September and October were such busy months to keep up with Dr. Alan Goldspiel’s activities so we decided an October Highlight Roundup was in order.
Festival of Voices Finale Concert
On September 30, 2019, Dr. Alan Goldspiel provided guitar accompaniment for the High School Honor Choir’s performance of Lake Isle of Inisfree by Ola Gjeilo in the University of Montevallo’s 49th Annual Festival of Voices Finale Concert.
The concert’s participants were from the following Alabama schools: Beauregard High School, Calera Middle School, Calera High School, Clay Chalkville High School, Enterprise High School, Eufaula High School, Grissom High School, Helen Middle School, Hewitt-Trussville Middle School, McAdory Middle School, Montevallo Middle School, Montevallo High School, Ohatchee High School, Vestavia Hills High School, and the University of Montevallo Choirs – conducted by Dr. Alissa Rowe, Associate Professor, Director of Choral Activities at Southeastern Louisiana University.
University of Montevallo Wind Ensemble Trip to Orlando
From October 23-27, 2019, Dr. Alan Goldspiel joined his colleagues, Dr. Lori and Joe Ardovino on the University of Montevallo Wind Ensemble’s trip to take part in Disney’s Performing Arts’ You’re Instrumental Workshop in Orlando, Florida.
The Disney workshop took place at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort’s Performance Hall where the musicians were coached for several hours on professional performance and rehearsal expectations as well has the fine art of recording for movies and soundtracks.
At the end of the session, the University of Montevallo Musicians got to see the results of their hard work by watching the Disney scene and the soundtrack that they had just recorded. The musicians did an amazing job and received repeated praise for their professionalism and musicianship from the conductor and clinician.
When asked about the experience, Dr. Goldspiel stated: “Having our students work in a professional environment with one of the largest employers of live musicians was a very valuable opportunity.”
After the Disney recording experience, the University of Montevallo Wind Ensemble enjoyed a well-deserved 2 ½ day visit to observe multiple live performances at Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Magic Kingdom.
Purple Nokh A Mol Performances
October also saw Goldspiel’s piece for solo tuba, Purple Nokh A Mol, performed twice by Joe L. Alexander. On October 25th, Alexander performed the piece at the New Music concert at Mississippi University for Women (The W) and then two days later, on the 27th, he performed the piece at the National Association for Composers/USA (NACUSA) concert hosted at Tennessee State University in Nashville.
Purple Nokh A Mol for was commissioned by Joe L. Alexander. Goldspiel states this about the piece on his website:
Purple Nokh A Mol was written for my friend Joe L. Alexander. It explores, and was inspired by, the notion of “again.” The super locrian mode with its octatonic beginning and whole tone ending provides the pitch universe and inherently represents “repeat” in its interval patterns. The music juxtaposes two super locrian modes extending the repetition to transposition.
“As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.” – Henry David Thoreau