5th Annual Women in Music Symposium March 19-22
The Petrie School of Music at Converse College will present its fifth annual Women in Music Symposium March 19-22. The symposium will feature master classes and concerts by Ariel Winds and the Lyra String Quartet. All events are free and open to the public.
“This symposium is a tremendous opportunity for music students to meet and learn from women who are enjoying very successful careers in music,” said symposium curator Dr. Kelly Vaneman, assistant professor of oboe and music history and director of wind chamber music at the Petrie School. “Even though participation in the master classes is limited to Converse students, music students of any age are encouraged to observe because it is often easier to learn more by watching.”
The Ariel Winds is an all-female woodwind quintet that was formed at the Juilliard School in 1998. “Because it’s important for music students to have heroes, I think the Ariel Winds are especially impressive,” said Dr. Vaneman. “In addition to touring throughout the country, they recently presented two highly successful New York debuts in Merkin Hall and at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall as winners of the Artists International Auditions. Their success proves that it is possible to perform at that level at an early age.”
The Lyra String Quartet was formed by members of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra also in 1998. They have held residencies at Clayton College and State University, the Gould Room Series at the Cathedral of St. Philips, and served as Resident String Quartet at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center beginning in the summer of 2003. “The hallmark of the Lyra String Quartet is their ‘informance’ style of teaching as they engage and encourage audience participation,” said Dr. Vaneman. In addition to their active performing schedule, the quartet has built an impressive record of educational outreach-performing, coaching and teaching literally thousands of students of all ages at over 50 schools from grades 4-12 in the Atlanta-metro area. The quartet has also been listed on the Touring Roster for the Georgia Council for the Arts, is a grant recipient of the Dekalb and Clayton Council for the Arts’ Grassroots Arts Fund, and will be providing for the second year a Clayton County Outreach Series of three concerts in collaboration with the Clayton County School System.
Symposium Schedule
Thursday, March 19
11:30 a.m.; Opening session; Daniel Recital Hall
3:00 p.m.; Chamber ensemble master class focusing on woodwinds; Blackman Music Hall
Friday, March 20
9:30-11:30 a.m.; Solo instrument master classes; Blackman Music Hall
8:00 p.m.; Ariel Winds in concert; Daniel Recital Hall
Saturday, March 21
9:00 a.m.; SC Chamber Music Festival Preliminaries; Pre-College Recital Hall
3:00 p.m.; SC Chamber Music Festival Finals; Daniel Recital Hall
Monday, March 22
9:30 a.m.; Chamber ensemble master class focusing on strings; Blackman Music Hall
8:00 p.m.; Lyra String Quartet in concert; Daniel Recital Hall