FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Gita Brown, 401-456-8465, gbrown@ric.edu
Laura Hart, 401-456-8977, lhart@ric.edu
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – This spring, Rhode Island College offers its signature blend of contemporary, classical and jazz music along with renowned guest performers.
The spring season opens with the RIC Chamber Orchestra and Small Ensembles, directed by RIC Professor John Sumerlin, on Sunday, Feb. 16, at 7:30 p.m., in Gaige Auditorium. The concert features violin soloist Kelsey Foeller. On the proram are works by Mendelssohn, Barber and Beethoven. Admission is free.
In a RIC Wind Ensembleconcert titled “Fusion,” conducted by RIC Professor of Music Rob Franzblau, a rich cross-fertilization of musical styles are offered – jazz, classical, Cajun dance, Broadway and big band – on Friday, Feb. 28, at 8 p.m. in Sapinsley Hall. Among the performance works are three anonymously arranged Joplin rags from “The Red Back Book,” Joaquín Rodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez,” Donald Grantham’s “J’ai Ete au Bal” (Suite of Old American Dances) by Robert Russell Bennett and Frank Tichelli’s “Blue Shades.” General admission is $10.
On Monday, March 3, at 8 p.m. in Sapinsley Hall, the RIC Symphony Orchestra presents the “19th Samuel and Esther Chester Performance Award Concert,” led by Adam Boyles, conductor of the MIT Symphony Orchestra. Works featured are Kalinnikov’s Symphony No. 1, Chadwick’s “Symphonic Sketches Suite for Orchestra” and Haydn’s Synfonia No. 95. Admission is free.
The Spring Choral Concert by the RIC Chorus, Chamber Singers and Women’s Chorus is scheduled for Friday, March 7, at 8 p.m. in Sapinsley Hall. Selections from the Renaissance, Baroque, Romantic and contemporary periods are performed under the direction of RIC Professor Teresa Coffman with instructor Christina Breindel as pianist. General admission is $10.
“Boldly Beethoven!” is the theme of the Wednesday Masterworks Concert on March 19, at 1 and 7:30 p.m. in Sapinsley Hall. This performance features the Generations Trio – violinist Dmitri Pogorelov, cellist John Sant’Ambrogio and pianist Judith Lynn Stillman. Additional Masterworks Concerts, under the direction of RIC Artist-in-Residence Judith Lynn Stillman are held on April 2 and 23, at 1 p.m. in Sapinsley Hall.The April 2 concert highlights RIC faculty members Ian Greitzer, clarinet, and Mary Ellen Kregler, flute.All Masterworks Concerts are free and open to the public (suggested donation $10).
On Monday, March 31, at 8 p.m. in Sapinsley Hall, the RIC faculty ensemble Proteus String Quartet performs Mozart’s Quartet in B-flat Major and Tchaikovsky’s “Souvenir de Florence.” Members of the quartet are Professor of Music John Sumerlin, violin; Assistant Professor Samuel Breene, violin; and Adjunct Professors Susan Culpo, viola, and Steve Laven, cello. Admission is free.
The annual Performing Arts Series includes two musical offerings this spring: An audience favorite, the Muir String Quartet returns for its 21st season, performing works by Haydn, Kreisler and Mendelssohn on Monday, April 7, at 7:30 p.m. in Sapinsley Hall. Reserved seating is $35. Duo-pianists John and Richard Contiguglia, identical twins who have collaborated since the age of five, perform on Sunday, April 13, at 2:30 p.m. in Sapinsley Hall. Their program includes “A Four-Hand Tribute to Schubert.” Reserved seating is $35.
In their second concert of the season, the RIC Chamber Orchestra and Small Ensembles perform on Sunday, April 13, at 7:30 p.m. in the Forman Theatre. Admission is free.
On Wednesday, April 16, the RIC Jazz Combo Concert, directed by RIC Adjunct Professor Greg Abate, includes jazz classics from The Great American Songbook at 7 p.m. in the Forman Theatre. Admission is free.
Composer, conductor and Yale University Professor Thomas Duffy leads the RIC Wind Ensemble in a concert on Friday, April 25, at 8 p.m. in Sapinsley Hall. General Admission is $10.
On Friday, May 2, at 8 p.m. in Sapinsley Hall the RIC Chorus presents the Annual Bon Voyage Choral Concert, showcasing graduating senior vocal music majors. Admission is $10.
The RIC Symphony Orchestra holdsthe Bicho Family Memorial Scholarship Concert on Monday, April 28, at 8 p.m. in Sapinsley Hall. Admission is $10.
And on Monday, May 5, the Jazz Band Concert, led by John Foley, features saxophonist and composer Jimmy Greene. The concert begins at 8 p.m. in Sapinsley Hall. Admission is $10.
RIC’s season ends with an accent on opera. Favorite scenes from some of the world’s great operas are performed by RIC Opera Workshop on Sunday, May 11, at 7 p.m. in Sapinsley Hall. The suggested donation is $10.
For tickets, call the Box Office at (401) 456-8144, or visit www.ric.edu/pfa. Both the Sapinsley Hall and Forman Theatre are located on the RIC campus, 600 Mt. Pleasant Ave., Providence.
