The Alumni Series at Colorado State University this fall features a special performance by CSU alumnus Ryan Van Scoyk ’11, saxophone, on Monday, November 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the Organ Recital Hall at the University Center for the Arts, located at 1400 Remington St.
Tickets are $7 for CSU students, $1 for youth (under 18), and $12 for the public. Please note that the University Center for the Arts (UCA) ticket office hours have changed. Tickets are available at the ticket office in the UCA lobby 90 minutes prior to any UCA performance and through intermission. Information about upcoming performances can be found at (970) 491-ARTS (2787). Advance or online purchase is recommended to avoid at-the-door fees.
Many CSU alumni leave the halls of the University Center for the Arts to go on to thriving music careers. Each semester, one of these talented musicians is invited back to campus to perform in the Alumni Concert Series. This fall, saxophonist Ryan Van Scoyk, ’11, returns to the CSU stage as part of this series.
Throughout high school, Ryan was sure he wanted to be a writer, but he cites the four years he spent at CSU’s Summer Music Camp as a high school student, that turned his interest to music.
“Peter Sommer was a big part of my decision to come to CSU,” Ryan remembered. “He showed me that music was my true passion and, even more importantly, that I could do this.”
After graduating with a double major in Music Ed and Performance, Ryan went on to earn his Master’s in Music in saxophone performance in the spring of 2014 at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. He currently performs in the Promethean Quartet, where much of his musical energy is directed right now. Formed in fall 2012, the group’s debut album, Through Adam's Fall, was released in 2013, and features Ryan’s own arrangement of Percy Grainger's iconic band work Lincolnshire Posy. In 2013 the quartet was selected as a finalist in the Alice Coleman International Chamber Music Competition in Pasadena, CA, and was named one of the top four wind groups at the event. As part of the trip, they performed a 5-state tour of performances and masterclasses. Ryan serves as the quartet’s business manager and arranges for the group.
“Ryan is one of the most talented, dedicated, intelligent and hard-working saxophonists I've ever had the pleasure to work with,” said Peter Sommer, director of jazz studies at CSU. “His positive attitude and proactive demeanor were a joy to have in the studio and I'm sure he will continue to be successful in his career and artistry.”
Ryan returns to CSU on Nov. 17 as part of the Alumni Concert Series. At this concert, Ryan said we can expect to hear a little bit of everything: new pieces, classical staples, and even some original flare.
“I am so thrilled and honored to be coming back to play at CSU,” he said. “I love playing in the Organ Recital Hall, and I’m excited to perform in front of friends and family again."
Read more about Ryan at www.ryanvanscoyk.com.
The University Center for the Arts at Colorado State University provides an enriched venue in which the study and practice of Art, Dance, Music, and Theatre are nurtured and sustained by building the skills and knowledge needed by future generations of arts professionals to become contributors to the essential vitality of our culture and society.
For more information, visit UCA.Colostate.edu.