VALDOSTA — Valdosta State University Music hosts two music events early this week.
A faculty recital featuring Joren Cain on alto sax, accompanied by Maila Gutierrez Springfield on piano, 7:30 p.m. today, Whitehead Auditorium, VSU Fine Arts Building, corner of Oak and Brookwood. Admission: Free and open to the public.
Cain is assistant professor of saxophone and director of the New Jazz Ensemble at Valdosta State University. He holds a bachelor of arts degree from Northern Illinois University, where he studied saxophone with Steve Duke. He is currently pursuing a doctor of musical arts degree from the University of North Texas, where he also received a master of music degree and studied with Jim Riggs. Cain was a graduate saxophone teaching fellow at North Texas for several semesters and held the assistant professor of saxophone position at Northern Illinois University in 2001. He has an active performance schedule as a soloist and as a member of the Maharlika Trio, and he has performed across the United States and abroad, including Germany and the Czech Republic. His article discussing the saxophone sonatas of Edison Denisov can be found in the 2000 Saxophone Symposium, and, most recently, he was a contributing writer for GIA’s “Teaching Music Through Performance in Jazz.” In 2006, Cain concluded his tenure as saxophonist with the United States Army Field Band, the Army’s premier touring concert band. Cain joined the VSU faculty in 2006.
TitleTown Jazz Concert. At 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Valdosta State University Music Department present the Second Annual Titletown Jazz Concert featuring the VSU jazz ensembles and the jazz ensembles from Lowndes and Valdosta high schools.
In July 2008, Valdosta was named “TitleTown USA” in a nationwide poll sponsored by ESPN’s Sportscenter. This honor was based on the large number of athletic championships achieved by all the Valdosta area academic institutions.
The Titletown Jazz concert serves as a showcase for the outstanding local jazz programs and will also celebrate this exciting and unique American art form. Performing on the concert will be the VSU Jazz Ensemble, directed by David Springfield; the VSU New Jazz Ensemble, directed by Joren Cain; the Lowndes High School Jazz Ensemble, directed by Charles Todd II (VSU ’85); and the Valdosta High School Jazz Ensemble, directed by Andrew Hill (VSU ’04).
The concert will be in Whitehead Auditorium, VSU Fine Arts Building, corner of Oak and Brookwood. Admission: Free and open to the public. More information: Contact David Springfield (229) 333-5805; or daspring@valdosta.edu.
