Benefit Concert Wows Audience

Student Dayna Brown brought down the house with the Faculty Jazz Quintet at the Inauguratal Benefit Concert on April 3.

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Wind Ensemble Director David Martins’ choice of the stirring “Rising Dragons” fittingly capped an evening that celebrated the inauguration of Chancellor Martin T. Meehan through artistic expression. The concert, held in Durgin Hall on Thursday, April 3, showcased the rich artistic talents of the many students and faculty who are the foundation of the University’s cultural life, while at the same time raising money for music scholarships.

“The overwhelming reaction I received from so many people was that they were absolutely stunned at the level of the performances,” said Music Department Chair Paula Telesco. “Our intent was to showcase both the variety and level of achievement of our student ensembles, and the quality of our faculty.”

More than 140 students were featured in four music groups, including the University Orchestra, Concert Band, University Choir and Wind Ensemble. Faculty were highlighted in the Faculty Jazz Quintet made up of Jonathan Wheatley, Walter Platt, Kenneth Reid, Mark Henry and James Lattini, and a piano duo by keyboard faculty members Bonnie Anderson and Thomas Stumpf. Asst. Prof. Andres Dubus III read from his soon-to-be-released novel, "The Garden of Last Days."

Kay George Roberts began the evening directing the University Orchestra in “En Memoria de Chano Pozo,” a challenging tribute to Dizzy Gillespie’s percussionist, composed by David Amram. The piece, which featured faculty member Lucerne DeSa on piano, involved the whole audience clapping to the contagious Afro-Cuban rhythms. The orchestra is composed of students, alumni, faculty and high school assistants from the UML String Project.

Two grand pianos took center stage as Stumpf, Piano Ensemble director and applied keyboard instructor, joined Anderson, head of the keyboard department, to tackle Darius Milhaud’s “Scaramouche Suite.”

After a surprisingly efficient stage adjustment, the 83-member Concert Band dove into a composition by the band’s director, Daniel P. Lutz, “Dichotomy … Impressions of Kerouac,” for Concert Band. Commissioned to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the writing of “On the Road,” the piece “is intended to be a non-verbal, musical interpretation of a man who inspired a generation,” according to Lutz’s concert notes.

After Dubus read from his novel, the University Choir, under the direction of Murray Kidd, sang four pieces, including the whimsical “Geographical Fugue,” which involved only speaking the names of geographical locations. Student pianist Kyle Bertulli was featured on the “Gloria” movement from Franz Joseph Haydn’s “Heiligmesse.”

Student vocalist Dayna Brown brought down the house with her rich, expressive voice, accompanying the Faculty Jazz Quintet in two familiar rhythm and blues classics, “Chain of Fools” and “Unchain My Heart.” Created just for this performance, the Faculty Jazz Quintet is made up of instrumental instructors at UMass Lowell who are also well-respected and in-demand professionals on the local, national, and international music scene.

The Wind Ensemble’s “Rising Dragons” offered a regal, uplifting finale, setting the stage for the actual inaugural ceremony the following morning. Composed by Robert Smith, the piece was commissioned by the Korean Navy Symphonic Band to pay tribute to the legacy of Yi Sun Shin, a Korean admiral in the 16th century.

At the pre-concert reception at the O’Leary Library, faculty guitarist Rick Shilling performed on classical guitar, while at the Allen House Gala following the concert, music was provided by a student string quartet (Joyce Pang, Theresa Cleary, Adam Nunes and Tim Nunes), and by guitarist Jon Wheatley of the Faculty Jazz Quintet.

All proceeds from the evening will go to music scholarships.