The UTC Music Department will present the faculty recital “Songs and Dances,” featuring Jonathan McNair, Mario Abril and Kenyon Wilson. The performance will take place in the UTC Fine Arts Center, Roland Hayes Concert Hall, 752 Vine St., on Oct. 7 at 4 p.m. It is presented free of charge and is open to the general public.
The program “Songs and Dances” features original music composed by three of UTC’s award-winning music faculty members: Mario Abril, Jonathan McNair, and Kenyon Wilson.
Dr. Abril’s “Two Songs” for soprano and piano are settings of poetry by Mary Louise Sottong of Chattanooga and Cuban poet José Martí. Performing will be mezzo-soprano Sara Snider Schone, who is in demand as a vocalist as well as accomplished bassoonist. She will be accompanied by Tim Hinck, pianist, composer, and sound-artist, who is known for his sensitive and expressive playing.
"Like a Breath in a Bubble, Spinning: Songs of Love and Loss” is the title of a set of songs by Jonathan McNair, for tenor voice and mixed percussion. The six songs feature texts by poets Emily Dickinson, Amy Lowell, William Butler Yeats, and D. H. Lawrence. This new work was commissioned by tenor Harv Wileman with the support of a grant from CreateHere. Mr. Wileman, a UTC alumnus, sings regularly in the region as soloist, and was an organizing force behind “Hops and Opera.” He will perform in this world premiere along with percussionist Monte Coulter, who is well known as a member of the Chattanooga Symphony as well as a musically active UTC faculty member.
“Preantepenultimate Tango,” by Kenyon Wilson, features a variety of dance styles including milonga, jazz, modern, and of course, tango. Written in response to the 2012 “Rapido” competition, this light-hearted work will be performed by a quartet including oboist Carey Shinbaum, principal oboe of the Huntsville Symphony and English horn soloist for the Chattanooga Symphony; violinist Marcy Wilson, who is Principal Second Violin of the Tupelo Symphony in Mississippi; cellist Jenny R. Wilkes, a UTC music faculty member and one of the founding members of the New Dischord Ensemble; and pianist Tim Hinck.
The concert will close with “Dance!” composed in 2012 by Jonathan McNair. This brief composition, featuring the abovementioned quartet, includes a Bulgarian-influenced dance, a slow waltz, and a rock-n-roll-inspired “jam.”
For more information email Jonathan-McNair@utc.edu or call 425-4679. If you have a disability requiring accommodations or, for require further information regarding this or any other UTC Music Department performance, call the Music office at 425-4601 or, see the Music Department website at http://utc.edu/music.