Sing with AAC & ASO for Independence Day

The Ashland Area Chorus, a non-auditioned mixed choir of 40-60 participants, invites local singers to join them for the short summer session and to perform with the Ashland Symphony Orchestra. The 4-week rehearsal schedule begins on June 3 and continues for four consecutive Mondays including: June 3, 10, 17, 24. Each rehearsal is from 7-8:30 p.m. at Ashland University in Room 242 of the Center for the Arts (formerly the Arts and Humanities building). The session will conclude on Sunday, June 30 with a live performance of light, popular, and patriotic tunes with the Ashland Symphony Orchestra for the Pops In the Park concert at Brookside Park Band Shell.

The Chorus is open to the entire Ashland community and beyond, with previous singers travelling from Richland, Medina, Wayne, Holmes, and Crawford counties. Previous choral experience is helpful and encouraged. While there are no strict age limits, singers under 18 must be approved by the director. There is no cost to the singer for the summer session.

The AAC performs in several concerts each year on the AU campus and with the Ashland Symphony Orchestra. Recent appearances have included a stand-alone presentation of the Dvořák Mass in D Minor, subscription concerts with the ASO (including Orff’s Carmina Burana, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, and Mendelssohn’s Elijah), Ashland University choral concerts (including Handel's Messiah and the Brahms Requiem) and summer pops concerts in the park.

Current members should encourage their talented friends and neighbors to attend the first summer rehearsal to join this unique community opportunity. For further information, please contact the AU Director of Choral Activities, Dr. Ron Blackley, at rblackle@ashland.edu or (419) 289-5114. Or, simply show up on June 3.

AU Music Well-Represented in Little Women

AU Music will have a strong presence in Ashland University Theatre's production of Little Women, the musical which open this Friday. Leading the way is Ashland University's 14-year veteran Deb Hetrick Logan as the Musical Director. Deb's goal was to compile an all-student orchestra which she has done with: Jedidiah McFadden, Megan Saupé, Kameron Kainec, Ariane Hill, Jacob Moses, Nick Lawwill, Emily Schordock, Eric Watts, Emily Ebert and Stefan Jonsson.

Tickets for the performances slated for Nov. 2, 3, 10 and 11 at 7:30 p.m., and Nov. 4 at 2 p.m. can be purchased at the AU Box Office by phone at 419.289.5125 or online (add'l fees apply) at Ashland.edu/Tickets.

ASO & Area Chorus Perform This Sunday

The Ashland Symphony Orchestra and the Ashland Area Chorus perform their annual Pops in the Park concert this Sunday, July 1 at 8 p.m. in the Guy C. Myers Memorial Band Shell at Brookside Park. The concert will feature all of your patriotic favorites along with special effects from the Civil War Battery D, 1st Ohio Light Artillery, sparklers and paper bag cannons.

SPECTRUM SERIES PRESENTS PARAGON RAGTIME ORCHESTRA

The 34th annual Ashland University Spectrum Series begins by travelling back in time to the 19th century with the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra presenting their holiday program 'Round the Christmas Tree on Friday, December 6, 7:30 p.m. at Hugo Young Theatre.

This stylish and warm-hearted tribute to America’s Holiday musical traditions features favorite selections from the theatres, ballrooms, grand mansions and humble hearthsides of the Victorian era. The concert will include familiar Christmas songs and carols from their original 19th century scores, along with novelties including a ragtime version of the Nutcracker Suite and sparkling instrumental and vocal soloists. As a finale to the concert, the Orchestra accompanies a screening of one of the world’s first Christmas silent films from 1905 by Thomas Edison.

In addition to the main stage concert, the Orchestra's conductor Rick Benjamin, will present a free workshop on the history of early cinema and film underscoring on Friday, December 6 at 10 a.m. on the Hugo Young Theatre stage.  Benjamin, leading conductor of music for silent film with more than 600 screenings to his credit, will lead participants on a journey to the early 20th Century when downtown Ashland was home to several silent movie houses as the cultural center for all ages in the community.  

Area schools, senior citizen organizations and other groups are invited to a special 1-hour matinee performance of 'Round the Christmas Tree on December 6 at 1:30 p.m. Admission for this intergenerational matinee performance is $2 per person.  Reservations should be made directly with Tricia Applegate at 419.289.5950 to secure group seating.

Season tickets are now available for the entire Spectrum Series at the Ashland University Box Office.  Season tickets include admission to all three mainstage shows with at least a 20 percent discount to single ticket prices.  Season tickets for all three performances are: $28 for adults; and $23 for senior citizens, non- Ashland University students and Ashland University faculty/staff.  Single tickets are: $15 for adults; $12 for senior citizens, non-Ashland University students, University faculty/staff; $10 for groups of 10 or more; and $2 for Ashland University students with ID.

To purchase season or individual tickets, contact the Ashland University Box Office by phone at 419-289-5125, or in person in the lobby of Hugo Young Theatre located at the corner of College Avenue and Grant Street.  Hours are Monday through Friday, 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.  Tickets are also available on-line at www.ashland.edu/tickets where additional fees apply. 

ASHLAND UNIVERSITY TO PERFORM BRAHMS REQUIEM

The Department of Music at Ashland University is proud to present the choral and orchestral masterpiece by the beloved romantic composer Johannes Brahms. Directed by Dr. Rowland Blackley, the Brahms German Requiem will be performed by the Ashland University Choir, Ashland Area Chorus and Ashland Chamber Orchestra on Saturday, April 27 at 7:30 PM in Hugo Young Theatre.

Over 120 musicians will fill the Hugo Young Theatre stage while featuring soloists Stephanie Sikora, soprano and Brian Keith Johnson, baritone. A German Requiem, To Words of the Holy Scriptures, Op. 45 (Ein deutsches Requiem, nach Worten der heiligen Schrift) was composed by Brahms between 1865 and 1868. Many believe the piece was inspired by the death of Brahms' mother in 1865 which caused him much grief as well as lingering feelings over Robert Schumann's death in 1856. Comprised of seven movements and in the German language derived from the German Luther Bible, Brahms Requiem is a sacred but non-liturgical work with a message of hope for the living who must deal with and accept death.

Dr. Blackley, Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Ashland University, has previously presented several large choral and orchestral works including Handel’s Messiah in 2005 and 2010 while also collaborating with the Ashland Symphony Orchestra's performances of Carmina Burana, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Mendelssohn’s Elijah and the Verdi Requiem. While conducting the University Choir, Chamber Singers and Ashland Area Chorus, he also teaches in the areas of conducting and music education. He co-directs the major opera workshop productions and has served as conductor and music director for several Ashland University theatrical productions.

Stephanie Sikora, Professor of Music and Head of the Voice Area at Ashland University, has been sharing her musical talents with audiences throughout Ohio and the Midwest for numerous years. She has sung over 100 performances with Cleveland Opera on Tour, and has appeared in Cleveland Opera’s main stage productions of The Merry Widow, Hansel and Gretel, Mikado, and Die Fledermaus. She has been a guest soloist with the Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom Festival and has performed with the Reading Symphony, Canton Symphony, Mendelssohn of Pittsburgh, Ashland Symphony, Akron Lyric Opera Theatre, Firelands Symphony, The Singers’ Club and the Robert Page Cleveland Singers. Holding degrees from The Ohio State University, The University of Akron, and the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, Ms. Sikora has recently become sought after as an adjudicator at such prestigious competitions as the Tuesday Musical Scholarship Auditions and the Irma M. Cooper Opera Columbus Vocal Competition.

Brian Keith Johnson has performed many roles in opera from Figaro in il barbiere di Siviglia to Ford in Falstaff. As a member of Actors’ Equity Association, he has also performed a variety of musical theatre roles ranging from Jim in Big River to Father/God in Children of Eden. He has appeared as a soloist with orchestras across the US in repertoire that ranges from Bach's Magnificat and Mozart's Requiem to Brahms's A German Requiem and Orff's Carmina Burana. Mr. Johnson received his bachelor's degree from the University of Akron, and has also studied abroad at the New Opera Academy of Rome and at the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria.  

Reserved seating tickets for the performance are $7.00 for adults; $5.00 for senior citizens, non-Ashland University students, Ashland University faculty and staff; and $1.00 for Ashland University students. To purchase tickets, call the Ashland University Central Box Office at 419-289-5125, Monday through Friday, 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM., visit the Box Office located in the lobby of Hugo Young Theatre at the corner of Grant Street and College Avenue, or order online at www.ashland.edu/tickets (additional fees apply).