June 4, 2012

As the spring quarter comes to a close, the Department of Performing Arts and the Music program will present a series of free concerts to celebrate the conclusion of the performance season and the graduation of the senior class.

On Thursday, June 7th, the Drexel Jazz Orchestra will feature its graduating musicians in performances of compositions by Duke Ellington, Curtis Fuller, Mickey Bass, Rick Henderson, and more, in the Mandell Theater (33rd and Chestnut St.). On Friday, June 8th at 7:30 PM, also in the Mandell, the Mediterranean Ensemble, led by Bruce Kaminsky, will join with members of the Turkish Fusion band, Barakka, to explore the sounds of Istanbul, in an evening dedicated to Turkish music and dance. Also on June 8th, the Drexel All-College Choir and String Orchestra will perform a program of classical and contemporary favorites at 7:30 PM in the Main Auditorium of the Main Building (3141 Chestnut St.).
 
The last performances of the season will be on Sunday, June 10th, when the University Chorus and Concert Band perform in separate concerts. At 3 PM, the University Chorus, led by Dr. Steven Powell, will present its annual Great Court Concert, featuring a repertoire that includes acapella music for single and double chorus, and two late Romantic period works by Boston composer Arthur Foote and British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. Dr. Mike Moss and the Drexel Concert Band will conclude our concert series with  “Sounds of the City: Music from New York City,” at 7 PM in the Mandell Theater. This bustling celebration of the Big Apple will feature Richard Rodgers’ epic score from “Victory at Sea” and “Strange Humors,” a piece by Juilliard grad John Mackey combining rock and Middle Eastern influences. For questions about this free week of concerts contact Tom Bonner at twb54@drexel.edu.