News Archive
Westminster College Students Study Organ in Germany
Two Westminster College music majors, Shelley Culver and Craig Dressler, spent 15 days in Germany and the Netherlands taking advantage of the Westminster College International Historic Organ Program.
"Å“The purpose of this visit was to hear and experience North German organs from the 16th to the 21st centuries,"? said Dr. Elizabeth Harrison, assistant professor of music, Westminster College organist, and founder of this program. "Å“We also visited the Ahrend Organ Workshop, one of the most prestigious organ workshops in the world."?
"Å“Playing the great organs of the Netherlands and Germany helped me to develop better articulation and understanding of phrasing when playing my organ repertory,"? Dressler said. "Å“The people of these countries are very proud of their instruments and work hard to preserve them, and the organ is highly respected and used in almost all worship."?
"Å“During a lesson on campus, we talk about articulation and fingering, but sometimes it"â„¢s hard to hear the difference,"? Culver said. "Å“When you play an organ that the music was written for, it"â„¢s so easy to hear the difference and improve almost immediately."?
While in Germany, the students were part of the Marktmusik concert series, where they performed on the Arp-Schnitger organ. The series takes place on Saturdays, when the open market is occurring across the street from the church. People were free to enter and leave, but many stayed for the entire concert.
"Å“There"â„¢s a growing trend toward the historical style of playing, and playing original pipe organs made by Arp Schnitger, one of the most influential organ builders in the world, gives our students a unique opportunity to learn this,"? said Harrison.
"Å“The pipe organs in Germany and the Netherlands are very sensitive to the organist"â„¢s touch because there is a direct connection between the key, which the organists depresses and releases, and the pipes being opened for air to enter, causing them to speak,"? Dressler said. "Å“This allows the organist to truly control all aspects of the music he or she performs."?
"Å“Dr. Harrison is an incredible teacher,"? Culver said. "Å“She knows so much about these organs and the music of the time. This trip was really a great experience."?
Culver, a senior sacred music and music education major, is a daughter of Rickey and Susan Culver, Frewsburg, N.Y. She is a graduate of Frewsburg Central School.
Dressler, a sophomore music performance major, is a son of Douglas and Diane Dressler, Erie. He is a graduate of McDowell High School.
Contact Harrison at (724) 946-7024 or e-mail harrisea@westminster.edu for more information.
Professor to Discuss Sabbatical Research
Dr. Camila Bari de Lopez, associate professor of Spanish at Westminster College, will present "Between Literary Criticism and Sociology: What Literature Can Contribute to Cultural History" at Faculty Forum Wednesday, April 5, at 11:45 a.m. in the Sebastian Mueller Theater located in the McKelvey Campus Center.
"During my sabbatical leave I pursued my quest for the complete list of works at the personal library of the Venezuelan novelist, thinker, and physician Manuel Diaz Rodriguez, whose works I have been studying for a long time," Lopez said. "He published at the beginning of the 19th century and I was trying to confirm his connections with a series of European authors of the time. My intention was to find support for a redefinition of Latin American Modernism as part of the same European and Anglo-American movement. For that purpose, I prepared an annotated edition of one of Diaz Rodriguez' main essays on Modernism, which I have already sent out for publication."
Lopez, who has been with Westminster College since 1997, earned her undergraduate degree from the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo in Argentina and her Ph.D. from the University of Albany.
Faculty Forum, established in 1990, serves as a venue for the exchange of ideas and information among Westminster College faculty. Speakers present their research, teaching ideas, lectures, performances, special programs, and uses of technology to keep faculty informed about the work of colleagues from many disciplines.
The event is free and open to the public. Contact Lopez at (724) 946-7258 or e-mail baridec@westminster.edu for more information.
Westminster College Presents International Films
"Live Flesh," a Spanish/French film directed by Pedro Almond var, will play Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 7 p.m. in the McKelvey Campus Center Theater.
Westminster College Senior to Give Organ Recital
Preston Dibble, a senior music education major from Karns City, will present his senior organ recital Friday, Jan. 26, at 7 p.m., in Orr Auditorium.
Westminster College Hires Minority Recruiter
Dawn M. Chapman has been hired as an admissions counselor whose specialty is recruiting minority students to Westminster College.
Westminster to Celebrate Homecoming Weekend Oct. 19-21
Westminster College will celebrate Homecoming & Reunion Weekend Oct. 19-21.
Student to Give Senior Capstone Recital
Mezzo-soprano JoAnne Johnston, a Westminster College senior music and business administration major, will perform her capstone senior recital Monday, April 23, at 7 p.m. in Wallace Memorial Chapel.
Residence Halls to Participate in Energy Conservation Competition
Westminster College will kick off the "Do it in the Dark" energy conservation competition the week of Jan. 27-Feb.1.
Admissions Staff Visits High Schools
Westminster College admissions staff will be visiting local high schools the week of Oct. 6.
Students, Faculty, and Alumni Attended MidSouth Philosophy Conference; Presented Papers
Six Westminster College students and their adviser attended the annual MidSouth Philosophy Conference at the University of Memphis (Tenn.) April 17-18.
Displaying 5701-5710 of 6431 total records