Francome, Geoff Crowson B.Mus’93, L.Mus.’94,Greg Runions B.Mus.’80, Istvan Anhalt.

8 Queen’s Music

MUSIC INNOVATIONSNew School of Music Brochure/Poster – In ourongoing efforts to attract the highest quality students to theB.Mus. program at Queen’s, a committee was formed underthe direction of Ireneus Zuk, to design a new brochure for theSchool of Music.

Electronic Teaching – By September, 2004 Harrison-LeCaine will be equipped for electronic teaching, and facultymembers will be able to use technology to the fullest.

New Student Lockers – The large orange lockers inthe basement of Harrison-LeCaine Hall have been replacedwith new more secure lockers to ensure instrument safety.

New Computers in CLAMThis Fall CLAM will have six new computers, all of which willhave software to assist students with Ear Training and SightSinging. For those alumni who found Ear Training and SightSinging to be somewhat of a challenge, you will know howwelcome this software comes to current students.

Many thanks to faculty members of Queen’sSchool of Music for their contributions.Thanks also to Elaine Silverman and Sheri Wilson.

Editor Shirley C. RothDirector Dr. Gordon E. SmithAlumni Liaison Dr. Rudi Schnitzler

ALUMNI INFORMATION FORMNews items of current activities are welcomed for publication in our Alumni Newsletter. Your accomplishments are a source ofpride for us. Please submit material by 1 January 2005 for inclusion in our next issue.

Send us your new address if you move.

Name Degree and Graduation Year

Home Address Business Address

City Prov./State Country Postal/Zip code

Email Address Fax Number Telephone

Contest response: Due 1 September 2005Send to: Shirley Roth, Editor, Alumni Newsletter, School of Music, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6Fax: 613.533.6808 Email: bmusalum@post.queensu.caIf you do not wish to receive our newsletter please let us know. d

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INSTRUMENT DONATIONSIf you are interested in donating an instrument of good qualityto Queen’s School of Music, please remember that you are enti-tled to a Gift-In-Kind deduction on your Income Tax Return.Queen’s University will issue a tax receipt when: a) the instru-ment has been appraised by a qualified appraiser (at thedonor’s expense), and b) the instrument has been received bythe university. Those interested in making a donation, pleasecontact us at (613) 533-2066 or e-mail the alumni Newsletter:bmusalum@post.queensu.ca

ELEVATOR IN HARRISON-LeCAINE HALLThanks to grant money from the Renovations and AlterationsFund, Harrison-LeCaine Hall now has an elevator. This longawaited elevator was well worth the wait, as the architecturaldesign has allowed for level access to the building, with accessto the elevator from a new outside lobby. It took one day forthe elevator to be of assistance to individuals with disabilities.It will also be used for instrument moves as well as for receivinglarge deliveries. In fact when you view the Harrison-LeCaine Hallfrom Queen’s Crescent, the building finally looks finished.