Recitals by pianist Yefim Bronfman and soprano Amanda Pabyan, an all-Mozart program by pianist Inon Barnatan and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, a concert by
guitarists Sergio and Odair Assad and their kin, a holiday season program by The King’s Singers, and violinist Robert McDuffie and the Venice Baroque Orchestra playing Vivaldi’s "Four Seasons" alongside "The American Four Seasons," a new violin concerto by Philip Glass, highlight classical-music programming in the 2010-11 season of the Modlin Arts Center at the University of Richmond.
The contemporary music sextet eighth blackbird, in its seventh year in residence at UR, will present two programs testing Igor Stravinsky’s assertion, "Music is, by its very nature, essentially powerless to express anything at all."
The ensemble also will participate in UR’s Third Practice Electroacoustic Music Festival, a program of chamber works by Arnold Schoenberg, and the premiere of a commissioned work by the Chinese-born composer Chen Yi, to be performed with UR’s Schola Cantorum and Women’s Chorale.
The Shanghai Quartet will present two programs, playing Brahms’ Clarinet Quintet with clarinetist Michel Lethiec and Lei Liang’s Quintet for pipa and string quartet with pipa (Chinese lute) player Wu Man. The Shanghai, Wu Man and Lei Liang will give UR’s Neumann Lecture on
Music, "Music in a Global Society." Chen Yi will speak to the Jepson Leadership Forum on "A Journey of Creativity and Building an East-West Cultural Exchange."
UR-based pianist-harpsichordist Joanne Kong will play one of the first performances of Michael Colgrass’ "Side by Side," the first concerto written for one performer playing both keyboard instruments, with the Richmond Symphony and its new music director, Steven Smith. (The work was commissioned for Kong by the Richmond Symphony, Esprit Orchestra and Boston Modern Orchestra.)
The Modlin Center’s Great Performances series also will feature dance programs by Diavolo, MOMIX, the Merce Cunningham Dance Company and tap-dancer Savion Glover; theater productions by the
Reduced Shakespeare Company and Walnut Street Theatre; and concerts by Brazilian percussionist Cyro Baptista, comedian David Sedaris, the KODO Drummers of Japan, the Irish folk band Danú, the folk-bluegrass bands Cherryholmes and Dailey & Vincent, and the Afro-Cuban jazz band Tempo Libre.
Ticket subscriptions are available for five or more events. For subscription information or to obtain a season brochure, call the Modlin Center box office at (804) 289-8980, or visit www.modlin.richmond.edu
Single tickets will begin going on sale on Aug. 23.
The Modlin Center’s Great Performances series and UR Music Department program schedule:
GREAT PERFORMANCES
at 7:30 p.m. unless listed otherwise
Sept. 15 (Camp Concert Hall) – eighth blackbird in "Powerful." John Corigliano: "Mr. Tambourine Man" (soprano TBA); Frederic Rzewski: "Coming Together."
Sept. 16-17 (Jepson Theatre) – Diavolo, modern dance troupe.
Sept. 26 (Camp Concert Hall) – Cherryholmes, folk-bluegrass band.
Sept. 28-30 (Jepson Theatre) – MOMIX, modern dance troupe, in "Botanica."
Oct. 1 (Camp Concert Hall) – Shanghai Quartet with
Michel Lethiec, clarinet. Brahms: Clarinet Quintet; other works TBA.
Oct. 5 (Landmark Theater) – David Sedaris, comedian.
Oct. 6-7 (Jepson Theatre) – Reduced Shakespeare Company in "The Complete World of Sports (abridged)."
Oct. 15 (Camp Concert Hall) – Cyro Baptista, percussion, in "Villa-Lobos/Vira Loucus."
Oct. 19 (Jepson Theatre) – Tempo Libre, Afro-Cuban jazz band.
Oct. 27 (Camp Concert Hall) – SFJAZZ Collective.
Nov. 7 (Camp Concert Hall) – Academy of St. Martin in
the Fields, Kenneth Sillito directing, with Inon Barnatan, piano. Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 12 in A major, K. 414; Piano Concerto No. 9 in E flat major, K. 271; Cassation No. 1 in G major, K. 63; Divertimento in D major, K. 136.
Nov. 10 (Camp Concert Hall) – Dailey & Vincent, bluegrass band.
Nov. 15 (Camp Concert Hall) – Robert McDuffie, violin, with Venice Baroque Orchestra in "The Seasons Project." Vivaldi: "The Four Seasons;" Philip Glass: Violin Concerto No. 2 ("The
American Four Seasons").
Nov. 30 (Cannon Memorial Chapel) – The King’s Singers in holiday program.
Dec. 3 (Camp Concert Hall) – Danú, Irish folk band, in "Christmas Ireland: An Nollaig in Éirinn."
Jan. 14-15 (Jepson Theatre) – Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet.
Jan. 31-Feb. 1 (Jepson Theatre) – Merce Cunningham Dance Company in "The Legacy Tour."
Feb. 14-15 (Camp Concert Hall) – Savion Glover, tap dancer, in "SoLo iN TiME."
Feb. 18 (Camp Concert Hall) – Amanda Pabyan,
soprano. Program TBA.
Feb. 27 (Camp Concert Hall) – Shanghai Quartet with Wu Man, pipa. Lei Liang: Quintet for pipa and string quartet; other works TBA.
March 4-6 (7:30 p.m.); March 5 (2 p.m.) (Jepson Theatre) – Cirque Éloize, modern-dance-circus acrobatic troupe, in "ID."
March 14 (Camp Concert Hall) – eighth blackbird in "Powerless." Philippe Hurel: ". . . à mesure;" György Ligeti: Etudes; Philip Glass: "Music in Similar Motion;" other works TBA.
March 15 (Jepson Theatre) – Walnut Steet Theatre in Tennessee Williams’ "The Glass Menagerie."
March 17 (Landmark Theater) – KODO Drummers of Japan.
March 21 (Camp Concert Hall) – Yefim Bronfman, piano. Esa-Pekka Salonen: new work TBA; Schumann: Humoreske in B flat major, Op. 20; Haydn: Sonata in C major, Hob. XVI/50; Chopin: 12 études, Op. 10.
April 3 (Camp Concert Hall) – Sérgio & Odair Assad, guitars, with Christiane Karam, vocals; Clarice Assad, piano & vocals; and Jamey Haddad, percussion, in "De Volta As Raizes (Back to Our Roots)."
UR MUSIC DEPARTMENT EVENTS
free admission
at 7:30 p.m. in Camp Concert Hall unless listed otherwise
Sept. 19 (3 p.m., Perkinson Recital Hall, North Court) – Donald George, tenor, and Lucy Mauro, piano. "The Old Wicked Songs of Heinrich Heine." Schumann: "Dichterliebe;" other works TBA.
Sept. 20 – Emily Riggs, soprano, and David Ballena, piano. Songs by Villa-Lobos, Ginastera, Carlos Guastavino and Xaver Montsalvatge.
Sept. 24 – Family Weekend Concert, with UR Wind Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, Women’s Chorale & Schola Cantorum. Program TBA.
Oct. 13 – TimbaSon, Cuban jazz band, with José Lorenzo, vocals; Mike Davison, trumpet; and dancers from Latin Ballet of Virginia.
Oct. 22 – Richmond Symphony, Steven Smith conducting, with
Joanne Kong, piano & harpsichord. Michael Colgrass: "Side by Side" Concerto for piano, harpsichord and orchestra; Heather Stebbins: "Traces;" other works TBA. (Free; tickets required)
Oct. 25 (3 p.m.) – Schola Cantorum & Women’s Chorale, Jeffrey Riehl & David Pedersen directing. Program TBA.
Oct. 29 – David Esleck Trio. Jazz program TBA.
Nov. 4-6 (various times) – Third Practice Electroacoustic Music Festival, Benjamin Broening directing, with eighth blackbird., other performers TBA. Programs TBA.
Nov. 14 – UR Wind Ensemble, David Niethamer directing, with guest director TBA. Holst: Suite No. 2 in F major; other works TBA.
Nov. 17 – UR Jazz Combo; Mike Davison & Peter Loman, trumpets; other guest artists TBA. "Cuban Spectacular," multimedia show with music, dance and video.
Nov. 21 – UR Taiko Ensemble; other other ensembles TBA. "World Music Concert," traditional music from Japan, Brazil and India.
Nov. 22 – UR Jazz Ensemble & Combo, Mike Davison directing, with Justo Almario, saxophone & clarinet.
Nov. 29 – UR Chamber Ensembles. Program TBA.
Dec. 1 – UR Symphony Orchestra, Alexander Kordzaia conducting, with winners of 2010 UR Concerto/Vocal Competition. Program TBA.
Dec. 5 (5 and 8 p.m., Cannon Memorial Chapel) – Schola Cantorum and Women’s Chorale, Jeffrey Riehl & David Pedersen directing, in 37th annual Candlelight Service of Lessons and Carols.
Jan. 26 – eighth blackbird; Karin Brown, violin & viola; Emily Riggs, soprano; Paul Hanson & Joanne Kong, pianos; Mike Davison, trumpet; Anastasia Jellison, harp. Schoenberg: String Trio, "Herzewaechse," "Weinachtsmusik," "Nachtwandler;" Schoenberg-Webern: Chamber Symphony, "Five Orchestra Pieces." (Free; tickets required)
Feb. 6 (3 p.m.) – Richard Becker, piano. Program TBA.
Feb. 23 – Thomas Mastroianni, piano. Lecture-recital
with excerpts from Liszt’s "Années de Pelerinage" ("Years of Pilgrimage").
Feb. 26 (3 p.m.) – Neumann Lecture on Music: Composer Lei Liang, pipa player Wu Man and Shanghai Quartet on "Music in a Global Society."
March 27 (3 p.m.) – Richard Becker & Doris Wylee-Becker, pianos. Works by Becker, Stravinsky, Debussy, others.
April 4 – Jepson Leadership Forum: Composer Chen Yi on "A Journey of Creativity and Building an East-West Cultural Exchange." (Free; tickets required)
April 6 – UR Symphony Orchestra, Alexander Kordzaia conducting, with Nicholas Photinos, cello. Schumann: Cello Concerto; other works TBA.
April 8 – Schola Cantorum and Women’s Chorale, David Pedersen
directing, with eighth blackbird. Chen Yi: work TBA (premiere); other works TBA. (Free; tickets required)
April 10 – Mandingo Ambassadors; other artists TBA. "Global Sounds Festival," music from West Africa, Brazil, India, Japan, Cuba and the Middle East.
April 11 – UR Jazz Ensemble & Combo with strings, Mike Davison directing. Program TBA.
April 13 – UR Wind Ensemble, David Niethamer directing. Alfred Reed: "Othello;" other works TBA.
April 20 – UR Chamber Ensembles. Program TBA.