Queens College’s Aaron Copland School of Music boasted the works of composers Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber and Duke Ellington on Sept. 21 and Sept. 23 at the LeFrak Concert Hall. Starting the night off was Copland’s “El Salón Mexico,” which stylistically depicts an imaginary dance hall located in Mexico City. The piece took over four years to complete and was finally composed in 1936. The subtitle of the song, “A Popular Type Dance Hall in Mexico City,” is a sentiment toward its origins, which stem from the flavor and culture of Mexico. The next piece, Barber’s “Knoxville: Summer of 1915,” first premiered in the later decade of 1948. The composition,…
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Mozart and the Opera at Goldstein Theater
Queens College’s Aaron Copland School of Music and the Department of Drama, Theatre and Dance debuted Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Cosi Fan Tutte” on April 7. The event took place in the Goldstein Theatre where students, friends and family of the QC community gathered together to watch the opera. “Così Fan Tutte” first premiered on Jan. 26, 1790 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria. The libretto, the text of the opera, is by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It is based on the theory that all women are fickle. Mozart’s “Così Fan Tutte” brought inspiration, lessons and enjoyment. The opera is based off of the beliefs of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The principles featured…
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Children’s music concert enchants LeFrak Concert Hall
The Aaron Copland School of Music hosted a concert titled “A Program of Children’s Music” on March 27. The concert was part of the Chamber Music Live concert series, which takes place Friday mornings throughout the spring semester in LeFrak Concert Hall. The program featured a unique playlist by world-renowned artists Arbie Orenstein and Gerald Robbins. The first segment of their performance consisted of pieces by Claude Debussy, Robert Schumann, and Gabriel Faure, with songs titled “Dolly’s Garden,” “Kitty Waltz” and “Minuet”. The songs were four-hand arrangements composed in the 19th century that were specifically constructed for people to play and enjoy in the comfort of their own home with…
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Disney composer Alan Menken Skypes with music students
Great music has the power to define times, places and generations. It would be hard to find a composer that has touched more hearts than Alan Menken. Along with the late lyricist Howard Ashman, he scored and wrote songs in acclaimed Disney animated films such as “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Aladdin” as well as Broadway shows such as “Little Shop of Horrors.” With 12 Grammys, eight Academy Awards and seven Golden Globes under his belt, Menken is a legend. Queens College students had the opportunity to talk to Menken via web-cam during Professor Peter Calandra’s film scoring course at the Aaron Copland School of Music. Calandra…
