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

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May 2006 Music Calendar

Northwestern University's May music highlights include the School of Music's annual Jazz Fest (May 20) hosted by multi Grammy-Award nominee jazz saxophonist Bob Mintzer who will be featured in performances with Northwestern's Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Band and jazz combos.

Other May highlights include a Segovia Classical Guitar Series concert featuring guest guitarist Robert Guthrie (May 13); the annual Alice Millar Spring Festival Concert (May 14) featuring the Chicago-area premiere of the Requiem for chorus and soloists by Eleanor Daley, one of Canada's most celebrated choral composers; two performances of Mozart's opera "Così fan tutte" (May 20 and 21); and seven hours of free music during Northwestern's seventh annual New Music Marathon (May 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; Cahn Auditorium, 600 Emerson St.; or Alice Millar Chapel, 1870 Sheridan Road, 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.pickstaiger.com.

To order tickets by phone, call the Pick-Staiger Ticket Office at 847-467-4000.

Diana Soviero Master Class, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 2, Lutkin Hall. One of the Metropolitan Opera's official voice teachers, Diana Soviero will present a master class at Northwestern University as she does at universities and festivals throughout the United States and at such prestigious institutions as the Glimmerglass Opera and the Israeli Institute. Also an accomplished performer, Soviero is world-renowned for her appearances in the "verismo" (hyper-dramatic) operas. Tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for seniors and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for students.

Symphonic Band, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 4, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. School of Music faculty member Ryan Nelson will conduct a program that will include Vincent Persichetti's "Masquerade," Bernard Rogers' "Three Japanese Dances," Edvard Grieg's "Funeral Music for Rikard Nordraak" and Karel Husa's "Les Couleurs Fauves." Tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for seniors and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for students.

Keyboard Conversations, "Exhilaration and Eloquence," 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 5, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall.This season, pianist Jeffrey Siegel is celebrating the 35th anniversary of the Keyboard Conversations series on the North Shore, his 10th anniversary at Pick-Staiger, and the 250th anniversary of the birth of Mozart. Siegel continues this Mozart-themed season of "concerts with commentary" with a program that includes Mozart's "Trumpeter" Sonata and Ravel's "La Valse" in the composer's rarely heard solo-piano arrangement. Tickets are $23 for the general public; $21 for seniors and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $16 for students.

Guitar Ensemble, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, May 7, Lutkin Hall.Conductor Anne Waller and the Guitar Ensemble present a program of guitar duos and other works by Villa-Lobos, Falla, Carulli, Gragnanni, Hindemith and Granados. The entire ensemble will perform Roland Dyen's arrangement of "Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5" by Villa-Lobos. Tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for seniors and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for students.

Northwestern Concerto/Aria Competition, 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 9, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. With a reputation of producing some of the country's finest young instrumentalists and vocalists, Northwestern showcases top students in the final rounds of this year's Concerto/Aria Competition. Admission is free.

Symphonic Wind Ensemble, 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 12, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Mallory Thompson conducts a program that will include Paul Hindemith's "Konzertmusik für Blasorchester," J.S. Bach's (arr. by Hunsberger) "Toccata and Fugue in D. Minor," Michael Daugherty's "Motown Metal" and John Harbison's "Three City Blocks." Tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for seniors and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for students.

Jazz Band, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 13, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Daniel J. Farris will conduct this jazz concert. Tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for seniors and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for students.

Kids Fare, "Trumpets! Tubas! Trombones!" 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 13, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Children aged 3 to 8 and adults will experience the musical sounds of the brass section. Hosted by Northwestern University School of Music faculty member Ryan Nelson, the program will feature a special appearance by the Illinois Brass Band. Tickets are $5 for the general public; $4 for seniors and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3 for students and children.

Segovia Classical Guitar Series, Robert Guthrie, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 13, Lutkin Hall. Since studying with Andrés Segovia and Jesus Silva at the North Carolina School of the Arts, internationally acclaimed guest guitarist Robert Guthrie has taught at Yale University, the Boston Conservatory and Southern Methodist University. His program will feature music by De Murcia, Sanz, Sor, Torroba, Barrios, Garcia de Leon, Lauro and Almeida. Tickets are $19 for the general public; $16 for seniors and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $8 for students.

Concert Band, 3 p.m. Sunday, May 14, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Daniel J. Farris will conduct talented students from across the Northwestern campus as they present an afternoon of band standards. Tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for seniors and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for students.

Women's Chorus, "Music of Love and Laughter," 3 p.m. Sunday, May 14, Lutkin Hall. This concert of music from the past three centuries will showcase lighthearted works composed for chamber performance and the operatic stage. The chorus and selected soloists will be heard in works by Rossini, Mendelssohn and Bernstein. Tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for seniors and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for students.

Alice Millar Spring Festival Concert, 7 p.m. Sunday, May 14, Alice Millar Chapel. This year's Spring Festival Concert features the Chicago-area premiere of the Requiem for chorus and soloists by Eleanor Daley, one of Canada's most celebrated choral composers. The a cappella work draws its text from English poetry as well as the traditional Latin Mass for the dead. The 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth will be celebrated with the composer's rarely heard "Dixit et Magnificat" and the Church Sonatas in C, K. 366 and K. 329. Also featuring festive music performed by the Millar Brass Ensemble, the concert concludes with "Sing to the Lord a New Song" by Northwestern alumnus David Dickau. Freewill offerings will be accepted.

Jazz Combofest, 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 15, Regenstein Recital Hall. Joel Spencer is the combo coordinator for this event. Tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for seniors and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for students.

Percussion Ensemble, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 16, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall.Michael Burritt will conduct the Percussion Ensemble during a program that will include Burritt's "Traveling Music" for horn and percussion octet, Anders Koppel's "Toccata for Vibraphone and Marimba" and David Maslanka's "Hohner." Music faculty member Gail Williams will be the featured horn soloist. Tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for seniors and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for students.

Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra and Symphonic Choir, 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 19, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Northwestern University's 165-voice Symphonic Choir will join the Symphony Orchestra to perform John Adams' "Harmonium" for chorus and orchestra set to text by John Donne and Emily Dickinson. The program will be conducted by Victor Yampolsky and will feature School of Music faculty member Gerardo Ribeiro as solo violinist in Shostakovich's Violin Concerto. A pre-concert discussion at 6:45 p.m. will feature commentary by School of Music faculty and students on the program's music and composers. Tickets are $8.50 for the general public; $7 for seniors and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $4 for students.

Opera,"Così fan tutte," 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 20, and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 21, Cahn Auditorium. Directed by Noel Koran and conducted by Robert G. Hasty, Mozart's "Così fan tutte" is a comedic story of two young Italian men who disguise themselves to test the fidelity of their lovers. It will be performed in Italian with English supertitles. Tickets are $20 for the general public; $16.50 for seniors and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $5.50 for students.

Jazz Fest with Bob Mintzer, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 20, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall.Northwestern's annual Jazz Fest hosts saxophonist Bob Mintzer, a revolutionary jazz arranger who continues to leave his mark on the jazz world with his signature merging of tradition and modernism. Mintzer has collaborated with artists Buddy Rich, Thad Jones, Mel Lewis, Art Blakey and Tito Puente and has done session work for James Taylor, Queen and Aretha Franklin. Mintzer also leads his own jazz quartet and performs with the famed Yellowjackets jazz quartet. His solo, big band, and Yellowjackets recordings have received 13 Grammy nominations. Mintzer will be featured in performances with Northwestern's Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Band and jazz combos. Music faculty members Don Owens and Daniel J. Farris will conduct the program, which will be coordinated by Joel Spencer. Tickets are $10 for the general public; $7 for seniors and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $4 for students.

New Music Marathon, 2 to 5 p.m. and 6 to 10 p.m. Sunday, May 21, Josephine Louis Theater and Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Alvin Lucier is the featured composer for Northwestern's seventh annual New Music Marathon, seven hours of concerts celebrating the music of our time. Other highlights include Northwestern's Contemporary Music Ensemble performing music by Nemmers Prize-winner John Adams; a concert of recent eight-channel electroacoustic works by Swedish composers; a concert of improvised music; and performances by the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), ensemble dal niente, pianist Amy Dissanayake, saxophonist Masahito Sugihara and violinist David Yonan. Admission is free.

Jazz Combofest, 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 22, Regenstein Recital Hall.Joel Spencer is the combo coordinator for this jazz program. Tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for seniors and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for students.

Philharmonia, "Russian Celebration," 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 23, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall.Conductors Robert G. Hasty and Yi-Ping Chen and featured violinist Gared Crawford will present a program that will include Alexander Borodin's "In the Steppes of Central Asia," Sergei Prokofiev's "Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major" and Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's "Symphony No. 2 in C Minor ("Little Russian"). Tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for seniors and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for students.

Evening of Brass, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 24, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall.School of Music faculty member Gail Williams will conduct Northwestern University's Brass Ensemble during a program honoring renowned trumpeter Philip Jones (1928-2000), founder of the legendary Philip Jones Brass Ensemble. Tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for seniors and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for students.

Contemporary Music Ensemble, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 25, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall.Eric Garcia will conduct the Contemporary Music Ensemble with featured piano soloist Katie Hamada and soprano Alyssa Bennett. The program will include Pierre Boulez's "Dérive," Igor Stravinsky's "Movements for Piano and Orchestra" and Arnold Schoenberg's "Pierrot Lunaire." Tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for seniors and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for students.

Student Composer Showcase, 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 26, Regenstein Recital Hall. Northwestern University School of Music students and guests will perform works by undergraduate and graduate student composers. Tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for seniors and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for students.

University Singers, "Choral Chamber Music from Around the World," 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 26, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Michael J. Anderson will conduct the program with featured accompanist Charles Bodami. Sung–Tsu Huang will be the graduate assistant conductor for the event. Tickets are $6.50 for the general public; $4.50 for seniors and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3.50 for students.

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