Program
Join Butler faculty Dana Zenobi (soprano) and Li-Wen Weng (piano) as they collaborate with guest trombonist Megan Boutin (Texas A&M University Commerce) to explore unique chamber works that contrast the timbres of the soprano voice and the trombone. Repertoire ranges from Baroque to modern and includes pieces by living composers. Listeners will enjoy works by Emperor Joseph I of Austria, Antonio Caldara, Eric Ewazen, Matthew Herman, Ashley H. Kraft, David Pegel, and Libby Larsen. Some works pair only soprano and trombone, while others have a fuller texture including soprano, trombone, and piano or harpsichord. Styles and moods encompass a wide range of moods from virtuosic and jubilant to comic to lyrical and brooding. We welcome listeners to enjoy this unusual but beautiful combination of sounds.
Free Admission
This event is free and open to the public.
About the Artists
Dr. Megan Boutin is the Assistant Professor of Music in Trombone at Texas A&M University-Commerce. Dr. Boutin has performed, presented, and adjudicated at conferences and festivals including the International Trombone Festival, American Trombone Workshop, Midwest Clinic, International Women’s Brass Conference, Big 12 Trombone Conference, and the Music by Women Festival. She is the winner of the 2019 International Women's Brass Conference Tenor Trombone Category II solo division, and has been a guest soloist at the Midwest Clinic. Dr. Boutin has held the position of principal trombone with the Temple Symphony Orchestra, Austin Civic Orchestra, and the Tri-Cities Opera Company Orchestra (Binghamton, NY). She has performed with orchestras including Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Austin Symphony Orchestra, Paducah Symphony Orchestra, Bangor Symphony Orchestra, as well as Austin Lyric Opera, Austin Symphony Brass Quintet, Stiletto Brass Quintet, Mirari Brass Quintet, and the Athena Brass Band.
As an educator she has been a featured guest artist for conferences as well as performed and presented masterclasses at universities throughout the United States. She served as a coach to the International Trombone Association’s Quartet Competition 2021 winners, and was an assistant conductor for the TAMUK Trombone Choir’s performance at the 2021 Midwest Clinic. An advocate for diversity and inclusion in music, Dr. Boutin is a member of the International Women’s Brass Conference and serves as a mentor with their mentorship program.
A native of Brunswick, Maine, Dr. Boutin holds degrees in Music Education from Ithaca College (B.M., Music Education), the Eastman School of Music (M.M.) and the University of Texas at Austin (D.M.A.). Principal teachers include Dr. Harold Reynolds, Mark Kellogg, Dr. John Marcellus, and Dr. Nathaniel Brickens. Dr. Boutin has held positions as the Assistant Professor of Music at Murray State University, and Adjunct Professor of Trombone at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.
Li-Wen Weng, born in Taipei, Taiwan, started to learn piano at age 4. At the age of 9, she was selected to represent Taiwan to perform her own composition in Singapore, Japan and Australia.
She was invited as a prize winner to perform at Carnegie Hall in November 2017. Her past awards include the 2nd Prize Winner of the Alexander & Buono International Piano Competition and the 2nd Prize Winner of the Grand Prize Virtuoso International Music Competition. She was invited as a prize winner to perform at the Wiener Saal Recital Hall in Salzburg. In addition, she participated in several music festivals in Berlin and Salzburg and studied with Susanne Gruetzmann, Kevin McCutcheon, and Andrzej Jasinski.
Besides performing as a solo pianist, Li-Wen is also an active collaborative pianist. Her experience includes accompanying vocalists, instrumentalists, and chamber musicians in master classes, recitals, and competitions.
Li-Wen holds her Master’s degree from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, where she studied with Evelyn Brancart. She obtained her Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign under the guidance of William Heiles. Teaching and performing are her passions, and she enjoys sharing her passion in music with everyone!
Dana Zenobi is a nationally recognized interpreter of Art Song by women and voice pedagogy scholar. Joys Abiding: Soprano Baritone Duets by Historical Women Composers, Zenobi’s 2022 album (Navona Records) and annotated score anthology (Classical Vocal Reprints) with baritone Oliver Worthington and pianist Chuck Dillard, has been warmly received. She has also garnered operatic success in roles ranging from Mozart and Verdi to Mark Adamo and Philip Glass, appearing with Austin Opera, Lyric Opera Cleveland, The Living Opera, Opera in the Heights, line upon line percussion ensemble, and the Austin Civic Orchestra. Both her performing and studio teaching have received accolades from The American Prize. At Butler University, she teaches studio voice, pedagogy, diction,and vocal literature courses, and directs the Butler University Vocal Competition for high school students. A grateful recipient of the 2020 National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Vocal Pedagogy Award, Dr. Zenobi has presented at conferences and festivals including regional and national NATS, the International Music By Women Festival, the Voice Foundation, the Pan American Vocology Association (PAVA), Bel Canto Boot Camp, and the Associated Colleges of the South Gender Studies Conference. In addition to Art Song by women, her research interests include voice acoustics, teaching technology, and music performance anxiety. Dr. Zenobi serves as the Indiana District Governor for NATS, and is on the board of El Sistema Indianapolis. Originally from Northport, NY, she earned both DMA (Voice Performance & Pedagogy) and MM (Opera Performance) from The University of Texas at Austin. She holds a dual Bachelor’s degree in Music and Women’s Studies from Duke University.
Parking
Parking is available in the McKinley Parking Garage (entrance on Ashland Avenue) located immediately south of Sursa Hall. On weekdays, metered parking ($1/hr) is available on the first floor of the garage until 7 p.m. at which time parking is free. This garage is free on weekends.