Ethos new music society presents final student series

On Wed. April 27, 2011, Rosch Recital Hall opened its doors to Ethos Music Society Student Composers series: Past, Present and Future.

The night began with a few announcements by president of the Ethos Executive Board,  composer and performer Robin Morace, thanking everyone for coming out. He explained that his piece would only be a portion of the entire composition and stated that "Romantic Sketches" composed by Jared Yackiw would not be performed because the performer Jonathan Mann fell ill.

The first performance of the night was of "Televangelist" composed by Mike McGough and played by Melissa Widzinski on the saxophone. The piece was inspired by the act of channel surfing during a winter break and stopping on a televangelist infomercial. A mixture of different infomercials involving miracle healing and get rich quick schemes accompanied the saxophone.  

The second selection, "Meditation No. 1," was composed by Michael Lanci and performed by Paul Swenson on the cello. This piece is for a solo cello that reflects upon the act of meditation. The music was constructed and based upon the idea of imitating the thoughts and emotions that enter one's mind during meditation.

The third composition was "Rooted Circuits" composed by Ben Miller performed by Brian McKenna and Zack Lewis on vibraphones. The piece was one of the hits of the night partly because of who the composer was; when Ben stood as the piece ended girls were swooning. A robot experiencing nature was the inspiration for this composition.  

Tim Bausch composed the next selection of the evening, "Tri." Performed by Robin Morace on piano, the piece encircles the spectral style of composition. To achieve this, Tim took samples of three different triangles and used their frequencies as pitch material.

The next piece was "Lacrimosa" composed by Derek Smith and performed by violinist Kevin Michki and pianist Fangfei Chen. "Lacrimosa" is the second movement of violin sonata commissioned by Kevin Michki. The Fredonia University Foundation's Carnahan Jackson Humanities fund provided the support for the composition and performance.

After a brief intermission where guests and composers left to have snacks and drinks in the hallway, the concert continued.

"Star-Gazing" was the second half's opener. The piece was composed by Paul Jackino and performed by Ryan Delaney and Michael O'Connor on violin, Hayden Denesha on viola, Craig Mehler on cello and Morgan Townsend on piano. "Star-Gazing" was another hit of the night with its realistic and relatable take on gazing up at the stars and losing yourself in everything among nature; it resembled taking a moment to reflect on their beauty and our relationship with the cosmos.

The next piece was entitled "Villanelle for Solo Euphonium" composed by Scott A. Miller and performed by Brianna Wilson on euphonium. The composition was an experiment applying the villanelle poetic form to music.

The following compositions were "Petersky/1971" composed by Dan Knorr and performed by Alicia Fitzpatrick on flute, Ryan Swell on saxophone and Callan Robinson on bass clarinet. The two pieces were started in October 2010 and the first, "Down the Petersky," was completed and performed in November 2010 and the second, "1971," was written for saxophone player Ryan Swell. Knorr put the two pieces together.

 "There are not many flute, saxophone and bass clarinet trios," Knorr said. "Petersky" was the first movement and "1971" the second.

John Chatterton composed the next selection "Oswegonian Themes" performed by Stephen Minor and Giovanna Ruggiero on violin, Ryan Jenson on viola, Brandon Codrington on cello and Scott Miller on double bass. Chatterton is a freshman dual major in music composition and performance.  

"It took me 12 days to write the piece," Chatterton said. Because Chatterton has never had one of his pieces performed before he was extremely nervous.

"It is a wonderful feeling and also very rewarding to hear performers get a chance to perform my piece. It was an honor to hear everyone else's as well," Chatterton said. Every composition major gets the chance to perform in the series as long as it is ready by the time of the showcase.

The last piece of the night was "Memoresonance" composed and performed by Robin Morace. The performance was only a part of the composition; the longest musical number of the night was an exploration of music, memories and dreams.