News

Andrew Rudin's (B.A. Music, '62) new "Sonata for Piano" was premiered by pianist Beth Levin May 5 at Spectrum in New York City. On that same day, the Dallas-based ensemble, Voice of Change, presented his "Sonata for Violin and Piano". In Philadelphia, on May 6, Lloyd Smith, cellist and Marcantonio Barone presented his "Sonata for Cello and Piano" in Philadelphia, under the auspices of 1807 & Friends. Rudin begins an operatic collaboration with Texas writer, Ann McCutchan in June. Three new CD's of Rudin's music are scheduled for release on Centaur Records. "September Trilogy" for string orchestra will have its premiere in Fall 2014 by Philadelphia-based Orchestra 200l, honoring his 75th birthday.

American conductor Garrett Keast is building a reputation for musical excellence with orchestras in Europe and the United States. In the 2012/13 season he has enjoyed successful debuts with the NDR Sinfonieorchester Hamburg, MDR Sinfonieorchester Leipzig, Philharmoniker Hamburg and the Hamburg Ballet, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Bach Collegium München, and has been re-invited a third time to conduct at the Opera National de Paris. Additionally, he has conducted the Orchestre de Paris, North Netherlands Symphony Orchestra, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart, RIAS Jugendorchester and the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie. Dates ahead include debuts with the Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie Koblenz, the Fort Worth Opera Festival, the Virginia Opera, and a return to the Hamburg Ballet. 

In a special performance, David Cloyd (B.A., Music Performance, '98) with violinist Miranda Scoma will be opening for label-mate James McCartney at the Lovin Cup in Rochester on May 14th. McCartney is currently on a 47-date, 27-state tour of the USA in advance of the release of his new album, Me (ECR Music Group).

Bruce Ludwick, Jr. (M.M., Organ Performance with Emphasis in Sacred Music, 2008) was appointed Director of Music and Organist at the Cathedral of St. Paul in Birmingham, AL as of January 1, 2013. Erin Montalto Ludwick (M.M., Vocal Performance, 2008) is from Birmingham and happy to be back home where she is setting up a private voice studio. Their wedding was at the Cathedral of St. Paul in June 2009 and was played by the late Dr. Gerre Hancock (former Professor of Organ and Sacred Music at UT-Austin). Bruce looks forward to building upon the foundation of the cathedral’s choirs to include comprehensive choirs for youth and children as well as an organ recital series.

David Viscoli, Professor of Piano, (B.M. 1987) was selected as a recipient of the Distinguished Faculty Scholar Award at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Alexandre Dossin (DMA, Music, 2001) is a tenured faculty member at the University of Oregon. His recordings include: Russian Transcriptions, to be included in Naxos' ongoing international series "Complete Piano Works by Franz Liszt," which was released in July 2012; Rachmaninoff: Prelude in c# minor, op. 3 no. 2, Preludes op. 23; recording and editorial work, Schirmer Performance Editions, released in November 2012; Rachmaninoff:  Preludes op. 32; recording and editorial work, Schirmer Performance Editions, to be released in 2013; and Leonard Bernstein: Piano Works, Naxos American Classics Series, to be released late 2013. A full discography is available at www.dossin.net.
 

Congratulations to alum Justin Tucker (BA, Recording Technology, 2011), former Texas Longhorn and current kicker for the Baltimore Ravens. Rookie Tucker hit two crucial field goals in the fourth quarter as the Baltimore Ravens survived a furious second-half rally by the San Francisco 49ers en route to a 34-31 victory and the Super Bowl title on Sunday, February 3rd.

Mary Dave Blackman (Ph.D., Music Education, 1989) has published a textbook for music appreciation courses. An Introduction to Art Music is an eBook that uses listening materials from the Classical Music Library, an online resource with more than 500 university subscribers. The text is published by Kendall Hunt and approaches material from the point of view of a music educator, not a musicologist.

Music Performance alum David Cloyd (BM, 1998) will officially launch Hook & Ladder Records, an imprint on ECR Music Group, on January 22, 2013.

Besides being the owner of Hook & Ladder Records, Cloyd has released two albums (Unhand Me, You Fiend! in 2009 and I Could Disappear in 2010) and is currently ECR Music Group's executive vice president of creative operations.

The label's first release, Caroline Fenn's debut album Fragile Chances, is currently slated for a worldwide release in January.

Butler School of Music alumnus Dr. Gary Beckman (Ph.D., Musicology, 2007) has become co-editor of a new journal - Artivate: A Journal of Entrepreneurship in the Arts. The inaugural issue will be published on September 1, 2012. 

Dr. Beckman is currently a musicology professor and the Director of Entrepreneurial Studies in the Arts at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina.