MJC faculty display musicianship

Modesto Junior College faculty and staff members of the Music Department came together in the MJC Recital Hall on November 2, 2008 to exhibit their musical talents to a packed house. Yes the MJC music faculty and staff have musically talented people: outstandingly talented, at that. The performance opened with an introduction from Opera and Musical Theater Prof. Cherrie Llewellyn. She made a little joke about being a soprano, but then told of the little research project she has been working on over the last year -- and out came her husband holding their infant son. Then she told of the other project with which she was involved, is the music and child development research project, which has resulted in a new course in musical development for young children at MJC. Then Llewellyn introduced the first performers, Professor Ann Martin, violist, a graduate of the Yale School of Music and the New School of Music of Philadelphia, and pianist Dr. Yan Yan Chan, who earned her master's degree in Piano Performance and Literature at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. Martin and Chan did a compilation of three pieces for the viola and piano by Rebecca Clark. The first was an exquisite piece titled, Lullaby. The romantic piece was I'll Bid my Heart Be Still, which was written by the composer's husband, and was written as a dedication on their wedding day. But perhaps the most surprising piece in Martin and Chan's performance was Chinese Puzzle, a short, but effective way to express the Chinese culture in a musical manner. The second performance was by Guy Powell. His performance of Scarlatti's Sonata K213 and Sonata K175 on the guitar was strategically played and wonderfully done. Guitar and music appreciation instructor Travis Silvers offered another great guitar performance. His choice of piece was Saudade No. 3. "This is a contemporary 80s written piece with the closest thing to Rock n' Roll on the classic guitar," said Silvers. Saudade No. 3 was composed by Roland Dyens, who was here at MJC in February for a concert of his own. Other great performances included MJC alumni and instructor Matthew Cover and MJC's Concert Choir Chamber Singers and Masterworks Chorus conductor Richard J. Colla. Cover's performance of Ernesto Cavallini's Adagio and Tarantella for Clarinet was wonderful. Colla's performance of Denn es gehet dem Menshen from Four Serious Songs by Johannes Brahms was beautiful. After seeing his performance, it is understandable why he was honored with the Stanislaus County Excellence in the Arts Award for music. Yet the two performers who left the crowd in awe and incited the longest applause were the newly hired vocal instructor Duana Demus Leslie and MJC's Director of Guitar Studies, David Chapman. Demus, a tall, physically striking singer and actress, stole the show with her opera performances of such pieces as Ecco I' orrido campo and Un ballo in maschera by Guiseppe Verdi. Also, her rendition of Ride on King Jesus by John Carter was nothing short of amazing. But, it was her hair-raising performance of La Rondine by Giacomo Puccini that showed her two expressive capacity. Her presence on stage was strong and her overall performance was mesmerizing. Demus was accompanied on the stage with Dr. Chan on the piano. Chapman was the last to take the stage, with a story about Llewellyn being on his hiring committee when he applied for the job. Chapman was hired and she said to him, "There's only room for one primadonna here and that's me," Chapman replied, "Move over, lady." Chapman's performance included, two pieces titled, Campo Sonatina Meridional (the Spanish piece), Concierto del Sur III by Manuel Marie Ponce and a piece by Argentine tango and jazz composer Astor Piazzolla, titled Primavera Portena. His performances were exceptional. Chapman is now embarking on a tour in South America to perform with the National Symphony of Ecuador. The Music Faculty Concert was nothing short of a great and fascinating performance showcasing the outstanding talent of some of the Modesto Junior College Music Department.