Castleton is pleased to present the Castleton Jazz Combos, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, and Collegiate Chorale in four evenings of music on April 27, 28 and 29, as well as May 1 at the Casella Theater in the Fine Arts Center.
The series will begin with the Spring Serenades, as the Castleton Collegiate Chorale and Chamber Singers combine forces with some of Vermont’s top orchestral musicians on Sun., Apr. 27 at 3 p.m. Directed by Sherrill Blodget, this exciting concert will feature works for choir and chamber orchestra from the Baroque to the present including Handel’s Hallelujah Amen, Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus, Sunrise from Ola Gjielo’s Sunrise Mass, and Eric Whitacre’s Five Hebrew Love Songs. The 802 String Ensemble will be playing Dmitri Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 7. The choirs will also perform works by Daniel Gawthrop, Morten Lauridsen, and others.
On Monday, April 28, the Castleton Jazz Combos partner with Seven Sharp Nines, Dance Band Tenths and The Power of 10 Vermont National Guard Soldiers 40th Army Band to present an electrifying evening of jazz melodies. Performing individual and combined tracks, the groups will captivate audience members with an array of both classical and contemporary hits.
Tuesday, April 29 features the Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Paul Kafer. The English-inspired concert features works by premier composers Malcolm Arnold, Alfred Reed, Gustave Holst, Percy Grainger, and British composer and musician Philip Sparke. The Ensemble concert will also debut the talents of guest conductor and senior music education major, Matthew Haley.
Ensemble Week concludes Thursday, May 1 as the Castleton Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Glenn Giles, along with the True North 40th Army Band Show Band, team up for a combined concert. True North will open the program with WAR’s “Low Rider,” Brian Setzer’s “Rock This Town,” Earth, Wind and Fire’s “September,” and more. The Jazz Ensemble selections include “The Trot” by Benny Carter, “I Can’t Stop Loving You” by Don Gibson and “Early Morning and I am Being pulled Too Hard” by ‘11 Castleton graduate Tim Haufe. The two groups will combine to present “Chunka Lunka” by Mary Lou Williams and “Get It On” by Bill Chase and Terry Richards.
All concerts start promptly at 7 p.m. Tickets for these performances are available at the Fine Arts Center Box Office and are $5 for adults, $3 for seniors/students and free to Castleton students, faculty, and staff. For more information or to reserve tickets visit www.castleton.edu/tickets or contact the Fine Arts Center box office at 802-468-1119.