Andy McKee is among the world’s finest acoustic guitarists. His
youthful energy and attention to song structure and
melodic content elevates him above the rest. He entertains
both the eye and the ear as he magically transforms the steel
string guitar into a full orchestra via his use of altered
tunings, tapping, partial capos, percussive hits and a
signature two-handed technique.
Program
To be announced from the stage.
Free
This Shinkoskey Noon Concert is made possible with support
from the Joy S. Shinkoskey Series of Noon Concert Endowment.
Tekla Babyak holds a PhD in Musicology from Cornell University.
Based in Davis, CA, she is an independent scholar and disability
activist with multiple sclerosis (MS). Her research focuses on
analysis and aesthetics in European musical Romanticism. Recent
publications have appeared in 19th-Century
Music and Joseph Joachim: Identities/Identitäten.
UC Davis Symphony Orchestra
Christian Baldini, music director and conductor
San Francisco Opera Center
Carrie-Ann Matheson, artistic director
Since its inception in 2010, Rising Stars of Opera has featured
vocal artistry, stirring arias and a glimpse at the opera stars
of tomorrow; and every ticket has been free to the public
thanks to Barbara K. Jackson.
Rising Stars of Opera features several singers from the highly
regarded San Francisco Opera Center performing a wide range of
great arias with full orchestral accompaniment from our own UC
Davis Symphony Orchestra.
Empyrean Ensemble
Sam Nichols, director • Matilda Hofman, resident conductor
Musicians Playing
Tod Brody, flute*
Peter Josheff, clarinet*
Michael Seth Orland, piano*
Chris Froh, percussion*
Hrabba Atladottir, violin*
Thalia Moore, cello*
The soundtrack to the film Dil Chahta
Hai (2001) was arguably the first hit soundtrack in
Bollywood created by a rock band. In this presentation, Prof.
Beaster-Jones illustrates how the collaborative approach for this
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy soundtrack generated momentum for a new kind
of Indian film song.
At the heart of this musical odyssey is the enchanting sound of
Sakhi’s rubab, Afghanistan’s revered 21-stringed lute, renowned
for its hauntingly soulful timbre. Nader adds the tabla’s
rhythmic pulse and fuses Afghan and Indian percussion to draw
out the musical parallels with Hindustani music. The duo
explores the essence of Ragas and the profound connection
between two diverse yet harmonious traditions.
Program
To be announced from the stage.
Free
This Shinkoskey Noon Concert is made possible with support
from the Joy S. Shinkoskey Series of Noon Concert Endowment and
the Al McNeil Fund for Non-Western Music.
With guest conductor Dr. Jan Taylor, the choruses of UC
Davis — the Concert Choir and the Chamber Singers — join
to sing the music that Albert J. McNeil (1920–2022) loved and
championed.
McNeil was a transformative force in the music department
during his 21 years as a faculty member (1969–90). He greatly
increased participation in the University Chorus from an
occasional course to a full public performance group, and
created the University Chamber Singers. He founded a music
education program and was an original faculty member of the
African American and African studies program. As founder and
longtime director of the Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers in Los
Angeles, he had a profound effect on the performance,
preservation and presentation of African American spirituals.
Performing selections from the Great American Songbook the big
bands perform charts by legends by the likes of Gershwin,
Porter and Ellington. The evening concert is sure to be filled
with lush harmonies, soaring solos, and irresistible rhythms in
the comfortable and warm Ann E. Pitzer Center.
The selections on this program are by composers who
conscientiously worked to break the mold of the orchestral
forms of their time: Debussy rendezvoused with poets and
artists who influenced the young composer to somehow bring
impressionism into music. For Takemitsu, Western music was
itself an escape from post-war occupied Japan and he
experimented with it. Shostakovich, in over 15 symphonies,
sought to imbibe each with the most intense feelings of their
time, from revolution to despair and resilience.
In Debussy’s Afternoon of a Faun, a solo flute player in
the orchestra evokes the imagery of the mythical Pan and his
enchanting flute. Pan—Greek god of the fields and music—wakes up
from a nap and tries to remember his dream, only to fall asleep
again, hoping to meet his nymph friends in his next dream.
In Takemitsu’s Requiem for String Orchestra, he utilized early
20th century tonalities by Western composers such Arnold
Schoenberg and made his own experimental mark on 20th century art
music. Coincidentally, Igor Stravinsky heard this Requiem and
sang its praises to American and European classical artists.
Shostakovich wrote his Sixth Symphony in curious proportions: The
first movement is a lengthy largo (slow and yet also
serious) and features a beautiful English horn solo and haunting
solos on flute and piccolo that are reminiscent of the flute solo
in Debussy’s Afternoon of a Faun. The second movement by
contrast is a short scherzo filled with delightful
rhythmic tricks, and as if one scherzo wasn’t enough,
Shostakovich ends the symphony with another. It’s full of excited
string work and bombastic — almost a study for his later Festive
Overture.
Program
Claude Debussy: Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune, L. 86
An educator with 14-years of experience, Afro-Cuban female
author Eva Silot is an interdisciplinary and
independent scholar, former diplomat and international negotiator
in the United Nations, representing Cuba and developing
countries. the focus of her presentation is her recently
published her first non-fiction academic book: Cuban
Fusion: the Transnational Cuban Alternative Music
Scene, on Cuban music and transnationalism.
Student chamber ensembles, the Samba School directed by faculty
member Brian Rice, and also the Bluegrass and Old Time String
Band directed by faculty member Scott Linford will perform
works in progress.
Relive the magic of E.T. The Extra
Terrestrial on the big screen accompanied by a
magnificent, live performance of the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra,
conducted by Professor Christian Baldini.
Director Steven Spielberg’s heartwarming masterpiece is one of
the brightest stars in motion picture history. Filled with
unparalleled magic and imagination, E.T. The
Extra-Terrestrial follows the moving story of a lost
little alien who befriends a 10-year-old boy named Elliott.
Experience all the mystery and fun of their unforgettable
adventure in the beloved movie that captivated audiences around
the world, complete with John Williams’ Academy Award®-winning
score performed live by the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra in sync
to the film projected on a huge high definition screen!
Performing selections from the Great American Songbook the big
bands perform charts by legends by the likes of Gershwin,
Porter and Ellington. The evening concert is sure to be filled
with lush harmonies, soaring solos, and irresistible rhythms in
the comfortable and warm Ann E. Pitzer Center.
