UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Faculty trombone professor Mark L. Lusk will present his 58th faculty trombone recital at 8 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 17, in Esber Recital Hall. Titled "The Cuban Connection," Lusk will be joined by guest faculty members Anthony Leach and Steven Hankle, members of Essence of Joy and the Penn State Trombone Choir, collaborative pianist Kathy Gattuso Cinatl, percussionists Jaren Angud and Bobby Leidhecker; and special guest Michael Davison, trumpet. Admission is free.
The program begins with the haunting "MLK," originally written by the legendary rock group U2, and later arranged by Bob Chilcott and performed by the King's Singers. Lusk transcribed "MLK" to blend together the sounds of male voices and trombones in order to create a special tribute to the message of the great Martin Luther King as part of the national holiday. He is joined by guest soloist Stephen Hankle, the gentlemen of Essence of Joy, and the Penn State Trombone Choir, all under the direction of Anthony Leach.
The program continues with "An Elizabethan Songbook" by Eric Ewazen. Of the many pieces written for brass by this composer, few match the beautiful simplicity of this multi-movement work written for trumpet, trombone, and piano. In addition to Lusk, the performance features pianist Kathy Gattuso Cinatl, and Michael Davison, trumpet, a faculty member at the University of Richmond.
Composer Kim Scharnberg wrote "N.O. Rising" in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It is intended to be not only reflective of the tragedy that occurred, but also the optimistic representation of the power of the music and spirit of the great city of New Orleans. Like the Ewazen songbook, this composition is scored for trombone, trumpet, and piano, and features a variety of the musical styles present in the life of the Crescent City.
The recital concludes with the signature piece of the evening, a new version of the concerto commissioned by Lusk and Davison as part of their musical mission to Cuba in May, 2015. Titled "Caribbean Sounds Suite," the composition is uniquely Cuban, written for flugelhorn, trombone and orchestra. Composed by Daniel Guzman Loyzaga, a legendary talent best described as the “Cuban Bernstein,” the piece is written in two parts. The first movement, entitled “Conflict,” is a musical tone poem that represents the many stories of conflict throughout the history of Cuba. The second part is titled “Hope,” and it features many of the traditional styles that survived to make the music of Cuba one the richest musical traditions in the world.
This concert is available via livestreamed video at Penn State School of Music.
Mark Lancaster Lusk became a member of the Penn State faculty in 1986. Prior to his appointment, he enjoyed a varied career with such diverse groups as the Woody Herman Thundering Herd, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Eastman Wind Ensemble, and the Chicago Contemporary Chamber Players.
He continues to have an active playing career as a soloist, clinician, and freelance musician. As a member of the Woody Herman Alumni Band, he has performed throughout the United States and abroad, including featured performances at jazz festivals in China, England, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Scotland, and Sweden. The two most recent recordings of the Woody Herman Alumni Band are entitled the 60th Jubilee and Live in London and are available on the New York Jam label.
Lusk has also performed on Broadway, including the recent production of Little Women. The original cast album is currently available from Ghostlight Records. His successful experience on Broadway has allowed him to play such memorable shows as Les Miserables, Phantom Of The Opera, Sunset Boulevard, Victor/Victoria, Miss Saigon, and Beauty and the Beast.
His performing and teaching have also taken him to South America. He has toured Chile as an artist/clinician, teaching and performing throughout the country, including a performances with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Concepción and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Chile. Lusk has also visited Argentina where he served as an artist/clinician and was the first trombone soloist in the history of the Teatro Colon.
In the summer months, Lusk is a member of the faculty at the Cleveland Trombone Seminar, the Interlochen Trombone and Tuba Institute, and the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp as a Valade Fellow instructor. Each year, Lusk tours as a soloist and with various groups that take him to numerous universities and schools of music across the United States. He has often performed at the New York Brass Conference, the Eastern Trombone Workshop, and the International Trombone Workshop where he was invited to conduct the William Cramer Memorial Trombone Ensemble of College Professors.
Mark Lancaster Lusk is a native of Brandenburg, Kentucky. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the Eastman School of Music and a performance certificate from Northwestern University. Lusk is an artist/clinician for S. E. Shires Trombones, and has published "Trombonist's Guide to the Unaccompanied Cello Suites of J. S. Bach" (Lyceum Press).