Musical treats to lift spirits

Anthony HoseAs the spirits of the macabre creep ever closer to All Hallow’s Eve, Stetson’s School of Music will lift the spirits of the Hatter faithful above the sublime with a panoply of thrilling concerts in Lee Chapel inside Elizabeth Hall. Admission is free to Stetson students, faculty and staff with ID. For ticket information, contact the Stetson University School of Music concert line at (386) 822-8947; www2.stetson.edu/music/calendar.

On Friday evening, Oct. 25, the University Symphony Orchestra, Anthony Hose, conductor, (pictured) will perform Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture and Franck’s Symphony in D Minor at their concert at 7:30 p.m. in Lee Chapel. Continuing his celebration of 30 years at Stetson, guitar professor Stephen Robinson will also be featured in the performance of Angulo’s Segundo Concierto (El Alevin). 

On Saturday evening, Oct. 26, at 7:30, tenor Earnest Murphy ’54, will perform in concert with Steinway Artist Michael Rickman, piano, also celebrating over 30 years at Stetson. Over the past 50 years, Murphy has performed live with many of the world’s greatest orchestras touring North America, South America and Europe as a member of New York Pro Musica. He is the recipient of Stetson’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 1982 and serves on the Board of Advisors for Stetson’s School of Music. He continues to be a sought-after singer performing live in concerts throughout the year.

Then on Sunday, Oct. 27, at 3 p.m., Cameron Huster, harp, will perform with Jean West, flute, in concert, performing Benjamen Britten’s Suite for Harp, and Movements from Paul Patterson’s Spiders.

The Music Student Composers Concert, scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 29, at 7:30 p.m., will feature the original compositions of nine music students, with other students performing the works. The original pieces included in this program include:

  • Plasmasphere, a percussion quartet written as the first installment in a series of percussion pieces known as the “The Magnetosphere” – written by Joshua Albert
  • Cranes by the Riverside, a four and a half minute piece for flute, violin, cello, and piano – Jeremy Umlauf, conductor
  • Cradle, a short piano piece inspired by an excerpt called “On Children” from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran – written by Maggie Nicks
  • Piano Quartet, a work for piano, violin, viola and cello, written during the fall semester of 2013 – written by Elijah Garland
  • It is only…”, a short art song—approximately two minutes—for female voice set to the last stanza of Maya Angelou’s poem, “Touched By An Angel” – written by Demi Nicks
  • Sea Sunrise, a composition comprised of four modules borrowing Impressionist and traditional tonal harmonies to be played specifically on Stetson’s Beckerath Organ – written by Erik Ferguson
  • Clair de Lune for string quartet, written to capture the meaning of the harmonic language used in writing the piece – written by Justin Ward Weber
  • Nevermore representing the constant battle between heaven and hell – written by Anthony Virgilio
  • Lights, an interactive computer program written in Max/Msp/Jitter that gives the performer gesture-based control over pre-recorded audio – written by Joseph Palermo.   

The following concerts are scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 1, 2 and 3: 

Friday, Nov. 1 – Guitar Ensemble Concert

Stephen Robinson, director; 7:30 p.m. 

Saturday, Nov. 2 – Percussion Ensemble Concert

Marja Kerney, director; 7:30 p.m. 

Sunday, Nov. 3 – Brass Ensemble Concert

3 p.m.

A complete listing of the 2013-14 concert season is found on the School of Music website. Visit stetson.edu/cultural-calendar for a complete listing of Stetson’s cultural events, including not only music, but also theatre, visual arts and lectures.