Writing Samples

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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. ####

Transcript of Writing Samples

Page 1: Writing Samples

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.

####

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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

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]

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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

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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