Robert Xavier Rodríguez
With a music concert dedicated to two great classical composers and a dance performance that treats the entire campus as a stage, the School of Arts and Humanities will host both the traditional and the experimental this week.
On Friday at 8 p.m. in the Jonsson Performance Hall, the Musica Nova Ensemble will present An Evening of Schubert and Stravinsky. Pieces from composers Franz Schubert and Igor Stravinsky will be presented side by side. The concert is free and open to the public; however, patrons should arrive early to ensure seating.
“Born more than 100 years apart, their music comes from different worlds, and their personal lives and careers were polar opposites,” said UT Dallas professor Robert Xavier Rodríguez, who holds the Endowed Chair in Art and Aesthetic Studies and is directing the concert. “For all their differences, however, Schubert and Stravinsky share some remarkable similarities. The music of both is characterized by order and balance rather than by wild, unbridled passion, and both composers show a deep respect for the achievements of previous generations.”
On the bill for the concert are Stravinsky’s Suite No.1 and No. 2 for chamber orchestra; one of Schubert’s best-known compositions, the “Marche Militaire;” and two Schubert songs for vocal soloist, four-part male chorus and piano, “Nachthelle” and “Ständchen,” among others.
“The evening ends with one of Schubert’s finest compositions and one of the greatest of all chamber works: the monumental Quintet in A Major for violin, viola, cello, double bass and piano,” Rodríguez said.
Choreography on Campus
The UT Dallas Dance Ensemble will begin Site On, a site-specific dance inspired by campus architecture, at 7:15 p.m. at the Trellis Plaza. Performances will be Thursday through Saturday.
Starting on Thursday and running through Saturday, the UT Dallas Dance Ensemble will be presenting Site On, a site-specific choreography that has been created to work within chosen spaces throughout campus.
Beginning at 7:15 p.m. at the Plaza, underneath the Trellis, the dance ensemble will use the space to move from the misting fountain to the Student Union steps to the Plinth.
From the Plaza, the ensemble will move to the Edith O’Donnell Arts and Technology Building.
“Dancers will use steps, rails, walkways and windows in the Edith O’Donnell ATEC Building. There will also be film selections created by ATEC students, which will be shown in nontraditional spaces. We will also dance to music created by ATEC students in the courtyard, near the X sculpture,” said Micki Saba, who teaches art and performance dance courses and is the director of the production. “Eventually, we will head back to the Erik Jonsson Academic Center area where dancers dance with trees and in open grass spaces and eventually end up in the University Theatre with a surprise twist to how we use that space.”
During the performance, the audience will travel with the show as it progresses — those wishing to attend should start at the Plaza. A shuttle will be provided for those who need assistance moving between locations. Orange, green and blue flags will mark performance sites. The event is free and open to the public.
Clinical associate professor Michele Hanlon and lecturer Misty Owens, who both teach art and performance dance courses, also choreographed pieces for the show.