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

April 20, 2004

May 2004 Music Calendar

May music highlights include Jazz Fest with Maria Schneider (May 22), an award-winning jazz conductor and composer.

Other events include the Evelyn Dunbar Memorial Early Music Festival featuring Claudio Monteverdi’s “Vespers of 1610” (May 16) and an Early Music Master class (May 13); the spring opera, “Little Women” (May 21 and 22), and an opera master class by Julius Rudel (May 4).

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; Alice Millar Chapel, 1870 Sheridan Road; Block Museum of Art, 40 Arts Circle Drive; 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.

MAY 2004

Thaviu-Isaak Endowed Piano Scholarship Competition, 2 p.m. Saturday, May 1, Lutkin Hall. Northwestern piano students nominated by the School of Music piano faculty will perform during this competition honoring the late School of Music Professors Samuel Thaviu and Donald Isaak. Admission is free.

Symphonic Band, “Celebration!” 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 1, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Ryan Nelson will conduct Edward Gregson’s “Celebration,” Vincent Persichetti’s Symphony No. 6, Steven Stucky’s “Funeral Music for Queen Mary after Purcell” and Paul Hart’s “Cartoon.” 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.

New Music Marathon, 2 to 10 p.m. Sunday, May 2, multiple venues. The annual New Music Marathon will offer more than a dozen performances of contemporary and improvised music. The Evanston campus program opens at the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, 40 Arts Circle Drive, and concludes at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, 50 Arts Circle Drive. Highlights include pianist Amy Dissanayake’s Tango Project, original works and improvisations by electric guitarist and composer Elliott Sharp, flutist Robert Dick, and music by guest composer Amnon Wolman. Other performers include Quintet Attacca, Pinotage, pianist Winston Choi with flutist Tom Robertello, and Germany’s Ensemble Integrales. The event will feature works by composer Bernard Rands, who will be in attendance. Admission is free. For more information about venues and times, call (847) 491-5441.

Opera master class, Julius Rudel, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 4, Lutkin Hall. Former principal conductor of the New York City Opera and Grammy Award-winning conductor Julius Rudel will present an opera master class. 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.

James Giles, piano, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 5, Lutkin Hall. Pianist James Giles demonstrates his versatility during a program of contemporary and traditional works that include Schubert’s “Drei Klavierstücke,” Ravel’s “Valses nobles et sentimentales,” Liszt’s transcription of the Waltz from Gounod’s “Faust,” selections from Medtner’s “Forgotten Melodies,” and the world premiere of Ned Rorem’s “Recalling,” a work written for Giles. Single tickets are $8.50 for the general public; $7 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $4 for full-time students.

Sylvia Wang, piano, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 6, Lutkin Hall. Coordinator of the School of Music’s piano program, Sylvia Wang has performed across the Americas, Asia and Europe and can be heard in recordings on Newport Classic, Boston Records and CRI. Wang has received awards in the United States and Europe and is an active adjudicator, panelist and guest teacher. Her program includes Schumann’s Fantasy in C Major, Messiaen’s “Préludes” and a Haydn sonata. Single tickets are $8.50 for the general public; $7 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $4 for full-time students.

Combofest, 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 10, Regenstein Recital Hall. Joel Spencer coordinates this jazz 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.

Brass Ensemble, “Evening of Brass,” 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 12, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Gail Williams will conduct a concert of American brass music including works by Bernstein and Ewazen. 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 Concerto/Aria Competition, 4:30 p.m. Thursday, May 13, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Northwestern showcases top student musicians in the semifinal and final rounds of this year’s Concerto/Aria Competition. Admission is free.

Early Music Master Class, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 13, Lutkin Hall. Panelists Mary Springfels, Kurt Hansen, Stephen Alltop, David Douglass and Jeffrey Kurtzman will critique singers and instrumentalists as they perform selections from Monteverdi’s “Vespers.” Admission is free.

Symphonic Wind Ensemble, 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 14, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. The ensemble will perform Karel Husa’s “Music for Prague 1968” and Richard Strauss’ Suite in B flat and “Allerseelen.” Mallory Thompson will conduct the ensemble. 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, “Tell Me a Story!” 3 p.m. Sunday, May 16, Lutkin Hall. Julia Davids conducts a varied choral program of madrigals, folk songs and show tunes featuring soloists and small ensembles within the choir. Pianist Emily Parker will accompany the chorus. 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.

Evelyn Dunbar Memorial Early Music Festival, Monteverdi’s “Vespers of 1610,” 7 p.m. Sunday, May 16, Alice Millar Chapel. The Chapel Choir, Early Music Ensemble, soloists and orchestra present Claudio Monteverdi’s rich assortment of antiphons, psalms and hymns, conducted by Stephen Alltop and directed by Mary Springfels. A related 6 p.m. pre-concert talk will feature guest scholar Jeffrey Kurtzman and the Early Music Ensemble. Admission to the pre-concert talk is free. Concert admission is a freewill offering.

Guitar Ensemble, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, May 16, Lutkin Hall. Anne Waller will conduct works by Telemann, Brouwer, Gimanez and Torroba. 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.

Combofest, 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 17, Regenstein Recital Hall. This jazz performance is 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.

Chamber Music for Winds and Piano, 8:30 p.m. Monday, May 17, Lutkin Hall. Chicago Symphony Orchestra oboist Michael Henoch and flutist Richard Graef will join fellow School of Music faulty clarinetist Russell Dagon, bassoonist Robert Barris, horn player Gail Williams and pianist Elizabeth Buccheri for a program that will include Mozart’s Quintet for Piano and Winds in E flat, Riegger’s Concerto for Piano and Woodwind Quintet and Poulenc’s Sextet for Piano and Winds. Single tickets are $8.50 for the general public; $7 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $4 for full-time students.

Spring Opera, “Little Women,” 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 21; and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 22, Cahn Auditorium. Based on Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel, “Little Women” is Mark Adamo’s first opera. The timeless story takes place in New England during the Civil War where the four March sisters test, and learn to treasure, the bonds of familial love. Performances will be in English with English supertitles. “Little Women” will be directed by Noel Koran and guest conducted by Andrew Bisantz. Single tickets are $20 for the general public; $16 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $5.50 for full-time students and children.

Jazz Fest with Maria Schneider, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 22, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Jazz conductor and composer Maria Schneider will be featured with School of Music faculty members Joel Spencer and Michael Kocour in performances by Northwestern’s Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Band and Jazz Combos. Since founding the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra in 1993, Schneider has received commissions from the Monterey Jazz Festival, Orchestra National de Jazz, the Stuttgart Jazz Orchestra and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Her first three recordings were nominated for Grammy Awards. Single tickets are $10 for the general public; $7 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $4 for full-time students.

Newberry Consort, “Machaut and the Medieval World,” 3 p.m. Sunday, May 23, Lutkin Hall. The mystical harmonies of composer Guillaume de Machaut, who changed the course of music, will be performed. Single tickets are $20 for the general public; $18 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $10 for full-time students.

Concert Band, 3 p.m. Sunday, May 23, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Daniel J. Farris conducts a group of non-major musicians in an afternoon of band favorites. Single tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; $3.50 for full-time students.

Philharmonia, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, May 23, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Robert G. Hasty and Taras Krysa will conduct the orchestra as it performs Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 7, Peter Tchaikovsky’s Suite from “Sleeping Beauty” and Anatol Liadov’s “The Enchanted Lake.” 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.

Choral Gala, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 27, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Robert A. Harris and Judith Willoughby will direct the University Singers and Chorale and the University Chorus in a combined performance of Latin American works by Alberto Ginastera and Carlos Abril, Bach motets and works by American composer Randall Thompson. 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.

Student Composers Showcase, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 27, Regenstein Recital Hall. Members of Northwestern’s Contemporary Music Ensemble will perform works by undergraduate and graduate student composers in a program coordinated by Amy Williams 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.

Percussion Ensemble, “Greatest Hits,” 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 28, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Michael Burritt will conduct a performance featuring vibraphonist Anders Astrand and xylophonist Kris Keeton. The program includes Michael Burritt’s Marimba Quartet No. 1, Daniel Levitan’s Marimba Quartet, Frank Wiley’s “Earth Dances” and Bob Becker’s “States Medley.” 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, “Rhythm Shoes and Dancing Fools,” 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 29, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. From ballet and the Charleston to fraternity stepping and high kicking, feet will fly during this concert featuring a century of dance styles and music. 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.