Percussionist Gene Koshinski Tours with his Musical Inspiration

Gene Koshinski

Gene Koshinski, PAI percussion faculty member, is set to tour Slovenia and Germany with renowned percussionist/composer Nebjosa Jovan Zivkovic from May 17 to June 4, 2008.

Gene grew up with Zivkovic's music, one of the major inspirations that pushed him to pursue a solo/chamber music career. Gene says, "That's what makes this tour so special."


Gene first met Nebojsa Zivkovic at Rowan University when he played one of the composor's pieces for him in a masterclass. For a sophomore at West Chester University, it was a surreal experience. Gene went on to grad school at the Hartt School of Music where his percussion teacher often toured with Zivkovic.


Zivkovic refers to Gene as a "Strong musician, fast and accurate hands, it is always a pleasure to listen to his playing." Gene's role on tour will be as a member of Zivkovic's Jovan Percussion Group, a 3 member group designed to perform Zivkovic's's chamber music along with the conductor).

Nebjosa Jovan Zivkovic

The German-based percussionist and composer Nebojsa Jovan Zivkovic has developed a searingly intense, forcefully masculine percussion world.... his grand gestures are characterised by an astonishing intensity and often fierceness..... the range and combinations of sounds he creates are startling, and all is delivered in hugely virtuosic performances which can't help but impress the listener. BBC-Music Magazine, Nov. 2000

For more information, including concert dates and audio samples, please visit the following Web sites:
http://www.genekoshinski.com/

http://www.zivkovic.de/

Zane Forshee to Tour Taiwan in June

June 2008 will find Zane Forshee touring Taiwan for recording sessions, solo recitals and performances. Counter tenor, Peter Lee will join Zane for two concerts. On June 22 he will perform at the National Concert Hall.

If you attend one of his concerts in Taiwan, please be sure to say "Hello!"

For more information, please visit www.zaneforshee.com.

Joe Boga and Nate Larsen play for a Candidate

The day before the Pennsylvania primary, PAI's Joseph Boga and Nate "Mookie" Larsen had an audience. A special audience.

View Photo

Second Sunday Classical Guitar Concert Series presents Zane Forshee

Zane Forshee, PAI faculty member, is scheduled to perform in the elegant and intimate penthouse at the Roger Smith Hotel on Lexington Avenue at East 47th Street in New York City

The afternoon concert will feature works by Albeniz, Brouwer, Bach, Domeniconi, and Scarlatti

Co-sponsored by the New York City Classical Guitar Society

Frank Wallace and John Olson, co-curators

Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 4:00 pm

Tickets $15

For reservations, please e-mail rogersmitharts@rogersmith.com or call 212.755.1400.

Learn more about Zane

Sundays at Three Presents

RELEASE

NEW WORKS BY ARTISTS FROM THE GRAHAM TRADITION

SUNDAY, APRIL 13, 3PM, $10

Erica Dankmeyer
Carrie Ellmore-Tallitsch
Whitney V. Hunter
Virginie Mécène

Gathered together by Erica Dankmeyer, four former and present Graham Company dancers will present an exciting afternoon of new, individual choreography along with a special presentation of Graham’s Satyric Festival Song. The performance will be followed by a discussion of the Graham Legacy and philosophy with the contributing choreographers Erica Dankmeyer, Carrie Ellmore-Tallitsch, Whitney V. Hunter and Virginie Mécène.

SUNDAYS AT THREE, established in 1988, features new and reconstructed works by emerging and established choreographers once a month.

This afternoon performance includes a post-performance discussion with the dance artists.

Call or logon for tickets.

92nd Street Y ♦ School of the Arts ♦ Harkness Dance Center

1395 Lexington Ave at 92nd Street ♦ NY, NY 10128

www.92Y.org/harkness ♦ (P) 212.415.5552 ♦ (F) 212.415.5549

An agency of UJA-Federation ♦ The 92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Center receives major support from the Harkness Foundation for Dance and The Arnhold Foundation

PAI alum Nellie McKay

With the new album "Obligatory Villagers" and "P.S. I Love You" track on the 2007 movie soundtrack of the same name, Nellie McKay continues to make a name for herself.

She has a busy tour schedule, including appearances on the live broadcast of Prairie Home Companion this weekend (April 12, 2008).


For more information about her recordings and tour dates visit http://nelliemckay.com/


Read more about this PAI alum at http://www.welkmg.com/streetteam/artist/nelliemckay.asp

New Canaan High School Madrigals Tour South Africa

1. The New Canaan High School Madrigal Ensemble, under the direction of PAI choral conductor Arthur Sjögren, is currently on tour in South Africa. No strangers to travel, this talented group has toured internationally 15 times in the past 26 years. Joining them on this tour is PAI voice faculty member Alyss Haecker.

For more information, visit the Madrigal Ensemble Web site at http://nchsmadrigals.org/index.html.

An Old Friend from South Africa

PAI choral conductor, Dr. Johann van der Standt, was on campus earlier this month for a week-long residency. While here, Johann worked with both the Wyoming Seminary Chorale and Madrigal Singers, focusing on the traditions of South African choral singing.

Johann is currently a professor in Choral Conducting at the University of Pretoria, and the official choral conductor of the University where he implemented a unique model for choral singing on South African University campuses.

(click for rehearsal video)

Buen Viaje a Cornell Winds!

1 Cornell Wind Ensemble
+ 70 Refurbished Instruments to donate
+ 3 Costa Rican schools
+ 1 Santa Cruz Cultural Festival
= A trip worth taking twice!

Dr. Cynthia Johnston Turner, PAI Wind Ensemble conductor, and Matthew Marsit, PAI staff conductor, are off to Costa Rica January 9, 2008 with the Cornell University Wind Ensemble.

While there, the ensemble will deliver donated refurbished instruments to two schools and catch up with a third they visited in 2006.

"The 2006 tour was transformative for all parties involved. One of the things that we learned is that we got just as much, if not more, out of the giving than the students and communities to whom we gave," said Cynthia Johnston Turner, director of wind ensembles in the Department of Music. "CU Winds believes in service and trying to make the world a bit better. We also believe that giving the opportunity to make music to a young person can change their life for the better. This year, we've doubled our efforts."

Read the entire article at the Cornell University Chronicle Online site: http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Dec07/CostaRica.return.da.html

More about Cornell University Wind Ensemble http://www.cuwinds.com/

Cornell University Music http://www.arts.cornell.edu/music/index.html

In Memoriam

Over the past eighteen months, PAI’s dear friend, Denise Taylor, courageously fought a battle with lymphoma. Last summer, her devoted husband (PAI’s musical theater director) tirelessly provided her with love and support at the same time he directed Oliver.

We are deeply sorry to announce that Denise passed away on December 29th.

For several years, Denise came to PAI with her husband, Bill Roudebush. While she was here, she generously shared her vast knowledge of the acting profession with PAI students, who quickly developed strong bonds of friendship with her. At PAI, Denise will always be remembered for the way her smile could light up a room and for her sincerity in every interaction.

Your thoughts, prayers and expressions of concern will be of great comfort to Bill. If you would like to send him a note, please contact the PAI office for his mailing address.

Details about Denise’s memorial service are as follows.

Wednesday, January 16th, 11:00 AM
Saint Denis Cathedral
2401 Saint Denis Lane
Havertown, PA 19083

Zane Forshee and Sara Casey will participate in the service.

We plan to take two vans to Philadelphia, leaving the upper school campus promptly at 8:00 AM. If you would like to have a seat reserved, please contact us by Friday, January 11th at onstage@wyomingseminary.org or 570-270-2177.

Because Denise loved animals so much, memorial donations can be made in her honor to the humane society’s Kindred Spirits Memorial Fund. For your convenience, here is a link to their website: https://secure.hsus.org/01/kindredspirits?qp_source=gabahw.

Bakehouse, Glorious Bakehouse!

Oliver cast members catch up with Mark Kratz at the Bakehouse in Kingston.

New Maya Release Available Now!

Perspectives Recordings proudly presents the debut CD of MAYA, In The Spirit, in its deluxe first edition.

Uniquely compelling and rhythmically driven, MAYA, a trio of harp (PAI's Jacqueline Kerrod), flute (Sato Moughalian) and percussion (John Hadfield) was founded in 2005. The group draws on a spectacular collection of percussion instruments from around the world.

Central to MAYA’s vision is the nurturance of relationships with the next generation’s most gifted composers. In The Spirit features classic Christmas favorites in an earthy new style as well as original CD commissions by Ricardo Romaneiro, a 28 year old Brazilian composer who has created a new work inspired by the chants of the Krenak, a tribe from the Northeast of Brazil. The stellar young composer Alexandra du Bois has breathed new life into the plaintive Appalachian classic song, I Wonder as I Wander. Trendsetting New York cellist-composer Erik Friedlander has crafted an improvisatory and virtuosic dance based on a 15th century Sephardic song. Hear Tchaikovsky’s Arabian Dance from his beloved Nutcracker played on the Turkish darbuka. Composer and bassist-leader Gregg August adds a cool note of jazz to Greensleeves. MAYA’s own percussionist John Hadfield offers an homage to the sights and sounds of Istanbul in American Dervish.

In The Spirit is luxuriously presented in a six-panel digipak and slipcase covered with luminous images of timeless ceramic art in an ancient tradition. The music is an evocation, a personal voyage in sound to far-flung times and places. Brilliantly produced and engineered by Grammy Award winning Steven Epstein, In The Sprit is both traditional and innovative, a lush and inviting cultural journey. Experience it for yourself!

Please visit Maya's Web site for more information and to purchase a copy of the CD: http://www.mayatrio.com/.

Prepare Ye the Way to Ephrata!

Chris Cannon would like to share some great news with his friends from PAI! Chris is currently appearing as John the Baptist/Judas in "Godspell" at the Ephrata Performing Arts Center (EPAC), one of the community theaters in the Lancaster, PA area. The show opened on November 8th and closes on November 25th, with a total of 15 performances. Chris is excited to be part of this amazing show which has received wonderful reviews in our local newspapers.

Read the review: http://local.lancasteronline.com/4/212211

You still have time to catch this show! More information, including directions and ticket sales at http://www.ephrataplayhouseinthepark.org/.

Martha Graham Dance Company in Selinsgrove, PA

On October 30, 2007 the Martha Graham Dance Company, which includes PAI dance faculty member Carrie Ellmore-Tallitsch, will appear at the Degenstein Center Theater in Selinsgrove, PA.

For more information, please visit the following Web sites.

Degenstein Center Theater

Martha Graham Dance Company

Kudos to Sophie Till!

We are proud to announce that Sophie Till has been awarded a grant through the Pennsylvania Council on the Art’s unique program, Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts. The grant will fund a televised recital of Sophie performing violin show pieces. Accompanying her will be pianist, Ronald Stabinsky. The recital will be filmed on January 20th, 2008 at WVIA's state-of-the-art high-definition television studio. Anyone wishing to attend the recital should contact WVIA at 1-800-326-9842. Admission is free of charge.

Sophie holds an advanced music degree from the Royal College of Music in London and a master of music degree from the University of Massachusetts (Amherst) where she studied under Charles Treger. She is persuing a PhD on the Beethoven Violin Sonatas at The University of Leeds (UK).

An active free-lance violinist throughout Europe and Eastern United States, she formerly taught at both Eton College and the Royal College of Music, Junior Department. She was recently named the recipient of the F. Lammot Belin Arts Award and is currently recording the complete Beethoven violin and piano sonatas. She serves on the music faculty of Marywood University, where she is the director of the string division, and is an Artist in Residence at Wyoming Seminary.

At PAI, Sophie taught violin lessons, coached chamber music, presented masterclasses and performed with the resident string quartet.

Rock Doves

Jamie Kurtz, PAI set and lighting director, says it took Renaissance Entertainment Technologies just four days to build their first set headed to New York City. Like the set for PAI's production of Oliver, it was built and painted in their studio then loaded into the theater, which in this case was the Irish Arts Center in New York City.

Charlie Corcoran, set designer for "The Molly Maguires" at the F.M. Kirby Center in April, designed this set for the play “Rock Doves,” by the Northern Irish playwright Marie Jones.

A photo can be seen in the New York Times review of the play.

Opera Hause

Mind control, torture, biological weapons, LSD, and defenestration are ingredients for a new opera that could only be about "Man." Evan Hause's final Defenestration opera, "Man: Biology of a Fall," about the infamous 1953 CIA cold-cocking of army bio-weapons researcher Frank Olson, runs for four nights only: October 4, 5, 6, and 7 (matinee). Libretto is by Gary Heidt.


San-ky Kim, PAI voice faculty, sings the part of Gottlieb.


Tickets ($15-35) and Directions available from the Kumble Theater box office: http://www.kumbletheater.org/; (718) 488-1624. Showtimes: October 4, 5, 6 (Th-Sat) at 7:30 PM; October 7 (Sun) at 3:00 PM.

More information: http://www.manbiologyofafall.com/

Don't Miss Carrie and Martha!

Make sure you don't miss Carrie Ellmore Tallitsch with the Martha Graham Dance Company. Carrie is on the dance faculty at PAI, and is a full time member of the Martha Graham Dance Company.

The New York Season at the Joyce Theater will end on September 23, but the company travels extensively throughout the United States and abroad.

Please follow the links for performance information:

http://www.carrieellmore.com/

http://www.marthagrahamdance.org/

http://www.joyce.org/

Victor Liva to Conduct the Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra

Victor Liva, PAI orchestra conductor, was recently named music director and conductor of the Cleveland Philharmonic starting with the 2007-2008 season. The first concert of the season is scheduled on October 14, 2007 and includes Rossini's Overture to "The Barber of Seville”, Saint-Saens' Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, and Sibelius' Symphony No. 2. For more information about the Cleveland Philharmonic, please visit their website : http://www.clevephil.org/.

Victor also serves as Orchestra Conductor and Director of String Studies at Cleveland State University.

Wishing You PAI Blessings!

Many of you have requested a copy of the blessing from the Grand Finale banquet. Here it is!

In this final gathering, we give thanks
for time spent together;
for friendships new, and old ones strengthened;
for the food that nourishes our bodies, allowing us to work;
for the music we've created,
lessons we've learned,
and the isnpiration that continues to fuel our creative spirits.

Bless us tonight in our final performances, and give us strength, compassion and love to accompany us into our future journeys.

BethDuhr

Barbara Weisberger Visits the PAI Dance Company

Barbara Weisberger, founder of the Pennsylvania Ballet,

and student of George Balanchine,

shared her experience and expertise with the PAI Dance Company

and raised the bar.

Thank you!

Shanghai Quartet Masterclass and Concert

Masterclass

in the afternoon

for PAI participants

was followed by a concert of Mozart, Long and Schubert

for a full house of appreciative concert goers.

BRAVO!

Warm greetings to family and friends of the PAI community!

At Day 3, it is safe to say that the PAI 2007 Season is off to a great start! Large and small ensembles sound excellent---we are all pleased with the high level of music so early in the season. Reports from the dance studio are also very positive, as are the reports from our musical theater director, Bill Roudebush. The counselor recital on Monday night was tremendous and we are eagerly anticipating the student recital tomorrow evening.

On behalf of all of the students, I invite you to join us for a weekend of great music! Please click on this link to our performance schedule for detailed information about the weekend. http://www.wyomingseminary.org/pai/perform.htm.

For those of you who can not attend the concerts, I hope that you enjoy these photos of PAI in action!

Best regards,

Nancy Sanderson, Director

PAI Counselors

Walk this way! PAI students on game night.

Just Chillin'!

Musical Theater students reach for the stars with the help of dialect coach, David Howie.

Music Makers making music

PAI Alums Attend Gala Benefit

A chance to reconnect with PAI friends, a chance to witness great PAI performances from past, present and future PAI students, and most importantly, a chance to support the PAI Musical Theater program. Thanks for being there!

Did you attend PAI? Do we know where you are and what you are doing? Click here and turn yourself in!

MAYA: Uniquely Compelling

In the summer of 2005 Jacqueline Kerrod, PAI harp faculty member along with Sato Moughalian, flute and John Hadfield, percussion, formed the trio MAYA. MAYA offers the uniquely compelling and rhythmically driven combination of flute, harp and percussion, performing classical music, ethnic music, and incorporating improvisations into its performances.

The ensemble has embarked on a major commissioning program, with a number of new pieces currently in progress and recently completed, from established and emerging young composers and well-known artists in the field of world music. MAYA is also creating multi-media works, reflecting the artistic visions of its members who seek to create a repertoire which mirrors their expanding ideals of beauty in an increasingly connected world.

The term maya has deep roots and diverse meanings around the world. In Hindu philosophy maya is the divine power which has created the cosmos. In Buddhism, maya is the veil of illusion, the transitory appearance of the physical world, and a metaphoric challenge for spiritual aspirants. In the Americas, the Mayan people formed a highly developed culture whose singular achievements included monumental architecture, agriculture, astronomy, mathematics and a distinct calendrical system. Maya is a term found in the Upanishads, in Vedic and Sanskrit writings--a richly evocative image in cultures and literatures throughout the East.

The members of MAYA hail from South Africa, Asia Minor, and North America.

PAI loaned the use of a harp to assist in the rehearsing and recording process of MAYA’s debut CD entitled "In the Spirit", a collection of pieces that have been transcribed by and composed for MAYA. "In the Spirit" will be released in July 2007.

For more information about MAYA, visit www.mayatrio.com.

PAI Voice Teacher or Frosty Alaskan Beast?

Mark Kratz spent much of his time in Alaska this past winter. His first production was playing Tamino in The Magic Flute with Opera to Go! based out of Juneau, Alaska. They toured in Anchorage, Nome, and even north of the arctic circle in the village of Kotzebue.


He then played the beast in the Disney musical Beauty and the Beast with the Juneau Lyric Opera. The production took place in the middle of March.



In May he warmed up a little as he returned to sing Beethoven's 9th with the Northeast Philharmonic and he should be fully defrosted by June when he returns to PAI.

Welcome Gabriel Larsen!

Gabriel Larsen was born January 23 at 4:27 a.m. He weighed
6 lbs, 4 oz, and was 21 inches long. Jens and Laurel, he's beautiful!

Concert This Week: Quey Percussion at Marywood

Quey Percussion Duo will perform at Marywood University at 4:00 pm on Thursday, March 29, 2007.

Need more information? Contact the PAI office at 570-270-2186.

Quey Percussion Duo: Mission? Commission!

Gene Koshinski (PAI percussion faculty) and Tim Broscius of Quey Percussion Duo are keeping very busy this year. QPD's new CD, entitled "In the History of Man," due out in July 2007, contains an eclectic mix of percussion music including standard percussion works, newly commissioned pieces, hints of world music, and even a jazz transcription. Some of the newly commissioned works for the CD are David Macbride's "Klung," Alejandro Vinao's "Arabesco Infinito," and Gene Koshinski's "As One."

One of QPD's goals is to "commission as many new pieces as time and money allow." In addition to a very busy touring and teaching schedule, the duo organizes an annual composition contest which generates between 70 and 80 pieces each year. Two winners receive prizes which include cash, a premiere performance, and publication through HoneyRock publishers. In addition to the competition, QPD also commissions projects with well-known composers each year. In the past year they commissioned David Macbride's "Klung" for three percussionists, Stuart Saunders Smith's "Winter Taps" for two vibraphone players/speakers, Alejandro Vinao's "Arabesco Infinito" for marimba and vibraphone, and Dave Hollinden is currently working on a piece for the duo set for completion in September.

Both Gene and Tim will be on faculty at PAI in 2007.

For more info, visit their website at www.queypercussion.com.

That Wacky B flat!

National Public Radio (NPR) ran a story about B flat recently which included alligators, a piano tuner, and black holes. Take a look and listen at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7442915. Do you have B flat stories of your own? Let us know!

It's not the Same Without You!

PAI 2006

Winter 2007

What do Winnipeg, Costa Rica, Kentucky, Edmonton, Salzburg and Vancouver have in Common? Cynthia Johnston Turner!

PAI Wind Ensemble conductor Cynthia Johnston Turner is having a busy year. She just returned from Costa Rica, where she reheared and conducted the American Schools of Central America Honor Band and Choir, and from Winnipeg, where she adjudicated and gave clinics to more than 95 bands! The difference in temperature? Minus 37 degrees in Winnipeg, and over 80 degrees in Costa Rica. She is on her way to Kentucky to conduct their Quad-State Honor Band. Two weeks later she's off to Edmonton to do the Alberta Festival of Bands. May finds her in Salzburg, Austria to conduct the Austrian Festival Orchestra, then to Vancouver to judge the Canadian National Music Festival.

We're glad she's carved out a chunk of time this summer to return to PAI!

Happy Trails!

White Cello Case Spotted in Texas!

When Bo Zhang (PAI '06) traveled from Beijing, China to the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport in January to attend Texas Christian University he was worried. He didn't quite know what to expect. When he left the terminal, the friendly faces of Dr. San-ky Kim (PAI voice faculty) and Irina Schuck (PAI violin faculty) were there to greet him and erased his fears. Bo is settling in nicely in Texas and says the homesickness is fading. He's working hard on his English and his cello. One of the great benefits of PAI is the network of friends and colleagues we build. We are grateful and rely on those ties in times like these!

Roudebush Corrals Cleveland! "Equus" Opens to Impressive Reviews!

PAI Music Theater director, William Roudebush, directs the Beck Center for the Arts production of Equus through February 25, 2007.
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‘EQUUS’ AT BECK IS A BRILLIANT AND COMPELLING MUST SEE!Roy Berko,(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)

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Equus at the Beck is an outstanding production. Everything has come together: sight and sound, story and presentation, acting and direction fuse together into a powerful whole where gifted people produce an experience that will stay with you.-From Cool Cleveland contributor Marcus Bales

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"Equus" does everything a play is supposed to do, it reexamines the art form, raises hard questions, and tells a compelling, if not tragic, story.
-Shane Gleason, The Cauldron, Monday, February 5, 2007
full review

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"Miss 'Equus,' and you’ll miss out on one of the most awesome productions ever presented on a Cleveland stage."-Fran Heller, Contributing Writer, Cleveland Jewish News
full review

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"Peter Shaffer’s "Equus" should be seen by packed houses every night of its run at Lakewood’s Beck Center for the Arts. And not just because this is a brilliant and beautiful and riveting production, but because it is the kind of theater experience that is enhanced by being shared. "
and...

"This is a magnificent play. Roudebush calls Shaffer’s drama "one of the great plays of the 20th century." His inventiveness and that of his actors in bringing this show to life is sure to repay audiences who, however it affects them, will not forget it. "
-Mark Moran, Lakewood Observer
full review

Equus runs through February 25. more information

How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Pull Strings!

PAI Harp counselor, Meredith Clark, played a concert at Carnegie Hall on Friday, January 26th, under Robert Spano. Spano conducted a hand-picked orchestra of Oberlin students both at Oberlin, and at Carnegie Hall. Higdon's Blue Cathedral, Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 25, in C Major, and Bartok's Concerto For Orchestra were on the program. Meredith played principal on the Bartok. (More information: http://www.oberlin.edu/con/bkstage/200611/Carnegie.html.)

In December, she performed the Ginastera Harp Concerto on the Oberlin Harp Studio Recital, and will be competing with it in numerous concerto competitions, including the one at Oberlin next fall.

Movin' on Up!

The time has come to bid a fond farewell to Jason Eck, beloved PAI counselor and baritone extraordinaire! Jason came to PAI as a student in 2001 after finishing his freshman year at a high school in Binghamton, New York. As a student at PAI, he played leading roles in Mystery of Edwin Drood, Les Miserables (Javert), Cabaret (Herr Schultz) and West Side Story (Tony). In 2004, he was invited to join the PAI staff as a junior-counselor and in subsequent summers he returned as counselor. Since then, his career has been moving at an amazing pace. Currently in his junior year at Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Jason has just recently learned that he was accepted to Marilyn Horne's vocal program at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara CA. There, he'll be singing Colline in their production of La Boheme. Before he joined PAI for the 2006 season, he spent the month of June participating in the Young Artists Opera program with the Saint Louis Opera Company. Both of these honors are usually awarded to graduate students and young professionals---it is amazing that someone as young as Jason has already been the recipient of two such prestigious awards! There is no question that we can expect to hear great things about Jason's future! Having said that, his presence in the PAI dormitories, rehearsals, recitals and backstage will be sorely missed. Please join me in wishing Jason our very best.

Top Ten Reasons to visit Scranton, PA on May 11th.

10-It's the Electric City, and who doesn't need electricity in May!
9 - To see what those April Showers (and 2006 floods) have achieved.
8 - It's a great excuse to stop by Kingston and visit Nancy.
7 - The Yankees are here!

6 - It is the home of the only museum entirely devoted to escape artist Harry Houdini

5 - It is the setting for NBC's "The Office"
4 - The World Premiere Composition Series Concert at the University of Scranton, 8:00 pm
3 - To experience "A Noiseless, Patient Spider," for chorus
2 - To hear "Lughnasa," a new piece for wind ensemble
1 - To catch up with PAI's Matt Herman, the Guest Composer/Conductor (and the king of PAI Top Ten lists!)

Information: www.scranton.edu/music

Listen Up!

Do you want to know what classical guitarist and PAI faculty member Zane Forshee is up to? Check out his new website:http://www.zaneforshee.com/. While there, be sure to listen to excerpts from his new CD, set to be released in Spring 2007.

Watch for "A Sacred Circle" this Summer

Monumental Brass Quintet (MBQ), with PAI’s Michael Parker among them, is set to release their fourth album, Michael’s first with the band. Titled "A Sacred Circle" after one of the tracks by Jazz Composer John Harmon, (a work composed for MBQ in 1995). The album will consist of Sacred and Secular music including works by Byrd, Duruffle, Vivaldi, Walton, Duke Ellington, and an Argentine Tango. Many of MBQ's exclusive arrangements & compositions will be featured on the album. Michael will be primarily playing tuba on the album with one track on bass trombone and one track on cimbasso. The anticipated release for the album is the summer of 2007.

MBQ Information: http://www.monumentalbrass.org/index.html

Three Ways to Hear Evan Hause

Webcast and Broadcast
Tune in to "live at Miller Theater" Friday, January 19, 4:30 EST on www.wkcr.org (WKCR FM 89.9 in New York City)to hear a discussion of Evan Hause’s music and especially his new all-acoustic transcription/arrangement for singing chamber orchestra with extra percussion, for the group Alarm Will Sound, of Edgard Varese's seminal 1958 electronic music masterpiece "Poeme Electronique."

Live Performance
The live performance of the work will be on Alarm Will Sound's Saturday, Jan. 20 (8 PM) one-of-akind all-Varese concert at Miller Theater of Columbia University.

Need more information?
Evan Hause: www.hausemusic.com
Alarm Will Sound: http://www.alarmwillsound.com/about/bio.html
Columbia University Radio in New York: www.wkcr.org
Miller Theater: www.millertheater.com

Mark Your Calendar and Meet Shostakovich at Temple!

(PAI faculty members to perform!)

Coordinated by PAI's Matt Herman, the Shostakovich Centennial Chamber Music Festival, a two day intercollegiate event at Temple University, celebrates Shotakovich's 100th birth-year. Students and faculty from four universities (Temple University, West Chester University, Millersville University and Marywood University/Wyoming Seminary) will play representative chamber works from throughout the composer's life. The festival will conclude with a panel discussion, moderated by Matt Herman, about the legacy and future of Shostakovich's music.


The Last Works of Shostakovich
Friday, January 19, 2007, 7:30 pm, Rock Hall, Temple University

Shostakovich - Michelangelo Verses (Temple University faculty, including PAI's Cathy Liu)

Shostakovich - Viola Sonata (Millersville University Faculty)

Chamber Music of Shostakovich
Sunday, January 21, 2007, 3:00 p.m., Rock Hall, Temple University

Cello Sonata (Temple University Students)

Piano Quintet (Temple University Students)

Piano Trio #2 (Sophie Till, violin, Christane Appenheimer Vaida, cello, and Cathy Liu, Piano)

Violin Sonata (West Chester University Faculty)

Post Concert Panel Discussion: The Challenges and Rewards of Playing Shostakovich's Music (Matthew Herman, moderator)

Questions? E-mail Matt Herman (mherman@temple.edu)

Mum's Not the Word This Time!

PAI Music theater director, Bill Roudebush is currently in Lakewood, Ohio (outside Cleveland) where he is directing a production of Equus at the Beck Performing Arts Center. It will open on February 2nd, and run until February 25th. PAI students and faculty near Cleveland should plan to attend.

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Roudebush won the Barrymore Award for Best Director in 2002 for his production of Equus at the Mum Puppettheatre in Philadelphia. The play's dark investigation of a young man's psyche won Barrymores in the categories of Outstanding Overall Production of a Play, Outstanding Direction of a Play (William Roudebush), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play (Tobias Segal as Alan Strang), Outstanding Choreography/Movement and Outstanding Ensemble in a Play.

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Bill is pictured with puppets from the Mum Puppettheater production of Madwoman of Chailliot.

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For further information, please visit the Beck Performing Arts Center Web site at http://www.beckcenter.org/.

Welcome to the world Tessa Grace Early!

Tessa Grace Early was born 12/11/2006.
7 lbs 10 oz, 20.5" long.
All is well.
Congratulations Tim and Kristina!

David Canary to join PAI's 2007 Music Theater Production of Oliver!

Six-time Emmy Award-winning actor David Canary, best known for his roles as Adam and Stuart Chandler in ABC’s “All My Children,” will appear in a lead role in the August, 2007 Wyoming Seminary Performing Arts Institute (PAI) musical production of “Oliver!” Canary will appear as Fagin, leader of a troupe of pickpockets in the musical directed by William Roudebush, PAI’s musical theater program director. Each year Roudebush directs students ages 12-18 in a major musical production such as “Threepenny Opera” (2006), “Kiss Me Kate” (2005) or “Les Miserables (High School edition)” (2002).

Roudebush said he cast Canary in the role because he will be an inspiring mentor for PAI’s musical theater students and Fagin, in a much darker theatrical sense, provides a similar leadership role for Dickens’ street urchins in “Oliver Twist.” “What the PAI students will learn from David Canary is professionalism and a high level of preparation,” he said. “Soap opera actors are some of the most astute actors in the business and have the ability to adapt themselves to an ever-changing creative environment. These PAI students will be on stage with a true professional. “I think it is a great musical and David loves the role. It will be an exciting journey for all involved.” Canary has appeared in “All My Children” since 1983 and is also known for his portrayal of Candy in “Bonanza,” Russ Gehring in “Payton Place” and for numerous guest appearances in other television programs. He also has performed in major Broadway productions such as “Clothes for a Summer Hotel,” “The Father,” “The Fantasticks” and “The Happiest Girl in the World.”

Canary said he is excited to be a part of the PAI production of “Oliver!” and added that he has always loved working with young people and teaching them about the theater. “Musical theater was the beginning of my career and I have done a lot of musicals,” he said. “The theater is my first love. I call it ‘push-ups for the brain,’ to go out there on the stage without a net, without someone to yell ‘cut.’”
Click here to find out more about PAI's Theater program.

Welcome to the PAI Blog!

Welcome to the Performing Arts Institute Blog! Our students and faculty are busy during the school year with performances, projects and other creative endeavors. This blog will be a great vehicle for keeping everyone up to date. Please don't be shy---let us know about your artistic pursuits when you're away from PAI. And for those of you who are new to PAI, please read about our community of musicians, actors and dancers. They are a great group of people!
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