News & Events
Department Students Awarded Annual Prizes
The Department of Music recognized several students for their outstanding accomplishments and contributions in the music department over the 2012-2013 academic year.
During this April’s Chamber Music Soiree, Junior TASHA PULVERMACHER was awarded the George Steiner Scholarship in Music for the 2013-2014 academic school year. The scholarship was established to reward students whose outstanding engagement and accomplishments within the Department stand above others. Pulvermacher, who plays in several musical ensembles, is a Presidential Scholar in the Arts, as well as a violin and viola player.
Senior voice Presidential Scholar in the Arts students, JOHN GEARHEART and GRACE SRINIVASAN, were both recognized for their accomplishments within the Department of Music at the University Singers April Concert, Sing of Spring.
Gearheart was awarded the Harmon Choral Prize, an annual award to a student in GW’s choral program. He was chosen because of his exemplary service to the choral department during his entire four-year tenure at GW. His choral director Gisèle Becker says, “Besides being a quick learner and superb musician, John has also, through his drive and initiative, volunteered and implemented ideas for team-building and social events, that are crucial to building congealed choral sound.”
Srinivasan was award the Manilow Prize, an annual award distributed to an outstanding music student. The Department faculty selected her for this award for her service to the Department, the quality of her scholarship in the classroom and her growth and successes over four years as a performer.
The Department of Music is very proud of its award winners and would like to congratulate all its students on another successful academic year!
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Vote NOW for the GW High5 Challenge
The GW Arts Initiative, a university-wide initiative aimed to establish GW as the venue of choice for arts and cultural education, research, and performance in DC, is part of the GW High5 challenge and has the chance to win $20,000 in additional funding! From today until April 15, vote for the GW Arts Initiative at http://go.gwu.edu/high5. Vote now and tell your friends. Your vote matters!!
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Department of Music Alumni Achieving Great Success in 2013
Thomas Richards (’10)
Department of Music Alumni Thomas Richards (’10) was one of the six winning artist of the Metropolitan Opera’s 2013 National Council Auditions at the Grand Finals Concert this March. This prestigious finals concert, which celebrated its 60th anniversary this year, is the culmination of months and months of competitions at the district, regional and national level. Nearly 1,500 singers between the ages of 20 and 30 participated in the competition, which is considered the most prestigious competition in North America for singers seeking to launch an operatic career.
Richards, a 24-year old bass-baritone, and his fellow winners were selected from ten finalists who performed arias on the Metropolitan Opera stage with the MET Orchestra, conducted by Marco Armiliato. They performed in front of an audience that included artistic directors of leading opera companies, artist managers, established opera stars, important teachers and coaches, music critics, and others who can play an influential role in the careers of young singers. Past National Council Winners include Renée Fleming, Deborah Voigt, Susan Graham, and Thomas Hampson. Each winner receives a $15,000 cash prize, as well as the prominent exposure that can launch a successful musical career.
Richards, is a native of Burnsville, Minnesota and a current Artist Diploma student at the College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) at the University of Cincinnati, where he studies opera with voice teacher William McGraw. He is a 2010 graduate of The George Washington University in the District of Columbia where he double majored in political science and music.
Louie Diller (’12)
MTV recently exclusively premiered Holychild’s music video Best Friends on their Buzzworthy Blog. Holychild, the experimental pop, Los Angeles based duo, includes Department of Music Alumn Louie Diller (’12). Their debut EP, Tribes, dropped March 18. For more information on the group, visit holychildmusic.com.
Ben Thornewill, and Tommy Siegel and Jesse Kristin (’07)
Department of Music Alumni Ben Thornewill, Tommy Siegel and Jesse Kristin, aka Jukebox the Ghost, returned to DC this March to perform at the 9:30 Club as part of their first headlining tour. The sold out concert was originally the closing night of the Indie/Pop/Rock band’s tour, but they have since added additional tour dates. Jukebox the Ghost’s latest CD, Safe Travels, is available for sale on iTunes, Amazon, and Yep Roc Store.
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Percussion Professor Joe Connell Featured on Fox 5 in the Morning
In preparation for National Symphony Orchestra in Your Neighborhood 2013 percussion professor, JOE CONNELL, appeared on Fox 5 in the Morning to promote the NSO’s community outreach program. During the segment he spoke about NSO in You Neighborhood, where the symphony breaks into small ensembles to perform chamber music and educational activities as requested by community organizations. He also showed correspondent Holly Morris and Chairman of the Board for the Howard Theatre Restoration, Myla Moss, a few tips on how to play the snare drum and tambourine. Click here to view the segment.
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Department of Music Talent Shines at GW Inaugural Ball
Department of Music faculty and students entertained 5,000+ students, alumni, staff, faculty and various VIPs at GW’s Inaugural Ball on January 21, 2013. Held at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC, and taking place in several ballrooms, students and faculty performed everything from a cappella to jazz, serving as the ball’s entertainment. Highlights included freshman PSA student, SAMANTHA LAW, singing The Very Thought of You, with the Eric Felton Orchestra. Check out the video below for her performance.
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Step into Spring! Department of Music Announces 2013 Spring Performance Schedule
Visiting Artist Series: Rocha-Pittenger, percussion-cello duo
Date & Time: January 27 at 3:00 pm
Location: Jack Morton Auditorium, 805 21st Street, NW
Free & Open to the Public
University Orchestra & University Singers, featuring Prof. Tzvetan Konstantinov: Lover's Tryst
Date & Time: February 3 at 3:00 pm
Location: Lisner Auditorium, 730 21st Street, NW
Free & Open to the Public
GW University Orchestra presents Lover's Tryst, a concert conducted by Professor NANCIA D'ALIMONTE. The concert will feature talents from Professor TZVETAN KONSTANTINOV at the piano and the voices of the University choir in Brahms' haunting funeral song, Nänie. The program will include: R. Schumann - Overture, Scherzo and Finale; C. Schumann - Variations de Concert pour le Piano-Forte sur la Cavatine du 'Pirate' de Bellini; and Brahms - Nänie.
GW Opera: Dido and Aeneas
Date & Time: March 2-3 at 3:00 pm
Location: Jack Morton Auditorium, 805 21st Street, NW
Free & Open to the Public
Vocal Music Department Recital
Date & Time: April 9 at 7:30 pm
Location: Phillips Hall, B-120
Free & Open to the Public
University Orchestra: Spring is in the Air
Date & Time: April 14 at 3:00 pm
Location: Lisner Auditorium: Lisner Auditorium, 730 21st Street, NW
Free & Open to the Public
The Spring University Orchestra concert, Spring is in the Air, will feature the works of Verdi, La Forza del Detino; Britten, Simple Symphony; and Creston, Maribla Concertino, with winner of the Fall soloist competition, marimbist ALLEN SCHULT.
Yeskel Memorial Concert Series: Vijay Iyer, jazz piano
Date & Time: April 16 at 7:30 pm
Location: Lisner Auditorium: Lisner Auditorium, 730 21st Street, NW
Free & Open to the Public
Chamber Music Department Recital
Date & Time: April 17 at 7:30 pm
Location: Phillips Hall, B-120
Free & Open to the Public
University Singers & Chamber Choir: Sing of Spring
Date & Time: April 20 at 4:00 pm
Location: Western Presbyterian Church, 2401 Virginia Avenue, NW
Free & Open to the Public
The University Singers spring concert, Sing of Spring, features all-American repertoire of composers George Gershwin, Duke Ellington, Kurt Weill, Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland and others. The GW Chamber Choir will perform a set of pieces by Samuel Barber and the GW Troubadours will perform a set of popular pieces.
GW Symphonic Band & Wind Ensemble: Student Selections
Date & Time: April 21 at 3:00 pm
Location: Lisner Auditorium, 730 21st Street, NW
Free & Open to the Public
GW Symphonic Band & Wind Ensemble presents Student Selections, a spring concert featuring works by Shostakovich, Ticheli, Vaugh Williams and more.
Vocal Music Department:
Date & Time:
Phillips Hall, B-120
Free & Open to the Public
GW Jazz Festival
Date & Time: April 27 & 28
Location: Dorothy Betts Marvin Theater, 800 21st Street, NW
Free & Open to the Public
Piano Department Recital
Date & Time: April 29
Location: Phillips Hall, B-120
Free & Open to the Public
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Vocal and Piano Professor Duo Wow Crowds at GW's Global Women's Institute Launch
November 30, 2012 - GW Professors MALINEE PERIS (PIANO), and MILLICENT SCARLETT (voice) performed for the launch event of GW's Global Women's Institute on GW's campus this past Tuesday. The duo moved the crowd with a special rendition of "She's Got the Whole World in Her Hands." The launch also featured remarks by Global Women's Institute Director MARY ELLSBERG; LYNN ROSENTHAL, White House adviser on violence against women; senior MELISSA WONG, co-president of GW GlobeMed, a student-run nonprofit that advocates for public health equity; and George Washington President STEVEN KNAPP. To learn more about GW's Global Women's Institute click here.
Professors Baker, Conlon and Scarlett Teach Masterclass at Duke Ellington School of the Arts
GW Professors ROBERT BAKER (voice), FRANK CONLON (piano) and MILLICENT SCARLETT (voice) conducted a masterclass for 60 high school students at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts this past Tuesday. Prof. Conlon accompanied Prof. Baker and Scarlett on the piano as they sang songs performed the night before at the Department of Music faculty recital The Art of Collaboration. After their performances the instructors coached two students on vocal repertoire the students had prepared. The Duke Ellington School of the Arts was founded in 1974 and is the only DC public high school that provides professional arts training and college preparation to talented DC public school students.
Department of Music Looks Forward to an Exciting Fall 2012 Season
Department of Music CD Release Party
Date & Time: 28 September, 4:00 pm
Location: Philips Hall, B-120
Free & Open to the Public
The Department of Music is celebrating the accomplishments of its faculty and students who have recently produced CDs at the GW Music Department CD Release Party. Stop by B-120 to catch performances from a talented pool of GW faculty, alumni and current students, including: Professors MAGDALENA DUHAGON, JOE GASCHO and MALINEE PERIS. Light refreshments will be served and a varied selection of CDs from the GW community will be for sale.
Faculty Recital Series: The Art of Collaboration, Frank Colon, Piano
Date & Time: 8 October, 7:30 pm
Location: United Church, 1920 G Street, NW
Free & Open to the Public
Professor FRANK CONLON will lead the voice faculty of the GW Department of Music in a vocal chamber music concert. They will be joined by instrumental faculty colleagues performing repertoire for voice and instrument. Professor Conlon is a leading chamber music and vocal accompanist in the region and is celebrated for his artistry and generosity of spirit in making music with others.
GW Orchestra: Pocket Full of Fugues
Date & Time: 4 November, 3:00 pm
Location: Lisner Auditorium, 730 21st Street
Free & Open to the Public
GW University Orchestra presents Pocket Full of Fugues, a concert conducted by DR. NANCIA D'ALIMONTE, with music by Mendelssohn, Honegger and Saint-Saëns. The program includes works, all of which have a fugue within: Mendelssohn – St. Paulus Overture; Honegger – Psalm and Fugue; and Saint-Saëns – Symphony No. 2.
GW Symphonic Band & Wind Ensemble: From the Podium
Date & Time: 11 November, 3:00 pm
Location: Lisner Auditorium, 730 21st Street
Free & Open to the Public
From the Podium will feature the GW Wind Ensemble followed by the GW Symphonic Band. Musical selections will include compositions by ROBERT RUSSELL BENNETT, BENNO FRITZ, DAVID HOLSINGER, RICHARD STRAUSS and more.
GW University Singers: Elijah
Date & Time: 2 December, 3:00 pm
Location: The New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, 1313 New York Avenue, NW
Free & Open to the Public
The George Washington University Singers are performing Felix Mendelssohn's (1809-47) oratorio Elijah this winter. Accompanied by GW keyboard artist NEIL WESTON, the title role will be sung by GW senior PSA student MICHAEL NOEL. Elijah, composed by Mendelssohn as a commission from the City of Birmingham (England), was given its premiere on August 26, 1846. The first U.S. performance was the following year, and is possibly the most performed oratorio in the choral repertoire.
GW Chamber Choir: Messiah
Date & Time: 9 December, 2:30 pm
Location: St. Stephen Martyr Church, 2436 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Free & Open to the Public
The Chamber Choir of The George Washington University will perform Part I of G. F. Handel's (1685-1759) Messiah this winter. With soloists drawn from the students in the Chamber Choir, this performance will have a historically informed approach thanks to the coaching and participation of baroque specialist PROF. JOSEPH GASCHO, who will accompany on harpsichord. A small chamber orchestra and organ will also be heard. While Messiah is most often performed in the Advent and Christmas season, only Part I actually depicts this portion of Christian theology. Parts II and III are often referred to as the Easter portions, portraying the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Christ. Written over the period of only ten days (thanks, in part to Handel's borrowing from other of his works), the first performance took place in Dublin in 1742. Through many revisions and iterations, both his own and those of later composers including W.A. Mozart, Handel's best-known work has come to represent the most beloved choral work in the repertoire.
GW Department of Music to Host International Piano Arts Council's International Piano Artists Competition
The GW Department of Music will host the Washington International Piano Arts Council (WIPAC) this August 2 – 5, 2012 as they hold “The 2012 Festival of Music and the 10th Washington International Piano Artists Competition.” Taking place at the Department of Music, as well at the Embassies of Bulgaria, France and Poland, WIPAC’s piano competition designed for pianists 31 years and older welcomes 25 amateur classical pianists representing the European, Pacific and American regions who will compete for prizes in a three-day event. For more information about the completion, and how to attend, click here.
GW Department of Music Concludes Inaugural Summer Piano Institute
Ten students from around the world concluded their two weeks of intense piano study this past Friday, at the GW Department of Music’s inaugural Summer Piano Institute.
The Summer Piano Institute (SPI) took place July 9 – 20, 2012 and was created to invite high school and college students to study with faculty-artists from the GW Department of Music and guest artists from outside the university. SPI was offered at three tiers, divided by age and skill level, and hosted students from across the United States, South Africa and Spain.
Students attended classes; had one-on-one instruction with professors; attended concerts by critically acclaimed pianist Simone Dinnerstein, as well as Malinee Peris and Ieva Jokubaviciute; and performed at multiple master classes and recitals. Instructors included GW faculty members Robert Baker, Douglas Boyce, Molly Orlando Palmiero and Malinee Peris, as wells as esteemed artists Jim Litzelman and Ieva Jokubaviciute.
Due to the overwhelming success of the Institute, the GW Department of Music expects to expand in 2013. Applications for next year will be posted on the GW Department of Music website in January, 2013.
SPI Concert Series: Malinee Peris, Piano
MINNEHAHA (Laughing Water)
Date & Time: 12 July, 7:00 pm
Location: United Church, 1920 G Street, NW
Free & Open to the Public
MALINEE PERIS will kick off the concert series Thursday, July 12, at the United Church on 1920 G Street. The audience will enjoy an evening of “water music” with Chopin, Debussy, Ravel and Liszt.
SPI Concert Series: Simone Dinnerstein, Piano
Music of J.S. Bach
Date & Time: 15 July, 4:00 pm
Location: The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st Street, NW
Tickets are $20 or $8 for Phillips Collection members.
SIMONE DINNERSTEIN will treat the audience to an afternoon of all-Bach, featuring: French Suite No. 5 in G-major BWV 816; Partita No. 2 in c minor, BWV 826; English Suite No. 3 in G minor, BWV 808; and Partita No. 1 in B-flat Major, BWV 825, at the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC.
Master Class: Simone Dinnerstein, Piano
Date & Time: 16 July, 9:30 am
Location: Marvin Betts Theatre, 800 21st Street, NW
Free & Open to the Public
SIMONE DINNERSTEIN will conduct a Master Class for students in the GW Summer Piano Institute
SPI Concert Series: Ieva Jokubaviciute, Piano
New Century : New Paths
Date & Time: 18 July, 7:00 pm
Location: Marvin Betts Theatre, 800 21st Street, NW
Free & Open to the Public
IEVA JOKUBAVICIUTE’S concert, New Century : New Paths, includes Debussy’s “Preludes” from Book I; Schoenberg’s “Sechs kleine Klavierstucke,” Opus 19; Scriabin’s Sonata No.4, Opus 30; Janacek’s Selections from “On an Overgrown Path;” Berg’s Sonata Opus 1; and Debussy’s “L’isle joyeuse.”
