A View from the Trenches: a concert commemorating the centennial of the WWI Armistice, will be offered free to the public on Thursday, Nov. 1, at 7:30 p.m. in Roland Hayes Concert Hall.
Two guest artists will join UTC Music faculty performers in A View from the Trenches, a concert featuring popular songs from the WWI era, as well as music by classical composers of that time.
The centerpiece of the concert will be the world premiere of Returning, We Hear the Larks, a new song cycle based on WWI poetry, by UTC faculty composer Jonathan McNair. Guest vocalists include Beth DuRoy and Andrew White. Instrumentalists include Lynn Worcester, David Walters and Jonathan McNair, pianists; Stephen Brannen, guitar; Ronda Ford, flute; and Nikolasa Tejero, clarinet. Songs by Irving Berlin, Ivor Novello, Al Piantadosi and others will be performed, along with music by Debussy, Lili Boulanger and Frank Bridge, as well as the McNair premiere. Enhancing the concert will be projected photographs and text.
Soprano Beth DuRoy’s singing has been described by Classical Voice of North Carolina
as “bright and vigorous” and “left one wanting to hear more.” She has sung prominent roles in a number of operas, and has been a soloist with the Asheville Choral Society, Asheville Lyric opera, the Chattanooga Bach Choir and Chattanooga Symphony and Opera. She was awarded top prize three times in local and regional National Association of Teachers of Singing competitions. She is currently the director of Children’s and Youth Music at Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church and is adjunct professor of voice at Covenant College, where she teaches studio voice and vocal courses. She holds master’s degree in vocal performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Baritone Andrew R. White has been described in a review as “…a formidable interpreter… Every song composer should be so lucky with collaborators.” An advocate of contemporary music, he has performed new works in such cities as Boston, Cleveland, New York, San Francisco, and Vancouver. He made his New York debut in Weill Recital Hall in a program devoted to the songs of composer Frederick Koch. Although Art Song is his specialty, he has also sung several roles in opera and light operatic productions. In addition to extensive study in classical vocal technique, Dr. White has a level III certification in Somatic Voiceworktm, the LoVetri Method, for healthy singing in popular styles.
Andrew White studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music, one of the nation’s leading conservatories, from the bachelor’s degree through the artist diploma and doctorate. He has pursued additional studies in vocal pedagogy. Currently, he teaches private voice, classes in diction, and vocal literature at the University of Nebraska Kearney. Previous faculty positions include colleges and universities in Pennsylvania and Ohio. He has won first prize in the VARN and Richardson competitions; other prizes include the NATSAA District Competition, the Alpha Corinne Mayfield Opera Award, and the Darius Milhaud Award. He has had articles published in American Music Teacher, Classical Singer, and Voice and Speech Review.
Composer Jonathan McNair has had performances of his music in at least six countries on three continents. He is one of three local composers to be commissioned by the Chattanooga Symphony to write a new fanfare for their current concert season. His new song cycle Returning, We Hear the Larks utilizes powerful poetry by British, Canadian and American soldiers who served in WWI. It is scored for baritone voice, sometimes unaccompanied, other times joined by flute, clarinet, guitar and piano, singly or in combinations.
From late September to mid-November, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is offering a series of events commemorating the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI. Included in this series are five musical offerings (four concerts plus the TAPS project), four panel discussions, a guest lecture by a distinguished African American scholar, a display in the UTC Library special collections room, and special activities for the annual Military Appreciation football game.
Information may be found by calling 423-425-4679.
Andrew White