Department of Music
University of Wyoming
1000 E. University Ave., Dept. 3037
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: (307) 766-5242
Fax: (307) 766-5326
Email: musicdpt@uwyo.edu
UW Symphony 2020-2021
See the UW Symphony Brochure for descriptions Dr. Michael Griffith, conductor Scottish poet Robert Burns wrote To a Mouse in 1785. But the line, “The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft a-gley,” is just as true in 2020, isn’t it? That’s the original form of “The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.” The more I plan, the more Burns’ words ring in my ears. Fall will be very different: players must be socially distanced, 10’ for winds, 6’ for everyone else. The orchestra will therefore be small, very small. Some musicians will play one concert, some the second. Concerts will be live-streamed, with no audience in the hall. If we must pivot to a virtual university (the best laid plans…), we will create musical, artistic videos for you. Choosing repertoire for such a situation was a great challenge. I think we have music that you’ll find fascinating, and for the students that is challenging and worthy. Copland’s Appalachian Spring was originally composed for 13 players. Stravinsky’s In Memoriam Dylan Thomas, 9. I’ve also chosen works by Bach, J.C. Bach, Francesca Caccini, Ives, and Mozart, and that work perfectly in these circumstances. Just as Black Lives Matter, Black composers matter. Our repertoire will include an overture-symphony by Chevalier de Saint-Georges, the overture to Scott Joplin’s opera Treemonisha, and Three Nigerian Dances by Samuel Akpabot. The Chevalier was a contemporary of Mozart, Joplin wrote much more than Ragtime, and Akpabot was a distinguished Nigerian musician and my friend in graduate school. It will be a pleasure to explore this music. In spring we may be back to normal, or perhaps not. So for March I’ve scheduled the Mahler Symphony No. 4: either in its full splendor, or in a brilliant reduction for 14-20 musicians. The Berlin Philharmonic restarted their season with this version. Maureen Boddicker will be the soprano soloist for the Mahler, and Nathan Snyder the tenor soloist for the Stravinsky. The season will then end with the Jacoby Competition. The finalists might be able to do full, Romantic concerti, or might have to choose solos designed for a small accompaniment. Livestream dates: October 1 and November 19, 2020; March 18 and May 6, 2021 |
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UW Music Faculty Potpourri Concert
February 21, 2021, 3:00 p.m.
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UW Chamber Orchestra: Baroque Alchemy
February 25, 2021, 7:30 p.m. Dr. Beth Vanderborgh, director
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Jacoby Finalists' Recital
March 7, 2021, 7:30 p.m. With UW going completely virtual for the last few weeks of the semester, the UW Symphony’s traditional Jacoby Concert in May had to be cancelled. Instead, the winner – chosen at the audition round – will perform with the UWSO on March 18. The other finalists will present this recital, with piano. These performers include the Jacoby Runner-Up, soprano Tamara Caetano, and the winner of a special Judges’ Prize, Ben Facundo, saxophone. The entire evening will include these exciting performers and their repertoire: Yuqing He, piano, and Dr. Theresa Bogard, piano: Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 15, movement 3 Tamara Alvarenga Caetano, soprano, and Dr. Nathália Kato, piano: Handel, “E pur così in un giorno…Piangerò la sorte mia” from Giulio Cesare YunYao Liu , piano and Dr. Chi-Chen Wu, piano: Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 9, movement 1 Madison Ryan, violin, and Dr. Nathália Kato, piano: Shostakovich, Sonata for Violin, Percussion, and String Orchestra Ben Facundo, saxophone, and Yuqing He, piano: Van der Roost, Images
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UW Wind Symphony
March 11, 2021, 7:30 p.m. Dr. Robert Belser, conductor
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The Complete Works of Gabriel Fauré for Violin & Piano, with John Fadial, violin, and Chi-Chen Wu, pianoMarch 12, 2021, 7:30 p.m. Drs. John Fadial and Chi-Chen Wu will livestream the complete works for violin and piano by Fauré. Gabriel Urbain Fauré (1845-1924) was a pivotal figure in French music who helped to move composition from post-Beethoven romanticism into the modern age of Cocteau and Stravinsky. Trained as a young boy at the famous École Niedermeyer, to be an organist and choirmaster, he gained complete mastery of counterpoint and classical forms, but also of the ancient church modes (or tonalities). It was through his thorough, facile, and even virtuoso handling of these musical basics that he was able write the highly chromatic 20th century music that remained elegantly grounded in a deeply traditional, universally expressive language. The program will feature music from every period of Fauré’s life, culminating in his final sonata that would usher in the modernism of his students, including Maurice Ravel and Nadia Boulanger, who would become the teacher of Aaron Copland and Astor Piazzola.
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Concertmaster Fund Recital
March 20, 2021, 7:30 p.m. Jessica Caviness, violin Haydn - String quartet Op. 76, No. 5
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UW Symphonic Band
March 22, 2021, 7:30 p.m.
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Combined UW Jazz ConcertMarch 25, 2021, 7:30 p.m. The Wyoming Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble 2, and the Jazz Combos will present a livestream concert featuring 30 minutes of material from Jazz Ensemble 2, pre-recorded materials from the combos, and closing out with 30 minutes of material from the WJE.
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Piano ExtravaganzaMarch 28, 2021, 3:00 p.m. Featuring: Ana Huerta Fernandez, piano Tarje Grover, piano Yunyao Liu, piano Yimu Wang, piano
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Blake McGee and Chi-Chen Wu Faculty DuoApril 24, 2021, 7:30 p.m. Program Sonatina pour Clarinette et Piano (1956) Bohuslav Martinů The Enchanted Glen, Fantasia for Clarinet and piano (1996) Jennifer Margaret Barker (b. 1965) The Blue Bag (2011) Adolphus Hailstork (b. 1941) Three Poems for Clarinet and Piano (2012) Emily Rutherford (b. 1993) Grand Duo Concertant, Op. 48 (1816) Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826)
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Ben Markley/Bob Bowman DuoApril 28, 2021, 7:30 p.m. Program TBA.
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Faculty Chamber ConcertMay 7, 2021, 7:30 p.m. Program TBA.
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Faculty Chamber ConcertMay 8, 2021, 7:30 p.m. Program TBA. |
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UW Jazz Performances 2020-2021
Recordings TBA Dr. Ben Markley, Director of Jazz Studies In place of performances this semester, the Wyoming Jazz Ensemble will be releasing its second commercially released recording. The album will be recorded in a remote fashion with the students recording their parts individually at their homes and then submitting them to be recorded. Additionally, many of the tracks on the recording will also come with a video of group playing the tune. The recording will be released in the spring semester. The group plans to release videos of individual tracks as they are finished. The Fall 2020 Archive provides access to existing recordings. |
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UW Choirs 2020-2021This academic year, the University of Wyoming choirs have been learning and making musical experiences together through virtual platforms. The Fall 2020 Archive provides access to existing recordings by UW choirs, including Collegiate Chorale, Civic Chorus, Bel Canto, and Singing Statesmen. Watch for additional recordings coming Spring 2021. |
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Department of Music
University of Wyoming
1000 E. University Ave., Dept. 3037
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: (307) 766-5242
Fax: (307) 766-5326
Email: musicdpt@uwyo.edu