Jan. 18, 2005 issue
Winter music season celebrates 150 years of tradition

By Anastasia Maslova

 

Eastern Michigan's winter music and dance performances will be steeped in a long tradition, one that goes back 150 years.

To commemorate its sesquicentennial, EMU's Department of Music will celebrate 150 years of excellence in teaching music with a weeklong festival of concerts April 9-17. Alumni from each major ensemble will be honored at their respective events. A wide variety of events, including concerts by the jazz band, percussion and African ensembles, Collegium Musicum, the EMU Bands, Orchestra and Choirs are planned in recognition.

THE MAESTRO: Frederick H. Pease guided EMU's Music Department from 1863 until his death in 1909. The department is celebrating its 150-year history with a weeklong festival of concerts April 9-17.

The department's long and proud tradition of teaching and performing music — which includes 10 department heads through the years —  began in 1854. A short history of the music department, including the eras of Frederick Pease and Frederick Alexander, can be found at www.emich.edu/music.

"We are extremely proud of our department's long history and strong relationship with the University and community," said Kristy Meretta, coordinator of EMU Music and Dance Events. "University faculty, guest artists and students will present more than 50 concerts, recitals, lectures and workshops during the next four months, and more than 90 percent of the events are free, making us the best bargain in town."

Along with the 150th anniversary celebration in April and the annual Music Now Fest in February, music and dance lovers can find various performances by faculty, students, alumni and guests to suit everybody's taste.

Among the schedule's highlights are:

• The featured dance event for the semester is "Dancing Displays." World-renowned choreographer Bill Evans joins Sherry Jerome, Julianne Pedersen, Tim Smola, Amy Cova and Holly Hobbs in this year's annual faculty and guest artist dance concert. The concert premieres original dancers choreographed in a variety of styles, including modern, jazz and hip-hop performed by EMU students. Performances are scheduled Friday, Jan. 21, 8 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 22, 8 p.m.; and Sunday, Jan. 23, 2 p.m., in Quirk Theatre. Admission is $10 for adults and $8 for students.

• MUSICIANS FOUR: The Jupiter String Quartet performs Jan. 23 in Pease Auditorium.

  The Jupiter String Quartet, winner of the nationally acclaimed 2004 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, performs Sunday, Jan. 23, 4 p.m., Pease Auditorium. Nelson Lee and Meg Freivogel, violin; Liz Freivogel, viola; and Dan McDonough, cello; formed the Jupiter Quartet at the Cleveland Institute of Music and have performed extensively throughout the U.S. and Europe. They perform the "Beethoven Quartet in F Minor, Op. 95;" "String Quartet" by Ruth Crawford Seeger; and Dvorak's "G Major Quartet."

• Saxophonist Connie Frigo, in collaboration with pianist Rebecca Grausam, make their EMU debut as the Frigo Grausam Duo Friday, Jan. 28, 8 p.m., in Alexander Recital Hall. The duo will perform at more than 15 universities during the 2004-2005 season. Frigo's performance experience is wide-ranging, from the U.S. Navy Band to the New Century Saxophone Quartet. She has won awards at the international Fischoff Chamber Music Competition and studied with Arno Bornkamp as a Fulbright scholar to the Netherlands. Frigo served on the faculty at Ithaca College and the University of South Carolina; is the founder of Levine School's annual summer saxophone camp; and plans to complete her DMA this spring at the University of South Carolina.

  MUSICAL GUEST: Michael Schelle will be the guest composer at Music Now Fest 2005.

  EMU's 14th biennial new music festival, Music Now Fest 2005, welcomes featured guest composer Michael Schelle, composer-in-residence at Butler University. One of the most highly-respected festivals of its kind in the Midwest, Music Now Fest 2005 offers three days of concerts, recitals, lectures, discussions and open rehearsals centered around the work of a distinguished living American composer, who presents some of the most progressive and contemporary musical thought. The festival displays the collective talents of EMU's music faculty and students as well as noted guest artists. Festival dates are Feb. 23-25.

• Pianists Garik Pedersen and Anne Beth Gajda present the 13th Annual Child's Play program, entitled "Toyland." The concert features "Dolly Suite, Op. 56," by Gabriel Faure; "Children's Games, Op. 22," by Georges Bizet; and music by Debussy, Pinto and Perle. This popular annual series of theme concerts, designed especially for family audiences, is sponsored by Friends of Chamber Music at Pease. Performances are Friday, March 18, 10 a.m.; and Sunday, March 20, 4 p.m., in Pease Auditorium.

For detailed information on these and other winter term music events, call 487-2255.