CELLO TEACHERS

HORATIO EDENS

A native of Wyoming, Horatio Edens began cello studies with David Tomatz, cellist of the Western Arts Trio.  Mr. Edens graduated with High Honors from the University of Wyoming where he was principal cellist and assistant conductor of the symphony.  He received his M.F.A. in Cello Performance from the University of Iowa in 1973, and subsequently taught public school orchestra while a faculty member at Idaho State University (until 1978).  Doctoral studies followed at the University of Iowa, where Mr. Edens was principal cellist with the University Symphony under James Dixon, teaching assistant to Professor Charles Wendt, and performer in a series of master classes with visiting artist Fritz Magg.  Educational honors include Ford Foundation fellowships, University Honors scholarships, graduate teaching assistantships, and a nomination as Outstanding Teacher at Idaho State University. Edens has taught at the Universities of Wyoming and Iowa, at Cornell College, Idaho State University, and Humboldt State University.  He has presented solo recitals and chamber music concerts as a member of the Muhlfeld Trio, the Idaho Quartet, the Fairall Quartet, Ten Strings, and the Auburn Camerata.  Additionally, he has appeared as soloist with orchestras in Iowa, Illinois, Idaho, Wyoming, Washington, and California, and is a past conductor of the Auburn Youth Symphony (1997-2000).  Presently, he is principal cellist of the Auburn Symphony Orchestra (California) and the Folsom Lake Symphony Orchestra (California).

J. ROBERT HLADKY

A founding board member and soloist cellist of the Eugene Symphony, he is also a founding member of the Oregon Mozart Players.  His professional career is extensive and varied.  He has served as the principal cellist and soloist with the Rochester Philharmonic, the Eastern Chamber Orchestra, the Columbus Symphony, the Oklahoma City Symphony, the Eugene Symphony, the Oregon Bach Festival, the Peter Britt Festival, and the Red Lodge Music Festival. He received his Bachelor's degree from Oklahoma State University, and then studied in New York with Luigi Silva of the Juilliard School of Music.  He received his Master's and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the Eastman School of Music, where he also studied with Silva as well as Gabor Rejto and Ronald Leonard.  He served on the faculties of Ohio Wesleyan University and the Eastman School of Music prior to coming to the University of Oregon in 1961, where he was Professor of Cello (until his retirement in 1991) and a member of the resident Oregon String Quartet.  A very active chamber music performer, he is a former member of the Duvall Trio, the University of Oregon Trio, and the Oklahoma Symphony String Quartet, and has performed on the Eastman Faculty Artist Series and as a guest artist with the Los Angeles String Quartet.

CHARLES WENDT

[Not to fear, I will load a more "professional" image soon . . . if I can find one!]

An active soloist and chamber musician, Charles G. Wendt joined the faculty of the University of Iowa School of Music in 1966. He celebrated his 30th anniversary on the faculty in the spring of 1996 with a memorable program consisting entirely of short pieces suitable for performance as encores. Wendt graduated from the Juilliard School of Music (where he was a student of Luigi Silva) and received his master's degree from Indiana University, where he was awarded the coveted Performer's Certificate. He has appeared as soloist with the Atlanta, Richmond, Pittsburgh, Cedar Rapids, and Waterloo symphony orchestras. Before coming to the UI, he was assistant first cellist with the Pittsburgh Symphony and principal cellist of the Santa Fe Opera. Currently, he is cellist of the Stradivari Quartet and also principal cellist with the Quad City Symphony.

TERRY KING

Terry King was a protégé of the legendary Gregor Piatigorsky and served as his assistant in Piatigorsky's master classes at the University of Southern California. King was privileged to join his celebrated teacher in a duo concert in one of the master's last concerts. Terry is not only a unique cellist, but a musical scholar, chamber musician and conductor. His repertoire features the classic works for cello including unknown masterworks he has found throughout the world. Many prominent American composers have written works for King as well as entrusted him with their premieres, among those being Roy Harris, Aaron Copland, Virgil Thomson, Halsey Stevens, Paul Reale, Paul Creston, Miklos Rozsa, Lou Harrison, Lukas Foss, Otto Luening, and many others. Mr. King is a member of the Mirecourt Trio, and has been on the faculties of the San Francisco Conservatory, UC Berkeley, California State University at Fullerton, Grinnell College, University of Iowa, and is currently teaching at the Longy School of Music and the Hartt School of Music. King is presently engaged in a recording project of standard and American works for cello on the Music and Arts label. His recording of the complete Mendelssohn works was praised in Fanfare Magazine,?of all versions this is the most consistently thought out and expressively realized...intensely poetic." and was also the preferred recording mentioned on the nationally syndicated radio program, First Hearing. His ground-breaking series Cello America has been met with similar praise worldwide. Terry King records for MCA, CRI, Innova, Genesis, Orion, A&M, Music and Arts, Bay Cities, Gasparo, Erasmus, Albany, Sony, Troy, Varese Saraband and TR Records.

CONDUCTING TEACHERS

MADELINE F. SCHATZ

Madeline F. Schatz received most of her musical experience in Los Angeles, California. She studied violin with Eudice Shapiro, Josef Gingold and Henryk Szyerng; viola with William Primrose, David Dawson and Milton Thomas; piano with Jack Previn and John Crown; and conducting with Michael Tilson Thomas, Daniel Lewis and Paul Vermel. She has won the grand prize in the international Coleman Chamber Music Competition five times, has studied chamber music with the Juilliard, Netherlands and Amadeus Quartets; and has performed internationally as a concert artist on the conducting podium as well as on violin and viola. She performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and California Chamber Symphony and has appeared as soloist with numerous orchestras as well as being an active chamber music player and teacher. She has taught at the university-level at Humboldt State University, the University of Utah, and the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. Additionally, she has guest conducted on numerous occasions, including the London (England), Utah, New Mexico, Tacoma, Albuquerque Chamber and Virginia Symphony Orchestras, in addition to the Women's' Philharmonic, the University of Oregon Symphony, and the Salt Lake Symphony. Maestra Schatz has recorded on CD with the London Symphony Orchestra and the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra. Dr Schatz presently maintains her home in Kamuela, HI where she is conductor of the Kamuela Philharmonic, teaches music at the Hawaii Preparatory Academy and maintains a studio of private students in violin, viola, cello and piano.

DR. H. ROYCE SALTZMAN

A University of Oregon faculty member since 1964, Dr. H. Royce Saltzman served as associate dean of the School of Music for twelve years. Saltzman earned a bachelor's degree from Goshen College, a master's degree from Northwestern University, and a doctorate from the University of Southern California. He co-founded the Oregon Bach Festival along with Helmuth Rilling in 1970. Under Saltzman's leadership, the Festival has grown into one of the premiere classical music festivals in the United States, drawing an annual audience of 35,000, with visitors from almost every state and half a dozen countries. From 1979 to 1981 he was national president of the American Choral Directors Association; from 1985 to 1993 was president of the International Federation for Choral Music, a worldwide organization that includes national organizations, choirs, and conductors in more than seventy countries. He has served on five panels of the National Endowment for the Arts. He is a member of the Honorary Committee of Zimriya, the world Assembly of Choirs in Israel; was honorary advisor to the China International Choral Festival in Beijing; is currently a member of the Advisory Board, Academia Bach de Venezuela in Caracas; and a member of the Board of Directors, Internationale Bachakademie-Stuttgart. In 1994 he received the Order of the Cross of Merit, Germany's highest political-cultural award. Among his numerous awards and citations are the University of Oregon’s Distinguished Service Award, the Alumni Merit award from Northwestern University, and Eugene's First Citizen award.

MARSHA MABREY

Marsha E. Mabrey began her conducting career after studies at the University of Michigan, School of Music and Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. She has held conducting and faculty positions at several universities in the U.S. (including the University of Oregon from 1982-1989) and was the Assistant Conductor of the Grand Rapids Symphony (MI), and resident conductor for the Eugene Chamber Orchestra, (OR). She served as Music Director and Conductor of the Seattle Philharmonic from 1996-2002, during which time she programmed innovative concerts featuring a blend of standard repertoire, world music, and music by living composers.

 

JAMES A. DIXON

James A. Dixon chose to lead the majority of his career from his position as conductor of the University of Iowa Symphony Orchestra, a post he held for 40 years. Focused always on the music and showing a remarkable empathy for the musicians under his baton, Dixon, now an emeritus professor, has brought national attention to Iowa’s School of Music and made this region a center for American orchestral music. In addition, Dixon served for 29 years as music director and conductor of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, retiring from that position in 1994. He is widely credited with building the Quad City Symphony Orchestra into an ensemble of musical distinction that is respected to this day for the innovation of its programming and unquestionable artistic integrity. Born in Estherville, Iowa, and raised in Guthrie Center, Dixon studied privately for nine years with his friend and mentor, the renowned Greek conductor, pianist, and composer Dimitri Mitropoulos. It was when he returned to his home state that Dixon’s musical life crystallized. When he was awarded the Ditson Conductor’s Award for 1980 by Columbia University, the presentation included the following words: “You were born, nurtured, and educated in this part of our country’s heartland. After whatever sojourns…you have returned. At a time when it is tempting to identify conductors by their rootlessness and their ability to be on two continents at the same time…your centeredness is becoming.” One of the proudest moments for the UI Symphony and the University of Iowa came in 1976, when the International Society for Contemporary Music met for the first time in the U.S. The society selected just three orchestras from across the country to perform the extensive program of new works, and the UI Symphony was one of these. Seiji Ozawa, world-renowned conductor of the Boston Symphony, gave the UI Symphony further recognition following its performance, when he commended its excellence. A great part of Dixon’s achievement came as the result of earning the highest admiration and respect of his orchestra members through his musical sensitivity and talent, self-discipline, and warm personality. Many attribute his success as a conductor to his ability to inspire his musicians to want to perform well. Through his long career, Dixon won countless awards recognizing his significant contributions to the field of music, from the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Medal in 1955, given to the finest young artist of the year for conducting, to the Gustav Mahler Medal in 1963, to a 1978 Laurel Leaf Award from the American Composers Alliance in New York, to several honorary doctorates awarded in the 1980s. He has mentored more than 30 conducting students and conducted world premieres of nearly 40 new works. A life member of the University of Iowa Alumni Association and a member of the UI Foundation’s Presidents Club, Dixon has contributed greatly to the cultural life of his alma mater, his state, and beyond. For his complete commitment to an outstanding career as a musician and educator, he is most deserving of the UIAA Distinguished Faculty/Staff Award.

From UNIVERSITY OF IOWA NEWS SERVICES:

James A. Dixon, professor emeritus of the University of Iowa School of Music, longtime conductor of the UI Symphony Orchestra, and former music director and conductor of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, died Tuesday, April 3, 2007 in Iowa City at the age of 78. His death was attributed to complications from pneumonia and flu, for which he had been hospitalized for about 10 days.