Hosting a free event for students this fall, the music department’s faculty will be performing at the Faculty Showcase Recital, Sept. 15 at 7:30 p.m. in the recital hall of the Music Building.
It is the first concert in the 2008-2009 Music Excellence Chamber Music Series. Normally, a concert attendee would be paying around $25-$30 a ticket to see the performers that make up the showcase. However, all performances in the series are free and open to the public, made possible by funding from the Music Excellence Fund.
This annual tradition allows students and Commerce residents to hear a wide range of feature performances from vocalists to trombones.
“I think this is a good concert for non-majors, because you get to hear a variety of music styles. You don’t have to sit through an hour and a half of one instrument; you get to sample a little bit of the whole department,” Dr. Mary Druhan, associate professor of clarinet said.
Druhan, a current member of the Dallas Wind Symphony, will be one of the faculty members performing Monday night. She will be deciding between playing a soft, classical piece, or a dramatic, contemporary solo with the potential to cause a few people to reconsider the clarinet as a graceful instrument.
Jimmy Clark, associate professor of low brass, will be attempting to convince the audience that the trombone has a timbre for expressing warmth and contemplation. Clark will be playing a piece originally written for the cello, The Swan.
“It will be a wonderful opportunity for people to hear lots of different instruments played very well by people who are top professionals in their field,” Clark said.
Michael Morrow, associate professor of horn, is well seasoned in his 30th year at A&M-Commerce. He will be playing Nocturno, by Franz Straus.
Although the department is still finalizing the list of performers, already named include Roger Bryant with a vocal solo and piano accompaniment by DeeAnn Gorham, John Burkett on the organ, Luis Sanchez on piano, and Ted Hansen with a jazz piano piece. Jocelyn Goranson, far along in her pregnancy, agreed to perform a flute piece if the baby permitted.
The head of the music department, Dr. Christopher White, feels that the quality of the show will be impressive for a person with any kind of musical background.
“It’s a great opportunity to hear, not only some of the state’s best, but some of the best in the country, if not the world,” White said.