PRESS RELEASE
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS
COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS AND COMMUNICATION
March 7, 2014
CONTACT: Dr. Gayle Seymour, (501) 450-3295; gayles@uca.edu
COMPOSER BRUCE ADOLPHE TO APPEAR AT UCA
By Holly Morrison
College of Fine Arts and Communication Media Office
CONWAY — Bruce Adolphe, the composer, educator, performer and author who is perhaps best known as public radio’s “Piano Puzzler,” will visit the University of Central Arkansas as Artist in Residence March 19–21.
Adolphe’s work has been performed by various artists and more than 60 orchestras from around the world.
“Bruce Adolphe is a modern Renaissance man,” said Dr. Gayle Seymour, professor of art and associate dean of UCA’s College of Fine Arts and Communication. “He does it all, from composing challenging yet accessible music, to writing scholarly books on creativity, to educating families about the enduring power of music.”
Also as part of his residency, Adolphe will hold an open rehearsal with faculty and students March 19 in the Snow Fine Arts Center Recital Hall from 4-5 p.m. From 7-9 p.m., he will coach ensembles as they prepare for a public concert March 20.
Other activities on March 20 will include a visit to the Music Theory IV class and a lecture demonstration, “Imagination in Performance,” from 1:40 to 2:30 p.m. that is open to the public, followed by a meet and greet. The public concert, set for 7:30 p.m., will feature Adolphe compositions “The Tiger’s Ear,” “Self Comes to Mind” and “Red Dogs and Pink Skies.” The concert is free and open to the public.
On Friday, March 21, Adolphe will meet with student composers from 10 a.m. until noon and with any other interested students at 1 p.m. at the Snow Recital Hall. That evening, he will be the special guest for the Bravo! fundraising cocktail party and dinner. UCA commissioned a piece by Adolphe in 2013,“Mary Cassatt: Scenes from her Life,” a portion of which will be performed by UCA music faculty as part of the fundraiser. He will also perform puzzlers on stage.
“Adolphe fans will have heard him do puzzlers on public radio, and now they can participate in live puzzlers with the master himself,” Seymour said.
Sponsors for Bravo! include Aramark, Table Mesa Bistro and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Tickets for Bravo! are $100 and may be purchased by calling (501) 450-3293. Proceeds will benefit travel for UCA music students. The 2014 Bravo! will raise travel funds for UCA music students.
Adolphe is a key figure for The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Since beginning his involvement with the Society in 1992, Adolphe has become the founder and director of the Meet the Music family concert series. He is also a resident lecturer for the Society and a regular guest speaker at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He has also shared his knowledge of music with universities such as Yale, Julliard and New York University.
Using his gift of music composition, he has written three books including The Mind’s Ear: Exercises for Improving the Musical Imagination for Performers, Listeners and Composers (Oxford University Press). Adolphe has also joined his efforts with cellist Julian Fifer to create the company “The Learning Maestros” dedicated to forming new works.
“Bruce Adolphe is wonderfully inventive and engaging individual, and his wit and charm infuses all that he does,” added UCA Associate Professor of Cello Stephen Feldman, faculty sponsor for the residency. “It will be very valuable for us all to experience first-hand his infectious enthusiasm for music and his imaginative ways of communicating with the people around him.”
For more information, contact Seymour at (501) 450-3295 or gayles@uca.edu.
The UCA College of Fine Arts and Communication includes the Departments of Art, Communication, Mass Communication and Theatre, Music and Writing. The college’s primary mission is the preparation of the next generation of artists, educators and communicators. For more information about CFAC, visit www.uca.edu/cfac or call (501) 450-3293.
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