From University of Mary Washington
The UMW Philharmonic, led by Kevin Bartram, will perform in Los Angeles on Friday, Feb. 2.
Held at the University of California, Irvine, the performance is part of the College Orchestra Directors Association’s national conference.
The Philharmonic, made up of about 80 members from both the UMW student body and the greater Fredericksburg area, is the first college-community orchestra ever accepted to perform at the event, featuring several orchestras from across the nation.
The Mary Washington group will present music from Bartram’s research project, “Unearthing America’s Musical Treasures – The Library of Congress Project.” For the past two years, Bartram and UMW music students have worked to mine the Library for American classical masterworks unknown to the public and to edit – and sometimes complete – the pieces. Orchestra directors from across the country, including Cornell University, the University of Massachusetts Boston and the University of Arizona, have joined the effort.
These symphonic treasures of our past, performed for the first time in more than a century, include America’s first trumpet concerto. Written in 1834, the piece will be presented by the world’s leading historic trumpet player, Ralph Dudgeon. Other highlights include a piece written during the Civil War, based on Hail Columbia, and performed by the New York Philharmonic, never to be played again, and a work written for John Philip Sousa’s band, which also was played only once. A newly discovered work by renowned composer Aaron Copland will round out the program.
While in L.A., from Thursday, Feb. 1, to Sunday, Feb. 4, the UMW group will also attend a performance by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, held in Walt Disney Hall and led by famed conductor Gustavo Dudamel, spend time in Santa Monica and visit Universal Studios Hollywood.
The UMW Philharmonic, accompanied by world-renowned trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, will perform these revitalized works again on Saturday, March 17, at 7:30 p.m. in Dodd Auditorium. Tickets are now on sale. For more information visit the UMW Philharmonic online.
