Semester to end with flurry of student music concerts

Skidmore's Music Department will host an array of student concerts starting Thursday, Dec. 2, through Wednesday, Dec. 8. Details on each event follow. Except where noted, all are scheduled in the Arthur Zankel Music Center, Helen Filene Ladd Concert Hall. 

With the exception of the Dec. 4 Community Chorus/Vocal Chamber Ensemble Concert (see details below), admission is free and tickets are not required for entry to the concerts.

West African Drumming, Thursday, Dec. 2

West African Drumming classes as well as the West African Drumming Ensemble, led by renowned Ghanaian drummer, choreographer, and composer Yacub Addy, will perform their end-of-semester recital at 7 p.m. Dec. 2 in the Beckerman Ensemble Room. The groups will perform a selection of Chanian polyrhythms using hand and stick drumming, bells, and shakers.

Skidmore Guitar Ensemble, Thursday, Dec. 2

The Skidmore College Guitar Ensemble performs at 8 p.m. Dec. 2. This year, coach Joel Brown leads a group of eight students playing classical guitar repertoire ranging from the 16 ^th to the 20 ^th centuries. The recital will also feature solo works, two duets, and a trio. The entire ensemble will play works by the medieval composer Praetorious, modern Cuban composer Leo Brouwer's "Toccata," and two lively works by Brazilian composer Celso Machado.

"Falling for Song," Friday, Dec. 3

Voice students of Anne Turner and Gene Marie Kern will perform, starting at 5 p.m.

Skidmore Small Jazz Ensemble, Friday, Dec. 3

Under the coaching of Artists-in-Residence John Nazarenko, Mark Vinci, and George Muscatello, students in the Skidmore Small Jazz Ensembles will perform at 8 p.m. Dec. 3. These student ensembles perform on and off campus for various events, including shows at Caffe Lena, Falstaff's, and Virgil's Coffee House. The combos also participate in coaching and master classes by guest artists such as The Bad Plus, Eric Harland, and Chris Potter. Repertoire is largely decided by the students and includes jazz, Latin, funk, and rock-based music.

Skidmore Student Composition Concert, Saturday, Dec. 4

World premiere compositions by Skidmore students will be presented at 3 p.m. Dec. 4. The concert will feature a wide variety of works and styles, including solo piano, jazz combo, string quartet and guitars (electric and acoustic). The students enrolled in MU 357, a course in composition taught by Anthony Holland, annually present a concert of work they have completed during the semester. Seven of them will participate in this extravaganza of newly written music. 

Skidmore Community Chorus and Vocal Chamber Ensemble, Saturday, Dec. 4

At 8 p.m. Dec. 4, Janet McGhee will direct the 125-voice Skidmore College Community Chorus in a program that features Morten Lauridsen's transcendent "Lux Aeterna," plus music by P.D.Q. Bach, Professor Peter Schickele, and others. P.D.Q. Bach's "Art of the Ground Round" for men's voices and discontinuo, and Schickele's "After Spring Sunset," a setting of Japanese haiku, will be sung by the 25-voice Skidmore Vocal Chamber Ensemble. The Vocal Ensemble women will sing choruses from Mendelssohn's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," which marked their debut this fall with the Albany Symphony Orchestra. Also on the program is music by Rene Clausen and Orlando Gibbons' delightful "The Cries of London," complete with costumed street vendors and Skidmore accompanist Patricia Hadfield on harpsichord.  Soloists are Meg Ashur '11, Filene Scholar Carolyn Bottelier '13, Emma Goldberg Liu '14, Nicole Newell '13, soprano, and Filene Scholar Laura Pendleton '14. To reserve tickets, click here or call (518) 580-5321. Students are free with code FREETIX. Skidmore faculty/staff: $3-$5. Tickets will be available at the door.

Skidmore Flute and Wind Chamber Ensembles, Sunday, Dec. 5

At 2 p.m. Dec. 5 the Skidmore Flute and Wind Chamber Ensembles will perform eclectic and exciting music by Holst, Higdon, Haydn, Kohler, Saint-Saens and Mozart. Coached by Senior Artist-in-Residence Jan Vinci, Susan Martula, and Randall Ellis, the ensembles include a flute quartet; two flutes and cello trio; a clarinet quartet; flute, oboe and viola trio; and an ensemble of flute, oboe, clarinet, and piano.

Skidmore Jazz Ensemble, Monday, Dec. 6

Mark Vinci will lead the Skidmore Jazz Ensemble in a performance at 8 p.m. Dec. 6. The program includes a mix of standards and more recent tunes, including Grammy Award-winning composer Slide Hampton's "Foxy," as well as Duke Ellington's "C Jam Blues," and Ella's rendition of "Tisket a Tasket." This year the jazz ensemble will also perform Radiohead's "Everything in its Right Place," arranged by James Miley. The Radiohead work features a unique chord progression and an odd 10/4 time signature, which is guaranteed perk the audience's ears.

Skidmore String Ensembles, Wednesday, Dec. 8

Two string ensembles will perform classical string repertoire at 7 p.m. Dec. 8. The large ensemble will play "String Sonata" by Albinoni, and Tchaikovsky's "Serenade for Stings." The chamber ensemble will play selections by Beethoven, Vivaldi, and Dvorak.