More than 200 of Middle Tennesseeâs finest musicians are bringing a joyful noise to the community Sunday, Sept. 18, with a special MTSU Presidential Concert featuring the final movement of Ludwig von Beethovenâs immortal Ninth Symphony â the âOde to Joy.âÂ
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Set for 7:30 p.m. Sept. 18 at Murfreesboroâs First United Methodist Church, 265 W. Thompson Lane, more than 200 community voices from MTSUâs combined choirs, the Middle Tennessee Choral Society and the Stewart’s Creek and Siegel High School choirs will perform with an orchestra. Theyâll be joined by four guest soloists:
- soprano Dina Cancryn, mezzo-soprano Christine Isley-Farmer and tenor H. Stephen Smith, all vocal music professors at MTSU.
- bass John Kramar, a voice professor at East Carolina University School of Music in Greenville, North Carolina.
Tickets for this MTSU Arts production, which is sponsored by the Office of the President, MTSU and the Middle Tennessee Choral Society, are $15 general admission, $12.50 for seniors and $10 for children 12 and under. You can purchase tickets online here.
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Beethovenâs Ninth Symphony, finished in 1824, is the composerâs final completed symphony and is considered one of the greatest works in musical history as well as one of the most played. The words, which originated in a poem by German poet, playwright Friedrich Schiller, are sung by a chorus and four soloists in the final movement. The work is the first example of a major composer using voices in a symphony.
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Pianist Arunesh Nadgir, coordinator of keyboard studies for MTSUâs School of Music, also will present Edvard Griegâs âPiano Concerto in A minorâ during the Sept. 18 concert.
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âWe are very proud to present the âOde to Joyâ as our concert season opener with Dr. Nadgirâs concerto,â said Dr. Raphael Bundage, a professor of vocal performance in MTSU’s School of Music and Choral Society music director/conductor.
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The Sept. 18 concert launches another busy 2016-17 season for the Middle Tennessee Choral Society.
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The annual performance of Handelâs âMessiah,â set Monday, Nov. 28, marks the 32nd anniversary of the groupâs presentation of the beloved holiday oratorio.
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âMessiahâ will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 28 at First United Methodist Church. Tickets for that concert, which also will feature a professional orchestra and MTSU student and faculty soloists, also are $15, $12.50 and $10 per person.Â
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On Feb. 26, the MTSU Concert Chorale and Middle Tennessee Choral Society will present âChoruses and Arias: From Broadway to Opera,â featuring music from George Gershwin, Cole Porter and Giacomo Puccini.
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For information on more concerts in the MTSU School of Music, call 615-898-2493 or visit mtsumusic.com and click on the “Concert Calendar” link.
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For details on joining the Middle Tennessee Choral Society, contact Bundage via email or 615-898-2849.
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