Clarion University and the Clarion University Foundation Inc. will kick-off a scholarship fundraising campaign to benefit the Honors Program with the premiere of "Evening Peace," an original composition by faculty member Dr. P. Brent Register, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m., in Walter Hart Chapel. The evening will also include an exhibition in the University Art Gallery and celebratory reception in Carlson Library.
"Evening Peace" is the third collaboration between artist John Digby and composer P. Brent Register, professor of music and assistant director of the Honors Program. Their initial collaboration, Songs of the Chinese Poets, received critical acclaim in Denver, Colorado as a feature of the 2007 National Collegiate Honors Council Conference. Their next work, Pausing at the Border, was premiered as the keynote performance for the 2008 Creativity and Thought conference at the C.W. Post Campus of the Long Island University in New York. Pausing at the Border was additionally composed as a dance piece for the John Ollom Dance Theatre, and has remained a standard in their company repertoire.
"Evening Peace" is a song cycle based on ten poems by the eighth-century Chinese poet, Tu Fu. Digby's translations, or "improvisations" as he prefers, of these poems reflect a variety of moods, metaphor, innuendo, and often delve into a place of shadows before resurfacing back into light. Digby, a co-founder of The Feral Press, was born in London, England, and currently resides in Oyster Bay, N.Y. He published his first volumes of poetry with Anvil Press Poetry and founded Caligula Books. For the last 30 years he has published several books and specialized in black and white collage with an emphasis on archival materials. Samples of Digby's visual art and the works of Clarion University students will be featured in the Clarion University Art Gallery.
"Evening Peace" is scored for soprano, tenor, baritone, oboe, bassoon, and piano. Soloists for this premiere include soprano Cristina Castaldi, tenor Bryan Register, baritone Dimitrie Lazich, oboist Brent Register, bassoonist Trina Gallup, and pianist Paula Amrod. The work will be conducted by Dr. Casey Teske.
The evening's program will include also chamber works and solo arias by Poulenc, Puccini, Mozart, Catalani, and Bizet, performed by all members of the ensemble, and accompanied by pianist, Janice Grunenwald.
Cristina Castaldi, soprano, recently sang the role of Donna Elvira in Connecticut Grand Opera's production of Don Giovanni and has sung with the Natchez Opera Festival and the National Lyric Touring Company of New York City Opera.
Bryan Register, tenor, was added to the prestigious roster of the "Emerging Singers Program" sponsored by the Wagner Society of Washington D.C., who promotes his study and performance of the works of Richard Wagner. He has appeared with the San Diego Opera and frequently with symphony orchestras in a wide variety of works.
Dimitrie Lazich, baritone, is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music. He has performed leading roles in many operas with the Opera Theater of Pittsburgh, the Opera Company of Philadelphia, and Cleveland Opera.
P. Brent Register, oboe, is a professor of music at Clarion University. He performs as solo oboist with the Easterly Chamber Players and as solo English horn with the Nittany Valley Symphony Orchestra and the Altoona Symphony Orchestra. He has performed both nationally and internationally, including solo performances in New York City, Boston, Oslo, and Milan.
Trina Gallup, bassoon, is a music faculty member at Susquehanna University and Bucknell University. She is principal bassoon with the Nittany Valley Symphony Orchestra and the Altoona Symphony Orchestra, and a section member for the Pennsylvania Centre Chamber Orchestra, the Music at Penn's Woods Summer Festival and the Pennsylvania Central Wind Band.
Paula Amrod, piano, is a professor of music at Clarion University. Her performances include a solo recital at the Steinway Society Concert Series in Pittsburgh, and chamber performances at the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, the Bellefonte Historical and Cultural Association music series, and the National Flute Conventions in Chicago, Illinois, and Las Vegas, Nevada.
Casey Teske, an assistant professor of music at Clarion University, is the conductor and founder of the Euterpe Chamber Wind Ensemble, and is active as a guest conductor, clinician and adjudicator throughout the United States and Canada.
Janice Grunenwald is a pianist, organist, music teacher and wife of Clarion University President Joseph Grunenwald. She studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music and has served as organist and choir director at churches in Cleveland, Akron and Clarion.
Reservations are required to attend, and must be made by Nov. 6. To request an invitation, contact Brooke Murray at bmurray@clarion.edu or (814) 393-1784. Ticket prices begin at $125, and all proceeds will benefit scholarships for Honors Program students. Tax-deductible donations from those unable to attend are also being accepted.
Clarion University is the high-achieving, nationally recognized, comprehensive university that delivers a personal and challenging academic experience.
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