The College of Music at Michigan State University presents the second concert in the 2013-14 Joanne and Bill Church West Circle Series – A French Master: Claude Debussy – on Monday, Nov. 25, 7:30 p.m., at Fairchild Theatre, MSU Auditorium.

Having made the move to the reinvented Fairchild Theatre in MSU Auditorium, eight artists from the MSU College of Music will take the stage for this concert, which includes a rarely performed piece for flute, viola, and harp.

Debussy has often been associated with Impressionist music, a musical counterpart to the artistic movement known as Impressionism, because of his sensuous harmonies and tonal ambiguity that also reflect the ethereal mood of paintings in that particular style. But it is said that the composer disliked the term when applied to his work.

A French Master: Claude Debussy presents a dynamic concert program, including:

• Petite Suite – Deborah Moriarty and Minsoo Sohn, piano
• Syrinx – Richard Sherman, flute
• Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp – Richard Sherman, flute; Yuri Gandlesman, viola; and Chen-Yu Huang, harp
• Ariettes oubliées – Melanie Helton, soprano, and Alan Nathan, piano
• Sonata for Cello and Piano – Suren Bagratuni, cello, and Deborah Moriarty, piano

Concert guide is Dr. Kevin Bartig, musicologist.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors (age 60 and older), and $5 for students and anyone under 18. (Free “rush” seating for students, if available). Tickets may be purchased online HERE, or at the door. 

The Debussy concert is generously sponsored by Beth and the late Dr. Milton Muelder. Series sponsors Joanne and Bill Church, both MSU alumni living in New York, return often to East Lansing for College of Music performances.