Robert Xavier Rodríguez
Robert Xavier Rodríguez, internationally known composer and professor of music at UT Dallas, will direct his Musica Nova ensemble in a concert.
“Music Times Three” will be at 8 p.m. Friday in the Jonsson Performance Hall. The concert is free and open to the public.
“Our concert is called ‘Music Times Three’ because there are three of everything: either groups of three pieces or pieces for three performers, including the overture to Mozart’s The Magic Flute, which opens with a three-fold musical fanfare,” Rodríguez said.
Other pieces on the playbill are Bach’s Trio Sonata in G and Brahms’ Trio in A Minor. The concert will also feature Brahms’ Three Hungarian Dances, which will be played in tribute to Dr. Istvan Ozsváth, a professor emeritus in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, who recently passed away.
Michael McVay
The ensemble is composed of UT Dallas students and pianist Michael McVay. McVay, a clinical assistant professor at UT Dallas, teaches music theory and serves as pianist and assistant director of the Musica Nova. He performs regularly in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in a variety of styles and venues.
Musica Nova performs music written for large and small ensembles plus multimedia and theater works of all periods under the direction of Rodríguez and McVay. The ensemble’s regular spring and fall concerts feature student instrumentalists, singers, composers, actors, dancers and video artists from UT Dallas’ Advanced Orchestra/Chamber Music Ensemble class who perform with UT Dallas faculty and other professional musicians.
“Be sure to arrive early, because our concerts always sell out,” added Rodríguez.
For more information visit the School of Arts and Humanities website.