A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff
The 2018 Gilbert & Sullivan panel at New College, Oxford: (l-r) Brooks Kuykendall (UMW); Benedict Taylor (University of Edinburgh); and Martyn Strachan (Edinburgh).
Brooks Kuykendall, professor and chair of the Music Department, spoke at the fourth biennial conference The London Stage and the Nineteenth Century World, hosted by New College Oxford (April 6-8, 2022). As at the previous three conferences, he was on a panel of specialists of the Gilbert & Sullivan operas. For 2022, his presentation was entitled “‘The end of my capability in that class of piece’: the Gilbert/Sullivan collaboration at its breaking point.” The panel, convened by Dr. Benedict Taylor (University of Edinburgh) concerned the genre developed by Gilbert & Sullivan, which is the topic of a larger project of Kuykendall’s.
Most of Kuykendall’s research has centered around British music in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, extending beyond Gilbert & Sullivan to the music of Elgar, Stanford, Vaughan Williams, Walton, and Britten, among others; he also writes a blog on textual issues in music, Settling Scores.
Assistant Professor of Music Robert Wells
UMW music professor Dr. Robert Wells joined his former piano professor, Dr. Derek Parsons (Furman University), presenting a two-piano recital at UMW on Friday, March 11 in Dodd Auditorium (originally scheduled for March 2020, but postponed due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic). Parsons performed Anglo-Canadian composer Healey Willan’s piano concerto, accompanied by Wells on a second piano, after which Wells performed American composer Amy Beach’s piano concerto, accompanied by Parsons.
Senior Lecturer Doug Gately
Senior Lecturer Doug Gately performed with the National Symphony Orchestra, Dec. 9-Dec. 11, 2021. The Holiday Shows featured Ingrid Michaelson.
You are cordially invited to an informal holiday sing-a-long with the UMW Choirs, this Saturday, December 4, from 7:00-8:00 p.m. outside of George Washington Hall. We will be singing holiday favorites for those passing by, and for those that will be arriving to attend the UMW Philharmonic Holiday Concert at 8 p.m. You are also welcome to bring family and friends, including furry friends. We will finish in plenty of time to find seats for the concert, for those who would like to attend.
If you’re interested, just be there at 7:00 on Friday, and dress warmly. We will have lyric sheets for you. Feel free to wear festive holiday attire. We’d love to see you!
Best,
Dr. Christopher O. Ryder ‘89
Associate Professor of Music
Director of Choral Activities
AJ Gluchowski, a rising UMW sophomore and member of the Eagle Pipe Band, will open a Memorial Day concert at FredNats Park with ‘Amazing Grace.’
When AJ Gluchowski conducted his college search, he found a website listing East Coast schools that had bagpipe bands.
The University of Mary Washington stood out. Once he was accepted, the Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, native made plans to join UMW’s Eagle Pipe Band, eager to perform with other avid pipers at Mary Washington and in the Fredericksburg area.
Then COVID hit.
Gluchowski, a rising sophomore majoring in music, spent his first year of college doing lessons and rehearsals entirely online. But now that pandemic restrictions are easing, he’s been making up for lost time. On the heels of performing at Mary Washington’s recent Commencement ceremonies, Gluchowski made his Fredericksburg Nationals debut Monday evening, opening a Memorial Day concert at the stadium with a rendition of Amazing Grace. Several UMW music students also performed with Virginia Cello Ensembles Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Christine Hartigan.
“I haven’t performed for an audience in months, so it is very exciting,” said Gluchowski, who first started playing bagpipes six years ago when his mom suggested it was a good way to get in touch with his Scottish heritage. With his high school pipe band, he frequently played sporting events and concerts. “I love sharing my passion for the bagpipes with as many people as possible.” Read more.
Soon after the University of Mary Washington Chamber Choir performed live in the James Farmer Hall atrium last March, UMW went totally online, and singing was deemed a “super-spreader” activity.
Last fall, UMW Choirs sang together again – virtually – performing In Te Domine Speravi. The new piece by composer Sarah McDonald focuses on isolation, sickness and loneliness, forming an acrostic spelling the word “quarantine.”
“Our students said it was a very real expression of how they were feeling,” said Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities Christopher Ryder.
With the arts a more critical part of our lives now than ever, the Mary Washington departments of theatre, art and music have spent the last year discovering fresh ways to create, collaborate and learn while socially distanced. New technologies and classes, private lessons and virtual visits by professional artists take center stage as UMW moves forward with early-stage plans for a state-of-the-art theatre complex and an update to Pollard, Melchers and duPont halls. Read more.
Accompanist Cathy Hoskins
Cathy Hoskins, an accompanist, voice coach and piano teacher in the Department of Music at the University of Mary Washington was recently featured on PBS’s American Portrait: A National Storytelling Project, talking about her experiences of teaching during the pandemic and the challenge of teaching music virtually.
Assistant Professor of Music Robert Wells
UMW music professor Dr. Robert Wells will be joining his former piano professor, Dr. Derek Parsons (Furman University), to present a two-piano recital at UMW. The concert will be on Friday, March 13 at 7:30 PM in Dodd Auditorium, and admission will be free. Parsons will be performing Anglo-Canadian composer Healey Willan’s piano concerto, accompanied by Wells on a second piano, after which Wells will perform American composer Amy Beach’s piano concerto, accompanied by Parsons. This concert will kick off a music-filled weekend for the UMW Music Department, with the UMW Chamber Music Festival occurring on Saturday and Sunday at Belmont.