Washington State University tuba Professor Chris Dickey recently released their fourth solo album, titled “Panorama,” under the WSU Recordings Label.

“When I think of performing, I immediately envision playing with other musicians in the same space. In the pandemic, this wasn’t possible,” Dickey said. “In my career, I have rarely performed unaccompanied music or music with electronics. Recording this project all by myself forced me out of my comfort zone. In the summer of 2020, I made myself a promise that I would keep preparing music at a high level just as I was expecting my students to do.”

The album was recorded and produced while adhering to WSU’s COVID-19 mitigation protocol.

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The Washington State University School of Music will present their first jazz concert of the semester at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 15 in Kimbrough Concert Hall. The concert will feature faculty ensemble Jazz Northwest and the award-winning WSU Jazz Big Band under the direction of Regents Professor and Coordinator of Jazz Studies Greg Yasinitsky.

Jazz Northwest will perform “JP” by Darryl Singleton, percussionist with the group, and “Funky Changes” and “Chimera” by César Haas, guitarist with the ensemble. Jazz Northwest also includes David Turnbull, trumpet; Horace Alexander Young, alto saxophone; Jake Svendsen, piano; David Bjur, bass; and Yasinitsky, tenor saxophone.

The Jazz Big Band has received numerous accolades including a prestigious invitation to perform in February at the conference of the Washington State Music Educators Association (WMEA).

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The School of Music and the Elson S. Floyd Cultural Center present an immersive concert experience of Franz Schubert’s landmark song cycle Winterreise (Winter Journey) on Friday, Jan. 28 at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free.

This performance will feature WSU faculty Aaron Agulay (baritone) and Yoon-Wha Roh (piano) and the artwork of Walla Walla-based artist Keiko Hara. It will be followed by an artist meet and greet.

This performance will be the first of its kind on the WSU Pullman campus and will kick off a series of cultural events that amplify the work of local artists and support a more welcoming WSU campus culture and climate.

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Melissa Parkhurst, an associate professor in the School of Music, delivered the faculty keynote address at the WSU Pullman convocation. She reflected on the past year and a half and collected her thoughts.

“These freshmen and sophomores have lived through challenges, uncertainty and now, in many cases, are traveling long distances from home where they’re not sure what to expect or what they’ll find,” Parkhurst said.  “I thought about that and how we should welcome them and help them realize that while they may at times feel all alone, there are so many ways WSU is here to support them.”

At WSU, Parkhurst has brought cultural literacy and awareness to thousands of students across the university. Her courses provide ethnically diverse musical experiences, with performances and lectures from guest artists and hands-on workshops.

Central to her work is the concept of “personhood”—that the people about whom she writes and teaches are complex human beings.

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