Coming Events
FALL 2025 CONCERT SCHEDULE
All events will take place in The Houlihan-McLean Center (Mulberry Street at Jefferson Avenue) and are free of admission charge, unless otherwise noted.
On concert night, click here for a program.
This performance, part of Relic’s fourth U.S. concert tour, will be Relic’s inaugural performance at The University of Scranton, though some of its individual members have graced the stage of Houlihan-McLean in seasons past. The tour debuts Relic’s newest program, “The Spheres”, which takes audiences on a breathtaking journey through the cosmos by bringing to life the rich mythology of the celestial spheres through works by Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, and others. Lauded as “stylish and innovative” (New York Classical Review), Relic’s programming uses narrative “chapters” to unite a variety of repertoire into a breathtaking concert experience, capturing the hearts of new and seasoned concertgoers alike. Founded in 2022, Relic's commitment to taking early music on the road to all 50 states brings it to dozens of communities each season. Relic’s recent presenters include Chamber Music Detroit, Academy of Early Music, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Indianapolis Early Music Festival, Western Michigan University, and Gotham Early Music Scene, and their current season includes performances in Ohio, Michigan, Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. Committed to sharing their passion for early music with students of all ages, Relic members have given workshops, masterclasses and side-by-side performances at numerous schools. Most recently, Relic engaged in residencies at University of Maryland, Washington International School, and Kalamazoo College. Relic actively seeks community engagement opportunities, offering children’s concerts, performances in nontraditional venues, and open rehearsals in many of the regions it visits.
Kyle Athayde Dance Party descends on Scranton with double-header concerts and a masterclass as highlights of the campus’s Family Weekend events.
--- The main evening concert, presented with funding support from Family Weekend, begins at 7:30 p.m. and will include an appearance by the University of Scranton Jazz Band.
--- A children’s concert, supported by David (’69) and Janet Wenzel through their Gene Yevich Memorial music sponsorship, will be held at 1:00 p.m.
--- Masterclasses with members of KADP will take place at 2:00 p.m. and are open to woodwind, brass, and rhythm section musicians ranging from 16-year-old students to adult teachers and professionals. (Student musicians under age 16 are welcome to attend accompanied by a parent, guardian, or music teacher.
The San Francisco/New York based big band is an 18-piece group of traditional big band instrumentation that is anything but traditional. Acclaimed for its versatility in the wide scope of styles it performs, KADP boasts an impressive roster of accomplished young jazz virtuosi, and a genius composer and arranger in its leader and founder, Kyle Athayde, a San Francisco Bay Area based composer, arranger, performer, teacher, and bandleader. Kyle's writing and programming draws inspiration from a wide variety of sources, from video games and internet memes to jazz and classical masterworks. In addition to original music, Kyle also writes arrangements of well-known and popular songs of all kinds, while still retaining the unique sound and excitement for which the Dance Party is known. KADP comes together from the four corners of the U.S. to tour just a few times a year and has performed in a wide variety of venues ranging from Sitka and Juneau (Alaska) Jazz Festivals to Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
KADP’s one-of-a-kind children’s jazz concerts offer something for everyone. Built around imaginative, jazz-infused arrangements of beloved children's songs like “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” “The Wheels on the Bus,” and “Five Speckled Frogs,” the show is a celebration of music that is fun, thoughtful, and accessible for audiences of all ages. Through thoughtful programming, Kyle strikes a rare balance—creating music that delights young audiences, educates newcomers to jazz, and satisfies even the most seasoned listener. Each tune is treated with care and creativity, turning familiar melodies into vibrant, jazz experiences that introduce kids to rhythm, improvisation, and musical storytelling. Whether you’re a toddler, a jazz-curious parent, or a lifelong music lover, this is a show where everyone walks away with something—joy, discovery, and a deeper appreciation for jazz.
Student musicians from Performance Music at The University of Scranton will perform solo, duet, trio, and small group renditions of various repertoire. Smaller groups are made up of members from within the large ensembles, and may include: Steel Drum Band, Saxophone Ensemble, String Quartet, Flute Ensemble, Brass Quartet, Percussion Ensemble, and solos, duos, trios, and small vocal groups. 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, string ensembles, and steel drum band with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Hundreds of students participate in the ensembles each year.
Hailing from Detroit, Michigan, drummer Marion Felder brings a dynamic blend of tradition, versatility, and world-class training to the stage. A seasoned performer, he is currently touring and recording with Michael Bublé. Felder has performed with a wide range of acclaimed artists, including Wynton Marsalis, Victor Goines, Carmen Bradford, Delfeayo Marsalis, Paul Simon, Van Morrison, and Hank Jones, among many others, and has been the drummer with the Wycliffe Gordon Quintet, the Count Basie Orchestra, and The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Felder earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at The Juilliard School on a full scholarship. The University of Scranton Jazz Band is a 25-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. 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, string ensembles, and steel drum band with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Hundreds of students participate in the ensembles each year.
A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Christopher Johnson is a member of acclaimed chamber orchestra The Knights. He serves as Director of Music and Organist at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Scranton, PA, and as Director of Chapel Music at The Interchurch Center, in New York City on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. In addition to previous appointments as Director of Music and Organist at The Riverside Church in New York City, Artist-in-Residence at Union Theological Seminary, and Director of Music and Organist for the Woodstock/St. Paul Community at Columbia University, he also served as Assistant Organist at Christ Church United Methodist in Manhattan. While pursuing undergraduate and graduate studies at The Cleveland Institute of Music, Manhattan School of Music, and Yale’s Institute of Sacred Music, his teachers included Adeline Huss, Todd Wilson, and Thomas Murray, for organ studies, and Joshua Smith, John Mack, and Robert Vernon for orchestral studies. As a flutist and organist, he performs regularly with Ensemble Eccolo, a chamber ensemble based in Altenburg, Germany, presenting concerts throughout Europe and the Middle East. An enthusiastic and avid flyer of airplanes and lover of languages, Chris is a type-rated commercial pilot with five flight and ground instructor ratings and dabbles in German, Norwegian, and Egyptian Arabic.
The University of Scranton String Orchestra is a 35+ 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. 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, string ensembles, and steel drum band with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Hundreds of students participate in the ensembles each year.
The University of Scranton Symphonic Band is a 70+ 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. 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, string ensembles, and steel drum band with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Hundreds of students participate in the ensembles each year.
The University’s Christmas gift to the community, Noel Night, has been a beloved holiday tradition for Scranton-area residents and the University community 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. Seating is on a first come- first seated basis. Harpist Margaret Davis is a multi-genre harpist based in Houston, Texas. As a classical player, she regularly performs with professional orchestras such as the Houston, Kansas City, and St. Louis Symphonies, as well as in solo, choral, and chamber music performances throughout North America, and collaborated with jazz guitarist and vocalist Vilray on his debut single, “Even in the Evening.” Davis graduated with a Bachelor of Harp degree from The Juilliard School and earned her Master of Music degree from Yale School of Music. Pianist Ron Stabinsky is probably best known nationally as a member of the notorious band “Mostly Other People Do The Killing,” the reunited rock band “Meat Puppets,” Relache Ensemble, and of course, The Peter Evans Ensemble. A classical solo and orchestral pianist, a straight-ahead jazz musician, occasionally a rock musician, and an accomplished free improviser, he enjoys making music in stylistically diverse situations throughout the United States and Europe with a wide variety of musicians and ensembles.
margdavismusic.com
The Scranton Brass Orchestra, now in its 14th season, is a fully professional 27-member ensemble, founded in 2011. Comprised of brass players and teachers from the region, membership is by invitation. 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. Admission charge for this concert is one new unwrapped toy, new toiletry items, or a cash donation. All proceeds will directly benefit local families in need.
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WHAT YOU MAY HAVE MISSED IN SPRING 2025:
Saturday, February 22, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
IN CONCERT
The Ted Nash Duo and The University of Scranton Jazz Ensemble
(tednash.com) (scranton.edu/music)
Ted Nash is a two-time Grammy Award Winner known for his uncanny ability to mix freedom with substance, blues with intellect, and risk-taking with clarity. He is a co-founder of the New York-based Jazz Composers Collective and is recently retired from a long-standing career as a member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. Nash has become one of the most significant jazz composers of the 21st century. His recordings have received wide critical acclaim, appearing on the “best-of” lists in The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Village Voice, and The Boston Globe. Portrait in Seven Shades, his first big band recording, garnered two Grammy nominations. His following big band album, Chakra, received critical acclaim and charted on Billboard. 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. 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, string ensembles, and steel drum band with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Hundreds of students participate in the ensembles each year.
(additional educational event scheduled; email music@scranton.edu for information)
Friday, February 28, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
IN RECITAL
Peter Evans, trumpet (with Ron Stabinsky, piano)
(peterevanstrumpet.com)
Peter Evans is a composer, trumpet player, bandleader and educator based in New York City. For 20 years, Evans has been pushing the boundaries of creative music in formats as divergent as solo trumpet improvisation, symphony orchestras, jazz ensembles, noise/electronic music, and through-composed works. He has been the recipient of awards and commissions worldwide including the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship in 2022. Additionally, he has released 20 albums of original music including the critically acclaimed Ghosts, Lifeblood and Being & Becoming. A prolific composer and performer, Evans tours regularly with his groups Being & Becoming, SYMPHONY, and Forever 21, as a soloist and collaborator with some of the leading lights of modern music. Ron Stabinsky is probably best known as a member of the notorious bands “Mostly Other People Do The Killing” and the reunited rock band “Meat Puppets”. He has the distinction of performing as a classical solo and orchestral pianist, a straight-ahead jazz musician, occasionally a rock musician, and regularly as an accomplished free improviser. In addition to solo piano improvisation, he enjoys working on music in stylistically diverse situations throughout the United States and Europe with a variety of other musicians and ensembles.
(additional educational event scheduled; email music@scranton.edu for information)
Wednesday, March 5, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
GENERAL RECITAL
University of Scranton Performance Music student musicians in solo, duo, trio, small ensemble performances
(scranton.edu/music)
Student musicians from Performance Music at The University of Scranton will perform solo, duet, trio, and small group/chamber ensemble renditions of various repertoire. 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, string ensembles, and steel drum band with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Hundreds of students participate in the ensembles each year.
Saturday, March 8, 2025, 7:30 pm.
IN RECITAL
Jeremy Ajani Jordan, piano
(jeremyajanijordan.com)
Critically acclaimed as “a clear technical virtuoso”, “a rare talent”, and “a true Wunderkind,” Chicago-born Jeremy Jordan burst onto the music scene at age 9 playing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in a live televised performance. He later made his solo Carnegie Hall debut performing Chopin, Liszt, Schubert, and Wagner. After winning the 2006 Steinway Concerto Competition playing the Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 1, Jordan delivered acclaimed performances with the Ars Viva Symphony Orchestra and concerto performances and recordings with the Chicago Sinfonietta and the Czech National Symphony Orchestra. Jordan has also performed to thunderous applause in appearances at the United Nations Arts Council, the American Liszt Society, Concertgebouw, Tokyo Opera City, Prague’s Rudolfinum, and Chicago’s Ravinia Festival. He also tours extensively as a chamber musician and composes solo piano music, chamber music, orchestral music, and electronic music. Jordan holds both undergraduate and graduate degrees on the Van Cliburn and Irene Diamond scholarships from The Juilliard School.
Friday, April 4, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
RHAPSODY IN BLUE AT 100
featuring Dr. Frederick Hohman premiering the first full organ transcription of Gershwin’s "Rhapsody in Blue"
(frederickhohman.net)
Frederick Hohman is not only one of the most highly acclaimed organists in North America, he is also recognized as an award-winning composer of organ and choral music, a creator of organ transcriptions, a modern on-line educator, a musical instrument designer, and a classical music audio-video producer. Hohman earned the Performer's Certificate, Mus.B., M.M. and D.M.A. degrees while in the organ class of David Craighead at the University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music. In 1984, he won First Prize in both the prestigious Clarence Mader and Arthur Poister competitions. This led to organ concert tours taking him throughout the USA, and to the Caribbean, Australia, the UK and Finland, to collegiate, concert and religious venues, including appearances before regional and national conventions of the American Guild of Organists (AGO), The Organ Historical Society, and The American Institute of Organbuilders. Hohman founded the recording label Pro Organo in 1985 and has overseen the production and release of over 300 organ and choral music titles, including 16 releases where he is also the featured artist. Hohman is the 2019 Winner of the annual American Guild of Organists' Pogorzelski-Yankee New Organ Music Composition Competition. Additionally, Hohman has provided written guidance and encouragement to aspiring organists as an adjudicator in 20 national and international organ competitions.
(additional educational event scheduled; email music@scranton.edu for information)
Saturday, April 12, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
42nd ANNUAL WORLD PREMIERE COMPOSITION SERIES CONCERT
featuring The University of Scranton Concert Band & Concert Choir
premiering two new works by Dr. Wycliffe Gordon (H. '06) & Jennifer Krupa, with the composers conducting
(wycliffegordon.com) (jenkrupa.com) (scranton.edu/music)
Composers for this year’s 42nd Annual World Premiere Series event are Dr. Wycliffe Gordon (H. ’06) and Jennifer Krupa. Dr. Gordon has an impressive career touring the world performing to great acclaim from audiences and critics alike. The Jazz Journalists Association named him “Trombonist of the Year” a record-breaking 16 times, and he’s topped Downbeat Critics Poll for “Best Trombone” for an unprecedented seven times. His most recent awards include the “Louie Award”, the International Trombone Award and the Satchmo Award, among others. Wycliffe is a prolific recording artist and is extremely popular for his unmatched signature sound, plunger technique and unique vocals. He can be heard on hundreds of recordings, soundtracks, live DVD’s and documentaries, and has an extensive catalog of original compositions that span the various timbres of jazz and chamber music. His arrangement of the theme song to NPR’s “All Things Considered” is heard daily across the globe. Gordon is a regular guest at Scranton, and a return guest to the series. Krupa, also a returning guest to the series and regular guest artist at Scranton, made her professional reviewed debut in the university’s Houlihan McLean Center, performing with The Wycliffe Gordon Quintet. She has contributed original works and arrangements to a wide variety of ensembles, featured in recordings and performances across the globe. Her extensive discography spans nearly 30 recordings, with artists such as Wycliffe Gordon, Johnny Mandel, Ted Nash, Kristen Lee Sergeant, Leigh Pilzer, the Scott Silbert Big Band, the Eric Felten Jazz Orchestra, and the DIVA Jazz Orchestra. In her two-decade tenure with the United States Navy Band Commodores Jazz Ensemble, Krupa held multiple key roles, including music director, arranger, tour manager, operations and personnel manager, and trombonist. 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, string ensembles, and steel drum band with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Hundreds of students participate in the ensembles each year.
(additional educational event scheduled; email music@scranton.edu for information)
Friday, April 25, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
IN CONCERT
The University of Scranton String Orchestra (guest soloist TBA)
(scranton.edu/music)
The University of Scranton String Orchestra is a 40+ 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. 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, string ensembles, and steel drum band with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Hundreds of students participate in the ensembles each year.
Sunday, May 4, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
IN CONCERT
The Scranton Brass Orchestra and The University of Scranton Singers
(scranton.edu/music)
The Scranton Brass Orchestra, now celebrating its 13th 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 often 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. 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 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, string ensembles, and steel drum band with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Hundreds of students participate in the ensembles each year.
Friday, May 9, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
IN CONCERT
The University of Scranton Jazz Ensemble
with guest soloist Joel Ross, percussion
(iplayvibes.com)
NYC based Joel Ross, a Chicago native, has earned widespread renown as the most exciting new voice on his instrument, the vibraphone. More than a commanding improviser, he is a bracingly thoughtful composer and a bandleader. Ross auditioned for and won a spot in the Brubeck Institute Jazz Quintet where he studied under former SFJAZZ Collective vibraphonist, Stefon Harris, for two years. A graduate of Stockton’s University of the Pacific, Ross went on to study jazz at The New School where he formed his band Good Vibes. Ross has toured with the Marquis Hill Blacktet, in which his vibraphone was the primary comping instrument. Ross made his recording debut as a leader on his album KingMaker in December 2016 and it was released on Blue Note Records in 2019. That same year, Ross recorded his second album as a leader, Who Are You? 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. 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, string ensembles, and steel drum band with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Hundreds of students participate in the ensembles each year.
(additional educational event scheduled; email music@scranton.edu for information)
WHAT YOU MAY HAVE MISSED IN FALL 2024:
Friday, September 6, 2024, 7:30 p.m.
IN RECITAL: DUO CORGANO
with David Lao Ball, organ, and Trevor Nuckols, horn
(davidballorgan.com)
Award-winning, Juilliard-trained organist David Ball is a widely acclaimed performer who has performed and recorded on many of the world’s leading concert hall and church instruments, both in the U.S. and abroad. He has been featured in Diapason and American Organist; broadcasted on “PipeDreams” and WQXR; appeared in Juilliard’s FOCUS! Festival; won the AGO/Quimby Regional Competition for Young Organists; and was named one of The Diapason’s 2017 Class of 20 under 30, a peer-selected group of young people at the forefront of the organ field. David serves as Cathedral Organist and Head of Music Ministry at Christ Cathedral in the Diocese of Orange, California (formerly the Crystal Cathedral,) where he is primary steward of The Hazel Wright Organ, the fifth largest organ in the world, and serves as Musical Director of a variety of concert series there. Trevor Nuckols performs as a leading soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral performer across the globe. The New York Times hailed Nuckols as “outstanding” and an “excellent soloist.” He has performed & recorded as solo horn of the Münchener Kammerorchester & with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He has also performed as guest principal horn with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Bad Reinchenhall Philharmoniker, and the Philharmonie Salzburg. He earned his Bachelor & Master of Music degrees from The Juilliard School, and a Postgraduate Diploma from the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg, and has won first prize at The International Horn Society’s Premiere Soloist Competition, The Juilliard Concerto Competition, the Music Academy of the West Concerto Competition, and The IHS Barry Tuckwell Award.
Saturday, September 21, 2024, 7:30 p.m.
FAMILY WEEKEND CONCERT
Joseph Boga & The Scranton Ramblers (featuring guitarist Stephane Wrembel)
with an appearance by The University of Scranton Concert Choir
(josephboga.com) (stephanewrembel.com)
Joseph Boga is a member of the legendary group Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks, which appears in NYC every Monday in their roost – Birdland. In addition to his work with Giordano and The Nighthawks, he also leads his own groups and has performed and/or recorded with a variety of other ensembles such as Stephane Wrembel’s Django New Orleans, David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Eternity Band, Jazz Museum in Harlem All-Stars, James Langton’s New York All-Star Big Band, The Kyle Athayde Dance Party, and with artists such as Stephane Wrembel, Wycliffe Gordon, Adrian Cunningham, Loren Schoenberg, Wynton Marsalis, and many others. His film appearances include Killers of the Flower Moon, season 2 of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Capote vs. The Swans, and others. Stephane Wrembel is quite simply one of the finest guitar players in the world. Though specializing in the Django Reinhardt style, he revels in transcending and expanding, and the breadth and range of his playing and compositions are unmatched. His music incorporates jazz, blues, classical, swing, flamenco and rock. All of these influences come together as a genre identifiable only as Stephane Wrembel. This prolific musician, composer, educator, and musical director has released a steady stream of music since 2002, truly making his mark as one of the most original guitar voices in contemporary music. He tours the world and has headlined venues such as Jazz at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, The Town Hall in NYC, and The Lyon Opera House in France, and has dazzled audiences at events like Montreal Jazz Festival, Rochester International Jazz Festival, Django Reinhardt Festival in France, Ellnora Guitar Festival, Caramoor Jazz Festival and many others. Wrembel won a Grammy award for his tune Bistro Fada, which Woody Allen used as the theme song for his 2011 Oscar-winning film, Midnight In Paris.
Wednesday, October 9, 2024, 7:30 p.m.
GENERAL RECITAL
(scranton.edu/music)
Student musicians from Performance Music at The University of Scranton will perform solo, duet, trio, and small group renditions of various repertoire. Smaller groups are made up of members from within the large ensembles, and may include: Steel Drum Band, Saxophone Ensemble, String Quartet, Flute Ensemble, Brass Quartet, Percussion Ensemble, and solos, duos, trios, and small vocal groups. 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, string ensembles, and steel drum band with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Hundreds of students participate in the ensembles each year.
Friday, October 18, 2024, 7:30 p.m.
VINCE GIORDANO AND THE NIGHTHAWKS!
(vincegiordano.com)
For over 50 years, Grammy-winner, New York native and multi-instrumentalist Vince Giordano has almost single-handedly kept alive a wonderful genre of American music that continues to spread the joy and pathos of an era that shaped our nation. Giordano’s passion, commitment to authenticity, and knowledge led him to create a sensational band of like-minded players, the Nighthawks. He and his band have performed in top New York nightclubs and concert halls including Birdland, The Town Hall, Jazz At Lincoln Center, Newport Jazz Festival, 92nd St Y, and many others for the past five decades. His extensive filmography includes Killers of the Flower Moon, Boardwalk Empire, The Cotton Club, Café Society, The Joker, The Irishman, and many, many more. A Hudson West Productions feature documentary, Vince Giordano – There’s a Future in the Past, opened in theaters in 2017. Giordano’s passion for music from the 1920’s & 30’s and the people that made it led him to amass an amazing collection of over 64,000 band arrangements and sheet music, 1920’s and 30’s films, 78rpm recordings, and jazz-age memorabilia. In addition to their extensive recording discography, several tunes recorded by Vince and the Nighthawks are used in video games: BioShock, Fallout 3, and Fallout 4.
(Visit Scranton.edu/SchemelForum for info on Mr. Giordano’s luncheon lecture.)
Saturday, October 26, 2024, 7:30 p.m.
IN CONCERT
The University of Scranton Jazz Band
with guest soloist Alvin Atkinson, drums
(alvinatkinson.com). (scranton.edu/music)
Alvin Atkinson, Jr., a member of Wycliffe Gordon and His International All-Stars, is a six-time U.S. Jazz Ambassador and has traveled the globe performing America’s classical music. His group, Alvin Atkinson and the Sound Merchants, has appeared in South America, the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and Russia. Known for his dynamic playing style and versatility across various genres, bandleader and educator Atkinson has recorded and performed with jazz legends Wycliffe Gordon, Vanessa Ruben, Paquito D’Rivera, Ellis Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Cecil Bridgewater, Jimmy Heath, Cedar Walton, Reggie Workman, Roy Hargrove, Cyrus Chestnut, Gerri Allen, Eddie Henderson, ELEW, Maceo Parker, Shirley Scott, and many others. 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. 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, string ensembles, and steel drum band with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Hundreds of students participate in the ensembles each year.
Friday, November 15, 2024, 7:30 p.m.
IN CONCERT
The University of Scranton String Orchestra
(scranton.edu/music)
The University of Scranton String Orchestra is a 35+ 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. 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, string ensembles, and steel drum band with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Hundreds of students participate in the ensembles each year.
Saturday, November 23, 2024, 7:30 p.m.
IN CONCERT
The University of Scranton Symphonic Band
(scranton.edu/music)
The University of Scranton 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. 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, string ensembles, and steel drum band with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Hundreds of students participate in the ensembles each year.
Saturday December 7, 2024, 8:00 p.m. (prelude from 7:05, doors open at 7)
57th ANNUAL NOEL NIGHT
The University of Scranton Singers and Chamber Ensembles
(scranton.edu/music)
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, string ensembles, and steel drum band with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Hundreds of students participate in the ensembles each year.
Wednesday December 11, 2024, 7:30 p.m.
THE SCRANTON BRASS ORCHESTRA
EMPTY STOCKING FUND BENEFIT
(scranton.edu/music)
Admission: one new unwrapped toy, new toiletry items, or a cash donation. All proceeds directly benefit local families in need.
The Scranton Brass Orchestra, now celebrating its 13th season, is a fully professional 27-member ensemble, founded in 2011. Comprised of brass players and teachers from the region, membership is by invitation. 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. Admission charge is one new unwrapped toy, new toiletry items, or a cash donation. All proceeds will directly benefit local families in need.
WHAT YOU MAY HAVE MISSED IN SPRING 2024:
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"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)
U. of S. ISOLATION INFORMANCES (EPISODE 17):
DONATE LIKE CAPITALISM DEPENDED ON IT!
U. of S. ISOLATION INFORMANCES (EPISODE 16):
SYNESTHESIA AND THE ARTIST
U. of S. ISOLATION INFORMANCES (EPISODE 15):
MUSIC AS A HEALING ART
U. of S. ISOLATION INFORMANCES (EPISODE 14):
MUSICIANSHIP, CITIZENSHIP, ETHICS, & AESTHETICS
U. of S. ISOLATION INFORMANCES (EPISODE 13): PRIVATE EVENT
U. of S. ISOLATION INFORMANCES (EPISODE 12): LOREN SCHOENBERG
U. of S. ISOLATION INFORMANCES (EPISODE 11): KAKO MIURA & JOSEPH BOGA
U. of S. ISOLATION INFORMANCES (EPISODE 10): POPS & THE COPS!
U. of S. ISOLATION INFORMANCES (EPISODE 9): JEFF CURNOW, LIVE!!!
U. of S. ISOLATION INFORMANCES (EPISODE 8): MARK KOSOWER, LIVE!!!
U. of S. ISOLATION INFORMANCES (EPISODE 7): DR. WYCLIFFE GORDON, H. '06, LIVE!!!
U. of S. ISOLATION INFORMANCES (EPISODE 6): ALEX PATTAVINA LIVE!!!
U. of S. ISOLATION INFORMANCES (EPISODE 5): KYLE ATHAYDE LIVE!!!
U. of S. ISOLATION INFORMANCES (EPISODE 4): LARRY WOLFE LIVE!!!
U. of S. ISOLATION INFORMANCES (EPISODE 3): JOSH ROSENBLUM LIVE!!!
U. of S. ISOLATION INFORMANCES (EPISODE 2): EDDIE BARBASH LIVE!!!
U. of S. ISOLATION INFORMANCES (EPISODE 1): THE ANDERSON TWINS LIVE!!!
