The Music Program at Eastern Connecticut State University will present five concerts in December, showcasing both the musical talent of the Eastern community and the state-of-the-art facilities of the Fine Arts Instructional Center.
On Dec. 2 at 7:30 p.m., the Eastern Jazz Ensemble will present their concert in the FAIC Concert Hall. The Eastern Jazz Ensemble is composed of students who play traditional jazz band instruments, including saxophone, trumpet, trombone, piano, bass, guitar and drums. The band plays music from a wide variety of styles and eras in the jazz idiom, focusing on traditional jazz composers, but also contemporary composers as well.
On Dec. 3 at 2:30 p.m., the Eastern Opera Workshop will present “From the Sublime to the Ridiculous,” featuring scenes from the operettas of Bernstein, Strauss, Gilbert and Sullivan. The Opera Workshop is a course designed to offer students hands-on experience in stage movement, character development and scene study. Students develop these skills while exploring repertoire from opera, operetta and musical theater.
Also on Dec. 3 at 5 p.m., the Music Program will feature a variety of Eastern Chamber Ensembles, including the Korean Samul Ensemble, String Trio and Woodwind and Brass Ensembles. The concert will be held in the FAIC Concert Hall.
On Dec. 4 at 2:30 p.m., the Eastern Percussion Ensemble and Percussion Group will present a collection of large ensemble works and chamber repertoire, including Rick Dior’s “Science Fiction.” The concert will also include a new original composition for solo marimba and percussion quartet by Music Professor Jeffrey Calissi.
On Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m., the Eastern Concert Band and Wind Ensemble will present a joint end-of-semester concert in the FAIC Concert Hall. The Eastern Wind Ensemble is the newest instrumental ensemble at Eastern, and is a smaller wind ensemble that performs music from the wind ensemble and chamber winds repertoire as well as more contemporary works.
The public is invited and admission is free for all five concerts, but donations are gratefully accepted at the door.