Last modified: Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Mozart is on menu as IU’s “Moveable Feast of the Arts” travels to Indy, Lafayette
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 25, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University's "Moveable Feast of the Arts" will have even more of a celebratory flair next month when it heads north to offer two performances of one of Mozart's best-known choral works.
The Indiana University Jacobs School of Music's University Singers, who will be performing a new version of Mozart's "Mass in C minor" next month in Indianapolis and Lafayette, Ind. Their performances are part of IU's Moveable Feast of the Arts program.
In honor of Mozart's 250th birthday, which is Friday (Jan. 27), a group of top singers and instrumentalists from the IU Jacobs School of Music will travel in February to Lafayette, Ind., and Indianapolis for concerts featuring Mozart's Mass in C minor as reconstructed and completed by celebrated pianist and Mozart scholar Robert Levin. To date, Levin's finished version of the Mass in C minor has never been performed in Indiana.
The performances by the Jacobs School's University Singers, University Chorale and University Orchestra under the direction of William Jon Gray will take place on Feb. 12 at 4 p.m. at The Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Lafayette, Ind., and on Feb. 15 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Indianapolis. Levin's version of the Mass in C minor will receive its Indiana premiere in Bloomington on Feb. 11 at 5 p.m. in Auer Hall. All events are free and open to the public.
IU's Moveable Feast of the Arts program is designed to showcase the university's cultural resources to IU campuses and communities across the state. IU President Adam Herbert has encouraged faculty and students in the fine and performing arts and in the humanities to conceptualize similar outreach programs as part of the moveable feast. The moveable feast kicked off last fall with a well-received performance in South Bend, Ind., by the IU Philharmonic Orchestra.
"As Hoosiers living in South Bend discovered last fall, Indiana University possesses some of the world's very best student musicians," Herbert said. "I am delighted that the cities of Indianapolis and Lafayette will be able to experience the university's long and rich tradition in the arts through the Moveable Feast of the Arts program, which showcases the talents of the students and professors at IU's internationally renowned Jacobs School of Music. Audiences will also have the added treat of hearing a new version of Mozart's great Mass in C minor, which, to date, has never been performed in Indiana."
The University Singers is the oldest continuing choral ensemble in the Jacobs School of Music. Led by Professor of Music and Choral Department Chair Jan Harrington, the group is composed of 24 to 32 of the finest singers carefully selected from the school's student population. Many alumni have gone on to have major professional careers.
The University Chorale, conducted by Professor of Music William Jon Gray, is a chamber choir that performs a variety of repertoire and is the foundation for large-scale oratorios, generally performed once a year.
Accompanied by the University Orchestra, the two choral groups will sing Robert Levin's completed version of the Mass in C minor, which received its world premiere in January 2005 at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Levin's version contains approximately 25 minutes of additional music based strictly on musical material written by Mozart. The Mass in C minor was left unfinished at the time of Mozart's death in 1791 at age 35.
Here is a summary of the Moveable Feast of the Arts concerts in Lafayette, Ind., and Indianapolis:
Feb. 12, 4 p.m., The Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Lafayette, Ind. -- University Singers, University Chorale and University Orchestra, conducted by William Jon Gray, Mass in C minor. Hosted by the Bach Chorale of Lafayette.
Feb. 15, 7:30 p.m., St. Luke's United Methodist Church, Indianapolis -- University Singers, University Chorale and University Orchestra, conducted by William Jon Gray, Mass in C minor. Hosted by St. Luke's United Methodist Church.
For story assistance, contact Ryan Piurek, IU Media Relations, 812-855-5393 or rpiurek@indiana.edu, or Alain Barker, IU Jacobs School of Music, 812-856-5719 or abarker@indiana.edu.
