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!
All the best,
Nancy Sanderson, Director
The Performing Arts Institute of Wyoming Seminary

onstage@wyomingseminary.org
www.wyomingseminary.org/pai