Artistic Director of the Smithsonian Chamber Music Society and University of Maryland School of Music faculty member Kenneth Slowik makes his NOI+F conducting debut in a special program featuring repertoire by Stravinsky, Bacewicz and Mendelssohn. Drawing upon a combination of woodwind and brass instruments, Symphonies of Wind Instruments creates serene beauty through Igor Stravinsky’s signature harmonic austerity. Polish composer and violinist Grażyna Bacewicz’s Concerto for String Orchestra is a pillar of neoclassicist writing–staying simultaneously native to classical music’s Baroque roots while striving to spotlight the modern sonorities of the 20th century. Felix Mendelssohn's virtuosic Symphony No. 4 conveys vivid impressions of Italy–from the sunshine of the Meditarrenean Sea to the solemnity of the country's religious ceremonies.

The National Orchestral Institute + Festival, a program of the University of Maryland’s Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, trains aspiring orchestral musicians, composers, conductors and arts administrators from across the country in a month of dynamic music-making and professional exploration at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Musicians are chosen through a rigorous, cross-country audition process. Every year, these young artists present passionate and awe-inspiring performances of adventuresome repertoire at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

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Program:

Igor Stravinsky: Symphonies of Wind Instruments

Grażyna Bacewicz: Concerto for String Orchestra

Felix Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4, "Italian"