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Yasinitsky inducted into state music educators hall of fame

Greg Yasinitsky
Greg Yasinitsky

Greg Yasinitsky, Regents professor and director of the WSU School of Music, recently was inducted into the Washington Music Educators Hall of Fame, part of the national organization. The honor recognizes exceptional support, inspiration and contribution to the growth and development of music education, both public and private, in the state.

Yasinitsky is also recipient of a 2014 ASCAP-Plus Award for composition from the American Association of Composers, Authors, and Publishers and an arts excellence award from the WSU Student Entertainment Board.

More musical achievements for Yasinitsky

Feb. 6-8: Art music festival free to public

Dana Wilson
Dana Wilson

The WSU Festival of Contemporary Art Music, one of the University’s signature events, will feature guest composer Dana Wilson, whose works have been performed and/or commissioned by diverse ensembles worldwide.

Free, public events Feb. 6-8 include the Student Composers’ Concert, featuring new music written by WSU students and performed by School of Music faculty and students. The Faculty Composers’ Concert presents works by Scott Blasco, Ryan M. Hare, David Jarvis and Gregory Yasinitsky. The Electroacoustic Music Concert features the world premiere of a surround-audio minimalist/drone composition by Blasco and a genre-bending and -blending (“hybrid vaporwave/dance/noise”) composition.

Get more details and a list of events

Jan. 31: Faculty vocal ensemble presents Mozart

Cantiamo! from left to right: Brian Carter, Dean Luethi, Julie Anne Wieck, Sheila Converse and Lori Wiest.
Cantiamo! from left to right: Brian Carter, Dean Luethi, Julie Anne Wieck, Sheila Converse and Lori Wiest.

A new faculty vocal ensemble, Cantiamo!, will perform “Many Moods of Mozart” at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 31, in Bryan Hall at WSU Pullman.

Five members of the School of Music faculty will perform several well-known sacred works, secular nocturnes, and earthy canons, as well as arias and scenes from Mozart operas.

The concert is part of the Faculty Artist Series; proceeds support the School of Music scholarship fund.

Read more about Cantiamo!

Nov. 18: New compositions to illustrate faculty music lecture

Greg Yasinitsky
Greg Yasinitsky

“Where Did that Come From? Musical Composition and the Creative Process” will be discussed in a free, public presentation by Regents Professor Gregory W. Yasinitsky at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 18, in the Honors Hall lounge, WSU Pullman. Part of the Honors College Distinguished Lecture Series, Yasinitsky will premiere one of his compositions to illustrate his topic.

Through demonstrations with fellow WSU musicians, he will answer a wide variety of questions: What goes into creation of a piece of music? How much is intellectual and how much intuitive? How may basic building blocks of music (rhythm, melody and harmony) be assembled and reassembled to create new musical structures? What are the characteristics of spontaneous composition and improvisation? What are the roles of the performers and audience?

Read more at WSU News

Young musician exhibits more than extreme talent; recital Nov. 8

Eric McElroy
Eric McElroy

“‘Exceptional’ is an understatement” when describing student Eric McElroy, said music professor Gerald Berthiaume who has worked with students more than 35 years. “With his breadth of knowledge about so many things in so many areas, he is something new and different.”

A senior majoring in piano performance, McElroy is a WSU Regents scholar, member of the Honors College, and recipient of the 2013 Presser Award, the School of Music’s most prestigious scholarship, among other awards and scholarships.

“He’s exceptional and unusual in many different ways—from his piano performance to his knowledge of music history. His ability to conduct is at an unbelievable level for someone his age, and he’s also a terrific composer,” Berthiaume said.

McElroy will perform his senior piano recital free to the public at 4:10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8, in Kimbrough Concert Hall at WSU Pullman.

Read more about this exceptional student