Lawrence听University鈥檚 Conservatory of Music will present its Major Works听concert April 21, an annual听showcase of orchestral and听choral听talent from across multiple ensembles.
The听performance听is听set for 8 p.m. in Memorial Chapel, featuring three significant pieces鈥擫ili Boulanger鈥檚听orchestral nod to spring,听D鈥檜n matin de听printemps听(Of a Spring Morning),听Jake听搁耻苍别蝉迟补诲鈥檚听much-lauded听A Silence Haunts Me,听and听Reena听Esmail鈥檚 musical embrace of connections between Indian and Western music and cultures,听This Love Between Us: Prayers for Unity.
Mark Dupere, director of orchestral studies, will lead the Lawrence Symphony Orchestra in the Boulanger opener.听Phillip A. Swan, co-director of choral studies, will then conduct as the choirs join for听A Silence Haunts Me听and听This Love Between Us.
More than听200听students will听perform in听the Major Works听concert, one of the showcase events on the Conservatory calendar each spring.听The choirs听have been working on the performance for six weeks; the orchestra for four weeks. It includes, among other musical challenges, singing in unfamiliar languages.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great opportunity to share our musical talents in the Conservatory,鈥 Swan said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a project where we get to collaborate interdepartmentally, the orchestra and the choirs working together. 鈥 It鈥檚 an important part of what we do听and it鈥檚 a celebration of what听our听students can do musically.鈥
The pieces听to be performed听come with powerful back stories.
A Silence Haunts Me听speaks to听Beethoven's agony at losing his hearing, expressed in a heartbreaking letter to his brothers.听Runestad, a Minneapolis composer, and Todd Boss, a Minneapolis poet, debuted the choral piece in 2019 to wide acclaim.
This Love Between Us,听meanwhile,听is about unity, working between the worlds of Indian and Western classical music.
鈥淚ts seven movements juxtapose the words of seven major religious traditions of India (Buddhism, Sikhism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Jainism,听and Islam), and specifically how each of these traditions approaches the topic of unity, of brotherhood, of being kind to one another,鈥澨鼸smail听writes听on her website.听
Sutanu Sur,听on听tabla, and听Shreekant听Shah,听on听sitar, will听join the Lawrence students as guest artists听on听This Love Between Us.
Sur, who grew up in India and听now听lives听in Appleton, performed last year with the Fox Valley Symphony. For many in the audience, it was their first introduction to the听tabla,听twin hand drums most familiar in the music of India.
鈥淭he audience was surprised to learn all the nuances of the听tabla,鈥 Sur told globalindian.com. 鈥淭he only way to promote something is to get people to learn about it.鈥
Four student soloists will be featured on听This Love Between Us鈥攋unior听Tanvi听Thatai, soprano; senior听Holly Beemer, alto; junior听Matthew Carlson, tenor; and first-year Billy Greene, bass.听They鈥檙e exploring singing in an unfamiliar musical style.听
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great educational opportunity for them to learn, grow, and create,鈥 Swan said.
On听A Silence Haunts Me,听senior听Ami听Hatori听will be featured on piano.
If you鈥檙e on campus, there is nothing like a live performance; the energy is just palpable. For those who are unable to attend in person, we do offer a livestream and recordings of most Conservatory programs.
Swan called听A Silence Haunts Me听a 鈥渃reative force鈥 and said Esmail鈥檚听This听Love Between Us听is a complex, gorgeous, and sonically exciting musical adventure.听Those two works and the Boulanger orchestral piece bring with them a听connecting thread鈥攍ove.
鈥淚 like to find a theme,鈥 Swan said of planning for the Major Works听concert. 鈥淭he connection for this one comes from the title of the Reena Esmail piece,听This Love Between Us. It鈥檚 love for different things. The first piece embraces a love for spring. The听Runestad听piece听expresses a love for music; Beethoven鈥檚 desire and passion to write music and to explore musical sounds. And Esmail鈥檚 piece is searching for love between different people, the common bonds we share.鈥
If you go
What:听Major Works Performance
When:听8 p.m. April 21
Where:听Lawrence Memorial Chapel
Cost:听Free
Ed Berthiaume
Ed Berthiaume is director of public information at 澳门六合彩开奖结果.