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January 17, 2006
Emory music faculty take center stage this spring

BY Nancy condon

From the sonic dance of Michael Cebulski’s percussion to the elegant sounds of Teresa Hopkin’s vocals and Deborah Thoreson’s piano, this spring semester brings five free faculty recitals to the Schwartz Center’s Emerson Concert Hall. The performances allow faculty to reveal new and old works to a general audience and to give students the opportunity to watch teachers show their stuff.

The first is Cebulksi, Emory artist affiliate and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra principal percussionist, whose concert “Mallet Dancing” will be held Jan. 21 at 8 p.m. It is a program of music for marimba, xylophone and vibraphone, including one marimba solo which composer Charles Knox wrote specifically for Cebulski.

Pianist and Emory faculty member Laura Gordy will accompany Cebulski on two xylophone pieces. The program’s title, Cebulski explained, refers to “the observation that to play mallet instruments the performer must be mobile and almost choreograph major sections of the performance.”

Next up, Jan. 22 at 4 p.m., are Tamara Makdad Albrecht and Timothy Albrecht in a duo-organist recital. Their program includes both duets and solo pieces by a variety of composers. Timothy will be debuting a solo piece, “Romp!,” written by contemporary composer Stephen Paulus and commissioned by Daniel Jaeckel, builder of Emory’s new pipe organ.

The Albrechts have been performing organ duos their entire married life, including an emergency performance at their own wedding ceremony. “We used to perform together more often,” says Timothy, “but we have both been involved in so many other creative projects. It will be fun to get reacquainted at the keyboard again.”

On Jan. 28 at 8 p.m., master sitarist Kakali Bandyopadhyay performs North Indian classical music in the style of the legendary Senia Maihar. Bandyopadhyay has earned many honors for her music over the years and performed throughout India and the United States. A composer of fusion works influenced by North Indian classical music, she teaches sitar and North Indian instrumental music at Emory.

A joint recital of vocalist Teresa Hopkin and pianist Deborah Thoreson, to be held Feb. 25 at 8 p.m., will include arias by Handel, Samuel Barber’s “Hermit Songs,” Hugo Wolf songs from the “Italienisches Liederbuch” and a group of songs by Duparc, Debussy, Poulenc and Liszt. Hopkin, who has played leading roles for the Atlanta Opera, rejoined the Emory faculty in 2005 as director of vocal studies. Thoreson, on the Emory faculty since 1978 and currently director of undergraduate and performance studies, has appeared as a collaborative pianist in major concert halls throughout the United States and Europe and can be heard on the ACA Digital label.

Finally, on March 7 at 8 p.m., DuoATL presents its debut concert. This new flute and guitar duo was founded last summer by Emory faculty artist affiliate, guitarist and composer Brian Luckett and flutist and composer Nicole Randall. The recital includes works by such composers as the American Hubert Bird, Brazilians Radamés Gnattali and Heitor Villa-Lobos, Puerto Rican Robert Xavier Rodriguez and more.

For more information about these and other faculty concerts, call 404-727-5050 or visit www.arts.emory.edu.

 

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