School of Music

New book by BYU professor shows how jazz icon was viewed in his early days From 1925 to 1928, jazz artist Louis Armstrong and his band made a set of recordings now considered some of the most revolutionary and influential recordings in American music.

Brigham Young University's premier nine-man a cappella singing group, Vocal Point, is bringing alumni members back together for its 20th anniversary celebration in the 'Maximum A Cappella' reunion concert Saturday, March 5, at 2 p.m. at the Covey Center for the Arts. Three additional performances, without Vocal Point alumni, will be held Thursday through Saturday, March 3-5, at 7:30 p.m. at the same location. Tickets are available at coveycenter.org or (801) 852-7007 for $10 on the balcony or $12 on the floor. The show will feature all nine founding members from the 1991 group, along with about 70 of their successors. Although Vocal Point had reunion concerts to mark its 10th and 15th years, this will be the first time that the founding lineup has sung together since graduating from BYU. Vocal Point was founded in 1991 by Bob Ahlander and Dave Boyce while both were students at BYU. 'We were looking for a singing outlet that was maybe a bit outside the BYU norm,' Ahlander said. 'We wanted to do something BYU had never seen before.' The group takes the songs heard on the radio, retools them and delivers a new rendition with voices alone — complete with all the complex percussion and instrumentation found in the originals. Started in the tradition of Ivy League glee clubs, Vocal Point has developed a varied repertoire of rock, pop, country, jazz, spiritual and R&B styles, all produced in the group's unique style. Vocal Point was originally intended to be a double-quartet with just eight members. However, at the conclusion of the first auditions, Ahlander and Boyce found themselves unable to decide between two singers with only one more spot to fill. At that point, Vocal Point's signature nine-man sound was born. 'When we created Vocal Point, we envisioned a group that would become a tradition at BYU,' Boyce said. 'We are so happy and proud of what Vocal Point has become. We often joke that we wouldn't make it into the group if we auditioned today.' More than 100 men have sung with Vocal Point, including the nine currently in the group. To mark the 20-year anniversary of Vocal Point, BYU's Tantara Records is releasing Vocal Point's latest album, 'Back in Blue.' In addition, Tantara is in the process of remastering Vocal Point's first album, 'If Rocks Could Sing,' which is slated to be rereleased soon. This will mark the first time 'Rocks'Á¢€—has been available on CD. 'Back in Blue' is Vocal Point's eighth album. Vocal Point is part of the BYU School of Music and one of 18 performing groups sponsored by the university. It is the most-requested performing group at BYU and regularly performs in front of sold-out crowds on and off campus. Members of Vocal Point devote more than 20 hours each week to the group and do not receive scholarships or other compensation for their time. The group performs for more than 50,000 people each year, regularly selling out shows weeks in advance. Vocal Point is currently under the direction of Buck Mangum, the group's fifth director. For more information, contact Alex B. Leeman at (801) 628-3861 or alex.leeman@hotmail.com. To learn more about Vocal Point, visit www.byuvocalpoint.com. For photos, visit http://pam.byu.edu/group/vocal-point/. Source: BYU News

Music professor Michael Hicks understands the importance of repetition.

December Arts Calendar

by Ricardo Castro

Brigham Young University’s School of Music will present its popular “Celebration of Christmas” on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 4- 5, in the de Jong Concert Hall.

by Brandon GarrettBrigham Young University’s School of Music will present the 29th annual Utah Tuba Christmas Concert Saturday, Dec. 5, at noon in the Madsen Recital Hall. The event is free to the public.

by Brandon Garrett

by Brandon Garrett Brigham Young Univeristy’s School of Music will present associate professor and composer Neil Thornock in a concert Friday, Nov. 6, at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. The concert is free. Thornock began his music studies at BYU. He later received a doctorate in composition from Indiana University in 2006. He then went on to be a visiting assistant professor at Southern Virginia University. He joined the BYU faculty during the 2007-08 academic year. He teaches courses in composition and theory. His compositions have been featured in various venues and formats including NASA, SEAMUS, SCI, Imagine 2, Eccles Organ Concert Series and San Diego State University. Additionally, his music for carillon has garnered several international awards and has been regularly performed at congresses of the Guild of Carillonneurs of North America since 2001. For more information regarding the performance, contact Neil Thornock at (801) 422-1482. Source: BYU News

Although Brigham Young University’s Homecoming 2009 Founder Eugene Lusk Roberts died in 1953, his footprints easily will be evident at the annual “Spectacular!” extravaganza in the Marriott Center Thursday and Friday, Oct. 22 and 23, at 7:30 p.m.

by Brandon Garrett Geralyn Giovannetti, a professor at Brigham Young University’s School of Music, will be performing Tuesday, Sept. 29, in the Madsen Recital Hall at 7:30 p.m. The recital is free. She will be performing four precontemporary works for oboe assisted by Jed Moss on the piano and Christian Smith on the bassoon. An associate director of the School of Music, Giovannetti is a professor of oboe and a member of the faculty group Orpheus Winds. She trained at the University of Western Ontario and later received her doctorate from the University of Michigan. After graduating she returned to teach at the University of Western Ontario and then taught at the University of Windsor and the University of Michigan before coming to BYU. She has performed with the Orchestras of London, Kitchener, Calgary and Utah and the Canadian Chamber Orchestra. She was the principal oboe of the Windsor Symphony Orchestra from 1983 to 1990. For more information, contact Geralyn Giovannetti at (801) 422-3317. Source: BYU News

by Brandon Garrett

by Angela Fischer

by Marissa Ballantyne

by Marissa Ballantyne

by Marissa Ballantyne

by Brady Toone

by Angela Fischer