America turns 250 years old this year, and the Michigan State University College of Music will celebrate with a pair of concerts over the next few weeks.
MSU professor of piano Deborah Moriarty assembles the programs for the West Circle concert series. She says a quarter of a millennium is a lot of ground to cover in the performance scheduled for April 13.
“It’s a pretty exciting time for music,” she explained. “I don’t think people always realize how much music is part of our culture. It’s just there. It’s there all the time.”
Moriarty describes the program as “sandwiched” between works of early 20th century composer George Gershwin.
“It starts off with Ralph Votapek playing some of the Gershwin pieces from the songbook, the Gershwin songbook, and it will finish with the professors of jazz playing Gershwin.”
For Moriarty, Gershwin is almost the most American of American composers.
“He’s not just a composer that writes music for Broadway,” she said. “He’s also a composer who wrote piano concertos. We all feel that we own part of Gershwin, and I think maybe Gershwin owns us.”
Moriarty herself will be joined by piano four hands partner Zhihua Tang to play works by two American women, starting with Florence Price spirituals.
The duo will also play pieces by composer Amy Beach.
Tang will stay onstage to perform with featured violin faculty member Yvonne Lam to salute Leonard Bernstein’s “West Side Story.”
The MSU professors of jazz will conclude the program with Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm” and other selections, wrapping things up with an associate professor of vocal jazz and Grammy Award nominee.
“Carmen Bradford will be the vocalist. She was with the Count Basie band for many, many years, and so she’ll be singing Gershwin songs.”
The West Circle Concert Series “USA at 250 Years” program will be Monday, April 13 in the Fairchild Theatre of the MSU Auditorium.
Next month, the College of Music “Piano Monster: America 250” concert, featuring seven pianists and four grand pianos, will include works from more American composers including Scott Joplin and Aaron Copland. A sing-along of patriotic songs is also planned. That will also be in the Fairchild Theatre on Sunday, May 3, starting at 3 p.m.
The MSU College of Music is a financial supporter of WKAR.
UPCOMING ARTS EVENTS
The Purple Rose Theatre in Chelsea opens preview performances of the comic mystery “Murder on the Links” Thursday, April 2 at 7:30 p.m. There will be a talkback after the show.
The stage version of the game and movie “Clue” will be at the MSU Wharton Center for eight performances, starting Tuesday, April 7.
The “Passing of the Laurel” ceremony marking the transition of Lansing’s current poet laureate Ruelaine Stokes to successor Suban Nur Cooley will be next Tuesday, April 7 at 7:30 p.m. at the Robin Theatre in Lansing.
