2010 Artists

Jeffrey Arnold with Baritone Sean Kroll
July 9, 7:30pm

A native of Gatesville, Texas, Jeffrey Arnold began his piano studies in 1967 with Orpa Mayo. The Morris Federation presented him in his first public recital the same year when, at the age of eight, he replaced another scheduled artist who canceled due to illness. He continued his piano studies at the University of North Texas and organ studies at Baylor University while simultaneously forging a career for himself as a concert artist. Subsequent engagements brought him important appearances at Carnegie Hall, in Canada and Europe.

Seán Kroll received his Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Northwestern University. He trained at the International Institute of Vocal Arts in Chiari, Italy and is also an alumnus of the Chicago Opera Theater, Opera Santa Barbara and Saint Petersburg Opera artist development programs.

Dan Knight – An Evening of Ellington
July 10, 7:30pm

As one of the world’s finest improvising musicians; he is one of the acknowledged master pianists of his generation.   He’s earned a worldwide reputation as a performer whose wit, personality and peerless musicianship fills concert halls and jazz clubs alike.   Equally adept on the concert stage in the field of “modern” classical music and in the clubs and festival halls of the world of jazz, he has performed in some of the world’s finest venues and most prestigious music festivals.   Knight did research two years ago at the Museum of American History at the Smithsonian and found some pieces that Duke wrote in the months shortly before his death in 1974.   Knight will play some of the ‘unheard’ Ellington pieces, together with some old favorites

Ensemble Nouveau
July 15, 7:30pm

The group is made up of UWP’s professor of trumpet, David Cooper; Saxophone instructor, Allen Cordingley; Associate Director of Bands, Matt Gregg; and low brass professor, Mike Forbes. The Ensemble has been featured in faculty recitals, concert series, and will present their radio debut in October (10/10/10) on Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Live from the Chazen” live broadcast series.

In uniting the diverse and charismatic personalities of these four members of the faculty, the quartet has found that it possesses an extremely rare musical and personal chemistry. While the group trudges on, pioneering a new musical genre with new repertoire and new combinations of instruments, there is a musical gel and zeal for musical variety that is unparalleled to any other ensemble to which these men have ever belonged. Each member performs on at least four different instruments, giving the ensemble two hundred and fifty-six different orchestrational possibilities. The sky is literally the limit for these four, and they hope to continue to break new ground and set new trends with their new ensemble.

Broadway Night
July 16, 7:30pm

Our now annual salute to the music of the Great White Way continues the GFPA’s association with our neighbors to the north The Heartland Festival. Featuring actors from the 2010 Heartland Company it will celebrate the music of Broadway!

Art Stevenson & High Water
July 17, 7:30pm

Art Stevenson & High Water are Wisconsin’s best-known bluegrass show, and have been in demand throughout the Midwest festival circuit since 1993. The band’s bluegrass sound comes from the close duet singing of husband and wife team Art and Stephanie Stevenson, along with the spirited banjo and Dobro playing of Dale Reichert, and the hard-driving mandolin picking of Bruce King performing over 100 dates a year.