Music

Frost voice faculty artists Jeanette Thompson and Robynne Redmon sing in a voice recital honoring the history and evolution of the Spiritual. Thompson has been lauded throughout the world as a singer with great depth, warmth, beauty, style and heart. Noted composers David Winkler, Craig Bohmler, Steven Sametz, Ricky Ian Gordon and Thomas Cipullo have written works expressly for her. Redmon has been hailed the world over for her "glorious singing, intense acting, excellent phrasing, ardent tone, splendid shading, solid coloratura and excellent artistic sense." (Das Opernglas) A product of the introduction of Christianity into slaves’s lives, Spirituals also became a coded means of communicating resistance and escape. In time, Spirituals became a formative piece in the development of jazz and blues and has remained a source of inspiration to many jazz artists today.

The pairing of guitar and flute has long inspired delightful music, at once earthy and delicately translucid. Treat yourself to an evening featuring Robert Beaser’s Mountain Songs, based on Appalachian music; Astor Piazzolla’s Histoire Du Tango, a tango lesson in four movements; Carlos Rafael Rivera’s Raven Dance, which draws on Balkan music, and much more.

The Switch~ Ensemble, which describes itself as “a new music ensemble for the 21st century [with] a commitment to the total integration of technology and live musicians,” premieres new works by Frost Composition faculty and works from their current repertoire.

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with guest artist Kathleen Grace as she sings about the ‘ups and downs of love,’ kicking off the 2nd Annual Frost Jazz Vocal Invitational. LA Weekly noted that Grace’s “bright, clear voice reflects simple beauty and subtle wisdom, traits shared by all memorable singers from Billie Holiday to Emmylou Harris.”

The Frost Studio Jazz Band presents classic compositions by Duke Ellington, including Black, Brown and Beige, which the composer introduced its premiere at Carnegie Hall as "a parallel to the history of the Negro in America" and the symphonic jazz piece A Tone Parallel to Harlem (Harlem Suite).

Noted Frost faculty artists Jodi Levitz and Santiago Rodriguez join forces to present an evening of romantic works for viola and piano.

No, you’ve never heard the bassoon sound quite like this before. Frost faculty artist and bassoonist Gabriel Beavers and Frost’s Dean and pianist Shelly Berg call on their superior technique and varied experiences for Gernot Wolfgang's and James Lassen’s challenging works, in which the bassoon is treated like a rock guitar. Brett Dietz’s Behold a Pale Horse for amplified bassoon and percussion quartet puts the bassoon through a guitar pedal effects; and Theodor Burkali’s TRaInspOrt is a fiery piece for bassoon and 2 percussion. Dietz is in demand as a clinician and soloist who has performed in Paris, France, Bongkok, Thailand, and Genral Roca, Argentina, and made appearances at Carnegie Hall in New York.

Internationally recognized for his moving performances, innovative programming and extensive catalogue of recordings, Frost conductor Gerard Schwarz presents a compelling program. In his nearly five decades as a respected classical musician and conductor, Schwarz has received 7 Emmy Awards, 14 GRAMMY nominations, 8 ASCAP Awards, and numerous Stereo Review and Ovation Awards. He became the first American named Conductor of the Year by Musical America and received numerous honorary doctorates from various universities. This evening’s centerpiece is Richard Strauss’ tone poem Ein Heldenleben (A Hero’s Life). It stands as the culmination of 19th century romanticism and as an autobiographical statement, as Strauss quotes from several of his previous works. This program also includes Walter Piston’s Three New England Sketches and the unveiling of a new work by a Frost student composition competition winner.

Come and enjoy an evening of musical virtuosity. The superb program opens with Eugene Ysaye’s Sonata No.3 in D minor "Ballade," for unaccompanied violin, and also his exquisite Snows of Yesteryear, originally scored for violin and string orchestra. César Franck’s Sonata in A Major for Violin and Piano; and Gabriel Fauré’s elegant Piano Quartet No. 1 round up the evening's program.

Join the Frost Sextet and the Frost Concert Jazz Band as they revisit music from Miles Davis’s audacious Bitches Brew, released in 1970, reimagined in new arrangements by saxophonist Charles Pillow. As part of his residency at Frost, NEA Jazz Master saxophonist Dave Liebman, a Miles Davis sideman, performs with both Frost groups.