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simplygrand

Friday, February 22nd 7:30 PM

POSTPONED TO Saturday 2/23, at 2:00pm

Our next Simply Grand Concert is Friday February 22nd at 7:30 p.m. Soprano Eileen Hanisch and pianist Ellen Flint prepared a program of songs in German, Italian, English and French by composers such as Henry Purcell, Hugo Wolf and Kurt Weill.  Also there will be music from South America as Eileen introduces us to an 13-year-old guitar prodigy.  He’ll play some solo pieces from Brazil.  Also on the program a cycle of songs in French by a contemporary American composer, Dr. Timothy Williams. Make reservations today, call 570-655-2808, or go to our website, wvia.org.

 

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Eileen Hanisch, a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, moved to Pennsylvania in 1993 when she joined the faculty of the Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance at Wilkes University .  She studied at the University of Oregon, where she earned a bachelor of music degree and received her master degree in music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, having studied under the composer John Adams, who later chose her to perform the world premiere of one of his orchestral pieces, “Grand Pianola Music,” with the San Francisco Symphony.  Shortly thereafter, Ms. Hanisch won second prize in the Capital City International Opera Competition, which led to her Carnegie Hall debut with the American Symphony Orchestra.  She has also been soloist with the Eugene Opera, the California Bach Society, the Orange County Opera, Piccolo Productions in Chicago, the Hinsdale Opera, the Oakland Youth Orchestra, and the Tulsa Philharmonic.  She studied under Phyllis Curtin at the Tanglewood Music Festival and worked with Paul Sperry at the Aspen Music Festival.  While living in Los Angeles and studying with Herta Glaz, she toured for nine months with the Orange County Opera in the lead role of Maire in Donizetti’s “La Fille du Regiment.” Ms. Hanisch won the district NATSA Vocal Competition twice and was a national finalist for the Stewart Opera Awards.  She also taught for several years at Cerritos College in the Los Angeles area.  Locally, Ms. Hanisch has been soloist with Northeast Pennsylvania Choral Society, Mostly Opera and Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre.

Ms. Hanisch’s extensive drama experience includes performing in numerous productions with Theatre Tulsa, Gaslight Dinner Theatre, and the Tulsa Children’s Theatre Touring Group and serving as a drama specialist for the Tulsa Parks Department.  At Cerritos College in Los Angeles she became site coordinator and artistic director of a cultural arts program for children.  She also directed two children’s operas for the San Francisco Conservatory’s Summer Music West Program and taught drama and music to children at the Fullerton Conservatory and the Tulsa School of Fine Arts.  After moving back to her hometown, she started and directed The Mater Dei Children’s Theatre supported by grants from the Knights of Columbus.  It is an active children’s theatre to this day.  At Wilkes University, Ms. Hanisch taught voice and was the stage director for the University Opera Workshop for six years.  She currently is the music director for St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Scranton where she conducts the men’s schola and mixed polyphonic choir for the Latin Mass.  Mrs. Hanisch lives in Moscow with her husband, Jim and three daughters, Mary Rose, Bernadette and Isabel, whom she homeschools.

Ellen Flint, a Virginia native, is an Associate Professor of Music at Wilkes University.  She received her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Virginia Commonwealth University where her teachers included Melissa Wuslich-Marrion, Carl Pfeiffer, and Frantisek Smetana.  Dr. Flint also holds graduate degrees in music theory from the Shepherd School of Music of Rice University in Houston and the University of Maryland at College Park.

In addition to her duties as a member of the faculty of the Department of Music, Theatre and Dace of Wilkes University, Dr. Flint is an active collaborative pianist and has appeared often throughout the area with Ms. Hanisch and pianist Dr. Lois Forbes.  Dr. Flint is the president of the Northeast Chapter of PMTA, maintains a private studio, and serves as an instructor and chamber music coach in the Wilkes Community Conservatory.  Articles and reviews by Dr. Flint have appeared in “The Musical Quarterly,” “Prespectives of New Music,” Contemporary Music Review,” and “American Music Teacher.”  She is a frequent guest lecturer on contemporary music and recently presented a paper of contemporary music at the joint conference of Music Theory Midwest and the Society of Composers, Inc.

Guitarist John-Marcel Williams first picked up the guitar at nine-years-old, no doubt because his older sister had started lessons.  She assisted his first six months, however, his progress was so rapid, he too began taking lessons with her teacher. About a year later, brother and sister played for Pepe Romero and Sons in a Master Class presented by the Pittsburgh guitar society. Thomas Kikta, director of the classical guitar department at Duquesne University extended an offer for John to study with him. John began formal lesson in 2005. A year later, he entered the competitive playing field. He won 4th place in the Youth Division of the Guitar Foundation of America’s National Competition in 2006.  Shortly thereafter, John won 2nd place in the East Carolina University Guitar Workshop Competition Youth Division and another 2nd place in the Rantucci International Guitar Competition Youth Division.  John most recently performed in the Pittsburgh Concert Society Winners’ Recital. He has worked in Master Classes with Pepe Romero, Eliot Fisk, Jason Vieaux, Lorenzo Michel and Matteo Mela.  John-Marcel is 13-years-old, the sixth of nine children. He lives in Wintersville, Ohio and is the son of Dr. Timothy and Katherine Williams.

Composer, Dr. Timothy Williams”A native of Oklahoma, Timothy Williams is a professor of French at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, in Ohio). He holds advanced degrees in languages and music, having studied composition with Ted Hansen (University of Tulsa) and John Pozdro (University of Kansas). In addition to publishing a book and many articles on French literature and cinema, Dr. Williams has composed chamber music and art songs, and works for chorus, orchestra and piano.”