MDSO Masterworks III:
February 2, 2019, 7:30pm
Edward Elgar’s clever Enigma Variations were dedicated “to my friends depicted within”: musical portrayals of his close companions in a series of unnamed orchestral sketches. Since its premiere in 1899, listeners have delighted in pairing friends with sketches and have been perplexed by Elgar’s enduring unresolved question: who, or what, is ‘The Enigma’? Millikin’s own friends, winners of the annual Concerto and Aria Competition, will make their solo debuts with the MDSO.
Synergy
February 24, 2019, 4:00pm
The annual Synergy concert will take place on Sunday, February 24, 2019 at 4:00 p.m. in the Kirkland Fine Arts Center.
Percussion Ensemble Synergy showcases the distinctiveness of Millikin's interdisciplinary alliances through a collaborative concert featuring performance by student and faculty across the College of Fine Arts. This year's Synergy program will highlight musical influences on percussion music by cultures from around the world.
MDSO Masterworks IV:
March 2, 2019, 7:30pm
Famed composer-conductor Gustav Mahler believed that “to write a symphony is, for me, to construct a world.” Hear the MDSO and the Millikin Union of Choirs recreate this musical process in their performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2. Known as the “Resurrection Symphony,” this monumental piece brings together over 300 performers to celebrate the profound beauty of afterlife and redemption.
Mahler's Resurrection Symphony Lecture Series with Dr. Marshall Tuttle
Concertino for Percussion by David Gillingham
March 3, 2019, 4:00pm
The Millikin Symphonic Wind Ensemble will perform Concertino for Percussion by David Gillingham on Sunday, March 3, 2019 at 4 p.m. in the Kirkland Fine Arts Center. They will be joined by current Millikin percussion faculty along with Millikin alumni Jeremy Brunk ’97, Aaron Villareal ’13, and recent graduate Justin DeBo ’18.
Each year we invite an outstanding high school band to share the stage with the Millikin Symphonic Wind Ensemble. This performance features the Morris (Illinois) Community Symphonic Winds, conducted by Millikin graduate Brock Feece ’15.
MDSO: Sleeping Beauty with Alabama Ballet
March 30, 2019, 7:30pm to March 31, 2019, 2:00pm
Audiences young and young at heart will be enchanted by the artistry of the Alabama Ballet’s performance of Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty, accompanied by members of the MDSO. In this classic fairytale featured in film and bedtime stories for generations, Princess Aurora falls victim to an evil spell forcing her to sleep for a hundred years and to be awoken only by the kiss of a prince. In addition to its international prominence as a premiere classical and contemporary ballet company, the Alabama Ballet emphasizes dance education and community outreach as vital to its mission.
Silvan Negrutiu Piano Recital
April 7, 2019, 4:00pm
Millikin School of Music faculty member Silvan Negrutiu will perform a solo piano recital in the Kirkland Fine Arts Center on Sunday, April 7, 2019 at 4p.m. The program will include the world première performance of Robert Chumbley's Five Bagatelles for Piano (2018), commissioned by Millikin Piano Club and dedicated to Negrutiu.
MDSO Masterworks V:
April 13, 2019, 7:30pm
The MDSO brings its 2018-19 season of rhapsodic stories and American dreams to a brilliant close with Dvorak’s Symphony no. 9, “From the New World.” Inspired by the “wide open spaces” of the prairies and the rich sounds of folk music, Dvorak composed this symphony on commission from the New York Philharmonic to represent uniquely American music. MDSO principal cellist and faculty member Amy Catron will perform Argentine composer Osvaldo Golijov’s bold Azul, for cello, obbligato group and orchestra.
Almost 76 Trombones
April 26, 2019, 7:30pm
Almost 76 Trombones
Friday, April 26, 2019 at 7:30 p.m.
Featuring Guest Trombone Choir and the Millikin Symphonic Wind Ensemble
In his final Concert at Kirkland Fine Arts Center, Dr. Gary Shaw is joined by former trombone students, friends, colleagues, and the Millikin Wind Ensemble to celebrate 37 years of performing and teaching at Millikin University.
Percussion Ensemble Masterworks Concert
May 3, 2019, 7:30pm
The Percussion Ensemble Masterworks Concert will be held on Friday, May 3, 2019 in the Kirkland Fine Arts Center at 7:30 p.m.
Percussion Ensemble Masterworks showcases the depth and breadth of contemporary percussion chamber music through a program including the genre's leading composers. Senior music majors in percussion will be featured, as well as the world premiere of a new composition as supported by the Percussion Music Commissions Fund.