KINGSTON, RI – February 22, 2022 – From classical to contemporary music, from jazz big band to symphony orchestra and concert band, the University of Rhode Island’s music department will present dozens concerts this spring.
The one thing they have in common is that most will be held in the Fine Arts Center Concert Hall, 105 Upper College Road, on the Kingston campus. Many concerts are free and open to the public. All spectators are required to wear masks inside all URI buildings.
Here is a list of some of the performances that will be presented at the beginning of the spring semester. For more information, visit the Music Department website event website.
On Saturday February 26, the Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Ann Danis, will present an evening of music featuring works by Mozart and Ellington. The orchestra is made up of URI music students and members of the South County community. The concert starts at 8 p.m. in the concert hall. For tickets, click here.
The orchestra’s repertoire will include Vaughn Williams’ ‘Overture to the Wasps’, Mozart’s ‘Ave Verum Corpus’, Alex Rowley’s ‘Admiral’s Hornpipe’ and a medley of Duke Ellington.
On Thursday, March 3, the jazz big band will present a series of university artists: “Concert for a cause, in support of breast cancer”, coordinated by director Emmett Goods. The concert starts at 8 p.m. in the concert hall. For tickets, click here.
“In May 2020, I lost my wife, Keisha Goods, to breast cancer. She had a long, hard battle for 18 months,” Goods said. “This concert is to help an organization which I think really aligns with his values.”
The concert will feature the work of Mary Lou Williams, who has written and arranged for conductors such as Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman, and compositions by other female jazz composers. Goods said he wanted to focus on women in jazz, outside of the singing role.
“Mary Lou Williams is one of my local heroes. She grew up in my neighborhood,” said Goods, who grew up in Pittsburgh. “Our families knew each other. And her story is one of the best ever. in jazz. She was a child prodigy who began working professionally as a college student. She was equally talented as a performer and arranger.
Williams’ work began at the start of the Jazz Age and continued through modal jazz, Goods said, presenting a wide range of styles for the Big Band to master. Some of the tracks will be familiar to audiences, such as “Walkin’ & Swingin'” and “Messa Stomp”.
On Friday, April 1, the harmony orchestradirected by Brian Cardany, will honor the memory of former student Zachary Friedland ’13, who died in October, by performing his composition “Someday” as part of the night’s concert.
Friedland, 31, born with a rare heart defect, was a prolific composer, writing music for orchestra, wind ensembles, chamber music and vocal music. Among his works were “On Greens of White and Blue”, which he composed for URI’s 125th anniversary, as well as compositions for an URI debut and for the 30th anniversary of the Kingston Chamber Music Festival. Friedland, who holds a doctorate in music from The Ohio State University and a master’s degree from Bard College’s Longy School of Music, also founded the Rhode Island Recording Ensemble to champion the work of young, emerging composers.
“Zachary has been a very active member of the URI Music Department and the Rhode Island music community throughout his adult life,” Cardany said. “His passion for supporting young composers was embodied in the Rhode Island Recording Ensemble project, which involved the recording of new music by developing composers. He is one of two music alumni to be honored of a mural photograph on a wall of the Palace of Fine Arts.
The Concert Band will also perform “Emperata Overture” by Claude T. Smith, “Twilight in the Wilderness” by Christopher Tucker, “Sòlas Ané” by Samuel Hazo, “Sun Dance” by Frank Ticheli and “Circus Days” by Karl King. The concert starts at 8 p.m. in the concert hall. (Due to possible scheduling conflicts, the date of this concert may change. To confirm the date, please consult the Music section Event calendar.)
the Wind Symphony Ensemble, conducted by Gene Pollart, will perform on Sunday, March 6 at 7 p.m. in the Concert Hall. For tickets, click here.
In the spring, the department will also present concerts by jazz combos performing a wide range of jazz styles; weekly music graduation shows featuring student and faculty performances, and student and faculty recitals. Many of these performances are free. For dates and times, go to full program.
Gianna Cardarelli, a public relations major and intern in URI’s Marketing and Communications Department, wrote this press release.
