Dr. Joshua Davis

Kevin Hsuan-Wei Wenglin

Friday, May 17, 2024

11:30 A.M. Bryan Recital Hall
Moore Musical Arts Center

Program

Dr. Joshua Davis

Sonate fur Fagott and Violoncello, KV 292 W.A. Mozart
          I. Allegro (1756-1791)
         II. Andante Arr. Rex Connor
        III. Rondo: Allegro
            Dr. Brendan Ige - Tuba

Middle Pigeons for Tuba, Trombone, and Recorded Sounds Inez S. McComas (2013)
            Adam Bell - Trombone

Tanguito Dante Yanque (2002)
            Adam Bell - Accordion

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kevin Hsuan-Wei Wenglin

"This Trip is Sponsored by Taiwan National Culture and Arts Foundation"

Sonata No. 2 (1804) Luigi Cherubini (1760-1842); arr. Roland Szentpali

Limerick (2023) Bence Kutrik (1976- )

Concert Piece No. 2- Hakka (2022) | Liang Wan-Yu
            *U.S. Premiere

IMG-2734-Josh-Davis

Dr. Joshua Davis enjoys a busy and varied schedule as a freelance musician on both tuba and bass trombone, performing frequently with orchestras across the midwest. In 2016 and 2017, he was a featured soloist in a country wide tour of Japan with the Emmy and Tony award winning show BLAST! Josh is also an avid chamber musician and soloist, with recent performances with Columbus Brass Quintet, and Da Camera brass quintet. He has also been featured as a soloist with Kent State University Wind Symphony, Bowling Green University tuba/euphonium ensemble, and Wright State University Symphony Orchestra.

In addition to performing, Josh is also a passionate teacher. He is currently the Associate Professor of Low Brass at IUPUI, and has a growing studio of students from several prominent schools around the Indianapolis area. He has given masterclasses in Japan, at Bowling Green State University, and for several honor band events. He is a highly sought-after marching band instructor, with staff positions with groups such as the Kent State Marching Golden Flashes, the 2013 Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps, and many high school band programs.

Josh has his Doctor of Arts degree from Ball State University, graduate performance degrees from Kent State University, and Bowling Green State University, and a Bachelors of Music Education from Wright State University. He has studied with Matthew Lyon, Dr. Andrew Mitchell, Dr. John Seidel, Dr. John DiCesare, David Saltzman, Dr. Benjamin Miles, and Dr. Jacob Cameron.

Wenglin-54-Kevin-Wenglin

Kevin Wenglin, a native of Taiwan, a captivating island in East Asia, has cultivated his passion for music across continents. Presently thriving as a dedicated freelancer in the vibrant Seattle area. Before settling in Seattle, Kevin pursued his music journal by achieving a master’s degree in tuba performance from DePaul University in Chicago back in 2018. He, then, completed his Doctor of Musical Arts in Tuba Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), where he was honored with a full scholarship. His mentors include such as Floyd Cooley, Gene Pokorny, Tim Northcut, Charles Vernon, Mark Fisher, Fu-Hsuan Duan, and Jun Miyanishi. 

Over seven enriching years in the United States, Kevin has won positions in prominent ensembles, including the Billings Symphony (2022- ), Civic Orchestra of Chicago (2018-2023), and New World Symphony (2018-2023), where he stood as their seasonal substitute member. Additionally, Kevin also has performed with different professional ensembles, such as the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra, Chicago Composer Orchestra, Taiwan National Symphony Orchestra, Wheaton Municipal Band, 5th Wave Collective Music Ensemble, and more. Currently, he serves as one of the Committee Members of ITEA.

Sonata No. 2 (1804) | Luigi Cherubini (1760-1842); arr. Roland Szentpali
Luigi Cherubini, born in Florence, Italy, in 1760, displayed musical talent from an early age, commencing his musical journey under his father's guidance at six. Recognized as a child prodigy, Cherubini delved into counterpoint and dramatic style, shaping his musical foundation. In 1785, he produced two opera series and an opera buffa for London's King's Theater. Later that year, he settled in Paris, which became his lifelong home. Cherubini's creative evolution extended to church music, with seven masses, two requiems, and numerous shorter compositions. While chamber music constituted a smaller part of his oeuvre, its significance remained undeniable. In 1822, Cherubini assumed the directorship of the Paris Conservatoire, culminating in the completion of his influential textbook, "Cours de contrepoint et de fugue," in 1835.

Sonata No. 2 was originally composed for horn in 1804, and was commissioned as an examination piece for the Paris Conservatory.This well-known sonata serves as a testament to Cherubini's legacy as a distinguished Italian composer of opera and sacred music during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The two movements, performed attaca, featuring trills and cadenza-like passages demanding exceptional flexibility and nuanced phrasing. Achieving the required light, classical style proves challenging, underscoring the deceptive complexity of this short yet formidable piece.

Limerick (2023) | Bence Kutrik (1976- )
Bence Kutrik, born in Hungary in 1976, is a visionary composer committed to crafting music that reflects the contemporary ethos, employing a language of innovation and experimentation while honoring tradition. Renowned for his contributions to concert and film music, Kutrik has garnered numerous accolades in both North America and Europe. His extensive musical education took him to prestigious institutions, including the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the University of Toronto, and the Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest. 

A versatile and award-winning composer, Bence Kutrik's music transcends borders, earning him acclaim on the international stage. Kutrik's compositional prowess shines through in works such as "Ritual," an ensemble piece recognized as a Recommended Work at the 2018 International Rostrum of Composers. His solo piano composition, "Introverted Confessions," claimed the top prize at the 2018 Anton Matasowsky composer competition. Beyond these achievements, Kutrik's impact extends to the founding of the STUDIO5 contemporary music group in Hungary.

Limerick music typically refers to the musical accompaniment or setting for limericks, which are often humorous or nonsensical five-line poems with a distinctive rhythm. Limericks are a form of poetry, and while they are not typically associated with a specific musical genre, they can be set to various styles of music. In terms of music, there isn't a specific musical form associated with limericks. However, limericks are often set to music in various genres, especially in folk and children's songs. The musical setting typically follows a simple and lively rhythm to complement the playful and rhythmic nature of the limerick verses. 

Concert Piece No. 2- Hakka (2022) | Liang Wan-Yu
After accumulating years of experience in arranging for wind ensemble, Taiwanese composer Wan-Yun Liang made her debut in 2018 with an original composition for wind ensemble titled "Once in a Blue Moon." The piece immediately garnered attention and praise, and it was published the following year by Cimarron Music Press. In 2020, the composition was even selected as the required piece for the Leonard Falcone International Euphonium and Tuba Festival's Euphonium solo competition, and it continued to be designated as the required piece for the International Tuba and Euphonium Association (ITEA) regional competitions. So far, Ms. Liang has composed over fifty original pieces, including various wind instruments, chamber ensembles, and music for wind symphony. Her compositions have gained international recognition and have been frequently selected for performances in concerts, as well as commissioned for major events.

Liang Wan-Yun's works have also received acclaim from renowned performers. Her composition "Four Psalms," written for the trombone, was premiered in the U.S by Denson Paul Pollard, the bass trombonist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, and also performed by Richard Roblee, Principal Trombone of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, in the same year. In 2022, her composition "Concerto for Euphonium" and the French horn solo piece "Meteoroid" were chosen as the set pieces for the 2023 examination of the Royal Academy of Music in the United Kingdom. The same year, she was invited by the International Tuba and Euphonium Association (ITEA) to serve as a judge for their composition competition. In 2023, her entry "Romance for Horn and Piano" received an Honorable Mention Citation from the International Horn Society (IHS) competition. Similarly, her "Sagittarius" for the ITEA composition competition also received an Honorable Mention from the judging panel. With a diverse range of compositions and a prolific output, she continues to thrive in the world of music. 

(Note from the composer, Wan-Yun Liang) “Hakka “is one of the ethnic groups in Taiwan. This piece incorporates several Hakka folk songs and shows a leisurely pastoral style. It's an ingenuity piece and suitable for a recital program. It was commissioned by Prof. Fu-Hsuan Duan in 2022. serve as a judge for their composition competition. In 2023, her entry "Romance for Horn and Piano" received an Honorable Mention Citation from the International Horn Society (IHS) competition. Similarly, her "Sagittarius" for the ITEA composition competition also received an Honorable Mention from the judging panel. With a diverse range of compositions and a prolific output, she continues to thrive in the world of music. 

(Note from the composer, Wan-Yun Liang) “Hakka “is one of the ethnic groups in Taiwan. This piece incorporates several Hakka folk songs and shows a leisurely pastoral style. It's an ingenuity piece and suitable for a recital program. It was commissioned by Prof. Fu-Hsuan Duan in 2022.

solungga liuAcclaimed as a pianist of great breadth, Solungga Liu is a champion of early twentieth-century American music, under-represented works of the standard repertoire and is also known as an uncanny interpreter of new music. Her discography is both wide-ranging and extensive.

Her 2017 debut at the Library of Congress was praised for its “rhythmic precision, expression and finely calibrated sense of balance between all of the moving parts.” There she performed a solo recital of works by Charles Griffes, Amy Beach and César Franck, a concert tailored to her strengths and uniquely composed of music from the Library’s manuscript collection and which included the premiere of Charles Griffes’s 1915 piano transcription of Debussy’s Les parfums de la nuit from Iberia, once thought lost by Griffes’s biographers.

At the invitation of the Brazilian Government in summer, 2022, Liu’s most recent performances were solo recitals in Brasília, the capital, where she performed for the general public as well as for members of the Cabinet of Brazil and the Supreme Labor Court Justices.

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Updated: 04/25/2024 04:14PM