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.