Wharton Music Center
 |
| Kevin Dayton, clarinet; Jee-Hoon Krska, piano; Kristen Wuest, flute; Eric Ewazen, composer |
The centerpiece of the concert, Eric
Ewazen’s (1954 - ) Wildflowers for
piccolo (or flute), clarinet, and piano, is a lively, dance-filled chamber work
composed for piccoloist Jan Gippo and clarinetist Jane Carl in 2008 and inspired
by the brilliant colors of wildflowers from America’s heartland. Wildflowers opens
with the joyful energy of the Dense Blazing Star, displayed by soaring melodies
passed beautifully between Ms. Wuest and Mr. Dayton, followed by the poignant
ballad, Missouri Primrose, and ending with an exhilarating and celebratory
dance depicting the Mexican Hat, showcasing the nimble playing of Ms.
Krska who propelled the three forward from the keyboard with the movement's cohesive, interwoven melodies.
Eric Ewazen was born in 1954 in Cleveland,
Ohio. Receiving a B.M. at the Eastman School of Music, and M.M. and D.M.A.
degrees from The Juilliard School, his teachers include Milton Babbitt, Samuel
Adler, Warren Benson, Joseph Schwantner and Gunther Schuller. He is a recipient
of numerous composition awards and prizes and his works have been commissioned
and performed by many soloists, chamber ensembles and orchestras in the U.S.
and overseas. His works are recorded on Summit Records, d'Note Records, CRS
Records, New World, Clique Track, Helicon, Hyperion, Cala, Albany and Emi
Classics.
Individual works of Mr. Ewazen have recently been released by the
Ahn Trio, Julie Giacobassi of the San Francisco Symphony, Charles Vernon of the
Chicago Symphony, Koichiro Yamamoto of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Ronald
Barron of the Boston Symphony, Doug Yeo of the Boston Symphony, Steve Witser of
the Cleveland Orchestra, Joe Alessi and Philip Smith of the New York
Philharmonic, the Horn Section of the New York Philharmonic, the Summit Brass
Ensemble and the American Brass Quintet. His music is published by Southern
Music Company, International Trombone Association Manuscript Press, Keyboard
Publications, Manduca Music, Encore Music, Triplo Music, and Brass Ring
Editions. Mr.
Ezawen has been a guest at almost 100 Universities and colleges throughout the
world and has been lecturer for the New York Philharmonic's Musical Encounters
Series, Vice President of the League of Composers-International Society of
Contemporary Music, and Composer-In-Residence with the Orchestra of St. Luke's
in New York City. He has been a faculty member at Juilliard since 1980.
Kristen Wuest, a New Jersey Youth
Symphony alumna who served as principal flute in Youth Symphony for the
2001-2002 and 2002-2003 seasons, holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Flute
Performance from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University and a
Master of Music degree in Flute Performance from The School of Music, Dance,
and Theater at New Jersey City University. While at Rutgers University, Ms.
Wuest was a member of the Grammy-nominated Rutgers Wind Ensemble and attended
master classes with world-renowned flutists Julius Baker, Jan Vinci, Jeffrey
Khaner, Bart Feller, and Paul Edmund Davies. Ms. Wuest appeared with the New
Jersey Youth Symphony at Alice Tully Hall in May 2003. She has served on the
faculty of Wharton Music Center since 2007.
Clarinetist
Kevin Dayton holds a Bachelor of Music degree and a Master of Music degree in
Performance from Rutgers University-Mason Gross School of the Arts. Mr. Dayton studied
under clarinetists Maureen Hurd (Rutgers University), Alan Kay (Orpheus Chamber
Orchestra), Miriam Adams (Imani Winds), and Ayako Oshima (SUNY Purchase). He
has participated in international music festivals including The Imani Winds
Chamber Music Festival, The Sarasota Music Festival, and received invitation to
the Banff Performing Arts Center in Canada. He has performed at Carnegie
Hall, the Sarasota Opera House, and Riverside Church in New York City. Mr.
Dayton regularly performs with Sinfonetta Nova and the Monmouth Winds Quintet
featuring members of the Monmouth Symphony.
Pianist Jee-Hoon Krska was born in
Malaysia where she gained national attention with performances on Radio Malaysia
and before the Sultan. Upon immigrating to the United States, Ms. Krska entered
the Juilliard Pre-College Division and continued her studies in piano with
David Deveau at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology while earning a Ph.D.
in Electrical Engineering. Ms. Krska’s performances include appearances at
Lincoln Center, Boston Symphony Hall, and as a soloist with the Boston Pops in
June 2014.
Wharton
Music Center, where
creativity and expression converge with exploration, provides a diverse range
of classes and programs as New Jersey’s largest independent non-profit
community performing arts center. Serving nearly 1,200 students with high
quality instruction in all instruments and voice, musical theatre, drama, and
dance, Wharton and its esteemed faculty of talented professionals offer
instruction for beginners of all ages, as well as an in-depth, sequential
course of study through its Achievement Program, and orchestral and ensemble
training with the New Jersey Youth Symphony, its orchestral and ensemble
affiliate. New Jersey Youth Symphony features fourteen ensembles, available by
audition for students in grades 3 – 12. Its premiere ensemble, Youth Symphony,
was awarded first place in the prestigious 2014 Summa Cum Laude International
Youth Music Festival and has appeared in such internationally renowned concert
halls as Carnegie Hall in New York City and Musikverein in Vienna.
Innovative
programming and
over 500 classes taught weekly, from Early Childhood Music, music theory, and
audio recording to Introduction to Instruments, ensures that there is something
for all ages and interests.
Part of our
mission as a
community school for the performing arts is to engage, educate, and enrich our
community with a broad spectrum of accessible programming. Dedicated to serving
the community, WMC provides instruction at local public, private and charter
schools in after-school settings and during the school day. From an assembly
program to a full-year residency, our outstanding faculty collaborates with
school principals and staff to offer customized curriculum to meet the needs
for music, drama, and musical theatre instruction for each school or
organization. One of the highlights of our community programs is the Paterson
Music Project, an El Sistema-inspired program that provides intensive music
instruction to elementary school students attending the Community Charter
School of Paterson.
Wharton
Music Center builds personal connections in the community through an array of faculty and
student performances, many of which are free and allow community members
to become more involved with WMC. These often interactive Community
Concerts include classical, jazz and family programs and are held at a
variety of venues throughout the region. New Jersey Youth Symphony
ensembles, both large and small, perform throughout the community.
Located in
Berkeley Heights and New Providence, New Jersey, Wharton Music Center and New Jersey Youth Symphony
serve students from thirteen counties.
