Welcome to the East Tennessee State University Department of Music. Learn more about our many scheduled performances by visiting one of the highlighted dates on the calendar to the right.
CONGRATULATIONS to our music majors who graduated Spring 2013 with their Bachelor of Music Degrees.
Matthew Hudgens
Oboe
Grand Junction, Colorado
Christopher Louthian
Percussion
Meadowview, Virginia
Hanbo Ma
Piano
Zhongzhou, China
John Overholt
Voice
Newport, Tennessee
Ethan Tate
Trumpet
Kingsport, Tennessee
CONGRATULATIONS Dr. Benjamin Caton!
Congratulations to Dr. Benjamin Caton, ETSU Professor of Music and Past President of the Music Teachers National Association, who received the 2013 ETSU College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Award for Service.
ETSU Faculty Member Featured on New Album Release
Dr. Alan Stevens is featured on a new album being released by the CORO Vocal Artists on April 15, 2013. Dr. Stevens is the Assistant Director of Choral Activities at ETSU, and he has been a member of the CORO Vocal Artists since 2010. The album, titled "Sweet Music Here," contains both new choral works and standards of choral repertoire. Dr. Stevens is the featured tenor soloist on the track "Avoonan dbishmayya," a setting of the Lord's Prayer in Aramaic. The album also includes five tracks by composer Ola Gjeilo, who visited ETSU in March.
"Sweet Music Here" will be available for download from iTunes and for sale through the CORO website. The CORO Vocal Artists are directed by Dr. Phillip Moody, who worked with Dr. Stevens during their graduate studies at the University of Arizona. This is the second professional album on which Dr. Stevens has appeared.
His first album, "Northern Lights," was recorded with the Phoenix Chorale and released on the Chandos label in 2012. It was the highest-selling and top-ranked classical album on iTunes for 2012, and remained in the top fifteen of the Billboard charts for over twenty weeks.
Dr. Stevens recently signed a contract to record his third full-length album in May of 2013 with the Tucson Chamber Artists, featuring the works of composer Stephen Paulus. Dr. Stevens has been on contract with the Tucson Chamber Artists since 2009, and he was the Assistant Conductor of the group for the 2011-2012 season prior to accepting his position at ETSU.
ETSU Chorale Present Three Upcoming Performance
Saturday, March2, 2013. OLA GJEILO, Piano and TED BALLEDIN, Saxophone.
Sunday, March 3, 2013. MODERN MASTERS: The Music of Ola Gjeilo.
Sunday, April 28, 2013. SONGS OF PSALMS
(Click for Larger Image)
For tickets, please contact the ETSU Department of Music office: (423) 439-4276.
Congratulations to the following music majors who received their Bachelor of Music degrees at the December 2012 East Tennessee State University Commencement Ceremony.
Brianna Paige Jennings
Bachelor of Music in Music Education
Oboe
Gate City, Virginia
Logan John Ball
Bachelor of Music in Performance
Percussion
Gate City, Virginia
Kenneth Logan Childress
Bachelor of Music in Music Education
Saxophone
Bristol, Virginia
Rachel Leah Martin
Bachelor of Music in Music Education
Saxophone
Pennington Gap, Virginia
Jordan Wayne Mason
Bachelor of Music in Music Education
Percussion
Mountain City, Tennessee
Ryan A. Mullins
Bachelor of Music in Performance
Percussion
Richlands, Virginia
Congratulations to the following ETSU Music Majors who made the Fall Semester 2012 Dean's List.
Jeffery Routh – Bristol, TN
Brianna Jennings – Gate City, VA
Michael King – Bristol, VA
Xinshuang Jin – China
William Epps – Kingsport, TN
Amanda Surber – Saltville, VA
Rachel Martin – Pennington, VA
James Harris – Copperhill, TN
Xiaotong Liu – China
Kyle Jones – Kingsport, TN
Dustin Yarber – Johnson City, TN
Anothony Gray – Limestone, TN
Zachary Ross – Johnson City, TN
Brandon Linkous – Surgoinsville, TN
Daniel O'Kegley – King George, VA
Christopher Louthian – Meadowview, VA
Kiersten Turner – Jonesboro, TN
Chelseigh – Jonesboro, TN
Alison Duty – Johnson City, TN
Matthew Brickey – Kingsport, TN
John Bell – Johnson City, TN
Megan Goff – Sevierville, TN
Audrey Altonen – Unicoi, TN
Kenneth Childress – Bristol, VA
Alec Castro – Johnson City, TN
Eric Miller – Chickey, TN
Melissa Hight – Blountville, TN
Erica Hicks – Bluff City, TN
Thomas Jenrette Vocal Scholarship Competition
Audition Date: January 26 and 27, 2013
Application Deadline: January 10, 2013
Click Here for Guidelines and Application
ETSU Music Department is excited to announce the new Thomas Jenrette Vocal Scholarship Competition. The Competition offers awards of up to $15000 per year ($60,000 for four years) for students to study at East Tennessee State University as a first-year vocal music major (Education or Performance).
Asheville Symphony Names Jeffery Whaley as Principal Horn
After a recent audition, the Asheville Symphony orchestra has named Jeffery Whaley as their Principal Horn. Mr. Whaley adds this ensemble to the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra and Symphony of the Mountains, with both of whom he currently holds the Principal Horn position.
Dr. Alan Stevens selected to present at ACDA National Convention
Dr. Alan Stevens has been selected to present at the National Convention of the American Choral Directors Association in March, 2013. He will be discussing recent research about early-American composers and the available resources for finding this repertoire. The title of the presentation is "Re-Discovering Choral Music Before 1850." Dr. Stevens was selected through a highly competitive submission and peer-review process.
ETSU to Host the Tennessee Chapter NATS Fall Event
Friday, Oct 26: Musical Theatre Workshop
Saturday, October 27: Student Auditions
Please click the link below to register for the workshop and the Student Auditions
Click here for more information.
Dr. Mary Dave Blackman Publishes New Textbook
Dr. Mary Dave Blackman is the author of a new textbook for music appreciation courses entitled An Introduction to Art Music. The text is published by Kendall Hunt and is available in eBook format. The text uses recordings from the online Classical Music Library and features a speaking voice to pronounce music terms and composer names.
WE WELCOME NEW FACULTY!
ETSU Music Department welcomes Dr. Heather Killmeyer (Oboe, Bassoon, Intro to Music), Dr. Alan Stevens (Interim Director of Choral Activities, Vocal Music Education), and David Mitchell (Theory, Aural Skills)
Congratulations 2011-2012 Music Graduates
Rachel Barger - Clarinet
Mary DePriest - Voice
Ashley Francis - Voice
William "J.J." Green - Trumpet
Christopher Plaas - Voice
Sharvis Smith - Voice
Benjamin Tiller - Saxophone
Congratulations to our Music Majors who made the Dean's List
The following music majors made the Spring Semester 2012 Dean's List
Matthew Brickey - Piano
Kingsport, Tennessee
Rachel Martin - Saxophone
Pennington Gap, Virginia
Benjamin Dawson - Violin
Abingdon, Virginia
Benjamin Tiller - Saxophone
Bristol, Tennessee
Jin Xinshuang - Piano
Johnson City, Tennessee
Christopher Butcher - Double Bass
Whitetop, Virginia
Brianna Jennings - Oboe
Gate City, Virginia
Ashley Francis - Voice
Cookeville, Tennessee
Melissa Hight - Voice
Blountville, Tennessee
Zachary Ross - Voice
Johnson City, Tennessee
James Harris - Violin
Copperhill, Tennessee
Audrey Altonen - Cello
Unicoi, Tennessee
Daniel O'Kegley - Voice
King George, Virginia
Matthew Peoples - Trombone
Elizabethton, Tennessee
ETSU Music Faculty Premieres New Euphonium Concerto
To end it's 2012 Season, Kingsport's Symphony of the Mountains featured ETSU's Tuba & Euphonium instructor Jimmie Self in a world premiere euphonium concerto by William Mark Harrell. The concerto was commissioned by ETSU's chapter of Phi Mu Alpha.
Congratulations to Dr. Thomas Jenrette!
On March 13, 2012, Dr. Jenrette received the Marshall Bartholomew Award from the National Intercollegiate Men's Choruses at their national seminar in Atlanta, GA. The Marshall Bartholomew Award was established in 1978 to honor those who have made significant contributions to the field of male chorus music.
All of us here at ETSU congratulate Dr. Jenrette on his retirement, and wish him the very best in the future. We are sincerely appreciative of the many years of service, the countess lives touched, and the tremendous impact he has had on the ETSU Department of Music.
ETSU Concert Bands Are Now On Facebook
Click on the image to be linked directly to the facebook page.
Dr. Benjamin Caton Named President of MTNA
The ETSU Department of Music is proud to announce that Music Department Professor Dr. Benjamin Caton is now the President of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA). The Music Teachers National Association was founded in 1876 to advance the value of music study and music making to society and to support the professionalism of music teachers. Membership includes 24,000 independent and collegiate music teachers in all fifty states.
Department of Music on FACEBOOK
Everyone can now be informed about concerts and activities within the The Department of Music by visiting us on FACEBOOK. Just click on the image above or icon at the top of the page and it will take you to E TSU Music Alumni and Friends to receive the latest information.
Be a part of the East Tennessee State University Centennial Celebration. Click on the 100th Anniversary logo to find out more about the history of this great university.
Read about the Department of Music in "Grace Notes"
East Tennessee State University - Department of Music
"An All Steinway School"
Music Calendar
Complete Listing of Music Department Events
Music Events