From Palestrina to Dire Straits
A number of talented small ensembles from the School of the Arts, Media and Culture (SAMC) at Trinity Western University present an evening of chamber music, with works by the 16th century composer Palestrina to the 1980s British rock band Dire Straits.
TWU’s Renaissance Singers, Piano Quartet, Wind Quintet, Saxophone Quintet, and Guitar Quartet will perform April 3 at 7:30 p.m.
The evening will showcase a wide range of styles ranging from the acoustic a cappella vocal harmonies of Palestrina’s Missa Brevis to the “plugged-in” electric guitars of Dire Straits’ Sultans of Swing.
Movements from Danzi’s Grand Quintette for wind quintet and Schumann’s Piano Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 47 (comprised of violin, viola, cello and piano) serve to bridge the historic gap.
For an eclectic mix of music spanning almost 500 years of musical history, plan to attend this evening of music performed by SAMC Music’s chamber ensembles.
The concert will take place in the Instrumental Music Hall, TWU Music Building. Admission is by donation ($5 suggested).
Fireworks and Fauré
TWU’s Spring Instrumental Concert promises a wonderful blend of the new and the familiar. The orchestra will feature Wave after Wave, a harp concerto newly composed by David Squires, Dean of TWU’s School of the Arts Media and Culture.
This work was written especially for fourth-year Music student Esther Cannon, winner of a TWU concerto competition.
Cannon, a resident of Langley, is “thrilled to have this unique opportunity.
“Playing with an orchestra is so good for a musician’s development, because you learn to work as a team; this is especially true of a concerto because as a soloist, you function like a leader,” she said.
The orchestra is excited to be involved in the unveiling of this new work. Music by Copland, Vaughan Williams and Fauré will round out the first part of the program.
The concert band’s portion of the concert will feature familiar tunes aplenty. The “Colonel Bogey” March is sure to set toes tapping to start the second half.
The infectious Newfoundland folk song “I’se the B’y” figures prominently in Vincent Gassi’s Canadian Folk Song Trilogy, while the music from the movie Superman and the opera Porgy and Bess will be familiar to many.
The evening will culminate with the fireworks of Tchaikovsky’s famous 1812 Overture.
Presented as part of the university’s fourth Annual Festival of the Arts, Media and Culture, which runs until April 15. For information on this and upcoming events, visit www.twu.ca/samc.
Fireworks and Fauré will be performed on Friday, April 5 at 7:30 p.m. at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, Langley and on Saturday, April 6 at 7:30 p.m. at Peace Lutheran Church in Abbotsford.
Admission to both concerts is by donation ($10 suggested).