Kulturabend – Lecture
Dr. Patrick Hennessey presents:
Henry Berger, The German who saved Hawaiian Music
Dr. Patrick Hennessey possesses a wide breadth of experience as a professional musician, educator and ensemble director. A native of New Orleans with extended residences in Southern California, Hawai’i and Florida, Dr. Hennessey’s professional experience as a trombonist spans the gamut from jazz combos to the opera pit to sideman for renowned entertainers, and everything in between.
An experienced and versatile educator, Dr. Hennessey led the jazz ensemble program at the University of Hawai’i to national acclaim during his tenure prior to accepting the position of Director of Bands at Hawai’i Pacific University, where he has also taught courses in jazz studies, music history, music theory and world music. In 2013 he accepted a position at Stetson University School of Music, where he served as the Director of the Stetson University Jazz Ensemble and Assistant Director of Bands while also teaching courses in jazz history and music history. During the same period, Dr. Hennessey also stayed active as the director of the Space Coast Jazz Orchestra, a professional musical organization while continuing to guest conduct and freelance as a professional trombonist and scholar.
Upon retiring, he moved back to his birthplace and is honored to serve as the conductor of the American Legion Post 350 Band while also having the privilege of guest conducting the New Orleans Concert Band.
Dr. Hennessey earned his Ph.D. in musicology, writing his dissertation on Henry Berger (1844-1929), the legendary bandmaster of the Royal Hawaiian Band. Die Internationale Gesellschaft zur Erforschung un
Förderung der Blasmusik (IGEB – The International Society for the Research and Promotion of Wind Music) selected his scholarly work for the 2010 Fritz Thelen Prize, honoring their choice as the most outstanding dissertation globally on the topic of wind bands. Maintaining active membership in numerous professional and musicological organizations, Dr. Hennessey has presented his research both nationally and internationally and has published in the Journal of Band Research, the New Grove Dictionary of American Music Online, and Alta Musica. Patrick Hennessey, Ph.D. Conductor, Musicologist, Professional Musician, Retired Educator
Tuesday, August 18 – Program starts at 7:00
Free and Open to the Public
This is sponsored by the German-American Cultural Center of Gretna and the Ladies Auxiliary of the Deutsches Haus.