Visit the archives for information on past news from the Department of Music!
DAMIAN SAVARINO PERFORMS MOZART REQUIEM TO ACCLAIM
Damian Savarino, Senior Lecturer in Music, recently performed the bass solos in Mozart's Requiem with the Greenwich Choral Society (CT). Of his performance, Jeffrey Johnson of Greenwichtime.com remarked, "Savarino took command with his entrance in the 'Tuba mirum', creating a brass-like resonance in his voice". On May 19th, Professor Savarino will present a recital as part of the Trinity Episcopal Church Concert Series in Pottsville, PA with Dr. Patrice Ewoldt at the piano.
WINNERS NAMED FOR KUHLMAN COMPETITION AND CONCERTO COMPETITION
Congratulations to Gregory Glessner, violin, for his winning performance in the annual Kuhlman Competition, and to Bryan Jones, piano, for winning the annual Messiah College Concerto Competition.
Gregory Glessner is currently a junior violin performance major at Messiah College, studying with Peter Sirotin. He has been a member of the Messiah College Symphony Orchestra since 2007, and now serves as their concertmaster. Gregory has also served as interim concertmaster for the West Shore Symphony Orchestra in their February and November 2012 concerts. Gregory was a prizewinner in the 2010 Rodney and Lorna Sawatsky Rising Stars Concerto Competition. He performed Nathan Milstein’s Paganiniana.
Bryan Jones is a sophomore piano performance major from Warrenton, VA. He has studied piano for fourteen years, two of those with his current teacher, Dr. Patrice Ewoldt. In 2012, he won first place in the annual college-sponsored Kuhlman competition. From 2007 to 2010, he appeared with the Piedmont Symphony orchestra as a soloist in their Young Artist concerto competition. From 2006 to 2011, he won composition awards at the national level from the National Federation of Music Clubs. In addition to his musical accomplishments, he is an Eagle Scout and appears in "Who's Who among Students in American Universities and Colleges." When not occupying the music building, he can often be found hiking, baking, studying chemistry, or swing dancing. Bryan performed the first movement of Johannes Brahms' Piano Concerto no. 2.
Both Gregory and Bryan will have the opportunity to perform a work with the Messiah College Symphony Orchestra as a featured soloist. Bravo to all students who performed at this year’s competition!
MC TRUMPET ENSEMBLE NAMED SEMI-FINALIST IN NATIONAL TRUMPET COMPETITION
The Messiah College Trumpet Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. William Stowman, has been named a semi-finalist in the prestigious National Trumpet Competition. The ensemble will travel to George Mason University in Fairfax, VA, in March to compete against other top trumpet ensembles from around the country. Congratulations to the trumpet ensemble!
MESSIAH COLLEGE WIND ENSEMBLE WINS "AMERICAN PRIZE" AWARD
The Messiah College Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Bradley Genevro, recently earned top national honors, winning the College/University Division of the American Prize for Band/Wind Ensemble. The American Prize is a series of new, non-profit national competitions in the performing arts providing cash awards, professional adjudication and regional, national and international recognition for the best recorded performances by ensembles and individuals each year in the United States at the professional, college/university, church, community and secondary school levels. Administered by Hat City Music Theater, Inc., a nonprofit organization based in Danbury, Connecticut, The American Prize was founded in 2009 and is awarded annually. The Wind Ensemble competed against top bands from around the country, including the University of Georgia Wind Ensemble and Cornell University Wind Ensemble, second and third place winners, respectively.
Listen to the Wind Ensemble's most recent recordings, Glorified and Sanctuary.
Messiah College Department of Music student brass quintet, Grantham Brass Project, has recently been invited back to the prestigious Frankenwald Festival in Germany for the summer of 2013. This is the first time a student group has been honored with two invitations from the Rekkenze Brass for this event. In 2010, GBP and faculty coach Dr. Mike Harcrow were invited by the Rekkenze Brass (Germany's leading professional brass quintet) to be part of the Frankenwald Festival at Haus Marteau in Lichtenberg, Germany, and the group will return this summer. Several days of coaching and masterclasses by world-renowned performers culminate in three highly-publicized concerts at the end of the week.
In 2011, GBP was invited to perform at two venues at the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association conference in Hershey. The quintet provided luncheon music for the PMEA state officers and district and regional representatives in addition to playing a packed lobby concert between afternoon events. This past spring, GBP also toured western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, playing at several high schools before a fantastic performance on-stage at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.
MESSIAH COLLEGE HORN STUDIO TO PERFORM AT INTERNAT'L HORN SOCIETY SYMPOSIUM
The Messiah College Horn Studio, under the leadership of Dr. Mike Harcrow, performed this past January at the Annual Penn State Horn Day at the invitation of Penn State horn professor Lisa Bontrager. Based on their strong showing there, the Studio subsequently received an invitation to perform at the International Horn Society Symposium in August, 2013, to be held at the University of Memphis in Memphis, Tennessee.
ALUMNA MELANIE ROSS NAMED TO FACULTY AT YALE INSTITUTE OF SACRED MUSIC
Congratulations to alumna Melanie Ross '99, a music education major, on being named to the faculty at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music and Yale Divinity School. After graduating from Messiah,
Dr. Ross subsequently earned a Master of Arts in Religion with a concentration in liturgical studies at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music and Yale Divinity School. She completed her Ph.D. in liturgical studies (with minor area in theological studies) at the University of Notre Dame in 2010. Her dissertation, entitled “Evangelicalism, Ecumenism, and Liturgical Renewal: Reassessing Scholarly Paradigms,” was directed by Dr. Nathan D. Mitchell with Maxwell Johnson and Mark Noll as committee members.
Since fall 2010, Dr. Ross has served as assistant professor of worship leadership at Huntington University in Indiana, where she has taught courses in worship, theology and the fundamentals of Christianity. She is a member of the American Academy of Religion and the North American Academy of Liturgy.
DR. BRADLEY GENEVRO INDUCTED INTO AMERICAN BANDMASTERS ASSOCIATION
Congratulations to Dr. Bradley Genevro, Director of Bands, on his recent induction into the American Bandmasters Association. This prestigious organization, founded in 1929 with John Philip Sousa as Honorary Life President, recognizes outstanding achievement on the part of Concert Band conductors and composers. The current membership comprises approximately 300 band conductors and composers in the USA and Canada and is invitational only. We congratulate Dr. Genevro on such an esteemed accomplishment!