FACULTY ARTIST SERIES RICHARD PICKAR, clarinet Wednesday, November 18, 1987 8:00p.m. in the Shepherd School Recital Hall the RICE UNIVERSITY ~~rd_ Of Music PROGRAM Sonata for Clarinet and Pianoforte, Op. 129 Charles V. Stanford I. Allegro moderato (1852-1924) II. Caoine/Adagio (quasi Fantasia) III. Allegretto grazioso Mary Norris, piano Etude 4 from 18 Etudes for the Clarinet (1928) Paul jeanjean INTERMISSION Quintet for Clarinet and String Quartet, Op. 115 Johannes Brahms I. Allegro (1833-1897) II. Adagio III. Andantino/Presto non assai IV. Con moto James Stephenson, violin Betty Stephenson, violin Monica Brown, viola Christopher French, cello Photographing and sound recording are prohibited. W? further request that audible paging devices not be used during the performance. Paging arrangements may be made with the ushers. BIOGRAPHIES RICHARD PICKAR, Associate Professor of Clarinet at The Shepherd School of Music, has been associated with Rice University since 1969 when he was Musical Director of the Contemporary Chamber Ensemble. Professor Pickar was a Fulbright scholar in 1956 receiving his graduate Diploma in 1957 from the Akademie fiir Musik und darstellende Kunst after graduating summa cum laude from U. C. L.A. with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He received his Master ofArts degree from Sam Houston State University in 1964. Since 1959 Richard W. Pickar has been Principle Clarinetist of the Houston Symphony Orchestra. In addition he is presently Musical Director and conductor of the Galveston Symphony Orchestra, the Houston Metropolitan Orchestra, and the Houston Balalaika Society. MARY NORRIS, winner of a national competition at age fifteen, was subsequently awarded a scholarship at the Curtis Institute where she was a student of David Saperton. She em­ barked on an active career in solo and chamber music, appean"ng as soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra in her debut. She has perfoermed with many maJor orchestras and is known nation­ wide through her extensive tours as soloist, chamber music player and recitalist with her husband, flutist Albert Tipton. In demand as a teacher and coach, she is a Professor of piano at the Shepherd School and during the summer season Joins the distinguished faculty at the Aspen Music Festival. Miss Norris has recorded for Westminster and Pandora Records and can be heard as well on Columbia and Mercury Records as orchestra pianist of the St. Louis Symphony. JAMES STEPHENSON was born in New Castle, Pennsylvania where he began the study of the violin. Later, studying violin under Sigmund Effron, he completed a Bachelor ofMusic degree at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. He was a member of the Cincinnati Sym­ phony Orchestra for thirteen years. While in the service, Mr. Stephenson was affiliated with the United State Marine Band at West Point. In 1968, he and his wife Betty moved to Houston where they are presently members of the first violin section of the Houston Sym­ phony Orchestra. BETTY STEPHENSON, born in Oley, Pennsylvania, is a former student of the late Otto Wittick, who for many years held the position of Concertmaster of the Reading Sym­ phony Orchestra. She continued her studies at West Chester State where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in music education. Later on she studied with Sigmund Effron at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and played with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra for six years prior to Joining the Houston Symphony Orchestra. MONICA BROWN has a Bachelor ofArts degree in violin performance, cum laude, from East Tennessee State University, and a Master ofMusic degree in viola performance, summa cum laude, from the University ofAlabama. She has studied with Tom Hall of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Roman Totenberg, Kenneth Sarch and Wayne Brooks. She is an active freelance musician in Houston and is currently co-principal violist of the Galveston Sym- phony Orchestra. CHRISTOPHER FRENCH graduated from North Park College in Chicago where he studied with Roberta Guastafeste. Before Joining the Houston Symphony Orchestra, Mr. French served as Principal cellist with the Shreveport Symphony and subsequently as Associate Principal cellist with the Honolulu Symphony. .