Volume 11, Issue 1-Fall October 17, 2019

Guest Concert: Minneapolis Guitar Quartet Allison Wordes—Staff Writer A c c o r d i n g t o t h e i r w e b s i t e (minneapolisguitarquartet.com), the Minneapolis Guitar Quartet performs “music just about good enough to eat - a wonderful ensemble.” If their music is a fine dish, then we are in for a feast. The group of four will take to Dordt’s stage for NISO’s fall Guest Concert, offering a range of genres. Also known as MGQ, the quartet has been recognized everywhere—from the United States to Europe and Asia. Their shows include a range of music, from the works of Bach to those of Prince. “They will have something for everyone,” said Dr. Onsby Rose, General Manager and Executive Director for NISO. The four members of the quartet: Joseph Hagedorn, Maja Radovanlija, Ben Kunkel, and Wade Oden are college faculty members who hold workshops and teach guitar classes for elementary students, spicing up their understanding of music. They have written their own arrangements of jazz music, Finnish folk music, and even British pop/rock. Radovanlija has been with the quartet since 2012, bringing extensive experience. Besides touring countries like Macedonia, Greece, Switzerland, and Slovenia, she's performed with Mu Daiko Japanese Theater. She also won Second Prize in Indiana University’s Annual Competition in the Performance of Music from Spain and Latin America.

The guitarists also work with choirs, collaborating to make an impressive sound. Kunkel, the only native Minnesotan in the quartet, recently worked w i t h t h e M i r a n d o l a Ensemble choral group.

Other groups he has worked with include the Composers Guild, the Minnesota Guitar Society, the Cleveland Classical Guitar Society, and Chamber Music Midwest. Originally from Texas, Odin has dabbled in a variety of cultural experiences. He has performed with (cont.)

NISO NOTES 1

SYMPHONIC VISION NISO NOTES

Season Preview: Symphonic Vision Allison Wordes—Staff Writer An exciting year is ahead for NISO’s 33rd season, with a theme that is both far-reaching and close to home. From immigrant stories to first-generation American musicians, this year focuses on generations and their vision for life. The kickoff to the season begins with a world-famous group of musicians: The Minneapolis Guitar Quartet (MGQ). Guitars, which have not been featured by NISO for some time, will give just the right touch to get the NISO season started. The MGQ plays music that gives a taste of several different genres—and their members have experience from cultures all over the world, including Macedonia, France, and Bulgaria. The Fall Concert in November is titled “The American Dream” and will focus on immigrants and the stories they have to share. NISO will collaborate with the Dordt University Theatre Department who will enact these stories as the orchestra plays, painting a vision of what the United States must have looked like for immigrants coming to Ellis Island. Written by contemporary composer Peter Boyer, these stories are sure to leave an impression on those who come to listen. Also on the program will be “Hymn for the Heartland” by Dr. Onsby Rose, the new General Manager and Executive Director for NISO. The piece was written for an orchestra in Ohio but is also appropriate in Iowa. NISO’s Winter Pops Concert will feature The Texas Tenors, who will perform their Iowa debut during their group’s 10th anniversary. Featured on America’s Got Talent, the group has made it big with songs like “Proud to be American.” However, they are known for more than one genre of music, including spiritual, country, opera, and much more. Their most recent albums include Rise and A Collection of Broadway and American Classics. The Spring Concert in April features the Deutsches (German) Requiem by Brahms—a moving piece of music. Brahms used Psalms that deal with mourning and grief. This connection to Scripture makes it “like prayer in music,” says Conductor Christopher Stanichar. The vocal soloists will be soprano Darci Bultema and baritone Stephen Swanson. They will be joined by the Sioux County Oratorio Chorus, under the direction of Dr. Thomas Holm, as well as Mr. Ryan Smit and the Dordt University Concert Choir. We think this promises to be another fine season with NISO, offering music from both near and far. You will certainly want to come and see what this season offers!

Guest Concert October 26

7:30PM

Volume 11, Issue 1-Fall October 17, 2019

NISO NOTES 2

Fall Concert Preview: The American Dream Allison Wordes – Staff Writer The American Dream—what did that look like to people in early American history? Come to NISO’s Fall Concert to hear the stories of immigrants from Italy, Ireland, and many other places acted out in joint performance with NISO. We offer, in the fingers of John Walker on piano and accompanied by the orchestra, the music of immigrants. “They share their experience traveling here—their hopes and dreams,” said Conductor Christopher Stanichar. “For immigrants, Ellis Island was truly the start of the American Dream. Many audience members may have family living that immigrated or have a history of family members that did. Either way, these stories come to life.” The concert will begin with Aaron Copland’s grand Fanfare for the Common Man, which comes from the era of World War II. Fanfares are written big, especially for instruments that excel at projecting loud and percussive sounds—including brass, percussion, and sometimes pipe organ.

Dr. John Walker will follow with Concerto in F by Gershwin. A rather jazzy piano piece, it ties into the theme of the early American vibes—as it was written in the 1920s. Walker is Professor of Music and Director of Keyboard Studies at South Dakota State University. He has received the Distinguished Performer Award for the College of Arts and Sciences. Dordt University’s Theatre Department is collaborating with NISO to put on a dramatic reading that will share the incredible stories of real people who left everything they knew to come to the United States. Seven actors will give voice to these characters, based on real-life people and events.

“Reader’s Theater is such a vital art form,” said Dr. Teresa TerHaar, a Dordt theater professor. “It shares the power of oral history.” Theater students have been learning about oral history as a drama strategy for teaching. It is a different style of performing that engages students and helps them to learn. Because it is reader’s theater, the script is read and not memorized, but readers will be in time period-appropriate costume. It should be especially engaging for the afternoon children’s concert, where visuals and audio will help grab the students’ imaginations. The projections, a montage of old photographs and documents, will also add to the visual appeal. “The music is very cinematic,” said Stanichar, “like listening to a movie score.” The script uses monologues—with one actor at a time offering lines to the audience. Each of the stories are based on actual characters and real events. “For many, [Ellis Island] was this incredible gateway,” said TerHaar. “Immigration now is not the same process as it was back then—it feels entirely different.” The actors will rehearse separately from the orchestra, joining the orchestra for the last three rehearsals, where they will stitch together what they have each worked on, creating what TerHaar foresees will be a “seamless” collaboration.

“It’s become an exceptionally popular piece,” said Dr. Onsby Rose, who knows the composer, Peter Boyer, personally. There have been multiple performances in the country recently, attesting to its popularity and the power of its story. Rose, the new General Manager and Executive Director of NISO, will also

have his piece Hymn For the Heartland performed for this concert. “It’s a huge honor for them to play my piece,” said Rose. This will be its second performance. Its debut will be in October in Ohio, as it was originally written for the New York Grandville Symphony. This program is sponsored in part by a grant from the Sioux Center Community Foundation. Tickets may be purchased at the door the evening of the concert. For more NISO information, visit https://niso.dordt.edu.

Symphonic VisionNorthwest Iowa Symphony

Orchestra ConcertsDr. Christopher Stanichar, conductor

GUEST CONCERTSaturday, October 26, 2019 – 7:30PM

FALL CONCERTTuesday, November 19, 2019 – 7:30PM

WINTER POPSSaturday, January 18, 2020 – 7:30PM

SPRING CONCERTTuesday, April 7, 2020 – 7:30PM

___________________________________Northwest Iowa Symphony Youth

Orchestra ConcertsDr. Angela Holt, conductor

Saturday, December 14, 2019, 3:00PMSaturday, March 28, 2020, 3:00PM

the Voce y Cuerdas duo, which plays music from countries like Brazil, Hawaii, Spain, and Italy. He has also toured with the Rose Ensemble vocal group at the Festvial d’Ile de France, performing both secular and sacred music. Last, but not least, is Hagedorn—one of the founding members of MGQ. Since its beginning in 1986, he has helped take the quartet to new heights. Originally from Iowa, he now teaches at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. He won the Guitar Foundation of America solo competition and, as a result, went on national tour. MGQ has upcoming tours that will take them to China, Serbia, Montenegro, Germany, Macedonia, and Bulgaria. This engagement is supported by the Arts Midwest Touring Fund, a program of Arts Midwest that is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional contributions from Iowa Arts Council and the Crane Group. Come to Dordt’s B.J. Haan Auditorium on Saturday, October 26, to experience the work of this talented quartet. Tickets may be purchased at the door the evening of the concert. For more NISO information, visit https://niso.dordt.edu.

(cont. “Guest Concert: Minneapolis Guitar Quartet”)

Fall Concert November 19

7:30PM Northwest

Iowa Symphony Orchestra

700 Seventh St NE Sioux Center, IA 51250

712.722.6230 niso@dordt.edu

https://niso.dordt.edu

Dr. John Walker

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