College of Fine Arts and Design

October 4, 2011

This October, the University of Central Oklahoma's School of Music will present the season's first UCO Symphony Orchestra performance and Choral Ensembles concert.

At 7:30 p.m., Oct. 11, the UCO Symphony Orchestra will perform in  Mitchell Hall Theater.  The orchestra will play three compositions: Beethoven's Symphony No. 8 in F Major, the "Peer Gynt Suite" by Norwegian composer, Edvard Grieg, and the Overture to the opera "The Bartered Bride" by Czech composer, Bedrich Smetana.           

Ralph Morris, Ph.D., director of the Symphony Orchestra and Curtis Hansen, graduate assistant, will be the concert conductors for the performance.

At 7:30 p.m., Oct. 15, the UCO Choral Ensembles will also perform in Mitchell Hall Theater.  The Concert Chorale, which performs high quality choral literature from all style periods, and the Cantilena, the UCO student all-women's chorus, will be the evening's featured ensembles.           

The Concert Chorale, conducted by Karl Nelson, D.M.A., director of UCO Choral Studies, will perform multiple selections from various composers including "Psaume 43" by Jan Sweelinck; "Trois Chansons: Nicolette, Trois Beaux Oiseaux du Pardadis, and Ronde" by Maurice Ravel; "Sure on This Shining Night" by Morten Lauridsen; "Cloudburst" by Eric Whitacre and "Motherless Child," an African-American spiritual arranged by Craig Hella Johnson.  The chorale will be accompanied by Sam Magrill, D.M.A. and UCO's Composer-in-Residence.       

The Cantilena Women's Choir, conducted by Darla Eshelman, Ph.D., associate professor of Music Education, will perform a variety of compositions as well.  Compositions include "Dance into the Day" by Mark Patterson; "Chi La Gagliarda" by Renaissance composer, Baldassare Donato; "Gabi, Gabi," a traditional South African praise song; "See the Gypsies," a Hungarian folk song and "God Gave Music," an original composition by Eshelman.           

For tickets to either performance, call the UCO Mitchell Hall Theater Box Office at (405) 974-3375.           

For a complete listing of UCO College of Fine Arts and Design events and performances, visit www.cfad.edu/cfad/events.