Erin Emery WMU SCHOOL OF MUSIC

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

7:30 pm in the Dalton Center Recital Hall

Brass Works by Women Composers

Alison Balsom, Trumpet
Mary Elizabeth Bowden, Trumpet
Denise Tryon, Horn
Carol Jarvis, Trombone
Ann-Julie Skarpmo, Euphonium
Carol Jantsch, Tuba
Lori Sims, Piano

Lauren Bernofsky Musica Solaris 1:30

b. 1967 for Brass Quintet

Andrea Clearfield River Melos 9:30

b. 1960 for Horn and Piano

Faye-Ellen Silverman Combined Efforts 9:00

b. 1947 I. Lullaby
II. Anger Abating
III. Learning to Play
for Euphonium, Tuba, and Piano

Barbara York A Caged Bird 9:30

b. 1949 for Trombone and Piano

Gina Gillie Scenes from the Bayou 14:00

b. 1982 I. Morning on the Bayou
II. Chasing Prey
III. Bayou Boardwalk
IV. Cyprus Trees
V. Fire in the Sky
for Trumpet, Horn, and Trombone

Kimberly Archer Fiddlydee 7:00

b. 1973 for Euphonium and Piano

Catherine Likhuta It Comes and Goes 10:00

b. 1981 for Brass Quintet
 Program Notes

Musica Solaris

Dr. Lauren Bernofsky attended Boston University, New England Conservatory, and the

Hartt School to pursue music composition. She has written pieces for large-scale and small

ensembles, as well as solo works. These compositions have been performed across the globe at

Carnegie Hall, Tanglewood, the International Trumpet Guild, and many several festivals.1

Musica Solaris is a single-movement fanfare for brass quintet, including two trumpets, a

horn, trombone, and tuba. Based on rondo form, this piece uses a motif of a quarter note

followed by two eighths which is passed around by each instrument and can even be heard in

retrograde.2 While it is appropriate for professionals, Bernofsky composed this piece to be

playable by musicians of all ages.3

River Melos

Andrea Clearfield has composed over 150 works for chamber ensembles, chorus,

orchestra, and soloists, as well as several operas and dance-multimedia collaborations. Inspired

by Tibetan music, she has conducted fieldwork in the Nepalese Himalaya. She has been the

composer-in-residence for several professional organizations - such as the Chamber Orchestra of

Philadelphia and Music from Angelfire Festival - and is currently the 2020

Composer-in-Residence at Carnegie Hall.4

1
“About,” Lauren Bernofsky, http://www.laurenbernofsky.com/bio.php.
2
“Bernofsky, Lauren Musica Solaris,” Hickey’s Music Center,
https://www.hickeys.com/music/brass/brass_ensembles/brass_quintets/products/sku074798-bern
ofsky-lauren-musica-solaris.php.
3
“Musica Solaris,” Lauren Bernofsky, http://www.laurenbernofsky.com/music-musicasolaris.php.
4
“Long Bio,” Andrea Clearfield, http://www.andreaclearfield.com/bio/short-bio/.
 River Melos was commissioned by Denise Tryon, fourth horn of the Philadelphia

Orchestra, in 2014. The melody was inspired by the Roaring Fork River in Colorado - where

Clearfield spent several summers growing up - and can be heard in both the horn and piano. The

symbolism takes various forms, traveling through rapids, rocks, and smooth sections before

reaching a larger body of water to rest. After gaining success as a horn solo, Clearfield also

arranged this piece for trombone and piano.5

Combined Efforts

Faye-Ellen Silverman began music at a very young age. She began piano lessons before

she turned four at the Dalcroze School of Music. She later pursued higher education at Barnard,

Mannes College, Columbia, and Harvard. Her compositions were first published when she was

24, and became a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers only

a year later. Her works have been broadcast on international radio stations and NPR, and have

been performed by more than a dozen major orchestras.6

Combined Efforts was commissioned by the International Women’s Brass Conference in

2014 for euphonium, tuba, and piano. It was premiered by the Symbiosis Duo, Stacy Baker and

Gail Robertson at the IWBC. As a three movement work, this piece begins with “Lullaby,”

where the original melody is introduced. “Anger Abating” focuses on dynamic contrast while

developing the motive, using the extremes of both loud and soft. The last movement, “Learning

5
“River Melos,” Andrea Clearfield, http://www.andreaclearfield.com/works/chamber/river-melos/.
6
“Bio,” Faye-Ellen Silverman,
http://fayeellensilverman.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=31.
to Play,” begins slowly and quietly, and progressively becomes faster and louder before ending in

a flamboyant and playful manner.7

A Caged Bird

Barbara York is a Canadian composer, accompanist, and music director. She has written

pieces for the Mississauga and Saskatoon Symphony Orchestras, as well as Boise State

University Symphonic Winds and Symphony Orchestra. Her works have been featured at the

World Saxophone Conference, International Double Reed Symposium, and the International

Women’s Brass Conference.8

As another piece commissioned by the International Women’s Brass Conference in 2014,

A Caged Bird was written for trombone and piano. Although not directly inspired by Maya

Angelou or Paul Dunbar’s poems, York has further explored the relations between the

multi-disciplinary works. Instead of using a cage to represent racism, she uses it to symbolize the

limitations of gender and sexuality. Throughout the piece the individual realizes their self worth

and creative expression through “singing” joy and praise of creation.9

Scenes from the Bayou

Dr. Gina Gillie attended Pacific Lutheran University and the University of

Wisconsin-Madison to pursue horn performance. She began composing and studying natural

horn while earning her master’s degree. Her favorite instrument to write for is horn, but she also

7
“Combined Efforts (2014) - Silverman,” International Women’s Brass Conference,
https://www.myiwbc.org/combined-efforts.
8
“A Caged Bird (2014) - York,” International Women’s Brass Conference,
https://www.myiwbc.org/a-caged-bird.
9
International Women’s Brass Conference, “A Caged Bird.”
enjoys composing for other brass instruments and chamber ensembles. She is currently the

Associate Professor of Music at her Alma Mater where she performs in both the faculty brass

and woodwind quintets, as well as conducts the horn choir.10

Scenes from the Bayou is a five-movement piece written for trumpet, horn, and trombone.

Commissioned by Dr. James Boldin for the Black Bayou Brass Trio, Gillie depicts several scenes

that one may find at the Black Bayou Lake National Refuge in Louisiana. The first movement

represents birds in the morning as nature awakes, with trills in a 6/8 time signature. The second

is meant to be lunch time, with a winding pattern as a predator chases its prey. The piece takes a

turn in the third movement, switching to a swing: a tribute to the jazz heritage of Louisiana. The

musicians continue on to see cyprus trees in the fourth movement, a common sight in the bayou.

There is an eighth note ostinato to depict the water, and sustained notes to represent the height of

the trees. Lastly they emerge at sunset with a fanfare.11

Fiddlydee

Dr. Kimberly Archer is currently the Professor of Composition at Southern Illinois

University, and received her degrees from Florida State University, Syracuse University, and

University of Texas at Austin. Originally a euphonium player, she enjoys writing for brass and

percussion musicians. She has composed pieces for the U.S. Air Force Band, Kappa Kappa Psi

and Tau Beta Sigma, and the International Women’s Brass Conference, as well as several

10
“Gina Gillie,” Brass Arts Unlimited, https://www.brassarts.com/gina-gillie.html.
11
“Scenes from the Bayou, for Trumpet, Horn, and Trombone, by Gina Gillie,” Brass Arts Unlimited,
https://www.brassarts.com/scenes-from-the-bayou-brass-trio2.html.
universities and high schools - including Florida State University and Central Michigan

University.12

Fiddlydee is a work for euphonium and piano, commissioned by the International

Women’s Brass Conference in 2005 (for IWBC 2006) and dedicated to Gail Robertson and Alex

Thio. Inspired by fiddle music, Archer imagines what it would be like if the fiddler got sick and

there was only a euphonium player to fill in.13 The soloist must be adept when it comes to

playing quickly as well as open to unusual instrumentation. Both the euphonium player and

pianist are required to sing, whistle, and play kazoo, in addition to encouraging audience

participation.14

It Comes and Goes

Catherine Likhuta is an Australian pianist and composer. Her pieces have been performed

in several nations - including the United States, Europe, Canada, Mexica, and Brazil - as well as

at the Australian School Band and Orchestra Festival and the Midwest Clinic. She writes for

wind bands, chamber ensembles, and soloists. She attended Kyiv Glière Music College for jazz

piano performance and the Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine for composition.15

It Comes and Goes was written in 2013 for brass quintet. Featuring complex and ever

changing time signatures, dissonance, and imitation, this piece challenges even the most

advanced musicians. Likhuta has incorporated extended techniques for each performer, and

focuses on communication throughout the ensemble. The original theme is stated at the opening,

12
“About Me,” Kimberly Archer, http://kimberlyarcher.squarespace.com/about-me/.
13
“Works for Solo Instruments and Chamber Ensembles,” Kimberly Archer,
http://kimberlyarcher.squarespace.com/solo-chamber-works/.
14
“Fiddlydee - Kimberly Archer,” C. Alan Publications, http://c-alanpublications.com/fiddlydee/.
15
“News/Bio,” Catherine Likhuta, http://www.catherinelikhuta.com/Biography.htm.
but the piece becomes more gestural as the melody develops. As it becomes more exciting and

bombastic until the very end, this work is a great choice to close any program.16

16
“Music/Scores,” Catherine Likhuta, http://www.catherinelikhuta.com/Brass.htm.