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Live music uptown and down this Oct. 11-13
DePauw University School of Music’s concert season continues with a full slat of live music offerings before taking a respite the following week for fall break (Oct. 14-22).
Included in this week’s lineup will be the DePauw Jazz Ensemble’s season-opening performance (7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 11, Kresge); a dynamic Faculty Select Series program for piano-four hands by guest artists Silvia Roederer and Leslie Tang (7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12, Thompson), followed the next day by a Lunch Box Music concert by three faculty pianists downtown at Music on the Square (noon–1 p.m., Friday, Oct. 13).
On Wednesday, the DePauw Jazz Ensemble, led by interim director Jen Sikola, will showcases its versatility in the Green Center’s Kresge Auditorium with pieces ranging from swing, funk and gospel to Latin tango and Afro-Cuban stylings.
“Yardbird Suite” and “Ticker” give a nod to the masters of the past, Charlie Parker and Count Basie. The more modern tune “Prayer Meetin” adds elements from jazz’s roots with its gospel influences. The funky “Smoke and Mirrors,” mysterious “Oblivion,” and high-energy “Cubauza” provide interesting grooves to contrast the swing feel typically heard in jazz. Each piece also offers plenty of room for student soloists to add their individual musical voices.
Wednesday’s performance will also mark director Siukola’s debut with the DePauw Jazz Ensemble. Siukola, who is replacing Professor Steven Snyder while on sabbatical leave this fall, recently completed her doctoral degree in trumpet performance at Ball State University, where she served as graduate assistant in jazz. After graduation, she worked as an adjunct professor at Ball State University. In addition to having a private trumpet studio, she teaches trumpet at Noblesville High School and jazz trumpet at Butler University. She has been an ensemble director for the Butler Youth Jazz Program, a member of the jazz faculty for the Music for All summer camp and the jazz improvisation clinician at Strings and Jazzy Things.
As a trumpet player, and Hal-Leonard recording artist, a few of Siukola’s performance highlights have included playing with the Buselli-Wallarab Jazz Orchestra, the Four Tops, The Platters, Charo, the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra, the Anderson Symphony Orchestra and the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra.
Thursday night, a virtuoso evening of music for piano four-hands by Duo Furioso, including works by Schubert and Dvorák; an exciting new piece for piano and electronic sounds; and duo’s own arrangement of three movements from “Petrouchka” by Stravinsky are on this guest artist program in Thompson Recital Hall. The public is also welcome to attend a free master class with the duo, Silvia Roederer and Leslie Tang, Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in Thompson, where an eclectic program of solo, piano four-hands and two-piano works by Beethoven, Mozart, William Grant Still and Fazil Say will be performed and worked on with piano students of May Phang.
Then downtown Friday, from noon to 1 p.m. at Music on the Square, three DePauw faculty pianists —Laura Brumbaugh, Amanda Hopson, and Tony Weinstein—will offer a free lunch hour concert for the listening pleasure of business owners and downtown employees, as well as local residents, parents and students, who might otherwise not be able to take in a weeknight concert at the Green Center.
For the informal program of playing and chatting, guests are invited to bring their own lunch or they may buy one at the concert, where a limited number of box lunches by Bon Appétit will be available for purchase at M2.
General admission tickets are $10 for the Faculty Select Series and $5 for student ensemble concerts. Tickets for seniors, children and all students are free thanks to season sponsors Judson and Joyce Green. For more information or to obtain tickets online, visit music.depauw.edu. The venue box office is also open beginning one hour prior to every ticketed performance at the Green Center.