October 2017
The Bridge shares news and information about the string program at Augustana College. We invite you to share with anyone interested. Please pass it along to other string players and contact us with your questions and comments.
Cordially,
The Augustana String Faculty
Dr. Daniel W Chetel, conductor, director of orchestral activities
Dr. Susan Stone, violin
Dortha Dewit, violin
Dr. Deborah Dakin, viola
Dr. Janina Ehrlich, cello
Dr. Patricia Silva, bass
Dr. Erin Freund, harp
Randy Pobanz, guitar
Nick Martinez is a junior from Elmhurst, Ill., majoring in biology and Spanish for professional use. He is a music scholarship recipient.
Why was Augustana on your list of schools?
I first heard of Augustana through Joan Strouse, my private cello teacher. She told me that she had recently visited and fell in love with it. I then visited Augustana with my mom and I fell in love, too. I wanted to attend a small school with a strong pre-med/biology program. I also really liked the feel of the campus because it felt like home to me; no other campus gave me this feeling
What factors helped you decide to come here?
I really liked the pre-med biology program and the student-to-teacher ratio because I wanted to develop personal relationships with my professors. I also saw Christmas at Augustana and fell in love with the cello section and orchestra. I did my overnight with Patrick Yasutake (cello performance/music ed, ’16) and experienced a fun night on campus with other students.
What are your favorite classes so far?
I have really enjoyed zoology and psych stats.
What are your extra-curricular activities and why do you participate in them?
Viking pups: Viking Pups combines two of my passions in life: helping people and dogs. This club has changed my life. I am so happy and fortunate that I can train a dog to save someone’s life.
Orchestra: I participate in orchestra because I have been playing the cello since third grade and have loved it since then. I enjoy sharing my love of music with others.
Spanish Club: I enjoy the Spanish culture and language, especially learning about new customs and traditions from around the world.
Biology Club: I get to nerd out about biology with other people!
Phi Mu Alpha: I believe that music is a universal language that should be cherished and I have a passion for cello.
Car Club: I participate in this club because cars are a hobby. I find the designs and specs of cars to be interesting, and the club helps me when I have car troubles!
What are your career goals?
Right now my career goals are to go into emergency room medicine or biomedical engineering.
How is Augustana helping you achieve those goals?
Augustana is providing me with wonderful advice and amazing opportunities. I received a biology scholarship which has helped me financially pursue my dreams. I was also fortunate to conduct research with a professor through an LSAMP grant last winter. I was a community advisor sophomore year which helped me improve my leadership and problem solving skills.
Why is music an important part of your life?
Music is an essential part of my life because it is always around me. It makes me feel emotions even when words are not present. I find it as a way to relax me when I am stressed and it helps me remember important moments in my life. Life would be meaningless without music.
SBC Academy
Fifteen Augustana students and three faculty volunteered last year as members of the SBC Music Academy faculty at Second Baptist Church, Rock Island.
For 15 years, the academy has served underprivileged children in the Quad Cities by providing low-cost music lessons.
Children also may participate in dance, crafts, and 4-H leadership classes.
ASTA is back
Sophomores Allessandra West and Jeana Brown, and junior Ashley Ramirez are breathing new life into Augustana’s chapter of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA). They have lots of plans for our string students, including workshops, fundraising and social activities.
In March, local luthier David Pope '73 will present a workshop for Honors Quartet and ASTA members. He will cover the basics of string maintenance, repair, and details necessary for proper care of instruments.
Students
For the second year, harp performance/composition major Caitlin Thom attended the Pierre Monteux Summer Music Festival in Hancock, Me., on full scholarship.
For a fifth year, violinist Emily Watts ’19 was a string volunteer at Encore Summer Music Camp in Batavia, Ill.
Elizabeth Kupar '17 (viola, music education) is a new fifth-sixth-grade grade orchestra director in Tucson, Ariz.
In May, Denzel Woodall ’17 presented his Senior Inquiry project, "What Can Neuroscience Teach Us About Memorizing Music?" After his lecture, he performed the prelude to "Suite No. 5 in C Minor" by J.S. Bach — from memory, of course!
Honors String Quartets
Honors Quartet students (and faculty Susan Stone, Janina Ehrlich, and Daniel Chetel) went to Iowa City Jan. 20 for a concert by the Cleveland Symphony. We enjoyed an amazing concert that included the Tchaikovsky Piano concerto No. 2 with Yefim Bronfman and Sibelius Symphony No. 2. Conducting was Austrian conductor Hans Welser Möst.
Cello studio
In March, members of the cello studio joined students of Michelle Crouch, adjunct assistant professor of music, in an evening of arias with continuo. Students were paired for rehearsals, along with faculty member Charles Schmidt who accompanied on harpsichord or portative organ.
Students enjoyed the opportunity to work with their fellow students, and to learn the styles and techniques of Baroque performance.
2017-2018 Honors String Quartets
First-years
Madeline Prodoehl, Batavia, Ill.
Emily Watts, North Aurora, Ill.
Paige Gerhart, Bettendorf, Iowa
Grant Estes, Moline, Ill.
Sophomores
Dakotah Kinsella, Yorkville, Ill.
Allessandra West, Geneva, Ill.
Sabrina Tiangco, Aurora, Ill.
Grayson Dixon, cello, Bailey, Colo.
Juniors
Anna Krause, violin, Skokie, Ill.
Gabriel Lance, viola, Davenport, Iowa
Collin Bracey, cello, Blue Grass, Iowa
Seniors
Emily Fischer, Elgin, Ill.
Abigail Smith, Peru, Ill.
Kathryn Krajewski, Downer’s Grove, Ill.
Ashley Ramirez, cello, Bloomington, Ill.
Weitzel performs with former teacher, at Gateways
Patricia Weitzel, part-time assistant professor of music in double bass, performed at the International Society of Bassists convention in June. She collaborated her former teacher Dr. Fausto Borem in the premiere of his composition "Girl of Ipanema's Variations."
Dr. Weitzel participated in the Gateways Music Festival in Rochester, N.Y., in August. The festival supports professional classical musicians of African descent. Again this year, she will participate in the Sphinx Virtuosi annual tour as its principal bass. This is a group of 18 of the nation’s top black and Latino classical soloists whose mission is to reach new audiences.
"Amahl and the Night Visitors"
Members of the Augustana Symphony, under the direction of Dr. Daniel Chetel, accompanied the winter opera "Amahl and the Night Visitors." As part of this project, composition students of Dr. Jacob Bancks submitted works for solo piano to be performed as part of the program. Winners included Gabriel Lance, viola, and Caitlin Thom, harp.
Recitals
Nov. 19: Chamber music recital, Kara Bancks, clarinet; Janina Ehrlich, cello; Charles Schmidt, piano; 7:30 p.m., Centennial Hall. They will perform works by Beethoven and Zemlinsky.
April 10: Cantare Duo (Susan Stone, violin; Mary Neil, piano); 7 p.m.,Wallenberg Hall
April 13: Patricia Weitzel, double bass; 7:30 p.m., Wallenberg Hall
April 14: Deborah Dakin, viola; Robert Elfline, piano; 4 p.m., Wallenberg Hall
The following students performed recitals last year:
Violin: Kamneev Rai, Arlington Heights, Ill., Claudia Zerdin, Elmhurst, Ill., and Emily Fischer and Sarah Fischer, both of Elgin, Ill.
Viola: Elizabeth Kupar, Elburn, Ill., Denzel Woodall, Freeport, Ill., and Kathryn Krajewski, Downers Grove, Ill.
Cello: Paige Phelps, Sycamore, Ill.
Harp: Caitlin Thom, Bettendorf, Iowa
Student recitals this year:
Violin: Abigail Smith: senior, Peru, Ill. TBA
Viola: Kathryn Krrajewski: senior, April 14
Cello: Grayson Dixon: sophomore, Bailey, Colo., Jan. 27
Harp: Caitlin Thom: senior composition Jan. 20, senior harp performance April 28
Grant Estes '21, commemorating Dr. Janina Ehrlich's 45 years of service at Augustana, premiered "The Quarrel Between Winter and Summer," composed by faculty member Dr. Jacob Bancks, on April 14.
Dr. John Hildreth had no idea he was going to be honored at the Martin Luther King, Jr., Community Center’s 41st annual Memorial Service and Award Ceremony.
The $11.2 million transformation of Bergendoff Hall is complete. Students and faculty are taking advantage of the new and updated spaces, including Larson Hall, the piano lab, ensemble rehearsal hall, practice rooms, Hamann Concert Hall and more.
The Augustana Flute Ensemble and Clarinet Choir will perform, directed by Dr. Sasha Garver and Dr. Elizabeth Matera.
Senior Zander Ulam, a music education major from Geneseo, Ill., will perform a percussion recital.
The Augustana Symphony Orchestra will perform, directed by Dr. Sam Stapleton.
