“Bluegrass, Beethoven and the Bicentennial,” a free public lecture/performance by Phillip Rhodes, will be held at East Tennessee State University on Thursday, Oct. 8, at 4:30 p.m. in Room 107 of Mathes Hall.Rhodes is the Fall 2009 chairholder of the ETSU’s Wayne G. Basler Chair of Excellence for the Integration of the Arts, Rhetoric and Science.

A graduate of Duke University and the Yale University School of Music, Rhodes joined the faculty of Carleton College, Northfield, Minn., as associate professor and composer-in-residence.

In 1981, he was appointed the Andrew W. Mellon Professor of the Humanities, a chair he held for 25 years.

In addition to his teaching credentials, Rhodes is also the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and a citation from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, as well as grants from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Rockefeller Fund for Music.

“Bluegrass, Beethoven and the Bicentennial” recounts a commission awarded Rhodes by the NEA as part of the nation’s 1976 Bicentennial celebration.

The resulting work, “Concerto for Bluegrass Band and Orchestra” (aka “Bluegrass Festival Suite”), was the first-ever composition featuring symphony orchestra with bluegrass instruments.

His music is recorded on the CRI, Centaur Records, First Edition, Innova and New World Records labels.

Major performances of his work include those by the Cleveland Orchestra at the Blossom Festival, Atlanta Symphony at Carnegie Hall and National Symphony at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Rhodes’ selection as the ETSU Fall 2009 Wayne G. Basler Chair of Excellence is yet another recognition of his distinguished career.

Created in 1994, the Basler Chair is named in honor of a longtime member of the ETSU Foundation who is a strong advocate of professional academic programs at the university.

Chairholders serve for one semester, or the equivalent, allowing a number of individuals from a variety of fields to participate over time.

The primary duties of the chairholder are to teach two courses, typically one undergraduate and one graduate, and to present four free public lectures/performances.

All of Rhodes’ lectures/performances will take place on the ETSU main campus.

In addition to his Oct. 8 presentation, these include: “Appalachian Settings for String Quartet,” Nov. 5 at 7:30 p.m., Room 107 in Mathes Hall; the Ending Fall Bands Concert featuring Rhodes with the ETSU bands, conducted by Dr. Christian Zembower, in the performance of “Cosmic Fantasies” (a piece Rhodes wrote for his son), Nov. 24, 7:30 p.m., Martha Street Culp Auditorium, D.P. Culp University Center; and “Pick Up and Hammer On: Creative Arranging Among an Appalachian Tribe,” Dec. 1, time and location to be announced.

For more information or special assistance for those with disabilities, contact Randy Sanders in the Center for Appalachian Studies and Services at (423) 439-7994 or sandersr@etsu.edu.

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