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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
Choreographer Brian Brooks, beloved for his “kinetic thrill and visual power” (The Washington Post), collaborates with Wendy Whelan to bring an elegant and electric ballet-inflected contemporary work to the stage. Whelan is known for her striking physicality and capacity for reinvention. Her career spans 30 years in the New York City ballet, with 23 of them as the principal ballerina.
A major talent on the international dance scene, Aakash Odedra is rapidly accumulating wide acclaim. With training in traditional Indian dance disciplines Kathak and Bharata Natyan, Odedra’s unique multifaceted style is graceful, provocative and unflinching. In Rising, he presents a quartet of solo pieces showcasing his remarkable capabilities, from razor-sharp precision and enviable poise to mesmerizing agility.
In this interactive evening of contemporary dance focused on loving, longing and loss, audience members are given a choice: experience the pure movement in silence, or don headphones and layer on a rich soundscape. With cross-cultural conversation and community action at its heart, Dearest Home showcases movement, in its most vulnerable and intimate state, through a series of solo and duet performances.
