UNT College of Music presents Music of the Kennedy White House in Dallas

Friday, October 11, 2013 - 21:21
Category:

What: Music of the Kennedy White House presented by the UNT College of Music

When: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3 (Sunday)
Where: Dallas City Performance Hall, 2520 Flora St., Dallas

Tickets: $10 students and seniors, $20 general admission, $30 VIP seating tickets available at www.theMPAC.com/tickets

DENTON, Texas (UNT) – After 50 years, the tragedy of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination remains etched in the minds of American citizens, but so, too, does his presidential legacy, particularly in the arts community. In honor of this legacy of support for the arts, the University of North Texas’s College of Music will present a concert of chamber music and jazz Nov. 3 at Dallas City Performance Hall.

“The concerts held at the Kennedy White House not only made a powerful statement about patronage and support for the arts, but even the choices of artists spoke to human values espoused by the President,” said College of Music Dean James Scott. “While these choices of performers reflected issues of that time, the timeless quality and variety of the repertoire they performed represent enduring artistic values. It is our purpose to honor this musical legacy by reconstructing the content of some of these concerts, performed by our own artists.”

The concert will feature repertoire chosen from three of the most historically significant White House concerts presented by the Kennedys: a 1961 recital featuring legendary cellist Pablo Casals with pianist Mieczyslaw Horzowski, a 1962 recital by African-American mezzo-soprano Grace Bumbry with pianist Charles Wadsworth and a 1962 performance featuring the Paul Winter Sextet in the first concert setting for jazz in the White House. Also featured on this concert was a young South Korean pianist, Tong-Il Han, who later became a faculty member at the UNT College of Music.

UNT faculty artists performing in the concert include Eugene Osadchy (cello), Elvia Pucinelli (piano) and Gustavo Romero (piano), and a jazz group featuring Brad Leali (alto saxophone), John Murphy (baritone saxophone), Mike Steinel (trumpet), Stefan Karlsson (piano), Lynn Seaton (bass) and Ed Soph (drumset). Additionally, the Grace Bumbry repertoire will be sung by UNT’s current Margot Winspear Opera Scholar, Chaazi Munyanya (mezzo-soprano).

Music of the Kennedy White House, presented by the UNT College of Music, begins at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3 (Sunday) at Dallas City Performance Hall, 2520 Flora St., Dallas. Tickets are $10 for students and seniors, $20 for general admission and $30 for VIP seating. Purchase tickets at www.theMPAC.com/tickets.

 

About the UNT College of Music

The UNT College of Music is one of the largest and most respected comprehensive music schools in the country. More than 1,600 music students attend UNT each year, participating in more than 50 widely varied ensembles and pursuing specialized studies in performance, composition, music education or music scholarship. UNT faculty members and students have made appearances on the world’s finest stages and have produced numerous recordings, many receiving Grammy awards and nominations. Distinguished UNT alumni can be found around the globe, in top music ensembles, opera companies, universities and schools.

 

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