Renée Clair
Brian Bevelander
Jonathan McNair
The Music Department at UTC will offer a weekend of American Music, Nov. 7 and 8. Guest artist Renée Clair will present “A Smorgasbord of Song” on Friday, Nov. 7, at 7:30 p.m., in Cadek Recital Hall at UTC. Then, on Saturday, Nov. 8, will be “Evocations,” a concert of instrumental music by guest composer Brian Bevelander and by UTC faculty composer Jonathan McNair, at 7:30 p.m. in the Roland Hayes Concert Hall.
Each of these concerts is free of charge and open to the public. Parking is also free in the evenings. For more information, please visit the Music Department website at www.utc.edu/music, or call 425-4601. These concerts are sponsored by the Ruth S. Holmberg Professor of American Music, Dr. Jonathan McNair.
Review for the performers:
"A Smorgasbord of Song,” featuring Dr. Clair, accompanied by flute, violin, and piano, will include music from The Ballad of Baby Doe by American composer Douglas Moore; Love Letters, a set of songs by Roger Vogel of Athens, Georgia; Songs of Evocation composed and accompanied by Dr. Clair’s husband, Brian Bevelander; some classic arias; and will close with a humorous song called The Pocketbook.
Dr. Clair, a mezzo-soprano, commands the stage with her engaging, highly expressive, energetic performances. Dr. Clair won first place in the National Opera Association Production Competition. She performs regularly in mid-west regional and national venues, specializing in contemporary music. She is also a certified yoga instructor, and founded The Music and Wellness Institute. In addition to her performance at UTC, Dr. Clair will teach a masterclass for voice students, and offer classes in “Yoga for Musicians.” Dr. Clair serves on the faculty at Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio.
“Evocations” will feature virtuosic performances of American concert music composed by Brian Bevelander and Jonathan McNair. The beloved local saxophonist Clint Schmitt will be featured in the Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano by Dr. Bevelander. Chattanooga pianist and composer Tim Hinck will display his considerable keyboard talents in Bevelander’s Music of the Solstice, for solo piano, and Synthecisms No. 5 for piano and electronic sounds, as well as accompanying Mr. Schmitt.
A reception will follow, sponsored by the UTC chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.
Dr. Brian Bevelander, an accomplished pianist and composer, received his training at the New England Conservatory of Music, Hartt College of Music, Boston University, and West Virginia University. He has also been awarded residencies at several centers for electronic music in Europe, and at noted artist colonies in the USA. His music is performed across the USA and internationally. He is on the faculty of Heidelberg University, where he founded and for many years directed an annual Festival of New Music, bringing noted composers to his campus. Dr. Jonathan McNair, the newly appointed Ruth S. Holmberg Professor of American Music, earned the doctorate in music composition at the Cleveland Institute of Music. McNair’s music has been performed in many venues across the USA, as well as in Canada, Brazil, and Europe. He has been composer-in-residence for two programs sponsored by the American Composers Forum, and has also had residencies at three artist colonies in the USA. At UTC, he has organized and hosted eight regional festivals devoted to contemporary music, welcoming numerous other Southeastern composers to Chattanooga.
For more information, visit the Music Department website at www.utc.edu/music, or call 425-4601. Or, contact Jonathan McNair at 425-4679.