Spring 2013 Concert Schedule
January
| 24 Thurs. | Modfest Music Library Display |
| The Vassar College Music Library presents a display highlighting Modfest music activities and musicians, curated by Sarah Canino, music librarian. On view through February 8. Open daily. First Floor, Skinner Hall of Music |
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| 25 Fri. 9:00pm | Modfest Concert: Vassar Jazz Combos |
| The ensembles present a colorful variety of jazz styles. James Osborn, Director of the Jazz Ensembles. Villard Room, Main Building |
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| 26 Sat. 2:30-5:30pm | Modfest Open Rehearsal |
| Operatic Works of Vassar Faculty Composers Jonathan Chenette and Susan Botti. | |
| 26 Sat. 8:00pm | Modfest Concert: Vassar Faculty Composers |
| Music of Jonathan Chenette, Susan Botti, and Richard Wilson. Program to include the concert version of the first scene of Jonathan Chenette’s opera Eric Hermannson’s Soul, a monodrama with a McCarthy-esque self-righteous minister persecuting an artist. Also featured will be Susan Botti’s Telaio: Desdemona, an operatic soliloquy and character study drawn from Shakespeare. Completing the program will be Richard Wilson’s new clarinet quintet. Performers include Thomas Meglioranza, baritone, Rachel Handman, violin, Moran Katz, clarinet, and a quartet from the Declassifieds: music faculty members Ashley Jackson, harp, Miriam Charney, piano, and Frank Cassara, percussion | |
| 27 Sun. 3:00pm | Modfest Concert: An Afternoon of Cabaret |
| “Eric Bentley’s Brecht-Eisler Song Book,” sung by Karyn Levitt, accompanied by Eric Ostling. Poems and songs by Bertolt Brecht and other poets adapted into English versions by Eric Bentley and set to music by Hanns Eisler. Pre-concert talk at 2:30 by Michael Pisani, Professor of Music. Co-sponsored by the departments of music and German. | |
| 31 Thurs. 6:00-8:00pm | Modfest Open Rehearsal |
| Tarik O’Regan, composer, with the Vassar College Choir and Vassar College Women’s Chorus. |
February
| 1 Fri. 2:00pm | Modfest Open Class |
| The Setting of Words to Music. With guest composer Tarik O’Regan and music faculty members Jean Kane, Susan Botti, and Richard Wilson. Thekla Hall, Skinner Hall of Music |
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| 1 Fri. 8:00pm | Modfest Cabaret Night |
| A sampling of the Great American Songbook – Gershwin, Kern, Porter, Berlin, Rodgers, Sondheim, and others. Featuring students from the Vassar College choirs as well as the music department. At the piano will be David Alpher. Rose Parlor, Main Building |
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| 2 Sat. 11:00am | Modfest Open Rehearsal: Mahagonny Ensemble |
| Conducted by Jesse Greenberg ’13. Alumnus composer William Healy ’12 coaches the student-run contemporary group in the preparation of his new work Upon Our Looking Glass. Following the rehearsal, there will be a lunch with an opportunity to speak with the composer in room 303 of Skinner Hall. | |
| 2 Sat. 3:00pm | Modfest Presentation |
| Tarik O’Regan discusses his music. With video clips of his opera Heart of Darkness, based on the novel by Joseph Conrad, recently premiered at the Linbury Studio Theatre of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. | |
| 2 Sat. 8:00pm | Modfest Concert |
| The Vassar College Choir and Women’s Chorus present the world premiere of Tarik O’Regan’s Night City; the Vassar College Orchestra performs Three Letters by Harold Farberman; and the Mahagonny Ensembles present Upon Our Looking Glass by William Healy ’12, and The Wonderful Widow of Eighteen Springs by John Cage. Christine Howlett, Eduardo Navega, and Jesse Greenberg ’13, conductors. | |
| 3 Sun. 3:00pm | Modfest Presentation |
| Politics and the Arts – An Open Dialogue. Martha Rosler, artist, Stephen Squibb ’05, writer and producer. Co-sponsored by the departments of music and art and the Dean of the Faculty. Taylor Hall, Room 203 |
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| 6 Wed. 3:30pm | Modfest Presentation: Music and Words |
| Presentation of chamber music and original poetry by students from the departments of music and English. Rose Parlor, Main Building |
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| 7 Thurs. 7:00pm | Modfest Presentation: Chamber Music and Readings of Original Prose |
| By Vassar students from classes of Eduardo Navega, Lecturer in Music and Director of the Program in Chamber Music, and Amitava Kumar, Professor of English. Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center |
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| 9 Sat. 8:00pm | Faculty and Guest Recital |
| Terry Champlin, guitar, with Helen Avakian, voice/guitar, Sabina Torosjan, violin, Vilian Ivantchev, guitar, and Vassar graduate Chris Connors, percussion will present a program of large chamber works and music for solo guitar by Schubert, Mozart, Mendelssohn, and Terry Champlin. | |
| 10 Sun. 3:00pm | Faculty and Guest Recital |
| Venti. The New York based quartet, whose members include clarinet faculty member Larry Guy, will present a program exploring the tonal possibilities of woodwind instruments in works by Francaix, Golestan, and Ginastera. | |
| 16 Sat. 8:00pm | The Donald and Kathleen Pearson Memorial Organ Recital |
| Internationally acclaimed as one of the finest organists of his generation, James David Christie is Distinguished Artist in Residence at the College of the Holy Cross, Professor of Organ at the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, and serves as College Organist at Wellesley College. To mark the 10th Anniversary of the Paul Fritts organ in Skinner Hall, he will perform works by Sweelinck, J.S. Bach, and Buxtehude. | |
| 23 Sat. 8:00pm | Guest Event: Shanghai Quartet |
| Renowned for its passionate musicality and impressive technique, the Shanghai Quartet has become one of the world's foremost chamber ensembles. The quartet whose members include Weigang Li, violin, Yi-Wen Jiang, violin, Honggang Li, viola, and Nicholas Tzavaras, cello will present string quartets by Beethoven and Bartok, then will be joined by faculty member Todd Crow for Brahms’ powerful Piano Quintet. | |
| 24 Sun. 3:00pm | Vassar College and Community Wind Ensemble * View video of webcast. |
| James Osborn, conductor |
March
| 2 Sat. 1:30pm | Senior Recital |
| Catherine Shaw, clarinet. Assisted by Todd Crow, piano. Works by Brahms, Weber, Bernstein, and others. | |
| 2 Sat. 4:00pm | Senior Recital |
| Julia Anrather, soprano. Assisted by Richard Mogavero, piano. Works by Bernstein, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Puccini, Berlin, and others. | |
| 2 Sat. 8:00pm | Vassar College Orchestra * View video of webcast. |
| Eduardo Navega, conductor | |
| 3 Sun. 3:00pm | Faculty Recital |
| Thomas Sauer, piano. Works by Beethoven, Rachmaninov, Peter Lieberson, and Derek Bermel. | |
| 30 Sat. 1:30pm | Senior Recital |
| John Plotz, piano. Works by Shostakovich, Schumann, Liszt, Ravel, Bach, and Chopin. | |
| 30 Sat. 4:00pm | Senior Recital |
| John Lee, viola. Assisted by Todd Crow, piano. Works by Bach, Bruch, and Bartók. |
April
| 6 Sat. 4:00pm | Senior Recital |
| Emma Greenstein, soprano. Assisted by Darren Motise, piano. Music of Mendelssohn, Barber, Bellini, Donizetti, and Milhaud. | |
| 6 Sat. 7:30pm | Senior Recital |
| Rebecca Shulbank-Smith, soprano. Assisted by Richard Mogavero, piano, Emily Nash ’13, soprano, Case Stewart ’13, soprano, and Ryan Norris ’14, tenor. Music of Rodgers and Hart, Gershwin, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Jerry Herman, and Cole Porter. Alumnae House |
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| 7 Sun. 3:00pm | Vassar College Women’s Chorus * View video of webcast. |
| Ronald Bemrich, conductor. “Love Bade Me Welcome” with works by Walter Watson, Randall Thompson, Edward Elgar, and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. | |
| 12 Fri. 8:00pm | Faculty and Guest Recital |
| Robert Osborne, bass-baritone with Blair MacMillan, piano and Four Nations Ensemble. Exploring vocal music on the subject of Don Quixote, the musicians will perform works by Ibert, Morin, Ravel, and Rodrigo. | |
| 13 Sat. 1:30pm | Senior Recital |
| Jesse Greenberg, composition. Assisted by Todd Crow, piano, Catherine Shaw ’13, clarinet, Evi Lowman ’15, violin, and others in a performance of new works. Also on the program will be solo works for percussion and piano by Ichiyanagi, Schoenberg, and Xenakis, performed by Jesse Greenberg. | |
| 13 Sat. 4:00pm | Senior Recital |
| Olivia Tousignant-Pienkos, soprano. Assisted by Richard Mogavero, piano. Music of Gershwin, Gilbert and Sullivan, Holmes, Satie, Mozart, and Bernstein. | |
| 14 Sun. 3:00pm | Vassar College Choir * View video of webcast. |
| Ronald Bemrich, conductor. “Music From The New World” with works by Charles Ives, Alberto Ginastera, Eric Whitacre, Pablo Casals, and José Nunes-Garcia. | |
| 20 Sat. 1:30pm | Senior Recital |
| Elizabeth McLean, soprano. Assisted by Richard Mogavero, piano. Music of Granados, Schumann, Mozart, Sondheim, Hahn, Gershwin/Weill, Donaudy, Massenet, Moore/Latouche, and Tesori. | |
| 20 Sat. 4:00pm | Senior Recital |
| Thomas Hochla, baritone. Assisted by David Alpher, piano. Music of Schubert, Mahler, Handel, and Vaughan Williams. | |
| 21 Sun. 3:00pm | Vassar College Camerata |
| 26 Fri. 8:00pm | Vassar College Jazz Ensembles * View video of webcast. |
| James Osborn, director | |
| 27 Sat. 1:30pm | Mahagonny Ensemble |
| 27 Sat. 8:00pm | Vassar College Madrigal Singers * View video of webcast. |
| Drew Minter, conductor. A concert celebrating the St. John’s Bible in conjunction with The Bible Project at Vassar College. | |
| 28 Sun. 3:00pm | Vassar College and Community Wind Ensemble * View video of webcast. |
| James Osborn, conductor |
May
| 3 Fri. 8:00pm | Vassar College Orchestra * View video of webcast. |
| Eduardo Navega, conductor | |
| 10 Fri. 8:00pm | Opera Workshop * View video of webcast. |
| Drew Minter, director and Miriam Charney, music director. “Orpheus With His Lute: Scenes from the Orpheus Operas” by Monteverdi, Gluck, Offenbach, and Philip Glass. | |
| 25 Sat. 3:00pm | Commencement Concert for the Class of 2013 |
| Presented by members of the music faculty. |
All events not otherwise noted take place in Skinner Hall of Music and are free and open to the public. Programs are subject to change. For further information and up-to-date details on all Vassar College Department of Music concerts, please call (845) 437-7294. Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact the Office of Campus Activities at (845) 437-5370. Latecomers will be seated at the performers’ discretion. All audience members are to be seated. Food and beverages are not permitted in the Recital Hall. Cell phones and pagers must be silenced during performances.