Nolan says:

“In the first week of February, I traveled to the Canary Islands to perform in “La Pasion Segun San Marcos” by Osvaldo Golijov. I was one of four percussionists that performed in the piece, along with a string section (the “Knights”) from NYC, a massive rhythm section from various locales, a 50+ choir from Venezuela (Schola Cantorum de Caracas), and a number of soloists including Los Angeles-based soprano Jessica Rivera.

For anyone in HASOM who is not yet familiar with Golijov’s “La Pasion,” I highly recommend it. The LA Phil has announced that it will be bringing the piece to LA next year, so there will likely be a chance to see it soon enough. Seeing it live is essential to get the real significance of the piece. Like many Golijov works, it is semi-staged and dance is an essential part of the experience. I’ve included some photos of the incredibly impressive halls where we performed. The first, Auditorio Alfredo Kraus on the island of Gran Canaria, is located right on the shore. The large window behind the stage looks out over the Atlantic, providing a breathtaking backdrop for performances. The second performance was in the Auditorio de Tenerife (named after the island). In addition to its commanding architecture, the inside of the auditorium had some of the most well-integrated organ pipes I’ve ever seen.”.

Auditorio Alfredo Kraus (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria)

Inside the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus

Inside the Auditorio de Tenerife [notice pipes on left]

Auditorio de Tenerife (Santa Cruz de Tenerife)

We are delighted to announce that HASOM has hired Cheri Quinto as Assistant to Professor Tim Rice, the Director of the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. Her office is in Room 2554, across from the Music and Ethnomusicology Department offices. Please drop in and introduce yourself when you have a chance.

Cheri’s duties will include not only helping the Director with scheduling and with School functions but also accounting and order processing for Ethnomusicology; facilities requests and purchasing; chair-assistant support for Music and Ethnomusicology; and special projects assigned by MSO Martha Rider.

Before taking this position Cheri was Assistant to the Director of the UCLA/Getty Master’s Program in Conservation. During her college days at Cal State Northridge (CSUN) she majored in music (piano, harpsichord, and voice with a special interest in electronic music).

“I’ve just gotten word that one of my former undergraduate voice students, Shannon Haley, has released a new CD of country western love songs, “Someday Soon”, which has received a rave review from one of the top internet country music sites. Her MySpace page has been viewed almost two million times. Her bio prominently lists UCLA as her alma mater. Shannon sang in the chorus of “Lorca” in her Freshman year, then shifted the focus of her vocal work to country western singing and songwriting – a long-time love of hers. She changed her major and graduates from UCLA this June. I believe she’s destined to make quite a mark in country western music. Here are several links to info and support pages on Shannon, and sound clips of her music.”

http://newcountrystar.com/Music.phphttp://www.shannonhaley.com/

http://www.myspace.com/shannonhaley

http://www.garageband.com/artist/shannonhaley

Here’s a request we had yesterday from Ryan Svendsen, a sophomore trumpet major in the Music Department:

Hi,

I am entering in a National Sigma Nu performing arts competition via Youtube. In my video, I pay tribute to famous Sigma Nu alumni by playing their songs or songs affiliated with them. The more views I get increases my chance of winning. I would appreciate it if you would send this to the music student list it would help greatly! Here is the link http://youtube.com/watch?v=aCcgB5Mh0dw

OR–Click on the videoclip below. It’s great!

-Ryan Svendsen
www.myspace.com/ryansvendsen

Let’s all help Ryan with his contest by checking out his post on YouTube!

ANNOUNCING
” FREE TO IMPROVISE: Exploring essential elements for improvisation”

This is a hands-on workshop by international jazz star Judy Niemack for all classical and jazz vocalists and instrumentalists, staff, faculty, and interested others. This class is geared to free up the creative flow in anyone who hopes to perform music requiring improvisation, including jazz and Baroque, Renaissance/Medieval, and contemporary classical.

On TUESDAY EVENING, APRIL 1st from 6 pm – 9 pm in POPPER AUDITORIUM we will be hosting a workshop on improvisation by the internationally renowned jazz vocalist Judy Niemack. Classically trained in opera at New England Conservatory and Cleveland Institute of Music, Ms. Niemack learned jazz technique and improvisation from the great jazz saxophonist WARNE MARSH, who taught her to improvise from an instrumentalist’s point of view. Ms. Niemack has become an international jazz vocal star, and maintains a busy recording and live performance schedule on top of her teaching responsibilities as the Head of Jazz Voice at the Berlin Hochschüle für Musik and at conservatories in Belgium, Spain, Holland, Poland, Italy, Scandinavia, New York, New Jersey, California, and Canada. Everyone will actively participate in this class, plus selected vocalists and instrumentalists (both classical and jazz) will work individually with Judy.

SONY JAZZ recording artist Judy NIEMACK is a real jazz singer. Her delivery of lyrics is full of emotion and elegance, while in her scat singing she is a consummate musician, exploring the music like a virtuoso horn player. She comes out of the mainstream jazz tradition, while breaking new ground with original lyrics, arrangements and a modern approach to standards. Judy has a dual career as performer and vocal jazz educator. In addition to having her eighth CD as a leader released on Sony Jazz in 2003, her book & CD “Hear It & Sing It! – Exploring Modal Jazz”, was published by Second Floor Music and distributed by Hal Leonard in July 2004.

Performing

Judy NIEMACK was born in Pasadena, California and began singing publicly at the age of 7 in church. Throughout her school years, she sang in every kind of vocal ensemble: madrigals, chamber choir, musical theatre productions, folk groups, rock bands, and eventually a vocal jazz quartet. When she was 17, she decided that singing was her life, and began to study classical voice with a teacher of “bel canto”. At 18, she heard and met the great tenor saxophonist Warne MARSH, and became fascinated by jazz and improvisation. She attended Pasadena City College, studying classical voice, and jazz improvisation with alto saxophonist Gary FOSTER. Continuing her classical studies for the next six years, while singing in jazz clubs at night, she studied at New England Conservatory in Boston, attended the Cleveland Institute of Music Opera Workshop, and, realizing that her true path lay in improvised music, returned to California to study vocal improvisation with Warne MARSH. Marsh taught her as he would teach a horn player. Her goal was to improvise as freely as a great jazz musician would, using all the vocal colors that her classical and jazz training had given her.

In 1977, Ms. NIEMACK moved to New York City to pursue her career as a jazz vocalist. Her first major performance was a week at the Village Vanguard with Warne MARSH in 1978. Her first recording, “By Heart”, was released that year on SEABREEZE Records.

Since then she has performed in most of the major clubs in N.Y.C., including The Blue Note, Sweet Basil, Fat Tuesday’s, The Village Gate, Visiones and The Rainbow Room. She has toured the U.S. A. in concerts and festivals with several major jazz orchestras, including those led by Larry ELGART and Peter DUCHIN with whom she performed at the WHITE HOUSE.. She has given concerts celebrating the songs of George GERSHWIN, Cole PORTER and Irving BERLIN.

Internationally, Ms. NIEMACK began by singing in ITALY at the PISA Jazz Festival in 1982 and has since appeared in AUSTRIA, BELGIUM, CANADA, CHILE, CHINA, DENMARK, ESTONIA, FINLAND, FRANCE, GERMANY, HOLLAND, ITALY, JAPAN, the PHILIPPINES, RUMANIA, SPAIN and POLAND.

Judy is currently performing in jazz clubs, concerts and festivals in Europe and the United States. She now lives in New York City and Berlin, heading the Pop/Jazz vocal department at the Hanns Eisler Music Conservatory as Germany’s first Professor of Vocal Jazz.

Some of the musicians she has performed with are: Toots THIELEMANS, David BYRNE, George BENSON, James MOODY, Lee KONITZ, Clark TERRY, Dave BRUBECK, Lew TABACKIN, Warne MARSH, Gary BARTZ, Kenny BARRON, Billy HIGGINS, Cedar WALTON, Ray DRUMMOND, Joey BARON, Fred HERSCH, Billy HART, Victor LEWIS, Kenny WERNER, Hein van de GEYN, Jim Mc NEELY, Joe LOVANO, Adam NUSSBAUM, Jeanfrançois PRINS, Kirk NUROCK, Michel HERR, Steve KUHN, Mark FELDMAN, Eddie GOMEZ, Harvie SWARTZ, Kirk LIGHTSEY and the New York VOICES.

Recent performances include: “JAZZKAAR” Festival (ESTONIA), “Jazz sous les Pommiers”, Avignon Jazz Festival, ALBI Jazz, Le Mans, Calvi Jazz Festival, Jazz A Cluny (FRANCE); Middleheim Jazz Festival, Concert with Toots Thielemans at the “Botanique” Brussels Jazz Rallye (BELGIUM); “Save Venice Ball” (ITALY); W.D.R. Big Band with Jim Mc NEELY, Hessicher Rundfunk Big Band, and RIAS Big Band (GERMANY); Tour in JAPAN with Ronnie MATHEWS, Albert “TOOTIE” HEATH, and Ray DRUMMOND; NEW YORK’s BLUE NOTE Jazz Club; STANFORD Jazz Festival (USA).

Lyrics

Ms. NIEMACK has written and recorded several of her own compositions (You’ve Taken Things too Far, Wondering, Ice White Blues, …), and has written original lyrics to many other musicians’ compositions, becoming an official lyricist for: Pat METHENY (It’s Just Talk), Thelonious MONK (Misterioso), Lee KONITZ (Round & Round & Round, Chick Came Around), Bill EVANS (Interplay), Clifford BROWN (Daahoud), Don GROLNICK (Talking To Myself), Mike STERN (Choices), Larry SCHNEIDER (Tomato Kiss), Kirk NUROCK (Rain, Silence of My Soul, Moving On, Love Finds A Way), Jeanfrançois PRINS (New York Stories, Love Will Grow), Steve SLAGLE (Tudo Muda, Just For Now), Richie BEIRACH (Leaving), Richie POWELL (Time).

Discography

as a leader:

“BY HEART” (feat. Warne MARSH, Eddie GOMEZ). SEABREEZE Rec. 1978
“BLUE BOP” (feat. Cedar WALTON, Curtis FULLER, Ray DRUMMOND, Joey BARON). FREELANCE Rec. 1988
“LONG AS YOU’RE LIVING” (feat. Joe LOVANO, Fred HERSCH, Billy HART). FREELANCE Rec. 1990
“HEART’S DESIRE” duet with Kenny BARRON. STASH Rec. 1991
“STRAIGHT UP” (feat. Toots THIELEMANS, Kenny WERNER, Adam NUSSBAUM, Mark FELDMAN, Jeanfrançois PRINS). FREELANCE Rec. 1993
“MINGUS, MONK AND MAL” duet with Mal WALDRON. FREELANCE Rec1994
“… NIGHT AND THE MUSIC …” (feat. Jeanfrançois PRINS, Kenny WERNER, Ray
DRUMMOND, Billy HART, Eric FRIEDLANDER). FREELANCE Rec 1996
“ABOUT TIME” (feat. Eddie GOMEZ, Jeanfrançois PRINS, Lee KONITZ, David FRIEDMAN, CAFE). SONY JAZZ 2003
TERRASSA BIG BAND Feat. JUDY NIEMACK “WHAT’S GOIN’ ON?”
“BLUE NIGHTS” (coming in April 07!) (feat. Jeanfrançois PRINS, Jim MCNEELY, Dennis IRWIN, Victor LEWIS, Gary BARTZ, Don SICKLER) BLUJAZZ RECORDS 2007

as a guest (selected discography):

“BEAUTY AND THE PRINCE” with Jeanfrançois PRINS (featuring Fred HERSCH, Hein van de GEYN, Bruno CASTELLUCCI). AMC 1993
“RHAPSODY” vol 1 and 2 with Lee KONITZ. PADDLE WHEEL 1993
“THE OTHER SIDE OF WALTER BOEYKENS” Distr. by SONY 1994

Education

Judy NIEMACK is very active in the world of jazz education, and has given master classes around the world in conjunction with her tours. In the U.S.A., she has given workshops and lessons at the New School for Jazz, (N.Y.C.) William PATTERSON University (N.J.), University of NewYork at Purchase (N.Y.), LONG ISLAND University and NewYork City College.

She also has taught in:
FINLAND : SIBELIUS Academy of Music
POLAND : Summer Vocal Jazz Camp
BELGIUM : DWORP Summer Jazz Workshop, Royal Conservatory ANTWERPEN
GERMANY : BERLIN Hochschule Der Kunste, Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler, BUJAZZ-O Big Band Workshop, MUNICH PrinzregentenTheater, INZIGHOVEN Vocal Jazz .
HOLLAND : Conservatories in DEN HAAG, ROTTERDAM, HILVERSUM and ARNHEM.
DENMARK : COPENHAGEN Rhythmic Conservatory, AARHUS Jazz Program
ITALY : PISA Jazz Vocal Workshop
SPAIN: ESMUC Music Conservatory-BARCELONA, MUSIKENE Music Conservatory-SAN SEBASTIAN
From September 1993 until June 1995, she was on the Jazz Faculty at the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp, Belgium, and a Guest Professor at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, Holland.
From September 1994 until June 1996, she was Professor of Vocal Jazz at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, Belgium.
In Oct. 1995, she became the first Vocal Jazz Professor in Germany, leading the Vocal Dept. of the Jazz and Popular Dept. of the Hanns Eisler Music Conservatory in Berlin.
Every summer since 1990, she has been on the faculty of the Janice Borla Vocal Jazz Camp in CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.
Sept. 2003-present: Professor of Vocal Jazz, Musikene Conservatory, San Sebastian, Spain.

Teaching Background:

1980: Began teaching privately in New York City
1980-82: Taught Vocal Jazz at NEW YORK SCHOOL OF JAZZ in Port Washington
1982-86: “Improvisation for Singers” clinics at NEW YORK CITY COLLEGE, NEW YORK NETWORK FOR LEARNING, and at JAZZ FESTIVAL OF PISA, Italy.
1984-87: “Adjunct Professsor, Vocal Jazz” at LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY, Brooklyn, New York, also teaching at WILLIAM PATTERSON UNIVERSITY, Wayne, New Jersey.
1989-92: Continued private teaching in N.Y.C., Gave workshops for singers in HOLLAND, GERMANY, BELGIUM, POLAND, FINLAND, and DENMARK.
1990- Present: Teacher every summer at JANICE BORLA VOCAL JAZZ CAMP, Naperville, Illinois, Workshops at THE NEW SCHOOL, N.Y.C., New York.
1991- Recorded “Jazz Singers’ Practice Tape” in New York City.
1992-1995: “Guest Professor, Voice” at the ROYAL CONSERVATORY OF THE HAGUE, Holland; “Vocal Jazz” and “Voice” teacher at the ROYAL CONSERVATORY OF ANTWERP, Belgium.
1994-1996: “Professor of Voice, Jazz” , ROYAL CONSERVATORY OF BRUSSELS, Belgium.
1994- Present: Jazz voice and vocal-group teacher for Peter Herbolzheimer’s BUJAZZ-O in Germany.
1995- Present: “Professor of Voice, Jazz” , Hanns EISLER Hochschule für Musik in BERLIN.
2003- Present: “Professor of Vocal Jazz”, MUSIKENE Conservatory, SAN SEBASTIAN, SPAIN.

UCLA ethnomusicology graduate student Ben Harbert is featured today in the Daily Bruin. Ben is draws from the inspiration of classical composers and manifests it through his eight-piece electric guitar ensemble, Los Angeles Electric 8. Here is the first part of the article by Colleen Koestner.

Los Angeles Electric 8 strikes a new chord
Ethnomusicology student seeks to challenge customs and modernize the classical music genre

* Colleen Koestner (Contact)
* Published: Wednesday, January 23, 2008

The idea of Eddie Van Halen sharing a stage with Dmitri Shostakovich may be enough to ruffle the feathers of any blue-blooded classical music aficionado. Ben Harbert sure hopes so.

Harbert, a UCLA graduate student in the department of ethnomusicology, finds plenty of opportunities to challenge preconceived notions about music. As director of the band Los Angeles Electric 8, he reinvigorates the genre of classical music by reworking classical arrangements to be played by an octet of electric guitars.

“If (audience members) have a real conservative view of what a proper classical ensemble is, I think we shake that. I think we really start the conversation,” Harbert said.

The classical musician discovered the electric guitar’s versatility after he began to develop symptoms similar to those of carpal tunnel syndrome. Following the advice of Professor Peter Yates, Harbert gave his hand a rest by switching out his classical guitar for the electric.

“I (recovered) being able to practice and play this music on the electric guitar and really enjoyed the sound of it,” Harbert said.

“There’s a musicality to the electric guitar that the classical guitar can’t achieve.”

Harbert arranges a variety of pieces originally written for organs, string instruments and Indonesian gamelans, and the band’s repertoire ranges from Felix Mendelssohn to Nathaniel Braddock.

The unconventional combination of the music’s two genres has not succeeded in striking a chord with every audience member.

“We just performed a concert where some people left five minutes into our set,” said fellow bandmate and UCLA classical guitar performance grad student Chelsea Green. “I think they didn’t want to hear Mendelssohn played through a distortion pedal. I think our music might actually offend some people.”

Harbert is no stranger to creating music that offends his listeners. As a founding member of a band entitled OX…

[Photo courtesy of Ben Harbert]

The Brent Canter Trio (see photo below) is:
Mark Banner- drums
Eli Sundelson- Hammond B-3
Brent Canter- guitar