Accent: Notes from Macalester Music

Accent is a publication for sharing music, news and for building community. 

Accent emphasizes the musical work being done by those connected to Macalester Music—students, faculty or alumni. Each quarter we bring you current highlights, upcoming events, and provide context to the extraordinary stories that intersect with music.

Browse the archives below, and be in touch with feature ideas, questions or suggestions by emailing [email protected].

Volume 4: Issue 3: Accent on Dawn Avery

Read about our spring Featured Artist, composer and cellist Dawn Avery. Preview our spring calendar of concerts, and learn more about a new social hour in the Music Department!

Volume 4: Issue 2: Accent on Dr. Amanda Weber

Read about the professional career of Dr. Amanda Weber, directing the Macalester Choirs while Dr. Mike McGaghie is on sabbatical. Also celebrated in this issue are Claudia Chen, who bids us farewell after over 20 years of serving Macalester piano students, and Dr. Chuen-Fung Wong, who recently delivered a keynote address in Hong Kong. *Correction: Our February featured artist is Dawn Avery. This corrects a misspelling of a name in the original issue.

Volume 4: Issue 1: Accent on Dr. Jenya Trubnikava

Read about a day in the life with Dr. Jenya Trubnikava as collaborative pianist, coach, and advocate for student musicians in the Music Department. Also featured is an exciting new endowment honoring Professor Sowah Mensah, and an impressive lineup of guest artist residencies and concerts!

Volume 3: Issue 2: Accent on Final Concerts, Capstones, and Beyond!

An exciting finale to an excellent year, including spring concerts, amazing seniors, and alumni adventures!

Volume 3: Issue 1: Accent on Macalester Sesquicentennial

A recap of an exciting commission to celebrate Macalester’s 150th anniversary.

Volume 2: Issue 5: Accent on Lauri Nichols

A fond farewell for Lauri Nichols’ in celebration of her retirement after more than 30 years teaching at Macalester. Published April, 2022.

Volume 2: Issue 4: Accent on Spring Concerts

A comprehensive list of all the concerts from Macalester Music Department in Mairs Concert Hall. Published February, 2022.

Volume 2: Issue 3: Accent on Seniors

Our senior majors and minors come to us from around the globe, and with a wide variety of academic and musical interests, and we’d like to introduce some of them here. Published December, 2021.

Volume 2: Issue 2: Accent on Interpreting Bach

Mark Mazullo and Claudia Chen perform and discuss J.S. Bach and why students, performers, and audiences are still drawn to his works, nearly 300 years after they were written. Published October, 2021.

Volume 2: Issue I: Accent on African Music with Sowah Mensah

Director of African Music Sowah Mensah discusses playing and teaching West African music, and reflects on his own experiences as a music learner and educator. Published September, 2021.

Volume I: Issue 4: Accent on Concerto Competition

Meet the winners of the 2021 concerto competition, vocalist Elinor Jones and violinist Kayla Schang, and watch highlights from the concerto recital performance. Published May, 2021.

Volume I: Issue 3: Accent on Ethnomusicology

Hear Professor Chuen-Fung Wong discuss his work in ethnomusicology and give a demonstration of the rawap, an instrument he learned while doing field research among the Uyghur people. Published March, 2021.

Volume I: Issue 2: Accent on Electronic Music

Watch a performance of student compositions from Electronic Music class taught by Reid Kruger or read an interview with Reid to learn more about how the course works. Published February, 2021.

Volume I, Issue I: Accent on Medea

Watch the performance, read the program notes or a behind-the-scenes interview with Mark Mandarano and Harry Waters, Jr. as they discuss the process of how it all came together. Published January, 2021.