Adjunct Music Professor Tours Europe with Cleveland Orchestra

Jody Guinn, Westminster College adjunct music professor, recently returned from a three-week European tour with the Cleveland Orchestra, which played concerts in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and Italy.

"It was especially meaningful for me to be with the orchestra, as this was the first time in history that the Cleveland Orchestra performed in that country," Guinn said. "We were part of the Lucerne Festival, which was directed by world-renowned conductor and composer Pierre Boulez. We gave the world premiere of a piece called touché.' This wild and crazy piece by Swiss composer Hanspeter Kyburz has lots of exposed harp solos for both players and very complicated rhythms."

The American premier of "touché" is scheduled Oct. 1 in Severance Hall, and will then be repeated Oct. 5 in Carnegie Hall, which will be broadcast on PBS at 10 p.m. on Oct. 11.

"Both composer Kyburz and Piere Boulez were in the audience in Lucerne," Guinn said. "We also played Dubussy's La Mer' and another contemporary piece called Orion' by Saariaho."

Guinn earned her undergraduate degree from Colorado State University and master's from the Cleveland Institute of Music. She played second harp for this tour.

Contact Guinn at (724) 946-7270 or e-mail guinncj@westminster.edu for more information.

Jody Guinn