Music Faculty Members Teach and Perform at FIMUS Festival in Brazil
JONESBORO – Several members of the Department of Music faculty at Arkansas State University recently accepted an invitation to teach young musicians and perform at the annual FIMUS Festival in Campina Grande, Brazil, the second largest city in the state of Paraiba.
Faculty who participated were Dr. Juli Buxbaum, horn; Dr. Dale Clark (retired), bassoon; Dr. Lauren Schack Clark, piano; Dr. Stephanie Hoeckley, flute; Dr. Kristin Leitterman, oboe; and Dr. Nairam Simoes, trumpet. They spent each morning of the festival teaching students on their primary instruments.
“The Brazilian students were extremely conscientious and eager to learn,” said Dr. Lauren Schack Clark, Department of Music chair.
Participants rehearsed in the afternoons, the faculty performed on several evening programs, and the concert videos may be viewed online.
“It was a wonderful week for cultural exchanges, and several Brazilian students are already excited about attending A-State in the future,” she also said. “Some discussions touched on investigating future MOUs (memoranda of understanding) between A-State and the Federal University of Campina Grande, which hosted the Festival.”
Simoes, a native of Brazil, assisted with organization and translation for the group, Clark added.
Simoes, Buxbaum and Lauren Clark performed the first evening as the Nordes Trio. Hoeckley, Leitterman and Lauren Clark performed the third evening as Bantam Winds.
The FIMUS Brass Quintet, which included Simoes and Buxbaum, performed on the fourth evening. In the Final Concert on the fifth day, Hoeckley and Dale Clark participated in a performance of Copland’s “Appalachian Spring,” (at 54:50) and both Clarks, Hoeckley, Leitterman, Buxbaum and Simoes performed in an orchestra and chorus performance of Beethoven’s “Choral Fantasy” (at 1:43:20), in which Lauren Schack Clark was a piano soloist.
Juli Buxbaum, Lauren Schack Clark and Nairam Simoes perform as the Nordes Trio.
Participating A-State faculty members were (from left) Dr. Dale Clark (retired), Dr. Lauren Schack Clark, Dr. Nairam Simoes, Dr. Kristin Leitterman, Dr. Stephanie Hoeckley and Dr. Juli Buxbaum.
