A second-year doctoral student at Eastman, Scarbrough is the first recipient of the Billy Joel Scholarship, awarded to talented students who explore relationships between classical and popular music genres. As part of the scholarship, Scarbrough has written Concerto Grosso for Jazz Quintet and Orchestra, which draws influences from both classical and jazz idioms to create something completely new.
Scarbrough uses the concerto grosso, a classical form made popular in early 18th-century Europe in which a small group of soloists is musically pitted against a larger orchestra, as the initial template for his composition. But instead of using oboes and violins, as Bach might have done, Scarbrough uses a trumpet, tenor saxophone, piano, bass, and drum set. The piece also employs nontraditional techniques such as improvised solos, an asymmetrical pulse, and a jazz-based melodic language.
"Hopefully, it will be recognizable to the listener as having some formalistic qualities that are long-established," says Scarbrough, "while evoking the sounds and spirit of contemporary jazz."
In addition to Scarbrough's piece, the orchestra will perform Canco i danso (Song and Dance) by Dobbins, a composition that was inspired by the work of Spanish impressionist composer Federico Mompou. The concert concludes with two pieces by Halkosalmi, both of which feature Eastman doctoral student Shirantha Beddage on
saxophone.
For information on this and other upcoming concerts at the Eastman School, visit www.esm.rochester.edu.
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Eastman orchestra premieres student work
Scarbrough
usic that is not quite classical, not quite jazz, but something all its own can be heard when the Eastman School's Studio Orchestra presents a free concert at 8 p.m., on Friday, March 10, in the Eastman Theatre. Under the guidance of conductor Bill Dobbins, the orchestra will perform works by Dobbins and Finnish composer Vellu Halkosalmi. The concert also will feature a premiere of a work by student composer Russell Scarbrough.
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