At the heart of that piece are eight player pianos that must be able to play in perfect synchronicity with one another. Antheil himself never saw his original orchestration for the piece realized because the technology to synchronize the pianos did not exist in his lifetime. Ballet mécanique can now be performed as originally intended thanks to the advent of midi-processors, called Disklaviers, which allow the synchronization of multiple player pianos.

The Blair School of Music was able to present this historic concert thanks to Miller Piano Specialists and Yamaha Corporation, who graciously loaned eight midi-equipped Disklavier grand pianos for the rehearsals and performance of Ballet mécanique.

In the wake of this concert, the Blair School is pleased to host a sale of these midi-equipped Disklaviers, as well as many other new and used pianos of various types.

The sale will feature substantial savings on pianos in every price range. In addition to the midi-equipped Disklaviers, the sale will include grand, baby grand, upright and digital pianos by Yamaha, Baldwin, Pearl River, Mason & Hamlin and Roland, as well as preowned instruments by Steinway & Sons and Kawai.

• You may set up a private appointment on May 23 or May 24, in advance of the public sale, by calling (615) 477-0477. This will assure you the best selection and pricing.
• The public sale will be held 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, May 25; noon-5 p..m. Sunday, May 26; and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday, May 27.

Parking for the sale is in South Garage, on Children’s Way between 23rd and 24th Avenues.

For more information about the sale, please call (615) 477-0477. Churches and educators may email institutions@millerps.com for information or an appointment through the institutional division.

Mary Grace Johnson, featured soloist at the Side-by-Side concert.

The annual Side-by-Side concert, which pairs the Blair School’s Curb Youth Symphony with the Nashville Symphony, will take place at 7:00 p.m. Friday, May 16, at Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Admission is free and open to the public.

This annual event also serves as a showcase for the grand prize winner of the Nashville Symphony’s Curb Records Young Musicians Concerto Competition, which recognizes emerging musical talent from across the state.

This year’s competition winner, Mary Grace Johnson, a Blair School precollege violin student from Murfreesboro, will be the featured soloist on the first movement of Samuel Barber’s Allegro from Concerto for Violin and Orchestra. Johnson is the concertmaster for the Curb Youth Symphony and a student of Blair String Quartet first violinist Christian Teal.

The joint Curb Youth Symphony and Nashville Symphony concert program will also include works by Holst, Beethoven, Rimsky-Korsakov and more.

The concert program features:

Jenna Mangum, violin; Jonathan Hearn, oboe; and Rebecca Rousseau, piano
Coaches: Roger Wiesmeyer & Dan Reinker

Allison Pao, violin; Christian Rogers, viola; Nadja Geier, cello; and Brian Lu, piano
Coaches: Amy Dorfman & Seanad Chang

Will Mangum, viola, and June Kim, piano
Coach: John Kochanowski

Chloe Harvel, violin; Mary Grace Johnson, violin; Lincoln Pent, viola; and David Bender, cello
Coach: John Kochanowski

Joseph Hwang, violin, and Bowen Feng, piano
Coach: Dan Reinker

Maggie Kasinger, violin; Nolan Harvel, violin; Samuel Bender, viola; and Caroline Bender, cello
Coach: Seanad Chang

Blake Skelton, violin, and Lindsey Tucker, piano
Coach: Jama Reagan

Olivia and Mikaela Rose, piano duet
Coach: Jama Reagan

Nolan Harvel & John Johns, guitar duo

Jim Lovensheimer, associate professor of musicology, will be faculty director for Moore College, and Doug Fisher, associate professor of computer science and computer and electrical engineering, will serve as faculty director for Warren College. Lovensheimer was awarded the 2008 Ingalls Award for Excellence in Classroom Teaching and the 2008 Chancellor’s Cup. Fisher earned the 2006 Chancellor’s Cup and won the 2012 K.C. Potter Award.

Administrators, students, faculty and staff comprised the search committee charged with identifying and interviewing the candidates for the new faculty directors.

“I am thrilled that professors Jim Lovensheimer and Doug Fisher will be the founding faculty directors of Moore College and Warren College, respectively,” McCarty said. “Each has contributed to the undergraduate experience in many and varied ways, and they will bring great energy and excitement to the two new colleges from the moment the doors open. Special thanks go to the search committee, co-chaired by Dean Mark Bandas and Associate Provost Cynthia Cyrus, for its excellent work.”

College Halls at Vanderbilt continues the university’s commitment, which started with The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons for first-year students, to creating engaging living and learning communities. Faculty in residence serve as mentors and guide these academic learning environments, which are designed to make all students feel welcome to participate and contribute ideas and experiences at Vanderbilt.

Moore College and Warren College will open in fall 2014 to a combination of sophomores, juniors and seniors.

“Dr. Lovensheimer lives out the balanced tenets that Vanderbilt develops in its students,” Nick Hall, a Vanderbilt senior and a member of the search committee, said. “This is evident because of his impressive academic credentials, rich engagement with campus and student issues, and ability to have a comfortable, engaging conversation with diverse individuals.”

Lovensheimer will live in a faculty apartment in Moore College, which will have 340 beds. The college will include Rice Hall and Smith Hall, each led by resident graduate fellows who will work with Lovensheimer to facilitate leadership development and programming goals for the college.

Doug Fisher receiving the 2006 Chancellor's Cup (Vanderbilt University)

Fisher will take on Warren College, also living among students in a faculty apartment. Warren College, with 319 beds, will include Elliston Hall and Delbruck Hall, both of which also will be led by resident graduate fellows.

“After hearing about the great chemistry that Dr. Fisher has built in his current role as faculty head of McGill, I knew that he would be perfect for the same role in a larger setting in which building community is one of the main goals,” said Audrey Bemis, a member of the search committee and the Class of 2016. “The ideas he proposed to involve students, along with his vision for the new College Halls, set him apart from the other candidates that we interviewed.”

Contact:
Princine Lewis, (615) 322-NEWS
princine.lewis@vanderbilt.edu

Shelby Flowers, a Musical Arts/Piano major from Highlands Ranch, Colo., took top honors for the 2013 graduating class, winning the 2013 Founder’s Medal. She will be recognized at Commencement ceremonies on May 10.

Ben Tieslau will sing the Alma Mater at Commencement, and flutist Amanda Mitchell will be the featured Commencement performer. Viola performance major Rebecca Boelzner will be the banner bearer, and Megan Coffin and Aaron Goldberg-Leopold will serve as student marshals.

2013 Blair School of Music Awards

Alma Mater Singer

Benjamin Richard Tieslau (Musical Arts/Teacher Education, Vocal/General), Alpharetta, Georgia

Commencement Performer

Amanda Jeanette Mitchell (Musical Arts/Flute), El Paso, Texas

Founder’s Medal

Shelby June Flowers (Musical Arts/Piano), Highlands Ranch, Colo.

Banner Bearer

Rebecca Elise Boelzner (Viola Performance), Richmond, Va.

Student Marshals

Megan Christine Coffin (Oboe Performance), McKinney, Texas

Aaron Daniel Goldberg-Leopold (Bassoon Performance/Political Science), Merion Station, Pa.

Sigma Alpha Iota College Honor Award

Dianna Rose Joiner (Violin Performance), Taylors, S.C.

Sigma Alpha Iota Scholastic Award

Jennifer Lynne George (Violin Performance), Boise, Idaho

Achievement in Teaching Recognition Award

Zachary John Polson (Musical Arts/Piano), Overland Park, Kan.

The Blair Volunteer Service through Music Award

Ann Charlotte Goodrich (Musical Arts/Teacher Education, Instrumental/General), Nashville, Tenn.

Martin Williams Award

Anna Jane Lester (Violin Performance), Jacksonville, Fla.

Robin Nell Dickerson Award

Julia L. Di Fiore (Musical Arts/Voice), Denton, Texas

Delene Laubenheim McClure Memorial Prize in Opera

Jordan Nicole Amann (Voice Performance), Winter Park, Fla.

Excellence in Percussion Performance Award

Allison Elizabeth Havlik (Percussion Performance), Mundelein, Ill.

Magda Lachs Award

Emily Joy Neil (Voice Performance), Westborough, Mass.

L. Howard “Zeke” Nicar Award

Eleni Maria Miller (Musical Arts/Teacher Education, Instrumental/General), Nashville, Tenn.

Jean Keller Heard Prize

Ethan Henry Bauer (Violin Performance), Needham, Mass.

Timothy Nathan Lowry (Violin Performance), Antioch, Tenn.

Erika Maria Pinkerton (Violin Performance), Pittsburgh, Pa.

Sue Brewer Award

Shelby June Flowers (Musical Arts/Piano), Highlands Ranch, Colo.

Richard C. Cooper Award

Chrysa Lynn Kovach (Musical Arts/Flute), Aurora, Ohio

Elliott and Ailsa Newman Prize

Zachary Thomas Manzi (Clarinet Performance), Colorado Springs, Colo.

David Rabin Prize

Shelby June Flowers (Musical Arts/Piano), Highlands Ranch, Colo.

Margaret Branscomb Prize

Thomas Joseph Ridgway (Piano Performance), Shorewood, Ill.

Presser Award

Mae Louise Mosley (Musical Arts/Teacher Education, Instrumental/General), Henderson, Ky.

Pi Kappa Lambda

Class of 2013

Rebecca Elise Boelzner, Richmond, Va.

Megan Christine Coffin, McKinney, Texas

Shelby June Flowers, Highlands Ranch, Colo.

Amanda Michelle Gellhaus, Louisville, Ky.

Aaron Daniel Goldberg-Leopold, Merion Station, Pa.

Allison Elizabeth Havlik, Mundelein, Ill.

Valerie Chen Hsu, Gross Ile, Mich.

Thomas Quinn Liddell, Brentwood, Tenn.

Albert Patrick Thomas IV, Colleyville, Texas

Class of 2014

Sean William Calhoun, Nashville, Tenn.

Rachel Danielle Menscher, Wentzville, Mo.

Mae Louise Mosley, Henderson, Ky.

Katherine Elizabeth Walden, Salem, Mo.

Brian Christopher Woods, Webster Groves, Mo.

The Robertson Country Times, in an article published April 9, detailed Thompson’s awards ceremony, which was held April 4, 2013, at the Robertson County Courthouse. U.S. Sixth District Rep. Diane Black, R-Gallatin, presented her with the award.

Criteria for the award include achievements in volunteer public service, personal development, physical fitness, and travel and/or exploration. Thompson’s activities, according to the Robertson County Times, included volunteering at the local library and the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, playing harp at two assisted living facilities, running a half-marathon, taking ballroom dancing classes, and traveling throughout Tennessee and Georgia to learn about the Civil War era in the American South.

More recently, Thompson was one of three featured soloists at the annual Concerto Competition at the Blair School, performing Maurice Ravel’s Introduction and Allegro for Harp, Flute and Clarinet, and String Quartet, accompanied by the Vanderbilt Symphony Orchestra.

Kvitko’s program, “Of Lands and People Far Away,” will include:

• J. S. Bach/Sergei Kvitko – Prelude in C Major With a Few Added Notes
• Enrique  Granados – Escenas Románticas
• Eugène Ysaÿe/Sergei Kvitko – Sonata No. 3 “Ballade”
• Modest Mussorgsky/Sergei Kvitko – Trepak from “Songs and Dances of Death”
• Modest Mussorgsky  – Pictures at an Exhibition

Kvitko, who is a distinguished recording engineer as well as pianist, will also conduct a presentation titled “Performing for Microphones” at 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, in Instrumental Rehearsal Hall. That session is also free and open to the public.

Harpist Amy Thompson, flutist Amanda Mitchell and pianist Thomas Ridgeway will be the featured soloists at the Vanderbilt Symphony Orchestra’s April 12 concert. The performance starts at 8 p.m. in Ingram Hall, and admission is free and open to the public.

The orchestra will open the program with Manuel De Falla’s Danse Espagnole from La Vida Breve.

Thompson is the first featured soloist, performing Maurice Ravel’s Introduction and Allegro for Harp, Flute and Clarinet, and String Quartet.

Mitchell is the second featured soloist, performing the first movement, Allegro, from Jacques Ibert’s Flute Concerto.

The final featured soloist, Ridgeway, joins the orchestra to perform Maurice Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand.

La cheminée du roi René – Suite for Woodwind Quintet, by Darius Milhaud (1892-1974)

1. Cortège
2. Aubade
3. Jongleurs
4. La maousinglade
5. Joutes sur l’arc
6. Chasse à Valabre
7. Madrigal nocturne

Sarah Selim Ha, flute; Andrew Glenn, oboe; Colin Lewis, clarinet; Brendon Parmelee, horn; Selina Magid, bassoon

Sonatine, by Eugéne Bozza (1905-1991)

• Allegro vivo
• Largo – Allegro

Jackson Crossley, Rachael Clemmer, trumpets; Eleni Miller, horn; Jason Gnasigamany, trombone; Corey Mondul, tuba

Pairings (2013) **World Premiere, by Sean William Calhoun (b. 1992)

1. Prelude-Fugue
2. Gigue-Forlane
3. Overture-Toccata Presto

Zach Green, alto saxophone; John M. Williams, tenor saxophone; Alan Wong, baritone saxophone

Sonata for Cello and Piano Op. 6, by Samuel Barber (1910-1981)

III. Allegro appassionato

Ann Yeh, cello; Rachel Menscher, piano

Trio for Clarinet, Violin, and Piano, by Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978)

III. Moderato

Andrew Logan, clarinet; Jacob Todd, violin; Thomas Ridgway, piano

Suite from L’Histoire du Soldat, by Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)

I. Marche du Soldat

IV. Tango – Valse – Rag

V. Danse du Diable

Zach Manzi, clarinet; Mary Loftus, violin; Marissa Uchimura, piano

Chamber group coaches: Amy Dorfman, Jared Hauser, Bil Jackson, Gil Long, Melissa Rose and Brian Utley

“Tough All Over,” a song Blackmon co-wrote with Jim Lauderdale, will be performed by new character “Will” portrayed by actor Chris Carmack.

After the episode airs (9 p.m. CST), a video interview with Blackmon and Lauderdale about the process of writing the song will be available here.