COOKEVILLE – Center Stage presents the Sampen and Bunce Duo in an open to the public musical performance on Wednesday, March 30, at 7:30 p.m., in Tennessee Tech University‘s Wattenbarger Auditorium.
John Sampen on saxophone and Mark Bunce on electronics will perform “In Two Worlds,” to end their multi-day residency of March 29 and 30. Sampen will work with saxophone studio and present a masterclass, and Bunce will work with the recording and music technology students.
Both artists will work with the composition studio in Tech’s School of Music to discuss writing for the saxophone and how to use the computer in modern composition.
Sampen has saxophone performances spanning five decades, and is one of America’s leading concert saxophonists, He is particularly recognized as a distinguished artist in contemporary literature. He has commissioned over one hundred new works, including compositions by Adler, Babbitt, Bolcom, Cage, Rzewski, Rands and Shrude, and has premiered saxophone versions of music by Lutosławski, Stockhausen and Tower.
He has received numerous prestigious awards and distinctions over the years and has recorded with Belgian and Swiss National Radio and is represented on the Orion, CRI, Albany, AMP and Capstone record labels.
A clinician for the Conn-Selmer Company, he has presented masterclasses at important universities and conservatories throughout Europe, Asia and North America. He holds degrees from Northwestern University and is a distinguished artist professor at Bowling Green State University and is past president of the North American Saxophone Alliance.
Mark Bunce serves as the Director of Recording Services and Engineer for the MidAmerican Center for Contemporary Music at Bowling Green State University. He has almost four decades of experience in that capacity.
He has over 40 years’ experience as an independent recording engineer specializing in classical recording and editing. His recording experience spans many genres, including rock, jazz, experimental, folk and Celtic.
Bunce has over 25 years of experience with audio for video productions, including field audio and audio post-production. He received his Master of Fine Arts degree in music composition from Bowling Green State University and his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in music composition from Olivet College.
He serves as the recording engineer for all music department concerts, live sound for the jazz band and jazz vocal group and technical director of the college’s theater.
Bunce was a founding member of the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonian chapter while at Olivet College.
Admission to a Center Stage is free, unless otherwise noted. The events are paid by student fees and open to the public with priority seating given to students. Many guests provide additional educational opportunities for students through workshops or master classes during their residencies. Email or call Liz Kassera, center stage coordinator, for more information lkassera@tentech.edu or (931) 372-3637.
Wattenbarger Auditorium is in the Bryan Fine Arts building located at 1150 N. Dixie Ave. in Cookeville.
