October 16 concert is part of NYSCA-funded series presented by the Setnor School of Music at iconic locations along the Connective Corridor

Syracuse University’s Setnor School of Music faculty and students are engaged with the community in developing an innovative performance series called “Time and Place,” supported by the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA).

The series features secular and sacred works by campus and community choral groups, and musical ensembles, presented along the Connective Corridor.  Four concerts are scheduled this fall as part of the five-part series that launched this March with “Mass of Reconciliation,” a world premiere by Peppie Calvar, Syracuse University Assistant Professor of Music, Assistant Director of Choral Activities and Director of the Hendricks Chapel.

Syracuse University faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, alumni, and national and community artists are collaborating to compose and perform works that reflect the rich heritage of choral music in Syracuse, as well as narratives culled from personal and community histories.

These narratives are being embedded in five original compositions presented for the first time in public performances in beautiful iconic settings that reflect the “landscape of place” along the Connective Corridor – a new green streetscape and cultural district which marked a major construction milestone this week.

The intent is to create relationships between artists, and university and community groups, through a collaborative initiative that uses an innovative engagement model to develop new content and reach new audiences.

The fall series features:

October 16, 2015 — 7:30 p.m.

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 259 East Onondaga Street Syracuse, NY

• “Credo,” a world-premiere composed by Joseph Downing, Syracuse University Associate Professor of Composition
• Conducted by John Warren, Syracuse University Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities
• Accompanied by Symphoria with community choirs from Assumption Roman Catholic Church, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Dewitt Community Church, Park Central Presbyterian Church, Plymouth Congregational Church, St. Daniel’s Catholic Church, and University United Methodist Church and featuring the Syracuse University Oratorio Society
• Open to the public.  Tickets:  $20 Adults, $15 Seniors, $5 College Students, free for 18 and under

October 25, 2015 — 4:00 p.m.

University United Methodist Church, 1085 East Genesee Street, Syracuse

• “Syracuse, In the Presence of the Past,” a world-premiere by nationally renowned composer, arranger, choral conductor, teacher, song leader and author, Nick Page
• Featuring original compositions based on narratives of area school children performed by the internationally acclaimed Syracuse Children’s Chorus
•  Young singers from 25 school districts and home schools across the region sing in the four choirs that make up the Syracuse Children’s Chorus under the direction of artistic director Stephanie Mowery
• Adults $22 (priority seating) and $18 (general seating); Senior $20 (priority seating) and $15 (general seating); Child $10

November 11, 2015 — 8:00 p.m.

Setnor Auditorium, Syracuse University

• Syracuse University and National Defense:  Forgotten and Untold Stories, featuring “While We Are on Earth,” a world-premiere by Grammy Award winning composer Libby Larsen
• Additional premieres by Chad Steffey, Sean O’Loughlin and Jim Papoulis
• Conducted by Barbara M. Tagg, Conductor of the Syracuse University Women’s Choir
• Featuring the Syracuse University Women’s Choir and featured guest instrumentalists Gabriel DiMartino, Deette Bunn and Gregory Wood
• Engaging Syracuse University faculty, alumni and students with internationally recognized artists, this historical retrospective concert will include narration, projected photographs and music reflecting the rich history of forgotten and untold stories.  Libby Larsen’s premiere work is based on texts by Eleanor Roosevelt, Kahlil Gibran and Mother Teresa.
• Open to the public free of charge

December 6, 2015, 7:30 p.m.

Hendricks Chapel, Syracuse University

Holidays at Hendricks featuring “The Longest Night,” a world premier by American composer Daniel Gawthrop

• Conducted by Peppie Calvar, Syracuse University Assistant Professor of Music, Assistant Director of Choral Activities at Syracuse University and Director of the Hendricks Chapel Choir
• Accompanied by the SU Brass Ensemble and University Organist Ann Lavar
• Featuring the Syracuse Vocal Ensemble, Syracuse Children’s Chorus, Hendricks Chapel Choir, University Singers, Windjammer and SU Brass Ensemble
• Open to the public free of charge

Details on each program are at:  http://vpa.syr.edu/academics/setnor/

The series was partially funded through a $62,012 grant to Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts from NYSCA.  The grant was developed by the Connective Corridor, reflecting NYSCA’s commitment to creative placemaking and the Connective Corridor’s mission of connecting university and community through creative collaboration.

Works are being commissioned by the Setnor School of Music which has a national reputation. Syracuse University’s Department of Music was founded in 1877 and was the first university in country to grant a degree in music, and require four years’ study in both music and theory. Now known as the Rose, Jules R. and Stanford S. Setnor School of Music, the program offers professional-level training that allows talented musicians and future music industry leaders to excel both collectively and as individuals. Areas of emphasis include instrumental and vocal performance, conducting, music education, music industry, and composition.

The Janklow Arts Leadership Program is another collaborator with the “Time & Place” series.  Graduate students in the program are devising social media strategies to promote the concerts and surveying participants to produce an outcome report for NYSCA that will assess audience response.  Janklow students are determining metrics by which outcomes will be are measured, method of data collection, and the means of communicating outcomes to stakeholders.

NYSCA has been a partner and funder in previous Connective Corridor cultural district programming and has expressed interest in this project serving as a model for other communities.