Lecture-Concert Series to feature James Greeson and Documentary on Conlon Nancarrow, Monday, Oct. 15
JONESBORO – The 2012-13 Lecture-Concert Series at Arkansas State University will feature a presentation by musician and composer James Greeson on Monday, Oct. 15, announced Dr. Tim Crist, chair of the Lecture-Concert Committee.
Dr. Greeson will present and discuss his film documentary on the life and music of Arkansas-born composer Conlon Nancarrow.
The lecture will start at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the Carl R. Reng Student Union, 101 N. Caraway Road. Admission is free to all Lecture-Concert Series events.
According to Greeson, Conlon Nancarrow’s imaginative works for the player piano are some of the most innovative and rhythmically complex compositions of the 20th century. He began the film project in 1983 when he interviewed Nancarrow in Mexico; in recent years, he travelled to Europe where he filmed interviews with people who shaped Nancarrow’s life.
The film, “Conlon Nancarrow: Virtuoso of the Player Piano,” has been completed in time for the centennial of Nancarrow's birth. Available through the University of Arkansas Press, it includes video performances of some of his amazing player piano works.
Greeson, a professor of composition and music theory in the Department of Music at the University of Arkansas, received his doctorate in composition from the University of Wisconsin and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in music from the University of Utah.
His compositions have been published by Oriana Press, Cor Publishing, Willis Music and SeeSaw Publishers. In recent years he has focused on composing sound tracks to documentaries for public television and has completed nine, which have been broadcast in both the U.S. and Canada.
In 2009 he was awarded an Emmy for his score for the PBS documentary "The Buffalo Flows," and two other soundtracks have been nominated for Emmy awards.
At UAF, Greeson directs the UA Jazz Ensemble, teaches a variety of music theory courses, guitar and bass, and private composition. In 2007 he received a Fulbright College "Master Teacher" award.
Also active as a jazz composer, Greeson's music for jazz ensemble is published by University of Northern Colorado Music Press and has been performed at the Clark Terry Jazz Camp and the Telluride Jazz Festival, as well as by various school jazz groups in the Midwest. He also serves as the jazz guitar consultant for Kendor Music Publishers and produces guitar chord charts for many of its jazz ensemble publications. As a jazz guitarist and bassist he has performed with Clark Terry, Bruce Barth, Nneena Freelon, Steve Wilson, and Terrel Stafford.
Dr. Greeson also is active as a guitarist in both the classical and jazz idioms. He is a member of the flute and guitar duo "Novaria" with Ronda Mains, and in 1996 they released a CD on the Nuance label featuring many of Greeson’s compositions and arrangements.
The Lecture-Concert Series serves Arkansas State University and the surrounding communities by bringing notable guest speakers and performers of diverse backgrounds and wide appeal to the ASU campus, according to Dr. Crist.
Many of the Lecture-Concert Series events include additional campus activities as well as community outreach projects. For more information, contact Dr. Crist, tcrist@astate.edu, (870) 972���2094.
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