SU’s Pulse performing arts series announces 2007-08 season, including three commissioned world premieresAugust 20, 2007Jaime Winne Alvarezjlwinne@syr.edu
The 2007-08 season of Syracuse University’s Pulse performing arts series features three SU-commissioned world premieres by the Harlem String Quartet, Cuban saxophonist Paquito D’Rivera and acclaimed dance company Ailey II; and a Family Weekend performance by Tony Award-winning choreographer and tap dancer Savion Glover. The commissioned works were created especially for Pulse, which provides SU students and the local community opportunities to attend and participate in programs, performances, exhibitions and events in the visual and performing arts. It is a collaborative project of SU’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) and Division of Student Affairs.
“As Syracuse University students increasingly connect with the Central New York and broader worlds around them, the arts are providing many opportunities for intellectual and social engagement,” says Senior Vice President and Dean of Student Affairs Barry L. Wells. “This Pulse season diversifies our offerings even further, and promises to introduce students and community members to the best and newest of performances.”
“Pulse continues to be one of the premier performance series in Central New York,” says VPA Dean Carole Brzozowski. “We enjoy giving campus and community members the opportunity to appreciate and learn from such a diverse group of artists.”
Ticket prices for Pulse performances (with the exception of free events) are listed below. Tickets can be purchased at the Schine Student Center Box Office. For more information, call (315) 443-4517.
The Harlem String Quartet opens the season Sept. 14 at 8 p.m. with a free performance in the Rose and Jules R. Setnor Auditorium located in Crouse College. No tickets are required. First-place laureate of the Sphinx Competition, the quartet promotes diversity in classical music by engaging audiences through varied repertoire and works by minority composers. The performance will feature a world premiere of a Judith Lang Zaimont work commissioned by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for the Central New York Humanities Corridor, which includes the University of Rochester, SU and Cornell University.
The Syracuse Symphony Orchestra (SSO), under the direction of Daniel Hege, will present a free concert Oct. 1 at 8 p.m. in Setnor Auditorium. No tickets are required. The SSO, Central and Northern New York’s fully professional resident orchestra, performs 200 full-orchestra and chamber ensemble concerts throughout the region during its 39-week season.
Brooklyn-based rhythm group Nation Beat will perform a free concert Oct. 11 at 4 p.m. in Setnor Auditorium. No tickets are required. Comprised of six musicians, Nation Beat melds Afro-Brazilian rhythms of Maracatu with New Orleans funk and jazz and makes “21st century music for one nation under a groove.”
On Nov. 1, Pulse and Syracuse Symposium will present a performance by Grammy-winning Cuban saxophonist D’Rivera at 8 p.m. in Goldstein Auditorium in the Hildegarde and J. Myer Schine Student Center. Tickets are required and cost $5 for SU students with valid I.D.; $10 for SU faculty, staff and alumni; $10 for CNY Jazz members with valid I.D.; and $20 for the general public. The performance includes the world premiere of “Borat in Syracuse.” A child prodigy on both saxophone and clarinet, D’Rivera performed with the Cuban National Symphony Orchestra and founded Orquesta Cubana de Musica Moderna and innovative music ensemble Irakere. An acclaimed solo artist with a discography of more than 30 albums, he is also an accomplished composer.
On Nov. 11, during SU Family Weekend, Tony Award-winning choreographer and tap dancer Glover will perform at 2 p.m. in Goldstein Auditorium. Tickets are required and will be available for purchase beginning Aug. 22. Ticket prices are $8 for SU students with valid SU I.D. (limit one per student); $15 for registered family members and guests; $15 for SU faculty, staff and alumni; and $20 for the general public. A portion of the proceeds from the purchase of these tickets will benefit the Parents Office Special Needs Fund.
Choreographer of the Tony-winning Broadway hit “Bring in `Da Noise, Bring in `Da Funk,” Glover made his Broadway debut at age 10. In addition to Broadway credits, he has appeared in and choreographed feature films, music videos and television commercials and specials; was a series regular on “Sesame Street;” created two dance companies, NYOTs (Not Your Ordinary Tappers) and Ti Dii; and most recently tap danced in a motion-capture suit that transformed his hoofing into the animation that became the moves of lead character Mumble in the animated film “Happy Feet.”
Composer and guitarist Phil Kline and chamber music vocal ensemble Lionheart will perform a free concert Jan. 27, 2008, at 4 p.m. in Hendricks Chapel. No tickets are required. The performance is part of the Malmgren Concert Series, made possible by a gift from SU alumna Esther Drake Malmgren ’42, and is presented in partnership with the Society for New Music. One of America’s leading chamber ensembles, Lionheart interprets medieval and Renaissance a cappella music with Gregorian chant, the keystone of its repertoire. Kline, hailed for the originality, beauty, subversive subtext and wry humor of his compositions, was the only classical composer nominated for the 2004 ShortList Music Prize, honoring the most creative records of the year.
Critically acclaimed dance company Ailey II will present a world premiere performance Feb. 28 at 8 p.m. in Goldstein Auditorium in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, its parent company. Tickets are $5 for SU students with valid SU I.D.; $10 for SU faculty, staff and alumni; and $20 for the general public. Created by modern dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey, the company is renowned for merging the spirit and energy of young dance talent with the passion and creative vision of emerging choreographers. Ailey II combines a rigorous touring schedule with extensive community outreach, conducts residencies at colleges and universities, visits schools across the nation and has received numerous honors in recognition of its innovative outreach programs.
Miami-based chamber choir Seraphic Fire will present a free concert April 6 at 4 p.m. in Hendricks Chapel, as part of the Malmgren Concert Series. No tickets are required. The ensemble in residence at First United Methodist Church in Coral Gables, Fla., Seraphic Fire players and singers are drawn from professional and academic institutions across the U.S. The choir’s repertoire includes Renaissance, baroque and contemporary art music. Its size allows the group to be trendsetting and adventurous in performances, introducing audiences to art music masterpieces while encouraging an atmosphere that welcomes less experienced concert goers.
Also this year, Pulse will add a new program element: Feel the Pulse of Downtown Syracuse, an event for SU’s incoming first-year and transfer students. During a series of private, downtown events to be held on Saturday, Aug. 25, new students will be introduced to the wide variety of Pulse and other arts opportunities in Central New York, as well as some of the venues of the Connective Corridor.
For more information on Pulse, visit http://students.syr.edu/pulse.
