BARD STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND COMMUNITY JOIN WITH MEMBERS OF THE ONE WORLD SYMPHONY FOR A CONCERT ON SATURDAY, MARCH 16

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.-Over 35 Bard students, faculty, and members of the community-participants in Bard's Vocal Ensemble, Community Chorus, and Chamber Orchestra-will join with members of the One World Symphony for a concert, conducted by David Hong, on Saturday, March 16. The program, free and open to the public, will begin at 8:00 p.m. in Olin Hall.

The complete ensemble of more than 50 musicians will perform Beethoven's Choral Fantasy for piano solo, chorus, and orchestra. Theatrical surprises for the audience may arise during the performance of Charles Ives's "The Unanswered Question," while pass-the-baton will be the activity during Bela Bartók's "Rumanian Folk Dances." David Hong, organizer of the concert and artistic director of the One World Symphony, will share the podium for this work with some of his fellow M.F.A. conducting colleagues-Carmine Aufiero, Gianmaria Griglio, Masashi Mori, Peter Szep, and Laura Thomas. Hong's orchestral arrangement of "Faith," a work for soprano and piano by Kyle Gann, assistant professor of music at Bard, will have its world premiere. The program will conclude with a sing-along.

Hong and One World Symphony concertmaster Marina Kitaychik formed the symphony with three other musicians from the Conductors Institute at Bard, through which Hong is pursuing his M.F.A. in conducting. This is the fourth year of the Conductors Institute's affiliation with Bard College and marks the first year that it offers a master of fine arts degree in conducting. The six-week summer Institute is designed so that there are new instructors and a new repertoire every week, assuring the participants exposure to a variety of expert opinions. Harold Farberman, director, founded the Conductors Institute 22 years ago, seeking to fill a void in the United States with a summer training program for conductors.

In addition to serving as music director of the One World Symphony, Korean-born David Hong was assistant conductor at Regina Opera Company, where he conducted a full production of The Merry Widow. In Vienna, he served as music director of the IES Singverein, where he conducted 30 international vocalists and a chamber orchestra in five concerts. He has also served as conductor and music director of the Peoria Sinfonietta and Peoria Players Theater Company; assistant conductor of the Twin Cities Ballet Company and the New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra; chorusmaster of the New York Symphonic Arts Ensemble; and guest conductor of Mannes Orchestra, Manhattan Opera Ensemble, Western Illinois University's Cello Choir, and Illinois Wesleyan's New Music Players and Singers. An advocate of new music, Hong has premiered and conducted works by John Corigliano, George Crumb, George Perle, Carleton Macy, Peter Gilbert, J. Josesph Craven, and Margartita Zelenaia. He received a bachelor's degree in music with a concentration in piano at Illinois Wesleyan University and an artist diploma in orchestral conducting at Stadt Wien Konservatorium, where he was awarded the Maria Theresia Silver Medal.

"Kyle Gann's reputation as a composer is beginning to equal his renown as a writer on new music," wrote Paul Griffiths in the New York Times. Gann is an internationally known authority on American music and is new-music critic for the Village Voice. His works have been performed at the New Music America, Bang on a Can, and Spoleto festivals and in Europe. He is the recipient of a commission from Music in Motion for his "Astrological Studies" and an Individual Artist's Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. His music is recorded on the Lovely Music, New Tone, and Monroe Street labels.

For further information about the concert, call the College at 845-758-6822.

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(2.28.02)

This event was last updated on 03-05-2002

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