FRIDAY MUSIC SERIES SPRING 2015
SPRING 2015
The Georgetown University Music Program’s Friday Music Series features acclaimed artists in free concerts
on select Fridays at 1:15 p.m. in McNeir Hall, New North Building.*
(* unless otherwise indicated)
January 23
Washington National Opera
Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program
Jacqueline Echols, soprano
Raquel Gonzalez, soprano
Yi Li, tenor
Michael Brandenburg, tenor
Christian Bowers, baritone
Joel Ayau, pianist
Participants in this prestigious program perform arias and duets from popular operas, including Verdi’s “La traviata,” Rossini’s “La Cenerentola,” Puccini’s “La bohème,” and more..
January 30
Modern Musick
Musica Jesuitica
Co-sponsored with the Georgetown University Department of Spanish and Portuguese
This Jesuit Heritage Week program, created by Rev. Piotr Nawrot and performed by period ensemble Modern Musick, serves as the North American premiere of music from the 17th- and 18th-century archives in Bolivia, composed in honor of Saint Ignatius. The Georgetown University Music Program’s Friday Music Series features acclaimed artists in free concerts on Fridays at 1:15 p.m., on Georgetown’s main campus.
*DAHLGREN CHAPEL
February 6
Tobias Werner, cello
Lura Johnson, piano
Cellist Tobias Werner, Artistic Director of VERGE ensemble, ensemble-in-residence at the Corcoran Gallery, has performed in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, Strathmore Hall, the Phillips Collection, the New York Society for Ethical Culture, and at Bargemusic. Pianist Lura Johnson, director of Georgetown University’s Chamber Music Ensemble Program and principal pianist of the Delaware Symphony, is also a member of VERGE ensemble, and has collaborated extensively in orchestral performances and recordings with Yo Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Midori, Leila Josefowicz, and Jean-Yves Thibaudet. This program includes Gaspar Cassado’s “Suite for solo cello”; Ludwig van Beethoven’s Variations “Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen” from Mozart’s opera Die Zauberflöte for piano and cello; Robert Schumann’s “Fantasy pieces Op. 73 for cello and piano,” and Astor Piazzolla’s “Le Grand Tango” for cello and piano.
February 13
Mary Halvorson, guitar
Mary Halvorson’s solo guitar project features her own unique take on jazz standards and more obscure covers, including compositions by Ornette Coleman, Noel Ackchote, Annette Peacock, Carla Bley, Thelonious Monk, Tomas Fujiwara, Chris Lightcap, Oliver Nelson, and others. The solo guitar format allows her new terrain and a wide open sonic palette to explore. “…another bold expansion for Halvorson, under the clever guise of constriction.” (Nate Chinen, Jazz Times)
February 20
Paul Skevington, organ
Paul Skevington is the Minister of Music and Liturgy at Saint Luke Catholic Church in McLean, Va., and serves as artistic director of the Music in McLean concert series. He is a sought after choral accompanist in the Washington, D.C. area, an active solo performer, and can be heard on five compact disc recordings, including as soloist on the internationally released Organ Concertos by Joseph Rheinberger on the Naxos label. This program will showcase the subtle and varied sound colors of the organ, drawing on works by Bach, Elgar, and Vaughan Williams. A good portion of the program will highlight works by American composers, including the well-known Variations on America by Charles Ives and the Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber. The Georgetown University Music Program’s Friday Music Series features acclaimed artists in free concerts on Georgetown’s main campus.
*DAHLGREN CHAPEL
March 20
Dúo del Sol
Guitarist Tom Farrell and violinist Javier Orman of Dúo del Sol have been called “avant-sonic acrobats” by LA Weekly and “exceptional genius” by I Am Entertainment Magazine. Their debut LP “hello Kaleidoscope” was recently nominated for “Best Instrumental Album” by the Independent Music Awards and the Latin American “Premios Graffiti.” On stage, this firebrand duo harnesses the raw energy of a rock band by wildly stretching their instruments beyond any traditional limits, mixing and engineering their unique sounds like two mad scientists. Their instruments become irrelevant and what’s left is evocative, powerful music.
March 27
Edvinas Minkstimas, piano
A native of Lithuania, pianist Edvard Minkstimas has performed at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, soloist appearances with NSO, Arlington Philharmonic, Amadeus Orchestra, Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, Mahler Philharmonic, and Lithuanian National Philharmonic, as well as concert tours around the world. Minkstimas serves as a guest faculty member of the Washington International Piano Festival and Artist-in-Residence of the Embassy Series Festival in Washington DC.
April 10
Joe McCarthy and Friends
Grammy Award-winning drummer, producer and bandleader Joe McCarthy has lead a diverse career which has taken him from Symphony Orchestra and Big Band, to Afro Cuban, Bebop, and beyond. A faculty member at Georgetown University’s Music Program, McCarthy is the leader/founder of Afro Bop Alliance, a DC-based Afro Cuban jazz ensemble, winner of the 2008 Latin Grammy for Latin Jazz Album of the Year and nominated for the 51st Grammy Awards in the same category.
April 17
Improvisation in Beethoven’s Violin Sonatas
This lecture recital explores the role of improvisation in Beethoven’s violin sonatas. After presenting excerpts from various works, Todd and Uhde will conclude with a performance of Violin Sonata in A minor, Op. 23 in its entirety.
Updates to be posted on this page.
Past Performances