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Two internationally
recognized composers, Judith Lang Zaimont and Augusta Read Thomas,
will join an impressive group of accomplished musicians at Millsaps
Oct. 10-12 for "Voices of Women in the Arts: the Sphere of
Musical Composition." The music conference will explore the
craft of composer and performer and will showcase several public
events, including three highly varied concerts and several open
forums.
"We're
so proud to host an event of this caliber," said Dr. Cheryl
Coker, Assistant Professor of Music at Millsaps and one of the organizers
of the conference. "We have distinguished artists from across
the nation coming to Jackson to perform and speak at this event,
and we've put together some dynamic concerts to complement the conference
discussion."
In addition
to presentations by Zaimont and Thomas, headline events planned
for the conference include three concerts of music by women composers.
The first concert
in this series will begin at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 11, and will
feature a wide variety of instrumental and vocal performances. Highlights
of the concert include Come, Ye Makers of Song by Ruth Watson
Henderson, performed by the Mississippi Girlchoir; Zaimont's From
the Great Land: Women's Songs, featuring mezzo soprano, clarinet,
piano and Eskimo drum; cellist Alexander Russakovsky performing
Thomas' Spring Song; Elizabeth Moak's presentation of piano
pieces by Zaimont; and mezzo soprano Lester Senter and pianist Lynn
Raley performing Among Dawn Flowers by Thomas. In addition,
Virgie Rainey: Two Narratives, a new work commissioned from
Zaimont by Mr. and Mrs. Richard Wilson for the conference, will
be premiered by Cheryl Coker and Lester Senter, accompanied by Lynn
Raley. Immediately following the concert will be a reception in
the Millsaps Lewis Art Gallery sponsored by Mississippi Health Partners.
The reception will honor the local women artists whose work will
be on display in the gallery.
The second concert
in the series will be at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12. The program
will be sponsored by the Chaminade Club of Jackson, established
in 1903 and one of the oldest Chaminade Clubs in the United States.
Featured performers include Rachel Heard (fortepiano), mezzo soprano
Nash Noble with Mimi Linehan (horn), and flutist Julie Maisel. Sandra
Polanski (piano) will perform Troubled Waters by Margaret
Bonds, a prominent African-American composer, and soprano Kimberly
Davis will conclude the concert with a set of songs by Cecile Chaminade.
The final concert
for the conference will be at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12. The
program will include violinist Song Xie performing Thomas' Incantation
and Cheryl Coker and Elizabeth Moak presenting Zaimont's song cycle
Chansons Nobles et Sentimentales. Performers also include
Gale Odom (soprano) of Centenary College singing songs by Pauline
Viardot and Eugene Jones (clarinet) and Lynn Raley (piano) in a
work by Joan Tower. The concert will conclude with Tower's Fanfare
for the Uncommon Woman, No. 5 for trumpet quartet.
All concerts
will be in the Gertrude C. Ford Academic Complex recital hall, and
admission for each event is $5 for those not registered as conference
participants.
The full slate
of conference activities will include workshops, panel discussions
and forums, as well as receptions and luncheon events that will
give attendees an opportunity for further discussion with featured
composers and artists. In addition, the conference will feature
a Fifth Hour Concert of choral music performed by the Millsaps Singers
and Chamber Singers on Thursday, Oct. 10 at 5 p.m. A concert by
pianist Stanislav Ioudenitch, the 2001 Gold Medal Winner of the
Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, will be another highlight
of the conference. This concert is sponsored by the Thalia Mara
International Arts Foundation, and will take place at 8 p.m. on
Thursday, Oct 10, in the Belhaven College Center for Performing
Arts.
Registration
for the three-day conference is $50, and continuing education units
are available for participants. For a complete schedule of conference
events, click
here. To register for the conference online, click
here. To download the registration form, click
here. For more information on registering for this event, call
(601) 974-1422.
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