Performance Music 2018 Upcoming Events

Coming Events

All events take place in The Houlihan-McLean Center (Mulberry Street at Jefferson Avenue) and are free of admission charge, unless otherwise noted

Sunday, January 14, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
IN CONCERT: The Scranton Brass Orchestra
The diverse program for this concert includes arrangements and transcriptions for brass band and brass orchestra of Malaguena, Guantanamera, Girl from Ipanema, Riverdance, Funiculi Funicula Rhapsody, Finlandia, Rimsky Korsakov’s Procession of the Nobles, Borodin’s Polovetsian Dances, and Dvorak’s Song to The Moon (from “Rusalka”). Now in its seventh season, The Scranton Brass Orchestra is a fully professional 26 member ensemble comprised of brass & percussion players/teachers from the region. The group made its debut before hundreds of appreciative audience members in June 2011, and has since garnered acclaim from both audiences and musicians alike.

Saturday, February 10, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
IN CONCERT: Michael Davis and The New Wonders
(with an appearance by The University of Scranton Jazz Ensemble)
At twenty-five years old, “eloquent trumpet prodigy” Mike Davis (Wall Street Journal) has a voice beyond his years on his instrument. The New York City based septet which he leads – “The New Wonders” - vividly invokes America’s Jazz Age during the 1920s, when jazz was the soundtrack for dramatic national changes and played a central part in people's dreams, adventures and romances. Exquisite attention to musical detail and the band's deep passion for the original recordings is evident in each performance. Named for the model of cornet played by the enigmatic genius Bix Beiderbecke, the New Wonders craft each song as if it were a 78 rpm record, and the result has been praised by Downbeat Magazine and the New York Times. Mike’s playing is imbued with the sounds of prohibition-era speakeasies, Hoovervilles of the depression, and glittering jazz palaces of the swing era, creating a timeless cocktail of American music. He appears regularly around New York City with Dandy Wellington and his band, Emily Asher’s Garden Party, Gelber and Manning, Glenn Crytzer, Terry Waldo, Baby Soda, Dan Levinson, and many other traditional jazz and swing bands. The 22 member University of Scranton Jazz Ensemble, made up of University of Scranton student musicians from majors spanning the curriculum, will accompany Mr. Davis on a few of the evening’s selections.

Sunday, February 18, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
IN RECITAL: Mark Kosower, cello, and Jee-Won Oh, piano
Mark Kosower, principal cellist of The Cleveland Orchestra, is described as “a virtuoso of staggering prowess” by the Cleveland Plain Dealer. A consummate artist equally at home nationally and internationally as a recital and concerto soloist, he regularly collaborates with his wife, acclaimed pianist Jee-Won Oh. Together they have appeared in concert throughout the U.S. and abroad. Recent and upcoming performances include return engagements on the Great Performers Series at Lincoln Center and at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, as well as performances at the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, at Barge Music in New York, at the Kronberg Academy in Germany, at the Sala Cecí­lia Meireles in Rio de Janeiro, and at Kumho Art Hall in Seoul, Korea. In recent years Kosower and Oh have together and separately performed solo engagements throughout the U.S. and the world; served as a frequent guests at numerous national and international chamber music festivals; and recorded for the Ambitus, Delos, Naxos International, and VAI labels (including the first recording of the complete music for solo cello of Alberto Ginastera, for Naxos). In spite of their busy performance schedules, they have maintained their commitment to excellence in teaching. Kosower is currently as a member of the faculty at the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Kent/Blossom Music Festival, and is also serving as a visiting distinguished professor at the University of Oregon during the 2017-18 academic year. Oh was the studio pianist and assistant to the famed cellist Janos Starker for five years, taught piano at Indiana University from 1994-98, and currently teaches and coaches clinics, workshops and masterclasses for solo and collaborative pianists throughout their travels. Both have offered masterclasses around the world.

Saturday, March 3, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
IN RECITAL: Marg Davis, harp, and Jon Shadle, trumpet (music.yale.edu, juilliard.edu)
Harpist Margaret Davis and trumpeter Jonathan Shadle met while pursuing their undergraduate degrees at The Juilliard School and have since formed a chamber music duo to showcase this unique instrumentation. In addition to their undergraduate degrees from The Juilliard School and their graduate work at The Yale School of Music (M.M. 2018), they have studied and performed at numerous highly regarded summer music festivals, including The Aspen Music Festival, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Bowdoin International Music Festival, and The Chautauqua Music Festival. As a duo, they have performed recitals and concerts on the East Coast, as soloists and ensemble musicians they have performed throughout the U.S., and each teaches masterclasses, workshops, and private lessons. Davis & Shadle are committed to premiering little-known works for trumpet and harp, as well as transcriptions of other chamber pieces, and they also compose original music for their contemporary band, “Astoria Window”, and will be releasing their debut EP with that ensemble this spring. Their performance in Scranton will feature unpublished, Hungarian compositions for trumpet and harp, as well as transcriptions of classic, European chamber pieces for piano and voice. The combination of harp and trumpet is a very underutilized instrumentation, and audience members often find themselves surprised by the depth of blend and range of tone color achievable between the instruments. The program will also include solo harp pieces performed by Margaret Davis by various French, British and Dutch composers ranging from the 18th to 20th centuries.

Wednesday, March 7, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
GENERAL RECITAL: University of Scranton Performance Music students
University of Scranton Performance Music student musicians present a program of vocal and instrumental selections in solo, duo, trio, quartet, and small ensemble performances. The student musicians represent majors spanning the curriculum, and are brought together by their love of making music and sharing it with their audiences.

Sunday, March 25, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
IN CONCERT: The Mannes School of Music Brass Ensembles (Mark Gould, Director) with The University of Scranton Singers and organist Timothy E. Smith
The Mannes School of Music, in existence for more than a century, is one of the nation’s premier music conservatories, providing programs at the pre-college, undergraduate, and graduate level. Mannes’s brass ensembles have been under the direction of Maestro Gould since 2017, and are composed of select undergraduate and graduate brass students. The University of Scranton Singers is a 50+ voice mixed choir founded more than half a century ago, composed of students from majors spanning the curriculum. All enrolled Scranton students are eligible for membership in the Performance Music ensembles, which include both vocal and instrumental ensembles. This is the premiere year of the collaboration between these two groups, and is a natural outgrowth of a successful string of other musical collaborations between the groups’ respective directors. Dr. Timothy Smith is Organist and Director of Music at Scranton’s Covenant Presbyterian Church, also serves as university organist at Columbia University.

Saturday, April 14, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
35th ANNUAL WORLD PREMIERE COMPOSITION SERIES CONCERT: featuring the premieres of two new works by guest composer/conductor Brandon Lee, performed by The University of Scranton Concert Band & Concert Choir
Brandon Lee is an acclaimed jazz trumpeter, arranger, composer, teacher, and bandleader who has made his mark on the music scene worldwide, performing and teaching masterclasses in many of the major concert halls and club venues of the world. He currently serves as Assistant Professor of Jazz Trumpet for the Miles Davis Jazz Studies Program at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. In the fall of 2008, Brandon became the youngest to join the faculty at The Juilliard School. As jazz faculty, Brandon primarily worked as the assistant conductor and conductor of jazz orchestra, conducting The Juilliard Jazz Orchestra and showcasing the orchestra in many venues nationally and internationally, with a variety of legendary guest artist/teachers. In addition to his jazz faculty position, Brandon served on staff at The Juilliard School as the Artistic Coordinator of Educational Outreach from 2010-2012. Lee plays frequently with his own group and as a sideman in several other groups. He has taught masterclasses and performed in major concert halls throughout the world, and has performed and/or recorded with a plethora of jazz artists including Wynton Marsalis, The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Eric Reed, Vincent Herring, Kirk Whalum, Jazz Conceptions Orchestra, The Birdland Big Band, The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Kenny Barron Quintet, Kurt Elling, Christian McBride Big Band, David Berger Big Band, Fat Cat Big Band, and many others. The premieres of the new works for Scranton will be performed by the university’s student ensembles, made up of University of Scranton student musicians from majors spanning the curriculum, with Mr. Lee conducting the premieres of his compositions.

Saturday, April 21, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
IN CONCERT: The University of Scranton Jazz Band with special guest soloist Frank Vignola, guitar
Frank Vignola is one of the most extraordinary guitarists performing before the public today. His stunning virtuosity has made him the guitarist of choice for many of the world’s top musicians, including Ringo Starr, Madonna, Donald Fagen, Wynton Marsalis, Tommy Emmanuel, the Boston Pops, the New York Pops, and guitar legend Les Paul, who named Vignola to his “Five Most Admired Guitarists List: for the Wall Street Journal. Vignola’s jaw- dropping technique explains why the New York Times deemed him “one of the brightest stars of the guitar”. With over 1000 engagements in the last five years alone, his dynamic genre-spanning music has brought him to 15 countries on three continents, performing in some of the world’s most illustrious venues. Often featured on National Public Radio, Frank Vignola has also become a familiar figure on Public Television, including his own PBS special, “Four Generations of Guitar” with special guests, Bucky Pizzarelli, Joe Craven and Tommy Emmanuel. Vignola has recorded over 30 CD’s, 7 DVD’s and has been a guest performer on hundreds of recordings; written and produced scores of educational books, CDs and videos at all levels; maintains a vigorous private teaching schedule; and conducts clinics, masterclasses and workshops at conservatories and music schools across the globe, most recently coaching guitar ensembles at The Juilliard School of Music in New York City. The University of Scranton Jazz Band is a 25 member ensemble of big band instrumentation, made up of University of Scranton student musicians from majors spanning the curriculum. They perform five or more times per year,and the majority of their performances are open to the public, free of admission charge, and feature a nationally or internationally renowned guest soloist.

Friday, May 4, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
10th ANNUAL GENE YEVICH MEMORIAL CONCERT: featuring Kako Miura, violin (with an appearance by The University of Scranton String Orchestra)
This concert, in celebration of the memory of former Scranton Superintendent of Fires Gene Yevich and sponsored by Former Mayor Dave Wenzel and his wife Janet, features acclaimed young violinist Kako Miura. Miura is currently pursuing her Master of Music degree in Violin Performance on a full scholarship to the prestigious Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles, where she is a student of Robert Lipsett, Colburn’s Jascha Heifetz Distinguished Violin Chair. She is also an active member of the classical contemporary music ensembles Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra and Aeon Ensemble. Kako was invited to participate in the National Arts Centre’s Young Artists Program in Ottawa (where she studied with Pinchas Zuckerman and Patina Kopec) and The Aspen Music Festival, and was a 2016 participant in the Heifetz International Music Institute Ashkenasi Kirshbaum Chamber Music Seminar, and the Taos School of Music chamber music program in 2017. She earned her undergraduate degree from The Juilliard School as a student of Masao Kawasaki, has received numerous prestigious awards in both Australia and the United States, and has had both solo and chamber music performances at such distinguished venues as Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and Zankel Hall, the Sydney Opera House, and the Aspen Music Festival.

Saturday, May 5, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
IN CONCERT: The University of Scranton String Orchestra with guest soloist Kako Miura, violin
The University of Scranton String Orchestra plays music by Vivaldi, Bach. Mozart, Tchaikovsky, and more, with guest violinist Kako Miura. (Please see Miura bio above.) The University of Scranton String Orchestra is a 30-member ensemble comprised of members of the university community - mostly undergraduate students, joined by a few members of the faculty and staff - who play violin, viola, cello, or string bass and are brought together by a mutual love of music-making. The ensemble performs four or five times per academic year, and most of their performances are open to the public and are free of admission charge.

Thursday, May 10, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
PRE-COMMENCEMENT CONCERT: The University of Scranton Symphonic Band and Concert Choir

Sunday, May 13, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
IN RECITAL: Alexander Pattavina, Organ
Alexander Pattavina, of Stoughton, MA, is currently completing his Bachelor’s degree in Organ Performance at The Juilliard School. A student of GRAMMY Award-winning organist Paul Jacobs, Alex received First Prize in the 2014 L. Cameron Johnson Memorial Organ Competition, and was awarded the Ruth and Paul Manz Scholarship from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. An avid composer, Alex’s composition for choir and organ, All in a Stable Cold and Bare, will be published in a forthcoming release by Hal Leonard. Recently, Alex has appeared in recital at The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in Manhattan, Old West Church in Boston, and Hampton Congregational Church in Hampton, CT. He was one of the performers in an historic, eighteen-hour marathon performance of the complete organ works of J.S. Bach held at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Manhattan, sponsored by WQXR-FM. Alex has also worked at St. Michael’s Church in New York City, as Organ Scholar at The Parish of St. Paul in Harvard Square and Christ Church in Bronxville, NY, and Assistant Organist at St. Joseph Parish in Needham MASS.

Sunday, June 17, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
IN CONCERT: The Scranton Brass Orchestra

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Events you may have missed earlier in the 2017/2018 school year:

SUN., SEPT. 10, 2017 - IN CONCERT: The Peter & Will Anderson Trio (with guitarist Alex Wintz) Clarinet and saxophone virtuosos Peter and Will Anderson are one of the most extraordinary set of brothers performing music today, known for their unique renditions of classic jazz songs and innovative original music. They have headlined at The Blue Note, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, New Orleans Jazz Festival, Sarasota Florida Jazz Festival, South Carolina’s Jazz Corner, Seattle’s Triple Door, Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center, DC’s Blues Alley, and Arizona Music Festival, and their ensemble has performed in over 40 U.S. States, toured Japan, and been featured four times in NYC’s famed “Highlights in Jazz” series. They have performed with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Village Vanguard Orchestra, Jimmy Heath Big Band, Wycliffe Gordon, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Paquito D’Rivera, Kenny Barron, Bob Wilber, Albert “Tootie” Heath, live on Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion, and are featured on the 2014 Grammy Winning Soundtrack of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire with Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks.
SAT., SEPT. 23, 2017 - IN CONCERT: Trumpeter/vocalist Jumaane Smith and Friends present “Louis, Louis, Louis!” (with an appearance by The University of Scranton Singers) Jumaane Smith, trumpet soloist and sideman, has traveled the world, played stages in historic clubs, in massive stadiums and at cultural landmarks, recorded a solo album, appeared on national television, and performed for two sitting U.S. presidents. The recordings he’s played on have sold more than 25 million copies worldwide, garnered four Grammy nominations, and earned three Grammy wins, and the TV shows he’s appeared on total an audience of more than 100 million viewers. A member of Michael Buble’s band and the band for the Harry Connick Jr. show, his collaborations range from pop idols to jazz legends. He’s worked with Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, Michael Buble’, Jackie Evancho, Alicia Keys, The Jonas Brothers, Wyclef Jean, Justin Bieber, Diddy, Natalie Cole, James Ingram, Wynton Marsalis, Ravi Coltrane, Chris Botti and many more. From touring the world with Bublé, playing the Grammy Awards show with Stevie Wonder and the Jonas Brothers, appearing regularly on TV with Harry Connick Jr., and recording “As I Am” with Alicia Keys, to appearing on the “American Idol” soundtrack, performing with Jackie Evancho, and scoring and performing music for the film “Handsome Harry,” Jumaane’s varied accomplishments go on and on.
WED., SEPT. 27, 2017 - IN RECITAL: University of Scranton Performance Music Student Musicians University of Scranton student musicians perform in both vocal and instrumental solo, duo, trio and small ensemble performances. (More detailed program info TBA)
SUN., OCT. 22, 2017 - IN RECITAL: Daniel Ficarri, organist, performing on the Houlihan McLean Austin Opus 301 Symphonic Organ Daniel Ficarri, a rising young star as an organist and composer, is quickly making his mark as a versatile soloist and ensemble musician in New York City. His recent performance of John Cage’s “Souvenir” for organ was listed under the “Week’s 8 Best Classical Music Moments” in The New York Times. In addition, Ficarri appeared as part of the WQXR Bach Organ Marathon, and he has performed in recital throughout the U.S., including at many of New York City’s most impressive spaces. His music is performed across the country and internationally. Ficarri serves as Organ Scholar at The Church of St. Paul the Apostle in Manhattan, and founded Sacred Sounds at St. Paul’s, a concert series promoting organ music in the Lincoln Center area and providing performance opportunities for young artists; he also spearheaded the organ restoration project underway at St. Paul’s. Ficarri is a student of Grammy Award-winning organist Paul Jacobs.
SAT., OCT. 28, 2017 - IN CONCERT: University of Scranton Jazz Band with guest soloist Kenny Rampton Kenny Rampton, a member of Wynton Marsalis’s Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and the trumpet voice on “Sesame Street” since 2010, also leads his own quintet and performs with the Mingus Big Band, The Mingus Orchestra, The Mingus Dynasty, George Gruntz’ Concert Jazz Band, and The Manhattan Jazz Orchestra (under the direction of Dave Matthews). He has toured the world with groups as stylistically diverse as The Ray Charles Orchestra and the pop band Matchbox Twenty. As a sideman, Rampton has performed with Mingus Epitaph (under the direction of Gunther Schuller), Bebo Valdez’ Latin Jazz All-Stars, Maria Schneider, the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, Dr. John, Lionel Hampton, Jon Hendricks, Illinois Jacquet, Geoff Keezer, Christian McBride, and a host of others. His Broadway credits are extensive, and his discography includes hundreds of jazz, R&B, Blues, Pop, and Hip Hop recordings. Also an in-demand studio trumpeter, Kenny has recorded jingles for dozens of commercials. The University of Scranton Jazz Band is a 28 member ensemble of big band style instrumentation, made up of University of Scranton student musicians from majors spanning the curriculum. They perform five or more times per year, and the majority of their performances are open to the public, free of admission charge, and often feature a nationally or internationally renowned guest soloist.
SAT., NOV. 4, 2017 - IN CONCERT: Sherrie Maricle & The DIVA Jazz Orchestra Celebrate 25 Years of Swingin' Around the World (part of Diva’s 25th Anniversary Tour) The DIVA Jazz Orchestra lights up the stage with their music and personalities, riveting audiences and commanding standing ovations. They have recorded more than 12 albums as a group, performed at Carnegie Hall with Skitch Henderson and the New York Pops, and raised the roof at the Playboy Jazz Festival, Tanglewood , the Montreal Jazz Festival, Kennedy Center’s “Women in Jazz”, and Verizon Jazz at Lincoln Center. DIVA has performed for appreciative crowds at many of the most renowned clubs and concert halls in the country, and was featured in the 2013 award-winning documentary The Girls in the Band. They have performed with Dave Brubeck, Nancy Wilson, Joe Williams, Diane Schuur, Carmen Bradford, Marlena Shaw, Dee Daniels, Maurice Hines, DeeDee Bridgewater, Rosemary Clooney, Jack Jones, Clark Terry, Dr. Billy Taylor, Terry Gibbs, Tommy Newsom, Randy Brecker, Ann Hampton Callaway, and many others.
FRI., NOV. 10, 2017 - IN CONCERT: The University of Scranton String Orchestra is a 30-member ensemble comprised of members of the university community from majors and departments spanning the curriculum – the vast majority of them undergraduate students, joined by a few graduate students and members of the faculty and staff – none of whom are music majors, who are all brought together by their mutual love of music-making. This program includes music by a diverse group of composers spanning eras and styles.
SAT., NOV. 18, 2017 - IN CONCERT: The University of Scranton Concert Band is an 85-member ensemble comprised of members of the university community from majors and departments spanning the curriculum – the vast majority of them undergraduate students, joined by a few graduate students and members of the faculty and staff – none of whom are music majors, who are all brought together by their mutual love of music-making. This program includes music by many of the most respected composers for band of the late 20th and early 21st century.
SAT., DEC. 2, 2017 - 50th ANNUAL NOEL NIGHT: The University of Scranton Singers & Chamber Ensembles with guest trumpeter Mark Gould and pianist Ron Stabinsky (with special appearances by U. of S. Singers alumni) This year marks the 50th anniversary of Noel Night, The University of Scranton's Christmas gift to the community. Seating is available on a first-come, first-seated basis. Prelude music and instrumental accompaniment will be provided by members of the Performance Music instrumental ensembles. During the course of the performance, the 60 voice student mixed choir and representative choir alumni will be joined by: leaders of the university community offering greetings and readings of the Nativity Martyrology and St. Luke Nativity Narrative; Mark Gould, who served as principal trumpet of the Metropolitan Opera for more than thirty years, teaches at The Juilliard School, co-founded the Scranton Brass Orchestra and teaches in The Scranton Brass Seminar, and leads The New York Trumpet Ensemble; and Ron Stabinsky, who is one of the most sought after free-lance pianists in the northeast, is particularly well known for his versatility, and performs as a solo, ensemble, and collaborative pianist in concerts and events spanning a wide variety of genres throughout the world.
SUN., DEC. 10, 2017 - EMPTY STOCKING FUND BENEFIT CONCERT: The Scranton Brass Orchestra with special guests The Scranton Preparatory School Cavalyrics (Daniel Marx, Director) The event is open to the public, and all who attend the concert are asked to bring a new toy or article of children’s clothing, or a monetary donation. The collection will benefit children of local families in need this holiday season. The evening will include performances of a variety of holiday favorites and an audience Christmas caroling sing-along.