International Executive Office 1611 County Rd B, West, #320 St Paul, MN 55113 executiveoffice@muphiepsilon.org 888 259 1471 The Triangle is published 4 times per year by Mu Phi Epsilon, International Professional Music Fraternity. Member, Professional Fraternity Association. (ISSN 0041-2600) (Volume 114, Issue 2) Subscription price is $20.00 per year. Single copies are $8.00. Periodicals postage paid at St. Paul, MN, and at additional mailing offices. Printed in the United States of America. POSTMASTER: Send all changes of address to: Mu Phi Epsilon, 1611 County Road, B West, Suite 320, St. Paul, MN 55113. © 2020 Mu Phi Epsilon. All rights reserved. NOTICE OF CHANGE OF ADDRESS OR NAME Update online at www.muphiepsilon.org
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VOLUME 114
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ISSUE 2
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SUMMER 2020
Mu Phi Epsilon International Professional Fraternity for the Advancement of Music in the Community, Nation, and World.
BY F RAN C I S V U, P H I TAU, DA L L AS A LU M N I F R A N C I SV U @ MY.U N T. E DU
OUR OWN
VACCINE How we heal during COVID-19 nly a few short months ago, we were given life-altering news about a novel coronavirus. Immediately, we were inundated with new challenges and had to make considerable lifestyle changes, including one that will surely become a contender for Merriam-Webster’s word of the year: social distancing.
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We have been enduring a trauma. This trauma is unique, though; it has been dealt to all of humanity synchronously. While adapting to this new mode of living, it is important we continue to mourn and work through the five stages of grief. When our grief is deepest, remember the inextricable connection that we are in this together. These deeply human experiences can cut through our differences and heal us — if we let it. Lean into that grief. Let yourself experience it fully. And then allow yourself to move on. For me, moving on means relying on gratitude. And no one describes gratitude better than motivational author and speaker Brené Brown. She states, “Practicing gratitude invites joy into our lives.” While it is important to grieve, it is equally important to highlight the current joys in our life. Notice that Brené intentionally uses the phrase “practice gratitude.” And who knows better how to practice than musicians? Perhaps you practice gratitude by asking each family member to share two things they are grateful for that day at the dinner table. Perhaps you practice gratitude by writing three things you are grateful for in an electronic or paper journal. I find that engaging in this latter practice with my morning coffee sets my intentions for the day in the best way. Here are some things I am grateful for:
Near-Term Future of Singing?” cited scientists who presented dismal news and exacerbated the fear already prevalent in professional music circles — that it will be a long time before choirs will be able to sing together again for fear of members spreading COVID-19 to each other. While it is important to hear the facts, it is more important that we serve as staunch advocates for our profession now more than ever. We must not fuel the fire of institutions to cut our fine arts programs. We must forge solutions. What solutions can we come up with to keep music-making alive, despite social distancing? What can we do to keep our musical community thriving? I believe there is a fierce need for music during this pandemic and will be after, too, because it reflects our humanity and provides the connection that humans crave. So channel your creativity and ingenuity, and join with your friends and colleagues to generate solutions that move our profession forward. While our doctors toil tirelessly to find a physical vaccine to immunize against COVID-19, help me prove to the world that music’s connection, community, and humanity is necessary and serves as the emotional vaccine we also need.
1. More time with my fiancé whom I am marrying on July 31, 2020. Kyle and I have cooked more meals, read more books, and more Netflix than you can imagine during this time. And I am loving it. 2. The slower pace of life. I’ve read an article that called this the “Great Pause,” and I’ve adopted this term wholeheartedly. Knowing the dedication and drive of those in the music profession, I would venture that this slow pace of life is a novel feeling. This is the time for us to focus on previously neglected facets of our lives. 3. The ability to turn inward. This may be the greatest opportunity for us during this Great Pause. We now have the time and space to shift that focus internally towards ourselves and to engage in self-care. Take that long bath, read that dusty book sitting on your bookshelf, cook that family recipe from scratch, cocoon yourself in blankets, and watch all of the Harry Potter movies like Kyle and I did. All of this can be extremely healing. This can quell that burnout you might have experienced for some time now. And when we are able to return to our work again, hopefully you will feel that same sense of exhilaration you did when you first made music or during your first year on the job. When I’m asked about my favorite part of music-making with choirs, I answer: the togetherness. The realization that an ensemble is stronger as a sum than as individual parts connects us inextricably and fosters that deep human connection. Recently, a webinar entitled “What Do Science and Data Say About the
Francis Vu (right) lounges at home with his fiancé, Kyle Cathlina (left), and their dog, Coco.
Francis Vu, Phi Tau, Dallas Alumni, will be the chorus conductor for the 2021 Mu Phi Epsilon Convention. He teaches choral conducting at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas, where he serves as the director of the UNT Men’s Chorus and is conducting associate for the UNT Concert Choir. He is director of music at Horizon Unitarian Universalist Church in Carrollton, Texas. Vu is the former director of choirs at Centennial High School. Under his direction, the Centennial HS A Cappella Choir was recognized as a National Finalist for The American Prize in Choral Performance. He was designated the Texas Choral Directors Association “Young Director of Distinction” in 2018. In both 2020 and 2018, Vu was runner-up in the Southwest ACDA Graduate Conducting Competition. He was director of the Turtle Creek Chorale Chamber Chorus in Dallas and was presented with the Turtle Creek Chorale “Upcoming Director Award” in 2017. Vu is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in choral conducting with a vocal pedagogy cognate at the University of North Texas. He earned a master’s degree in choral conducting from Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan, and a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. SUMMER 2020
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A PPL AUSE & ENCORE:
FINAL NOTES
MEMBER AND CHAPTER NEWS
A N N G I BBE N S DAV I S P H I L A M B DA , WAS H I N TO N D.C . A LUMNI DAV I S MU S E C @ CO MC AST. N ET
Helen Gloria (Melaas) Canine
CONGRATULATIONS!
Omega, May 5, 1947 Des Moines Alumni Died April 4, 2020
Pianist, organist, and music educator. Helen attended Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, on a full music scholarship. Upon graduating, she taught music and piano in the Des Moines public schools and was an accompanist and director a local church choir. She taught piano students from her home for 40 years. For decades, she sang in her church choir and served as a substitute volunteer pianist and organist. She was a member of Iowa Music Teacher Association, Music Teachers National Association, the B-Sharp women’s music club and the International Piano Teacher’s Association.
Best Wishes from Mu Phi Epsilon! Rebecca Nederhiser, Beta Pi, was chosen to be the graduate recipient of the Glenn Korff Graduate Artist/Scholar Award for 20202021. Rebecca Nederhiser currently serves as associate conductor to the Nebraska Symphony Orchestra, University of Nebraska Lincoln (UNL) and co-conductor of the Campus Orchestra. Her past positions include associate conductor of the Central Washington Symphony Orchestra (CWSO) and apprentice conductor to the Wenatchee Valley Symphony Orchestra (WCSO) in Wenatchee, Washington. In 2019, she led performances of Arnold Schoenberg’s “Pierrot Lunaire,” leading to the formation of the ensemble, the Lincoln Chamber Society in Lincoln, Nebraska. Recently having been awarded a Hixson-Lied grant, Nederhiser will embark on an original choreographic interpretation of Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring Suite, featuring members of the UNL Glenn Korff School of Music and Dance Program.
Omega, May 22, 1951 Died May 10, 2020
Pianist, academic administrator, and philanthropist. Frances “Fran” Kinne was the keynote speaker at the 2008 Mu Phi Epsilon Convention in Jacksonville, Florida, and found the Fraternity’s Beta Beta chapter. She demonstrated a talent for music from an early age. She helped teach piano lessons beginning at age 11 and worked as a public school music teacher after graduating high school. She earned both bachelor and master of music education degrees from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. Fran began her academic career at Jacksonville University, Jacksonville, Florida, in 1958 as an assistant professor of the humanities. She founded Jacksonville University’s College of Fine Arts in 1960 and was president from 1979 until 1989. She was the state of Florida’s first female university president. In 1981, she was awarded an honorary doctorate from Drake University, and she funded the Frances Bartlett Kinne Endowed Music Scholarship for piano. In 1997, Drake University’s Kinne Alumni and Development Center was named in her honor. FORT WORTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTERA
Deborah Petty Brooks, Phi Tau, Dallas Alumni, and a longtime member of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra (FWSO) in Texas, spearheaded a video-rendition of “Brasil” by Ary Barroso, arranged by John Wasson, performed by 60 FWSO members. Debbie was also interviewed on Dallas-Fort Worth Fox 4 News “Good Day” for the video’s debut.
Frances (Bartlett) Kinne
Janice (Wignall) Mitchell Mu Upsilon, April 15, 1945 Los Angeles Alumni, Colorado Springs Alumni Died March 11, 2020
Organist and choral director. Janice earned her bachelor’s degree in music at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, and moved to Los Angeles where she earned her master’s degree in music from the University of Southern California. She taught at the graduate level at Biola University in Los Angeles and enjoyed overseeing the Santa Monica High School Symphony Orchestra Program. Janice was a choral director at Santa Monica High School and organist at Westwood Methodist Church in Los Angeles for many years. She was also a professor at Biola College in Whittier, California. Janice was past president of the Los Angeles Alumni chapter from 1989 to 1991 and later moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she was a charter member of the Colorado Springs Alumni chapter. Pauline “Polly” (Sleeter) Monson Phi Chi, January 12, 1969 Died April 4, 2020
Patron Anne Destabelle, Palo Alto/South Bay Alumni, and her Pennyroyal Players were chosen for the Community Service Award for 2020 by the Palos Verdes Peninsula Coordinating Council, Palos Verdes Peninsula, California. The award ceremony, originally scheduled for May 20, 2020, was postponed.
Music educator, flutist and piccoloist. Polly graduated from Fresno State College, Fresno, California, with a B.A. in education and a minor in music. She was a first-grade teacher in Fresno, California, for over 23 years. She played flute and piccolo in the Fresno Symphony Orchestra and Opera, performed chamber music, and taught music to flute and piccolo students for many years. She formed the group, Flute Fun, with friends who played music together regularly in Pismo Beach, California. She was an enthusiastic supporter of the Festival Mozaic in San Luis Obispo, California. SUMMER 2020
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