Frostburg State University to Offer Summer Music Academy for Classical Music

Frostburg State University will host its third annual Summer Music Academy from Sunday, July 22, through Sunday, July 29, featuring guest instructors and artists from top musical ensembles. The academy promotes classical music education, and the goal is to develop individual musicianship for string, woodwind, brass, piano and voice in a supportive environment.

Those who are ages 14 and up are encouraged to enroll. All skill levels are welcome.

New this year is the SMA International Competition for participants between the ages of 14 and 19. The competition, with an award of more than $1,000, will consist of a single round, which will take place on July 22.

During the one-week workshop, each attendee will experience instruction from world-renowned guest artists, including members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, The Flute Academy, Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Washington, as well as FSU music department faculty members. The academy will be no larger than 60 students.

Academy activities will feature masterclasses, evening faculty performances, chamber music coaching, the Alexander Technique and exposure to internationally renowned musicians, soloists and teachers, as well as outdoor activities in the beautiful setting of the Allegheny Mountains.

Faculty are not only accomplished performers, but are also skilled instructors.

Charlie Powers' cello playing has been described by the Washington Post as "poised, elegant, supple of phrasing and mellow of tone." He joined the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's cello section during the 2013-2014 season and has appeared with orchestras throughout the U.S. and abroad. Powers is a founding member of two critically acclaimed chamber ensembles, the Teiber String Trio and The Phillips Camerata, as well as the recently formed Pittsburgh Cello Quartet. He has collaborated with such renowned artists as Yo-Yo Ma, Ricardo Morales and Peter Wiley.

Appointed Fourth Chair Viola of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in 2016, Jacob Shack frequently performed as co-principal of the Juilliard Orchestra. He has toured the world as a chamber and orchestral musician, has been recognized in solo and chamber music competitions and has received numerous awards and scholarships. In the summer of 2015, Shack served as the violist of the New Fromm Players, an ensemble-in-residence at the Tanglewood Music Center devoted to contemporary music performance.

Dr. Shu-ting Yao is the principal second violin at the National String Symphonia. Notable performances of recent seasons were the inauguration of Caroline Kennedy in the Japanese Embassy and then-U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's lecture in Washington, D.C. She has also performed at Carnegie Hall as well as many major concert venues in Europe and Asia. She was a full scholarship doctoral fellow and teaching assistant at Catholic University.

Dr. Kristin Bacchiocchi-Stewart is the director and founder of The Flute Academy in Bergen County, N.J., and has served on the faculties of Union College, Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University, FSU and Ithaca College. She is principal flute with The New Jersey Wind Symphony and is a member of the Lyra Ensemble. Bacchiocchi-Stewart has given concerts, lectures, workshops and master classes throughout the U.S. and has performed throughout Europe and Japan.

Clarinetist Dr. Mark Gallagher has performed with the Washington Opera, U.S. Navy Band, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Chamber Orchestra and the New York City Ballet Orchestra, among others. He is a winner of the Artist International Competition in New York City, an active chamber musician and co-founder of I Venti Semplice. He is an associate professor of clarinet and music theory at FSU and has held instructional posts at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Carroll College.

Dr. Brent Weber is a concert saxophonist who performs around the United States, China, Slovenia, Thailand and France. He joined the faculty as assistant professor of Saxophone at the Sichuan Conservatory of Music in the capital of China's Sichuan province, Chengdu, in 2007. Weber is assistant professor of saxophone at FSU, where, in addition to maintaining the saxophone and bassoon studios, he coordinates the jazz studies program.

Dr. Huai-En Tsai is the assistant principal trombonist for the Symphony of the Potomac and Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Greater Washington, D.C. Tsai relishes his concert engagements as a solo, chamber and orchestra musician. His lecture engagements include Slider Asia 2016 in Seoul, Korea, and the American Trombone Workshop 2017 in Arlington, Va. He has performed and presented his research on trombone performance methods and history at numerous conference.

Pianist Joseph Yungen has enjoyed success as a solo performer, collaborative artist, new music advocate and teacher. Past achievements include winning the Ann Fehn pianist's First Prize in the 14th Annual Jessie Kneisel Lieder Competition and First Prize in the 88th Annual Schubert Club Competition in Minneapolis. In addition to performing, Yungen is a founding member of the faculty and administration of the New Jersey Young Artist Piano Competition, an educational seminar for advanced young pianists. He joined the music faculty at FSU in fall 2016.

Dr. James M. Reddan is a director of Choral Activites and Choral Music Education at FSU. He is an active choral conductor, adjudicator and clinician in demand regionally, domestically and internationally. Ensembles that he has directed have achieved worldwide recognition, including performing for the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics. Reddan received the citation for "Excellence in Music Education" from the American Prize in Choral Music and was recognized as the conductor for the first Honored Artist Choral Ensemble by the American Prize.

First Associate Concertmaster Nathan Cole, who joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2011, has appeared as guest concertmaster with the orchestras of Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Houston, Ottawa, Seattle and Oregon. He was previously a member of the Chicago Symphony and principal second violin of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Cole is on the faculty at the Colburn School for the Performing Arts. His articles and photographs have appeared in Strings, Symphony and Chamber Music magazines. Cole will be playing his 1716 Stradivarius "ex-Milstein" at FSU.

SMA International Competition performers must participate in all required SMA events throughout the week. Repertoire requirements for instrumentalists include one movement of a concerto or sonata and one contrasting piece of the participant's choice. Vocalists must perform two operatic arias of contrasting styles and languages and two art songs of contrasting styles and languages.

A variety of price and residency options are available. For more information or to register for the academy, visit www.frostburg.edu/dept/music/summer-music-academy or contact the director, Dr. Karen Lau, at klau@frostburg.edu.

The FSU Summer Music Academy is supported in part by the FSU Foundation. To support the FSU Foundation, call 301-687-4161 or visit www.frostburg.edu/foundation/ways-to-give.

Situated in the mountains of Allegany County, Frostburg State University is one of the 12 institutions of the University System of Maryland. FSU is a comprehensive, residential regional university and serves as an educational and cultural center for Western Maryland. For more information, visit www.frostburg.edu or facebook.com/frostburgstateuniversity. Follow FSU on Twitter @frostburgstate.

FSU is committed to making all of its programs, services and activities accessible to persons with disabilities. To request accommodations through the ADA Compliance Office, call 301-687-4102 or use a Voice Relay Operator at 1-800-735-2258.

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