The MSU College of Music’s Symphony Orchestra, the university’s premier orchestral ensemble, conducted by Kevin Noe, will be sharing the Wharton Center stage at 8 p.m. on Nov. 21. Joining the group will be MSU’s top jazz ensemble, Jazz Orchestra I, directed by bassist Rodney Whitaker, along with jazz faculty members as guest soloists.
Offering the best of both genres, the concert will include the following works:
Beethoven – Symphony No. 3
Ellington – Harlem Suite
Ellington – Bula
“Working with the extraordinary students of our jazz program, led by Rodney Whitaker, has been a wonderful collaboration for the musicians of the MSU Symphony Orchestra,” said Noe. “The energy that they bring to everything that they perform is inspiring, and we are fortunate to share the stage with them.”
The Beethoven 3rd symphony, known as the “Heroic,” was groundbreaking in its time said Noe.
“It challenged abandoned traditional molds of music creation and searched for new expression. The equally sophisticated and forward thinking works of the great master Duke Ellington, likewise, broke musical and cultural boundaries in both its compositional methods and its subject matter. We present these two progressive titans together in a spirit of heroic collaboration that we hope will benefit both.”
Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for seniors. They are available at the College of Music Box Office, 333 W. Circle Drive, 102 Music Building, online at music.msu.edu, or at the door. Students and those under 18 are admitted free.