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NEWS from Lauren Miller
York College of Pennsylvania Public Relations Director 441 Country Club Rd. [email protected] York, PA 17403-3651 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 7, 2014
The Michael Formanek Quartet to perform free concert
Part of the Guest Artist Concert series sponsored by the Department of Music
The Michael Formanek Quartet will have a free performance at York College of
Pennsylvania open to the public and students. The concert will be held on October 30, 7 p.m., at
Demeester Recital Hall located in Wolf Hall.
The quartet is led by Michael Formanek, who plays the double bass in this specific
project. Other members include Tim Berne on alto saxophone, Craig Taborn on piano, and Dan
Weiss on drums. Together the artists have been playing improvised jazz for almost five years.
The quartet has toured internationally and is Formanek’s principle focus right now. They
recorded for ECM, a European record label known for jazz music. Both of their albums The Rub
and Spare Change (2010) and Small Places (2012) have gained five star ratings from music
critics, most notably in Down Beat magazine.
Formanek is not only the composer and leader of this band, but various other bands as
well. He has made dozens of recordings as sideman for Dave Ballou, Jane Ira Bloom, Dave
Burell, Harold Danko, Marty Ehrlich, Tomas Fujiwara, Gary Thomas and Jack Walrath.
Formanek’s work has played a pivotal role on New York’s creative jazz scene, especially
during the 1990s. During this time, he led his own quintet and played in fellow musician Tim
Berne’s quartet.
Formanek has received institutional support from Chamber Music America, the Peabody
Conservatory, the Maryland State Arts Council and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.
When not recording, performing, or composing, Formanek teaches bass and jazz history, and
leads the jazz orchestra at Baltimore’s Peabody Conservatory.
The Department of Music and York College of Pennsylvania is sponsoring the event and
it is part of their Guest Artist Concert series. The concert is made possible by a generous gift
from the Boustead Family Foundation.
####
NEWS from Lauren Miller
York College of Pennsylvania Public Relations Director 441 Country Club Rd. [email protected] York, PA 17403-3651 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 7, 2014
Auditions for 2015 spring musical: Guys and Dolls
York College Music and Theatre Divisions
Auditions for the 2015 spring musical, Guys and Dolls, will be held on Monday,
November 3 and Thursday, November 6 from 5:30-9:30 p.m. Any student, staff, or faculty at
York College may sign up for an audition.
Auditions can be scheduled in Wolf Hall on the bulletin board in the third floor lounge
area opposite of the bathrooms. Singing, speaking, and dancing roles are available. Behind-the-
scenes opportunities such as stage manager, costuming, and make-up are also available.
Those auditioning must prepare a song to sing from a musical theater show of their
choice. They must be able to have the entire song memorized and bring sheet music of the song –
a pianist will be provided.
Call-backs will be held on Sunday, November 9 and performances will be April 30-May
2, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. in the Waldner Performing Arts Center. The show will be directed by Dr.
Erin Lippard, with Kent Cyr as the technical director.
For more information, contact Dr. Lippard at [email protected]
####
Feature Story written Spring 2014
Print Headline: YCP Records Takes Center Stage
Web Headline: New college organization, YCP Records holds Battle of the Bands
It was a rainy night but by the size of the crowd in York City’s Central Market, one wouldn’t have
been able to tell. Talk of the bands playing that night filled the air along with the tuning of guitars. The
middle of the market was crowded with amps, a drum set, speakers but mostly students. A poster hung
off of a table where voting was held that read, “YCP Records Battle of the Bands.”
YCP Records, a student run record label part of York College of Pennsylvania, was in the works
late last spring of 2013. Although it is still a work in progress, membership is growing. “We’re still only a
proposed organization, which basically means we aren’t funded by student senate and we aren’t listed
in the glossy brochures sent out to high school students,” said Dan Street, president of the organization.
“I started the group because I noticed that there weren’t any opportunities for hands -on experience for
music industry majors, so I decided to give them something to do.”
The process to get to this point was long and had little support. A few seniors who graduated in
2013 wanted to see the organization come to fruition, and some professors liked the idea but didn’t
know how to help. “I had to deal with a lot of the bureaucrat BS myself and it took up the majority of my
junior year,” said Street, now a senior getting ready to graduate in May 2014.
The overall goal of the group is to enlist and record talent from surrounding areas of York
County to create and sell a product. The York music scene is small, and YCP Records hopes to change
that. According to their Twitter bio, “We’re here to make York a louder place.” Currently, the record
label has had interest from students who range in genre from indie-alternative to heavier rock. Street
said, “We’re always looking for new talent and will welcome anyone who’s serious about what they do.”
The group held their first big event on April 1st as part of York’s First Friday. Five bands played;
Exit Salida, Anastasia’s Outlook, The Wanton Tigros, The Scurger Munchers, and Kam Kali. Each band
ranged in style, but still drew an interested crowd; those who were interested enough to vote bought
raffle tickets to vote for a band. The raffle winner won a $25 iTunes gift card, but the real winner was
Anastasia’s Outlook who also earned ten hours of studio time from the record label.
So far no bands have officially recorded with YCP Records. However, YCP Records member Chris
Jackson’s free time he has recorded Exit Salida, Anastasia’s Outlook, and Kam Kali on campus in Wolf
Hall. Students of York College of Pennsylvania are encouraged to record with the label, but so are any
aspiring artists in an hour radius of the school, such as Baltimore. According to a Prezi made by Dan
Street in 2013, and a recent follow up, the record label isn’t charging currently to help build their
portfolio and any artist can send their demos or interest to [email protected].
As far as interest in joining the group, any student with an interest in music can join no matter
what their major is. The organization has multiple departments: studio recording, editing, graphic
design, public relations, marketing, information technology, and record library. “No matter your musical
taste or lack of talent, there’s something for everyone and we will gladly accept your help,” said Street.
Details about each department can also be found in the Prezi or if a student has enough interest at the
next general meeting on April 23rd in the Wolf Hall basement, room 100.
Although the end of the school year is approaching, the record label still has some goals to
accomplish. First of all being is to have a table for incoming freshman who are attending the college’s
Accepted Student Day to visit. This will help with having a better understanding of the amount of
students interested in joining and to also bring more awareness to the campus, although mostly in the
freshman class of 2018. Another goal is to hold another tie-dye event. The organization has already held
a tie-dye event outside of the Student Union where money was raised by buying clothes to tie-dye.
Music was played by bands that are part of the label and members talked with students who
participated. This also helped with the current overall goal of bringing more awareness of the
organization. Also in the works is an official EP of the bands that have already had studio time with the
record label. This has been put to the side recently though due to the end of the school year and a new
executive board coming in for next semester.
YCP Records has made great strides since the idea first came to Dan Street in his junior year of
college, and though it still has a way to go, Street and other members are happy with the progress and
the future of the record label.
President of YCP Records, Dan Street, rocks out at Battle of the Bands at Central Market as part of York’s
First Friday April 1, 2014