COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (Sept. 5, 2008) — A faculty bassoon recital will be presented Tuesday night at 7:30 in Wattenbarger Auditorium on the Tennessee Tech campus by James Lotz along with pianist Paul Thurmond.

Professor Lotz is starting his 19th year as a faculty member at TTU’s music department. He is also a member of the Cumberland Quintet and the Bryan Symphony. He  frequently performs with the Nashville Symphony, the Nashville Chamber Orchestra and  is active in the commercial recording industry in Nashville.

First on the program is the “Concerto in e minor” one of the best of the 40 bassoon concerti written by the Italian Baroque composer Antonio Vivaldi.

 The rest of the program will include pieces and styles of music not often associated with the bassoon. One is the “Partita for bassoon” by fellow Yale grad Bill Douglas which has jazz movements in bebop, blues, ballad and latin styles.

The next piece, transcribed by Professor Lotz, will be premiered on this recital and is a labor of love with a very personal connection. “Children of the Starr’s”  is by David VanVactor who was a flutist in the Chicago Symphony for many years before coming to Knoxville in the 1940’s to become the conductor of the Knoxville Symphony and the first chair of the University of Tennessee music department. VanVactor was a very well known and prolific composer in the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s. His symphonies were performed by the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony and many prominent European orchestras. This piece was originally written for William Starr the KSO’s concertmaster and a good friend of Mr. VanVactor. Each movement was written for a different Starr child. On this recital you will hear “Kathleen”, “Teresa” and “Gregory”. Teresa is Professor Lotz’s wife.

Concluding the recital is a piece by Henri Tomasi, "Le Tombeau de Mireille" written for fife and tambourine.

In this version Mr. Lotz will be joined by Professor of Percussion, Eric Willie playing a variety of colorful percussion instruments.

--Tracey Hackett
This information posted 5 September 2008