The Fresno State Department of Music presents its Annual Faculty Concert on Saturday, January 20 at 8 p.m.
Held at the Music Department Concert Hall, the evening of music will include Dvorak’s Carnival Overture music composition, Fresno State Professor Dr. Kenneth Froelich’s Jefferson Rising, and the Sextet from Mozart’s opera “Cosi fan tutte” featuring Fresno State’s voice faculty and two of their top students. The orchestra will close the concert with Glière’s “Red Poppy Suite”.
Dr. Kenneth Froelich’s Jefferson Rising has elements of big-band jazz, classic bluegrass, military fanfare, and folk music are all weaved together to create a tapestry of musical styles that represent both the time and the region. Operatic-like themes are interspersed throughout the piece, composed in a style similar to the arias found in his very own opera, “Jefferson”. Sonic elements, such as drums muted with towels, violins performed fiddle-style, and piano strings hit with mallets, are all used to further establish a folk-like sound not typically found in a standard orchestra, and surely cannot be missed through the piece.
“Cosi fan tutte” looks deeper into the humor of romantic relationships. Fresno State faculty members Maria Briggs, Brigid De Jong, Cari Earnhart and Anthony Radford are accompanies by students Christian Cabral and Lim Forgey in one of Mozart’s most beloved operas. The closing movement of the concert will exhibit Reinhold Glière’s memorable ballet, “The Red Poppy”. The piece begins in the style of traditional Chinese music, followed by revolutionary variations that lead to a powerful orchestral climax. “The Red Poppy” is unforgettable once heard!
Tickets are $20 general, $15 for seniors and Fresno State employees, and $10 for students with ALL proceeds going to the Department of Music Scholarship Fund. To buy tickets, click here!