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School of Music performance

Witness the power of large ensembles in concert!

The University of Southern Maine Concert Band and Chorale – the two largest ensembles in the School of Music -- will perform back-to-back concerts in Gorham on the weekend of April 18 and 19. Tickets for either are so inexpensive -- $6 for the general public, and $3 for seniors and students. Call 780-5555 for information.

The USM Chorale, directed by Dr. Robert Russell, will take the stage of USM Gorham’s Corthell Concert Hall at 5 p.m., Saturday, April 18, 2009.

The centerpiece of the concert is John Rutter's “Requiem,” a beautifully lyrical choral work in Latin and English with a small instrumental ensemble. It is an adapted musical setting of the Catholic Requiem Mass, and its seven movements include Requiem Aeternam, Out of the Deep, Pie Jesu, Sanctus, Agnus dei, The Lord is my Shepherd, and Lux Aeterna. Completed in 1985, “Requiem” is one of Rutter’s more famous choral works.

Other shorter works will complete the program, such as: “With a Lily in Your Hand” by Eric Whitacre – one piece from a three-part work based on a poem by Federico García Lorca. The music beautifully mimics butterflies, fire, and water. Canadian composer R. Murray Schafer wrote the contemporary work, “Epitaph for Moonlight,” based on an exercise on pitch he gave to his seventh grade students. “Epitaph” captures the feeling of moonlight through music.

The USM Concert Band, directed by Dr. Peter Martin, will perform at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 19 in McCormack Performing Arts Center at Gorham High School.

The program includes “A Movement for Rosa” by Mark Camphouse. The piece is dedicated to the memory of Rosa Parks, the African-American woman who sparked the Civil Rights Movement by refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man. The music outlines Rose Parks’ life; her early years, marriage, strife in Montgomery, and her quest for social justice. The last few measures of “Movement for Rosa” end dissonantly; a reminder of racism's lingering presence in America.

The band will also play Gustav Holst's “First Suite In E-flat” which was written in the early 20th century for military bands. Its last and powerful third movement, March, opens with a bass drum solo, rare in band literature.

Another work is based on the story of the same name, “Der Traum Des Oenghus,” (The Dream of Oenghus) by Rolf Rudin. It tells the story of Prince Oenghus, an Irish prince who dreams about a mysterious unknown flautist, and falls in love with her. The first movement is dream-like and mysterious, ending with a flute solo signifying the Prince's inability to find the flautist. The second movement mirrors the increasing intensity of the search for her.

Those needing special accommodations to participate fully in this program,
contact Emmanuelle Chaulet at 780-5146.
Hearing impaired: call USM's telex / TDD number 780-5646

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