Coming Events

FALL 2023 CONCERT SCHEDULE

Fri., Sept. 8, 2023, 7:30 p.m.

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT? ® The American Songbook

Dr. Rob Kapilow (H. ’09)

with soprano Magdalyn E. Boga

Admission: FREE

This engaging presentation will illuminate for participants the difference between hearing and listening, how to pay attention and notice all the fantastic things that might otherwise go by when listening to music. When you begin to hear the things that make a piece great, it can spring to life as if you have never heard it before. Kapilow will be joined by soprano Magdalyn E. Boga, and in addition the program will add another soprano for the duet For Good from “Wicked”, sung by Boga and soprano Jessica Hitchcock. (Rob will be the speaker for the Schemel Forum luncheon seminar the same day “We’ve Got To Get Ourselves Back to the Garden: Inside the Music of the Woodstock Generation” – please visit scranton.edu/academics/wml/schemel/seminars.shtml)

Sat., Sept. 23, 2023, 7:30 p.m.

IN CONCERT: WE!

Dr. Wycliffe Gordon (H. ‘06), trombone and voice & Eric Reed, piano

with an appearance by The University of Scranton Concert Choir

wycliffegordon.com en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Reed_(musician)

Admission: FREE

Dr. Wycliffe Gordon (H. ‘06), trombone and voice, & Eric Reed, piano will perform for Family Weekend, accompanied by the University of Scranton Concert Choir. Gordon and Reed are both legends, internationally celebrated performers, composers, and educators, and have a long history with Scranton. Dr. Gordon has performed, composed, conducted, and served as an artist-teacher at the university regularly since 1996, and served as commencement speaker in 2006. Both Gordon and Reed have performed with the most highly respected instrumentalists and singers in the world across a wide variety of genres including jazz, gospel, classical, and country music. With a combined discography of thousands of recordings as soloists, leaders, and/or sidemen; hundreds of compositions; and whether playing for small children or heads of state, these musicians pass on the legacy of the great jazz tradition of our nation constantly and joyfully. The University of Scranton Concert Choir is an SATB mixed choir comprised of members of the university community from majors and departments spanning the curriculum, none of whom are music majors, who are brought together by their mutual love of music-making.

Sat., Oct. 14, 2023, 7:30 p.m

IN RECITAL

Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner, piano

llewellynsanchezwerner.com

Admission: FREE

“A gifted virtuoso” (San Francisco Chronicle) with “mesmerizing artistry and extraordinary ability to communicate” (The Post-Standard), “poetic, electrifying” (Michigan Live) with “masterful technique and a veritable deluge of sonorities” (La Presse Montreal), 26-year-old Llewellyn Sánchez-Werner was selected First Prize Winner of the 2022 Concert Artists Guild International Competition and was named a Gilmore Young Artist, an honor awarded to the most promising American pianists of the new generation. Llewellyn has performed for U.S. Presidents Obama and Biden, President Peña Nieto of Mexico, President Peres of Israel, and President Kagame of Rwanda. Committed to public service, he received the Atlantic Council Global Citizen Award recognizing his dedication to social action through music in Iraq, Rwanda, France, Canada, and the United States. Fellow honorees included actor/director Robert De Niro and Presidents Peña Nieto and Perez, and in presenting the award General Petraeus commended his “courageous humanitarian contributions through the arts…strengthening the ties that unite our nations.”

Sat., Oct. 28, 2023, 7:30 p.m.

IN CONCERT

The University of Scranton Jazz Band

with guest soloist Chris Lewis, tenor sax

chrislewismusic.com

Admission: FREE

Tenor saxophonist Chris Lewis will perform in concert accompanied by The University of Scranton Jazz Band. Lewis is a GRAMMY-Award Winning artist who has quickly established himself as an in-demand saxophonist and educator. Lewis has played with artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Herbie Hancock, Michael Bublé, Eric Reed, Terell Stafford, The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, John Beasley’s MONK’estra, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the Mingus Big Band, Count Basie Orchestra and The Gil Evans Project. Lewis, who grew up in Northeastern PA, can be seen playing saxophone in Season 5 of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” as well as the most recent season of “The Godfather of Harlem”. The University of Scranton Jazz Band is a 28-member ensemble of big band style instrumentation, made up of University of Scranton student musicians from majors spanning the curriculum. They perform five or more times per year, and the majority of their performances are open to the public, free of admission charge, and often feature a nationally or internationally renowned guest soloist.

Sat., Nov. 4, 2023, 7:30 p.m.

IN CONCERT

The University of Scranton Symphonic Band

scranton.edu/music

Admission: FREE

The University of Scranton Symphonic Band will perform a concert featuring a wide array of music. The Symphonic Band is a 75+ member ensemble comprised of members of the university community from majors and departments spanning the curriculum – the vast majority of them undergraduate students, joined by a few graduate students and members of the faculty and staff, none of whom are music majors - are all brought together by their mutual love of music-making to perform five concerts a year.

Sun., Nov. 12, 2023, 4:00 p.m.

GENERATIONS SING!

catholicchoralsociety.org/biography

Admission: FREE

The Catholic Choral Society opens their 75th anniversary season joined by The University of Scranton Concert Choir and Valley View High School Choir (with Middle School and Elementary Choirs TBA). Composed of members from Luzerne, Lackawanna, Wayne, Susquehanna, and Wyoming counties, The Catholic Choral Society performs sacred, classical, and secular music at performances in both Luzerne and Lackawanna counties. In 1949, the great Norbert Betti, who was also the choral director at The University of Scranton, became its first conductor and musical director, and the University is proud to host this concert celebrating their 75th anniversary season.

Sat., Nov. 18, 2023, 7:30 p.m.

IN CONCERT

The University of Scranton String Orchestra

with guest violinist Kako Miura Boga

relicensemble.org/musicians

Admission: FREE

Kako Miura Boga will perform in concert with The University of Scranton String Orchestra. Originally from Tokyo, Japan and now based in New York, NY, Kako Miura Boga is a violinist who performs on both historical and modern instruments. Kako has appeared internationally as a soloist, performing alongside orchestras in Asia, Australia, and the United States, and her solo and chamber music performances have taken her to such distinguished venues as Alice Tully Hall of Lincoln Center, Weill and Zankel Halls at Carnegie Hall, and the Sydney Opera House. Also sought after as an orchestral musician, Kako most recently led Juilliard415, The Juilliard School's period orchestra, as concertmaster on a recent tour of Germany in collaboration with Yale Schola Cantorum. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including a National YoungArts Foundation Award, The English Concert in America Fellowship, and The Mercury-Juilliard Fellowship. Her principal teachers have included Cynthia Roberts, Elizabeth Blumenstock, Robert Lipsett, and Masao Kawasaki. The University of Scranton String Orchestra is a 30+ member ensemble comprised of members of the university community from majors and departments spanning the curriculum – most of them undergraduate students, joined by a few graduate students, alumni, and members of the faculty – none of whom are music majors, who are all brought together by their mutual love of music-making.

Sat., Dec. 2, 2023, 8:00 p.m. (prelude from 7:05, doors open at 7)

56th ANNUAL NOEL NIGHT

The University of Scranton Singers and Chamber Ensembles

Admission: FREE

The University’s Christmas gift to the community, Noel Night has been a beloved holiday tradition for numerous Scranton-area residents since its beginnings more than a half-century ago when it was founded by Rev. Edward Gannon, S.J. This year’s Noel Night will feature The University of Scranton Singers and Chamber Ensembles and will include a prelude by The University of Scranton String Orchestra and Flute Ensemble. Outdoor instrumental caroling by members of the University Bands will greet audience members as they arrive. Seating is on a first come- first seated basis. The primary focus of Performance Music at The University of Scranton is its student choral and instrumental performing ensembles. Because there is no music major at the University, all enrolled Scranton students (undergraduate and graduate) are eligible for membership in the University bands, choirs and string ensembles, with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Hundreds of students participate in the ensembles each year.

Sun., Dec. 10, 2023, 7:30 p.m.

EMPTY STOCKING FUND BENEFIT CONCERT

Admission: one new unwrapped toy, new toiletry items, or a cash donation. All proceeds directly benefit local families in need.

Performance Music student musicians will perform solo, duet, trio, and small group renditions of a variety of Christmas favorites. Smaller groups are made up of members from within the large ensembles, and may include Steel Drum Band, String Quartet, Flute Ensemble, Brass Choir, Saxophone Ensemble, and Percussion Ensemble, and/or small vocal groups. Admission charge is one new unwrapped toy, new toiletry items, or a cash donation. All proceeds will directly benefit local families in need. The primary focus of Performance Music at The University of Scranton is its student choral and instrumental performing ensembles. Because there is no music major at the University, all enrolled Scranton students (undergraduate and graduate) are eligible for membership in the University bands, choirs and string ensembles, with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Hundreds of students participate in the ensembles each year.

**********************************************

Events you may have missed in spring 2023:

SAT. FEB. 4, 2023, 7:30 p.m., IN CONCERT: Tony Lustig Trio Tony Lustig, one of the strongest modern voices of the baritone saxophone, plays with passion, determination and integrity, following in the sonic footsteps of Gerry Mulligan, Pepper Adams, Harry Carney, and Joe Temperley. A graduate of both Michigan State University and The Juilliard School, he has played with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Jon Hendricks Octet, Count Basie Orchestra, and Christian McBride Big Band, Louis Cole, Jon Batiste, Leslie Odom, Jr., the house band of America’s Got Talent, and Patti Austin, among many others. His memorable compositions and moving sound are showcased on his debut album, “Taking Flight”. He is currently the house composer for the Providence Ballet Theatre. (educational event scheduled; pre-registration requested, email music@scranton.edu for information)

Sun., Feb. 19, 2023, 7:30 p.m., IN CONCERT: University of Scranton Jazz Band with guest soloist Matt Munisteri, guitar and voice (mattmunisteri.com) Matt Munisteri is a critically lauded songwriter and nimble lyricist; an urban banjo-warrior and a sometime session musician; a selfless and devoted sideman; a wry-yet-honest singer; an engaging and winning front-man; and an arranger whose ear-pulling re-inventions of well-traveled songs have contributed to Grammy winning CDs. The University of Scranton Jazz Band is a 28 member ensemble of big band style instrumentation, made up of University of Scranton student musicians from majors spanning the curriculum. They perform five or more times per year, and the majority of their performances are open to the public, free of admission charge, and often feature a nationally or internationally renowned guest soloist.
(educational event scheduled; pre-registration requested, email music@scranton.edu for information)

Sun., Mar. 5, 2023, 7:30 p.m., IN CONCERT: University of Scranton Concert Choir and the Scranton Brass Orchestra The University of Scranton Concert Choir is a 45 member ensemble comprised of members of the university community from majors and departments spanning the curriculum – the vast majority of them undergraduate students, joined by a few graduate students and members of the faculty and staff – none of whom are music majors, who are all brought together by their mutual love of music-making. The Scranton Brass Orchestra, now celebrating its 12th season, is a fully professional 27 member ensemble, founded in 2011. Comprised of brass players and teachers from the region, membership is by invitation only. The group's performances are free of charge and open to the public, and feature nationally and internationally acclaimed guest artists, including many of the most respected brass players of our time. The group made its debut before hundreds of appreciative audience members in June 2011, and has since garnered acclaim from both audiences and musicians alike.

Sat., Mar., 25, 2023, 7:30 p.m., IN RECITAL: Caleb Hudson, trumpet, & Achilles Liarmakopoulos, trombone (w/pianist Ahmed Alom) (hudsontrumpet.com) (achillestrombone.com) A member of the Canadian Brass and a graduate of the Juilliard School with both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, Caleb Hudson is one of the most widely celebrated trumpeters of his generation. He possesses mastery of a wide range of musical styles, from soloing in Carnegie Hall to performing with early music ensembles and appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and has been acclaimed by The New York Times as “brilliantly stylish.” He is known for his piccolo trumpet mastery of Bach’s infamous Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, and has performed it around the world with ensembles including Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Israel Philharmonic Soloists, and Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Achilles Liarmakopoulos, trombonist of the Canadian Brass and former principal trombonist of the Greek Radio Symphony Orchestra, holds degrees from the Yale University School of Music, Curtis Institute of Music, San Francisco Conservatory and the Philippos Nakas Conservatory. He has toured extensively throughout North and South America, Europe and Asia, performing and educating in the world’s most important venues and institutions. He is in demand as a soloist, has offered recitals in China, Panama, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Austria, Finland, Greece, USA, and Canada,and performs with Pink Martini. (educational event scheduled; pre-registration requested, email music@scranton.edu for information)

Wed., Mar. 29, 2023, 7:30 p.m., GENERAL RECITAL: Flute Choir, Percussion Ensemble, Steel Drums and more. Small ensembles at the University of Scranton are made up of members from within the large ensembles, such as the Concert/Symphonic Band, Concert Choir/Singers, String Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble (big band format), and Steel Drums group. The ensembles are comprised of members of the university community from majors and departments spanning the curriculum. The small ensemble offerings vary by semester, and include groups such as String Quartet, Flute Ensemble, Saxophone Ensemble, Low Brass Sextet, Trumpet Choir, Clarinet Ensemble, Jazz Combo, Percussion Ensemble, and small vocal groups in various formats. Other solo, duo, trio, and quartets may perform as well.

Sun., Apr. 2, 2023, 7:30 p.m., IN RECITAL: Mikaela Bennett, Voice (www.mikaela-bennett.com) Mikaela Bennett is a graduate of The Juilliard School and is celebrated as a singer and actress for her work on stage and in the concert hall. She has appeared as a featured soloist at venues throughout the world with some of the most acclaimed ensembles, casts, and conductors, including New York Philharmonic, Leonard Slatkin, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Yannick Nezet-Seguin, Carnegie Hall, Ted Sperling, San Francisco Symphony, Michael Tilson Thomas, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel, National Symphony Orchestra, Royal Albert Hall, Take Six, New World Symphony, BBC Proms, Lyric Opera of Chicago, MasterVoices, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and many many more. Additionally, she has performed in New York City’s prestigious cabaret venues including Joe’s Pub at the Public and solo concerts at Feinstein’s 54 Below. Mikaela is a native of Ottawa, Canada. (possible educational event TBA; email music@scranton.edu for information)

Sat., Apr. 15, 2023, 7:30 p.m., IN CONCERT: University of Scranton Jazz Band and Saxophone Ensemble with guest baritone/bass saxophonist Leigh Pilzer (leighpilzer.com). Leigh Pilzer is a Washington DC-based saxophonist, arranger, and educator. She has toured domestically and internationally as a member of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra and the DIVA Jazz Orchestra, and often performs with the National Symphony Orchestra at concerts at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. As an arranger, Leigh’s work is in the libraries of the SJMO, DIVA, the Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra, the DC-area premier military jazz ensembles, and college and professional jazz ensembles and brass quintets throughout the country. Leigh holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance with Jazz Emphasis from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia; Master’s degrees in Jazz Studies and Saxophone Performance from The University of Maryland, College Park; and a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Composition and Arranging from the Berklee College of Music. The University of Scranton Jazz Band is a 28 member ensemble of big band style instrumentation, and the Saxophone Ensemble performance will include saxes ranging from sopranino and soprano through bari and bass saxophones. Both ensembles are made up of University of Scranton student musicians from majors spanning the curriculum. (educational event scheduled; pre-registration requested, email music@scranton.edu for information)

Sun., Apr. 23, 2023, 7:30 p.m., IN CONCERT: University of Scranton Singers and Symphonic Band. The University of Scranton Singers, a 40+ member ensemble, and the University of Scranton Symphonic Band, a 75-member ensemble, are both comprised of members of the university community from majors and departments spanning the curriculum – the vast majority of them undergraduate students, joined by a few graduate students and members of the faculty and staff – none of whom are music majors, who are all brought together by their mutual love of music-making.

Sat., May 6, 2023, 7:30 p.m., 40^th Annual World Premiere Composition Series Concert: University of Scranton Concert Band and Concert Choir, featuring two new works by composer/conductor Philip J. Kuehn (philipkuehn.com). The University of Scranton World Premiere Composition Series is a rare opportunity for students to perform a work by a guest composer for the first time, under the baton of the composer. This enables students to get a first-hand glimpse into the compositional process, to work with a living composer, and allows the audience to experience the piece for the first time, the way the composer intended. This year’s composer is Philip Kuehn. Philip’s compositions have been performed on The Late Show with Steven Colbert, and he has collaborated with Quincy Jones on a composition/arrangement for Beethoven’s 250^th Anniversary. His work has been featured on Jonathan Batiste’s Christmas with Jon Batiste, and performed by The President’s Own Marine Band during President Biden’s State Dinner in 2022. (educational event scheduled; pre-registration requested, email music@scranton.edu for information)

Fri., May 12, 2023, 7:30 p.m., IN CONCERT: University of Scranton String Orchestra The University of Scranton String Orchestra is a 30-member ensemble comprised of members of the university community from majors and departments spanning the curriculum – the vast majority of them undergraduate students, joined by a few graduate students and members of the faculty and staff – none of whom are music majors, who are all brought together by their mutual love of music-making.

********

**************************************************************

"LIVE" AND "VIRTUAL" VIDEO PERFORMANCES
... including our first ever virtual Noel Night and String Orchestra concerts during the 2020-21 school year (no live events due to pandemic guidelines), virtual choir projects featuring our Alma Mater, and a special choral tribute to the memory of Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., a virtual low brass ensemble with Dr. Wycliffe A. Gordon (H. '06), and more remain available on our youtube channel.
click here to go to our youtube channel!

"SCRANTON ISOLATION INFORMANCES"
... a pandemically motivated virtual arts information project presented via facebook live broadcast - episodes available for re-streaming on our facebook page (detailed listing available below.)
click here to go to our facebook page!

***********************************************

SCRANTON ISOLATION INFORMANCES LISTING
A series of virtual events presented during the pandemic shutdown, still available for streaming from our facebook page (direct links from here to be added soon)