September 23, 2002 - 12:00-1:00 pm, Little Theatre

Elizabeth Morrow, cello (University of Texas-Arlington)
Soo Hong Kim, soprano (Korea)

New Directions for Soprano and Cello:
Blending the Old and the New

*Bach Suite Number #1 superimposed with Hebrew Sacred Songs
written by Sam Magrill.
*Two songs by George Chave set to poems
by e.e. cummings and Tennyson.
*Two jazzy songs by Betty Roe
*A Bernstein song from Peter Pan
*Solo cello piece by Zae Munn

Elizabeth Morrow has established her reputation as a dynamic performer whether it be as orchestral soloist or as recitalist. She is known for her warm, expressive tone and vibrant interpretation of the cello literature.

Ms. Morrow's repertoire extends beyond traditional classical periods and styles to incorporate jazz and 20th Century compositions. She has a special interest in and commitment to performing newly-commissioned and lesser-known works in the cello repertoire.

For more information about Elizabeth Morrow, visit this link: www.uta.edu/music/emorrow

November 11, 2002 - 12:00-1:00 pm, Moreau 114

ninth circle- The Modern Saxophone Quartet: "The string quartet of the wind family

Described by the South Bend Tribune as having "the energy, color and spontaneity of a Pollock painting" and "qualities of momentum and heat", ninth circle saxophone quartet is committed to bringing art music of today's composers to audiences while combining the saxophone quartet's rich history in traditional classical music with crossover and popular music.

Gold Medalists and Grand Prize winners of the 2001 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the first honor bestowed upon a saxophone quartet, ninth circle brings its innovative programming and high intensity to concert halls and communities nationwide. Protegees of world-renowned classical saxophonist, Donald Sinta, the members of ninth circle have received honors by organizations such as the North American Saxophone Alliance, the Fischoff Chamber Music Association, the University of Michigan, the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, the World Saxophone Congress and the Smithsonian Institute among others. During the summer of 2000, they were featured performers at the Hot Springs Music Festival in Hot Springs National Park, AR.

Repertoire will be chosen from this list:
- Franco Donatoni RASCH
- Iannis Xenakis XAS
- Jennifer Higdon Stomp and Dance
- William Albright Fantasy Etudes
- Debussy Le petit negre
- Astor Piazzolla Four, for Tango}
- Isaac Albeniz Trois pieces
- Pierre Max Dubois Quatuor
- Stephen Rush Seventh Heaven Rag
- Glazunov Quartet Op. 109
- Munn, Hanging Onto the Vine

For more information visit: www.ninthcirclequartet.com

February 3, 2003 - 12:00-1:00 pm, Little Theatre

Walter Everett, University of Michigan
Painting Their Room in a Colorful Way: The Beatles' Exploration of Timbre



The invocation of vividly represented sensations is often at the core of the Beatles' message. Particularly in their psychedelic years, these poets asked us to attend and consider in new ways scores of sights, sounds, tastes, and feelings. This call to the imagination was placed by musical elements just as much as it was by words.

But whereas such values as melody, counterpoint, harmony, rhythm, and formal construction are sometimes crucial in such expression, it is in the realm of tone color-timbre-that the Beatles most directly paralleled the acutely detailed sensory world of their lyrics in music.

This presentation for "Window on Music," illustrated with many sonic examples, aims to trace in a brief way some of the many developments made by the Beatles in the realms of instrumentation, voice colorings, and the electronic manipulation of same from their first work through their most imaginative recordings. The Beatles' most evocative colorations, such as that produced for the psychedlic "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," will be described most closely.

Link: http://www.music.umich.edu/faculty/everett.walter.lasso

Christine Rutledge, currently Associate Professor of Viola at the University of Iowa, has appeared as soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral musician throughout the United States and abroad.

Her performances and recordings have been praised in such publications as "The Strad," "Fanfare," the "New York Times," and "The New York Concert Review." Her recordings with the Notre Dame String Trio include: "Chamber Works of David Diamond for Strings and Piano" with pianist Ralph Votapek, and the Hindemith String Trios.

Soon to be released is a solo disk of works by Clarke, Bliss, and Bridge for viola and piano with Ksenia Nosikova. Recent solo performances and master classes include those at International Viola Congresses in Bloomington, Indiana, Marchneukirchen, Germany, and Linksõping, Sweden; Rhodes College; the Oberlin Conservatory; and the University of Kansas. More...

For more about Christine Rutledge visit: www.uiowa.edu/~music/html/bios/rutledge.html

"...Susan Botti...as both performer and composer is one of the fresher, more imaginative voices on the New York new-music scene..."

-- James Oestreich, The New York Times

Ms. Botti's eclectic background and experiences are reflected in her music. Most recently, her EchoTempo, for Soprano, Percussion & Orchestra, was premiered by Maestro Kurt Masur and the New York Philharmonic (who also commissioned the work) with Ms. Botti and Christopher Lamb as soloists. Her operatic soliloquy, (for soprano, string quartet, harp, piano & percussion), Telaio: Desdemona, called "striking emotional music..." (Opera Magazine), is featured on a CD of her compositions, listen, it's snowing, (CRI). A commission from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra for solo violin and chamber orchestra, Within Darkness, was premiered at Carnegie Hall and The Kennedy Center in 2000.

Ms. Botti has specialized in the performance of contemporary music by composers of diverse styles, including: Gubaidulina, Crumb, Kurtág, Cage, and Partch, among others. Composer/conductor Tan Dun has created several major works which highlight her vocal and theatrical talents. She premiered his Red Forecast for soprano and orchestra with the BBC Scottish Symphony and performed that work's U.S. premiere at Carnegie Hall with the American Composers Orchestra. Tan Dun also wrote the role of "Water" for her in his internationally renowned opera, Marco Polo (Sony Classical) which she premiered at the Münchener Biennale, and subsequently performed in Europe and Asia, and at the New York City Opera.

Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Ms. Botti's early training included studies in music, art and theater. She received her Bachelor of Music from the Berklee School in Boston where she explored improvisation and world music. She received her Masters in Music Composition from the Manhattan School of Music. She is the recipient of numerous grants and awards, including grants from Meet The Composer, the NEA, The Aaron Copland Fund, The Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust, The NY Foundation for the Arts, The Greenwall Foundation, The Jerome Foundation, ASCAP, and the Foundation for Contemporary Performance Arts. Ms. Botti is an Assistant Professor of Composition at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

For more information about Susan Botti, visit: http://www.susanbotti.com