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IU School of Music announces six faculty appointmentsAs the leading center for the study of music in the United States, the Indiana University School of Music continues to attract the finest musicians, scholars, and pedagogues in the world, and announces the appointment of mezzo-soprano Marietta Simpson to the Department of Voice, Scott Weiss to the Department of Bands, Kristina Muxfeldt and Ayana Smith to the Department of Musicology, violist Yuval Gotlibovich to the String Department, and Arthur Weisberg to the Woodwind Department. DEPARTMENT OF VOICE
Marietta Simpson, appointed to the faculty in the Department of Voice, is one of the most sought-after mezzo-sopranos on the music scene today and has sung with all the major orchestras in the U.S. under many of the world's greatest conductors, including the late Robert Shaw, who provided her Carnegie Hall debut in 1988 as soloist in Brahms' Alto Rhapsody with the Atlanta Symphony. In considering the importance of the appointment, Dean Gwyn Richards remarks that "Miss Simpson represents the highest attainment of musical artistry. She is the consummate performer and ultimate communicator. Her knowledge of any score is thorough, resulting in enlightened and compelling performance. She brings these many gifts and a love of teaching to IU and to its students." Chair of the Department of Voice Mary Ann Hart said, "Along with the entire voice faculty, I'm delighted to welcome Marietta Simpson to our department. She has a beautiful voice, and sings with enormous expressivity and musical authority. No matter what the repertoire, Marietta is a compelling artist, and we are fortunate that she will be joining us." Simpson's currently scheduled 2005-06 engagements demonstrate her vast repertoire: Maria in Porgy and Bess for Washington National Opera; Mozart's Requiem with St. Louis Symphony under David Robertson; Elgar's Sea Pictures with Louisville Orchestra under Raymond Leppard; Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with Phoenix Symphony under Michael Christie; Verdi's Requiem with Huntsville Symphony; Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde with the Greater Pensacola Symphony; and Mahler's Symphony No. 2 with the Allentown Symphony. She also returns to the Bethlehem Bach Festival. She made her New York Philharmonic debut under Kurt Masur in 1991 in Mendelssohn's Elijah. In 1992, she sang in Carnegie Hall's commemoration of the 250th anniversary of Handel's Messiah and debuted at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in Trevor Nunn's production of Porgy and Bess, which was then filmed for British television. She toured Europe with Lorin Maazel and the Pittsburgh Symphony in concert performances of this opera in 1993. Simpson can be seen on Video Artists International's complete version of Handel's Messiah with the late Robert Shaw and the Atlanta Symphony, which has been shown on PBS national telecasts. Her other recordings with the Atlanta Symphony and Robert Shaw on the Telarc label include Vivaldi's Gloria, Bach's Magnificat, Schubert's Masses No. 2 and No. 6, Beethoven's Mass in C, Bach's Mass in B Minor, Janacek's Glagolitic Mass, Mahler's Symphony No. 8, Szymanowski's Stabat Mater, and Dvorak's Stabat Mater. She can also be heard on the EMI recording of Porgy and Bess, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle. A native of Philadelphia, Simpson graduated from Temple University and received her Master's Degree in Music from the State University of New York at Binghamton. Among her numerous awards through the years, she was a prize winner in the 1989 Naumburg International Vocal Competition. DEPARTMENT OF MUSICOLOGY The Department of Musicology has the pleasure of welcoming two eminent scholars to its faculty ranks.
Musicologist Kristina Muxfeldt's specializations span the fields of music history, biography, analysis, and reception, with particular emphasis on the cultural and social environment of early nineteenth-century music. She received her B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and attended classes in musicology and performance at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Stuttgart and at the University of Vienna. She has taught at the University of Notre Dame and Yale University, as well as a visiting graduate seminar at Princeton. While at Yale, she also was Director of Undergraduate Studies from 1999 to 2000. Chair of the IU School of Music Musicology Department Professor Massimo Ossi is delighted to welcome Ms. Muxfeldt: "The musicology department is extremely pleased that a scholar of Kristina Muxfeldt's achievement and reputation will be joining us. Her work as a scholar of 19th-century music has been highly respected for quite some time, and it will be exciting to have her here as she continues to develop her scholarly interests. We expect that her arrival will be beneficial not only for our department, but for the School of Music as a whole: she is musically insightful, and has a way to make her scholarly research accessible to performers, not only scholars. It has been clear from the conversations we have had about her taking the position that she is particularly looking forward to the opportunity to teach performers--something that was only occasionally possible at Yale--as well as students in the musicology program." Multitalented musicologist Ayana Smith studies Italian Baroque opera and the early folk blues of America during the 1920s and 1930s and received her Ph.D. in music history from Yale University. Drawing upon her knowledge of Latin, literature, and African American music, Smith has shown that poetry and operatic texts influenced Italian baroque music, just as African American oral traditions informed early folk blues. Professor Massimo Ossi comments that, "Prof. Smith is a talented scholar and teacher who brings a variety of scholarly interests to our department, ranging from the blues to early 18th-century Italian opera to women's studies. She will bring fresh perspectives about music and society to the School of Music and to the wider intellectual community of Indiana University, since her work crosses disciplinary boundaries into ethnomusicology and African-American studies. She has held a postdoctoral fellowship in our department for the last two years, and we are very fortunate and excited that she will join us as a permanent member of the faculty." DEPARTMENT OF BANDS
Scott A. Weiss, appointed Associate Director of Bands, comes to the IU School of Music after serving as Director of Bands at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, since 2001. Recently appointed Director of Bands Stephen W. Pratt comments with great enthusiasm about the new faculty member, "I am extremely pleased with the hiring of Dr. Scott Weiss as associate director of bands. Dr. Weiss has established himself as a leading wind band conductor and scholar. His addition to the faculty adds another fine musician and conductor to our ranks." At Lamar, Weiss conducted the Wind Ensemble, Concert Band, and Chamber Winds; taught undergraduate and graduate courses in conducting and music education; supervised student teachers; and performed as a member of the faculty brass quintet. He was also the music director of the Beaumont Youth Wind Symphony and the Southeast Texas Youth Symphony. In April 2005, Weiss was awarded a University Merit Award by Lamar University for distinguished teaching. Additionally, he was the national recipient of the American School Band Director's UMI Award for outstanding teaching and conducting in 2000, and he is a two-time recipient of the National Band Association's Citation of Excellence. Weiss holds a Bachelor of Science in Music and an Outside Field from Indiana University, and both a Master of Music Education and a Doctor of Education in Music Education from the University of Illinois. He has also served on the conducting faculty at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. STRING DEPARTMENT
Following a year appointment as a visiting faculty member, the School of Music welcomes violist Yuval Gotlibovich to a permanent post. He holds first prizes in national as well as international competitions, including the 2003 Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition (U.K), the 2004 Spring Competitions (Israel), and the 2004 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition (U.S.A) as a member of Trio di Colore with Jimmy Brière on piano and Guy Yehuda on clarinet. His collaborations with other artists include Menahem Pressler, Marc-André Hamelin, and Imre Pallo, as well as members of the Cleveland, Orion, and Mendelssohn string quartets. He has performed at major venues and festivals throughout the world. "The appointment of Yuval Gotlibovich to our string faculty represents the school's commitment to enormous talent and brilliance. Prof. Gotlibovich has demonstrated that he has the vision and expertise to be a sought-after pedagogue. His playing and musicianship is well established in the string community, both here in the U.S. and abroad. We welcome him to the School of Music," remarked Lawrence Hurst, chair of the String Department. Gotlibovich graduated from the Indiana University School of Music with an Artist Diploma, a master's degree, and Performer Certificate. He names IU Professor of Music and violist Atar Arad as his primary musical influence and has studied with him for five years. DEPARTMENT OF WOODWINDS
Bassoon legend, composer, and author Arthur Weisberg has also been appointed to the faculty following his appointment as a visiting faculty member last year. Weisberg was bassoonist with the New York Woodwind Quintet for 14 years and has taught at Juilliard, the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and Yale University. He recorded George Crumb's A Haunted Landscape with the New York Philharmonic. He has conducted the Milwaukee Symphony as well as the Sjaellands and Aalborg Symphonies of Denmark. Weisberg created the Contemporart Chamber Ensemble in 1961, touring the world and producing several prize-winning recordings. He is the author of two books, "The Art of Wind Playing" and "Performing 20th Century Music-A Handbook for Conductors and Instrumentalists." He has composed numerous works and has made several editions for bassoon, including a transcription of the Bach Cello Suites and a set of 15 Etudes for Bassoon in the style of 20th Century music. "We are very excited to have someone of Arthur's stature and breadth of knowledge at IU. His book "The Art of Wind Playing" is a classic and shows his deep musical insights. We're thrilled that our students will benefit from his knowledge as a performer, composer, and pedagogue," said Woodwind Department Chair Thomas Walsh. |
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