November Filled with Must-See Music Performances on Campus
Tickets are free for AU students with ID, $10 for alumni, staff, faculty, children, and senior citizens (55 and older), $15 general admission.
Choral Abstractions
American University Chamber Singers
Daniel Abraham, Director
November 4, 7:30 pm
November 5, 4:30 pm
American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center, 3rd floor
Join us for an inspiring earful of innovative approaches to choral sound in conjunction with the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center’s exhibition of large abstract works by Steven Cushner, this program with commentary will be a delight for the eyes, ears, and mind.
By its very nature, choral music is not often abstract. Frequently, however, contemporary composers have taken a more abstract approach by creating music without words, by adopting vocal devices, and even creating open approaches to shape and form that provide greater parallels to visual art.
Choral Abstractions features graphic notation works by Canadian composer R. Murray Schafer, Estonian composer Veljo Tormas' “Curse upon iron,” a contemporary Tintinnabuli-minimalist composition by Arvo Pärt, performance art by Meredith Monk, works by Australian Stephen Leek and experimentalist Toby Twinning using non-traditional vocal techniques, and more.
Fall for Jazz
American University Jazz Orchestra
Department of Performing Arts
Joshua Bayer, director
November 10, 7:30 pm
Katzen Arts Center, Abramson Family Recital Hall
The AU Jazz Orchestra plays swing, bop, funk, and rock! Each concert features a variety of these styles.
Florence Price Symphony no. 3
American University Symphony Orchestra
Department of Performing Arts
Matthew Brown, conductor
November 11, 7:30 pm
November 12, 3 pm
Katzen Arts Center, Abramson Family Recital Hall
For the first time in its history, the American University Symphony Orchestra will present Florence Price's Symphony no. 3 in C minor. Florence Price was a Black female American composer who was largely overlooked during her career, and even more so posthumously, due to her race and gender. Her music is a force that the orchestral world is finally starting to reckon with. Also featuring Wagner's "Prelude" and "Liebestod" from Tristan und Isolde, and works by Bruch and Sibelius.