K-State Indigenous Faculty Staff Alliance (IFSA) Land Acknowledgement
(January 15, 2020)
As the first land-grant institution established under the 1862 Morrill Act, we acknowledge that the state of Kansas is historically home to many Native nations, including the Kaw, Osage, and Pawnee, among others. Furthermore, Kansas is the current home to four federally recognized Native nations: The Prairie Band Potawatomie, the Kickapoo Tribe of Kansas, the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, and Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska.
Many Native nations utilized the western plains of Kansas as their hunting grounds, and others – such as the Delaware – were moved through this region during Indian removal efforts to make way for White settlers. It’s important to acknowledge this, since the land that serves as the foundation for this institution was, and still is, stolen land.
We remember these truths because K-State’s status as a land-grant institution is a story that exists within ongoing settler-colonialism, and rests on the dispossession of Indigenous peoples and nations from their lands. These truths are often invisible to many. The recognition that K-State’s history begins and continues through Indigenous contexts is essential.
Suite for Strings
John Rutter (b. 1945)
I. A-Roving
II. I Have a Bonnet Trimmed with Blue
III. O Waly Waly
IV. Dashing Away
John Rutter is known throughout the world for large-scale choral works with orchestra, and a massive library of SATB vocal anthems, carols, and songs. He has been commissioned to write for several royal events honoring Queen Elizabeth, Prince William, and others, and continues to travel around the world as our most beloved choral ambassador. Lesser known are Rutter’s works for instrumental ensemble.
In his Suite for Strings, Rutter’s experience as a choir composer is immediately evident in the subject matter and the clean, clear part-writing of the string sections. The movements feature traditional melodies from England and Scotland, some of which go back hundreds of years. From cautionary tales for sailors (“A-Roving”) to ruminations on blue bonnets or the fading charms of young love ("O Waly Waly") to admiration of domestic productivity (“Dashing Away”), the Suite for Strings is an infectious tour of British cultural history.
Contributions by Jeff Counts, Utah Symphony (2023)
Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
I. Poco sostenuto – Vivace
II. Allegretto
III. Presto – Assai meno presto
IV. Allegro con brio
Beethoven’s 7th Symphony stirs to life with daybreak melodies. Then come the brass, woodwinds, and timpani, joined by the strings in a collective draw. That’s Beethoven for you, a master of the unexpected, knowing precisely how to pull you in for that mind-blowing experience. It’s not just music; it’s a waking dream, and it all starts with that unforgettable opening sequence.
The second movement begins with an unadorned, somber theme, delivered by the violas and cellos. As the music unfolds, this simple theme is transformed and expanded upon by different sections of the orchestra. It builds, not in a rush, but with a measured intensity, a complexity that’s felt rather than heard. The rhythm creates a hypnotic pulse, a heartbeat that drives the movement forward.
The third and fourth movements of Beethoven’s 7th unfold with distinct characters and emotions. The third movement, a lively scherzo, injects a burst of energy, evoking a joyful dance, while the fourth, a vigorous and spirited finale, concludes the symphony with a triumphant celebration.
Contributions by Ali Moustofi (2023), Medium
Festive Overture
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)
Featuring the Olathe Northwest Chamber Orchestra
Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich spent much of his time playing cat-and-mouse games with the culture police, always trying to push his artistic boundaries outwards without offending Stalin by seeming too formalist.
In his memoir, Testimony, Shostakovich relates numerous stories about his colleagues who disappeared in the middle of the night, never to be heard from again. (This had happened, for example, to the Jewish actor Solomon Mikhoels, an outspoken Shostakovich supporter, in 1948.) Shostakovich constantly lived in fear that the same thing would happen to him.
The story behind the creation of the Festive Overture is one of those fantastic tales that reveal the true nature of a composer’s genius, leaving all of the eyewitnesses shaking their heads in wonder. One day in the fall of 1954, Shostakovich was visited by a conductor from the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra. Due to mysterious political maneuverings and bureaucratic snafus, the orchestra needed a new work to celebrate the October Revolution, and the concert was in three days.
There is not a trace of haste or carelessness in the vibrant Festive Overture. Shostakovich always composed at a fast pace, writing down the notes with superhuman facility. We will never know whether or not he employed musical ideas which were already lurking in his imagination, or whether the entire work was simply an instantaneous flash of inspiration. It is amusing, however, to think of Shostakovich “laughing and chuckling” as he composed, for it is easy to imagine the pervasiveness of the composer’s good humor driving this energetic, truly festive work.
Contributions by Ryan Dorin, LA Philharmonic
Dr. Rachel Dirks, Director of Orchestral Studies, is an active conductor, clinician, and educator. In addition to her work with the KSU Symphony Orchestra, she teaches applied cello and string education at K-State. Dr. Dirks holds cello performance degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and Bethel College, and a Ph.D. in music education, with an emphasis in orchestral conducting, from the University of Kansas. As a guest conductor Dr. Dirks has been invited to conduct orchestras throughout the United States, including recent appearances in Kentucky, Oregon, New New York, Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, and throughout Kansas. As a featured clinician, she has presented at the National Convention of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA), the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic, and the state music education conferences of Texas, Oregon, Colorado, and Kansas. Her most recent research has been accepted for presentations at the International Society of Music Education (ISME) and the National Association for Music Education (NAfME).
Along with her work at Kansas State, Dr. Dirks serves on the national ASTA committee on health and wellness with a focus on mental health. Her writing has been published in the American String Teacher, the Kansas Music Review, and several volumes of the instructional publication, Teaching Music Through Performance in Orchestra. She has led performance tours to Italy, Austria, Ireland, San Francisco, Chicago, and New York, and as a cellist, she has enjoyed performing in a wide array of ensembles and venues, including Carnegie Hall. And, as an educator, she has been honored with awards from the Kansas Music Educators Association, the American String Teachers Association Kansas Chapter, the Lawrence Schools Foundation, and the Newton Public Schools. Throughout her work, her fundamental goal is to encourage musicians to seek and create community through music.
Joel Martin has been teaching in the Olathe School District since 1997. He currently directs the orchestras and teaches AP Music Theory at Olathe Northwest High School, where he has been since it opened in 2003, previously having taught at Oregon Trail Junior High. Mr. Martin obtained his Bachelor's from the UMKC Conservatory of Music studying violin with Tiberius Klausner, Grisha Sandomirsky, and Benny Kim. He also holds a Master of Arts in Music Composition from the UMKC Conservatory, where he studied under the tutelage of Dr. Zhou Long and Dr. Chen Yi.
Mr. Martin is a member of the National Association for Music Education, the American String Teachers Association, and the Kansas Music Educators Association, and is an alumnus of the Golden Key National Honor Society and Mu Phi Epsilon Professional Music Fraternity. Mr. Martin has served as a clinician and adjudicator in Missouri and Kansas, has twice been selected by his colleagues as the NEKMEA Outstanding Orchestra Educator, and was nominated for Kansas Teacher of the Year and selected as a district Semi-Finalist. He also currently plays first violin in the Armand String Quartet. He currently resides in Kansas City with his lovely wife, Traci, and their two dogs, Marshall and Ruthie.
The Kansas State University Symphony Orchestra Leadership Team began in 2021 with the goal of cultivating connection, commitment, and community between KSUSO musicians. Selected each school year, the Leadership Team fulfills various administrative roles for the ensemble, including recruitment, social media management, library and programming, and community outreach.
KSUSO Personnel
Piccolo
Sienna DelBorrell – Shawnee
Flute
# Jessica Minnich – Manhattan
Laura Bogner – Overland Park
Anna Peery – Goddard
Tegan Stratton – Clay Center
Oboe
# Kelsey Farr – Arlington, TX
Lucas Reed – London, KY
Natalie Myers – Lawrence
Clarinet
*# Gabriella Phillips – Mount Pleasant, MI
Angel Amaro – Dodge City
Maddie Murnahan – Holton
Bassoon
# Thomas Stark – Red Wing, MN
Ethan Karnes – Westmoreland
Kela Schnelle – Derby
Contrabassoon
Thomas Stark
Horn
# Josie Anderson – Crete, NE
Kendan Powers – De Soto
Aspen Tallent – Manhattan
Kylee Gardner – Wamego
Andrew Dearinger – Shawnee
Maddie Renner – Columbia, MO
Trumpet
Bryce Schreiber – Derby
Chase Bond – Spring Hill
+ April Teoh – Houston, TX
Trombone
*# Logan Herring – Cleburne, TX
Blake Davis – Maize
Jared Eck – Wichita
Bass Trombone
Corbin Wood – Overland Park
Tuba
Lloyd Dodson – Overland Park
Percussion
*# Jacob Morgan – Iowa City, IA
Houston Fleischmann – Snohomish, WA
Grey Fluke – Topeka
Jessie Solorzano – Aurora, IL
Devon Autry – Wichita
Violin I
^#+ Regan Lattey – El Dorado
* Mara Gee – Olathe
* Suzie Johnston – Indianapolis, IN
Myiangel Harbin – Wichita
+ Joshua Fan – Manhattan
+ Katelyn Valdez – Parsons
Faith Holliday – Olathe
Judah Olson – Baldwin City
Violin II
*#+ Hollis Hagenbuch – Kansas City, MO
Kael Pavlik – Wichita
Henry Walston – Lenexa
Jonathan Staten – Stilwell
John Horton-Smith – Manhattan
Cameron Sadler – Beloit
Jamie Pemberton – Gardner
Ashleigh Lincicome – Wichita
Nadiya Al-Murrani – Topeka
Emma Littich – Lindsborg
Jade Johnson – Wylie, TX
Kaemyn Kebert – Topeka
Russell Clark – Basehor
Viola
# Willam Eaton – Shawnee
+ Julia Rossillon – Lawrence
Roslyn Strong – Kansas City, MO
Rebecca Finney – Beloit
Jasmin Soriano – Wichita
Eila Deavours – Lawrence
Makayla Lebruska – Topeka
Hayley Cope – Olathe
Ariana Barrera – Prairie Village
Aiden Swartz – Olathe
Cello
# Claire Iungerich – Mckinney, TX
* Kat Sterbenz – Lawrence
Bennett Addink – Kansas City
Dylan Sutherland – Prairie Village
+ Nicholas Dvorske – Lawrence
Keira Phillips – Fort Scott
Aubrey Thomas – Goddard
Zak Kapten – Wichita
Connor Stratton – Overland Park
Aleah Staggenborg – Marysville
Bass
*# Andrew Gafrick – Overland Park
Rawlan Cave – Olathe
Max Scofield – Austin, TX
Maxwell Konneman – Liberty, MO
Drake Thompson – Beloit
Merrick Figueroa – Vero Beach, FL
Nathan Hurst – Olathe
^ Denotes Concertmaster
* Denotes a section leader
# Denotes a section principal
+ Denotes a member of the KSUSO Leadership Team
Olathe Northwest Chamber Orchestra Personnel
One of the largest orchestra programs in the state of Kansas, the Olathe Northwest Orchestra has four major performances per year, plus KSHSAA Large Group Festival (where they consistently receive straight “I” ratings), and Solo and Ensemble Festival. The group has traveled to Chicago, Boston, and Orlando for festival performances, and has performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and Carnegie Hall in New York. Performances include some unique concert events, including a multi-media concert with computer animation, an opera concert with professional opera singers, and a rock concert with electric instruments.
The orchestra is dedicated to creating a quality musical experience for its members. Through the orchestra program, students develop an understanding of music history, theory, and technical knowledge of how to perform a stringed instrument. Orchestra also provides students the opportunity to be creative and explore, as well as teaching the discipline and teamwork skills necessary to succeed in life.
There are 3 different orchestras meeting in 5 hours during the school day: Freshman Orchestra, Concert Orchestra, and Chamber Orchestra. Besides the curricular orchestra class, students can participate in a myriad of musical activities, including solo and ensemble festivals, pit orchestra, Select Ensemble, District and State Honor Orchestras, AP Music Theory class, and other music enhancement opportunities.
Joel K. Martin, director
Violin
Brianna Bayer
Natalie Biehn
Ashley Ellingson
Ava Evans
Maddie Ferguson
Hannah Hillyer
Rory Hogan
Danbee Kim
Avery Kroeker
Eli Tamano
Alex Tounzen
Alden Walker
William Yates
Viola
Tessa Biehn
Libby Kepler
Spencer Lein
Sky Moerlien
Tyler Osborn
Nate Udell
Cello
Ava Galvan
Ryleigh Jones
Hewitt Kardis
Aurora Kiene
Eugenie Kim
Carina Schmalzried-Lugo
Auggy Tschirhart
Jeffrey Watts
Bass
Andrew Bowles
Lincoln Helms
Brandon Lewis