Percussionist Lynn Vartan (of Southern Utah University) and Pianist Bridget Convey (of Bates College) return to USM for the third time to present a master class and concert. The master class will present ideas and experiences working with electro acoustic music, including a discussion of Dan Sonenberg’s new composition for vibraphone, electronics, and scripted live looping, The Surprise Guest, which will be premiered by Lynn Vartan on the evening concert. The concert will feature other new music for percussion and piano, some with electronics, by Daiki Kato, John Psathas, Robert Honstein, Carolyn Borcherding and Julie Spencer .
"Percussionist Lynn Vartan is an international performer and educator who is an advocate for diversity in music. As a new music percussionist, Lynn has worked with Michael Colgrass, Vinny Golia, Arthur Jarvinen, Ursula Oppens, Joan Tower, Glen Velez, Xtet, James Newton, Chinary Ung, the Hilliard Ensemble, the Tambuco Percussion Ensemble and Grammy Award-winning Southwest Chamber Music, and is known for her dynamic athleticism and exciting energy on stage. She has commissioned and/or performed countless new works for percussion by composers such as Donald Crockett, William Kraft, Carlos Rafael Rivera, Steve Hoey, Veronika Krausas, Erica Muhl, Arthur Jarvinen, Sean Heim, Jeff Holmes, Keith Bradshaw and Shaun Naidoo.