Upcoming Performances

Spring 2025 Performances

Brad Dawson and the Live Edge Trio

Monday, February 3, 7:30 p.m., FREE
BCPA Recital Hall

Director of Jazz Studies at Fort Hays State University, Brad Dawson serves as principal trumpet with the Hays Symphony and performs with several jazz groups and big bands and as a soloist. He has performed with Frank Mantooth, Kevin Mahogany, Kim Park, Tommy Ruskin, Gerald Spaits, and Bob Bowman.

Live Edge Trio features Ben Markley on piano, Seth Lewis on bass, and Andy Wheelock on drums. For this performance, the trio welcomes drummer Alejandro Castańo. Live Edge writes and arranges music that reflects and builds upon the rich history of the jazz piano trio, featuring hard-swinging, harmonically rich, and infectiously groovy tunes.

Guest Artists: Joseph Alessi, trombone & John Dixon, piano

Wednesday, February 5, 2:00 p.m., FREE
BCPA Recital Hall

UW Music welcomes Joseph Alessi, Principal Trombone of the New York Philharmonic, and John Dickson, piano, for a free, public recital of works for trombone and piano.

The program will include pieces by Roger Boutry and Chick Corea, as well as by pianist and composer John Dickson.

Joseph Alessi has been with the New York Philharmonic since 1985, and previously performed with the San Francisco Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, and Montreal Symphony Orchestra. Alessi was also guest principal trombonist with the London Symphony Orchestra in Carnegie Hall.

John Dickson brings a unique blend of musical artistry and versatility to the craft of composition. A multi-instrumentalist, he has an exceptional background in composing music for film, television and the recording industry as well as performing with such artists as Barbra Streisand, Elton John, Seth Macfarlane, and Ray Charles.

UW Double Reed Day Final Concert

Saturday, February 15, 3:00 p.m., FREE
BCPA Recital Hall

Live Edge Trio w/ Kovalcheck and Sommer

Monday, February 17, 7:30 p.m., FREE
BCPA Recital Hall

Live Edge Trio with Steve Kovalcheck and Peter Sommer    

Peter Sommer – Saxophone  

Steve Kovalcheck – Guitar 

Ben Markley – Piano 

Seth Lewis – Bass  

Andy Wheelock – Drums  

UW Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band

Friday, February 21, 7:30 p.m.
BCPA Concert Hall

This concert explores music, from modern to ancient, that is intended to command attention. The Symphonic Band, conducted by Dr. Joseph Carver with assistance from graduate student Logan Dominguez, will present “Backlash” by Katahj Copley; “Kentucky 1800” by Clare Grundman (conducted by Logan Dominguez); “Aces of the Air” by Karl L. King (arr. James Swearingen); and “Rest” by Frank Ticheli.

The UW Wind Symphony, conducted by Dr. Matthew Schlomer with assistance from graduate student Malori Barnhart, will perform “Selections from the Danserye” by Tielman Susato (arr. Patrick Dunnigan); “The Sight That Awaits Us” by Kelijah Dunton; and “Dancefares” by Jess Turner.

Highlights of the Wind Symphony’s set include Michael Mower's virtuosic “Concerto for Flute and Wind Ensemble,” performed by UW faculty member and flutist Nicole Riner, as well as “Circus Polka,” a piece originally written by Igor Stravinsky as a ballet for dozens of "young elephants." 

Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra

Monday, February 24, 7:30 p.m.
UW Arts & Sciences Auditorium

John Clayton, Jeff Hamilton, and Jeff Clayton founded the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. While in their twenties, John and Jeff Hamilton toured and recorded with Monty Alexander, then moved on to separate big band environs. Jeff joined Woody Herman and John signed up for Count Basie.

All along, Jeff Clayton had been performing and recording in Los Angeles. In 1986, the three men came together in L.A. and formed the Jazz Orchestra. In 2020, Jeff Clayton passed away after a lengthy illness. The CHJO reminds audiences that his spirit remains in every note that is played. The excitement of this powerful 19-piece band is the result of the band’s stellar performances and John’s writing.

Their music is composed and arranged by John, and it is not unusual to hear his take on a composition by Jeff Hamilton or something from the Hamilton trio book. 

Along with multiple Grammy© nominations, the orchestra is featured on recordings with Milt Jackson, Diana Krall, John Pizzarelli, Charles Aznavour, Ernie Andrews, Barbara Morrison, Natalie Cole and many more. 

From 1999-2001, they were the in-resident jazz orchestra for the Hollywood Bowl. Their busy schedule still finds them touring the U.S., Europe and Japan, often premiering extended works at jazz festivals and in concert halls. 

People often describe their sound as being influenced by Ellington, Basie and Thad Jones. This would never be denied by the orchestra, but one listen lets you know that their voice is unique, distinct and impactful. 

Elmer Churampi

Wednesday, February 26, 12:00 p.m.
Skylight Lounge, UW Union

UW Music's 2024-2025 Eminent Artist-in-Residence series, "The Future of 'Classical' Music," welcomes Elmer Churampi, trumpet, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, on campus February 24 - 26.

Churampi will play for the UW Jazz Festival on February 24.

He will give a FREE, PUBLIC RECITAL on Wednesday, February 26 at 12:00 p.m. in the Skylight Lounge of the UW Union, joined by collaborative pianist Jiwon Han.

A native of Lima, Peru, Churampi began playing trumpet when he was 4 years old, was a soloist with the National Symphony of Peru by age 7 and accepted to Peru's National Conservatory of Music by age 10. Winner of many competitions, Churampi has been featured on NPR's From the Top, played with the Boston Pops, Boston Symphony, and Chicago Symphony, and plays with the Dallas Symphony.

Cowboys, Sing On!

Friday, February 28 & Saturday, March 1
BCPA Concert Hall

Participants for the two-day festival will have the opportunity to sing with UW Choirs, enhance music literacy skills, improve vocal technique, make friends from other schools, and perform on the BCPA Concert Hall stage.

A free public Showcase Performance will be held on Friday, February 28, at 7:30 p.m. in the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts Concert Hall.

The concert will feature Laramie Civic Chorus, conducted by O’Neil Jones with Francine Cancian, piano; Laramie Children’s Chorus, directed by Allison Murray and Beth Kean with Michael Lechner, piano; and UW Collegiate Chorale, conducted by Brian C. Murray with guest conductors Emily Peterson and Michael Lechner and Allisson Garcia, piano.

Featured performers include Lauren Lestage, soprano; Magdalena Wór, mezzo-soprano; Erik J. Erlandson, baritone; David Plank, organ; Katherine Lechner, flute; Giovanna Volpi Smeiske, violin; Michael Vitanza, violin; Kiara Sheffield, cello; and Valentina Gavrilova, organ.

The free, public Festival Performance, featuring festival participants and UW Choirs, will be held Saturday, March 1, at 3:00 p.m. in the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts Concert Hall.

The concert will include the Happy Jacks; the Singing Statesmen, conducted by Brian C. Murray and guest conductor Emily Peterson with Alisson Garcia, piano; the Festival Tenor Bass Singers, conducted by Brian C. Murray with Alisson Garcia, piano; 7220 Blues, Brynley LaChance, student director with Bryn Catlin, piano; Bel Canto, conducted by O’Neil Jones and guest conductor Emily Peterson, with Renato da Silva, piano; Festival Treble Singers, conducted by O’Neil Jones with Renato da Silva, piano; and finally the Combined Festival Singers, conducted by Brian C. Murray with Alisson Garcia, piano.

Featured performers include Diego Frometa-Batezini, tenor; Soyeon Kang, piano; and Emily Peterson, percussion. 

Trio Pantoum

Friday, March 5, 5:00 p.m.
BCPA Recital Hall

Next up in UW Music's Eminent Artist 20244-2025 Series, "The Future of Classical Music," is Trio Pantoum on March 5 at 5:00 p.m. in the BCPA Recital Hall.

This free, pubic concert will feature music by Giancarlo Aquilanti, Maurice Ravel, and Anton Arensky.

Founded in 2016 at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris, the award-winning Trio Pantoum has established itself in Europe and beyond as one of today's leading young chamber ensembles. Acclaimed in major concert halls on three continents, the trio has collaborated with many notable artists.

Joining the Trio is the University of Northern Colorado Chamber Winds, Dr. Matthew Schlomer, guest conductor.

Don't miss it!

UW Symphony Orchestra: The Jacoby Competition Finals

Thursday, March 6, 7:30 p.m.
BCPA Concert Hall

The worlds of competition and classical music meet head-on March 6, as UW’s finest student musician will be chosen at this year’s Jacoby Competition. The concert is at 7:30 in the Buchanan Center Concert Hall. The Jacoby Competition never fails to be one of the UWSO’s most exciting events. Dr. Michael Griffith will conduct.

What you’ll hear is actually the finals of a two-stage competition. Months ago, many UW music students performed their selected solo in the audition round. An entire day was devoted to that, late in the fall semester. A panel of distinguished musicians served as judges, and chose the very best to perform on this concert. Another set of judges will be at the concert, and will decide upon the best two performances of the evening. The winners will receive significant cash awards.

The Competition will have an incredibly varied program. You’ll hear our best, and also experience the breadth of our program. This year’s soloists, and their repertoire, are:

• Jeffrey Cuevas, baritone: Rossini, Largo al Factotum from The Barber of Seville

• Emilee Ewing, flute: Gordeli, concerto

• Bryce Hebert, alto saxophone: Maurice, Tableau de Provence

• Ryan Larsen, alto saxophone: Dubois, concerto

• Marlon Rissatto, trombone: Grøndahl, concerto

• Michael Vitanza, violin: Sarasate, Zigeunerweisen

• Jacob Walker, alto saxophone: Creston, concerto

And then? That exciting moment when UW Arts and Sciences Interim Dean Adrienne Freng announces the judges’ decision!

The concert is named after Dorothy Jacoby, a founding member of your Symphony Association, and a long-time supporter of classical music in Laramie. After her passing, her sons Peter and Michael Jacoby made a generous contribution in honor of their mother. That gift, along with contributions from many of Dorothy's friends, created the endowment that funds the prize.

Organ Concert

Sunday, March 16, 3:00 p.m., FREE
BCPA Concert Hall

Ney Fialkow: The Art of Brazilian Piano Music

Tuesday, March 25, 7:30 p.m.
BCPA Recital Hall Free

This free guest artist recital features music by Vagner Cunha, Camargo Guarnieri, Claudio Santoro, Radamés Gnáttali, and Francisco Mignone.

Winner of several piano competitions including the much-coveted Eldorado Music Prize in São Paulo, pianist Ney Fialkow conciliates a busy career as soloist and collaborative pianist with that of Full Professor in the Music Department of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, in Porto Alegre, Brazil, where he also obtained his Bachelor of Music performance degree, under Zuleika Rosa Guedes. His recital appearances have captivated audiences in many distinguished concert halls in his country and abroad.

Adam Birnbaum Trio: Preludes

Wednesday, March 26, 7:30 p.m., FREE
BCPA Recital Hall

Join the University of Wyoming Jazz Studies program for the genre-bending stylings of the Adam Birnbaum Trio, whose adaptations of Bach’s best-loved preludes “leap across three centuries into a modern jazz setting, with wonderful results” (New York City Jazz Record). 

Accompanied by Jorge Roeder on upright bass and Keita Ogawa on percussion, pianist Birnbaum delivers fresh, modern arrangements of the timeless works of Bach that are faithful to the spirit of the original compositions yet full of surprising improvisation, continuing the rich jazz tradition of drawing inspiration from baroque masterpieces.

Birnbaum is emerging as one of the top young voices in jazz piano. Since receiving a graduate Artist’s Diploma in jazz studies from The Julliard School in 2003, he has become a presence on the New York City scene as a leader and sideman, performing in such venues as the Village Vanguard, the Blue Note, Birdland, the Jazz Standard and Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola. He has also performed on many national and world stages, including the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival, the Kennedy Center, the Montreal Jazz Festival, The Spoleto Festival, The Red Sea Jazz Festival, The Rockport Chamber Festival, NPR Jazz Christmas, and the Capetown Jazz Festival.

As a leader, Birnbaum has released four albums under his name to critical acclaim. As a sideman, his wide-ranging versatility and artistry have made him a first call for a wide variety of ensembles. Birnbaum is also recognized as a composer and arranger, whose “compositions prove immediately infectious, each with a hook that draws the listener along for the ride.” (Ken Dryden, Allmusic.com). Birnbaum is currently an Assistant Professor of Jazz at SUNY Purchase. He is also a Steinway Artist.

Han/Kang Piano Duo Recital

Friday, March 28, 7:30 p.m., FREE
BCPA Concert Hall

The Han-Kang Duo Recital, featuring pianists Jiwon Han and Soyeon Kang, is a thoughtfully curated program spanning works from the Impressionist era to modern Latin American repertoire.  

This free, public recital promises a compelling dialogue between tradition and innovation, lyricism and virtuosity.

Jiwon Han, a pianist of international renown, has captivated audiences worldwide with his artistry, performing in major venues across Asia, Europe, and the United States. A laureate of numerous prestigious competitions, he is recognized not only for his technical command but also for his depth of musical interpretation. In addition to his solo and chamber work, Mr. Han is an avid researcher, with particular interest in the music of historically underrepresented composers.

Soyeon Kang, an accomplished pianist and educator, has earned accolades in international competitions and has performed extensively in East Asia and North America, including a debut at Carnegie Hall. Her musical expertise extends beyond the piano, with studies in harpsichord and organ. A dedicated scholar, she has contributed to musicological research while continuing to shape the next generation of musicians through her teaching and mentorship. Together, Han and Kang offer an evening that transcends mere performance, engaging listeners in a dialogue between past and present, structure and spontaneity.

The Han-Kang Piano Duo Recital is not just a concert—it is an invitation to experience the enduring power of piano literature through the hands of two distinguished artists.

Wyoming Baroque

Saturday, March 29, 7:30 p.m., FREE
BCPA Concert Hall

UW Music welcomes a touring performance of Wyoming Baroque, “Music of 1725: Tradition, Innovation, and Cultural Crossroads,” which features works by Vivaldi, Telemann, and Bach.

Based in Sheridan College in Sheridan, Wyoming, Wyoming Baroque promotes, performs, and advocates for music and music education in Wyoming and beyond, with particular attention to historically-informed performance practice.

​The ensemble comprises artists specializing in historically-informed performances of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century repertoire and contemporary compositions. Personnel for the UW concert include Stacey Brady, Matvey Lapin, and Carla Sciaky, violin; Emily Bowman, viola; Beth Vanderborgh, cello; and Mark Elliot Bergman, bass.

Faculty Recital: Magdalena Wór, Glêsse Collet, Theresa Bogard

Sunday, March 30, 3:00 p.m., FREE
BCPA Recital Hall

UW Music Faculty Recital Series presents Magdalena Wór, mezzo-soprano, Glesse Collet, viola, and Theresa Bogard, piano, on Sunday, March 30, at 3:00 p.m. in the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts Recital Hall.

The recital is free and open to the public.

The program will feature works for voice, viola, and piano by composers Fryderyk Chopin, Romanza Carlos Gomes, Johannes Brahms, Frank Bridge, Francisco Mignone, and João Gomes de Araújo.

Dr. Magdalena Wór is assistant professor of voice at the University of Wyoming, where she teaches Applied Voice lessons and Opera Workshop. She is a Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions National Finalist, winner of the International Marcella Sembrich Kochańska Vocal Competition and the Heinz Rehfuss Vocal Competition, Finalist of the International Marcello Giordani and Moniuszko Competitions, and an alumna of the San Francisco Opera’s Merola Summer Opera Program and the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program at the Washington National Opera. Wór has sung with the National Symphony Orchestra, the Washington National Opera, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Opera, the National Philharmonic, Palm Beach Opera, Baltic Opera, Virginia Opera, Washington Concert Opera, Birmingham Opera, Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Richmond Symphony Orchestra, and New Trinity Baroque, among others. Equally comfortable on an operatic stage and in intimate chamber setting, Wór has collaborated with fellow musicians across the United States, as well as in Poland, Mexico, Philippines, and Great Britain.

Award-winning Brazilian violist Glêsse Collet immigrated to the United States in 2016. She served as principal viola in the Symphony Orchestra of Teatro Nacional de Brasília (Brazil) for five years, and has been a viola soloist with conductors Claudio Santoro, Oswaldo Colasso, Gerald Kegelmann, Piero Bastianelli, Elena Herrera, and Claudio Cohen. Collet has performed throughout Brazil and the world as a member of the Quarteto de Brasília, whose critically-acclaimed recordings have received the Sharp Prize for the “Best Classical Music CD,” the OK Prize, the Federal District Cultural Merit Order Award, and the ninth Carlos Gomes Prize for Classical Music in the category “Best Chamber Music Ensemble of the Year.” Collet is featured on a solo disc of works by Brazilian composers.

American pianist Theresa Bogard is a dynamic, versatile performer dedicated to expanding the canon of traditional piano repertoire. Her early career focused on performances of music by women composers, and she continues to include works by other lesser-known composers in her varied programs. As a recipient of a coveted Fulbright grant, Bogard was able to explore her interest in historical performance practice and fortepiano studying at the Royal Conservatory of the Hague in the Netherlands. That same year she was a top-prize winner in the International Mozart Fortepiano Competition in Bruges, Belgium. A world traveler with a passion for other cultures, Bogard has performed on five continents. Her extensive discography includes recordings ranging from solo piano to chamber music collaborations, from music of living composers to her specialty in fortepiano and historical performance practice.

A Concert Conversation on Computer Music

Featuring Drs. Stephen Beck and Blake McGee

Wednesday, April 2, 7:30 p.m., FREE
BCPA Recital Hall

The University of Wyoming Department of Music, in partnership with the School of Computing, present “Tech and Music,” featuring Stephen David Beck, American composer and educator, and UW Music faculty member and clarinetist Dr. Blake McGee.

Stephen David Beck teaches music composition, electroacoustic music, and computer applications in music at Louisiana State University, where he is the Derryl and Helen Haymon Professor of Music.

About his music, Beck writes: “…the use of technology in my music is not meant to replace musicians, but rather to enhance and expand a performer’s potential for expressiveness, technique and, most importantly, timbre. There is an uncanny beauty in the physical and mathematical laws of nature, a beauty of intense complexity bound by simplicity, order, and logic. For me, this is a constant and powerful source of inspiration, and modern technology seems the perfect tool for expressing that inspiration and awe.”

UW Guest Recital: Peter Mack

DESPAIR, DELIRIUM, DELIGHT, DISCOVERIES, DREAMS!

Saturday, April 5, 7:30 p.m., FREE
BCPA Recital Hall

Touted as featuring “some of the saddest and the most joyful piano music of the last 150 years,” this eclectic recital will include pieces by Edvard Grieg, Frederic Chopin, Lili Boulanger, Gabriel Dupont, Leo Ornstein, Nadia Boulanger, Oswald Russell, Margaret Bonds, and Charles Trénet.

Irish pianist Peter Mack is in great demand as a performer, clinician, convention artist, adjudicator, and teacher.  Celebrated for his moving playing, and his easy rapport with audiences, he has performed throughout the United States and Europe, as well as in Australia, India, and the former Soviet Union.  He is the winner of the New Orleans, Young Keyboard Artists, and Pacific International Piano Competitions. His prize in the Sherman-Clay competition included a Steinway grand piano.  Naturally, he is a Steinway artist!  

Peter Mack is well known for his extensive repertoire, having performed twenty-six concertos with orchestras.  A choral scholar at Trinity College Dublin, and a fellow of Trinity College London, he has a doctorate in piano performance from the University of Washington.  His principal teachers were Frank Heneghan, and Bela Siki. Past engagements include performances in two of the most acoustically perfect performance spaces in Europe; the Salle Cortot of the Ecole Normale in Paris, and the Haydnsaal of the Esterhazy Palace in Eisenstadt, Austria.

Recently, Dr. Mack received the extraordinary honor of being asked to deliver both the Advanced Piano Masterclass at the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) annual convention, and the Masterclass for MTNA Winners at the biennial National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (NCKP) in Illinois.  His students are frequent winners of local, national, and international competitions.  He is the proud teacher of twenty-four MTNA national finalists, and four MTNA national first place winners. An active MTNA member, his term as president of the organization runs from 2023-2025. 

UWYO Percussion and Brass Festival

Monday, April 7

Brass Concert: 3:30 p.m., BCPA Concert Hall       with UW Brass faculty and ft. Justin Bartels, Nat Wickham, Steve Vaughn, and Ben Shafer

Percussion Concert: 5:00 p.m., BCPA Concert Hall UW Percussion Ensemble and Samba Bateria ft. Micheal Spiro and Carl Dixon 

Join UW Music for he UWYO Percussion and Brass Festival Closing Concerts!  Both are free and open to the public.

The UWYO Percussion and Brass Festival is a deep dive into all things Percussion and Brass, designed to inspire and elevate the next generation of musicians.

This intensive day is filled with hands-on clinics and workshops led by industry experts, offering participants of all levels the opportunity to develop their musicianship.

From solo and ensemble competitions that showcase talent to captivating guest artist performances, this festival is a vibrant hub of musical collaboration and innovation. Join us for an unforgettable experience that aims to cultivate a passion for percussion and brass, fostering a community of dedicated musicians eager to learn and grow together!

UW Concertmaster Fund Recital

Thursday, April 10, 7:00 p.m.
BCPA Concert Hall

Symphony audiences are used to this ritual: the houselights dim, and out walks the concertmaster. They tune the orchestra, and the concert begins. But unless the orchestra plays something with concertmaster solos, we seldom get to hear them alone. That is about the change.

The UWSO will continue its tradition of showcasing wonderfully talented concertmasters as soloists. The annual Concertmaster Fund Recital will be presented in the Buchanan Center Recital Hall, followed by a reception for all ticketholders. It will be your opportunity to chat with the soloists and other supporters of classical music. Wonderful music, wonderful food, wonderful company, what more can you ask?

UW Symphony concertmaster Giovanna Volpi will be joined by pianists Jiwon Han and Augusto Barbieri, and trumpeter Steven Cozzuli in works by Villa-Lobos (from her native Brazil), Richard Danielpour, Eric Ewazen, and ending with rags by Scott Joplin and William Bolcom.

This event will be in our beautiful Recital Hall, so seating is limited. Order your special tickets now. Musically, this will show you the very best UW has to offer, and is an incredibly good cause as well. Tickets for this special fund-raising event are $40.00. University funding for our concertmaster fellowship has dwindled over the years, so this event is designed to strengthen the endowment that funds our Moore Concertmaster Fellowships. It’s an excellent cause. We sincerely hope you will attend.

UW Wind Symphony and Laramie High School Band

Saturday, April 12, 7:30 p.m.
BCPA Concert Hall

Don't miss the University of Wyoming Wind Symphony, conducted by Dr. Matthew Schlomer, with the Laramie High School Band, conducted by Brian Redmond, performing the collaborative concert “O Fortuna."

The first half of concert features the Laramie High School Band, with selections that reveal the ancient elements of Fire, Air, Water, and Earth. Robert W. Smith’s composition, “The Inferno,” takes its inspiration from Dante’s “Divine Comedy,” taking listeners through the nine circles of Hell ultimately out again with the chaos and cacophony fading away. Next is “Air From County Derry,” an arrangement of the well-known Irish folk song “Danny Boy” by Joseph Kreines. This light chorale explores the melody, passing it around the sections of the band before coming to rest with its final statement.  Finally, the ensemble will perform Randall Standridge’s “Iron and Ice,” which serves double duty as “water” and “earth” elements and depicts the stages of a Viking expedition. The piece begins with a triumphant and expectant fanfare as the ship sets sail, followed by an ominous melody charting the crew’s perilous encounter with ice and fog, culminating in the final section depicting a battle and victorious return home.

The second half of the concert features the University of Wyoming Wind Symphony Performing Pual Dukas’ “La Péri Fanfare” (arr. R. Longfield),

Next is Libby Larsen’s “Ursa,” featuring Eminent Artist-in-Residence Cristina Cutts, tuba soloist. Titled after the bear constellation, the piece begins with the creature looking up into the full moon and singing to it. The concert concludes with an arrangement of Carl Orff's epic, "Carmina Burana," (arr. John Krance). Based on medieval poems, the work ponders life's most essential topics, like fate, romance, and springtime.

Guest Artist: Sarah Coburn with Theresa Bogard

Tuesday, April 15, 7:30 p.m., FREE
BCPA Recital Hall

Recent seasons have included Strauss’s Four Last Songs with the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra,  a reprisal of the role of Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor with Lyric Opera Kansas City, Adèle in Le comte Ory with Seattle Opera, the title role in Manon with Opera Santa Barbara, Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail with Atlanta Opera, concerts with tenor Lawrence Brownlee at both the Tivoli Festival with the Copenhagen Philharmonic and in Jurmala, Latvia, Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 with the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, and Rossini’s Stabat Mater with the Choral Arts Society of Washington at the Kennedy Center. 

Career highlights include the role of Amina in La sonnambula with the Wiener Staatsoper, Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos with Seattle Opera, Marie in La fille du regiment with Seattle Opera, Opera Carolina, and Tulsa Opera, Juliette in Roméo et Juliette with Tulsa Opera, and Adina in L’elisir d’amore with Washington National Opera. Ms. Coburn has perfomed the roles of Princess Yue-Yang in the world premiere production of Tan Dun’s The First Emperor at the Metropolitan Opera opposite Placido Domingo, Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia with Florida Grand Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Tulsa Opera, Seattle Opera, Opera San Antonio, and Boston Lyric Opera; the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor with Washington National Opera, Tulsa Opera and Utah Opera; Gilda in Rigoletto with Welsh National Opera, Opéra de Montréal, Los Angeles Opera, Portland Opera, Arizona Opera, Tulsa Opera, Nashville Opera, and Cincinnati Opera; Asteria in Tamerlano with Washington National Opera and Los Angeles Opera; Vittoria in Pedrotti’s Tutti in maschera at Wexford Festival Opera, Euridice and Genio in Haydn’s L’anima del filosofo with the Handel & Haydn Society and Glimmerglass Opera, Elvira in I puritani with the Tivoli Festival, Boston Lyric Opera and Washington Concert Opera, Lakmé with Tulsa Opera, Lucie de Lammermoor with both Cincinnati Opera and Glimmerglass Opera, Linda di Chamounix at the Caramoor Festival, Amenaide in Tancredi with Washington Concert Opera,  and Giulietta in I Capuleti e i Montecchi with Glimmerglass Opera. Ms. Coburn has also performed with Glimmerglass Opera as the title character in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Patience as well as Sister Constance in Dialogues of the Carmelites, a role she reprised for New York City Opera.

Ms. Coburn created the role of Kitty in the world premiere of Anna Karenina at Florida Grand Opera and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. She has sung Adele in Die Fledermaus with both Seattle Opera and Michigan Opera Theatre, Oscar in Un ballo in maschera with Opera Company of Philadelphia, Florida Grand Opera, and Cincinnati Opera, Olympia in Les Contes d’Hoffmann and Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier with Cincinnati Opera, Norina in Don Pasquale, Sandrina in La finta giardiniera and Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro with Florida Grand Opera.

Ms. Coburn has appeared in concert with Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, the Moscow Philharmonic, Oklahoma City Philharmonic, Russian National Orchestra, Copenhagen Philharmonic at the Tivoli Festival, and the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra; and Handel & Haydn Society as soloist for Elijah and Messiah. She has also sung Messiah with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra; Carmina Burana with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, National Chorale at Avery Fisher Hall, the National Symphony Orchestra and the Dallas Wind Symphony; and has joined the Seattle Symphony for Mozart’s Mass in C Minor and Bach’s Mass in B Minor.

Ms. Coburn has appeared in concert with Bryn Terfel with Florida Grand Opera, as well as in a duo-recital for the United States Supreme Court; in recital with Lawrence Brownlee for the Vocal Arts Society, with Los Angeles Opera and the Mark Morris Dance Group in Handel’s “L’allegro, il penseroso, ed il moderato” and in recital at the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

Ms. Coburn has received awards from the George London Foundation, The Richard Tucker Foundation, The Jensen Foundation, The Liederkranz Foundation, Opera Index, and was a National Grand Finalist in the 2001 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. 

UW Jazz Combos

Wednesday, April 16, 7:30 p.m., FREE
BCPA Recital Hall

UW Jazz Ensembles I and II Ft. Eric Richards

Thursday, April 17, 7:30 p.m.
BCPA Concert Hall

Bill O'Connell Trio

Monday, April 21, 7:30 p.m., FREE
BCPA Recital Hall

The UW  Jazz Studies program presents the Bill O’Connell Trio, ft. Bill O'connell, piano, Andy Wheelock, percussion, and Gonzalo Teppa, bass.

Bill O’Connell is a living example of what can happen when the old axiom “Good things come to those who wait” is put to the test. His professional career spans almost half a century and has earned him widespread acclaim for his virtuosic skills as an attention-grabbing keyboardist, composer, arranger, and bandleader. 

Lauded by Downbeat Magazine as “an inspired hybridizer of modernist jazz and Afrodiasporic idioms as an improviser and composer,”O'Connell has been honored with the coveted “Jazz Writer of the Year” award from SESAC (Society of European Stage Authors and Composers), as well as a Grammy nomination for Best Instrumental Arrangement.

O’Connell’s debut recording as a leader was Searching, a trio date for Inner City Records in 1978. Over the following four decades, he would record 18 other sessions as a leader, highlighting his stylistic versatility on releases that include solo, duo, and trio formats and a bevy of sessions featuring various incarnations of his Latin Jazz All-Stars ensemble. Over the years he chalked up sideman roles with a stylistically eclectic group of major artists, from Astrud Gilberto, Sonny Rollins, and Chet Baker to John Lucien, Neanna Freelon, and Gato Barbieri.

Although he is commanding in any setting, from blues and ballads to bebop and bossa, O’Connell’s most influential work is widely recognized to be in the expansive idiom of Latin jazz styles. 

Faculty Recital: Han-Fadial Duo

Thursday, April 24, 7:30 p.m., FREE
BCPA Recital Hall

UW Music faculty Jiwon Han and John Fadial present two rarely performed works by two of the great composers of the twentieth century, Richard Strauss and Ottorino Respighi.

Don't miss this evening of thrilling virtuoso music!

The first half of the concert features Strauss’ very early work, “Violin Sonata Op.18 in E flat.” The piece departs from other German and Austrian works of the time by the free expression and virtuosity required from the musicians. Familiar with the technical capabilities of both violin and piano, Strauss pushes both instruments beyond their traditional limits, writing a work that still stands as one of the most technically brilliant and heroically compelling works written in the genre. 

Following on the heels of the “Cello Sonata” and “Piano Sonata,” “Violin Sonata Op.18 in E flat.” is arguably Strauss’ most orchestral work of the three, a precursor to his next major work, “Don Juan,” the tone poem Op. 20, which would seal his fame as an orchestral composer. 

The second half of the concert features Ottorino Respighi’s “Sonata P110 in B minor for violin and piano.”  Respighi studied both violin and piano, becoming master of both. As his focus shifted to composing, Respighi leaned more heavily toward performing as a pianist, serving many times as piano soloist in his own concerti. Respighi excelled in a vast range of compositional styles and genres, influenced by not only Italian Renaissance and Baroque masters, but also Richard Wagner, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Italian compatriot Giacomo Puccini. Respighi’s B minor Sonata combines all these influences in its three movements, which though self-contained, are linked by recurring motifs, one of which is a direct quote from Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde.”

Respighi’s B minor Sonata closely preceded the hugely popular symphonic Pini di Roma. It was the music of this period and following, that would have the critic Giannotto Bastianelli label Respighi’s style as Decadentism, in which sweeping lyricism is combined with densely complex counterpoint. 

Opera Theatre

Friday, April 25, 7:30 p.m., FREE
BCPA Concert Hall

Join UW Opera Theatre for a free, public performance of Bach's Coffee Cantata, accompanied by 11 members of UWSO, and other secular cantata aria selections by Vivaldi, Bononcini, Handel, Caldara, and Scarlatti.

Composed between 1732 and 1735, the Coffee Cantata is a miniature comic opera that tells the story of a disgruntled father, Schlendrian, who argues with his caffeine-obsessed daughter, Lieschen, about what he perceives to be her bad habit of indulging in too much coffee.

Happy Jacks, Laramie Children's Chorus, and 7220 Blues

Sunday, April 27, 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., FREE
BCPA ConcertHall

Join UW Music for a combined concert featuring the Happy Jacks, directed by Dr. Brian C. Murray, the Laramie Children’s Chorus, directed by Beth Kean and Allison Murray, and the 7220 Blues, directed by student Brynley LaChance.

The concert opens with the tenor-bass ensemble the Happy Jacks, directed by Dr. Brian C. Murray, performing works by Reena Esmail, Collins, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Ballard and Garrett, and Levin, Lawrence, Cain, and Watson. Featured performers include Diego Frometa-Batezini, tenor.

Next is the Laramie Children’s Chorus, directed by Beth Kean and Allison Murray, and featuring Michael Lechner, piano, performing “I Whistle a Happy Tune” from The King and I by Rodgers and Hammerstein (arr. Stickles) and “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” Newman (arr. Huff ).

The concert closes with the 7220 Blues, directed by student Brynley LaChance, and featuring Bryn Catlin, piano, performing works by Van Heusen, Pentatonix and Ben Bram, Gillespie & Paparelli, Suessdorf, and Ellington.  Featured performers include Elaina Sterling, Keaton Yung, Sage Hansen, and Joe Gilbar.

Sympatico Percussion Group

Sunday, April 27, 5:00 p.m., FREE
BCPA Concert Hall

Sympatico Percussion Group creates programs with entertainment and intrigue, virtuosity and poignancy, and appealing melodies and vibrant rhythms from around the world. Their diverse and eclectic repertoire includes rudimental drumming, ragtime xylophone, pop transcriptions and wonderfully uncategorized original compositions that embrace global streams of contemporary musical styles. Enthusiastic audiences exclaim that Sympatico concerts are “beyond imagination…absolutely engaging!”

“Simpatico” is defined as “compatible; having shared attributes or interests,” and the Sympatico Percussion Group exhibits a true connection of musical backgrounds, aesthetics, and vision. Comprised of five like-minded individuals, Sympatico’s collective experience spans multiple decades as performers, composers, educators, and collaborators in the arts.

The group members draw from their many years of performing throughout North America and abroad with chamber ensembles, orchestras, military bands, and as soloists, in addition to considerable cumulative pedagogical experience holding college professorships.


Originating in 2008, Sympatico has performed for community, university and festival concert series as well as at several Percussive Arts Society events throughout the U.S. At the forefront is the ensemble’s commitment to education exhibited by their collective collegiate teaching experience which exceeds seventy-five years including appointments at The Ohio State University (Powell, Krygier), University of South Carolina (Herring), University of Northern Illinois (Beyer), and McMurry University (Mendoza).

Sympatico’s Spring 2025 season includes tours in Arkansas (Arkansas Tech University, University of Arkansas-Little Rock, Ouachita Baptist University), South Carolina/North Carolina (Percussive Arts Society Day of Percussion, Fayetteville State University), and Colorado/Wyoming (ARTCORE Arts Series, Casper College, University of Wyoming, University of Colorado-Boulder, University of Denver-Lamont School of Music, and the University of Northern Colorado.)

Andy Garland & Jeremy Rieger

Tuesday, April 29, 7:30 p.m., FREE
BCPA Recital Hall

Join Uw Music for “Echos in Stone, Whispers in Dust: American Art Song of Love, War and Letting Go,” featuring guest artists Andrew Garland, baritone, and Jeremy Reger, piano.

The recital is free and open to the public, and features compositions by Steven Mark Kohn, Kurt Erickson, Paul Phillips, Matt Boehler, Todd Boss, Celius Daugherty, and David Conte.

Andrew Garland is celebrated for his "baritone of strength and vocal opulence" and "cosmic energy and suavity" (Opera News). A leader in recital performance, he has appeared at Carnegie Hall, the Ravinia Festival, and with renowned organizations such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, and Handel and Haydn Society. Known for his passionate advocacy of modern American song, Garland frequently collaborates with prominent composers and pianists, bringing a highly communicative style to both recital and concert stages. An accomplished performer, Garland has premiered operatic roles with companies like Minnesota Opera and Opera Colorado, and his solo recordings, including El Rebelde and American Portraits, have garnered critical acclaim. Currently on the voice faculty at the University of Colorado Boulder, he is also dedicated to education and outreach, mentoring emerging artists and supporting community initiatives like the Pan Massachusetts Challenge.

International pianist and educator Jeremy Reger maintains an active performing, teaching, and coaching career. During the summer of 2020 he will be working on programs for Central City Opera, Seattle Opera, and the Western Slope Concert Series. He spent the previous summer in São Paulo, Brazil, where he was the principal pianist and vocal coach for the Brazilian premiere of Samuel Barber’s “Vanessa.” He has served on the music staff of Virginia Opera, Eugene Opera, Hawaii Opera Theater, Mill City Opera, Central City Opera, Minnesota Opera, Skylark Opera and Aspen Opera Theater. He has performed with the Virginia Symphony, the Boulder Philharmonic, the Williamsburg Symphony, the Carmel Symphony, and the Boulder Bach Ensemble. Reger is an associate professor of vocal coaching at CU Boulder, where his classes focus on repertoire, diction, the art of vocal coaching, and audition techniques. He is the head coach of the Eklund Opera Program. A passionate educator, he has taught at the Music Academy of the West, Christopher Newport University, the Opera Studio of Pernambuco in Recife, Brazil, and at the Jacob’s School of Music at Indiana University. A strong advocate of new opera, Reger has participated in workshops of new opera by composers such as Jake Heggie, Tom Cipullo, Ricky Ian Gordon, Kevin Putz, and Mark Adamo. Reger maintains an active vocal coaching studio throughout the United States and South America. He has a doctorate from the University of Michigan, studying under Martin Katz.

UW Community and Symphonic Bands

Thursday, May 1, 7:30 p.m.
BCPA Concert Hall

Join the UW Symphonic Band, conducted by Dr. Joseph Carver, and Community Band, conducted by Dr. Robert Belser, for “Settling the West,” a concert of music inspired by the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad and The Oil Fields of the 1900s, and the conflict of people and progress moving west.

Community Band opens the concert with “The Boys of the Old Brigade” by William Paris Chambers, one of over 90 marches he composed, noted for dramatic changes in dynamics and a famous euphonium obligato. Following is “Masque” by W. Francis McBeth, a nod to the fashionable entertainments of 16th and 17th century English nobility and the literal masks they wore during concurrent times of plague. “Dusk” by Steven Bryant musically expresses perceptions of sunset to sunrise. “Fandango” (1954) by Frank Perkins, inspired by the lively dance of its title, was one of the most popular encores by the U.S. Air Force Band in the later 20th Century. Community Band closes with “1900: Corn, Cows, and Music,” a musical autobiography by Robert Russell Bennett charting the stages of his life in seven vignettes.

The Symphonic Band opens with “Light Cavalry Overture” by Franz von Suppé, which, with its spirited themes, driven rhythms, and sweeping melodies, has long been a favorite in concerts and popular culture. “Call of the Prairie,” by Lisa Galvin, is a musical journey through the American West that uses folk-inspired melodies, rich harmonies, and flowing rhythms to paint a vivid picture of the wide-open plains, the quiet beauty of the land, and the enduring strength of the Ioway Sioux people. “Transcontinental Union for Wind Ensemble” by Thomas P. Rohrer celebrates the completion of the first U.S. transcontinental railroad in 1869, capturing both the spirit of adventure and the human effort that made it possible. The concert closes with “March of the Roughnecks,” by Ed Huckeby, a piece commissioned by the Glenpool Oklahoma High School Band to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Glenpool, founded when the famous “Ida Glenn” well was discovered and kicked off Oklahoma's oil boom.

Carmina Burana ft. UW Wind Symphony and Choirs

Saturday, May 3, 7:30 p.m.
BCPA Concert Hall

Meet the Artists

Conducted by Dr. Brian C. Murray and Dr. Matthew Schlomer, as well as Laramie Children’s Chorus co-conductors Beth Kean and Allison Murray, the concert is a spectacular fusion of live orchestral and choral music and features well over 100 performers on stage at the same time.  Dr. O’Neil Jones serves as chorus master for the piece, with Dr. Theresa Bogard and Allison Garcia as pianists.

Orff's dynamic 1937 score is a favorite musical choice of modern filmmakers, especially the opening “O Fortuna” movement, which has become ubiquitous in commercials, movies, and countless videos on social media. Inspired by a large collection of medieval poems that celebrate life through its four seasons, using 24 of the poems as its text, “Carmina Burana” is structured around the turning of the Fortuna Wheel, or the wheel of fate.

UW Choirs will also perform the piece with the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra on May 10 at the Cheynne Civic Center as part of the orchestra’s 70^th season finale concert, “Fortune & Glory.”

The University of Wyoming’s performance of “Carmina Burana” features three soloists.

Dawna Rae Warren, a Cleveland, Ohio-based coloratura soprano, has established herself as an incredibly versatile performer. She brings a knack for captivating storytelling and musical sensitivity to all her repertoire from opera to new music to baroque music to jazz to Golden Age musical theater. Recent engagements include performances with the Toledo Symphony, Longmont Symphony Orchestra, CU Symphony Orchestra, Baldwin Wallace Bach Choir, The In Series, Eklund Opera, University of Kentucky Opera Theater, International Summer Opera Festival of Morelia, Resonanz Opera, Blooming Voce Summer Opera Workshop, and Toronto Summer Opera Workshop.

Baritone Andrew Garland is hailed as a performer whose artistry is a perfect combination of “baritone of strength and vocal opulence” (Opera News) and “cosmic energy and suavity” (Opera News). He is widely recognized as a leader in recital work with dozens of performances around the country, as well as programs of modern American songs across the United States and Canada. Garland brings his highly communicative style to the concert stage with orchestras including the Atlanta Symphony, Boston Baroque, the Handel and Haydn Society, Emmanuel Music, Boston Youth Symphony, National Philharmonic, Albany Symphony, Houston Symphony, UMS Ann Arbor, Washington Master Chorale at the Kennedy Center, and National Chorale at Lincoln Center. He has been a regular with the New York Festival of Song and has given multiple recitals at Carnegie Hall, the Ravinia Festival as well as Vocal Arts DC, Marilyn Horne Foundation, Bard Music Festival, Camerata Pacifica, Moab Music Festival, André-Turp Musical Society in Montreal, Voce at Pace, Huntsville Chamber Music Guild, Fort Worth Opera, and Seattle Opera, among others. Garland teaches on the voice faculty at the University of Colorado Boulder and is a mentor with Bel Canto Boot Camp.

Praised by Opera News as a “consistently lyric high tenor,” Puerto Rican tenor Javier Abreu sets himself apart with his energetic performances and commanding stage presence, wowing audiences all over the world in the baroque, bel canto, and contemporary repertoire. Abreu’s many opera credits include appearances and premieres with Atlanta Opera, Opera de Oviedo, Theater Basel, Arizona Opera, Teatro Municipal de Santiago in Chile, Austin Opera, Israeli Opera, Stuttgart Staatsoper, Nashville Opera, Minnesota Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Opera Omaha, Virginia Opera, New York City Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Lismore Opera Festival in Ireland, Teatro Arriaga in Spain, Central City Opera, Knoxville Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, and Bard Summerscape, to name a few. An accomplished concert singer, Abreu has performed Orff’s “Carmina Burana” with many leading orchestras including National Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Louisville Orchestra, Britt Music Festival, The Pennsylvania Ballet, and the South Bend Symphony. 

UWYO Flutes Studio Recital Trio

Sunday, May 4, 3:00 p.m., FREE
BCPA Recital Hall

Join the University of Wyoming Flutes Studio, directed by Dr. Nicole Riner, for a free public recital May 4.

Flute studio performers include Rylie Johnson, Isabella Peña, Camryn Bolton, Rachel Good, Karina Schoessler, Kathryn Bolinger, Emilee Ewing, and Julia Griner, accompanied by Emilee Ewing, Alisson Garcia, Dr. Jiwon Han, and Francine Cancian on piano.

The program will include selections by Johann Sebastian Bach, Anne Guzzo, Benjamin Godard, Paul Richards, George Enesco, CPE Bach, Paul Hindemith, and Otar Taktakishvili.

Eminent Artist Recital: Elizabeth Hanje

Monday, May 5, 7:30 p.m.
UW Art Gallery

ft. ELIZABETH HANJE, soprano (Houston Grand Opera) and Dr. Theresa Bogard, piano

Recital Repertoire: 

Franz Schubert 

- Auf dem See 

- Die liebe hat halogen 

- Das sie hier gewesen

 - Die junge Nonne 

Samuel Barber Op.13 

- Nun takes the veil 

- St. ita’s vision 

- Sure on this shining night 

- Nocturne

 Intermission

 Francis Poulenc 

- La dame de Monte Carlo 

Giuseppe Verdi 

- Perduta ho la pace 

- Deh pietoso, oh Addolorata 

- In solitaria stanza 

- Stornello

UW Symphony Orchestra: Mahler 4

Thursday, May 8, 7:30 p.m.
BCPA Concert Hall

Within the vast repertory of the orchestra, the symphonies of Gustav Mahler stand at the apex. Found in his ten symphonies are music’s most profound moments, yet contrasted by episodes of simple joy, biting sarcasm, and monumental climaxes. The UW Symphony is proud to end this season with Mahler’s Symphony No. 4. The performance is Thursday, May 8, at 7:30 p.m. in the Buchanan Center Concert Hall.

Mahler’s 4^th is in the traditional four movements (some of his symphonies are much longer). It opens simply, with sleigh bells in a steady , unhurried rhythm: the sound of Viennese horse-drawn carriages. This leisurely opening evolves into simple, folk-like melodies, yet deep emotion bursts forth often before the simplicity of the movement reasserts itself. The second movement is Mahler’s version of a symphonic scherzo, dance-like, yes, but with more biting passages that become a satirical comment on the Viennese waltz. Never one to avoid extreme contrast, the movement’s middle section is a short, serene Laendler, a calm, sweet dance still in 3.

The third movement is as deep and beautiful a melody you will ever hear from an orchestra. As it evolves, it become more and more agitated, finally climaxing in a huge orchestral gesture before ending as simply as it began.

Then, what a surprise, the fourth and final movement introduces a soprano soloist. With words from the German poetry collection, Des Knaben Wunderhorn, the song extolls the joys and simplicity of a Heavenly afterlife. Far from Mahler’s usual overwhelming finales, the 4th ends in a calm, gentle fashion, as the singer, then harp, low strings, bass clarinet, and English horn fade into the distance.

To help you understand Mahler, here are a few of his more famous quotes:

 “The symphony must be like the universe. It must be all-embracing.”

In a conversation with Sibelius

Wie ein Naturlaut (Like a Song of Nature)

Instructions for the first bar of the First Symphony

“Fortissimo at last!”

On first seeing Niagara Falls

While working on his 3^rd Symphony in Austria’s spectacular Salzkammergut region, Mahler invited his young assistant conductor, Bruno Walter, to spend a few days with him. As Walter got off the lakeside steamboat and stepped onto the dock, Mahler spotted the gleam in his visitor’s eyes, which were transfixed by the awesome peaks and crags of the Austrian Alps behind the lake. “You need not pay any attention to them,” said Mahler. “I’ve already composed them into my new symphony.”

The concert will open with the ever-popular Festive Overture by Dmitri Shostakovich. Soprano Elizabeth Hanje will then join the orchestra for a beautiful song by Richard Strauss, Ruhe, meine Seele and for the Mahler.

Tanzanian-American soprano Elizabeth Hanje is the 1st prize winner of the 2024 Eleanor Mccollum Concert of Arias at Houston Grand Opera. She was a winner in both the 2023 Duncan Williams Voice Competition and the 2022 George Shirley Vocal Competition, and in 2021 she received the Richard Miller Award for Fine Singing and a Young Arts Award. Hanje was seen as Ernestina in L’occasione fa il ladro, Comedian in Matthew Recio’s Puppy Episode, and Lyra in Melissa Dunphy’s Alice Tierney at Oberlin, which she reprised with Opera Columbus in 2022. A graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy and Oberlin College, Hanje is currently a Studio Artist at Houston Grand Opera.

Tickets are available using the button below, by phone at 307-766-6666, or at the Buchanan Center Box Office. The UWSO’s fall concerts came within a few seats of selling out, so don’t wait to get your Mahler 4 tickets.         

Front Range Piano Quartet

Wednesday, May 14, 7:30 p.m., FREE
BCPA Recital Hall

For its inaugural season, the he Front Range Piano Quartet -- Dr. Theresa Bogard, piano, Erik Peterson, violin, Glêsse Collet, viola, and Karen Becker, cello. will introduce audiences to new works as well as treasured gems of the piano quartet repertoire. 

The UW recital program will include Brazilian/American composer Clarice Assad’s “Z Sonata,” and American composer Paul Schoenfield’s energetic, jazzy, and ever-popular piano trio, “Café Music.” These two exciting works will be paired with Mozart’s ever-popular and lovely “E-flat Major Piano Quartet” and Mahler’s passionate, one-movement “Piano Quartet, Op. 11.”

American pianist Theresa Bogard is a dynamic, versatile performer dedicated to expanding the canon of traditional piano repertoire. Her extensive discography includes recordings ranging from solo piano to chamber music collaborations, from music of living composers to her specialty in fortepiano and historical performance practice.

Nationally-recognized violinist Erik Peterson was a member of the Colorado Symphony for 29 years, as well as many other American orchestras, and continues to perform with the Ivy Street Ensemble, Canto Deo, and Colorado Bach Ensemble. He has performed in the great concert halls of Europe as Principal Second Violinist of the American Sinfonietta on several international tours. An active teacher in the Denver Metro area, Peterson has a large studio of talented violinists, and has also taught for Colorado State University, Rocky Ridge Music Center, Denver Young Artists Orchestra, and the Denver School of the Arts. Peterson is dedicated to chamber music performance and promotion and community outreach, currently serving as Artistic Director for the Front Range Chamber Players in Fort Collins.  In 2001, he founded the Chintimini Chamber Music Festival in Corvallis, OR, where he served as Artistic Director until 2023.

Glêsse Collet is an award-winning violist originally from Brazil. She served as principal violist with the Symphony Orchestra of Teatro Nacional de Brasília (Brazil), has been a viola soloist with conductors Claudio Santoro, Oswaldo Colasso, Gerald Kegelmann, Piero Bastianelli, Elena Herrera, and Claudio Cohen, and is a long-standing member of the critically acclaimed Quarteto de Brasília.

Cellist Karen Becker is an active soloist and chamber player who has performed throughout the United States as well as in Europe, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. She is a faculty artist with the Red Lodge Music Festival in Montana, the Omaha Conservatory of Music Institute, and the Ameropa Chamber Music Festival in Praque, where she performed in such venues as the prestigious Suk Hall at the Rudolfinum, Martinu Hall at the Academy of Music, and the Hall of Mirrors at the Klementinum. Becker tours regularly as a soloist and chamber player and is a member of Trio Nuovo with UNL pianist Mark Clinton and Anton Miller, concertmaster of Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Concordia String Trio with violinist Marcia Henry-Liebenow and violist Leslie Perna. She is a former member of the Omega String Quartet, quartet-in-residence for Lutheran Music Program, and former principal cellist of both the Melkus Ensemble and the International String Orchestra.

UW Cello Festival

Cello Choir Concert

Sunday, May 25, 1:00 p.m.
BCPA Concert Hall

The UW Cello Festival Cello Choir Concert will feature the largest cello choir ever assembled in the Mountain West, with more than 85 cellists taking the stage.

The concert is free and open to the public.

Conducted by Tim Jones and Doug Moore, the program will feature works arranged for cello choir by Bach, Warlock, Gliere, Bartok, and more.

Steven Isserlis, Cello

with Roman Rabinovich, piano

Sunday, May 25, 7:30 p.m.
BCPA Concert Hall

World-famous cellist Steven Isserlis will present a cello recital on May 25, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. in the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts Concert Hall. 

Tickets are available online or through the BCPA Arts Box Office ($20 adults, $10 students). 

Joined by pianist Roman Rabinovich, this stellar duo will present a program of music featuring Beethoven Sonata No 1, Op 5/1; Fauré, Romance Op 69, Elegy Op 24; and Beethoven Sonata No 3, Op 69.

The concert is the grand finale of the annual UW Cello Festival, and is supported, in part, by the Wyoming Arts Council, the A&S Dean’s INREACH initiative, and UW's  Eminent Artist-in-Residence funding, which is provided by the State legislature.  

For more information, contact UW Cello Professor Beth Vanderborgh at bvanderb@uwyo.edu

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

STEVEN ISSERLIS 

Acclaimed worldwide for his profound musicianship and technical mastery, British cellist Steven Isserlis enjoys a unique and distinguished career as a soloist, chamber musician, educator, author and broadcaster.

British cellist Steven Isserlis CBE enjoys an international career as a soloist, chamber musician, author, educator, and broadcaster. He performs with the world’s greatest orchestras, from period to modern ensembles, and has given many world premieres, including Sir John Tavener’s The Protecting Veil, Thomas Adès’s Lieux retrouvés, four works for solo cello by György Kurtág, and pieces by Holliger, Widmann, Mustonen, and many others. 

His vast award-winning discography includes the complete JS Bach Cello Suites (Gramophone Instrumental Album of the Year), Beethoven’s complete works for cello and piano, the Brahms double concerto with Joshua Bell and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, and Grammy-nominated recordings of Haydn and Martinů. 

As an author, his latest book is a critically-acclaimed companion to the Bach cello suites, while his two books for children about music are among the genre’s most popular and have been translated into many languages. He has also authored a commentary on Schumann’s Advice for Young Musicians. As a broadcaster, he has written and presented in-depth documentaries for BBC Radio, on Robert Schumann, and Harpo Marx. 

As an insightful musical explorer and curator, he has programmed imaginative series for London’s Wigmore Hall, New York’s 92nd St Y, and the Salzburg Festival. Unusually he directs orchestras from the cello, including Luzerner Sinfonieorchester in 2019 with Radu Lupu in his final public performance. 

He was awarded a CBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 1998, in recognition of his services to music. International recognition includes the Piatigorsky Prize (USA) and the Glashütte Original Music Festival Award (Germany). Since 1997, he has been Artistic Director of the International Musicians Seminar, Prussia Cove, Cornwall. 

Isserlis plays the 1726 ‘Marquis de Corberon’ Stradivarius, on loan from the Royal Academy of Music. 

ROMAN RABINOVICH

Roman Rabinovich is a pianist of rare musical insight, renowned for his captivating interpretations. Hailed by The New York Times for his “uncommon sensitivity and feeling,” he is recognized as one of today’s most eloquent pianists. Winner of the 12^th Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition, Roman has since performed on major stages across Europe and the United States, including Gewandhaus, Carnegie Hall, Cité de la Musique, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Kennedy Center, and Wigmore Hall, where he gave three solo recitals in the 2024–25 season. Celebrated for his inventive and often thematic recital programs, Rabinovich brings a curatorial imagination to the stage that deepens the listening experience.

Rabinovich has performed as a soloist with leading orchestras such as the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Edmonton Symphony, Sarasota Orchestra, Meininger Hofkapelle, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, NFM Leopoldinum, KBS Symphony, Prague Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, and all the major Israeli orchestras. He has worked with such conductors as Sir Roger Norrington, Zubin Mehta, Ludovic Morlot, Kristjan Järvi, Michael Stern, Christoph Koenig, Gerard Schwarz, and Joseph Swensen. Acclaimed for his performances of concertos spanning from Bach to Lutosławski, Rabinovich brings a distinctive voice to repertoire across the centuries. His recital appearances include Washington Performing Arts, Shriver Hall, Lincoln Center, Vancouver Recital Society, the Gilmore Keyboard Festival’s Rising Stars Series, and the Phillips Collection. He has also been featured at major festivals such as Marlboro, Ravinia, La Jolla Music Society, Dvořák Prague, Prague Spring, and the Ruhr Piano Festival.

Dubbed “a true polymath, in the Renaissance sense of the word” (Seen & Heard International), Rabinovich is also a composer and visual artist with a repertoire spanning six centuries, from Byrd to Boulez and beyond. Of particular acclaim are his interpretations of Haydn, as he performed complete Haydn Sonata cycles at the Lammermuir and Bath Festivals in the UK and ChamberFest Cleveland in the US. He has also appeared at the Herbstgold Festival in Eisenstadt and curated a three-concert Haydn Day at Wigmore Hall in 2022.

His two albums of Haydn Sonatas on First Hand Records received rave reviews, with BBC Music Magazine noting: “The elegance and liveliness of Rabinovich’s keyboard style are, indeed, a joy to listen to, and his unfailing musicality and inventiveness allow him to penetrate to the expressive heart of Haydn’s world.”

Rabinovich made his Israel Philharmonic debut under Zubin Mehta at age 10, having immigrated to Israel from Tashkent, Uzbekistan. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music where he studied with Seymour Lipkin, he earned his master’s degree at the Juilliard School with Robert McDonald. He was among the first three young pianists selected by Sir András Schiff for his Building Bridges series.

He is co-director of ChamberFest Cleveland and ChamberFest West in Calgary, where he curates adventurous programs that ignite conversation, foster connection, and deepen the communal experience of music.