Wednesday, September 30, 2020 8pm
About this Event
Professor of violin, Penny Thompson Kruse, will present a recital in our weekly Faculty Artist Series. This event is virtual and will be live streamed:
https://www.youtube.com/user/bgsumusic/videos
PROGRAM
Song of the Phoenix for Solo Violin (1992) Lauren Bernofsky (b. 1967)
Louisiana Blues Strut: A Cakewalk for Solo Violin (2001) Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson (1932-2004)
Memory for Solo Violin (2011) Chen Yi (b. 1953)
Rhapsody No. 1 for Solo Violin (2014) Jessie Montgomery (b. 1981)
Evolution for Solo Violin (2016) Edward W. Hardy (b. 1992)
When the Violin for unaccompanied Violin (2020) Reena Esmail (b. 1983)
- Brief Pause -
Ishirini for Two Violins (2003) Alvin Singleton (b. 1940)
Appalachian Duets for Two Violins in A Major, Op. 38, No. 8 (2001) Maria Newman (b. 1962)
The Heart O’ the Hills
Goin’ Fishin
The Train
Mammy’s Little Lullaby
Grandpaps Fiddle
Assisted by
Madalyn Navis, violin
PROGRAM NOTES
Thank you for joining me for my Faculty Recital. As you can see there is no live audience, so I am so grateful for technology and the outstanding work from Mike Laurello to share great music with you tonight.
Before the pandemic, I had planned that my 2020 Faculty Recital would commemorate the 100th anniversary of women getting the vote and mark the importance of our November Presidential election. My repertoire selections were significantly modified by the pandemic, as I spent months practicing alone. The works of composers such as Amy Beach and Rebecca Clarke were replaced with works by Lauren Bernofsky, Chen Yi, Reena Esmail and Maria Newman.
The Black Lives Matter movement resonated deeply in me, but out of health concerns I didn’t join friends and colleagues in marches and demonstrations. Sadly, I didn’t add my musical voice to the Elijah McClain Violin Vigil held in Bowling Green. My resolve to support the movement turned into research of works for violin by Black composers. After compiling a rich list of works, my students were assigned to learn at least one of these pieces in the fall semester. As a result, I chose several pieces to prepare for this recital. The composers Jessie Montgomery, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, Edward W. Hardy and Alvin Singleton were previously unknown to me.
I am one of the lucky ones. I have a wonderful job teaching the instrument and music that I love to talented students. I am fortunate to be joined by one of my recent graduates Madalyn Navis in works by Alvin Singleton and Maria Newman. So far all of my students and everyone in my family has remained healthy. But like everyone else, stress and anxiety are a part of each day. My husband and I mourned the loss of his mother without being able to attend the funeral in person. We continued to care for my mother without being able to visit her for extended periods of time. We have not been able to canvas for the upcoming election. We missed the opportunity to travel and spend time with family and friends. Music has kept me going and will continue to sustain me. I hope you will be inspired by hearing works by the gifted composers featured tonight.
All the best,
Penny
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When the Violin — Hafiz, The Gift (tr. Daniel Ladinsky)
When
The violin
Can forgive the past
It starts singing.
When the violin can stop worrying
About the future
You will become
Such a drunk laughing nuisance
That God
Will then lean dow
And start combing you into
Her
Hair.
When the violin can forgive
Every wound caused by
Others
The heart starts
Singing.
Madalyn Navis is a violinist, music educator, and chamber musician currently residing in Northwestern Ohio. She holds a Master of Music Degree in Violin Performance from Bowling Green State University, where she was a member of the Graduate String Quartet. Additionally, Ms. Navis holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Instrumental Music Education and Violin Performance from Hope College in Holland, MI. During the summer, Madalyn is a full season violinist at Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theater. In addition, she was also the guest soloist for the Tribute to Sheldon Harnick Pops Concert in 2017. In the 2020 season, Madalyn attended The Next Festival of Emerging Artists. She currently plays with the Lima Symphony Orchestra and previously has performed in the Lansing Symphony Orchestra, Jackson Symphony Orchestra, and the Holland Symphony. As a member of the Emanate Trio, she premiered ‘Sign in the Window’ by Chace Williams in a benefit concert designed to spread awareness of domestic violence.
Ms. Navis has developed a passion for educating large ensembles as well as individual students. Recently, she was the String to Schools Educator for an outreach program through St. Cecilia Music Center in Grand Rapids, MI and a violin mentor for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra Civic Youth Ensembles. As a private violin teacher, she has taught students at Music Everday! and the Academy of Music - Grand Rapids. Ms. Navis is currently on faculty at Black Swamp Fine Arts School and RiverFront Studios in Northwestern Ohio. In her free time she enjoys reading, performing with liturgical ensembles, hiking, theater, and coffee.
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