Department of Music presents second concert in Faculty Recital Series March 10

March 4, 2009 -- The Department of Music at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro will present the second concert of the 2008-2009 Faculty Recital Series on Tuesday, March 10, at 7:30 p.m. in Riceland Hall, Fowler Center, 201 Olympic Drive.The concert will feature ASU music faculty members Lauren Schack Clark, Marika Kyriakos, Ellen Philpot, Rob Alley, Dale Clark, and Ed Owen. The concert is free of charge and open to the public. 

The concert will include performances of “Choralfantasie for Tuba and Organ” by Jan Koetiser performed by Ed Owen and Ellen Philpot, “Concerto for Trumpet and Bassoon” by Paul Hindemith performed by Rob Alley, Dale Clark, and Lauren Schack Clark, “Chaconne” by Paul Hayden, performed by Ed Owen and Lauren Schack Clark, “Three Songs for Soprano and Tuba” by Rodger Vaughan, performed by Marika Kyriakos and Ed Owen, and “Danza Ritual del Fuego” by Manuel de Falla, performed by Lauren Schack Clark.

Dr. Lauren Schack Clark performs frequently as a soloist and collaborative artist. She was voted Teacher of the Year 2008 by the Arkansas State Music Teachers Association. Recent performances have included a recital at the University of Florida as part of the ASU Double Reed and Piano Trio, programs with violinist Stephen Sims at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Denison University, and solo recitals in both Boston and Naples, Italy. She recorded a CD of solo piano music for Centaur Records, with music written by Boston composer Dr. Rosey Lee, faculty, Berklee College of Music. Her book, “Keyboard Theory and Piano Technique,” was recently published by Longbow Publishing.

Lyric coloratura soprano, Dr. Marika Kyriakos, joined the faculty of the Arkansas State University Music Department this past fall. As associate professor of Music, her primary responsibilities are teaching studio voice and directing the opera program.  Though originally from Columbia, Missouri, Kyriakos comes to ASU from Texas where she taught at Tarleton State University of the Texas A & M System for nine years.  Both a singer and pianist, Kyriakos completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in vocal performance at the University of Texas in Austin. She also holds the Master of Music degree in vocal performance from the University of Missouri-Columbia and the Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory. Kyriakos is an active performer of oratorio, opera, and recital literature in the United States. Her favorite projects in professional development involve studying, teaching and performing abroad. In 2007 she taught and performed in Tuscania, Italy in collaboration with the “Lorenzo de Medici” school. Finding that her students benefited greatly from the study abroad program, she is determined to continue promoting educational experiences through diverse, multi-cultural learning environments. This past summer, she traveled to Greece to set the groundwork for a summer vocal training program in Athens. Other recent summer ventures have included leading roles and assistant director with the Rome Opera Festival in Italy as well as studies and performances in Nice and Paris, France. On a more personal note, Kyriakos has been married for four years to Brian Henkelmann, who is the new organist at First United Methodist Church. In July of 2007 they adopted a baby girl from Guatemala, Nina, who is nearly two, and a happy companion of their 12 year old Yorkshire Terrier, Eliza.

Ellen Philpot is a native of Jonesboro and holds a Bachelor of Music Education and a Master of Music in Performance from Arkansas State University.  While working as an adjunct instructor at ASU, Philpot accompanied various performing groups on piano, organ and harpsichord, including the Concert Choir, University Singers, and Chamber Singers.  She was the harpsichordist for the Christmas Madrigal Feasts and both rehearsal accompanist and keyboardist for a number of ASU Opera productions.  She also played and programmed the ASU carillon bells. Philpot has taught elementary and secondary vocal music at Senath-Hornersville, Mo. and is currently employed at Weiner, AR, where she teaches elementary music, junior and senior high choir, and junior and senior high band. She has been an active member of the Treble Clef Music Club of Jonesboro and served for several years as secretary-treasurer and president.  She has also served as a longtime church accompanist and is the organist and music director for Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church in Jonesboro.

Trumpeter and composer Rob Alley was born and raised in Texas. His multi-faceted professional career began at the age of 13. From wind ensembles to symphony orchestras, from Salsa to straight-ahead jazz, from soul to the avant-garde, he has covered the gamut of performing styles. He has had the good fortune to perform with Yo-Yo Ma, Marvin Stamm, Bill Watrous, Jon Faddis, Diane Schuure, John Mosca, the Temptations, the Four Tops, the O’Jays, Frankie Valli, and many others. While working toward a Master of Music degree in Arranging at the University of Alabama, he began working regularly with heralded Alabama musicians such as Downright, the Matthew Devine Trio, the Chad Fisher Group, the New South Jazz Orchestra, the Tuscaloosa Horns, and the Muscle Shoals Soul Review. Although Alley continues to perform classically with symphony orchestras across the southeast, his commitment to jazz and improvised music continues to be his main passion. In Birmingham as a leader, he conceived of a two-horn, bass, and drums quartet in tribute to Charles Mingus and Thelonious Monk, named Mingusphere, and leads the Rob Alley Conspiracy, a group of varying sizes and instrumentations, to explore his own compositions. In addition, he co-leads the improvisation collective Mean Smoker with keyboardist Matthew Devine and New York City-based drummer Jay Frederick. Alley currently lives in Jonesboro, Arkansas, where he leads the Rob Alley Trio, runs Rob Alley Musical Productions, and is adjunct professor of music at Arkansas State University. He performs with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra regularly on both Masterworks concerts and as the jazz chair for the Symphony’s Pops concerts and Big Band engagements. Alley was recently honored with the Arkansas Arts Council’s 2007 Individual Artist Fellowship Grant.

Dr. Dale Clark is principal bassoon of the Delta Symphony Orchestra, a member of the North Arkansas Symphony, and has appeared as guest principal bassoon with the Memphis Symphony and Arkansas Symphony Orchestras. He has appeared as guest artist and master class teacher at the Cork School of Music in Cork, Ireland, and Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA among many others. In 2003 he was Principal Bassoon of the Sewanee Festival Orchestra and bassoon instructor at the Sewanee Summer Music Festival. He is a former member of the Memphis Woodwind Quintet.

Dr. Ed Owen is associate professor of Music at Arkansas State University where he serves as coordinator of Graduate Studies, teaches Applied Tuba and Euphonium, and conducts the ASU Tuba and Euphonium Ensemble and Brass Choir. He currently performs as principal tuba of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and Brass Quintet, the Delta Symphony Orchestra, and the ASU Brass Quintet. He received the Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Arkansas Tech University (summa cum laude), the Master of Music in Tuba Performance and Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance and Literature from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.  

For more information, contact the Department of Music at (870) 972-2094.