The Music Program at Eastern Connecticut State University will offer six performances in late September and October. Ranging from jazz to opera, there will be something for everyone! All events will be held in the Fine Arts Instructional Center (FAIC) Concert Hall. Admission for all concerts is free; donations are gratefully accepted at the door.

On Sept. 26 at 3 p.m., internationally acclaimed soprano Carmen Balthrop will present a public voice masterclass as part of Eastern’s University Hour Series. Balthrop has appeared with major opera companies throughout North America including The Metropolitan, Canadian, San Francisco, Dallas, Miami, Seattle and Houston, as well as making her Broadway debut in the Palace Theater in Scott Joplin’s “Treemonisha.” As a sought-after voice pedagogue, she will guide students through a discovery of their own vocal and expressive potential.

On Oct. 5 at 7:30 p.m., the Music Program will open the 2018-2019 Faculty Recital Series with a recital by the percussion duo “Confluence.” Faculty members Jeff Calissi and Matt Bronson will collaborate on a diverse program for percussion duo, including the premiere of Calissi’s new work “Modus Vivendi” for mallet and world percussion. The concert will also include Eastern percussion students on an arrangement of “Big Country” by Béla Fleck. 

On Oct. 6 at 7 p.m., guest ensemble Ensemble/Parallax will return to Eastern to perform a series of contemporary works, including a new composition by Professor Anthony Cornicello.  Ensemble/Parallax is renowned for their diverse performance repertoire including 20th- and 21st-century masterworks and European avant-garde music, often presented alongside multimedia and video art from artists around the world. This event is co-sponsored by the Music Society and New England Foundation for the Arts.

On Oct. 13 at 2:30 p.m., the Eastern Wind Ensemble will be joined by members of Eastern Opera Workshop in their fall concert “Art of Song.” The concert will feature works by influential composers including Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, and Ralph Vaughan Williams. The program will feature several collaborations between Eastern students, faculty and guest artists, including a performance of Samuel Barber’s “Knoxville: Summer of 1915,” with soprano Emily Riggs. 

On Oct. 17 at 7:30 p.m., the Eastern Concert Band will celebrate the life and music of iconic American composer, conductor and pianist Leonard Bernstein with their concert “Bernstein at 100.”

On Oct. 25 at 7:30 p.m., YouTube sensation Derek Brown will present a concert featuring his unique performance style that combines his classical training as a saxophonist with beat boxing and vocals. The following day, Oct. 26, Brown will present a public masterclass as part of the Music Program’s Colloquium Series.