The Saturday Symposium

The Saturday Concert

Stephen Scott Tribue Video by Dan Wiencek

The Retrospecitve Weekend Has Arrived

Hello All,

The Retrospective weekend has arrived! 

A huge thank you to everyone that has contributed memories and photos as well as to those traveling to be with us this for the festivities. 

For those of you unable to attend, please remember that you can leave messages for Steve via the submission box to the right of this post.  Or, if you want to leave a public message, you can do so by adding a comment to this or previous blog posts.

Also: The concerts on Saturday (7:30pm) and Sunday (2:00pm) will be live-streamed so I hope you can join us virtually: http://www.coloradocollege.edu/live/

A Brief History of the Bowed Piano Ensemble - By Stephen Scott, March 2014

Stephen Scott founded the Bowed Piano Ensemble in 1977.  Eight Colorado College students and two faculty members (Scott and Curtis F. Smith) were assembled from the larger New Music Ensemble (founded 1972) to rehearse and perform on tour the first piece ever composed for bowed piano ensemble, Scott’s Music for Bowed Strings (later renamed Music One for Bowed Strings).  There were two devices used, the “soft bow,” modeled on an invention by Curtis Otto von Bismarck Curtis-Smith (no relation to Curtis F. Smith), a Michigan composer who was the first person we know of to sound the strings of a piano with nylon filament, and the rigid bow, invented by Scott with a bit of kibitzing from the other players.  The piece was one of several new-music compositions performed by the New Music Ensemble in Colorado, New Mexico and Texas that spring. 

 

Messages for Stephen

If you would like to leave a comment viewable to anyone who visits this site, please do so in the comments section below this post.

Party like its 1979...

This photograph was sent in by alumnus Bruce Lemmon.  It comes from the eve of the New Music Ensemble's tour to California in 1979.  Fast forward 35 years and you'll note that the Packard lounge still looks the same!  Come to think of it, so do the students...

Live Streaming

Colorado College will live-stream both the Saturday evening (7:30pm) and Sunday afternoon (2:00pm) concerts for our Retrospective event. 

To join us live at those times, please visit: http://www.coloradocollege.edu/live/

Entrada - 1999

A little blast from the past...

"In C"

If you studied music with Stephen Scott you likely have fond affection for Terry Riley's In C, which happens to be celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.  The Sunday afternoon concert will culminate with a performance of the work that we hope will feature as many alumni in attendance as possible.

A copy of the score can be found here.  If you plan to participate in the performance, please be in touch with Ryan ASAP.  (Note: This is a cloaked email address to avoid the inherent spam created by a blog.)

Initial Program Information for "The Music of Stephen Scott: A Retrospective"

The celebration takes place on March 29-30 and features a symposium and two concerts.  Details will follow, but at the moment the schedule of events is as follows:

 

Saturday, March 29

3:00-5:00, Symposium Session (Packard Hall)

• An overview of the BPE by current and recent music paraprofs
• Talks by professors of music (and BPE alumni!) Shawn Marie Keener (1993) and Tamara Roberts (2000).
• Messages, Memories, & Music: Commentary from music critics, composers, scholars, and alumni unable to be in attendance.

7:30-9:30, Concert - The Music of Stephen Scott (Packard Hall)

Departures                                Ryan Raul Banagale, solo piano

Vikings of the Sunrise               Bowed Piano Ensemble

Sunday, March 30

2:00-3:30, Concert - An Alumni Tribute to Stephen Scott (Packard Hall)

Un Poco Passacaglia               Dan Wiencek, piano, with alumni BPE

The Desperate Notes               Victoria Hansen, soprano with instrumental ensemble

I Remember Clifford                 Arranged for BPE by Nick Stephens (class of 2014)


Double Variations                     Two Bowed Piano Ensembles, featuring alumni 1977-2013

In C by Terry Riley                    Gathered alumni and members of the CC music community

3:30, Post concert coffee reception (Packard Lobby)

CC Events Calendar Webpage for "The Music of Stephen Scott: A Retrospective"

Colorado College Event Listing Page

Welcome!

This blog will serve as a clearinghouse of sorts to provide updated information about "The Music of Stephen Scott: A Retrospective," an event celebrating the music and career of Stephen Scott at Colorado College.

We will do our best to provide information here as it becomes available.  To subscribe to posts by email, enter your address in the box above.

In the meantime, we welcome you to share your memories, well-wishes, and any other thoughts about Stephen Scott's music, his influence as a teacher and mentor, and director of the New Music Ensemble and Bowed Piano Ensemble at Colorado College.