Music
	The Rachel S. Thaler Concert Pianist Series this year will feature renowned pianist Angela Hewitt as guest artist. Hewitt will perform on Tuesday, September 28, in the Walter B. Ford Concert Hall in the soon-to-be-dedicated James J. Whalen Center for Music. Since her triumph in the 1985 international Bach piano competition in Toronto and her subsequent Bach recording for Deutsche Grammophon, Hewitt has been hailed as "one of the outstanding Bach pianists of our time" (Sunday Times [London], 1997). In 1994 she embarked on a 10-year project to record all the major keyboard works by Bach for the Hyperion label. She has performed throughout North America and Europe, as well as in Japan, Australia, China, Mexico, and the former Soviet Union. Born into a musical family, Hewitt began her piano studies at the age of 3, performing in public at 4 and a year later winning her first scholarship. She also studied violin, recorder, singing, and classical ballet. At 9 she gave her first recital at Toronto’s Royal Conservatory of Music, where she studied from 1964 to 1973. Hewitt then studied with French pianist Jean-Paul Sevilla at the University of Ottawa, from which she earned her bachelor of music degree at age 18. Before winning the Toronto Bach competition, Hewitt placed first in Italy’s Viotti competition (1978). She was a top prizewinner in the international Bach competitions in Leipzig and Washington, D.C., as well as in the Schumann competition in Zwickau, Germany, the Casadesus competition in Cleveland, and the Dino Ciani competition at La Scala in Milan. Hewitt’s repertoire is vast, ranging from Bach to the contemporary. She recorded Granados’s Spanish Dances for CBC Records, and in May 1998 Hyperion released her single disc devoted to the works of Oliver Messiaen. She has appeared as a soloist with major orchestras across Canada and the United States, with the Japan Philharmonic, and with all the orchestras of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Her concerto appearances in the United Kingdom have included the Proms in the Royal Albert Hall. An avid chamber music player, Hewitt has also appeared extensively with singers and instrumentalists in North America and Europe. Her lecture-recitals on Bach and her frequent master classes are widely appreciated by both students and teachers. She is also a founding member of Piano Six, a group of six Canadian pianists who take music to the rural communities of Canada. Assistant professor Alex Shuhan, a member of the ensemble Rhythm and Brass, reports a recent review in Entertainment Weekly of the band’s latest release that says: "There [will] be plenty of Duke Ellington–related records out this year [Ellington’s birthday centennial], but few are likely to be as smart and deliciously off-centered as this loving tribute that reconfigures Duke classics . . . and lesser known gems . . . for an exuberant brass-based ensemble." Two key positions in the school were filled this summer. Eric Hummel has been named coordinator of music admissions, and as such will play a pivotal role in bringing new students to Ithaca College. Alexander Dippold ’98 is the new coordinator of music facilities and publicity, charged with bringing Ithaca College to the community at large. Hummel (pictured with Dippold, right) succeeds Graham Stewart ’81, who is now director of alumni relations, in the admissions slot. He is a professional trumpet player and music educator who most recently served as band director at Boynton Middle School in Ithaca. Hummel is a former member of the United States Army Band, "Pershing’s Own"; Cedar Rapids Symphony; Quad-City Symphony; Fox Valley Symphony; and the Lawrence Brass. He received his master of arts and bachelor of music degrees at the University of Iowa. Hummel says he is excited to join "a truly outstanding School of Music with a top-notch reputation." Alumnus Alexander Dippold takes a new position, which was created to ensure the smooth running of the James J. Whalen Center for Music and to increase public awareness of the more than 300 annual concerts and events in the School of Music. As a student at Ithaca, Dippold was a Dana intern and was active in the choral ensembles. He has performed with the Ithaca Opera Association. He has most recently studied Dalcroze eurhythmics music education methodology at Carnegie Mellon University. Dippold says he’s delighted to return to Ithaca in this new role: "Ithaca is fortunate to have such talented faculty and students, who are so willing to share their music with the community. My hope is to continue building on the strong relationship between the College and the community."