SUU Music Ensembles Take Cedar City by Storm
Published: October 30, 2018 | Author: Ashley H Pollock | Read Time: 3 minutes
Southern Utah University’s Department of Music will present two days of ensemble concerts during the first week of November. The SUU Piano and String Ensembles perform Monday, November 5, 2018, followed by the SUU Brass and Woodwind Ensembles on Tuesday, November 6, 2018. Both performances will be in the SUU Music Building’s Thorley Recital Hall at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.
Dr. Lawrence Johnson, Chair of the Department of Music at SUU, shares, "The small ensembles of the SUU Department of Music afford more opportunities for our talented students to show off their skills and musicianship in ways that large ensembles may not. Not only does the limelight focus more directly on these individual instrumentalists in smaller groups, but it also provides a chance to delve deeper into the chamber music works and share these gems composed by the masters of today and throughout music's treasured history. We hope you enjoy experiencing these more intimate performances as we showcase our dedicated music students!"
The Piano and String Ensembles Concert will be held on Monday, November 5, 2018. This concert will highlight the work of students who dedicate their talents to the piano, viola, violin, cello, and bass.
Maia Wimmer, SUU piano student, illuminates, “I am grateful for every opportunity to perform. It is beneficial for me as a performer to participate in many concerts as it helps me gain confidence and experience.”
Dr. Xun Sun, Director of Orchestral Activities, explains, “The String Ensemble will start with British and Irish Dance music from St. Paul's Suite by Holst, followed by Hungarian Dance by Brahms, then it will move to the Slavonic Dance by Dvorak, and end with the South America Dance of Tango, Rhumba and Fandando by Mclean. Students have enjoyed the diversity of musical styles. The music techniques are very challenging. The students have helped each other learn and grow through the rehearsal process.”
The Brass and Woodwind Ensembles Concert will be held on Tuesday, November 6, 2018. This concert will highlight the work of students who dedicate their talents to the saxophone, oboe, flute, clarinet, and bassoon.
Kamron Campbell, SUU saxophone student, says, “My favorite part about preparing for this concert has been the progress of the ensemble as a whole. We work really hard and it’s nice to see our improvement each week.
Dr. Virginia Stitt, Professor, Oboe/Bassoon/Flute, includes, “Chamber music, by definition, is one person per part. Therefore the opportunity to play in a chamber music group allows one to be totally responsible for their part and how their part works with the rest of the group. Chamber music also gives students the chance to play music by composers that they may not have encountered. This fall we have a flute quartet/quintet and a clarinet duet. These two ensembles have worked on pieces by Handel, Hook, Curtis, and Gershwin.”
Dr. Douglas Ipson, Assistant Professor of Music Theory and Music History, summarizes, “Small ensembles give our students a different experience than playing solo in terms of blend and balance. There is also an amount of shared responsibility within smaller ensembles and you can’t hide as easily as in a larger ensemble. Small ensembles provide each student the opportunity to be a contributing member.”
Support these dedicated performers in their respective concerts on November 5 and 6, 2018. For more information about the SUU College of Performing and Visual Arts’ Department of Music, please visit the SUU Department of Music website.
Contact Information:
435-586-5400
Contact the Office of Marketing Communication
This article was published more than 5 years ago and might contain outdated information or broken links. As a result, its accuracy cannot be guaranteed.