ASU’s School of Music is one of the top 10 public schools of music, with almost 900 undergraduate majors and graduate students. A new concert series at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, ASU Concerts at The Center showcases the many musical endeavors pursued on the university’s nearby Tempe campus. All performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. on the following Mondays:
Monday, August 22, 2011, 7:30 p.m.
Virginia G. Piper Theater
General Admission: $10 (Ticket fees apply)
Free for students with valid I.D.
ASU faculty artists Carole FitzPatrick, Russell Ryan and Dale Dreyfoos are joined by guest artist and former ASU faculty member Robert Barefield in this performance of some of the greatest hits and most exciting rarities from the opera, operetta and musical theater repertoire. The program includes selections from Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Verdi’s Il Trovatore, Nicolai’s The Merry Wives of Windsor, Massenet’s Thais, Strauss’ Die Fledermaus, Lehar’s The Merry Widow, Berlin’s Annie Get Your Gun, Simon & Norman’s The Secret Garden and a special musical tribute to the great classical music comedienne Anna Russell. Dale Dreyfoos presents a pre-concert talk about the program at 6:30 p.m.
Speak of the Devil(s):
The Music of ASU’s Roshanne Etezady Andrew Campbell, piano; Timothy McAllister, saxophones; Katherine McLin, violin; Albie Micklich, bassoon; Martin Schuring, oboe; JB Smith, percussion; Robert Spring, clarinet; and Jana Starling, clarinet
Monday, September 12, 2011, 7:30 p.m.
Virginia G. Piper Theater
General Admission: $10 (Ticket fees apply)
Free for students with valid I.D.
The ASU colleagues of composer Roshanne Etezady perform her music, which has been described as urban, edgy, glorious, melodious, demanding, audio-friendly, programmatic, young and exciting. The performance includes a preconcert talk with the composer at 6:30 p.m. as well as comments during the program.
Picture Rachmaninoff Stephen Cook, piano
Monday, September 19, 2011, 7:30 p.m.
Virginia G. Piper Theater
General Admission: $10 (Ticket fees apply)
Free for students with valid I.D.
Based on a multi-media production by ASU pianist Stephen Cook, this world premiere of Paul Harvey Jr.’s new play combines the thrilling piano music of Sergei Rachmaninoff with beautiful paintings and evocative poetry. Cook performs Rachmaninoff’s complete Etudes-Tableaux, Op. 39, accompanied by dramatic visual projections and poetry readings, including masterworks by Kandinsky, Pushkin, Vrubel, Lermontov and others. A Q&A follows the performance.
Trumpets from Around the World David Hickman, trumpet; ASU Trumpet Ensemble and Miriam Hickman, piano
Monday, September 26, 2011, 7:30 p.m.
Virginia G. Piper Theater
General Admission: $10 (Ticket fees apply)
Free for students with valid I.D.
This concert with international flavor showcases music by Igor Stravinsky (Russia), Maurice Ravel (France), Vasily Brandt (Russia), Rafael Méndez (Mexico), Eric Ewazen (United States), Thorvald Hansen (Denmark), Eric Morales (Puerto Rico), Benjamin Brittan (England) and others.
Modern and Ancient Ayres Symphonic Chorale and Schola Cantorum
Gregory Gentry, conductor
Monday, October 3, 2011, 7:30 p.m.
Virginia G. Piper Theater
General Admission: $10 (Ticket fees apply)
Free for students with valid I.D.
In collaboration with ASU’s instrumental area, ASU’s Symphonic Chorale performs Stravinsky’s Mass. Schola Cantorum performs choral music from past and present eras. A pre-concert lecture at 6:30 p.m. provides the context and structure of Stravinsky’s Mass enhancing listeners on this seminal piece of choral music.
Orchestral Masterworks:
From Fairytales to Life’s Deepest Pondering ASU Symphony Orchestra, Timothy Russell, conductor
Monday, October 17, 2011, 7:30 p.m.
Virginia G. Piper Theater
General Admission: $10 (Ticket fees apply)
Free for students with valid I.D.
The ASU Symphony Orchestra performs some of the greatest symphonic music ever written in this wide-ranging program of diverse styles and countries, including Rossini’s Overture to La Gazza Ladra, music from Tchaikovsky’s ballet Sleeping Beauty, Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin and Liszt’s Les Preludes, performed in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the composer’s birth. Maestro Timothy Russell presents an informative pre-concert talk and engages in a casual conversation about the program at 6:30 p.m.
The Passion of Franz Liszt:
A Bicentennial Celebration
of his Life and Music for Piano
Monday, October 24, 2011, 7:30 p.m.
Virginia G. Piper Theater
General Admission: $10 (Ticket fees apply)
Free for students with valid I.D.
Keyboard faculty from ASU’s School of Music celebrate the 200th birthday of Franz Liszt, the piano’s first international star. Professor Robert Oldani presents a pre-concert talk at 6:30 p.m.
Something Old, Something New,
Something Borrowed, Something Blue ASU Chamber Players, Gary W. Hill, conductor
ASU Choral Union, Laura Inman, conductor
Monday, November 21, 2011, 7:30 p.m.
Virginia G. Piper Theater
General Admission: $10 (Ticket fees apply)
Free for students with valid I.D.
The ASU Chamber Players perform stunning music from the 18th through the 21st centuries, including Mozart’s Coronation Mass with the ASU Choral Union, as well as Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Copland’s Appalachian Spring. At 6:30 p.m., conductor Gary W. Hill presents a pre-concert lecture, “What Makes Them Great,” about three of the four masterpieces on the program, and an introduction to Charles Wuorinen’s Big Spinoff to be premiered that evening.
Big Band ASU Concert Jazz Band, Michael Kocour, director
Monday, December 5, 2011, 7:30 p.m.
Virginia G. Piper Theater
General Admission: $10 (Ticket fees apply)
Free for students with valid I.D.
The internationally acclaimed ASU Jazz Studies Program presents the latest edition of the ASU Concert Jazz Band in an evening of swinging music spanning the history of big band and beyond. A longtime favorite of Valley audiences, the ensemble recently has appeared with such jazz luminaries as Wycliffe Gordon, Bob Mintzer, Bobby Shew and singer Karrin Allyson. Director of Jazz Studies Michael Kocour presents a pre-concert talk at 6:30 p.m.
The Passion and Poetry of Sergei Prokofiev:
The Complete Works for Violin and Piano
Monday, January 23, 2012, 7:30 p.m.
Virginia G. Piper Theater
General Admission: $10 (Ticket fees apply)
Free for students with valid I.D.
Entering their third decade of collaboration, the acclaimed duo of violinist Katherine McLin and pianist Andrew Campbell have enthralled audiences across the country with their dynamic performances. They perform Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev’s colorful Sonata in D Major, the dramatic Sonata in F minor and the haunting Five Melodies for Violin and Piano. Professor Robert Oldani presents a pre-concert talk about these works in relation to Prokofiev’s life at 6:30 p.m.
Bartok and the Golden Rule:
Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion Caio Pagano and Sergio Monteiro, piano
Sonja Branch and Douglas Nottingham, percussion
Monday, January 30, 2012, 7:30 p.m.
Virginia G. Piper Theater
General Admission: $10 (Ticket fees apply)
Free for students with valid I.D.
Like many composers of the 20th century, Bartok was fascinated with the relationship between music and science, and he discovered that certain well-established concepts belonging to the world of natural sciences and mathematics could be applied to the creation of his own music. His Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion seamlessly molds these concepts. Caio Pagano presents a pre-concert talk about Bartok, nature and the Golden Rule at 6:30 p.m.
True North Lynne Aspnes and John Wickey, harp
Justin Bruns, violin
Monday, February 6, 2012, 7:30 p.m.
Virginia G. Piper Theater
General Admission: $10 (Ticket fees apply)
Free for students with valid I.D.
ASU faculty member Lynne Aspnes and San Francisco-based harpist John Wickey are joined by Associate Concertmaster Justin Bruns and Principal Flutist Christina Smith of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for an “up close and personal” encounter with the harp, demonstrating how this beautiful instrument works and creates such extraordinary sounds and colors. This voyage of discovery showcases music from around the world, including Rimsky-Korsakov’s beloved Scheherazade and Claude Debussy’s iconic Afternoon of a Faun. The trio is joined by 15 young harpists from around the Valley and an orchestra of music education majors from ASU for a performance of Vivaldi’s Lute Concerto in C Major. Harp ensembles from the Mesa Public Schools and the East Valley also will perform in the atrium prior to the concert and answer your questions about the harp.
Partners in Time ASU Faculty and Students, Gary W. Hill, conductor
Monday, February 13, 2012, 7:30 p.m.
Virginia G. Piper Theater
General Admission: $10 (Ticket fees apply)
Free for students with valid I.D.
Outstanding faculty artists from the ASU School of Music, along with their student partners, perform beloved chamber music by Mozart, Dvorák and others. Conductor Gary W. Hill and his colleagues briefly discuss the history of chamber music, highlighting the masterpieces being performed, at 6:30 p.m.
ASU Chamber Orchestra Timothy Russell, conductor
Monday, February 27, 2012, 7:30 p.m.
Virginia G. Piper Theater
General Admission: $10 (Ticket fees apply)
Free for students with valid I.D.
The ASU Chamber Orchestra performs an evening of orchestral masterworks with a School of Music student concerto competition winner. Maestro Timothy Russell presents an informative pre-concert talk and engages in a casual conversation about the program at 6:30 p.m.
A Trumpet Festival
Monday, March 5, 2012, 7:30 p.m.
Virginia G. Piper Theater
General Admission: $10 (Ticket fees apply)
Free for students with valid I.D.
Trumpeter and ASU Regents Professor David Hickman, the ASU Trumpet Ensemble, Mariachi Trumpets and pianist Miriam Hickman perform the music of legendary trumpet virtuoso Rafael Méndez and other Spanish and Mexican composers.
Ocotillo Winds Elizabeth Buck, flute; Martin Schuring, oboe; Robert Spring, clarinet; Albie Micklich, bassoon
Monday, April 2, 2012, 7:30 p.m.
Virginia G. Piper Theater
General Admission: $10 (Ticket fees apply)
Free for students with valid I.D.
A refreshingly entertaining breeze from the desert Southwest, the Ocotillo Winds ensemble offers a dynamic fast-paced program of music from the French countryside, the Brazilian rainforest and downtown Phoenix. Members of the group present a pre-concert talk about the program at 6:30 p.m.
Print This Page
Email This Page