Mark O’Connor will perform with the Frost Jazz Vocal Ensemble on Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 8:00 pm
Mark O’Connor, Bergonzi Quartet, Trudy Kane, and Frost Students will perform O’Connor’s compositions in a special Pre-Spring Break All-Frost School Forum & Concert on Friday, March 12, 2010 at 12:30 pm
The first three weeks of Mr. O’Connor’s 2009-2010 Frost School residency took place the weeks of November 2-6, January 25-29, and February 1-5. Mr. O’Connor’s residency activities have intersected a wide array of departments and disciplines at the Frost School including chamber music coachings and improvisation sessions with string students and lecture-demonstrations for students in the field of music business, theory and composition, musicology, and song writing. Mr. O’Connor performed as special guest on the November 5th South Florida Jazz Orchestra concert and the February 4th Frost Concert Jazz Band Afro-Cuban concert and Sammy Figeroa.
Additionally, the Frost School hosted an O’Connor Violin Method Teacher Training Seminar taught by veteran Suzuki pedagogue Pamela Wiley the weekend of January 29-31. This seminar provided 15 hours of professional development credits for 18 participants, mostly local string teachers and Frost Students, in the O’Connor Violin Method Volume 1 & 2, which is dubbed “A New American School of Violin Playing.”
Regarded by The New York Times as "one of the most spectacular journeys in recent American music," Mark O’Connor brings a wealth of philosophical ideas, musicality, virtuosity, and business acumen to his residency activities at the Frost School of Music. Chair of the String Program, Professor Ross Harbaugh said, “Mark O’Connor is a unique fit for the Frost School of Music where our vision is to equip students for vibrant careers in the 21st century.”
On Thursday, March 11, Mr. O’Connor will appear as a special guest on the Jazz Vocal 1 Concert, which features the Frost Symphony Orchestra, a full rhythm section, and the Frost School’s best Jazz singers under the direction of Larry Lapin and Tim Buchholz. Former Frost master’s violin/jazz voice student Jonathan Raveneau will also make a guest appearance on this concert.
On, Friday, March 12, the Frost School presents a special All-Frost-School Forum and Concert featuring Mark O’Connor and his music performed in collaboration with the Bergonzi Quartet, Trudy Kane, and many students. The concert will begin with a Fanfare from O’Connor’s Americana Symphony performed by brass and percussion students under the direction of John Olah, Professor of Tuba. Joshua Shepherd (DMA candidate in viola performance) and Monica Godbee (undergraduate cello performance major) will perform Caprice for Three and Appalachia Waltz with Mr. O’Connor. Daniel Andai (DMA candidate in violin performance and concert master of the Miami Symphony) and Ashley Garritson (DMA candidate in cello performance and principal cello of the Miami Symphony) will perform the cadenza to Mr. O’Connor’s Double Concerto for Violin and Cello. Andai and Garritson will perform the entire concerto as soloists with the Miami Symphony later this spring. Trudy Kane (Professor of Flute and former Principal Flute of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra) will perform the 2nd and 3rd movement of “The Fallen”, Mr. O’Connor concerto for flute and strings, which was composed in response to September 11, 2001. The concert culminates with Mr. O’Connor performing Strings & Threads Suite for Solo Violin and String Orchestra. Scott Flavin (Professor of Violin and concert master of the Florida Grand Opera) will serve as conductor for “The Fallen” and Strings & Threads Suite. Incidentally, Mr. O’Connor won a 2010 Grammy award for his performance of Strings & Threads Suite with guitarist Sharon Isbin, a SONY Classical recording project.
Mr. O’Connor will return as Artist-In-Residence at the Frost School of Music for the 2010-2011 academic year. Stay tuned for confirmation of dates and specific activities.
About the University of Miami Frost School of Music
Building on its foundation as a Conservatory of Music, the Frost School has pioneered new curricula and was the first in the nation to offer professionally accredited bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Music Business and Music Engineering Technology. The Frost School was also among the first to offer degrees in Studio Music and Jazz, Music Therapy, and Accompanying and Chamber Music. In addition, the Frost School was the first in a major university to develop a student-run label, ‘Cane Records, and a publishing company, Category Five. The School’s innovative programs, combined with its traditional areas of concentration, offer its students one of the widest choices of career programs of any music school in the nation. More information about the University of Miami Frost School of Music can be found at http://www.music.miami.edu.
The University of Miami is the largest private research institution in the southeastern United States. The University's mission is to provide quality education, attract and retain outstanding students, support the faculty and their research, and build an endowment for University initiatives. http://www.miami.edu
