MEDIA CONTACT: Judy Moore at (847) 491-4819 or at jkm229@northwestern.edu

January 27, 2004

February 2004 Music Calendar

February 2004 music highlights include the world premiere of David H. Bell’s new revue, “Irving Berlin’s American Vaudeville” (Jan. 30 to Feb. 8), and the performance by multiple Grammy Award- winning banjoist Béla Fleck and bassist Edgar Meyer (Feb. 7) during a fund-raising concert that will benefit the Music Learning Community (MLC) at Northwestern University and its ongoing outreach programs to Chicago-area classrooms and communities.

Other musical events during February include a master class by distinguished soprano Julianne Baird (Feb. 3); a piano recital by Northwestern’s new Dean of Music Toni-Marie Montgomery (Feb. 17); the Elliott Carter 95th Birthday Celebration (Feb. 19); a Segovia Classical Guitar Series concert by the Waller and Maxwell Guitar Duo (Feb. 21); and four performances of Giuseppe Verdi’s final and only comic opera, “Falstaff” (Feb. 26 to Feb. 29).

Events listed below will be held on Northwestern’s Evanston campus at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, 50 Arts Circle Drive; Lutkin Hall, 700 University Place; Josephine Louis Theatre, 20 Arts Circle Drive; Regenstein Recital Hall, 60 Arts Circle Drive; Alice Millar Chapel, 1870 Sheridan Road, or Cahn Auditorium, 600 Emerson St., as noted below.

For more information, call the Pick-Staiger Concert Office at (847) 491-5441, or go to the Pick-Staiger Web site at www.northwestern.edu/pick-staiger. To order tickets by phone, call the Pick-Staiger Ticket Office at (847) 467-4000.

FEBRUARY 2004 MUSIC EVENTS

World Premiere, “Irving Berlin’s American Vaudeville,” 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 30; 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31; 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 1; 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 5; 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6; 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 8, Josephine Louis Theater. Created and staged by David H. Bell, one of Chicago’s most talented and innovative directors and choreographers, this world-premiere revue explores America’s most volatile era of social, political and ideological change through the words and music of Irving Berlin, whom many consider the nation’s greatest popular songwriter. Tickets for “Irving Berlin’s American Vaudeville” are available only through the Theatre and Interpretation Center Box office at (847) 491-7282. Single tickets are $24 for the general public; $20 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $11 for full-time students.

Master Class, Julianne Baird, opera, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 3, Lutkin Hall. Distinguished professor of music at Rutgers University, soprano Julianne Baird is a specialist in baroque opera and oratorio. She has made more than 100 recordings and has appeared as soloist with the New York Philharmonic and Cleveland and Philadelphia orchestras. Single tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for full-time students.

An Evening of Improvisation, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 4, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. This New Music Northwestern program is coordinated by Stephen L. Syverud. Single tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for students.

Northwestern University Chamber Orchestra, “American Music Alive!” 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 5, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Robert G. Hasty will conduct Walter Piston’s “Serenata,” Peter Schickele’s Concerto for Chamber Orchestra and School of Music Professor Emeritus M. William Karlins’ “Elegy for Orchestra.” The program will also feature Northwestern Concerto Competition winner, violinist Margot Schwartz, performing Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor. Single tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for full-time students.

Symphonic Wind Ensemble, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall.Mallory Thompson will conduct the ensemble in a concert of 20th century wind music including John Adams’ “Short Ride in a Fast Machine,” Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” and a transcription of Morten Lauridsen’s choral work “O Magnum Mysterium.” Single tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for full-time students.

Béla Fleck and Edgar Meyer, 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7, Cahn Auditorium. Multiple Grammy Award winners and musical innovators, banjoist Béla Fleck and bassist Edgar Meyer have broken down the traditional boundaries of their instruments and celebrate a wide diversity of music styles. The program will range from jazz, classical and new acoustic to bluegrass, “newgrass “ and original compositions. Proceeds from this concert will benefit the Music Learning Community (MLC) at Northwestern University and its ongoing outreach programs to Chicago-area classrooms and communities. Single tickets are $20 for the general public, senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $10 for full-time students.

Alice Millar Birthday Concert, 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 8, Alice Millar Chapel. The Chapel Choir, conducted by Stephen Alltop and Vincent Cichowicz, will perform a variety of celebratory works including settings of the “Te Deum,” an ancient hymn of praise, by French baroque composer Marc-Antoine Charpentier and romantic composer Antonin Dvorák. Guest soprano Julianne Baird will be featured in Handel’s “Gloria,” a recently rediscovered cantata for solo soprano and strings. Admission is a freewill offering.

Symphonic Band, “Songs and Dances,” 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 13, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. This performance, conducted by music faculty member Ryan Nelson, will feature Dan Welcher’s “Songs without Words,” Dana Wilson’s “Dance of the New World,” Percy Grainger’s “Lincolnshire Posy” and Oscar winner Cindy McTee’s “Circuits.” Single tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for full-time students.

Kids Fare, “Salsa, Merengue y Cha Cha Cha,” 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 14, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Children aged 3 to 8 will have the opportunity to celebrate Latin American music, instruments and performers along with CNN correspondent and NPR host Maria Hinojosa. Single tickets are $5 for the general public; $4 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3 for full-time students and children.

Combofest, 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 16, Regenstein Recital Hall. A jazz program coordinated by music faculty member Joel Spencer. Single tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for full-time students.

Toni-Marie Montgomery, piano, and Anthony Elliott, cello, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. New School of Music Dean and pianist Toni-Marie Montgomery is a founding member of the Black Music Repertory Ensemble of Columbia College Chicago, which performs works by African American composers and promotes appreciation of black musical heritage. She will perform three works with cellist Anthony Elliott, a University of Michigan professor who has appeared as a soloist with several major orchestras, from their recent compact disc, “Music for Cello and Piano by African American Composers.” The duo also will play Rachmaninoff’s Sonata in G Minor. Single tickets are $8.50 for the general public; $7 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $4 for full-time students.

Evening of Brass, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Senior trombonist Tim Higgins will be featured in this evening of romantic brass music conducted by music faculty member Gail Williams. Selections include Strauss’ “Vienna Fanfare” and arrangements of music by Tchaikovsky. Single tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for full-time students.

Elliott Carter 95th Birthday Celebration, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Coordinated by faculty pianist Amy Williams, Northwestern will celebrate the 95th birthday of leading U.S. contemporary composer Elliott Carter with a concert of American music conducted by Jan Williams and Daniel J. Farris. The Contemporary Music Ensemble will perform Carter’s Triple Duo and groundbreaking Double Concerto. Harpsichordist Ursula Oppens and pianist Winston Choi will perform with the ensemble. (Preceding the concert, the 1980 documentary film “Elliott Carter at Buffalo,” by D. A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, about the “Double Concerto” will be screened at 6:15 p.m. at the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, 40 Arts Circle Drive. Several of the artists featured in both the film and the Celebration concert will talk. For more information about the free Feb. 19 Block Cinema screening and talk call the museum at (847) 491-4000). Single concert tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for full-time students.

Keyboard Conversations, “Bach and the Romantics,” 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Internationally acclaimed pianist Jeffrey Siegel will discuss and perform Bach preludes, Bach-inspired preludes by Chopin and Mendelssohn, and Franck’s classic “Prelude, Chorale and Fugue.” Single tickets are $23 for the general public; $21 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $16 for full-time students and children.

Segovia Classical Guitar Series, Waller and Maxwell Guitar Duo, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, Lutkin Hall. Anne Waller and Mark Maxwell will perform modern American and Spanish repertoire, including works by Sor, Carulli, Beaser and Albéniz. The duo has toured the United States and Europe for more than 20 years with their unique programming of works for both 19th century and modern guitars. This performance is part of the Segovia Classical Guitar Series, supported in part by the Chicago Classical Guitar Society. Single tickets are $16 for the general public; $13 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $5 for full-time students.

Combofest, 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 23, Regenstein Recital Hall. A jazz program coordinated by music faculty member Joel Spencer. Single tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for full-time students.

Percussion Ensemble, “The Music of Lou Harrison,” 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 24, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. The Percussion Ensemble, directed by Michael Burritt and conducted by Jan Williams, will explore Lou Harrison’s mix of Asian and Western styles with the performance of his “Labyrinth” No. 3 for 11 percussionists and the quartet “Fugue.” Single tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for full-time students.

Opera, “Falstaff,” 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26; 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27; 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28; 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 29, Cahn Auditorium. In Verdi’s “Falstaff,” the larcenous Sir John Falstaff plots to rob two gentlemen of their purses and their wives, setting off a hilarious chain of events as lies and deceit quickly unravel. Verdi’s final masterpiece for stage, and his only comic opera, fulfilled his ambition of setting Shakespeare’s “Merry Wives of Windsor” to music. The opera will be directed by Noel Koran and conducted by Frederick Ockwell. It will be performed in Italian with English supertitles. Single tickets are $22 for the general public; $18 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $5.50 for full-time students.

Student Composer Showcase, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, Regenstein Recital Hall. Members of Northwestern’s Contemporary Music Ensemble will perform works by undergraduate and graduate composers. The program is coordinated by Amy Williams and conducted by Daniel J. Farris -- both music faculty members. Single tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for full-time students.

Symphonic Wind Ensemble, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Mallory Thompson, Northwestern’s director of bands, will conduct the Symphonic Wind Ensemble’s presentation of two 20th century classics -- Hindemith’s Symphony in B flat and Copland’s “Emblems.” Single tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for full-time students.

Jazz Band, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Daniel J. Farris will conduct this jazz program, coordinated by Joel Spencer. Single tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for full-time students.

Women’s Chorus, 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 29, Lutkin Hall. Conducted by Julia Davids and accompanied by pianist Emily Parker, the Women’s Chorus will perform “African Celebration,” an interpretation of seven South African freedom songs by Canadian composer Stephen Hatfield. The Northwestern Chamber Singers, a group of 16 top student vocalists, will perform 19th and 20th century selections. Single tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for full-time students.

University Singers and Philharmonia, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 29, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. The University Singers will perform J. S. Bach’s “Furchte dich nicht, ich bin dei dir” and “Lobet den Herrn alle Heiden” as well as Samuel Barber’s “Agnus Dei.” The Philharmonia will perform Vaclav Nelhybel’s “Music for Orchestra” and Georges Bizet’s classic first suite from “L’Arlésienne.” Together the two groups will perform Howard Hanson’s “Song of Democracy,” set to poetry by Walt Whitman. Music faculty members Judith Willoughby and Robert Hasty will conduct the program. Single tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for full-time students.