Servant of Two Masters next at the University Theatre
The Servant of Two Masters will be performed in the Dennis and Cheryl Woods Theatre, Speech Arts building, March 25 - April 2. Weeknight and Saturday performances are at 8 p.m. Sunday performances are at 2 p.m. The play is described as a comic tale about risking everything in the pursuit of love, complete with mistaken identity and slapstick jokes. Servant’s story revolves around the wily Truffaldino, who thinks he can work for two masters at once. Can he do it without getting caught, or will his love for the servant girl, Smeraldina, make him confess all? The play originates from the 18th century and is steeped in the culture of the Italian Renaissance Commedia Dell’Arte. Lee Hall’s adaptation from 1999 follows the structure of Goldoni’s original, but introduces some modern flourishes and asides. Per the Italian comedy tradition, the cast will show off skills in acrobatics, fencing, hip hop dance, and juggling. The music for the play comes from two cultures of music — Italian baroque and gypsy jazz. Tickets are $17 for general admission; $15 for Fresno State faculty/staff, Alumni Association members, and seniors (60 +); and $10 for students (under five not admitted). ID is required for discount ticket prices. Contact the box office for more information at 278-2216.

Faculty Spotlight Concert
is March 25
The Department of Music will continue its celebration of the University’s Centennial year with the 2011 Faculty Spotlight Concert.  The event will take place on Friday, March 25 at 8 p.m. in the Concert Hall located in the new Music Building. Tickets are $15 General Admission and $5 for students and may be purchased online at www.csufresno.edu/music/concerts. All proceeds benefit the Music Department’s Student Scholarship fund.

The concert will feature faculty artists Teresa Beaman (flute), Matthew Darling (percussion), Helene Joseph-Weil (soprano) and Thomas Loewenheim (violincello). All four artists will share the stage with collaborative pianist Hatem Nadim. In addition, works by faculty composers Benjamin Boone (2011 recipient of the President’s Award of Excellence) and Kenneth Froelich will be featured.

Beaman and Nadim will be performing Boone’s “Jaropa Jam,” which features Latin American influences. Beaman will also perform a romantic work, "Suite for flute and piano, Opus 34," by French composer Charles Marie Widor. Beaman will later join percussionist Darling and two of his graduate students, Sarah Basiletti and Michael Downing on Mania, a movement from Froelich’s work, “Neurotica.”

Darling will be performing five works on marimba, xylophone, and assorted percussion instruments. Three of the works Dr. Darling will perform were composed solely or in part for him, including “Prayer for Peace” for solo marimba by Boone, Froelich’s previously mention work “Neurotica” for solo flute and three percussionists, and Froelich’s Accidental Migration for solo marimba and percussion ensemble (awarded first prize in the Percussive Arts Society’s 2007 composition competition). Darling will also perform “St. Agnes and the Burning Train,” composed by Sting transcribed from the original guitar version by the performer, and “Macedonia” for xylophone and piano, composed by marimbist Nebojsa Zivkovic.

Joseph-Weil and Nadim will be performing “The Three B’s” for their portion of the Faculty Spotlight Concert. While this title is usually known to acknowledge the historical importance of Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms, Joseph-Weil and Nadim’s “Three B’s” selections intend to honor Beethoven, Brahms, and Benjamin Boone. Their program will feature a group of Beethoven’s little known Italian songs, 3 songs of Brahms, and will close with a selection from Boone’s “Con-Man.”

Loewenheim will perform Igor Stravinsky’s “Suite Italienne for 'Cello and Piano,” an arrangement of several movements from his ballet Pulcinella. Stravinsky took works by the early eighteenth-century Italian composer Pergolesi and effectively rewrote them into his own style. The charm of Pergolesi's melodies and the piquant flavor of Stravinsky’s rewriting make Suite Italienne a most enjoyable work.

Library's Friday Concert Series features talents of faculty and students
The Henry Madden Library presents its Friday Concert Series featuring students and faculty from the Fresno State Department of Music. Performances are in the Peters Ellipse from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. Scheduled performances are as follows:

• March 4 - Tom and Lenore Hiebert, horn and piano featuring period music from Centennial Steinway piano era.
• March 18 - Piano Majors Recital. Students of Professor Andreas Werz perform an all-Schumann recital on the Centennial Steinway piano celebrating the 200th anniversary of the composer's birth.
• May 6 - Faculty Jazz Quintet, featuring Alan Durst (saxophone), Michael Caldwell (trumpet), Craig VonBerg (piano) and Brian Hamada (drums).

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