Program
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Clara Schumann
(1819-1896)
Allegro moderato
Scherzo and Trio
Andante
Allegretto
Wesley Skinner, Cello
Laurana Roderer , Violin
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10 Minutes
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Cécile Chaminade
(1857–1944)
Ritournelle
Dreams
Plaints of Love
Slavonic Song
Jacob Verhine, Tenor
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Sara Bareilles
(1979)
Aydan Bruce, Soprano
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Lourds Lane
Aydan Bruce, Soprano
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Lucy Moss
(1994)
Aydan Bruce, Soprano
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Rachel Bloom
(1987)
Aydan Bruce, Soprano
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Joe Hisaishi
Arranged Emily Telling
Program Notes
Piano Trio in G Minor, Opus 17
Clara Schumann (1819-1896) began her musical career at an early age. Her father predetermined her successful career as a pianist and provided Clara with an extensive musical education, including lessons in piano, theory, and composition from various teachers.
Clara had many self-doubts as a female composer. Such doubts owed to her being a woman with responsibilities as a wife, caring for her ill husband, and a mother of seven children. In spite of these challenges, Clara's works exhibit innovative compositional techniques, demonstrating her understanding of the new romantic sound.
In addition to her compositions which we now love today, she was even more famous during her lifetime as a prolific concert pianist. Her career spanned more than half a century—from her solo debut in Leipzig at the age of eleven until her death sixty-six years later in Frankfurt—she came into contact with most of the major artists of the day, including Frédéric Chopin, Franz Liszt, and Richard Wagner.
Album of Songs
Cécile Chaminade (1857–1944) was a prolific composer who published more than four hundred pieces over her eighty-six years. These works cover a wide range of forms, from quasi-concertos with soloist and orchestra such as the Concertino or her Concertstück, Op. 40, to character pieces for solo piano; from themed symphony Les Amazones to an orchestral suite. She also wrote over a hundred mélodies for voice and piano as well as an opéra comique, a highly successful ballet, and a piano sonata. Chaminade’s compositional voice is tuneful and indicative of the French Romantic vogue in her youth. Ambroise Thomas, a French composer, once said of Chaminade: "This is not a woman who composes, but a composer who is a woman."
What Baking Can Do
“What Baking Can Do” from the musical Waitress, features music and lyrics by Grammy award winner Sara Bareilles (1979). She is best known for her hit “Love Song” from the album Little Voice, which was nominated for two Grammy’s and sold over 3 million copies. She was also a celebrity judge on the show The Sing-Off.
To My Angels
Lourds Lane spent many years as a lead singer, songwriter, and violinist of her own touring band. In 2013, she founded and created an educational arts and music-based non-profit called the SuperYou FUNdation, empowering thousands of youth and adults globally to find the “superhero” within. Committed to showcasing powerful female talent, she founded the Medusa festival in New York, featuring performances by female-fronted bands. Inspired by all the dynamic and diverse female talent around her, she was inspired to compose the music and lyrics for her musical SuperYou, which includes the song “To My Angels.”
Heart of Stone
Lucy Moss (1994) is a British writer, director, and composer best known for co-writing the hit musical Six, a modern retelling of the lives of the six wives of King Henry VIII. Moss became the youngest ever female director of a Broadway musical at the age of 26 in 2018 when the musical premiered. “Heart of Stone” is sung by Jane Seymour in the musical, the third wife of Henry VIII.
Jazz Fever
“Jazz Fever” was written by Rachel Bloom (1987), singer, songwriter, and Golden Globe winning actress. Bloom got her start performing at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in Los Angeles. She is best known for being the co-creator and star of the CW musical dramedy, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. She is currently starring in the Critic’s Choice nominated Hulu comedy series, Reboot.
Ghibli Medley
Studio Ghibli has been creating blockbuster animated movies since 1985, and have captivated audiences around the globe. I grew up watching these films, and loved not just the animations, but also the music. The soundtracks to the Studio Ghibli films were composed by Joe Hisaishi, the soundtracks utilizing a full studio orchestra. I was unable to find arrangements of his music for smaller chamber groups, so I decided to compose my own for piano trio. This arrangement highlights music from some of Studio Ghibli’s most popular movies: Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away, and My Neighbor Totoro.
Emily Telling
Emily Telling
Laurana Roderer
Laurana Roderer
Wesley Skinner
Wesley Skinner
Aydan Bruce
Aydan Bruce
Jacob Verhine
Jacob Verhine
Emily Telling
Emily Telling is currently a DMA student at Arizona State University studying with Dr. Andrew Campbell and Dr. Miki Aoki. She is also a teaching assistant in their collaborative piano program and the pianist in ASU’s Wind Ensemble. Emily graduated with a master’s degree in collaborative piano from ASU in 2021. She holds a master’s in solo performance from Washington State University (2018), where she was also a teaching assistant and taught undergraduate music courses. Her bachelor’s in solo performance is from Pacific Lutheran University (2016). Highlights of her competition wins include being a Young Artist finalist in the Music Teachers National Association competition (2018) and the winner of the Concerto Competition at Pacific Lutheran University (2014). She has been a guest clinician at Tacoma Young Chamber players in Washington State and at the Hoffman Academy in Oregon, coaching young chamber groups (2019). In her latest project, Emily will be featured on the film score of the movie “Rooks,” premiering December, 2022. Emily is an advocate for student health and wellness, and has served on the ASU School of Music Advisory Committee for two years. Outside of school, Emily enjoys teaching and currently has a thriving piano studio in Tempe, Arizona.
Laurana Roderer
Laurana Wheeler Roderer is a violinist committed to artistry, engagement, and activism, and she is continually envisioning and executing projects which use music to communicate relevant social issues, particularly those of environmental justice. Laurana’s most ambitious artistic endeavor to date was a project to co-write a libretto, commission and produce an original chamber opera concerning global sustainability. The opera, “A Storm We Call Progress,” premiered in a virtual format in October 2020. Laurana grew up fiddling and participating in local competitions in her home state of Idaho. She discovered a passion for classical music in high school and joined her local youth symphony, where she eventually served as concertmaster and performed with the orchestra twice as a winner of the ensemble’s annual concerto competition. Laurana completed her undergraduate degree in violin performance at Utah State University, where she studied with Robert Waters and the Fry Street Quartet. Laurana is an avid performer, and has given multiple solo recitals, served as concertmaster of the USU Symphony Orchestra, and been a member of the Caine Undergraduate Research Quartet. In 2018, she was a recipient of a Presser Foundation Fellowship and a Russell Orchestral Scholarship. She recently completed her Master’s degree in violin performance at Arizona State University, where she studies with Dr. Katherine McLin. Laurana started a Doctorate of Musical Arts (DMA) at the same school in Fall 2022. Laurana was honored to be named the winner of the 2020 Idaho Falls Symphony Young Artist’s Competition, and performed as a soloist with that orchestra in October 2021. Laurana lives in Tempe with her husband Patrik (a violist and IT specialist), and their rambunctious kitten Felix.
Wesley Skinner
As a doctoral candidate at Arizona State University, Cellist Wesley Skinner is completing a DMA having served as the Teaching Assistant of Tom Landschoot. Additionally, Wesley holds a bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music where he studied with Melissa Kraut and later joined the preparatory faculty. Wesley’s solo competition wins include the 2014 Cleveland Institute of Music Concerto Competition, 2015 Paducah Symphony Young Artist Competition (KY), 2015 Tennessee Cello Workshop, 2015 Lewisville Lake Symphony International String Competition (TX), and the 2016 ASU Concerto Competition. As an active chamber musician, he served as founding member of the Laniakea String Quartet which won first prize in The (2019) Hong Kong International Chamber Music Competition. As a composer, Wesley won the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 ariZoni Theater Awards of Excellence in Original Music Composition for his score of Frankenstein as well as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with TheaterWorks in Peoria, AZ. As a trained instructor in the Suzuki method and music theory, Wesley utilizes his diverse experience to teach a range of student ages and styles in his private studio.
Aydan Bruce
“Aydan Bruce (she/her) is a vibrant and captivating singer, actor, and songwriter with a powerful presence and bubbly personality. She is dedicated to inspiring audiences with passion and authenticity while sparking joy in the lives of everyone around her. She wants to spread a message of love, equality, body positivity, inclusivity and acceptance. She is known for her larger than life voice and vivacious spirit. Her skills as a songwriter empower her to be creative with her art and perform in a variety of musical styles. Aydan is moving to NYC in May 2023, and has dreams of traveling the world, originating a role, and releasing an album of her original music.
Website: Aydanbruce.com
Instagram: Aydan_Moorea
Jacob Verhine
Jacob Verhine is a tenor from Marietta, Georgia. He earned his masters in Musical Theatre and Opera from Arizona State University in 2021, and has since worked as an educator, freelance artist, and church musician. He is a member of the Arizona Opera Chorus and the Grammy Award winning Phoenix Chorale, and is currently preparing for ‘Dominion,’ the Chorale’s first multi-sensory choral program hosted at the Phoenix Art Museum.
