"There are only twelve notes. You must treat
them carefully." --Paul Hindemith (1895-1963)
What a great semester it has been for our Tiger
Bands! How fortunate we are to have had a veritable plethora of
performance challenges and obligations! How blessed we are to have
extraordinary Band Scholars, exemplars of our "Five-Fold Band
Tenets," who consistently work to ensure that the Tiger Bands
remain a focal point of excellence, excitement and enthusiasm for our
entire College Community.
The Tiger Symphonic Band started the semester with a
special performance of a hymn-song trilogy by David R. Holsinger at the 190th
Anniversary Celebration of Georgetown Baptist Church. We
considered it a privilege and a pleasure to be a part of this special
event, coordinated by Band Friend, Rev. Ken Holden. Additionally,
this fall, the Tiger Symphonic Band hosted the "GCMS" [aka Guest
Conductor Mini-Series], featuring Dr. John R. Bell of Southern
Illinois University at Edwardsville. This is the second in the
GCMS--a program begun last spring, where each semester we bring to
Georgetown and our Tiger Bands an outstanding conductor to spend a few
days with the Band Scholars. The 156th Anniversary Concert
of our Tiger Symphonic Band, was the concert that wasn't, or as we are
currently calling it, the "Once and Future Concert," as the
influence of "Gretta the Stone" began to influence our general
operations. ("Gretta" is the name Dr. Pete bequeathed to
his kidney stone ...)
The "Fighting Tiger Grrr...Pep Band" [aka
FTGPB] had a most exciting fall semester, featuring twelve on and
off-campus performances with unparalleled television coverage
on both local and regional outlets. Highlights of our fall
included participation in the "Festival of the Horse Parade,"
performances at the Lady Tiger Habitat for Humanity Classic and Jim
Reid/Chamber Classic Basketball Tournaments, and several
regular-season home football games. The FTGPB also performed at three
Championship Series Play-Off Games at Toyota Stadium [the cold
one, the wet one, and the snowy one]. Our Tiger Bands "On the
Road Series" continued as we enjoyed a four day/three night Grrr...Excursion
to the Jackson/Savannah, TN area. The highlight of this
trip was our performance at the NAIA National Championship Game
in Jim Carroll Stadium where our Tigers prevailed against Northwestern
Oklahoma State University and were crowned the National Champions.
We salute Coach Cronin and our Tiger Football Squad for their great 14-0
season. In addition to their performance at the National
Championship Game, while in Tennessee, the Band Scholars had the
opportunity to visit the Shiloh National Battlefield, The
Tennessee River Museum, The Pinson Mounds, The Casey Jones Home
and National Railway Museum.
Dr. Peter J. LaRue
* * *
The Choral Corner
The GC choirs maintained an active performance schedule
during the fall. One of the highlights of the semester was the
Chorale's concert presentation at the Kentucky Baptist Convention,
held at First Baptist Church in Bowling Green. During the weekends
immediately preceding and following the convention, the Chorale and
Chamber Singers presented music as an act of worship at First Baptist
Church of Richmond and Shelbyville, respectively. The Chorale
presented its annual fall concert in November, and in early December the
Chorale and Concert Choir combined for a 78-voice presentation of Messiah,
with chamber orchestra. The concert was rebroadcast on WRVG on
Christmas Day. Student soloists in Messiah were:
sopranos Courtney Carter, Lela Cocanougher, Robyn Delaney, Bridget
Hammons, Emily Heckman, Julie Sexton, Katie Thompson; alto Natalie
Whitlock; tenors Tim Finley, Brian Mattingly, Brock Terry;
basses Clint Miller and Michael Pratt.
Preparations continue to be made regarding the Chorale's
spring tour, scheduled for March 20-25. Plans are for the group to
perform in West Virginia, the Washington, D.C. area, North
Carolina and Kentucky. Please see the GC Department of
Music web page for more precise information in the weeks to come.
It would be delightful to see our alumni at these concerts, and we
invite you to bring high school students whom you believe would
appreciate the opportunity to experience what Georgetown College has to
offer.
If you would be interested in having one of our choral
ensembles perform at your church, school or place of business, please do
not hesitate to get in touch. We look forward to seeing you at our
concerts!
Prof. Sue Ellen Ballard
* * *
Handbell Highlights
The GC Handbell Ensemble presented its annual fall
concert with the Chapel Brass, performing hymn arrangements as well as
Thanksgiving and Christmas music. Two special highlights were
"Do You Hear What I Hear" with Dr. Sonny Burnette assisting on
flute, and "Joy to the World" with Professor Sue Ellen Ballard
assisting on organ. Additionally, the group participated in the
annual Festival of Lessons and Carols at the college. The
Handbell Ensemble was pleased to present a concert at Gano Avenue
Baptist Church in Georgetown in November. This fall we
welcomed a new member to our happy bell family--low F#!!!
With this new addition, we are more than half way to our fifth octave of
bells! The ensemble is directed by Dr. Angela Easterday.
* * *
Chapel Brass
The Chapel Brass made three appearances this fall,
playing for Georgetown Baptist Church's 190th anniversary service
in September, performing with the Handbells on the annual Fall
Concert in November, and playing for the annual Festival of Lessons and Carols during the Advent Season. The Chapel Brass
is under the direction of Dr. H.M. Lewis.
* * *
GC Music Students
Delta Omicron
This has been an exciting fall for the Delta Delta
Chapter of Delta Omicron! In November, the ladies presented
"A Night on the Town," which was a program of Broadway
favorites! Additionally, they participated with the Salvation Army
at the Georgetown Kroger singing Christmas Carols. Several of the
Delta Omicron ladies were also soloists in the fall production of Messiah:
Lela Cocanougher, Emily Heckman, Robyn Delaney, Courtney Carter
and Katie Thompson. In the spring, the group is planning
another musical program, and will provide leadership in one of the
campus worship services. Dr. Angela Easterday serves as
Chapter Advisor.
* * *
C-MENC News
The members of the GC chapter of the Collegiate Music Educators
National Conference had a very productive semester. Professor Sue
Ellen Ballard, chapter advisor, based on her ten years of secondary
education instruction experience, was asked to make a presentation at
the state MENC Fall Conference. The workshop was titled, "I
Have a Job, Now What?" The chapter's annual fund-raiser,
selling survival kits, was again a major success. For the
fall excursion, MENC students and available faculty members traveled to
Louisville to see a touring production of a Broadway musical, preceded
by a memorable dinner at a nice restaurant.
* * *
Faculty Focus
H.M. Lewis (1989) was on sabbatical during
fall semester--his first in thirty years of college and university
teaching. Although he continued to work with the Chapel Brass and
with a French horn minor, most of Dr. Lewis' leave time was spent
working on a lecture-recital that will be given at the 2001
International Trumpet Guild Conference, which will be held at the
University of Evansville. This will be the third time Lewis has
been asked to do a similar presentation. To his knowledge, he is
the only liberal arts college professor to be invited to make such a
presentation. The lecture-recital will also be presented at
Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. Lewis has continued to
play with the Lexington Brass Band, and was featured in a duet (with
principal cornetist Bill Jones) on the band's Christmas concert in
December. And, he, of course, continues to work with the orchestra
at Immanuel Baptist Church in Lexington.
Sonny Burnette (1990) began his second
two-year term as secretary/treasurer of the Kentucky Association of
College Music Departments (KACMD) this past fall, and also serves as
chair of the Graduate Education committee for GC's Southern Association
of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Self-Study. During the fall he performed on saxophone
with the Men of Note big band in Lexington, and several times with the
Pendulum Orchestra in Louisville. During the semester he assisted
on flute at various GC programs and at local church performances.
Burnette compositions were performed at the National Flute Association
Convention by the Colorado Flute Orchestra, Eastern Michigan
University Flute Choir and the Slippery Rock (PA) University Flute
Choir. The Willow Flute Ensemble (Boston) recorded his Jazzscapes
on the group's latest CD. Burnette also published Cruisin' with
the Top Down, a jazz trio for harp, flute and viola.
Peter LaRue (1993) In addition to his
ongoing duties and responsibilities with the Tiger Bands and other
on-campus obligations, Dr. LaRue had an invigorating fall
[notwithstanding his up-close and personal experience with "Gretta
the Stone"]. ("Gretta" is the name Dr. Pete
bequeathed to his kidney stone ...) LaRue served as an adjudicator at the Green
River Marching Band Festival, and as a clinician at the Kentucky
Collegiate MENC Fall-Conference at Campbellsville University. He
was appointed Co-Coordinator of the Kentucky Intercollegiate Band which
will perform at the MENC In-Service Conference in Louisville in
February, and was a guest of Nick Lawrence on "Curtains at 8"
on WUKY, 91.3 FM. This fall, LaRue began his seventh season as
Musical Director & Conductor of the Central Kentucky Concert Band
which performed a special "Celebrations" concert on December
10th at Transylvania University, featuring the artistry of Dr. Angela
Easterday of our GC Music Department. LaRue was featured in the
Fall 2000, Volume 27, issue of Insights in the "Focus on the
Arts" section, and was selected by the Association of Georgetown
Students as one of four recipients of their annual Faculty/Staff
Appreciation Awards. In addition to these activities, LaRue
continues to play his beloved trombone and enjoy all things bovine.
Angela Easterday (1995) continues to serve
as coordinator of vocal studies and church music at the college.
This summer, Dr. Easterday toured with the Lexington Singers to Europe,
performing in Salzburg, Vienna and Innsbruck, Austria, and in Paris,
France. During the tour, Easterday was the soprano soloist for
Mozart's Missa Solemnis. At the beginning of the semester,
she organized and performed on the Faculty Showcase Recital. This
fall, she presented a faculty recital as part of the "Basically
Bach" Concert Series at Faith Baptist Church, with Daniel Tilford
assisting on piano and Sonny Burnette assisting on flute. The
concert included music by J.S. Bach, Reynaldo Hahn, Giacomo Puccini,
Leonard Bernstein and Charles Gounod. Additionally, Easterday
performed with the Central Kentucky Concert Band on its
"Celebration" concert, singing the Bach/Gounod Ave Maria.
She remains an active member of Lexington Singers, performing both in
the fall concert and the annual Messiah presentation. This
fall, Easterday also served as Interim Minister of Music at the First
Baptist Church of Frankfort, and was the guest handbell clinician for
the Frankfort Fall Sing and Ring Festival.
Stephen Tilford (1999) In August 2000, Dr. Stephen Tilford was
awarded third prize in the piano solo division in the Concorso
Internazionale di Musica da Camera "Palma d'Oro"-- Cittá di
Finale Ligure in Finale Ligure, Italy. During September he played
for the Women's Association of Scott County. In October, Tilford
gave a faculty lecture-recital about the competition in Italy. He
also judged a piano festival for the Bluegrass Area Music Teachers
Association, and performed at the opening ceremony for the Georgetown
College Capital Fund Campaign. Tilford also traveled to Evanston,
Illinois for a coaching session with his former teacher, Dr. David
Kaiserman, at Northwestern University. In November, Dr. Tilford
performed for the Lexington chapter of the Sigma Alpha Iota music
fraternity and was inducted into the organization as a "Friend of
the Arts." He also gave a lecture recital on J. S. Bach's Partita
No. 6 as part of the "Basically Bach" Recital Series
at Faith Baptist Church in Georgetown. Tilford played harpsichord
in the Georgetown College performance of Handel's Messiah, and
accompanied the Georgetown Choral Society on the organization's December
Concert.
Sue Ellen Ballard (2000) spent her first semester
at GC beginning the process of building a trust relationship with
students and ensembles, while striving for excellence in
performance. During the fall, Prof. Ballard had opportunity to use
her diverse musical skills as a piano accompanist on the Faculty
Showcase Recital, and as organist on the Handbell concert. In
addition to her responsibilities as Director of Choral Activities,
Ballard serves as faculty advisor of the GC chapter of Collegiate Music
Educators National Conference (C-MENC), and presented a workshop at the
state MENC Fall Conference titled, "I Have a Job, Now
What?" During the semester she also visited with area high
school choral directors, met and auditioned students at events such as
GC's VIP Day and Governor's School of the Arts Scholarship Day, and
twice served as guest clinician at First Assembly of God in Frankfort as
the choir prepared for its Christmas production.
* * *
Staying in Touch
Mari (Saito) Yoshida '92 and family send
greetings from Japan, where Mari has recently been involved in preparing
for a Christmas music performance (solo voice and choral) at the church
where her husband, Shinji, is pastor. She may be reached at s-yoshida@host.or.jp.
(Judith) Kennedy (Hall) Zinner '92 operates a
small business consulting firm from her home in Louisville, and teaches
approximately 20 piano students. Her daughter, Madison Kennedy, is
20 months of age. Kennedy has been married to husband Dan for
eight years. She may be reached at jkzinner@hotmail.com
or (502) 244-1325.
Becky (Clark) Gilpatrick '94 gave birth to her
second son, Sean Thomas, on June 2. Michael, age 4, is already
showing musical talent. Becky, husband Jamie and family live in
Shelbyville, where Becky works as a customer service coordinator and
trainer for the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority.
She may be reached at: rgilpatrick@kheaa.com
Tera (Jones) Ragland '95 married her husband,
Scott, on May 29, 1999. She is the assistant band director at
McLean County High School. She may be reached at 4319 Highway 81
North, Owensboro, Kentucky 42301, or at tragland@mclean.k12.ky.us
Matt Gabbard '96 is enrolled in the master's
choral conducting program at the University of Louisville. He may
be reached at gabbardjm@yahoo.com.
Keith '96 and Amy (Elbon) Griesser '94 are new
parents. Amy Marie was born December 21, 1999. The Griessers
can be reached at 106 Timberwood Trace, Georgetown, KY 40324.
Sara Cook '00 completed student teaching in
December 2000, and is now employed full-time directing 7th and 8th grade
choirs and teaching general music at Woodford County Middle School.
* * *
If you would like to be added to our Nunnelley
Notes newsletter mailing list, please contact the Music
Office via e-mail or telephone: 502-863-8100.
* * *
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