School of Music assembles all-star line-up for orchestral program
Conductor Jaman Dunn works with the Fredonia College Symphony Orchestra.
The Fredonia School of Music has assembled an exciting lineup of guest conductors and professional musicians to work with students and present a series of concerts and opera performances during the 2022-2023 academic year that promise to be memorable.
"We are thrilled to welcome this amazing group of artists to campus to work with our students," said School of Music Interim Dean Laura Koepke. "These musicians bring a wealth of knowledge, mastery and experience to Mason Hall, and will provide our students with invaluable opportunities for meaningful growth."
The Fredonia College Symphony Orchestra will welcome two conductors, Jaman E. Dunn and Tamara Dworetz.
The College Symphony Orchestra's first concert of the year will be under the baton of Mr. Dunn, most recently the assistant conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, in King Concert Hall on Saturday, Oct. 15, at 8 p.m., during Homecoming Weekend. The performance will feature the greatly anticipated local premiere of Avner Dorman's Double Concerto for Cello and Piano featuring Fredonia's Drs. Natasha Farny (cello) and Eliran Avni (piano). The performance is free and open to the public. A reception with the artists and composer will follow.
Dunn currently serves as artistic director of the Buffalo Master Chorale and is the founder and music director of Polaris Orchestra.
Ms. Dworetz, who will be on campus in the spring semester, was the only U.S. semifinalist this year in the prestigious La Maestra Paris Conducting Competition and Academy for Women Conductors. She recently served as assistant conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra at the London Proms, Austin Symphony Orchestra and Butler Opera Center at the University of Texas at Austin, and will make her debut with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra during the 2022-2023 season.
Additional information about the campus visit by Dworetz will be announced when it is available.
The Fredonia Chamber Orchestra will welcome Nikki Chooi, concertmaster of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, during the fall semester, and Jordan Frazier, co-principal bassist with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra to coach, lead and play with Fredonia students in a chamber orchestra setting.
Fredonia alumnus Andrew Bisantz, '95, artistic director and conductor at Eugene Opera, returns to his alma mater this fall to lead Fredonia's Hillman Opera performances. A versatile musician acknowledged for his passionate and commanding leadership from the podium, Mr. Bisantz is building an impressive roster of credits at leading national orchestras and opera companies throughout the country.
As the artistic director and conductor at Eugene Opera, Bisantz has been responsible for the emergence of the company as one of the most noted and important performing arts organizations in the Pacific Northwest.
