Denver, CO
David Rutherford, Music Director and Conductor
Philip Ficsor, Violin
There will be an Insights pre-concert chat hosted by David Rutherford at 7:00 p m. Free to ticket holders.
Musica Sacra Chamber Orchestra (MSCO) presents, Two-Way Street featuring Denver’s story-telling ensemble, The Narrators and hosted by David Rutherford (CO Public Radio CPR). This compelling collaboration unfolds after several months of The Narrators listening to three musical masterworks: The Lark Ascending by Ralph Vaughan Williams featuring Philip Ficsor on Violin, Romanian Folk Dances by Béla Bartok, and The Marriage of Figaro Overture by Mozart and will respond to how the music affected and inspires feelings within them through story-telling. On the other side of the street, The Narrators fashioned stories to which MSCO will react and respond with music that illuminates and completes their narratives. Finally, the program invites audience members to write their own stories to the music, and if they wish, have the stories interpreted live by the insightful Narrators.
Additionally, Augustana Arts is proud to be headlining the 2015 Denver Music Summit at the McNichols Civic Center Building, 144 W. Colfax Ave., on Saturday, April 25 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for this event are $10 and available from the Denver Music Summit at http://artsandvenuesdenver.com/create-denver.
National in scope and local in focus, Denver Music Summit brings together musicians, the industry and music enthusiasts for education al and policy programs and live performances over a 3-day summit to share , inspire and develop new models of music-driven economic development and community building.
The Narrators is a monthly storytelling show hosted by Andrew Orvedahl (of Grawlix fame) and Robert Rutherford. Comedians, actors, musicians, writers, and other creative types share true stories from their lives centered on a monthly theme. The show really isn’t egocentric, but rely on the quality of the stories told during the show. The story tellers are genuinely interested in telling a story, and are prepared to perform. The stories they tell are completely true, unless the fictitious parts are clearly fictitious, such as humorous alternate situations. The Narrators believe a true story is far more interesting (at least in their shows) than one that is embellished simply for entertainment value.
Philip Ficsor released a recording with renowned composer/pianist Emma Lou Diemer entitled “Summer Day” featuring her complete works for violin and piano. An enthusiastic advocate for contemporary American composers, he also recorded William Bolcom’s complete works for violin and piano as part of the ensemble American Double. A strong believer in the value of educational outreach, he presented to 1,500 school-age children from the stage of Boston Symphony Hall in a co-presentation with William Bolcom on the eve of the premiere of his Eighth Symphony by James Levine and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He is an editorial advisor for publication through E. B. Marks/Hal Leonard Corporation. He has participated in numerous festivals across Europe and the U.S., including The Meadowmount School of Music, the Holland Music Festival (Netherlands), as well as the Semmering Festival (Austria). From 2006-2013 he was a tenured Associate Professor of Music at Westmont College and is currently a performing artist based in Denver.
Since 1997, Augustana Arts has been serving the community by presenting the artistry of resident performing groups, internationally renowned touring artists and accomplished locally-based ensembles of many genres. The resident groups, Musica Sacra Chamber Orchestra (MSCO) and the Colorado Women's Chorale (CWC) perform at a variety of venues in addition to the majestic Augustana Lutheran Church in Denver. Augustana Arts serves educational outreach through the City Strings program, an inspired vision to provide youngsters with great need access to high quality, small group music instruction free of cost afterschool at several metro locations.
Augustana Arts concerts and programs are made possible in part by generous support from the citizens of the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District, the Colorado Creative Industries, a state agency which is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, the Augustana Foundation, the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation and several other community partners.
Augustana Arts and Musica Sacra Chamber Orchestra (MSCO) - Masterworks: Two-Way Street featuring The Narrators
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Augustana Arts gathers the community, supports the arts and delights the spirit. Visit our website for more details at www.augustanaarts.org.
