Master Players Concert Series

Encounters - iMusic 5

April 20 and 21 8 p.m. Mitchell Hall

Dear friends,

Seven years ago, when the Master Players Concert Series (MPCS) was founded, my goal was to orchestrate the series into an unconventional concert organization that transforms the way classical music concerts are traditionally presented. After seven seasons of unforgettable concerts and special productions like iMusic, MPCS has become a flagship concert presenter in the region, soaring over that original goal.

MPCS continues to expand and evolve, and the 2011–2012 season is the most exciting in our history. The Faculty Gala, featuring UD’s returning and newly arrived faculty performers, serves as a spectacular season opener to fill audience members’ absolute need for music - the vitamin of one’s emotional life. The season continues with a solo piano recital featuring one of the world’s most beloved concert pianists, Anne-Marie McDermott, who will also conduct a master class on campus.

The chamber concert Mostly Mozart features many of my inspiring musical collaborators from many countries of the world. The second annual MPCS’s holiday family concert promises to be a creative and interactive production for audience members ages 4 and up. This pops concert features world-class musicians performing music of many cultures and styles - a guaranteed memorable start to the 2011 holiday season. 6ixwire Project, the world travelling East and West violin duet I founded with multifaceted erhu virtuoso Cathy Yang, jams with leading jazz musicians from New Orleans, New York and other cities to present a crossover jazz concert, “6ixwire United.”

The internationally recognized British vocal coach-pianist Roger Vignoles performs with faculty baritone Robert Brandt on one of the greatest song cycles ever written, “Winterreise” (A Winter’s Journey), by the master composer of the genre, Franz Schubert. In April, MPCS presents its season finale with the most splendid iMusic production since its world premiere in 2008. Encounters - iMusic 5, a theatrical concert, features internationally known artists and experts of multiple disciplines. This multimedia production brings you back to the last golden period of imperial China, the Qing dynasty (1644–1912), to experience its historically significant encounters with the West through music. Many of the world’s top art organizations, research and educational institutions will collaborate with UD’s participating departments to create this emotional journey for MPCS’s cross-generational audience. Consider a MPCS season subscription - you won’t miss a single stellar concert event, plus receive a 20% discount on the ticket price.

Many thanks to the UD College of Arts and Sciences, UD Office of the President, Delaware Division of the Arts, UD’s student-run upscale Vita Nova restaurant and the UD Courtyard Hotel by Marriott for their continued support to make this series possible to enrich the cultural life of the region.

Sincerely,

Xiang Gao - Artistic Director

Franz Schubert's Winterreise

March 22, 8 p.m.

Gore Recital Hall

A Message From the President

Welcome to the eighth season of the University of Delaware’s Master Players Concert Series. Once again, MPCS Artistic Director Xiang Gao promises a concert series that challenges audiences not simply to listen to the extraordinary music being performed, but to really experience it. And the MPCS certainly is an experience.

The MPCS program grows more dynamic and more daring each year. The performances thrive on interactivity, with concertgoers themselves contributing to the sensory adventure and adding to the excitement. It’s a wonderfully participatory act, and I know you’ll be moved by performances that mix disciplines and media to showcase virtuosity, stir emotions, advance cultural understanding and prove music’s transformative potential.

The MPCS is such a vital part of the University’s mission: to make Delaware a place that’s rich in the arts, humanities and culture; a place where ingenuity is valued, imagination flourishes and creativity thrives; a place where important ideas and perspectives gain currency through powerful creative expression. This is the kind of engaged - and engaging - community that UD strives to build every day, and it’s one strengthened immeasurably by the MPCS. I hope you’ll be a part of it.

On behalf of the entire University of Delaware - and, most especially, Xiang Gao and the University’s renowned music faculty; this season’s featured musicians and artists; and all those responsible for producing such a remarkable concert series - I invite you to join me for a musical experience like no other.

Sincerely,

Patrick T. Harker
President

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This series is under the management of the Department of Music and co-sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Music. A special thank you to the Office of the President for their continued support. This program is made possible, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.