News & Events

OLD DEAD WHITE GUYS

Sunday, September 22, 2024
5:00pm, St. Luke's Chapel

Rebecca Van de Ven and Bernadette Lo will return to the stage of St. Luke’s chapel on September 22, 2024 at 5 pm.  Joined by fellow University of the South faculty member Greg Danner, they will perform selections composed by two, dead white guys.  While our musical world has expanded to include and now promote female and minority composers, this concert will pay homage to two lesser known white male composers from the past.  An organist and composer from England, Herbert Howells was born in 1892.  He is most famous for his contributions to Anglican church music.  In his music, you can hear the influence of both Thomas Tallis, and Ralph Vaughn Williams.  Van de Ven and Lo will perform the Sonata for Oboe and Piano in A minor in which Howell utilizes dissonance, complicated rhythms, changing meter, and contrapuntal texture to express the grief he experienced during much of his life.  Given the intricacies of the music, the rich harmonic language and the stream of melodic figures, the listener is transported to a world in which one feels part of the composer’s journey through illness, death, and multiple world wars.  The final movement allows for some resolution with glimmers of hope for a peaceful future.

The second piece featured on the program is Carl Reinecke’s Trio for Oboe, Horn, and Piano.  It is of similar length and harmony to the Howells and yet the setting is completely different, leaving the listener in an entirely different place emotionally following the performance.  Carl Reinecke was a German composer and pianist who lived in the mid to late 1800’s.  He lived at the same time as Brahms and Schumann and just past his 200th birthday this June.  In 1871 a concert of his music was reviewed and the critic pronounced it above that of Brahms.  Reinecke was deeply drawn to the music of Schumann and you can hear the melodic influence throughout much of his music and in this piece.  Schumann has been quoted saying “Reinecke understands me, like few others.”  In 1860 he became director of the Leipzig Conservatory and instructed students such as Grieg, and Bruch.  His works continue to be celebrated for their melodic beauty and depth.  This particular piece is full of rich melody that is woven between the instruments.  After an intensely romantic first movement, a bouncy scherzo takes the listener into an altogether different mood.  The horn warms the listener with a lovely melody in the third movement that returns to interrupt the more playful sounds of the fourth movement.  Reinecke intertwines the material leaving the listener feeling settled and relaxed.  

Please come out to enjoy this concert of music for about 45 min. We have enjoyed preparing the program for the community.  Come be healed through music on September 22, 2024 at St. Luke’s Chapel on the campus of the University of the South, beginning at 5 pm.

MUSICAL THEATRE SCENES PERFORMANCE

Monday, April 29 
7:00 p.m.
Guerry Auditorium

Free and open to the public.

The students of MUSC 255: Workshop for the Singing Actor present an evening of musical theatre scenes and solos! Featuring excerpts from Little Women, Guys and Dolls, The Mad Ones, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, The Bridges of Madison County, and [Title of Show].

With Vicki Collinsworth, piano.

Student Guitar Recital

Tuesday, April 30, 4pm
Guerry Auditorium

 Please come hear Pete Haight, Sewanee senior, perform gems of the classical guitar repertory at Guerry Auditorium, Tuesday, April 30, 4 p.m. Pete is well known in the community for his electric guitar work in various bands heard at Angel Park, Sewaneroo, and elsewhere.

Pete studies under the direction Dr. Bill Yelverton, and performs in partial completion of the degree requirements for the Bachelor of Arts, Music major. Selections include works by Dionisio Aguado, Jorge Cardoso, João Pernambuco, and Francisco Tarrega, and a transcription of the much loved Cello Suite no. 1 by J.S. Bach. 

 

VOICE RECITAL: GABRIEL RICE C'24

Monday, May 6, 2024
5:00 PM
St. Luke's Chapel
Monday, May 6, 2024
5:00 PM

 
Join senior vocalist Gabriel Rice, baritone, for Der Friede sei mit dir. A culmination of voice studies, the program presents a diverse collection of works exploring the genres of opera, oratorio, and art song.

The first half includes arias and duets from Mozart's opera, Die Zauberflöte, and sets of art songs by Finzi, L. Boulanger, and Fauré. The second half is exclusively music of J.S. Bach, including arias from the Mass in B Minor, St. John Passion, and a complete chamber-choral performance of Cantata 158, Der Friede sei mit dir.

With Dr. Kenneth Miller, piano and organ Featuring the Schola Cantorum of the School of Theology; Sonny Bowers, violin; and Ellanna Swope, voice.

 

Voice Recital: Victor Esparza (C'24)

Saturday, April 27, 2024
3:00pm
St. Luke's Chapel

Join Sewanee vocalist Victor Esparza for Love Like You, a recital about love in all its beauty and horror. From dramatic ballads to musical theater to pop hits, this musical journey reminds us that, from its birth until its inevitable end, love somehow manages to forever be. With Vicki Collinsworth, piano; Sparrow Womack, violin; and Natalie Huckabay, voice.

Phi Beta Kappa Awards to Music Students

 

On Thursday, October 5, 2023, two music students were inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. Hannah Swann, music major, C'23; and Kaiwen Zheng, music minor, C'24. They both achieved the extra distinction of election on "junior status," something shared by only about 2% of the graduating class. They both perform with the Sewanee Symphony Orchestra.

A NEW MUSIC CHOIR BEGINS AT MONTEAGLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

A NEW MUSIC CHOIR BEGINS AT MONTEAGLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Monteagle Elementary’s new “Top of the Rock Choir” launched this fall after a summer of planning and organizing. This incredible feat was made possible by impressive community support and the collaboration between the Monteagle-Sewanee Rotary Club, the University’s Music Department, the AmeriCorps program, and the Office of Civic Engagement (OCE). According to the Monteagle-Sewanee Rotary Club website, the group’s charter aims to “encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise.” It achieves this goal in various ways, such as hosting annual Hunger Walks, starting a reading program at Monteagle Elementary, and, most recently, spearheading the formation of the school’s Top of the Rock Choir.
For more information, see The Sewanee Purple article here.

Sewanee Symphony Orchestra - Requiem

Sunday, March 3, 2024
3:00 p.m., Guerry Auditorium

Prepare to be immersed in a captivating sonic journey as the Sewanee Symphony Orchestra unveils its upcoming concert, a harmonious tapestry woven with the timeless compositions of Igor Stravinsky, Camille Saint-Saëns, and José Pablo Moncayo. The evening promises to be a celebration of musical diversity, showcasing the orchestra's versatility. Adding a touch of contemporary brilliance to the program is a newly orchestrated work by the esteemed Professor Prakash C. Wright, a gem crafted exclusively for the SSO. As the notes of Stravinsky's avant-garde masterpieces, the lush melodies of Saint-Saëns, the rhythmic vibrancy of Moncayo, and the innovative sounds of Professor Wright's creation converge, the concert becomes an enchanting symphony of past and present, inspired by the rich tapestry of musical expression.

This event is free and open to the public.

Junior Organ Recital

Thursday, April 18, 2024

7:00pm

All Saints' Chapel

 

 Please join the Music Department in the presentation of the Junior Organ Recital of Jackie Brettschneider. It will be featuring music by Lemmens, Heron, Krebs, Clerambault, Lubeck, Preston, Bridge, Bach, and Bednall.

 

The recital is free and open to the public.

Robert Phillips Violin Recital

Friday, April 19, 2024
6:00 pm
Guerry Auditorium

Enjoy music for violin and piano performed by Sewanee student, Robert Phillips, and university pianist, Vicki Collinsworth. Presented as part of Robert's degree program, the concert will feature works by Dvořak and Mozart.

SPRING VOCAL SHOWCASE 2024

Friday, April 12, 2024
7:00 pm

Guerry Auditorium

Join the Sewanee Voice Stdios for our Spring Vocal Showcase! Fro Musical theatre and opera to pop, rock, soul, and jazz, there is something for everyone in this poppular semi-annual concert. With Vicki Collinsworth on the piano.

Free admission.

Voice Recital: Mickey James-Thrower (C'24)

February 18 at 3:00 p.m.
St. Luke's Chapel


This is a recital about the instability of rediscovery. Analyzing lullabies as gifts, this performance explores the necessity of love in recovery. With Vicki Collinsworth, piano, and Samuel Grace-Conyers, voice.

Faculty Horn Trio with Guest Artist Yu-Han Kuan

February 18, 2024
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM

Guerry Auditorium

 

Faculty artists Greg Danner, horn, and Andrew Uhe, violin, join guest artist Dr. Yu-Han Kuan, piano, for a program of concert works for piano, horn, and violin. The music will include compositions by Brahms, Ravel (arranged by Greg Danner), Glazunov, Glière, and Beach. 

 

Guest Voice and Organ Recital: Amalia Osuga and Jillian Gardner

 On Friday, September 15, 7:00PM

Join soprano Dr. Amalia Osuga and organist Jillian Gardner, music faculty at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, for Boulanger: Before and After! This program takes place in All Saints' Chapel and explores the life, works, influences, and teaching legacy of celebrated French composer Nadia Boulanger through captivating music for voice and organ.

Student Composer's Concert

May 1, 2023

7:00 PM

St. Luke’s Chapel

 

Music composition students present a concert of their new works for violin, viola, and piano/organ.  Nine world premieres! 

The concert is free and open to the public.

 

Performers include:

Mario Alejandro Torres, viola/violin

Jenny Ramos, violin

Geoffrey Ward, piano, organ

VOICE RECITAL: KATY MAE ELDER C'24

Sunday, April 28, 2024
3:00pm
St. Luke's Chapel

Katy Mae Elder's Homebound is a recital that plays with the concepts of leaving home, finding it again, and realizing that home can be found in the people you love. A variety of music is displayed in this recital ranging from country to musical theater and from poetic folk to soul. Enjoy this recital celebrating our Sewanee home and the community organizations that support it. With Vicki Collinsworth, piano, and student guests.

 

SEWANEE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AND UNIVERSITY CHOIR CONCERT

Friday, April 26, 2024
7:30pm
All Saints Chapel
You are cordially invited to join the Sewanee Symphony Orchestra and University Choir for what promises to be an extraordinary season finale! 

Collaborating together, the SSO and UC will present a captivating selection of choruses from Handel’s Messiah, promising an unforgettable musical experience.

Additionally, the program will showcase masterpieces by renowned composers Jean Sibelius and León Boëllmann.