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Music

The SUU Music Department launched its unique new intimate Bon Appétit concert series in October to help raise scholarship funds for music students. The event provides an opportunity for music lovers to not only enjoy good music, but also good food in the homes of individuals living in Cedar City and Iron County. Hence, the series name -- Bon Appétit. The inaugural concert raised several thousand dollars for music scholarships. The next Bon Appétit concert will be held on December 15, 2007 at the home of Ree and Renn Zaphiropoulos. For more information about the new series and supporting music scholarships at SUU please contact Carol Ann Modesitt at 865-8166.

SUU alumna Olivia Biddle (05) received a $10,000 scholarship to attend the Northern Royal College of Music to work on her master’s degree in Vocal Performance.

Shannon Talley (01) has been hired to teach voice at Richmond University in Texas.

Dr. Keith Bradshaw took the Heritage Choir of St. George on a very successful tour of the mid-west, singing in cathedrals, churches, and historic sites. The choir also performed two concerts in the Cox Auditorium on the Dixie State Campus under Bradshaw’s direction. Keith also composed a new piece entitled, “The Ballad of Hazel and Brown,” which premiered at the Western Soundscapes concert on October 15th in Thorley Recital Hall. The piece was performed by Lawrence Johnson, with piano accompaniment by Rachel Roulet and Tracey Bradshaw.

Dr. Kirill Gliadkovsky, new faculty member in music, has been very busy with a full concert schedule this fall. On September 14th, he performed a piano solo recital at Grace Baptist Church, Santa Maria, CA as part of the Santa Maria Philharmonic Music Series. On January 6th Kirill will be a piano soloist with the Musica Nova Symphony Orchestra at Scottsdale Center for the Arts, Scottsdale, AZ performing the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.2 (Full original version). On January 17th, he will be performing a solo recital for the Music Series at Lancaster Performing Arts Center, Lancaster, CA.

Lawrence Johnson performed a faculty voice recital in October with Rachel Roulet on piano entitled the Serenade. The delightful program focused on young men romancing their sweethearts through some of the most beautiful and beloved gems in the vocal repertoire.

Carol Ann Modesitt researched the life and music of George Gershwin during the summer and wrote an original script with Gershwin music throughout called Crazy for George. The SUU Opera Theatre students performed the work November 9th - 10th, 16th - 17th, in Thorley Recital Hall. She performed a solo faculty recital in September entitled Poetry via Voice and was featured in several Orchestra of Southern Utah Recitals during the fall.

Dr. Mark Stickney will be taking the Southern Utah University Wind Symphony to St. George to perform at the Utah Music Educators Association (UMEA) conference in February of 2008. It has been more than 20 years since one of the major instrumental ensembles has been invited to perform at the state music conference. During Spring semester 2008, Mark will also be a guest conductor for the Weber District Honor Band (Ogden, Utah), and the Los Gatos Middle School Band (Los Gatos, CA).

Xun Sun was a guest conductor for Contrast: A Festival of Modern Music, hosted by Lviv Philharmonic Orchestra in Ukraine on September 21, 2007. Xun is also continuing as the Music Director for the Orchestra of Southern Utah in the 2007-08 season.