Canisius Presents Women in the Arts Festival

March 5, 2014

BUFFALO, NY – ArtsCanisius presents a Women in the Arts Festival, from Friday, February 28 – Thursday, March 6. Events are free and open to the public, unless otherwise specified:

Saturday, March 1 – Piano Recital by Jennifer Campbell, a Prize Winnerfrom the Stecher and Horowitz New York International Piano Competition, at 3:00 p.m. in the Montante Cultural Center. The performance will include works by Avner Dorman, David Auldon Brown, Schubert, Scriabin, Debussy and Beethoven.

Campbell was a finalist of the 2012 Sixth New York International Piano Competition, a biennial event presented under the auspices of The Stecher and Horowitz Foundation. She has performed at such notable halls as the Lincoln Center, the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, the Grand Opera House in Delaware and the Musikhauset Aarhus in Denmark. Campbell was the semi-finalist for the Aarhus International Piano Competition in Denmark. Most recently she performed a series of Hauskonzerts in Switzerland and Vienna while studying with Norman Shelter. Campbell is also a coordinator for Creative Access, a program that brings music to homeless centers, hospitals, schools and retirement homes in the Baltimore area.

Monday, March 3 – Women in the Arts Festival Meet-the-Faculty Recital at 12 p.m. in the Montante Cultural Center. Canisius University faculty members will perform works by various woman composers.

Tuesday, March 4 – Meet the Faculty Lecture featuring Jane Cary, professor and director ofmusic at Canisius,at 2:30 p.m. in the Regis Room of the Richard E. Winter ’42 Student Center. Cary’s lecture is entitled “Women’s Musical Roles in 18th Century America.”

Wednesday, March 5 – Barbara Harbach, PhD, professor of music at the University of St. Louis, will discuss “21st Century Women Composers” at 12 p.m. in the Montante Cultural Center.

An accomplished composer, Harbach has a large catalog of works, including symphonies, operas, film scores, modern ballets, choral anthems, and works for organ, harpsichord, piano and string orchestra. She is involved in the research, editing and publication of 18th century keyboard composers, as well as historical and contemporary women composers. Harbach’s work is available in recorded and published form, and she has toured extensively as a concert organist and harpsichordist. She initiated the Women in Arts- St. Louis, a celebration of the achievements of women creators.

More than 800 events by various cultural organizations in the St. Louis region provided audiences with new and historical examples of the work of women writers, composers and artists. Harbach holds a bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania State University, a master of musical arts degree from Yale University Musikhochschule (Konzertdiplome) in Frankfurt, Germany and a doctor of musical arts from the Eastman School of Music. In 2002, Harbach received an honorary doctorate in music from Wilmington College, OH for her lifetime achievement as a composer, performer, editor and publisher.

Thursday, March 6 – Women in the Arts Festival Coffeehouse from 12 p.m. – 4 p.m. in the Montante Cultural Center. The event will feature faculty and student lectures, performances and exhibitions about women’s roles in literature, poetry, art and music. Guests can come for as little time or as long as they like. Light refreshments will be served.

Sunday, March 9 – Festival of Ensembles at 7:00pm in the Montante Cultural Center. The performance will include four Canisius University ensembles on one program: The Canisius University Chamber Orchestra, directed by Ansgarius Aylward; the Canisius University Chorale, directed by Frank Scinta; the Canisius University Concert Band, directed by Paul Biddle; and the Canisius University Jazz Ensemble directed by Dave Schiavone. Tickets are $5 general admission and are available at the door.

Tuesday, March 25 – Composer-in-Residence Event featuring Canisius Composer-in-Residence Persis Parshall Vehar, and composer Michael Colquhoun, PhD, adjunct professor of music at Canisius. The performance, which will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Montante Cultural Center, will feature the winning works of the Persis Vehar Competition for Excellence Competition. Student works are composed by area high school and college-aged composers.

The ArtsCanisius series at Canisius University presents concerts by professional musicians, including members of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and Canisius faculty, art shows and lectures by professional artists, as well as student recitals. For more information, contact the Fine Arts Department at (716) 888-2536 or visit the website at canisius.edu/artscanisius.

Canisius is one of 28 Jesuit universities in the nation and the premier private university in Western New York.

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