Artifice

WOAH! This is weird...a monologue. We're coming up on the second anniversary of the podcast, and I've got some things to say. Thanks for listening! ♥

Michelle Flowers is an avid trombonist who has performed nationally and internationally in the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and Germany with a wide variety of ensembles ranging from opera and musical theater orchestras to jazz ensembles to a circus band. Dr. Flowers’ ground-breaking research on self-handicapping among the musician population has led her to be a stand-out in the field of music and medicine. She has presented her findings on several platforms, including the Performing Arts and Medicine Association International Symposium in Aspen, CO (2017), the International Brass Women’s Conference in Phoenix, AZ (2019), the International Trombone Festival in Muncie, IN (2019), and is a regular presenter at the Texas Music Educators’ Association in San Antonio, TX, the largest music education conference in the United States. In addition to her work on musicians’ mental health, she also is the author of a regular column discussing Golden Age film scores in Film Score Monthly Online Journal. Michelle is currently the trombone professor at Texas Woman’s University where she has a flourishing studio. She founded and conducts the TWU Trombone Choir which recently was invited to perform at the TMEA convention. Flowers holds a Master’s and Doctorate of Musical Arts in Trombone Performance from the University of North Texas and received a Bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University. In addition to music, she enjoys hiking in the mountains with her golden retrievers and binge-watching Doctor Who. https://www.tromboneflowers.com/

David Baker is currently serving as Assistant Professor and Area Coordinator of Jazz & Commercial Music at Utah Valley University. He received his Doctor of Arts from the University of Northern Colorado in Jazz Studies emphasizing in performance and composition. He has been an active performer for over fifteen years with over two-hundred performance credits in 2019 including performances at Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, Dazzle™ Jazz & Supper Club, and The Colorado Symphony Orchestra. He has shared the stage with Greg Gisbert, Dick Oatts, Carmen Bradford, the New York Voices, Frankie Avalon, Antonio Hart, Clay Jenkins, and Conrad Herwig. David was awarded the First Alternate position in the International Society of Bassists' 2019 Jazz Performance Competition and is the recipient of six DownBeat Student Music Awards. As an active composer and arranger, David has had works premiered internationally by Chuck Dotas, Drew Zaremba, the United States Navy's Seventh Fleet Band, the UNC•Greeley Jazz Festival All-Stars, and Wendy Warner. In the pop and commercial music scene, David has worked with Angela Parrish, Kansas, Bryce Merritt, Sam Costigan, and Derek Johnson. Similarly, David has been a singer/songwriter for over ten years. He combines these skills with music business, graphic design, and marketing under Moddl Records™, his independent record label. David has given masterclasses and lectures across the United States including most recently at the 2019 International Society of Bassists Conference in Bloomington and the 2020 Jazz Educator's Network Conference in New Orleans. His recent research aims to redefine early jazz history and focuses on the consequential role of religion in the development of jazz. https://davidianbaker.com/ https://www.instagram.com/david.baker.official/

Soprano Jennifer Youngs began her 2019-2020 season with an appearance as Armida in Handel’s Rinaldo with The American Baroque Opera Company. Jennifer made her main stage Dallas Opera debut as Olimpia in Argento’s The Aspern Papers and was seen in the role of Laurette in the Dallas Opera Outreach production of Bizet’s Dr. Miracle. Opera roles include Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Birdie in Regina, Vitellia in La clemenza di Tito, Casilda in The Gondoliers, and Clorinda in La Cenerentola. She has been a featured soloist for Mahler’s 4th Symphony, Carmina Burana, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s Creation, Bach’s Cantata #110, Brahms Requiem, Mozart’s Exsulate, jubilate, and Mozart Requiem. She has been a featured soloist with The Dallas Symphony, The Dallas Opera Orchestra, Abilene Philharmonic, Winston-Salam Symphony, Richardson Symphony, and University of North Texas Symphony orchestras. Jennifer is a champion for living composers and has been featured on recitals with composers Jake Heggie, Tom Cipullo, Dominick Argento, S. Andrew Lloyd, Paul David Thomas, Lisa Despain,, and Dave Brubeck. Jennifer also is a member of the GRAMMY-nominated ensemble, The South Dakota Chorale. Jennifer has been nominated for a Richard Tucker Foundation Career Grant in NYC. She is the winner of the Lois Alba Aria Competition, winner of the Kansas City District of the Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions, winner of the concerto competition at The University of North Texas, and a semi-finalist in the Loren Zachary Vocal Competition. In the fall of 2020, Dr. Youngs joined the faculty of Brigham Young University, in Provo, Utah. Previously, Jennifer was an Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Vocal Studies at Texas Woman’s University, in Denton, Texas. She earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Performance and Pedagogy as well as a Master of Music degree in Performance and Opera from the University of North Texas and a Bachelor of Music degree in Performance from the Conservatory of Music at University of the Pacific. “The standout in the Rinaldo cast was Jennifer Youngs, who vividly portrayed Armida’s vulnerability as well as ferocity. Her substantive soprano alternately raged, flickered and delicately touched in high notes.” -The Dallas Morning News

Lindsay Hansen Park is an American Mormon feminist blogger, activist, podcaster, and the Executive Director for the Salt Lake City-based non-profit Sunstone Education Foundation. She is the host of the acclaimed Year of Polygamy podcast and the Sunstone Mormon History podcast. https://www.yearofpolygamy.com/ https://sunstonemagazine.com/sunstone-history-podcast/

Rachel is a transplant from California. Makeup artist, hair stylist, painter, singer and songwriter. An exMormon and a witch, constantly learning and dedicated to the process of finding a meaningful life and living authentically. Www.Rachelclarkhmua.com Www.Instagram.com/Radwombat Thebandmowth.com

Dan has been playing drums and making music for 20 years. He grew up playing and studying funk, jazz, hip hop and classic rock – and has played in bands of countless genres ranging from ska to country to metal. He is also highly influenced by music in TV and film, and has scored a handful of independent films/shows. Dan currently teaches drum students of all ages primarily online, but also in student homes and his studio. In addition to all things drumming in a modern context, he also incorporates Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) technology into his lessons, with an emphasis on music production, sampling, song arrangement, composition and more. He currently plays with Stereo Match (music on all platforms) an indie alternative rock band, and is working on a solo instrumental album planned for release Spring of 2021. Instagram: @drumdowsett Facebook: drumdowsett Site: dandowsett.squarespace.com Band IG: @stereomatch Band Site: stereomatchmusic.com

Mark Bigelow received degrees in Philosophy (1989) and Public Administration (1991) from Brigham Young University. Later in life, he began taking art classes at BYU to pursue a different path. He has been working in stained glass since 2002, when he initially made art as a hobby. In 2013, he created Mountain Light Glazier, LLC and primarily makes commissions for homes. Bigelow has been an Affiliate Member of the Stained Glass Association of America since 2017. In June 2018, the SGAA funded his attendance at “Designing with Freedom” a workshop in New York with Ellen Mandelbaum. He has exhibited his work locally with the Utah County Artist Guild, where his piece “Rainbow Fall” won second place in 2017. mountainlightglazier.com

Eric Hopkins plays the dual role of percussionist and associate principal timpanist in the symphony. His passion lies in both roles equally. For Eric, percussion is about negotiating the wide array of acoustic possibility, overcoming and embracing the challenges of each unique instrument. On timpani, the large copper kettle drums, Eric strives to maximize the sound color palette to vivify the emotional content of the music. https://utahsymphony.org/bio/eric-hopkins/

Acclaimed Sculptor and Painter presently residing in Saratoga Springs, Utah. Born in California, Bradshaw moved to Utah at age nineteen to attend BYU, where she completed a BFA and MFA in Art. Bradshaw teaches art at Utah Valley University. She is a mother of four children. From her domestic experience as mother and nurturer she finds artistic inspiration. She is a classical figurative artist. Themes of celebration and belief in humanity run through her work. Among her notable works are Martha Hughes Cannon, an eight-foot bronze displayed at the Utah State Capitol, Acanthus Child, a six-foot figure displayed at the University of Utah Medical Center, as well as several sculptures on display at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City. https://lauraleebradshaw.com/ IG: @lauralee_artist