Adelphi opens its Doors to a Night of Music on March 31

March 30, 2012 - PRLog -- Adelphi University invites students, faculty, alumni, friends and members of the public to attend the Adelphi University Symphony Orchestra on March 31, 2012, at 7:30 p.m. in the Concert Hall of the Adelphi University Performing Arts Center (AUPAC). The Adelphi Symphony brings together talented University students who play alongside their teachers and some of the area’s finest orchestral instrumentalists.
   
The orchestra will perform an all-Beethoven program juxtaposing two contrasting works written during the same period: the oratorio Christus am Ölberge (Christ on the Mount of Olives) and the Symphony No. 2. The oratorio, a dramatic depiction of Christ’s hours spent in prayer just before his arrest, trial and death, features Jonathan Goodman as Christ, Erin Heisel as the Seraph, and bass Jeremy Wright, as Peter. In contrast, the Symphony No. 2, first performed in the same concert as the oratorio, is remarkable for its optimistic and buoyant energy. The symphony’s connection to the tradition of Haydn and Mozart is evident, but so, also, is the innovation and genius that would lead Beethoven on his new, “heroic” path.  Both works were written during a critical time in the composer's life when his impending deafness was the source of deep despair.

The performance will be conducted by Christopher Lyndon-Gee, whose many recordings for the Naxos label have garnered him several Grammy nominations.  The role of Jesus will be sung by Adelphi faculty member and tenor Jonathan Goodman, a former member of the Grammy-winning ensemble, Chanticleer, and a frequent soloist in the New York area in Baroque, Classical and Contemporary music. Coloratura soprano Erin Heisel, a doctoral candidate in Music Performance at New York University, has been praised for her brilliant vocal sound and expression in opera, recital and contemporary music. Jeremy  Wright, a senior music major at Adelphi, has performed such roles as Death in Holst’s Savitri and King Balthasar in Amahl and the Night Visitors. The Adelphi Chorus, directed by Michael Hume, joins the orchestra and soloists in the oratorio.

Tickets for Adelphi Symphony Orchestra are on sale now ranging from $7 to $20, and will also be available at the door. Discounts for students, alumni, and senior citizens are available. For more information about this event, contact Michael Hume on (516) 877-4288. To learn more about AUPAC’s season, please visit aupac.adelphi.edu or call The Lucia and Steven N. Fischer Box Office at (516) 877-4000 or visit http://www.aupac.adelphi.edu.

About Adelphi University: Adelphi is a world class, modern university with excellent and highly relevant programs where students prepare for lives of active citizenship and professional careers. Through its schools and programs—The College of Arts and Sciences, Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies, Honors College, Ruth S. Ammon School of Education, University College, Robert B. Willumstad School of Business, Schools of Nursing and Social Work—the co-educational university offers undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as professional and educational programs for adults. Adelphi University currently enrolls nearly 8,000 students from 41 states and 60 foreign countries. With its main campus in Garden City and centers in Manhattan, Hauppauge, and Poughkeepsie, the University, chartered in 1896, maintains a commitment to liberal studies in tandem with rigorous professional preparation and active citizenship.

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Adelphi University, chartered in 1896, was the first institution of higher education for the liberal arts and sciences on Long Island.