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

March 15, 2005

May 2005 Music Calendar

This May, the School of Music will welcome the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Brass Ensemble from Amsterdam (May 6), along with guest guitarist Timo Korhonen (May 7) and jazz saxophonist Dave Liebman (May 21). A free, 8-hour New Music Marathon (May 22) will feature performances by many of the world’s top new-music artists including Northwestern University’s faculty marimba virtuoso Michael Burritt and members of the ensemble eighth blackbird. Works by Los Angeles composers will be the focus of the Contemporary Music Ensemble concert (May 26).  

Northwestern voice students will be featured during the University’s spring opera, Mozart’s popular “The Magic Flute” (May 20 and 21).

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; Lutkin Hall, 700 University Place, or the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, 40 Arts Circle Drive, 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 2005

ShirleyVerrett Opera Master Class, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 3, Lutkin Hall. Soprano Shirley Verrett was one of the first African American artists to achieve international operatic stardom and was acclaimed as a singing actress in leading roles at the world’s great opera houses. As a soloist, she has performed and recorded with conductors Leonard Bernstein, Eugene Ormandy and Leopold Stokowski. Verrett is the James Earl Jones Distinguished University Professor of Music at the University of Michigan. Tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for students.

Evening of Brass, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 4, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Music faculty member Gail Williams will conduct the ensemble in a performance of Modest Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” and other works. Tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for students.

Symphonic Band, “To Heroes Lost and Fallen,” 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 5, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Northwestern University’s Symphonic Band will perform David Gillingham’s “Heroes Lost and Fallen,” Robert Kurka’s “The Good Soldier Schweik” Suite and Morton Gould’s Symphony No. 4 (“West Point”). Daniel J. Farris will conduct. Tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for students.

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Brass Ensemble, 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 6, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw Orchestra (RCO) has made more than a thousand recordings and in 1988 was granted royal status. Founded in 1888, it has come to be regarded as one of the world’s most prestigious orchestras. Its 14-member brass ensemble will perform antiphonal music as well as 20th century works, including pieces by composer Raphael Mostel and RCO timpanist Nick Woud. Mostel’s “Night and Dawn” was commissioned to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Netherlands’ liberation from Nazi occupation. Mostel will give a pre-concert talk at 6:45 p.m. Tickets are $12 for the general public; $8.50 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $5.50 for students.

Kids Fare, “Kick Your Feet and Feel the Beat,” 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 7, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Enjoy a morning of music and movement during the final Kids Fare concert for this season. Kids Fare concerts are supported by Target. Tickets are $5 for the general public; $4 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3 for children and students.

Segovia Classical Guitar Series, Timo Korhonen, guitar, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 7, Lutkin Hall. An active soloist and chamber musician, Finland’s Timo Korhonen regularly performs at major festivals and concert venues around the world. His 2003 recording of Leo Brouwer’s “Helsinki Concerto,” dedicated to him by the composer, won the Cannes Classical Award. Korhonen’s program includes the Chicago-area premiere of “Mano-a-mano” by Mangus Lindberg as well as works by Bach, Falla and Villa-Lobos. Tickets are $19 for the general public; $16 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $8 for students.

Women’s Chorus, “Music of the Theater,” 7:30 p.m. Sunday, May 8, Lutkin Hall. The Women’s Chorus and soloists present selections from timeless operettas, light opera and musical theater in a program ranging from Gilbert and Sullivan to contemporary American musicals. Tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for students.

Combofest, 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 9, Regenstein Recital Hall. Joel Spencer coordinates this jazz concert. Daniel J. Farris and Don Owens will conduct. Tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for students.

Jazz Band, 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 13, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Joel Spencer coordinates this jazz concert. Daniel J. Farris and Don Owens will conduct. 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 Symphony Orchestra and Symphonic Choir, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 14, and 3 p.m. Sunday, May 15, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Northwestern music faculty member Robert A. Harris will conduct the symphony orchestra and choir in their performance of Samuel Barber’s “Prayers of Kierkegaard” and Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Dona nobis pacem” (“Grant Us Peace”). Tickets are $8.50 for the general pubic; $7 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $4 for students.

Guitar Ensemble, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, May 15, Lutkin Hall. Music faculty member Anne Waller will conduct works by Barrios, Gnattali, Boccherini, Frescobaldi and Takemitsu. Tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for students.

Concert Band, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, May 15, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Daniel J. Farris will lead talented students from across the Northwestern campus in an evening of band standards and favorites. Tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for students.

Northwestern Concerto/Aria Competition, 6 p.m. Monday, May 16, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Northwestern showcases top instrumental and voice students during the final rounds of this year’s Concerto/Aria Competition. Admission is free.

Combofest, 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 16, Regenstein Recital Hall. Joel Spencer coordinates this jazz concert. Daniel J. Farris and Don Owens will conduct. Tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for students.

Guest artist, Robert Dick, flute, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 18, Lutkin Hall. Guest flutist Robert Dick combines 21st century skills with 18th century attitudes. An improviser, composer, author and teacher who has been compared to Jimi Hendrix, Dick also invented the glissando head joint and the Robert Dick Model bass flute. His Northwestern performance is part of a five-day residency and will feature an appearance by the Northwestern Flute Ensemble. Tickets are $8.50 for the general public; $7 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $4 for students. 

Symphonic Wind Ensemble, 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 20, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. This performance features Peter Mennin’s “Canzona,” selections from Tielman Susato and Patrick Dunnigan’s “The Danserye” and Michael Colgrass’ “Winds of Nagual.” Tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for students.

Opera, “The Magic Flute,” 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 20, and Saturday, May 21, Cahn Auditorium. This classic tale of triumph through reason, truth and virtue is one of Mozart’s most beloved works and continues to delight audiences of all ages. The opera combines captivating music, humor and fantasy in depicting a prince’s quest to save the princess he loves. Tickets are $20 for the general public; $16.50 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $5.50 for students.

Jazz Fest with Dave Liebman, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 21, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Jazz saxophonist Dave Liebman’s career began in the early 1970s with the Elvin Jones and Miles Davis groups. He is the founder and artistic director of the International Association of Schools of Jazz and teaches at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City. His many distinctions include an honorary doctorate from the Sibelius Academy, a 1998 Grammy nomination for best jazz solo and induction into the International Association of Jazz Educators Hall of Fame in 2000. Liebman will perform with Northwestern’s Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Band and Jazz Combos. Tickets are $10 for the general public; $7 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; $4 students.

New Music Marathon, 2 to 10 p.m. Sunday, May 22, Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, and Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Performers include bassist Robert Black, cellist Scott Kluksdahl, Northwestern faculty marimba virtuoso Michael Burritt, the Ensemble dal niente in its Chicago debut, Italian flutist Mario Caroli in Salvatore Sciarrino’s “Opera for Flute,” ICE in works by Iannis Xenakis and School of Music faculty members, and eighth blackbird ensemble members in works by Bang-on-a-Can’s David Lang, who will be in attendance. The evening will end in the Pick-Staiger lobby with a wild improvisation featuring more than a dozen guest performers and composers. Music faculty member Amy Williams coordinates this event. Admission is free. For more information, call (847) 491-5441.

Philharmonia,“German Masters,” 3 p.m. Sunday, May 22, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. The Philharmonia orchestra will perform Richard Wagner’s “Lohengrin,” Prelude, Act 1; Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major; and Karl Goldmark’s Symphony in E flat (“Rustic Wedding”). Robert G. Hasty and Andrew Koehler will conduct. The piano soloist is Leanne Regehr. Tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for students.

Newberry Consort, “The Musicians of Venus and Mercury,” 3 p.m. Sunday, May 22, Lutkin Hall. Experience the delights of Italian instrumental music from 15th century Ferrara. Violinist David Douglass, oboist Debra Nagy, viola da gamba player and cellist Craig Trompeter, and viola da gamba player Mary Springfels will perform. Tickets are $21 for the general public; $19 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $11 for students.

Alice Millar Spring Festival Concert, Handel’s “Solomon,” 7 p.m. Sunday, May 22, Alice Millar Chapel. One of George Frideric Handel’s most spectacular oratorios, “Solomon” brings to life the wise king of the Old Testament. The program, directed by Mary Springfels, will be conducted by Stephen Alltop and will include the Alice Millar Chapel Choir and soloists, and the Northwestern Early Music Ensemble. A freewill offering will be accepted.

Student Composer Showcase, 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 23, Regenstein Recital Hall. Coordinated by music faculty member Amy Williams, the new-music International Contemporary Ensemble and guest artists will perform chamber works by Northwestern University graduate and undergraduate composers. Tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for students.

Contemporary Music Ensemble, “L.A. Stories -- Works of Los Angeles Composers,” 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 26, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. School of Music faculty member Robert G. Hasty will conduct this performance featuring soprano Pamela Hinchman and percussionist Peter Zlotnick. The ensemble will perform Donald Crockett’s “Whistling in the Dark,” Morten Lauridsen’s “Cuatro Canciones sobre Poesias de Federico Garcia Lorca,” William Kraft’s Concerto for Percussion and Chamber Ensemble, and Stephen Hartke’s “Wulfstan at the Millennium.” Tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for students.

Percussion Ensemble, 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 27, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Program highlights include the premiere of a new work by Swedish vibraphone virtuoso Anders Astrand for solo vibraphone and percussion octet, in addition to the “Peaux” movement from Xenakis’ “Pleiades” and music by Kopetzki and Hollo. The concert will be directed by faculty member Michael Burritt and will feature Anders Astrand. Tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for students.