Master of Arts, University of Akron, 2007, Theatre Arts-Arts Administration

Parents of young musicians have a major effect on their children in regard to their chosen musical path. In order for some of these musicians to succeed, they have to be forced to improve their talents. Parents even turn into “stage mothers and fathers” so their child can be successful. Research and even reality television has explored parental effect on young athletes and academics but little research has been completed with regard to young musicians. For this project, approximately 200 youth orchestra and college musicians were surveyed. For the youth orchestra sector, the members of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra and Baldwin-Wallace Senior Youth Orchestra were chosen. In the college sector, Baldwin-Wallace College Symphony Orchestra and the University of Akron Symphony Orchestra were selected. The surveys consisted of 24 questions for the youth orchestra members and 20 questions for the college musicians. The questions address such issues as seating and financial support.

Committee: Durand Pope (Advisor) Subjects: Music

PHD, Kent State University, 2014, College of the Arts / School of Music, Hugh A. Glauser

This dissertation discusses the evolution of musical output by three modern Chinese orchestras within Greater China, which is composed of Mainland China (Shanghai), Hong Kong, and Taiwan (Taipei). Each of these regions developed a different cultural identity and political ideology. The discussion focuses on the foundation of professional Chinese orchestras founded in above regions, and commonly known as the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra (SCO), Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra (HKCO) and Taipei Chinese Orchestra (TCO). The dissertation also focuses on the musical relationship between these orchestras to highlight the development of similar musical style across Greater China that resulted from shared influences in a prolonged contact between regions. This dissertation is divided into two parts. In Part I—The Early History of the Chinese Orchestra from 1920 to 1986—chapters are designed to establish the cultural and political foundation of the original orchestra on Mainland China and the influences on its musical style. In this section I also argue that the historical development that lead to the division of China gave rise to the foundation of other orchestras in Hong Kong and Taiwan, which started with similar musical styles until they developed independent styles in their respective regions. In Part II—The Identities of Orchestras During the Period of Frequent Cultural Exchange within Greater China—focuses on the early stages of the orchestras and their development from 1987 to 1996, and examines the process of each orchestra to establish its musical and cultural identity at the end of the martial law period (1997-present). In this part, I also argue that the end of the martial period brought more cultural exchange within Greater China and inspired a search for distinct regional identities while maintaining the original cultural model. Further attention is given to the musical exchange among the three orchestras to highlight the infl (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Kazadi Mukuna Dr. (Advisor); Richard Feinberg Dr. (Committee Member); Ralph Lorenz Dr. (Committee Member); Theodore Albrecht Dr (Committee Member) Subjects: Asian Studies; Cultural Anthropology; Ethnic Studies; History; International Relations; Modern History; Music; Performing Arts

DMA, University of Cincinnati, 2022, College-Conservatory of Music: Composition

My curiosity in world culture has expanded to Eastern philosophy and its integration into western musical languages. Mysteries manifests this influence, finding solace in subtle orchestral colors which alternate with boisterous passages. A performance of Mysteries lasts approximately 18 minutes. It is composed in one continuous movement. In this piece, I am reminded of the west wing of the Cleveland Museum of Art which now houses Indian and Southeast Asian artifacts. There one may behold thousands of years of history. One gallery featuring sixth century BCE Jainism yields to a Chinese gallery, adorned with fiery-eyed gargoyles calling out to visitors where once they graced the tombs of influential statesmen in the Tang dynasty, guarding them from sinister spirits. One may also cross paths with Nataraja's Shiva, the ancient Hindu Lord of music, who beckons serenely and beneficently with his hands as if they are about to execute a Vedic hymn on the vina. In fact, music was considered an essential component of sacred learning, and its rhythms reflect the structures of an ongoing creation of the universe. As the gallery continues, my attention is drawn to a new 2022 exhibition by Peng Wei, Migrations of Memory––The Poetry and Power of Music. This exhibition – comprised of multiple music stands in semi-circular formation, letters by Western composers translated into Mandarin, and stately Chinese paintings depicting a subtext described as “Wild Geese Descend on Level Sands” – addresses the vital role of music and the arts during the Covid-19 pandemic. It is dedicated to the Cleveland Orchestra and to musicians worldwide, aiming to keep communities “spirited, resilient, and connected”. Mysteries has arrived at this place of creation which – it is possible Shiva, the Tomb Guardians, and Peng Wei would agree – is meant to be shared.

Committee: Michael Fiday Ph.D. (Committee Member); Douglas Knehans D.M.A. (Committee Member); Mara (Margaret) Helmuth D.M.A. (Committee Member) Subjects: Music

Master of Music (MM), Bowling Green State University, 2018, Music Composition

The Location of Lines is a nine-minute work for orchestra theoretically and structurally based the piece on the wall murals of Sol LeWitt. The piece follows the standard orchestral arrangement, with three each: flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, trumpets, and trombones; four horns; one tuba; three percussion parts playing various instruments each; harp; piano; timpani; and strings in divisi throughout. Using LeWitt's work as inspiration, The Location of Lines explores ideas of perception, structure, and texture from a sonic perspective with musical elements, such as harmony, rhythm, and melody abstractly sonifying LeWitt's technique. Taking LeWitt's 1995 Wall Drawing 797 as an example, The Location of Lines was written with a single initial melodic line that fluctuates across the mid-treble register on a horizontal plane (through time), yet is vertically (or harmonically) self-referencing. Background material in the piece supports the initial line by sustaining pitches for greater durations in various octaves, thereby further blurring harmonic movement of the material in the foreground, expanding the frequency content, establishing invariance relationships, and creating a rather seamless kaleidoscopic shifting of color. Further, this line, as well as the accompaniment, is exchanged and redistributed throughout the ensemble.

Committee: Elainie Lillios Dr. (Advisor); Mikel Kuehn Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Music

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1947, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Master of Music (MM), Ohio University, 2022, Music Composition (Fine Arts)

400 Miles to Home is a first-person narrative of a long distance trip. The orchestra blends with the electronics and often takes over the sounds presented in the fixed media to create a surreal atmosphere where the audience sometimes cannot depict the source of the sound. Fixating on the sound of the road and the rain bores the driver enough to fall from reality into a day-dreaming state. Throughout the trip, the driver is abruptly brought back to focus from a passing car. Jerking the steering wheel is another jarring motion that sparks memories of the driver. The fast paced and inconsistent drum in this section resembles the driver's pounding heart. The Sorcerer's Apprentice is used to establish the first musical conversation between the fixed media and orchestra. The fixed media is recorded directly from an antique radio to replicate the radio in a car from roughly the 1960s or 1970s. Recording from an antique radio sets the distant road setting with minimal radio signal. I choose to use The Sorcerer's Apprentice because it is a recognizable melody to most people that has many high energy moments that can easily contrast the psychological day-dreaming of the driver. The primary melody of The Sorcerer's Apprentice is fragmented and used to foreshadow new sections, and develop new material. The melody is also contorted in many ways throughout 400 Miles to Home to mend the musical, atmospheric, and psychological elements together.

Committee: Robert McClure (Advisor) Subjects: Music

DMA, University of Cincinnati, 2020, College-Conservatory of Music: Violin

This document provides a guide that studies the process of preparing for orchestral violin auditions. For this subject, there are many emerging resources, with a breadth of related material ranging from personal accounts to scientific studies in the sports field and brain imaging. Today, these resources take on accessible forms such as blogs, podcasts, and online courses and schools, in addition to books and in-person instruction. Much of this material is scattered across disciplines and not within common knowledge of auditionees. This lack of education may contribute to the reporting that only a third of those who show up to auditions are “seriously eligible candidates.” Modern sources can fill in holes that are still found in a typical musical education, including topics related to violin playing, expert performance, orchestral auditions, scientific research related to learning and practicing, performance psychology, and injury prevention. Much of traditional violin pedagogy focuses on physical technique or performance traditions of the violin cannon. Today, studies make it possible to explore, not only physical mechanics, but also the mechanics of the mind as a combination of technique, musicality, mind, and wellness are all necessary for a resilient audition preparation. This guide is drawn from dozens of lessons with orchestral musicians of major orchestras, as well as the aforementioned modern resources. The first part of this guide provides an overview of the challenges presented by orchestral auditions as well as a literature review of sources available to violinists today. I, then, proceed to discuss expert performance and mindset in order to provide a framework for the main body of the undertakings involved in the process that is discussed. Injury prevention and self-care are also discussed as these topics are crucial for any long career in music but are not typically addressed in schools. I discuss the process of research and organizat (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Catharine Lees D.M.A. (Committee Chair); Kurt Sassmannshaus M.M. (Committee Member); Won-Bin Yim D.M.A. (Committee Member) Subjects: Music

DMA, University of Cincinnati, 2019, College-Conservatory of Music: Composition

It was a quite astonishing moment of watching total solar eclipse in 2017. Two opposite universal images have been merged and passed by each other. It was very exciting to watch and inspired me to write a piece about that image.

Committee: Douglas Knehans D.M.A. (Committee Chair); Michael Fiday Ph.D. (Committee Member); Mara (Margaret) Helmuth D.M.A. (Committee Member) Subjects: Music

Master of Music (MM), Bowling Green State University, 2019, Music Composition

"Seeing a Tree for the Forest" is a composition for flute/piccolo, oboe/English horn, clarinet/bass clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, harp, percussion, and strings (2 2 2 2 1). It is approximately eight minutes in duration and is cast in a single movement. The title, a reversal of the well-known adage, signifies this composition's focus on the shifting relationship between a complex whole and its parts. In "Seeing a Tree for the Forest," I create shifting colors and textures by interweaving melodies in narrow registral spaces. I draw upon the image of a mass of thickly grown branches with fluttering leaves, shifting perspective gradually toward and then away from the individual branches. The dramatic arc features rapid transitions from clear, stark verticalities to chaotic, kaleidoscopic melody-clusters and gradual interpolation between melody-clusters and solo melody. The pitches in this work are controlled by fixing select notes in specific registers across the range of the ensemble (sometimes called pitch-fields). I utilize pitch-fields with different material in each octave in order to create modal scales with individual coloristic capabilities in each registral area. These registrally fixed modal scales combine to create unique harmonic and contrapuntal interactions. Five main sections comprise "Seeing a Tree for the Forest," making an arch-shaped formal structure. The third and central section presents a complete loss of the individual line in a mass of shifting string timbres, contrasted on either side by the more transparent second and fourth sections which feature solos and duos. The second section has a lyrical, yearning quality while the fourth section is energetic and jovial with moments of intense orchestral interjections. The first and last sections rely most heavily on dense melody-clusters. While both sections feature related intervallic content, the beginning avoids clear tonal structures whereas the ending section clearly artic (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Mikel Kuehn Dr. (Advisor); Elainie Lillios Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Composition; Music

Master of Music (MM), Bowling Green State University, 2016, Music Composition

Seelenruhe (“state of calm, peace of mind”) is a work for full orchestra consisting of piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, English horn, two clarinets in Bb, bass clarinet, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, two trumpets in C, two tenor trombones, tuba, timpani, two percussionists, harp, piano and strings. The piece is a musical representation of a particular location in the lakes region of central Minnesota. While significant motivic material is restated and expanded throughout the piece, the broader form of the work is free and through-composed,containing four smaller sections. The ending serves as a brief reference to an earlier portion of the work through use of familiar pitch material and similar timbral combinations. Inspiration for Seelenruhe was mainly drawn from nature. In the summer of 2015, I revisited a small lake while fishing with my family in Minnesota. Tucked away in the woods, this particular lake has no public boat access. To reach it, a person must drag their canoe down a steep, overgrown slope, before lowering the canoe into a marshy swamp. After pushing through the muskeg, the reeds finally part, giving a person their first glimpse of the lake. Seelenruhe is an aural representation of my experiences of and reflections on this beautiful bit of the northland, as well as a musical rendering of the imagery itself. To better convey the imagery and provide structure for the work, I chose certain instrument colors and pitch collections to represent specific parts in the compositional “landscape.” The piece opens with a clarinet solo, fragments of which reappear primarily in the winds. Following an exposed introduction, more substantial, coloristic textures of the piece are introduced. Throughout the work, the “water” texture [0245689E] and condensed portions of it are played by the piano, mid-low range winds, and brass. This texture is sustained almost continuously with its intensity being varied depending upon the orchestration and layering. (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Marilyn Shrude (Advisor); Mikel Kuehn (Committee Member) Subjects: Composition; Music

DMA, University of Cincinnati, 2008, College-Conservatory of Music : Trumpet

Rayburn Wright's text, “INSIDE THE SCORE” has become a standard reference for professional arrangers and university arranging courses. In this text, Wright analyzes jazz ensemble arrangements of three influential jazz arrangers: Sammy Nestico, Thad Jones and Bob Brookmeyer. Jim McNeely is at the forefront of the American school of jazz ensemble composition. His position as composer-in-residence of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra establishes his place in the lineage of important writers connected to that ensemble, most notably Thad Jones and Bob Brookmeyer. This document is conceived as a fourth chapter to Wright's text. Through a series of reductions and breakdowns, it applies Wright's analysis formulae to three of McNeely's composition/arrangements: In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning, Extra Credit, and Absolution. It presents commentary on the salient features of McNeely's writing and orchestration, and should provide a useful foundation for studying his music.

Committee: Alan Siebert (Advisor); Rick VanMatre (Committee Member); Kim Pensyl (Committee Member) Subjects: Music

JD/MA, University of Cincinnati, 2007, College-Conservatory of Music : Composition

Ebb and Flow is inspired by the idea of cause and effect. All things, as well as the sections of this work, start with a strike, and followed by series of effects that create different outcomes. These unpredictable results lead this work to conflict or cohesive sections that create emotional tension to propel the music forward. The piece is constructed around two groups of pitches – C, C#, D, D#, E, and F#, G, G#, A, Bb. They start the work together as a whole, and go apart through out the piece in variation. The sets are presented wholly or partially in forms of pillar chords, melodic components, accompanying forces, and harmonic backdrop. Furthermore, the two sets sometimes compete with each other, and sometimes combine to compliment each other. F and B, the two among the twelve pitches that are not presented in the main pitch materials, play an insignificant role in the composition. They act as the filling of the twelve-tone-chord sonority, but don't draw melodic or thematic attention. It is not until the end, after all instruments reach the climax, that the vibraphone hit these two notes strongly to conclude this piece with a satisfying completion of twelve pitches.

Committee: Joel Hoffman (Advisor) Subjects: Music

Doctor of Musical Arts, The Ohio State University, 2006, Music

This document is meant to serve as a study guide of twenty-five works for the dramatic soprano voice with orchestra. Criteria used for inclusion include range, tessitura, orchestral scoring, dramatic intensity, and cultural diversity. There are examples of works dating from 1787 through 2004, and include song cycles, monoperas, monodramas, scena and arias, symphonic rhapsodies, cantatas, symphonic cycles, and lyric tragedies. Adhering to the basic requirement of the piece being suitable for the dramatic soprano voice, the chosen works are eclectic in language, style, ethnic origin, and musical period. A cursory definition of the dramatic soprano voice is included. Information is provided for each listing, including a brief biographical sketch of the composer and the work's history and lyrics.

Committee: Robin Rice (Advisor) Subjects: Music

Doctor of Musical Arts, The Ohio State University, 2003, Music

Orchestral musician and teacher Clement Barone (1921-), played piccolo in the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Houston Symphony Orchestra for over forty years. A native of Philadelphia, Barone plays an open g-sharp system, which he learned from his first teacher, his flutist-father Clemente Barone. Subsequent teachers included Joseph La Monaca, Frank Versaci, Fernando Morrone, and the eminent William Kincaid, who recommended Barone for his first major orchestral position: piccolo and assistant first flute in the Houston Symphony Orchestra. While playing in Houston, Barone secured and refined his piccolo technique performing for conductors Efrem Kurtz, Sir Thomas Beecham, and Leopold Stokowski. In 1959 Barone moved to Detroit to play piccolo in the Detroit Symphony Orchestra under principal conductor Paul Paray. During his thirty-two year career in Detroit, Barone collaborated with fellow flutists Albert Tipton, Irvin Gilman, and later members, Ervin Monroe, Shaul Ben-Meir, and Robert Patrick. In addition to presenting a chronological study of Barone's professional activities, this document also discusses selected aspects of Barone's flute and piccolo pedagogy, formed from his premise that the flute “should imitate the human singing voice in style and quality of lyricism.” Additional chapters include an account of lessons with William Kincaid, a discussion of Barone's publication, Learning the Piccolo: A Treatise on the Subtleties and Problems of Playing the Piccolo in Relation to the Flute (1975), and Barone's perception of changes in orchestral procedures as they impact the professional orchestral musician.

Committee: Katherine Borst Jones (Advisor) Subjects: Music

Master of Music (MM), Bowling Green State University, 2007, Music Education/Comprehensive Music Education

The purpose of this study was to determine elementary, middle, and junior high school orchestra directors' presentation sequence of technical skills to beginning and intermediate string students. Surveys were distributed to 209 public school orchestra directors from Illinois (n = 57), Texas (n = 53), California (n = 51), and North Carolina (n = 48). A total of 60 teachers from Illinois, North Carolina, and Texas responded to the survey. Since only three teachers responded from California, data from this state were removed from analysis in order to allow for a more reasonable comparison among the other three states. The survey consisted of four sections: director profile, school profile, skills, and method books. Results of the director profile indicated that 76.7% of respondents were female, 55% have a masters degree, 50.85% play the violin, and 18.6% have taught for more than 25 years. School profile indicated that 51.72% of respondents teach at a middle school, 84.4% teach in a suburban setting, and 50% start their students on a string instrument in the sixth grade. The skills section of the survey asked respondents to supply data pertaining to nine technical skills for the developing string player: (a) placing the bow on the string for the first time, (b) note reading, (c) low second finger, (d) low first finger, (e) students tune their own instruments, (f) vibrato, (g) shifting (violin/viola), (h) shifting (cello), and (i) shifting (bass). Seven of these nine skills are currently introduced by 48.2% of directors in the sixth grade. The method books section of the survey indicated that Essential Elements was used by 86.67% of directors. Implications for music education included encouraging orchestra directors to introduce vibrato before high school. Suggestions for further research included compiling a handbook describing the effective teaching techniques orchestra directors use to teach the nine technical skills to their developing string players.

Committee: Vincent Kantorski (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Music; Music

Master of Arts, University of Akron, 2011, Theatre Arts-Arts Administration

The National Repertory Orchestra is an organization located in the small resort town of Breckenridge, Colorado. This orchestra uses its marketing to gain an audience that is largely single ticket buyers. This case study explores the marketing methods used and how being in a small town affects the orchestra and the type of audience that it receives.

Committee: Durand Pope Dr. (Advisor); Neil Sapienza (Committee Member); Patricia LaNasa (Committee Member) Subjects: Arts Management

DMA, University of Cincinnati, 2013, College-Conservatory of Music: Composition

Thoughts, a poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, embodies mystical and metaphysical properties with beautifully imaginative imagery that elevates one to another place. This text reveals the mysterious qualities of thoughts and the influence thoughts have on peoples’ actions. Even though the text was written in the early 20th Century, her philosophy of positive thinking remains relevant to contemporary society, supporting many peoples’ belief that American culture is too steeped in negativity. This piece sweeps through various states of mind via episodes of stylistically different musical material. Soloistic woodwind passages interweave with motor-like motivic string passages. Although the solo soprano line functions as the center of attention when it conveys text, there are also moments when the soloist sings timbrally and texturally rather than textually driven lines, blending amidst the orchestral sonorities. An important structural moment occurs during a brass feature, before the first statement of “love.” This passage of text details the power of love and how even unspoken love can increase the world’s light. Wilcox’s text is reminiscent of a Biblical passage in John 1: “Lux lucet in tenebris” [Light shines in the darkness]. While these texts hail from differing spiritual points of view, they share philosophical and symbolic associations concerning the essence of thoughts, words, life, love, and light. This literary connection is represented musically through the use of quotation; the chords stated in the horn soli are quoted from a children’s chorus statement of “Lux lucet in tenebris!” in George Crumb’s Star Child. The placement of these chords parallels the literary association in that Crumb’s music often addresses themes of light and dark.

Committee: Mike Fiday Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Joel Hoffman D.M.A. (Committee Member); Douglas Knehans D.M.A. (Committee Member) Subjects: Music

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1955, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

DMA, University of Cincinnati, 2024, College-Conservatory of Music: Composition

My father planted a small orchard on our three-and-a-half-acre property next to a small creek, which has steadily cut through the earth these last three decades. The creek now feeds a man-made pond housing many small creatures and providing rich soil into which the thirty or so giants sink their roots. The Ohio seasons have brought significant storms, freezing, and heat, but many of these trees still produce in season, especially in time for apple butter and pies in autumn. The magic is simple. As each tree's roots latch firmly and stretch deeper, invisible in the earth, its trunk can stand strong and proud and majestic. Its arms can stretch wider and higher and produce sweeter fruit--and more plentiful. These giants are life givers, relying on the sustenance and foundation of the earth to survive. They inspire me. The storms and heat that humanity weather are often fierce. The streams that nourish inevitably become rivers that cut the earth-- exposing our roots over time, and beating limbs until they break. By The River was written with these themes in mind. The musical themes are meant to tell the story of a tree, standing firm against the freeze and the heat and the storms and the river. The melodies mimic the tree stretching its roots deep and its limbs wide and providing shelter, fruit, and beauty to the world around it. I hope the music draws attention to these beautiful creations and inspires conductors, performers, listeners, and myself to mimic their steadfast growth in sustaining soil, both as we prepare for and as we face the heaviest of storms. "And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." Psalm 1:3 "For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh but her leaf shall be green, and shall not be careful i (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Douglas Knehans D.M.A. (Committee Chair); Mara (Margaret) Helmuth D.M.A. (Committee Member); Michael Fiday Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Music

Master of Music (MM), Bowling Green State University, 2024, Music Composition

To See the Hundred Universes that Each of Them Sees is a six minute single- movement work for orchestra, scored for triple woodwinds, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, harp, piano, timpani, three percussionists, and strings. This work explores orchestral timbres to create shifting, colorful sound worlds that take the audience on a kaleidoscopic sonic journey. Some examples of these environments include emptiness illustrated by air sounds in the brass, fullness illustrated by a tutti “organ sound”, and expressiveness illustrated by sweeping rhythmic textures in the winds and strings. The tutti “organ sound” will also act as a structural element, returning at significant points throughout the work. The piece contains six episodes that develop and explore these sound worlds. The first episode, emptiness, explores brass air sounds with high winds sustains. These sustained sounds carried through into the second episode, where strings will join with swelling gestures. The third episode contains loud brass and wind flutter-tongue sounds that build into a tutti “organ sound” climax. Following this climax is the fourth episode, a layered serene texture that features sustained violin harmonics, air brass sounds, lyrical woodwind passages, and percussion effects. The fifth and final episode builds to a seemingly chaotic texture leading to an ascending, breathtaking gesture in the strings and winds, followed by the final “organ chord” statement, with brass air sounds and violin harmonic glissandi that brings the journey to an end. The harmonic language of To See The Hundred Universes that Each of Them Sees employs the chromatic scale and four pitch class sets [0,3,4,5,9], [0,1,2,5,8], [0,1,3,4,7], and [0,1,5,6,8] that were distilled from some of my favorite sounds. Rhythmic materials include sustains that create texture and polyrhythms that create contrapuntal interplay and help propel the piece forward.

Committee: Christopher Dietz Ph.D. (Committee Member); Elainie Lillios D.M.A. (Committee Chair) Subjects: Composition; Music