JAY MASON, Adjunct Professor of Saxophone, recently performed in the first orchestral studio session for the next Stephen Spielberg/John Williams collaboration, The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn. This feature film is in post production and is due for a 2011 release.
JEFF HELD, Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Instrumental Activities, has been elected Vice-President of the Board of Directors of Lutheran Music Program. This organization is committed to strengthening and expanding the Church’s heritage of excellence in music through youth academies. The flagship experience is Lutheran Summer Music Academy, a 4-week music academy for high school students. Many of the church’s musical leaders are alumni of this prestigious program, held each summer at a Midwestern Lutheran University. More information: www.lutheransummermusic.org.
PEGGY DUQUESNEL, adjunct professor (worship piano and jazz) recently released an album called "Show Me Your Way". Duquesnel wrote many songs on the album, plays piano, and sings. The album and two songs on it has been included on the first ballot for the 51st Grammy Awards. This means that it is in the running to become a Grammy finalist. Members of NARAS (National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences) will be voting. website
DR. CAROL MCDANIEL, Resident Faculty in Music and Director of the Director of Parish Music Program, was a plenary speaker at the LCMS National Institute on Liturgy, Preaching and Church Music, July 22–25, held at Concordia University, Seward. Over 700 pastors and musicians from the LCMS were in attendance. Carol’s presentation entitled, "Have you Heard the Savior Singing?", focused on the worship leader's need to spend time in the "practice room" of spiritual disciplines...studying, savoring and singing the songs of Scripture. During the Institute, Carol led two workshops, "The Best of Both Worlds: Convergence in Worship" and ”Lectio Divina: An Adaptation for Retreats and Small Group Bible Studies."
DR. HERB GEISLER, Professor of Music and Chair of the Music Department, presented a paper, "Faith, Reason and Emotion: At the Nexus of Music and 'Religious Experience' in Contemporary American Christianity" at the international Society for Ethnomusicology conference in Columbus last month.
DR. GEISLER also published an article, “Thinking Outside the Bell-Music for Handbells AND Other Instruments” in the October issue of Overtones, the national magazine of the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers.
SUSAN FRIES, adjunct faculty in music (flute), recently published a book about legendary flutist Marcel Moyse, titled My Teacher, Remembering Marcel Moyse. The book is a narrative of fifty-four individual stories about the famous flute teacher/performer who was the most-recorded flutist in France between 1920 and 1940. www.susanfriesbook.com
CHARLIE WARREN, adjunct faculty in music (tuba), and his Disneyland-based brass quintet, the Pacific Coast Horns, have released a new Music Minus One CD for solo tuba. This would be a great way for students to learn solo pieces with high quality accompaniment in regular tempo and slower tempo.