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

FOR RELEASE: January 29, 2008

Digital images available on request

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March 2008 Music Calendar

EVANSTON, Ill. --- The Northwestern University School of Music’s March 2008 highlights include the winter opera, Benjamin Britten’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (Feb. 28 through March 2); a 2008 Segovia Classical Guitar Series performance by guitarist David Russell (March 1); and an early music program by the Baroque Music Ensemble (March 6).

Other highlights include a performance of Mendelssohn’s “Elijah” by the Northwestern University Chamber Orchestra and University Chorus (March 11); a concert featuring the contemporary string ensemble JACK Quartet (March 12); and a Keyboard Conversations program by pianist Jeffrey Siegel (March 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; Alice Millar Chapel, 1870 Sheridan Road; or Cahn Auditorium, 600 Emerson St., 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.

MARCH 2008 MUSIC EVENTS

Winter Opera, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28; 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 29; 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 1; and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 2, Cahn Auditorium. The winter production will be directed by Noel Koran and conducted by Stephen Alltop, both School of Music faculty members. Benjamin Britten’s 1959 opera “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” retells Shakespeare’s classic story of requited and unrequited love and the hilarity that ensues when the hobgoblin Puck meddles with the mortal and fairy realms. The opera will be performed in English with English supertitles. Tickets are $18 for the general public; $15 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $8 for full-time students.

Kids Fare, “Dancing on a String,” 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 1, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Musical tightrope walkers will amaze and astound in this exploration of the world of stringed instruments. Tickets are $5 for the general public; $4 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $3 for full-time students.

Segovia Classical Guitar Series, guest artist David Russell, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 1, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Guitarist David Russell’s 2007 release “Art of the Guitar” has earned critical praise from every corner of the guitar world, and his musical sensitivity and lyrical performing style have won the admiration of audiences from Madrid to Tokyo. Pick-Staiger welcomes this Grammy Award-winning guitarist as he returns with a program ranging from intricate baroque works by Bach and Couperin to fiery Spanish music by Albéniz. Tickets are $23 for the general public; $19 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $10 for full-time students.

Women’s Chorus, 3 p.m. Sunday, March 2, Lutkin Hall. Conducted by School of Music faculty member Elizabeth Shapovalov, the chorus will sing sets of folksongs by Béla Bartók, Johannes Brahms, Aaron Copland, Zoltán Kodály, Ron Nelson, Felix Mendelssohn and Ralph Vaughan Williams. Tickets are $7 for the general public; $5 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $4 for full-time students.

Concert Band, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, March 2, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Conducted by School of Music faculty member Daniel J. Farris, students from across the Northwestern campus will present an evening of band standards. Tickets are $7 for the general public; $5 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $4 for full-time students.

Faculty Recital: Steven Cohen, clarinet; Elizabeth Buccheri, piano; Gail Williams, horn; Sunny Joy Langton, soprano; and Elizabeth Cifani, harp, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 4, Lutkin Hall. This recital by School of Music faculty members will feature performances of Malcolm Arnold’s Divertimento for clarinet, flute and oboe; Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Six Studies in English Folk Song”; and Leonard Bernstein’s Sonata for Clarinet and Piano. Louis Spohr’s “Six German Songs” for voice, clarinet and piano, and Robert Kahn’s Trio for clarinet, horn and piano also will be performed. Tickets are $9 for the general public; $7 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $5 for full-time students.

Early Music: Baroque Music Ensemble, Bach’s “Brandenburg Concertos,” 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 6, Lutkin Hall. Conducted by School of Music faculty member Stephen Alltop, the Baroque Music Ensemble will perform all six of Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Brandenburg Concertos.” Alltop and student performers will present introductory comments for each concerto, providing historical and contemporary perspectives. Single tickets are $7 for the general public; $5 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $4 for full-time students.

Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra, 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 7, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. School of Music faculty member Victor Yampolsky and School of Music graduate student Eric Stassen will conduct 2007 Northwestern Concerto Competition winners. Soloists will include violinist Jennise Hwang, trumpeter Brandon Eubank and pianist Paul Whitley. The concert will feature performances of Johannes Brahms’ Violin Concerto in D Major; Zoltán Kodály’s “Dances of Galanta”; Eino Tamberg’s Trumpet Concerto No. 1; and George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.” Tickets are $9 for the general public; $7 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $5 for full-time students.

Philharmonia and University Singers, “Opera Overtures, Arias and Choruses,” 7:30 p.m. Sunday, March 9, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Music faculty members Robert G. Hasty and Amy Weller conduct the University Singers and Philharmonia in opera favorites featuring soloists from Northwestern’s opera program. Tickets are $7 for the general public; $5 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $4 for full-time students.

Northwestern University Chamber Orchestra and University Chorus, “Elijah,” 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 11, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Chorus, orchestra and faculty soloists -- soprano Sunny Joy Langton, mezzo-soprano Karen Brunssen, tenor Richard Drews and baritone Bruce Hall -- will present one of the 19th century’s greatest choral master works, Mendelssohn’s oratorio “Elijah.” School of Music faculty members Robert A. Harris and Robert G. Hasty will conduct. Tickets are $9 for the general public; $7 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $5 for full-time students.

Guest Artists, JACK Quartet, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 12, Lutkin Hall. Already among the country's top young string quartets specializing in contemporary music, the JACK Quartet has performed throughout Europe and North America in venues that include Carnegie Hall and the Lucerne Festival. The program features works by School of Music faculty composers Jay Alan Yim and Hans Thomalla. Tickets are $7 for the general public; $5 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $4 for full-time students.

Symphonic Band, “American Sketches,” 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 13, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. School of Music faculty member Ryan T. Nelson conducts the Symphonic Band in this preview performance of their program for the upcoming College Band Directors National Association North Central Division Conference. The concert will feature Donald Grantham’s “Bum’s Rush”; Carter Pann’s “American Child”; Morton Gould’s “Santa Fe Saga”; and Charles Ives’ “The Alcotts.” Tickets are $7 for the general public; $5 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $4 for full-time students.

Jazz Ensemble, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 15, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. School of Music faculty member Joel Spencer will conduct a program featuring Northwestern’s Jazz Ensemble. Tickets are $7 for the general public; $5 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $4 for full-time students.

Keyboard Conversations, “Russia -- Rebels on the Red Carpet,” 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 21, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Savor the études of Rachmaninoff, the “Sarcasms” of Prokofiev and works by Shostakovich and Stravinsky in the latest of pianist Jeffrey Siegel's concerts with commentary. Tickets are $23 for the general public; $21 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $16 for full-time students.

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