Department of Music Faculty Recital Series opens with first concert Jan. 28

Jan. 21, 2010 -- The Department of Music at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro will present the first concert of the Spring 2010 Faculty Recital Series on Thursday, Jan. 28, at 7:30 p.m. in Riceland Hall, Fowler Center, 201 Olympic Drive, Jonesboro. The concert will feature ASU music faculty members Kyle Chandler, Dr. Robin Dauer, Dr. Lauren Schack Clark, Dr. Marika Kyriakos, Dr. Ed Owen, and ASU student Jay Shepherd. The concert is free of charge and open to the public.

The concert will include performances of “Sonata for Tuba and Piano” by Paul Hindemith, performed by Ed Owen and Lauren Schack Clark; “Aboriginal Voices” by Neal Corwell, performed by Ed Owen; “Five Greek Folk Songs” by Maurice Ravel, performed by Marika Kyriakos and Jay Shepherd; “Serenade for Horn and Piano” by Karen Griebling, performed by Robin Dauer and Lauren Schack Clark; and “Donem Joy Maba” by new ASU faculty member Kyle Chandler, performed by Lauren Schack Clark.

During intermission, the audience is encouraged to view the Fowler Center’s Bradbury Gallery, where the Delta National Small Prints Exhibition will be on display. The exhibit will run through Feb. 21.

Kyle Chandler is a new faculty member to the Department of Music at ASU, where he coordinates the music education degrees, teaches choral music education courses, directs choral ensembles and is an assistant cross country and track & field coach in athletics. Chandler worked in the Colorado public school system for 12 years during which he directed choirs, as well as directing individuals who earned superior ratings. His tenure included winning the 2003 Outstanding Vocal Jazz Choir Award. He was also appointed assessment coordinator for the Boeing ACE grant. He has held positions at Washington State University in Pullman, Wa., teaching choral music education, serving as a liaison to the College of Education, supervising student teachers, directing the University Singers, and running an individual voice studio.  Chandler earned a Bachelor of Music Education, as well as a Master of Music Education from the University of Colorado and is currently in the initial stages of dissertation work for completing his Ph. D. at the University of Colorado-Boulder. He also serves on the Arkansas Music Educators Association Board of Directors as research chair and holds professional memberships in the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), the American Educational Research Association (AERA), the College Music Society (CMS), the National Association for Music Education (MENC), and formerly the International Association of Jazz Education (IAJE). He resides in Jonesboro with his wife, Jamie, and their eight children.

Dr. Lauren Schack Clark is associate professor of Piano and Keyboard Activities coordinator at Arkansas State University. Recent performances have included solo recitals in Naples, Italy, at Berklee College of Music, and at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania. In 2008, she performed a recital at the University of Florida as part of the ASU Double Reed and Piano Trio, and she played programs with violinist Stephen Sims at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Denison University. Her solo CD was released by Centaur Records in February 2008, and contains piano music written by Boston composer Dr. Rosey Lee, on the faculty of Berklee College of Music. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Boston University, a Master's degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Northwestern University, a graduate diploma from the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Mass., and a Bachelor of Music degree from the Hartt School of Music. Her principle teachers were Raymond Hanson, Eda Mazo-Shlyam, Deborah Sobol, and Thomas Stumpf.

Dr. Robin Dauer is professor of Horn at Arkansas State University. He received the Bachelor of Arts from Miami University and the Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts from the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. He is currently a member of the ASU Brass Quintet and the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Dauer’s recordings include “Horn Americana,” works for horn and piano by American composers; “Souvenir,” French pieces for horn and piano, both available from Mark Recordings; and the recently released “Alan Hovhaness: Music for Horn, Voice, and Strings” on Centaur Records.  At Arkansas State, he conducts the horn ensemble, student chamber ensembles, and teaches music appreciation.

Dr. Marika Kyriakos is in her second year teaching voice and directing opera at the Arkansas State University Music Department. 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. 

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 the Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance and Literature from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. As a soloist he has appeared with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, the Delta Symphony Orchestra, the Arkansas State University Wind Ensemble, and the Symphonic Bands of Arkansas Tech University, University of Illinois, and Bryant High School.  An active clinician, Dr. Owen is in demand for master classes and clinics on brass performance and techniques.  He has studied tuba with Andy Anders and Mark Moore.

For more information about the concert or ASU music, contact the music office at (870) 972-2094.

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