The Southern Utah University Department of Music announces the renewal of the Great American Songbook Series. Students and community members are invited to indulge in the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein performed by students and faculty members.
Together, Rodgers and Hammerstein were a successful American musical theatre writing team. According to their biography on their website, they are quoted as “the most successful partnership in Broadway musical history.”
Together, they created a string of popular Broadway musicals in the 1940s and 1950s. Their website also cites that, “Collectively, the musicals of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II earned 42 Tony Awards, 15 Academy Awards, two Pulitzer Prizes, two Grammy awards and two Emmy awards.”
Carol Ann Modesitt, director of opera and voice, describes the line-up of SUU’s production.
“The composer and lyricist collaborated on so many musicals together that we felt we couldn’t do it justice to them in one concert, so we decided to do two concerts of their music,” Modesitt said. “… For our first concert, students and faculty will be performing music from ‘Carousel,’ ‘South Pacific,’ ‘Me and Juliet,’ ‘The King and I,’ ‘Cinderella’ and ‘Oklahoma.’”
The proceeds from this production series will be used as a fund to assist students with musical expenses, such as instrument repair and student travel for music conferences. This will benefit students by aiding them with the financial requirements they face as they study music.
Students and community members can purchase tickets from the Department of Music. Ticket prices are $10 for adults, $5 for students, and $25 for a season ticket to all four concerts.
The first concert of the series will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 17 at the Southern Utah Museum of Art. Other upcoming Great American Songbook Series concerts scheduled for the 2017-2018 school year include Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017 at 7:30 featuring Rodgers and Hammerstein; Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018 featuring songs by Johnny Mercer; and Tuesday, March 27, 2017 featuring the music of Harold Arlen.
For more information about the SUU Department of Music, please visit www.suu.edu/pva/music.
Story by
Alyssa Brunson
achief2@suunews.com
