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

March 2, 2004

April 2004 Music Calendar

April 2004 music highlights include the seven-day Piano Festival “From Vienna to Harlem,” a series of solo recitals, concerts and master classes by world-renowned classical and jazz pianists (April 3 to 10) and a related Kids Fare program, “All Keyed Up” (April 10).

Other musical events include the Cleveland Duo with James Umble, a dynamic chamber ensemble (April 7); a performance of Brazilian folk music by members of the Assad family (April 16); and the annual Waa Mu Show, “Pomp and Circumstance” (April 30 to May 9).

Events listed below will be held on Northwestern’s Evanston campus at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, 50 Arts Circle Drive; Regenstein Recital Hall, 60 Arts Circle Drive; Cahn Auditorium, 600 Emerson Street; or Lutkin Hall, 700 University Place, 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.

Piano Festival, Marvin Blickenstaff Workshop, 2 p.m. Saturday, April 3, Lutkin Hall. Widely known for his performances, lectures and publications, Marvin Blickenstaff has presented workshops for piano teachers throughout the United States and has been coached by Leon Fleisher and Gyorgy Sebok. Admission is free.

Piano Festival Recital, Leon Fleisher, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 3, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Renowned teacher and conductor, Leon Fleisher is the former artistic director of the Tanglewood Music Center. His program will include music by Bach, Kirchner, Sessions, Perle and Brahms as well as Schubert’s Sonata in B flat. Single tickets are $25 for the general public; $20 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $10 for full-time students.

Piano Festival Master Class, Leon Fleisher, 2 p.m. Sunday, April 4, Lutkin Hall. Fleisher will present a master class in conjunction with his Piano Festival performance. Admission is free.

Piano Festival Recital, Menahem Pressler, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, April 4, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Co-founder of the Beaux Arts Trio nearly 50 years ago, Pressler has performed with many of the world’s leading orchestras. Pressler’s program includes the Brahms Piano Quintet in F minor. Violinist Blair Milton, violist Yukiko Ogura and cellist Stephen Balderston will accompany Pressler. Single tickets are $25 for the general public; $20 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $10 for full-time students.

Piano Festival Master Class, Menahem Pressler, 10 a.m. Monday, April 5, Lutkin Hall. Pressler’s master class is in conjunction with his Piano Festival performance. Admission is free.

Piano Festival Master Class, Jean-Michel Pilc, 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 6, Lutkin Hall. Jean-Michel Pilc’s master class is in conjunction with his Piano Festival performance. Admission is free.

Piano Festival Recital, Sergei Babayan, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 6, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Internationally acclaimed Armenian pianist Sergei Babayan has won first prizes in piano competitions worldwide. His program will include Bach’s “Goldberg Variations.” Single tickets are $21 for the general public; $17 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $10 for full-time students.

(NEW TIME AND DATE) Piano Festival Master Class, Sergei Babayan, 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 7, Lutkin Hall. Sergei Babayan’s master class is in conjunction with his Piano Festival performance. (Note: Babayan’s master class was originally scheduled for 2 p.m. Monday, April 5). Admission is free.

Cleveland Duo with James Umble, 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 7, Regenstein Recital Hall. The husband and wife Cleveland Duo -- violinist Steven Warner and pianist and violinist Carolyn Warner -- will perform with saxophonist James Umble for a unique chamber music experience. The group’s repertoire ranges from folk and ethnic to avant-garde and jazz. This program will feature Ravel’s “Le Tombeau de Couperin,” Klezmer music, a new work by Tim Brady and music by Bach, John Adams and Evan Chambers. Single tickets are $8.50 for the general public; $7 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $4 for full-time students.

Piano Festival Recital, Margo Garrett, noon, Wednesday, April 7, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Pianist Margo Garrett performs regularly with internationally known artists in chamber, instrumental and vocal recitals. She is the inaugural holder of the Ethel Alice Hitchcock Chair in Accompanying at the University of Minnesota, chair of the Program for Singers faculty at the Ravinia Festival’s Steans Institute for Young Artists, and a faculty member of the Juilliard School. Together with French horn player Gail Williams and violinist Joseph Genualdi, Garret’s performance will include the Brahms Horn Trio. Admission is free.

Piano Festival Master Class, Margo Garrett, 2 p.m. Wednesday, April 7, Lutkin Hall. Margo Garrett will present a master class in conjunction with her Piano Festival recital. Admission is free.

Cleveland Duo Master Class, 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 7, Regenstein Recital Hall. The Cleveland Duo will present a master class in conjunction with their performance. Admission is free.

Piano Festival Recital, Jean-Michel Pilc, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 7, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Jazz pianist Jean-Michel Pilc embraces the musical sensibilities of his native France through allusions to Ravel, Debussy, Poulenc and others. His program will include original pieces and improvisations on music by Chopin, Ellington and Gershwin. Single tickets are $12 for the general public; $8.50 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $5.50 for full-time students.

Piano Festival, Monster Piano Concert, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 8, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. School of Music faculty members, School of Music Dean Toni-Marie Montgomery and special guests will perform the “Semiramide” Overture by Rossini, “Stars and Stripes Forever” by Sousa and works by Tchaikovsky and Gershwin on eight Steinway pianos. Music faculty member Victor Yampolsky will conduct the concert. Single tickets are $12 for the general public; $8.50 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $5.50 for full-time students.

Keyboard Conversations, “The Virtuosos,” 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 9, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Pianist Jeffrey Siegel will perform and comment on Bach’s “Italian Concerto” and Bach inspired showpieces by Rachmaninoff, Liszt and Busoni during his final concert of this year’s series. Single tickets are $23 for the general public; $21 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $16 for full-time students.

Piano Festival Kids Fare, “All Keyed Up,” 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 10, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. This family program for children aged 3 to 8 introduces the audience to various keyboard instruments and will feature a range of musical styles from classical to jazz. Single tickets are $5 for the general public; $4 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3 for children and full-time students.

Piano Festival Concert, Marcus Roberts Trio, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 10, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Pianist Marcus Roberts, drummer Jason Marsalis and bassist Roland Guerin will take audiences on a jazzy ride during the “New Orleans Meets Harlem” Piano Festival concert. Blind since age five, Roberts became the first jazz musician to have his first three recordings reach number one on the “Billboard” traditional jazz chart. A post-concert reception in the lobby will feature one of Chicago’s favorite cabaret pianists. Single tickets are $15 for the general public; $10 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $5 for full-time students.

Bugallo-Williams Piano Duo, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 13, Lutkin Hall. The piano duo of Helena Bugallo and Amy Williams will perform a contemporary program of Chicago and world premieres by Bernard Rands, his former students Sidney Corbett and Vic Hoyland, and pieces by Williams herself, a member of the School of Music composition faculty. Single tickets for this New Music Northwestern concert 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 Invitational, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 15, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Jazz ensembles from area high schools will participate in a day of rehearsals, master classes and jam sessions led by Northwestern’s jazz faculty. In the concluding concert, each high school will perform separately before joining forces as this year’s All-Star Jazz Ensemble, conducted by Don Owens. 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.

The Assad Family, “A Brazilian Song Book,” 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 16, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Members of the Assad family will perform Brazilian folk music known as “chorinho.” The guitar duo of Sergio and Odair Assad has performed a blend of styles, periods and cultures. Their younger sister Badi fuses jazz, pop, percussion and voice to create a sound unlike any other. This performance, featuring the Assad parents, children and grandchildren, is part of the Segovia Classical Guitar Series supported in part by the Chicago Classical Guitar Society. Single tickets are $30 for the general public; $24 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $10 for full-time students.

Northwestern University Symphonic Choir and Symphony Orchestra, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 17, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Robert A. Harris will conduct two choral pieces by Johannes Brahms. School of Music voice faculty member Karen Brunssen is the soloist in the “Alto Rhapsody.” School of Music alumna Cynthia Haymon, voice faculty member at the University of Illinois, and Daniel Washington, voice faculty member at the University of Michigan, will be featured in “Ein deutsches Requiem.” Single tickets are $12 for the general public; $8.50 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $5.50 for full-time students.

Samuel and Eleanor Thaviu String Scholarship Competition, 5 p.m. Monday, April 19, Lutkin Hall. Northwestern string students will perform during this competition honoring the late Samuel Thaviu, a longtime School of Music violin professor. Admission is free.

A Concert of Musical Consorts, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 22, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Various School of Music consorts (bassoons, flutes, trumpets, cellos, guitars, etc.) will perform pieces by Bach, Bozza, Gounod, Puccini, Schickele and others written or arranged for small and large ensembles of the same instrument. Featured instrumental and vocal studios will include those of music faculty members Robert Barris, Barbara Butler, Charles Geyer, Leslie Grimm, Frederick Hemke, Hans Jensen, Walfrid Kujala, Rex Martin, Michael Mulcahy, Anne Waller and Gail Williams. 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, April 23, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall.The wind ensemble will perform Mozart’s Divertimento in B flat, Olivier Messiaen’s “Oiseaux exotiques” for piano and ensemble, Bach’s Fantasia in G major, Jacob Druckman’s “With Bells On,” and Michael Daugherty’s “Bells for Stokowski.” The ensemble will be conducted by Mallory Thompson and will feature music faculty pianist Ursula Oppens. 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, April 24, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. This evening of jazz is coordinated by Joel Spencer and conducted by Daniel J. Farris. 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.

Northwestern University Chamber Orchestra, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 29, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. The chamber orchestra, conducted by Robert G. Hasty, will perform Antonio Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons,” Georg Telemann’s “Don Quichotte,” Alberto Ginastera’s Ballet Suite from “Estancia” and Carlos Surinach’s “Ritmo Jondo.” Kyung-Ah Yoon, Hannah Stitzinger, Yun Kyung Kim and Rommel Fernandes are the featured violinists. 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.

Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra, 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 30, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Victor Yampolsky will conduct the orchestra in Alan Hovhaness’ Symphony No. 2 (“Mysterious Mountain”), Antonin Dvorák’s Symphony No. 9 in E minor (“From the New World”) and Lowell Liebermann’s Piano Concerto No. 1, featuring pianist Natasha Mah. Single tickets are $8.50 for the general public; $7 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $4 for full-time students.

Waa-Mu Show, “Pomp and Circumstance,” 8 p.m. Friday, April 30; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, May 1; 2 p.m. Sunday, May 2; 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 5; 8 p.m. Thursday, May 6; 8 p.m. Friday, May 7; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, May 8; 2 p.m. Sunday, May 9, Cahn Auditorium. This year’s Waa-Mu Show highlights college life as the cast journeys through the four years at Northwestern. Single tickets are $27 to $21 for the general public; $17 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $11 for children and full-time students.