Masterworks Benefit Concert April 17 features French impressionism
|
Standard tickets are $20 general admission, and $10 for students. All tickets are tax-deductible for the ticket price less $10. Other ticket options are offered at the $75, $150 and $250 levels. VIP perks such as reserved parking for the event, reserved seating at the concert, and special recognition in the printed program are offered at some of these levels, when purchased by April 8. Tickets may be purchased online or by phone, 716-673-3501. General admission and student tickets will also be available at the door. |
The SUNY Fredonia School of Music presents this year’s Masterworks Scholarship Benefit Concert on Sunday, April 17 at 4 p.m. in King Concert Hall on the SUNY Fredonia campus. This “Afternoon of French Impressionism” includes more than 100 voices of the Masterworks Chorus combined with the full College Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Dr. David Rudge.
The program features Hector Berlioz’s "Overture to Benvenuto Cellini" for orchestra alone, Claude Debussy’s Three Nocturnes with the women’s choir, and Maurice Duruflé’s beautiful Requiem, featuring professor Lynne McMurtry as the mezzo soprano soloist.
As part of the Scholarship Benefit Concert, audience members are invited to join the performers for a special post-concert reception in the Art Gallery Lobby.
"I anticipate audiences will truly fall in love with this program," said Director of Orchestras David Rudge. "The Berlioz is a flashy, brilliant, high-energy overture that will build excitement for the rest of the program. Of course, the Debussy offers gorgeous French impressionistic music. The true masterpiece of the evening, however, is the Duruflé. This requiem mass, based on early plainchant, is enchantingly beautiful and comforting. Together, this will be a memorable evening for everyone."
This annual event of the College Symphony Orchestra and Masterworks Chorus is a musical highlight of the year due to the quality of the music-making, the insightful programming, and the number of participants on stage. The event is also intended to bring awareness to the need for scholarship resources at Fredonia. After only its second year, the Scholarship Benefit Concert has already added more than $14,000 to the music scholarship endowment.
"Each year, we highlight one concert to bring attention to building our scholarship fund, and it is always a first-rate, grand event,” explained School of Music Director Karl Boelter. “The students are excited to do their absolute best to impress. Through continued development of our endowment resources, the School of Music is able to assure such excellence into the future."
This all-French program is unique in that it highlights three different generations of French composers, each writing in his own voice, reflecting on his own historic and personal experiences.
“It is an intriguing mix of compositions,” commented musicology faculty member Dr. Michael Markham, “all of which stand in the shadow of German Romanticism. In one sitting we will glimpse Hector Berlioz in the throes of his delirious first encounter with it and, barely a generation later, an exasperated Claude Debussy working to escape it. The program then carries us into the aftermath of World War II, as Maurice Duruflé attempts to find a way to start over at a moment when both the German and Italian foundations of Classical music seemed unsalvageable.”
Duruflé’s exquisitely moving Requiem, with its gorgeous vocal part, will enchant listeners with its simplistic, Gregorian chant-like beauty. The solo mezzo-soprano part is sung by voice faculty member Lynne McMurtry. Described as “a force of nature” by the Toronto Star, Ms. McMurtry has a full and diverse performing career ranging from solo recitals to the operatic stage. She has been recognized for her rich, generous instrument and keen musical intelligence, which have brought her acclaim in a wealth of opera and orchestral concert repertoire. Lynne is joined in the Duruflé by celebrated organist Roland Martin of Buffalo, who will perform the virtuosic organ part in the Requiem.
“One in ten students at Fredonia attends college here because they love to make music,” said Dr. Boelter. “The passion that drives them is evident when they perform great music, and we – the university community, friends, families and neighbors – get the benefit of their extremely hard work and amazing talent. Coming together to support events like these is one way we can pay back these young artists for their efforts. Our community’s attendance and donations to our students’ educational opportunities are vital and we hope everyone will join us for this truly energizing event.”
Standard tickets are $20 general admission and $10 for students. All tickets are tax-deductible for the ticket price less $10. Other ticket options are offered at the $75, $150 and $250 levels. VIP perks such as reserved parking for the event, reserved seating at the concert, and special recognition in the printed program are offered at some of these levels, when purchased by April 8. For more information about the event, please contact Jennifer at the School of Music, 716-673-3686. Tickets may be purchased online at www.fredonia.edu/tickets or by phone, 716-673-3501. General admission and student tickets will also be available at the door.
