Music

By the early 1980s, American composer Morton Feldman (1926–1987) began to create works of unusually long duration, featuring intricate interplays of pitches and patterns that slowly unfold (and sometimes suddenly change) over time. Among these works is the evening-length solo piano composition Triadic Memories (1981), performed in this concert by distinguished pianist and composer Amy Williams.

Come and join us after work for a rush-hour concert when UMBC string faculty gather forces to present iconic string repertoire! Of the abundant string quintets that Luigi Boccherini wrote, the Quintet in D major, op. 40 No. 2 (G. 341) is one of the most renowned, with the exciting Fandango dance in the final movement. The quintet will be followed by Anton Dvořák's String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, op. 96 “American,” one of Dvořák’s most beloved and celebrated chamber works.

Join the District5 wind quintet as they step into the shadowy musical world of “death.” This transformative program shines a light on the complexity, beauty, and fragility within a seemingly dark place. Seamlessly combining works from the Medieval era through present day, the concert features the powerful voices of composers such as Hildegard von Bingen, Carlo Gesualdo, Reena Esmail, and Esa-Pekka Salonen. Now in their 10th season, District5 is known for their creative and engaging programming.

The Strata ensemble returns to UMBC to present the premieres of five new works by UMBC student composers — Permafrost by Joshua Epstein, Phaistos by Pam Voulalas, Trials and Tribulations by Sarah Yuran, Sonder by D'Juan Moreland, and Radical by Vittoria Tchotche. 

The Strata ensemble joins forces with cellist Amy Sue Barston in a program featuring Stomping Grounds (2015) by Karim Al-Zand (b. 1970) and Olivier Messiaen's timeless masterpiece Quatuor pour la fin du temps (Quartet for the End of Time), written while the composer was a prisoner of war in 1940–41.

The Department of Music presents a screening of the new film Deep Listening: The Story of Pauline Oliveros, a documentary project on the life and work of American icon Pauline Oliveros, directed by Daniel Weintraub.

Flutists Lisa Cella and Carrie Rose of the inHALE collective present a program of music for a variety of flutes by Giorgos Vavoulas, Alexandre Lunsqui, Caterina Calderoni, Mark Menzies, Carrie Rose, Allison Loggins-Hull, and Nathalie Joachim.

Inscape performs a program featuring Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's Nonet along with vivacious works by Martinů and Britten. Each work is written for ensemble configurations that bridge the gap between chamber music and chamber orchestra. Coleridge-Taylor's long forgotten Nonet was premiered in 1894 and showcases his influence and admiration for the works of Dvořák. Martinů's Musique de Chambre No. 1 for harp, piano, and chamber players was his very last published work which stands in contrast to Britten's Sinfonietta for small orchestra, which he designed his "Opus 1" and dates from his student years.

The Department of Music presents the UMBC Wind Ensemble under the direction of Krystal Williams in program entitled "The unBroken Pieces of Me: A Mental Health Awareness Concert."

The Naptown Jazz Kids (NJK) Big Band Invitational showcases student big band performances with adjudications, clinics, workshops, and jam sessions. Focusing on jazz education, this non-competitive festival offers students and directors from public, private, and community jazz programs the opportunity to directly collaborate with prominent jazz artists and educators from the Mid-Atlantic region.

The U.S. Army Blues, a component of the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” will perform a free concert at UMBC in honor of Jazz Appreciation Month. This special event will feature the 2023 Collegiate and High School solo competition winners from the Army Blues Young Artist Competition, alongside Naptown Jazz Kids, the premier jazz organization for young people in Annapolis.

The Department of Music presents the UMBC Chamber Players under the direction of Airi Yoshioka. Students in the UMBC Chamber Players perform a wide variety of instrumental chamber works, ranging from Baroque, Classical, Romantic to contemporary repertoire.

The Department of Music presents the UMBC Symphony Orchestra and the UMBC String Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Philip Mann. The performance will feature works by Benedetto Marcello, Anton Arensky, José Bragato, Jean Sibelius, Samuel Barber, D'Juan Moreland, and Stephanie Berg, with soloists Juan Sebastian Delgado and Julia Plumer.

The Department of Music presents the Jubilee Singers and the UMBC Gospel Choir under the direction of Janice Jackson.