UNT Wind Symphony welcomes New York Philharmonic clarinetist and visiting composers

Friday, March 29, 2013 - 17:17
Category:

____________________________________________________________________________

What: UNT Wind Symphony, conducted by Eugene Migliaro Corporon, featuring guest clarinetist Mark Nuccio, acting principal of the New York Philharmonic, with visiting composers Kevin M. Walczyk, alumnus, and Scott McAllister

When: 7:30 p.m. April 11 (Thursday)

Where: Winspear Performance Hall in the Murchison Performing Arts Center, 2100 N. I-35E, Denton. The concert will also be streamed online at http://recording.music.unt.edu/live.

Tickets: $10 for adults; $8 for seniors, non-UNT students, children, UNT faculty, staff and retirees, and groups of 10 or more; free for UNT students with valid ID. UNT student tickets must be picked up in person at the Murchison Box Office. Purchase tickets online at www.theMPAC.com/tickets or by calling the Murchison Box Office at 940-369-7802.

____________________________________________________________________________

The UNT Wind Symphony, conducted by Eugene Migliaro Corporon, welcomes guest clarinetist Mark Nuccio, acting principal of the New York Philharmonic, and two visiting composers, alumnus Kevin M. Walczyk, a faculty member at Western Oregon University, and Baylor University professor of composition Scott McAllister for a concert April 11.

The concert program features Nuccio as a soloist on a reconstructed version of Artie Shaw’s jazzy Victor Records recording of Concerto for Clarinet and McAllisters rock ‘n’ roll-inspired Black Dog. Also on the program are Walczyk’s Symphony No. 2 Epitaphs Unwritten, inspired by words penned by an American soldier after the Battle of the Bulge in World War II, and Music for Winds by Stanislaw Skrowaczewski.

“Mark Nuccio is one of America’s finest clarinetists and clarinet teachers. He has a beautiful sound and a virtuosic command of the instrument and of musical style,” said professor of clarinet John Scott.

Nuccio, who has been with the New York Philharmonic since 1999 and whose playing has been featured on popular movie soundtracks, will participate in a panel discussion from noon to 1 p.m. April 10 (Wednesday) in the Recital Hall, Music Building Room 301. The presentation, titled “How I got there: Not alone.” also features Corporon, who mentored Nuccio at the University of Northern Colorado. Nuccio will also teach a masterclass from 1 to 3 p.m. April 12 (Friday) in Music Building Room 232.

“Mark was one of most outstanding clarinetists I’ve taught,” said Corporon. “But, at some point in his senior year, he thought he might not pursue music. He didn’t think he had what it took to make a career of it.”

Corporon encouraged Nuccio to continue to pursue a music degree, noting the clarinetist had the talent and work ethic required to sustain a career.

“His hard work got him where he is now. His sound and playing are admired by clarinetists worldwide,” said Corporon, who was a young professor at the University of Northern Colorado at the time he taught Nuccio. “The lesson it taught me is to encourage qualified students to pursue their dreams.”

Other visiting guests include McAllister and Walczyk, who will appear as part of the Composers on Campus series. Walczyk’s piece in particular may be meaningful to audience members who have served in the military or have loved ones who have served, Corporon said.

“It’s about the veterans who were killed in the Battle of the Bulge holding the line in World War II near the city of Bastogne,” he said. “It’s one of the most important new pieces we have for wind band.”

Shaw’s Concerto for Clarinet will also be a highlight of the concert. Shaw performed this jazz clarinet solo in the 1940 Fred Astaire film Second Chorus, and the published score reflects the abbreviated version used in the movie. Corporon and College of Music students created a new score and parts, reconstructing the full work based on the original 78 RPM recording. The April 11 concert will be the first known performance of the reconstructed version of Shaw’s concerto.

“The choruses weren’t marked right, the solos weren’t marked correctly and 16 bars of clarinet solo had been left out, so we fixed it. We reconstructed it based on the record,” he said.

The Shaw piece, along with the McAllister piece, will be recorded with Nuccio for a CD to be released in 2014, the 10th anniversary of Shaw’s death.

Nuccio’s appearance is sponsored by The Getty Foundation, Rico Reeds (a D’Addario & Company brand), Buffet Group and the UNT College of Music.

Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. concert in Winspear Hall at the Murchison Performing Arts Center are $10 for adults; $8 for seniors, non-UNT students, children, UNT faculty, staff and retirees, and groups of 10 or more; free for UNT students with valid ID. Purchase tickets online at www.theMPAC.com/tickets or by calling the Murchison Box Office at 940-369-7802. The concert will also be streamed online at http://recording.music.unt.edu/live.

About Mark Nuccio

Mark Nuccio joined the New York Philharmonic in 1999 as Associate Principal and Solo E-flat Clarinet. He previously held positions with orchestras in Pittsburgh, Denver, Savannah and Florida. An active solo and chamber musician, Nuccio has been the featured performer with several orchestras in the United States and on numerous occasions at the International Clarinet Association conventions. He made his New York recital debut at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in 2001, his Japan recital debut in 2002, and he now regularly performs in recital in the Far East and Europe, as well as across the United States. Nuccio is a member of the Philharmonic Quintet of New York  and in summers, Nuccio performs chamber music at the Strings in the Mountain Music Festival in Steamboat, Colorado. As a studio musician, Nuccio is featured on several movie soundtracks, including Failure to Launch, The Last Holiday, The Rookie, The Score, Intolerable Cruelty, Alamo, Pooh’s Heffalump, Hitch, The Manchurian Candidate, and numerous television commercials. He also performed on the Late Show with David Letterman as well as the 2003 Grammy Awards. In 2006, Nuccio’s first CD, Opening Night, featuring the clarinet quintets of Mozart and Brahms, was released. A Colorado native, Nuccio holds a master’s degree from Northwestern University. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado. Nuccio serves on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music in New York City and teaches master classes in the U.S. and abroad.

About the UNT Wind Symphony

Internationally acknowledged as one of the premier ensembles of its kind, the UNT Wind Symphony is selected from the most outstanding musicians attending the College of Music. The Wind Symphony pursues the highest professional standards, and is determined to bring its audiences the finest artistic repertoire from all musical periods, cultures and styles.

UNT News Service
News_Service@unt.edu
(940) 565-2108