UW-Waukesha Music Department Offers Recital on Feb. 1

WAUKESHA – The University of Wisconsin-Waukesha Music Department will perform a faculty recital at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb.1 in the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre lobby.

The event is free and open to the public. UW-Waukesha is located at 1500 N. University Drive, Waukesha.

Nancy Van Brunt will open her part of the program with Mio tesoro per te moro, an aria by Alessandro Scarlatti for trumpet, soprano and piano. She will be joined by Craig Hurst on the trumpet and Jen Van Brunt at the piano. Nancy Van Brunt will present two groups of songs accompanied at the piano by Jen Van Brunt. One group will include pieces in French, Finnish and Spanish:  Aimons-nous by Camille Saint-Saens extols the virtues of love, Slummersång by Fredrik Pacius is a lullaby for one’s beloved, and Canción de Cuna Para Dormir a un Negrito by Xavier Montsalvatge is a lullaby for a child. Nancy Van Brunt will also sing Loveliest of Trees by John Duke and Blackberry Winter by Alec Wilder.

Craig Hurst will be accompanied by Jen Van Brunt at the piano as he presents the Trumpet Concerto in E-flat by Johann Nepomuk Hummel. The piece is in three movements and is one of the standard works of trumpet literature.

Trombonist Tom Patterson is collaborating with pianist Jen Van Brunt on a chamber work by Donald White, Sonata (1966). This work features rather disjunctive themes, agitated rhythms, and polytonality. They will also perform Night Song by Anthony Iannaccone, a lush piece demonstrating the lyrical aspects of the trombone and piano with wide use of arpeggios.

Nancy Van Brunt holds a bachelor’s degree in music theory, a master’s degree in choral conducting and a doctor of philosophy in music theory with a minor in vocal performance, all from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She began her teaching career with the UW Colleges in 1980 at UW-Fond du Lac, also teaching at UW-Fox Valley and UW-Washington County before joining the faculty at UW-Waukesha in 1999.  She teaches freshman and sophomore music theory and aural skills, handbell choir and vocal jazz ensemble at UW Waukesha. Van Brunt has served as choir director and director of music ministries for churches in Waupun and Beaver Dam, respectively, and as director and conductor of the Beaver Dam Oratorio Society, a community chorus of 40 voices. A long-time member and soloist with the Green Lake Festival Choir, she has also performed with the Master Singers of Milwaukee and served as their assistant conductor. 

Hurst has been director of bands at UW-Waukesha since January of 1993. He holds degrees from Boise State University, North Texas State University, and the University of North Texas.  At North Texas, he was a conducting student of   Robert Winslow and studied trumpet with John J. Haynie and Leonard A. Candelaria. In the greater Milwaukee area, Hurst has performed as principal trumpet or trumpet soloist with the Waukesha Area Symphonic Band, the Waukesha Park and Rec Band, the Concord Chamber Orchestra, the Milwaukee Stadpfeifer, The Jazz Express Big Band, the Wisconsin Wind Orchestra and the Milwaukee Police Band. 

Hurst has served on the boards of directors for the Waukesha Area Symphonic Band, Waukesha Area Arts Alliance, and the Concord Chamber Orchestra. He has published articles in the Southeastern Journal of Music Education and the Journal of the International Trumpet Guild.  He also writes reviews of concerts by the Waukesha Symphony Orchestra published in the Waukesha Freeman.

Patterson earned his bachelor of arts degree in music from UW-Whitewater and his master of music degree at UW-Madison. Patterson has held teaching positions at the UW-Fond du Lac and UW-Fox Valley campuses as well as at Marian University and Wayland Academy. He earned the distinction of Master Craftsman Brass Instrument Maker with Getzen Musical Instruments of Elkhorn.

Patterson is a trombonist and clinician, touring regularly with the Madison Brass. Active in vocal, choral, and instrumental performance and conducting, he has appeared with the Madison Early Music Festival, the Southern Lakes Masterpiece Chorale, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra,  the Holton-Elkhorn Band, the Beaver Dam Area Orchestra, Bobby Lewis and the Miss America Show, and Las Vegas Bandleader Tony Scodwell. He has served on the board of directors for the Beaver Dam Area Orchestra, the Beaver Dam Community Band, and the Beaver Dam Area Community Theater. Patterson resides in Beaver Dam with his wife Denise.

Jennifer Van Brunt is a 2012 graduate of UW-Milwaukee, where she earned a master’s degree in collaborative piano. She earned her bachelor of fine arts degree from UW-Milwaukee in 2010, double majoring in collaborative piano and voice and graduating with high honors. Van Brunt has recently served as rehearsal accompanist and as the main keyboard player in performance for UW-Waukesha's 2011 production of “Urinetown,” the 2010 production of “Little Shop of Horrors,” and the 2009 production of “Working.” She was the transcriber, music arranger and accompanist for dance pieces in the 2009 and 2010 Art to Art Show at Dance Works in Milwaukee. She has performed numerous student recitals at UW-Milwaukee and tutored class piano and music theory there as an undergraduate student.  Van Brunt currently teaches class piano and vocal techniques at UW-Waukesha and teaches private piano and voice lessons in her studio.

UW-Waukesha

UW–Waukesha has the largest enrollment among the 13 UW Colleges campuses with more than 2,000 students.  These freshman/sophomore campuses and UW Colleges Online comprise the UW Colleges. They offer an associate of arts and sciences degree and prepare students of all ages and backgrounds for baccalaureate and professional programs. In addition, UW-Waukesha offers several collaborative bachelor’s degrees through UW-Milwaukee and UW-Oshkosh.

For information about programs, admission or financial aid, contact the Student Services office at 262-521-5040 or visit the Web. You can follow the campus on Facebook or Twitter.