SATELLITE SALON SERIES: “STRINGS ATTACHED” @ SUU (sept 9 - 10)CC:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 08/22/11
Michael French
Public Information Coordinator
College of Performing and Visual Arts
Southern Utah University
Office: 435-865-8667
michaelfrench@suu.edu

Photo credits:
Peter Jacobson. Courtesy of Peter Jacobson
Tylana Renga. Courtesy of Peter Jacobson

FOR CALENDAR EDITORS: SATELLITE SALON SERIES: “STRINGS ATTACHED”

WHAT: Percussion, cello, violin and visual art join forces for SUU’s truly unique and highly entertaining Satellite Salon Series, in a special two-day series of events developed by members of the music and art and design departments featuring series creator, Dr. Lynn Vartan, percussionist, and visual artist Jay Merryweather, an SUU Professor. They will be joined by guest artists, cellist Peter Jacobson and violinist Tylana Renga. The professionals will work with students in an interactive master class, and then join forces on a highly innovative concert, “Arts Unwrapped.”

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

WHEN: September 9 & 10, 2011

TIME: Master Class, Fri., Sept. 9, 2011 at 3:00pm
“Arts Unwrapped,” Sat., Sept. 10, 2011 at 10:30am
“Strings Attached,” Sat., Sept. 10, 2011 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
HAS “STRINGS ATTACHED”
SEPTEMBER 9 & 10, 2011

Southern Utah University, Cedar City, Utah: Percussion, cello, violin and visual art join forces for SUU’s highly entertaining Satellite Salon Series, in a special two-day series of events developed by members of the music and art and design departments featuring series creator, Dr. Lynn Vartan, percussionist, and visual artist Jay Merryweather, an SUU Professor. They will be joined by guest artists, cellist Peter Jacobson and violinist Tylana Renga. These professionals will participate in a master class and Q&A at 3:00pm on Friday, September 9, 2011. On Saturday, September 10, 2011, Vartan will participate in a family workshop, “Arts Unwrapped,” at 10:30am, and a concert entitled “Strings Attached” 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.

This Satellite Salon Series is comprised of three events over a two-day period. On Friday, September 9, 2011, at 3:00pm, in a master class setting, Peter Jacobson and Dr. Lynn Vartan will demonstrate instrumental techniques and Jacobson will interact with some students and coach their own performance. Jacobson and Vartan will be joined by Jay Merryweather and the trio will discuss their careers as working artists. The master class is targeted to college and high school age students. On Saturday morning September 10, at 10:30am, the casual “Arts Unwrapped” features a program in which youngsters explore their creativity in a unique hands-on art project. Noisy 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. The third and final event is a free concert.

The weekend’s highlight will be “Strings Attached,” a concert highlighted by a vibrant collaboration of the instrumentalists and visual artist. The concert’s first half will feature Peter Jacobson, Tylana Renga and Dr. Lynn Vartan performing works that showcase the cello, violin and various percussion instruments. In the second act, in a special collaboration between music and art, Jay Merryweather will accompany the musical trio by creating visual art live onstage inspired by the improvised musical performance. The concert promises to be a vibrant work of art and a feast for both the ears and eyes.

Cellist Peter Jacobson was born into a family of string players and began playing at nine. Pete studied with the late, great Eleonore Schoenfeld at USC and since graduating has pursued a career in chamber music. Working with classical, avant-garde, jazz, rock, hip-hop and folk musicians from all over, he has recorded and performed with diverse greats from Dr. Dre to Dr. Fred Frith. He frequently performs new works as well as his own arrangements and compositions. He studied classical Hindustani music on the cello at the Ali Akbar College and with local classical Indian players. Pete plays regularly with Grammy winning Southwest Chamber Music, the Arohi Ensemble, his string quartet Quartetto Fantastico, and recently started composing and recording together with Tylana Renga under the name The Concentrates.

Growing up among the vibrant music scene of East Los Angeles, Tylana Renga has forged a career as one of the rare improvising violinists at home in Latin, Jazz and Rock idioms as well as classical music. In demand with many of Los Angeles’ salsa and charanga bands, Tylana is frequently heard collaborating with LA’s finest Cuban musicians. She graduated with a B.A. from Cal State Los Angeles under the violin instruction of Jay Zhong. These days, in addition to being a mother, Tylana plays with Domingo Siete, Quetzal, Charangoa, and as a freelance performer, arranger and recording artist.

Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at SUU, Jay Merryweather received Bachelor of Art degrees in both Design and Fine Art from California State University, San Bernardino; he earned his MFA from The School of Fine Arts at Claremont Graduate University. Employing techniques from sculpture, painting and design, Merryweather uses a variety of methods and media in order to convey his ideas. He maintains an active exhibition schedule, recently showing at L2Kontemporary in Los Angeles and participating in "Off the Beaten Path" at Mt San Antonio Gardens, which was curated by David Pagel, writer and Art Critic for The Los Angeles Times. Jay has operated his own design firm, MWX Designs, since '95 and has worked closely with a wide range of clients, including: IBM, Fed Ex, and Jane Goodall. Jay worked in Southern California as a graphic designer at the Environmental Systems Research Institute and as the VP of Design and Brand Development at Premier Mobile Image. Most recently Jay was an adjunct design professor at the University of Southern California and worked as a corporate trainer teaching design to senior staff at Pacific Communications in Costa Mesa, California.

Percussionist Dr. Lynn Vartan performs regularly in addition to teaching at SUU. She is percussionist for Southwest Chamber Music, two-time Grammy® nominee 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 is currently producing two solo albums which will be released next year. Vartan received her master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Southern California with special honors and recognition. She teaches percussion at Southern Utah University.

The Satellite Salon Series allows for personal interaction and communication between a resident or guest musician and or visual artist and music students from SUU and the region through master classes, question and answer sessions and workshops. The Series is also an educational program, designed to give southern Utah rural high school students the opportunity to learn from professional musicians and artists during the Master's Class. The music or arts "Unwrapped" component provides a casual concert or visual art experience for young children in the community, where they can sit on stage and listen and watch the performer or participate in a hands-on music or art project.

The Satellite Salon Series and “Arts Unwrapped” are made possible by funding from Arts Fusion, Arts Works for Kids!, and a grant from the Arts In Education Program with the Utah Division of Arts and Museums.

Do not miss “Strings Attached,” a weekend of events that promises to be both informative and highly 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 Shakespeare 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.