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February 23, 2006

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For Media Only: Bobbi Lonobile (585-274-1052, blonobile@esm.rochester.edu)

THE EASTMAN STUDIO ORCHESTRA PERFORMS WORKS THAT INTERTWINE CLASSICAL AND JAZZ

Russell Scarbrough’s Concerto Grosso for Jazz Quintet and Orchestra to be premiered

Rochester, NY — Music that's not quite classical, not quite jazz, but something all its own can be heard when the Eastman School of Music's Studio Orchestra presents a free concert at 8 p.m., on Friday, March 10 in the Eastman Theatre. Under the guidance of Eastman conductor Bill Dobbins, the Orchestra will perform works by Dobbins, Vellu Halkosalmi, and student composer Russell Scarbrough.

Scarbrough, a second-year doctoral student at Eastman, is the first recipient of the Billy Joel Scholarship, intended to benefit “extraordinarily talented music students who are exploring relationships between classical and popular music genres.” As part of the scholarship, Scarbrough has written a Concerto Grosso for Jazz Quintet and Orchestra, which draws from both the classical and jazz idioms to create something completely new.

Scarbrough uses the “concerto grosso” — a classical form made popular in the early 18 th century Europe in which a small group of soloists is musically pitted against a larger orchestra — as the initial template for his composition. But instead of using oboes and violins, as Bach might have done, Scarbrough uses a trumpet, tenor saxophone, piano, bass, and drum set.

Although he pulls from several classical influences — the first movement of the piece in a loose sonata form, for example — Scarbrough breaks down traditional orchestral boundaries by using such non-traditional techniques as improvised solos, an asymmetrical pulse, and a jazz-based melodic language. “Hopefully, it will be recognizable to the listener as having some formalistic qualities that are long-established,” said Scarbrough, “while evoking the sounds and spirit of contemporary jazz.”

The concert will also feature Canco i danso (Song and Dance) by Dobbins, a composition that was inspired by the work of Spanish impressionist composer Federico Mompou. A two-part composition, the first movement of the piece is more lyrical, and the second movement uses rhythms characteristic of Flamenco music.

The concert will conclude with two pieces by Finnish composer Vellu Halkosalmi, both of which feature Eastman doctoral student Shirantha Beddage on saxophone. The first piece, Tango Saunassa (Tango in the Sauna), was inspired by not only the composer's love for the tango tradition, but also for his love for saunas — an important part of Finnish life. The second piece, Teerenpeli, depicts a mating dance performed by a male bird for a female in what Dobbins describes as a “saxophone dueling ritual.”

Eastman Studio Orchestra performs works of Dobbins, Halkosalmi, and Scarbrough. Friday, March 10, 8 p.m., Eastman Theatre. Free.

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