Calendar of Events 2009-2010
2009 |
2010 |
Saturday, August 29
Collegians Alumni Big Band
7:30–10:30 p.m., Madonna Inn Ballroom
The 20 Cal Poly Collegians – all Cal Poly alumni – bring the best of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and Les Brown to San Luis Obispo every August. This year the band and two current Cal Poly students will present a dynamic program of big band jazz and swing for listening and dancing.
Tickets for the following will go on sale in September
Multiple event discounts are available when purchasing 4 or more events (10% discount for 4 events; 15% discount for 5 or more events).
Events held in the Performing Arts Center's Christopher Cohan Center will be indicated as Cohan Center. The Performing Arts Ticket Office charges a $3 per ticket facility fee.
Recitals are subject to change--please call 805-756-2406 to confirm recital dates, times, and locations
Tuesday, October 13
Vocal Master Class with Juliana Gondek
7 p.m. Davidson Music Center Room 218
The Cal Poly Opera Workshop presents Juliana Gondek—a world-renowned soprano and chair of the UCLA Voice Department. Six of Cal Poly Music Department’s leading voice emphasis music majors will perform.
Saturday, October 24
Cal Poly Choirs' Debut Concert: "Sounds of Autumn"
8 p.m., Cohan Center
Meet the 2009-10 Cal Poly Choirs as they perform masterpieces based on poems for the season of autumn. Works by Brahms, Barber, Chatman and Fanny Hensel. Hear talented student soloists and selections from our Barbershop Quartets. Susan Azaret Davies and Paul Woodring, accompanists.
tickets ($13 & $15 general/$12 & $14 seniors/$8 students) 
Saturday, October 24
University Jazz Band Performance
Tailgate BBQ (Parents' Weekend)
2:45 to 5:45 p.m., O'Neill Green (near Cotchett Education Building), Cal Poly
For information, visit the Parent Program Web page
Tuesday, November 17
Piano Student Recital
7:30 p.m., Davidson Music Center Room 218
FREE
Thursday, November 19
Instrumental Student Recital
11 a.m., Davidson Music Center Room 218
FREE
Friday, November 20
Vocal Student Recital
7:30 p.m., Davidson Music Center Room 218
FREE
Saturday, November 21
Bandfest ’09!: "A Whirlwind of Color and Sound"
Cal Poly Wind Orchestra,
Wind Ensemble and Mustang Band
8 p.m., Cohan Center
This festive season opener will showcase the diverse styles and brilliant colors of the modern wind band. It will be a musical tour de force that only the Cal Poly Bands could bring you.
- "Video Games Live, Part 2" by Ralph Ford
- "Trail of Tears" by James Barnes
- "Star Trek" by Jerry Goldsmith
- "Mother Earth Fanfare" by David Maslanka
- "Kingfisher’s Catch Fire" by John Mackey
- "Africa: Ceremony, Song and Ritual" by Robert W. Smith
- "Twelve Seconds to the Moon" by Robert W. Smith
In addition…the Pride of the Pacific Mustang Marching Band will fill the hall with its dazzling arrangements performed at halftime in Spanos Stadium.
tickets ($16 & $19 general/$13 & $15 seniors/$8 & $11 students)
Sunday, November 22
Cal Poly Symphony Fall Concert: "Music for a New World"
3 p.m., Cohan Center
The Cal Poly Symphony's 2009-2010 season traces the emergence of a unique, American voice in orchestral music. "Music for a New World" starts that exploration with two cornerstone works: First, the Symphony will perform Aaron Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait,” a moving tribute to this country that uses Abraham Lincoln’s own words and music from his day, such as “Camptown Races.” Second, the Symphony will perform Dvo?ák’s Symphony No. 9, From the New World, completed in 1893 as a musical challenge to American composers to create a uniquely American sound.
tickets ($10 & $12 general/$8 & $10 seniors/$6 students)
Thursday, December 3
Instrumental Student Recital
11 a.m., Davidson Music Center Room 218
FREE
Friday, December 4
Fall Jazz Concert
8 p.m, Spanos Theatre
This concert will have an eclectic mix of jazz standards and modern compositions, and will be performed by the University Jazz Bands No. 1 and No. 2 and the Cal Poly Jazz Combos.
tickets ($10 general/$8 seniors and Jazz Federation members/$6 students)
Saturday, December 5
Cal Poly Choirs' "A Christmas Celebration: Of Voices, Pipes and Brass!"
8 p.m., Cohan Center
Get your tickets early for this popular opening to the holiday season. Campus organist Paul Woodring will be featured on the Forbes Pipe Organ along with the Cal Poly Brass Ensemble conducted by Christopher J. Woodruff. PolyPhonics, The University Singers, The Cal Poly Early Music Ensemble and Barbershop Quartets present repertoire to put you in the holiday mood. Audience carol sing-a-long as well!
tickets ($17 & $20 general/$16 & $19 seniors/$10 students)
Friday, January 8
W. Terrence Spiller Faculty Piano Recital
8 p.m., Spanos Theatre
Concert pianist and Music Department chair W. Terrence Spiller will perform works of three great composers in his annual solo recital. The first half will start with Bach’s "Partita in E minor," and conclude with Bartok’s "Dance Suite." The second half is a commemoration of Chopin’s 200th birthday, and will contain a set of his "Mazurkas" and the "Sonata in B minor." Please join us for this musical celebration of three keyboard giants in the intimate surroundings of the Spanos Theatre.
tickets ($10 general/$6 seniors and students)
Saturday, January 23
Early Music Ensemble
8 p.m., Pavilion
tickets ($12 general, $8 seniors and students)
Tuesday, January 26
Piano Student Recital
7:30 p.m., Davidson Music Center Room 218
FREE
Saturday, February 6
"A Night at the Mission" Chamber Ensemble Concert
8 p.m. Old Mission Church, San Luis Obispo
An evening of beautiful music performed by our chamber ensembles. Performing at this event will be the Wind Quintets, Wind Dectet, Saxophone Quartets, Trombone Choir, Clarinet Quartet, String Quartet, Brass Quintet and Brass Ensemble.
tickets ($10 general and $8 seniors and students)
Wednesday, February 10
Vocal Master Class with Giorgio Lalov
4 p.m. Pavilion
The Cal Poly Opera Workshop presents a master class with Giorgio Lalov. Lalov is the director of Teatro Lirico D'Europa. Several of the Cal Poly Music Department's vocalists will be featured soloists.
The master class precedes the performance of "Die Fledermaus" by the Teatro Lirico D'Europa presented by Cal Poly Arts. Jacalyn Kreitzer will give the pre-concert lecture.
Saturday, February 20
Just Jazz Concert
8 p.m., Cohan Center
This concert will have an eclectic mix of jazz standards and modern compositions, and will be performed by the University Jazz Bands No. 1 and No. 2 and the Cal Poly Jazz Combos.
tickets ($12 & 15 general/$10 & 13 seniors and Jazz Federation members/$6 & $10 students)
Saturday, February 27
Cal Poly Choirs' Winter Concert: "Wings of Bliss"
8 p.m., Cohan Center
Soar to new choral heights as the Cal Poly Choirs present works by Vaughan Williams, Debussy, Bach, Lotti, and Lili Boulanger. Featured will be a world premiere by Cal Poly professor Dr. Craig Russell. “Wings of Bliss” is based on a poem by Los Osos resident Mark Lloyd Richardson. Selections from Barbershop Quartets.
Susan Azaret Davies and Paul Woodring will accompany the choirs.
tickets ($13 & $15 general/$12 & $14 seniors/$8 students)
Thursday, March 4
Instrumental Student Recital
11 a.m., Davidson Music Center Room 218
FREE
Friday, March 5
Arab Music Ensemble Winter Concert
8 p.m., Pavilion
Join the Arab Music Ensemble as it performs vocal and instrumental selections of some of the best-known art and popular music of the Eastern Mediterranean and larger Middle East. Hear the traditional melodic and rhythmic modes in the contexts of old and new genres on instruments including the oud, nay, qanun, buzuq, violin, cello, bass, guitar, accordion, riqq, daff, darabukka/tabla, and others. Renowned guest artists bring added depth and virtuosity to the concerts, and San Luis Obispo’s own Middle Eastern dancers top off the performances with folkloric dancing.
tickets ($10 general, $8 seniors and students)
Sunday, March 6
Cal Poly Symphony Winter Concert
Student Soloist Showcase
3 p.m., Cohan Center
Our Winter Concert is the second stop on our season-long journey: the search for a uniquely American sound. It will also feature the winners of our annual student solo competition!
As we heard at the Fall Concert, Antonín Dvořák challenged American composers to find a national style with his Ninth Symphony, "From the New World." One American who answered this challenge was William Grant Still, an African-American active in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s. We will perform his Symphony No. 1, "Afro-American," a work that brings the blues into the concert hall. This audacious marriage of America’s great blues tradition and the pinnacle of European instrumental art music is not to be missed!
tickets ($10 & $12 general/$8 & $10 seniors/$6 students)
Thursday, March 11
Instrumental Student Recital
11 a.m., Davidson Music Center Room 218
Friday, March 12
Vocal Student Recital
7:30 p.m., Davidson Music Center Room 218
FREE
Saturday March 13
Cal Poly Wind Bands' Winter Concert: “Blue Shades and Wild Nights - The Extraordinary Music of Frank Ticheli”
Cal Poly Wind Orchestra & Wind Ensemble
8 p.m., Cohan Center
Frank Ticheli is a superstar among living band composers. At this concert of wind band blockbusters, you’ll meet the composer, hear some of his most spectacular works, watch him conduct and witness the future of the wind band. Join us for an evening to remember!
- Fortress
- Abracadabra
- Loch Lomond
- An American Elegy
- Vesuvius
- Blue Shades
- Wild Nights
- Sanctuary
- Angels in the Architecture
Frank Ticheli's music has been described as being "optimistic and thoughtful" (Los Angeles Times), "lean and muscular" (New York Times), "brilliantly effective" (Miami Herald) and "powerful, deeply felt, crafted with impressive flair and an ear for striking instrumental colors" (South Florida Sun-Sentinel). Ticheli (b. 1958) joined the faculty of the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music in 1991, where he is Professor of Composition.
tickets ($16 & $19 general/$13 & $15 seniors/$8 & $11 students)
Friday, April 3
University Jazz Band Swing Dance
8 p.m., Chumash Auditorium
The public is invited to this dance concert featuring original swing-era tunes played by the Cal Poly University Jazz Band No. 1. The dance will be from 8 to 10:30 p.m. in Chumash Auditorium at Cal Poly. Free swing dance lessons will be given at 7 p.m. The University Jazz Band will perform authentic big-band classics, suitable for dancing or listening.
tickets ($10 general/$6 students) at the door (not available for multiple event discount)
Thursday, April 15
Guitar Student Recital
7:30 p.m., Davidson Music Center Room 218
FREE
Saturday, April 17
Open House Concert
Featuring the Cal Poly Symphony, Wind Ensemble & University Jazz Band
8 p.m., Cohan Center
tickets ($16 & $19 general/$13 & $15 seniors/$8 & $11 students)
Sunday, April 18
All-State Music Festival Concert
Festival Symphony Orchestra
Festival Jazz Band, Festival Wind Orchestra
2:30 p.m., Cohan Center
One hundred and fifty of the state’s finest young musicians participate in this spectacular Open House event. These young people may still be in high school, but they don’t sound like it. They are the future of music and will perform like young professionals. Come and enjoy an afternoon of extraordinary talented young folks as they display skills far beyond their years.
tickets ($16 & $19 general/$13 & $15 seniors/$8 & $11 students)
Friday, April 23
Faculty Artists’ Song Recital
Katherine Arthur and Susan Azaret Davies
8 p.m. Spanos Theatre
Please join soprano Katherine Arthur and pianist Susan Azaret Davies for an enchanting evening of song.
tickets ($10 general/$6 seniors and students)
Thursday, May 13
An Evening of String Chamber Music
7:30 p.m., Davidson Music Center Room 218
FREE
Tuesday, May 18
8 p.m., Methodist Church Church, San Luis Obispo
1515 Fredericks St.
All That Brass . . . and More!
FREE
For the second year in a row, Roy Main’s Trombone Choir and Christopher Woodruff’s Brass Choir team up for an evening of fabulous fanfares, flourishes and fantasies in the new Methodist Church in San Luis Obispo. Also performing will be two of Cal Poly’s Brass Quintets. In addition,
some windy woodwind players manage to sneak on to the stage for some much needed timbre contrast in the program. Come and join us.
Friday, May 21
Early Music Ensemble
8 p.m., Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa
Vocal and instrumental forces combine to present the vast variety of madrigal styles composed by the great Italian composer, Claudio Monteverdi. Conductor Thomas Davies will outline the differences in Monteverdi’s compositional approach in a lecture-recital format.
tickets ($12 general, $8 seniors and students)
Saturday, May 22
Jazz Night
8 p.m., Cohan Center
tickets ($12 & $15 general/$10 & $13 seniors and Jazz Federation members/$6 & $10 students)
Tuesday, May 25
Piano Student Recital
7:30 p.m., Davidson Music Center Room 218
FREE
Thursday, May 27
Instrumental Student Recital
11 a.m., Davidson Music Center Room 218
FREE
Saturday, May 29
Spring Concert: Cal Poly Symphony with Cal Poly Choirs
Looking East, Looking West
8 p.m., Cohan Center
tickets ($17 & $20 general/$16 & $19 seniors/$10 students)
Tuesday, June 1, and Thursday, June 3
RSVP XV: Chiaroscuro
8 p.m., Pavilion
tickets ($11 all seats)
Thursday, June 3
Instrumental Student Recital
11 a.m., Davidson Music Center Room 218
FREE
Friday, June 4
Vocal Student Recital
7:30 p.m., Davidson Music Center Room 218
FREE
Saturday, June 5
Cal Poly Wind Bands Spring Concert
Featuring the Cal Poly Wind Orchestra & Wind Ensemble
8 p.m., Cohan Center
tickets ($16 & $19 general/$13 & $15 seniors/$8 students)
Sunday, June 6
Cal Poly Arab Music Ensemble Spring Concert
7 p.m., Spanos Theatre
Join the Arab Music Ensemble as it performs vocal and instrumental selections of some of the best-known art and popular music of the Eastern Mediterranean and larger Middle East. Hear the traditional melodic and rhythmic modes in the contexts of old and new genres on instruments including the oud, nay, qanun, buzuq, violin, cello, bass, guitar, accordion, riqq, daff, darabukka/tabla, and others. Renowned guest artists bring added depth and virtuosity to the concerts, and San Luis Obispo’s own Middle Eastern dancers top off the performances with folkloric dancing.
tickets ($10 general, $8 seniors and students)