Composer, Pianist, Organist, and Teacher
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GC Welcomes Dr. Sean Beachy as Music Instructor

Artigo 02.10.2015 15:33

Garrett College is pleased to announce the addition of Dr. Sean Beachy, of Grantsville, as an adjunct instructor of music for the upcoming spring semester. A native of Garrett County, Beachy earned his bachelor of arts degree from Alderson-Broaddus College in applied piano, a master of music degree in composition from Shenandoah University, and a doctorate from West Virginia University in music composition. While at WVU, he taught freshman written and aural theory as a graduate assistant, and received one of 15 university-wide Dissertation Fellowships for the spring 2010 semester while completing his doctoral dissertation.

Beachy holds several active and very much involved positions in Allegany and Garrett Counties; including the accompaniment of the Chamber Choir, the Vocal Jazz Ensemble, and student recitals at Frostburg State University. He has been instructing lessons in piano and music composition at the Northern Outreach Center in Grantsville for Garrett College. In addition, he is the church organist, handbell choir director, and A/V coordinator at the Frostburg United Methodist Church. As a freelance collaborative pianist, Beachy has performed for local high schools and festivals, and was primary keyboardist for Potomac State College’s production of ‘Les Miserables’ as well as Apple Alley Players’ production of ‘Wizard of Oz’.

Several of his own pieces have been premiered and performed throughout the United States. In 2007, his commissioned work Suite for Tuba was premiered by Logan Lindsey at the Hawkeye Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference at the University of Iowa. That same year, he won the First Annual Anthem Competition, sponsored by First Baptist Church of Worcester, MA. Then I Saw a New Heaven… for SATB choir and organ was premiered by the FBC Worcester chancel choir during the church’s annual music and arts weekend in April 2007. In 2009 his piece for soprano and electronics titled Stretch of Time was chosen to be performed at the SEAMUS annual conference at Sweetwater Sound, Inc., in Fort Wayne, IN. In 2011, he won the Fifth Annual Anthem Competition with his piece A New Birth for SATB choir and organ, which premiered in Worcester, MA, on May 1, 2011, during First Baptist Church’s worship service. Most recently, he received commissions from Allegany College of Maryland and the City of Frostburg. On September 16, 2012, Mountain City Reverie for SSAATTBB choir and piano was premiered during the Bicentennial Celebration commemorating the 200th anniversary of Frostburg, Maryland. In October 2012, Beachy's Festival Overture for organ was premiered by the composer, marking the Inauguration of Dr. Cynthia S. Bambara, the Fifth President of Allegany College of Maryland.

Beachy will be offering several new opportunities for students and the community in the upcoming spring semester at GC. A new course in music composition/songwriting is designed for musicians who are proficient on an instrument and wish to hone their music writing skills. Similar to individual private instrument or voice lessons, each student will meet with Dr. Beachy once every week individually and then meet as a studio class setting to listen and comment on each other’s compositions. The course will focus on compositional technique, theory, stylistic and aesthetic issues, and instrumentation/orchestration.

The second new course offering is chorus. Although the college has had a choir in the past, he will reintroduce this opportunity for students and community members. This is a great opportunity for anyone who loves to sing and wants to be involved in a group choral setting. Chorus will meet on Monday evenings from 6 to 8 pm and perform a concert featuring a variety of choral literature at the end of the semester.

Beachy will offer private lessons in piano and voice, as well as piloting the new course in the History of Rock and Roll through the 1960’s. This course examines and defines the music that served as precursor to the genre along with its contributions, reactions, and parallel art forms in society. The course will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:30 pm to 3 pm in the college music room. This course will satisfy a General Education Requirement in Humanities for college credit programs, and any of the courses mentioned in this article are available as a non-credit “audit” for interested persons who are not seeking a college degree. For additional information on any of the upcoming music courses or programs, contact Beachy at sean.beachy@garrettcollege.edu. or Ron Skidmore, Program Director, at ron.skidmore@garrettcollege.edu.

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