Bach Cantata
A UMD Choral Activities favorite, the Bach Cantata Series explores the more than 200 cantatas written by the great master through informal performances by students, faculty, staff and community friends.
Donny McCaslin Group
Jazz saxophonist Donny McCaslin has a lot to be proud of in his long career. His high-energy, rhythmic, rock-and synth-influenced sound has netted him 11 hit albums and three GRAMMY nominations. But he’s most proud of his group’s intimate collaboration with David Bowie on the artist’s final album, Blackstar. Since then, McCaslin has recorded Beyond Now, anew contemporary jazz album with electronic and synth-pop influences dedicated to Bowie.
35th Annual Choreographers' Showcase
For 35 years, the popular Choreographers’ Showcase has been “a rite of passage in the DC-area dance community” (The Washington Post). This evening of works by new and established choreographers is presented in partnership with the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. The Showcase has been inspiring dance audiences and supporting scores of dance makers since1983. In this celebration year, past laureates will converge to honor the influence that the showcase has had on their careers and the dance community.
The program will feature:
Pioneers
Pioneering wind works by Raff, Schwantner and John Williams are complemented by a stunning new work by UMD alumnus Kevin McKee. His teacher, Chris Gekker, will perform Centennial Horizons, originally composed for trumpet and piano, in a new arrangement for trumpet and winds.
LA MANTA
Infused with the passion of flamenco, the funky irreverence of Latin rock, the smooth syncopation of jazz and the mathematical precision of classical music, La Manta turns traditional Mexican music on its head. In this texturally diverse fusion performance, the group hums with Mexican pride while showcasing its wide range and buoyantly energetic sound.
La Manta hails from Xalapa, Veracruz, and has flourished since its founding in 2009, sharing the stage with international artists like Regina Spektor, the Pet Shop Boys and Robert Plant.
Music in Mind - Prokofiev: Life in Sonatas
Through the mediums provided by two violins and piano, School of Music faculty James Stern, Larissa Dedova and Irina Muresanu plus guest pianist Audrey Andrist examine the life of Sergei Prokofiev, from the brash, revolutionary products of his St. Petersburg Conservatory days, to the inward-looking music of his self-imposed exile in the west, to the war-inspired epics of his return to his homeland.
Program
Prokofiev:
Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 14
Violin Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 80
Violin Sonata No. 2 in D Major, Op. 94
Music in Mind: Hai-Ye Ni, cello
Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Cellist Hai-Ye Ni performs Arensky’s uniquely scored String Quartet No. 2 for violin, viola and two celli with School of Music faculty James Stern, Katherine Murdock and Eric Kutz, as well as Shostakovich's Cello Sonata in D minor with faculty pianist Rita Sloan.
Remembrances and Tributes: UMD Wind Orchestra
Kernis’ short fanfare For Love of the Mountains evokes the grandeur of the Grand Tetons, while Lindberg’s Souvenir reflects the composer’s thoughts on his influential teachers. Adam Schoenberg’s American Symphony was inspired by Barack Obama’s 2008 election. Together, these works explore the ways in which composers have been inspired by people and events.
The Cameri Theatre of Tel Aviv
Daily life is complicated, dangerous, and full of yearning.The living and the dead; dreams and waking life coexist in an uneasy world overflowing with absurdity, humor, sadness and compassion. We encounter a strangely endearing group of imprisoned misfits hell bent on holding a mirror up to nature and smashing it into smaller shards. The only way they can free themselves is to allow the release of these stories, no matter the cost.
Maryland Opera Studio: La clemenza di Tito
Mercy prevails over jealousy, revenge and an attempted murder that sets Rome on fire in Mozart's last opera, La clemenza di Tito. Commissioned for the coronation of the new King of Bohemia and premiered three months before the composer's death, La clemenza di Tito is an opera seria based on the life of the Roman Emperor Titus.
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