Tuesday
March 19th, 7:00 PM
Kopleff Recital Hall
Stars Rewritten (2020)
Steven Verhelst (b. 1981)
"This duet tells the story of two stars who seek their place in universe. In a search for themself and each other, they find a way to rewrite their future. Together. The piece features some beautiful melodic lines for both players. But it is in the interaction between all instruments where the magic happens. They build up the piece together to a climax, to finally end up on their own spot. A stunning, lyrical duet, written for 2 magnificent players, who rewrote the musical stars in their own special way."
- program note by composer
Event Horizon
for trombone, bass trombone, and fixed media (heavy metal band) (2021)
Evan Zegiel (b. 1994)
"Event Horizon is a musical imagining of humans crossing the event horizon of a black hole and colonizing an uninhabited world far beyond Earth. This new world becomes the next frontier for humankind: the settlement of a new dimension of the universe. Equal parts mysterious, crushingly heavy, strangely groovy, and highly virtuosic, Event Horizon is sure to spark the imaginations of audiences everywhere."
- program note by composer
Lock Horns
Steven Verhelst (b. 1981)
"Lock Horns was written for Ben Van Dijk and José Milton Vieira. After a dramatic introduction, a waltz ballad starts to float. A beautiful melody rises from both players, each expressing themselves in their own way. Halfway through the waltz, both players try to find each other by connecting into one melody. But they can’t seem to stop quarreling. In a Latin fight, both players push themselves to the maximum and try to prove their point. In the end, they agree to disagree."
- program note by composer
Dr. William Mann
Dr. William Mann is currently the Associate Professor of Trombone at Georgia State University. William serves as Principal Trombone of the Atlanta Opera Orchestra and the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra and performs regularly as a member of the trombone section with the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra and the Columbus (GA) Symphony Orchestra.
Prior to his 2013 appointment at Georgia State University, William taught at Morehead State University, the University of Missouri, Prairie View A&M University and the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor. William is regularly sought after as a lecturer, clinician and performer throughout the United States and Brazil, including the Blue Lake Music Camp in Blue Lake, MI, the Bay View Music Festival in Bay View, MI, the Third Coast Trombone Retreat in Montague, MI, and the Festival Nacional de Musica in Goiania, Brazil and the State Trombone Festival in São Luís, Brazil, in addition to several universities across the United States. His orchestral experiences also include performances with the Atlanta, Chattanooga, Lexington Philharmonic, Ohio Valley, West Virginia, Quad-City, Missouri, Tuscaloosa, Meridian, Victoria and Waco Symphony Orchestras. William received his Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees in trombone performance from the University of Texas at Austin in addition to a Bachelor of Music Education from Baylor University.
Dr. Jemmie Robertson
Jemmie Robertson is Associate Professor of Trombone at the University of Florida and Principal Trombone of the Gainesville Orchestra. Jemmie studied at Northwestern University (DM, 2006) with Michael Mulcahy and Randall Hawes; Yale University (MM, 2003) with Scott Hartman and John Swallow; and the University of Northern Colorado (BM, 1997) with Buddy Baker. Jemmie grew up in Billings, MT where he studied with his father, James D. Robertson.
International performances include Santiago, Chile (September 2023) and Honduras (October 2023). Recent international performances include Trombonanza in Santa Fe, Argentina (August 2023), Urubrass Festival in Uruguay (January 2023); Guest Artist Recital and Masterclass at the Conservatorio de Música, Universidad Mayor, Santiago (August 2022); Alessi Seminar in Fossano, Italy (April 2022); Solo Recital Tour in Japan (July 2019); Turrin’s Fandango at the Les Anches d'Azur Music Festival in La Croix- Valmer, France with the UF Wind Symphony (June 2019); International guest artist at the ATPB 2019 Trombone Festival in João Pessoa, Paraiba, Brazil (May 2019). Previously, Jemmie performed with the Breckenridge Music Festival (2000-2019) and as Principal Trombone of the Santo Domingo Festival in the Dominican Republic (2011-2015).
Jemmie has published four solo recordings: Red Dragonfly (2021, Mark Custom), Collaborations (2017), Conditions of a Solitary Bird (2014), and A New Day Dawning (2008, MSR Classics). Jemmie was a founding member of the American Trombone Quartet, which released the album Premiere! (2020, Mark Custom) and were featured artists at the 2019 Lille Trombone Festival in Lille, France, and the 2017 & 2018 International Trombone Festivals. Since 2015, Jemmie is a member of the Southeast Trombone Symposium Professors Choir with whom he recorded the album Legacy in 2018. Previously Jemmie was a member of the U.S. Air Force Heritage of America Band and the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. Jemmie is an Edwards Artist and Clinician.
Dr. Jasmin Arakawa
Hailed by Gramophone for her ‘characterful sparkle’, Jasmin Arakawa has performed widely in North America, Central and South America, Europe, China and Japan. A prizewinner of the Jean Françaix International Music Competition, she has been heard at Carnegie Hall, Salle Gaveau in Paris and Victoria Hall in Geneva, as well as in broadcasts of the ABC Australia, BBC and Radio France. She has appeared as a concerto soloist with the Philips Symfonie Orkest in Amsterdam, Orquestra Sinfonica de Piracicaba in Brazil, and numerous orchestras in the United States and her native Japan.
Sought-after collaborative pianist, Arakawa has served as Collaborative Artist in Residence at the Banff Centre in Canada for three seasons, and is a frequent collaborator at conventions by numerous organizations, such as International Trombone Festival, National Flute Association, International Double Reed Society, International Trumpet Guild, and International Women's Brass Conference.
Jasmin Arakawa is a graduate of Tokyo University of the Arts. She holds Doctor of Music and Master of Music degrees in Piano Performance from Indiana University. Arakawa is Associate Professor of Piano and Piano Area Coordinator at the University of Florida, as well as Director of the UF International Piano Festival. [www.jasminarakawa.com]