Boston University Symphony Orchestra and Symphonic Chorus Return to Boston’s Symphony Hall for Annual BU Concert
Boston University Symphony Orchestra and Symphonic Chorus Return to Boston’s Symphony Hall for Annual BU Concert
Boston University School of Music takes the stage at the historic Symphony Hall, Boston for a free afternoon concert on Saturday, April 27
Boston University School of Music proudly presents the BU Symphony Orchestra and Symphonic Chorus at Boston’s Symphony Hall for a free afternoon concert on Saturday, April 27, 2024, starting at 1pm.
An annual tradition where BU students get to perform on the same stage as the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the 2024 BU concert showcases performances by the BU Symphony Orchestra conducted by James Burton, Director of Orchestral Activities and Master Lecturer, Music, and the BU Symphonic Chorus led by Daniel Parsley, Director of Choral Activities and Assistant Professor in Choral Conducting.
James Burton, Director of Orchestral Activities and Master Lecturer, Music at BU; and Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Choral Director
Daniel Parsley, Director of Choral Activities, Assistant Professor in Choral Conducting, and Director of Graduate Conducting Programs at BU
Maestro Burton, who is also Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Choral Director, leads the BU Symphony Orchestra performing Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes by Benjamin Britten and Enigma Variations by Edward Elgar. Recently having joined CFA, Parsley, who is also the associate conductor of the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, leads the BU Symphonic Chorus performing War – A Soldier’s Grave by Ēriks Ešenvalds. A joint performance with the Symphony Orchestra and Symphonic Chorus of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Dona nobis pacem is conducted by Burton.
“The air is electric with anticipation as the students take their places in Boston’s iconic Symphony Hall each Spring. This is no ordinary performance; it is the culmination of our relentless pursuit of excellence at the CFA School of Music,” says Gregory Melchor-Barz, BU School of Music Director and Professor of Musicology. “Here, on this prestigious stage, our students showcase the culmination of years of dedication, training, and passion. It’s not just a concert; it’s a celebration of the arts, a testament to the boundless talent and hard work that defines our institution. As the spotlight illuminates our performers, the music reverberates through the hall, the epicenter of artistic brilliance, and we couldn’t be prouder to be at the heart of it all.”
This is no ordinary performance; it is the culmination of our relentless pursuit of excellence at the CFA School of Music. Our students showcase the culmination of years of dedication, training, and passion.
The BU concert at Symphony Hall is free, and registration is required for admittance to Symphony Hall. Seats are general admission, and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Due to a high volume of interest for this event, ticket reservations are at capacity, and new reservation requests will be added to our wait list. Tickets will be released on a first-come, first-served basis.
BOSTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MUSIC AT SYMPHONY HALL
DATE & TIME
Saturday, April 27, 2024 • 1pm
LOCATION
Symphony Hall, Boston • 301 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA 02115
For driving directions, parking, and public transportation information, visit bso.org/visit/getting-to-symphony-hall.
FREE ADMISSION
The BU concert at Symphony Hall is free, and registration is required for admittance to Symphony Hall. Seats are general admission, and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Due to a high volume of interest for this event, ticket reservations are at capacity, and new reservation requests will be added to our wait list. Visit bu.edu/cfa/music/concerts-recitals/symphonyhall/ to add your information to our wait list. Tickets will be released on a first-come, first-served basis.
PROGRAM
Boston University Symphony Orchestra
Benjamin Britten – Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes
conducted by James Burton
Boston University Symphonic Chorus
Ēriks Ešenvalds – War – A Soldier’s Grave
conducted by Daniel Parsley
Symphony Orchestra and Symphonic Chorus
Ralph Vaughan Williams – Dona nobis pacem
conducted by James Burton
Madeleine Lew, Soprano
Libang Wang, Baritone
• Intermission •
Symphony Orchestra
Edward Elgar – Enigma Variations
conducted by James Burton
Founded in 1839, Boston University is an internationally recognized institution of higher education and research. With more than 34,000 students, it is the fourth-largest independent university in the United States. BU consists of 17 schools and colleges, along with a number of multi-disciplinary centers and institutes integral to the University’s research and teaching mission. In 2012, BU joined the Association of American Universities (AAU), a consortium of 62 leading research universities in the United States and Canada. Learn more at bu.edu.
Established in 1954, Boston University College of Fine Arts (CFA) is a community of artist-scholars and scholar-artists who are passionate about the fine and performing arts, committed to diversity and inclusion, and determined to improve the lives of others through art. With programs in Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts, CFA prepares students for a meaningful creative life by developing their intellectual capacity to create art, shift perspective, and think broadly. CFA offers a wide array of undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs, as well as a range of online degrees and certificates. Learn more at bu.edu/cfa.
Founded in 1872, the School of Music combines the intimacy and intensity of traditional conservatory-style training with a broad liberal arts education at the undergraduate level, and elective coursework at the graduate level. The school offers degrees in performance, conducting, composition and theory, musicology, music education, and historical performance, as well as Artist and Performance diplomas and a certificate program in its Opera Institute.
The Boston University School of Music orchestral program, which includes the Symphony Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra, plays a central role in the education of the School’s instrumentalists who aspire to professions as chamber musicians, orchestral musicians, teachers, or a combination of all three. Professor James Burton assumed the role of Director of Orchestral Activities at Boston University in Fall 2020. He oversees artistic and educational planning for the entire program and conducts the majority of the Symphony Orchestra performances, including their annual concert at Boston’s Symphony Hall. The orchestras also work with other BU faculty, distinguished guest conductors, and members of the graduate conducting program. Professor William Lumpkin, Director of the BU Opera Institute, directs the school’s two annual mainstage opera productions. The orchestras collaborate with the choral department, perform concerto repertoire with student competition winners, and take part in composition reading sessions. All orchestral students are assigned to projects on a per-cycle basis, regularly rotating between the Symphony and Chamber orchestras, operas, and other projects.
The Boston University Symphonic Chorus is open to all musicians in the campus community: undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, staff, and friends. BU community members sing alongside music performance majors from the School of Music, collectively forming the premier choral ensemble at Boston University. The ensemble presents one concert each semester, including an annual performance with BU’s orchestra at Symphony Hall, the home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. They perform in a variety of languages, exploring music from various choral traditions. Symphonic Chorus is led by Dr. Daniel Parsley, Director of Choral Activities.