La Sierra’s conductor Daniel Cummings, Canadian soprano will shine talents at HMA

Most people around La Sierra University know Daniel Cummings for his skill as conductor of the institution's symphony orchestra. But on Jan. 24, the maestro will display his piano performance abilities in a recital at Hole Memorial Auditorium.

The concert, which begins at 7 p.m., will include performances by vocalist Jennifer Tung, an accomplished soprano vocalist and piano accompanist who teaches at the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Canada. She and Cummings will present Italian arias, works by Franz Schubert, and two German pieces by George Frideric Handel, the latter of which will include a flute obbligato by Martin Glicklich, adjunct flute professor at La Sierra.

Cummings will also premiere his own compositions, a song cycle titled “Love Songs.”

Tung will bring an added element of interest to the evening by joining Cummings at the Steinway keyboard for a four-hand performance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's “Piano Sonata No. 4 in C Major.”

Tickets for the performance are $10 general admission; $5 for seniors, La Sierra University faculty, staff and students and $20 for families. Children age 12 and under are free admission. Call 951-785-2036 for additional information.

Tung, in addition to her role as vocal coach at the Glenn Gould School, is the founder, core faculty and coordinator of the vocal program for the Young Artist Performance Academy. Most recently, Tung was appointed to serve as the vocal department coordinator of the Glenn Gould School. In 2006, 2007 and 2009 she joined the faculty of the “Songfest” Young Artist Program in Malibu working alongside renowned musicians D'Anna Fortunata, Judith Kellock and Frances Young.

Her extensive musical background includes performing as oratorio soloist in such major works as “Magnificat” by Johann Sebastian Bach, “Ceremony of Carols” by Benjamin Britten and “Gloria” by Antonio Vivaldi. In November 2009, Tung served as soprano soloist for Mozart's “Mass in C minor” with the Toronto Sinfonietta. Tung holds a Bachelor's of Music in voice performance and a Master of Music in piano accompanying and chamber music from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.

Cummings received his Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of California, Los Angeles in June 2007. At La Sierra he teaches piano proficiency and is music director and conductor of the La Sierra University Symphony Orchestra.

Most recently, he served on the faculty of the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival and was chamber music coach for the UCLA Summer Music Academy. He is currently pursuing post-doctoral studies in conducting and advanced orchestral topics with Dr. Stephen Tucker, international symphonic conductor, associate professor of graduate analysis, conducting, and instrumentation at the University of California, Irvine, conductor of the UCI Symphony Orchestra.

Cummings' impressive musical resume includes serving as conducting assistant to John Mauceri of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and rehearsal pianist for their production of “Sunset Boulevard”; music director and conductor for the UCLA Music Theatre Workshop's production of “West Side Story” and “Lakmé: Redux”; arranger and pianist for the Carol Burnett Awards; and assistant conductor of the UCLA Opera Workshop. As a composer, Cummings has written film scores, concerti for piano and clarinet, songs and song cycles and over 100 arrangements for hymns and folksongs for various ensembles and singers. He has studied conducting with the Hollywood Bowl's Mauceri, Dr. Jon Robertson, conductor of the Redlands Symphony Orchestra and former conducting professor and chair of UCLA's music department, and UCLA conducting professor and internationally recognized symphonic guest conductor Neal Stulberg. Cumming's music professors include widely acclaimed concert pianist Dr. Jennifer Snow, associate professor at UCLA.

PR Contact: Larry Becker
Executive Director of University Relations
La Sierra University
Riverside, California
951.785.2460 (voice)