First Weekend in March brings “Musical Madness”

By Brandon Adams

Three Ensembles in Three Days!

Fort Collins– The School of Music, Theatre, and Dance at Colorado State University presents three performances in three days the first weekend of Mar. The sounds of Bands, Choirs, Orchestras, and specialty Saxophones will be filling the University Center for the Arts, located at 1400 Remington Street. All event information, including dates, times, and room locations, are included below.

Chamber Choir and Concert Choir Concert

With Wesley Ferreira, Clarinet,  Friday, March 2, 7:30 p.m., Griffin Concert Hall, UCA

The Chamber Choir, conducted by James Kim, performs the premier of “Pilgrim’s Soul” by CSU Composition Professor James David. The piece for mixed chorus, clarinet, and live electronics features Dr. Wesley Ferreira and is based on the well-known poem “When You Are Old” by William Butler Yeats. “The idea behind the piece was to merge my love of the clarinet with the dramatic sounds of an acapella choir. The live electronic sounds provide an ethereal backdrop that blends the soloist with the voices, while also invoking images from the text,” said the composer. The Chamber Choir’s program also includes “Missa Brevis,” a five-movement work composed by contemporary Canadian composer, Ruth Watson Henderson. The Concert Choir, also conducted by Dr. Kim, performs works by the master composers, Johannes Brahms and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, concluding with spirituals arranged by Moses Hogan.

Rocky Mountain Saxophone Summit Potpourri Concert

With special Guests the New Third Stream Quartet, and saxophone professors from CSU, UW, CU, UNC, DU, and MSU, Saturday, March 3, 7:30 p.m., Organ Recital Hall, UCA

Our third time out in this biennial event celebrating Adolphe Sax’s great invention, the Rocky Mountain Saxophone Summit features special guests from along the Front Range, as well as the New Third Stream Quartet with Rick VanMatre and James Bunte from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Jim Romain from Drake University, and CSU’s own Peter Sommer. Please join us for this capstone concert to a day of clinics, masterclasses, and performances.

Concert Orchestra and Concert Band Concert / FREE

With Guest Adam Torres, Piano, Sunday, March 4, 7:30 p.m., Griffin Concert Hall, UCA

The Concert Orchestra, conducted by Leslie Stewart, performs Baroque and Beyond with CSU faculty artist Adam Torres. The program opens with a concerto grosso by Italian composer Pietro Locatelli – a typical example of this Baroque form in which there is a dialogue between individual players and the larger (grosso) orchestra. The first concerto is followed by Ernest Bloch’s Concerto Grosso No. 1 – a 20th century work based on the same compositional form which adds a solo piano to the conversation.

The Concert Band, conducted by Erik Johnson, performs The Elements of Gratitude, a concert title inspired by the life of Oliver Sachs. This portion of the concert features a host of music that encourages the musicians and audience to make connections between our physical world and the best versions of who we aim to become.

For a full event calendar, more information, and to sign up for a free event e-newsletter, visit UCA.Colostate.edu. For an in-depth look behind the scenes of everything happening at the University Center for the Arts, read The Green Room digital magazine. Sign up for FREE at issuu.com/coloradostateuniversity_uca.

Continuing this spring, venue seating is reserved. Tickets are no charge for CSU students, $3 for youth (under 18), $12 for seniors (62+), and $14 for the public, unless otherwise posted. Tickets are available at the University Center for the Arts (UCA) ticket office in the UCA lobby Monday through Friday, 3:30-5:30 p.m. and 60 minutes prior to performances, by phone at (970) 491-ARTS (2787), or online at CSUArtsTickets.com. Youth tickets must be purchased in person at the Ticket Office. All tickets are subject to a $1 ticket fee for both online and at-the-door purchases. Advance ticket purchase is recommended to avoid lines and further at-the-door fees

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