The University of Delaware Master Players Concert Series will conclude its 2020-2021 season with a family-friendly, livestream concert focused on environmental issues at 3 p.m., Saturday, April 24.
Titled “iMusic 13: Burning Ice,” the concert will feature world premieres of original and reimagined music in the genres of baroque, romantic, funk, jazz, film soundtrack and more, with advanced audio and visual technology. To get a free virtual ticket for this event, visit the Master Players website.
This free, 70-minute concert for audiences ages 5 and older will feature U.S. Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware, chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Carper will speak about the U.S. commitment under UD alumnus President Joe Biden to the well-being of the planet and new ideas from the committee on how to protect the environment for future generations.
The multimedia event was conceptualized and directed by Master Players founding director Xiang “Sean” Gao. Gao, UD Trustees Distinguished Professor of Music and a recipient of the Delaware Governor’s Award for the Arts, will co-host with Andrea Razdan, a member of the Navajo Nation.
The iMusic multimedia concert series was created by Gao in 2008. “The ‘i’ in iMusic stands for Innovation, Inspiration and Imagination,” says Gao. “This desire for more imaginative possibilities is similar to another meaning of the ‘i’ in iMusic, which means ‘love’ in Mandarin Chinese, my native language. Music’s unifying power brings us closer and makes us love more during this difficult time instead of setting us apart.”
This event will feature UD faculty and alumni performers, composers and visual artists. Award-winning faculty member and artist David Brinley created a new work of art, “Burning Ice,” that will make its world premiere on Master Players’ online stage. Other premieres taking place during the concert include the new composition “Kaitiaki” (“Guardians”) by Scottish-American faculty composer and winner of the 2021 Delaware Division of the Arts Master Fellowship Award Jennifer Margaret Barker; the new work “Burnt” by Seattle-based composer and UD alumnus Adam Baumol; and a new arrangement of Bach’s Chaconne by composer and UD alumnus Alex Jiheng Bi.
The University’s newest faculty percussionists, Gene Koshinski and Timothy Broscious, will make their Master Players debut alongside three of their current UD percussion students, Gage Krolijic, Andrew Simmons and Christine Walthers. Other featured artists from the UD faculty include cellist Larry Stomberg, vocalist Noel Archambeault and members of the faculty ensemble, Christiana Winds. Also featured will be two UD alumni—soprano Lauren Conrad and countertenor Augustine Mercante—and three of Master Players’ own student interns and graduate assistants, Alison Champagne, Chiara Ferrero and Binrui Mo, who each won the Fall 2020 Virtual Honors Competition.
The Master Players Concert Series is a program of the University of Delaware College of Arts and Sciences. 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 UD and the Marriott’s Courtyard Newark-University of Delaware. See a complete list on the Master Players website.
Article and photo courtesy of Master Players Concert Series
