area events

Dr. Kaleb Chesnic will be displaying instruments etc. on Saturday, Nov. 5 from 2-5 pm in the Fynes Chamber Hall located in Kulas Hall. 

On Sunday, Nov. 6, Dr. Chesnic will give a recital at 1 pm, followed by masterclass also in Fynes Hall. 

Fynes Hall

Baldwin-Wallace University

Kulas Musical Arts Building

96 Front St.

Berea, OH

Hailed by Gramophone as a “sensitive and virtuoso performer,” flutist Kaleb

Chesnic delights audiences with his commanding presence, brilliant technique,

and thoughtful interpretations. Chesnic is an active solo and orchestral musician,

and has performed with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, the Grand Junction

Symphony Orchestra, and the Grammy Award winning Albany Symphony

Orchestra. 

He appeared as a soloist and as the conductor of the Colorado Flute

Orchestra at the 2017 National Flute Association convention. Chesnic’s awards

and honors are First Prize at the Bruce Ekstrand Memorial Competition, The

MPIMC Prize at the Marina Piccinini International Masterclass, Winner of the

Tuesday Musical Association’s Competition. He has appeared as a concerto

soloist with the Baldwin Wallace Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of

Dwight Oltman and twice with the University of Colorado Early Music ensemble,

working with Music Directors Zachary Carrettin and Robert Hill. 

As a teacher and clinician, Chesnic has been on the faculty of the Baldwin Wallace Community Music School and The Joyful Noise Neighborhood Music School, and has presented masterclasses at institutions across the USA. Chesnic received his Bachelor’s degree from the Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music, a Master of Music and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he was a graduate Teaching Assistant, member of the graduate woodwind quintet, and lead TA for the College of Music. His principal teachers include George Pope, Christina Jennings, Damian Bursill-Hall and Andrei Pidkivka. His other significant influences have been Brook Ferguson and Amy Porter. Chesnic’s critically acclaimed debut album, Grieg: Violin Sonatas for Flute, with pianist Nathália Kato, is available from MSR Classics.

 Saturday, September 24, 2022

8:00-11 PM

Park at 40 S. High Street and enter BLU JAZZ through the 45 E. Market Street entrance.

for more information:

https://www.bryankennard.com/gigs

Here's an excerpt from a recent interview with Bryan Kennard:

...I enjoyed the Miami Jazz Cooperative’s Watch Party that featured your compositions. It looks like you did plenty of studio recording, as seen around 9:25 into this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNReqAVcR1I&t=3700s

Question: Do you enjoy recording in the studio as much as giving a live performance on the stage?

BK: Yes. That was a big aspect of my DMA. My professor of jazz composition, Gary Lindsay, was a proponent of being able to understand recording technology in addition to composition. Those of us in the writing studio regularly recorded performances, mixed our own audio recordings, and did our own video editing. It was a lot to learn on top of writing tons of music, but I’m glad that I spent the time learning those techniques. 

Studio recording is an equally challenging but different beast as live performance. I don’t necessarily enjoy one over the other. Each has its merits. Live performance has a certain energy that you can feed off of, but it’s also a one-and-done situation. No takebacks on those fracked notes or missed entrances. Recording gives you the opportunity to put down something almost perfectly, which as a composer is an important part of having your compositional vision documented, but it does sometimes lack the energy of live performance. 

Here’s a link to a recent live performance of Bryan Kennard's jazz combo. Check out “Walk With Me,” at about 16:20 into this Bop Stop concert link:

https://fb.watch/7Z5QWMClhb/

Question: Did the limitations of the pandemic have any positive effects on your composing?

BK: I’m glad you enjoyed it! This was written for a collective of Cleveland jazz composers, so I can’t really claim it as my group alone. 

The pandemic was (and still is) a challenging time for many of us. In the height of it, I struggled to write much of anything. I did complete a couple commissions that were well-received, but without live performances, there was little opportunity to hear my music performed. I suppose the only positive that I can draw from my experience during the past year and a half is that it gave me time to digest and analyze the lessons and work I had done during my time and the Frost School and UT Austin. I am excited that live performances have been returning so I can again present my music to audiences.