VALLEY CITY, N.D. (VCSU) – Valley City State University is thrilled to present an evening of captivating performances by its esteemed music faculty in the 2024 Fall Music Faculty Showcase. The showcase will take place on Friday, Sept. 13, at 7:30 p.m. in the Larry J. Robinson Center for the Arts Performance Hall on the VCSU campus. Attendees can look forward to an eclectic program, spotlighting the diverse talents of the university’s wind, voice, percussion, piano, and band faculty members, with a special appearance from VCSU President, Dr. Alan LaFave. Admission to the event is free.

The concert will open with a dynamic performance by woodwinds professor Dr. Katrina Clements, who will be joined by President Alan LaFave. Together with Dr. Ozzie Johnson on piano, they will perform Konzertstück a la Feidman, a clarinet duet in a Klezmer style, featuring virtuosic cadenzas and familiar themes. In addition to playing with many of the faculty on the evening’s recital, Dr. Ozzie Johnson will play Chopin’s Nocturne in C Minor. This small masterpiece features a slow, stately opening that dissolves into a dream-like middle section, which eventually erupts and spills over into a restlessly passionate reworking of the opening material. VCSU Director of Bands, Professor Jerrold Heide, will follow with a performance of Four Short Narratives for solo euphonium, a set of miniature tone paintings depicting different times of day.

The night will continue with Dr. Kenneth Jimenez, chair of the VCSU Music Department, performing two works: an arrangement of Cavatine d’Anna Bolena by Donizetti and Conversation for Cornet by Clare Grundman, showcasing his talent on cornet and cornopean, a rarely performed French brass instrument. Dr. Taylor Long will take the stage with an eccentric and rhythmically intense work for hand gestures and synchronized tape by American composer Mark Applebaum, pushing the boundaries of performance art. Rounding out the program with a stunning distillation of emotional energy, Dr. Stephen Cunningham will perform Ich bin der welt by Gustav Mahler, which is a setting of a poem by German poet Friedrich Rückert. The showcase will conclude on a lighthearted note with After You, Mr. Gershwin! by Béla Kovács, performed by Dr. Katrina Clements with Dr. Ozzie Johnson. This playful piece draws inspiration from early jazz and blues music, reminiscent of George Gershwin, offering a delightful, upbeat finale.

Attendees can look forward to an exciting evening of music. The concert is free and open to the public.