Montclair State University Montclair State University Digital Commons 2013-2014 Raise the Bar PEAK Performances Programming History 12-21-2013 Darkness Is Your Candle Office of Arts + Cultural Programming PEAK Performances at Montclair State University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/peak-performances-2013-2014 Part of the Music Performance Commons, and the Theatre and Performance Studies Commons Recommended Citation Office of Arts + Cultural Programming and PEAK Performances at Montclair State University, "Darkness Is Your Candle" (2013). 2013-2014 Raise the Bar. 8. https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/peak-performances-2013-2014/8 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the PEAK Performances Programming History at Montclair State University Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in 2013-2014 Raise the Bar by an authorized administrator of Montclair State University Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Dr. Susan A. Cole, President Daniel Gurskis, Dean, College of the Arts Staff Jedediah Wheeler, Executive Director, Arts & Cultural Programming Office of Arts & Cultural Programming College of the Arts Executive Director Jedediah Wheeler Dean Daniel Gurskis Executive Producer Jill Dombrowski Associate Dean Ronald L. Sharps Associate Producer Jessica Wasilewski Assistant Dean Linda D. Davidson World Premiere! Production/Facility Manager J. Ryan Graves Director of Administration Marie Sparks Cultural Engagement Director Carrie Urbanic College Administrator Zacrah S. Battle Finance Manager Marilyn Fogarty Executive Assistant to the Dean Alyson Thelin East of the River Director of Audience Services Robert Hermida Program Assistant Kilolo Kumanyika World Premiere! Audio Engineer Andrew Lulling Art and Design Aissa Deebi Cultural Engagement Assistant Hannah Rolfes John J. Cali School of Music Jon Robert Cart Box Office Manager Matthew S. Fox School of Communication and Media Merrill Brown East of the River Darkness Is Your Candle House Manager Maureen Grimaldi Theatre and Dance Randy Mugleston Graphics Patrick Flood/pfloodesign.com Broadcast and Digital Media Facilities Nick Tzanis Daphna Mor and Nina Stern, recorders, ney, chalumeau Press Ellen Jacobs Associates University Art Galleries Teresa Rodriguez Program Editor Susan R. Case Ara Dinkjian, oud Program Assistant Filip Ilic Darkness Is Your Candle Student Assistant Christy Casey Jesse Kotansky, violin Production Run Crew Marc Critelli, Jason Flamos Peter Stan, accordion Montclair State’s Office of Arts & Cultural Programming (ACP) presents and produces leading artists of the world in dance, music, theater, and opera. Under its signature series Peak Performances, ACP has produced works such as Omer Avital, bass Zinnias: The Life of Clementine Hunter by Robert Wilson, Bernice Johnson Reagon, Toshi Reagon, and Jacqueline Shane Shanahan, percussion Woodson; Dog Days by David T. Little and Royce Vavrek; Harry Partch’s Oedipus; and Ridge Theater’s The Difficulty of Crossing a Field by David Lang. In addition, ACP has commissioned works by Bill T. Jones, Kronos Quartet, Glen Velez, percussion Jan Fabre, Liz Lerman, Wayne McGregor, Laurie Anderson, Romeo Castellucci, Richard Alston, Susan Marshall, Fred Hersch, and David Gordon. Program Major Donors “Krunk” Komitas Vardapet (1865–1935) “Kani Vor Janim” Sayat Nova (1712–1795) Alexander Kasser Theater Benefactors Arlene Allen “Yis Kou Ghimetn Chim Giti” Sayat Nova Founders Mary Mochary Bank of America I. Michael Kasser John and Cynthia Barnes “Lamma Bada” Traditional Andalusian Alexandra and Seth Bergstein Grace Lyon Concialdi Matthew Mochary Jean Hall “Samai Hijaz” Abdel Rahman Jabakji (d. 2003) ________________________ The Hillier Group Automatic Data Processing Audrey V. Leef Doris and Felix Beck The Prudential Insurance Company of America “Sandansko Horo” Traditional Bulgarian Robert and Barbara Constable Schering-Plough Research Institute Andrew Constable Wachovia Bank ~~Intermission~~ George and Linda Hiltzik Josh and Judy Weston Montclair State University Alumni Association Margaret and Herman Sokol “Ghaetta” Italian, late 14th century Jack and Jeanette Sullivan Arranged by Nina Stern The 2013/14 season is made possible in part by funds from: Percussion Duo Glen Velez, Shane Shanahan The National Endowment for the Arts Photo by Tom Caravaglia Tom Photo by “Longa Farahfaza” Riyad Al-Sunbati (1906–1981) The New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, “Longa Nahawand” Traditional Turkish a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts Discover Jersey Arts “Cveta moma ubava” Traditional Macedonian December 21, 2013 Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation 8:00 p.m. “Krivo Sadovsko Horo” Traditional Bulgarian National Dance Project (NDP) of the New England Foundation for the Arts The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Alexander Kasser Theater “Kozarica Kolo” Traditional Serbian Alison and James T. Cirenza “Sirto” Traditional Greek The Honorable Mary Mochary Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes, including one 15-minute intermission. To view our complete season and for more information, visit peakperfs.org. In consideration of both audience and performers, please turn off all electronic devices. The taking of photographs or videos and the use of recording equipment are not permitted. @peakperfs No food or drink is permitted in the theater. Program Notes About the Artists “Krunk” “Ghaetta” Omer Avital (bass), hailed by the LA Times as “a Daphna Mor (recorders, ney), praised for her virtuosity Nina Stern (recorders, chalumeau) has carved a unique Glen Velez (percussion), a four-time Grammy award pioneer in combining jazz with myriad world music by the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune, has and extraordinarily diverse career for herself as a world- winner, is an internationally acclaimed soloist and seminal “Krunk” (“Crane”) is based on a text from the late medieval “Ghaetta” is one of 15 estampies from a manuscript elements,” is a composer, a virtuosic bassist, and an oud performed throughout Europe and the United States. Her class recorder player and classical clarinetist. A native figure in the history of the frame drum. Legendary among times and exists in various manuscripts dating from that in London’s British Library (MS Add. 29987)—an player and has been an active force on the world music appearances include solo recitals in Croatia, Germany, New Yorker, Stern studied at the Schola Cantorum in Basel, musicians and audiences worldwide, he brought a new period. Stylistically, the work is similar to a liturgical extraordinary collection of Italian virtuoso solo dances scene for well over a decade. Born and raised in Israel to and Switzerland; at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Switzerland, where she received a Soloist’s Degree. From genre of drumming to the Western world by creating his chant and was transmitted orally through the centuries. from the late 14th century. Originally written for one parents of Yemenite and Moroccan descent, Avital was Trinity Church; and for Music Before 1800. Mor has Basel, she moved to Italy where she was immediately own compositional style inspired by years of percussion In the 19th century, Komitas Vardapet notated it and melody instrument, the version performed tonight debuts surrounded from an early age by the diverse musical and performed as a soloist with the New York Collegium, offered a teaching position at the Civica Scuola di Musica and frame-drumming studies from various cultures. made an arrangement of it for voice and piano. Komitas, an original arrangement of the work for two recorders cultural landscape of his native land. In 1992, Avital moved New York Early Music Ensemble, and the Little Orchestra in Milan. Stern has performed widely as a soloist, with the Velez’s virtuosic combinations of hand movements and arguably Armenia’s most famous musician, was also a and percussion. to New York and became an internationally recognized Society and as a member of the orchestra with the New ensembles East of the River and Rose of the Compass, and finger techniques, along with his original compositional priest (Vardapet means “doctor of the church” or “divine bass player and bandleader. Signed by Impulse (Universal York Philharmonic, New York City Opera, and Trinity as a principal player with orchestras such as the New York style, which incorporates stepping, drum language, and scholar”). He traveled extensively around the Armenian “Longa Farahfaza” and “Longa Nahawand” Music) at age 26 to produce his first album, Avital recorded Church Baroque Orchestra. She was awarded First Prize Philharmonic, New York City Opera, Philharmonia Baroque, Central Asian overtone singing (split-tone singing), have countryside, listening to and writing down Armenian folk The longa is a lively instrumental piece of Turkish/Eastern and toured with Wynton Marsalis, Kenny Garrett, Brian in the Settimane Musicali di Lugano Solo Competition and Opera Lafayette, and American Classical Orchestra. She has undoubtedly opened new possibilities for musicians songs and dances. He collected and published upward of European origin, usually in simple 2/4 meter. The form of Blade, Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Roy Haynes, and the Boston Conservatory Concerto Competition. Mor is recorded for the Erato, Harmonia Mundi, Sony Classics, around the globe, resulting in a shift in modern percussion. 3,000 songs, later adapting many of them for choir, solo the longa is similar to the rondo, consisting of two to four many