Electronic updates from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
About the Author
Curt Whitacre
A member of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music's public information staff since 2007, Curt Whitacre currently serves as CCM's Director of Marketing and Communications.
Please join us at 7:30 p.m. EST tonight for the next episode of CCMONSTAGE Online, our new ongoing series of digital concerts and performances.
Our latest installment features CCM string quartet-in-residence the Ariel Quartet collaborating with master’s degree students Cristian Diaz and Denielle Wilson, who are also both second-year participants in CCM’s Diversity Fellowship initiative with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
If the video does not start autoplaying on your viewing device, please refresh the web page and then click the play button on the video player. Tonight’s performance will be available for on-demand viewing shortly after the premiere stream concludes.
Video production by MasseyGreenAVP, LLC. This digital performance series is made possible by support from CCMONSTAGEOnline Broadcast Sponsors CCMpower and ArtsWave, and CCMONSTAGEOnline Production Sponsors Dr. & Mrs. Carl G. Fischer.
CSO/CCM Diversity Fellowship supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Patricia Kisker Foundation.
Watch the Ariel Quartet collaborate with CSO/CCM Diversity Fellows Cristian Diaz and Denielle Wilson during this upcoming virtual performance.
Arts lovers from around the world are invited to tune in to the next episode of CCMONSTAGEOnline at 7:30 p.m. EST on Friday, Feb. 12, 2021. The premiere will stream simultaneously on CCM’s website, YouTube channel and Facebook page.
Titled Joining Hands, this 30-minute-long virtual concert features CCM string quartet-in-residence the Ariel Quartet collaborating with master’s degree students Cristian Diaz and Denielle Wilson, who are also both second-year participants in CCM’s innovative Diversity Fellowship initiative with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
To open the concert, Wilson and Diaz – a cellist and a violist respectively – join the Ariel Quartet on the stage of CCM’s Robert J. Werner Recital Hall for a performance of the first movement of Johannes Brahms’ String Sextet in B-flat Major.
The Ariel Quartet – which is comprised of CCM faculty members Alexandra “Sasha” Kazovsky, violin; Amit Even-Tov, cello; Gershon Gerchikov, violin; and Jan Grüning, viola – then perform the third movement of Felix Mendelssohn’s String Quartet in D Major.
For the finale of this digital program, the Ariel Quartet are rejoined by Diaz for a performance of the fourth movement of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s String Quintet in G Minor.
Like other episodes in CCM’s new virtual performance series, Joining Hands also features commentary from CCM students and faculty. All episodes of CCMONSTAGEOnline will be digitally streamed for free. After the premiere broadcast, each installment in this ongoing series will remain available for on-demand viewing on CCM’s website, YouTube channel and Facebook page.
Video production by MasseyGreenAVP, LLC. Additional footage provided by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. This digital performance series is made possible by support from CCMONSTAGE Online Broadcast Sponsors CCMpower and ArtsWave, and CCMONSTAGE Online Production Sponsors Dr. & Mrs. Carl G. Fischer.
The CSO/CCM Diversity Fellowship
Funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the CSO/CCM Diversity Fellowship provides an unparalleled learning experience for graduate-level violin, viola, violoncello and double bass players coming from populations that are historically underrepresented in classical music.
Participants get paid to perform with the acclaimed Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra while completing your two-year graduate degree at CCM with full scholarship support plus stipend. Learn more
Streaming Premiere
7:30 p.m. EST Friday, Feb. 12, 2021
Performance Details
Repertoire
Johannes Brahms: String Sextet in B-flat Major No. 1, Op. 18 (1860)
I. Allegro ma non troppo
Felix Mendelssohn: String Quartet in D Major No. 3, Op. 44, No. 1 (1838)
III. Andante espressivo ma con moto
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: String Quintet in G Minor No. 4, K. 516 (1787)
IV. Adagio – Allegro
Performers
The Ariel Quartet
Distinguished by its virtuosity, probing musical insight, and impassioned, fiery performances, the Ariel Quartet has garnered critical praise worldwide over the span of nearly two decades. Formed in Israel as teenagers at the Jerusalem Academy Middle School of Music and Dance and celebrating their 20th anniversary in 2020-21, the Ariel was named recipient of the prestigious Cleveland Quartet Award, granted by Chamber Music America in recognition of artistic achievement and career support. Since 2012 the members of the ensemble have served as the faculty quartet-in-residence at CCM since, where they direct the chamber-music program and present a concert series in addition to maintaining a busy touring schedule in the United States and abroad.
The ensemble has dedicated much of its artistic energy and musical prowess to the groundbreaking Beethoven quartets, and has performed the complete Beethoven cycle on five occasions throughout the United States and Europe. The Quartet has written a powerful and comprehensive series of program notes on the sixteen quartets, open to the public on their website. The Ariel Quartet regularly collaborates with today’s eminent and rising young musicians and ensembles, including pianist Orion Weiss, violist Roger Tapping, cellist Paul Katz, and the American, Pacifica and Jerusalem String Quartets. The Quartet has toured with cellist Alisa Weilerstein and performed frequently with pianists Jeremy Denk and Menahem Pressler. In addition, the Ariel served as quartet-in-residence for the Steans Music Institute at the Ravinia Festival, the Yellow Barn Music Festival and the Perlman Music Program, as well as the Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence at the Caramoor Festival.
Formerly the resident ensemble of the Professional String Quartet Training Program at the New England Conservatory, from which the players obtained their undergraduate and graduate degrees, the Ariel was mentored extensively by acclaimed string quartet giants Walter Levin and Paul Katz. It has won numerous international prizes in addition to the Cleveland Quartet Award: Grand Prize at the 2006 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and the Székely Prize for the performance of Bartók’s String Quartet No. 4, and Third Prize at the Banff International String Quartet Competition. About its performances at the Banff competition, the American Record Guide described the group as “a consummate ensemble gifted with utter musicality and remarkable interpretive power” and noted, in particular, their playing of Beethoven’s monumental Quartet in A minor, Op. 132, as “the pinnacle of the competition.”
The Ariel Quartet has received significant support for its studies in the United States from the American-Israel Cultural Foundation, Dov and Rachel Gottesman, the Legacy Heritage Fund and the A.N. and Pearl G. Barnett Family Foundation. The members of the Ariel Quartet are graduates of the Young Musician’s unit of the Jerusalem Music Centre. Visit the Ariel Quartet’s website to learn more.
Cristian Diaz
Cristian Diaz is a violist from Colombia who holds a bachelor’s degree in violin performance from Colombia’s National University-Conservatory of Music, and a master’s degree in chamber music from Kent State University. His former professors include members of the acclaimed Miami String Quartet, Keith Robinson and Cathy Meng Robinson, and his viola professor Joanna Patterson Zakany, member of the prestigious Cleveland Orchestra.
Diaz has been part of many orchestras across the globe, and was runner up in the Kent State University concerto competition (2017), he was selected to become part of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra Academy 2018 in Dortmund, Germany, winner of the inaugural Diversity Fellowship of the CityMusic Cleveland Chamber Orchestra and is also a member of the Efferus String Quartet.
He has attended the XI Cartagena Music Festival (Colombia, 2017), the first and second International Festival of String Quartets (Colombia, 2015 and 2016), III Bogota’s Viola Festival (Colombia, 2015), Santa Catarina Music Festival FEMUSC (Brazil, 2012) and also the Kent Blossom Music Festival (2019). Diaz began his master’s degree at CCM in the fall of 2019 where he studies with Professor Catharine Lees.
Denielle Wilson
Denielle Wilson is a cellist from Lithonia, Georgia. A former resident of Evanston, Illinois, she has played in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and maintains a studio of private cello students. She completed an undergraduate degree at Northwestern University in 2017, having majored in cello performance and music education.
Wilson’s musical mentors have included Hans Jørgen Jensen, Joel Dallow and Nan Kimberling. She has spent summers at the Meadowmount School of Music, Bowdoin Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival and School, and the Grant Park Music Festival.
Wilson plays in a piano trio with her siblings, and they enjoy sharing classical and religious music with their local community.
About the Series
CCMONSTAGEOnline is a series of free digital concerts and performing arts presentations showcasing the unparalleled artistry and expertise of CCM’s students, faculty and staff. Enjoy a sneak peek at a few of our upcoming episodes:
We are saddened to share news of the passing of CCM Professor Emeritus Eiji Hashimoto, Professor of Harpsichord and Harpsichordist-in-Residence at CCM from 1968 to 2001. Hashimoto passed away on Jan. 14, 2021, at the age of 89. He is survived by his wife, Ruth Hashimoto; his three children: Christine (Kirk) Merritt, Ken (Allison Dubinski) Hashimoto, and Erica Hashimoto; and five granddaughters: Katherine and Elizabeth Merritt, Scarlette and Sabina Hashimoto, and Naomi Hashimoto. A memorial service will be scheduled at a later date.
An internationally renowned concert artist and scholar of baroque music, Hashimoto performed with critical acclaim throughout the United States and around the world. As a soloist, he dazzled audiences in more than 50 international tours and released numerous CDs. His own editions of 18th-century keyboard music remain highly regarded.
Born in Tokyo in 1931, Hashimoto began musical training as a child and graduated from the Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music with a major in organ in 1955. He came to the US under a Fulbright study grant to pursue graduate studies in musicology and composition at the University of Chicago (Master of Arts in 1959) and then in harpsichord at the Yale University School of Music (Master of Music in 1962) under Ralph Kirkpatrick.
Upon returning to Japan, Hashimoto taught at the Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo until he was invited by the French government to spend six months in France doing research in 1967. During his subsequent US tour, he performed in Cincinnati, which led to an invitation to teach at CCM beginning in 1968.
Hashimoto maintained an active performance and recording schedule throughout his 33-year long tenure at CCM. During this time he performed with many CCM ensembles, spent several summers conducting for CCM’s Opera Theatre of Lucca program in Italy, and also performed with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and at the May Festival.
Hashimoto also formed CCM’s Ensemble for Eighteenth Century Music, recording with the ensemble and taking it on several tours, including to Japan in 1988, to Mexico in 1993, and to many cities across the US. The El Porvenir newspaper in Monterrey, Mexico, declared “They came, they played and they conquered” following Hashimoto’s November 1993 performance with CCM’s Ensemble for Eighteenth Century Music. In 2001, Hashimoto’s then-colleague (and now emeriti faculty member) Clare Callahan told the Cincinnati Enquirer, “Eiji is our Baroque touchstone … and his dedicated work with the Eighteenth Century Orchestra gave students and faculty alike a sense of the fun people had with music of that time.”
In 1978 and 1981, Hashimoto received the Prize of Excellence from the Japanese government for his recitals in Tokyo. In 1984, he received UC’s coveted Rieveschl Award for Excellence in Scholarly and Creative Works. He was a recipient of the Ohio Arts Council’s solo artist grant, was also selected for the 1988-89 Arts Midwest Performing Arts Touring Program and was awarded the “Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels,” the highest honor awarded by the state of Kentucky for special achievements, by the governor of Kentucky in 1990. He was twice awarded research grants by the Rockefeller Foundation for scholarly residencies in Bellagio, Italy.
Please join us in sending your thoughts, prayers and condolences to Eiji’s family and friends. You can learn more about Eiji’s career by visiting Janelle Gelfand’s “Janelle’s Notes” blog. Tributes can be shared through the Neidhard-Young Funeral Home website. A memorial service will be scheduled at a later date. Eiji influenced and inspired multiple generations of students, colleagues and music lovers during his three decades at CCM. He will be deeply missed.
We invite you to join us at 7:30 p.m. EST tonight (Dec. 11) for the premiere of CCMONSTAGE Online, our new ongoing series of digital concerts and performances.
Our first installment features the CCM Philharmonia student orchestra. Future episodes will feature performances by CCM’s many other ensembles and departments as our series continues.
Tonight’s premiere streams on CCM’s website from 7:30-8:30 p.m. EST. The performance will be available for on-demand viewing shortly after the premiere stream concludes tonight.
The premiere will begin autoplaying on our website at 7:30 p.m. with a brief countdown clock sequence. If the video does not start autoplaying on your device, please refresh the web page and then click the play button on the video player.
If you have any trouble viewing the stream on our website, you can instead access the stream on CCM’s YouTube channel.
Under the direction of CCM Professor Mark Gibson, the CCM Philharmonia performs a program of “Classical Virtuosity” with works by Claude Debussy/Maurice Ravel, Ottorino Respighi, Julia Perry and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Video production by MasseyGreenAVP, LLC. This digital performance series is made possible by support from CCMONSTAGE Online Broadcast Sponsors CCMpower and ArtsWave, and CCMONSTAGE Online Production Sponsors Dr. & Mrs. Carl G. Fischer.
CCMONSTAGE Online is a dynamic new series of digital concerts and performing arts presentations showcasing the unparalleled artistry and expertise of CCM’s students, faculty and staff. Each episode can be digitally streamed for free. After the premiere broadcast, each installment in this ongoing series will remain available for on-demand viewing on CCM’s website and YouTube channel.
Save the date for our series premiere at 7:30 p.m. EST on Friday, Dec. 11, 2020. Additional episodes will be released throughout 2021!
Video production by MasseyGreenAVP, LLC. This digital performance series is made possible by support from CCMONSTAGE Online Broadcast Sponsors CCMpower and ArtsWave, and CCMONSTAGE Online Production Sponsors Dr. & Mrs. Carl G. Fischer.
About The Premiere Episode
Watch the CCM Philharmonia perform a program of “Classical Virtuosity” with works by Claude Debussy/Maurice Ravel, Ottorino Respighi, Julia Perry and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart during the premiere episode of CCMONSTAGEOnline.
Under the direction of Professor Mark Gibson, the CCM Philharmonia is CCM’s premier orchestral ensemble and is recognized as one of the world’s elite conservatory orchestras. The CCM Philharmonia has risen to world prominence through the quality of its performances, recordings, and its national and international tours.
A preeminent institution for the performing and media arts, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music offers nearly 120 possible majors, along with a wide variety of pre-collegiate and post-graduate programs.
The synergy created by housing CCM within a comprehensive public university gives the college its unique character and defines its objective: to educate and inspire the whole artist and scholar for positions on the world stage.
For more information, please visit us online at ccm.uc.edu.
Featured image at top: students in the CCM Philharmonia perform in a still image from the first installment of CCMONSTAGE Online. Photo/MasseyGreenAVP
CCM’s “stars of tomorrow” are back on stage, and you get the best seats in the house!
The University of Cincinnati’s nationally ranked and internationally renowned College-Conservatory of Music invites arts lovers from around the world to join in the viewing party for the debut episode of CCMONSTAGEOnline at 7:30 p.m. EST on Friday, Dec. 11, 2020. The premiere will stream simultaneously on CCM’s homepage and YouTube channel.
This dynamic new series of digital concerts and performing arts presentations will allow audiences near and far to experience the unparalleled artistry and expertise of CCM’s students, faculty and staff.
“The performing arts help to build and sustain a sense of community,” says CCM Dean Stanley E. Romanstein, PhD. “Now more than ever, we crave the sense of fellowship that comes through shared cultural experiences. While we may not yet be able to welcome audiences back to the CCM Village for live performances, we are excited to help you stay connected to the arts and to each other through our new CCMONSTAGEOnline performance series.”
A behind-the-scenes look at the CCM Philharmonia’s video shoot.
Recorded live at CCM while adhering to strict health and safety precautions, each installment of this new performance video series spotlights a different CCM program or ensemble.
The debut installment features the CCM Philharmonia student orchestra performing a program of Classical Virtuosity that includes works by Claude Debussy/Maurice Ravel, Ottorino Respighi, Julia Perry and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Each episode also features insight into the repertoire and commentary on the process of rehearsing and performing during the era of COVID-19.
A behind-the-scenes look at the CCM Chamber Choir’s video shoot.
Future episodes will showcase performances by the CCM Ballet Ensemble, the CCM Chamber Choir, and a collaborative concert with CCM string quartet-in-residence the Ariel Quartet and members of the CSO/CCM Diversity Fellowship program. The performances by the CCM Ballet Ensemble and CCM Chamber Choir are further augmented by the cutting-edge artistry of students and faculty from CCM’s Theatre Design and Production programs. CCM will announce the premiere dates for these subsequent episodes later this fall.
CCM turned to the considerable expertise of its E-Media faculty and alumni to help produce this new series. Video production services for CCMONSTAGEOnline are provided by MasseyGreenAVP, LLC. “Our goal was to capture the world-renowned talent that CCM has to offer through multiple cameras, providing CCM with professionally-produced videos to share with their fans virtually,” says CCM alumnus John Massey (BFA E-Media, ‘03), who directs each installment in this new series.
CCM alum John Tapogna preps his camera for the CCM Philharmonia’s video shoot.
Massey explains, “Our team is made up of videographers with decades of experience from the news, sports and entertainment industries. We were excited to be able to shoot in CCM’s beautiful facilities. We recruited E-Media grad John Tapogna (BFA Broadcasting, 1988), who has over 25 years’ experience as a sports videographer, to tackle providing tight shots. We sought to capture the energy and emotion of the performance up close while showing off the performers’ technical skill.”
All episodes of CCMONSTAGEOnline will be digitally streamed for free. After the premiere broadcast, each installment in this ongoing series will remain available for on-demand viewing on CCM’s website and YouTube channel.
“Whether you’re a longtime CCM performance patron or a first-timer, we hope you’ll join us for one of our upcoming viewing parties to get a front row seat to see tomorrow’s stars today,” says Romanstein.
CCM student David Lopena participates in an interview during the CCM Dance video shoot.
This digital performance series is made possible by support from CCMONSTAGE Online Broadcast Sponsors CCMpower and ArtsWave, and CCMONSTAGE Online Production Sponsors Dr. & Mrs. Carl G. Fischer.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 29 in A major, K. 201 (1774)
Orchestra Roster
The CCM Philharmonia Mark Gibson, music director and conductor Strings after principal stands are listed alphabetically
Violin I
Magdiell Antequera, concertmaster Grace Brown, assistant concertmaster Daniel Fields Andrew Horak Jade McClellan Angkun Uabamrungit Alayne Wegner
Violin II
Grace Wride, principal Lauren Greene, assistant principal Yasmine Bougacha Sydney Ebersohl Brittany Hausmann Rachel Mancini
Viola (1st Half)
Julius Adams, principal Murphy Combs Javier Otalora Aadhivan Ramkumar Caleb Robinson
Viola (2nd Half)
Maya Fields, principal Chloe Drake Celeste Meisel Nathaniel Sendi Lucas Wardell
Cello
Maximiliano Oppeltz, principal Marcel Bobe
Double Bass (1st Half)
Taiga Benito, principal Zoe Heuser Zachary Reich
Double Bass (2nd Half)
Caleb Edwards, principal Esther Kwon Peter McCutcheon
Flute
Vincenzo Volpe, principal Caitlyn Lyerly
Oboe (1st Half)
Dylan Reynallt, principal Daniel Outlaw
Oboe (2nd Half)
Yayi Senior, principal Elena Suarez
Clarinet
Alyssa Berry, principal Rachel Beil
Bassoon
John Robken, principal Elizabeth Beeche
Horn (1st Half)
Sarah Yarbrough, principal Jacob Speakman
Horn (2nd Half)
Will Morgan, principal Sarah Palmer
Trumpet
Emery Hicks, principal Kole Pantuso
Trombone
James Smith, principal Jordan Rowan
Percussion
Jacob Ottmer Ryan Thomas
Harp
Claire Greene Madeline Arney (Debussy) Janna Young (Respighi)
Celeste
Kara Piatt
Piano
Thomas Ryskamp
Graduate Assistants
Xiao Geng Kara Piatt Shimon Ohi Sophie Mok Kin Szeto Caleb Glickman
Librarians
Rebecca Flank Kristin Welke
Sponsors
Louise Dieterle Nippert Trust Scholarship and Resident Artist Sponsor
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation CSO/CCM Diversity Fellowship Sponsor
The Corbett Endowment at CCM Dance Department Sponsor All-Steinway School Sponsor
H. Wayne Ferguson Family Foundation Louise H. & David S. Ingalls Foundation, Inc. Community Partners
The Joseph and Frances Jones Poetker Fund of the Cambridge Charitable Foundation, Ritter & Randolph, LLC, Corporate Counsel Visiting Artists & Thinking About Music Sponsor
CCMpower: Friends and Alumni Fueling the Future of the Arts ArtsWave: Funding Arts, Fueling Community CCMONSTAGE ONLINE Broadcast Sponsors
Dr. & Mrs. Carl G. Fischer CCMONSTAGE ONLINE Production Sponsors
Elizabeth C.B. & Paul G. Sittenfeld Musical Theatre Showcase Sponsor
Genevieve Smith Opera Production Sponsor
An Anonymous Donor Estate of Mr. William A. Friedlander Mrs. William A. Friedlander Dr. Randolph L. Wadsworth Judith Schonbach Landgren and Peter Landgren Mr. & Mrs. Harry H. Santen Elizabeth C.B. & Paul G. Sittenfeld Mr. & Mrs. Thomas E. Stegman Dr. & Mrs. Theodore W. Striker Mrs. Harry M. Hoffheimer Ariel Quartet Sponsors
Jan Rogers Willard and Jean Mulford Charitable Fund of the Cambridge Charitable Foundation Choral Studies Sponsors
Robert & Debra Chavez Three Arts Scholarship Fund CCMpower Partners
Mr. & Mrs. Joseph W. Hirschhorn Orchestral Sponsor
Mr. & Mrs. James L. Miller Musical Theatre Production Sponsor
Trish & Rick Bryan CCMpower: Friends and Alumni Fueling the Future of the Arts The Harmony Endowment Fund: Challenging Hate and Prejudice Through the Performing Arts The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation KMK Law Paula Boggs Muething & Brian Muething PNC Jeff Thomas Catering Event Sponsors
A preeminent institution for the performing and media arts, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music offers nearly 120 possible majors, along with a wide variety of pre-collegiate and post-graduate programs.
The synergy created by housing CCM within a comprehensive public university gives the college its unique character and defines its objective: to educate and inspire the whole artist and scholar for positions on the world stage.
For more information, please visit us online at ccm.uc.edu.
All behind-the-scenes and performance photos by MasseyGreenAVP.
The conference is designed to engage UC and non-UC students in the broad field of music scholarship
The Music Theory and Musicology Society (MTMS) at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) hosts its eighth biennial student conference on Sept. 11 and 12, 2020 (rescheduled from April 3-4). Entitled “Conversations in Music,” the conference is designed to engage both UC students and students from other institutions in the broad field of music scholarship.
The conference features keynote speakers Daniel Goldmark (Case Western Reserve University) and Jennifer Beavers (University of Texas at San Antonio). It will be held in conjunction with the long-running Joseph and Frances Jones Poetker Thinking About Music Lecture Series at CCM.
The conference will include pre-recorded video presentations and live interactive sessions held virtually via Zoom. Please fill out the registration form below to receive emails with further information and links to access the presentation videos and Zoom platform.
Please note that the times listed in the schedule are in Eastern time zone.
Schedule
Friday, Sept. 11
2 p.m.
PIXAR’S MEMORIES: CONTEMPORARY CARTOON MUSIC SPEAKS TO THE PAST
Daniel Goldmark, Case Western Reserve University
The ever-increasing popularity of Hollywood animation, driven in part by the dominance of Pixar, has come about not just through technological advances or the breaking down of decades-old biases about cartoons being just for kids, but also through the emotionally nuanced storytelling deployed recently by studios. While practically all of Pixar’s features are overrun with issues of nostalgia, their more recent films—Inside Out, Finding Dory, Cars 3, Incredibles 2, Toy Story 4—do more than simply revel in the remembrance of times past (real or imagined): they also explore the creation of memory and the reasons why memories fade or endure. Sound and music have played key roles in the recollections and impressions of all these films. In this presentation, I look at trends in scoring and sound design in animation to show how the melodies of childhood—and adulthood—are being used to drive the stories of recent Hollywood animated features—and how these stories revolve around how our notions of the past speak to the present and guide our future.
4:30 p.m.
MEET-AND-GREET “RECEPTION”
5:30 p.m.
PRESENTER Q&A SESSION
Saturday, Sept. 12
8-9:30 a.m.
CONFERENCE WORKSHOP This year’s conference will include a workshop led by ethnomusicologist and CCM faculty member Scott Linford, PhD, inviting conference participants to engage in an interactive discussion focused on the application of sound studies in the areas of musicology, music theory and ethnomusicology.
10 a.m.-2 p.m.
PRESENTER Q&A SESSIONS
2 p.m.
The Music Theory and Musicology Society Conference Keynote RAVEL’S SONIC ILLUSIONS Jennifer Beavers, University of Texas at San Antonio Ravel’s interwar compositions and transcriptions reveal a sophisticated engagement with timbre and orchestration. Of interest, is the way he uses timbre to connect and conceal passages in his music. In this talk, I look at the way he manipulates instrumental timbre to create sonic illusions that transform expectations, mark the form, and create meaning. I examine how he uses instrumental groupings to create distinct or blended auditory events. Using a sound-based analytical approach, I develop these descriptions of timbre and auditory scenes to interpret ways in which different timbre-spaces function. Through techniques such as timbral transformations, magical effects, and timbre and contour fusion, I examine the ways in which Ravel conjures sound objects in his music that are imaginary, transformative or illusory.
CCM’s Music Theory and Musicology Society engages all interested members of the UC community to discuss issues relating to music theory and musicology. The MTMS regularly maintains forums for the purpose of discussing theoretical, historical and cultural topics in music. Past MTMS Conference programs are available online.
Please email all inquiries to MTMS Executive Board Members RebeccaSchreiber, JacyPedersen, HannahBlanchette and Kabelo Chirwa at ccm.mtms@gmail.com.
CCM Dean Stanley E. Romanstein has announced the addition of acclaimed stage director Greg Eldridge to the college’s roster of distinguished performing and media arts faculty members. Eldridge joins CCM as Associate Professor of Opera Directing.
Greg Eldridge. Photo/Andrej Uspenski
Originally from Australia, Eldridge has worked on over 60 productions across eight countries at some of the world’s most famous opera houses. His work has been praised by critics for its “thoughtful and effective” staging, with “detailed characterizations and considered through-lines” a hallmark of his directing style.
A former recipient of a Bayreuth Scholarship from the Wagner Society of Victoria, Eldridge is one of only two people to have graduated from both of the world’s most prestigious opera directing programs – the Merola Program in San Francisco and the Jette Parker Young Artist Programme in the UK. He has received 5-star reviews for his work for the national opera companies of Australia, Iceland and the United Kingdom, and has been the recipient of awards including Most Outstanding Director (OperaChaser Awards, 2018) and Best Director (Broadway World Awards in Sydney, 2019).
After receiving the 2004 Premier’s Award for Excellence in the Study of Philosophy, Eldridge studied Opera Directing at The Opera Studio Melbourne in Australia and the Accademia Europea di Firenze in Italy before relocating to the United Kingdom. After serving as Trainee Resident Director at The King’s Head Theatre in London, Eldridge worked on productions including I gioielli della Madonna for Opera Holland Park, all four operas of Der Ring des Nibelungen for Longborough Festival Opera, Così fan tutte for the Landestheater Rudolstadt and he became the youngest director ever engaged by the state opera company in his hometown when he directed Ludus Danielis for Victorian Opera.
In 2013, Eldridge became the youngest – and first Australian – director to join the young artist program of The Royal Opera, Covent Garden in London. There, he worked under luminary directors including Sir David McVicar, Sir Richard Eyre, John Copley and Kasper Holten, along with conductors including Sir Antonio Pappano, Mark Wigglesworth, Alexander Joel, Nicola Luisotti, Marc Minkowski, Ivor Bolton and Gianandrea Noseda. Eldridge has also worked alongside international opera stars including Jonas Kaufmann, Sondra Radvanovsky, Rolando Villazón, Sonya Yoncheva, Sir Bryn Terfel, Anne Sofie von Otter, Sir Willard White, Dame Sarah Conolly, Nina Stemme, Roberto Alagna, Denyce Graves, Angela Gheorghiu and many others.
In 2016, The Royal Opera created a new position especially for Eldridge – the Jette Parker Associate Director – and Eldridge joined the board of Stage Directors UK (SDUK), the industry body representing and advocating for directors of live theatre throughout the United Kingdom. During his time on the board, SDUK published papers exposing inequalities in the freelance artist sector, provided evidence-based studies to government bodies and authored a major report alongside the National Theatre, RADA and The Old Vic that provided recommendations for structural changes in the way arts training organizations and theatres engage with directors from underrepresented demographics.
Eldridge has contributed articles to publications including Limelight Magazine, The Guardian UK and OperaNow Magazine, and has given guest lectures at the Victorian College of the Arts, The University of Melbourne, the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and St John’s College Cambridge, among others. He holds an Exceptional Talent visa from the United Kingdom, and has been recognized as an Artist of Extraordinary Ability by the United States government.
“CCM’s Departments of Opera and Voice provide unparalleled training programs for singers, stage directors and opera coaches. Our students will benefit from Greg’s vast experience on the world stage,” said Romanstein. “I want to thank our search committee – which was co-chaired by Robin Guarino and Denton Yockey, and included Bill McGraw, Mary Stucky, Jim Gage and Mark Gibson – for their help identifying CCM’s next great opera faculty member.”
About CCM Opera
The Department of Opera at CCM boasts one of the most comprehensive training programs for opera singers, coaches and directors in the United States. Students at CCM work with some of the most renowned teachers and artists active in the field today.
CCM students frequently advance to the final rounds of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, which is widely considered to be the nation’s most prestigious vocal competition. In 2019, soprano Elena Villalón (BM Voice, ’19) was named a Grand Finals Winner at the competition while she was still finishing her undergraduate degree at CCM. CCM’s other recent Grand Finals Winners include Jessica Faselt (MM Voice, ’16) in 2018, Amanda Woodbury (MM Voice, ’12) and Yi Li (AD Opera, ’13) in 2014 and Thomas Richards (MM Voice, ’13) in 2013. At least two CCM singers advanced to the Upper Midwest Regional Auditions in this year’s Met National Council Auditions: artist diploma students Amber Monroe and Teresa Perrotta.
CCM singers also recently won awards in other prestigious national competitions. Jessica Faselt won a $10,000 award and Alisa Jordheim (DMA Voice, ’15; MM Voice,’ 10) won a $1,000 Encouragement award at the 2020 George London Foundation Awards Competition for young American and Canadian opera singers. Jasmine Habersham (AD Opera, 2015; MM Voice, 2013) won the silver medal in the 2020 American Traditions Vocal Competition. Edward Nelson (BM Voice, 2011; MM Voice, 2013) won first prize at the 2020 Glyndebourne Opera Cup. Perrotta also advanced to the finals of the 2020 Lotte Lenya Competition.
In addition, CCM Opera productions have received some of the National Opera Association Production Competition’s highest honors throughout the years.
CCM Opera graduates have performed on the stages of the world’s greatest opera companies, including Cincinnati Opera, Metropolitan Opera (New York), Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Royal Opera (London), La Scala (Italy) and more.
UC College-Conservatory of Music Dean Stanley E. Romanstein has announced the addition of Sergio Pamies, DMA, to the college’s roster of distinguished performing and media arts faculty members. An accomplished pianist, composer and educator, Pamies’ appointment as Assistant Professor of Jazz Piano begins on Aug. 15, 2020.
Born in 1983 in Granada, Spain, Pamies has published four albums under his name: EntreAmigos (PSM, 2008), Borrachito (Bebyne Records, 2011), What Brought You Here? (Bebyne Records, 2017) and Summer Night at La Corrala: Solo Piano(expected October 2020). Critics have acknowledged his talent for composition, the lyrical qualities of his playing, and his natural and spontaneous ability to fuse the traditional jazz language and flamenco music of his childhood.
Pamies has performed at festivals in Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Colombia, Perú, China, Spain and the United States. He has collaborated with outstanding artists such as Dave Liebman, Christian Scott, Rubem Dantas, Antonio Serrano, Diego Amador, Pepe Luis Carmona “Habichuela,” Quamon Fowler, Brad Leali, Quincy Davis, Stockton Helbing, Ashleigh Smith, Samuel Torres, Tatiana Mayfield, Michael Miskiewicz and Joan Albert Amargós. Besides leading his own projects, he has produced other artists such as Verso Suelto (Verso Suelto, Youkali Music 2016), Korean singer Roja (My Shining Hour, Mirrorball Music, 2013) and The Zebras (Flamenco Jazz Project, North Texas Jazz, 2011).
Previously, Pamies taught jazz piano, jazz arranging and composition, in addition to leading the small group program, at University of Texas in Arlington. Pamies has given master classes and presented his research at Universidad de Granada (Spain), University of North Texas, University of Central Oklahoma, University of Texas at Arlington (USA), East Shanghai Normal University, Contemporary Music Institute of Zhuhai (China), Universidad Autónoma de Bucaramanga, Universidad Industrial de Santander and Universidad EAFIT de Medellín (Colombia), among other institutions. Pamies is a frequent collaborator of the European Piano Teachers Association’s Piano Professional journal, and a reviewer for the scholarly journal Jazz Education in Research and Practice.
Pamies received his bachelor’s degree in Jazz Piano (Liceo Conservatory in Barcelona, 2007), and then moved to the United States to study with Stefan Karlsson and complete a master’s degree in Jazz Piano at the University of North Texas (UNT), where he was awarded “Outstanding Student” in 2011. Pamies finished his doctoral studies (DMA in Jazz Piano) in 2016. He was the pianist of the seven-time Grammy nominated One O’Clock Lab Band at UNT, where he had the opportunity to perform with guest artists such as Bobby McFerrin, Arturo Sandoval, Marvin Stamm, Wycliffe Gordon, Doc Severinsen and Chuck Findley. As a member of the One O’Clock rhythm section, he has accompanied artists such as Christian McBride, Peter Bernstein, Lewis Nash, Tim Hagans and Greg Osby, among others. He is the featured soloist on Rich DeRosa’s composition “Neil,” which received a Grammy nomination in 2016 for “Best Instrumental Composition.”
In 2015, Pamies was selected for the “Latin Jazz Traditions” concert organized by Carnegie Hall, performing there with Paquito D’Rivera, having his composition “Dudú” selected for the program. In 2014, Pamies was awarded with the “Best Representation of Granada in a Foreign Country” youth cultural award by the Youth Institute of Andalucía, Spain. He has received seven DownBeat student awards: Best Instrumental Soloist (2013), Best Large Ensemble (2014) and Best Latin Group (2012) among them.
“CCM is home to one of the country’s top-rated jazz programs, and Sergio’s expertise as a pianist, composer and educator makes him an ideal addition to our world-class faculty. He is a wonderful successor to our dear colleague Stephen Allee, who retired earlier this year.” said Romanstein. “I want to recognize the excellent work of our search committee chaired by Scott Belck, which included Craig Bailey, Rusty Burge, Aaron Jacobs and BettyAnne Gottlieb.”
About CCM Jazz Studies
Offering both bachelor and master of music degrees, the Jazz Studies program at CCM teaches the fundamentals of classical music, stylistic elements of each historical jazz period, strategies for enhancing originality, techniques of electronic media and today’s cutting-edge trends that defy categorization. In 2019, CCM’s Department of Jazz Studies was named the inaugural college affiliate of the acclaimed Jazz at Lincoln Center, a distinction reserved for the country’s top-ranked jazz programs.
By receiving a wide musical perspective and the command of a broad jazz language, students in CCM’s jazz programs are equipped to pursue a future in jazz music. At the same time, this thorough course of study serves as the best preparation for related careers in commercial music.
Although the theaters and concert halls at the University of Cincinnati’s nationally ranked and internationally renowned College-Conservatory of Music are temporarily silent, audiences can still experience world-class performances through CCM’s new CCMONSTAGE Online video series. This week’s release showcases the Ariel Quartet’s concert of fugues from Oct. 22, 2019.
The performance features W.A. Mozart’s Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K. 546; Bartok’s String Quartet No. 1, Op.7; and Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 13 in B-flat Major, Op. 130 and 133.
The concert from Oct. 22, 2019, features Beethoven’s Große Fuge (or “Great Fugue”), which the Ariel Quartet performed in its debut Beethoven cycle at CCM in the 2013-14 performance season. Arts reporter Janelle Gelfand praised the ensemble’s performance: “From start to finish, the musicians wonderfully captured Beethoven’s emotional grit and fire, coupled with some of the most sublime music ever written.”
Described by the American Record Guide as “a consummate ensemble gifted with utter musicality and remarkable interpretive power,” the Ariel Quartet has earned a glowing international reputation. The ensemble is comprised of Alexandra “Sasha” Kazovsky, violin; Amit Even-Tov, cello; Gershon Gerchikov, violin; and Jan Grüning, viola. The group was formed in Israel in 1998 and has served as CCM’s string quartet-in-residence since 2012.
The Ariel Quartet’s 2019-20 CCM concert series was made possible by the generous contributions of an anonymous donor, The Estate of Mr. William A. Friedlander, Mrs. William A. Friedlander, Dr. Randolph L. Wadsworth, Mr. & Mrs. J. David Rosenberg, Mr. & Mrs. Harry H. Santen, Elizabeth C. B. & Paul G. Sittenfeld, Mr. & Mrs. Thomas E. Stegman, Dr. & Mrs. Theodore W. Striker and Mrs. Harry M. Hoffheimer.
Born in 1983 in Granada, Spain, Pamies has published four albums under his name: EntreAmigos (PSM, 2008), Borrachito (Bebyne Records, 2011), What Brought You Here? (Bebyne Records, 2017) and Summer Night at La Corrala: Solo Piano(expected October 2020). Critics have acknowledged his talent for composition, the lyrical qualities of his playing, and his natural and spontaneous ability to fuse the traditional jazz language and flamenco music of his childhood.
