From the Director's Desk
As I approach the end of my first year as Director of the University of Minnesota School of Music, I could not be more proud of our community: faculty, staff, students, alumni, and supporters. Together, you all have built–over decades–something truly remarkable for the Minnesota arts community and the campus and the world are taking note!
We celebrated Prof. Fernando Meza’s thirty years leading our percussion studio. The campus recognized the innovative work of Dr. Adrian Davis and our Gospel Choir. The Minnesota Daily has praised our ever-expanding curriculum. A reader of the Star Tribune urged the community to hear our Symphony Orchestra where they could witness energy and breathtaking musicality. And perhaps the greatest recognition of them all: our very own alumna, Dr. Libby Larsen, was elected to the American Academy of Arts & Letters. You can see why we should all be proud!
But this is just the tip of the iceberg. This spring, Prof. Jerry Luckhardt (bands) was honored with the Horace T. Morse - University of Minnesota Alumni Association Award for Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education. Prof. Kelley Harness (musicology) received the Award for Outstanding Contributions to Graduate and Professional Education. Dr. Harness was also named a CLA Scholar of the College in recognition of her outstanding research. Prof. David Walsh brought together the Academy Award winning designer Tim Yip, the visionary choreographer Zhongmei Li, and the Taoist scholar Al Chungliang Huang for a workshop that will guide our fall production of the opera Dream of the Red Chamber by Bright Sheng and David Henry Hwang. We’ve enjoyed performances, masterclasses, and presentations by Young Kim and Michael Gast (horn), Ramin Roshandel (setar), Jean-François Charles (live electronics), Paul Stickney (jazz harp), Braden Maxwell (auditory perception and cognition), Dale Alexander (jazz piano), Christine Boone (music theory), Anthony Trecek-King (on the spiritual), Park Stickney (jazz harp), former faculty member Almita Vamos (violin), Ksenia Nosikova (piano), and many more.
But spring is not done! I hope you will join me at some of our upcoming events. In late March, Prof. Mark Russell Smith will lead the University Symphony Orchestra in Dvořák’s remarkable Symphony No. 7 and William Grant Still’s unforgettable Wood Notes, inspired by the words of poet-activist J. Mitchell Pilcher. In April, we will hear Prof. Matthew Mehaffey’s new edition of Charles Stanford’s majestic 1885 oratorio Three Captive Children. The Opera Theatre will present Verdi’s stunning Il Trovatore. Our jazz bands will work alongside the incredible trumpet player Ralph Alessi. Prof. Stephanie Arado will lead a salon-style program exploring connections between Jewish and Christian musical traditions. And our wind ensemble will be joined by Profs. Marissa Benedict (trumpet) and Dean Sorenson (trombone) for Dean’s own composition Fire and Ice. And there is so much more: guest artists, world music, our student run new music ensemble, and of course, student recitals. Come, join us, you do not want to miss these incredible opportunities.
I hope you can see and hear why we are all so proud of our musical Gophers! We are proud, too, to have friends and supporters like you. Whether you cheer on our ensembles, donate your time, or support our students with scholarships, we could not do this without you. Thanks to your support we are developing new partnerships, commissioning new work, welcoming new guests, and–most importantly–allowing students to focus on their practice and study. If you are able, please take a moment today to renew your support. You know that music matters and we look forward to working with you!
Dr. Patrick Warfield
Director
