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Concert Connections

Catching Fire

Seraphic Fire – and The Kings Singers, Chanticleer, Cantus, Stile Antico, VOCES8, The Hilliard Ensemble, The Sixteen, The Monteverdi Choir, Musica Sacra, Conspirare, The Tallis Scholars, Voices of Ascension, The Swingle Singers, Continuum, Anonymous 4, the Cambridge Singers – I’ve barely started listing small vocal ensembles and choirs which are truly excellent by any measure [...]

For Attending Ears:  Romeo & Juliet in Music

The practice of imbuing instrumental music with “extra-musical” meaning--infusing a story, a theme, or imagery into a piece of music--dates back many centuries (an familiar early example is Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, which describes each of the seasons in musical tones). This practice, termed “program music” (as opposed to “absolute music,” which ostensibly carries no meaning [...]

A message from the Silk Road Project Artistic Director, Yo-Yo Ma

A MUSICAL MODEL. Over several decades, my travels have given me the opportunity to learn from a wealth of different voices—from the immense compassion and grace of Bach’s Cello Suites, to the ancient Celtic fiddle traditions alive in Appalachia, to the soulful strains of the bandoneón of Argentina’s tango cafés. I have met and been [...]

By |2017-06-02T19:30:21-04:00February 19th, 2013|A Closer Look, Concert Connections|

Program Notes from The Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma

For nearly two thousand years (ending in the 14th century), the historical Silk Road, a series of land and sea trade routes, crisscrossed Eurasia, enabling the exchange of goods and innovations from Japan to the Mediterranean Sea. Over the centuries, many important scientific and technological innovations migrated to the West along the Silk Road, including [...]

By |2017-06-02T19:44:00-04:00January 30th, 2013|A Closer Look, Concert Connections, Program Notes|

How One Man’s Cancer led to a Beautiful Composition…

A Closer Look at Maria Schneider’s Winter Morning Walks Maria Schneider’s new work began with an idea about the company Dawn Upshaw keeps: “After premiering my first work with Dawn Upshaw I had the feeling that if I ever wrote for her again, I might like to place her in a setting where she would [...]

By |2017-06-05T13:21:24-04:00March 15th, 2012|Concert Connections|

Hello, Cello!

The Norton Center and the Community Arts Center collaborate on a special Starry Night Studio In partnership with Centre College’s Norton Center for the Arts, the Community Arts Center’s March 19 Starry Night Studio will feature a cello painting.  All participants in the class will receive two complimentary tickets to the Brentano String Quartet performance, [...]

By |2017-06-05T13:22:52-04:00March 14th, 2012|Concert Connections|

Art Abounds On and Off the Stage at the Norton Center

Last month during Centre College’s Homecoming Celebration, glass master Stephen Powell ('74) and Centre student Kayla Ohlmer ('14) created a glass waterchime installation in the Haven Gillespie Fountain in front of the Norton Center. The concept of the piece was pitched to Norton Center Executive Director Steve Hoffman only a few weeks prior and on [...]

By |2017-06-05T13:29:51-04:00November 1st, 2011|Concert Connections|