Faculty News

Faculty Milestones

Brynn Albanese, John Oliver and Keith Waibel — pictured above — have been recognized by the university for their service milestones. Albanese teaches violin, Oliver is the staff piano technician and Waibel teaches clarinet and directs the Cal Poly Clarinet Ensemble. Each celebrated 10 years of employment in 2019.

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Laura Kramer

Laura M. Kramer scored the music for the short film “Reveries,” directed by Jacob Ball. It was part of the Berlin Lift-Off Film Festival, and through Feb. 21, all the festival films could be rented, and viewers could vote for their favorites. “Reveries” made it to the top 10, and if it wins, will be screened in Berlin. the final concert.

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Craig Russell

Craig Russell opened Cal Poly Bach Week on Jan. 21 with his lecture “Bach’s Suites: The Summation of Style, Structure, Science, and the Dance of Nations.” On Feb. 14, at the annual meeting of the California Missions Foundation, he gave the keynote address and a concert, titled, “Hymns, Processions, Masses, and Dances: A Celebration of Monterey on the Occasion of its 250th Birthday.” At the concert, several Cal Poly music faculty members performed, including cellist Barbara Spencer, flutist Suzanne Duffy and violinist Emily Lanzone. Monterey was founded on June 3, 1770, and Russell, on baroque guitar, and the other musicians performed much of the same music that was heard back then, the beginning of California’s Mission Period. Secular music was also part of the program, with works by Santiago de Murcia, Sebastian de Aguirre, Lucas Ruiz de Ribayaz and others. From March 5-7, Russell went to Florida International University in Miami for its conference Ignacio Jerusalem, Chapelmaster of the Mexico City Cathedral: Music and Art in New Spain during the Eighteenth Century. His research paper involved two works from the first music conservatory in the New World — the Conservatorio de las Rosas (Conservatory of the Roses) in Morelia, Mexico, founded in 1743. Titled “From Heavenly Stars to the Foot of the Cross: Music and Drama in Mexico’s Conservatorio de las Rosas,” his paper examined “Celebren los astros” (The Stars Celebrate), a short skit-play that included music, poetry, short dramas and readings; and Ortiz de Alcalá’s “Al monte suspiros” (To the mountain, sighs). He then gave a concert on baroque guitar, titled "Dreamy Ruminations, Strummed Passion, and Florid Filigree: Music in New Spain for the Baroque Guitar.”

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