The UTC Percussion Ensemble, choral groups and the UTC Symphonic Band will be performing in the coming week:
Percussion Ensemble presents “Catch the Groove”
Monday, April 13, 7:30 p.m., the UTC Music Department presents the annual “Catch the Groove” concert by the UTC Percussion Ensemble at the Roland Hayes Concert Hall, UTC Fine Arts Center, directed by Dr. Monte Coulter. The concert is open to the general public and free of charge.
Students in the UTC Percussion Ensemble play many types of percussion instruments from all over the world.
Dr. Monte Coulter, the group’s director, says the “‘Catch the Groove’ percussion concert will feature some of the most difficult and exciting music for percussion ensemble that I know of. Instruments will range from the African bull-roarers and afuches to anvils, tin cans, and whips.”
Joining the Percussion Ensemble on this concert will be the Chattanooga Boys Choir Cantabile Choir, directed by Vincent Oaks. The Cantabile Choir is composed of Chattanooga Boys Choir alumni whose voices have changed.
Works to be performed include David Gillingham’s “Stained Glass” – a piece inspired by the beauty and color of stained glass, Lynn Glasscock’s “Dragoon” – a bombastic piece for the full ensemble, Ford’s “Stubernic” – a piece for three players at one Marimba, Burritt’s “Doomsday Machine” – named after an episode of Star Trek!, Green’s “Fluffy Ruffles” – a piece for solo xylophone with a quartet of percussion accompanists, and for a closer, Udow’s “African Welcome Piece” – based on traditional Ghanian dance rhythms and song styles this piece employs the Choir and six African bull roarers.
The UTC Percussion Ensemble is directed by Dr. Monte Coulter. For further information contact the UTC Music Department at 423-425-4601 or visit our website at http://www.utc.edu/music.
Men’s Chorus and Women’s Chorale
The Men’s Chorus and Women’s Chorale Concert will be held on Tuesday, April 14 at 7:30 p.m. at First Centenary United Methodist Church, 419 McCallie Ave., Chattanooga. The concert is open to the public and free of charge.
The Men’s Choir, directed by Roland Carter, and the Women’s Chorale, directed by Lee Harris, will perform a variety of choral music individually and combined. Additionally the two choirs will be joined by the Men’s and Women’s Ensembles from the Center for Creative Arts High School, directed by Neshawn Calloway. All of the choirs will combine to perform Mozart’s “Ave Verum Corpus” and Roland Carter’s “Rise, Shine for the Light Is a-Coming” with UTC graduate soloist, Varanda Bell, soprano.
Among the Men’s Choir selections for the evening is the Paranjoti “Dravidian Dithyramb,” a southern Indian style raga sung on nonsense syllables, Uzee Brown’s spiritual “John Was a Writer,” “Shenandoah” arranged by Marshall Bartholomew (celebrated composer/arranger for the Yale Glee Club), and the rousing “Let Them Hear You” from the musical Ragtime. The Women’s Chorale will perform contemporary composer Paul Ayer’s “Cantate Domino,” a setting of “The Lord’s Prayer” by Edwin Gerschefski (father of former Music Dept. Head Peter Gerschefski), Faure’s radiant “Cantique de Jean Racine” and Nick Page’s “Niska Banja.” Both groups will use First Centenary’s fine organ to accompany several pieces.
For further information contact the UTC Music Department at 423-425-4601 or visit our website at http://www.utc.edu/music.
Symphonic Band Concert
Under the direction of Dr. Stuart Benkert, UTC Director of Bands and Assistant Director, Dr. Erika Schafer, the UTC Symphonic Band will perform on Wednesday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m. The concert will be held in the Roland Hayes Concert Hall at the UTC Fine Arts Center (corner of Vine and Palmetto Sts.) and is open to the public free of charge.
Benkert describes this program as “the most varied program yet” for the UTC Symphonic Band. Highlights of the program include John Philip Sousa’s march, “The Picador” and Darius Milhaud’s “Suite Francaise for Band.” Dr. Schafer will conduct the band in Howard Hanson’s “Chorale and Alleluia.” A special treat for the close of the concert will be Mayhew Lake’s transcription of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture.
Sousa’s “The Picador” was written during one of his most prolific time periods, from 1888-1890. Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, perhaps one of the world’s most overused pieces of symphonic music for any Fourth of July Celebration, is given a faithful representation in Mayhew Lake’s transcription making for a dramatic and rousing close.
The UTC Symphonic Band is one of the major instrumental ensembles in the UTC music department, existing to provide an advanced instrumental opportunity for music majors and non-majors. The repertoire consists of classic pieces of the wind band repertoire, as well as transcriptions of symphonic works.
For further information contact the UTC Music Department at 423-425-4601 or visit our website at http://www.utc.edu/music.
Chamber Singers and Chattanooga Singers
Under the direction of Dr. Kevin Ford, the UTC Chamber Singers and Chattanooga Singers will offer a concert on Friday, April 17 at 8 p.m. in the Second Presbyterian Church, 700 Pine St., Chattanooga. The concert is open to the public and free of charge.
This concert will contrast early music with contemporary choral works. The newly renovated sanctuary at Second Presbyterian will allow the performance of several works that benefit from an antiphonal arrangement of the choirs. The Chamber Singers will perform some of the music from their recent recruitment tour to Memphis and both groups will reprise selections from the February 2009 Music Department Alumni Reunion concert.
Included on the program for the evening are several madrigals and motets representing the “Golden Age of A Cappella Choral Music,” the 1600-1700s. Among these are Gibbon’s “Silver Swan,” Estes’ “How Merrily We Live,” Tallis’ “If Ye Love Me,” and Victoria’s “O Magnum Mysterium.” A unique piece among this set “Pastyme with Good Company” is believed to have been composed by England’s King Henry VIII. Parry’s magnificent double choir anthem “I Was Glad” brings us into the age of accompanied choral works.
Also on the program will be four master choruses from the great choral major works of the Baroque, Classical and Romantic periods: Mozart’s “Ave Verum Corpus,” the first movement of Vivaldi’s jubilant Gloria, the majestic “Hallelujah” from Handel’s Messiah, and Mendelssohn’s soothing “He Watching over Israel” from Elijah.
The 20th and beginning of the 21st century have yielded many interesting and beautiful choral works, including two by American composers: Norman Dello Joio’s tour de force for piano and chorus, “A Jubilant Song” and David Dickau’s breathtaking setting of Sarah Teasdale’s poem “Stars I Shall Find.”
Ford has a particular interest in the choral music of Eastern European composers and he presents it in two newer works: “Unicornis Captivatur” by Norwegian Ola Gjeilo” and “Benedictio” by Estonian Urmas Sisask. To close the concert the combined choirs perform Roland Carter’s triumphant arrangement of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
Ford is the Director of Choral Activities at UTC. Johan Sentana is the accompanist for both groups. David Friberg will appear as guest organist for this concert. Graduate student Rebecca Brown will also conduct on the program.
For further information contact the UTC Music Department at 423-425-4601 or visit our website at http://www.utc.edu/music.
