Jacobsen Series, Sunday, Sept. 25, features Pann, Sheng, Shrude, Schoenfeld
TACOMA, Wash. – Prepare for a Sunday afternoon of music by the Puget Sound Piano Trio that will be at once evocative, ethereal, tragic, surprising, and, at times, just plain fun. These are the words pianist Duane Hulbert uses to describe the diverse program to be performed at this fall’s opening concert by the three virtuosos at University of Puget Sound.
Piano trio members Duane Hulbert, piano; Maria Sampen, violin; and David Requiro, cello, will host a Jacobsen Series concert on Sunday, Sept. 25, starting at 2 p.m., in Schneebeck Concert Hall on campus. Ticket information and directions to the concert are below.
The program of 20th-century composers features works by Carter Pann, Bright Sheng, Marilyn Shrude, and Paul Schoenfeld.
Carter Pann’s Nicky’s Trio embodies the rich variety of musical styles for which the rising young composer and Grammy Award nominee is known. The piece, written for Pann’s young nephew Nicky, has a distinctly American character, with its subtle humor and popular-sounding idioms. It steps beyond classical boundaries by weaving in influences from jazz, ragtime, rock and roll, and even the all-American hoedown.
Marilyn Shrude’s Raining Glass is self-descriptive. The award-winning composer, who is the mother of Puget Sound violinist Maria Sampen, wrote the piece in New York, not long after the 9/11 attack on the city. Listening to New Yorkers’ harrowing tales, she realized that parts of the music she was writing evoked images of that day, so she gave it the name Raining Glass. The music ranges from the barely audible to the ferocious, as it loops from lyrical phrases to intense runs, textured by harmonics, plucks, and bounces of the bow.
The final piece, Paul Schoenfeld’s Café Music, is the composer’s reflection on his experience of playing piano one night at a Minneapolis dinner club. He successfully mixed a variety of contemporary styles— early 20th-century American, Viennese, light classical, gypsy, and Broadway—into a highly entertaining and occasionally surprising composition.
The Puget Sound Piano Trio was revived last year after a 15-year hiatus, bringing Sampen and Requiro together with Duane Hulbert, who was a member of the original trio with former faculty members, the late Edward Seferian, violin, and recently retired cellist Cordelia Wikarski-Miedel.
Duane Hulbert, distinguished professor, is in his 26th year at the School of Music. He is a frequent performer in venues throughout the Pacific Northwest, and a sought-after piano teacher at the collegiate and high school levels. His students have won major competitions and hold prestigious positions in colleges and conservatories throughout the United States. His recording of piano works by Alexander Glazunov was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2002.
Maria Sampen, associate professor, has performed as a soloist with orchestras across the United States, and as a chamber musician in Europe, Asia, and North America. She is in demand as a performer of standard, new, and experimental works, and performed in the world premiere of Robert Hutchinson’s Concerto for Violin and Wind Ensemble. She has collaborated with composers including Pierre Boulez, William Bolcom, Bright Sheng, Bernard Rand, and William Albright.
David Requiro joined Puget Sound as the Cordelia Wikarski-Miedel Artist in Residence in fall 2010. He has made concerto appearances with the Tokyo Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, and Seattle Symphony, among others, and has given recitals at venues including Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center. He was awarded first prize at the Washington International and Irving M. Klein International string competitions, as well as at the Gaspar Cassado International Violonocello Competition in Japan.
The Jacobsen Series, named in honor of Leonard Jacobsen, former chair of the piano department at Puget Sound, has been running since 1984. The Jacobsen Series Scholarship Fund awards annual music scholarships to outstanding student performers and scholars. The fund is sustained entirely by season subscribers and ticket sales.
FOR TICKETS: Order online at http://ups.universitytickets.com; visit Wheelock Information Center; or order by credit card by calling 253.879.3419. Admission is $12.50 for the general public; $8.50 for seniors (55+), students, military, and Puget Sound faculty and staff. It is free for current Puget Sound students. Any remaining tickets will be available at the door.
For directions and a map of the campus: www.pugetsound.edu/directions
Photos of the Puget Sound Piano Trio are available at Press Photos - University of Puget Sound
Photos on page: Top right: From left: Maria Sampen, David Requiro, Duane Hulbert; Above left: Kuan Yin as Sea Goddess, public domain; Above right: Piano interior, by Alexandre Eggert, Creative Commons.
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