Faculty news
Darren McManus - "Transitions " At the SCCC art gallery
Darren McManus’ work “Transitions” will be on display in the SCCC Art Gallery from Friday, January 29 to Friday, March 4. There will be an opening reception on Friday, February 5 from 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. Darren will be presenting his work during the Opening Reception. The reception is free and open to the public.
arren is a painter and full-time professor living and working in Lambertville, New Jersey. He received his B.F.A from the University of Hartford / Hartford Art School completing a double major in graphic design and experimental studio and spent his junior year studying at the Glasgow School of Art in Glasgow, Scotland. McManus received his M.F.A. in painting from Cranbrook Academy of Art. For his visionary, often unconventionally shaped acrylic paintings, McManus has been awarded numerous grants and awards including: a perfect score from the jurors and the highest Individual Artist Fellowship Grant from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts; an Individual Artist Grant from the Puffin Foundation; a Fellowship from the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts; a Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation Creative Fellowship in conjunction with The Millay Colony for the Arts; and most recently, a Full-time Faculty Research Grant from Raritan Valley Community College to develop a new body of work. His paintings have been widely exhibited in galleries and museums across the United States and have twice been selected by the Boston based Open Studios Press for inclusions in their prestigious, juried publication New American Paintings. 
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DARREN MCMANUS - GRAPHIC DESIGN
Darren is an instructor of Graphic Design and the RVCC Art Gallery Director. Darren will be having a solo exhibition in
our own RVCC art gallery. The exhibition entitled SILENT LANGUAGE will run from October 3, 2014 to October 24, 2014.
our own RVCC art gallery. The exhibition entitled SILENT LANGUAGE will run from October 3, 2014 to October 24, 2014.
Virginia Smith - Interior Design
Virginia Smith, Instructor and Coordinator of the Interior Design Program is featured in the Academic section of the Raritan Valley Community College Annual Report. Click on the link below to see the article.
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Darren Mcmanus - Graphic design
Darren is an instructor of Graphic Design and the RVCC Art Gallery Director. Darren has been busy.
He is being featured in Radius Magazine and has a show at the Hunterdon Art Museum.
He is being featured in Radius Magazine and has a show at the Hunterdon Art Museum.
Radius Magazine feature
Darren's show at the Hunterdon Art Museum
Darren McManus: Tangents
May 18–September 7, 2014
Darren McManus’s work in Tangents spans a decade in the making and represents a paradox of sorts. In his paintings, color is used to create harmony and extreme contrast: Hard-edged forms share the same space as blurry, amorphous masses; and, natural imagery such as flowers and plant life coexist with technological or mechanized motifs. The surfaces of his paintings are super flat, but possess holographic effects which viewers can appreciate when wearing 3D glasses.
McManus teaches at Raritan Valley Community College and was a recipient of an Individual Artist Fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. His work can be found in numerous private and corporate collections.
Just click on the link below to get to the show's website.
Darren McManus: Tangents
May 18–September 7, 2014
Darren McManus’s work in Tangents spans a decade in the making and represents a paradox of sorts. In his paintings, color is used to create harmony and extreme contrast: Hard-edged forms share the same space as blurry, amorphous masses; and, natural imagery such as flowers and plant life coexist with technological or mechanized motifs. The surfaces of his paintings are super flat, but possess holographic effects which viewers can appreciate when wearing 3D glasses.
McManus teaches at Raritan Valley Community College and was a recipient of an Individual Artist Fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. His work can be found in numerous private and corporate collections.
Just click on the link below to get to the show's website.
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John's MUSIC
John Sichel has received a 2014 Fellowship in composition from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. His "The Little Dutch Opera" was premiered in April of 2013 by Joy Hermalyn, Jason Barrameda and the Raritan Valley Community College Chorale. His "Masque: 2012" was premiered in Berlin and Essen, Germany in August of 2012 by violinist Vladimir Tsypin and guitarist Yevgeny Beleninov. Mr. Tsypin and guitarist Colin Davin gave the work its US premiere on a New York Philharmonic Ensembles concert in January, 2013. Other recent compositions include the song cycle "These Messages," "The Fishbowl Diaries" for violin and narrator, and the last two of a set of 12 piano sonatas.
John’s String Quartet #4 was premiered by the Amphion String Quartet in October, 2011. His "Songs of a Mannequin," for solo guitar, was premiered by Guitarist Christopher Kenniff in May, 2011. His Sonata for Solo Violin, was premiered in Mendoza, Argentina in April, 2010 by Vladimir Tsypin and his "Two Suburban Madrigals" were premiered the following month by the Madrigal Singers in Montclair, New Jersey. Dr. Sichel’s String Quartet #3 received its premiere on January 28, 2007 at an ‘Artistic Club Luba’ concert in Englewood, New Jersey. New York Philharmonic musicians Vladimir Tsypin, Lisa G. Kim (violins), Kathy Greene (viola) and Sumire Kudo (cello) were the featured performers. The first performance of Dr. Sichel’s Piano Trio occurred on April 30, 2006, on a New York Philharmonic Ensembles program with Lisa G. Kim, Eric Bartlett and Susan Walters performing.
"Francesca Da Bimini," commissioned by the National Symphony, was premiered by that orchestra in December of 2003, with Leonard Slatkin conducting. Pianist Lenore Fishman Davis gave the first performance of Mr. Sichel’s "Concerto Mystico II" in March of 2003, with the New Philharmonic of New Jersey, Leon Hyman conducting. Other recent works were written for and performed by The New Jersey Youth Symphony, The New Jersey Music Teachers Association, Duo Fresco (Christopher Kenniff, guitar and Brett Deubner, viola) and the Toy Piano collection of the University of California at San Diego.
A recording of John 's String Quartets #3 and #4, and his Piano Trio, featuring the Amphion String Quartet and pianist Hsin-yi Tsai, was recently released on CDBaby. In 2008 Vladimir Tsypin and pianist Patricia Vila recorded Eight Miniatures for Violin and Piano. The recording is awaiting release on the Tradition label. A compact disc of Dr. Sichel’s solo works and duets was released in 2002 on the Musician’s Showcase label (MS 1071, entitled “Oiseaux Ordinaires”). Two of his "Five Chamber Marches" were included on the album “Frantic Antics” by the wind band Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (Newport Classics NPD 85644) and his "Three Places in New Jersey" was recorded by the Slovak Radio Orchestra, Joel Suben conducting, for Opus One Records (CD #170). His orchestrations of music by the 20th Century composer Anthony Scarmolin have been recorded for the Naxos and Centaur labels. His music is published under his own imprimatur, Great Horned Music and also by Ludwig Music.
John’s String Quartet #4 was premiered by the Amphion String Quartet in October, 2011. His "Songs of a Mannequin," for solo guitar, was premiered by Guitarist Christopher Kenniff in May, 2011. His Sonata for Solo Violin, was premiered in Mendoza, Argentina in April, 2010 by Vladimir Tsypin and his "Two Suburban Madrigals" were premiered the following month by the Madrigal Singers in Montclair, New Jersey. Dr. Sichel’s String Quartet #3 received its premiere on January 28, 2007 at an ‘Artistic Club Luba’ concert in Englewood, New Jersey. New York Philharmonic musicians Vladimir Tsypin, Lisa G. Kim (violins), Kathy Greene (viola) and Sumire Kudo (cello) were the featured performers. The first performance of Dr. Sichel’s Piano Trio occurred on April 30, 2006, on a New York Philharmonic Ensembles program with Lisa G. Kim, Eric Bartlett and Susan Walters performing.
"Francesca Da Bimini," commissioned by the National Symphony, was premiered by that orchestra in December of 2003, with Leonard Slatkin conducting. Pianist Lenore Fishman Davis gave the first performance of Mr. Sichel’s "Concerto Mystico II" in March of 2003, with the New Philharmonic of New Jersey, Leon Hyman conducting. Other recent works were written for and performed by The New Jersey Youth Symphony, The New Jersey Music Teachers Association, Duo Fresco (Christopher Kenniff, guitar and Brett Deubner, viola) and the Toy Piano collection of the University of California at San Diego.
A recording of John 's String Quartets #3 and #4, and his Piano Trio, featuring the Amphion String Quartet and pianist Hsin-yi Tsai, was recently released on CDBaby. In 2008 Vladimir Tsypin and pianist Patricia Vila recorded Eight Miniatures for Violin and Piano. The recording is awaiting release on the Tradition label. A compact disc of Dr. Sichel’s solo works and duets was released in 2002 on the Musician’s Showcase label (MS 1071, entitled “Oiseaux Ordinaires”). Two of his "Five Chamber Marches" were included on the album “Frantic Antics” by the wind band Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (Newport Classics NPD 85644) and his "Three Places in New Jersey" was recorded by the Slovak Radio Orchestra, Joel Suben conducting, for Opus One Records (CD #170). His orchestrations of music by the 20th Century composer Anthony Scarmolin have been recorded for the Naxos and Centaur labels. His music is published under his own imprimatur, Great Horned Music and also by Ludwig Music.
John's background
Dr. Sichel studied at the Yale School of Music, where his teachers included Jacob Druckman, Nicholas Maw and Martin Bresnick, and from which he received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in 1990. He is a member of the full-time music faculty at Raritan Valley Community College, where he is conductor of the college Chorale, and also teaches theory, composition, piano, music history. He is also music director of the Madrigal Singers, a Renaissance vocal ensemble based in Cranford, New Jersey. A lifelong resident of the Garden State, he currently lives in Union County with his wife and two sons. His hobbies include birding and astronomy and he has self-published science fiction under a pen name which he might reveal to you if you ask him nicely.
For a sampling of John's music Please listen to the you tube video's Below
Oiseaux Ordinaires; solos and duets by John Sichel. Piano Sonata in E minor - performed by Tomoko Harada.
Chamber Music of John Sichel - String Quartet #4, 3rd movement. Performed by the Amphion String Quartet
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine Wind Band - John Sichel, Chamber March No 3: The Stars that Keep Their Distance.