Upcoming Music Department Events

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Fresno New Music Festival: Sonic Bloom
Sonic Bloom is a newly formed composer's consortium dedicated to the
promotion and performance of Central Valley composers

3:00 p.m. - Wahlberg Recital Hall
FREE Admission; Seating Limited
Clendenin Brass Quintet

7:30 p.m. - Wahlberg Recital Hall
$5.00 General; $3.00 Faculty/Staff/Seniors/Students

Fresno New Music Festival

From Thursday, April 17 to Sunday, April 20, the CSUF Music Department will be hosting the Second Annual Fresno New Music Festival, a program dedicated to the performance and composition of contemporary art music.

On Thursday, at 7:30 in the Concert Hall, will be the Fresno State Faculty
Composers Recital, featuring works by five members or former members of the music department faculty, including the premier of my new piece, Two Songs of Moonlight. The texts for these songs were written by my colleague Helene Joseph-Weil who will also sing them. She will be joined by pianist Hatem Nadim and cellist Thomas Loewenheim.

Things really heat up on Saturday, starting at 10:00 with a composition
master class featuring Professor Emeritus Jack Fortner. Dr Fortner will discuss ritual in music. This will be in lecture hall M160 in the Old Music Building. At 1:00 in the concert hall, the award winning UHS Orchestra, led by Jon Malcolm, will perform a concert of all new music.

In the Concert Hall at 3:00, the Fresno State Percussion ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Matt Darling, will display their incredible talent in an exciting array of new percussion music. At 5:00, there will be the amazing 60x60 Electroclips Show, sixty one minute electronic music pieces linked together at breathtaking speed. At 7:00, in the foyer of the New Music Building, there will be a festival-wide reception. Come out and meet the musicians and composers. To wrap up this marathon day of music, the incredible Cincinnati based Conundrum Chamber Ensemble will perform their very special repertoire of contemporary music.

Sunday is Sonic Bloom day. Sonic Bloom is an exciting new organization of composers in the Central Valley, from Davis to Bakersfield. At 11:00, in M127 in the New Music Building, Sonic Bloom will hold its General Meeting. The public is invited to come and observe. At 2:00 in the Concert Hall, there will be a pre-concert presentation. Then at 3:00, the Fresno New Music Festival proudly presents the Sonic Bloom Student Composers Recital featuring students from every member school.

All Sonic Bloom events and the Composition Master Class are free admission.

All other concerts are $8.00. Tickets can be ordered in advance at
http://www.csufresno.edu/music/

An all festival pass will be available for $15.00.

National Public Radio Features Fresno State Music Faculty and Choir

Fresno State music faculty members Helene Joseph-Weil, Benjamin Boone, and
Hatem Nadim were featured in a full-length feature story that was aired on NPR's
"Weekend Edition" this past Saturday. The story focuses on Joseph-Weil and Boone's new Cantata, ASCENCION, which was premiered at Fresno State last month.

To hear the full story, click on the link below:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=88781704

Dog Days

Check your “My Fresno State” for Dog Days dates, June 5, 12, 21; July 18, 30. Sign up immediately, so you can have the best chance to get the classes you want.

UNDERGRADUATE COMMUNICATION CONFERENCE

2008 UCC Call for Papers: Here (pdf).

Media Update: Dr. Robert Powell discusses the importance of the conference at Fresno State News.

The 2008 UCC will be held April 18 and 19. This year's keynote speaker will be Dr. Thomas Hollihan from the USC Annenberg School of Communication.

Thomas Hollihan is a professor of commuication and associate dean for academic and faculty affairs in the Annenberg School. He publishes in the areas of argumentation, political campaign communication, contemporary rhetorical criticism, and the impact of globalization on public deliberation. He is the author of several books including Uncivil Wars: Political Campaigns in a Media Age, Arguments and Arguing: The Products and Process of Human Decision Making (with Kevin Baaske), now in its second editino, and Argument at Century's End: Reflecting on the Past and Envisioning the Future. In addition, he has published in the Quarterly Journal of Speech, Argumentation and Advocacy, Communication Quarterly, Western Journal of Communication, Southern Speech Communication Journal, Speaker and Gavel, and Debate Issues. He has served as the chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the National Debate Tournament. He has also served as President of the American Forensic Association and also of the Western Forensic Assoiation. He is a former chairperson of the National Communication Association's Doctoral Education Committee and of the Committee on International Discussion and Debate. Finally, he also served as the chairperson of the National Debate Tournament Committee. In addition to his teaching and academic publishing, he has served as a consultant to many different political candidates, elected officials, business leaders, and also to the appearances of non-profit organizations. He makes frequent appearances in the media to discuss political issues and campaign strategies.

Dr. Hollihan will give two presentations as a part of this conference. His university-wide presentation on Friday, April 18, 2008 will be entitled: "Angry, Disinterested, and Cynical: Public Attitudes Toward the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election." A synopsis of the presentation is:

The United States has long declared its commitment toward developing democracies around th world, yet our people have shown little interest in preserving our own democractic system. The audience for political news is shrinking; candidates must raise vast sums of money to reach disinterested voters through paid ads, only about half of eligible citizens cast ballots, and polls suggest that many of our citizens are angry, disinterested, and feel powerless. This talk examines how these attitudes and behaviors will likely impact political campaign practices in the 2000 presidential election.

His keynote address to conference attendees will be delivered on Saturday April 19, 2008 and is titled, "Globalization, Democracy, and Citizen Deliberation: A Call for Progressive Social Action." A brief synopsis of this address is:

Globalization has fundamentally altered modern life changing not just our economies but also how we work, socialize, and communicate. Many celebrate the fact that globalization has improved living standards around the world, while others lament the growing income disparaties and fret about those left behind. Regardless of which position one takes, however, globalization is a fact of life and will not be reversed. One consequence of globalization is the declining authority of nation-states as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and multi-national corporations have acquired great power. The problem, of course, is that it is the nation-state that has been the primary site for democratic deliberation. Neither NGOs nor corporations create many opportunities for citizens to come together to address issues of common concern. This talk will address these issues and will offer a call for organized and networked communications to address income disparaties and to create a shared notion of the public good.

For more information, please contact the Director of the Communication Conference, Dr. Kathy Adams.