Date:
9/6/2002
Contact: Wendel Sloan at 505.562.2253
Reporter: Colleen Wright
PORTALES – This summer was full of excitement for Eastern New Mexico University assistant professor of music Tamara Raatz. Dr. Raatz traveled to Vienna, Austria, in June to present a lecture recital for the College Music Society International Institute.
Her lecture was titled "Anton Stadler 's Use of the Basset Clarinet in Mozart's Operatic Works and the Compositional Comparison to the Clarinet Concerto, K 622." The presentation was made possible through support from an ENMU grant, the Department of Music, and the Deans' Council.
Those who participated in the Institute lived in the central city. Part of the conference included a morning presentation on the history and traditions of Vienna by an international panel of artists and scholars as well as two guest historians from the University of Vienna. In addition to learning about Vienna's musical history, participants also had the opportunity to acquire teaching aids such as slides, photographs, posters, books and many other resources.
"Vienna was a wonderful location for the conference because it has been Europe's dominant musical center for hundreds of years," said Dr. Raatz.
Vienna was Mozart's home for the last 10 years of his life. In a letter to his father Mozart once wrote, "I assure you that this is a splendid place and for my métier the best one in the world."
Dr. Raatz received her bachelor's degree in music education from Baylor University, a master's degree in music from the University of Michigan and a doctorate of musical arts from the Eastman School of Music. She worked as a faculty member at Sam Houston State University and was director of Wind Studies at the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, Texas. She is a recent addition to the ENMU faculty and is in charge of teaching applied clarinet and chamber music.
"As a performing artist it was an honor to be selected as a contributing artist and scholar for this event," Dr. Raatz said. "Through this experience I will be able to bring a new wealth of knowledge to enhance my class lectures, research and performance projects."
Tamara Raatz