Volume 29, No. 27
April 3, 1998
Scott A. Miller
Contact: MU PR Office 662-4844
NEWS
Jazz Fest features bright young sax star
The MU Jazz Ensemble will host one of jazz music's brightest young alto sax stars when the Jim Snidero Quintet performs Saturday, April 4, at 7:30 p.m. in Steadman Theatre.
The concert, which also features the MU Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Michael Galloway, and a local high school jazz ensemble, will culminate the 16th MU Jazz Festival, which annually brings to campus the top recording artists in jazz for a day of performing and clinics.
Snidero has recorded more than 10 CD's as a leader for various domestic and international labels. He's been called "an abundantly talented, criminally under-recognized player at the peak of his powers" by Jazz Times magazine. He has also made a major contribution to the field of jazz education with his innovative "Jazz Conception Series," which made Downbeat Magazine's "highly recommended" list.
Performing with Snidero will be trumpeter Tim Hagans, pianist Mike Ledonne, bassist Dennis Irwin and drummer Tony Reedus. Hagans first broke into the ranks of noted jazz trumpeters when he attended a Stan Kenton summer clinic in 1973 and earned a job offer from the bandleader for the following year. He's also played in Woddy Herman's Thundering Herd and the Gil Evans Orchestra.
Snidero and Hagans will serve as adjudicators during the day and have the opportunity to work with each of the visiting bands.
The evening concert is free and open to the public. It is sponsored in part by Student Activity fees. Snidero and Hagans are sponsored in part by the Selmer Company.
Concert Choir preps for PMEA convention
The MU Concert Choir, under the direction of Peggy Dettwiler, will present a concert on Sunday, April 5, at 7 p.m. in Steadman Theatre.
The concert is one of four performances by the group in preparation for an appearance at the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association State Convention in Erie on April 24. The choir was invited to perform after an extensive screening process involving taped selections of music, performance history, and endorsement by the state PMEA.
This is the fifth convention performance in an impressive series of invitations that includes the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Conference in Wilkes-Barre, PA, in 1993, and the MENC National Convention in Cincinnati, OH, in 1994, and the Eastern Division MENC Conferences in Rochester, NY, in 1995 and in Baltimore, MD, in 1997.
The Concert Choir also traveled to Europe in 1996 and performed in the finals at the "Florilege Vocal de Tours" International Choir Festival in Tours, France, the only North American choir among the 27 choirs from around the world that performed at the festival.
The Concert Choir's program will include selections from the Renaissance to the 20th Century, from the motet to the spiritual. Performing in five languages, the Concert Choir will present works from Italy, Argentina, Hungary, England, Germany, France, and the United States.
Compositions by two women, Lili Boulanger and Diane Loomer, are included among others by Monteverdi, Ligeti, Brahms, Lauridsen, and Wilberg. Accompanying the choir at the piano is Mo Sze But, a senior piano performance major. Other students will play a variety of instruments including bongos, drums, bass guitar, and fiddle.
The Concert Choir is a select ensemble of 48 singers from the Northeast. While most of the students are music majors, membership is open to all students at the university.
Art faculty featured in new exhibit
MU's art department faculty will present a mixed-media exhibit April 6-May 8 titled "(Everything from) Soup-To-Nuts" in the North Hall Gallery.
The show features the work of every faculty member in their area of specialty including: Reginald Carter, computer art and department chair; Bonnie Kutbay, making her faculty exhibit debut, art history plus color and design; Richard Hamwi, drawing, painting, elementary and secondary methods; Thomas Loomis, jewelry, sculpture, crafts and art seminar; Ruthe Anne Miller, fibers; Mindy Kahl, art in the elementary grades; Leslie Kramer, printmaking; Marty Whitehouse, ceramics; Steve Pazzaglia, waterbase media; Paul McMullan, ceramics.
The show's title is indicative of the wide variety of media represented including collages, watercolors, ceramics, prints, fibers, jewelry, sculpture and computer art.
The exhibit is sponsored by the Student Government Association and the MU Fine Arts Committee.
Renowned Austrian choir to perform here
The renowned Vienna choir "Chorus Sine Nomine" will perform a concert of sacred and secular music from the Renaissance to contemporary on Thursday, April 9, at 8 p.m. in Steadman Theatre.
The program will include selections for the Lenten season as well as Austrian folk songs. The 40-voice choir, under the direction of Johannes Hiemetsberger, was formed in 1991 and has accumulated an impressive list of awards. They include first prize in the 17th Austrian Singing Contest in Linz, Austria (1995); first prize at the "Florilege Vocal de Tours" in Tours, France (1996); and first and second prize at the 34th International Choral Contest in Spittal, Austria (1997).
The MU Concert Choir was a finalist in the same "Florilege Vocal de Tours" Festival won by the Vienna choir. This performance by "Chorus Sine Nomine" is a direct result of contacts established on that European trip.
Sunday, April 5, 7 p.m., Steadman. The MU Concert Choir, under the direction of Peggy Dettwiler, will present a concert in preparation for an appearance at the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association State Convention in Erie on April 24. (See above)
Thursday, April 9, 8 p.m., Steadman. The renowned Vienna choir "Chorus Sine Nomine" will perform a concert of sacred and secular music from the renaissance to contemporary. (See above)
Have an Updater announcement? Send it to Scott A. Miller
The baseball team vaulted into a tie for second place in the PSAC East with a 12-8, 9-5 sweep over West Chester University Tuesday. Tim Watkins picked up his fourth win of the season in the opener, scattering eight hits and striking out nine in six innings. Watkins had plenty of help from the Mountaineer offense with Scot Wilcox, Mike Mellott, Scott Costa and Mike Marconi each hitting home runs in MU's 17-hit attack. Adam Lewis and Joe Skelly each had three hits in the opener while Marconi also added a double and three RBI. Mansfield built a 5-1 lead over the first three innings in the nightcap and coasted to a 9-5 win. Lewis rapped out three hits while Mellott's two hits included a triple and two RBI. Jon Raker went five and a third innings to pick up his second win of the year. The Mountaineers moved into a second place tie with Shippenburg University in the PSAC East at 3-1. Surprising Millersville currently leads the standings with a 6-0 mark.
Todd Stewart was the top collegiate finisher in the 10,000 meters while Dave Coyle and Mike Lane finished second in the 400 and 800 meters at the Susquehanna University Track and Field Invitational Saturday. Freshman Lemar Crawford (Philadelphia/Dobbins Tech) led the Mountaineers in field competition finishing second in the triple jump, fourth in the long jump, and fifth in the high jump. Kristen Clark was the top finisher for the women with a sixth place showing in the 5,000 meters at 20:38.02. The team competes at Ithaca College this Saturday.
The softball team's against Millersville was postponed due to poor weather conditions. The game has been tentatively re-scheduled for Sunday, April 5, at 1 p.m. Lutes Field.
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