UAlbany's Music Program Will Deliver Culture, Halloween Spirit at Two Upcoming Concerts

A group of singers dressed all in black stand in formation as they deliver a performance.

The UAlbany Community Chorale, pictured above, will present fresh work at a concert scheduled for later this month. The UAlbany Chamber Singers, UAlbany Symphony Orchestra and UAlbany Concert Band will also perform. (Photo by Gary Gold)

ALBANY, N.Y. (Oct. 11, 2022) — The Music Program at the University at Albany is continuing to offer up fresh performances, with two concerts planned for later this month.

Four of the program’s large ensembles will present a diverse array of traditional, cultural and seasonal works. The UAlbany Chamber Singers and UAlbany Community Chorale will perform at a concert Oct. 29, starting at 2 p.m. The UAlbany Symphony Orchestra and UAlbany Concert Band will perform in concert the next day, starting at 3 p.m.

Both events will be at the Performing Arts Center on the Uptown Campus.

The UAlbany Chamber Singers, a group of 28 students, will present five works, including "At the Round Earth’s Imagined Corners," a piece that invokes the well-known poem by John Donne, as well as the traditional Filipino folk song, "Paruparong Bukid."

Nearly four dozen singers who make up the UAlbany Community Chorale will present six works, including "Wide Open Spaces" by Canadian composer Sarah Quartel and "Jabula Jesu," a Zulu work song.

The choral ensembles will also deliver two joint performances: "Hope," by Ysae M. Barnwell, of the renowned female gospel acapella group Sweet Honey in the Rock, and "Let the River Run," which was arranged for choir by Craig Hella Johnson of the premiere Austin, Texas choral ensemble Conspirare.

The groups are directed by Michael Lister, now in his second year on faculty at the University.

“I am thrilled to see the students’ desire to make music again after the long and difficult period of COVID,” Lister said. “Their energy and enthusiasm are inspiring and will result in a very moving and heartfelt presentation of music.”

The UAlbany Concert Band — whose members include students, staff, faculty, and community members — will kick off the Oct. 30 concert with four Halloween-themed selections.

Men and women appear in seated formation playing the trumpet — The UAlbany Concert Band

Conducted by UAlbany faculty member Kevin Champagne, the first half of the concert will feature the Concert Band in Ed Kiefer’s "The Anguish of Nosferatu," Erika Svanoe’s "The Haunted Carousel," selections from "The Phantom of the Opera" and Justin Williams’ arrangement of "At the Movies: Haunted Nights."

The UAlbany Symphony Orchestra will take the stage for the second half of the concert. Performing under the direction of Christopher David Neubert, the orchestra will present two works: Gioacchino Rossini’s "Il Barbiere di Siviglia" (The Barber of Seville) and Gabriel Faure’s "Masques et Bergamasques."

Advance tickets to each concert are $5 for the general public and $3 for students, seniors and UAlbany faculty-staff. Tickets purchased day-of are $10 for the general public and $8 for students, seniors and UAlbany faculty-staff.

Tickets may be purchased online from the Performing Arts Center’s website. Anyone seeking more information can contact PAC’s main office at 518-442-3995 or [email protected].