August 2025

Welcome to the New Year at Emory! There are relatively few music performances in September, but that will increase as the semester progresses. There is information below about what is available, including two Music faculty performances, by Gary Motley and Karen Freer, that should be of special interest. There is also a Master Class sponsored by the Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta (ECMSA). There are many Master Classes during the year, and these are always a great learning experience for students, especially if they are selected to play.

Grants made by the Emory Friends of Music to faculty and students are another source of enrichment for students and are made possible by your donations. In addition to reports about these grants in previous newsletters, this issue includes several additional reports about how some of these grants have been used in the last year. Thank you to those of you who were able to make contributions!

Particularly in these difficult financial times for universities, it is great to be able to welcome new faculty to the Music Department, and the additions for this year are introduced below. We are very fortunate to have these new faculty!

Since the last newsletter, several additional recordings by the EUSO have been added to their websites, and information about them is given below. Many thanks to Paul Bhasin for making these available, so that those who have not been able to attend in person, can hear their marvelous performances. (I also enjoy reliving them again!)

I have also included updated information about several of the musical organizations in Atlanta that have close ties to Emory. We are fortunate to have such wonderful music easily available!

With best wishes,

Gray Crouse

A note about the event entries below. You can click on most of the headings of the events and be taken directly to the Music Calendar listing for that event for additional details. At the time of publication, the programs for many of these events are not yet available but will typically be added to the Calendar entry close to the performance date. You can also click on most of the names of the groups and performers and will be taken to more information about them. There is not enough room in the newsletter to include their bios, but it is well worth reading about them.

There are generally relatively few music performances at Emory in September, particularly with students, as groups are just starting to get together after the summer break. One exception is ECMSA, which has three evens scheduled in September at Emory. One of those events is a Master Class, which is described below. Music events will be listed in the Music at Emory Calendar linked to above. Note that of this writing, the Calendar is not fully updated, as the Candler Concert Series is not yet entered in, including the September 26 concert. A general listing of planned performances for the year may be seen in the 25-26 Music Brochure, which can be seen by clicking here.

In addition, there are two faculty recitals, described below, which are always a great opportunity to hear our talented faculty.

Join us for an unforgettable evening of Jazz with professor of practice and the founding Director of Jazz Studies at Emory University, Gary Motley!

Gary Motley is a jazz pianist, educator, composer, arranger, and author who has been a prominent figure in the jazz scene of the southeastern United States since he started his solo career in 1994. He is renowned for his exceptional skills as a pianist and composer across various genres, such as straight-ahead jazz and chamber music. His talent has been recognized by multiple organizations like the American Composers Forum, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Great American Jazz Piano Competition. In 2015, he was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. 

Throughout his career, Gary has collaborated with many leading jazz artists and released over 30 albums. His latest album, Muse and the Flame (2024), features Edwin Livingston (bass) and Clarence Penn (drums). He has appeared as a guest on NPR’s Piano Jazz with Marian McPartland and performed with renowned musicians, including Dave Brubeck, Regina Carter, Mel Tormé, and Bob Mintzer. His compositions span multiple genres and have premiered at national and international festivals. 

Join us for a night of incredible music and masterful artistry with Karen Freer, acclaimed cellist with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Emory University faculty member. From Carnegie Hall to the Kennedy Center, Freer’s performances have captivated audiences worldwide.

Cellist Karen Freer has been teaching at Emory University and playing with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra since 1998. Previously, she held positions with the Savannah Symphony as principal cello, and with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Originally from San Diego, she began piano lessons at age five and cello lessons at age eight. When she was eleven, she began commuting to lessons in Los Angeles with Eleonore Schoenfeld and won the concerto competition with the San Diego Symphony at age seventeen. She then attended Indiana University and the Eastman School of Music, where she earned respectively a bachelor’s degree in music, a concurrent performer’s certificate, and a master’s degree in music. Her principal professors were Janos Starker and Paul Katz, and she has played in masterclasses for many artists including Ralph Kirshbaum, Zara Nelsova, and Paul Tortelier.

This is part of the ECMSA Masterclass Series, giving the public an opportunity to observe master musicians working with some of Emory’s finest undergraduate talents.

Once again (Bailey was here last year) Zuill Bailey is having a masterclass with Emory students. He is widely considered one of the premiere cellists in the world, is a Grammy Award winning, internationally renowned soloist, recitalist, Artistic Director and teacher. Mr. Bailey received his Bachelor’s Degree from the Peabody Conservatory where he was named the 2014 Johns Hopkins University Distinguished Alumni, and received a Master’s Degree from the Juilliard School. He performs on the “rosette” 1693 Matteo Gofriller Cello formerly owned by Mischa Schneider of the Budapest String Quartet.

While he is in town, Bailey will play in the ECMSA Bach’s Lunch Noontime Concert on Friday, September 5, at First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta, the ECMSA Emerson Series on Saturday September 6, and in the Lawless Family Series at the Fernbank Museum on Sunday, September 7 at 1pm (museum tickets required for entry).

Previous issues of the newsletter have reported on evenys and classes that have benefited from grants from the Friends of Music. Below are some summaries and additional reports of how our contributions have aided our students and faculty.

A variety of different FOM grants have been used to support guest lectures for a wide array of music courses. Following is a summary from Stephen Crist, Chair of the Department of Music:

MUS 190: Freshman Seminar: The Golden Age of Pianists – Elena Cholakova

MUS 200: Music, Culture, and Society – Meredith Schweig

MUS 204: Music Cultures of the World – Meredith Schweig

MUS 211: Tango: Argentina’s Art Form – Kristin Wendland

MUS 221: Theory & Analysis III – Laura Emmery

MUS 222: Theory & Analysis IV – Ivana Ilic

MUS 245: Jazz Theory & Analysis – Gary Motley and Penelope Williams

MUS 281: Baroque Music – Stephen Crist

MUS 349R: Composition – Adam Mirza

MUS 366: Topics in Philosophy of Music: Music and Emotions – Laura Emmery and Cynthia Willett (Philosophy)

MUS 443: Performance Techniques – Bethany Mamola and Patti Dinkins-Matthews

MUS 460: Studies in Music History and Culture: Singing the Sacred – Stephen Crist

On behalf of all the students, instructors, and guests who were involved, many, many thanks to the Friends of Music for this invaluable support!

Stephen Crist

Dr. Elena Cholakova used FOM funds to bring two artists to campus:

With the generous help of FOM, piano studies was able to host Prof. Victor Rosenbaum, professor emeritus New England Conservatory. Professor Rosenbaum gave a wonderful recital featuring Schubert's great B flat major sonata - a piece that is rarely performed in public. He engaged with our students through applied piano lessons teaching piano majors Lumina Lu and Sanjay Aiyar. Prof. Rosenbaum also visited my MUS 190 class "Golden age of pianists" and discussed a number of topics with the students including the prevalence of the piano instrument in the 18-19th century, studying with some of the great pianists of the past (names that the students encountered during the semester), and future of classical music. The students were widely receptive and loved having him as a guest lecturer. 

Above: Hristov with Cholakova and students

Having received permission to use some unused funds from Prof. Rosenbaum's residency I invited Dr. Miroslav Hristov for a duo recital at Emory University. The program featured works by Schubert, Grieg and Ravel commemorating Ravel's 150th birthday with his Sonata No.2 featuring the famous blues inspired 2nd movement. We performed an encore of a Bulgarian folk song transcribed for violin and piano. Dr. Hristov also engaged in a masterclass with violin students.

We are writing to extend our sincere thanks to Friends of Music for your generous contribution to Emory Bassoon Day 2024. With your support, we were able to offer an exceptional day of learning, performance, and community-building for young bassoonists.

Emory Bassoon Day has become a cornerstone of the region’s double reed community with huge success. We were honored to have Dr. Daryn Zubke from the University of Memphis as our guest artist, as well as Emory faculty Anthony Georgeson and Shelly Unger. Students engaged in inspiring masterclasses and workshops designed to sharpen their skills, explore chamber music, and prepare for All-State auditions, all within a supportive and collaborative environment.

Your generosity allowed us to host an organized day that not only encouraged student growth but also strengthened Emory’s reputation among prospective students. Some participants have expressed serious interest in applying to Emory, which speaks volumes about the impact of this event—not just as an educational experience but as an introduction to future generations of musicians.

Most importantly, this day established a solid foundation of community. Students shared mutual musical objectives and ensemble experiences that will remain with them long after the classroom setting.

We are deeply grateful to FOM for making this possible. Your continued investment in programs such as Bassoon Day fuels the dreams of young musicians and welcomes them into the vibrant musical family at Emory.

- Paul Bhasin

It is always good to be able to welcome new faculty and is particularly so this year. Below is information on each new faculty member, with links to more complete information.

Lina Andonovska joins the department as an Assistant Professor of Music. She is a pioneering flautist celebrated for her extraordinary versatility and adventurous musicality. Equally at home with written scores and improvised soundscapes, she is currently the flautist of the four-time Grammy Award–winning ensemble Eighth Blackbird (USA). 

Lina brings her passion for contemporary performance and sonically inventive flute technique to the classroom. Her commitment to education and mentorship spans international teaching residencies: she has served as Guest Teaching Artist at institutions across the U.S.—including Yale, University of Michigan, University of Texas, Ohio State University, University of Texas, and more—as well as holding residencies at the Australian National Academy of Music and the University of Western Australia and Guest Lecturer at Trinity College and the Royal Irish Academy of Music.

You can read a lot more about Lina by clicking here. In addition, you can hear her play in Vital Sines with the U. S. Navy Band, in a selection of Parallel Play with pianist Alex Raineri, and solo flute in: Argoru III by Alvin Singleton. You can also hear her play in Vital Sines on the Schwartz Center Virtual Stage in a performance with EUSO!

Colm O’Hara joins the Department of Music as the Conductor of the Emory Wind Ensemble. He is a multi-instrumentalist, improviser, and composer, joining Emory after lecturing in Aural Development and Compositional Techniques at the Royal Irish Academy of Music (Dublin) since 2023. Previously, he was Brass Lecturer at Dublin City University.

From 2009–2025, he served as Musical Director, conductor, and principal instrumental teacher at Manor Kilbride Music School (Ireland), whose students have gone on to join the Irish Army No. 1 Band, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, and the Ulster Orchestra. Since 2019, he has worked as an artistic consultant with Common Ground, a Dublin-based community arts organization.

O’Hara is co-founder and conductor of the award-winning East Meets West Youth Orchestra, which performed his Improvisations for Youth Orchestra at the IAYO Festival (National Concert Hall, 2014), Galway Cathedral, and the International Society of Music Education Conference (Scotland, 2016).

You can read more about him on the EWE Conductor website and on his own website.

Nathan Cobb joins the Department as Visiting Assistant Professor of Music Theory. Nathan completed his Ph.D. in Music Theory at the University of California, Santa Barbara, with a dissertation on the early compositional practice of Kaija Saariaho, from 1976–1986. His research draws on archival materials housed at the Paul Sacher Foundation and focuses specifically on Saariaho’s serial training and engagements with analog and digital composition technologies.

He has presented research at music and interdisciplinary conferences on a wide variety of topics, including science and technology studies, popular music, ecological and philosophical approaches to music analysis, post-tonal theory pedagogy, and topic theory. His research has been generously supported by grants from the Paul Sacher Foundation, the American Musicological Society, and the Albert and Elaine Borchard Foundation, as well as numerous university fellowships.

In addition to this music-based research, Nathan also engages with contemporary philosophy, art, and cinema as part of his broader interest in the intellectual development of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. This is reflected in forthcoming research in Criticism, as well as a project on the collaborative relationship of film director Agnés Varda and composer Joanna Bruzdowicz that is currently in development.

You can read more about Nathan by clicking here.

Christopher Rodriguez joins the Department as Visiting Assistant Professor of Vocal Studies. He is a baritone and poet, a performer and teacher whose work spans opera, oratorio, and art song, with a particular emphasis on contemporary vocal music. Praised for his rich tone and compelling interpretations, he has performed a wide range of operatic roles including Don Giovanni, Papageno (Die Zauberflöte), Pandolfe (Cendrillon), Dr. Falke (Die Fledermaus), Dancaïre (Carmen), and Inspector Lestrade in the professional premiere of Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Fallen Giant amongst others. He is also a committed interpreter of new works, having created roles in State of Jefferson, Lucinda y las flores de la Nochebuena and New York Stories.

As a soloist, Christopher has performed in major choral-orchestral works including Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem, Fauré’s Requiem, Bach’s Easter Oratorio and St. John Passion, and Orff’s Carmina Burana. His recent collaborations include appearances with the San Antonio Philharmonic, Trinity Symphony Orchestra, Sonido Barroco, and Ensemble Fantasmi.

He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance and Vocal Coaching from the University of North Texas, where he studied with bass-baritone Stephen Morscheck and coaches Elvia Puccinelli and Stephen Dubberly. An advocate for text-driven performance and interdisciplinary collaboration, Christopher’s work frequently explores the intersection of poetry and music.

Christopher is also an Artist Affiliate with Reinhardt University in Waleska, GA. He continues to perform and present across the United States and abroad. You can read more about him by clicking here.

There have been some great additions to online recordings of EUSO performances this year since our last newsletter. All of their performances from the April 25 and 26 concerts are available to watch. This includes the Second Essay for Orchestra by Samuel Barber, the Brahms Symphony No. 2, and the Poulenc Gloria with the orchestra and University Chorus. These, and most of their other recordings, are available on the Media page of their website. EUSO also has a YouTube page, and that includes a few selections not available on their Media page, including the Richard Strauss Four Last Songs from their March 6, 2025 concert. There is hope that it will be possible to expand the student video performances available, but it is a large amount of work to make and edit the videos and there are also complications in navigating various copyright issues. Thanks to Paul Bhasin for the great videos that are posted!

There are two relatively recent EUSO videos that are only available on the Schwartz Center Virtual Stage. On January 26, 2024, the Canadian Brass gave a great sold-out concert. For two of their pieces, they invited Emory student musicians to play with them. The video of the Gabrieli Jubilate Deo is on the virtual stage (the program for the concert can be seen by clicking here). The second is the EUSO World Premiere of Marejada de los Muertos by Johanny Navarro, performed on the April 26 and 27 2024 concerts.

A big Thank You to those who have contributed during this year, and especially to those of you who have contributed in the past few months and have even increased your level of support or are new or returning supporters! There is no way to thank you enough. It was the strong level of giving last year that enabled us to substantially increase our grants to music students and faculty for this year.

Much of our support for students and faculty is through grants to provide scholarships for students to help pay for required music fees, to help fund undergraduate research projects, and to provide enhancements for classes. You can see the grants for this past year by clicking here.

A special thanks to those of you who are sustaining members, either through payroll deduction, or a continuing contribution on your credit card. On the donations page you can choose to give a one-time gift or a monthly gift. You can click here to donate or visit our FOM page for other ways to give.

The list of members can be seen by clicking here.

Please Note: It is surprisingly difficult to generate a list of members who are current in their giving. It has been particularly difficult this year. We used to get a notice every time a donation was made to Friends of Music. Apparently Emory Giving started using a new database last year and we stopped getting those notices. Your contributions are being credited to the correct account--we are just not getting the information we used to get. Please let us know if you are missing from the list or your donations have not been properly credited. We measure our giving year from the start of our annual campaign, which is usually in July of each year. Some members give through payroll deduction or give more than one gift per year (thank you to both!) and we want to make sure we correctly acknowledge the level of giving. We don't have a set format for how names are listed and depend on member's preference. Sometimes we make mistakes. Please let us know if you find any errors in the list of members above. You can just reply to this newsletter and we will be glad to correct any mistakes. The date that the list was updated is given at the bottom. Among other problems, we are finding that it can take several weeks for us to get news of gifts.

This newsletter focuses on Emory music students and faculty. There is clearly much additional music being performed in Atlanta, including many performances at Emory. There is no space in this newsletter to give specific information about those many performances, and most of them are separately well advertised. All music performances on the Emory campus are listed in the Music At Emory Calendar. Below is information about the separate music organizations with strong Emory ties.

The Schwartz Center is the hub of music at Emory, with the Performing Arts Studio being a major secondary location for many recitals and concerts. In addition to the Box Office that sells tickets for all ticketed events, the Schwartz Center hosts two major concert series, the Candler Concerts and the Schwartz Artists in Residence.

I assume that all of our readers are familiar with ECMSA, whose Artistic Director is Professor William Ransom. All of their concerts are free, which is certainly remarkable given the extremely high quality of their performances with professional musicians. ECMSA has a variety of music series, most of which are at the Schwartz Center. The full array of their concerts can be seen on the ECMSA website.

Of particular note is the Masterclass Series which is an incredible gift for our students. These masterclasses feature outstanding musicians who will teach Emory students in these classes. Moreover, our members are invited to attend these masterclasses. There are ten masterclasses planned for this year, with an impressive array of artists involved.

The Artistic Director of the Atlanta Master Chorale is Professor of Music Eric Nelson, and the chorale is one of the finest in the country. All of their local performances are in the Schwartz Center, and tickets for concerts are available through the Schwartz Center Box Office or online. Last year AMC celebrated its 40th Anniversary Concert Season. This year AMC celebrates the return of Eric Nelson who was out last year on medical leave. The Chorale has an extensive YouTube site with over 250 videos with almost 4,000,000 views!

Not only is the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra a great orchestra, but our students benefit greatly from the ASO, as many of the Music Department Artist Affiliates are ASO musicians. The entire ASO concert series is detailed on the ASO website.

The ASO responded to the pandemic in a very creative way, beginning a series of "Behind the Curtain" performances featuring musicians playing without an audience. The "Behind the Curtain" series has continued, with a very modest yearly charge, featuring a selection of recorded performances from previous weeks.  Even if you can attend the live ASO performances, viewing the Behind the Curtain programs gives an entirely different perspective than you can get from the audience. Unless you are a player, it is rare to get close enough to a player to see the strings vibrate!