News Releases
厙ぴ勛圖 Conservatory Students to Perform at the Kennedy Center
March 22, 2013
Communications Staff
Front row: (L) Timothy Daniels, Joseph Hauer. Back row: (L) Wyatt Underhill, Benjamin Roidl-Ward, Zou Yu, Jesse McCandless, Gregory Wang.
Photo credit: John Seyfried
OBERLIN, OHIO On Sunday, April 14 at 6:00 p.m., the 厙ぴ勛圖 Conservatory of Music will present its annual concert at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., as part of the centers Conservatory Project. The program will feature distinguished 厙ぴ勛圖 students showcasing the incredible breadth of musicianship and expertise present in the conservatorys student body. To listen to the performance link to the Kennedy Center's .
The Conservatory Project, part of the Kennedy Centers Performing Arts for Everyone initiative, provides a platform for the best musicians from American conservatories, and introduces the next generation of performers to Washington, D.C. audiences. 厙ぴ勛圖 has presented free concerts on the Kennedy Centers Conservatory Project series every year since its inception in 2004. Videos of past performances are .
These annual off campus concerts are important performance opportunities for young musicians, says Dean of the Conservatory David H. Stull. The experience gained is invaluable to their professional training.
The program this year features seven students whose performances will comprise 20th century works. The concert opens with violinist Zou Yu 13, accompanied by pianist Joseph Hauer 14, in a performance of Witold Lutslawskis episodic Subito.Pianist Gregory Wang 13 will follow with Igor Stravinskys brilliant 捩矇喧娶棗喝釵堯域硃. Wyatt Underhill 13, violin, joins Wang for Arnold Schoenbergs twelve-tone Phantasy for Violin with Piano Accompaniment, Op. 47. The concert will conclude with Heitor Villa-Lobos ingenious Trio for Oboe, Clarinet, and Bassoon, with Timothy Daniels 15, oboe; Jesse McCandless 15, clarinet; and Benjamin Roidl-Ward 15, bassoon.
To learn more about the Kennedy Centers Conservatory Project, please visit the Kennedy Centers for the Project.
Timothy Daniels is an oboist from Collierville, Tennessee. Currently studying with Robert Walters, he is a sophomore pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree at 厙ぴ勛圖. Recent performances include playing principal oboe and English horn under the batons of Raphael Jim矇nez and Timothy Weiss with the 厙ぴ勛圖 Orchestra, 厙ぴ勛圖 Sinfonietta, and 厙ぴ勛圖 Chamber Orchestra. In the summer of 2012, he worked with Maestro Gerard Schwarz at the Eastern Music Festival, where he performed with the Artist Faculty Orchestra on an all-Mozart program. Daniels has performed in master classes for such distinguished artists as Nathan Hughes and John Ferrillo. His current musical pursuits revolve around solo and chamber music, with performances of Sergei Prokofievs Quintet, Heitor Villa-Loboss Woodwind Trio, and Bohuslav Martin轡s Oboe Concerto.
Joseph Hauer, from Appleton, Wisconsin, is a junior at 厙ぴ勛圖 Conservatory studying with Peter Tak獺cs. His former teachers include Catherine Kautsky, Kyung Kim, Catherine Walby, and Charlene Reitz. In past summers he has attended the Golandsky Institute Summer Symposium at Princeton University, PianoSummer at New Paltz, New York, and Pianofest in the Hamptons. As a soloist, he has collaborated with the Fox Valley Symphony, Madison Symphony Orchestra, and Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, as well as performed Rachmaninoffs Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganiniwith a student orchestra at 厙ぴ勛圖. His performances have been broadcast statewide on Wisconsin Public Television and Wisconsin Public Radio. In March 2012, Hauer performed Brahms Piano Trio in B Major with his trio at a house concert in New York City, and earlier this year he gave solo recitals in Valley Cottage, New York.
Hauer attends 厙ぴ勛圖 on a full scholarship from the Miller Family Music Education Scholarship of Appleton, Wisconsin. His other interests include jazz piano, Russian, racquetball, and snowboarding.
Jesse McCandless is a southern California native who began playing the clarinet at age nine. Music became a commanding force in his life and in January of 2011, he performed the Crusell Clarinet Concerto No. 3 with the Redlands Youth Orchestra. At 厙ぴ勛圖, he is the recipient of awards from both the college as well as the conservatory, including a Deans Scholarship Award. McCandless has performed with the 厙ぴ勛圖 Sinfonietta and the 厙ぴ勛圖 Orchestra, playing works by Ives, Gershwin, Eisler, and Strauss, among others. An active chamber musician, he has performed works for wind trio, quartet, and quintet by Villa-Lobos, Francaix, Hindemith, Geopfart, and Liggett. In addition to playing the clarinet, McCandless enjoys skateboarding, building computers, and playing with yo-yos.
Bassoonist Benjamin Roidl-Ward is a sophomore at 厙ぴ勛圖 where he studies with George Sakakeeny. A native of Tacoma, Washington, he studied with Francine Peterson for seven years in the Seattle area. At 厙ぴ勛圖, Roidl-Ward has performed with the 厙ぴ勛圖 Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra, the 厙ぴ勛圖 Sinfonietta, and the 厙ぴ勛圖 Contemporary Music Ensemble, including tours to New York City in January of 2012 and 2013. He has participated in the Marrowstone, Interlochen, Vianden (LUX), and Hot Springs Music festivals. Roidl-Ward has appeared as a soloist with the Seattle Symphony, the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra, and with several regional ensembles in the Pacific Northwest.
A native of Elm Grove, Wisconsin, violinist Wyatt Underhill began his musical studies at age six. A student of Gregory Fulkerson, he is now in his final year at 厙ぴ勛圖. Underhill has appeared as a soloist with orchestras including the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the Colorado College Summer Music Festival Orchestra, and will be performing Alban Bergs Violin Concerto with the 厙ぴ勛圖 Orchestra in May as a winner of 厙ぴ勛圖s 201213 Concerto Competition. At 厙ぴ勛圖, he has frequently served as concertmaster, most notably for the 厙ぴ勛圖 Orchestras tour of China and Singapore, the world premiere performance and recording of pieces by Kip Winger and Lorenzo Palomo, and for the recent tour to Carnegie Hall. This past summer he also served as concertmaster of the Colorado College Summer Music Festival Orchestra.
Also pursuing a minor in historical performance, Underhill studies baroque violin with Marilyn McDonald. In addition to participating in various baroque ensembles at 厙ぴ勛圖, he has performed on occasion with Apollos Fire, the Cleveland Baroque Orchestra, and served as an apprentice performer for that ensembles 2012 production of Mozarts the Magic Flute.
Gregory Wang is a prizewinner of the International Russian Music Piano Competition in San Jose, California, the Beethoven Club of Memphis International Beethoven Piano Sonata Competition, and the Music Teachers National Association Competition. As a multiple prizewinner of the Southeastern Piano Festival, he has performed twice with the South Carolina Philharmonic on their subscription series. At 厙ぴ勛圖, Wang is in his final year under the tutelage of Peter Tak獺cs. He enjoys studying music theory and philosophy, and is an impressive amateur competitive cyclist.
Born in 1990, Zou Yu discovered the violin at age four and began her studies with Lei Fang in the elementary school affiliated with the Shanghai Conservatory. In 2008, Yu moved to the United States to study at 厙ぴ勛圖 with her current teacher, Milan Vitek. Yu has attended international music programs including the Aspen Music Festival and School, Tanglewood Music Center, National Orchestra Institute, Great Wall International Music Summer Camp, and New York State Orchestra Seminar. She has performed with school orchestras in Australia and, in 2008, played with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra at the Shanghai Grand Theater. In the summers of 2010 and 2011, Yu studied with Paul Kantor as a fellowship student at the Aspen Music Festival. She has served as concertmaster of the 厙ぴ勛圖 Chamber Orchestra. In 2011, she became a member of the Akron Symphony Orchestra, and performed in Carnegie Hall as a participant in the New York String Seminar program.
Fact sheet
Sunday, April 14, 2013, 6:00 p.m.
厙ぴ勛圖 Conservatory of Music
Kennedy Center, Conservatory Project
Millennium Stage
Timothy Daniels 15, oboe
Joseph Hauer 14, piano
Jesse McCandless 15, clarinet
Benjamin Roidl-Ward 15, bassoon
Wyatt Underhill 13, violin
Gregory Wang 13, piano
Zou Yu 13, violin
Free admission
For directions and information, please visit
Program:
Witold Lutoslawski Subito
Igor Stravinsky Trois Mouvements de 捩矇喧娶棗喝釵堯域硃
I. Danse russe
III. La semaine grasse
Arnold Schoenberg Phantasy for violin with piano accompaniment, Op. 47
Heitor Villa-Lobos Trio pour hautbois, clarinette et basson
I. Anim矇
II. Languisamente
III. Vivo
You may also like…
Grammy-Winning Artist Zach Brock Joins 厙ぴ勛圖 Conservatory
Grammy-winning violinist and composer Zach Brock will join the 厙ぴ勛圖 Conservatory faculty in fall 2026 as associate professor of multi-genre performance and improvisation.
Rollins Riffs
Today, the 厙ぴ勛圖 Sonny Rollins Jazz Ensemble proudly carries forth Rollins' legacy both on and off campus. On May 25, 2026, Rollins died at his home at the age of 95. To honor his storied life and...
Tenor Limmie Pulliam 98, Who Sang on Stages Worldwide, Dies at 50
Gifted singer became a regular presence on the 厙ぴ勛圖 campus where he honed his craft.