Observer, Volume 16, Number 18, Thursday May 25 1995

News notes


Compositions and papers

Two national conferences recently accepted research papers and compositions for presentation by professor of electronic and computer music Gary Lee Nelson. He presented "Colony," a composition for MIDI horn, computer, and digital synthesizers at the fifth biennial Symposium on the Arts and Technology at Connecticut College along with his paper, "The Further Adventures of the Sonomorphs." The paper updates research into the application of genetic programming to musical composition. Those attending the meeting of the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States at Ithaca College could hear Nelson's "Goss," a composition for MIDI violin, as well as his paper, "An Application of Granular Synthesis, Chaos, and Genetic Programming to Musical Composition." The paper describes the composition of "Colony" and "The Voyage of the Golah Iota."

In late March Nelson led master classes in composition and performed concerts at Northern Kentucky University and the University of Kentucky. "Colony" was performed 1 April at the fourth annual Electroacoustic Music Festival at the University of Florida.

'Suicidal Women'

At the Frick Art Museum in Pittsburgh on 8 April Mildred C. Jay professor of art Richard Spear presented "Reni's Suicidal Women," a paper focusing on a series of interrelated questions beginning with, Why did Guido Reni so frequently depict the suicides of Lucretia and Cleopatra? Spear was one of seven speakers at a symposium, "Amor Vincit Omnia? Seicento Images of Passion and Power," that the museum sponsored in conjunction with its exhibition, "Italian Paintings from Burghley House" (in Stamford, England).

Recital tour

Teacher of classical guitar Stephen Aron, with Cleveland flutist Linda White, recently completed a recital tour of the South and West. They performed and taught master classes at Tulane University in New Orleans; Hinds Community College, Hattiesburg Community College, and Gautier Community College in Mississippi; the University of Southern California at Los Angeles; California State University at Fullerton; Pomona College at Claremont; City College of San Francisco; and the Vancouver Guitar Society in British Columbia. Aron also performed and acted as jury foreman for the fifth annual International Guitar Competition at Portland State University's Portland Guitar Festival in Oregon.

Flute comments

Professor of flute and Robert W. Wheeler professor in performance Michel Debost writes a monthly column for Flute Talk (a subsidiary to The Instrumentalist) called "Debost's Comments." The column "is flute related, but encompasses topics more musically general," he says. In an article titled "Freedom Disciplined" in the January issue, for example, Debost says performers may interpret some musical passages more freely than others, often depending on whether the accompanying orchestra or piano is playing at the same time. About a particular Mozart concerto passage he writes, "Think about 20 strings and one conductor trying to keep up with a rhythmically erratic flutist."

Debost is working on a book that he plans to complete when he is on sabbatical leave in spring 1996. Titled "The New Franco-American School of Flute Playing, from A to Z," the book will be published in English by The Instrumentalist and in French by Editions van de Velde, in Paris.

Honors for scientists

The Sigma Xi dinner 8 May will honor 32 students, five faculty members, and a Shansi faculty fellow. The students have been elected to associate membership in the honor organization, which recognizes scientific achievement; the others have been elected to full membership. The new full members are visiting assistant professor of chemistry Daniel Barber, visiting assistant professor of biology Kimberly Boyd, visiting assistant professor of mathematics Steven Morics, Shansi faculty fellow in biology S. Srisudha Pugazhendi, visiting assistant professor of biology Ann Riedl, and visiting assistant professor of computer science Fritz Ruehr.

EPPC for 1995-96

The college faculty recently elected 1995-96 members of its educational plans and policies committee. They are associate professor of English Patrick Day, associate professor of history Michael Fisher, associate professor of East Asian studies Suzanne Gay, professor of classics James Helm, associate professor of chemistry Albert Matlin, professor of psychology Judith Beinstein Miller, associate professor of history Leonard Smith, and associate professor of biology Robin Treichel. Forty-four percent of the eligible voters returned nominating ballots; 54 percent voted on the final ballot.

Photo Credit: Margaret Ann Williams

Miss Cook County

While home in Chicago for spring break, second-year double-degree student Andrea Hargrave competed in the Miss Cook County contest--and won. She is now eligible to compete for the Miss Illinois title in June; Miss Illinois will compete in the 1995 Miss America contest. With her original application to enter the Cook County contest Hargrave submitted an essay on the importance of arts in education, saying that they build self-esteem and self-discipline and provide positive peer alternatives to gangs. For the "talent" portion of the contest she performed Chopin's "Revolutionary" etude in C-minor. Hargrave is a piano major in the conservatory and an economics major in the college, and she is also residential coordinator at Dascomb.


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