Keith Davis, 5/5/2008
ITHACA, NY— A highlight of the Ithaca College Commencement weekend will be the 41st annual Commencement Eve Concert. This year’s program, “Farewell,” will take place on Saturday, May 17, at 8:30 p.m., in Ben Light Gymnasium. Free and open to the public, the concert will be directed for the 23rd consecutive year by Dana Wilson, the Charles A. Dana Professor of Music Theory, History, and Composition in the School of Music.
The music will be performed by the Ithaca College Symphony Orchestra, Choir, Jazz Workshop, and Marimba Band as well as various soloists. Besides saying goodbye to the graduating class, the program will bid farewell to jazz professor Steve Brown by featuring his playing and composition. It will also acknowledge the retirement of President Peggy Williams, and two deans—Arthur Ostrander, dean of the school of music, and Howard Erlich, dean of the school of humanities and sciences. A wide variety of music will be featured, from Wagner to Thompson and jazz to ragtime. The concert will conclude with all the groups performing the College’s alma mater, “Ithaca Forever,” written by Philip Lang ’33 and Alicia Carpenter.
The performance will once again employ a “surround sound” concept, which promises a good seat anywhere in the audience. The ensembles are positioned around the gymnasium; when one group finishes, another begins, creating a continuous performance that originates from various directions.
Concertgoers are encouraged to arrive early to park and find their seats. The performance will last about an hour.
More information on concerts at Ithaca College can be found at www.ithaca.edu/concerts.
Originally published in News Releases: Commencement Eve Concert Will Feature A Musical Farewell To The Class Of 2008 And To Departing Leaders.
