nroath
08-23-2007, 02:42 PM
NM Tech's Performing Arts Series Begins With NMSO <br><br>
Socorro, New Mexico - This season's Performing Arts Series at New Mexico Tech opens with the world premiere of a new work, plus one of the world's all-time great works of classical music when Conductor Guillermo Figueroa brings the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra and Chorus to Macey Center with Beethoven's Ninth Symphony on Wednesday, Sept. 12, at 7:30 p.m. The concert will begin with the world premiere of a work commissioned by the NMSO to celebrate its 75th birthday: "Fanfare Overture: Red or Green?" by New Mexico composer D. S. Crafts. New Mexicans will recognize the official state question in the title of the piece. <br><br>Craft's opera and vocal music and collaborations have included work with writers Rudolfo Anaya (La Llorona), V.B. Price (From a Distant Mesa), Benedict and Nancy Freedman (Sappho), Erik Bauersfeld (Diary of a Madman; Bartleby), poet Adam Cornford (many works) and cartoonist Shannon Wheeler (Too Much Coffee, Man). <br><br>Crafts believes that "Music should be neither the esoteric property of an exclusive group of professionals, nor the kind of audio wallpaper to which mass-marketing would reduce it. The task of the truly contemporary composer is not only to write music of substance, but also to win back an audience alienated by so-called 'modern' music. <br><br>If there's any piece of classical music that can blow the hair off your head, it's got to be Beethoven's Ninth. The composer, writing his last and biggest symphony, pulled out all the stops, making the last movement an oratorio, with vocal parts for a full chorus as well as soloists. For a text, he used a well-known German poem by Schiller: "Ode to Joy." <br><br>Beethoven said that a great poem is more difficult to set to music than a merely good one because the composer must improve upon the poem. If that is the case, then he overcame the great difficulty triumphantly, to write one of the most famous pieces of classical music in the world. <br><br>Socorroans and Tech students may spot a familiar face or two in the chorus. John Shipman, a longtime Tech staffer and alumnus, has sung with the chorus for 13 years. Bryson Tidman, an entering Tech student from Albuquerque, also appears as a member of the chorus. <br><br>Before the concert, Tech Club - Club Macey (TCCM) holds a social in Macey from 5 to 7 p.m., with light snacks. TCCM is a social club for people 21 and over. There is a $5 cover charge if you are not a member of TCCM. <br><br>The concert marks your opportunity to buy a subscription to the Performing Arts Series for the whole season. Subscriptions allow you a discounted price on tickets to performances and give you the satisfaction of supporting the Performing Arts Series. Subscriptions for either 12 or six shows are available. Prices and information will be available at the door of the first several concerts, and subscriptions may also be purchased by picking up a brochure available at local businesses or by calling 505-835-5688. <br><br>Local sponsors for the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra performance include New Mexico Educators Federal Credit Union, SAIC, Katharine Bejnar, and Van H. Gilbert Architect PC. <br><br>Tickets for the NMSO concert are $16 for adults, $14 for senior citizens, and $12 for youths 17 and under. Tickets are available at the door or in advance at NM Tech Cashier's Office (second floor of Fidel Center), Brownbilt Western Wear, Burrito Tyme Walk-in, The Smoker, and Video Shack. <br><br>Admission is free to full-time New Mexico Tech students - those taking at least 6 hours and showing a valid ID. Students should pick up their tickets in advance at the Tech Bookstore.
Socorro, New Mexico - This season's Performing Arts Series at New Mexico Tech opens with the world premiere of a new work, plus one of the world's all-time great works of classical music when Conductor Guillermo Figueroa brings the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra and Chorus to Macey Center with Beethoven's Ninth Symphony on Wednesday, Sept. 12, at 7:30 p.m. The concert will begin with the world premiere of a work commissioned by the NMSO to celebrate its 75th birthday: "Fanfare Overture: Red or Green?" by New Mexico composer D. S. Crafts. New Mexicans will recognize the official state question in the title of the piece. <br><br>Craft's opera and vocal music and collaborations have included work with writers Rudolfo Anaya (La Llorona), V.B. Price (From a Distant Mesa), Benedict and Nancy Freedman (Sappho), Erik Bauersfeld (Diary of a Madman; Bartleby), poet Adam Cornford (many works) and cartoonist Shannon Wheeler (Too Much Coffee, Man). <br><br>Crafts believes that "Music should be neither the esoteric property of an exclusive group of professionals, nor the kind of audio wallpaper to which mass-marketing would reduce it. The task of the truly contemporary composer is not only to write music of substance, but also to win back an audience alienated by so-called 'modern' music. <br><br>If there's any piece of classical music that can blow the hair off your head, it's got to be Beethoven's Ninth. The composer, writing his last and biggest symphony, pulled out all the stops, making the last movement an oratorio, with vocal parts for a full chorus as well as soloists. For a text, he used a well-known German poem by Schiller: "Ode to Joy." <br><br>Beethoven said that a great poem is more difficult to set to music than a merely good one because the composer must improve upon the poem. If that is the case, then he overcame the great difficulty triumphantly, to write one of the most famous pieces of classical music in the world. <br><br>Socorroans and Tech students may spot a familiar face or two in the chorus. John Shipman, a longtime Tech staffer and alumnus, has sung with the chorus for 13 years. Bryson Tidman, an entering Tech student from Albuquerque, also appears as a member of the chorus. <br><br>Before the concert, Tech Club - Club Macey (TCCM) holds a social in Macey from 5 to 7 p.m., with light snacks. TCCM is a social club for people 21 and over. There is a $5 cover charge if you are not a member of TCCM. <br><br>The concert marks your opportunity to buy a subscription to the Performing Arts Series for the whole season. Subscriptions allow you a discounted price on tickets to performances and give you the satisfaction of supporting the Performing Arts Series. Subscriptions for either 12 or six shows are available. Prices and information will be available at the door of the first several concerts, and subscriptions may also be purchased by picking up a brochure available at local businesses or by calling 505-835-5688. <br><br>Local sponsors for the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra performance include New Mexico Educators Federal Credit Union, SAIC, Katharine Bejnar, and Van H. Gilbert Architect PC. <br><br>Tickets for the NMSO concert are $16 for adults, $14 for senior citizens, and $12 for youths 17 and under. Tickets are available at the door or in advance at NM Tech Cashier's Office (second floor of Fidel Center), Brownbilt Western Wear, Burrito Tyme Walk-in, The Smoker, and Video Shack. <br><br>Admission is free to full-time New Mexico Tech students - those taking at least 6 hours and showing a valid ID. Students should pick up their tickets in advance at the Tech Bookstore.