Keene State College music faculty members and students performing as part of the music faculty performance series on November 7 in the Alumni Recital Hall.
Music faculty performance series continues- with brass
On Sunday, November 7, three faculty members performed in the music faculty performance for the brass instruments. Some KSC alumni and students were featured in the concert as well.
The performers played a total of nine songs, the last one being the well-known Beatles hit, “All You Need is Love.”
Behind the scenes of the performance, Dr. John Hart, one of the faculty performers, put together program notes, the order of the concert and being the “wrangler,” meaning he had an active leadership role in setting up, making sure everyone involved was contributing and going according to plan.
Hart noted that they have a lot of help backstage with keeping everyone organized and moving chairs, stands and the piano on stage in between performers. “I can’t tell you how great it is to have [a] live performance again,” said Hart.
At KSC, Hart conducts the Concert Band. Hart is also the coordinator of the woodwind, brass and percussion sectors of the music department, as well as the music education program. Prior to coming to KSC, Hart has performed with and conducted many of the top ensembles in the Northeast, including the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, Hartt Orchestra and Wind Ensemble, Hartford Opera Theatre, Connecticut Valley Symphony Orchestra and Winchendon Winds. Hart is an active clinician and has conducted festivals and workshops throughout the Northeast. He is an advocate for creating new wind ensemble music to “better represent marginalized populations.”
“I have been playing euphonium since I was 12. Trombone for 20 years and Tuba for 15 years” said Hart. Hart said that one of his favorites that he performed was his first piece, Sonata “Vox Gabrielli” composed by Stjepan Sulek. The piece was performed on the trombone with piano accompaniment by Vladimir Odinokikh.
Hart said that had prepared the piece for 8 months once he found out he was going to be able to perform again, but had previously worked on it in the past. Hart said that he likes to look at the history and historical aspects of the piece and “find connections” before performing it.
Another faculty performer, Devaseelan Manickam, adjunct trumpet faculty at KSC and director of Brass Chamber Music and KSC Brass Ensemble. Manickam is a founding member of award winning Bala Brass Quintet and has toured through Japan, Canada, Thailand and the U.S. He is also an advocate for music education. He attended University of Victoria where he got his Bachelor of Music. Manickam finished his graduate work in trumpet performance at The Boston Conservatory. Manickam has appeared as a soloist in a number of orchestras and the Keene State Wind Ensemble.
“Appalachian Shadows” by award-winning composer Robert J. Bradshaw and was performed by Manickam. Bradshaw’s work is inspired by social, historical and community-based events. “Appalachian Shadows” was composed as “part of a larger project focused on the rich history of the Appalachian region and its people”, as stated in the program notes. The piece is composed for flugelhorn and piano and is made of four movements.
Juilliard School graduate Rebecca Krause-Hardie also performed in the faculty concert and began her career as second horn in the Phoenix Symphony. Krause-Hardie plays the French horn at KSC as an adjunct instructor. As a recipient of the League of Orchestra’s prestigious Orchestra Management Fellowship Program, she was appointed Orchestra Manager of the Detroit Symphony. Having an interest in music education led her to Voyager/Criterion Collection, a producer of Arts and Humanities CD-ROM’s.
Amy and Leah Larkey, two sisters and friends of KrauseHardie came from New Jersey to watch their friend perform.
“The performance was exciting,” Amy Larkey said. Leah Larkey added, “All the performers did a great job.”
Ashlie Chandler can be contacted at
