Longwood music department unveils sensational fall performance lineup

Music lovers in Southside Virginia are preparing for another sensational fall performance lineup at Longwood University. Alongside concerts by Longwood’s wind symphony, jazz ensemble, choir and signature Camerata Singers, two performances in the university’s Chamber Music Series will feature a pair of internationally acclaimed quartets.

Now in its 31st year, the Chamber Music Series has become a centerpiece of the Southside Virginia music landscape, annually bringing nationally recognized and heralded ensembles to campus and providing essential calendar items for arts lovers in the region.

The Formosa String Quartet, which won the Amadeus Prize at the 10th London International String Quartet Competition in 2006, will perform at Longwood on Sept. 25 in the season’s first chamber music concert.

The quartet has played at numerous august venues, including the Library of Congress, Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center and London’s Wigmore Hall, and has as part of its mission championing Taiwanese music around the world. Recently, the quartet finished a two-year residency with Art of Elan, a San Diego arts-presenting organization, which culminated in a new album based on indigenous Taiwanese music.

The Washington Saxophone Quartet, which will perform the second Chamber Music Series concert of the fall, can be heard daily on NPR’s afternoon program “All Things Considered,” where its recordings have been used between segments for the past 20 years.

After 41 years together, the group, colloquially known as WSaxQ, is the most widely heard saxophone quartet in the United States, and has played across the country and toured internationally. The quartet features four different saxophones—baritone, tenor, alto and soprano—to produce a sound that is as surprisingly subtle as it is enjoyable.

December will again feature the annual Holiday Dinner and Concert, an annual ticketed event that features some of Longwood’s most talented students and faculty members performing during a special dinner to benefit the music department.

Longwood University Music Department Fall Schedule

• Aug. 21—First Night Faculty Gala, 7:30 p.m.
• Sept. 7—Department Recital, 3:30 p.m.
• Sept. 11—Faculty Recital: Kristin Topham, piano, 7:30 p.m.
• Sept. 21—Department Recital, 3:30 p.m.
• Sept. 25—Chamber Music Series: Formosa String Quartet, 7:30 p.m.
• Sept. 27—Faculty Recital: Andrew McEvoy, guitar; Lisa Edwards-Burrs, soprano; and Lisa Kinzer, harpsichord. Courtly music of Spain and Italy.
• Oct. 6—Faculty Recital: Andrew McEvoy, guitar. Parlor Tricks album release, 7:30 p.m.
• Oct. 12—Departmental Recital, 3:30 p.m.
• Oct. 12—Wind Symphony Concert, 7:30 p.m. in Jarman Auditorium
• Oct. 23—Chamber Music Series: Washington Saxophone Quartet, 7:30 p.m.
• Oct. 25—Faculty Recital: Roland Karnatz, clarinet, and Lisa Kinzer, piano, 7:30 p.m.
• Oct. 26—Departmental Recital, 3:30 p.m.
• Oct. 28—Longwood Honors Choir Concert, 7:30 p.m. in Jarman Auditorium
• Oct. 29—Senior Recital: Lucas Whirley, saxophone, and Kirsten Vis, clarinet, 4 p.m.
• Nov. 2—Departmental Recital, 3:30 p.m.
• Nov. 2—Camerata and Chamber Singers Fall Concert, 7:30 p.m. in Jarman Auditorium
• Nov. 4—Senior Recital: Cameron Mingea, clarinet, 7:30 p.m.
• Nov. 6—Chamber Winds Concert, 7:30 p.m.
• Nov. 11—Senior Recital: Akim Mansaray, baritone, 4 p.m.
• Nov. 14—Jazz Ensemble Concert, 7:30 p.m. in Jarman Auditorium
• Nov. 20—Men’s and Women’s Choirs Concert, 7:30 p.m. in Jarman Auditorium
• Nov. 30—Departmental Recital, 3:30 p.m.
• Dec. 1-2—Holiday Dinner and Concert, 6:30 p.m. in Dorrill Dining Hall (tickets required)

All concerts are held in the Molnar Recital Hall in Wygal Hall unless otherwise stated. Times and concerts are subject to change, so please check www.longwood.edu/music for up-to-date performance information.