“Old and New,” a solo guitar recital performed by Elizabethtown College Artist-in-Residence David Cullen was the feature of the most recent Monday Concert Series in Leffler Chapel and Performing Arts Center. Cullen is a Grammy Award winner for Best Pop Instrumental Recording. His recital included works by John Dowland, Ralph Towner and J. S. Bach; Cullen also played works by Dr. James Haines, chair of the music division of the Fine and Performing Arts department at Etown. The recital took place from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 13.
Some of the styles with which Cullen is familiar include jazz, classical and world music. He has worked with such artists as Will Ackerman, the Philly Pop Orchestra and Victor Wooten, and has performed for jazz festivals, classical guitar societies and performing arts series across North America. Monday’s performance included softly played classical guitar pieces.
“I enjoy communicating through music, using music to reach people and have them experience feelings and emotions that go along with listening to music on a level that gets their attention,” Cullen said. In his performances, he tries to get audiences to focus on the music and the moment at hand. Musicians can use good performance spaces to help their audiences forget about everything else and their stressors or distractions and focus on the power of the music. At Etown, Cullen teaches music therapy majors to play the guitar and to use the guitar in therapy sessions.
To prepare for a recital, Cullen said he does not do too many different things from his normal routine. He still teaches classes and makes sure he eats dinner. The main difference in his routine before a recital, he said, is that he spends about two hours before his performance warming up and tuning whatever instrument he plans to use during the recital.
The program included John Dowland’s Fantasia No. 7, one of his best-known pieces, J. S. Bach’s Prelude and Fugue and Allegro, BWV 998, which was written for performance on the lute. It also included Three Movements for Guitar by James Haines and Five Pieces for Guitar by Ralph Towner. Cullen’s performance was minimalistic, consisting simply of himself playing an acoustic guitar on stage. His only props were a chair and a music stand. He took a moment to orient himself and prepare for his recital before diving into the music, ending each set with a flourish. He hardly spoke, instead letting the music speak for him. The music he played was soft and dreamlike in quality and he maintained the quiet atmosphere, gently placing each piece of sheet music on the floor by his feet to avoid rustling the paper.
The concert was a public event and drew a wide audience ranging from students to faculty, staff members and the off-campus community. Cullen kept the audience’s attention with his skill and obvious passion for the music he played.
Cullen earned a bachelor in music in Guitar Performance from the Hartt School of Music and has taught at Etown for 20 years. He has been the Artist in Residence here for 10 of those years. One of his duties as the Artist in Residence involves giving a faculty recital every year and participating in the Monday Concert Series is a part of his routine. Cullen also works as a guitar instructor at Millersville University and a jazz and classical guitar instructor at West Chester University and Kutztown University. In his performances, Cullen said he draws on different styles he enjoys playing, and brings in other performers he’s worked with in past years.
In the Monday Concert Series, faculty members of the Music Division of the Fine and Performing Arts department showcase various instrumental and vocal performances in both solo and chamber combinations. For more information on the Monday Concert Series and other events sponsored by the Fine and Performing Arts department, contact Amy Reynolds at REYNOLDSA@ETOWN.EDU or call her at (717) 361-1212.
