Well-known composer David Maslanka joins students and faculty of Michigan State University College of Music for a weeklong guest artist residency this week as the university celebrates Homecoming.
Maslanka, an alumnus of the College of Music, will work with each of the four ensembles - Concert Band, Symphony Band, Musique 21 and Wind Symphony - and will give composition master classes.
In addition, four student ensembles will give performances featuring Maslanka’s music.
The Wind Symphony, directed by Kevin Sedatole, director of bands, headlines the series with a concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Wharton Center’s Cobb Great Hall, featuring Maslanka’s Symphony No. 4. This concert will mark Sedatole’s 10-year anniversary with MSU.
The Musique 21 performance will be held in Fairchild Theatre, a much smaller, more intimate setting than Cobb Great Hall. Two additional guest composers will be in attendance: Patrick Harlin with Musique 21 on Monday and Michael Markowski with Symphony Band on Tuesday.
Wind Symphony percussionist and composition student Josh Trentadue said performing Maslanka’s music is “like entering this magnificent dreamlike state of mind - you truly feel that you’re creating something awe-inspiring, unforgettable and beautiful.”
New Faculty
This collection of concerts will also serve to welcome five new faculty members to the College of Music:
- Assistant director of bands, Dustin Barr, conducting Musique 21
- Voice professor, Marc Embree, soloing with Musique 21
- Music theory instructor, Patrick Johnson, playing organ with Musique 21
- Trumpet professor, Justin Emerich, soloing with Wind Symphony
- Assistant director of bands, David Thornton, conducting Concert Band
Full Week Concert Schedule
- Monday, Sept. 28 - Musique 21 at 7:30 p.m. in MSU Auditorium’s Fairchild Theatre
- Tuesday, Sept. 29 - Symphony Band at 7:30 p.m. in Wharton Center’s Cobb Great Hall
- Thursday, Oct. 1 - Wind Symphony at 7:30 p.m. in Wharton Center’s Cobb Great Hall
- Tuesday, Oct. 6 - Concert Band/Campus Band at 7:30 p.m. in Wharton Center’s Cobb
Great Hall admission is free for students with ID and anyone under the age of 18. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for seniors (age 60 and older) and can be purchased online, at the College of Music box office, by calling (517) 353-5340, in person (333 W. Circle Drive, East Lansing) or at the door at Wharton Center.
There will be a $3 restoration fee for tickets purchased at Wharton Center, via phone, box office, or the website. This is not a College of Music fee.