Contributed Photo: Chase Moore, left, and Franklin Alvarez will perform a joint faculty recital Wednesday, Oct. 10.
By Lori Dugan
THATCHER — Eastern Arizona College’s Fine Arts Division is delighted to present a joint faculty recital with Franklin Alvarez and Chase Moore, featuring special guest Saguaro String Quartet.
Alvarez, associate professor of music and director of orchestra and Moore, associate professor of music and director of musical theatre, will perform with the Saguaro String Quartet for the Gila Valley community on Oct. 10, at 7:30 p.m. in the Activities Center – Lee Little Theater. Admission is free.
As a Graduate Teaching Fellow at the University of Oregon, Alvarez assisted with viola instruction at the graduate and undergraduate levels, coached chamber music ensembles, and taught at string camps and workshops. He was also a faculty member at Antioquia University in Medellin, Colombia.
Alvarez was a semi-finalist in the 1997 Fischoff National Competition in South Bend, Indiana, as a member of the Polaris String Quartet. He was principal viola with the Eugene Opera Orchestra, a member of the Eugene Symphony, the Oregon Mozart Players, the Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra, and the Bloch Festival Orchestra in Newport, Oregon.
He is the 1995 winner of the Emerson String Quartet competition at the University of Hartford and was the violin/viola instructor with the D.C. Youth Symphony Orchestra Program in Washington D.C.
Alvarez earned his Bachelor of Music degree in 1983 from Tolima Music Conservatory in Columbia, and a combination Artist Diploma and Master of Music degree in 1996 from the University of Hartford.
A native of Somerset, Kentucky, Moore got an early start on his music career by playing in churches across the Bluegrass, which he continued to do for 16 years. Moore went on to receive a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Eastern Kentucky University, and a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Eastern Kentucky University – with a second emphasis on piano performance. In addition to his responsibilities at EAC, and as an ACDA chairman, Moore serves as the music director at Safford’s First United Methodist Church.
Moore now performs frequently as a guest pianist and accompanist across the nation. He has influenced hundreds of students, having worked with various choirs in Arizona, Kentucky, and Tennessee, including Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity’s Men of Song chorus.
“We believe that an important part of teaching is doing,” Moore said. “We want to show our students that they can perform well beyond their college careers.”
For more information about this free, family-friendly event, contact Moore at (928) 428-8467 or chase.moore@eac.edu.