From classical and chamber works to jazz and sounds of the holidays, music fills the air at Salisbury University this November and December.
Musical guest Zane Forshee inaugurates SU’s instrumental programs as this semester’s Guitar in the Gallery soloist on Tuesday, November 3. Called “one of his generation’s finest guitarists” by Fingerstyle Guitar magazine, he performs at 12:30 p.m. in the University Gallery of Fulton Hall.
SU faculty and students perform original and experimental works during the concert New Music Salisbury, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, November 5, in the Great Hall of Holloway Hall.
The SU Percussion Ensemble, directed by Eric Shuster, and World Drum Ensemble, directed by Ted Nichols, follows the “beat” with more contemporary works during a performance at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, November 19, in Holloway Hall Auditorium.
The Music, Theatre and Dance Department’s annual Winter Music Festival is December 5-12. All performances are 7:30 p.m. in Holloway Hall Auditorium. The Salisbury Chorale, University Chorale and Madrigal Choir, under my direction, are accompanied by faculty and students on holiday brass, organ and percussion, inaugurating the series with a concert of holiday and secular music.
The Saturday, December 5, program features selections include holiday carols and Hodie by Z. Randall Stroope. Admission is $12, $9 for seniors age 62 and over.
The Salisbury Pops, directed by Lee Knier, continues the series on Tuesday, December 8, with a holiday-themed concert. The SU Jazz Ensemble, directed by Jerry Tabor, follows on Thursday, December 10.
The series culminates as the Salisbury Symphony Orchestra at SU (SSO) continues its 30th anniversary season with a “Home for the Holidays” concert on Saturday, December 12. Directed by Dr. Jeffrey Schoyen, the performance features the return of guest tenor Dominic Armstrong.
Since his last concert with the SSO, in 2012, Armstrong has performed with some of the most well-regarded orchestras in the U.S., including the Boston Symphony and New York Philharmonic.
Admission is $25, $20 for seniors age 60 and over, and $5 for all students. Advance tickets are available at www.SalisburySymphonyOrchestra.org and at the Information Desk of the Guerrieri University Center.
SU’s Musical Theatre Ensemble also hosts its annual production in December. Dr. Darrell Mullins of the Communication Arts Department directs The 25th Annual Putman County Spelling Bee from Thursday-Sunday, December 10-13, in the Black Box Theatre of Fulton Hall. Curtain is 8 p.m., 2 p.m. Sunday.
The comedy centers on six quirky students at Putnam Valley Middle School, who compete in a spelling bee run by three equally quirky adults. Admission is $12, $9 for seniors age 62 and over.
Students enrolled in SU’s PRESTO music and theatre preparatory program perform at 5 and 7 p.m. Tuesday, December 15, in the Great Hall of Holloway Hall.
SU’s fall musical offerings conclude with the Salisbury Youth Orchestra’s annual Holiday Concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, December 17, in Holloway Hall Auditorium. Admission is $5, $3 for seniors, free for children 12 and under.
Admission to all other music events is free unless otherwise noted.
The Music, Theatre and Dance Department, in partnership with Delmarva Public Radio, offers audiophiles another treat this season with the radio production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, adapted and directed by Dr. T. Paul Pfeiffer, my department co-chair, at 2 p.m. Sunday, November 29, in Holloway Hall Auditorium.
Admission is free and the public is invited. The performance will be recorded for broadcast on WSDL 90.7 FM.
With so much to choose from, SU is offering something for nearly every musical taste this fall. We look forward to seeing you … while you hear us!
