The two-week event will feature eight public concerts in the Behavioral and Social Sciences Building and the Arcata Playhouse. Musical styles will include classical, jazz, blues, Latin and other international music. Sixty musicians from around the world—from Greece to Japan—are expected to participate.

There will also be workshops, master classes by HSU faculty and a tour of Arcata-based marimba manufacturer Marimba One, which is co-hosting the festival.

For more information on Marimba One, visit marimbaone.com.

Fore more information on the festival, visit zmf.us.

Professor Brian Post strives to compose music that reaches people. That means it must be interesting and accessible, but no so soothing that it’s simply background noise.

“If someone says my music was ‘nice,’ that’s the kiss of death,” jokes Post, who specializes in composition, music theory and music technology at HSU. “You don’t want someone’s mind to wander to their grocery list while they’re listening to your song.”

Brian Post.

Post, who most recently composed the score for the Department of Theatre, Film & Dance’s production of Shakuntala, is now composing another original piece: an arrangement for voice and piano to honor HSU’s 2013-14 centennial. The celebration kicks-off Aug. 24 and includes a year of events and activities commemorating the university’s first 100 years.

“My ultimate goal is to draw the listener in, to keep them engaged and remind them what it means to be a part of the HSU community,” Post says of the composition, which will premiere next spring. “Of course if they walk away remembering the music, it is an added bonus.”

Poetry books by HSU faculty.

Post’s selection will be inspired by the poetry of several HSU faculty members. “I always like to incorporate multiple disciplines into my work because it provides me with more ideas to draw from,” he says.

Last semester, Post enlisted the help of English student Justin Tretten (’12) through a faculty-student research grant from the College of Arts, Humanities and Sciences. In the HSU Library, Tretten found several books of poetry, including works by English faculty members Elma Mccann (1930s), Reginald White (1947-62), Jorie Graham (1980s) and Jim Dodge (1990s).

Over the next few months, Post will scour the books for passages that resonate with him.

“I might take a poem and recite the first few lines over and over, until music notes attach themselves to the words,” he says. “Or the poem might give me a harmonic expression, which I’ll later overlay with a melody,” he explains. “It’s an organic process.”

Post’s composition will premiere April 26 in Fulkerson Recital Hall. Assistant voice professor Elisabeth Harrington will perform the piece with accompaniment by HSU faculty musicians.

“It will be an acknowledgement of the wonderful creativity that has preceded me and that I’m now a part of,” Post says.

The Department of Music will host a series of centennial-themed concerts throughout the year, including a department-wide production 8 p.m., December 13 in Van Duzer Theatre. Music professor Gil Cline is also composing an original piece, which will premiere Nov. 9 in Fulkerson Recital Hall.

For more information on the concerts and to stay up to date on all things Centennial, visit humboldt.edu/centennial or like the HSU Centennial Facebook page at facebook.com/hsu100.

For a sample of Post’s work, visit soundcloud.com/brianpost3/shakuntala-11.

String bassist Millie Martin

Martin, currently based in San Francisco, teaches bass in the HSU Music department. Her classical music credits include appearances at the Berkeley Early Music Festival, National Gallery of Art Chamber Series and the Kennedy Center in Washington.

She also plays jazz and popular music, with appearances backing up James Taylor, Roberta Flack and Arlo Guthrie in live concerts.

Tickets are $8 and $3 from HSU Box Office (826-3728) or at the door. A Faculty Artists Concert produced by the HSU Music Department.

Art student Kierston Travis-McKittrick (’13) used a paintbrush to wet pack green enamel into the words “Humboldt State University.” Then, she placed the metal piece into a kiln, where it would undergo three high-temperature firings.

From left to right: Art student Kasey Jorgenson (’13), professor Kris Patzlaff and Kierston Travis-McKittrick (’13).

Travis-McKittrick was using an ancient enameling technique called champlevé to find the perfect shades of green and gold for the university’s new centennial mace.

“There are literally hundreds of colors to choose from,” Travis-McKittrick explained. “What I’m trying to do is find a consistent match.”

Art student Kierston Travis-McKittrick (’13) uses a paintbrush to meticulously trace the words “Humboldt State University” in green enamel.

Travis-McKittrick and fellow honors student Kasey Jorgenson (’13) are part of a group of students working with art professor Kris Patzlaff to create an original mace honoring HSU’s 2013-14 centennial celebration.

Patzlaff is one of several faculty members, students and staff from around campus donating their time and expertise to help celebrate the historic event.

“What I wanted to do was create something that represents the history and values of the university and also the exquisite natural setting of Humboldt,” says Patzlaff, who specializes in jewelry and small metals.

Patzlaff began researching the piece last year, incorporating materials and themes that represent HSU’s identity and commitment to sustainability.

The final design consists of a Redwood shaft adorned with six rings representing the university’s six presidents. A silver body bears the university seal and the seal of California. There is also an abstract representation of the Redwood forest and a section showcasing the half oval windows from Founders Hall.

The top of the mace includes three buttresses, representing the university’s three colleges. The buttresses are adorned with a ring of gold—donated by HSU alumni. The mace is topped with a glass sphere representing the Earth and HSU’s commitment to sustainability.

“The entire shape represents a torch, which symbolizes enlightening students through their educational experience at HSU,” Patzlaff explains. The mace is also constructed of sustainable materials, including recycled metal and unleaded enamel.

Jennifer Slye Moore, an administrative assistant in the art department, is crafting the shaft and art alum Roger Durham is constructing a chest to hold the mace.

“It will reflect all that Humboldt State stands for, as well as the hard work of our past and current students and staff,” Patzlaff says. “I’m excited to have this be my contribution to a place that is so special to me and my students.”

Patzlaff’s mace will be unveiled at HSU’s 2014 commencement ceremonies.

To stay up to date on all things Centennial, visit humboldt.edu/centennial or like the HSU Centennial Facebook page at facebook.com/hsu100.

A student ensemble of fiddle enthusiasts is preparing its own medley. “There’s quite a movement in America for fiddle music, and these students are part of it,” Cummings said. “I don’t know exactly what tunes they’re doing, so I’m looking forward to being surprised. Every concert ought to have an adventure—something unexpected. This is it.”

The Humboldt Symphony.

The fiddle medley follows Percy Grainger’s “Molly on the Shore,” a string orchestra version of an Irish reel. The concert includes the overture to the first real opera in western music history by Claudio Monteverdi, and “Capriccio Espagnol” by 19th century composer Rimsky-Korsakoff that Cummings calls “one of the great orchestral masterworks.” The main selection is “The Creation of the World,” a jazz inflected classic by French composer Darius Milaud, that is seldom performed partly because “it’s so difficult to play,” Cummings said. So after all the hard work preparing it, why not fiddle around a little?

Humboldt Symphony performs on Friday, May 10 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, May 12 at 3 p.m. in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus in Arcata. Tickets are $7/$3 and free to HSU students from the HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. Conducted by Paul Cummings, produced by the HSU Music Department. For more information, visit hsumusic.blogspot.com.

The Humboldt Chorale features a children’s choir along with the main choir and two soloists performing the Mass of the Children by contemporary British composer John Rutter. The soloists are soprano Katharine Gunnick and baritone Carl McGahan.

Soprano Katharine Gunnick

HSU University Singers perform Vivaldi’s “Beatus Vir,” a Baroque masterpiece for double choir, with soprano soloist Ana Margarida Cruz. Excerpts from American composer Leonard Bernstein’s Mass include “Sing God a New Song” sung by soprano Ana Duchi.

The Humboldt Chorale is a community group directed by Carol Ryder. The children’s choir is prepared by James Gadd, and Larry Pitts is piano accompanist.

The HSU University Singers are directed by Harley Muilenburg. John Chernoff accompanies on piano.

Tickets are $7/3, free to HSU students from the HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. Produced by the HSU Music Department. For more information, visit hsumusic.blogspot.com.

The full Orchestra plays an adaptation of Stevie Wonder’s 1970s hit, “Superstition,” and reinvents a Duke Ellington spoof of the 1940s craze for the conga called “The Flaming Sword.”

Vocalist Jo Kuzelka sings a jazz version of the 1950s hit “Cry Me A River,” and sings “Seven Steps to Heaven,” a tune made famous by Miles Davis, which also features solos by trumpeter Andrew Henderson and tenor saxist Nick Durant.

“Besame Mucho,” the most-often recorded Mexican song, is arranged by Jazz Orchestra guitarist Dan Fair, with solos by Fair and pianist Alex Espe.

The concert also includes tunes by Mary Lou Williams, Charles Mingus, the great Argentinean composer Astor Piazolla, and “Horizon Reassembled” by living jazz legend Bobby Watson.

Tickets are $7/3/ and free to HSU students with an ID from the HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. Directed by Dan Aldag, produced by the HSU Music Department. For more information, visit hsumusic.blogspot.com.

When art professor Sarah Whorf first learned of HSU’s 2013-14 centennial celebration last year, she knew she had to get involved.

So she began thinking of how she could use her printmaking skills to help commemorate the university’s first 100 years.

Whorf contacted HSU’s Marketing & Communications Department—which, along with various campus groups—is helping host a yearlong series of activities and events commemorating the historic event.

She decided to create a 10 5/8’’ x 7 1/2’’ woodcut that will be used by HSU throughout the centennial celebration. The original print will also be available for purchase beginning later this year.

“I wanted to create something that was unique to my skills and that reflected who I am and what I do,” says Whorf, who specializes in woodcuts. “I also wanted it to be recognizable and reflect the natural and architectural beauty of Humboldt State.”

For inspiration, Whorf spent a day during Winter Break wandering around campus and snapping photos.

Art professor Sarah Whorf’s centennial woodcut will be featured in a collection of works with her students.

“It was the Monday after finals week, everyone was gone and the holiday star was on Founders,” she recalls. Whorf visited a number of spots, but found herself coming back to Founders Hall.

To get the full perspective, she walked all the way around the building and took photos from different angles. “The north side has a lot of really cool architecture, but I kept coming back to the west side,” she says. Finally, she decided on the most iconic view—Founders from the front, with a view of the stairs.

Whorf traced a photo of Founders, refined the drawing, then carved her design into a woodblock.

Whorf spent a few days tracing the photo and refining the drawing, then carved her design into a woodblock. To create different effects, she used different carving tools and changed the angle at which she held the instruments. The areas she carved away remain white, while the un-carved areas left in relief on the block have ink rolled onto them with a brayer. The inked image on the block is then transferred to paper with pressure from a printing press to create an original woodcut print.

Whorf’s final woodcut features Founders head-on, its familiar rhododendron bushes and a student with a backpack making the long trek up. She says it reflects the natural beauty of campus, its 100-year history and its future moving forward.

“I tried to capture what HSU means to me,” Whorf says, “Hopefully, it will compel people to find their own inspiration.”

Stay tuned for updates on all things Centennial by visiting humboldt.edu/centennial or by liking the HSU Centennial Facebook page at facebook.com/hsu100.

University of Wyoming clarinetist Blake McGee.

His solo concert on Thursday features works by Rossini and Leonard Bernstein, but it also includes a composition based on hip-hop called “Bling Bling,” and “Pleistocene Epoch,” in which his solo bass clarinet suggests the gurgles and ooze of the La Brea Tar Pits as well as several extinct animals.

Then on Friday he is featured in a symphonic band version of Led Zepplin’s “Black Dog” by Scott McAllister. “The composer calls for the clarinet to take the part of the lead singer, and also perform solos in Jimi Hendrix fashion,” said HSU Symphonic Band conductor Paul Cummings. “It’s pretty clear from the first measures that the clarinet is imitating a rock and roll guitar.”

This piece is also a reunion. Cummings and McGee have known each other since graduate school at the University of Oregon. “I conducted one of the works he played for his doctorate,” Cummings said. “It was by the same composer who wrote ‘Black Dog.’”

McGee is a West Coast product, a former member of the Portland Opera and Vancouver Symphony. He is known for pushing the envelope, as well as for performing classics and recording world music. North Coast pianist Jennifer Heidmann will accompany him for his Thursday recital.

In addition to performing “Black Dog” with McGee on Friday, the Symphonic Band plays another work by a young composer— John Mackey’s “Hymn to a Blue Hour”—as well as a piece by Virgil Thompson, and Luigi Zaninelli’s “Three Dances of Enchantment.”

While at HSU, Dr. McGee will also conduct a clarinet master class and workshop.

Get tickets by calling 826-3928 or at the door. For more information, visit hsumusic.blogspot.com. Both concerts produced by the HSU Music Department.

Edgard Varese’s preeminent “Ionization” requires 14 performers playing over 47 instruments and is an “extremely revolutionary work” according to Percussion Ensemble director Eugene Novotney. Another work for multiple and unusual instruments (including Chinese water gong and prepared piano) is “Second Construction” by John Cage.

In addition to works by Nigel Westlake and others, the Ensemble also performs a cult classic by HSU alum and founding member of the Mr. Bungle group Trey Spruance, as featured on the hit album Disco Volante.

The World Percussion Group performs a suite of traditional Mandeng drumming from West Africa as well as Cuban folkloric music. Then the Calypso Band takes over with its high energy and authentic rhythms from the Caribbean.

Tickets are $7/$3 students & seniors at the door or by calling 826-3928. The first 50 HSU students are admitted free. Fore more information, visit hsumusic.blogspot.com. Directed by Eugene Novotney and Howard Kaufman, produced by HSU Music Department.