What a wonderful semester it has been, as we began what
we call the "triple trinity" year of our Tiger Bands. We
are blessed with unusually strong leadership by our Elder Band
Scholars, and a simply not-to-be-believed class of freshmen, which
we most affectionately call the "PFCs" (Platinum
Fledgling Class).
Our Tiger Bands had an unusually active performance
season, including a veritable plethora of performance offerings for
assorted on- and off-campus events. The Hymn Howlers and
our new Tiger Band Red, White & Blue Brass Octet supported
several area church and community events following the tragedy of
September 11, and the much-beloved FTGPB (a.k.a. Fighting Tiger
Grrr ... Pep Band) had over fifteen performances during the fall,
including our support of the Scott County "Friends of the
Library" (Colt & Filly Review), Georgetown/Scott County
Chapter of Habitat for Humanity (Lady Tiger Basketball Tournament),
and the area Chamber of Commerce (Jim Reid Memorial Classic
Tournament). Most significantly for our FTGPB, we supported
Coach Cronin and the Tigers through three Championship Series
"Play-Off" games on campus at Toyota Stadium, and again
traveled to Savannah, Tennessee for the National Championship
football game as our Tigers took on the Cougars from the University of
Sioux Falls.
Several new features and/or special events of the fall
semester for our Tiger Bands include the completion of our new TBW
(a.k.a. Tiger Band Web), which is proving to be unusually popular
with alumni, essential for our Band Scholars of today, and a most
important recruiting tool for the Fledgling Band Scholars of
tomorrow. Please visit the TBW at: http://spider.georgetowncollege.edu/music/larue/bands
where you may find a panoply of information about our Tiger Bands.
Additionally, we again began the semester by having our annual Tiger
Band Leadership Event and Barbecue held at the East Campus Alpine
Challenge Course. And we proudly hosted Dr. William D. Bryant
of Asheville, North Carolina as the clinician for our Tiger Bands
Guest Conductor Mini-Series IV.
The Tiger Symphonic Band had a smashing Fall
Anniversary Concert as we celebrated 157 years of Bands at
Georgetown College, making our Tiger Bands the oldest college or
university band program in the Commonwealth. The concert
featured works by Stanhope, Gillingham, Jager, Giroux and Custer.
Band Scholar and Director's Assistant Jason Reinhardt arranged a
setting of William Byrd's Sing Joyfully Unto God for our RenaissanceFest
Brass Sextet, and he and Senior Band Scholar, Andrew Dodson,
served as Student Conductors on movements from the Third Suite by
Robert Jager. The musical highlight of the concert was a
presentation of Culloden, preceded by a dramatic narrative of the
battle of Bloody Culloden by Dr. Gwen Curry. This
monumental new work by Julie Giroux was a crowd favorite and an
experience which shall not soon be forgotten by our Band Scholars and
those in attendance.
The Band Scholars and all involved with our Tiger Bands
strive to be true to the historic spirit, mission and intent of
Georgetown College and our "Five-Fold Band Tenets" of:
Academic Excellence
Musical Achievement
Spiritual Values
Leadership Skills
Commitment to Georgetown College
We would like to thank our many, many Band Friends
for your ongoing support of Bands at Georgetown College.
Dr. Peter J. LaRue
* * *
The Choral Corner
Fall
semester 2001 saw the arrival of our new Director of Choral Activities,
Dr. John W. Campbell.
He has seemed to fit in quite well with faculty and students, and
has been warmly welcomed all around.
Dr. Campbell came to Georgetown from Gardner-Webb University,
where he taught in the School of Divinity as well as directed the
auditioned undergraduate choir.
The
Georgetown College Chorale performed for several events on and
off campus in the fall semester, including appearances at Family
Weekend (Sept. 22), V.I.P. Day (Oct. 13), and a Presidential
Dinner (Oct. 25).
On its Fall Concert (Nov. 13, titled “Songs of
Love…Songs of Home…”) the ensemble performed madrigals (“Songs
of Love”) in English, French and Italian; and an assortment of pieces
ranging from Bartók’s “Evening in Transylvania” and Erb’s
setting of “Shenandoah,” to Dawson’s “Soon-Ah Will Be Done”
and a jazz arrangement of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” (“Songs
of Home”).
Two and a half weeks later—including Thanksgiving Break—the
Chorale joined the Concert Choir in the annual performance of Handel’s
Messiah.
While
the Concert Choir’s primary focus was preparation of Part I of Messiah
plus the “Hallelujah Chorus,” the program on December 2 also
included a set of eight unaccompanied Christmas anthems.
Some—like “Ding Dong! Merrily on High,” as arranged by
Georgetown’s own Wayne Johnson—were settings of traditional carols.
Others, such as Britten’s “A Boy Was Born” and Willan’s
“The Three Kings,” were anthems about Christmas.
These unaccompanied pieces provided a nice complement to the
Baroque music that followed.
Messiah was performed by the combined Concert Choir and
Chorale for a total of sixty-two voices, with an orchestra of strings,
trumpets, tympani, and harpsichord (for the solos) or organ (for the
choruses).
Students prepared and performed the arias and recitatives, and
provided the organ continuo for the choruses as well as rehearsal
accompaniment in the weeks leading up to the performance.
The Concert Choir also made a guest appearance with the Georgetown
Choral Society on December 8, singing two selections on their own,
and joining the other chorus for three pieces.
The
Chamber Singers consisted of six hand-picked vocalists in the
fall semester, and gave several short performances.
Twice they sang the National Anthem for Georgetown
football games, and they performed for Paris Elementary School as
part of a Veterans’ Day program.
On December 2 (yes, the morning before the Messiah
concert!) they sang in two Sunday services at Severns Valley Baptist
Church, Elizabethtown, in support of College President Bill Crouch,
who preached.
Each
of the choral ensembles performed in the campus-wide Lessons and
Carols Service on December 11.
What
lies ahead?
The Chorale will perform March 3 at Calvary Baptist
Church, Lexington, and First Baptist Church, London, and then
tour Ohio March 20-24, returning to give its Homecoming
Concert on March 26.
The Chamber Singers, in addition to appearances in
churches with President Crouch, will give their own concert April 18.
The Concert Choir will perform Mendelssohn’s Lobegesang
(Hymn of Praise) on April 28.
Please come to any and all that you can, and see what is
happening in the choral program at Georgetown College!
* * *
Handbell Highlights
This year the Handbells acquired a new low bell,
thus increasing the range to nearly five octaves of bells! This
bell was featured in the annual Fall Concert presented by the
Handbells and Chapel Brass, a chapel service, and during the Fifth
Annual Lessons and Carols Service. This past fall also marked
the creation of the "Handbell Quartet," which featured Abby
Crenshaw, Becca Johnson, Victoria Seyler and Sarah
Ramsey--four of our advanced ringers. The fall concert not
only featured Christmas selections, but also some hymn arrangements and
original compositions for bells. These handbell groups are under
the direction of Dr. Angela Easterday.
* * *
Chapel Brass
This
fall, the Chapel Brass welcomed six new freshmen to the
organization, which,
along with one of our new faculty members, Dr. Jeff Fieberg
(chemistry), brought the total membership of the group to nine.
Our annual Fall Concert with the Handbells featured two
double-choir motets from the late Renaissance, for which the Chapel
Brass split into two groups, playing from the balconies across the
chapel from each other. Not
only has a fine freshman
class of musicians made it possible for the group to perform more
challenging music, but the addition of Dr. Fieberg, who is an
outstanding hornist, has given the students an excellent model for
skilled amateur music making.
* * *
GC Music Students
Delta Omicron
During the fall, our Delta Delta chapter of Delta
Omicron was visited by our national officers. The chapter received
excellent ratings and was praised for its high percentage of attendance
at meetings, service projects, and musicales (where the chapter always
has 100% attendance). The chapter was also given credit for
turning in monthly reports with precision and on time. During the
fall, the chapter presented a Broadway Musicale featuring
favorite Broadway selections, and sang Christmas carols at the
Georgetown Kroger for the Salvation Army. Additionally, several
ladies were featured soloists at the annual Messiah
concert: Robyn Delaney, Ashlie Wrenne, Leslie
Conver, Courtney Carter and Katie Thompson. Two
of our ladies were featured soloists in the "Great Hollywood
Musical Awards Show": Jennifer Adkisson and Jill
Fackler. The chapter advisor of Delta Omicron is Dr. Angela
Easterday, and the chapter sponsor is Dr. Sonny Burnette.
* * *
C-MENC News
The collegiate chapter of the Music Educators National
Conference (C-MENC) is off to a strong start with 17 members, plus Dr.
Campbell as advisor. Officers
are: Jennifer Adkisson
(President), Robyn Delaney (Vice President), Katie Thompson
(Secretary) and Jill Fackler (Treasurer).
Chapter activities included attending a performance of the
Broadway tour of Fiddler on the Roof, and assembling and
distributing Survival Kits just prior to final exams.
* * *
Faculty Focus
H.M. Lewis (1989) Dr. Lewis'
musical activities this past fall were mainly involved with the Lexington
Brass Band, where he continued to fill the position of Assistant
Principal Cornet, and Immanuel Baptist Church, where he leads the
orchestra. The Lexington
Brass Band presented two concerts this fall. In
December, Lewis assisted with the annual Georgetown College performance
of Handel’s Messiah, playing trumpet along with one of his
current students, Gavin Sewell. Professionally,
much of the semester was spent working toward guest artist
appearances which will take place in the spring.
Sonny Burnette (1990) performed twice with
the DiMartino/Osland Jazz Orchestra (DOJO) during the fall. He
also made two Kentucky Humanities Council presentations--one in
Jamestown on MIDI computer music, and the other in Lawrenceburg on the
history of the saxophone. In October, his composition The
Yellow Saxophone and Other Colors was premiered at the KMTA
convention, held at Eastern Kentucky University. Burnette also
performed twice with the Pendulum Orchestra--at Louisville and Ashland
locations. And he performed (woodwinds) on Christmas programs at
Faith Baptist Church, and for the Scott County High School Christmas
concert presented at Singletary Center on the campus of University of
Kentucky. Burnette composition performances during the fall
include concerts by the following ensembles: Colorado University at Denver
Flute Ensemble, University of North Carolina at Charlotte Flute Choir,
and the Woodbridge (Virginia) Flute Choir. And his Stone Suite
was recorded on CD by the West Michigan Flute Association.
Peter LaRue (1993) In addition to his
ongoing work and efforts for and toward the Tiger Bands, Dr. LaRue
remains largely "on the go." The new text by MENC for
which he was selected as a contributing author last spring, Spotlight
on Teaching Band, came out in the late summer, and his infamous
"Ma" article was again reprinted this fall in the NFIMA
Journal as published by the National Association of State High
School Associations. Additionally, in October he returned to the
Greater St. Louis Marching Band Festival to serve on the adjudication
panel for this prestigious event held in the TransWorld Dome. In
November, he served as the Site-Coordinator for "ArtShop," as
sponsored by the Governor's School for the Arts, and in December, in his
eighth year as Musical Director and Conductor of the Central Kentucky
Concert Band, Dr. LaRue presented a concert at Transylvania University
featuring soloists Vince DiMartino and Angela Easterday. He
continues to serve as Faculty Advisor for the gentlemen of Lambda Chi
Alpha, plays his beloved trombone as time permits, and still adores all
things bovine.
Angela Easterday (1995) During the fall, Dr.
Easterday was promoted to Associate Professor of Music and granted
tenure. She continues to serve as Coordinator of Vocal Studies and
Church Music. Activities during the fall included a number of solo
performances in area churches, at weddings, and at a variety of campus
events. Additionally, she filled in for Ministers of Music at
various churches. During fall semester, Dr. Easterday, along with
Professor George McGee of the Communication Arts Department, directed The
Great Hollywood Musical Awards Show during the last weekend in
September adn the first weekend in October. The show included a
chronological representation of famous musical numbers featuring solos,
duets, ensembles, and entire cast numbers. Additionally, she was
the soprano soloist for the world premiere of Dr. Sonny Burnette's song
cycle The Yellow Saxophone and Other Colors at the Kentucky Music
Teachers Association convention held at Eastern Kentucky
University. She also performed for the Georgetown Women's
Association November meeting, and was the guest soloist with the Central
Kentucky Concert Band on its "Red and Green" concert in
December, performing "Caro Nome" from Rigoletto, and
the "Sussex Mummers' Christmas Carol." She also was the
coordinator of the Fifth Annual Lessons and Carols Service at the
college. Dr. Easterday remains an active member of Lexington
Singers, having performed on the ensemble's fall concert, the annual
performance of Messiah, and the Kentucky Christmas Chorus.
Stephen Tilford (1999) This past fall, Stephen Tilford
performed with Angela Easterday and Sonny Burnette at the State KMTA
convention in Richmond, Kentucky. It
was the premiere of The
Yellow Saxophone and Other Colors by Dr. Sonny Burnette.
In addition, Tilford performed Liszt’s Sonata in B minor
for Faculty Forum at Georgetown College.
Also at the college, Tilford played Harpsichord continuo for the
college’s performance of Handel’s Messiah.
In the community, Tilford serves as the accompanist for the
Georgetown Choral society and has recently been named Organist/Choirmaster
at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Georgetown.
John W. Campbell (2001) joined the music faculty this past fall
as Director of Choral Activities. Most
of his time and energy have been devoted to the Chorale, Concert Choir
and a revamped Chamber Singers (chronicled elsewhere in this
newsletter), as well as other course work.
He supported the campus in other ways by singing the National
Anthem at a home football game, and serving as a judge for SongFest.
In addition, he was invited to Scott County High School to
rehearse All-State audition music in October; and he performed as vocal
soloist, supply choir director and timpanist at Faith Baptist Church in
Georgetown.
* * *
Staying in Touch
Lela (Cocanougher) McFarland '01 was married to
Joshua McFarland at Central Baptist Church in Maysville on January 19,
2002.
Sara (Cook) Robinson '00 was married to Dr.
Philip Robinson at Faith Baptist Church in Georgetown on December 15,
2001. Sara teaches music at Northern Middle School in Pulaski Co.
scook@pulaski.net
Laura (Dunning) Fagin '98 was married to Aaron
Fagin at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Princeton, KY on September 1,
2001.
Matt Gabbard '96 will enter his final semester at
Univ. of Louisville this spring, when he will present his graduate
recital in choral conducting.
Christi (Elkins) Gabbard '95 teaches at Northeast
Dubois High School (IN), and has been teaching two college classes at
Vincennes University, Jasper Campus.
Virginia Lile Boaz '91 recently accepted a
position as Assistant Professor of Music at East Texas Baptist
University where she is Vocal Coordinator, Director of Opera Workshop,
and teaches music history and diction.
* * *
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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