The School of Arts & Humanities at The University of Texas at Dallas today announced its 2007–2008 Classical Concert Season. All concerts will be held for one night only and begin promptly at 8 p.m.
About the Concerts
The season will open Aug. 25 in the University Theatre with Satish Vyas, one of the most famous santoor (hammered dulcimer) players in the world, and Mukundraj Deo, a respected tabla artist, in a concert co-sponsored by the Indian Classical Music Circle (ICMC). Vyas has performed throughout India, the United States, Europe, Japan and Australia. Deo has performed all over the world as a soloist and as an accompanist, and was awarded a National Fellowship by the Indian government in 1999. ICMC of Dallas/Fort Worth is dedicated to the presentation and documentation of traditional and contemporary music, dance and drama from India and the Indian sub-continent. General admission tickets are $20. To reserve tickets, call 214-336-3459. More information is available at http://www.icmcdfw.org.
The Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra will perform Sept. 14 in the Conference Center. The Philadelphia Virtuosi, under the guidance of music director and conductor Daniel Spalding, is “interested in moving beyond classically restrictive performance boundaries and dedicated to bringing music to new audiences throughout the world. Programs are stylistically diverse, offering an array of popular masterworks, newly commissioned works and unusual and less well known repertoire from around the world.” The evening’s program will feature the overture from Gioachino Rossini’s Barber of Seville, Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings and Air and Preludio in E by Johann Sebastian Bach as arranged by conductor Leopold Stokowski. The concert will also include Praeludium and Allegro in the Style of Pugnani by Fritz Kreisler and Zigeunerweisen by Pablo de Sarasate. General admission tickets are $25.
Pianist Ana Cervantes returns to the UT Dallas Conference Center Nov. 9 as part of the American Literary Translators Association 30th anniversary conference. Cervantes has been praised as a “physical, emotional pianist … with extraordinary touch” (Newark Star-Ledger) and as an artist of “intelligence, conviction, memorably flawless performance” (Classical New Jersey Society Journal). Her most recent album, Rumor de Páramo, features commissioned works from 12 composers from four countries representing three generations. Her performance is free.
The 31st performance of UT Dallas’ oldest cultural tradition, Holiday Sing, will be held Dec. 1 in the University Theatre. The free concert features the UT Dallas Chamber Singers and the Symphonic Brass Quintet under the direction of Kathryn Evans, a professor at the University. A visit by Santa will liven up the evening’s entertainment, and a special reception with hot-spiced cider and Christmas goodies will follow the concert.
The Dallas Pro Musica will perform Jan. 9 in the Jonsson Performance Hall. The Dallas Pro Musica is dedicated to the re-creation and realization of vocal music from the Medieval, Renaissance and Early Baroque periods, with occasional forays into the 20th and 21st Century. The ensemble is based at UT Dallas and consists of Kathryn Evans, soprano; Mary Medrick, mezzo-soprano; Hoyt Neal, tenor; and Michael Borts, bass. The program will include selections from their two programs: “The Italian Way,” based on the secular vocal works of the Italian renaissance, including works by Monteverdi, Landini, Gesualdo and Caccini; and “Basically British,” works from the masters of the English madrigal including Byrd, Weelkes, Morley, Wilbye, Gibbons and Tompkins. General admission tickets are $15.
The critically acclaimed Clavier Trio will perform Feb. 8 in the Conference Center. The Clavier Trio includes Arkady Fomin, distinguished violinist in the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Artistic Director of the New Conservatory of Dallas, pianist David Korevaar, a member of the Prometheus Piano Quartet and professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder and new member Jesús Castro-Balbi, a professor at Texas Christian University. The program will feature the world premiere of a specially commissioned work by Robert Xavier Rodríguez, UT Dallas professor of music. General admission tickets are $20.
Alexander Moutouzkine will perform Feb. 15 in the Conference Center. Russia-born Moutouzkine has appeared as a soloist with the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra, the Tenerife Symphony, the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra of the Czech Republic and the National Symphonic Orchestra of Cuba. He received the Special Award for Artistic Potential at the 11th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. He has performed concerts in Germany, Austria, Spain, France, the Canary Islands, the U.S., the Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, England, Morocco, Belgium and Italy. General admission tickets are $20.
The Dallas Chamber Orchestra, founded in 1977 by violinist and UT Dallas faculty member Ronald Neal, will perform April 12 in the Jonsson Performance Hall. A number of virtuoso performers playing a variety of stringed instruments comprise the ensemble. Directed by Neal, the Dallas Chamber Orchestra performs without a conductor, which is traditional for smaller orchestras. High Fidelity Musical America called the Dallas Chamber Orchestra “an ensemble of notable refinement and artistry.” More information is available at http://www.dallaschamberorchestra.org or 214-321-1411.
In addition to the professional performances, various classical concerts showcasing UT Dallas students and are free. Something Wicked This Way Comes, a Halloween-themed concert, will feature the UT Dallas Chamber Singers and students from Intermediate Voice in the University Theatre on Oct. 26 and 27. UT Dallas’ Musica Nova Ensemble will perform in the Jonsson Performance Hall on April 25. The Choral Concert on May 3 in the University Theatre will feature the UT Dallas Chamber Singers and the UT Dallas Community Chorale.
UT Dallas also hosts student festivals at the end of the fall and spring semesters that highlight the work of voice, orchestral and guitar students from all areas of the graduate and undergraduate programs. The Fall Arts Festival will be Nov. 29–Dec. 1 and the Spring Arts Festival will be May 1–3.
Additional information about each event is available on the UT Dallas Arts & Humanities website, http://ah.utdallas.edu. All programs are subject to change. UT Dallas ticket office hours for advance purchase are from 2 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. To purchase tickets using Visa, MasterCard or Discover during those hours, please call 972-883-2552.
For information about the many musical, arts, theatre, dance and other performances and exhibitions held throughout the year at UT Dallas, please call 972-UTD-ARTS (972-883-2787) or e-mail utdarts@utdallas.edu. Persons with disabilities needing special accommodations may call 972-883-2982, Texas Relay Operator: 1-800-RELAYVV.
About the School of Arts & Humanities
The School of Arts & Humanities at UT Dallas offers a dynamic and integrated approach to education that fosters the critical, creative and communicative skills necessary for success in the culturally diverse, technologically rich and change-intensive environment of the 21st Century. For additional information about the School of Arts & Humanities, please visit the website at http://ah.utdallas.edu.
About UT Dallas
The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor, enrolls more than 14,500 students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UT Dallas, please visit the university’s website at www.utdallas.edu.
Contact Kristi Barrus, UT Dallas, (972) 883-2972, kristi.barrus@utdallas.edu