University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

Published: March 25, 2004

By SUE WUETCHER
Reporter Editor

UB alumnus and multi-faceted jazzman Bobby Previte will return to his alma mater on April 1 to perform his recent work for solo/electric percussion in an appearance billed as the Third Annual UB Jazz Workshop Concert.

In addition to Previte, musicians who will perform in Slee Concert Hall, North Campus, during April include organists David Fuller and Ken Cowan, flutist Matthias Ziegler, the Baird Trio, harpist Catrin Finch and the Muir String Quartet.

Previte, who is known for his electrifying drumming and unique compositions, will perform at 8 p.m. on April 1 in Slee. The concert will be free and open to the public.

Previte has established a wide-ranging career as a producer, composer, drummer and actor—he appeared in the 1993 Robert Altman film "Short Cuts." He began performing at age 13 in the bars and clubs of Niagara Falls and later studied music at UB, where his instructors included Morton Feldman, John Cage and Jan Williams. He performed with Williams' percussion ensemble in the "Evenings for New Music" series at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery under the direction of Lukas Foss, and was a guest artist with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Michael Tilson-Thomas.

Previte moved to New York City in 1979 and for 20 years has been a major figure in the city's music world.

David Fuller, professor emeritus in the Department of Music, helped design the Fisk organ—the centerpiece of Slee Hall. On April 2, Fuller will present a recital of organ classics, including Widor's "Symphonie Romane" and an encore performance of Bach's "Trio Sonata No. 5" from last year's all-Bach concert.

Tickets for the concert, which will begin at 8 p.m. in Slee, are $5.

Fuller taught the history of music at UB from 1963-1998—as a musicologist he specializes in French music of the 17th and 18th centuries and in problems of historical performance—and was deeply involved in the design and acquisition of the Fisk organ. On the organ, he recorded the last two symphonies of Widor, including the "Symphonie Romane," and two more sets devoted to German romantic music.

One of the most versatile and innovative flutists in Switzerland, Matthias Ziegler is expected to shatter any preconceived notions of what the flute sounds like in a concert at 3 p.m. April 4 in Slee. He also will conduct a master class at 10 a.m. April 3 in Baird Recital Hall, North Campus. A reading session with UB graduate composers will be held at noon on April 5 in Baird Recital Hall.

Tickets for the April 4 concert are $12 for the general public; $9 for UB faculty, staff and alumni, and WNED members with card, and $5 for students. The master class and reading session are free and open to the public.

Ziegler is principal flute of the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, tours with Andreas Vollenweider and Friends, performs with percussionist Pierre Favre and is a member of the Collegium Novum Zurich. For his Slee concert, he will perform on the quarter-tone flute, alto flute, bass flute and the contrabass flute with microphones built inside the tube. His flutes were built specifically for him by some of the master flute makers in the world. Many are huge, with bends and stands—very different from most people's perception of the flute. Using these unique instruments, he incorporates elements of jazz, classical and folk music into his compositions, reflecting a wide range of diverse musical influences.

The Baird Trio, one of UB's professional ensembles in residence, will preview the program it will perform next month in its debut in Weill Hall in Carnegie Hall during a concert to be held at 8 p.m. April 6 in Slee.

Tickets are $5; UB students are admitted free with ID.

The program will include works by Ives and Haydn, as well as world premieres of new works by Vache Sharafyan and trio member Jonathan Golove.

As Royal Harpist to HRH The Prince of Wales, Catrin Finch is widely acknowledged as one of the world's leading young harpists. She will perform a concert at 8 p.m. in Slee on April 16, and at 8 p.m. on April 20 will join UB violinist Movses Pogossian as guest soloists with the Slee Sinfonietta in a program that will include Debussy's "Danses sacree et profane," works by Pierre Boulez and a new violin concerto by UB faculty member Jeff Stadelman.

Tickets for both concerts are $12, $9 and $5.

Prince Charles revived the post of royal harpist—last filled by Queen Victoria in 1871—after hearing Finch perform at his 50th birthday party. She performs at a number of events for Prince Charles, and he commissioned a double harp concerto for her, which she premiered with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.

Another talented young artist, organist Ken Cowan, will perform at 8 p.m. April 23 in Slee. Tickets are $12, $9 and $5.

Cowan, a native of Thorold, Ontario, has become one of the most sought-after young organists in North America, performing solo recitals across the U.S. and Canada, and featured at conventions of the American Guild of Organists, the Organ Historical Society and the Royal Canadian College of Organists.

Currently adjunct assistant professor of organ at Westminster Choir College, Cowan serves as associate organist and artist-in-residence at St. Bartholomew Church in New York City. He has won numerous prizes, among them the first prize at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music National Competition and the Royal Canadian College of Organists National Competition.

The sixth and final concert of the season of the Slee/Beethoven String Quartet Cycle—the only one of its kind on the world—will be performed at 8 p.m. April 24 by the Muir String Quartet.

Earlier in the day, the Muir will conduct a master class at 2 p.m. in Baird Recital Hall.

The master class is free of charge and open to the public. Tickets for the evening concert are $12, $9 and $5.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary this season, the quartet has been in residence at Boston University's College of Fine Arts since 1983 and holds annual summer workshops at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. The group also teaches, coaches and administers the Advanced Quartet Program at the Summit Institute for the Arts and Humanities in Utah.

Tickets for concerts presented by the Department of Music may be obtained at the Slee Hall box office from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, from the Center for the Arts box office from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and at all TicketMaster outlets.

The full slate of Slee Hall concerts is available online at www.slee.buffalo.edu .