SUU ensembles perform back-to-back concerts
By Ashley H Pollock
Southern Utah University’s music department will present two days of ensemble concerts during the first week of November. The SUU Piano and String Ensembles perform Nov. 5 followed by the SUU Brass and Woodwind Ensembles Nov. 6. Both performances will be in the SUU music building’s Thorley Recital Hall at 7:30 p.m. The concerts are free and open to the public.
“The small ensembles of the SUU department of music afford more opportunities for our talented students to show off their skills and musicianship in ways that large ensembles may not,” said Dr. Lawrence Johnson, music department chair at SUU. “Not only does the limelight focus more directly on these individual instrumentalists in smaller groups, but it also provides a chance to delve deeper into the chamber music works and share these gems composed by the masters of today and throughout music’s treasured history. We hope you enjoy experiencing these more intimate performances as we showcase our dedicated music students!”
The Piano and String Ensembles Concert will highlight students who study piano, viola, violin, cello, and bass while the Brass and Woodwind Ensembles Concert will highlight students who study saxophone, oboe, flute, clarinet, and bassoon.
“I am grateful for every opportunity to perform,” said Maia Wimmer, an SUU piano student. “It is beneficial for me as a performer to participate in many concerts as it helps me gain confidence and experience.”
“The String Ensemble will start with British and Irish Dance music from ‘St. Paul’s Suite’ by Holst followed by ‘Hungarian Dance’ by Brahms, then it will move to the “Slavonic Dance” by Dvorak, and end with the ‘South America Dance of Tango, Rhumba and Fandando’ by Mclean. Students have enjoyed the diversity of musical styles. The music techniques are very challenging. The students have helped each other learn and grow through the rehearsal process.”
“My favorite part about preparing for this concert has been the progress of the ensemble as a whole,” said Kamron Campbell, an SUU saxophone student. “We work really hard, and it’s nice to see our improvement each week.”
“Chamber music, by definition, is one person per part,” said Dr. Virginia Stitt, oboe, bassoon, and flute professor at SUU. “Therefore, the opportunity to play in a chamber music group allows one to be totally responsible for their part and how their part works with the rest of the group. Chamber music also gives students the chance to play music by composers that they may not have encountered. This fall we have a flute quartet/quintet and a clarinet duet. These two ensembles have worked on pieces by Handel, Hook, Curtis, and Gershwin.”
“Small ensembles give our students a different experience than playing solo in terms of blend and balance,” Dr. Douglas Ipson, assistant professor of music theory and music history. “There is also an amount of shared responsibility within smaller ensembles, and you can’t hide as easily as in a larger ensemble. Small ensembles provide each student the opportunity to be a contributing member.”
