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

FOR RELEASE: February 28, 2008

Digital images available on request

PDF version of this release

April 2008 Music Calendar

EVANSTON, Ill. --- The Northwestern University School of Music’s April 2008 highlights include the spring music festival, “Sonic Divergence: A Confluence of Musical Originals” (April 5 to 12); Segovia Classical Guitar Series performances by Oscar Ghiglia (April 12) and Raphaella Smits (April 26); and the final early music concert of this season’s Newberry Consort series (April 13).

The “Sonic Divergence” festival showcases the creativity and original sounds of artists, including the Princeton Laptop Orchestra (April 5), Bang on a Can All-Stars with special guest Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche (April 6), Mack Attack! A Celebration of the Music of Steven Mackey and John Mackey (April 7), world-music diva Lura (April 8), “The Juliet Letters: A Chamber Musical by Elvis Costello and Paul Cassidy” (April 10), “In Praise of the Hammond B-3 Organ" with the Who's Your Daddy? Trio and Chris “Hambone” Cameron (April 11), and Grammy Award-winning jazz saxophone and clarinet virtuoso Paquito D’Rivera (April 12) and his Trio with special guest harmonica virtuoso Howard Levy.

Other highlights include a free performance by the U.S. Air Force Academy Band (April 9); a piano master class (April 8), vocal master class (April 9) and a lecture-demonstration (April 10) by award-winning pianist Richard Goode; and an early music concert in celebration of the San Marco Basilica in Venice (April 27).

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 Alice Millar Chapel, 1870 Sheridan Road, as noted.

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

APRIL 2008 MUSIC EVENTS

Guest Artist, Mark Delavan Opera Master Class, 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 1, Lutkin Hall. American baritone Mark Delavan will conduct a master class for pre-selected Northwestern voice students. Delavan has earned critical acclaim for his appearances with the Metropolitan Opera as Amonasro in “Aida” and with Lyric Opera of Chicago as Amfortas in “Parsifal.” As company member of the New York City Opera, he has played Scarpia in “Tosca” and Escamillo in “Carmen” as well as the title roles of “Der Fliegende Holländer,” “Rigoletto,” “Macbeth,” “Gianni Schicchi” and “Falstaff.” His roles this season include Germont in “La Traviata” at the Lyric, Amonasro in “Aida” at the Met and Iago in “Othello” with the Los Angeles Opera. Tickets are $7 for the general public; $5 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $4 for full-time students.

Sonic Divergence Festival, PLOrk: The Princeton Laptop Orchestra, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 5, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Co-founded by Dan Trueman and Perry Cook, the 20-member Princeton Laptop Orchestra (PLOrk) uses customized laptop computers and individual sound systems to imitate a full symphony orchestra, a jazz combo or an electronica band. Far from being preprogrammed, PLOrk musicians independently control dynamics, rhythm and sound to create a true ensemble effect. The concert includes works with solo acoustic violinist Maja Cerar, a piece with dancing conductor Tomie Hahn and two world premieres. Tickets are $12 for the general public; $7 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $5 for full-time students.

Sonic Divergence Festival, Bang on a Can All-Stars with special guest Glenn Kotche,
7:30 p.m. Sunday, April 6, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Winner of Musical America’s 2005 Ensemble of the Year Award, the Bang on a Can All-Stars are dedicated to commissioning, performing, creating and recording contemporary music. With an ear for the new, the unknown and the unconventional, the ensemble has been exposing innovative music as broadly and accessibly as possible to new audiences worldwide for two decades. Joining the group is guest percussionist Glenn Kotche, drummer for the critically acclaimed rock band Wilco. Tickets are $15 for the general public; $10 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $6 for full-time students.

Sonic Divergence Festival, Mack Attack! A Celebration of the Music of Steven Mackey and John Mackey, 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 7, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. School of Music faculty member Ryan T. Nelson will conduct the Contemporary Music Ensemble and percussionist Matthew Coley in this high-energy program spotlighting contemporary composers Steven Mackey and John Mackey, who are known for combining elements of pop, rock, jazz and classical music. Featured works include Steven Mackey’s “Indigenous Instruments” and “Micro-Concerto for Percussion and Five Instruments” (which uses traditional percussion instruments as well as an arsenal of toys and kitchen gadgets) and John Mackey’s “Juba” and “Rush Hour.” Tickets are $7 for the general public; $5 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $4 for full-time students.

Guest Artist, Martha Strongin Katz Viola Master Class, 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 8, Regenstein Recital Hall. A founding member of the Cleveland Quartet, violist Martha Strongin Katz played more than 1,000 concerts with the group, including performances at the White House, the Grammy Awards and on NBC TV’s “Today Show.” Her solo appearances have included Berlioz’s “Harold in Italy” in Carnegie Hall, the Bartók Concerto with L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and recital and concerto performances at the 1989 international Viola Congress. Katz has served on juries for the Banff International String Quartet Competition and the Naumburg Viola Competition. Admission is free.

Guest Artist, Richard Goode Piano Master Class, 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 8, Lutkin Hall. Pianist Richard Goode returns to Northwestern to present the first of two master classes and a lecture-demonstration. Inaugural winner of last year’s Jean Gimbel Lane Prize in Piano Performance, Goode has appeared with major American and European orchestras and in recitals at New York’s Carnegie Hall, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, London’s Barbican Center and Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Salzburg Festival. Among his more than two-dozen recordings is a complete Beethoven sonata cycle, nominated for a 1994 Grammy Award. Admission is free.

Sonic Divergence Festival, Lura, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 8, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Born in Lisbon to Cape Verdean parents, vocalist Lura has created an exhilarating new style that blends French Afro-pop, traditional African music, Cape Verdean song styles, jazz and Brazilian rhythms. Joining Lura is her instrumental ensemble. Tickets are $15 for the general public; $10 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $6 for full-time students.

Guest Artist, Richard Goode Vocal Master Class, 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 9, Lutkin Hall. Award-winning pianist Richard Goode returns to Northwestern to present a second, vocal master class. Admission is free.

Guest Artists, U.S. Air Force Academy Band, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 9, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. As one of the U.S. Air Force’s two premier bands, the Academy Band presents a rigorous schedule of regional and national concert tours plus performances at the Air Force Academy, on radio and television and at national and international music conferences. The band’s repertoire ranges from light classics and traditional marches to current country, pop and Broadway hits as well as new arrangements of patriotic classics. Free general-admission tickets may be obtained only by calling the Pick-Staiger concert office for reservations; four ticket limit per customer. All ticket holders must be seated by 7:15 p.m.

Guest Artist, Richard Goode Lecture Demonstration, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 10, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Award-winning pianist Richard Goode concludes his Northwestern campus residency with a lecture-demonstration following his two master classes. Tickets are $7 for the general public; $5 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $4 for full-time students.

Sonic Divergence Festival, “The Juliet Letters: A Chamber Musical by Elvis Costello and Paul Cassidy,” 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 10, Lutkin Hall. Tenor Devin DeSantis and the Mercutio String Quartet will perform this score, a 1993 collaboration between pop star Elvis Costello, Paul Cassidy and England’s renowned Brodsky String Quartet. The work was inspired by reports of a Verona professor who was answering letters he found addressed to Juliet Capulet. The result was a critically acclaimed series of 20 dramatic ballads, influenced by the songs of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht, in which male and female characters of varying ages and degrees of sanity tell stories of love, betrayal and death. Tickets are $9 for the general public; $7 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $4 for full-time students.

Sonic Divergence Festival, In Praise of the Hammond B-3 Organ with the Who's Your Daddy? Trio and Chris “Hambone” Cameron, 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 11, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Unveiled in 1935 by Chicago’s Hammond Organ Company, the Hammond B-3 organ, with its distinctive whirling “tone cabinet” sound, was intended as a less expensive alternative to church pipe organs, but it quickly found a home in other venues and musical styles. Featuring the Greater Harvest Missionary Baptist Church Gospel Choir, this concert celebrates the B-3’s unique sound and flair in all its jazz, blues, soul, pop, gospel and Stax Records musical glory. Tickets are $14 for the general public; $10 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $5 for full-time students.

Guest Artists, Ilya Kaler, violin, and James Giles, piano, 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 11, Lutkin Hall. Two acclaimed musicians perform sonatas by Beethoven, Strauss and Saint-Saëns as well as virtuoso works by Ravel and Ysaÿe. Moscow-born violinist Ilya Kaler has served on the faculties of the Eastman School of Music and Indiana University and is now professor of violin at DePaul University. School of Music faculty member James Giles has commissioned and premiered works by numerous contemporary composers. Tickets are $9 for the general public; $7 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $5 for full-time students.

Sonic Divergence Festival, Paquito D’Rivera Trio with special guest Howard Levy,
7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 12, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Eight-time Grammy-winning classical and jazz clarinet and saxophone virtuoso Paquito D’Rivera is one of today’s most versatile musicians. His honors include the National Medal for the Arts, a 2005 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award and a 2007 Living Jazz Legend Award. Also a gifted composer, he won a 2004 Grammy for his “Merengue” as performed by cellist Yo-Yo Ma. In addition to his success in Latin music and jazz, he regularly performs as a soloist with orchestras throughout the world. D’Rivera will be joined by his fellow trio members, pianist Alex Brown and cellist Dana Leong, as well as another longtime collaborator, harmonica virtuoso Howard Levy. Tickets are $20 for the general public; $16 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $8 for full-time students.

Segovia Classical Guitar Series, Oscar Ghiglia, guitar, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 12, Lutkin Hall. A world-renowned performer for more than four decades and a teacher of many of today’s most successful young guitarists, Italian virtuoso Oscar Ghiglia holds a prominent place in the guitar world. He returns to Northwestern for his 20th consecutive year of performances and master classes. His program will feature music by Giuliani, Sor, Mompou and Ponce. Ghiglia’s performance is supported in part by the Chicago Classical Guitar Society. Tickets are $19 for the general public; $16 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $8 for full-time students.

Newberry Consort, “Españoleta,” 3 p.m. Sunday, April 13, Lutkin Hall. A finale to this year’s Newberry Consort series, this concert presents music from 17th century Spain and Latin America. Dancers in full baroque costume tell tales of seduction in tarantelas, canarios, folias and more in this program of Latin rhythms. Directed by violinist David Douglass, the Newberry Consort is joined by the Chatham Baroque ensemble comprised of violinist Julie Andrijeski, viola da gamba player Patricia Halverson, guitarist and theorbo (bass lute) player Scott Pauley, percussionist Danny Mallon and baroque dancers Paige Whitley-Bauguess and Thomas Baird. Tickets are $24 for the general public; $20 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $11 for full-time students.

Thaviu-Isaak Endowed Piano Scholarship Competition, 3 p.m. Saturday, April 19, Lutkin Hall. This annual competition features Northwestern piano students nominated by the School of Music faculty. Honoring the late professors Samuel Thaviu and Donald Isaak, the scholarship is the Northwestern piano program’s most prestigious honor. Admission is free.

Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 19, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Conducted by School of Music faculty member Robert Hasty and featuring soprano Pamela Hinchman, the Symphony Orchestra will perform Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 and Edward Elgar’s “Enigma Variations.” Tickets are $9 for the general public; $7 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $5 for full-time students.

Baroque Music Ensemble, “Handel’s Youthful Genius,” 7 p.m. Sunday, April 20, Alice Millar Chapel. Conducted by music faculty member Stephen Alltop, the Baroque Music Ensemble presents music by the young Handel, including the motet “Salve Regina,” the cantata “La Lucrezia” and his setting of “Dixit Dominus.” Tickets are $7 for the general public; $5 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $4 for full-time students.

Movie Music Concert, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, April 20, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Hear School of Music students, conducted by faculty member Ryan T. Nelson, perform music by Academy Award, Grammy-, Emmy- and Golden Globe Award-winning composer John Williams. Featured pieces in this Student Advisory Board event come from “Star Wars,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “Catch Me If You Can.” Admission is free.

Northwestern Concerto/Aria Competition, 6 p.m. Monday, April 21, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. With a reputation for producing some of the world’s finest young instrumentalists and vocalists, the Northwestern University School of Music will showcase top students in the final rounds of this year’s solo competition. Admission is free.

Symphonic Wind Ensemble, 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 25, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. School of Music Faculty member Mallory Thompson will conduct the Symphonic Wind Ensemble in a performance of Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” and “Emblems,” Edward Elgar’s “Nimrod” from “Enigma Variations,” Samuel Barber’s “Commando March” and Verne Reynolds’ “Scenes.” Tickets are $7 for the general public; $5 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $4 for full-time students.

Kids Fare, “Brass Attack,” 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 26, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Northwestern University music faculty member Ryan T. Nelson will conduct the legendary Illinois Brass Band during this Kids Fare program for children aged 3 to 8 and their families and friends. The hour-long concert will include beautiful melodies, stirring marches and bouncy tunes. 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, Raphaella Smits, guitar, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 26, Lutkin Hall. Award-winning Belgian guitarist Raphaella Smits has toured more than 30 countries, including some of the world’s most important musical centers. An enthusiastic proponent of the eight-string guitar, Smits also has developed a passion for early instruments and will exhibit both aspects of her art in works by Bach, Coste, Sor and Mertz. This performance is supported in part by the Chicago Classical Guitar Society. Tickets are $19 for the general public; $16 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $8 for full-time students.

Samuel and Elinor Thaviu Endowed Scholarship Competition in String Performance, 3 p.m. Sunday, April 27, Lutkin Hall. Top Northwestern University School of Music string students perform in this prestigious competition honoring the late Samuel Thaviu, long-time School of Music violin professor. Admission is free.

Early Music, “An Evening in San Marco,” 7 p.m. Sunday, April 27, Alice Millar Chapel. The Northwestern Brass Ensemble conducted by School of Music faculty member Gail Williams, the Baroque Music Ensemble and the Alice Millar Chapel Choir conducted by faculty member Stephen Alltop, the Millar Brass Ensemble and the Historic Brass Ensemble participate in this celebration of one of the greatest spaces in music history, the Basilica of San Marco in Venice. Andrea and Giovanni Gabrieli, Adrian Willaert, Claudio Monteverdi and Antonio Lotti are among the musical luminaries who helped fill San Marco with glorious sounds. The program will include canzonas and the motet “In Ecclesiis” from Gabrieli’s “Symphoniae Sacra,” Monteverdi’s “Gloria a 7” and other works for organ, brass, solo voices and chorus. Admission is a freewill offering.

Faculty Recital, Christopher Millard, bassoon, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 30, Lutkin Hall. Principal bassoon of the National Arts Centre Orchestra since 2004, Christopher Millard also played with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the CBC Radio Orchestra for 29 years. He has appeared at festivals throughout Canada as well as with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Marlboro Festival, Grand Teton Music Festival and the World Orchestra for Peace. Millard’s program will feature sonatas by William Hurlstone and Lubos Sluka and music by Villa-Lobos, Mozart, Miroshnikov and Doppler. Pianist Lydia Artymiw and flutist Camille Churchfield will join him on stage. Tickets are $9 for the general public; $7 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $5 for full-time students.

[ Back to Top ]