What's New - Current
Day of Brass Set for March 31st-- A Free Event For Everyone!
** NOTE: The location of this event has been changed to Hoyt Hall on the UR River Campus. (Please disregard previous postings that listed the location as the UR Alumni and Advancement Center at 300 E. River Road.)
The University of Rochester College Music Department is thrilled to offer its third annual “Day of Brass” on Saturday, March 31st at Hoyt Hall on the UR River Campus. This event culminates in a FREE 3:00pm final concert featuring the Smugtown Stompers Traditional Dixieland jazz band. The Rochester community is invited to enjoy this exciting educational event—it is completely free and open to the public, and no tickets are required.
Dozens of local brass musicians—high schoolers, college students, and adult players alike—will participate in free workshops on topics as varied as the Swiss alphorn tradition and orchestral low brass performance (full schedule listed below). The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra’s Low Brass Section, led by principal trombonist Mark Kellogg, will present a special workshop/performance at 11:30am. The final 3:00pm concert will feature festival participants, the University of Rochester Stingers Trombone Ensemble, and the Smugtown Stompers Traditional Dixieland jazz band..
The host group for the 2011 Day of Brass is the University of Rochester Brass Choir, a 40-member brass ensemble made up of representatives from nearly every division of the University of Rochester. Here is a YouTube video from the very first Day of Brass, in case you'd like to see what it is all about: http://www.youtube.com/user/UniversityRochester#p/search/0/3gI5_IBsf8s
We also have a Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/339953839378688/
Day of Brass Schedule - ALL EVENTS NOW SCHEDULED FOR HOYT HALL AUDITORIUM
9:00am arrival and warm-ups
9:30am The Alphorn-- It's History and Music with the legendary Glenn Call!
10:30am festival group rehearsal-- sectionals
11:30am Rochester Philharmonic Low Brass Section workshop/
12:30pm LUNCH
1:30pm "Everything you need to know to play everything"-- approaches to classical/jazz/commercial brass playing, featuring Jeff Stockham!
2:30pm warm-ups
3:00pm Final Concert with the Smugtown Stompers traditional Dixieland jazz band, who will trace the development of early "jass" from the brass band tradition in New Orleans to Dixieland and related styles.
2012 “DAY OF BRASS” DETAILS
Event Date: Saturday, March 31 from 9am-4pm
What is planned for the “Day of Brass?”: Workshops/demonstrations where participants can sit back, relax, and learn something new about brass performance. The full schedule is listed above. The “Day of Brass” begins at 9:00am, and the final concert starts at 3:00pm and will end by 4:15pm.
Who can participate?: Any brass enthusiast, regardless of age, background or current skill level. Bring your horns!
Where is it taking place?: NOTE THE CHANGE OF VENUE! The Day of Brass will now take place in Hoyt Hall, which is located on the main academic quadrangle of the UR River Campus. Use the following link to the U of R’s Google map to locate Hoyt: http://www.rochester.edu/maps/ Click on the River Campus “bubble” and then zoom in until you find Hoyt, which is right between Dewey and Bausch & Lomb Halls. Participants can easily be dropped off by parents/friends via Hutchison Road, which is clearly marked on the map. Look for the “Day of Brass” signs around campus, which will help you locate Hoyt Hall.
What are the parking arrangements?: If you are driving to campus, parking is free most places on the weekends. However, do not park in any spots marked “reserved at all times” or in the 15 minute parking spots (unless you intend to only stay there for 15 minutes). Otherwise, all lots are free. We would recommend you park in either Intercampus Drive Lot, Trustee Lot, or Library Lot. (See map)
Concert details: The final concert at 3pm is completely free and open to the public—friends and family are invited and encouraged to attend, and no tickets are required. Day of Brass participants will peform section features in the first part of the concert-- Telemann's "Heroic Marches" for trumpets, John Williams' "Jurassic Park" for horns, and Henry Fillmore's "Lassus Trombone" for the low brass. Then, attendees will sit back and enjoy performances by the UR Stingers Trombone Ensemble and the Smugtown Stompers. The final concert should end by 4:15pm.
Is an application or audition required? What does it cost?: No application or audition is required. The “Day of Brass” is completely free of charge! There is no fee to attend the final concert or any of the workshops, and no tickets are required. Simply RSVP to Josef Hanson at josef.hanson@rochester.edu to register for the event.
Chamber Orchestra Concert To Feature 'Strings for Success' Program
Check out the video footage courtesy of WHEC:
http://cityliving.whec.com/
New Course Offerings for Spring 2012
Please keep in mind that all new courses can be accommodated as substitutions in most music clusters. These courses can also count as elective credits within the music major or minor.
MUR 124 Signed Sealed & Delivered: Deals & Innovations that Changed the Music Industry Forever.
A look at the historical deals and innovations that have impacted the music business between 1877 to present. From ground breaking inventions to brilliant marketing initiatives to hushed back-room deals, this course will expose the key moments where the record industry changed forever, both for good and bad. (2 credits)
MUR 137 Thinking About Music
Everyone knows that music can elicit a wide variety of emotions. But whether classical or jazz, punk, rock, or gospel, music also communicates countless other meanings, denoting aspects of race, religion, gender, culture, and politics. This course will explore various ways of thinking about musical meaning. After first building a musical vocabulary, we will discuss many kinds of music in different contexts, including classical and popular music, Broadway and opera, film scores, music videos, advertisements, and religious and nonwestern traditions.
MUR 236/436 Music, Ethnography, and HIV/AIDS
Addressing the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS in the United States, United Kingdom, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Haiti, and elsewhere, this uniquely interdisciplinary course will incorporate insights from the fields of public health, medical anthropology, and ethnomusicology. Studying the HIV/AIDS epidemic through the lens of musical expression, we will ask how individuals and communities affected by HIV/AIDS have mobilized musical sound in response to the disease. Topics addressed within the class will include musical representations of HIV/AIDS within queer communities; the use of music in public health campaigns to raise awareness about the disease; and the mobilization of musical performance within grassroots support groups for individuals affected by HIV/AIDS. Instructor permission required to join course; please describe your interest in studying music, ethnography, and HIV/AIDS, as well as any relevant coursework you have completed music, anthropology, public health, African Studies, gender studies, or any other related field.