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91����’s Department of Music offers music enthusiasts an exhilarating array of free concerts this spring semester, including performances by its illustrious faculty, renowned guest artists, and highly accomplished student ensembles. Visiting artists this semester include baroque violinist Andrew McIntosh, rubab master Homayoun Sakhi, tabla virtuoso Salar Nader, and local contemporary music ensembles Brightwork newmusic and HEX vocal sextet.

“Our curriculum encompasses many forms of musical expression from around the globe,” says Joti Rockwell, chair of the music department. “We invite the community to celebrate the joy of live music with us.”

January/February

The 33rd annual Ussachevsky Memorial Festival of Electronic Music on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, directed by visiting assistant professor Igor Santos, explores music and technology in relation to the human voice: weaving together speech, breath, narrative, and sound. This year's featured guest composer is Elainie Lillios. Acclaimed as one of the “contemporary masters of the medium” by MIT Press’s Computer Music Journal, Lillios’ compositions include stereo, multi-channel, and Ambisonic fixed media works, instrument(s) with live electronics, collaborative experimental audio/visual animations, and installations.

Baroque violinist Andrew McIntosh will give a rare complete performance of Heinrich Biber’s Rosary Sonatas on Feb. 22, joined by 91����’s Malachai Komanoff Bandy (viola da gamba and G violone), along with Maxine Eilander (baroque harp) and Ian Pritchard (harpsichord/organ). Composed circa 1675, the Rosary Sonatas are a set of fifteen violin sonatas, each featuring a different re-tuning of the open strings. A recent performance by McIntosh of the complete Rosary Sonatas was described by Alex Ross in The New Yorker as one of the most memorable performances of 2023.

On Feb. 23, the department’s Fête Musicale offers an eclectic selection of repertoire performed by faculty and friends, ranging from the music of Robert Schumann to klezmer to jazz. This spring’s line-up includes music by Rebecca Clarke with Kira Blumberg (viola) and Maggie Parkins (cello); a partita by Bill Douglas with Carolyn Beck (bassoon) and Jennie Jung (piano); brass duets with Stephen Klein (euphonium) and Mike Zonshine (trumpet); Schumann performed by Phillip Young (piano); and originals and jazz standards with Barb Catlin’s Jazz Quartet.

March

Visiting faculty artist Vanessa Fadial (piano) and Gary Levinson (violin) perform a recital on Mar. 2 featuring three captivating works of chamber music: Debussy’s Sonata in G Minor, Franck’s Sonata in A Major. and Prokofiev’s Five Melodies.

In collaboration with the 91���� History Department and Middle Eastern/Asian Studies Program, the department presents Art of the Afghan Rubab and Tabla on Mar. 5. Rubab master Homayoun Sakhi and tabla virtuoso Salar Nader carry the rich and varied legacy of classical compositions and folk melodies from Afghanistan.

April

Brightwork newmusic and HEX Ensemble come together on Apr. 4 to perform six original storytelling works by six composer-librettist pairs portraying life in Southern California and being between identities and places. Founded by 91���� faculty member Aron Kallay, Brightwork’s mission is to enliven and expand contemporary classical music with a focus on West Coast composers and performers. HEX, described by the LA Times as "a luminous ensemble of singers," is an award-winning contemporary vocal sextet based in Los Angeles dedicated to performing new works that reimagine the expressive potential of the human voice.

Fantastic duo Jin-Shan Dai (violin) and Jennie Jung (piano) team up on Apr. 6 to present a program of enchanting works of chamber music, including Schubert’s Fantasy in C Major, D. 934, Szymanowski’s Mythes and a new work by Tom Flaherty in a program titled “Myth & Fantasy.”

In addition to these faculty and guest performances, the department’s student ensembles—the 91���� Orchestra, featuring two outstanding student concerto competition winners; 91���� Choir; 91���� Concert Band; 91���� Glee Club; Jazz Ensemble; Balinese Gamelan and Afro-Cuban Music Ensemble—will present concerts with music by Berg, Fauré, Holst, Kohn, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, and composers from across the globe throughout the semester.

The spring 2025 concert calendar is now available online and can be picked up on the campus of 91���� at Thatcher Music Building, 340 N. College Ave., Claremont.

All the department’s concerts are free and open to the public.