|
THE ORCHESTRA AT WILLIAM PATERSON UNIVERSITY OPENS ITS 1999-2000 CONCERT SEASON
The Orchestra at William Paterson University opens its 1999-2000 concert season on Friday, October 29 with Boston conductor Kay George Roberts and David Demsey, tenor saxophone, as soloist. The concert begins at 8 p.m. in the Shea Center for Performing Arts at William Paterson University in Wayne. A highlight of the program will be Alec Wilder's "Suite for Tenor and Strings" performed by Demsey on saxophone. He will also play Duke Ellington's "Three Black Kings." Other works include "Chamber Overture" by Dalton Winslow and Symphony No. 2 by Jean Sibelius. Roberts has been active as a guest conductor with numerous orchestras in the United States since her debut with the Cleveland Orchestra in 1993. She has led the Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, Louisville Orchestra, Shreveport Symphony, Wayne Chamber Orchestra and Washington D.C.'s National Symphony. In addition, Roberts has also conducted in Europe where she made a highly acclaimed debut at the Lugano Festival with the Orchestra Svizzera Italiana. An advocate for new music, Roberts has conducted the Black Music Repertory Ensemble which performs classical music by African-American composers from the 1800s to the present. She has been the recipient of many honors, including the Tenth Anniversary Celebration Award in 1999 from the Lowell Office of Cultural Affairs. A graduate of Fisk University, Roberts is the first woman to earn a doctorate in orchestral conducting from Yale University. She is a professor of music at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell and is also in her third year as a non-resident fellow at Harvard University's W.E.B. Institute doing research on African-American concert music. She is the music director and founder of a new chamber ensemble, "String Currents," that promotes music by American composers who represent the cultural diversity in our society. Demsey, a professor of music and coordinator of jazz studies at William Paterson, is equally comfortable as a recitalist and jazz performer. He has performed with the New York Philharmonic since 1995, including its 1997 Latin American tour under the direction of Andre Previn, Leonard Slatkin, Yuri Temirkanove, and Kurt Masur. His recordings include the Golden Crest album "Demsey Plays Wilder," a collection of jazz and chamber music by composer Alec Wilder. Demsey and William Houston, executive director of The Orchestra, will present a lecture prior to the concert, in room 101 of Shea Center at 7 p.m. The lecture, designed to highlight the themes and forms of the evening's music, is free to all ticketholders. Tickets for the concert are $25 and $20, depending on the location. Students may purchase two tickets for the rear loge at $5 each; a valid I.D. card is required. The Orchestra, formerly known as the Wayne Chamber Orchestra, is supported in part by grants from the Passaic County Cultural and Heritage Council through a grant from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State. In addition, the orchestra is underwritten in part by William Paterson University and supported by gifts from private individuals, area businesses and corporations. The ensemble has gained national recognition both for its excellence of performance and imaginative programming. For additional information, please call the
Shea Center Box Office at 973-720-2371.
|