SUU's Vanguard Ensemble presents "don't panic, it's just music" featuring Dr. Mark Applebaum, Dr. Terry Longshore, Joseph Howe, and the SUU Vanguard Ensemble, with guests SUU Percussion and Dr. Jed Blodgett. This concert follows Dr. Applebaum's Eccles A.P.E.X Lecture earlier the same day. Please join us for an interesting concert on March 20th, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. in the SUU Auditorium.
About Dr. Mark Applebaum
Mark Applebaum is the Leland & Edith Smith Professor of Composition at Stanford University, where he directs [sic]—the Stanford Improvisation Collective. He earned his Ph.D. in composition from the University of California at San Diego under the mentorship of Brian Ferneyhough. Applebaum's innovative work spans solo, chamber, choral, orchestral, operatic, and electroacoustic genres, with performances across six continents, including at the renowned Darmstadt Sessions. His compositions often challenge traditional musical boundaries, featuring works for three conductors and no players, a concerto for florist and orchestra, instruments made of junk, and a 72-foot graphic score with no interpretive instructions.
Applebaum's piece Aphasia, a modern classic involving an invented sign language set to sound, has been performed over 500 times worldwide. His interdisciplinary approach extends to collaborations with neural artists, filmmakers, florists, animators, and more. An accomplished jazz pianist and instrument builder, Applebaum's music is featured on labels such as Innova, Tzadik, and Capstone. His TED Talk on boredom has garnered over five million views. Applebaum has received numerous prestigious commissions and accolades, including Stanford’s 2003 Walter J. Gores Award for excellence in teaching and the Publishers Professional Network’s book awards for his artbook Prescribe/Describe.
About Dr. Terry Longshore
Terry Longshore is a versatile percussionist whose work bridges the artistry of the concert stage, the spontaneity of jazz, and the energy of a rock club. Based in Ashland, Oregon, he is a dynamic performer, composer, and educator praised for his "understated virtuosity" by Blue Sky Music. Longshore is the artistic director of Knock on Wood Percussion and co-artistic director of ensembles including Caballito Negro, Skin & Bones, and Left Edge Collective. He also performs with the Rogue Valley Symphony, Portland Percussion Group, Flamenco Pacifico, and Dúo Flamenco. His collaborations span diverse media, and he is currently touring his solo program balance | flow, an intermedia percussion experience.
As Professor of Music and Director of Percussion Studies at Southern Oregon University, Longshore directs Left Edge Percussion and the SOU Percussion Ensemble. He has premiered over 100 works, including the 2023 premiere of Teddy Abrams' Mammoth with Yo-Yo Ma and the Louisville Orchestra. His recordings feature music by Mark Applebaum, Iannis Xenakis, William Kraft, and Michael Gordon. An accomplished composer and champion of new music, Longshore is also a Marimba One Vibe Artist and an Artist Endorser for several major percussion brands. He holds degrees from California State University and the University of California, San Diego, with additional studies in flamenco and Indian classical music.