Tyranny of Now a 1st TUE Talk

It is hard to stay or even get motivated, especially if your primary income doesn’t come from your art. Join our 1st TUE Talk on July 2nd, when we feature professional musicians: John Harrison, Susan Mayo, & Arleigh Aldrich who will share their life, work, and creative endeavors within the topic of motivation.

TUESDAY JULY 2ND » ULRICH MUSEUM OF ART » 7P

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John Harrison

John Harrison is Concertmaster of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra (WSO) and Chicago Chamber Orchestra. He is also a full-time Engineering Educator at Wichita State University’s (WSU) College of Engineering. Previous positions include Electrical and Computer Engineer at PWI Inc, Director of WSU’s Center for Research in Arts, Technology, Education, and Learning (CRATEL) and Tenured Associate Professor of Violin at Wichita State University’s School of Music.

John is an active performing violinist as well as a practicing Electrical and Computer Engineer. In addition, he creates and collaborates on the design and implementation of interactive new media art installations. A founder of Wichita’s new media artist collective Hack.Art.Lab, John has created and installed new media art in such places as Wichita, Kansas City, Richmond VA, Weimar Germany and Sao Paulo Brazil. John also helped found MakeICT, Wichita’s first Makerspace.

John continues his activities as a violinist. He has recorded for Koch International Classics and New World Records and has been broadcast internationally on Public Radio International. As First Violinist of theMontclaire String Quartet, his touring and performance schedule included internationally televised and recorded concerts. He has also performed as First Violin of the Amernet String Quartet, first-prize winner of the Banff International String Quartet Competition.

As a violin soloist, John has performed with orchestras in major cities internationally. His former leadership positions include Concertmaster of The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, and The Vermont Symphony Orchestra. He was also a regular substitute member of The Boston Symphony Orchestra and The Boston Pops Orchestra.

John’s pursued his undergraduate degrees at Eastman School of Music and Cleveland Institute of Music (BM: Violin Performance), as well as Case Western Reserve University and University of Rochester (BS: Computer Science). He holds a Master’s Degree in Media Technology from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); he pursued his graduate research at the MIT Media Lab.

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Susan Mayo

Susan Mayo has been part of the Kansas musical landscape for over 30 years. She is the reigning Kansas Queen of Adjuncts: currently teaching at Emporia State University, Friends University, and Tabor College. She is a member of the Wichita Symphony and enjoys performing with her friends in a variety of small groups including ZHM, SPQ and the Great Plains Piano Trio. She is currently pursuing her DMA at KU.

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Arleigh Aldrich

Arleigh has served as a cellist with the Wichita Symphony Orchestra for six years. Having started playing the cello at age 11, she grew up in the Wichita area and was cultivated by the thriving music community. After two years of studying for her bachelor’s in cello performance, she pivoted her career interests to pursue a marketing degree from Wichita State University. Arleigh puts her degree to work as the Marketing and Public Relations Manager for the Wichita Symphony. Given her skill set it’s a job description she couldn’t have dreamt up any better for herself, but challenges in her corner are many. By day she battles an industry-created stigma of Classical music and the accessibility of her craft. By night she practices her cello, Felix, in hopes to help those she comes in contact with dig a little bit deeper into themselves as well as connecting them to others through music. Arleigh is also active in the Wichita community through freelance string ensembles and partnerships with local musicians, most recently with Wichita-based singer/songwriter Aaron Lee Martin.

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