Competitions/faculty recitals
Larry Day was a voice professor at the UA with experience in opera companies from around the country. Four years ago, the Larry Day Vocal Competition was established in his memory. Tenors, baritones and bass voice majors in their junior year and above compete for cash prizes. It’s April 2 at the UA’s Holsclaw Hall in the Fred Fox School of Music.
The UA’s classical guitar program is one of the country’s best, which makes the Schaeffer Memorial Guitar Competition a don’t miss. The annual event is in the memory of Leonard and David Scheffer, and their father, Albert Schaeffer, a Tucson lawyer and jazz pianist. The students — and they come from around the world to study at the UA — vie for cash awards. And prestige. It’s April 3 in Holsclaw Hall.
Ben McCartney has performed classical guitar around town, the country, Europe, South America and even Cuba. He teaches at PCC, where he will perform a solo classical guitar concert in Pima’s Center for the Arts on April 3.
The Arizona Wind Quintet is made up of UA music school faculty members Brian Luce on flute; Sara Fraker, oboe; Jerry Kirkbride, clarinet; William Dietz, bassoon, and Daniel Katzen on horn. They will team up with the Fred Fox Graduate Wind Quintet to perform a work for double wind quintet. The Graduate Wind group has been making a name for itself, winning the Southwest division of the Collegiate Chamber Music Competition in January. The recital is April 4 at Holsclaw Hall.
Pima’s Mark Nelson’s annual tuba recital is a chance for us to hear what has impressed people around the world. His name is legendary in tuba circles — he has commissioned and premiered more than 30 new works for the tuba. Catch his recital April 14 at the PCC Center for the Arts.
Tenor Hugo Vera and pianist Michael Dauphinais, both members of the UA music faculty, team up for a recital that should be impressive. Vera has performed with opera companies around the country — one review said he had a “brilliant and truly heroic voice” — and Dauphinais has been called “a marvelous collaborative pianist.” He has traveled far and wide performing. Their recital is April 15 at Holsclaw Hall.
Look for a huge production when the Arizona Symphony Orchestra, Arizona Choir, UA Symphonic Choir and UA Philharmonic Orchestra perform on May 4 at Crowder Hall. On the program is “Dona Nobis Pacem” by Ralph Vaughan Williams. It incorporates poetry from Walt Whitman, passages from the Bible and a political speech to create the piece, a call for peace.
Also: UA piano majors will tickle the ivories in hopes of impressing judges and winning cash in the Lois Trester Piano Competition at Crowder Hall on April 17; the String Chamber Music Showcase at Holsclaw on April 19 will feature UA music majors; the Student Composers Concert at Crowder on April 27 has a program of new music by UA students, and the Pima Wind Ensemble performs April 28 at the PCC Center for the Arts
