THE COLORADO COLLEGE MUSIC DEPARTMENT

presents

a concert featuring the works of

Visiting Distinguished Composers

Jennifer Margaret Barker

Sharon Farber

Additional compositions by

Fred Lerdahl

Jan Jirásek

October 29 and 30, 2013 7:30 pm Packard Hall

Colorado College music faculty and guests

Veronica Afanassieva, violin

Steven Beck, piano

Daniel Brink, piano*

Judeth Shay Burns, soprano*

Monica Ding, oboe*

Ekaterina Dobrotvorskaia, viola*

Karine Garibova, violin

Susan Grace, piano*

Jerilyn Jorgensen, violin*

Katharine Knight, cello*

Tamara Teske Lenz, soprano

Colin McAllister, guitar

Paul Nagem, flute*

Donna Nunez, alto

Terri Parker, alto

Matthew Sheffelman, french horn*

Emily Sorensen, soprano

Daryll Stevens, clarinet*

Alejandro Vieira, bassoon*

Colorado College music students

Robin Hinson, soprano

Eliza Lovett, alto

Rebecca Lehman, soprano

Connor Rice, timpani

Raquel Vásquez, alto

*CC Faculty

Please refrain from using electronic devices during the concert

PROGRAM -- TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29

Geodha Jennifer Margaret Barker

(b. 1965)

Jerilyn Jorgensen, violin

Ekaterina Dobrotvorskaia, viola

Katharine Knight, cello

Connor Rice, timpani

Bridges of Love Sharon Farber

I. For Wherever You Will Go, I Will Go (b. 1968)

II. Once I Knew

III. Wine of Love

Judeth Shay Burns, soprano

Daryll Stevens, clarinet

Ekaterina Dobrotvorskaia, viola

Daniel Brink, piano

BuMian Jennifer Margaret Barker

Steven Beck, piano

Quiet Music Fred Lerdahl

(b. 1943)

Quattro Mani

Susan Grace, piano

Steven Beck, piano

Introduction and Étude Jan Jirásek

(b. 1955)

Quattro Mani

Susan Grace, piano

Steven Beck, piano

Piano Ballad No. 1 Sharon Farber

Steven Beck, piano

The Enchanted Glen Jennifer Margaret Barker

Daryll Stevens, clarinet

Susan Grace, piano

PROGRAM - WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30

…a love like no other… Jennifer Margaret Barker

(b. 1965)

Colorado College Woodwind Quintet and Piano

Paul Nagem, flute; Monica Ding, oboe; Daryll Stevens, clarinet;

Alejandro Vieira, bassoon; Matthew Sheffelman, french horn; Susan Grace, piano

Seann Oran Jennifer Margaret Barker

Paul Nagem, flute

Colin McAllister, guitar

Soul Mate Jan Jirásek

(b. 1955)

Susan Grace, piano

When Music Sounds Sharon Farber

Robin Hinson, Rebecca Lehman, Tamara Teske Lenz, Emily Sorensen, sopranos

Eliza Lovett, Donna Nunez, Terri Parker, Raquel Vásquez, altos

Daniel Brink, piano

Sharon Farber, conductor

Ahuv Sheli (My Beloved) Sharon Farber

Robin Hinson, Rebecca Lehman, Tamara Teske Lenz, Emily Sorensen, sopranos

Eliza Lovett, Donna Nunez, Terri Parker, Raquel Vásquez, altos

Daryll Stevens, clarinet

Alejandro Vieira, bassoon

Karine Garibova, violin

Katharine Knight, cello

Susan Grace, piano

Daniel Brink, conductor

Na Tri Peathraichean (The Three Sisters) Jennifer Margaret Barker

I. Gearr Aonach

II. Aonach Dubh

III. Beinn Fhada

Paul Nagem, flute

Susan Grace, piano

String Quartet #1 Sharon Farber

Andante (b. 1968)

Allegro con brio, legato

Ad libitum espressivo – allegro misterioso

Veronika Afanassieva and Karine Garibova, violins

Ekatarina Dobrotvorskaia, viola

Katharine Knight, cello

PROGRAM NOTES

by Jennifer Margaret Barker

BuMian

BuMian was inspired by a trip to the islands of Hong Kong in 2007. The title is in Mandarin, and

translates as “sleepless.”

The Enchanted Glen

The Enchanted Glen is a small, intimate chamber work written to encourage children's

imaginations through music. Although the work is technically challenging for both the clarinet and

the piano, the resulting musical story is one of lush colored, wispy meandering lines and

rhythmically vital conversation between the two instruments, evoking pictures and tales of fairies,

goblins, castles and magical landscapes in the mind.

Geodha (1992/1998) for string trio and timpani

The melody of Geodha comes from an earlier work that is a setting of the poem Geodha air

chùl na grèine by renowned Scottish poet, Derick S. Thomson. The premiere of Geodha took place

on the Island of Hoy in the Orkney Isles, Scotland. Over two hundred islanders traveled to the

concert from neighboring islands in fishing boats. Before climbing the hill from the beach to the

church where members of The Scottish Chamber Orchestra were to perform, these island

fishermen, farmers and their families jumped off the boats and into the water, for lack of a pier, in

their Wellington boots. It was a wonderful sight to behold and one that will stay with me all my days.

Seann Oràn (2012) for flute and guitar with recording

Poetry:

Seann Òran

Chuala mi raoir seann òran bhith ga sheinn,

’s bha taisealachd do bhilean anns a’ cheòl,

’s òg dhrùchd na h-oidhche’s gealach air a’ bheinn.

Mar anail bhlàth an t-seinneadeair do sgiamh,

tiugh chùhraidheachd do spioraid, ’s t’aoibhneas làn

bha’n dàn domh, shaoil mi uair, ach b’ann roimh ’n t-sian.

O thusa rinn an t-òran, an do ghluais

dearg-fhuil do bhith-bhuantachd an oidhche raoir

nuair chlaoidheadh m’anam-sa le gaol mo dhuais?

Derick Thomson’s translation:

Old Song

Last night I heard an old song being sung,

the music had the softness of your lips,

the young dew of the night, moon on the hill.

Your beauty, warm as was the singer’s breath,

the fragrance of your spirit, your full joy,

my destiny, I thought, before the storm.

O maker of the song, did the red blood

of your immortal life tingle last night

when my soul bore the burden of my love.

Seann Òran was commissioned by The Taggart-Grycky Duo and utilizes the poetry of

renowned Scottish Gaelic poet, Derick S. Thomson. Since the flute and guitar/lute duo can be

traced back many centuries, I thought that the pairing of Thomson’s poem with this duo would

be highly apropos. The title of the poem translates as “Old Song” and the poetry is written in

“old Gaelic.” Therefore I wanted to create a piece of music that was reflective of “old tunes.”

Although I did not compose the piece in the Scottish Folk Music tradition, I did incorporate said

tradition in the descent of a third over the course of the piece. The music falls from E at the

beginning to C at the end. In creating the spoken voice element I decided to record three

generations of my family, thereby capturing the essence of a well-beloved “old song” over the

passage of a life. The poem is recited in Gaelic by my nephew, Calum Barker. The first recitation

in English is by his father (my brother), Kenneth Barker, and the concluding recitation is by

Calum’s grandfather (my father), John Barker.

Na Trì Peathraichean (2000) for flute and piano

Na Trì Peathraichean (The Three Sisters…of Glencoe) was commissioned by Virginia

Symphony flautist Laurie Baefsky for premiere on the 1999-2000 Virginia Wesleyan College

Familiar Faces Concert Series. The commission was financed in part by Virginia Wesleyan

College.

The three sisters, Gearr Aonach, Aonach Dubh and Beinn Fhada, are neighboring mountain

ridges in the Glencoe region of the Scottish Highlands. Each movement of the work focuses on

one individual aspect of these breath-taking mountain ridges. The first movement focuses on the

motion of the wind whistling through the crevices and ferns. The second movement was inspired

by the perpetual rolling-motion of the mountainside screes (loose rock carpets), while the third

movement seeks to capture the sheer magnitude and beauty of these mountains.

…a love like no other… (2013) for woodwind quintet and piano

...a love like no other…was commissioned by Eileen Grycky and Chris Beste in memory of

Carol Brown Beste, for performance by the Del’Arte Woodwind Quintet. Eileen Grycky and

Carol Brown Beste played First and Second Flute in the Delaware Symphony Orchestra for

many years and were great friends. Carol’s children were her four Chesapeake Bay Retrievers:

Bayle, Chase, Brindisi (Brin) and Rafe. In writing this piece for Carol, her family and her

friends, I wanted to suggest the personality traits of each of her dogs, in addition to

acknowledging Carol’s love for her dogs, and her life as a highly talented and successful flautist.

I also wanted to create a work in which all four dogs and Carol ‘played together.’ At the onset of

the work, the personalities of the dogs are more evident and individual. They support Carol, but

they also take off on their own adventures. As the work progresses the personality traits become

more interwoven, with the individual personalities becoming less discernible; thereby blending

in to one “family.”

Eileen Grycky provided me with her impression of each dog, and Chris Beste, Carol’s

husband, provided me with some wonderful photographs of each dog. With the descriptions and

photographs in mind, I assigned one dog to each instrument in the woodwind quintet, with Carol

being represented by the flute. I also added piano to the ensemble in order to include and

represent Chris. The piano remains a support to the woodwinds throughout the piece, as Chris

was to Carol and the dogs. Bayle, who was described as feisty, highly protective of Carol, and at

times a little scary to Eileen, is the bassoon. He has a disruptive grace-note figure that pops up

throughout the piece. He also is the first to, musically, dart off with Rafe. Chase, who was

described as sweet but impulsive, is the oboe. In life Chase would impulsively break away from

Carol. However, in the piece he tends to stay close to Carol, echoing her material. Brin, who was

described as smart, handsome, athletic and noble, is the french horn. Brin is, to this day, the most

highly decorated Chesapeake Bay Retriever. Pictures of Brin gave me the impression that he

would be the one to look after the others. Therefore in the piece, he makes the attempt to take

charge. His material is also a little more “noble” than that of the other dogs. He plays with them,

but he also watches over them and therefore at times his material transcends out of the woodwind

texture. Finally the clarinet is Rafe, who was described as “The rascal!” as well as comical,

stubborn and independent. He likes to “go his own way,” and in the piece he is the first one to

take off on his own little adventure with a scavenging/frolicking-type figure.

PROGRAM NOTES

by Sharon Farber

Ahuv Sheli (My Beloved)

Israeli Poet Nathan Yonathan (1923- 2004) had two children, Ziv and Lior, of whom the

eldest, Lior, was killed in the Yom Kippur war. This aching loss has colored Yonathan’s later

works and has become his hallmark.

As an artist, it was an emotional experience for me to set Yonathan’s beautiful poetry to

music, trying to express through melody and harmony what he had so hauntingly articulated in

words. Thus, the piece starts in unison, to symbolize the uniting grief felt by those who know the

pain of losing a child.

Then the music immediately divides into four parts, as we are all different in the way we deal

with loss.

One beautiful and heartbreaking phrase that has moved me is “a sad dream of beauty”

(chalom atzuv shel yofi) - similar to Nathan Yonatha’s way of writing about feelings without

being melodramatic, I have tried to deal with this phrase in a unique way at the end of every

verse; the first two times in a delicate, self-reflected way, but then eventually, the author is

crying out his pain, and the music cries with him. Yet, he immediately quiets down to the final

statement, knowing that his son will not come back, slowly ending the same way it started, with

those simple, yet painful words, “ahuv sheli” - my beloved.

Bridges of Love

Bridges of Love is a song cycle comprised of three poems- all talk about love. Each of the

poems reflects the different styles of the theme of non- romantic love: love that is uncommon,

unconditional; love that is almost against all odds. These three poems are individual yet universal

in their connotation, and I believe that love, as music, can bridge the gaps of faith and religion

and can heal us all.

The first poem, For Wherever You Will Go, I Will Go, is taken from the book of Ruth, which

has always fascinated me. It tells the story of love between two women, Ruth and Naomi (Ruth

was Naomi’s daughter in law and she refused to leave her when both Naomi's’ and Ruth's

husbands died). I find this story so beautiful: love that is truly devoted and honest, which is rare.

In terms of musical style, the Viola represents Ruth, and as this is an ancient story, I used it

almost like a Middle Eastern Instrument. The Clarinet represents Naomi, and the two instruments

begin the cycle with imaginary dialogue between the two women, leading to the main theme in

7/8 and ending with singing of the original motif.

The second poem, Once I Knew, by Helen Keller, is a reminder of the power that love can

bring to the handicapped. I especially loved the following lines:

“But a little word from the fingers of another

fell into my hands that clutched at emptiness,

and my heart leaped up with the rapture of living.”

We all know the story of Helen Keller and her unbelievable strength and intelligence in the

face of nearly impossible odds. However, she could only have achieved so much by knowing the

kind fingers of her teacher, who opened up Helen’s dark, silent world by drawing letters into her

hand. The poem expresses how one loving touch can take us from darkness to light.

For the last poem, Wine of Love, I chose a universal theme, one that would speak to

everyone. I believe that we are all connected, and if we learn to love rather than respond with

hatred, this can only become a more positive and beautiful world.

Bridges of Love was commissioned by Pacific Serenades Ensemble and released on a CD by

Grammy award winner soprano Hila Plitmann in 2012.

Piano Ballad No. 1

I originally composed my piano ballad for a friend of mine, who went through a very

difficult time. When I met her she was suicidal, and was committed into a mental institute for a

few days, as they feared for her life. A beautiful and sensitive soul, I wanted to give her the gift

of music, to convey to her that people cared about her, and thus, the ballade came to life.

The music describes the mixture of her emotional states; her madness, scattered thoughts,

and extreme behavior that is unpredictable. We move from “agitato” parts to slow, unfocused,

floating notes - a twisted reality. At times, though, the music becomes tranquil and poignant, and

conveys her continuous attempt to escape from life and its challenges.

As the piece progresses, we experience many different emotions, until the triumphant ending,

which brings about strength and optimism for the future to come.

The ballad was premiered in Israel on June 12, 2007, and has been performed many times

since, including by the woman who is the subject of the piece.

String Quartet #1

String Quartet #1 was written in 1997 and won the first Prize in the professional writing

division composition competition at Berklee College of Music. The piece consisted of two

movements and has a very impressionistic feel to it, as I was influenced by the writing of Ravel.

The third movement was written twelve years later, at the request of the String Quartet of

Yucatan, Mexico, who performed the piece in May of 2013. At the request of the quartet, a

fourth movement is planned for their next performance.

When Music Sounds

When Music Sounds

Poem by Walter de la Mare

When music sounds, gone is the earth I know,

And all her lovely things even lovelier grow;

Her flowers in vision flame, her forest trees

Lift burdened branches, stilled with ecstasies.

When music sounds, out of the water rise

Naiads whose beauty dims my waking eyes,

Rapt in strange dreams burns each enchanted face,

With solemn echoing stirs their dwelling-place.

When music sounds, all that I was I am

Ere to this haunt of brooding dust I came;

And from Time's woods break into distant song

The swift-winged hours, as I hasten along.

When Music Sounds was commissioned by the Orange County Women’s Chorus;

specifically, by two of its members, who dedicated the piece to their mom who loved music all

her life. I came across Walter De La Mar’s poem and was drawn to its beauty and special

atmosphere. I felt that the words render a unique character; they created an unusual atmosphere-

serene and eerie, with a deep undertone and meaning. I was inspired to create that ambiance

through the power of music and the expressiveness of women voices- evocativeness and

splendor with interesting harmonies.

In this poem, music brings about serenity, calm, magic and enchantment as well as water and

naiads. I was looking to create the same mood through unusual harmonies and mixture of

rhythms and counterpoint. The gentle opening of the piano represents the flowing of water and

continues to accompany the voices throughout the piece, enhancing the complexity and

expressiveness of the harmonies that can only be sung by the pureness and expressiveness of

women- the creators of life.

When Music Sounds premiered in May 2011.

PROGRAM NOTES

by Fred Lerdahl

Quiet Music

Quiet Music was commissioned by the Fromm Music Foundation for the American

Composers Orchestra, which premiered it in 1994 at Carnegie Hall under the direction of Dennis

Russell Davies. I made the two-piano version in 2001. The piece is in one movement lasting

about 14 minutes.

The sonic surface of Quiet Music displays two unusual constraints. First, as a manifestation

of the work’s expressive character, the dynamic is pianissimo throughout. The means of

achieving tension and climax are thereby displaced from dynamics onto texture and density.

Second, at every point until the final sonority there are running sixteenth notes somewhere in the

textural fabric.

Quiet Music employs a formal process, overlapping expanding variations, a formal process

that I have used in several pieces but which I carry here to an extreme of structural strictness and

polyphonic virtuosity. Each individual section grows from a single melodic or harmonic cell that

elaborates into complexity until it reaches a point of completion; meanwhile another section has

begun a similar process in another strand. Some strands contract after expanding, resulting in a

palindromic shape.

The expressive world of Quiet Music seems far from considerations of precompositional

constraints. It is one of my most intimate works, an internal reverie of magical textures and

shifting soundscapes.

The two-piano version inevitably produces a different experience than the original orchestral

piece. The running-sixteenth aspect is more in the foreground. The loss in instrumental color and

architecture is compensated for by a gain in textural clarity and shading.

PROGRAM NOTES by Jan Jirásek

Introduction and Étude for 2 Pianos – 2002, World Premiere

This piece associates and confronts the world of instrumental virtuosity with that of very

internal and intimate feelings. “Introduction and Étude for 2 Pianos” is dedicated to the piano

duo Quattro Mani.

Soul Mate (for piano)

Soul Mate is a solo piano piece. Part of the piece - especially the beginning - is very fragile,

vulnerable and emotional. The other part of the piece is very energetic and almost aggressive.

Those are two faces of the same substance, its Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

ABOUT THE COMPOSERS

Jennifer Margaret Barker

Jennifer Margaret Barker’s compositions have been hailed by critics in North America,

Europe and Asia as “extraordinarily moving,” “soul-stirring,” “at once gripping and timeless,”

“blazingly alive, with lovely, aching melodies,” “show-stopping,” “anything but passive,”

“beautiful...warm,” “haunting,” “illuminated by dreamy images,” and her compositional output

has been noted for its “amazing array” and “striking writing.”

Barker has received commissions and performances from most notably The Detroit

Symphony Orchestra, The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, The New Jersey Symphony

Orchestra with the New Jersey Youth Chorus, The Virginia, The Bearsden Choir with the BBC

Scottish Symphony Orchestra Brass and Percussion Ensembles, The Scottish Chamber Orchestra

String Quartet and Trio, Orchestra 2001, Relâche, Network for New Music, The Society for New

Music, Mélomanie, and Marimolin, as well as an extensive list of international concert artists.

She was invited to compose a work for The 2002 American Liszt Society National Conference,

and her compositional work is featured on the Distant Voices Touring Theatre ‘September

Echoes’ production. In January 2011, her youth string orchestra work, Suilean a’ Chloinne, was

presented at the Conductors Guild Conference. Her compositions have also been featured on

documentary and art films, including “No Denying.” Her works have been performed across

Europe, North America, and Australasia.

In addition to ASCAP awards and varying international awards, Barker has received grants

from organizations such as The National Endowment for the Arts, the Pew Charitable Trust, the

American Composers Forum, the Virginia Commission for the Arts, the Norfolk (USA)

Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the Meir Rimon Commissioning Assistance Grant, the

Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour, the Philadelphia Music Project and The Scottish Arts

Council. In 2007 she received an Established Artist Fellowship from the Delaware Division of

the Arts for her contributions to the State of Delaware.

Published by Boosey & Hawkes, Theodore Presser, Vanderbeek & Imrie Ltd., Southern

Percussion and McKenna-Keddie, Barker has received numerous broadcasts of her compositions

on American public radio, Radio Television Hong Kong and the BBC. Her first CD, ‘Nyvaigs,’

was released in April 2000 on the CRI label and is currently distributed by New World Records.

Her second CD, ‘Geenyoch,’ which includes a bonus DVD featuring four music videos of her

compositions filmed by award-winning cameraman John Anthony Palmer, was released in May

2005 on the Meyer Media LLC label (www.meyer-media.com). In reviewing this second CD,

critic Jon Alan Conrad noted that Barker’s music “sounds familiar and yet always new. While

speaking in her own distinctive compositional voice, it answers the emotional and visceral needs

that music has always met.”

Dr. Barker is a Full Professor of Music Theory/Composition at the University of Delaware.

She is Co-Chair of New Music Delaware and Co-Artistic Director/Founder of Still Breathing,

The University of Delaware Contemporary Music Ensemble. As a William Penn Fellow at the

University of Pennsylvania, she received the Ph.D. and Master’s degrees in music composition.

She received two Masters’ degrees in piano performance and music composition respectively

from Syracuse University, and an Honors Bachelor of Music degree from the University of

Glasgow in Scotland. Born and raised in Scotland, Barker has lived in America since 1987. In

addition to composing, Barker remains active as a pianist.

Sharon Farber

Winner of the 2012 Visionary Award in Music by The Women in Film & Television

International Showcase, composer Sharon Farber, originally from Israel, has received critical

acclaim as a composer in the Concert world as well as that of Film and TV. She brings to her

music influences from her Middle Eastern heritage as well as her extensive knowledge of

Classical and Western music.

Ms. Farber began her musical career at the age of seven as a classical pianist. After

graduating from Thelma-Yelin High School for the Arts, she served in the IDF (Israeli Defense

Force) and later worked as a theater composer and musical director in Israel. She won the first

prize in Colors in Dance in 1992 for her music for choreography. In 1994, she moved to Boston

upon receiving a scholarship from Berklee College of Music. During her studies, she won the

first prize in the yearly Professional Writing Division Concert with her first string quartet. After

graduating Summa Cum Laude in 1997 (majoring in both Classical Composition and Film

Scoring) she moved to Los Angeles to begin her professional career. Miss Farber was the

recipient of the prestigious Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Internship in Film Scoring,

as well as the Mentorship program of the Society of Composers and Lyricists, on which she later

served as a board member for ten years.

Ms. Farber has been writing concert and chorale music in parallel to her film-scoring career,

and has many national and international premiers and performances to her credit. To name a few:

The Third Mother/Mothers’ Lament, world premiered by the Los Angeles Master Chorale,

Ashkina, for mixed choir, chamber ensemble and ethnic instruments, Translucent Rocks,

commissioned and premiered by the Israeli Chamber Orchestra, chorale works, song cycles, and

many more. Commissions include the Laguna Beach Music Festival, Pacific Serenades

Ensemble, Orange County Women’s Chorale, Culver City Symphony Orchestra, The Jewish

Symphony Orchestra, International String Quartet of Yuccatan and Ipalpiti Artists International.

Recently two outstanding sopranos released CDs with Sharon's music (Grammy Award winner

Hila Plitmann and Sharon Rostorf Zamir, who was nominated for a Grammy for her performance

on that CD), and she is the Composer In Residence of the Beverly Hills International Music

Festival as well as the music director of Temple of the Arts in Beverly Hills, CA.

Ms. Farber has been working with such companies as NBC, CBS, Showtime, and WB as

well as writing music for features films. She won the Telly Award for best score for the docu-

drama California 2000 and her orchestral score for the film When Nietzsche Wept was released

commercially. She has recently scored the feature film The Dove Flyer, and is gearing up to

score Buddha Eyes for producer Aaron Millar and Roman’s Table for director T. Raphael

Cimino, as well as a seven film series for Ancient Entertainment.

Ms. Farber has recently been commissioned by the Glendale Philharmonic Orchestra to

compose a new cello concerto to be premiered January 5, 2014, and her Fantasy for Orchestra

will be performed by the Israeli Chamber Orchestra January 14, 2014.

Fred Lerdahl Fred Lerdahl's music is greatly esteemed for having developed original harmonic syntaxes

and formal processes, presented with elegant craftsmanship and expressive depth. His work is

rare in today's musical world in that it seeks and achieves both complexity and intelligibility. It is

indebted to the past yet committed to the exploration of new territory. Lerdahl's music has been

commissioned and performed by major chamber ensembles and orchestras in the United States

and around the world, and he has been resident composer at leading institutions and festivals. His

music has been widely recorded for numerous labels, including Bridge Records, who have

initiated an ongoing series devoted to his music.

Jan Jirásek

Jan Jirásek was born in Rychnov nad Kneznou, Czech Republic. He graduated from the

Janácek Academy of Musical Arts in Brno (JAMU), where he studied composition. After the fall

of the Iron Curtain Jirasek's music was widely performed at many renowned festivals, radio and

tv stations, etc. Mr. Jirasek is considered one of the foremost film composer in the Czech

Republic. He was awarded the prestigious film music prize “The Czech Lion” for movie “An

Ambiguous Report About the End of the World” (dir. Juraj Jakubisko) and for the movie

“Kytice” (Wild Flowers) dir. F.A.Brabec. Mr. Jirasek's music has been recorded on labels like

BMG Classics (the CD “Renaissance of Humanity” with music by Jan Jirásek, Arvo Pärt and

Hildegard von Bingen), BMG-Ariola (the CD “Bread and Circuses”), and other major labels.

Mr. Jirasek´s music is published by Ricordi/Universal.

ABOUT THE PERFORMERS

Veronika Afanassieva was born and raised in Novosibirsk. She started playing the violin at

the age of seven and studied over the next several years with Arnold Kobyliansky, Alexei

Kiselev and Marc Meinbach. Veronika is a founding member of the Veronika String Quartet,

which started its career in 1989 under the tutelage of Borodin String Quartet cellist Valentin

Berlinsky. After moving to the U.S., she continued her violin studies with Ralph Evans and Kurt

Sassmannshaus. She also studied chamber music with Henry W. Meyer and members of the Fine

Arts Quartet. Since 1999, Veronika has been an artist-in-residence at Colorado State University-

Pueblo and at the Pueblo Symphony, where she serves as Concertmaster.

Steven Beck continues to garner impressive acclaim for his performances and recordings

worldwide. Praised by the New Yorker as “one of the city’s finest young pianists,” a recent New

York concert by Mr. Beck was described as “exemplary” and “deeply satisfying” by Anthony

Tommasini in the New York Times. 2013-14 season highlights include performances with the

Alabama Symphony, recordings of Carter's late piano works for Bridge Records' Carter series,

and a performance of Messiaen's final work, Concert a Quatre with the New York Youth

Symphony. His annual performance of Bach’s Goldberg Variations on Christmas Eve at

Bargemusic has become a New York institution. In the words of New York Times critic Allan

Kozinn, Mr. Beck is "an eloquent and persuasive performer of contemporary works." He has

worked with Elliott Carter, Pierre Boulez, Henri Dutilleux, Charles Wuorinen, John Zorn, Beat

Furrer, George Perle, and George Crumb, and with ensembles such as Speculum Musicae and the

New York New Music Ensemble. He is a member of the Talea Ensemble, the Knights, and piano

duo Quattro Mani. This semester he is teaching at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Daniel Brink has served on the music faculty at Colorado College since 1987. Dan

participates in music academics teaching Music Theory courses and Music in Western Culture.

In the performance arena he teaches private and class piano, accompanies CC choral ensembles,

serves as accompanist/coach for CC student vocalists and conducts the CC Chamber Orchestra.

He has also taught on the faculty of the Colorado College Vocal Arts Symposium since its

inception in 1999. Outside CC, Dan serves as Assistant Conductor and Principal Pianist for the

Colorado Springs Chorale. He also serves as Accompanist/Coach and Music Director for Opera

Theatre of the Rockies, and frequently performs in recital with singers from throughout the

country.

Judeth Shay Burns, soprano, has received critical acclaim for her theatrical, concert, and

operatic performances. Judeth has performed with Opera Theatre of the Rockies, Central City

Opera, the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Chamber Orchestra of the Springs and the Colorado

Symphony Orchestra, and Opera Colorado. She was the guest soloist with the CSO for their live

telecast of Colorado Christmas which was broadcast throughout the region, live from Boettcher

Hall at the DCPA. In 2011 Judeth sang with the Nikolescu Quartet performing concerts in

Berlin, Leipzig and Vienna, and gave a recital at the historic Chateux Vieux in Geneva,

Switzerland. She has received two awards from the Pikes Peak Council for the Arts for best

classical solo performance, and was nominated for best female actress for her work as Charlotte

in Opera Theatre of the Rockies, A Little Night Music.

Monica Ding grew up in a musical family outside of Chicago, IL. She performed in choirs

as a child with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Lyric Opera, and the Grant Park

Symphony. She attended the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, Maryland on a full

scholarship where she received a B.M. degree. Monica then attended Northwestern University,

where she graduated with a M.M. degree in oboe performance. She held principal chair positions

with the Guanajuato Symphony Orchestra in Mexico, the Tamaulipas Music Festival Orchestra,

Aguascalientes Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Chamber Orchestra, the Chicago

Philharmonia, and the International Chamber Music Festival in Prague. She has been Professor

of Oboe at the Zacatecas University in Zacatecas, Mexico. Her teachers have been Ray Still, Sara

Watkins and Carl Sonik. Currently she is a bandsman with the USAF Academy Band and oboe

instructor at Colorado College.

Ekaterina Dobrotvorskaia was born in the old historic Russian town of Vladimir to a

family of musicians. She received her M.M. in music performance from the Moscow

Conservatory in 1998, with certificates in solo, chamber, orchestral performance and also special

training in music pedagody. Her active performing career has included extensive tours in

Australia, Israel, Cyprus, Switzerland, Belgium, Nederland, France and Germany. Ekaterina has

been a violist of The Veronika String Quartet since November 2000 and was an Artist-in-

Residence at the Colorado State University-Pueblo for 11 years. She frequently makes solo

appearances, collaborates with local musicians in chamber music performances, and tours with

The Veronika String Quartet. She is the viola instructor at Colorado College and has been a

member of the Colorado Springs Philharmonic since 2007.

Karine Garibova, born and raised in Moscow, Russia, started playing violin at the age of

six. Karine earned both MM and DMA degrees from the Gnesins' Russian Academy of Music in

Moscow. Karine is a founding member of the Veronika String Quartet, which has performed

widely in the U.S., Australia, Europe, Russia, and the Middle East; and appears frequently on

NPR’s Colorado Spotlight Series. The VSQ is currently hosting a popular and critically-

acclaimed concert series in both Pueblo and Colorado Springs; highlights can be found on

YouTube. Since 2000 Karine has been playing with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, where

she became Associate Principal Second Violin in 2004. Ms. Garibova served as Artist-in-

Residence at Colorado State University-Pueblo for nearly twelve years. She also has a private

studio in Colorado Springs and coaches the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony.

Susan Grace has performed solo, chamber recitals and with orchestras in the United States,

Europe, the former Soviet Union, India, South Korea, and China. She has also performed at the

Aspekte Festival in Salzburg, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra’s new-music series Engine 408, Cape

Cod Chamber Music Festival, Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., the Grand Teton Festival,

Music at Oxford and the Helmsley Festival in England. Susan is a member of Quattro Mani, a

two-piano team that has gained high praise from both critics and audiences here and abroad for

their concerts and recordings. Quattro Mani performed in Carnegie Hall in May 2012 with the

Alabama Symphony and was called by the New York Times “the impressive duo Quattro Mani.”

Susan is associate chair, artist-in-residence and lecturer in music at Colorado College, as well as

music director of the CC Summer Music Festival.

Jerilyn Jorgensen is a member of the performance faculty of Colorado College and has been

adjunct faculty in violin and chamber music at the Lamont School of Music of the University of

Denver. From 1980-2004 she was first violinist of the Da Vinci Quartet, and as a member of that

ensemble she has performed throughout the United States, been a prizewinner in the

Shostakovich International String Quartet Competition and finalist in the Naumburg Chamber

Music Competition, and appeared on PBS’s NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. She is a founding

member of the Trio Paradis, whose 2013-14 inaugural season presents music by women

composers from all eras in a series entitled Unsung Voices. Ms. Jorgensen holds bachelor of

music degrees from the Eastman School of Music and the Juilliard School, and a master of music

degree from Juilliard. Her major teachers have included Zvi Zeitlin, Joseph Fuchs, and Leonard

Sorkin. She has also worked with Burton Kaplan. Ms. Jorgensen plays a beautiful violin from

1705 made by G.B. Rogeri.

Katharine Knight, a co-founder of the former Da Vinci Quartet in 1980, has performed

across the United States, as well as in Russia, England and Canada. She has recorded

extensively; and, with abundant teaching credits to her name, is also a veteran of many

international competitions. In addition to her near quarter century with the Da Vinci Quartet, Ms.

Knight performs regularly as a recitalist, guest artist with other chamber ensembles, and as a

member of Hot Celli - a duo with husband and fellow cellist, Richard Slavich. Ms. Knight joined

the music faculty of the Colorado College in 1999 as cello instructor, and is a member of the

chamber music faculty at the University of Denver's Lamont School of Music. She plays a 1997

cello made by the husband and wife team Joseph Grubaugh and Sigrun Seifert.

Tamara Teske Lenz is a long time member of the Taylor and St. Stephen’s Choir. She

retired from School District 11 after 30 years of teaching elementary music. She has performed

with the Colorado Springs Chorale, Abendmusik, The Fine Arts Center Repertory Theater, The

Colorado Opera Festival and Opera Theatre of the Rockies. She is currently teaching private

voice and flute, and is the Administrative Assistant to Opera Theatre of the Rockies. Tamara is

the conductor of Dawn Singers, the training choir for CS Children’s Chorale. She continues to

study voice with Martile Rowland.

Colin McAllister enjoys a rich musical life as a soloist, chamber musician, conductor and

educator. He currently serves as the Coordinator of the Music Program and Head of Strings at

the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. Past performance highlights include appearances

at the Monday Evening Concerts, New Music Miami, San Francisco sfSound, SoundON Festival

of Modern Music, CSU-Bakersfield Guitar Arts Series, CSU-Fullerton New Music Festival,

Darmstadt International Music Festival, Festival Hispanoamericano de Guitarra, Dallas Festival

of Modern Music, Foro Internacional de Músic in Mexico City, Breda (NL) Jazz Festival, and

the Centro Mexicano para la Música y las Artes Sonoras (CMMAS). He has recorded for the

Innova, Albany, Old King Cole, Vienna Modern Masters, Carrier and Tzadik record labels, and

his transcriptions and methods are published by Productions d'OZ. www.colinmcallister.com.

Paul Nagem has been principal flute for the Colorado Springs Symphony/Philharmonic

since 1994. A native of San Diego, he studied flute there with Damian Bursill-Hall, then

principal flute of the San Diego Symphony and now with the Pittsburgh Symphony. He received

his Bachelor's Degree from the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Lois

Schaefer of the Boston Symphony. Mr. Nagem is the Instructor of Flute at Colorado College. He

has performed with the San Diego Symphony, the Colorado Symphony and the Singapore

Symphony. Mr. Nagem plays Straubinger flutes.

Donna Nunez, mezzo-soprano, is a member of the Colorado Vocal Arts Ensemble and the

Compline Choir of Grace and St. Stephen's Episcopal Church. She is a graduate of the

University of Colorado Colorado Springs with a Bachelor of Arts in Visual and Performing Arts.

Matthew Scheffelman is principal horn for the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, principal

horn for the Colorado Ballet Orchestra, and instructor in french horn at Colorado College.

Emily Sorensen regularly performs with the Colorado Vocal Arts Ensemble and Opera

Theatre of the Rockies. In May 2012, she was the soprano soloist in Carmina Burana with a

collaboration of performing groups including the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony. She

participated in the 2009 Vocal Arts Symposium, and has singing experience in various capacities

ranging from opera and oratorio to choral and jazz. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Music

Education from the University of Northern Colorado and currently studies voice with Martile

Rowland. She teaches music for Colorado Springs School District 11 and the Colorado

Academy of Music and Dance.

Daryll Stevens has been Clarinet Instructor at Colorado College since 1980. An active

chamber and solo musician, she has performed with the Colorado Springs Symphony, the

Colorado Opera Festival, the Opera Theater of the Rockies, the Colorado College Summer

Music Festival and Soundscapes. Ms. Stevens received the M.F.A. from the University of

California at Los Angeles. Her teachers have included Gary Gray, Mitchell Lurie, and Franklin

Sabin. She further explores her interest in music through her duties as Librarian of the College's

Albert Seay Library of Music and Art. In the spring of 2006 she received a second masters in

library science. In addition to her duties at Colorado College, Ms. Stevens maintains an active

private studio.

Alejandro Vieira, bassoon, is originally from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He earned his Master

of Music degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where he was

a winner of the annual concerto competition, and also holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the

Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, where he participated in ensembles ranging

in specialty from music of the medieval period to contemporary music. Alex became a member

of the United States Air Force Academy Band in 1998, and currently serves as principal

bassoonist of the Concert Band and as bassoonist of the Academy Winds, a unique and dynamic

group that blends the sounds of a woodwind quintet plus percussion. Prior to joining the

Colorado Springs Symphony (now the Colorado Springs Philharmonic Orchestra) in January,

2001, as Second Bassoon and Contrabassoon, Alex held the position of second bassoon with the

Northern Kentucky Symphony. In the 2008-2009 season, and from 2010 to the present, he has

held the position of Acting Principal Bassoon in the Colorado Springs Philharmonic.

Colorado College Music Students

Robin Hinson, Class of 2015, Music Major/Russian and Eurasian Studies Minor, McLean, VA

Rebecca Lehman, Class of 2014, Biology Major/Music Minor, Concord, NH

Eliza Lovett, Class of 2014, Music Major, Wellesley, MA

Connor Rice, Class of 2015, Music Major, Minneapolis, MN

Raquel Vásquez, Class of 2014, Music Major, Cedar City, UT

UPCOMING EVENTS IN THE CC MUSIC DEPARTMENT

Unless otherwise noted, all concerts are in Packard Hall, are free, and open to the public

For the most current information, please check the events website:

http://www.coloradocollege.edu/newsevents/calendar/

Student Music Theatre Production

Opera Scenes, Shorts and Stuff

Daniel Brink and Ann Brink, directors

Friday, November 8 ~ 7:30 pm

Saturday, November 9 ~ 7:30 pm

Music at Midday

Instrumental and Vocal Student Performances

Wednesday, November 13 ~ 12:15 pm

Faculty Recital

Beethoven Sonatas

Jeri Jorgensen, violin

Cullan Bryant, piano

Thursday, November 14 ~ 7:30 pm

Faculty Recital

Rex Matzke and the Jazz Express Quartet

Tuesday, November 19 ~ 7:30 pm

Distinguished Organist Recital Series

Frantisek Vanicek, organ

Tuesday, November 19 ~ 7:30 pm

Shove Chapel

Concert Band

Jeremy Van Hoy, director

Tuesday, December 3, 7:30 pm

Bluegrass Ensemble

Keith Reed, director

Thursday, December 5 ~ 7:30 pm

Colorado College Choir and Chamber Chorus Deborah Teske, director

Friday, December 6 ~ 7:30 pm

Shove Chapel

Collegium Musicum Renaissance Ensemble

Nancy Ekberg-Tynan, director

Sunday, December 8 ~ 3:00 pm