Want to do something special for Mother’s Day?
How about tickets to the world premiere of "From Dream to Dusk" and "Homrong Isaan" by Jon Silpayamanant? How about experiencing a piece composed by a mother of four? How about dancers? Admission to Manchester Symphony Orchestra's Arts Potpourri is free for all those 18 and younger, as well as MU students and colleagues.
Want to give Mom something special for Mother’s Day this year?
How about tickets to the world premiere of From Dream to Dusk and Homrong Isaan by Jon Silpayamanant? How about experiencing a piece composed by a mother of four? How about dancers? Strings?
The Manchester Symphony Orchestra offers “Arts Potpourri” 3 p.m. Sunday, May 14 in Cordier Auditorium at Manchester University North Manchester.
Tickets are $20 for general admission. Admission is free for Manchester University students, faculty, and staff, as well as anyone younger than 18. They are available at www.manchestersymphonyorchestra.org or at the door.
“Children aren’t just welcome, they get in for free,” said Conductor and Artistic Director Debra Lynn. As the mother of four, now grown, she celebrates seeing young people in the audience.
“MSO concerts are singular musical adventures. When you attend a concert by the MSO, you will most assuredly hear great masterworks alongside music you will not experience anywhere else in the region,” she said.
The May 14 concert features the debut performance of two pieces by guest artist Silpayamanant, a Thai American composer and cellist; Schemselnihar by Holocaust victim Leo Smit; Kandinsky Suite by Lynn; and the Mikautadze Dance Theatre of Fort Wayne.
The guest artist each season visits local schools and offers a master class for young musicians.
“We are pleased to continue offering programs enriched by composer diversity. In fact, 27 percent of our repertoire this year is by composers of color or women,” Lynn said. “We are committed to striking a balance between standard classic symphonic music and new works by composers from underrepresented cultural backgrounds and gender groups.”
In its 84th season, MSO offerings have also included compositions by Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate of the Chickasaw Nation, George Walker, the first African American to win a Pulitzer Prize for music.
Lynn is director of choral organizations and vocal studies at Manchester University. A composer who conducted for the third time last spring at Carnegie Hall, she is a collaborative musical storyteller.
With about 6,000 residents, North Manchester is one of the smallest communities in the nation with its own symphony orchestra. Residents of Wabash County and what was then Manchester College founded the symphony in 1939. That partnership continues today with a carefully crafted collaboration of professional and community musicians, as well as selected MU faculty, staff, and student musicians.
For the media
Learn more about Dr. Lynn
To arrange an interview with her, email DJLynn@manchester.edu.