Cornell Concert Series returns in full
The Cornell College Department of Music presents the return of a full Cornell Concert Series in 2022-23, featuring outstanding professional artists performing repertoire ranging from early to contemporary music. All concerts are at 7:30 p.m. and are free and open to the public.
Up-to-date information on these and all Cornell music performances can be found on Cornell’s new campus calendar, filtered by the category of music. With a quick click anyone can also download events directly to their personal calendars or sign up for periodic email updates.
Composer and pianist Walter Saul
Sept. 29, Kimmel Theatre
Saul will be in residence at Cornell beginning on Sept. 26, culminating with the Sept. 29 concert in which he and several Cornell faculty members will perform a concert of Saul’s piano and chamber works.
The composer and pianist is emeritus professor of music at Fresno Pacific University, where he continues to guide students in master’s programs. He has received numerous Meet the Composer grants, and his many composition honors include 24 ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers) awards, as well as composer of the year commissions from the North Carolina and Oregon Music Teachers Associations.
He has released six CDs of his works, including the 2015 Naxos CD “Kiev 2014” on which all of his orchestral works are performed by the National Symphony of Ukraine under conductor Theodore Kuchar.
As a pianist Saul has performed and presented clinics extensively. He has served as clinician and adjudicator throughout the Carolinas and in Oregon and California.
Saul holds degrees from Duke and Eastman universities.
The Baltimore Consort
Nov. 7, Kimmel Theatre
The Baltimore Consort will perform a program called “The Food of Love: Songs, Dances and Fancies for Shakespeare” on instruments that enjoyed popularity in the Elizabethan and early Jacobean periods. The six-member ensemble tours with lute, bass viol, bagpipes, recorders, fifes, krummhorns, and a gemshorn, and will also feature a soprano.
Founded in 1980 to perform the instrumental music of Shakespeare’s time, the Consort has explored early English, Scottish, and French popular music, focusing on the relationship between folk and art song and dance. Their interest in early music of English-Scottish heritage has also led them to delve into the rich trove of traditional music preserved in North America.
Recordings on the Dorian label have earned them recognition as Top Classical-Crossover Artist of the Year (Billboard), as well as rave reviews elsewhere. Besides touring in the U.S. and abroad, they often perform on such syndicated radio broadcasts as St. Paul Sunday, Performance Today, Harmonia, and the CBC’s OnStage.
The Chicago Brass Quintet
Feb. 27, First Presbyterian Church, Mount Vernon
The Chicago Brass Quintet has been at the forefront of brass chamber music since the group’s founding in 1963. Internationally regarded as virtuoso musicians, the Quintet has been widely lauded for their interpretation of the classical canon, and for their creative approach to arrangement and performance. Passionate and expressive, the Quintet is committed to enriching audiences and to advancing the future of brass instrumentation.
The Chicago Brass Quintet has been pushing the bounds of chamber orchestration for more than four decades. Originally founded in a Northwestern University dorm room, the Quintet rose to national prominence with the release of their first recording for Crystal Records and through a notable appearance at the International Trumpet Guild’s Conference in Ithaca, New York.
Over the course of its history, the Quintet has made numerous contributions to the contemporary arts community and has played to acclaim before audiences around the world. Today, the ensemble remains as vibrant as ever and continues to engage with music lovers through an enriching calendar of concerts, workshops, and educational events. The New York Times has hailed them as “One of the best brass quintets in the world.”
As Cornell continues to repair King Chapel from derecho damage, this concert will be hosted a short walk from campus at the First Presbyterian Church on First Street NW.
Chicago a cappella
April 17, 2023, Kimmel Theatre
Chicago a cappella will bring a concert of “American Songbook Classics” to Cornell.
Long recognized for vocal virtuosity and innovative programming, Chicago a cappella enjoys a reputation as a leader in the choral field.
An ensemble of professional singers founded in 1993, Chicago a cappella has produced more than 200 concerts on its Chicago-based series. On tour, the group has appeared in 13 American states and Mexico. The ensemble has been heard frequently on WFMT radio and through broadcasts distributed by American Public Media, including the nationally-syndicated Performance Today. The ensemble has produced nine CD recordings of music ranging from Renaissance masses to contemporary works.
Chicago a cappella is also active in educational and community engagement. The ensemble produces an annual Youth Choral Festival for young singers from the Chicago area, and ¡Cantaré!, a unique cross-cultural program designed to bring the talents of composers from Mexico directly into Chicago classrooms and the concert hall through residencies in schools and an annual free community concert.
