MSU Wind Symphony
Thursday, Sept. 29

PURCHASE TICKETS
7:30 p.m., Cobb Great Hall, Wharton Center

• Kevin L. Sedatole, conductor
• Lindsay Kesselman, soprano
• Paul Rivera, bass trombone
• John Mackey and Steven Bryant, guest composers

The top band ensemble at the College of Music will take the stage on Sept. 29, after having worked with composers Steven Bryant and John Mackey during the week, for an eclectic performance that features talented soloists and includes a world premiere.

Works include Nothing Gold Can Stay, a world premiere by Steven Bryant, which was commissioned by former students of Kevin Sedatole, director of MSU Bands, to celebrate the director’s 10 years at Michigan State University. In contrast to the rest of the Sept. 29th concert, which Sedatole describes as “storming,” the Bryant piece is more of a calm, relaxed piece.

The second half of the concert will feature the music of John Mackey. Songs from the End of the World is written for band and soprano, and features MSU alumnae Lindsay Kesselman as soloist. Finally, Asphalt Cocktail will close the concert. This piece was commissioned by the MSU Bands in 2009 and is considered a real showstopper.

Program includes:
Leszczynski – Scherzo a la Britten
Bryant – Nothing Gold Can Stay
Schnyder – subZERO, concerto for Bass Trombone
Mackey – Songs from the End of the World
Mackey- Asphalt Cocktail

MSU Symphony Orchestra
Friday, Sept. 30

PURCHASE TICKETS
8:00 p.m., Cobb Great Hall, Wharton Center

• Kevin Noe, conductor
• Yuri Gandelsman, viola, faculty artist

The MSU Symphony Orchestra will perform its first concert of the season on Sept. 30 and offers popular pieces from the mid-20th century by Stravinsky, Bartók, and Britten.

Violist Yuri Gandelsman is set to perform the rarely heard and demanding Viola Concerto by Béla Bartók. The concerto, one of the last pieces written by the composer, was commissioned in the 1940s by William Primrose, a well-respected violist who wanted a challenging work for viola and orchestra. Primrose told Bartók that he “shouldn’t feel in any way proscribed by the apparent technical limitations of the instrument,” which insinuates the type of virtuosic playing the piece showcases.

Other pieces featured are Igor Stravinsky’s Divertimento from The Fairy’s Kiss, part of an orchestral suite from 1932 based on the composer’s opera, and Benjamin Britten’s Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, the composer’s scene changes in his 1945 opera.

Program includes:
Stravinsky – Divertimento from The Fairy’s Kiss
Bartók – Viola Concerto
Britten – Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes

Admission is free for students with ID and anyone under the age of 18. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors (age 60 and older), and can be purchased online, at the College of Music box office, by calling (517) 353-5340, or in person (333 W. Circle Drive, East Lansing), or at the door at Wharton Center.

There will be a $3 restoration fee for tickets purchased at Wharton Center, via phone, box office, or the website. This is not a College of Music fee.