2010 High School State Honors Project Conductors
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Orcenith Smith
Former music director of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, Orcenith Smith is music director of the DePauw Orchestras and Opera, was named “Outstanding Professor of Music” three times at DePauw and was inaugural recipient of the Cassel Grubb University Professorship in Music, 1999-2003. Achieving success in both professional and academic settings, his concerts are distinguished by passionate interpretations of thoughtful and diverse programming. Having conducted over 900 performances of orchestral, operatic and choral/orchestral repertoire, he has received critical acclaim both here and abroad. The Chicago Tribune called Smith "a gifted conductor, able to take an orchestra to remarkable technical and artistic heights!" In Europe, critics cited his "brilliant achievement" and that his "music-making was infectious!" He has led the DePauw University Chamber Symphony to Japan, Austria, The Czech Republic, England, Spain, France, Italy and throughout the United States, including concerts at The Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall’s Recital Hall. Smith has conducted the Indianapolis Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Louisville Orchestra, and in international competitions, BBC Symphony (London), Guildhall Orchestra, and the West Berlin Radio Orchestra. His concerts have been heard on NPR’s "Performance Today," Karl Haas’s “Adventures in Good Music" and US Airway’s “Ovation” programming. He has conducted all-state orchestras in Wisconsin, Illinois, Utah, Indiana, Oklahoma, Kansas and British Columbia, and he is thrilled to be returning to work with the fine young musicians in Wisconsin for a third time!
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Robert Szabo
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Szabo was born on July 26, 1961 in Martins Ferry, Ohio and is a native of Wellsburg, WV and a 1979 graduate of Brooke High School. In 1983 he received a bachelor of arts degree in music education from West Liberty State College, West Liberty, WV and continued his education at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. Szabo’s formal conducting studies were with Charles Boggess, Alfred deJaager and Walter Hendl, orchestral director of the Erie Philharmonic and Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra. From 1984-1988 Szabo was employed as a high school band director in Ohio.
CWO3 Szabo enlisted in the Marine Corps on June 28, 1988. Upon graduation from Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina, Private First Class Szabo reported to the Armed Forces School of Music, Norfolk, VA. After advancing out of the basic course of instruction, Lance Corporal Szabo was assigned to the Forth Marine Aircraft Wing Band in New Orleans, LA. During his “Mardi Gras” experience he was promoted to the rank of Corporal. In May 1991 he began a one-year unaccompanied tour with the Third Marine Expeditionary Force Band, Okinawa, Japan, where he was selected as the 1991 III MEF Marine of the Year. After completing the Section Leaders Course at the School of Music in December 1992 he was reunited with his family for a second tour of duty in New Orleans, LA.
During his career he has served as a french horn instrumentalist, arranger, field show designer, administrative clerk and Staff Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge of the bands’ fiscal travel budget, library and the public affairs office. In April of 1993, as a Sergeant, he was appointed to fulfill a Gunnery Sergeant’s billet as Enlisted Band Leader of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing Band. Promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant in January 1995, he served with the band until his transfer in July 1995 to the School of Music for the advance course of instruction.
Following a brief assignment with the Marine Corps Logistic Base Band, Albany, GA, SSgt Szabo was recalled to the School of Music in December 1997 as an instructor, serving as a rehearsal conductor and Concert Band Branch Head. SSgt Szabo co-authored in the curriculum development of four new advance courses, and single-handedly developed a comprehensive and progressive evaluation form for the conducting boards. Additionally, SSgt Szabo was the primary Advance Course instructor of score study and conducting techniques to the future conductors of the Navy and Marine Corps. After the appointment to Warrant Officer on February 1, 2000, and graduation from the Warrant Officer Basic Course, CWO3 Szabo served as the Director and Officer in Charge of the Parris Island Marine Corps Recruit Depot Band, The Quantico Marine Corps Band, and is currently assigned to the Second Marine Aircraft Wing Band, Cherry Point, NC.
Additionally, CWO3 Szabo is the principal director of music for the annual Greater Cleveland, Ohio Police Memorial and The Virginia Arts Festival’s “Virginia International Tattoo,” which is performed each April before 6,200 attendees for each five performances. Szabo is the conductor to international performers comprised of 250 instrumentalist, The Virginia Symphony Orchestra Chorus and Children’s Chorus and 125 bag pipers from military bands of the US and other countries. The show is the largest of it’s kind in the United States, and considered among the top five in the world.
His awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (third award), Navy Unit Commendation, Meritorious Unit Commendation, Good Conduct Medal (third award), National Defense Service Medal (second award), Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
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Jeff Jarvis
Jeff Jarvis has distinguished himself as a trumpeter, composer, jazz educator and music publisher. He serves as director of jazz studies at the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University, Long Beach and frequently appears as an honors jazz band conductor, clinician and lecturer. Jarvis is the music director emeritus of the Central New York Jazz Orchestra and is a former vice-president of the International Association For Jazz Education. He is part-owner of Kendor Music, Inc., the first educational music publisher to provide jazz charts written especially for students.
Jarvis' solo recordings as a jazz trumpeter and composer have placed high on national air play charts and have won him critical acclaim. His early career as a studio trumpeter encompasses over 100 albums for such names as Lou Rawls, Melba Moore, The O’Jays and many more. Live performance credits include Dizzy Gillespie, Louie Bellson, Joe Williams, Benny Golson, Jon Hendricks, Jimmy Heath, Joe Lovano, Henry Mancini, Slide Hampton, Kevin Mahogany, Grady Tate, Eddie Daniels, Rob McConnell and Doc Severinsen. He is frequently commissioned to compose music for school, military and professional musical groups, along with serving as a contributing editor for The Instrumentalist and writing for other music trade journals such as Flute Talk, Band & Orchestra Product News and Jazz Educators Journal. Jarvis has co-authored The Jazz Educators Handbook with Doug Beach, a jazz piano book with Matt Harris titled The Chord Voicing Handbook and with Mike Carubia, Effective Etudes for Jazz, the new standard in jazz performance/audition solos.
A Yamaha trumpet artist, Jarvis has performed throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and Indonesia. He has been featured with the USAF Airmen of Note, Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Jazz Orchestra, US Army Jazz Ambassadors, Jazz Knights of the United States Military Academy Band at West Point, Riverside Jazz Orchestra, Oslo Big Band (Norway), US Army Blues, Frank Mantooth Jazz Orchestra, Denver Symphony Orchestra, USAF Shades of Blue and more.
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Robert Harris
Robert Harris is director, choral organizations at Northwestern Universities Bienen School of Music. He is active as choral conductor, composer, clinician and adjudicator throughout the United States and abroad.
Harris has served as visiting professor at Wayne State University in Detroit, University of Texas at Austin and University of South Africa in Pretoria. Former member and co-chair, choral panel, National Endowment for the Arts. He was a recipient of the Bienen School of Music Exemplar in Teaching Award and Alumni Association Excellence in Teaching Award.
Compositions for chorus published by Oxford University Press, Boosey and Hawkes, Walton Music, Mark Foster, Alliance Music and J.S. Paluch.
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Greg Aune
Gregory J. Aune, DMA, is conductor of The Gustavus Choir. Aune came to Gustavus in 1995 from Bethany College in Lingsborg, Kansas. At Bethany, he was the Elmer F. Pierson Distinguished Professor of Music, conductor of the Bethany Choir, conductor of the Bethany College/Community Orchestra and music director of the Messiah Festival of Music and Art.
Aune earned his bachelor's degrees in public school music at Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota. His graduate degrees were completed at the University of Iowa. Postgraduate experience includes study and performance with the Robert Shaw Choral Institute, sponsored annually by Carnegie Hall.
At Gustavus, Aune conducts The Gustavus Choir, The Chamber Singers and the St. Ansgar's Chorus. He also teaches classes in conducting and choral literature, and is the artistic director of Christmas in Christ Chapel. Aune has adjudicated and guest conducted festivals in South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas and Minnesota. Choirs under his direction have appeared at the North Central Division Convention of the American Choral Directors Association and the Kansas Music Educators Association Convention.