| Written by Lindsey Hoyt |
| Thursday, 26 February 2009 17:31 |
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A few powerful words describe the short, petite singer.
Mighty. Dynamo. Fireball. Diva. Fighter.
She really was Queen of the Night.
The small woman with the big voice was Joan Volek Gersten, a Vocal Arts instructor at University of Wyoming for 32 years. She taught until close to her Jan. 10 death after a three-year illness.
Her former students and friends use those powerful words to describe her as an “incredible” person who freely shared her talent to help others on their musical path. Joan was a professional-level opera singer who chose to teach.
“She had the kind of voice that was just meant to sing and do nothing else,” Dr. Katrina Zook, who knew Joan as a Vocal Arts colleague for 10 years, said. “Had she not decided to kind of slow down a bit and focus on teaching, there would have been nothing she couldn’t do vocally. She would have been a superstar, our little Joan.”
Volek Gersten did get a taste of a professional career. As a young woman she sang on opera house stages in Europe as Queen of the Night. A part in Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” opera, Queen of the Night makes up for sparse lines and appearances with two of the most renowned vocal works for coloratura sopranos, which she was. She performed this and other opera parts while she studied and worked in Europe for a number of years.
She left Europe with a husband, Fred Gersten, who survived his wife and musical partner. Fred began teaching at UW with Joan in 1976, and remains an Emeritus Faculty in music.
“Especially since Joan and Fred didn’t have children, they were always here,” Zook said.
Volek Gersten was a devoted teacher, according to statistics Ph.D. student Cherie Templeton and Associate Business College Professor Dr. Terri Rittenburg. As casual singers, the women were two of Joan’s many private students.
As a student of hers for 12 years, Rittenburg called her devotion to Volek Gersten “undying.”
“I’ll always keep singing. I love it, and that’s why I studied with her. I guess I don’t know, as far as studying further, whether I will…” she said, as tears caused her to pause.
Templeton took lessons from Volek Gersten for five years. She said she was amazed at how Volek Gersten didn’t let her illness keep her from teaching, but would schedule lessons in between chemotherapy treatments. And she was star-struck by Volek Gersten’s talent.
“She is incredible. She is at the same level or above some of the operatic singers I will listen to,” Templeton said. “The lightness and the flexibility in her voice; and I’m going, ‘Oh my God. This is my voice teacher. She’s taking time with me.’”
“I loved her style. That was the whole time –she could do things, and get me to do things, that my previous voice teachers never could,” she said.
By teaching Templeton how to sing better, Volek Gersten provided a rock for Templeton to cling to in hard times.
“She became obviously more than a teacher and more than a coach – she became a very close friend,” Templeton said, crying. “I continued taking lessons with her during all the tough times that I had, where my voice lessons kept me together.”
Templeton said Volek Gersten knew how and when to push, like making her sing a very difficult piece on bad days. It was so hard that she would focus on it completely, Templeton said. Endorphins kicked in and afterward Templeton felt good.
The impact of Volek Gersten’s teaching was felt far and wide among students who have gone on to receive full scholarships, become soloists and sing in groups all over the world. “She was equally committed to teaching, and UW has benefitted from that,” Zook said.
Volek Gersten would style her hair, put on makeup and come to Fine Arts in a complete outfit at 78-years-old, Zook said, to sing before she taught. “She would just sing and sing and sing and sing.”
“I really think that added many years to her life, and even through the cancer – it may have taken someone else a lot sooner – but I really think that singing was a therapy for her that kept her going longer than she might have otherwise,” Zook said. “I really believe that.”
Having sung her first radio broadcast at 7 years old in her home state of Michigan, Zook said, “She’s been doing this literally her whole life. When it stopped, a whole lot of musical activity stopped with her.”
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| Written by Lindsey Hoyt |
| Tuesday, 17 February 2009 19:29 |
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 The Rev. James DiLuzio presents the biblical book of Luke in a live, interactive format from 7 to 8:30 tonight and Thursday. The performance takes place in St. Paul’s Newman Center at 1800 Grand Ave.
The shows are casual, nondenominational and open to the public, Catholics on Campus President Christine Keldsen said.
According to the Newman Center bulletin, the consecutive shows will cover chapter 17 through the end of the book. Luke is the third of the four Gospels, or biographies, of Jesus Christ in the New Testament.
Luke Live – A Dramatic Proclamation of the Gospel of Luke is the national and international ministry tour of DiLuzio, who is from New York City. DiLuzio is a one-man show, reciting the chapters verse by verse from memory. He incorporates drama, song, spoken word and conversation in the show.
“It was really entertaining, and it was amazing the way he really did act it out. He did different voices … I’ve never heard anything proclaimed in that way. He made it personal for all of us,” Keldsen said.
Several dozen students and older parishioners attended the first of the four performances on Monday. DiLuzio is concluding the book of Luke as a continuation of his Luke Live performance here in 2006, Keldsen said.
She said DiLuzio’s format is to recite a chapter, sing a song and then pose questions to the audience to allow an exchange of personal perceptions and thoughts. This interaction made the experience feel less like a preached sermon, Keldsen said.
“He makes you feel like you’re there,” Keldsen said.
DiLuzio is a Paulist Father. According to the official Web site of Paulist Fathers, they “seek to meet the contemporary culture on its own terms, to present the Gospel message in ways that are compelling but not diluted, so that the fullness of the Catholic faith may lead others to find Christ’s deep peace … Paulists do not condemn culture, nor do they try to conform the Gospel to it. Rather, we preach the Gospel in new ways and in new forms.”
In addition to a bachelor’s degree in English and education and a master’s degree in divinity, DiLuzio received a master’s degree in drama from the University of Southern California.
DiLuzio has been performing around the U.S. and Canada since 2004.
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| Written by Stephanie Harsha |
| Tuesday, 17 February 2009 19:25 |
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To us Charlie, Kate & Tommy and the life we enjoy with them is an absolute joy. Our road with the children, however, has not always been easy. You see all three of our children were born missing part of their immune system. I was pregnant with Tommy when first Kate and then Charlie were diagnosed with a Primary Immunodeficiency Disease. Our lives revolved around sickness and medical appointments. My husband and I were quickly losing hope that our children would ever be able to lead typical lives filled with the things children are supposed to be able to do.
Over time, all three of our children were started on IV infusions of a plasma product called IVIG. When donors give plasma, it is pooled with others and their antibodies to diseases are infused into my children, replacing the part of the immune system they are missing.
This was the answer we were looking for, the hope for the future we once lost was restored. Plasma donations across the country allow our children to do the things that typical kids can do. Thank you for donating plasma. We sincerely hope that you continue to donate plasma so children like ours can lead happy, normal lives.
A young mother wrote these words in a testimonial about the plasma donations that helped provide for the health and happiness of her children, and some of those donations are happening right here in Laramie.
Many students are familiar with the local “cash cow” known as Biolife Plasma Services. Typically, a student is referred by a friend (who receives extra cash for the referral), fills out the paperwork and lays in a recliner while blood is withdrawn and recycled back in after plasma is separated.
Biolife Plasma Services is a part of Baxter Healthcare Corporation, which produces, sells and markets plasma-related medical supplies. Biolife is a licensed plasma collection agency, one of three statewide and part of a national network of subsidized clinics.
What some students are missing, however, is how vital their plasma is and how it is used to help others. Plasma makes up approximately 57 percent of one’s total blood volume and consists primarily of water and proteins that help the body control bleeding and infection. Plasma aids in the circulation of red and white blood cells and platelets. According to Biolife’s Web site, they obtain 250 milliliters of plasma per blood donation.
“I feel like I am doing something good. It’s not just about the money. It’s for a good cause. And it has helped me get over my fear of needles and blood. Now I don’t get nauseous or pass out,” senior psychology major Christy Burns said.
Biolife’s plasma collections contribute to the treatment of hemophilia, immune deficiencies and are also a factor in making products that treat tetanus, rabies, measles, Rubella and Hepatitis B.
There are some drawbacks, however. Some students have complained of higher frequencies of colds and other illnesses as well as bodily weakness. Others just can’t bear the needle.
Matt Nelson of Laramie’s Biolife Center said that the body replaces plasma fairly quickly and healthy donors can proceed with treatments as often as twice a week, with one day in between sessions. That means a student can earn between $100 and $200 a month.
Nelson said the donations come from people of all walks of life, not just students. Yet Biolife seems to be a popular way to make some extra cash for the financially challenged student.
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| Written by Wiley Combs |
| Tuesday, 13 January 2009 18:46 |
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The release of the music compact disc in the 1980s signaled the end of an era for vinyl records and players.
Now the release of smaller, more resilient forms of media with larger capacities has some wondering how much longer CDs will be the medium of choice.
San Disk, one of the primary purveyors of mini-storage, announced the release last fall of full-length musical albums on micro-SD cards. Following the trend toward miniaturization, these cards may soon be the SanDisk, one of the primary purveyors of mini-storage, announced the release last fall of full-length musical albums on micro-SD cards.
Following the trend toward miniaturization, these cards may soon be the technology of choice for cellular phones.
SanDisk’s Web site boasts that owners of the tiny technology can “download all the songs, pics, videos, games, and ring tones you want,” with available storage sizes ranging from two to 16 gigabytes.
A wide range of cellular telephones – manufactured by Nokia, LG and Motorola, to name a few – have the capability for micro-SD interface. The cards aren’t just for cell phones, either.
They can be used in compatible PC’s and standalone MP3 players, and the Associated Press reported Monday that Adrenaline Technologies is releasing a standalone Bluetooth headset which is capable of playing music from micro-SD cards without the need for a phone.
Recently, a www.CNET.com article reported SanDisk’s release of “SlotRadio, a $39.99 MP3 player with a preloaded micro-SD card containing 1,000 songs.”
In a related matter, Sony BMG has announced the advent of gift cards that can be used by consumers to procure digital rights management-free (yet “anonymously watermarked”) MP3s.
According to a Jan. 7 www.CNET.com article on the subject, the gift cards will be available for purchase by music listeners at Best Buy, Target and other retail stores starting Jan. 15. With these cards, users will be given a PIN code, which allows access to full-length albums at www.musicpass.com, according to the article.
There is something to be said for music labels joining the digital revolution, without painfully attempting to develop DRM restrictions.
These new forms of media give users access to MP3s that can be copied to your computer as easily as they can be played on your phone.
The micro-SD cards are the size of a fingernail, and have the ability to hold massive, pre-loaded MP3 collections with thousands of songs.
The technology has potential, but it remains to be seen if the public will bite; keep in mind that CD’s were almost universally panned at the outset, just as most technology critics are now panning these cards.
The gift cards, on the other hand, will likely be with us for a while.
The gift card has the benefit of allowing companies to set their own price for the product, regardless of actual production cost. It completely decouples the process from the need for cash or a material medium.
This may be all the more appealing to an industry that is having a difficult time finding customers to pay for their items when they can pirate them for free off the Internet.
The gift cards keep the customers on the Internet, but direct them to a more music label-friendly Web site.
This doesn’t mean that I’ll be buying either of these items soon, but they both represent a shift into the Internet age for the music industry, which has been a long time in coming.
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| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 28 January 2009 20:38 ) |
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