DePauw University

FALL 2009 GUEST ARTISTS

Carl Lenthe | The Solaire Quartet | The Ying Quartet

CARL LENTHE, TROMBONE
September 14, 2009

Carl Lenthe, Professor of Music at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, was born into a musical family in 1956 and grew up in the Delaware Valley in Pennsylvania. His love of good music, inspired by concert bands and recordings of the great orchestras, was nurtured by both the school and church music programs in his hometown of Springfield. Studies at the Curtis Institute of Music led him to a career in music, which commenced at the age of 20 with his engagement as principal-trombonist under Wolfgang Sawallisch at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Germany. His 17 year tenure there, during which he was named "Bavarian Chamber Virtuoso" by the Ministry of Culture, was followed by his appointment as principal-trombonist with the Bamberg Symphony, where he also served on that orchestra's executive committee.

As a trombone soloist, Lenthe won first prize with special distinction at the international music competition "Prague Spring" and has appeared as soloist with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Prague Symphony and the Bamberg Symphony. His solo CD "The Audition Window" has met with critical acclaim, contains some of the most standard contest and audition pieces for aspiring trombonists, and is coupled with a pilot project in music distance learning, the LentheLessons.

Extensive chamber music and recital activities have not only kept him well versed in the literature for Brass Quintet, Brass Ensemble, Trombone Quartet and Solo Trombone but also led him to arrange and publish music for these combinations. He is a regular performing member of Summit Brass, serving also on their Artist Board. His journalistic efforts have met with encouraging resonance in professional circles. In addition to his activities in the brass world, he also served as church organist and choir director for the Lutheran Chapel of the US Military in Bamberg, Germany.

As an orchestral trombonist Carl Lenthe has been a frequent guest with the Berlin Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, Maggio Musicale in Florence and many other major orchestras in Europe. His expertise on the Wagnerian bass trumpet kept him in regular demand in many European opera houses. In the US, he has performed with the Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, and the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Having received high quality instruction from the start, he feels a commitment to teaching and, beyond his regular studio teaching, enjoys working with a wide variety of pupils both on an individual basis as well as in workshops, clinics and master classes in southern Germany, Austria, northern Italy and in the USA. Through his pedagogical and performance reputation he is frequently called upon to serve as juror for instrumental competitions at both regional and international levels.

Carl Lenthe lives in Bloomington, Indiana with his wife and four children, who ensure that he also pursues a great variety of non-musical activities.

THE SOLAIRE QUARTET
(Saxophone Quartet)
October 9, 2009

The Solaire Quartet was formed in 2008 and its members represent a wide range of musical backgrounds. Each member is not only active performing musicians but also dedicated teachers. Members of the Solaire Quartet have performed with several orchestras such as the Indianapolis Symphony, Chicago Civic, Thessaloniki State (Greece), and many others. Its members remain active musicians and teachers all across North America as well as Asia and Europe. This virtuosic ensemble performs a diverse spectrum of repertoire spanning several centuries. Its mission is to bring a culturally rich program to a wide variety of audiences.

Otis Murphy, Soprano Saxophone
Born in 1972, Otis Murphy joined the faculty of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in 2001 at the age of 28, becoming one of the youngest faculty members in its history. Mr. Murphy pursued advanced studies in France under a Fulbright Fellowship for foreign study at the Conservatoire National Régional de Musique in Cergy-Pontoise, earning the Prix de Perfectionnement by a unanimous decision of the jury. Mr. Murphy is in great demand as an international soloist and clinician in Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Taiwan and the United States. Mr. Murphy performs actively with wind ensembles and orchestras throughout the world, having appeared e.g., as guest soloist with the Bands of America National Honors Concert Band. In addition to his career as a performer and teacher, Mr. Murphy acts as a consultant in the research and development of Yamaha saxophones. Mr. Murphy is a Yamaha Performing Artist and a Vandoren Performing Artist, and he is on the artist roster of the Great Lakes Performing Artist Associates.

Scotty Stepp, Alto Saxophone
Scotty Stepp, tenor saxophonist, was granted a Fulbright Fellowship in 2001 to study in Paris, France where he played numerous concerts including a performance at the United States Embassy. He has performed throughout the world including concerts in Canada, Germany, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, China, and was a selected performer for the German-American Fulbright Program’s 50th anniversary conference in Berlin, Germany. Scotty has performed with the Chicago Civic, Louisville, Toledo, Canton, and Terre Haute Symphony Orchestras as well as the State Orchestra of Thesaloniki, Greece. He is currently adjunct professor of saxophone at DePauw University and is completing his Doctorate of Musical Arts degree from the University of Illinois.

Sam Fritz, Tenor Saxophone
Samuel Fritz is currently Director of Bands at Center Grove Middle School Central in Greenwood, Indiana. In that role, Mr. Fritz teaches 6-8 concert bands, pep band, jazz band, chamber music ensembles, and assists with the nationally recognized Center Grove High School Marching Trojans. Mr. Fritz is a 1997 graduate of Indiana State University where he earned bachelor’s degrees in Music Education and Saxophone Performance. In 2001 Mr. Fritz received his master’s degree in Music Education from Bowling Green State University. While at BGSU, Mr. Fritz studied saxophone with Dr. John Sampen, and was a member of the Fischoff gold medal prize winning Lithium saxophone quartet. Mr. Fritz stays active as a saxophonist, premiering new solo and quartet works and recordings with the Terre Haute based Philharmonia à Vent and the Indiana State University Faculty Winds. Since 2004 Mr. Fritz has worked for MakeMusic as an Education Support Services Clinician for SmartMusic and Finale. During his time as a clinician, he has given presentations throughout the country on SmartMusic and Finale at state and national clinics, conferences and school district teacher in-services.

Dana Booher, Baritone Saxophone
Dana is an Associate Instructor of Saxophone at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he is pursuing the Master of Music Degree in saxophone. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Indiana University in 2007. He is also the saxophone instructor at the Wildwood Institute of Music and the Arts. Dana has performed with numerous orchestras, including the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Evansville Philharmonic, Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, and Bloomington Pops Orchestra.

Dana is an active chamber musician as well. He was the soprano saxophonist of the Bloomington Saxophone Quartet, which was selected as a national finalist in the Music Teachers National Association Chamber Music Competition. He has also played baritone saxophone for the Zzyzx Saxophone Quartet, which recently won 2nd place at the North American Saxophone Alliance Saxophone Quartet competition. The Zzyzx Saxophone Quartet was also selected as a semi-finalist in the Plowman Chamber Music Competition, and has given performances in various states of new music by Indiana University composers.

THE YING QUARTET
(String Quartet)
November 16-17 , 2009

The Ying Quartet occupies a position of unique prominence in the classical music world. They combine brilliantly communicative performances with a fearlessly imaginative view of chamber music in today’s world. Now in their second decade as a quartet, the Yings have established themselves as an ensemble of the highest musical qualifications in their tours across the United States and abroad. Their performances regularly take place in many of the world’s most important concert halls, from Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House. At the same time, the Quartet’s belief that concert music can also be a meaningful part of everyday life has also drawn them to perform in settings as diverse as the workplace, schools, juvenile prisons and the White House. In fact the Ying Quartet’s constant quest to explore the creative possibilities of the string quartet has led them to an unusually diverse array of musical projects and interests.

The Ying Quartet’s recordings reflect many of their wide-ranging musical interests and have generated consistent, enthusiastic acclaim. Their 2007 Telarc release of the 3 Tchaikovsky Quartets and the Souvenir de Florence (with James Dunham and Paul Katz) was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Chamber Music Performance category. In addition, their much heralded collaboration with the Turtle Island Quartet, “Four + 4,” explored the common ground between the classic string quartet tradition and jazz and other American vernacular styles, and won a Grammy Award in 2005. “Dim Sum” (Telarc) is the Yings’ most recent recording of music by Chinese-American composers which merges the Western string quartet with the sound world of traditional Chinese music. The Yings have also documented their noteworthy LifeMusic commissioning project in their recorded work. Released by Quartz, “The Ying Quartet play LifeMusic” was named Editor’s Choice by Gramophone magazine and is the first in a continuing series.

In addition to appearing in conventional concert situations, the Ying Quartet is also known for its diverse and unusual performance projects. For several years the Quartet presented a series called “No Boundaries” at Symphony Space in New York City which sought to re-imagine the concert experience. Collaborations with actors, dancers, electronics, a host of non-classical musicians, a magician and even a Chinese noodle chef gave new and thoughtful context to a wide variety of both traditional and contemporary string quartet music. They have also worked with composer Tod Machover and the MIT Media lab in the use of Hyperscore, an innovative musical composition software. Other musical partners range from pianists Menahem Pressler and Gilbert Kalish and cellist Paul Katz to folk musician Mike Seeger, jazz pianist Billy Childs, and the Turtle Island Quartet.

The Ying Quartet’s ongoing LifeMusic commissioning project, created in response to their commitment to expanding the rich string quartet repertoire, has already achieved an impressive history. Supported by the Institute for American Music, the Yings commission both established and emerging composers to create music which reflects contemporary American life. Michael Torke, Kevin Puts, Paquito D’Rivera, Paul Moravec, Lowell Liebermann, Bernard Rands, Pierre Jalbert, Sebastian Currier, and Carter Pann are only some of the renowned composers and musicians who have written for LifeMusic. Their most recent recording of commissions is titled “The United States” and was released in 2007. It features works by Ned Rorem, Jennifer Higdon, Chen Yi, and Augusta Read Thomas.

The Ying Quartet first came to professional prominence in the early 1990s during their years as resident quartet of Jesup, Iowa, a farm town of 2000 people. Playing before audiences of six to six hundred in homes, schools, churches and banks, the Quartet had its first opportunities to enable music and creative endeavor to become an integral part of community life. The Quartet considers its time in Jesup the foundation of its present musical life and goals. The residency, supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, was widely chronicled in the national media. Toward the end of the residency, the quartet and several of the townspeople were invited to Capitol Hill to testify before Congress on behalf of the NEA.

During the summers, the Ying Quartet’s activity is primarily centered at music festivals. They are presently ensemble-in-residence at the Aspen Music Festival and also have performed and taught for several summers at the Bowdoin International Music Festival. Other festival appearances have been at Tanglewood, Ravinia, Caramoor, San Miguel de Allende, Kneisel Hall, Norfolk, Skaneateles, Amelia Island, Interlochen, and many others.

As quartet-in-residence at the Eastman School of Music, the Ying Quartet both teach in the string department and lead a rigorous, sequentially designed chamber music program. One cornerstone of chamber music activity at Eastman is the noted Music for All program, in which all students have the opportunity to perform in community settings beyond the concert hall. From 2001-2008, the Ying Quartet have also been the Blodgett artists-in-residence at Harvard University. The Quartet had its training with members of the Cleveland, Tokyo, Emerson and Juilliard String Quartets, as well as with violist Eugene Lehner. The four siblings of the Ying Quartet make their home in Rochester, NY.