Percussionist Jose Madera is steeped in the history of Latin jazz. He is the son of Jose “Pin” Madera, the first arranger for the Machito Orchestra, He spent 31 years with the Tito Puente Orchestra, going on to become a musical arranger and director of the Orchestra. His long career has connected with such legends as Willie Colon, Fania All-Stars, Joe Farrell, Eddie Palmieri, Celia Cruz, and Dizzy Gillespie, as well as R&B and pop legends such as Diana Ross and James Brown. This concert brings Madera’s arranging and percussion artistry together with the students of the WP Latin Jazz Orchestra, led by veteran faculty member Chico Mendoza.
Reserved Seating: $15 General Public • $12 WP community & senior citizens • $8 Non-WP students • WP Students admitted free with ID • $5 additional charge on show day per ticket
This concert is preceded by a Sittin’ In meet-the-artist session one hour prior to performance in Shea Recital Hall 101.Free to all ticket holders. Audience members have a chance to meet and interact with that day’s artist in a question-answer format.
By Junot Díaz Adaptation and Direction: Elise ThoronPerformed by Kelvin Grullon
This thrilling adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel chronicles the life of Oscar, an overweight science-fiction enthusiast who dreams of becoming the Dominican J.R.R. Tolkien. Encapsulating magical realism and Dominican-American history, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao presents audiences with an astonishing vision of the contemporary American experience and explores the endless human capacity to persevere, and risk it all in the name of love.
The Story
Oscar de Leon is an overweight Dominican boy growing up in Paterson, N.J. who obsesses over science fiction, fantasy novels, falling in love, and the curse that has plagued his family for generations. Despite the endless taunting from friends, family, and foes, Oscar remains true to himself, as the family curse declares its power and the violence of Oscar's family history collides with his present.
In Performance
This Literature to Life presentation features the delicately brutal words of Junot Díaz, detailing the life-long alienation of the love obsessed Oscar as narrated by his unlikely friend, Yunior. Through this 60 minute exploration of brotherhood, fantasy stories, and what it means to be a “Dominican man”, we come to understand the culture of fear and violence that resulted from Trujillo's 30+ years dictatorship of the Dominican Republic, and the importance of facing fear with love.
Appropriate for: high school, college, and community audiences
Please note: this title contains mature content and language.
Free admission. Tickets are not required but you must register in advance.
The Fragility of Time is a work by Pulitzer Prize Composer Finalist James Romig for solo electric guitar, commissioned and performed by Matt Sargent and completed in 2022. The Fragility of Time comprises two complete cycles of a 13:14:15 ratio, resulting in a pair of identical rhythmic palindromes that divide the composition into two equal parts. The Fragility of Time calls for an unprocessed amplification that allows for subtle shading of dynamics, micro-variations in articulation and timbre, intervals of silence, and an introspective, contemplative mood. WP New Music Series, Carl Patrick Bolleia, Director
This event is Free Admission and open to the public
Sarah Carrier, fluteAndrea Christie, piano
Sarah Carrier is an award-winning flutist who has achieved recognition as a performer and educator. Praised by the New York Times for combining “thoughtful musicality with virtuosity in her alternately energetic and delicate account of a flute line laden with light multiphonics
and unusual timbres,” she brings energy, emotion, and vigor to her performances while exploring the instrument’s sonic potential. A versatile player, Sarah performs traditional classical, contemporary, and popular music in solo, chamber, and orchestral settings. Over the last 10 years, her highly acclaimed chamber group, Parhelion Trio, has left an indelible mark in the world of flute, clarinet, and piano trio ensembles through high caliber performances and adventurous collaborations with leading composers. Together, they have performed around the globe, attended numerous residencies, and commissioned countless new works. Sarah resides in Wayne, New Jersey (where she can still get a decent bagel and slice). Her vibrant flute studio includes students of all ages, levels, and aspirations. Sarah has a growing online audience where she loves to share her knowledge of the flute in a way that is relatable, informative, and compassionate.
Sarah holds a D.M.A. from The Graduate Center, CUNY, an M.M. from New York University, and a B.M. from California State University, Long Beach (Bob Cole Conservatory of Music). Previously, Sarah taught Postmodern Music and Music Appreciation at St. Joseph's University in Brooklyn. She serves as the Vice President of the New Jersey Flute Society.
Canadian pianist Andrea Christie is a versatile performing artist with a flair for late-romantic works and a passion for contemporary music. Equally at home as soloist and chamber musician, she is the pianist of the NYC-based Parhelion Trio, an all-female ensemble praised by The Strad Magazine for their “effervescent” playing. Recent appearances include performances at Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavík, The Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen, and at New York City's leading performance venues including Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Symphony Space, and National Sawdust. Recent collaborations include performances/projects with composer vocalistLisa Bielawa and members of Eighth Blackbird, Wet Ink, and The Knights ensembles. A native of Victoria, Canada, Andrea has been playing piano since the age of four. Her formal training began at the Victoria Conservatory of Music, where she made her solo orchestral debut at age 14, performing Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto. Andrea Christie received her Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees from SUNY Stony Brook and completed her Bachelor of Music at the University of British Columbia. Her principal teachers include Christina Dahl, Jane Coop, and Germán Diez. As a recipient of numerous scholarships and fellowships, Andrea has performed in residencies and summer festivals across North America and Europe including Tanglewood, the Mozarteum, Academy Prag-Wien-Budapest, Avaloch Farm Institute, International Festival of Contemporary Music at Mannes, Icicle Creek Chamber Music Institute, Vancouver International Song Institute, Orford Academy, and Morningside Music Bridge. As an educator, Dr. Christie serves as Adjunct Professor of Keyboard Studies at Adelphi University, and as a Lecturer of Contemporary Performance Practice at Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. Dr. Christie has previously served on the piano faculties at Stony Brook University’s Pre-College Division, Greenwich House Music School, and Herald Music School.
The WP Flute Studio and friends present an evening of solo flute, flute ensemble, and woodwind chamber music
Five-time Grammy winner Dianne Reeves is the pre-eminent jazz vocalist in the world. As a result of her breathtaking virtuosity, improvisational prowess, and unique jazz and R&B stylings, Reeves received the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance for three consecutive recordings – a Grammy first in any vocal category.
Featured in George Clooney’s six-time Academy Award nominated Good Night, and Good Luck, Reeves won the Best Jazz Vocal Grammy for the film's soundtrack. Reeves has recorded and performed with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. She has also recorded with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Daniel Barenboim and was a featured soloist with Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic. Reeves was the first Creative Chair for Jazz for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the first vocalist to ever perform at the famed Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Reeves worked with legendary producer Arif Mardin (Norah Jones, Aretha Franklin) on the Grammy winning A Little Moonlight, an intimate collection of standards featuring her touring trio. When Reeves’ holiday collection Christmas Time is Here was released, Ben Ratliff of The New York Times raved, “Ms. Reeves, a jazz singer of frequently astonishing skill, takes the assignment seriously; this is one of the best jazz Christmas CD's I've heard.”
In recent years Reeves has toured the world in a variety of contexts including “Sing the Truth,” a musical celebration of Nina Simone which also featured Lizz Wright and Angelique Kidjo. She performed at the White House on multiple occasions including President Obama's State Dinner for the President of China as well as the Governors’ Ball.
Reeves’ most recent release Beautiful Life, features Gregory Porter, Robert Glasper, Lalah Hathaway and Esperanza Spalding. Produced by Terri Lyne Carrington, Beautiful Life won the 2015 Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance. Reeves is the recipient of honorary doctorates from Berklee College of Music and the Juilliard School. In 2018 the National Endowment for the Arts designated Reeves a Jazz Master — the highest honor the United States bestows on jazz artists.
Dianne ReevesRomero Lubambo
Reserved Seating: Gold Circle $65 • Orchestra and Front Loge $55 • Rear Loge $45
This concert is preceded by a “Sittin’ In” meet-the-artist session one hour prior to performance in Shea Recital Hall 101.Free to all ticket holders. Audience members have a chance to meet and interact with that day’s artist in a question-answer format.
WP Percussion Ensemble
Featuring new music for percussion ensemble
Leonard Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti and Kamala Sankaram's Monkey and Francine in the City of Tigers
Christopher Herbert, producer and stage directorChairty Wicks, music director
This double-bill production explores how families adapt during times of social change. Trouble in Tahiti focuses on a 1950's family in suburbia as they try to find connections amid constraining social norms. Monkey and Francine in the City of Tigers challenges the idea of a of male-dominated society and considers what it would be like if girls led the world.
Performances in Hunziker Black Box Theatre
Thursday, April 19 at 7pmFriday, April 21 at 7pmSaturday, April 22 at 7pmSunday, April 23 at 3pm
General Admission: $20 • $10 Students and WP Community
Performances in Hunziker Black Box TheatreThursday, April 19 at 7pmFriday, April 21 at 7pmSaturday, April 22 at 7pmSunday, April 23 at 3pm
Join us for this spring’s Jazz Room finale, our celebration of the 50th year of William Paterson University’s historic Jazz Studies Program. One of the first five jazz degree programs in the nation at its inception, the program has gone on to establish itself as one of the world’s most prestigious places to study jazz. This concert will feature a tribute to the program’s leadership by retired Director of Jazz Studies Rufus Reid and present Director Bill Charlap; the WP Jazz Orchestra with special guests; and stellar alumni from the Jazz Studies Program.
The WP Wind Symphony presents a concert featuring Dr. Timothy Newman, bass trombone, performing Eric Ewazen’s Concerto for Bass Trombone and Wind Symphony. In celebration of the 50th year of jazz at WP and the 100th anniversary of the birth of composer Thad Jones, the Wind Symphony will also collaborate with members of the WP Jazz Orchestra to perform Jones’ only work for concert band.
Other musical selections include Lightning Round by Kevin Day, March Tumbao by James David and Voices of Eve by Stephanie Berg
WP Choirs including Concert Choir, Chamber Choir, and Voxtet
The New Music Series concludes the 2022-2023 season with the final concert celebrating the 50th Anniversary of WP Jazz and the third stream - where the styles of Jazz and Classical intersect in compositions of the 20th and 21st Century! Featuring compositions by WP Classical and Jazz Majors, including Caress The Thought by Rufus Reid, long-term WP Director of Jazz Studies (1980-1999) WP New Music Series, Carl Patrick Bolleia, Director
William Paterson University
300 Pompton Road
Wayne, New Jersey 07470
973-720-2000
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