By Sarah McMillin, Asst. Living and Arts Editor
Clarinetist Andrea Cheese- man will be performing a recital in as part of the music de- partment’s guest artist recital series at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 3 in Stretansky Concert Hall.
Cheeseman is an established, self-employed clarinetist and teacher currently residing in South Carolina. She taught at Appalachian State University for 10 years prior to becoming self-employed. Before that, she was an associate professor of music at Delta State University.
Cheeseman performs a variety of music. While she regularly plays more traditional classical pieces, she also “is an advocate of new music and is a sought-after performer of electroacoustic music written for clarinet and bass clarinet,” according to the biography that is featured on her website.
“I focus my playing on music written for clarinet and computer. Electroacoustic music can be composed in a variety of formats. While some are fixed media (ex. I play with a CD track), others are interactive where a computer file changes my tone quality or adds effects,” said Cheeseman.
“I treat the computer as another musical instrument and enjoy experimenting with unique textures and colors.”
She will be performing pieces at the recital from various genres. One of the pieces she will be performing is “De Profundis.” The piece was written for clarinet and video playback by professor of music Patrick Long, who teaches music technology classes. The piece combines technology and music.
In addition to the recital, Cheeseman will be hosting a masterclass with the Susquehanna clarinet students.
Cheeseman was invited to Susquehanna by adjunct faculty in music Colleen Hartung, who teaches many clarinet lessons. Hartung said she asked the department to invite Cheeseman because “she is a wonderful clarinetist and is performing lots of interesting new music.”
“The department of music brings in multiple guests every semester to introduce students to new types of music, to learn from people that are performers in their fields, and to hear amazing musicians perform live,” Hartung said.
Cheeseman earned her bachelor of music from Ithaca College and both her masters in music and her doctorate of musical arts degrees from Michigan State University. She has taught at many schools and has given masterclasses for other clarinetists all across the country.
Cheeseman has also been a featured performer at several festivals including the Third Practice Electroacoustic Mu- sic Festival and at multiple SEAMUS (Society of Electro- acoustic Music in the United States) conferences.
Cheeseman is coming to Susquehanna soon after her debut solo album is released on Sept. 27. The album, titled “Somewhere,” features Cheeseman’s work as an electro- acoustic artist.
“‘Somewhere’ creates a one- of-a-kind dialogue between this symbiotic musical pair- ing,” Ravello Records said, whom Cheeseman’s album is being produced by.
“Cheeseman’s thoughtful, nuanced, and altogether captivating performances welcome listeners into an experience they won’t want to miss,” they said.
Other guest artist recitals will be coming to Susquehanna later this semester. Some of them include pianist John Cleek on Oct. 14, Trio Kisosen on Oct. 24 and horn player Gabrielle on Oct. 30 in Stretansky.
