The School of Music has kept busy this winter and the result is a host of highly anticipated concerts in the coming weeks. Sunday at 7 p.m., the Libby Gardner Hall is welcoming the U’s own accomplished pianist, Heather Conner.
Conner’s spotlight piano performance will feature Beethoven’s Sonata in E-flat Major Op. 31 No. 3 and Chopin’s 24 Preludes Op. 28.
“These are two pieces that I’ve always enjoyed,” Conner said. “Chopin’s preludes are threaded together like a journey that runs the gamut of the human emotion. And the Beethoven Sonata is some of his lighter work. It’s a great challenge with great rewards.”
A professor of piano at the U, Conner has also garnered international acclaim as a solo pianist. In 2003, she received the Helen Cohn Award for outstanding doctoral graduate of the Manhattan School of Music.
For those inclined, this event promises to be well worth attending. Speaking to those who could be on the fence regarding attendance, Conner said, “The audience shouldn’t be discouraged by the prospect of 24 preludes8212;they move quickly.”
Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. (also at the Libby Gardner Music Hall), the University Wind Ensemble will be performing in collaboration with the Alta High School Wind Ensemble. This is the group’s second concert of Spring Semester. Director of Bands, Scott Hagen, returned to the U as a professor in music in 2005 and conducts the ensemble. The selections will include Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, Frank Ticheli’s Postcard and Ron Nelson’s Aspen Jubilee. Alta’s Wind Ensemble, under the direction of William Mattingly, will join the 60 members of the University Ensemble for what should be a very exciting performance.
Under the direction of Hagen, the ensemble has had an interesting year thus far. A recently finished recording boasts guest performances by Canadian French horn player Jeff Nelsen and Euphonium soloist Adam Frey. The CD is scheduled for release sometime this summer.