Eos Orchestra brings music and film to WFU

Eos Orchestra

Combining music and film, the Eos Orchestra will perform its “Celluloid Copland” program at Wake Forest University on Feb. 22.

The Secrest Artists Series event will begin at 8 p.m. in Wait Chapel.

John ShefferJohn Sheffer, artistic director and founder, will lead the New York City-based chamber orchestra.

The concert, part of their first national tour, will feature Copland’s “Music for Movies,” “The Cummington Story” and “The City Suite.” “The City,” a 1939 movie short, will be shown on screen during the performance. The second half will feature the complete ballet score of “Appalachian Spring.”

The program also includes two pieces by Paul Bowles, “ Suite for Small Orchestra” and “Romantic Suite.” Bowles was an expatriate novelist, composer and student of Copland. The recent PBS documentary, “Copland’s America,” featured the Eos Orchestra. The orchestra has performed three times on NPR’s “Performance Today” and, in 1999, performed at the White House. The Eos Orchestra recorded the score for the MGM/Robert DeNiro film, “Flawless.”

The 2001 Eos CD, “Celluloid Copland,” was nominated for a Grammy Award.

“Marking an historic moment in Eos’ eight years, our visit to locations throughout the United States offers us an opportunity to perform Aaron Copland’s rarely heard film scores for new and diverse audiences,” Sheffer said.

The Eos Orchestra has performed at the Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall. They have produced five CDs and four books of essays and images on musical topics. For more about the orchestra, visit the Eos Orchestra web site.

David McHugh, filmmaker in residence and film composer at the North Carolina School of the Arts’ School of Filmmaking, will present a pre-concert talk at 7:10 p.m. in the balcony room of Wait Chapel.

Tickets for the concert are $15 general admission and $12 for senior citizens. Contact the Scales Fine Arts Center box office at 336-758-5295. Beginning Feb. 3, the box office is open Monday – Friday, noon – 5 p.m. For more information, call the Secrest Series office at 336-758-5757 or visit their web site.

Categories: Arts & Culture, Events