Classical Music Discoveries

Artist Highlight: Carol Worthey

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 06:46:25 -0800

This week we are proud to highlight Carol Worthey. The day Carol was born, family friend Leonard Bernstein was in her house and made hamburgers in the shape of stars, declaring "This little girl's gonna be a star!" Not to make Lenny wrong, Carol began composing at age three and a half. A year later she was trying her hand at writing her music down. At age eleven and a half an Etude she wrote was performed in Carnegie Hall by pianist Vivian Rivkin. The following year Ms. Rivkin performed a Fantasia by Carol at the prestigious Hunter College Auditorium Artist Series. With this encouragement, Carol began formal composition lessons at age thirteen, studying with a student of Aaron Copland, Grant Beglarian (later the Dean of the USC School of Performing Arts) in a glorious summer near Tanglewood at Merrywood School of Music, where the Music Director was John Harbison. The next summer Carol studied again at Merrywood with another Copland student, Karl Korte, and met Copland, Gunther Schuller and John Cage. Carol Worthey (Carol Lee Symonds at the time) graduated Wheeler School with Honors and went to Barnard College, Columbia University, where she was transformed overnight from someone rather shy to a Campus Hero in her freshman year after winning First Prize in Composition at Columbia (renowned New York Times Music Critic Winthrop Sargent was one of the judges) for ballet music, thus saving the day for the Freshman Class in its "traditional battle" with the Sophomores known as Greek Games. Carol became a Music Major specializing in Composition, studying with Otto Luening, Vladimir Ussachevsky and Henry Cowell. The summer after her Composition Prize, Carol ventured to Aspen Music Festival to study with Darius Milhaud, met Olivier Messaien and pianist Yvonne Loriod and had a song cycle "Confucian Odes" world-premiered at Aspen Tent. The following summer was spent at Dartmouth School of Performing Arts where Carol studied with the vibrant Vincent Persichetti of Juilliard, who declared, "You think like a composer." Carol was also mentored by Walter Piston and Elliot Carter at Dartmouth. At Columbia a string quartet by Carol was transformed into a ballet called "The Barren One" which was world-premiered at Minor Latham Playhouse. Graduating from Columbia in 1965, she was awarded Honorable Mention in the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship toward college teaching. Carol married and for a time lived in an art colony in Mexico, San Miguel de Allende, where her works were performed at the Bellas Artes. She later settled in Los Angeles and studied arranging and orchestration at UCLA under Academy-Award winner Eddy Lawrence Manson. She continued honing her skills at Grove School of Music where she was the second woman to graduate from the prestigious and demanding Contemporary Composing and Arranging Program. It was there that she first wrote for full orchestra or Brass/Woodwind Band every week. The founder of the school, Dick Grove, publicly predicted at the Graduation that Carol would become the first famous woman composer in Hollywood, but Carol chose NOT to do film --- "I want people to recover the lost art of listening," she decided. However, in 1988 Carol was persuaded to do the score for a short film sponsored by George Lucas of Star Wars fame which was aired on HBO. Around this time Concert Pianist Mario Feninger performed Carol's work "Nocturne" in Italy, France and Canada, reporting that it was the most well-received work on his program. Carol's imaginative skill in choral writing began to attract the attention of a number of local and international choirs. The Hollywood Chorale performed a semi-staged concert work, "Pop Cantata", which got a ten-minute standing ovation (which Carol recalls at will when discouragement ever sets in.) Her choral works have received seven World Premiers at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, including "Peace On Earth", simulcast on KCET-TV and KUSC-FM before an estimated audience of three and a half million. In 1999 Freiheit Singers performed "Creed" at an historic site, the beautiful but war-ravaged testament against war, Berlin's Memorial Church. "I'm Lighting A Candle for Freedom", Carol's musical statement on behalf of tolerance, has been translated into French and Portuguese and in 2000 was sung in Paris, where Carol made her professional conductorial debut in a Benefit Concert sponsored by the United Nations on behalf of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (This song was created by her, lyrics and four-part arrangement, during a dream. She literally dreamt this song. Husband Ray's instructions were: "Write it down.") In 1990 Carol Worthey won her second Composition Contest at the Inner City Cultural Center's "First Bar" Composers Competition --- a contest lasting four rounds --- with her "Fanfare for Joy & Wedding March" for Violin, Flute, Harp & Piano (written for her own marriage ten years earlier to Ray Korns, to whom she is still happily married). Carol has since been a Judge for their composing, songwriting and vocal competitions, a project she takes to heart, believing in the importance of encouraging new generations of talent. In 2002 Carol judged some extraordinary talent at the Piano and Composition Competitions put on by Armenian Allied Arts Association of Southern California. In 2000 Carol became a professional speaker on Arts & Culture and her talks, "Turning Life into Art: How A Composer Works" and "Near-Forgotten Legacy: Six Women Composers of the Past", an illustrated lecture, were given at UCLA, USC, Cal Lutheran University and Borders Classical Music Society. In 1988 she pulled off a wild challenge: Contacted at the last minute by a Producer/Director who had hired actors and built sets and costumes but had NO script OR music, Carol wrote the music, lyrics AND script in two weekends, just in time for the first scheduled rehearsal. "The Night Before Christmas" ran for five successful holiday seasons performed by the Los Angeles Children's Theatre and was featured at the Ovation Award ceremony (L.A.'s Tony) in 1991 and on "Entertainment Tonight". Additional performances were sponsored by celebrities at local children's hospitals. Two casts performed this at various times: Hearing actors with sign language "signers" and deaf actors with "speakers" at the side. In 2001 Carol participated in a Los Angeles art exhibit called A Community of Angels, her first venture in integrating music and visual art. This wasn’t the first time she has taken up a paintbrush. (As a child prodigy in art as well as in music, Carol was admitted at age five to adult classes at Rhode Island School of Design where she studied for seven years.) "Angel of Music" was displayed at the Music Center in Los Angeles where it was seen by over half a million people from around the world. The music by Carol is activated at the press of a button and is designed to embody the healing qualities of music and to inspire children of all ages to participate in music. Carol painted the front with colorful musical instruments and decorated the painted “feathers” in back with the names of 160 great composers of the past. She orchestrated the song using the instruments painted on it so that it’s educational. "Angel of Music" was voted Most Popular statue in the exhibit. A music video filmed by Randy Tobin can be seen/heard at her website www.carolworthey.com. Recently Carol was commissioned by renowned Cellist Joyce Geeting (protégé of cello great Janos Starker) to compose Elegy for Cello & Orchestra, a one-movement concerto world-premiered at St. Martin in the Fields, London in Spring of 2003 to rousing acclaim. Elegy is a musical enactment of the events of 9-1-1 and is her heartfelt tribute to those lost and those left behind: It is designed to heal. Since its premiere, Elegy has been performed numerous times, including the Seventh American Cello Congress, and in Germany. Elegy is featured on Ms. Geeting’s newly released CD “Soul Stirring” along with works by Johannes Brahms and Max Bruch. Music remains Carol's primary language and (aside from people) her greatest passion. Composer, painter, lyricist, poet, arts lecturer and humanitarian, Carol Worthey firmly believes that the greatest artwork one can create is a life well-lived --- a life that makes a difference in a troubled world. She has certainty that each and every person is creative in some way, however unexplored. Through music Carol Worthey aspires to help release the listener's creative participation, to have listener AND performer feel more ALIVE. Podcast hostess: Sandy Hedgecock All music and visuals are used by permission.

Christmas Show

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 01:34:23 -0800

Our annual Christmas show, our Christmas gift to all of our listeners.

This year we feature an original story by Ken Hedgecock called "Fritz the Reindeer" acted out by:

Daniel Hedgecock, Amy Mickel, Crystal Giglio, Sandy Hedgecock and Ken Hedgecock.

Music included in this podcast:

I Saw Three Ships - performed by the Orchestra of Southern Utah Brass section

White Christmas - performed by the Master Singers

O Little Town of Bethlehem - performed by David Hedgecock

Fantasy on the Conventry Carol - composed by Douglas Townsend and performed by Maria Choban and Kenn Willson.

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - performed by the Coal Creek Brass

Silent Night - performed by Daniel Hedgecock and Angela Smith

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear - performed by David Hedgecock

Podcast hostess: Sandy Hedgecock

Sound/Mixing: Ken Hedgecock

All performances used by permission.

OSU: Messiah

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:03:03 -0800

A Messiah to Remember

By Bryce Christensen

No word serves Christmas-season advertisers more reliably than the adjective new as they entice us to buy new clothes, new jewelry, new electronic entertainments. But with two splendid Heritage Center performances of Handel’s Messiah on December 13^th and 14th, the Orchestra of Southern Utah (OSU) and the Messiah Chorus reminded hundreds of appreciative listeners of the power of a time-honored musical tradition to renew all that makes the holiday marvelous.

From the familiar but still stirring strains of the opening Overture to the to the last regal Amen of “Worthy is the Lamb,” the performance made fresh and vibrant once again the range of feelings that elevate Christmas to its special place in our shared lives. Except perhaps for the innovative placement of a subchoir in the balcony for “Lift Up Your Heads, O Ye Gates,” the choir and orchestra offered nothing surprising. Indeed, in this year’s judiciously abbreviated version of Handel’s lengthy original masterpiece, listeners heard only the most familiar numbers. Yet who was not surprised nonetheless at the way these timeless pieces—beautifully rendered—defy the years as they evoke yet again the deepest emotions of the season.

Without doubt, high praise goes to the soloists, whose talents endowed 250-year old music with potent new life. First in this distinguished group, tenor Benjamin Tyrrel sang “Comfort Ye My People” and “Every Valley Shall Be Exalted” with intense yet controlled passion. Likewise impressive, alto Geneil Perkins offered radiant interpretations of “Behold! A Virgin Shall Conceive” and “O Thou That Tellest.” And the audience may have wondered if they had not unaccountably slipped into the very heavens as soprano Regan Hanselman poured forth the soaring strains of “There Were Shepherds Abiding in the Field,” “And the Angel Said Unto Them,” and “And Suddenly There Was With the Angel.”

Celestial in the rich texture of her voice, Taliah Johnson rendered “Then Shall the Eyes of the Blind be Opened” and the first part of “He Shall Feed His Flock Like a Shepherd” with rare poignancy, yielding the spotlight to soprano Meredith Morse, who completed the second number with remarkably lyric yearnings.

Though the youngest of the soloists, Tristan Schulties sang “Behold, I Tell You a Mystery” and “The Trumpet Shall Sound” with an astounding mastery that invested his performance with all of the gravitas and authority typically associated with a seasoned bass. What is more, listeners could only marvel during “The Trumpet Shall Sound” at the wonderful way Schulties’ vocal mastery perfectly meshed with the instrumental brilliance of trumpet soloist Robert Carnesecca, whose piercing intensity aroused the audience to keen admiration.

As the final soloist, soprano Kenisha Thompson performed “I Know That My Redeemer Liveth” with a stunning and radiant vibrancy as she musically affirmed the miraculous source of all Christian hope.

The luminous gifts of the soloists, however, could not obscure the essential and likewise remarkable collective performance of the orchestra and chorus. Under the gifted and indefatigable baton of director Xun Sun, the orchestra captivated listeners with their profound devotion to the music they played, whether behind the vocal soloists and choir or in the entirely instrumental passages—such as in the opening Overture and the Pastoral Symphony. Similarly deserving of favorable attention was the choir, well prepared by choral director Adrianne J. Tawa. Having attracted a larger number of voices than in some past years—with a particularly notable increase in the male voices--Tawa had her ensemble ready to absolutely transport the audience with the musical floodtides of “And the Glory of the Lord,” “For Unto Us A Child Is Born,” and “Glory to God.” The audience needed no prompting to leap to their feet not only in traditional response to the “Hallelujah!” chorus but also in spontaneous gratitude at the conclusion of the concert.

For though most in the Heritage Center audience had heard every single number many times before, all felt—and gave thanks for--the ever-new thrill of inspiring music, movingly performed.

Podcast Hostess: Sandy Hedgecock
Recording: Pete Akins
Mixing: Ken Hedgecock
Photo used by permission

Durufle: Requiem

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 10:59:41 -0800

This week we would like to dedicate this performance to Jessie Swenson who passed away on December 8, 2009 after a brave battle with cancer.

Jessie is the mother of Sandy Hedgecock, the hostess of "Classical Music Discoveries" and thus Sandy is not able to do the show this week.

Jessie was a fine lady who was very close to her family and Sandy was extremely close to her mother Jessie. I will always have wonderful memories of Jessie as she was a fantastic kind and loving mother-in-law. These wonderful traits were passed on to her daughter Sandy.

She will be dearly missed.

This week's podcast is was originally aired on Jan. 8, 2008 so some of the information is out of date, but I am sure you will understand as this does not diminish the outstanding performance of the Cypress College Choir of this magnificent work by Durufle.

Artist Highlight: Giuseppe Devastato

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 04:40:16 -0800

This week we are very proud to highlight classical pianist Giuseppe Devastato from Italy.

Giuseppe Devastato studied piano with Carlo Alessandro Lepegna. In 2002 Giuseppe earned his diploma from the Conservatory of Music Domenico Cimarosa, winning the Mazotta Prize.

He is often invited to be a jury member in national and European piano competitions and has performed as a soloist and in chamber music groups at music festivals such as the "Igor Stravinsky" competition, Theater La Porta, International Festival of Ravello, Summer Concerts at Villa guariglia, Sala Scarlatti and many others.

He has also performed with many orchestras including the Orchestra de Estado de Mexico, Venus Chamber Orchestra of Sofia and the Romanian Philharmonic.

Giuseppe is also the founder of the "V. Vitale Music Festival and organizes important musical and cultural events. He has also been appointed the Artistic Advisor of the Neapolitan Music Society.

He also writes film music for Warner Chappel Music, CamSounTracks, ClassicaViva, RaiTrade and ShevaCollection.

You can purchase Giuseppe's CDs at: www.classicaviva.com and also at www.logomusicproduction.com

Also, we want to thank Giuseppe for always being one of the very first to contribute music to our podcasts, whenever we are a bit short on music or need music for special occassions like our Halloween Podcast and other needs. Giuseppe is a very valuable part of our podcast family and we appreciate him very much.

This week, we will feature several selections performed by Giuseppe and I will announce each one for you.

Also be sure to stick around as at the end of the podcast, we will have a special encore performance by composer Steve Horowitz who was featuring during our annual Halloween Podcast.

OSU: Fall Concert "Romance and Heroics"

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:20:55 -0800

New Music for a New Century Bryce Christensen “What,” the editors of New Sounds recently asked, “will the new orchestral music of the 21st Century sound like?” As part of their own creative answer to that question, the Orchestra of Southern Utah (OSU) once again premiered delightful new music at its November 19th Fall Concert at the Heritage Center on the theme of “Romance and Heroics.” To be sure, the evening did not begin with new orchestral music. Rather, the concert began with two movements from a work that has endeared itself to music lovers for more than a century: Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 in B minor (Pathetiqué). Written during the last year of the great Russian composer’s life, the first movement opens in notes of somber brooding. The poignant yearnings of the strings suggest an intense pleading for life, but the insistent strivings of the brass interrupt, implying the ultimately tragic futility of such pleading. Still, the stern brass instruments yield to tranquil interludes, as flute and then reed soloists beguile listeners with liquid reflections on the loves that have filled a marvelously creative life. The mood changes, however, in the second and final movement of the performance: the score grows tense, signaling struggle and impending conflict. The feeling then modulates, as waves of keening sorrow swell into majestic strains of profound melancholy, punctuated by sharp outbreaks of irrepressible grief. Redolent with funereal sadness, this poignant masterpiece finally fades into reverent silence. In choosing this daunting number, OSU director Xun Sun placed a difficult challenge before the musicians of his ensemble. But he and they rose to that challenge, deeply moving the audience with the tender passion of their collective interpretation. As always, Sun directed with evident emotion and engagement, and the instrumentalists under his baton responded with power and grace. After the Intermission, the spotlight shifted, as the orchestra joined with composer Keith Bradshaw in answering the query posed by New Sounds. Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra-- commissioned by OSU especially for this concert--thrilled listeners with the rich tapestry of truly exciting 21st-century music, remarkable both its kinetic energy and its tender pathos. In composing this piece to showcase the musical talents of his wife (Tracey Bradshaw) as a piano soloist, Bradshaw indeed sought to create “very contrasting effects,” delivering a very up-tempo and “energetic” first movement, followed by a second movement that is “melodic, and lyrical, allowing expressiveness and sensitivity,” and then concluding with a third movement that is “fast and driving to the end.” Together, the composer, the soloist, and the accompanying orchestra transported the audience into a wonderland of sonorous pleasure. Whether in the pulsing dynamism of the first movement, the languid introspection of the second movement, or the intense fury of the final movement, Ms. Bradshaw showed herself a consummate musical artist, her deft interpretation of her husband’s work sustained by exceptional technical skill but informed by an insightful imagination. Nor should the artistry of the orchestra go unnoticed, for Ms. Bradshaw’s solo shone all the brighter because of the perfectly modulated backdrop the orchestra provided. Composer, soloist, conductor, and orchestra all deserve high praise for bringing this exceptional new music to Cedar City: the standing ovation this number received was well earned. If the coming 91 years provide comparable music, then the musical legacy of the 21st century will be truly impressive. Having heard from a canonical Russian composer and from a rising American talent, the audience was ready for broadening their international horizon yet further in the third number: Celebration by the Chinese composers Zheng Lou and Ma Hong Ye. (Conductor Sun’s intimate knowledge of the musical wealth of his homeland probably accounts for the inclusion of this splendid number.) Beginning with the hushed expectancy of humming strings, Celebration quickly resounds with the far-off cry of horns, quickly echoed, only to explode in an astounding outpouring of infectiously melodic joy. Strings, percussion, brass, woodwinds—every part of the orchestra joins in this exuberant festival of sound. Listeners would have to search very hard to find a comparable eruption of sheer symphonic happiness! The final number enlarged the international character of the concert not by adding a new nationality to the list of composers, but rather by focusing on a globally international event: The Olympics. Written by the American composer John Williams for the centennial Olympics of 1996, Summon the Heroes stirred in listeners’ minds memories of truly heroic athletic feats performed by a global phalanx of athletes. Trumpets sound a martial call for valor in the opening notes, drums and cymbals marking the discipline of resolute struggle and the entire orchestra joining in an anthem to gallant exertion. With the inspiring dignity of their performance, the orchestra captured the spirit of the world’s greatest athletic enterprise. Though not yet playing to a packed house, the OSU attracted a very sizable audience for this concert (filling a good part of the balcony as well as most of the main-level seats), giving evidence that more and more Cedar City residents are discovering why every OSU concert merits a place on the music-lover’s calendar. Whether premiering new music or playing well-established classic works, the Orchestra of Southern Utah is making the 21st century a wonderful era for music. Podcast hostess: Sandy Hedgecock Recording/Sound: Ken Hedgecock Graphics by: Rollan Fell

Helen Foster Snow Statue Dedication

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:21:52 -0800

Helen Foster Snow (1907-1997) was an American journalist who reported from China in the 1930s under the name "Nym Wales" on the developing revolution in China and the Korean independence movement. While, like her husband, Edgar Snow, she was never a member of the Chinese or American Communist Party, she was sympathetic to the revolutionaries in China, whom she compared favorably to the Nationalists under Chiang Kai-shek. In the late 1940s, critics grouped her with the China Hands as one of those responsible for the "loss of China" who went beyond sympathy to active support of Mao's revolution. Helen Foster was born in Cedar City, Utah and raised as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from which she later became disaffected. After she attended the University of Utah for a short time, her father, an influential Utah attorney, arranged a job for her in the American Consulate in Shanghai. Almost immediately after arriving in 1931, she met Edgar Snow, who had arrived in China in 1929. They married in 1932. At a time when many Chinese were impatient with the Nationalist government for not opposing Japanese more actively, the couple moved to Beiping, as Beijing was then called, and took up residence in a small house near Yenching University, where they both taught. They were just in time to report on the 1935 anti-Japanese December 9th Movement. The Snows got to know idealistic and patriotic students, a number of whom were in their journalism classes, and some of whom were members of the Communist underground. Helen struck those who met her at this time as excitable and "talking like a machine gun." She urged one of the demonstration leaders to give laggard students "the devil for their inactivity and sleepiness," and asked "why be a vegetable?" [1] Edgar Snow was the first to go to the "Red Areas" and came back with the material for his Red Star Over China. "Peg," as she was known to her friends, was not to be outdone, and soon followed, returning with the material for her book Inside Red China (Doubleday, 1939) and the later Red Dust (Stanford University Press, 1952). She also drew upon her interviews with a Korean independence leader she met in Yan'an, which she used to write the book The Song of Ariran. The subject of the book was murdered by Mao shortly thereafter.[citation needed] The couple joined anti-Japanese friends, such as Ida Pruitt, Israel Epstein,and Rewi Alley in organizing Chinese Industrial Cooperatives Gung Ho industrial worker's cooperatives) after 1937. The couple's marriage was strained and the Japanese occupation of much of China made life difficult. Helen returned to the States in 1940. The couple formally divorced in 1949. She spent the rest of her life in Connecticut, developing an interest in family genealogy, drafting a novel, and writing short pieces on her experiences in China. She published her autobiography in 1984. After her death in 1997, Helen's family donated her manuscripts, documents and photographs to the Brigham Young University library.[1] On October 26-27, 2000, BYU held a Helen Foster Snow Symposium to celebrate this donation and gather scholars. This was recorded live at the Heritage Center on November 11, 2009. Podcast hostess: Sandy Hedgecock Recording/Sound: Ken Hedgecock Photo used by permission.

Mastersingers Veteran's Day Concert 2009

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 07:40:27 -0800

The ever popular Mastersingers celebrates Veteran's Day! Come celebrate with us! Eternal Father, Strong to Save Soldier's Chorus O Home Beloved Hallelujah The Mansions of the Lord Danny Boy When the Lights Go On Again The White Cliffs of Dover Crossing the Bar Hero's Dream Vive la compagnie! Service Hymns Non Nobis God Bless America Jim Harrison - Director Roland Williams - Accompanist Harold Shirley - Ass't. Director Gary Player - Trumpet for "The Mansions of the Lord" Mike Stephenson, Doug Webb, Gary Wilcken, Jay Wilcken - Mastersingers Quartet Wayne Williams - solo for "Non Nobis" Recored live at the Heritage Center in Cedar City, UT November 8, 2009 Podcast Hostess: Sandy Hedgecock Recording/Sound: Ken Hedgecock Ken's Ass't.: Darrien Giglio Photo: Ken Hedgecock by permission of Mike Stephenson

Halloween Show

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:31:33 -0700

Sandy and Ken present their very popular annual Halloween show! Haunting music is present by a plethora of composers from all over the world. Get into "the mood" with Classical Music Discoveries and have a fun and safe Halloween! Works in this podcast are: Gloria Coates: Sinfonia #2, 1st movement Jeff Harrington: Quarter Tone Prelude Lydia Ashton: Ashes of Strangers Lydia Ashton: Shadows Steve Horowitz: Souls Giuseppe Devastato: Sula Buia Sessions: Divertimento for Orchestra Eric Schwartz: Beelzebub Rag Eric Schwartz: Spirits of the Dead All works are used by permission. Podcast Hostess: Sandy Hedgecock Sound Engineer: Ken Hedgecock

Artist Highlight: Beth Levin

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 05:25:44 -0700

Beth Levin is an acclaimed recitalist, concerto soloist, chamber musician and recording artist. A pianist of rare qualities and the highest professional caliber,˛ states pianist Paul Badura-Skoda of Levin, and throughout her celebrated career she has approached both the Romantic repertoire and contemporary composers with equal facility and grace. At age 12, Levin made her debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra, and soon after was selected to study with Rudolf Serkin at the Curtis Institute of Music. Mr. Serkin was an inspiration the moment he walked into a room,˛ Levin recalls, a single word evoking the eloquence of a poem.˛ Levin made her New York solo recital debut in 1982 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 2007 she performed Johann Sebastian Bach's Goldberg Variations at Steinway Hall in New York City, a return for her to a composer in the first repertoire I had studied as a child.˛ As a concerto soloist, Levin has appeared with The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Boston Pops Orchestra, the Boston Civic Symphony, the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, and numerous other symphony orchestras throughout the Americas, working with noted conductors such as William Smith, Arthur Fiedler, Benjamin Zander, Tonu Kalam, Sidney Rothstein, Milton Katims, Silas Huff and Joseph Silverstein. Chamber music festival collaborations brought her to the Marlboro Festival, Casals Festival, Harvard, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the Ankara Music Festival and the Blue Hill Festival. As a Music From Marlboro˛ artist, she toured the United States and Canada. A founding member of the Gramercy Trio, the American Arts Trio and Vista Lirica, Levin has also collaborated with the Audubon Quartet, the Vermeer Quartet, The Reykjavik Woodwind Quintet, the Daniel Quartet, the Boston Artists Ensemble and the Saratoga Chamber Players, as well as touring Europe extensively with Trio Borealis. In 2004, Levin traveled with Poetica Musica under the auspices of the U.S. State Department, performing and giving master classes in Croatia, Serbia and Turkey. Levin's recordings include Bach's Goldberg Variations, released on Centaur Records in 2008, as well as Schubert's Wanderer Fantasy˛ and Scott Wheeler's Artist Proofs, both of which were released for the Taubman Institute Recordings. For Columbia Masterworks, she recorded the Hummel Quintet in D Minor.˛ Her performances have been broadcast on National Public Radio, WGBH (Boston), WFMT (Chicago) and WNYC, WNYE and WQXR (New York). As a soloist, chamber musician and interpreter of contemporary music, Levin performed and recorded works by Alan Campbell, Marc Eychenne, Brian Fennelly, Steven R. Gerber, Alexander Goretzky, Louis Karchin, Michael Rose, Allen Shearer, Scott Wheeler and David Del Tredici. Beth Levin's musical education began with Maryan Filar at the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia, and in addition to Rudolf Serkin, her teachers included Leonard Shure at Boston University and Dorothy Taubman in New York City. Praise for Beth Levin: ...Ms. Levin kept the ear engaged with boldly inflected readings and an impressive ability to convey emotion without exhibition. Her technique was solid, and better still, her organic approach made it feel like an afterthought.˛ Jeremy Eichler, The New York Times Over the years, Levin has transformed herself. The flame within still burns with undimmed intensity, but now there is warmth as well as blinding light.˛ Richard Dyer, The Boston Globe A pianist of rare qualities and the highest professional caliber. I was deeply impressed and moved by her performance at the last Marlboro Festival.˛ Paul Badura-Skoda Works included (in part) in this Podcast: J.S. Bach: The Goldberg Variations Beethoven: Diabelli Variations Both works included by permission of Beth Levin. Podcast hostess: Sandy Hedgecock Mixing/Sound: Ken Hedgecock Beth Levin interview by Ken Hedgecock Photo of Beth Levin used by permission. Mevio {Mevio-6039559dbe5bc1caca0c923dbcf5cd4b}

OSU Recital: Chopin and Other Romantic Composers

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 09:31:58 -0700

The Orchestra of Southern Utah presents an evening of Chopin and other Romantic Composers for this week's podcast performance. The recital features Julliard School student Hannah Sun and Dixie State College Director of Strings Dr. Paul Abegg. Hannah began studying the piano at the age of two in her native China. Her first teacher was her mother, concert pianist Qi Melody He. She has studied and performed piano in Australia and is currently a scholarship recipient at The Juilliard School in New York. Hannah has received numerous scholarships awards including First Prize in the Second New York Piano Competition in June 2004. As the First Prize Winner, she had the opportunity to concertize in venues up and down the East Coast. She performed in the documentary BEYOND THE PRACTICE ROOM, a behind-the-scenes look at the competition, shown on PBS as well as the McGraw-Hill Young Artists Showcase hosted by Robert Sherman on WQXR, New York’s Classical Music Radio Station. She has also received a scholarship to attend the Fontainebleau Summer Music Festival (where she received the Prix Nadia Boulanger), Silver Award from the National Foundation of the Advancement of the Arts, third prize in the Kosciuszko Foundation's Chopin Piano Competition, first prize in the Long Island School Media Association (LISMA) International Music Competition, full scholarships at the International Keyboard Institute and Festival at Mannes College of Music, full scholarship to the International Academy of Music in St. Petersburg, Russia, and grants from the Children's Foundation for the Arts. Hannah has performed with Orchestra of Southern Utah in 2005, the LaGuardia Symphony Orchestra in 2007, and the Corda Spirita Chamber Orchestra in Brisbane, Australia in 2008. More information about Hannah and her impressive career can be found at www.hannahsun.com. Hannah performs “Barcarolle Op. 60”, “Mazurkas Op. 33”, and “Andante Spianato and Grand Polonaise Brilliante Op. 22” by Chopin for her September 29th performance at the OSU Recital. Violinist Dr. Paul Abegg is Director of Strings at Dixie State College where he teaches violin and viola, coaches string chamber music, and directs the Dixie State Symphony Orchestra. He spends his summers teaching at the New England Music Camp in Maine. Dr. Abegg received his Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music from Michigan State University while studying with Robert Dan. He earned a Bachelor of Music from Brigham Young University. As a performer, Dr. Abegg has played solo, orchestra, and chamber music throughout the United States, Japan, Great Britain, Brazil, and Europe. Currently serving as concertmaster of the Southwest Symphony, he has also played with the Utah, Phoenix, Lansing, Ballet West, Kalamazoo, and Spokane Symphonies. Dr. Abegg performs “Sonatina Op 100 Larghetto and Finale” by Antonin Dvorak. He is accompanied by pianist Tracey Bradshaw. Several OSU musicians are also performing during the September 29th recital. Tracey is also accompanying violinist Marin Colby. Marin will play “Sonata #3 Adagio molto maestoso and Allegro” by Jean Marie LeClair. Cellist Emily White and pianist Teresa Redd perform “Cello Concerto” by Camille Saint-Saens. Pianist Mary Anne Andersen plays “Mazurka Op. 17 No. 4” by Chopin. She also accompanies Johnny Gallis, who performs “Villanelle” by Dukas on French horn. The Southern Utah String Quartet plays “Quintet (1862) Scherzo, Allegro non troppo” by Alexander Borodin. The Southern Utah String Quartet is comprised of violinists Patty Walser and Suzanne Steward, violist Sara Penny, and cellist Leah Brown. Pianist Abel Reed plays “Prelude in C# minor” by Sergei Rachmaninoff. Podcast hostess: Sandy Hedgecock Recording/Sound: Ken Hedgecock Photo: Hannah Sun Used by permission

Artist Highlight: Rachel Barton Pine

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:21:35 -0700

We are proud to welcome another new addition to our podcasting family - Rachel Barton Pine Her classical music biography leads with the cities whose orchestras she's soloed with, including Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta, St. Louis, Dallas, Montreal, Vienna, New Zealand and Budapest, among others. We also learn she was a child prodigy who made her solo debut at age seven and has worked with numerous famous conductors - Zubin Mehta, Erich Leinsdorf, Placido Domingo and Charles Dutoit to name a few. Hailed as “the most charismatic, the most virtuosic, and the most compelling American violinist of her generation,” her instrument is one of the most important in the world, the “ex-Soldat” violin made in 1742 by Guarneri del Gesu. Yet like any young woman who came of age in the Nineties, violinist Rachel Barton Pine is equally inclined to talk about the musical loves of her life far from the sonatas and concertos she practices and which constitute her current professional life. She may have intensely researched the musical relationship between Johannes Brahms and violinist Joseph Joachim for her GRAMMY-nominated 2003 Cedille recording "Brahms & Joachim Violin Concertos," but when she says, "They jammed together all the time," we can see her rock sensibility shine through. She can reel off a list of her favorite rock bands -- AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Anthrax, Metallica, Pantera, Van Halen, Slayer and Megadeth -- as readily as she can talk about these 19th-century composers. Rachel's ability to see the connecting threads in these very disparate musical forms makes her the perfect bridge between generations of music fans. She sees herself as an artistic ambassador, introducing the pleasures of classical music to legions of new listeners. In the process, she has broken through every possible stereotype people may have of a modern classical musician. Folks in her native Chicago have enjoyed her performances of the National Anthem at Bulls and Cubs games. She was one of the torchbearers in the 1996 Olympic torch relay and appeared in the opening ceremonies of the Paralympic Games in Atlanta - the same month she played at the Democratic Convention in Chicago. She has even opened at the House of Blues for Slash (from Guns N' Roses) and Sammy Hagar, performed with Robert Plant and Jimmy Page (from Led Zeppelin), and numerous photos on her MySpace page show her hanging backstage with many of her favorite rock heroes. Those who have never visited a concert hall can see and hear her playing and talking about music on her weekly podcast and YouTube video channel. When Rachel isn't on the concert stage, we can probably find her visiting schools across the United States, passing along her enthusiasm for the violin to the next generation. Rachel’s passion for guiding the future of music has led her to create the Rachel Elizabeth Barton Foundation, a charitable organization founded in 2001 to expand awareness of and appreciation for classical music. Current projects include an instrument loan program, grants for education and career, and the String Student’s Library of Music by Black Composers, a supplemental curriculum featuring music by composers of African decent from around the world. Rachel gives master classes everywhere she travels and serves on the boards of various schools including the Music Institute of Chicago. She recently received the prestigious Studs Terkel Humanities Service Award for her work in music education. Podcast hostess: Sandy Hedgecock Recording of Rachel Barton Pine by: Peter Norton Recording enhancement/editing: Ken Hedgecock Podcast recording/mixing: Ken Hedgecock Photo of Rachel Burton Pine is by Andrew Eccles Photo is used by permission

OSU Recital: Musical Favorites 06Oct09

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:13:34 -0700

The Orchestra of Southern Utah presents its final recital. The Musical Favorites Recital is an evening to remember, and features the talents of accomplished artists including violist Jason Bonham and tenor Benjamin Tyrrel. Bonham’s playing has been heard throughout the continental US and Europe. As a member and substitute member of such elite orchestras as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Elgin Symphony Orchestra, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic and Ars Viva Symphony Orchestra, Jason has had the opportunity to perform in concert with some of the great performers of this generation. Bonham began his studies on the violin at the age of 8 in the public schools of Southern California and was Principal Violist with Southern California Honor Orchestra. He completed his Bachelors Degree at Brigham Young University in Viola Performance (2001) and a Masters Degree in Viola Performance at Northwestern University (2004) in Chicago where he graduated with program honors. At BYU Bonham was the winner of the concerto competition for his performance of the Bartok Viola Concerto in 2001. He was principal of both the Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra and the Brigham Young University Philharmonic. Currently Bonham is a teacher and performer in the Saint George, Utah area. He is Director of Orchestras at Tuacahn High School for the Arts, Adjunct Professor of Viola at Dixie State College, Principal Violist of the South West Symphony Orchestra and co-founder of the Chamber Music Society of Southern Utah (CMSSU). He also runs a private studio in southern Utah, and in the past has been an Adjunct Professor at Brigham Young University as well as private teaching at several music institutions in the Chicago Area. For more information of Bonham, visit his website www.jasonbonham.org. Bonham performs “Introduction”, “The Young Juliet” and “Dance of the Knights” from the ballet Romeo and Juliet by Serge Prokofiev, “Elegie for Viola and Piano“ by Henri Vieuxtemps and “Allegro Appassionato” by Frank Bridge. He is accompanied by pianist Vernon Robison. Tyrrel is a versatile vocalist whose styles range from opera to musical theater. Born and raised in Southern California, Tyrrel began his musical training at an early age with training in voice, piano andorgan. He received his B.A. in Vocal Performance from Brigham Young University-Hawaii in 2006. While at BYU-H, Tyrrel was a featured soloist with the BYU-Hawaii Concert Choir's 2004 Asia Tour, tenor soloist for Handel's Messiah and Mozart's Coronation Mass with the Honolulu Symphony. He performed Mozart's Coronation Mass again at Carnegie Hall in 2006 with Mid-America Productions. In 2003, Benjamin received first place in the NATSAA Hawaii Chapter vocal competition in both Classical and Musical Theater categories. After graduation, Benjamin relocated to Southern California to begin work with the top tier opera company, Opera Pacific in Orange County, CA, where he served as the Company Manager for two seasons before its closure in November 2008. Tyrrel is currently working on his M.F.A. in Arts Administration at Southern Utah University. Tyrrel sings “Una furtiva lagrima” from L’Elisir D’Amore by Gaetano Donizetti and “En Drøm (A Dream) Opus 48 Nr. 6” by Edvard Grieg. He is accompanied by pianist Gerald Rheault” The final recital on October 6th also includes several other talented musicians from the Cedar City area. The Robert Gordon Jazz Ensemble performs “Old Devil Moon” by E.Y. Harburg and Burton Lane and “Doxy” by Sonny Rollins. Both pieces have been arranged by Bob Gordon for this performance. Pianist Elise Berrett plays “Prelude in C# Minor” by Sergei Rachmaninoff. “Largo” from Xerxes by George F. Handel is performed by five students from SUU: trumpet players Robby Carnesecca and Tana Jensen, French Horn player Johnny Gallis, trombonist Bethany Brinton, and tuba player Tyician Knight. Podcast hostess: Sandy Hedgecock Recording/Sound: Ken Hedgecock Photo of Jason Bonham is used by permission.

OSU: Talent Showcase 24Sep09

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 09:11:09 -0700

The Orchestra of Southern Utah Talent Showcase Podcast features the magic of youth, the enchantment of renowned professionals, and the mystic of modern movie themes – with all the performers coming from the Southern Utah area. Child musicians Sarah Sun, JessiKate Riley, and Anastasia Gliadkovskava perform as concerto soloists with the orchestra, under the direction of OSU conductor Xun Sun. Sarah is the eight- year-old daughter of Xun Sun and Ling Yu. She has been studying piano with JoAnn Jones since she was 4 and now takes piano from Anna Gliadkovskaya. She has participated in the annual Music Festivals and earned Gold Cup trophies in both piano and violin. She participates in the Suzuki Strings program at SUU. She plays “Piano Concerto No. 5 in D Major, K. 173, 1st Movement” by Mozart on the piano. JessiKate Riley (12) is the daughter of Douglas and Amanda Riley of Beaver. JessiKate began studying the violin at age 3 with Sara Penny. She has studied with Xun Sun and is currently studying with Dr. Paul Abegg. JessiKate traveled to Turin, Italy in 2006 to participate in the World Suzuki Conference, where she soloed in a children’s recital. She has earned several Gold Cups through the Southern Utah String Festival for solo and ensemble performances. She has participated in Suzuki Strings for many years and has attended the Intermountain Suzuki String Institute regularly. She performs “Concerto in A minor, 1st Movement” by Charles DeBeriot. Anastasia (11) is this daughter of Kirill and Anna Gliadkovsky and has been playing piano since the age of 6. She made her debut with Burbank Philharmonic Orchestra in Southern California at the age of 8 performing at the 5000 capacity Burbank Bowl. She plays “Piano Concert in F Minor, 1st Movement” by Bach. Women’s choir “In Jubilo” performs under the direction of Jackie Jackson and is accompanied by Dixie Morell. The ladies have several evening concerts each year as well as performing for a number of community and church events throughout their performance season. For the OSU Talent Showcase, they are singing “Lift thine Eyes” by Felix Mendelssohn, “Go Down Moses” arranged by Hayes, “The Place of the Blest” by Randall Thompson, “Chorus of the Cigarette Girls” from the opera Carmen by George Bizet, and “You Raise Me Up” by Brendon Graham and Rolf Lovland. Cellomania is featured as they play “Baby Elephant Walk” by Henry Mancini from the Paramount Picture Hatari. It has been arranged for quartet by Larry Moore and for cello by Nina Hansen. The full orchestra performs music by famed movie score composer John Williams. “Theme” and “Jewish Town” from Schindler’s List features special guest violinist Melissa Thorley Lewis. She currently plays in the Utah Symphony Orchestra, grew up in Cedar City with R.L. Halversen as her teacher. Her mother June Thorley and sister Colleen Dowse play in OSU. The orchestra also plays the E.T. Theme, as arranged by John Cacavas. Jerry Brubaker’s arrangement of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and highlights from Harry Potter arranged by Michael Story are also performed. This podcast is sponsored by the Cedar City RAP Fund and the Cedar City/Brian Head Tourism Bureau. Podcast Hostess: Sandy Hedgecock Recording/Sound: Ken Hedgecock Program cover used by permission.

OSU Recital: Songs for Voices and Instruments

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 06:42:52 -0700

Mckay Tebbs and the Master Singers are featured performers at the Orchestra of Southern Utah Fall Recital Songs for Voices and Instruments. Also featured is composer Geoffrey Gordon. Tebbs has been called “a top-notch guitar player” by The Independent Newspaper music critic Kyle England. “[He] can easily call himself a guitar virtuoso,” England added. When Tebbs was still in high school, his life was changed forever. He made a trip to Las Vegas where he discovered the music of Steve Vai and realized that he needed to practice more. His serious study of the guitar eventually led him to Berklee College of Music where he graduated with a degree in professional music. These different experiences have influenced Mckay's music to sound like what 20th Century Guitar described as "Adventurous smooth jazz." His music is characterized by instrumental rock guitar melodies played over jazz chord progressions. Tebbs described it as, “kind of like Carlos Santana going out to lunch with Kenny G.” After graduation, Tebbs was hired by Southern Utah University to teach guitar. In 2007 he recorded his first CD, "The Way." Which music critic England said, "Will certainly bowl over guitar lovers and appreciators everywhere." In support of that CD, Tebbs has played at many different events and festivals all across Utah including: The Highland City Fling, Brian Head Summer Concert Series, The Zion Canyon Arts Concert Series, The St. George Arts Festival, Ancestor Square, the Dixie Center, The Electric Theater, and The Grind. His band was also picked as the opening act for the Oak Ridge Boys concert at the SUU Centrum in Nov. 2007. McKay Tebbs plays “Caprice #24” by Paganini and “Prelude” by Heitor Villa Lobos for the OSU recital. The Master Singers are performing the Irish Folk Song “O Danny Boy” and the English folk song “Vive la Compagnie.” They are under the direction of James Harrison and accompanied by Roland Williams. The Southern Utah String Quartet presents “The Rose” by Amanda McBroom and “Unchained Melody” by Alex North. The quartet is comprised of violinists Patty Walser and Suzanne Stewart, violist Sara Penny, and cellist Leah Brown. All are OSU musicians. “Trio in D minor, Op. 49 No. 1, Molto Allegro ed agitato” is played by the Amor Trio. The trio includes pianist Tracey Bradshaw, violinist Sara Penny, and OSU cellist Brooke MacNaughton. Bradshaw will solo with OSU on November 19th during the Fall Concert. Tenor Lawrence Johnson and oboist Virginia Stitt perform “Cruelty has a Human Hearth” and “The Piper” by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Both are SUU music professors and have extensive performance experience. We are also pleased to introduce a Geoffrey Gordon, composer, to our podcast family as we play his extraordinary work for Wind Symphony "Sones sueno del Maya." Podcast Hostess: Sandy Hedgecock Sound/Recording: Ken Hedgecock Photo: Mckay Tebbs, used by permission

OSU Recital: Popular Music

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 10:27:39 -0700

The Orchestra of Southern Utah opens its 2009 Fall Recital Series with an evening of Popular Music.

Youth group Cellomania performs three well-known songs that been arranged for cello quartet by John Reed of the Hampton String Quartet: “Paint it Black” by the Rolling Stones, “Sweet Dreams Are Made of This” by The Eurithmics, and “Happy Together” by The Turtles. The group will also play “Mellow Cellos Tango” by Michael Kibbe, “Baby Elephant Walk” by Henry Mancini from the Paramount Picture Hatari and “The Lord of the Dance” by Ron Hardiman. This final number was arranged for quartet by Larry Moore and then adapted for cello ensemble by Nina Hansen. Cellomania is under the direction of Hansen and includes Dane Stults, Jamie James, Ali Diaz, Ethan Hansen, Heather Leavitt, Emily White, and Emily Smolka. The group performed in Disneyland last spring and is working towards performances in China.

Color Country Winds performs five pieces under the direction of Bonnie Smith Ries. “American Anthem” was written by Gene Scheer and arranged by Michael Brown. John William’s “Theme from Jurassic Park” by John Williams as arranged by Johnnie Vinson will be performed, as will excerpts from “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Freddie Mercury and Queen, arranged by Paul Murtha. Color County Winds will conclude their portion of the recital with the Brown arrangements of “Music for a Darkened Theatre” by Danny Elfman and “The Legend of Zorro” by James Horner. This community band performs for parades, art festivals and other events with administration by Debbie Nollan.

Fred Dunnell sings “Because” by Howard Teschemacher and Guy d’Hardelot and ”Pale Moon” by Jesse G.M. Glick and Frederic Knight Logan. He is accompanied by his daughter Teri Kenney on the piano.

Pianist Sara Rollins presents “Rhapsody” by Brahms. The high school senior is also active in the Canyon View High School choir and her piano teacher is Diane Decker.

“Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg honors the 70th anniversary of the Wizard of Oz film with vocalist Christine Reed, accompanied by Jana Dettimanti.

Podcast hostess: Sandy Hedgecock
Recording/Sound: Ken Hedgecock

Photo of "Cellomania" is used by permission.

OSU Recital: Popular Music 08Sep09

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 01:29:54 -0700

The Orchestra of Southern Utah opens its 2009 Fall Recital Series with an evening of Popular Music. Youth group Cellomania performs three well-known songs that been arranged for cello quartet by John Reed of the Hampton String Quartet: “Paint it Black” by the Rolling Stones, “Sweet Dreams Are Made of This” by The Eurithmics, and “Happy Together” by The Turtles. The group will also play “Mellow Cellos Tango” by Michael Kibbe, “Baby Elephant Walk” by Henry Mancini from the Paramount Picture Hatari and “The Lord of the Dance” by Ron Hardiman. This final number was arranged for quartet by Larry Moore and then adapted for cello ensemble by Nina Hansen. Cellomania is under the direction of Hansen and includes Dane Stults, Jamie James, Ali Diaz, Ethan Hansen, Heather Leavitt, Emily White, and Emily Smolka. The group performed in Disneyland last spring and is working towards performances in China. Color Country Winds performs five pieces under the direction of Bonnie Smith Ries. “American Anthem” was written by Gene Scheer and arranged by Michael Brown. John William’s “Theme from Jurassic Park” by John Williams as arranged by Johnnie Vinson will be performed, as will excerpts from “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Freddie Mercury and Queen, arranged by Paul Murtha. Color County Winds will conclude their portion of the recital with the Brown arrangements of “Music for a Darkened Theatre” by Danny Elfman and “The Legend of Zorro” by James Horner. This community band performs for parades, art festivals and other events with administration by Debbie Nollan. Fred Dunnell sings “Because” by Howard Teschemacher and Guy d’Hardelot and ”Pale Moon” by Jesse G.M. Glick and Frederic Knight Logan. He is accompanied by his daughter Teri Kenney on the piano. Pianist Sara Rollins presents “Rhapsody” by Brahms. The high school senior is also active in the Canyon View High School choir and her piano teacher is Diane Decker. “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg honors the 70th anniversary of the Wizard of Oz film with vocalist Christine Reed, accompanied by Jana Dettimanti. Podcast hostess: Sandy Hedgecock Recording/Sound: Ken Hedgecock Photo of "Cellomania" is used by permission. Be sure to visit us at: http://classicalmusic.mevio.com http://www.orchestraofsouthernutah.com

Live Recital/Podcast 15Sep09

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 02:37:50 -0700

Live radio shows, such as the Grand Ole Opry, used to dominate the radio dial. Those days have returned with a 21st century twist at the Orchestra of Southern Utah Fall Recital on Tuesday, September 15th. The recital features a live internet podcast hosted by OSU podcast hosts Ken and Sandy Hedgecock. “A podcast is comparable to a radio show”, stated Ken. Unlike a radio show which has a small local audience and can only be heard once, however, a podcast is broadcast over the internet where it can be heard by millions of people around the world forever. “All you need to listen to it is a computer and download the show or stream it to your computer,” Ken said. OSU podcasts can be found at the OSU website www.orchestraofsouthernutah.org. Ken explained that podcasts started to become popular about three years ago. “I thought it might be interesting to broadcast the OSU recitals and concerts to the world and see what happened. We started small and only had 137 listeners at first. Then I thought I should change our format a bit and had Sandy be the podcast's hostess. With those changes, our podcast immediately exploded into thousands of ‘happy listeners.’ Now we have over 30 million listeners per month.” “We never know where our podcasts are going to lead us, we just enjoy the adventure,” Ken continued. Now the podcast adventure has led to a live podcast at the September 15th recital. “The entire recital will be done as a live podcast and even Mayor Sherratt will be there to ‘welcome the world to Cedar City.’ We will have some of our most popular performers there, as well as couple of new performers to our podcast. Also, Justin Locke, author of ‘Real Men Don't Rehearse’ and former bass player of the Boston Pops, has written a humorous musical skit that will be performed by the Sing for our Dinner Players. It promises to be a very fun evening for all and very different than what anyone is used to seeing at the recitals.” In addition to hosting the podcast, the Ken and Sandy sing “Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better” from Annie Get Your Gun. They will be accompanied by Gina Ginouves. “Dindirin, Dindirin” by Philip Lawson, “Blackbird” by Lennon and McCartney arranged by Daryl Runswick, and the Tradition Irish song “An Irish Blessing” are sung by Marlo Ihler, Adrianne Tawa, Mark Leavitt, and Wyett Ihler. Marlo is a marketing associate at the Utah Shakespearean Festival. She is a graduate of SUU with a degree in Music and Arts Administration and has long been involved with OSU leadership and other community arts organizations. Adrianne is the Canyon View High choir director and teaches private voice lessons. She is a graduate of SUU and the Choral Director for the Cedar City’s annual Messiah Concert. Mark, a Cedar native of Cedar City, also sings with the Master Singers and is an officer with the Leavitt Group. Wyett is the founding member of the acapella group Simple Men and sings with the Master Singers. He is also a graduate of SUU. Trio Emi Toland, Carla Richman and Cythia Bradley sing “Don’t Be Cruel” by Otis Blackwell and “California Dreamin’” by the Mamas and the Papas. They are local favorites on the karaoke scene. OSU violinist Marisa Barth performs “Concerto #5 in A Major Allegro aperto” by Mozart. She is accompanied by Mary Anne Andersen. Marisa just completed a season as a musician in the Greenshow at the Utah Shakespearean Festival. Anna Sun plays “Fantasie Impromptu Op. 66” by Frederic Chopin. She performed as a soloist last spring with OSU and just joined OSU as a violinist. Her sister Sarah plays “Chim Chim Chi-ree" by Sherman and Sherman. She is featured on Sept. 24 in the OSU Talent Showcase. “Lost in the Stars” by Kurt Weill is performed by trumpet Gary Player and pianist Sharon Hatch. Gary is a geologist and Sharon works in health care. “Defying Gravity” from the Broadway Musical Wicked by Stephen Schwartz is sung by Holly Andrews Barrick, with Alysa Dummer at the piano. Holly has been invovled with musical theater since she was 8 years old. Her favorite roles have included the Narator in "Joseph", Aldonza in Man of La Mancha, and director of Parowan Theater's "Wizard of Oz." Holly has been married for 9 years to Brandon Barrick and is a stay at home mom three funny little kids. She tries to stay involved with music through In Jubilo as an assistant conductor, various community theater projects and teaching private voice lessons Podcast hostess: Sandy Hedgecock Sound/Recording: Ken Hedgecock Photo: Podcast hostess and producers, Sandy and Ken Hedgecock

Nothing But Bands 02Sep09

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 05:14:16 -0700

This week we go back 40 years into Ken's past to explore the large band ensembles he performed in and conducted during high school. Performed works are: American Overture for Band March from "A Little Suite" Rocky Point Holiday Irish Tune from County Derry La Procession du Rocio Symphonic Movement Four Scottish Dances The Southerner March Batuque Danzon Kalinnikov's Symphony #1 (Finale) You don't want to miss out on this explosive band concert! Plus the finale is a 160 piece wind band conducted by Ken when he was a junior in high school. Sandy and Ken also go over this week's listener comments Podcast Hostess: Sandy Hedgecock Recording/Sound: Ken Hedgecock Mevio {Mevio-6039559dbe5bc1caca0c923dbcf5cd4b}

Classical Music from Around the World

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 03:12:19 -0700

This week we explore the different sounds of classical music from around the world from artists and composers you may not be familiar with. We know you will enjoy this classical romp through the world and maybe you'll have a new understanding of just where classical music is going in today's world. Sandy and Ken also go over this week's listener comments.

Listener Music Podcast

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 12:14:19 -0700

This week's podcast contains music recommended by our listeners! Yes, this is our "Listener Podcast" where hundreds of our listeners from all over the world sent in music they wanted to hear on our podcast. This week we feature everything from classical to jazz funk. A very special thanks to our listeners and also to the performers for giving us permission to play their music for millions of people to listen to. Sandy and Ken also read comments for our previous "International Jazz Podcast." Don't miss this extraordinary podcast.

Jazz from Around the World

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 11:21:02 -0700

Jazz, born in the United States, has emerged in almost every country in the world in one form or another, each country has added its on flavor to it as well, making Jazz its own. We want to thank all of our musical friends for allowing us to use their music on this podcast. We are proud to present to you Jazz from the following countries: the United States, Nigeria, Spain, Malaysia, the UK, France, Jamaica, Indonesia, Germany, Australia, Italy, Chile, Hungary and Japan. We hope not only to entertain, but to also open a whole new world of International Jazz to you. It is with great pleasure that we present to you "Jazz from Around the World."

Potpourri Podcast 01Aug09

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 05:14:24 -0700

The numbers we are proud to present to you this week are: Joseph Hallman's brilliant "Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (The St. Petersburg)". This was recorded from a live performance in March of 2008. The soloist is cellist Alisa Wellerstein and the St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic is conducted by Jeffrey Meyer. This concerto is in the typical 3 movements are we present all 3 movements for you. Next is from a performance by the SUU Concert Choir, directed by Sara Guttenburg. They will perform "Songs of a Prospector" by Stephen Chatman. This performanced was recorded by Southern Utah University in October of 2008. Staying with SUU we are pleased to bring to you two of Ken's favorite SUU sopranos: Theora Hansen and Whitney Hulme. First up, Whitney will perform Menotti's "Hello! Margaret its you" from "The Telephone." Then Theora will perform Mozart's "Una donna a quindici anni" from "Cosi fan tutte" Finally, we are proud to bring to you John M. Kennedy's "Portrait..." performed during the Salzburg Festival in 1989 by the University of Michigan Orchestra, Gustav Meier, conductor. Also, Sandy and Ken go over this week's comments regarding the OSU Halversen Concert. Also we discuss next year's exciting season for the Orchestra of Southern Utah. Podcast hostess: Sandy Hedgecock Podcast engineer: Ken Hedgecock Photo: Whitney Hulme and Theora Hansen following their recital, used by permission

Roy L. Halversen Young Artist Concert 2009

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 09:27:09 -0700

A Lavish Outpouring of Talent By Bryce Christensen ““If you have a talent,” said the Irish poet Brendan Francis, “use it in every which way possible. Don't hoard it. Don't dole it out like a miser. Spend it lavishly like a millionaire intent on going broke.” A quintet of highly talented young musicians were lavishly sharing—not hoarding—their rare talents on the stage of Cedar City’s Heritage Center on the night of April 23rd, as they performed a rich variety of classical music for an appreciative audience. As featured soloists for the Orchestra of Southern Utah’s annual Roy L. Halversen Young Artist Concert, these five musicians—Anna Sun, Aubrey Shirts, Elise, Read, Ben Bradshaw, and Mike Wallace—offered powerful evidence that the vibrant local musical tradition that Roy Halversen did so much to foster during his more than four decades of music teaching and directing is alive and well. Performing first on the program, fourteen-year-old Anna Sun played the third movement of Felix Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto, Op. 25. No. 1 with a poise and deftness astounding in a musician so young. Dancing skillfully over the keys, her fingers produced an irresistible cascade of radiant beauty. Always an inspiring presence, OSU director Xun Sun beamed with quite visible and well-justified pride as he directed the Orchestra in accompanying his gifted daughter. As Sun yielded the orchestra baton to guest conductor Alec Mariana, clarinetist Aubrey Shirts, a junior in music education at SUU, moved into the soloist’s limelight as she played the third movement of Carl Maria von Weber’s Concerto, Op. 74. Ms. Shirts fully captured the restless energy pervading most of this spritely number, yet still handled with perfect grace the short passages of liquid serenity. The spotlight next shifted to vocalist Elise Renee Read, another music major at SUU, who performed “Oh Mio Babbino Caro” from Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and “Addio Donde Lieta Usci” from Puccini’s La Boheme. Ms. Read’s marvelously resonant soprano voice rendered both numbers with an impassioned fervor, soaring effortlessly into empyreal heights. As the final youth soloists of the evening, bassoonists Ben Bradshaw and Michael Wallace, both music students at SUU, joined their woodwind talents as a duet to play Johan Baptist Wanhal’s Concerto in F Major. Pouring forth a wealth of mellow and elegant harmonies, this duo together plumbed the majestic profundity of their deep-toned instrument. After the intermission, the lavish outpouring of individual talents gave way to an equally lavish torrent of collective talent, as Xun Sun again took up the baton to lead the Orchestra in Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 (1st and 2nd movements with 4th movement coda). To be sure, this evocative number did feature two more memorable solos—a poignantly liquid clarinet solo, again showcasing Ms. Shirt’s exceptional talents, and a plaintive and mournful French horn solo by Pete Akins. But only the full resources of the orchestra could master the daunting challenge of a composition combining a wide range of musical effects. It was not for nothing that critic Harold C. Schonberg regarded Tchiakovsky as "a sweet, inexhaustible, supersensuous fund of melody,” and mining the inexhaustible supersensousness of the Russian composer’s work requires a complete and well-prepared orchestra. Indeed all the orchestra’s resources—the piercing summons of the brass, the stirring cadences of the drums, the hypnotic seductions of the strings, and the fluid sonority of the woodwinds—did come together, sometimes in fusion, sometimes in counterpoint, in the course of this wonderful performance. And what a musical ride the orchestra gave the audience, moving from the grave and somber opening strains into a veritable eruption of instrumental fury, and then subsiding again into brooding suspense! The audience could only marvel at how the same talents that enabled the orchestra musicians to play with courtly and regal dignity one moment could just a few minutes later enable them to overwhelm their listeners with a passage of scalding white heat. By the time the orchestra had played the final regal notes, the audience knew it had experienced something quite rare. And as listeners exited the concert hall, they were acutely and gratefully aware that remarkable musicians had shared their talents with truly lavish generosity. Podcast hostess: Sandy Hedgecock Recording by; Ken Hedgecock Graphics used by permission: Rollan Fell and the Print Shoppe, Cedar City

MasterSinger's Hallelujah Easter Concert

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 11:57:44 -0700

In their annual Easter concert, the Mastersingers perform: Handel: Hallelujah, Amen Because I Have Been Given Much Come Follow Me Easter Parade Our Savior's Love I Know That My Redeemer Lives Abide With Me, 'Tis Eventide The Lord Is My Shepherd Panis Angelicus Thou Art Repose God Bless America Guest performers Pete and Melody Barrie sing: Because He Lives accompanied by Nancy Beckstrom Mastersingers accompanist performs: Hymns of Nature Podcast Hostess: Sandy Hedgecock Recorded by: Ken Hedgecock

OSU Rhythm Winter Concert Podcast 26Feb09

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 08:07:41 -0700

Winter Concert to Include US Premiere Performance The Orchestra of Southern Utah will perform their annual Winter Concert on Thursday, February 26th, at 7:30 pm at the Heritage Center in Cedar City. The concert will be conducted by OSU Music Director and Conductor Xun Sun. The major sponsor is the Sterling and Shelli Gardner Foundation. The Orchestra of Southern Utah will perform the United States premiere performance of “One World Concerto for Marimba and Strings” by Matthias Schmitt of Germany. Schmitt’s Norwegian publisher suggested he compose the concerto in 2003. “My first thought was ‘what a great challenge,’” Schmitt commented. Schmitt combined the influences of Latin, Pop, choral, classical guitar and marimba to create “One World.” The world premiere performance of “One World” was performed in 2004 in Austria by Polish Marimba-Virtuouso Katarzyna Mycka. Schmitt conducted the orchestra for the premier. Patrick Roulet returns to Cedar City as the marimba soloist for the “One World Concerto” on February 26th. A leading percussion educator, performer, and clinician, Roulet has appeared with many professional orgranizations, including the Seattle Symphony, the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra, the Boston Civic Orchestra, and the American Sinfonietta. As a soloist, he has performed with the Pacific Rims Percussion Quartet, Indian tabla virtuoso Sandip Burman, and the Dimitri Polrovsky Russian Folk Ensemble. Roulet taught as an adjunct instructor for 10 years at Western Washington University prior to joining the Music Department staff at Southern Utah University. He taught at SUU for four years before becoming Director of Percussion Studies at Towson University in Maryland. OSU will also welcome special guests the SUU Percussion Ensemble, conducted by Lynn Vartan. The Ensemble will perform “Jug Heads” by Michael Aukofer, and “Vous avez du feu?” by Emmanual Sejourne. The Ensemble’s use of occasionally inventive instruments has delighted local audiences throughout their performance season. The concert also includes the popular Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Dukas, Hungarian March by Berlioz, and the haunting In the Steppes of Central Asia by Borodin. The exotic English horn solo in this piece will be performed by Virginia Stitt. Sandy and Ken also go over this week's comments after the concert. Podcast hostess: Sandy Hedgecock Recording Engineer: Ken Hedgecock Graphics by: The Print Shoppe (used by permission)

Artist Highlights: Robert Bonfiglio and Justin Locke

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 05:31:27 -0800

This week we explore the harmonica delights of Robert Bonfiglio and the humorous anecdotes of musician/author Justin Locke of the Boston Pops.

OSU Fall Concert

Sun, 25 Jan 2009 09:09:12 -0800

Musical Magic New and Old By Bryce Christensen “A whole new realm of accessible and emotionally compelling classical music . . . is now being composed,” music critic Peter Gelb exclaimed recently. Gelb is indeed very excited that “after 50 years of being bludgeoned by inaccessible new music,” music lovers can now share in “classical music [that] can once again move forward boldly and creatively and acquire larger audiences than ever before.” The kind of compelling new classical music that so delights Gelb, the kind full of promise for enlarging audiences, resounded in Cedar City’s Heritage Center last Thursday night (Nov. 13th) as the Orchestra of Southern Utah (OSU) premiered a powerful new composition by composer and SUU professor Keith Bradshaw. Entitled Mind Matters, Bradshaw’s new number reflected its composer’s fascination with the dark poetry of Edgar Allan Poe, evoking a mood of profound unease and anxiety. An opening of eerie disquiet created an atmosphere of persistent unease, with hints of a brooding threat sustained by the gravelly rumble of the Bass section. This murky gloom, however, then metamorphosed into the restless strivings of a memorable string climax. Accessible and yet anything but saccharine, such intense new classical music can only amplify OSU’s already considerable appeal for area music lovers. Complementing the adventure of new music, OSU’s Fall Concert also delivered luminous performances of works with long-established reputations for spell-binding audiences. Indeed, the concert started with the well-known The Unanswered Question by the pioneering American composer Charles Ives. Beginning with string notes so subdued as to be almost inaudible, Ives’ masterpiece induces a mood of profound meditation on life’s deepest uncertainties, a meditation punctuated by the piercing brass notes of a solo trumpeter located not with the orchestra on the stage but rather high above in the balcony. Also unsettling the pensive contemplation fostered by Ives’ music were the fluttering notes of the featured flute section, their restive probings suggestive of the human mind’s struggle to resolve life’s mysteries. Thoughtful listeners were left wondering how such sophisticated music ever originated with a composer working in a country still regarded as a brash upstart on the global musical scene. Much less metaphysical, the last number before intermission—Bruckner’s ‘Romantic’ Symphony Number 4--transported listeners to the age of medieval chivalry, a stirring French horn solo first articulating the theme by conjuring the heroic idealism of a bygone era. Moving gracefully from interludes of sweet sonority to passages of dramatic tension, taut with the conflict of titanic struggle, OSU musicians and director Xun Sun once again demonstrated their remarkable versatility. Though it highlighted a single French horn soloist to open and then drew on the combined talents of the entire French horn section in its magnificent finale, Bruckner’s marvelous symphony remarkably ultimately fused all the resources of the orchestra--wind and string, brass and percussion—in its majestic measures. In the enchantment of such fusion, listeners might well have recalled just why critic Ludwig Speidel once said of the work of Anton Bruckner: “It is no common mortal who speaks to us in this music.” It was not Brucker but it was the music of more than common mortals that mesmerized listeners during the second half of the concert. As the evening’s marquee soloist, pianist Kirill Gliadkovsky delivered a truly inspiring interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto Number 1. An immensely gifted musician, Gliadkovsky transformed mere piano notes into an irresistible voice of lyric passion. Alive to Tchaikovsky’s every artistic nuance, Gliadovsky’s deft hands were alternately sensitively languid and thunderingly insistent: listeners thrilled now to the delicate notes of a chiming bell, and now to the overwhelming force of a cavalcade. Is it any wonder that at the conclusion of his tour de force performance, the audience immediately leaped to their feet in a prolonged standing ovation? Gliadkovsky responded to this warm ovation repaid by performing a dazzling encore rendition of Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in C Sharp Minor, a generous parting gift to very appreciate listeners. Though nothing impressed itself upon the audience’s collective mind more forcefully than Gliadovsky’s stunning musical wizardry, the OSU musicians who accompanied this brilliant guest soloist played with a fire and artistry that wonderfully complemented his performance. Once again, conductor Xun Sun had the entire ensemble prepared to captivate their listening audience with impressive mastery of richly memorable music. Once again, listeners left the Heritage Center savoring the mental echoes of breathtaking music—new and old. Podcast Hostess: Sandy Hedgecock Recording/Mixing: Ken Hedgecock Photo: Kirill Gliadkovsky

OSU: Africa Premiere Concert 21Feb08

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 09:39:59 -0800

The Orchestra of Southern Utah, OPUS Chamber Ensemble and the SUU Percussion Ensemble proudly presents the premiere concert of Marshall McDonald's and Steven Sharp Nelson's new work - Africa. The life of a man and his country, detailed in beauty and power. Possibly the world's first African Symphony. This work was commissioned by the Orchestra of Southern Utah and has had unsurpassed success to Cedar City concert goers. This is a MUST HEAR Podcast! Following the concert, we have a special composer seminar with the composers. Following the seminar, Sandy and Ken go over this week's listener comments. This concert was recorded live at the Heritage Center in Cedar City, Utah. Podcast hostess: Sandy Hedgecock Concert Sound Engineer: Jamie Bayer Podcast and Lobby Music Sound Engineer: Ken Hedgecock Lobby music provided by the SUU Wind Ensemble Photo is public domain