University Philharmonic & Civic Orchestra Concert:
The program showcases music from three generations of American composers. The University Philharmonic will begin with Pulitzer Prize winner Jennifer Higdon’s blue cathedral. Next, the combined ensembles will perform Dr. Stefan Freund's piece No Apologies (2000), which was commissioned by the New York Youth Symphony and premiered at Carnegie Hall, with Dr. Freund conducting. To close the evening, the full orchestra, numbering over 100 players, will present Howard Hanson’s Symphony No. 2, “Romantic.”
Hanson, also a Pulitzer Prize winner, was the founding director of the Eastman School of Music, where Dr. Freund earned his master’s and doctoral degrees. Notably, Dr. Freund received the 1999 Howard Hanson Large Ensemble Prize from Eastman, creating an interesting connection to this celebrated composer. Dr. John McKeever, the director of the University Philharmonic, will conduct the Higdon and Hanson pieces.
