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November 2007 Music Calendar

EVANSTON, Ill. --- The Northwestern University School of Music’s November 2007 highlights include faculty recitals by (Nov. 2) pianist James Giles and (Nov. 15) pianist Alan Chow, clarinetist Steven Cohen and violinist Gerardo Ribeiro.

Northwestern has been selected as one of eight universities in the United States and Canada to present a 5 p.m. (CST) Nov. 4 live simulcast of the 2007 Richard Tucker Gala concert taking place on the stage of Avery Fisher Hall in New York’s Lincoln Center. The simulcast will be held at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. It is free and open to the public.

A Nov. 8 “Spiritual Sounds of Central Asia: Nomads, Mystics and Trobadours” lecture-demonstration will feature instrumental and vocal music by some of Central Asia’s most gifted artists. The program is free and open to the public.

Other highlights include a Nov. 10 New Music program featuring contemporary works by School of Music composition faculty members Lee Hyla, Jay Alan Yim and Hans Thomalla as well as former faculty members that include Augusta Read Thomas; a Nov. 11 early music concert featuring Northwestern’s Baroque Music Ensemble; and the Nov. 16 and Nov. 17 performances of two of Gian Carlo Menotti’s popular one-act operas -- “The Old Maid and the Thief” and “The Medium,” both sung in English.

Guest pianist Jeffrey Siegel will discuss and perform French works by Debussy, Saint-Saëns and Ravel during his Nov. 16 Keyboard Conversations series program. And there will be two, hour-long Kids Fare concerts: Nov. 3, “Boom, Bam, Tap and Swoosh” that will feature percussion and Nov. 17, “A Carousel of Songs” that will focus on singing.

The Nov. 19 Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra concert of Russian music by Stravinsky, Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky will feature piano soloist Sergiy Komirenko, a 2007 School of Music Concerto Competition winner. Victor Yampolsky will conduct the program.

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; or Alice Millar Chapel, 1870 Sheridan Road, as noted below.

For more information, call the Pick-Staiger Concert Office at (847) 491-5441 or visit the
new Pick-Staiger Web site. To order tickets by phone, call the Pick-Staiger Ticket Office at (847) 467-4000.

NOVEMBER 2007 MUSIC EVENTS

Northwestern University Chamber Orchestra, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Victor Yampolsky will conduct Northwestern’s Chamber Orchestra in a program that will feature clarinetist Kristen King, hornist Jena Gardner and bassoonist Mike Muszynski. Works will include Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat Major for oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon; and Tchaikovsky’s “Andante cantabile” (from String Quartet No. 1) and Suite No. 2 in C Major (“Caractéristique”). Single tickets are $9 for the general public; $7 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $5 for full-time students.

Faculty Recital, James Giles, piano, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 2, Lutkin Hall. Renowned for his performances in American and European musical centers, pianist James Giles recently completed a tour of China and played at Warsaw’s Chopin Academy of Music. He has commissioned and premiered works by William Bolcom, C. Curtis-Smith, Stephen Hough, Lowell Liebermann, Ned Rorem, Augusta Read Thomas, Earl Wild and James Wintle, most of which are featured on Giles’ new Albany Records release, “American Virtuoso.” His program will feature romantic character pieces by Chopin, Liszt and Alkan plus Schubert’s final Sonata in B-flat Major. Single tickets are $9 for the general public; $7 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $5 for full-time students.

Jazz Band and Jazz Ensemble: Jazz Nite I, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 2, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. School of Music faculty members Daniel J. Farris and Joel Spencer will conduct the jazz program featuring Northwestern’s Jazz Band and Jazz Ensemble. Single tickets are $7 for the general public; $5 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $4 for full-time students.

Kids Fare, “Boom, Bam, Tap and Swoosh,” 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 3, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. This family concert for children aged 3 to 8 will focus on rhythm and motion achieved by combining lively percussion with dance. Young audience members will have an opportunity to accompany the University’s rhythmic dance ensemble by bringing their own homemade or toy percussion instruments to the concert. Single tickets are $5 for the general public; $4 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3 for full-time students and children.

NU Voices: A Choral Showcase, Op. 22, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. The 22nd annual fall concert will feature all Northwestern School of Music choral ensembles -- University Chorale, University Singers, University Chorus, Alice Millar Chapel Choir and University Women’s Chorus. School of Music faculty members Robert A. Harris and Stephen Alltop will conduct the program with Elizabeth Shapovalov. Single tickets are $12 for the general public; $9 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $6 for full-time students.

Live Simulcast of the Richard Tucker Gala Concert from New York’s Lincoln Center, 5 p.m. (CST) Sunday, Nov. 4, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Northwestern University has been selected as one of eight universities in the United States and Canada to present a live simulcast of the 2007 Richard Tucker Gala concert taking place that night on the stage of Avery Fisher Hall in New York’s Lincoln Center. For more information on the Richard Tucker Music Foundation and its programs, visit <www.richardtucker.org>. General seating will be on a first-come, first-seated basis. Admission is free and open to the public.

Guest Artists, Spiritual Sounds of Central Asia: Nomads, Mystics and Troubadours – a Lecture Demonstration, 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Some of Central Asia’s most gifted artists will appear in a curated lecture-demonstration designed to make the region’s music accessible and meaningful to American audiences. Organized and produced by the Aga Khan Music Initiative in Central Asia, the tour includes 18 musicians from six countries, several of whom are appearing in the United States for the first time. From Azerbaijan, the legendary “mugham” singer Alim Qasimov debuts a new program that will feature duets with his daughter, Fergane. (“Mugham” is original improvisational classical folk music popular in Azerbaijan, Iran and parts of the Caucasus and Central Asia.) The Qasimov’s will be accompanied by a four-man ensemble playing tar (lute), kemanche (spike fiddle), balaban (duduk or double reed oboe) and percussion. Admission is free and open to the public.

Symphonic Wind Ensemble, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. School of Music faculty member Mallory Thompson will conduct Northwestern’s Symphonic Wind Ensemble. The program includes Richard Strauss’ Suite in B-flat, Ingolf Dahl’s Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Dana Wilson’s “Day Dreams.” Saxophonist Sean Hurlburt will be the featured soloist. Single tickets are $7 for the general public; $5 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $4 for full-time students.

Contemporary Music Ensemble, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Works by School of Music composition faculty members Lee Hyla, Jay Alan Yim and Hans Thomalla as well as former faculty members Alan Stout and Augusta Read Thomas will be performed. School of Music faculty member Ryan Nelson will conduct. Single tickets are $7 for the general public; $5 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $4 for full-time students.

Baroque Music Ensemble: “Glories of the Italian Baroque,” 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 11, Alice Millar Chapel. The early music program will feature vocal and instrumental works from 17th and 18th century Italy. Selections include Alessandro Scarlatti’s “Stabat Mater” for 10 voices, Barbara Strozzi’s solo cantata “L’astratto” featuring soprano Ellen Hargis and instrumental music by Castello, Merula, Uccellini and Corelli. Stephen Alltop will conduct and David Douglass is the baroque violin soloist. Single tickets are $7 for the general public; $5 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $4 for full-time students.

Combofest, 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 12, Regenstein Recital Hall. School of Music faculty member Joel Spencer coordinated the combos for this fall jazz concert. Single tickets are $7 for the general public; $5 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $4 for full-time students.

Evening of Brass, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 13, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. School of Music faculty member Gail Williams will conduct a British-themed program with selections by Gustav Holst, Edward Elgar, Benjamin Britten and Arthur Bliss. Single tickets are $7 for the general public; $5 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $4 for full-time students.

Faulty Recital, Alan Chow, piano; Steven Cohen, clarinet; and Gerardo Ribeiro, violin, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Award-winning pianist Alan Chow, coordinator of the Northwestern University School of Music’s piano program, has performed through the U.S. and East Asia. Northwestern clarinet professor Steven Cohen, former principal clarinetist and featured soloist with the New Orleans Symphony, regularly performs solo recitals throughout the United States, Europe and Korea. Violinist Gerardo Ribeiro, coordinator of Northwestern’s string program, has appeared as soloist with major orchestras throughout the world. Their recital will include Karl Stamitz’s Concerto No. 4 for clarinet and violin; Margaret Brouwer’s Trio for clarinet, violin and piano; Darius Milhaud’s Suite for violin, clarinet and piano; Bela Bartok’s “Contrasts” for violin, clarinet and piano; and Paul Schoenfield’s Trio for clarinet, violin and piano. Single tickets are $9 for the general public; $7 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $5 for full-time students.

Keyboard Conversatios, “Fabulous French Fare,” 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Guest pianist Jeffrey Siegel will discuss and perform French works, including Debussy’s “Clair de lune,” Poulenc’s “Impromptus,” Saint-Saëns’ “Dance macabre” and Ravel’s “Jeux d’eau.” Single tickets are $23 for the general public; $21 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $16 for full-time students.

Fall Opera, “The Old Maid and the Thief” and “The Medium,” 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17, Lutkin Hall. These two short operas rank among Gian Carlo Menotti’s most popular works. Premiered in 1939 and originally commissioned for radio, “The Old Maid and the Thief” is a tale of deceit, hypocrisy, feminine wiles and dubious morality in a small town setting. In Menotti’s 1946 opera “The Medium,” a pseudo-psychic Madame Flora succumbs to drink and the superstitious illusions she has created for her clients. As her disillusionment and hysteria escalate, the story culminates in murder and tragedy. Both operas will be performed in English. Kelli Morgan and Noel Koran will direct both performances and Frederick Ockwell will conduct. Single tickets are $15 for the general public; $12 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $6 for full-time students.

Kids Fare, “A Carousel of Strings,” 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 17, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. The joy of singing will come alive in a diverse program of entertaining song styles. Audience members will have an opportunity to sing along. The hour-long Kids Fare concerts are geared for children aged 3 to 8 and their family members and friends. Single tickets are $5 for the general public; $4 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3 for full-time students.

Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra, 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 19, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. The featured soloist will be pianist Sergiy Komirenko, a 2007 School of Music Concerto Competition winner. Victor Yampolsky will conduct the Symphony Orchestra during a program that will include Stravinsky’s Symphony in Three Movements, Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in F-sharp Minor and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 in F Major. Single tickets are $9 for the general public; $7 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $5 for full-time students.

Combofest, 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 26, Regenstein Recital Hall. School of Music faculty member Joel Spencer coordinated the combos for this fall jazz concert. Single tickets are $7 for the general public; $5 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $4 for full-time students.

Contemporary Music Ensemble: Contemporary Masterworks, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. This new music program of contemporary works by György Kurtág, one of Hungary’s leading composers, will feature “Quasi una Fantasia.” Kurtág’s expressionistic works are performed worldwide. Single tickets are $7 for the general public; $5 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $4 for full-time students.

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