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Two Students Awarded Strong Scholarships

Two Shenandoah University undergraduate students, Aileen Burke and Danielle Confletti, have been awarded $5,000 scholarships through the Hattie M. Strong Foundation (HMSF). The students were chosen based on their letters of application and personal interviews.

The scholarships, awarded for the spring 2016 semester, are supporting these students during their student teaching. Burke is student teaching at Admiral Byrd Middle School in Winchester, while Confletti student taught during the first half of the semester at Frances Hazel Reid Elementary School and is now student teaching at Belmont Ridge Middle School in Leesburg, Virginia.

Photo of Danielle Confletti

Senior music education major Danielle Confletti

“It is a blessing to have received this scholarship,” said Confletti, of Duryea, Pennsylvania, a senior music education major. “Without this scholarship, I know I would have struggled financially with the two-plus-hour round trip drive every day to student teaching. I have been financially independent since a very young age and most of my college career I have held a part-time job. I knew that would be extremely difficult while putting all my effort into student teaching. This scholarship has allowed me to give my very best effort to student teaching without having any added worry and stress about financials.”

According to its website, HMSF has supported young people of promise since 1928 in their pursuit of higher education across all fields of study in all regions of the country. The scholarships benefit college students enrolled in teacher-training programs. They’re intended to reduce financial pressure during the student-teaching semester, when a student’s ability to offset expenses with outside employment is curtailed by the rigor of full-time work in the classroom.

Photo of Aileen Burke

Senior English major Aileen Burke

“It is a tremendous honor to have been chosen for the Hattie M. Strong Scholarship,” said Burke, a senior English major who considers Winchester, Virginia; Chesterfield, Virginia; and Stuttgart, Germany “home.” “I am incredibly grateful to be recognized for my passion and enthusiasm for my education and the education of my prospective students.”

Upon graduation, Confletti plans to teach either elementary general music or middle school band, while Burke hopes to become a local middle school teacher “to not only teach my students English, but also to inspire them to become the best people they can be while instilling in them a love for learning.”

Funds for the $5,000 scholarships are distributed via partnerships with twenty-one institutions, all located near Washington, D.C., that have demonstrated leadership in preparing outstanding classroom teachers.

Professor of Education & Director of Professional Licensure Mary Bowser, Ed.D., coordinates Shenandoah University’s “Strong Scholars” program for the Shenandoah University Educator Preparation Council. The council, whose selection process includes screening applicants’ submitted essays and conducting interviews of semi-finalists, consists of 13 faculty members.

This is the third year that HMSF has provided scholarships for Shenandoah students who are seeking initial teacher licensure and demonstrate promise as future teachers.

All student teachers who meet the following qualifications may apply: are undergraduate students who have exhibited outstanding success and enthusiasm in field experience prior to the final year of the program or graduate students whose life experiences prior to enrollment reveal the same traits; have demonstrated financial need; and who have achieved a minimum 3.0 GPA in two semesters prior to their final year.

Additional information can be obtained from education faculty in Shenandoah Conservatory, the College of Arts & Sciences and the School of Education & Human Development, or Jennifer Bousquet, director of grant support and foundation relations, who has been instrumental in obtaining and maintaining this opportunity for Shenandoah University students.

An article by Coordinator of Music Theory and Associate Professor of Music Theory Keith Salley, Ph.D., titled “On Duration and Developing Variation: The Intersecting Ideologies of Henri Bergson and Arnold Schoenberg” was published in the December issue (Vol. 21.4) of Music Theory Online, a peer-reviewed online journal of the Society for Music Theory.

The article uses archival and analytical scholarship to investigate relationships between the French philosopher Henri Bergson’s concept of subjective time and the Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg’s philosophy of developing musical ideas. It presents analytical readings of three of Schoenberg’s compositions that were written around the time that German translations of Bergson’s works were first made widely available. In doing so, the article establishes an intersection between French metaphysics and Austro-German expressionism—an intersection that will hopefully invite further inquiry into this topic.

Eastern Standard TimeAdjunct Assistant Professor of Jazz Guitar Rick Whitehead, B.A., released a new CD in July titled “Eastern Standard Time” with saxophonist Chris Vadala and members of the Rick Whitehead Jazz Trio (bassist John Previti and Barry Hart on drums).

The album features ten tracks from tunes performed at the trio’s live concerts. One of the tracks, a ballad titled “B’bye,” was written by Grammy Award-winning jazz artist Chuck Mangione when he was 16 years old. Whitehead and Vadala dedicated the tune to their mothers who recently passed away.

As a member of the Chuck Mangione Quartet, Chris Vadala earned performing credits on five gold and two platinum albums, plus two Grammy, two Emmy, one Georgie (AGVA) and one Golden Globe Award. He currently teaches jazz studies at the University of Maryland.

CDs are available for purchase from Art of Life Records, iTunes and directly from Rick Whitehead.

To learn more about the Rick Whitehead Jazz Trio, visit RickWhiteheadGuitar.com

Shenandoah Conservatory is pleased to announce that Robbie Cook, M.F.A., has been appointed modern dance artist-in-residence beginning fall 2015. He will serve as the sabbatical replacement for assistant professor of dance Maurice Fraga, M.F.A., for the upcoming 2015–16 academic year.

On behalf of the search committee, Chair of the Dance Division and Associate Professor of Dance Ting-Yu Chen, M.F.A., expressed that “Robbie Cook’s teaching is illuminating and reflective of his depth of knowledge and experience as a dancer, choreographer and educator. He cultivates expressive dancers and creative thinkers with a high standard. We are thrilled to have him join the Shenandoah community.”

Cook comes to Shenandoah Conservatory after teaching modern dance technique courses, dance composition, contact improvisation and Pilates at Loyola Marymount University for four years. During the summer seasons, Cook teaches classes at both the Bates Dance Festival and American Dance Festival, two of the most prominent educational and professional dance communities in the country that attract dance artists from all over the world. He has taught internationally in Uruguay, Japan, Ireland and most recently at the i-Dance 2014 Festival in Hong Kong (also performing in the festival opening), The Chadwick International School in Incheon, South Korea, and has gone twice to Universidad de Las Américas in Puebla (UDLAP), México to teach and create choreography. Cook also conducted a contact improvisation workshop for the BODYTRAFFIC Company in Los Angeles and leads scholarship auditions nationwide for American Dance Festival.

Cook’s choreography has been performed nationally and internationally in Alaska, Brooklyn, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, North Carolina, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Tokyo, Japan. He has created work on students at Pepperdine University, UDLAP in México and Idyllwild Arts Academy. This summer he will originate a new choreography for a repertory class at American Dance Festival.

As a dancer, Cook has worked with Ishmael Houston-Jones, Douglas Dunn, Liz Lerman, Edwaard Liang, Margaret Jenkins, Liz Gerring, Keith Thompson, Stacy Spence, Jan Erkert, Xsight! Performance Group, Lucky Plush Productions, Dallas Opera’s Production of Boris Godunov and Deborah Hay (Solo Performance Commissioning Project ’01 and ’07) and performed Yvonne Rainer’s “Trio A” as a duet with Hope Mohr. He played percussion with String Theory Productions at the 2014 Emmy’s Governor’s Ball in Los Angeles and has collaborated with various dance and performance artists including Rosalynde Le-Blanc-Loo, Laurel Tentindo, Holly Rothschild, Cheng-Chieh Yu, Peter Sciscioli, Noriko Kato, Sheldon Smith and Lisa Wymore.

A certified practitioner in yoga and Pilates, Cook completed his M.F.A. in dance at Bennington College in Bennington, VT and his B.F.A. in visual art from the School of The Art Institute of Chicago in Illinois.

Following an extensive nation-wide search, Ieva Jokubaviciute, M.M., has been appointed assistant professor of piano at Shenandoah Conservatory beginning fall 2015. She will succeed professor of piano Elizabeth Temple, M.M., who is retiring after having served on the piano faculty at Shenandoah Conservatory for more than 50 years.

“We are thrilled that Ieva is joining our faculty,” says Shenandoah Conservatory Dean Michael Stepniak, Ed.D. “Professor Temple’s shoes are not easy to fill, but Ieva brings with her an exceptional musical sensitivity, passion for teaching, enthusiasm in chamber music and collegiality that make her a great fit for our conservatory. These qualities will quickly make her a cherished colleague and teacher.”

Jokubaviciute has quickly become admired for her exceptional sensitivity and musicality, and has established a powerful performing presence in the United States and Europe. She is an active chamber musician and collaborator, and has fast become a favorite at the Marlboro Music Festival (one of the preeminent chamber music festivals in the world today), where she has mentored and coached chamber ensembles since 2013. Jokubaviciute appears regularly at other major international music festivals, including: Ravinia, Bard, Caramoor, Chesapeake Chamber Music, Prussia Cove in England and the Katrina Festival in Finland. Her piano trio—Trio Cavatina— won the Naumburg International Chamber Music Competition in 2009, made their debut performance at Carnegie Hall in 2010, and tours throughout the United States. In addition to her collaborative performances, Jokubaviciute has performed as soloist with such orchestras as the Chicago Symphony, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and the Lithuanian National Symphony.

Her performances regularly draw exceptional praise from leading critics. As The New York Times reported, “…anyone who has heard this young Lithuanian pianist — in one of her infrequent New York recitals, as a member of the Naumburg Award-winning Trio Cavatina or as a most valuable player in season after season at the Bard Music Festival — knows that she is an artist of commanding technique, refined temperament and persuasive insight.” The Washington Post recently noted “Jokubaviciute may have stolen the show a bit in an absolutely jaw-dropping performance — subtle, complex, almost impossibly detailed and riveting in every way.”
 
Jokubaviciute joins Shenandoah Conservatory as a deeply invested teacher. In 2012, she served on the piano faculty and helped develop a vocal accompanying class at Lawrence Conservatory in Appleton, Wisconsin, as the sabbatical replacement for Michael Mizrahi. For the past few years, Jokubaviciute has actively contributed to George Washington University’s Summer Piano Institute by creating curriculum, coaching ensembles, teaching lessons and leading panel discussions. Jokubaviciute also holds extensive teaching experience at Bard College, Steans Institute for Young Artists and Music School of Westchester.
 
Jokubaviciute was awarded a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship in 2006 to develop her potential as an emerging artist. She earned her degrees from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and from Mannes College of Music in New York City. Her principal teachers include Seymour Lipkin and Richard Goode.

Petrina Jones '93

Petrina Jones ’93

Virginians for the Arts (VFTA) announced earlier this month that Petrina L. Jones will serve as their new Executive Director.

“Petrina has a wealth of knowledge and experience, and is uniquely suited to lead Virginians for the Arts in engaging Virginians in a united advocacy effort to protect and increase support for the arts as our mission calls for” Chairman Butch Davies stated.

Before being named the Executive Director of Virginians for the Arts in January 2015, Petrina Jones worked at the lobbying firm, The Vectre Corporation in Richmond, Virginia. For nineteen years, she built her extensive statewide relationships while lobbying members of the Virginia General Assembly and the Executive Branch representing a broad spectrum of businesses and industries.

She developed and implemented grass tops and grassroots strategies for a number of projects on the federal, state and local levels. Jones successfully fought to protect her clients’ interests during the budget process and monitored pending legislative and regulatory issues before the General Assembly, Commonwealth Transportation Board, Coal and Energy Commission and the Board of Education.

A graduate of Shenandoah Conservatory of Shenandoah University, Jones received a Bachelor of Fine Arts – Music Theatre degree in 1993. Jones was named the 1997 recipient of the university’s Outstanding Young Alumni Achievement Award for her work as an actress. After touring the United States as a title role actress of a nationally acclaimed theatre company, Virginia Repertory Theatre, Jones performed in a statewide educational tour co-produced by Prevent Child Abuse Virginia, the Virginia Department of Social Services and Theatre IV America.

For the past seven years she has trained and led a group of six actors who assist the Child Advocacy Centers of Virginia in conjunction with the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice with a conference called ChildFirst Virginia-an instructional program for law enforcement officers, attorneys and social workers that interact with traumatized children. Jones served on the Board of Directors of CultureWorks (formerly the Arts Council of Richmond). She participated in Governor Warner’s Partnership for Achieving Successful Schools by mentoring at Clark Springs Elementary in Richmond.

On Feb. 4, the Shenandoah Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Jan Wagner, wowed the audience during their world premiere performance of the newly revised, complete “Blues Symphony” by legendary jazz trumpeter, music educator and Grammy Award-winning musician Wynton Marsalis.

The performance, held at the Music Center at Strathmore in Bethesda, Maryland, was a result of a months-long residency in which Marsalis worked with the students to bring life and “swing” to the piece.

“The musicians — all Shenandoah undergraduates — were terrific,” noted a review of the performance by The Washington Post. “Trombone soloist Nathan Davis did some of the evening’s best work. In the fifth movement’s high point, he and violist Erin Reilly traded improvised blues choruses. Clarinetist Jacob Moyer was also superlative, as was trumpeter Nathaniel Hussell, whose parts required him to pull hard at the harmonic edges.”

The group also received a glowing review from Marsalis himself. “The Shenandoah Conservatory Symphony Orchestra played my music with such passion and zeal last night, I can’t sleep,” said Marsalis. “Music is always so much deeper than notes. And a group of musicians dealing with the pressure of performance showcases a confluence of aspirations put to the test of execution. … Well, tonight, our young people over delivered.”

View a slideshow of the event below.

 

 

In January 2015, legendary jazz trumpeter, music educator and Grammy Award-winning musician Wynton Marsalis completed his 2014-15 residency at Shenandoah Conservatory, and the highlight of his involvement is the world premiere of his newly revised, complete “Blues Symphony” on Wednesday, Feb. 4, presented by Washington Performing Arts at The Music Center at Strathmore.

The premiere will feature the Wynton Marsalis Quintet and the Shenandoah Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Jan Wagner. Marsalis has worked intensively with the 79-piece orchestra over the past few months, providing them with insight into his work and teaching them how to incorporate more “swing” into their classical training.

Marsalis reflected on his most recent visit to Shenandoah via a post on his Facebook page, and noted that “It was a busy and emotionally rich week and I left having experiences I know will become even more significant as valued memories.”

In addition, Marsalis sat down with Dean of Shenandoah Conservatory Michael Stepniak, Ed.D., to be interviewed as part of the conservatory’s American Icons series.

“Wynton Marsalis reminds us that artistry and excellence is not a destination but a deeply personal journey,” said Dr. Stepniak during his introduction of Marsalis during the event. “He’s on such a journey, and observing him from afar, I see in him not only a voracious thirst for learning but also those dual qualities we find in the best of artists — self-acceptance and self-criticism. Importantly, that self-criticism combines an intolerance for the second-rate with an extraordinary regard for collaboration and the dignity of all in our society.

“Indeed, through his educational work, writings and performances, he has revealed uniquely powerful messages about jazz — that even, above all else, it may uniquely teach respect and trust, can reveal wounds in this society and pathways to healing, can call us to honestly engage with each other as our true selves. He speaks, to put it simply, from a place of profound passion, concern and awareness; and in bringing his all to the task of his life’s work, he has a clarity that enables him to look at young artists with a wise, caring gaze.”

While in Winchester, Marsalis took some time to work with students from John Kerr Elementary School’s West African Drumming Ensemble. He also led a Big Band Jazz Clinic, working exclusively with the National Jazz Workshop All-Star Jazz Orchestra and the Shenandoah Conservatory Jazz Ensemble.

“When I was growing up, and I’m sure it’s still prevalent today, high school orchestras played Beethoven and Tchaikovsky, the concert band played Vaughan-Williams and Holst, and the Jazz band played whatever the director has written or some jazz-funk or jazz-rock tunes. This band, however, was well-prepared and also very easy to work with,” said Marsalis of the NJW All-Star Jazz Orchestra in his Jan. 24 Facebook post.

The NJW All-Star Jazz Orchestra is an outgrowth of the conservatory’s summer National Jazz Workshop. It is an audition-based ensemble comprised of students aged 15 to 22 in the Washington, D.C., area and is under the direction of Jazz Composer-in-Residence and Adjunct Associate Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies Alan Baylock ’90, M.M. The Shenandoah Conservatory Jazz Ensemble is under the direction of Auxiliary Adjunct Associate Professor of Jazz and Trumpet Craig Fraedrich, M.M.

View a slideshow of the event below.