The University at Albany Department of
Music is pleased to present the seventeenth annual Festival of Contemporary Music on Monday, March 16, 2009 at 8pm
in the Main Theatre of the Performing
Arts Center on the uptown campus. The
University Percussion Ensemble and the Empire State Youth and Repertory
Percussion Ensembles will perform.
The featured work
will be “Arcadia II,” the masterpiece of American composer David Maslanka and a
tour de force concerto for marimba
and ensemble that speaks about life, death, immortality, joy, damnation and
redemption. The soloist will be Nicholas Tariello, a senior at
“Arcadia II” was
first performed in 1986 by the Ensemble of Central Michigan University. The
Empire State Youth Ensemble gave the second set of performances of this work in
1991, including the first performance in New York City with the legendary
Stefon Harris (then a high school senior) playing the lead part. The three-movement
concerto is beautifully melodic with three marimbas, two vibraphones, bells,
chimes, xylophone and a host of metallic and wooden percussion color effects
along with the usual array of drums. This will be the first opportunity in the
Capital Region in more than a decade to hear this work in its entirety.
Also on the program
will be the Lou Harrison classic “Song of Quetzalcoatl,” works by David Mancini
and Ney Rosauro, an original work by UAlbany student Rob Stroffolino and one
featuring Caleb Davis, twice chosen as the drummer in the Massachusetts
All-State Jazz Ensemble.
Tickets are $8 for the general public, $6 for seniors & UAlbany faculty/staff and $4 for students and may be purchased through the Performing Arts Center Box Office. For further information, contact the Box Office at (518) 442-3997 or visit the Performing Arts Center website at www.albany.edu/pac.
