Nazareth School of Music Concerts and Events in November

From chamber music and symphony orchestra to jazz combos, there is something for everyone this month at the Nazareth College Arts Center. All events are free and open to the public with the exception of the concert by Society for Chamber Music in Rochester.

BRINGIN’ ON THE TALENT!
Nazareth College Symphony Orchestra
Friday, November 5, 7:30 p.m., Beston Hall (livestream)
Nancy Strelau, conductor; Patrick Corvington, trumpet

Two world premieres, Ars Longa, a piece for string orchestra by Nazareth School of Music Director David Davies, and Elegy for the End of Nature for String Orchestra and Percussion by Steven Danyew. Featuring Brooklyn Church, winner of the 2020/2021 Nazareth College Concerto & Aria Competition, and Ryan McNally, winner of the Large Ensemble Competition Winner, who will premiere his original composition, Sherman's March. Also presenting “Echoes of a Footfall” from Two Portraits for Strings and Trumpet by Philip Klein, an outstanding film scorer.

David Davies, Director and Associate Professor of the School of Music, wrote Ars Longa over the summer and early fall of 2021 and is scored for strings, piano, and timpani. In his words:

"Ars Longa draws its name from the first two lines of the Aphorismi by Hippocrates, 'Vita brevis, ars longa,' which can be translated as “life is short, and art endures.” As music is primarily a community-based art form, musicians have been especially impacted by the isolation brought about in response to the spread of Covid-19. The inspiration for this work sprang from a reflection on these challenges, and as a tribute to the resilience and dedication of artists and musicians. 

The short one-movement piece begins simply and mournfully, with an unaccompanied solo violin. Gradually, additional voices are heard, but also in isolation from each other. As the texture continues to develop the tonality shifts as new voices enter and repeating rhythmic and melodic cells are used as a musical depiction of resilience, determination, and hope. The opening melodic material returns at the close, but no longer mournful and no longer alone."

Ars Longa is dedicated to the student musicians of Nazareth College, whose hard work and dedication throughout the pandemic showed me time and again that art endures in the midst of life’s greatest challenges.

WE’VE GOT YOUR BACH!
Sunday, November 7, 3 p.m., Wilmot Recital Hall (livestream)
Margaret Leenhouts, violin and leader; Bonnie Choi, harpsichord; Britton Plourde, flute; Joe Finetti, bass; Juli Elliot, soprano; Colleen Wolf, horn; Mimi Hwang, cello; Ryan Hardcastle, viola; Lydia O’Sullivan, violin

The iconic composer is represented in this program with chamber music featuring violin and flute: J.S. Bach's Trio Sonata in G major; his Violin Sonata in C minor, and the little-known and rarely performed Peasant Cantata. Although similar in form to Bach's many sacred cantatas, the libretto to the Peasant Cantata reads more like a comic opera: two servants in a great household gossip about the new Lord and Lady and poke fun at other members of the staff, before deciding to head off to the local tavern for a drink and some dancing.

MY SOUL AWAKENS
Nazareth College Treble Choir
Saturday, November 13, 4 p.m., Linehan Chapel
Brian Stevens, Director

The Nazareth College Treble Choir presents a program of music which reminds us of the beauty all around us, a glimpse of heaven on earth found in the connection between all living things. Featuring works by Sarah Quartel, Ola Gjeilo, Marie-Claire Saindon, Ēriks Ešenvalds, Darius Lim, and more.

WORLDS COLLIDING
Society for Chamber Music in Rochester co-presentation with Nazareth's School of Music | Generously sponsored by Hank Altland
Sunday, November 14, 4 p.m., Beston Hall
Juliana Athayde, violin; Aika Ito, violín; Aaron Mossburg, viola; Steven Doane, cello; Miri Yampolsky, piano

Program to feature:

• Octavio Vazquez (Nazareth Faculty) – Viola Sonata No.2

• Johannes Brahms – Piano Quintet, Op.34

Pre-concert talk at 3:20 p.m. Tickets available through the Society for Chamber Music in Rochester. Students are admitted free with current school ID to SCMR concerts.

GOING TO PIECES
Nazareth College Wind Symphony, Chamber Winds, Chamber Brass, and Saxophone Ensembles
Tuesday, November 16, 7:30 p.m., Beston Hall (livestream)
Jared Chase, Jeremy Stoner, Chisato Eda Marling, conductors

This mid-week concert will feature smaller ensembles performing a variety of chamber music for wind, brass, and percussion as well as a performance of Holst’s Hammersmith by the Nazareth College Wind Symphony.

NIGHT FLYERS TAKE FLIGHT
Nazareth College Night Flyers and Symphonic Band
Wednesday, November 17, 7:30 p.m., Beston Hall (livestream)
Steven Zugelder and Jared Chase, conductors 

The Symphonic Band will perform as well as the debut of the Night Flyer Campus and Community Band in a variety of toe tappers and audience favorites!

BRING JOY TO THE DAWN
Nazareth College Chamber Singers
Saturday, November 20, 4 p.m., Linehan Chapel
Brian Stevens, Director

The Nazareth College Chamber Singers present an evocative program about hope, renewal, and the boundless capacity of the human spirit. Featuring works by Melissa Dunphy, Arvo Pärt, Kerensa Briggs, Marie-Claire Saindon, Sigurður Sævarsson, Eric Whitacre, and more.

THE PIANIST SPEAKS
Sunday, November 21, 3 p.m., Wilmot Recital Hall (livestream)
Jacob Ertl, piano

Exploring musical performance as a vehicle for social justice, change, and the spiritual journey within, Jacob Ertl performs the iconic De Profundis for Speaking Pianist by political composer Frederic Rzewski. This work is based on Oscar Wilde’s letter to Lord Alfred Douglas written during Wilde’s unjust imprisonment for “gross indecency” under 19th Century England’s Debauchery Act. Expanding on traditional writing, the pianist performs several unusual extended techniques, including reciting text by Oscar Wilde’s, singing, whistling, barking, squawking, howling, stomping, and re-enacting a prison beating, all while playing the piano. 

The program also includes Missy Mazzoli’s, liberated feminist work Isabelle Eberhardt Dreams of Pianos (piano and pre-recorded electronics), and Franz Liszt’s Dante Sonata, a dramatic journey through hell, purgatory, and paradise, based on Dante’s Divine Comedy.

NAZARETH COLLEGE JAZZ COMBOS
Monday, November 22, 7:30 p.m., Wilmot Hall (livestream)
Brad Batz, director

The Nazareth College jazz combos perform standards, swing, funk, Latin, and more.

TICKETS

If you have ticket-related questions, you can email artscenter@naz.edu. 

Face coverings are currently required indoors on campus for all students, faculty, staff, and visitors.

Nazareth University is an inclusive community of inspired learners, educators, and changemakers who for nearly 100 years have been driven by a bold commitment to action, empathy, equity, and leading innovation for the common good. Impact experiences are at the heart of a Nazareth education, preparing each student to discover within themselves the potential to cultivate positive change in their life's work, in any career field, and in a world that is constantly evolving and infinitely interconnected.

Our broad academic offerings present a range of study options typical of larger universities, yet achieved in our supportive campus culture. Nearly 2,100 undergrad and 600 graduate students enroll in degree and certificate programs and engage in collaborative, transformative learning experiences, preparing for the professions and society of today and tomorrow. In a learning community that purposefully integrates liberal arts and professional programs, Nazareth University graduates are able to launch a lifetime of impactful leadership in communities and workplaces near and far.

• published: 2021 November
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