September 25, 2014—Associate Professor of Horn Lydia Van Dreel has released a new solo album. Entitled New Millennium Music for Horn, the album consists of a collection of works composed between 2004 and 2012.
The project was funded in part by an Innovation and Creative Research Award from the UO School of Music and Dance.
For the new release, Van Dreel got by with the help of her UO School of Music and Dance friends. Two of the composers (J.M. Gerraughty and Jamie Keesecker) are recent alumni, and Evan C. Paul is about to finish his dissertation. Van Dreel had the pleasure of teaching Gerraughty and Keesecker horn while they were UO students, and Kelsi McGlothin, a current UO horn performance major, is featured on one of the tracks.
“I think all three UO composers have written excellent pieces for horn,” says Van Dreel, “and I wanted to include them on a CD of some more established composers to give their music more exposure.”
UO faculty colleagues featured on New Millennium Music for Horn include flutist Molly Barth, oboist Melissa Peña, clarinetist Louis DeMartino, bassoonist Steve Vacchi, and saxophonist Idit Shner. Associate Professor Brian McWhorter both produced the album and composed the final track, while SOMD recording engineer Lance Miller worked his magic behind the board.
According to the album’s liner notes, “Each composer’s approach to the horn is unique and each points in new directions for writing and thinking about horn as a contemporary performance instrument.”
New Millennium Music for Horn is currently available at CD Baby, iTunes, Amazon, and a number of streaming music services.