INTERNATIONAL PROFESSIONAL FRATERNITY FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF MUSIC IN THE COMMUNITY, NATION , AND WORLD
Volume 108, Issue 4
Cover Feature: Have Guitar, Will Travel
Musicological Research: Black, White, and Elvis
Winter 2015
ACME Advice to Young Artists
© Curaga | Dreamstime.com - Summer Sunrise Photo
President’s Message Beginnings My Mu Phi experience began in 1966 when I was initiated into Omega at Drake University, where my fellow members became lifelong friends. As I followed my husband around the country, I met more members through alumni chapters. Finally I was elected to serve the fraternity as 2nd vice president, and that’s when I met Wynona Lipsett. Here was a selfconfident woman whose love of Mu Phi Epsilon was strong and true. Her dynamic personality, leadership, organization, creativity, genuine warmth, and ability to make new friends drew me into her circle of love. For nearly twenty years, she was my rock and inspiration, and now she is gone. Her parting leaves a hole in my heart. But she would not like it if I called this an ending, for she would see it as her new beginning. And I too shall make it a beginning, to embrace all that I learned from her. She will continue to be a joyful presence in Mu Phi Epsilon for all of us who knew her. At the beginning of each year I can’t help feeling that I have been given another opportunity to get it right this time. Most of us probably don’t take the time to actually write any resolutions, but I’d bet that at least once during the season, we say to ourselves, “Come the New Year, I’m going to finally finish..., be better at..., remember to...”
Upcoming Contest & Award Deadlines > MARY ALICE COX AWARD LIFELONG LEARNING
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> MARIAN BOWKER DAVIDSON COLLABORATIVE PIANIST AWARD > ORIGINAL COMPOSITION CONTEST DEADLINES MARCH 2, 2015
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Our 2015 theme Sunrise is also about beginning anew: the dawn of fresh ideas and new directions to propel our fraternity into the future. Already the IEB has been working toward this goal. Extension Officer Charlotte Brown is actively seeking new chapters and looking to help reactivate others. Collegiate Advisor Jenny Smith has updated the candidate training booklet and most collegiate forms, consolidating some so the processes are not so overwhelming. She and Alumni Advisor Ruth Cuccia are reviewing the officer manuals to make them more useable. Music Advisor Jan Scott has updated and publicized our annual contests (don’t forget, deadline is March 1). Eligibility Advisor Kayla Lisa has revised the special permission and special election forms and processes. Our District Directors have been the most active group ever. They are in touch with their chapters, completed their leadership meetings, and participated in the first of many conference calls with each other. A wonderful beginning. “Some people wait for the coming Monday before putting forth renewed efforts. Others wait for the beginning of a new month, and still others for the turn of the season, or the year. But in my own experience I have found that the best time for a renewal of effort, indeed the greatest of all periods of time for anything, is today.” (Vash Young) My wish for all of you in 2015 is that each day will bring a beautiful new beginning.
Rosemary Ames International President
Fraternity Mission Statement: Mu Phi Epsilon International Professional Music Fraternity is a coeducational fraternity whose aim is the advancement of music in the community, nation, and world through the promotion of musicianship, scholarship, and music education, with emphasis on service through music.
contents
EDITOR Melissa Eddy editor@muphiepsilon.org DESIGN & PRODUCTION Corinne Lattimer thetriangle@muphiepsilon.org PROOFREADER Doris Braun Send all material for publication to: Melissa Eddy, editor@muphiepsilon.org Fax 325/388-0914 or by mail to 220 Link Drive, Kingsland, TX 78639-5262 All materials submitted for publication become the property of Mu Phi Epsilon. Requests for return are accepted and must be accompanied with a self-addressed stamped envelope. Electronic transmissions are preferred. Photos must be scanned at a minimum of 300 dpi. Deadlines for submissions: Summer — May 1 Fall — August 15 Winter — December 1 Spring — February 15 Change of address, renewals, notice of deceased members, requests for extra copies and subscription requests should be sent to: Mu Phi Epsilon International Executive Office P.O. Box 1369 Fort Collins, CO 80522-1369 toll free: 888- 259-1471 fax: 888-855-8670 email: executiveoffice@muphiepsilon.org The Triangle is published 4 times per year by Mu Phi Epsilon, International Professional Music Fraternity. Member, Professional Fraternity Association. (ISSN 0041-2600)(Volume 108, Issue 4) Subscription price is $20.00 per year. Single copies are $8.00. Periodicals postage paid at Fort Collins, Colorado and at additional mailing offices. Printed in the United States of America. POSTMASTER: Send all changes of address to: Mu Phi Epsilon, PO Box 1369, Fort Collins, CO 80522-1369. © 2015 Mu Phi Epsilon. All rights reserved.
on the cover: Aaron Larget-Caplan with "human statue" street performer in St. Petersburg, Russia. Photo by Barbara Tornow.
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International Corner — Cover Feature Classical guitarist Aaron LargetCaplan tours Russia.
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Musicological Research Contest Winner Jane Davidson writes about the roots of rock 'n' roll.
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Service through Music Winning chapter projects of 2014.
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Mu Phi Milestones Delta Sigma reactivated; "Strings Attached" is finished.
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President’s Message
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ACME
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Mu Phi Musings SUNRISE for chapters; thoughts on recruitment and love.
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Bookshelf Review by Steven Olson
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"A Century Ago" Thoughts from a Mu Phi in 1914; composer centenary.
Bookshelf Review by Rebecca Sorley
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Foundation
Music New & Old Opera premiere, choral director's centenary.
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Applause / Encore
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Final Notes
Chapter Fun Images from recent chapter and district events.
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District Directors Directory
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Executive Officers Directory
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departments
IN MEMORIAM
Wynona Wieting Lipsett March 28, 1939 – January 2, 2015
We are deeply saddened to report the passing of Wynona Lipsett after a short illness. She was a former president of both the Fraternity and Foundation, held countless other leadership positions, and was an inspiration to thousands. The spring Triangle will feature a full tribute. She is pictured receiving the fraternity's Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2014 convention. Photo by Katherine Pfeiffer
MuPhiEpsilon.org
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International Corner — Cover Feature
Have Guitar, Will Travel To Russia With Love By Aaron Larget-Caplan, Beta, Boston Alumni ALCGuitar.com
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ast May I had the honor of participating in the Days of American Culture in Russia, a festival organized by the Educational Bridge Project (EBP). This was the second time I attended. In 2013, as the first guitarist accepted into the program, I had felt some hesitation. But that had disappeared after I performed and the directors made my acquaintance, and I received an invitation to return in 2014. The 2014 schedule was packed. I arrived in Moscow on a Tuesday, checked into my quaint hotel close to the Bolshoi, and met with EBP director Dr. Ludmilla Leibman and board member Barbara Turnow. We visited the Kremlin and Red Square, and to get my strength back from travel, I ate some tasty Georgian food.
Photos courtesy of Aaron Larget-Caplan
Show Time in Moscow
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Wednesday evening I played a two-hour solo recital (with two encores) in Oval Hall at the State Foreign Library. My hospitable and knowledgeable library liaison Nina Borisova treated me royally. The room’s high ceiling was perfect for a solo recital, and the walls were lined with books behind locked glass doors. On closer inspection I found that the books were mostly in German and quite old, and learned that they were brought to Russia after WWII. At that moment, being an artistic bridge via music took on a different meaning. The books and the space represent vastly different cultures, and though they can bring people together, the trophies came at a cost. I was moved to find myself in such a culturally historic setting, full of both love and loss. Oval Hall was full for the recital, with over a hundred attendees of all ages and social levels. The diverse program featured music from 19th century to today and from seven countries, including three Russian premieres and a contemporary Japanese work. The audience was receptive to the modern music; though
International Corner — Cover Feature
the Orient Express. Wondering who was around each corner felt exciting and a bit mysterious. My time in historic Moscow was done. I did not get into political discussions nor did I worry for my safety. However, watch out for the $10 cappuccino!
St. Petersburg Shines
the musical languages were not standard, dances and lullabies do not intimidate. I introduced the compositions with translation provided by Dr. Leibman, and even enjoyed a little banter with the audience before the encores. After the concert I spoke with new fans and explored the sounds of my Sicilian-made instrument with them. Prior to Thursday’s concert I traveled to north Moscow to teach a master class at the State University of Arts and Culture. Two young guitarists performed a duet by Mario Masterclass with host Sergei Matokhin CastelnuovoTedesco, and their fine technique, spirited performance, and openness to new musical ideas made for a pleasant time. The master class was attended by instrumentalists of all stripes, not just guitarists, which impressed me. I was grateful for my translators’ ability to convey my guitar lingo to the non-guitarists. That evening’s performance was given to another full house. Dr. Leibman opened with a brief history of the Educational Bridge Project and showed her piano prowess with a Chopin mazurka. This was a collaborative performance, and though it was a lot of work and a bit nerve-wracking, I found it rewarding and hope to do it again both in Russia and the U.S. After a colorful reception, the three Americans boarded the Red Arrow, an overnight train to St. Petersburg that was formerly part of
We disembarked in St. Petersburg early Saturday morning, and the morning light on the city immediately stole my heart. With six days to explore and work, I had time to walk along the many rivers that flow quietly next to refurbished palaces. I ducked in and out of cafés, heard music in the Grand Philharmonic, visited museums, and lounged in the parks watching people enjoy the late spring sun. The city is a beautiful cultural center with many performance venues, light after midnight, and the magic of summer on the tip of the tongue. My performances in St. Petersburg were shared with other EBP participants from Boston, Cambridge, and New York as well as local Russians. My main performance included some of the contemporary works I’d played in Moscow, Spanish pieces, a tango, and the world premiere of Concert Champêtre by Thomas L. Read for cello and guitar, a nine-minute single-movement work full of rhythmic vitality and melodic beauty. Its complexity and nuance require both players to be tip top. Thankfully I had the great honor of working alongside Anton Andreev, cellist with the RimskyKorsakov String Quartet. We rehearsed for three days, Anton Andreev and Andrew and the at St. Petersburg Conservatory premiere took place at the Rimsky-Korsakov St. Petersburg Conservatory as part of a contemporary music concert. (The Concert Champêtre score is to be published soon by the American Composers Association with the guitar part edited by me, and I hope it will be performed widely in the U.S. and abroad.) Continued on page 19
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Musicological Research Contest Winner Black, White, and Elvis: The Songwriters, the King, and How They Shaped Rock 'n' Roll Summary of winning paper in the Undergraduate Research category By Jane Davidson, Mu Nu What is considered “mainstream” or “popular” music in America in the 1950s, and even to some extent, today, is the music that young, white people listen to. Though this may not be an accurate depiction of American culture, even today we hear Katy Perry, One Direction, and Justin Bieber on the radio. After the 1950s, the number of African-American rock artists dropped off significantly and “race” music became hip-hop and rap in recent years. Can you count the number of major, mainstream rock musicians in the past 20 years on two hands? Legend has it that Sam Phillips, who scouted Elvis, once said, “If I could find a white man who had the Negro sound and the Negro feel, I could make a billion dollars.” Everyone agrees that rock 'n' roll’s main roots come from rhythm and blues, a primarily black music form in its heyday. Yet from a genre definition standpoint, which is often just a form of marketing, it appears that rock is when that music was taken and put into a form that appealed to the white majority.
ce. n in performan Jane Davidso
The lives of Elvis, the king of rock 'n' roll, and his songwriters like Leiber and Stoller and Blackwell illustrate how the development of rock 'n' roll music was both a natural progression of popular music (they all drew influence from multiple root elements), and a result of marketing and culture-mixing of music. . os ot ph Courtesy
Whether or not Elvis was the best rock 'n' roll performer of the time, from the standpoint of who best shows what rock 'n' roll really is, he provides a clear picture. Black and white music culture of the time was fused to create rock 'n' roll. The reason why it seems as though the black, R&B culture got the short end of the stick is because of the nature of marketing popular music: marketing to young, white teenagers. Presley, Leiber, Stoller, and Blackwell were among many other artists for whom this fusion was engrained within them, creating this new music form.
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Serv ice through Music Outstanding Chapter Service Projects of 2014 Congratulations to these chapters who were recognized last year for their exemplary service projects. When you submit your chapter’s 2015 annual report, be sure to fully describe your projects, and perhaps your chapter will be one of the next winners!
COLLEGIATE > Outstanding Service Project to School Alpha Nu, West Texas A&M University Alpha Nu hosted a music education clinic each semester, bringing in outstanding music educators as speakers. The speakers shared information about their lives and how they got into music, how they got started, and what to expect in their field. A Q&A enabled audience members to gain additional information. Alpha Nu also hosted a third clinic for vocalists to improve their rhythm skills and instrumentalist to improve their solfege skills.
> Outstanding Service Project to Community Epsilon Epsilon, Texas Christian University A close friend of several Epsilon Epsilon members was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer. To celebrate her, the chapter put on a benefit concert in the TCU Commons to raise funds to donate to the American Cancer Society in her name. Other TCU organizations teamed up with the chapter for the event.
ALUMNI > Outstanding Chapter Noteworthy Project Ann Arbor To celebrate its 100th anniversary, Ann Arbor Alumni held two events, one a public concert entitled “Music with Ann Arbor Connections” and the other a gala luncheon on September 22, the date of its original founding. The concert included music written to poetry by chapter president Deborah Rebeck Ash. Eighty people attended the luncheon celebration, and entertainment was provided by William Bolcom where William Bolcom and Joan Morris performed music from 1913. A commemorative book honored the chapter’s 50-year members and included a timeline of notable chapter events. Chapter memorabilia was on display, including a 1940 Cincinnati convention program book autographed by Dr. Winthrop Sterling and Elizabeth Mathias Fuqua. Minneapolis/St. Paul Minneapolis/St. Paul Alumni leveraged its annual fundraising concert to provide philanthropy to local public schools, a pilot project of dues subsidies for new chapter members who are recent graduates, and increased community visibility for the chapter. The concert’s proceeds enabled the chapter to make gifts of $1,000 each to music
programs in two local school districts. Additionally, Minneapolis/St. Paul Alumni decided to award matching gifts of $100 each to local musical projects that are also supported by chapter members’ volunteer work.
> Outstanding Community Service Project Colorado Springs Alumni Colorado Springs Alumni provided reception refreshments following a collaborative concert of the Little London Winds and the Mitchell High School band. The Little London Winds is a professional ensemble in which chapter member Lynn Maloy performs on French horn, and they mentor the band, which was concluding its first year of reestablishment after several inactive seasons. The chapter’s support added to the success of the concert.
> Katherine Doepke Creative Programming Award St. Louis Area Alumni St. Louis Area Alumni celebrated its centennial with the theme “All Our Past Acclaims Our Future.” Each month’s program focused on milestones spanning the chapter’s hundred years, drawn from musical history, fraternity history, and members’ own musical lives. The culminating highlight was the a gala Centennial Tea, a daylong event that featured a recital by several chapter members, distribution of a special commemorative program book, and of course high tea, served on members’ own family china loaned for the occasion. Guests also were entertained by a memorable video of chapter history gleaned from 100 years of chapter scrapbooks. (The video can be viewed on YouTube; search for “Mu Phi Centennial.”) Wichita Alumni Wichita Alumni built its programs around the theme “The Ease of Music,” a clever wordplay on titles beginning with the letter E. Each monthly meeting explored a different facet of the power of music: • Educate Pupils – to nurture their talents • Enlighten Us – to its therapeutic powers • Enrich Our Lives – with friendship and fellowship • Entertain Us – can you imagine the holidays without music? • Encourage – new professionals for the future • Express the Imperative – by means of creation in rhythm, form, color, & mood • Empathize – better comprehend another’s feelings and ideas MuPhiEpsilon.org
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Mu Phi Milestones Welcome Back, Delta Sigma Reactivated December 6, 2014
Delta Sigma chapter members at their initiation in December.
Delta Sigma at University of California-Irvine was installed June 3, 2000, but went inactive around 2003. Early in 2014, UC-Irvine music student Meghrie Babikian heard about Mu Phi Epsilon from a friend who is a Mu Phi at another university and contacted us about reactivating the chapter. She followed through with instructions from Extension Officer Charlotte Brown, President Rosemary Ames, and then-District Director (now Alumni Advisor) Ruth Cuccia, rallied fellow music students, and arranged for the necessary applications and fees to be submitted. Ruth and then-Mu Nu president Jane Davidson (now District Director) went to the UC-Irvine campus to give several trainings in November and December.
Jane put together a group of Mu Nu members to administer the test and perform the initiation ceremony for twenty-two Delta Sigma candidates on Saturday, December 6, thus reactivating the chapter. The new chapter officers are Meghrie Babikian, President; Joanna Mackinson, Vice President; Danielle Tam, Secretary; and Matthew Xie, Treasurer. The Faculty Advisor (not in photo) is Dr. Stephen Tucker. Ruth Cuccia writes, “This is a great group of students – very organized, fervent, and, as you can see, pretty darn cute.” Congratulations and welcome back, Delta Sigma!
Strings Attached
Photo by Katherine Pfeiffer nita McCallum Photo courtesy Le
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THE TRIANGLE | Winter 2015
A popular project at the 2014 convention was “Strings Attached,” coordinated by then-3rd Vice President Lenita McCallum. Every attendee received a length of needlepoint yarn and was invited to contribute a few stitches to a commemorative tapestry. Many did, including Ann Davis (Phi Lambda, Washington DC Alumni), and the finished product is a beautiful memento of the convention.
ACME
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ARTISTS, COMPOSERS, MUSICOLOGISTS & EDUCATORS
Fuzzbones | Dreamstime.com Title: Pencils
Arietha Lockhart, Beta Gamma, Atlanta Alumni, ACME Chairman, 404-291-5162, acme@muphiepsilon.org Mary Au, Mu Nu, Los Angeles Alumni, ACME Co-Chair, 310-508-8116, auhaus@gmail.com
Advice to Young Artists Compiled by Mary Au ACME honorees are encouraged to share their expertise and serve as mentors for Fraternity members. With that in mind, several ACMEs (all members of LA Alumni) offer advice to collegiates and young professionals as they chart their careers in music. Composer and pianist Deon Nielsen Price (Gamma) says she received good advice from Dean Grant Beglarian at the USC School of Music in the 1970s: “You can make a career in music if you are willing to go anywhere and do anything.” To Deon that meant get experience and skill in as many areas of the music industry and teaching as possible, and she did: in addition to being a pianist, educator, and conductor, Deon is a much-in-demand commissioned composer. “Treasure your performer friends. They are your link to listeners,” says composer, educator, and visual artist Carol Worthey (Phi Nu) whose connection with pianist Stanley Wong has led to multiple premieres of her works in Hong Kong, including the upcoming world premiere of The Ice Cream Sweet he commissioned for solo piano. Carol advises composers, “Keep your ears open for new sounds but keep the integrity of your voice. Stay abreast of the latest trends in music publishing. Learn the copyist tricks of old so you can use electronic notation software to produce easily readable scores with the best page turns. This helps your performers do their best job.” “It is important to make friends wherever you go. You never know when someone’s secretary may become the next head of the studio!” laughs composer Adrienne Albert (Phi Nu),who began as a singer. She adds, “Know your passion and goal. A career in music is not going to produce gobs of money in the beginning (if ever), but the desire to achieve is paramount.” “Carry your business cards wherever you go. Network with people from all disciplines, not just those in the music industry. You never know who may turn out to be your best promoter, audience, benefactor, accountant, even legal advisor,” says pianist Mary Au (Mu Nu), a former Grammy® executive with entertainment, not-for-profit, and accounting experience. “Realize that music is a business. We all need to learn how to read a contract, manage our finances, and promote our trades using social and print media, websites, and word-of-mouth.” Au encourages her students to learn marketing, accounting, business law, and digital media art because “most performers do not begin their career represented by management. Do not rely on your professors for career building. Affiliate yourself with mentors who are willing to share their expertise and experience.” Mindful of how quickly things can change in the music industry, Au reminds young artists to “gain flexibility by learning to perform in multiple genres and instruments. Develop effective practicing, sight-reading, and time management skills and learn as much repertoire as you possibly can. With YouTube, one can watch master classes given by legendary performers.” Composer and hornist Lydia Lowery Busler (Omega Omega, LA Alumni), who also has an online coaching presence, offers an encouraging summary: “Perfection is a dynamic thing, yet self-criticism and criticism-based teaching focus on limitations. Reframe your fear and negativity as positive power, and abandon criticism-based methods. Take progressive steps that embrace your abilities, strengthen what needs work, and allow that to be fun.”
Nominate the most accomplished Mu Phis you know for ACME recognition! Contact ACME Co-Chairs for details. MuPhiEpsilon.org
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Bookshelf
Janos Starker, King of Cellists by Joyce Geeting, Tau, Los Angeles Alumni Review by Steven Olson, Beta Omicron The title “King of Cellists” is a mighty claim, given the number of incredible cellists that have driven the cello’s blossoming as a solo instrument in the 20th century, but Joyce Geeting makes a strong claim for Janos Starker in her book Janos Starker, King of Cellists. Geeting paints a picture of Starker as the quintessential “artist-teacher” who spoke concisely and with a great clarity and focus in his instruction, and who performed at the highest level which he also demanded from his students. Geeting tells Starker’s story in roughly chronological order, beginning with his childhood and studies at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest. Starker was a child prodigy, but his development was restricted by World War II, when Hungary joined the war on the side of Nazi Germany. Starker avoided much of the horror through his musical connections, but spent three months in an internment camp. After the war, he traveled through post-war Europe surviving and performing, and eventually came to America in 1948. He became principal cellist first for the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, then the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In 1958, Starker took his defining position at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he taught until shortly before his death in 2013.
stride, providing a wonderful glimpse into the personalities and tribulations of the musical world of the 40s and 50s. From his childhood studies on, Starker developed his physical concept of playing the cello, which relied on proper, efficient motion and the understanding that all movements are fundamentally circular. This approach allowed Starker to avoid injury and stress on the body throughout his long career. Another persistent topic of musical discussions is the importance of conscious musical performance, where a teacher helps a performer understand exactly what they are doing and why. As Starker was both teacher and performer, he perfected these ideas in his playing, then imparted them to his many students. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about one of the great musicians and teachers of the 20th century. Geeting does occasionally lose direction in her writing, especially during the more historical sections of the book. However, the book comes to life when it turns to Starker’s purposes and philosophy in teaching and his interactions with the musical personalities of his time. As a biography and collection of musical wisdom, Janos Starker, King of Cellists is an excellent read.
Throughout his life, Starker was known for his outspoken opinions about other musicians and conductors, and the book includes multiple anecdotes from Starker himself about his performing experiences. These personal, musical reflections are where the book hits its 10
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Paperback: 208 pages Publisher: Cmp Publishing; Pap/Com edition (November 1, 2008) Language: English ISBN-10: 0975473409 ISBN-13: 978-0975473405 Paperback found on Amazon @ $25.00
© David_taylor Dreamstime.com - Cello Photo
Bookshelf Bookshelf Credit line : © Dmstudio | Dreamstime.com
The Complete Solo Piano Works of Þorkell Sigurbjörnsson Edited by Kristín Jónína Taylor, Alpha Kappa, Minneapolis-St. Paul Alumni Review by Rebecca Sorley, Kappa, Indianapolis Alumni Noted Icelandic-American scholar Dr. Kristín Jónína Taylor’s new publication The Complete Solo Piano Works of Þorkell Sigurbjörnsson is a compilation of ten works by the Icelandic composer, whose first name is often anglicized as Thorkell. Published in 2014, this edition was painstakingly prepared by Dr. Taylor in consultation with the composer. Taylor performed eight of the ten compositions on her 2011 CD The WellTempered Pianist, named in homage to J.S. Bach's landmark collection. The text begins with a helpful preface describing the process Taylor pursued to prepare this book. The works were collected from multiple sources, including artists to whom the works were dedicated, manuscripts from Sigurbjörnsson, and the Icelandic Music Information Centre. Taylor chose not to add fingerings, but made a number of notations that make the pieces more performer-friendly. These include noting which hand might play a passage; continuing articulations in similar passages; and explaining missing or unclear accidentals. Changes to the original score are carefully noted and explained in the description of each piece, along with its background. Taylor's editorial comments show the care she took to preserve the composer’s musical intentions. Taylor suggests that Sigurbjörnsson used beaming to show phrasing. He even used broken barlines in some places to show that the phrase was not completed, but should continue into the next measure. Knowing the composer’s intention makes performing these works a bit easier. Sigurbjörnsson often used Icelandic themes, creating a nationalistic feel to the music. One example is the Hans Variationer of 1979, based on an Icelandic folk song whose text describes a knight going into a battle where he perishes. Ma Kknott was composed for a sister-cities conference and titled after the first letters of each of the participating cities. Lagstúfur fyrir Vigdísi, translated “Arietta for Vigdís,” was dedicated to Iceland’s first female president Vigdís Finnbogadóttir on the one-year anniversary of her role as head of the country. Sigurbjörnsson’s humor comes out in the titles of the selections and in jokes woven into the composition or sets of pieces. One example is in the selection “SO.” The piece was named not only after the fifth pitch in a scale, “sol,” but also as a part of the name of many musical forms such as SOnata, calypSO, and rhapSOdy. The composer also
enjoyed an inside joke with performer Halldór Haraldsson, to whom the work was dedicated. When Haraldsson asked Sigurbjörnsson to compose a piece for him, Thorkell is quoted in the text as saying, “So, I’ll write a piece for you. So.”
Kristín Jónína Taylor 2013. Paperback, pp.86, 1 b&w photo, 10 music exx., 4-page introduction, and introductions preceding each work ISBN 978-0-9904550-0-4 $20.00;
In the set “Concert Tours,” composed for Jónas Ingimundarson, Sigurbjörnsson makes Homo ludens Publishing the final movement a 139 Indian Ave. backwards presentation Forest City, IA 50436 of the first. Ingimundarson realized To order: call 1-641-590-0547 another layer of humor or visit homoludenspublishing.com in the piece when he toured Iceland. To get from one city to the next, he had to travel backwards along the same path he had taken originally, due to the lack of bridges over certain bodies of water. This backtracking in his own concert tour reminded him of the backwards presentation of the last movement. Sigurbjörnsson often wrote dedications to famous Icelandic performers, who then helped promote the music in concert tours. The final selection Chesa was dedicated to Kristín Jónína Taylor in 2008 and was premiered at a concert honoring the composer’s seventieth birthday. It is based on the musical letters in her name with the “Ch” replacing the “K” of Kristín, referring to musical pitches C and B. “Es” represents the S in Kristín and is notated as Eb, and then the A at the end of Jónína is employed to create a motive of C,B, Eb, A. Kristín Jónína Taylor received a Fulbright award to edit The Complete Solo Piano Works of Þorkell Sigurbjörnsson. She has become an expert in this repertoire, as well as an advocate for the performance of Sigurbjörnsson’s piano works, by publishing her CD of the piano selections in the volume along with the text. Taylor’s book brings the works of Thorkell Sigurbjörnsson to a wider audience to help promote this fine composer. MuPhiEpsilon.org
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Mu Phi Musings
Alumni Corner SUNRISE
By Ruth Cuccia, 3rd VP/Alumni Advisor There is a magical and joyous element in a sunrise – a new day with new possibilities, new ideas, new directions, an opportunity to adjust your thinking. So it is fitting that our 2014-2017 triennium begins with Sunrise – our theme for this first year after the Convention. Think of it – waking up to a new day, with all of its grandeur and hope. That is what this year is about for us as an organization. Just think SUNRISE and what it stands for:
Shape the next three years with planning. Look ahead and envision what you and your chapter want to accomplish in three years. Do you want to generate more members, reconnect with members who have not been in contact, generate more scholarship funds, connect with collegiate chapters in your area, spend more time together as a chapter? Uphold our Fraternity Aim: “The advancement of music in the community, in the nation, and in the world through the promotion of musicianship, scholarship, therapy, and education, with an emphasis on service through music.” Normalize relationships between local collegiate and alumni chapters. Make it the norm within your geographic area to spend time together, including Allied members in your area. Hold an event together at least once a year. A great time to start is your triennial District Conference, which should be in the planning right now with your District Director at the helm. Respond quickly to your member’s needs. Do you have recently-graduated members who may need attendees at performances, supplies for new schoolrooms, etc? Or perhaps you can help an older member who cannot drive to meetings and events, or call or send a card to an ill member.
Infuse your chapter with a tone of kindness and sensitivity. Use parliamentary procedure so each member in a meeting has an opportunity to state ideas and opinions. Listen to one another with the sense that you want to work together, even if it means negotiating or accepting ideas other than yours.
Support our International Fraternity by submitting forms, dues, and reports in a timely manner. Respond to the officers when asked for information. Our strength as a Fraternity depends on effective communication.
Elevate the quality of your meetings by using the Ritual whenever it is called for. The opening Ritual sets the stage for the meeting and brings focus to the business at hand. When the meeting is ended with the Ritual, it sends members out with words that inspire and motivate. 12
THE TRIANGLE | Winter 2015
Collegiate Connection Recruitment and Mu Phi Love By Jenny Smith, 2nd VP/Collegiate Advisor
Greetings, hard-working collegiates! Undoubtedly, many of you are gearing up for rush, candidate training, and initiations. The recent passing of our beloved Wynona Lipsett has stirred in me some intense emotions and thoughts about the importance of recruitment. A heart of service. When you select potential new members, there are many details to cover, and it’s easy to lose sight of the overall significance of the process. We require specific things of new collegiate members: solid GPA, musical competency, requisite experience, and dedication to the field as exhibited by taking on a major or minor. But these requirements don’t speak to other desirable qualities: a heart of service for all levels of society; mindfulness of a professional attitude that both deserves and shows respect; and a compassionate spirit that understands love in all the ways it manifests. We might shy away from this last quality – love – for it is a strong word with deep meaning, but there is no doubt that it’s present in Mu Phi Epsilon. We become ever closer. As Mu Phis, we become ever closer to each other over time as we make music together (itself an intimate endeavor), serve the community, share our successes, and even cry together when times are tough. So why would we not think about this love when we recruit? Will prospective members be people with whom I want to share this love I have for my brothers and sisters? Will they uphold that love throughout their lives? Will they continue to exhibit that love even when life’s difficulties seem overwhelming? Be sure you have reason to trust that they will, because your Mu Phi family is worthy of the very best. Wynona would want us to remember this love, above all else. I hope that when bringing others into our family, you think back to the foundations of our fraternity. Music, Friendship, and Harmony are so much more than simple words we recite. Remember the feeling behind them. Today, tell a brother or sister that you love them.
A Century Ago
Th ou by ghts A An cel bout la M Li . Fo fe x
100 Years Ago in the Mu Phi Epsilon Quarterly
Suggestions for Mu Phis
Writing in the October 1914 Mu Phi Epsilon Quarterly (precursor to The Triangle), Ancella M. Fox (Iota Alpha) offered her fraternal sisters some thoughts about life. Many of her suggestions are as relevant today as when she penned them just over a hundred years ago. Enjoy and heed this excerpted list: • • • • • • • • • • •
Easy it is to gain a friend, but hard to hold one to the end. Cling to the friends who have proved faithful through youth and adversity. Conceal your faults from the world. The effort will give you control of them. Be true to yourself, be true to your friends, and the world will be true to you. It is the faithful performance of small duties that regulates the worries of life. Have Ideals and Ambitions – they are the bright colors for the banner of life. Let every day have its task, which, if well done, will brighten tomorrow. Never hunt trouble, but have a just idea of your rights and demand them. Criticize no one, but investigate yourself, that you may not become open to criticism. Study for intelligence, not for boast. See to it that tomorrow finds you a step higher than today.
© Alexraths Dreamstime.com Vintage Typewriter
Choral Groups Sought for George Lynn Centenary Challenge Goal is 100 Performances in 2015 The American Music Research Center has announced the George Lynn Centenary Celebration and is seeking a hundred groups and soloists to perform the noted composer’s works in 2015. All types of choir – professional or volunteer, adults or children, community or church – are invited to sign up and perform a Lynn work of their choice. Additionally, ten groups or individuals are being sought to premiere some of Lynn’s unpublished works. Limited financial assistance may be available for premieres. George Lynn (1915-1989) was a highly respected choral conductor, composer,
organist, and teacher. He published over two hundred anthems for musicians and ensembles of varying ages, abilities, and sizes. Participation in the Centenary Challenge would be an interesting project for Mu Phi soloists seeking unusual repertoire, chapters who love to sing together, or choral directors and their ensembles. For more information, contact Eric.A.Hansen@colorado.edu or 303-735-3645.
Resources George Lynn Archive Guide ucblibraries.colorado.edu/amrc/collection/lynnguide.pdf
George Lynn Centenary Webpage colorado.edu/music/departments/centers/american-musicresearch-center/george-lynn-centenary
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Foundation Calling All Mu Phis — How About Joining the Foundation Board? The Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation has openings for its 2015-2016 Board of Directors, including the key position of Treasurer. This job is especially gratifying since the Treasurer gets to write the checks to scholarship recipients. What could be more fun than that? Just think of the great feeling one gets from helping our Fraternity colleagues receive some of the 42 grants and scholarships the Foundation offers each year. The Board conducts its business through one in-person annual meeting (this year near Boston July 18-25) and otherwise via conference calls and email. We hope you will seriously consider this important service. Please email Beverly Abegg at bevabegg@verizon.net or call 978-692-7353 to show your interest or ask questions.
Grant Recipient Promotes Japanese Classical Music As a recipient of the Foundation’s 2014 BettyLou Scandling Hubin Grant for World Music, Akiko Sasaki (Omega Omega, New York City Alumni), left, has spent the past year researching Japanese composers and performing their works throughout the New England area. Prior to this project, to her surprise, she found that aside from the standard Japanese folk tunes and works by the well-known Tori Takemitsu, Japanese classical music was underrepresented in the United States, despite the wealth of repertoire. Thus the “Songs of Japan” project began, with the mission to make music by Japanese classical Photos courtesy of Akiko Sasaki composers relevant and accessible to American audiences and to promote cross-cultural awareness and mutual appreciation. For this project, Sasaki focused on repertoire for piano and voice, working with soprano Sara Heaton. They put together a program of both standard Japanese folk music and rare compositions ranging from the second half of the 19th century to present day. Their recitals have included works by Tatsunosuke Koshitani, Kunihiko Hashimoto, Akira Miyoshi, and Kosaku Yamada. Many of these composers studied in Europe in the late 19thearly 20th century, and in this collection one can hear a broad range of influences from Puccini to Debussy. In addition, Sasaki commissioned a work by Japanese-American composer Kento Iwasaki. Iwasaki’s Moon Princess Song Cycle for piano and voice is inspired by the Japanese folktale “Kaguya Hime (Princess Kaguya),” also known as “Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.” Iwasaki’s compositions are very much influenced by traditional Japanese folk and pre-19th century court music. His works imitate musical gestures and performance practices from traditional Japanese instruments such as the koto, shamisen, and shakuhachi. The world premiere took place in Boston at the Newton Free Library, and the New York premiere at the Flushing Town Hall. Sasaki and Heaton are now hooked on Japanese literature and plan to continue the project by expanding their repertoire and bringing these works to more audiences across the U.S. For more information, visit www.akikosasaki.com.
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Foundation National Recognition for Project STEP By Beverly Abegg, Phi Upsilon, Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation Treasurer The Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation, besides offering scholarships and grants, also supports community schools and musicrelated philanthropies. One such community school is Project STEP (Strings Training and Education Program) in Boston, supported by the Foundation since 2002. In 2014 the program was recognized Photo by Josh Reynolds for the Boston Globe with a National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award, presented at the White House in November by First Lady Michelle Obama. The award is highly selective; of 362 U.S. organizations nominated, only twelve received the prestigious recognition. Project STEP was founded in the early eighties by William Moyer, then manager of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, to develop an ethnically diverse pool of qualified orchestral musicians. Sponsored by BSO, New England Conservatory, and Boston University College of Fine Arts, the program started in 1982 with a class of seven. Several local Mu Phi Epsilon members were involved in the program’s early years. Project STEP now offers an introduction to music course for 100 kindergarten students and instrumental studies for fifty students in grades 1-12, with weekly lessons, regular performances, and local concert attendance. I was honored to attend the award celebration in Boston in late 2014, along with many students, families, and local music notables who were treated to excellent student performances. In talking with parents, I learned more about how carefully STEP students are selected to be sure they have the necessary dedication and interest. Parents noted that the benefits of the program are not just musical; their children learn to be focused and directed. Parents are required to sit in on lessons for the first three years, and if they wish to learn alongside their child they are loaned an instrument. A Parents’ Council meets monthly to talk about concerns and share support. Participating families pay a modest annual tuition, with financial aid available. Instruments are provided while students are in the program and may be purchased via no-interest loans when they graduate. An incredible 100% of students who complete STEP have gone on to college or conservatory, and an equally impressive 60% of those graduates are professionally involved in music. Similar programs based on the success of Project STEP have been developed in Atlanta, Dallas, and Baltimore.
Learn more at projectstep.org
Photo courtesy of Project STEP
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Applause
news from members
Harpist and current Mu Phi Epsilon Artist Rachel Brandwein (Gamma, Minneapolis-St. Paul Alumni) received a commission to write a piece for Apple Orange Pair, a harp and horn duo. The commission is supported in part by the American Harp Society. Clarinetist Jeanine York Garesche (Mu Gamma, St. Louis Alumni, ACME) was honored in October with the Owen Miller Award of Local 2-197, American Federation of Musicians. Named for a pioneer founder of the musicians union, the award is given annually to an outstanding local member. Jeanine performs regularly with the St. Louis Symphony and is principal clarinet with the Union Avenue Opera, Metropolitan Orchestra of St. Louis, and numerous other groups. She is music director at First Divine Science Church of St. Louis and is on the faculties of University of Missouri-St. Louis and Webster University. She is the longtime secretary of St. Louis Alumni and a past music delegate to the From left, Fran Irwin, Jeanine Garesche, International Elaine Repking, and Jan Scott, all St. Convention. Louis Area Alumni members. Joanna Medawar Nachef (Gamma Sigma, Palos Verdes/South Bay Alumni), one of few female conductors of Middle Eastern descent in the world, traveled to her native Lebanon in late 2014 to guest conduct the Lebanese Philharmonic. A founding member of the Los Angeles/Beirut Sister Cities organization, she is a music instructor at El Campo College. She is concluding her final season with Los Cancioneros Master Chorale, of which she has been artistic director for two decades, and hopes to start a Palos Verdes-based professional choir. Read more about Joanna at http://bit.ly/15aQbGN. Music therapy major Dawn Stewart (Alpha Nu) is president of the Southwest Region Music Therapy Association for Students and was recently recognized in that organization’s publication for her service through music last summer. She worked at a Texas camp for people ages 5-50 with an array of special needs from cerebral palsy to autism, ambulatory to total care, Down’s Syndrome to Prader Willi. Dawn said, “As a 16
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music therapy major, I wanted to gain more experience working with the special needs community, but I ended up learning so much more about life and what it takes to be happy and how easy it is to love people.” Pianist Nicholas Susi (Xi, Ann Arbor Alumni) was one of only two U.S. participants in the 2014 International Franz Liszt Competition (www.liszt.nl), held last fall in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Nick, also a 2014 Mu Phi Epsilon International Competition finalist, made it to the semi-finals of the Liszt competition; view his performance at youtube.com/watch?v=M6p78BaxQSE. He is a doctoral student at the University of Michigan School of Music. Pianist Kristín Jonína Taylor (Alpha Kappa, Minneapolis-St. Paul Alumni) is included in the list of musicians on Iceland Music Export’s website, and in October she performed at Salurinn Tónlistarhús Concert Hall in Kópa-vogur, Iceland. In August the U.S. Embassy in Reykjavik and the Fulbright Commission collaborated on a Culture Night program in Reykjavik featuring Fulbright artists, including Kristín. A video of her performance of the solo piano arrangement of Grieg’s Four Norwegian Dances was played during the event. In June Kristín will participate in The College Music Society’s 2015 International Conference in Scandinavia, presenting “The Well-Tempered Pianist: The Solo Piano Music of Thorkell Sigurbjörnsson” (see Bookshelf this issue, p. 11). In April 2014, the New Music Ensemble of Southern Methodist University premiered Syzgygy, a piece that was commissioned for them by Mary Ann Taylor (Epsilon Pi, Dallas Alumni). The work featured an unusual combination of instruments; Mary Ann’s son B.J. Taylor played trombone in the ensemble of violin, flute, cello, trombone, French horn, and trumpet. Pianist Juana Zayas (Epsilon Psi, New York City Alumni) performed a recital at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in October, playing works by Schumann, Schubert, and Debussy. Born and raised in Havana, Cuba, Juana studied at Havana’s Peyrellade Conservatory and at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris. She made her debut at Alice Tully Hall in 1977 and is an active national and international performer. Her 1983 release of Chopin’s complete etudes has entered the canon of twentiethcentury recordings. Did you know – according to a recent Ann Arbor Alumni newsletter, 32 chapter members regularly perform in 11 orchestras, 7 bands, 11 choirs, 3 opera companies, and 11 small ensembles!
Encore
news from chapters
Los Angeles Alumni hosted an August concert by the Beam String Quartet from University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music. The performance was notable not only because the quartet players are all members of Mu Eta, but also because the concert was livestreamed – possibly a first for Mu Phi Epsilon! Viewers logged on from as far away as Mexico City, thanks to the technological expertise of LA Alumni member Deborah How (Omega Omega), who set up the live stream.
Founders Day Joint Celebrations Alumni and collegiate chapters around the country are increasingly joining forces for Founders Day celebrations. Here are two 2014 gatherings that were reported to The Triangle.
New York City Alumni was the lucky recipient of the Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation’s one-time $5,000 Golden Opportunity PNW3 (above) celebrated Founders Day together on November 8, hosted by Phi Lambda at Willamette University. Nu and Portland Alumni also participated, plus interested students from George Fox University. Musical performances were provided by Phi Lambda and Nu members and dinner was sponsored by Portland Alumni. The evening concluded with the open Founders Day ceremony and singing of fraternity songs. This was the first time in twenty-five years that Portland Alumni had celebrated Founders Day jointly with collegiates, and they hope to make it a yearly tradition. Foundation President Nancy Hawkins (left) presents the grant to Monica Verona.
grant, given at the 2014 convention in honor of the Foundation’s fiftieth anniversary. Any individual or chapter could apply by purchasing one or more entries to the random drawing, and NYC Alumni President Monica Verona (Omega Omega) bought two on behalf of the chapter. She said later, “I can’t tell you how shocked I was when our chapter was announced as the winner – I could barely stand up!” The prize will be used to support the chapter’s annual concert series and its scholarship program.
Los Angeles Alumni mounted a joint Founders Day Gala Concert on November 16. Members and guests attended from eight California chapters – Los Angeles Alumni, Palos Verdes/South Bay Alumni, Beta Alpha, Gamma Sigma, Mu Eta, Mu Nu, Zeta Delta, and Zeta Upsilon – totaling over a hundred participants. Performers included soloists, chamber orchestra, and choir. The orchestra played a movement of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto #5 and the choir sang two pieces, all after only a onehour rehearsal just before the concert. According to LA Alumni president Susan Dietz, “The result was a wonderful evening honoring our Founders and celebrating our love of Music, Friendship and Harmony.”
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Music New & Old Zenobia Powell Perry Opera Premiered By Deon Nielsen Price, Gamma, Los Angeles Alumni “It was thrilling – the very first time I have ever been to became Wilberforce College, the first African Americanan opera!” exclaimed a young woman of color as we left owned university in the United States. the theater together. The first fully-staged production of Tawawa House by the late Zenobia The opera’s powerful choral and Powell Perry (Gamma Eta, Dayton production numbers caused many Alumni, ACME) was mounted in May audience members to tear up. The 2014 by the Townsend Opera in soloists were breathtaking, each Modesto, California. From a large box character sang with authority and of penciled manuscript, Perry’s soulful understanding, and the biographer and friend Jeannie Gayle orchestration was supportive and Pool had rewritten and streamlined colorful. Many innovative musical the libretto, created 300 pages of passages reveal the influence of piano-vocal score, orchestrated the Zenobia’s studies with R. Nathaniel entire two-hour work, and prepared Dett, William L. Dawson, and Darius 360 pages of score and 1400 pages of Milhaud. Her daughter, soprano Janis instrumental parts for performance – Peri, who Photos courtesy of Townsend Opera. a loving and astounding task. sang in the opera’s first shoestring The opera’s words and musical style reflect its social and production in 1985, attended geographical setting on the Underground Railroad in the the Townsend Opera 1850s. Song titles include symbols of slavery such as production and called it her “Jumping over the Broom” (getting married) and mother’s dream come true. “Follow the Drinkin’ Gourd” (escaping to freedom by For more information about way of the North Star in the Big Dipper constellation). Tawawa House, see The The historical Tawawa House was an Ohio resort where Triangle, Vol. 107 #4, Winter 2014, p. 7. freed and runaway slaves lived and worked. It later
Frances “Fanny” Jane Crosby, Hymn Writer and Poet By Patricia Callan, Phi Upsilon, Boston Alumni The name of Fanny Crosby (1825-1915) is familiar to church musicians, but did you know she was a 19th century celebrity? In Fanny’s era it was uncommon for women musicians or writers to be famous, especially so for the blind. She was all of these. Today her legacy of several frequently sung hymns can be seen in the hymnals of major Protestant denominations. Fanny was steeped in Presbyterian music during childhood and was also introduced to the early Methodist hymn writers. After being schooled at home for several years, at age 14 she began formal education at the New York Institute of the Blind, where her teachers insisted she learn the rules of versification. During the Civil War, Fanny wrote anti-slavery lyrics set to familiar tunes. Unlike most of her other work, those lyrics were militant; once, in a New York restaurant, she nearly got into a physical altercation over the war. As a young adult, Fanny attended several different churches; this may account for her inclusive approach to hymn writing. Among her several collaborators was 18
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Phoebe Palmer Knapp, whose husband copyrighted “Blessed Assurance,” their collaborative effort that became one of the world’s best-known hymns. Fanny wrote about collaboration, “The poet must put … thoughts, aspirations and emotions into metrical form so that the composer can readily grasp the spirit [and] write music that will perfectly express the meaning.” About honoring the music of hymns, she said, “The most enduring hymns are born in the silences of the soul, and nothing must … intrude while they are being framed into language … Sometimes the song without the words has a deeper meaning than the more elaborate combination of words and music.” Excerpted from Patricia Callan’s biographical essay about Fanny Crosby. Read the full essay at The Mezzo Cammin Women Poets Timeline Project, http://bit.ly/1E6xB0X
Courtesy photo, Patricia Callan
International Corner — Cover Feature
Continued from page 5
Spontaneous collaboration A spontaneous collaboration with Russian painter Luba Kostenko was one of the festival’s high points for me. I had played a salon concert at her studio in 2013, and returned in 2014 for a similar but smaller event. After the performance, while we ate and sipped vodka, Aaron, Luba and her Creation Luba told me that when younger she would often go to the Marinksy Theater during rehearsals and paint the musicians. She found the musical sounds and the rehearsal structure to be complimentary to her work. So I returned the next day and for 45 minutes I played while she drew. We were each other’s only audience, and we fed each other as artists do. While she filled her sketchbook and then larger paper on her easel, the afternoon light colored the walls and I filled the room with Bach, Mertz, Spanish dances, Gershwin, and contemporary works. Later we discussed the arts and the world. I have always dreamed about and yearned for such an experience in my life as artist, and this brief but intense artistic adventure embodies my creative life, for which I am grateful.
Catherine’s Magnificent Palace
On the last day, Mikhail Bondarev, first violin of the Rimsky-Korsakov String Quartet, treated me to a day at Catherine’s Palace in Pushkin, just south of St. Petersburg. For the first time in many days, I did not have my guitar on my back; I traveled as a tourist and had to decline requests for me to play after Mikhail introduced me. I found myself in awe of the grand historic residence’s beauty and history. The palace was destroyed in WWII and has been completely rebuilt based on pictures, drawings, and paintings done before the war. Returned to its former grandeur – with exuberant colors, meticulously maintained gardens, and exquisite architectural details – Catherine’s Palace was the perfect way to close such a glorious musical adventure.
Acknowledgements A great depth of gratitude goes to festival founder and director Ludmilla Leibman. She organizes the concerts, raises the funds, and makes sure we try Russian foods. Barbara Tornow also deserves a big thank you for her hosting skills. Many more people in the U.S. and Russia ensure that the festival stays true to its mission of using the arts as an educational bridge between cultures. The Educational Bridge Project and a Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation Eleanor Hale Wilson Summer Scholarship provided me with financial support to attend. To both of these organizations I say
With the Queen
Other festival events included a daylong cross-cultural collaboration at Baltic State University, with performances by Americans and Russians and wonderful essays and history lessons about the surrounding area given by our young hosts. A concert at the Izmailovsky Library saw our youngest participant (age 16) perform his own composition for trumpet and piano. I found an audience thirsty for guitar and received many autograph requests, not an everyday occurrence.
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Final Notes Wynona Wieting Lipsett, Mu Chi, Dallas Alumni *
CORRECTION: In the fall 2014 print edition of The Triangle, the obituary for James Ruffin mistakenly identified him as Herbert Jackson, who is very much alive and president of Gamma Eta. We deeply regret the error. Mary Christine Ellis Bieker Epsilon Delta, May 4, 1959 Portland Alumni Died October 10, 2014 Music educator. Mary was a substitute music teacher in local schools for over forty years. Marian L. Downing Xi, May 22, 1948 Kansas City Alumni Died May 1, 2014 Music educator. Marian was a teacher, church choir director, avid photographer, and member of many organizations. LaVerne Watts Edwards Nu, June 4, 1950 Died January 11, 2014 Organist, pianist. LaVerne was a church organist and real estate broker. She taught piano, served as an adjudicator for the National Guild of Piano Teachers, and was an active library volunteer. Edna Mayer Geary Beta, February 12, 1945 Died May 19, 2014 Vocalist, music educator. A coloratura soprano, Edna performed with the Opera Company of Boston and Boston Symphony Orchestra. Later she spent many years as a music educator, and 20
chaired the music education department at Boston Conservatory until her retirement in 1997. Edna studied and practiced Orff Schulwerk methodology and served in several leadership positions for the American Orff Schulwerk Association. She received the MMEA’s Distinguished Service award and the Lowell Mason award for leadership in education. Jean Zimmerman Henry Sigma, June 6, 1943 Berkeley Alumni Died December 30, 2013 Instrumentalist. Jean played trumpet and recorder, and her early career was with MUZAK in New York City. Later she was the founding director of a Berkeley preschool. Marilyn Schlicher Jones Phi Kappa, May 19, 1951 Detroit Alumni Died July 18, 2014 Music educator, choral director, flutist. Marilyn had a thirty-year career of teaching public school music and was the founding artistic director of the Livingston County Chorale. She received the Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation’s Merle Montgomery Doctoral Grant in 1978. Russell Eric Justice Delta Pi, December 2, 2010 Died September 5, 2014 Music education major, theater minor. Russell was a student at Tarleton State University and an Eagle Scout who dearly loved musical theater. He passed away suddenly after a brief illness.
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Rosalie Blickenstaff Justen Nu, November 11, 1957 Portland Alumni Died August 24, 2014 Pianist. Rosalie had a large piano studio, with awardwinning students at every level from beginner to college, and was an active church musician and member of Oregon Music Teachers’ Association. She was a panelist at the 1972 Mu Phi Epsilon convention in Cleveland. Rosa Dinoi Lessard Beta, March 22, 1943 Died May 9, 2014 Organist, church music director. Rosa established music and choir programs at several churches of different denominations. She also taught private lessons and was active in the New York Music Teachers Association, AGO, and National Federation of Piano Teachers. Zoe Faith Kane Levenson Phi Pi, November 9, 1947 Died January 5, 2014 Cellist. Zoe taught cello, played in chamber and orchestral ensembles, and hosted musical events. A native of Poland, she was married to a fellow cellist. Jeaneane Dowis Lipman Phi Tau, May 1, 1947, ACME Died December 4, 2013 Pianist, music educator. Jeaneane entered the Juilliard School at age sixteen to study with legendary pedagogue Rosina Lhévinne, and later taught there herself. She won piano competitions, toured the U.S with several orchestras, and later was on
Final Notes the Aspen faculty as an artist-teacher for nearly thirty years. Jeaneane often performed four-hand works with her husband Samuel Lipman, a wellknown pianist and music critic. Wilma Beth Lyon O’Hara Phi Pi, January 4, 1946 Wichita Alumni Died August 3, 2010 Music educator. Beth was a longtime junior high instrumental music teacher. Ruth Pestalozzi Pape Mu Alpha, May 27, 1951 Died August 16, 2014 Cellist, church musician, librarian. Ruth played in the Milwaukee all-city orchestra during high school and later taught public school music. She was the medical librarian for a hospital and served one year as president of the Indiana Heath Sciences Librarians Association. Shirley P. Speier Petz Phi Kappa, May 23, 1943 Died February 9, 2014 Organist, church musician. Shirley served her church many years. Shirley B. Duckett Ruppert Mu Alpha, February 10, 1946 Greater Des Moines Alumni Died July 15, 2014 Music educator. Shirley taught public school music 36 years, mostly in the West Des Moines School District.
Geraldine “Gerrie” Boyce Sypert Schliep Phi Xi, December 10, 1945 Died January 16, 2014 Pianist, music educator. Gerrie taught at Southwestern Oklahoma State University. After moving to Texas, she began a 50-year private piano teaching career. She was active as an accompanist, singer, and director in her church and community organizations, and helped establish the Waxahachie Symphony Association. Joan Howie Siegel Mu Rho, November 12, 1949 Cleveland Heights Alumni Died August 28, 2014 Violinist. Joan was concertmistress of the Denver All-City Orchestra while in high school. She went on to play in the Denver, St. Louis, and Pittsburgh symphonies, as well as the Cleveland Orchestra under George Szell. Joan served Mu Phi Epsilon as EGL Province Governor, 1975-1980. Noah Matthew Siegel Alpha Kappa, April 22, 2012 Kansas City Alumni Died October 9, 2014 Pianist. Matt had recently joined the Kansas City Alumni but never had the opportunity to attend a meeting due to his untimely death from a serious fall.
including radio performances. She later taught public school music, English, history, and social studies for 30 years. Verda Lee Adams Sutton Phi Xi, May 17, 1948 Died May 4, 2014 Vocalist, pianist. Verda Lee loved music and gardening; she served as a national officer in the Garden Club of America. Barbara L. Wieman Alpha Delta, October 21, 1997 Sacramento Alumni Died August 3, 2014 Pianist, music educator. Barbara played piano from age five, studied in France, and gave a concert at Wigmore Hall in London. She taught piano at several universities and privately, and was a frequent performer at local music venues. Wilma Fulton Mathus Woodworth Theta, November 11, 1946 Denver Alumni Died July 1, 2014 Pianist, organist, harpist. Wilma taught music at the Cleveland Institute for Music and gave private piano lessons.
Carol Aldrich Skinner Mu Nu, June 14, 1953 Los Angeles Alumni Died September 26, 2014 Choral conductor, vocalist. Carol directed various choirs in the Los Angeles area for 35 years. She also played piano, violin, and snare drum. She served Los Angeles Alumni as chapter president, 1998-2003.
Darlene Muriel Clayton Zikes Epsilon Delta, January 13, 1952 Died August 21, 2014 Educator. Darlene taught in Portland public elementary schools over thirty years. She also attended the Lewis & Clark Northwestern School of Law.
Jean Elizabeth Zorn Strand Tau, May 25, 1948 Died December 12, 2013 Pianist. A classical pianist and accompanist, Jean held a variety of professional jobs through the 1950s,
* Wynona Lipsett gallantly compiled these obituaries during her final weeks. We are now seeking a new “Final Notes” contributor; if you are interested, please email editor@muphiepsilon.org.
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District Directors ATLANTIC DISTRICT A1
DISTRICT SE2 —
OPEN
DISTRICT A2 Susan Todenhoft 703-323-4772H 703-509-0224C todenhoft@gmail.com
EASTERN GREAT LAKES DISTRICT EGL1 Signe Zale 585-594-8422 sigbobzale@aol.com DISTRICT EGL2 Cassandra Eisenreich 724-728-2440 cassandra.eisenreich@sru.edu DISTRICT EGL3 Nancy Jane Gray 330-688-7990 bobgrayz@aol.com
GREAT LAKES DISTRICT GL1 Susan Owen-Bissiri 734-971-1084 slbissiri@sbcglobal.net DISTRICT GL2
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OPEN
EAST CENTRAL DISTRICT EC1
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OPEN
DISTRICT EC2 & EC3 Stephanie Berry 574-596-8285 bmpenguin69@hotmail.com
SOUTHEAST DISTRICT SE1 Marshall Pugh 252-599-2492 mgpugh889@gmail.com
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OPEN
DISTRICT SE3 Stephanie Sandritter 407-538-2371 stephanie.sandritter@gmail.com DISTRICT SE4
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SOUTH CENTRAL DISTRICT SC1
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OPEN
DISTRICT SC2 Ashley Kimmel 972-765-3252 ashley.kimmel12@gmail.com DISTRICT SC3 Chrisalyne Hagood 580-383-8011 chrisalyne.hagood@gmail.com DISTRICT SC4 Isabel De La Cerda 210-204-6425 idelacerda@hotmail.com
CENTRAL DISTRICT C1 Cathy Woelbling Paul 314-567-3281 cpoboe@sbcglobal.net DISTRICT C2 Linda Chen 913-486-3337 lindaychen@aol.com
NORTH CENTRAL DISTRICT NC1 Teresa Rowe 612-926-5854 Terryrowe568@gmail.com DISTRICT NC2 Liana Sandin 402-483-4657, 402-560-7126 Liana.Sandin@gmail.com
To view updates to this directory and a list of chapters within each District, visit http://muphiepsilon.org/aboutmpe/officers/dds.html
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WEST CENTRAL DISTRICT WC1
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OPEN
DISTRICT WC2
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OPEN
PACIFIC NORTHWEST DISTRICT PNW1
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OPEN
DISTRICT PNW2 Kathryn Habedank 206-405-4645 Kahabedank@aol.com DISTRICT PNW3 Michael Lasfetto 971-275-3800 pnw3dd@muphiepsilon.org
PACIFIC DISTRICT P1 Lestelle Manley 916-485-0415 ms5cnts@yahoo.com DISTRICT P2 Kira Dixon 408-439-6076 kira.dixon@me.com
PACIFIC SOUTHWEST DISTRICT PSW1 Jane Davidson 626-487-6201 jane@newmusicempire.com
Directory of Executive Officers 2014-2017 INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE BOARD
INTERNATIONAL CHAIRMEN
2014-2015 FOUNDATION BOARD
Rosemary Ames, International President 13 Travis Dr, Framingham, MA 01702 508-872-5818 president@muphiepsilon.org
ACME Arietha Lockhart (Chair) Beta Gamma, Atlanta Alumni 3159 Springside Crossing Decatur, GA 30034 404-284-7811 ariethal@hotmail.com
President Nancy Hawkins 1405A Lawrence Ave Lawrence, KS 66049 785-865-6379 nahawkins79@gmail.com
Charlotte Brown, 1st VP/Extension Officer 12578 Barkley St, Overland Park, KS 66209 913-345-8999 extensionofficer@muphiepsilon.org Jenny Smith, 2nd VP/Collegiate Advisor 1900 Westminster St #105, Denton, TX 76205 214-662-5087 collegiateadvisor@muphiepsilon.org Ruth Cuccia, 3rd VP/Alumni Advisor 3408 S. Denison Ave, San Pedro, CA 90731 310-832-7433 alumniadvisor@muphiepsilon.org Jan Scott, 4th VP/Music Advisor 6223 Washington Ave, St. Louis, MO 63130 314-727-6876 musicadvisor@muphiepsilon.org Kayla Lisa, 5th VP/Eligibility Advisor 7881 Reflection Cove Dr #208, Fort Myers, FL 33907 434-987-9191 eligibilityadvisor@muphiepsilon.org Melissa Eddy, Editor 220 Link Drive, Kingsland, TX 78639 512-217-1264 Fax: 325-388-0914 editor@muphiepsilon.org Jenny Maeda, Executive Secretary-Treasurer International Executive Office P.O. Box 1369, Fort Collins, CO 80522-1369 888-259-1471 Fax: 888-855-8670 executiveoffice@muphiepsilon.org
HONORARY ADVISORY BOARD
Frances Irwin, Epsilon Upsilon 6464 Rhodes Ave, St. Louis, MO 63109 314-752-2585 fmirwinstl@aol.com Lee Clements Meyer, Phi Xi 8101 Club Court Circle, Austin, TX 78759 512-345-5072
Vice President Paul Verona 130 West 15th Street, Apt. 5V New York, NY 10011-6794 347-813-0368 (Cell) mpefoundation.vp@gmail.com
Mary Au (Co-Chair), Mu Nu Los Angeles Alumni 2363 W Silver Lake Dr. Los Angeles, CA 90039 323-666-2603 auhaus@gmail.com BYLAWS & STANDING RULES Kathleen Earl, Alpha Delta Sacramento Alumni 8009 Beethoven Court Citrus Heights, CA 95621 916-728-2122 bylaws@muphiepsilon.org FINANCE Evelyn Archer, Omega Omega St. Louis Area Alumni 5312 Sutherland Ave. St. Louis, MO 63109 314-481-2361 archerbe@sbcglobal.net
Treasurer Beverly W. Abegg 8 Phillips Dr. Westford, MA 01886 978-692-7353 bevabegg@verizon.net Secretary Eileen Butler-Kennedy 2875 77th Avenue Baton Rouge, LA 70807 225-357-0310 kennedyeb48@gmail.com Chairman Judy May 408 West Mission Drive Chandler, AZ 85225 480-813-6973 judy.may@asu.edu
INTERNATIONAL Marlon Daniel, Mu Xi New York Alumni 45 Tiemann Place, Apt 5F New York, NY 10027-3327 212-641-0305 marlondanielnyc@gmail.com
Vice Chairman Linda Florjancic 7959 Wright Road Broadview Heights OH 44147 216-219-4953 lflorjancic@yahoo.com
MUSIC LIBRARIAN & ARCHIVES Wendy Sistrunk, Mu Mu Kansas City Alumni 1504 S. Ash Ave. Independence, MO 64052 816-836-9961 SistrunkW@umkc.edu WEBSITE David Champion, Gamma Sigma Palos Verdes/South Bay Alumni 229 15th St. Manhattan Beach, CA 90266 310-545-3442 webmaster@muphiepsilon.org
President of Mu Phi Epsilon International Fraternity Rosemary Ames 13 Travis Drive Framingham, MA 01702 508-872-5818 president@muphiepsilon.org
MuPhiEpsilon.org
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Mu Phi Epsilon International Executive Office P.O. Box 1369 Fort Collins, CO 80522-1369 executiveoffice@muphiepsilon.org 1-888-259-1471
Notice of Change of Address or Name Click on Alumni Update Form at www.MuPhiEpsilon.org
Chapter Fun
Alpha Pi members at the chapter's Thanksgiving social in November.
Recent ACME honoree David Nash receives a certificate from ACME co-chair Arietha Lockhart. Both are Atlanta Alumni members.
District SC2 leaders at their successful district conference in January. From left: District Director Ashley Kimmel; Allison Jayroe and Brittany Bonner of host chapter Phi Xi; and Collegiate Advisor Jenny Smith.
Zeta celebrates its newest members after a recent initiation ceremony.