Orchestra on Campus 2009 photo show

Charlotte Symphony – Orchestra on Campus 2009

Orchestra on Campus 2009 was a Charlotte Symphony project in partnership with Levine Museum of the New South, The Mint Museum of Art, and six local colleges/universities: UNC Charlotte, Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC), Winthrop University, Davidson College, Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU), and Queens University of Charlotte. The project encouraged collaboration among students and professionals from different disciplines and provided students with hands-on learning in the arts.

The theme of Orchestra on Campus 2009 was inspired by an exhibition at the Levine Museum called “Changing Places: From Black and White to Technicolor,” which looks at the growing population of “newcomers” to the Charlotte metropolitan area and their cultural and economic impact. The project included a full orchestral, multi-media concert performed on four college campuses, plus smaller ensemble performances, exhibitions, and lecture demonstrations that explore the effects of migration and immigration on artistic expression. The concert repertoire was chosen in discussions with faculty from partner schools and featured works that reflect the influences of migration and/or immigration on musical creativity.

Composers’ Project
As part of the Orchestra on Campus project, composers from three participating schools created short chamber pieces reflecting upon the “Changing Places” theme. The works were performed individually as part of pre-concert activities at each concert venue in November, and were performed collectively at Queens University in February 2010. Ensembles included Charlotte Symphony musicians, faculty, and students from participating schools.

Orchestra on Campus Concerts
Changing Places, Changing Tunes: Music on the Move from Mozart to Gershwin 
Chelsea Tipton, II, conducting

W.A. MOZART                                   Overture to The Abduction from the Seraglio
Johannes BRAHMS                          Hungarian Dances Nos. 18-21
Antonín DVOŘÁK                             Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95, “From the New World”
                                                                II. Largo*
                                                                IV. Allegro con fuoco
Ernesto LECUONA                           Andalucía
                                                                Córdoba
                                                                La Comparsa
                                                                La Malagueña
George GERSHWIN                         Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture*

*Accompanied by films created by faculty and students of CPCC

Project Timeline of Events:

September 22 – Speaking of Change Dialogue
Faculty from participating schools visited the “Changing Places” exhibit at the Levine Museum and engaged in a dialogue facilitated by a museum docent.

October 30 – Changing Places: A Student Colloquium
Students from UNC Charlotte, Queens University, and Central Piedmont Community College presented creative work (visual arts, creative and scholarly writing, and original music) interpreting the “Changing Places” theme. (Queens University)

November 8 – We Are What We Sing: Music and Cultural Identity
In performances, demonstrations, and discussions, this program explored how music expresses who we are and where we’re from, and celebrated the music of several cultures, including China, Peru, and the tribal cultures of the Amazon and the local Catawba. Participants included a Charlotte Symphony musician, a Winthrop University professor of anthropology, and an early music ensemble made up of students and faculty from CPCC.  (Levine Museum)

November 12 – Conquistadors and Collaborators: Early Folk and Art Music in South America
Two early music ensembles, made up of CPCC students and Charlotte Symphony musicians, performed folk music and art music from 16th and 17th-century South America, demonstrating the cross-cultural influences. (CPCC)

November 12 – Conductor on Campus
Conductor Chelsea Tipton gave a lecture to music students on the campus of Johnson C. Smith University, followed by a Q&A period and a meet and greet.

November 12 – orchestral concert, Central Piedmont Community College
Concert was preceded by a performance of CPCC Music Department Chair Craig Bove’s string quartet, “Upon further review,” and a student-produced themed reception.

November 13 – First Look Fridays: Loїs Mailou Jones
Student choirs from Queens University and JCSU performed at the opening of The Mint Museum’s fall exhibition, Loїs Mailou Jones: A Life in Vibrant Color.
A poster child for the “Changing Places” theme, Jones lived in many lands and infused her paintings with the influences of each place and culture. (Mint Museum)

November 13 – orchestral concert, Robinson Hall, UNCC
Concert was preceded by a performance of UNC Charlotte professor John Allemeier’s quintet, “Those Voices,” and a student-performed piece for marimba.

November 14 – orchestral concert, Davidson College

November 15 – orchestral concert, Winthrop University
Concert was preceded by a performance of Winthrop professor Ron Parks’s piece for soprano and seven instruments, “I thought I’d better let you know,” with student-created multi-media element. 

November 17 – Changing Charlotte in the Great Depression
The Charlotte Symphony, Mint Museum, and Levine Museum presented a joint program about the cultural changes in Charlotte during the 1930s and the birth of the Mint and the Symphony. The Winthrop University Student Wind Quintet performed music from the period. (Mint Museum)

The Orchestra on Campus 2009 project is supported in part by a grant from the Goodrich Foundation.