seattle symphony — Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 1, 2019

OSU Wind Ensemble performs Holst, Sousa and more May 23

By Zachary C. Person, 541-737-4671, zachary.person@oregonstate.edu

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Oregon State University Wind Ensemble under the direction of Dr. Chris Chapman presents its final concert of the 2018-2019 season at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 23 at The LaSells Stewart Center, 875 SW 26thStreet, Corvallis.

Chapman conducts Gustav Holst’s “Fugal Overture” and “Chants” by Oregon-based composer Martin Benhke to open the program. Guest conductor Olin Hannum then joins the stage to lead Percy Grainger’s “Irish Tune from County Derry,” a setting of the tune made famous via the folk song “Danny Boy.”

Anthony Barfield’s “Red Sky” featuring solo trombonist Carson Keeble closes the first half. “Red Sky” is a sonic depiction of the big bang theory, focusing on concepts of space, matter and energy. Keeble is instructor of trombone at OSU and is a former member of the Colorado Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic and New Mexico Symphony. He frequently performs with the Seattle Symphony, Oregon Symphony and Santa Fe Opera, and has performed with the Baltimore Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Malaysian Philharmonic and many others.

John Philip Sousa’s “The Stars and Stripes Forever” opens the second half. The rousingly patriotic march was designated the official National March of America in 1987, and its rousing melodies and thrilling piccolo solo have delighted wind band audiences for generations.

Symphony No. 2 “Voices” by James Stephenson is the major work on the program. The symphony is a three-movement, twenty-minute exploration of anger, heartbreak and reconciliation written in response to the death of Stephenson’s mother in 2016.

General admission tickets $5 advance, $10 door. OSU students with ID and K-12 youth admitted free. CAFA discounts apply. Advance tickets available online at: liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/musicevents. To request accommodations relating to a disability call 541-737-4671.

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About the OSU College of Liberal Arts: The College of Liberal Arts includes fine and performing arts, humanities and social sciences, making it one of the largest and most diverse colleges at OSU. The college’s research and instructional faculty members contribute to the education of all university students and provide national and international leadership, creativity and scholarship in their academic disciplines.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 18 December 2018

COPI Steinway Piano Series presents MacArthur Foundation ‘Genius Grant’ recipient Jeremy Denk Jan. 13

By Zachary C. Person

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Pianist Jeremy Denk performs at Oregon State University as part of the Corvallis-OSU Piano International Steinway Piano Series at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 13 in the Austin Auditorium at The LaSells Stewart Center, 875 SW 26th Street, Corvallis.

Denk is one of the foremost American pianists on today’s concert scene. He was awarded a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship (a.k.a. the “Genius Grant”) in 2013, an Avery Fisher Career Prize in 2014 and was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2016. He is a graduate of Oberlin College, Indiana University and the Juilliard School.

During recent concert seasons Denk has performed as a soloist across North America with the Chicago Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Seattle Symphony and the Cleveland Orchestra. International solo engagements have included soloist engagements with the Helsinki Philharmonic, BBC Symphony Orchestra, The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, the City of Birmingham Symphony and many others.

Ludwig v. Beethoven’s “Five Variations on ‘Rule Brittania’ in D Major” opens the concert. Though well known today, the “Rule Brittania” theme was much more obscure in the early 19th century. Beethoven’s curiosity about British culture also spurred the composition of his earlier “Variations on God Save the King” for piano and “Wellington’s Victory, Op. 91” for orchestra a decade later.

“I Still Play” by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Adams follows. The inclusion of the five-minute piece is a clever nod towards Denk’s now-famous recording of J.S. Bach’s “Goldberg Variations” on Nonesuch Records. The work was written in celebration of Nonesuch president Bob Hurwitz upon his retirement. Hurwitz is a trained pianist who “still plays” and Adams set a series of short variations on a harmonic progression that acknowledges both Hurwitz’s love of the “Goldberg Variations” and the triumph of Denk’s recording under his watch at Nonesuch.

Two more variation-oriented works follow: Georges Bizet’s “Variations chromatiques” and Felix Mendelssohn’s “Variations sérieuses,” Op. 54. Both works were inspired by Beethoven: Bizet’s variations are a homage to his love of Beethoven’s 32 Variations in C minor; the Mendelssohn was composed as part of a campaign raising funds for a commission of a statue honoring Beethoven in his hometown of Bonn, Germany.

Franz Liszt’s transcription of Beethoven’s “An die ferne Geliebte (To the distant beloved)” and Ralph Schumann’s “Fantasy in C Major, Op. 17” close the program. The Schumann is based on a theme from “An die ferne Geliebte” and like Mendelssohn’s Op. 54 was composed as part of the campaign raising funds for the statue honoring Beethoven.

Tickets $25 in advance, $28 door. Advance tickets are available online at corvallispiano.org or locally at Grass Roots Books & Music. Youth ages 8-18 and all college students with valid ID admitted free. CAFA discounts apply, valid for purchase of up to two $5 tickets at The LaSells Stewart Center starting one hour prior to the concert with SNAP card. Accommodations relating to a disability may be made by calling 541-758-0036, preferably at least one week in advance.

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About Corvallis-OSU Piano International: Corvallis-OSU Piano International furthers the appreciation and celebration of piano music and performance in our community by providing high-quality performances, outreach opportunities and educational programs. COPI presents the Steinway Piano Series, an annual concert series featuring world-class performers. Children’s concerts, master classes, lectures and a jazz series also serve as part of a mission to bring people together in a culture of piano through performance, education and advocacy.