Bulletin Updates

High School Jazz Band Festival

By February 17th 2017

The Allegheny College Music Department will host a High School Jazz Band Festival on Thursday, March 16, 2017 at 6 p.m. in Allegheny’s Shafer Auditorium. The concert is free and open to the public.

Featured ensembles are the Conneaut Area Blue Note Jazz Band directed by Glenn Cameron, the Meadville Area Senior High School Jazz Band, directed by Armond Walter, General McLane High School’s GM Jazz, directed by Jacob Malec, and the Allegheny College Jazz Band, directed by Stephen F. Corsi.

For more information, please call Stephen F. Corsi at 814-332- 6244.

Source: Academics, Publications & Research

Alexander String Quartet

By February 17th 2017

San Francisco’s award-winning Alexander String Quartet will return to campus for its annual residency at Allegheny College, and will perform in Ford Chapel on Friday, March 10, at 7:30 p.m. The concert is free and open to the public. Early seating is recommended, as the chapel has filled to capacity in previous years.

The Alexander String Quartet includes violinists Zakarias Grafilo and Frederick Lifsitz, violist Paul Yarbrough and cellist Sandy Wilson. Formed in New York City in 1981, ASQ became the first string quartet to win the Concert Artists Guild Competition just a year later.

This year’s concert will showcase Benjamin Britten’s Quartet No. 1 in D Major, and Beethoven’s “Rasumovsky” Quartet in E Minor. It will also feature the Allegheny College Women’s Ensemble in Baldassare Galuppi’s “Dixit Dominus.” Written in the 18th century, the work represents a movement that greatly advanced the role of women as performers.

More information on the quartet can be found at www.asq4.com.

Source: Academics, Publications & Research

Alexander String Quartet Returns to Allegheny for Residency, Performance

By February 17th 2017

San Francisco’s award-winning Alexander String Quartet will return to campus for its annual residency at Allegheny College, and will perform in Ford Chapel on Friday, March 10, at 7:30 p.m. The concert is free and open to the public. Early seating is recommended, as the chapel has filled to capacity in previous years.

The Alexander String Quartet includes violinists Zakarias Grafilo and Frederick Lifsitz, violist Paul Yarbrough and cellist Sandy Wilson. Formed in New York City in 1981, ASQ became the first string quartet to win the Concert Artists Guild Competition just a year later.

In 1985, the ensemble captured international attention as the first American quartet to win the London International String Quartet Competition. The quartet has since performed in major music capitals on five continents, and has established itself as an important advocate of new music through over 30 commissions and numerous premiere performances.

ASQ has a major artistic presence in its homebase of San Francisco, serving there since 1989 as Ensemble in Residence for San Francisco Performances, and Directors of the Morrison Chamber Music Center in the College of Liberal and Creative Arts at San Francisco State University. They have brought theirteaching experience to Allegheny for 27 years through a short annual residency on campus, during which the quartet will visit classes across the academic disciplines to discuss music through an interdisciplinary lens, as well as perform for and with students.

The quartet has held concerts at Allegheny each year as well; this is their second visit in which they have invited an Allegheny choral ensemble to join them in the performance. The first collaboration was in 2015 with the Allegheny Chamber Choir, and the quartet performed a piece with Professor Alec Chien on piano as well.

“Following that performance, the quartet members and I immediately talked about continuing this collaboration with our singers, so we’ve been looking forward to carrying it out,” said James Niblock, director of the Allegheny Choral Ensembles.

This year’s concert will showcase Benjamin Britten’s Quartet No. 1 in D Major, and Beethoven’s “Rasumovsky” Quartet in E Minor. It will also feature the Allegheny College Women’s Ensemble in Baldassare Galuppi’s “Dixit Dominus.” Written in the 18th century, the work represents a movement that greatly advanced the role of women as performers.

More information on the quartet can be found at www.asq4.com.

Source: Academics, Publications & Research

Alexander String Quartet Returns to Allegheny for Residency, Performance

By February 17th 2017

San Francisco’s award-winning Alexander String Quartet will return to campus for its annual residency at Allegheny College, and will perform in Ford Chapel on Friday, March 10, at 7:30 p.m. The concert is free and open to the public. Early seating is recommended, as the chapel has filled to capacity in previous years.

The Alexander String Quartet includes violinists Zakarias Grafilo and Frederick Lifsitz, violist Paul Yarbrough and cellist Sandy Wilson. Formed in New York City in 1981, ASQ became the first string quartet to win the Concert Artists Guild Competition just a year later.

In 1985, the ensemble captured international attention as the first American quartet to win the London International String Quartet Competition. The quartet has since performed in major music capitals on five continents, and has established itself as an important advocate of new music through over 30 commissions and numerous premiere performances.

ASQ has a major artistic presence in its homebase of San Francisco, serving there since 1989 as Ensemble in Residence for San Francisco Performances, and Directors of the Morrison Chamber Music Center in the College of Liberal and Creative Arts at San Francisco State University. They have brought their teaching experience to Allegheny for 27 years through a short annual residency on campus, during which the quartet will visit classes across the academic disciplines to discuss music through an interdisciplinary lens, as well as perform for and with students.

The quartet has held concerts at Allegheny each year as well; this is their second visit in which they have invited an Allegheny choral ensemble to join them in the performance. The first collaboration was in 2015 with the Allegheny Chamber Choir, and the quartet performed a piece with Professor Alec Chien on piano as well.

“Following that performance, the quartet members and I immediately talked about continuing this collaboration with our singers, so we’ve been looking forward to carrying it out,” said James Niblock, director of the Allegheny Choral Ensembles.

This year’s concert will showcase Benjamin Britten’s Quartet No. 1 in D Major, and Beethoven’s “Rasumovsky” Quartet in E Minor. It will also feature the Allegheny College Women’s Ensemble in Baldassare Galuppi’s “Dixit Dominus.” Written in the 18th century, the work represents a movement that greatly advanced the role of women as performers.

More information on the quartet can be found at www.asq4.com.

Source: Academics, Publications & Research

34th Annual Crawford County-Allegheny College High School Band Festival

By January 12th 2017

Trumpet

One hundred and sixty-one musicians from seven Crawford County high schools will come together as one band to participate in the 34th Annual Crawford County-Allegheny College High School Band Festival on Friday, Feb. 3 and Saturday, Feb. 4.

The festival will culminate in a free, public concert on Feb. 4 at 1:30 p.m. in Allegheny’s Shafer Auditorium, following all-day rehearsal on Feb. 3 and rehearsal on the morning of Feb. 4. Participating schools include Cambridge Springs Jr./Sr. High School, Cochranton Jr./Sr. High School, Conneaut Area Senior High School, Maplewood Jr./Sr. High School, Meadville Area Senior High School, Saegertown Jr./Sr. High School, and Titusville High School.

The band rehearses under the direction of Dr. Lowell Hepler, chair of the Allegheny College Music Department and director of bands.  Jeffrey Herwig, director of bands at Titusville High School, will conduct one of the performance pieces this year. (Each year, a different high school director conducts one of the pieces.)

Hepler and Crawford County high school band directors founded the festival in 1982 to provide a full band festival experience to more students than can typically participate at the district, region, and state competition levels.

For more information, call 814-332-3304.

Source: Academics, Publications & Research

High School Bands To Perform In 34th Annual Crawford County-Allegheny College High School Band Festival

By January 12th 2017

One hundred and sixty-one musicians from seven Crawford County high schools will come together as one band to participate in the 34th Annual Crawford County-Allegheny College High School Band Festival on Friday, Feb. 3 and Saturday, Feb. 4.

The festival will culminate in a free, public concert on Feb. 4 at 1:30 p.m. in Allegheny’s Shafer Auditorium, following all-day rehearsal on Feb. 3 and rehearsal on the morning of Feb. 4. Participating schools include Cambridge Springs Jr./Sr. High School, Cochranton Jr./Sr. High School, Conneaut Area Senior High School, Maplewood Jr./Sr. High School, Meadville Area Senior High School, Saegertown Jr./Sr. High School, and Titusville High School.

The band rehearses under the direction of Dr. Lowell Hepler, chair of the Allegheny College Music Department and director of bands.  Jeffrey Herwig, director of bands at Titusville High School, will conduct one of the performance pieces this year. (Each year, a different high school director conducts one of the pieces.)

Hepler and Crawford County high school band directors founded the festival in 1982 to provide a full band festival experience to more students than can typically participate at the district, region, and state competition levels.

For more information, call 814-332-3304.

Source: Academics, Publications & Research

Allegheny Choirs to Perform Winter Concert

By November 18th 2016

The Allegheny Choirs, under the direction of James D. Niblock, will perform a free concert at 3:15 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, in Shafer Auditorium. The Allegheny College Chorus, Chamber Choir, Women’s Ensemble, Men’s Ensemble, and College Choir will each perform several works, and the groups will collaborate to close the performance as a choir of 120 voices. The concert is free and open to the public.

The concert’s repertoire covers traditions and ideas from 13 countries – including five pieces with seasonal themes associated with winter, Christmas, and Hanukkah. Niblock says he aims to present music as a “cultural meeting place,” bringing together histories and stories from across the globe. Listeners will hear nine languages incorporated, including Ladino, Slovenian, Hebrew, and Mandarin. 

The Allegheny Choirs have been a central presence on campus for 86 years, with many of the pieces from past programs resurfacing over the years. Several pieces, such as “O Magnum Mysterium” by Tomas Luis de Victoria, and “Sledge Bells” by Hugh Roberton have been sung throughout the choir’s history.

The Dec. 3 concert will open with one of Bach’s most famous chorales, “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” from Cantata 147: “Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben” (Heart and Mouth and Deed and Life). The Chamber Choir will present selections from the repertoire they are preparing for a spring tour to New Zealand.

“Dixit Dominus,” by Baldassare Galuppi was composed for the famous choir of orphaned and abandoned young women living in the Venetian Ospedale during the Baroque period. The second movement of Galuppi’s work will be performed here.  The College Men’s Ensemble will sing “Blow Ye the Trumpet” from Kirke Mechem’s opera John Brown about the American abolitionist.  “Zigeunerleben” by Robert Schumann, will be sung by the College Choir, the text of which was written by Emanuel Geibel.

Collaborating with the choirs are pianists Kevin Dill, music director at First Presbyterian Church, and Allegheny Professor Emeritus of Music Ward Jamison. Audience members are encouraged to use the balcony as well as the main floor of the auditorium.

Source: Academics, Publications & Research

Allegheny Choirs Winter Concert

By November 18th 2016

Choir-Holiday Concert, 2013

The Allegheny Choirs, under the direction of James D. Niblock, will perform a free concert at 3:15 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, in Shafer Auditorium at Allegheny College. The Allegheny College Chorus, Chamber Choir, Women’s Ensemble, Men’s Ensemble, and College Choir will each perform several works, and the groups will collaborate to close the performance as a choir of 120 voices. The concert is free and open to the public.

he concert’s repertoire covers traditions and ideas from 13 countries – including five pieces with seasonal themes associated with winter, Christmas, and Hanukkah. Niblock says he aims to present music as a “cultural meeting place,” bringing together histories and stories from across the globe. Listeners will hear nine languages incorporated, including Ladino, Slovenian, Hebrew, and Mandarin.

Source: Academics, Publications & Research

Select Strings Ensemble and Chamber Strings Ensemble

By November 18th 2016

musical-instrument-1092603_1280

The Select Strings Ensemble and the Chamber Strings Ensemble, under the instruction of Professor Christina Dolanc, will be performing Sunday, Dec. 4 at 3:15 p.m. in the Ford Memorial Chapel. The performance is free and open to the public.

Each ensemble is made up of Allegheny students. Select Strings features students playing violin, cello, and piano, and Chamber Strings features three violins, a viola, and a cello. The ensembles will perform separate pieces before coming together for a finale which will also include Dolanc playing violin, her husband on cello, and a student playing bass.

The theme of the recital is Centuries: Strings Across the Music Eras, and will feature a work from each of the major musical eras beginning with the early Renaissance through the 20th Century, and finishing with a contemporary jazz/pop composition. Notable pieces include “Christe, Que Lux es et Dies” by Robert Whyte, a movement of Shostakovich’s Piano Trio No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 67, and End Theme by Zero 7.

Source: Academics, Publications & Research