UC/UTC Music Dept. Alumni Reunion

Friday, February 20, 2009, 6:00 pm
Saturday, Februrary 21, 2009, 4:30 pm
Roland Hayes Concert Hall, UTC Fine Arts Center
Press Release 01/30/2009

On Friday, Feb. 20 and Saturday, Feb. 21, alumni of the UC and UTC Music Department will gather at the UTC Fine Arts Center to celebrate the long history and contributions to the lives of students of the music department. There will be public concerts on Friday concert at 6:00 pm and Saturday at 4:30 pm in the Roland Hayes Concert Hall. The concerts are free and open to the general public.

The traditions of excellence in musical performance in the UTC Music Dept. can be traced back to the 1904 creation of the Cadek Conservatory of Music which later was identified with University of Chattanooga to form the current Music Department. Ensemble performance was and remains a significant part of the music curriculum and many students, both those majoring in music and other majors, have found musical expression through participation in the bands, choirs, and orchestra.

The Friday evening concert will feature music for piano ensemble for eight hands. Dr. Alan Nichols and Dr. Joe Chapman, both UTC alumni, will be the featured solo performers. Additionally, a quartet of UC/UTC alumni will perform retired professor Peter Temko’s “Introductory Suite for Clarinet Quartet”.

On Saturday alumni will join members of the current UTC Band, Jazz Band, Chamber Singers, Chattanooga Singers, and Orchestra for a gala concert. The Band and Jazz Band will be conducted by Professor Emeritus Tony D’Andrea as well as current directors Dr. Stuart Benkert and Dr. Erika Shafer. The Chamber Singers will be conducted by Professor Emeritus Dr. Walker Breland. The Chattanooga Singers will be conducted by retired professor Glenn Draper. Current director Jooyong Ahn will lead the Orchestra. The evening will close with the singing of the “Alma Mater.”

For further information contact the UTC Music Dept. Office, 423-425-4601.