Sept. 27: MPCS gala '1979'
Gala concert '1979,' created by Xiang Gao, opens Master Players season
1:54 p.m., Sept. 2, 2014--The 2014-15 University of Delaware Master Players Concert Series kicks off with its season opening gala, titled 1979, at 8 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 27, in Mitchell Hall.
Created and directed by Master Players producing artistic director Xiang Gao and co-presented by the UD Confucius Institute, this gala concert will celebrate the 35th anniversary of the normalization of China-U.S. relations.
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June 6-9: Food and culture series
1979 features renowned classical and folk musicians of the two world powers as well as faculty and student performers from UD and the Xiamen University of China.
They include collaborative pianist Zhihua Tang, flutist Eileen Grycky, harpist Anne Sullivan, violinist Xiang Gao, vocalist Juliet Petrus, percussionist Harvey Price, UD’s award-winning Vocal Point a cappella group, di (Chinese bamboo flute) soloist Feisheng Ye, pipa (Chinese lute) soloist Kunli Li, guzheng (Chinese zither) soloist Lei Zhang, and dagu (Chinese drum) soloist Liqun Li, among others.
Gao was granted the 2014 Governor’s Award for the Arts for his contributions to the arts in Delaware.
In a letter addressed to the Master Players audience and supporters, Gao said, “As many of you may know, my passion for China-U.S. relations has led me to direct the UD Alumni and Friends China trip for eight consecutive summers. I now invite you to join me on a trip of a different kind. 1979 will be a rare opportunity to witness how the people of the two world powers have tirelessly reached out to each other through cultural exchange during the times of cooperation and conflict in the past 35 years. In a technology-driven world where live musical performance has become increasingly scarce (like the handwritten post card you infrequently find in your mailbox), I hope that this season’s program will enrich your lives.”
The concert features classical compositions by American composers George Gershwin, Samuel Barber, and Katherine Hoover, French composer Carlos Salzedo, and Chinese composers Chou Wenchung and Lü Wencheng.
Also featuring Chinese folk music coupled with American ragtime favorites by George Hamilton Green, as well as a cappella music, this concert is designed to take members of the audience back to the year 1979.
To order advance tickets by mail, download the ticket order form. To order by phone, call 302-831-2204.
Tickets for all events are $25 for adults; $20 for senior adults, alumni, faculty and staff; and $10 for students with ID.
There are three subscription series available:
- An eight-concert subscription is $152 for adults; $120 for senior adults, alumni, faculty and staff; and $56 for students;
- A six-concert subscription is $120 for adults, $96 for senior adults, alumni, faculty and staff; and $48 for students; and
- A four-concert subscription is $88 for adults, $72 for senior adults, alumni, faculty and staff; and $36 for students.
Starting this season, online purchasing for tickets and pre-paid parking vouchers is available to all Master Players audience members. For more information, visit the website.
This program is made possible, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. Other sponsors include Vita Nova restaurant at the University of Delaware and Marriott’s Courtyard Newark-University of Delaware campus hotel.