OWU Faculty Recital Features Columbus Group, Beethoven

March 26, 2002

DELAWARE, OHIO -- The Ohio Wesleyan University Department of Music presents a faculty recital by OWU professors Nancy Gamso and Tracy Cowden and the Columbus Wind Octet on Tuesday, April 2, at 8 p.m. in Jemison Auditorium. The program will feature chamber music for flute, clarinet and piano as well as a performance of Beethoven's Octet in Eb Major.

Gamso, a frequent performer on various woodwinds, has been on faculty at Ohio Wesleyan University since 1991. Several performance degrees in multiple woodwinds and years of experience as a woodwind doubler have provided her the opportunity to be at home both in the orchestral pit -- including productions of The Wizard of Oz, Titanic, Victor/Victoria, and Sweeney Todd -- on a plethora of woodwind instruments and in orchestral, chamber and band settings -- including ProMusica, Columbus Symphony, Lancaster Festival, Sarasota Music Festival, and New Sousa Band -- as a clarinetist.

Gamso was a featured clinician at the 2001 OMEA conference, is on faculty with the Chamber Music Connection and frequently serves as an adjudicator, clinician and performer throughout the United States.

Cowden is currently an assistant professor at Ohio Wesleyan University, where she teaches applied and class piano and serves as departmental staff accompanist. In October 2001, she appeared as a concerto soloist with the Ohio Wesleyan University Chamber Orchestra. She also maintains an active schedule as a collaborative pianist and has performed in recitals with principal musicians from the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Vancouver Symphony, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

An enthusiastic chamber music performer, Cowden has performed at the Fontana Festival of Art and Music and at the Yellow Barn Music School and Festival, and as a member of the Knusper Trio was a finalist at the 1998 Carmel Chamber Music Competition.

The Columbus Wind Octet was most recently featured in the Short North Concert Series. The repertoire of the group is derived from the first wind band music of the late 18th century (Harmoniemusik), using wind instruments of the classical orchestra (pairs of oboes, clarinets, horns and bassoons). The members -- Robin Costa, Cindy Stolba, Nancy Gamso, Tony Costa, David Nesmith, Barbara Nokes, Chris Weait and Karl Vilcins -- are well-known Columbus wind players.

The program is free and open to the public. Some of the performed works will be recorded by Drs. Gamso and Cowden in the summer of 2002 as part of a project to bring lesser-known 20th-century chamber works to the attention of applied music teachers. For more information, contact Dr. Nancy Gamso at 740-368-3710 or nmgamso@owu.edu, or the music department secretary at 740-368-3700 or musicd@owu.edu.