summer 2003 - The University of Scranton

Wo rld Pre m i e re Composition
(continued from p.21)
The first performance took place in Eagen Auditorium
of the Gunster Student Center, and the corporate
sponsor for the event was Mutual of New York.
After that, Mrs. Boga says, “Things began to take
o f f,” and the second World Pre m i e re featured the work
of internationally-acclaimed composer/conductor Ro b e rt
K a p i l ow, a regular on the National Public Radio program,
Pe rf o rmance To d a y. Among World Pre m i e re ve t e r-
ans are such re n owned composers as T. Te r ry Ja m e s
“We were just a bunch of
amateur musicians. And there
we were playing
with Vaclav Nelhybel,
a world-class composer.
I knew it was a unique
experience. But it wasn’t until
years later that I
fully appreciated
how special it really was.
“It was a lot of fun, it was very
challenging, and it’s something
I’ll always have as part of
my years at Scranton.”
Kevin J. Lanahan ’84
French Horn Player,
1984 World Premiere
President-elect of the
University’s Alumni Society, 2002
H’88 , who has
conducted major
o rchestras thro u g h-
out the U.S. and
Eu rope and whose
s c o re for the mov i e
“ Jonathan Livingston
Se a g u l l”
won a Gr a m m y
Aw a rd and a Go l d
Re c o rd; Ro b e rt
St a re r, whose many
w o rks have been
p re m i e red, re c o rd e d
and perf o r m e d
both here and
a b road by ensembles
conducted by
Mi t ropoulos, Be r n-
stein, St e i n b e r g ,
L e i n s d o rf, Me h t a ,
and Ozawa; and
Brett W. Di e t z ,
whose Scranton
commission,
“ Pa n d o r a’s Box , ”
recently re c e i ved
its Carnegie Hall
p re m i e re.
The 2003 performance, held
2 May in the Houlihan-McLean
Center, featured The University of
Scranton Concert Band and Choir
with guest composers/conductors
Wycliffe Gordon and Lawrence
Wolfe. The corporate sponsor was
Pennstar Bank.
Both Mr. Gordon, a member of
the faculty at The Juilliard School
Vaclav Nelhybel
H’85 was guest
c o m p o s e r/c o n d u c t o r
of the University’s
first World
Premiere Composition
held in the
Eagen Auditorium
of the Gunster
Student Center,
4 May 1984.
and acclaimed jazz trombonist, whose new score to the
movie “Body and Soul” opened the jazz season at Lincoln
Center last year, and Mr. Wolfe, who is a member
of The Boston Symphony Orchestra and The Boston
Pops and has written for members of both orchestras,
have debuted pieces at the World Premiere in the past
and were invited back to commemorate and celebrate
the anniversary of the series.
The concert opened with “Agon,” and the musicians
worked from Nelhybel’s original manuscript.
Mr. Wolfe presented his composition for band,
“Cadences,” and joined the ensemble on bass during the
premiere performance of Mr. Gordon’s choral piece,
“Prayer, Acknowledgement and Celebration.” Mr. Gordon
played trombone during the premiere performance
of Wolfe’s “Cadences.”
Mrs. Boga stresses that the World Premiere presents
wonderful opportunities for learning—and not just for
the students.
“The composers learn things from them,” she said.
“There’s a give and take that’s pretty remarkable. I’ve
had composers say they’ve learned as much from the
kids as the kids have learned from them.”
Mrs. Boga looks back at the inaugural World Premiere
with genuine fondness and joy.
“When Vaclav came in, after we’d been rehearsing,
everything was electric,” she says with a smile. “It’s been
a blast.”
2 2 T H E S C R A N T O N J O U R N A L