Jack Stamp, one of IUP’s outstanding music professors and the chair of the IUP Department of Music, will bring the world premiere of his “Canticle: Voces Candentes” to IUP on December 8 at 8:00 p.m.
“Voces candentes” means falling voices. According to Dr. Stamp, the composition “represents the feelings of the tragedy of September 11, 2001, including the horror as well as the love.” The work was written in commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the September 11 tragedy.
The libretto for the piece is by Anna George Meek, who has had many of her works published in noteworthy journals including the Missouri Review, where she was awarded the Tom McAfee Discovery Prize.
In addition to Dr. Stamp as conductor, the presentation will feature Michael Hood, dean of the College of Fine Arts, as the narrator, and the musical talents of the IUP Symphony Orchestra, the IUP Wind Ensemble (conducted by Dr. Stamp), and members of the IUP Chorale and IUP Chorus.
In the first half of the concert, the IUP Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Stanley Chepaitis, will perform works by Franz Joseph Haydn and Igor Stravinsky.
The December 8 performance is certainly not Dr. Stamp’s first world premiere. This entry would be several pages long if it included all of his well-known pieces, many of them commissioned by individuals or organizations.
Respected internationally as a composer and conductor, Dr. Stamp is IUP’s 2008-2009 University Professor, an honor reserved for our most outstanding teachers, researchers, and scholars. It’s a title that the recipients hold for a lifetime.
Dr. Stamp, who came to IUP in 1990, has accomplished a great deal during his tenure here. One of “our own” (he earned his bachelor’s degree in Music Education at IUP in 1976), he is also the recipient of the 1995 IUP Distinguished Alumni Award and the 2007 Distinguished Faculty Award for Creative Arts. He also was honored with a citation of excellence from the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association in 1999 and by the American Bandmaster Association in 2000.
Dr. Stamp’s talents and reputation led to the presentation of “And The Time Is,” a poem by Pennsylvania poet laureate Samuel Hazo, for use in one of Stamp’s compositions.
In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he has been an invited performer and conductor both nationally and internationally. He is the director and recording producer of the Keystone Wind Ensemble, a university-alumni group. The group’s CDs are amazing and showcase IUP’s outstanding faculty and alumni. The group has also been part of international performances and events, including the 2009 International Trumpet Guild conference.
Not only will this concert showcase IUP’s talented students and faculty members, it’s another chance to celebrate our nation’s resilience after the tragedy of September 11.
Thank you, Dr. Stamp, for offering this amazing opportunity to our students and to all of us.