Satellite Salon Series Featuring Oboe @ SUU (Cedar City: Sept 24-25)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 09/10/10
Michael French
Public Information Coordinator
College of Performing and Visual Arts
Southern Utah University
Office: 435-865-8667
Cell: 805-260-8797
michaelfrench@suu.edu

Photo Credits:
Dr. Lynn Vartan headshot
Keve Wilson headshot
Lynn Vartan (far right) working with children and parents at last year's "Music Unwrapped." Photo courtesy of Dr. Lynn Vartan

FOR CALENDAR EDITORS: SATELLITE SALON SERIES – KEVE WILSON
WHAT: The oboe is spotlighted in the first Satellite Salon Series event for 2010-2011. Guest artist Keve Wilson, principal oboist for the Grammy Award® nominated Absolute Ensemble, participates in the weekend event. Wilson will work with students in an interactive master class, youngsters in the family-friendly “Music Unwrapped,” and participate in an afternoon open rehearsal and perform with percussionist Dr. Lynn Vartan in an evening concert of solo works and duets.

WHO: Southern Utah University, College of Performing and Visual Arts,
Music Department

WHEN: Sept. 24 & 25, 2010

TIME: Master Class, Sept. 24, 2010 at 3:30pm
“Music Unwrapped,” Sept. 25, 2010 at 10:30am
Open Rehearsal, Sept. 25, 2010 at 2:00pm
Evening Concert, Sept. 25, 2010 at 7:30pm

WHERE: All events: Thorley Recital Hall, Music Building, Southern Utah University, Cedar City, UT

TICKETS: Phone: Arts Hotline: (435) 865-8800 or visit: www.suu.edu/arts

PRICES: Free and the General Public is encouraged to attend.

SUU’S SATELLITE SALON SERIES
TO FEATURE OBOIST KEVE WILSON
SEPTEMBER 24 & 25, 2010

Southern Utah University, Cedar City, Utah: Capable of sounding dark or sweet, the sounds produced by the oboe depict a distinctive range of moods. SUU’s Department of Music’s Satellite Salon Series kicks off its 2010-2011 season with a two-day series of events exploring the oboe. Dr. Keith Bradshaw, Chair, is pleased to announce that Salon Series creator, Dr. Lynn Vartan, will be joined by guest artist, oboist Keve Wilson, who will participate in a master class and Q&A at 3:30pm on Friday, September 24, 2010, and on Saturday, September 25, 2010, in a family workshop, “Music Unwrapped,” at 10:30am, an open rehearsal at 2:00pm, and a concert at 7:30pm. All events will take place at Thorley Recital Hall located on campus in the Music Building. All events are free and opened to the general public.

Hailed by The New York Times for her “consistently distinguished playing” and “magnificently sweet tone,” oboist Keve Wilson has been a principal oboist for the Grammy Award® nominated Absolute Ensemble since 1995. With the ensemble, Wilson has toured Germany, Italy, Austria, Finland, Estonia, England, New Zealand, and recently returned from Greece. Wilson has recorded for film and television, including the soundtrack for Spiderman III and a television special starring Barry Manilow. An in-demand Broadway musician, she has performed in the orchestras of such acclaimed musicals as CATS, Les Miserables, Jekyll & Hyde, and most recently Lincoln Center’s award-winning revival of South Pacific. A winner of the Concert Artists Guild competition, Wilson is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music. For two years, Wilson and her husband were the hosts of Mountain Public Radio’s “A Couple of Musicians.” She is also an accomplished pianist and has taught children’s workshops for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Heart of Los Angeles and Caramoor.

Percussionist Dr. Lynn Vartan performs regularly in addition to teaching at SUU. She is percussionist for Southwest Chamber Music, two-time Grammy® nominees in the “Best Classical Album of the Year” and “Best Small Ensemble with or without a conductor” categories. Vartan has been featured on the Los Angeles Philharmonic Green Umbrella Series, the Different Trains Series and has soloed with the Music and the Court series in Pasadena, California, and the Sierra Wind Symphony. She received her master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Southern California with special honors and recognition. Vartan is currently producing two solo albums which will be released next year.

This Satellite Salon Series, featuring Keve Wilson, is comprised of four events during a two-day period. First, on Friday, September 24, 2010, at 3:30pm, in a master class setting, Wilson will demonstrate the oboe, her technique and style for students. She will discuss her experiences and the pieces to be performed in the weekend’s concert and work directly with the students. The master class is targeted to college and high school age students. On Saturday morning September 25, at 10:30am, the casual “Music Unwrapped” features Wilson and Vartan interacting with youngsters as she introduces them to the oboe and its sound. The session features hands-on elements, so younger students can touch, see, hear and experience the oboe and some percussion. Noisy younger children are welcome to attend with their parents who can walk them around the family-friendly event which is geared to young children, families and the community. At 2pm, the open rehearsal begins and silent observers can witness Wilson and Vartan prepare for the evening’s concert.

The weekend concludes with the concert at 7:30pm featuring Keve Wilson and Dr. Lynn Vartan performing solo works and duets. The program includes Six Metamorphoses after Ovid by Benjamin Britten for oboe solo, Piece for Solo Oboe and Improv Percussion by Alec Wilder, Oblivion by Astor Piazzolla and a lively Irish jig and reel.

The Satellite Salon Series allows for personal interaction and communication between a resident or guest musician and music students from SUU and the region through master classes, question and answer sessions and workshops. Satellite Salon Series and “Music Unwrapped” are made possible by funding from Art Works for Kids! and the Utah Division of Arts and Museums.

Develop a greater appreciation of the oboe with guest Keve Wilson in a weekend that promises to be both informative and entertaining. For more information on the SUU College of Performing and Visual Arts events, please call the Arts Hotline at (435) 865-8800, or visit www.suu.edu/arts.

ABOUT THE COLLEGE
The Southern Utah University College of Performing and Visual Arts is comprised of nationally accredited departments of Art and Design, Music, Theatre Arts and Dance, as well as a graduate program in Arts Administration. The College offers 16 different degree areas, including liberal arts Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees; professional Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Fine Arts in art and theatre degrees; and a Master of Fine Arts in Arts Administration degree. More than 60 full- and part-time faculty and staff are engaged in teaching and mentoring over 550 majors in the College. Over 1100 students enroll each year in over 195 arts classes on the SUU campus. The College presents 100 performances, lectures, presentations, and exhibitions each year. The College’s affiliate organizations include the Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery, American Folk Ballet, Utah Shakespearean Festival, the performance group Acclamation, and the SUU Ballroom Dance Company. For more information about the College of Performing and Visual Arts, contact the Office of the Dean (435) 865-8561, or by e-mail at cpvamktg@suu.edu.