Bounding with wit and excitement, German composer Paul Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis is based on musical themes written by Carl Maria von Weber. This vibrant work was an immediate hit with American audiences when it premiered in 1944, and it remains so today.
Catch this preview concert at The Clarice before the UMD Wind Orchestra travels to the University of Georgia to perform at the prestigious College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) National Conference by special invitation. You won’t want to miss this opportunity to witness a sneak peek of a new work by Brazilian American composer Clarice Assad in advance of its official world premiere.
Initially titled Lament, George Walker’s Lyric for Strings is an impactfully poignant piece with a notable history that continues to resonate with audiences. Walker wrote the work as an elegy to his late grandmother and a testimony to her experience as an enslaved woman. In the face of racial discrimination and social injustice, Walker was a pioneer, becoming the first African American composer to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music. UMD wind conducting alum Lucia Disano D.M.A.
Go on a musical exploration of the St. Louis Gateway Arch with James Stephenson’s Sonata Rhapsody “The Arch” featuring UMD Senior Lecturer Matthew Guilford on bass trombone. The 630 bars of music match the height of the arch in feet while the score itself visually resembles an arch.
The UMD Symphony Orchestra presents its season finale concert featuring Johann Strauss, Jr.’s, Overture to Die Fledermaus (The Bat), Hungarian composer Béla Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra and Jake Runsestad's A Silence Haunts Me. Pulled from one of his most notable operettas, Strauss’ Overture is a soaring work that encompasses the best of the batty opera’s melodies all packed into eight minutes of farcical delight.
Inspired by Shakespeare's play, Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture is a beautiful and lush musical rendition of the tragic love story beloved by romantics.
Majestic and lyrical while also contemplative and somber, Antonín Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B minor was written as a tribute to Dvořák’s first love, who was gravely ill and passed away while Dvořák was still composing. In her memory, he included the melody of his song Leave Me Alone in My Fond Dream, a particular favorite of hers. This masterwork will feature UMD Associate Professor Eric Kutz on cello.
Relax into the blissfulness of nature with Ludwig van Beethoven’s celebrated Symphony No. 6 in F major. Referred to as the “Pastoral” Symphony, the work contains five movements with the names “Joyful Feelings Upon Arriving in the Country,” “By the Brook,” “Peasant Merrymaking,” “The Thunderstorm” and “The Shepherd's Song After the Storm.” The symphony hints at Beethoven’s longing for a simple life in the country, a feeling that became more urgent as he lost his hearing and composing proved more difficult.
Under the baton of David Neely, the UMD Symphony Orchestra opens its season with Valerie Coleman’s Umoja, Pavel Haas’ Study for String Orchestra and Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5. “Umoja” means unity in Swahili, and is one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa. Commissioned by the Philadelphia Orchestra and performed at Carnegie Hall in 2019, Coleman’s composition is ethereal while also beautifully simple. A call for peace, it advocates for unity through social justice in the face of racism and hatred.
Join us in person at The Clarice or watch the livestream from the comfort of your home.
This recital showcases exceptional groups of the UMD School of Music’s chamber music program, as selected by faculty.
