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Introducing our Musical Guests at this Sunday’s Service – The Carleton College Choir and Chamber Choir, directed by Dr. Matthew J. Olson.
Matthew J. Olson is Director of Choral Activities at Carleton College, Artistic Director of Bach Roots Festival, and Assistant Conductor The Singers – MN Choral Artists. At Carleton, he leads the choral program and teaches courses in conducting, a cappella choral arranging, and voice. His performances of all of Bach’s major choral-orchestral works with Bach Roots Festival have been acclaimed by the Star Tribune as “masterful”. He led The Singers in performances of Joby Talbot’s 17-voice Path of Miracles, and also served as Chorusmaster for the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra with the same chorus in performances of Bach’s St. John Passion. He is also an award-winning composer and choral arranger with works published by Colla Voce, Santa Barbara, and SMP.
The Carleton Choir is Carleton College’s flagship vocal ensemble consisting of 60 mixed voices striving to create beautiful music within an inclusive community. The choir tours regularly, explores diverse repertoire ranging from classical music to a cappella covers, and recently collaborated with singers and songwriters including Chris Koza of Rogue Valley and GRAMMY award-winner, Carrie Newcomer. Recent performances also include Orff’s Carmina Burana, Handel’s Messiah, and excerpts of Considering Matthew Shepard by Craig Hella Johnson performed alongside The Singers- MN Choral Artists.
Carleton’s Chamber Choir is a select ensemble of 24 singers who pursue musical excellence within repertoire ranging from the Renaissance era to newly commissioned compositions. In addition to concerts and tours together with the Carleton Choir, the Chamber Choir collaborates with college and professional choirs from around the region including annual concerts with the St. Olaf College Chamber Singers.
Dec 8, 2019 – Guest Musicians
Let’s Welcome Our Talented Brass Musicians
for Music Sunday 2019!
Jakob Florea Noestvik, Trombone
Jakob Florea Noestvik is a tenor and bass trombone player currently based in Chicago, IL. He has played with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and is a substitute with the Elgin Symphony Orchestra. Jakob hails from Oslo, Norway, where he was a substitute with the Norwegian Wind Ensemble.
Also an educator, Jakob instructed brass students of all ages as the sole proprietor of a teaching business and an employee of Oslo’s municipal performing arts school, the Oslo Music and Culture School. Currently Jakob is the Program Manager at the Chicago Center for Music Education.
Jakob Florea Noestvik received his Bachelor of Music in Trombone Performance from the Norwegian Academy of Music and the Academy of Music and Drama at Gothenburg University in Sweden and his Master of Music in Orchestral Studies from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. His principal teachers include Jay Friedman, Reed Capshaw, and Ingemar Roos.
Kevin Natoli is a Chicago-based trumpeter and Alexander Technique teacher. He has experience performing in a variety of ensembles ranging from orchestra to brass quintet and everything in between. He received his Master’s degree in trumpet performance from the New England Conservatory and studied with members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Rhode Island Philharmonic. Kevin is also a graduate of an Alexander Technique Certification program at the
Boston Conservatory with Debi Adams and maintains a diverse teaching studio. He is currently a faculty member of Logos School of Music, an Associate Member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, a substitute musician with New World Symphony in Miami, and recently performed with Juneau Symphony in Alaska.
Kevin Natoli, Trumpet
Matt Martin, Trombone
Matt Martin is a professional freelance trombonist based in Chicago. Matt has performed with symphonies across the Midwest including the Chicago Sinfonietta, Illinois Philharmonic, Orchestra Iowa, South Bend, Elmhurst, Northwest Indiana, Oistrahk, Kenosha, and Battle Creek Symphonies. In addition, Matt has performed with theater companies throughout the Chicagoland area as well as big bands, and popular artists like Chance the Rapper. Aside from performing, Matt is a Low Brass Instructor at Dundee Crown and Lane Tech High Schools. Matt was also a recent ZO Brass Performing Artist presenting at Music China 2019 in Shanghai.
Theresa Coffey is a Chicago-based trumpet player and substitute with the Whiting Park Festival Orchestra, Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra, and West Michigan Symphony Orchestra. She has also performed with the Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra and Elmhurst Symphony, among others. For two years, she was also an Associate Member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.
Prior to moving to Chicago, Coffey lived in Oslo, Norway, where she performed with the Oslo Philharmonic, Norwegian National Opera, Oslofjord Kammerfilharmoni, on the Norwegian Radio Orchestra’s chamber series, and in the Ultima Contemporary Music Festival. In Oslo, she performed under such notable conductors as Vasily Petrenko and Han-na Chang.
Coffey received her Bachelor of Music degree from Northwestern University and Master of Music degrees from University of Maryland and the Norwegian Academy of Music. Her principal teachers include Tine Thing Helseth, Anthony Plog, Chris Gekker, Steven Hendrickson, Charles Geyer, and Barbara Butler.
Theresa Coffey, Trumpet
Musicians for Easter Service
Marybeth Kurnat (soprano) earned her Bachelor’s degree in music education from Northern Illinois University in 2011. She has been teaching in public schools since 2012, and has taught privately as a woodwind instructor since 2006. She is currently a music educator in the DeKalb School District, and teaches beginning band, jazz, general music and choral music.
Marybeth has built her resumé as a singer on the foundation of her instrumental training as a jazz saxophonist, and her dynamic performing and teaching background is accompanied by a history in composing and arranging for choir, jazz ensemble and concert band. As a singer, she has developed a strong interest in early Baroque music, late Romantic Period lieder, and 20th century American repertoire.
Marybeth performs with the St. Charles Singers, the Canterbury Singers, and the Chicago Choral Artists, for which she currently serves on the Board of Directors as Vice President.
Matthew Agnew studied Suzuki cello from age four with Marilyn Kesler in Okemos, Michigan. In High School he had the benefit of orchestra instruction and guidance from Shirley Mullins, a Janos Starker student, and cello instruction from Jane Katsuyama of the Dayton Philharmonic. He attended DePaul University on scholarship and studied with William Cernota from the Lyric Opera Orchestra. In 2001 he won second place at the Lansing Matinee Musicale Richardson Awards.
Matthew is the principal cellist of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, a position he has held since 2002. He also plays with several Chicago area orchestras, including Chicago Opera Theater, Music of the Baroque, Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra and the Joffrey Ballet. In 2005 he was awarded the assistant principal position with the Lancaster Festival Orchestra, a summer festival orchestra in Lancaster, Ohio.
Two Fun Upcoming UCE Choir Events!
Expanded Choir for Ingathering – all are welcome!!!
Have you wanted to sing in the choir but don’t have the time to make the commitment? Have we got a deal for you! You are invited to join us in singing the choir pieces for our 11 a.m. Ingathering service on Sunday, September 10th. Here are the particulars:
Participation is open to ages 12 and up. Auditions are not required. Simply attend the evening rehearsal on 9/7 (starts at 7:15 pm) and the 9:30 rehearsal on 9/10 and then stay for the service and sing the Introit and the Anthem with the choir.
This is a no-obligations opportunity for you to get the chance to sing with the choir once (though you’d be welcome to keep singing with the choir if you find it to be a good fit for you.)
We invite you to take advantage of this opportunity to sing shoulder-to-shoulder with our UCE Choristers. Whoohoo!
Got questions? Contact UCE’s Music Director, Vickie Hellyer, at vhellyer@ucevanston.org.
Howard Levy performing during both Services on Sunday, November 13
The Choir will be off on Sunday, November 13 but UCE congregants will have a treat with Howard Levy, Evanston and national famous harmonica/piano performer providing our music.
Howard Levy is an acknowledged master of the diatonic harmonica, a superb pianist, innovative composer, recording artist, bandleader, teacher, producer, and Chicago area resident. In 1970 at the age of 19, he discovered how to play the diatonic harmonica as a fully chromatic instrument. This opened new possibilities for an instrument that had been limited to playing Folk and Blues.
Equally at home in Jazz, Classical, Rock, Folk, Latin, and World Music, the two- time Grammy Award Winner is a favorite with audiences worldwide and a recording artist sought after by the likes of Kenny Loggins, Dolly Parton, Paquito D’Rivera, Styx, Donald Fagen, Paul Simon, and many more. Howard has appeared on hundreds of CDs and played on several movie soundtracks. He is well known for his work with Bela Fleck and The Flecktones. Howard’s other prominent collaborations include Trio Globo (with Glen Velez and Eugene Friesen), oud player/composer Rabih Abou Khalil, guitarist Chris Siebold, and The Riessler/Levy/Matinier Trio.
Howard’s recordings on his label, Balkan Samba Records, include Chévere de Chicago’s Secret Dream and Time Capsules with Acoustic Express. His solo CD Alone and Together on Balkan Samba and the trio CD Tonight and Tomorrow on Chicago Sessions both received 4-star reviews in DownBeat in 2010.
In 2011 Howard released a classical CD featuring his “Concerto for Diatonic Harmonica and Orchestra,” and recorded a reunion CD, Rocket Science, with Bela Fleck and The Flecktones. He won a Best Instrumental Composition Grammy Award for co- writing “Life in Eleven” on this CD.
The most recent Balkan Samba CD’s are From Matzah to Menorah, music for Passover and Hanukah with Cantor Alberto Mizrahi and Trio Globo, and First Takes, a CD of free Jazz improvisations with bassist Larry Gray and Howard’s son, drummer Miles Levy. And a brand new release, “Tango and Jazz”, with performances of Piazzolla tangos and Howard’s original jazz compositions.
Howard also has an online harmonica school with hundreds of members, www.howardharmonica.com. His main website is www.levyland.com.
Choir Rehearsals are Starting Up Again!
Whoohoo! The first UCE Choir rehearsal for the 2016-2017 year is Thursday, September 1st, 7:15-9 pm, in Room 3.
We invite you to participate in the only team sport available to singers and to discover how fun it can be to make fine, blended music, in a variety of styles, with a great group of people! The choir rehearses on Thursday evenings and sings in services three Sundays a month (September through June) and all adults and youth who can carry a tune are welcome.
If you have any questions, please e-mail UCE’s Director of Music, Vickie Hellyer, at vhellyer@ucevanston.org. Or feel free to talk with any of the Music Committee members and/or any members of the choir. We look forward to seeing you at rehearsals!
P.S. We would be remiss if we didn’t also tell you that snacks are provided at each rehearsal.