REBECCA HALE
Reverb Editor
Each semester brings the exciting promise of new and continuously innovative repertoire from the School of Music. This semester will prove no exception to that notion. In addition to regularly-scheduled ensemble performances and faculty recitals, the School of Music will welcome prestigious ensembles such as the Western New York Chamber Orchestra (WNYCO), the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra and the Shanghai Quartet to our campus.
“The School of Music has a longstanding reputation for bringing world-class artists to campus for performances and master classes with our students,” said Jennifer Darrell-Sterbak, who works in Community Relations in the School of Music. “A few examples include Yo-Yo Ma, Dawn Upshaw with Gilbert Kalish, Arturo Sandoval, the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, Tafelmusik and many others.”
Not surprisingly, WYNCO will return to Fredonia’s King Concert Hall to kick off the semester, as well as its Classics season, performing a program titled, “Mozart the Hero, Mozart the Legend” on Sept. 20. The concert will feature Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 183, as well as other well-known Mozart excerpts. Soloists include Susan Royal and Sonja Inglefield. The performance will also feature clips from the 1984 film, “Amadeus.” The concert is free to students, though they will need to obtain a ticket from the Fredonia Ticket Office.
Shortly after, on Sept. 26, The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra (CJO) will arrive in Fredonia to perform their second concert with soloist, Fredonia senior and vocal performance major, Nia Drummond.
The CJO has been Cleveland’s top jazz ensemble for over 30 years. They will be performing “An Evening with Ella and Ellington” in King Concert Hall. This will be a program featuring the music of jazz legends Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington. This concert will be an exciting evening for Drummond, who has been told before that she sounds like Fitzgerald.
Finally, the world-renowned Shanghai Quartet will be arriving on campus at the end of October for a week-long residency which will finish with a concert on Oct. 3 in King Concert Hall. The talented ensemble will be working with string students during the week, giving master classes, concerts and lectures.
The quartet will give a lecture on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. in Rosch Recital Hall. The topics will be building a career in music, teaching and performing as well as the values of internationalism. The talk is free and open to the public.
Tickets can be purchased for a catered dinner prior to Saturday’s concert, which will be hosted by alumna Roberta Guaspari-Tzavaras, whose son is Shanghai Quartet cellist Nicholas Tzavaras.
The concert program will include Mendelssohn op. 80 and the Dvorak Piano Quintet featuring Fredonia professor Sean Duggan on piano.
“The School of Music is committed to bringing artists like the Shanghai Quartet to campus to work with our students in meaningful, inspiring ways,” Darrell-Sterbak remarked.
The semester is surely going to be a busy one, as the School of Music is already underway hosting regular concerts, student recitals and special events. For a complete schedule of events, check the School of Music calendar at fredonia.edu/music/. Events are subject to change and new concerts and special events are continually added throughout the semester.