Ensemble ACJW returns this week
Ensemble ACJW returns to the stage of Skidmore’s Arthur Zankel Music Center at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17. A pre-performance talk with the musicians will begin at 7 p.m. This event—the first of two residencies this academic year, is sponsored by Skidmore’s Department of Music and the Office of the Dean of Special Programs, with the generous support of Beverly Sanders Payne ’59 and David B. Payne.
The program features Mozart’s Quartet for Flute and Strings in D Major, composed during the winter of 1777-78 for the wealthy Dutch physician and amateur flutist Ferdinand de Jean; David Lang’s these broken wings, and Beethoven’s Septet in E-flat Major, one of his most popular works, written in 1799 and dedicated to the Empress Maria Theresa.
Lang, currently the McCormack Visiting Artist-Scholar at Skidmore, is a New York-based composer active in many genres and media. His piece the little match girl passion, commissioned by Carnegie Hall, won the Pulitzer Prize in 2008 and a Grammy Award in 2010. Lang is Musical America's 2013 Composer of the Year and recipient of Carnegie Hall's Debs Composer's Chair for 2013-2014.
Ensemble ACJW, fellows of The Academy, is a program of Carnegie Hall, the Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City Department of Education. Created in 2007, Ensemble ACJW supports young professionals in the development of their music careers with advanced musical training and intensive teaching instruction. Furthermore, the program encourages the adaptation of skills required for careers that combine musical excellence with education, community engagement, advocacy, and leadership.
Twice annually, Ensemble ACJW participates in a five-day residency at Skidmore College. The fellows offer master classes, lessons, and class demonstrations, perform with students of the Skidmore College Orchestra and read student compositions. They also present concert programs that include world premieres commissioned by Carnegie Hall. Ensemble fellows also participate in community outreach while in residence at Skidmore. This fall there are interactive performances planned at the Geyser Road and Caroline Street elementary schools as well as Saratoga Bridges, a performance during Skidmore’s Mature Adult Learners program, and an “informance” at the college’s Lucy Scribner Library.
Admission for the Friday, Oct. 17, event is $8 adults; $5 seniors, retirees, faculty, and staff; and free for students and children. For advance reservations or more information, please click here or call the Zankel Box Office at (518)-580-5321. The Zankel Music Center is wheelchair accessible and offers listening devices for the hearing impaired.
