PURCHASE COLLEGE GIVES THE GIFT OF MUSIC THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

The Purchase College Conservatory of Music will be presenting a special gift to the community this holiday season: a dozen musical concerts from classical and contemporary to Latin jazz and soul. The concerts begin December 1 and culminate in a performance by the Purchase Symphony Orchestra and Purchase College Chorus on December 12.

“The Purchase College Conservatory of Music is an incredible resource for the community, with an abundance of talent and depth,” says Graham Ashton, director of the Conservatory. “Our students are playing from morning to night—and have the opportunity to play every genre of music, as well as to collaborate with students from other disciplines, such as theater and dance. We are thrilled to invite the public to share in the music—which truly encompasses something for everyone.”

The Conservatory selects an elite group of students for a performing arts program recognized as one of the best in the country. Professional training at Purchase is designed to guide students toward musical mastery and launch them on the path to rewarding careers. The dedicated musicians and singers gain experience through hundreds of performances each year at Purchase.

Highlights of the December season will include the New Music/Sinfonietta program, which was developed by Graham Ashton and features exciting original contemporary works. The Jazz Arranging Concert showcases the composition skills of Jazz Studies students, while other programs offer a versatile selection of classical and contemporary pieces performed by brass and wind groups.

William Owens, a Purchase alumni and faculty member who will conduct the Purchase Symphonic Winds concert, says, “This ensemble is dedicated to pushing the musical and technical limits of the players. We will be performing high energy pieces such as John Adams’ Short Ride in a Fast Machine, and John Mackey’s Aurora Awakes, which demand a high level of virtuosity by the individual as well as the group.”

Pete Malinverni, head of Jazz Studies at Purchase College, will present Soul Voices, a group that is open to Purchase College students in all areas of study. The chorus of 50 students performs original arrangements by Malinverni of songs from the African American experience. “This year’s theme is ‘Crossing Jordan.’ What I find fascinating about these songs is when they were first sung they were coded—slaves were singing about Moses escaping Egypt but they were also singing about themselves,” Malinverni explains. “These songs are intrinsically beautiful as music, but they also speak to the human ability to be freely expressive in the face of whatever modern enslavements - external or internal - we may experience.”

The December concerts will conclude with the Purchase Symphony Orchestra and the Purchase College Chorus performing Saint-Saëns’ Christmas Oratorio and Vivaldi’s Gloria at the Performing Arts Center. Steven Fox, a Purchase College lecturer in music who will conduct the Chorus and Orchestra, comments, “It’s a well-deserved opportunity for our talented students to perform in such a first-rate professional theatre—and it’s a remarkable program. The Saint-Saëns piece is rarely performed, so it will be of special interest to our audience, while the Vivaldi has a sense of joyous festivity that is perfectly suited for the season.”

With such a wide range of music at Purchase, the dedicated faculty and students hope that audiences will not only come to see their favorite genre—but will also experience the beauty in new and different forms of music. Graham Ashton concludes, “There is so much to hear and explore at Purchase—not just this December but throughout the year.”

CONCERT SCHEDULE

All concerts will be held at Purchase College, 735 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase, NY. All are free and open to the public, except for the Purchase Symphonic Winds and Purchase Symphony Orchestra.

· Wind Chamber Concert

December 1, 6:00 pm, Conservatory of Music, Recital Hall

· Soul Voices - “Crossing Jordan”

December 2, 7:00 pm, Conservatory of Music, Recital Hall

· Jazz Arranging Concert

December 3, 1:00 pm, Conservatory of Music, Choral Hall

· Purchase Latin Jazz Orchestra

December 3, 8:00 pm, Conservatory of Music, Choral Hall

· Brass Concert

December 4, 8:00 pm, Conservatory of Music, Choral Hall

· Purchase Contemporary Ensemble

December 4, 8:00 pm, Conservatory of Music, Recital Hall

· Brass Ensemble Concert

December 7, 7:00 pm, Conservatory of Music, Recital Hall

· Brass Chamber Music Concert

December 8, 7:00 pm, Conservatory of Music, Recital Hall

· Purchase New Music/Sinfonietta

December 9, 8:00 pm, Conservatory of Music, Recital Hall

· Purchase Symphonic Winds

December 10, 7:30 pm, Performing Arts Center, Recital Hall

*To order tickets, please visit www.artscenter.org or call 914.251.6200.

· Purchase Jazz Orchestra

December 11, 7:00 pm, Conservatory of Music, Choral Hall

· Purchase Symphony Orchestra with Purchase College Chorus

December 12, 7:30 pm, Performing Arts Center, Recital Hall

*To order tickets, please visit www.artscenter.org or call 914.251.6200.