Cal Poly Music Department to Present Multiple Virtual Shows This Month
This month, Cal Poly’s Music Department will put on at least three virtual concerts before the end of spring quarter.
Cal Poly Choirs to Present ‘Ubis Caritas’ Concert Virtually on Saturday, June 5
First, the Cal Poly Choirs will present a virtual concert titled “Ubi Caritas” at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 5.
“Ubi Caritas” will feature a variety of selections on the themes of charity and love.
Cal Poly’s Chamber Choir will present three 20th century settings of the Latin text “Ubi Caritas,” all loosely based on the ancient chant melody. This portion will feature works by Maurice Duruflé, Ola Gjeilo and Luke Mayernik. The group will also perform several Italian and French secular works.
The Cal Poly Women’s Chorus will present “Someone Will Remember Us” by Jocelyn Hagen. The choir will be accompanied by animal science major Hana AbdulCader on harp, plus a string trio of Music Department faculty members Emily Lanzone, Michael Whitson and Laura Gaynon.
PolyPhonics, Cal Poly’s premier ensemble, will perform music by Carlos Guastavino and Joseph Rheinberger, as well as a special comical selection.
Lastly, the University Singers will present music by J.S. Bach and R. Scott Coulter, among others.
Tickets to the virtual event are $10 and can be purchased online from the Performing Arts Center.
Cal Poly Wind Bands to Present Virtual ‘Voices in the Wind’ Concert on Sunday, June 6
The same weekend, Cal Poly’s Wind Ensemble and Wind Orchestra will present a virtual concert titled “Voices in the Wind” at 3 p.m. Sunday, June 6.
Most of the works on the program were composed within the last decade, including “A Mother of a Revolution!” by Omar Thomas, which was inspired by the Stonewall uprising of 1969 and brought to national attention the systemic oppression of the LGBTQ community in New York City.
Faculty oboist Heidi Butterfield will perform “Hidden Currents” for oboe and wind ensemble by Katherine Bergman. Cal Poly is among several universities involved in supporting this new work and is presenting the West Coast premiere.
The piece depicts the seasonal changes along the northernmost stretch of the Mississippi River.
Travis Cross’ “Let the Amen Sound” will conclude the concert. Cross uses the 17th-century hymn “Lobe den Herren” as the musical material to build a work that evokes the playful exuberance of childhood, the sentimental dance of youth, and the triumphant celebration of lives well lived.
Chamber performances by small ensembles from the Wind Bands will be included in the program.
The concert will be recorded in Miossi Hall of the Performing Arts Center’s Christopher Cohan Center.
Director of Bands Christopher J. Woodruff and Associate Director of Bands Nicholas P. Waldron will conduct the concert. A live Q&A session with the conductors and some of the performers will be held following the concert.
Tickets to the virtual event are $5 and can be purchased online from the Performing Arts Center.
Cal Poly Symphony to Present ‘Voices Past and Present’ Virtually on Friday, June 11
Finally, the Cal Poly Symphony will present its season finale, “Voices Past and Present,” virtually at 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 11.
The program will include music for winds and brass, music for string orchestra and music for everyone together. The winds and brass will conclude their yearlong exploration of Gordon Jacob’s “Old Wine in New Bottles,” a set of pieces based on old English folk songs.
The orchestra’s string section will perform Chicago-based composer Stacy Garrop’s “Lo Yisa Goy,” an instrumental setting of the Jewish prayer for peace.
Everyone will come together to play two works: Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “English Folk Song Suite,” orchestrated by Jacob, and Nkeiru Okoye’s “Voices Shouting Out,” written in response to the events of 9/11.
The Cal Poly orchestra has rehearsed and recorded as a hybrid ensemble since the fall. This included an inside in-person string ensemble meeting, an outside in-person wind and brass musicians meeting, and other student musicians joining remotely from home. The combined efforts of these three methods of performing will make up the presentation.
A live Q&A session with conductor and music Professor David Arrivée and students will follow the recorded performance.
Tickets to the virtual event are $5 and can be purchased online from the Performing Arts Center.