Concert On April 2 To Celebrate Music Faculty Members

The Limestone College Wind Ensemble will celebrate the careers of faculty members Dr. Gena Poovey and Dr. David Thompson on Tuesday, April 2, at 7:30 p.m., in Fullerton Auditorium.

The College is inviting alumni, faculty, staff, students, and the community to come out and celebrate with the music of Gustav Holst, Joseph Earp, Julie Giroux, and Matthew R. Putnam. Admission is free.

Three current senior music majors, Emma Draney, Hayden Osborne, and Quandarius Neal, will conduct the 110-year anniversary of Holst’s “1st Suite in E-Flat.”

Limestone College Director of Athletic Bands and Composer Joseph Earp will conduct his new composition “Merlin the Magnificent.” He will also conduct “Cherished Saint” and will be accompanied vocally by Poovey. Earp has crafted a concerto for voice and wind band using Limestone College's own alma mater, “Cherished Limestone.”

Thompson will perform the piano concerto “Cordoba” by Giroux, which was composed in remembrance of her father who died in 1988. While serving in the United States Air Force, Giroux’s father was stationed for a short time in Spain and he often expressed how much he loved it there, especially the music, which is why “Cordoba” is Spanish in nature.

An alumnus of the Limestone College Music Department, Matthew Putnam will represent the only current living composer of wind band music who graduated from the College. His composition, “Cirque de L’estrange,” will be performed at the concert, along with “The Great Clipper Race.”

Poovey and Thompson both arrived at Limestone College in 1993. Poovey is Professor of Choral/Vocal Music Education, Director of Choral Activities, and chairs the Department of Music and the Division of Arts and Letters. A native of Newton, NC, she studied music at Pfeiffer University, Southern Methodist University, and holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from University of South Carolina. Her choirs have performed in locations such as Carnegie Hall in New York City, Salt Lake City, England, and Austria.

Thompson, a South Carolina native, is currently Professor of Music at Limestone where he teaches private and group piano, Music Theory and History, accompanies the community chorus, and is Co-Chair of the Musical Theatre major. A nationally certified piano teacher, Thompson continues to teach students from beginner to adult while maintaining an active schedule as soloist, collaborative artist, and adjudicator. He has performed in venues across the Unites States and in England, Germany, Austria, and Korea. He also performed in Iceland where he and his family lived and taught music for several years. Thompson completed his Master’s degree and Doctorate of Arts in Piano Pedagogy at the University of South Carolina and his Bachelor of Arts in Piano Performance at Limestone College.