The range of the flute will be showcased by Julie Sooy, Gabe Southard, Rebecca Van DeWalker, Jayne Gort and special guest, pianist Jennifer Wolfe during the Hope College faculty recital on Sunday, Oct. 26, at 3 p.m. in Wichers Auditorium of Nykerk Hall of Music.
The public is invited. Admission is free.
The performance will include duets by Jules Augusta Demersseman and Anton Bernhard Furstenau, a trio by Albisi Barcarola Veneziana, and quartets by Friedrich Kuhlau and Eugene Bozza.
Julie Sooy received her B.M. and M.M. in music education, performance and theory from Bowling GreenStateUniversity. She also studied music in Salzburg, Austria and Gamelan in Bali, Indonesia. She has performed at two National Flute Association Conventions, premiering new works for flute, and has produced a recording of sacred music for flute and piano. Sooy is the conductor of the Hope College Flute Choir.
Robert "Gabe" Southard recently completed his Doctorate of Musical Arts in conducting at Michigan State University, where he worked with Professor John Whitwell. Prior to his residence at MSU, he served as Wind Symphony conductor and Flute Studio teacher at the University of Michigan-Flint, where he also taught orchestration, music appreciation and advanced conducting. Southard teaches at Hope College and performs with the Midland Symphony Orchestra, as well as several other area orchestras.
Jayne Gort has a career as a manager with AT&T, supporting engineering managers in all parts of the country. She graduated from CalvinCollege and holds an MBA from WesternMichiganUniversity. She plays principal flute with the Holland Symphony Orchestra and has been involved in multiple artistic and administrative capacities since the birth of the organization. Other organizations with which she has played include the Kent Philharmonia Orchestra, the West Michigan Flute Association and the Calvin College Alumni Orchestra. Privately Gort studied with Darlene Dugan for many years, and most recently with Rhonda Larson.
Jennifer Wolfe, instructor and staff accompanist, holds master's degrees in choral conducting and piano performance from Michigan State University and the University of Illinois. In addition to her classroom teaching, she directs the Women's Chamber Choir and appears frequently as a chamber musician on the Faculty Recital Series.
Rebecca Van De Walker earned her Bachelor of Music in flute performance from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. She studied with Lois Schaefer and Fenwick Smith of the Boston Symphony and with soloist Paula Robison. Van De Walker has performed with the Holland Chamber Orchestra, Muskegon Chamber Choir Orchestra, the Circle and Civic Theatre orchestras, and the Saugatuck Chamber Music Festival. She was a flute instructor at Hope College for eight years and has performed on several faculty recitals and concerts.
Nykerk Hall of Music is located in the central Hope campus at the former 127 E. 12th Street between College and Columbia avenues.