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MEDIA CONTACT: Stacia Smith
561-297-2971, ssmith@fau.edu
Kevin Hathway of London's Philharmonia to Perform with FAU Symphony Orchestra
BOCA RATON, FL (November 10, 2004) -- Florida Atlantic University's Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Bryce Seliger, will present its first concert of the 2004-2005 season on Sunday, November 14 at 3 p.m. with guest artist Kevin Hathway of the London Philharmonia Orchestra. The concert will take place in the University Theatre on FAU's Boca Raton campus, 777 Glades Road. General admission is $15 with group discounts available. FAU students, faculty, staff and alumni may obtain free admission with ID.
The concert will include Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Op. 64, Thomas Sleeper's "Six Hemingway Song," and Benjamin Britten's "The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Op. 34." Perhaps because of Tchaikovsky's troubled psyche, most of his works highlight the emotional and dramatic possibilities of the musical idiom, and the fifth symphony is no exception. As for "Six Hemingway Songs," Sleeper composed the work based on six of writer Ernest Hemingway's works. While staying in Key West, Sleeper played with and digested Hemingway's texts for over a year to create his six-movement song cycle that encompasses sounds ranging from sensual and bright to deep and moving.
The "Young Person's Guide" will include performances by Sean Chesal, percussion soloist, and Kevin Hathway, the Distinguished Visiting Scholar supported by FAU's Dorothy F. Schmidt Eminent Scholars Chair. Hathway and Chesal will use 11 different percussion instruments that will keep the audience tapping their feet. The piece was composed by Britten to be a fun and playful look at the elements that make up an orchestra - and Hathway definitely makes it fun.
"FAU's School of the Arts is pleased to have Kevin Hathway as a visiting scholar," said Heather Coltman, chair of the FAU's Department of Music. "He is world-renown as an artist and musical educator."
Having traveled the world extensively with the London Philharmonia, Hathway is a percussion clinician and has made several television and film appearances. As Head of the Percussion Department at the Royal College of Music, Hathway is heavily involved in outreach work and with his two ensembles, Prince Consort Percussion and The Elastic Band. Highlights of last year's many engagements include appearances at Buckingham Palace and London's "String of Pearls Festival" to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee. In the United States, he has given concerts in the Austin Chamber Music series, Texas; San Luis Obispo Festival, California; and at The Britt Festival, Oregon. Hathway will spend a week with music students at FAU and local schools and will return in April to present a free family concert with his Elastic Band.
The concert is presented by the School of the Arts' Department of Music in FAU's Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, in partnership with Bank of America and the Palm Beach County Cultural Council.
Tickets may be purchased by calling 561-297-2977 or emailing artstickets@fau.edu, or they may be purchased at the event one hour prior to the performance. For more information about the concerts, call the arts update hotline at 561-297-2977 or visit www.fau.edu/artsupdate.
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