WESTERN Summer 2011 Newsletter Sylvia Kersenbaum International Star Donor Spotlight Harris Lyons Beach Department of Music www.wku.edu/music Celebrating an International Performing and Teaching Career Sylvia Haydee Kersenbaum joined the Toledo Symphony, The Symphony @ WKU Department of Music faculty in WKU and Louisville Orchestra. 1976, was tenured in 1982, retired Her recordings for the EMI-Angel in 2006 and finished the transitional label have won major international retirement program in 2011. When press acclaim. Her CD version of she was hired, she was accustomed to Tchaikovsky’s Concerto Op. 44 was giving at least 100 concerts a year in included in the EMI Europe and Liszt England, Europe and Japan, and was Hexameron Series of the 100 Vir- on the concert circuit for 10 years. tuosi of the 20th Century set. She has Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the recorded works by Beethoven, Chopin, daughter of an Austrian father and Brahms, Paganini, Tchaikovsky, an Italian mother, she began musical Liszt, Weber, Mendelssohn, Schubert, studies at age 4 with her mother, a Granados, Glinka, Schumann, Franck, violinist, and began playing the piano Scriabin, Berg, Mozart, Ginastera, before she could read and before her Rachmaninoff, Bach, Grieg, Dohnanyi, feet could touch the pedals. De Falla, Gershwin, Hindemith, Haydn, She holds degrees in perfor- Janacek, Piazzola, Ravel and Strauss. mance, pedagogy and composition Her awards include the Best from the National Conservatory (Bue- Performer during the 2004 Concert nos Aires), graduating at age 14, and Season from the music critics in holds Artist Diplomas from both the Argentina, the WKU Faculty Award Academy of Santa Cecilia (Rome) and Her performances with noted for Research and Creative Activity in the Accademia Chigiana (Siena). She orchestras include the London Sym- 1990, honorary membership in the studied under Vincente Scaramuzza in phony, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Beethoven Society for Pianists in 1990, Buenos Aires, Guido Agosti in Rome, Orchestra, München Philharmoniker, listed in Who’s Who in the World, Nikita Magaloff in Geneva, Hans Graf Bayerische Staatskapella, Orchestra a member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor in Vienna, and made her solo debut de la Suisse Romande (Geneva), San Society and the 1999 KONEX Award in in Paris, London and Vienna in the Francisco Symphony, BBC North- Buenos Aires as the Outstanding Per- 1971-72 season. Kersenbaum has ap- ern Symphony, Tonhalle Orchestra former of the peared in recitals and as a soloist with (Zurich), Orchestra National del Last Decade. orchestras throughout Europe, the Far O.R.T.F. (Paris), New Zealand Sym- Students, East, and North and South America, phony Orchestra, Osaka critics and uni- has appeared as an accompanist for Philharmonic, Orquesta versity officials singers and instrumentalists, has con- de la UNAM (Mexico), have recog- ducted masterclasses in international Bournemouth Sympho- nized her tal- and national venues and is a Steinway ny, Tokyo Philharmonic, ent. In a 1978 Artist. 2 Department of Music 32- piano Sonata cycle twice (1989-90 and 2003-2004), “A Journey Through Beethoven’s Life,” whose composi- tions dates from 1795-1822. Even though she has had longstanding vi- sual problems for the past thirty years, her extraordinary ear and memoriza- tion ability has more than made up for the vision issues. Anyone who performs the complete Beethoven piano sonatas is in a special class. Memorization alone involves more than 700 pages of music. She has memorized all of the music that she has performed, as well as played harp with orchestras. As a result of her love of compo- sition, she composed the music for Edgar Allan Poe’s compelling story, “The Masque of the Red Death,” about a deadly plague, a city with no name and no time, which premiered as a ballet in October 2001 in collaboration with the WKU Department of The- atre and Dance and The Symphony @ WKU. She was featured in a recent WKYU-PBS program, “An Evening with Sylvia Kersenbaum,” which was nominated for an Ohio Valley Regional Emmy Award. The program was an intimate concert that explored her tal- ent as a pianist, with beautiful per- formances of Debussy and Haydn, as well as interviews that gave a glimpse of her love of music. In 2002, the WKU student music fraternity, Delta Omicron, established a scholarship in her name, which was first awarded in 2005. Recipients of the letter from the late Dr. Dero Downing, away…The final impression remains Kersenbaum Scholarship have been “She has continued to reflect credit one of authority and stylistic convic- Jessica Carmichael, Rachel Norton, upon the Department of Music and tion.” WKU students contribute, “I’ve Rachel Stewart, Aleshia Akin, Melissa has contributed significantly to the learned more in the past four years Gensler and Ellen Murrey. cultural, educational and social life of from her than I have ever in my entire Her time on the Hill in the Ivan the University community.” life. With unconditional gratitude…; Wilson Fine Arts Center has been A music critic on her recordings Her strict discipline and yet sense of valued greatly by the University com- by Chopin, “As a Chopin interpreter humor has made my lessons wonder- munity and the Department of Music. she is a forceful, intense artist: every ful; She imparts an intelligent and The end of an era is here, but her phrase counts, each point is a part artistic interpretation in her teaching.” musicianship and talent will long be of a grand totality, nothing is thrown She has played the Beethoven remembered and cherished. Department of Music 3 Imani Winds formed on the WKU campus, at Fellowship Award which time they met Ms. Cook dur- ing a masterclass session. Madelyn Cook, sophomore This program from July 27 – integrated music education August 6, 2011, held at Juilliard (horn) major from Portland, in New York City includes: TN, has been selected to participate in the Imani • Regular rehearsals and Winds Fellowship intense training within an Program, a program assigned ensemble with for a select group of culminating performances high level musicians • Full mentorship with Imani who wish to have wind Winds, complete with regular quintet/sextet as an integral part of coachings and participation their careers. This highly-acclaimed in both solo/chamber music L to R: Spencer Wills, Matt White, Matt Lund, Amy Spears, Erin Austin, Ellen Murrey quintet, Imani Winds, recently per- masterclasses Pi Kappa Lambda Inductees Six students, selected by the Depart- ment faculty, were inducted in the Student WKU Theta Eta Chapter of Pi Kappa Lambda, a national honorary music society. These new members were selected based on academic achieve- Achievements ment, musical skill and stellar charac- ter, with membership being extended to the highest ranking students from senior and graduate classes. Performers of the Semester, Spring 2011 Front row L to R: Matt Lund (woodwinds), Amanda Ledford (voice), John Woods (voice); Seated: Nick Hall and Michael Menser (guitar); Standing: Justin Kirby (piano), Daniel McKillip (percussion), Madelyn Cook (brass), Steven Stewart (strings). The Performer of the Semester was Amanda Ledford. Brass Choir @ Commencement 4 Department of Music Department of Music 2010-2011 Graduates David Gibson Master’s Degree Erin Barger 2010 Wall of Fame Inductee Danny Benson Amberly Bush David Paul Gibson, a native of Louisville, Grant Calvert Kentucky, has been active in the arts and Jin-Hui Jang education communities as a teacher on the Travis Miller high school and college levels, conductor, Megan Puckett Richard Rue composer, vocal performer, theatre artist, Adam Vincent church musician and arts administrator. Selena Walker Gibson holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education degree and Master of Music in Bachelor’s Degree Vocal Performance degree from Western Erin Austin, flute, BA Holly Barnes*, percussion, BM Kentucky University, where he performed Trish Beresford***, voice, BM numerous operatic roles, including Marcello, Chelsea Boston**, voice, BM Figaro, Germont, Peter Abelard, and Rigo- Zachary Culp, double bass, BA letto, while studying voice under Ohm Pauli and Virgil Hale. While a student, Andrew Cusick**, voice, BA Gibson composed, staged and conducted his first opera,Antony and Cleopa- Laura Beth Galipeau, piano, BA tra, for its world premiere at WKU. He was the founder and first conductor Chelsea Garrison, clarinet, BM Jessica Gerbholz*, voice, BM of the Southern Kentucky Opera Guild and the Bowling Green Community Kevin Goodnight, trumpet, BM Chorus, as well as the Opera Theatre of Owensboro, served as artistic director Ashley Grueter*, cello, BM of the Old Rockport Civic Theater for seven seasons and, during the course of Dan Hall, trumpet, BM his career, has designed, directed and conducted over one hundred produc- Hannah Hall**, voice, BA tions of opera, musical theater and drama ranging from Puccini’s La Boheme Kelsey Hinton***, voice, BM to the works of Tennessee Williams and Lerner & Lowe. In 1983, the National Keith Kinder, trombone, BA Travis Lowe, voice, BM Endowment for the Arts selected Gibson as a Spoleto Fellow at the Festival Jessica Mays, clarinet, BM of Two Worlds, where he assisted its director Gian-Carlo Menotti. In 1989, Gregory McCord***, voice, BM Gibson was chosen to address the general body of the International Wagner Raeanne McKendree*, voice, BM Symposium held at the Juilliard School in New York. As a singer, he performed Ellen Murrey***, voice, BM on the concert and operatic stages throughout the United States, Europe