CJ Day
Staff Writer
Today, Scott Turpin and Theresa Bogard of the University of Wyoming Music Department will perform a series of duets as part of the UW Faculty Recital Series.
The musicians plan to perform a diverse selection of music, featuring standards from Clause Debussy and Bernard Heiden alongside a completely new composition from Jim David.
“We’re presenting this new piece alongside other groups all this year,” says Turpin, “but this will be the first chance anyone’s going to get to hear it. I’m a big proponent of performing new music, and this
is that.”
The duo, with Turpin on the alto saxophone and Bogard on piano, will also perform more recognizable pieces from more traditional composers, as Turpin sees the concert as a learning experience.
“I was also interested in playing some pieces that I ask my students to work on,” he said. “So this is me showing them how these pieces should be performed live.”
The concert is not just for the benefit of music students. As part of Turpin and Bogard’s responsibilities as music educators, they are required to host another creative endeavor. Some instructors host workshops for community members, others produce recordings of musical works, but Turpin and Bogard perform for the community along with other faculty members.
Turpin and Bogard’s concert is just one in a series of faculty recitals throughout this semester and beyond, and is just one of the 150 concerts that will be held in the Performing Arts Center each semester, on average.
During the preparation for a concert, Turpin said he holds formal rehearsals with his group two to three times a week, and practices anywhere between three to five hours a day. Coupled with his teaching responsibilities, and the demands on his time made by his position as department head, it can be hard to find any spare time during the work day.
“The performances tend to stack up, so when I’m not working on one, I’m working on the next,” said Turpin. “There’s not a lot of downtime in this position.”
Despite this, Turpin said he does not feel particularly stressed about the demands made on his time.
“I don’t have to make my schedule fit around music, it’s just part of the day,” he said. “It is a balance between teaching and practicing and rehearsing, but I get to make music, so it’s all fun in the end.”
Turpin and Bogard’s performance will be held at 7:30 p.m. today in the recital hall at the Performing Arts Center. There is no charge for admittance, and tickets are not necessary.
