UTC Music Department presents “Songs and Dances”
featuring UTC faculty members:
Jonathan McNair, Mario Abril, Kenyon Wilson

Sunday, October 7, 2012, 4:00 p.m.
Roland Hayes Concert Hall, UTC Fine Arts Center
Press Release Date: September 18, 2012

The UTC Music Department is pleased to present the faculty recital “Songs and Dances”, featuring Jonathan McNair, Mario Abril and Kenyon Wilson. The performance will take place in the UTC Fine Arts Center, Roland Hayes Concert Hall, 752 Vine St., Chattanooga, on October 7 at 4:00 p.m. It is presented free of charge and is open to the general public.

Do you enjoy song and dance? Are you a fan of good singing by excellent vocalists or fine playing by accomplished instrumentalists? The program “Songs and Dances” embraces all of the above and features original music composed by three of UTC’s award-winning music faculty members: Mario Abril, Jonathan McNair, and Kenyon Wilson.

“Songs and Dances” will feature original music for voices and instruments composed by three of UTC’s award-winning music faculty members: Mario Abril, Jonathan McNair, and Kenyon Wilson.

Mario Abril’s “Two Songs” for soprano and piano are settings of poetry by Mary Louise Sottong of Chattanooga (“Twilight Voice”) and Cuban poet José Martí (A Mademoiselle Marie”). Performing will be mezzo-soprano Sara Snider Schone, who is in demand not only as a vocalist but also for her talents as a bassoonist. Tim Hinck, pianist, composer, and sound-artist known for his sensitive and expressive playing, will accompany Ms. Schone. Mario Abril, in addition to being an accomplished and widely-performed composer, teaches classical guitar, music theory, and orchestration at UTC, and for many years gave engaging performances as a guitarist.

“Like a Breath in a Bubble, Spinning: Songs of Love and Loss” is the title of a set of songs by Jonathan McNair, for tenor voice and mixed percussion. The six songs feature texts by poets Emily Dickinson, Amy Lowell, William Butler Yeats, and D. H. Lawrence. This new work was commissioned by tenor Harv Wileman with the support of a grant from CreateHere. Performing this world premiere will be Grammy-winning tenor Richard Clement and internationally known percussionist Stuart Gerber, both of Atlanta. Dr. McNair’s music has been performed in many venues across the USA as well as in five other countries on three continents. He teaches music theory and composition at UTC.

“Preantepenultimate Tango,” by Kenyon Wilson, features a variety of dance styles including milonga, jazz, and of course, tango. Written in response to the 2012 “Rapido” competition, this light-hearted work will be performed by a quartet including oboist Carey Shinbaum, principal oboe of the Huntsville Symphony and English horn soloist for the Chattanooga Symphony; violinist Marcy Wilson, who is Principal Second Violin of the Tupelo Symphony in Mississippi, Past-President of the Alabama Orchestra Association, and the music teacher at Lakeside Academy in Chattanooga; cellist Jenny R. Wilkes, a member of the UTC music faculty and one of the founding members of the New Dischord Ensemble; and pianist Tim Hinck. Dr. Wilson teaches tuba, euphonium, and music theory at UTC, and directs the UTC Tuba Ensemble. He has written numerous well-received works primarily for brass ensembles and solo brass instruments, some of which are published.

The concert will close with “Dance!” composed in 2012 by Jonathan McNair, featuring the above mentioned quartet. This brief composition includes a Bulgarian-influenced dance, a slow waltz, and a rock-n-roll-inspired “jam.”

For more information email jonathan-mcnair@utc.edu or call (423) 425-4679. If you have a disability requiring accommodations or, for require further information regarding this or any other UTC Music Dept. performance, please call the Music office at 423-425-4601.