The 30th anniversary production of this adjudicated showcase — a joint project of the Center and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission — celebrates the diverse talents of a new generation.
One patron summed up her experience with the showcase this way: “I didn’t know what to expect and was completely overwhelmed by the complexity, diversity and beauty of each and every dance performance.”
This year’s program includes four solo works:
Small chamber groups of students perform repertoire for strings, woodwinds, brass and piano.
The culmination of rehearsal and coaching during the fall semester, this concert is an integral part of coursework for UMD School of Music students and a glimpse into the training they receive for performing in major ensembles.
Pianist Eliza Garth celebrates the John Cage centennial with a performance of Cage’s masterpiece for prepared piano, Sonatas and Interludes.
Described by the writer James Pritchett as “a big piece with a quiet voice,” Sonatas and Interludes is meditative in its esthetic; the “preparation” of the piano transforms its sound into an ensemble of gongs, chimes, and magical effects.
Although Cage did not invent the instrument he named the “prepared piano,” he was a major force behind its development and is often associated with it.
Two artists with abiding connections to African American visual art will discuss the influence of jazz on the artists who create this work.
David C. Driskell has taken a leading role in bringing African American art into the mainstream of American society through his own artwork and writing. Since 1977, as a professor of art at the University of Maryland, he has focused attention on black artists as they fight for survival and search for identity in the United States.
Branford Marsalis and his quartet will perform an evening of music in conjunction with the opening of a new exhibit at the David C. Driskell Center, highlighting African American artists inspired by jazz.
A man of numerous musical interests — including jazz, blues, funk and modern classical works — Marsalis first gained acclaim through his work with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and his brother Wynton’s quintet before forming his own ensemble.
Pianist Brad Mehldau is first and foremost an improviser who cherishes the surprise and wonder that can occur from a spontaneous musical idea expressed directly, in real time. But he also has a deep fascination for the formal architecture of music.
Chris Thile is best known as the mandolinist and a singer for the progressive alt-bluegrass trio Nickel Creek, and for his work with Punch Brothers, but he has also collaborated with artists like Béla Fleck, Mark O’Connor, Aoife O’Donovan, Edgar Meyer and Yo-Yo Ma.
Choreographer Bill T. Jones and SITI Company’s Anne Bogart have always loved each other’s work, but they had never collaborated until this year, when they brought their formidable creative forces together to create this new piece.
In A Rite, these groundbreaking artists have deconstructed the original score of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring to create a provocative meditation on the power of singular new works of art to alter the way we think.
Is there any such thing as “original”?
Where is the line between originality and “influenced by,” “based on” or “adapted from”?
Maybe there aren’t lines at all, but rather a spectrum of expressions, from original to plagiarized.
This discussion will examine these questions, and examine the varying degrees of invention in the creative process.
Theatre lovers and music lovers alike know the works of Stephen Sondheim. But how many fully appreciate the power and complexity of Sondheim’s familiar compositions?
In a multi-year project undertaken with the composer’s blessing, Anthony de Mare has invited 36 of the world’s foremost contemporary composers to each re-imagine a Sondheim song of their choosing, scored for solo piano.
For 37 years and running, the Annual Pops Concert has been a big hit with audiences.
We guarantee you will walk out humming more than one tune from this lighter fare of great classic music.
