Several Linfield musicians will perform at Jazz Night at 8 p.m. on Dec. 10 in Ice Auditorium.

Linfield’s vocal jazz ensemble, Double Vision, led by Adjunct Professor of Music Dana Libonati, and the Linfield Jazz Band, under the direction of Steve Kravitz, will perform a number of pieces.

The Double Vision performance will include pieces such as “Something to Talk About,” “Under the Jamaican Moon,” “Something,” “Shape of My Heart,” “Another Star,” “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” “On Days Like This” and “Orange Colored Sky,” according to a Nov. 18 Linfield press release.

“I try to pick a wide variety of style so that students get exposed to as many varieties of Jazz as possible,” Libonati said.

The Jazz Band will perform “Donna Lee,” “Cruisin’ for a Bluesin,” “Brush Taps,” “You and Me,” “Moonbeams,” “Omaha,” “Bari, Bari Good” and “Polka Dots,” according to the press release.

Junior Jessie Goergen will open the show singing in a jazz combo with senior Ryan Dickman on saxophone and Libonati on piano.

Goergen said she will sing the songs “Angel Eyes,” “Fallen“ and “It Don’t Mean a Thing.”

“For each of the songs, it requires a different character to get into,” she said.

Goergen said that, for her, the most exciting part of performing is standing up in front of people and communicating her love and passion for music.

“I just want people to really take advantage of this,” Goergen said referring to the concert.

For more information about the concert, contact the Department of Music at 503-883-2275.

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Chelsea Bowen/Opinion editor
Chelsea Bowen can be reached at linfieldreviewopinion@gmail.com.

After winning a Battle of the Bands sponsored by the Linfield Activities Board last spring, 2010 alumna Joy Nelson is releasing an acoustic folk CD sponsored by Linfield College.
Nelson will perform songs from her CD at 8 p.m. on Dec. 10 at Cornerstone Coffee Roasters.
Nelson began writing songs in high school, and later performed at talent shows and had several Cat Cab concerts at Linfield. She has played at other venues in Portland and McMinnville, too.
Nelson majored in studio art at Linfield. She said that she deals with elements from the natural world in her songs and paintings.
“I talk about the same things through different mediums. Doing art trained me to be more creative,” Nelson said.
Nelson works at Red Fox Bakery in McMinnville and in the Academic Advising Office. She went to New York in October and has also traveled all over Oregon. Nelson said she enjoys the freedom from graduating.
“I work from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., but when you’re done with work, you can do whatever you want,” Nelson said. “You don’t have homework, and you have mind space to be creative.”
Nelson said she was not expecting to win the Battle of the Bands last spring.
“It was crazy. The grand prize was studio recording time,” she said. “I was planning on recording way in the future. It was like, ‘Wow, I can do this now.’”
She recorded tracks during the end of June and didn’t hear from the producer until August. She sent e-mails back and forth about what to change during September and October.
“All of this was new to me. I really didn’t know what I was doing,” Nelson said.
She said she had to learn about how to get a barcode, CD cases and a copyright.
Nelson explained how artists have a great deal of self doubt in the music industry.
“It was a gratifying experience,” she said. “After I heard the initial recording I said, ‘Wow, this is all right. I kind of like it.’”
She writes her own songs and said she cannot wait to share the CD with the people in her life.
“I write songs about people, life events and experiences,” Nelson said. “It’s a really special gift that you can give someone. To be able to say, ‘Oh, I wrote this song about you,’ is neat to share with people.”
Nelson said there were challenges throughout the process and many details that accompany recording.
“I asked a lot of questions,” she said. “I called my friends who have made albums and asked them how to do things. I see why people hire people to do these things for them.”
She said it is hard to manage time in the studio.
“It is an intense thing to do because, in the studio, every minute counts. You don’t get very much time.”
Nelson said she doesn’t know where she wants her future music career to go. She likes that it takes a while to see results in the music industry.
“I’ll send my album to a few different labels to see if they want to do anything,” Nelson said. “You can just see where it goes. It wasn’t a huge investment for me, so I only have to sell several CDs to break even. Next summer, I might promote it.”
She described her CD as typical singer-songwriter material.
“It is cool how many people have helped me,” she said. “The encouragement was great. If someone else can appreciate the CD, then it’s good enough.”
To learn more and hear recordings, visit her new MySpace page at www.myspace.com/joynelsonmusic (no music) and her old one at www.myspace.com/aponderosatale (featuring past recordings).

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Hillary Krippaehne/Copy editor
Hillary Krippaehne can be reached at linfieldreviewcopy@gmail.com.

Kris Gruen, a singer-songwriter from New York, gave an informative presentation on how to advance musical talents from hopeful hobby to prospective profession on Nov. 3 in the Delkin Recital Hall in the Vivian A. Bull Music Center.
Growing up in Vermont and New York, Gruen struggled to bring his poetry to the forefront until he found a way to express it through music. Through producer and friend Charles Newman, who owns the Mother West Records label in New York City, Gruen recorded and produced his finished product that eventually launched him into the media world.
“I’ve done years of live performance and studio practice to get to this point,” Gruen said. “It’s important not to get caught up and spend too much time in the creative process.”
As part of the independent scene, Gruen played at some larger venues, such as the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas.
Part of his workshop was about making connections with people in the music business.
“You have to be willing to deal with people,” Gruen told the audience of approximately 30.
The audience engaged the speakers, hoping to gain insights from those in the music business.
“As an aspiring artist, it is important to listen to perspectives of other artists in the business,” sophomore pianist Collin Morris said.
The workshop offered advice on networking in the area.
Musical collectives, such as the independent scene in Portland, are changing the music culture into an unplugged, experimental sound.
At this stage in Gruen’s career, he said the studio sound and editing take over most of the creative process of the music. Gruen said, he honed his sound by using a studio.
He also played an acoustic set for everyone, with accompaniment by Newman.
Being involved in the academic world has changed his standard audience to collegiate level, which influences his work with students, he said.
“In particular when I’m looking at schools, I’m looking for an open community, a liberal arts college, like Linfield,” Gruen said.
A considerable portion of his promotion, he admitted, was because of selling songs to commercial agencies.
“I recently sold some of my music to Proctor & Gamble [Co.] to use during the Olympics,” he said.
He called this “consumer commercial success.”
“Sometimes you’re conflicted when you’re supporting a cause but don’t believe in the company,” he said.
However, Gruen said his commercial success helped to further his profession.
“There’s a real human element in the industry, and the artist is the heart,” he said, explaining that art can be a viable prospective career.
Gruen said that success with a music degree is more about time organization and strategy than massive amounts of songwriting and practice.
Mike Fite, a McMinnville musician, attended the show and agreed with Gruen.
“It’s incredibly important to manage yourself to be successful,” Fite said.
For more information about singer-songwriter Kris Gruen, visit his website at www.krisgruen.com.

Robin Fahy/Freelancer
Robin Fahy can be reached at linfieldreviewculture@gmail.com.

The Linfield Chamber Orchestra held auditions for its upcoming orchestra series Oct. 8 in Ice Auditorium.
Winners of the Concerto Competition will perform with the LCO for its concert “Revel” on Dec. 3. The Concerto Competition takes place biannually in Ice.
Auditions lasted 15 minutes and each participant introduced and selected a piece compatible with an orchestra accompaniment. Singers were required to perform an aria or duet while instrumentalists prepared one or more concerto movements.
There were six participants. Junior Jeremy Moll won the voice competition and senior Ryan Dickman won over the judges with his saxophone playing.
Orchestra conductor Michael Gesme, who has headed the LCO for seven seasons, was one of three judges of the auditions.
“We showed up to Ice all dressed up, and we performed our pieces,” Moll said. “We found out later that day who had won via e-mail.”
Sophomore Jenaveve Linabary and senior Helen Kehoe were the other competitors for the vocal portion. Seniors Tracy Beaver and Audrey Rasmussen auditioned for the instrumental solo.
Moll will sing “Bella siccome un angelo” from Donizetti’s Don Pasquale, and Dickman will play his saxophone in the concert with the LCO. Rehearsals with the LCO begin in November.
Besides holding auditions, the LCO is performing its first orchestra concert, “Celebration,” at 8 p.m. Oct. 22 in Ice Auditorium.
This year the LCO celebrates its 20th season.
The orchestra allows talented musicians to enhance their musical skills and perform with famous musicians. At its first concert, the orchestra will perform a wide range of music including pieces by famous classical composers Franz Xavier Richter, Jean Sibelius and Antonin Dvorak.
Concertmaster Steven Shepherd and Assistant Concertmaster Casey Bozell will play a piece together composed by Katherine Hoover.
Freshman Lauren Pak is a member of the LCO.
“I play the violin. We’ve had two practices. It’s a great experience to play among professional musicians,” Pak said.
To find more information about the orchestra go to www.lcomusic.org/.

Chelsea Ploof/Freelancer
Chelsea Ploof can be reached at linfieldreviewculture@gmail.com.

Professional pianist Dean Kramer charmed audience members with a recital in celebration of the lifetime of the famous composer Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) on Oct. 11 in Ice Auditorium.
Kramer opened the show with Chopin ballades, No. 1 through No. 4.
“I have been playing this music for a long time, but I have never played all of the ballades together before,” Kramer said. “I think Ballade No. 2 is the most schizo[phrenic].”
The ballades represent a summary of Chopin’s artistic ability and life work. His music, which has much to do with opera, has stood the test of time, Kramer said.
The piece of music Kramer opened with, Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 23, began slowly but gained momentum. Each composition had varying rhythms that caused Kramer’s hands to move frantically up and down the piano keys and body to sway theatrically in time with the music.
“Every pianist has their own physicality and body efficiency,” Professor of Music Jill Timmons, artist-in-residence for the Vivian Bull Music Center, said. “It is about articulating and being in command of what you are doing and being fluent while doing it.”
During the second half of the show, Kramer played other compositions by Chopin, such as his barcarolle and sonata.
Kramer, who teaches piano at the University of Oregon, has been touring the region and performing his recital. He has played in Portland and Corvallis, Ore., and will perform Oct. 17 at UO.
This was not Kramer’s first performance at Linfield. Kramer, who is a friend of Timmons, visited the school a few years ago to play an all-Beethoven recital, Timmons said.
“All of the energy and emotion in Beethoven’s music has to be intrinsic. The strength comes from within; with Chopin, it doesn’t have to be,” Kramer said. “It’s about making those sounds in the moment.”
Both composers’ music represents their personalities. For example, Chopin hated performing in front of large crowds, whereas Beethoven enjoyed it, Kramer said.
Chopin was one of the most central composers of the Romantic Era, Timmons said. He devoted all of his time to the piano. His compositions are directed toward more advanced pianists.
“His repertoire is full of lyrical beauty, emotion [and] virtuoso and is fun to play,” she said.
Next year, Kramer will tour Oregon to perform compositions by the famous late Hungarian composer Franz Liszt (1859-1867).

Jessica Prokop/Culture editor
Jessica Prokop can be reached at linfieldreviewculture@gmail.com