Music Department to honor two
Regina Murphy
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Two veterans of the Emporia State University department of music will be honored Saturday at the department’s annual Gala Benefit Concert. The concert is the primary fundraiser for music student scholarships.
Pianist Elaine Edwards, professor emerita, will be inducted into the Frank A. Beach Hall of Distinction. Violinist James Starr will be honored with the inception of the James Starr Music Scholarship in celebration of his 33 years in the department and in honor of his retirement later this year.
The Beach award, initiated in 1994, recognizes outstanding achievements in music by ESU music alumni, music faculty or advocates of the department.
Edwards began teaching at Emporia State University in 1963 and retired in 1997 as professor emerita of music and a Distinguished Roe R. Cross Professor.
Current faculty member and fellow Roe R. Cross Professor William H. Clamurro said, “Elaine is the patron saint of piano in Emporia. A devoted promoter and lover of all things musical.”
Champions of classical and 20th-century chamber music, Edwards and Starr co-founded The Great Plains Trio in 1976, and together with James Swain performed extensively throughout the region. The trio was twice on the Kansas Arts Touring Programs and received the Governor’s Artist Recognition Award.
In 1976, Edwards established the Great Plains Suzuki Institute at Emporia State University. This Institute operated under the leadership of Edwards for many years and brought many renowned Suzuki pedagogues to Emporia to train generations of musicians.
John Lennon, professor of vocal performance emeritus, said, “Elaine and I have known each other since 1964. I take great delight in the lady — her artistry and her companionship.”
In an interview with The Gazette in 1997, Edwards said, “The greatest reward is in the accomplishments of students, the enrichment of my life through relationships with my students and their parents. I’ve enjoyed everyone of them.”
Starr and his wife, Bonnie, and their children have been a fixture of the Emporia community for decades. They have provided music for numerous festive occasions around town.
Raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, Starr studied with Sally Peck and Oscar Chausow. Starr eventually became a member of the Utah Symphony Orchestra and toured with it for seven years. In 1978, Starr completed a doctorate in violin performance at the University of Illinois as a student of the distinguished pedagogue Paul Rolland.
As a teacher, Starr has served as head of the string department at ESU for many years. In 1995 he was awarded the Hall of Fame Award Kansas Teacher of the Year by the Kansas Chapter of American String Teachers Association. Starr served as president of the association for two years, and he remains on the state board as past president advisor.
"It has been both an honor and a pleasure to have worked with Elaine Edwards and Jim Starr,” said Allan Comstock, interim department chair. “They are teachers of immense depth and experience. Such faculty as these enrich our program beyond measure.
“Elaine and Jim are also exceptional people who display tremendous personal integrity. The members of the university and the community love them deeply. They certainly deserve all of the accolades that we can bestow upon them!"
Before the concert Saturday, there will be a silent auction for donated items including KU basketball tickets; hot air balloon rides; live music performances in your home; a motor coach tour to see the Royals; two gourmet catered dinners; and much more. Ticket holders will have the chance to bid from 6 to 7:15 p.m. over hors d’oeuvres and wine in the Shepherd Rotunda in Beach Hall.
Music to be performed on the concert includes Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man”, the first movement of Beethoven’s Sonata, Op. 24 for violin and piano, “Czárdás” from “Die Fledermaus” by Johann Strauss, and Astor Piazolla’s “Le Grand Tango”.
The Gala Benefit Concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Heath Recital Hall in Beach Music Hall on the Campus of Emporia State University. Ticket information is available at 341-5431. Tickets are $25 and include the pre-concert reception and silent auction as well as the post-concert reception. Advance purchases should be made by 5 p.m. Friday. Any remaining seats will be available at the door (cash or check only).