Three Wayne State faculty members will perform during the “Modern Americans” concert at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 7, in Ley Theatre.
Evocative, abstract sounds define the “Modern Americans” concert at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 7, in Ley Theatre, located in the Brandenburg Building at Wayne State College. The performance, featuring three Wayne State faculty members, is free and open to the public and will also be livestreamed.
Watch the livestream on the WSC Watch Live page
The concert features Dr. Sarah Farr, mezzo-soprano; Dr. Karl Kolbeck on clarinet; and Dr. Angela Miller-Niles on piano. The concert’s musical landscape cascades with unpredictable, nontraditional tones. The mercurial and melancholy “Sun and Shadow” by George Crumb is based on the poetry of Federico García Lorca. Farr’s vocal discipline inspires intense imagery through rapid scale changes, whispers, humming, and spoken words. The piano accompaniment intensifies the five-song cycle with special pedal effects, string plucking, and percussion strikes.
Miller-Niles performs the sound odyssey “Owen:tsia kwe:kon” (All Over the Earth) by Dawn Avery. Rooted in Mohawk culture, the four-movement selection depicts the majesty of the natural world through extended piano techniques such as strumming and hitting the strings. The sonic journey emulates water, wind, animals, and earth.
The program also features “The Great Hunt” by Kurt Knecht. This work was specifically composed for the trio and features the poetry of Carl Sandburg.
For more information, contact Wayne State’s Department of Music at 402-375-7359.