The Department of Music is presenting a series of ensemble concerts in the next few weeks, featuring students from across campus and all disciplines.
The Union College Choir, Union College Schola Cantorum and Union College and Community Orchestra are scheduled to perform “Unforgettable” Saturday, Oct. 26, 1 p.m. in Memorial Chapel. The conductor is Jin Byun, director of music performance.
The Schola Cantorum is a select vocal ensemble that performs music from a span of five centuries. The repertoire for the choirs includes works by Ola Gjeilo, Aaron Copland, Christopher Tin, Michael Trotta, Frank Ticheli, Heyoung Cho and Stevie Wonder, with pieces sung in languages such as Latin, Swahili and Korean.
The orchestra will perform Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s "Ballade in A minor" and Bizet’s "Carmen Suite No. 2." Byun notes that Coleridge-Taylor, often referred to as the “African Mahler,” will bring a unique touch to the orchestral program.
There is a suggested donation at the door of $15 for the general public, $10 for Union faculty and students, and $5 for children.
Zakuro-Daiko, the Japanese Drumming and Global Fusion Band, will perform in Emerson Auditorium in the Taylor Music Center Thursday, Oct. 31, at 7 p.m. This “Halloween Celebration Concert” is free and open to the public. There will be an audience costume contest.
The ensemble (whose name translates to Garnet Drums) was established in 2007 by resident ethnomusicologist and Music Department chair Jennifer Milioto Matsue to bring Japanese music and culture to life on campus. The group performs a type of Japanese ensemble drumming that is popular in Japan and throughout the world.
The Jazz Ensemble, directed by Professor of Music Tim Olsen, is slated for Wednesday, Nov. 6, 8 p.m. in Emerson Auditorium. Admission is free, and it is open to the public.
The concert will feature student instrumentalists and vocalists in a wide variety of styles. Full band numbers include the Count Basie/Benny Goodman classic "Two O’Clock Jump" as well as "Haitian Fight Song" from Charles Mingus and Olsen's Latin "Park Avenue."
This term there are seven vocalists, who are featured in Doris Day's “Be Mine Tonight,” James Taylor's "Steamroller," Van Morrison's "Moondance," Michael Bublé's "Feelin' Good" and Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come." The singers will join forces to perform a choral version of Stevie Wonder's "Superstition."
The Early Music Ensemble will perform Sunday, Nov. 10, 1 p.m. in Emerson Auditorium, highlighting music of the 18th century played by students on a variety of instruments, from violin, viola and cello to flute and harpsichord. The ensemble was founded in 2011 by Dianne McMullen, professor of music. It features small intimate chamber groups of between two and six players, with one person on a part.
The ensemble will play music by the Baroque composers G.P. Telemann and G.B. Sammartini, as well as by the Viennese composer J.B. Vanhal, among others.
A final concert by Music Technology students is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 15, at 6:30 p.m. in Emerson. Admission is free, and it is open to the public.