Jazzman Stefon Harris Teams with Imani Winds to Perform New Work September 30
September 8, 2009
Jazz vibraphone and marimba player Stefon Harris joins Imani Winds, a quintet known for its engaging mix of traditional and contemporary repertoire, in a performance of the new Harris composition The Anatomy of a Box: a sonic painting in wood, metal, and wind at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30, in Penn State’s Schwab Auditorium. The program also includes Imani Winds performing Quintette by French composer Jean Francaix plus two works by Imani musicians—Red Clay Mississippi Delta by flutist Valerie Coleman and Homage to Duke by French horn player Jeff Scott.
Tickets for the Center for the Performing Arts presentation are $36 for an adult, $15 for a University Park student and $29 for a person 18 and younger. Buy tickets online at www.cpa.psu.edu or by phone at 814-863-0255. Outside the local calling area, dial 1-800-ARTS-TIX. Tickets are also available at four State College locations: Eisenhower Auditorium (weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.), Penn State Tickets Downtown (weekdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.), HUB-Robeson Center (weekdays 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and Bryce Jordan Center (weekdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.). A grant from the University Park Allocation Committee makes Penn State student prices possible.
The passionate artistry, energetic stage presence, and virtuosity of Harris have propelled him to the forefront of the jazz scene. A Los Angeles Times critic calls him “one of the most important young artists in jazz.” Urbanus, Harris’ most recent CD, was released in August and features his band Blackout.
“Imani Winds,” a Washington Post writer asserts, “represents nothing less than the future of the once-quaint notion of the wind quintet.” The five musicians—Coleman, Scott, oboist Toyin Spellman-Diaz, clarinetist Mariam Adam and bassoonist Monica Ellis—enlarge the boundaries of the traditional wind quintet and explore the links among European, African and American music traditions. The name Imani, which means “faith” in Swahili, embodies that mission. The ensemble, which includes musicians of African- and Latin-American heritage, has established a distinct reputation in classical music for dynamic playing, innovative programming and inspirational outreach initiatives.
The Center for the Performing Arts, through its membership in the national chamber music consortium Music Accord, co-commissioned the Harris composition.
Gay D. Dunne, M.D., and James H. Dunne, M.D., sponsor the performance. WPSU-FM is the media sponsor. The Norma and Ralph Condee Chamber Music Endowment underwrites chamber music presentations. Artistic Viewpoints, an informal moderated discussion featuring the musicians of Imani Winds, is offered in Schwab Auditorium one hour before the performance and is free for ticket holders.
Contact: Laura Sullivan, 814.863.6379