Malmgren Concert Series 2011-2013
All Concerts are free, handicapped accessible and are held in Hendricks Chapel.
Hendricks Chapel is committed to bringing arts of the highest quality to the Syracuse community at the lowest possible cost. The Malmgren Concert Series was made possible by a generous gift to Hendricks Chapel in 1991 from Esther Malmgren, a Syracuse University alumna. The series usually consists of three or four concerts a year, many of which feature the organ, Mrs. Malmgren’s favorite instrument.
For more information, call 315-443-2901.
2012-2013 Season
Imani Winds
Sunday October 21, 2012 at 4 p.m.
More than North America’s premier wind quintet, Imani Winds has established itself as one of the most successful chamber music ensembles in the United States. Since 1997, the Grammy nominated quintet has taken a unique path, carving out a distinct presence in the classical music world with its dynamic playing, culturally poignant programming, genre-blurring collaborations and inspirational outreach programs. Imani Winds has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Disney Hall and Kimmel Center. They have also played on virtually every major university performing arts series. They have collaborated with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, clarinetist/saxophonist/composer Paquito D’Rivera, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, bandoneonist Daniel Binelli and the Brubeck brothers.
Craig Cramer, organSunday, November 4, 2012 at 4 p.m.
Craig Cramer is Professor of Organ at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, IN. He has performed in 44 of the United States as well as in Canada. He has a strong interest in historic organs and has presented concerts on significant instruments in Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden. This year he is performing the complete works of Dietrich Buxtehude on the Fritts organ at St. Joseph Cathedral in Columbus, OH. He has 15 CD recordings to his credit including releases on the Arkay, Dominant, Naxos and JAV labels.
Les Sirènes, Baroque Chamber Ensemble
Sunday, February 3, 2013 at 4 p.m.
Founded in 2009, Les Sirènes is composed of acclaimed sopranos Kathryn Mueller and Kristen Watson, joined by Michael Sponseller on harpsichord and Cora Swenson on baroque cello. Les Sirènes are finalists in Early Music America’s 2012 Baroque Performance Competition. Their 2012-2013 engagements include the San Francisco Early Music Society, Arizona Early Music Society and Museum Concerts in Providence, RI. For their Syracuse performance, they will present “Virtuosi Italiani: The florid style of Monteverdi and Handel.”
Anna Sung, organ - "Rising Star Recital"
Sunday, April 14, 2013 at 4 p.m.
Anna Sung is a doctoral student in the Organ Department at Arizona State University where she studies with Dr. Kimberly Marshall. She earned her B.A. degree in Organ Performance and Church music from Yon-sei University in South Korea. In 2001, Anna was the winner of the Mokwon University Organ Competition and in 2012 she was the second prize winner in the Arthur Poister Competition in Organ Playing, based in Syracuse, NY. She holds a Master’s degree in Organ Performance from ASU. Currently, she is the organist at Desert Hills Presbyterian Church in Carefree, AZ.
Audiences Enjoy Memorable 2011-12 Malmgren Concert Series
Since 1991, Hendricks Chapel has presented the Malmgren Concert Series, featuring high caliber performances by nationally and internationally acclaimed musicians. The fruition of a generous bequest by Esther Malmgren ’42 in memory of her late husband, John Vincent Malmgren, two of the concerts each year are organ recitals, in honor of Mrs. Malmgren’s favorite instrument.
The Malmgren Concerts attract a loyal following from the Syracuse community, with large audiences coming to hear groups such as the Kronos Quartet, Hilliard Ensemble, and the Boston Brass.
On January 29, 2012, Hendricks Chapel presented a special concert that showcased the talent of faculty members from Syracuse University’s Setnor School of Music and Ithaca College. The concert opened with Josef Gabriel Rheinberger’s (1839-1901) four-movement Suite in C minor, for violin, cello, and organ. The audience was charmed by this work’s beautiful, soaring melodies. The second half of the concert featured extroverted and bold works for trumpet and organ, including a concerto by the Italian baroque composer Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751) and Allen Vizzutti’s (b. 1952) Andante and Capriccio, a thrilling and technically demanding showstopper.
Hendricks Chapel featured Blue Heron on March 27, 2012, a vocal ensemble based in Boston which specializes in Renaissance music. The program was called Music for Three Sovereigns, featuring pieces connected with the court of the Hapsburg Emperor Maximilian I (Holy Roman emperor from 1493-1519) and his daughter, Queen Marguerite of Austria. They performed repertoire written in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, including works by Josquin des Prez, Heinrich Isaac, and Jacob Obrecht.
Blue Heron’s artistry transported the audience back to a time when musicians sought the patronage of the church and aristocracy, who valued artistic works that reflected the splendor of their cathedrals and courts. The ensemble’s 14 members included some skilled countertenors (male voices), with an impressive ability to sing high falsetto notes. While much of the music was unaccompanied, several selections included Renaissance instruments not often heard today: a cornetto, vielle (precursor to the viola), and Renaissance trombone.
This exciting performance brought the 2011-12 Malmgren Season to a memorable conclusion.
