UTC Chamber Ensemble Concert
Dwarf Planets
Friday, April 3, 2009, 8:00 pm
Roland Hayes Concert Hall, UTC Fine Arts Center
Press Release 3/16/2009
On Friday, April 3, 2009 the UTC Music Department will present a Chamber Ensemble concert featuring the UTC Trumpet Ensemble directed by Dr. Erika Schafer, the UTC Tuba/Euphonium Ensemble directed by Dr. Kenyon Wilson, and the UTC Saxophone Quintet directed by Clint Schmitt, in concert at 7:30 pm in the Roland Hayes Concert Hall, UTC Fine Arts Center (corner of Vine and Palmetto Streets). The concert is free and open to the general public.
The feature event of the evening will be a multi-media performance of a world-premiere of a revised version of Dr. Kenyon’s piece “Songs of Distant Earth”. The work calls to mind Gustav Holst’s The Planets; in similar fashion, Dr. Kenyon’s music is inspired by the International Astronomic Union’s newly created category of dwarf planet, to which Pluto has been demoted. He uses the mythology associated with the name of the four of the five known dwarfs, and the news of Pluto’s demotion to create five works of contrasting nature. Pluto’s movement is aptly a funeral march. This piece, originally written for five trombones, will be performed in a revised version by the UTC Saxophone Quintet. Furthermore, the music will be performed in connection with a multimedia presentation prepared by students of the UTC Astronomy.
The UTC Trumpet Ensemble
The Trumpet Ensemble will perform an arrangement of the Symphony from Act IV of Henry Purcell’s The Fairy Queen, an opera that was first performed in 1692. The original work was based on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This work exemplifies the Baroque style. The Trumpet Ensemble will also perform a madrigal by Thomas Morley originally written for four voices in the late sixteenth century. The Tuba/Euphonium Ensemble will demonstrate its traditional eclectic mix of styles in performances of the “Russian Sailors Dance”, “Requiem for a Dead Little Cat”, and “Music 4 Tubas”.
The UTC Tuba/Euphonium Ensemble
The trumpet and tuba/euphonium ensembles as well as the saxophone quintet provide an opportunity for students who play these instruments to explore more of the literature written for their instruments in a group capacity as opposed to soloing. The trumpet ensemble is led by Dr. Erika Schafer, the UTC Assistant Band Director whose own experience in brass ensemble playing uniquely qualifies her for this role. The tuba/euphonium ensemble is led by Dr. Kenyon Wilson, Assistant Professor of low brass. The saxophone quintet is led by Adjunct instructor Clint Schmitt, a noted saxophonist in his own right.
For further information contact the UTC Music Dept. Office, 423-425-4601.
