by Caitlin Shannon, Student Life & Arts Editor
The end of April is arguably the craziest time of the year for any college student, and doubly so for music students. In addition to final papers, exams and projects, musical Drewids are gearing up for end of the year concerts, senior recitals, and juries. This weekend in particular is especially busy as almost all of Drew’s student ensembles have their spring concerts this weekend.
Kicking off the weekend is the Drew University Chamber Orchestra’s concert on Friday. The concert is titled Bound for Adventure as it features the music from some of the most thrilling adventure movies and operas. The musicians will play selections from the movies Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and Pirates of the Caribbean as well as overtures by Beethoven and Sibelius. This concert is sure to be full of energy and leave you feeling ready for an awesome weekend. Make sure to come to the Concert Hall on Friday at 8 p.m. for this exhilarating program. Plus, admission is free!
To keep the momentum going, the Drew University Choral Union and Chorale will perform their spring program Operas, Musicals, and Spirituals on Saturday at 8 p.m. The spring choral concerts are always dramatic and exciting, but this one even more so as it strives to bring the drama of the operatic and musical stages into the Concert Hall. The program features selections from beloved musicals like The Sound of Music and Les Miserables and choruses from cherished operas like Bizet’s Carmen, Verdi’s La Traviata and Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. The drama doesn’t stop as the second half of the program features African American spirituals that are sure to bring drama of a different kind. Make sure to get there early to get a good seat and make sure to bring $5 for admission.
The concerts keep going into Sunday with the Drew University Flute Ensemble and Drew University Jazz Ensembles. At 3 p.m., flutes will take over the Concert Hall to perform their spring program. With a variety of flutes including bass flute and contrabass flute, the ensemble will perform Journey into Spring program which will feature pieces by Holst, Schubert and more. Later on Sunday, the Drew Jazz Ensemble will perform John Coltrane’s iconic Blue Train for their end of year program. Be sure not to miss out on the performance of this famous and important jazz work. The concert begins at 7pm and admission is free.
