Performance is musical tribute to Rapp's society
HARMONY — The world premiere of a musical tribute to George Rapp’s Harmony Society, a commune of Germans who founded Harmony and two other American communities early in the 19th century, will be performed July 14 by saxophonist Sean Murphy.
Composer Ruby Fulton of Baltimore wrote “Famous Broken Line,” one of four works that Murphy will play in the 7:30 p.m. concert at Grace Church of Harmony, Main and Mercer streets.
The free recital is presented by Historic Harmony, the historical society that operates the eight-property Harmony Museum.
The work was commissioned by Historic Harmony, Murphy and Baltimore saxophonist Anna Meadors.
Fulton’s compositions have brought her numerous honors, including the Morton Gould Young Composer’s Award and the Fromm Foundation Award.
Grace Church was chosen as the concert venue because it includes the 1809 Harmony Society church.
Murphy also will perform “Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano,” by Fernande Decruck, accompanied by Michelle Bitler; “Tre Pezzi” for solo soprano saxophone, by Giacinto Scelsi; and, again with Bitler, the first performance of “Addictives,” also for alto saxophone and piano, by Pittsburgh composer Stephen Barr, an assistant professor and director of choirs at Slippery Rock University.
Murphy, 23, a native of Cranberry Township and a Seneca Valley High School graduate, received a bachelor’s in music education from SRU and is pursuing a master’s in saxophone performance at the University of North Texas.
He has performed with the North Texas Wind Symphony and at the United States Naval International Saxophone Symposium as well as the North American Saxophone Alliance biennial and regional conferences.
He has published articles on saxophone pedagogy and performance in North America, Europe and Australia, and is co-authoring three books on contest music for saxophone. He recently established Murphy Music Press to publish emerging music for wind instruments.
Murphy is also a private saxophone instructor in Texas’ Richardson and Allen Independent school districts.
Bitler, a violinist as well as pianist, has taught at the Center for Young Musicians in Wexford since 2006. A native of Endicott, N.Y., she is a graduate of the University of Rochester and Eastman School of Music. She recently partnered with students and faculty at SRU for recitals and other performances.
