CLA: School of Music News

A celebration of Barbara Kierig's life will be held on Saturday, June 22 at 10 a.m. at Unity Church - Unitarian (733 Portland Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104).

University of Minnesota School of Music professor Barbara Kierig passed away on Tuesday, May 21, 2013. Originally from St. Louis, MO, Kierig earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees in vocal music from the University of Illinois Urbana. She studied on a Fulbright scholarship at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. As an opera singer, Kierig played opposite Samuel Ramey and other notable artists in productions across the U.S. In the 60s and 70s, she performed at the Vienna Volksoper and elsewhere throughout Austria, Germany and Italy, appearing with Reri Grist, Erich Kunz, Ileana Cortubas, and other artists. She met her husband, Russel at the American National Opera. He was also a singer, and together they toured Europe.

In the mid-70s she began teaching, first at Pretoria College in South Africa, then at Eastern Kentucky and Washington State University. In 1983 Kierig became a vocal music instructor at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Fluent in German and the Viennese dialect, she was the Minnesota Opera's German language coach. She was a sought-after judge of District and Regional Metropolitan Opera Auditions.

Teaching was Kierig's passion. She maintained a private studio until a few months before her death. Her students vividly remember her emphasis on solid vocal technique, her practical methods, endless energy and patience, and lively personality. Her colorful, zany expressions--part of every lesson--will not be forgotten.

Her dedication to her students was evident, she once shared with a student, "I wake up thinking of all of your lovely voices. I have them all right here in my head and I'm thinking about them all the time."

U of M School of Music voice professor Jean del Santo remembers her longtime colleague fondly, "What was so impressive about Barbara was her generous spirit. One of her great loves in life was German and she was known for her German dialect work with the Minnesota Opera. So naturally when the University Opera Theatre presented The Magic Flute in 2010, she taught German dialect in addition to her studio classes. She gave her time to individually coach students from both casts to ensure that their German was perfect. This shows what a dedicated teacher and lover of the art form she was."

For several weeks each summer, Kierig lived in her beloved Vienna, visiting historical musical sites and attending concerts. She will be deeply missed by many past and current students, colleagues and friends. She is survived by her husband, Russel, of St. Paul and son Steve, of Los Angeles.

Donations can be made in Kierig's name to The Minnesota Opera and the University of Minnesota School of Music - Twin Cities. A celebration of her life will be held on Saturday, June 22 at 10 a.m. at Unity Church - Unitarian (733 Portland Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104).

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Dean Billmeyer (organ) gave his second European concert tour of 2012 in Germany and Austria in September and October, performing at the Basilika St. Mang in Füssen, Germany (see photo), at the New Cathedral in Linz, and at the Pfarrkirche in Hofkirchen, Upper Austria. He was also featured as a guest lecturer at the Anton Bruckner University in Linz, where he presented a class on American organ literature of the 20th and 21st centuries.

James Dillon's (composition) epic work "Nine Rivers" will be performed by three ensembles from the Netherlands and percussionist and conductor Steven Schick at the Holland Festival this Saturday, June 8. More info.

As a member of the Hill House Chamber Players Tanya Remenikova (cello) performed with Susan Billmeyer (D.M.A., 1997, piano, student of Lydia Artymiw) at a benefit concert for the Schubert Club Museum in May 2013. Remenikova also performed the Beethoven Triple Concerto with the Kenwood Symphony, Cathy Schubilske (violin), and Ivan Konev (D.M.A., 2010, piano, student of Alexander Braginsky) in spring 2013.

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Joey Crane (Ph.D. candidate, composition, student of James Dillon) will attend the highSCORE New Music Festival in Pavia, Italy this summer, where he will work with composers Louis Andriessen, Christopher Theofanidis, and Martin Bresnick. At the festival, he will also have a string quartet premiered by a professional ensemble.

Jeffery Kyle Hutchins (D.M.A. candidate, saxophone, student of Eugene Rousseau) is a 2013 DownBeat Student Music Award recipient. He is a graduate college winner in the classical soloist division. Alumnus Ryan Truesdell (B.M., 2002, music education, student of Dean Sorenson) was one of the judges for the competition.

Danielle Kuntz (Ph.D. candidate, musicology, student of Kelley Harness) received a University of Minnesota Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship for academic year 2013-14 in support of her dissertation on the oratorios and sacred operas sponsored by Portugal's royal family in the eighteenth century. This research was funded in part through a Fulbright fellowship for academic year 2012-2013.

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Loren Fishman (D.M.A., 2011, piano, student of Lydia Artymiw) has accepted a piano teaching position at Carleton College beginning August 2013.

Ian Hodges (D.M.A., 2010, guitar, student of Jeffrey Van) will teach guitar at the International Music Camp in North Dakota in July, working with students from Canada and the U.S. Hodges currently teaches in Winnipeg at the Manitoba Conservatory of Music and Arts, and for the preparatory division of the faculty of music (University of Manitoba), and performs throughout Manitoba on classical, jazz, and commercial guitar.

Min Jung Kim (D.M.A., 2012, piano, student of Lydia Artymiw) won the Bronze Medal and Third Prize ($5,000) in the finals of the 2013 Houston Symphony's Ima Hogg Competition. She performed the Mozart d minor Concerto, K.466 with the Houston Symphony. She and the other three finalists were featured in the CultureMap article, "A classical music feud: Competing for $25,000 pushes young artists to their limits." Read the article.

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Congratulations to School of Music musicology professor Kelley Harness on being a recipient of the 2012-2013 College of Liberal Arts' Arthur "Red" Motley Exemplary Teaching Award. This award recognizes faculty of the college who are outstanding teachers of graduate and undergraduate students.

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SOM violin student Melissa Deal (student of Sally O'Reilly) recently returned from a ten-day concert tour in Cuba, which was sponsored by the Nachito Herrera Foundation. She performed with Nachito Herrera at the Cubadisco Festival. She also appeared as soloist with the Orquestra Sinfonica Nacional de Cuba in Havana playing Saint-Saens' "Rondo Capriccioso" in the Teatro Nacional. Herrera will join Deal in a recital on Saturday, June 1 in Lloyd Ultan Recital Hall. The program will feature works by Bach, Saint-Saens, and Wieniawski. Recital info.

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To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Rite of Spring premiere, Classical Minnesota Public Radio will air the U of M Symphony Orchestra's recent concert performance of the piece at tonight, May 29 at 8 p.m. The broadcast will also include
Mark Russell Smith (orchestral conducting) and MPR host Alison Young talking about this performance and commentary on Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. Visit MPR Classical's website for station info and to find out how you can listen online.

The Rite of Spring, conducted by Mark Russell Smith, was recorded on February 26, 2013 at the Orpheum Theatre in performance with the Joffrey Ballet.

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David Grayson's (musicology) articles appeared in two volumes published in Paris: "L'édition scientifique de Pelléas et Mélisande," in "Pelléas et Mélisande" cent ans après: études et documents (Symétrie), and "Les premiers enregistrements de Pelléas et Mélisande," in Regards sur Debussy (Fayard). He gave lectures on Debussy and Chopin at the Shanghai Conservatory and Shanghai Normal University, and his contributions to the Prismatic Debussy Festival at the Eastman School of Music, included leading "A Conversation with P. Craig Russell" for the Comic Book Debussy session. He also wrote program notes and gave pre-concert lectures for concerts by The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.

Bob Dylan expert Alex Lubet (theory/composition) was interviewed for a Star Tribune article on tributes to Dylan in his native North Shore. A longer version of this article can be found on SaukValley.com. "Um blues com toque francês e clima zen," an article about Spectral Blues: New Music for Acoustic Guitar, Alex Lubet's new CD of solo guitar music performed by the composer, appeared in Estadão, Brazil's fifth largest newspaper. As of May 26, 2013, Lubet's Spectral Blues was in the top 100 in sales three different classical music categories on Amazon.com.

Laura Sindberg (music education) was selected to present at the 2013 Instrumental Music Teacher Educators Colloquium at Deer Creek Resort, Mount Sterling, OH. Her session, From Teaching Plan to Curriculum Development--Incorporating Comprehensive Musicianship through Performance into the Instrumental Methods Course and Student Teaching, included an examination of philosophical and practical implications for music teacher pedagogy.

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Patrick Terry (voice and music education) was one of ten singers invited to attend the 8th Residential Michael Chance Summer Music Academy in Candili, Εύβοια, Greece in July. The week includes master classes, lessons, concerts, and more with counter-tenor Michael Chance. More info.

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The spring 2013 Band Project Showcase took place in Lloyd Ultan Recital Hall. Faculty member Laura Sindberg (music education) and several undergraduate music education students welcomed Corey Needleman (B.M., 1999, percussion, student of Fernando Meza) and 36 of his students from Folwell Performing Arts Magnet School for an end-of-the-year spectacle, celebrating the musical achievements of young band students and their apprentice teachers, who participated in an after school instructional program including several original compositions, and concluding with Green Onion Jam, a mass improvisation of 52 on the Lloyd Ultan Recital Hall stage.

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Kurt Miyashiro (Ph.D., 2005, student of Alex Lubet) will be leaving his position at Southeastern Illinois College to become associate professor of music at Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska. He will teach composition and upper-division music theory, and serve as director of instrumental music (orchestra and band).

Woobin Park (D.M.A., 2009, student of Lydia Artymiw) recently accepted a one-year position as visiting professor of piano at Winona State University in Winona, MN.

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Alumnus Lawrence Young (D.M.A., organ and conducting) of McLean, VA, died May 19, 2013. Lawrence was active in the local music community, serving on the boards of the McLean Orchestra, the local chapter of the American Guild of Organists, and the Organ Historical Society. A musical celebration of his life will be held at St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Arlington, VA on Saturday, June 15, 2013. Read more.

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U of M School of Music alumnus David France (violin, student of Sally O'Reilly), who founded the children's after-school music program Revolution of Hope in Roxbury, MA, was featured on NBC Nightly News. Read the story and watch the video.

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U of M School of Music professor and Bob Dylan expert Alex Lubet was interviewed for a Star Tribune article on tributes to Dylan in his native North Shore. A longer version of this article can be found on SaukValley.com.

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Lydia Artymiw (Distinguished McKnight Professor of Piano) performed three concerts at the 17th annual Virginia Arts Festival in Norfolk and Virginia Beach, VA. On May 11 and 12, she performed in Stravinsky's Les Noces with pianists Andre-Michel Schub, Josu de Solaun, and Anna Petrova, the Virginia Festival Chamber Musicians and Virginia Symphony Orchestra Chorus, conducted by JoAnn Falletta, also recording the Stravinsky for the Naxos label. She then joined Schub, Perova, and de Solaun for two programs of two piano works by Schumann, Brahms, Ravel, Debussy, and Smetana.

Phil Hey (jazz) was celebrated at the Artists' Quarter on May 17 and 18. The concerts marked his 60th birthday and included a variety of performers. More info.

Guerino Mazzola (creativity, improvisation, and mathematical music theory) is president of the Society for Mathematics and Computation in Music. The Society's May 2013 newsletter is available, which includes a foreward from Mazzola, information about the 4th International Conference on Mathematics and Computation in Music, and more. Read the newsletter.

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