The Music Program at Eastern Connecticut State University will present a number of concerts and recitals this April. All performances will occur in venues of the Fine Arts Instructional Center (FAIC). Admission is free, no tickets required.

On April 6 at 7:30 p.m. in the FAIC Proscenium Theatre, four Eastern music professors will perform “This is the World”” by American composer David Maslanka. “This is the World” is an epic work for two pianos and two percussion performers based on Edward Hopper’s 1942 painting “Nighthawks.” The ensemble will include pianists Okon Hwang and Eric Ouellette, and percussionists Matt Bronson and Jeff Calissi.

The 50-minute, five-movement piece “is spacious and patient, with simple rhythms, slow harmonies, expansive and touching melodies, and moments of ferocity, whimsy and grandeur,” wrote Maslanka. The immersive concert will feature lighting and image projections designed by Eastern faculty and students. “This is the World” is part of the Music Program’s Faculty Recital Series, which was established to raise scholarship funds for current and incoming music students.

On April 15 at 2:30 p.m. in the FAIC Concert Hall, the Eastern Concert Chorale and Eastern Chamber Singers will perform “Diversity, Adversity, and Education: A Multimedia Presentation.” The concert will explore these themes and their relationship to each other through a multimedia presentation. The concert is in connection with World Voice Day.

On April 23 at 7:30 p.m. in the FAIC Concert Hall, the Music Program’s student chamber ensembles will present a varied program of repertoire ranging from the Baroque period to the present. The repertoire includes works for strings, winds, brass, voice and guitar. Ensembles work weekly with faculty coaches to prepare for this recital.

On April 25 at 7:30 p.m. in the FAIC Concert Hall, the Eastern Concert Band will present an evening of classics and lighter fare from the wind band repository. The Concert Band is a unique blend of more than 80 musicians composed of Eastern students, faculty, alumni, local music educators and talented musicians from the eastern Connecticut area. Performance repertoire includes classic band literature as well as challenging works from contemporary composers.

On April 27 at 7:30 p.m. in the FAIC Concert Hall, the Eastern Jazz Ensemble will perform a variety of big band music featuring student soloists. This ensemble is a traditional “big band” that plays music from a variety of styles and eras. Focusing on traditional and contemporary jazz composers, the ensemble also incorporates jazz improvisation into their unique and entertaining performances.

On April 28 at 2:30 p.m. in the FAIC Concert Hall, the Eastern Opera Workshop will present “The Things We Do for Love: An Afternoon of Scenes from Opera and Operetta.” Eastern’s voice students have spent the semester studying and preparing scenes from Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” and “The Magic Flute”, Donizetti’s “L’elisir d’amore,” Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Mikado,” and Verdi’s “Falstaff.” Highlights from their semester’s work will be featured in this program.

On April 29 at 2:30 p.m. in the FAIC Concert Hall, the Eastern percussion ensembles will perform a concert featuring the Percussion Ensemble, Percussion Group and World Percussion Ensemble with a variety of music for large and small ensembles from different cultures. The concert will feature the premieres of four works, including two from faculty members Jeff Calissi and Anthony Cornicello, and a clarinet concerto with faculty member Chris Howard.

On April 29 at 7:30 p.m. in the FAIC Concert Hall, the Music Program will present “New Music at Eastern,” featuring performances of new works by Eastern student composers.

On April 30 at 7:30 p.m. in the FAIC Concert Hall, student performers of the 3 O’ Clock Band will celebrate International Jazz Day with a performance of jazz tunes ranging from standards and bebop to modern jazz and rock.

“These performances highlight the variety of music study occurring on our campus every day – in our studios, practice rooms and rehearsal halls,” said Emily Riggs, head of the Music Program. “From opera to global percussion, whatever your interests, you are certain to find something on our calendar that excites you!”