Alumna endows music scholarship to honor piano professor

Laura Geisel Sullivan, M.D. ’74 entered medical school at a time when there were few female physicians. And while she was a serious student of biology at Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, she also was a talented and dedicated student of piano. As an undergraduate, Sullivan remembers practicing the piano “every night after dinner until 10 p.m., when the night watchman would tap on my practice room door and remind me it was time to go.”

Laura Geisel Sullivan ’74 and Elaine Dahl St. Vincent visit with a student
at the 2008 Alumnae Achievement Awards banquet honoring Sullivan.

Balancing the desire to pursue a career in medicine with her passion for piano was not always easy, but Sullivan credits her R-MWC piano professor, Elaine Dahl St. Vincent, with providing constant support and encouragement. In gratitude to her former teacher, Sullivan recently established The Elaine Dahl St. Vincent Endowed Music Scholarship Fund to benefit Randolph College students of piano. In creating the scholarship, Sullivan hopes to assist students who are committed students of piano but for whom a Randolph education is financially out of reach.

St. Vincent served on the R-MWC faculty from 1947-1980 and chaired the Department of Music from 1957-1979. In 1971, the College awarded her the prestigious Gillie Larew Award for Distinguished Teaching. While she taught hundreds of talented students during her tenure, she recalls Sullivan vividly: “Although Laura was not a music major, she was talented and diligent in such a superior way that the music department consented to permit her to play a senior recital. . . Laura was receptive to teaching and, therefore, she was a joy to have as a student.”

The close connections Sullivan enjoyed as a student at R-MWC have stayed with her long after graduation. Sullivan, who earned the College’s Alumnae Achievement Award in 2008 for her leadership in surgical pathology and hematopathology, has long been a supporter of the College, and her alma mater has played a large role in her extended family as well. Her daughter, Kathryn Sullivan Underwood ’09, majored in art history at the College, and her other daughter, Best Sullivan ’14, is currently enrolled in Randolph’s MAT program. Her niece, Laura Word Taylor ’13, recently graduated with a chemistry degree.

Sullivan is thankful to faculty members like St. Vincent for playing such a big role in her life. “Working one-on-one with Elaine all those years, I really got to know her, and I have enjoyed staying in touch with her ever since.”

Happily, Sullivan also has stayed in touch with the piano, still balancing the demands of a full time medical practice while finding time to practice piano most days. Recently she performed in her hospital’s annual “Physicians in Concert” series. “I played Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue,” she says, adding, “It took a lot of work to get it right, but I think Elaine would have been pleased!”

Broadway singer Marcus Nance to perform at Randolph

UPDATE: Due to flight cancellations caused by forecasts of impending snow, the master class and recital with Marcus Nance have been canceled.

A renowned Broadway baritone will teach Randolph students how to improve their vocal performance as well as give a public recital of his own next week.

Randolph College is hosting Marcus Nance, who frequently performs in musicals and operas, for two public appearances Feb. 12–13. Randall Speer, a Randolph music professor, invited Nance to perform and also to teach Randolph students about the realities of a music career.

Speer and Nance actually attended college together. “He was always the consummate performer,” Speer said. “At the undergraduate level, he had already demonstrated a lot of potential, and within a few years he was performing professionally.”

When Speer took the Randolph College Chorale to perform in Carnegie Hall in 2012, he arranged for students to meet with Nance, who was performing the role of Caiaphas in Jesus Christ Superstar on Broadway, and learn about what it is like to be a professional singer. Speer wanted to invite Nance to campus so more students could interact with him.

Nance’s public performances will begin with a master class at 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 12. Four students will perform works from musical theatre or opera. In front of the audience, Nance will work with each student to immediately improve aspects of the performance.

A master class offers a unique opportunity to the audience, Speer said. “It’s sort of like getting a glimpse on the voice or performance studio,” he said. “The audience glimpses the nuts and bolts of the craft, in addition to seeing some fine performances.”

At 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 13, Nance will present a recital in cabaret style.

Both the master class and the recital will be held in Wimberly Recital Hall, and both are free and open to the public.

Randolph College Chamber Orchestra holds first solo concert Dec. 6

The Randolph College Chamber Orchestra will present its first solo concert this week, featuring six works from five composers, including Haydn and Brahms.

The orchestra was formed in the spring of 2012, and currently includes eight students who perform in concerts with professional musicians. In past years, the orchestra has performed along with Chorale, but it has developed enough to have its own concert.

The concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, December 6, in Smith Hall Theatre. The repertoire will include “hidden gems to well-known treasures,” said Randall Speer, director of the chamber orchestra and a Randolph College music professor. The works include Notturno in C by Franz Joseph Haydn and Fantasia on “Greensleeves” by British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams.

In addition to the Randolph students, the chamber orchestra includes two students from E.C. Glass High School in Lynchburg.

“It is truly an honor to lead this fine group of students,” Speer said. “My deepest gratitude is extended to Randolph College for its truly remarkable support in bravely establishing a chamber orchestra as part of our curriculum.”

Randolph music groups prepared for upcoming concerts

Infused with new talent and energy, Randolph’s student music groups are looking forward to exciting concerts this year. The music begins with two Family Weekend concerts on Friday and Saturday, but it will continue with better and more challenging music as the year goes on.

Each group had record numbers of students audition, including many talented first-year students who will add their talents to the groups for the next four years.

Family Weekend Concerts

A Cappella Concert

featuring Songshine and Voices
Friday, Sept. 27, 4 p.m., Hampson Commons

Music Department Showcase

featuring Chorale and Touch of Harmony
Saturday, Sept. 28, 4 p.m., Wimberly Recital Hall

“In addition to having more performers, we actually have more accomplished musicians overall, too,” said Randall Speer, a music professor and conductor. “All of the groups are doing some pretty impressive repertoire.”

The additional talent is opening possibilities for performing musical pieces that Speer has wanted to introduce to the groups for some time.

Chorale, the College’s premiere performing ensemble, now has 26 students, including 16 first-year students and more male voices than the group has ever had. During the Family Weekend music department showcase, Chorale will perform a piece by Eric Whitacre, a popular American composer whose music often splits into eight different complex harmonies. This requires enough musicians to handle the complexity with confidence. “This Chorale can do that,” Speer said.

Chorale rehearses for their upcoming Family Weekend concert.

Touch of Harmony, a jazz group, is now at full capacity. They will perform Icarus, a jazz piece that Speer has always hoped to have a College group perform.

Voices and Songshine, Randolph’s student-run a cappella groups, also had incredible auditions. Each group has been working to prepare pieces for a concert on Friday of Family Weekend. “We’re really looking forward to our first major performance of the year,” said Chelsea Fox, president of Songshine.

Randolph’s Chamber Orchestra, created less than two years ago, now has 10 student musicians, including two local high school students. Although they do not have a concert on Family Weekend like the other ensembles, they have started learning a demanding symphony to be performed alongside a professional orchestra later this year. They also will perform with chorale in Christmas Vespers.

Speer is excited to see the way each student’s musical talent grows as they approach new challenges that come from complex and interesting music, rather than coming from smaller numbers.

“The literature itself is the thing that is really providing the vast majority of the challenge,” Speer said. “They can take pride in the fact that they’re learning this together and we’re going to do it.”

High school students invited to weekend science, music, and dance classes

Two new Randolph programs are offering high school students the opportunity to participate in free college workshops in science, music, and dance this fall.

Learn more about Science Saturdays

Science Saturdays, a series of 10 weekend science programs, will take place every Saturday from October 5 through Dec. 14. Sessions will cover topics such as organic gardening, neuroscience with cockroaches, the science of dietary supplements, and the challenge of launching a rocket that can carry an egg safely to the ground.

“This is an opportunity to get a real hands-on, college laboratory experience,” said Peter Sheldon, a Randolph physics professor who helped plan Science Saturdays. “Science Saturdays provides a great opportunity for students to explore diverse and engaging science topics.”

Learn more about Randolph: First String

Randolph: First String is a full-day program with Luca Trombetta, a Randolph music instructor, on October 19. “Luca is a fabulous musician who has played in some significant venues under some very significant conductors, and we’re very fortunate to have him,” said Randall Speer, a music professor coordinating Randolph: First String.

Participants in the program will perform pieces from an audition package for Trombetta and Speer. “We will critique the strength of the audition itself and give them pointers on what they should do to strengthen that audition,” Speer said. “It will be valuable information for them.”

Trombetta also will lead a master class in which selected participants will play their instruments on stage. Trombetta will then help these students improve their skills, allowing the participants in the audience to discover ways they can address challenges in their own playing.

The Randolph College Department of Dance also will host a master class for local high school students. Invitation to Dance will be held on October 26 with two classes taught by Dominique Palmer and Pam Risenhoover, as well as a forum for local dance instructors.

Randolph created Science Saturdays and Randolph: First String to reach out to high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors, introduce them to college-level instruction, and let them meet Randolph’s nationally-acclaimed faculty. Both of these programs are free, but seats are limited. Learn more about these programs, and register to attend, at www.randolphcollege.edu/sciencesaturdays and www.randolphcollege.edu/firststring.

Brazilian music concert set for Sept. 20

Brazilian rhythms and melodies will energize the Presser Hall this Friday when Musica Brasileira comes to Randolph College.

Three local college professors who have lived and taught in Brazil will present an eclectic program featuring various genres of Brazilian music and the works of some of the best-known Brazilian composers. The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Wimberly Recital Hall.

Armenio Suzano, left, Carol Hill, and Leon Neto will perform Musica Brasileira on Sept. 20.

“We are blessed to have these extraordinarily talented musicians bring us the music and culture of Brazil,”  said Chad Beck, a communication studies professor and coordinator of Randolph’s new Latin American studies minor. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for cultural and intellectual exchange  between the communities of Randolph, Sweet Briar, and Liberty, as well as the greater Lynchburg community.”

The performers have amassed decades of experience  with Brazilian music. Armenio Suzano, who became the youngest member of the Rio de Janeiro Opera House Symphony Orchestra at the age of 15, is now director of the Liberty University (LU) Symphony Orchestra.

Leon Neto, another LU faculty member, has worked with on almost 100 different albums of Brazilian music as a producer, musician, and arranger.

Carol Hill, a professor at Sweet Briar College, rounds out the trio. She has spent many years serving as a missionary in Brazil, where she coordinated the music department at the Equatorial Baptist Theological Seminary and later taught at the Carlos Gomes Conservatory of Music.

The music Friday night will include genres such as Samba, Bossa Nova, and Baiâo, as well as several classical pieces from celebrated Brazilian composers. The performance will highlight works from Noel Rosa, Pixinguinha, Heitor Villa-Lobos, and Tom Jobim. The musicians will provide introductions to each piece, informing the listeners of the genre, instrumentation, and translation of lyrics, as necessary.

Musica Brasileira is sponsored by the Ernie Duff Latin American Studies Fund and the Diversity Enrichment Program Committee.

Christmas Vespers concert includes new Chamber Orchestra and poetry readings

Randolph College’s new Chamber Orchestra will join Chorale for a new twist on the annual Christmas Vespers concert this Sunday at 7:30 p.m.

The concert will feature a mixture of baroque instrumental and choral music, French Christmas carols, and a progression of readings that tell the Christmas story and set the tone for the holiday season. Randolph music faculty and members of the Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra will participate with the student orchestra members and singers.

“Christmas Vespers will be larger than it has been in the past,” said Randall Speer, a Randolph music professor who directs Chorale. This is going to be a very neat opportunity to feature our students alongside professionals. It will have lots of opportunities for student soloists. The students are going to be very well represented musically.”

The College has held Christmas Vespers every December for decades. The tradition includes a candlelight procession in Houston Memorial Chapel, followed by about 90 minutes of music and readings that tell the Christian nativity story and address other topics related to the celebration of Christmas.

The main musical pieces chosen for the 2012 Christmas Vespers are Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 by Johann Sebastian Bach and Messe de Minuit Pour Noel (Midnight Mass for Christmas) by Marc Antoine Charpentier. While neither of these musical pieces is connected directly to the Christmas story, Speer organized the program so that both pieces contribute to the Christmas Vespers tradition.

The text of Midnight Mass for Christmas is actually a regular mass, but its music incorporates the melodies of French Christmas carols. Each movement will be preceded by a student soloist singing the carol whose melody is found in the music. The carols are ordered so that their text follows a logical progression telling the Christmas story. “That allows us to have a progression of readings to support that,” Speer said.

The readings consist of poems by secular poets about Christmas. “The poems match the progression of carols,” Speer said. “Not only do they address Christmas, but every single one of them mentions music in some way.” Selected by Megan Hageman ’13, the readings will be presented by Randolph faculty and staff members.

Randall Speer wins Davidson Award

Randall Speer, associate professor of music, was named as the recipient of the Katherine Graves Davidson Award during Convocation ceremonies August 31, 2010 at Randolph College.

The award is given annually to a faculty member who has brought distinction to the College.

"This year's winner has had a significant impact on our community," said Dennis Stevens, dean of the college, in announcing the award. "Not only is he a respected teacher, but he has enriched our lives by his contributions to the cultural life of the college and the greater Lynchburg community."

In the past year, Speer has published two original choral works, organized and directed the collaborative production of Mozart's Requiem, and led a student Summer Research team in a project to catalog the College's music archives. Speer serves as director of the Randolph College Chorale and the Touch of Harmony vocal jazz ensemble. He has composed original works for Randolph College theatre productions and served as a judge for community music competitions.

Speer has taken the power of music to Westminster Canterbury, and he has brought the power of music to Randolph College students in his international study seminar in Austria, Italy, and Bulgaria.

"A colleague says that he is affable, quick to laugh, optimistic, cheerful, never complains, and works incredibly hard," said Stevens.

The Katherine Graves Davidson Award was established in 1975 to honor Trustee Emerita Katherine Graves Davidson, '35. The award has been made possible by gifts from Mr. and Mrs. J. Wilson Newman in recognition of the services rendered to private education by Mrs. Davidson and her husband, Frank G. Davidson. It is given annually to a faculty member who has brought distinction to the college. The recipient is chosen by a committee of local alumni, in consultation with the Dean of the College.

Tree Lighting Kicks Off Holidays

As the semester winds down, papers are due and exams are looming. Students are preparing to complete the term and head home for winter break.

It's also a time of holiday spirit. The annual Tree Lighting Ceremony features songs, both traditional and parody, performed by student groups as well as faculty and staff.

This season's event featured non-English versions of holiday favorites by the Chinese, French, Spanish, Latin and Greek language departments, traditional songs from Jewish students and faculty, and performances by senior staff, student life, student spirit groups and Songshine, student a capella group.

Enjoy this rendition of "Baby It's Cold Outside" from A Touch of Harmony, Randolph College's vocal jazz ensemble.