Enjoy the smooth, toe-tapping sounds of student ensembles Jazz I and II on Friday, Sept. 25, 7:30–9 p.m., in the Performing Arts Hall, Harmon Fine Arts Center. Admission is free!
Jazz I will open the year with compositions by Gordon Goodwin, Charles Mingus, and Bob Mintzer.
Jazz II is dedicated to the performance of historically significant repertoire of the past (Basie, Ellington, Thad Jones), while also exposing students to recent compositions and arrangements.
Fun for the entire family!
Drake University’s Anderson Gallery will open its new season with “Ideas at War: American Propaganda Posters of World War II,” an exhibition featuring more than 50 original wartime posters from the collection of the State Historical Museum of Iowa. The exhibition, curated by John Fender, designer and associate professor of graphic design at Drake, will open on Friday, Sept. 11, with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Anderson Gallery in Drake’s Harmon Fine Arts Center. “Ideas at War” will remain on display through Oct. 23.
All members of the Drake community (students, faculty, staff) are invited to sing in the Drake University/Community Chorus, a non-auditioned ensemble that rehearses weekly on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 to 8.
The first rehearsal will take place on Sept. 1 in Monroe Hall (lower level of the Harmon Fine Arts Center). The ensemble will be preparing for Nov. 21–22 performances of Morten Lauridsen’s “Lux Aeterna” and the Rutter “Gloria.” Participants should purchase the music at University Bookstore in advance of the first rehearsal and bring it and a pencil to the rehearsal.
Questions? Contact Aimee Beckmann-Collier at aimee.beckmann-collier@drake.edu or x2841.
—Submitted by Aimee Beckmann-Collier, the Ellis and Nelle Levitt Distinguished Professor of Conducting
Enjoy a performance by some of Drake’s talented music professors:
Faculty Recital: Graydon McGrannahan, trombone
Tuesday, Sept. 1
7:30 p.m.
Sheslow Auditorium
Faculty Recital: Edward Corpus, bass
Friday, Sept. 4
7:30 p.m.
Sheslow Auditorium
For a full listing of fine arts events this semester, visit www.drake.edu/friends
Zenith Chamber Music Festival is scheduled for Aug. 18-21 and features daily performances by international and local artists. The family-friendly festival, hosted by Drake University, will includes these free concerts:
Drake University music faculty members have worked alongside private philanthropists to bring Zenith to life in the Des Moines metro area. Featured musicians, most of whom will perform nightly, include Helen Hwaya Kim, violinist with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra; Anna Reider, violinist with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra; Arie Schacter, violist with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra; and Lei Weng, an international piano soloist and member of the faculty at University of Northern Colorado.
Drake University faculty and other local musicians will join the visiting artists for impressive displays of artistry. The festival is designed to be accessible for fans of all ages and interests—from seasoned classical aficionados to casual listeners—and each venue promises a unique atmosphere.
The festival will also serve as an educational experience for thousands of Iowa students who perform in school musical ensembles or study an instrument at home. There will be a master class for pre-college students on Aug. 21, followed by a final concert with a combination of students and Zenith featured artists that evening.
