Similar to the spring season’s themes of reawakening and new life, the spring semester at CSUN’s Department of Music explodes with new offerings and opportunities for all members of our community to share in the incredible performances featuring our students, faculty, and guest artists. We’re excited to share some of the standout concerts that will take place in the coming months, but for a full schedule and further details, we encourage you to visit the full calendar on the department’s website. If you would prefer to see these productions from the comfort of your own home, some performances will be live streamed through matadormusicvideos.com. You can purchase Individual tickets or an annual pass to access every show across the semester, and with our top-notch audio you’ll feel like you’re right there in the hall.
When asked about the upcoming season, Department of Music Chair and orchestra conductor Dr. John Roscigno shared that “building upon the foundation of the vibrant and colorful major ensemble concert series that the Music Department is known for, this coming semester will also feature a formal faculty artist series and guest artist series.” The faculty series kicked off on January 21 with collaborative piano faculty member Tali Tadmor and Friends, followed on January 24 with operatic tenor and head of voice at CSUN Hugo Vera in his first performance on our campus. His recital brought to the stage some of the great vocal works of all time, and focused on exploring three facets of the human condition: love, loss, and longing. Upcoming faculty events include performances by our longstanding faculty contemporary music ensemble TEMPO (The Epicenter Musical Performance Organization) on February 5, and soprano Diane Ketchie on February 19.
The Guest Artist Series began with a return to campus by Hungarian-American pianist Peter Klimo featuring a stirring performance of Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 10, an apt choice as his last performance with the CSUN Orchestra occurred at the 2016 Franz Liszt Festival. This series will continue with the February 20 concert by L.A.–based Aperture Duo, closing their CSUN Residency with a performance of wide-ranging sounds from the violin and viola.
Aperture Duo
Canadian pianist Derek Parsons will join us on February 23; composer and guitarist Alexander Elliott Miller follows on Feb 24; clarinetist David Cook will debut on March 29; and pianist José Raul López will close the series on April 14 with a show that includes Epigram, a composition from former CSUN Professor Emeritus, the late Aurelio de la Vega.
CSUN’s Opera program will present their newest production of Puccini’s La Bohème, opening March 9. In a CSUN first, this collaboration between the departments of Music and Theatre will be led by an all-female creative team of music director Mercedes Juan Musotto and stage director Sara E. Widzer. The production will run March 9–12.
For another special collaboration, CSUN alumnus Serj Tankian, best known as lead singer of the band System of a Down, will perform at The Soraya on April 29 with the CSUN Symphony and Northridge Singers. The songwriter, poet, painter, producer, and political activist returns to The Soraya to perform vocals on his new suite of compositions, Invocations—music that calls on spirits to co-inspire or inter inspire. Tickets are available through The Soraya.
CSUN’s Jazz program and its ensembles continue to bring exciting artists to the stage. Building on last year’s performance with Gordon Goodwin, the CSUN Jazz A Band will perform on March 1 with John Daversa, multi–Grammy Award–winning jazz trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. In addition to a number of performances on campus, both of our big bands will be traveling across the country to compete against other schools, with Jazz A going to New Orleans for the 53rd Annual Loyola Jazz Ensemble Festival and Jazz B Band going to Nevada for the 61st Reno Jazz Festival.
Jazz A Band
CSUN’s classical ensembles will also headline a number of special concerts. In addition to an upcoming tour of Hawaii, the Wind Ensemble will be joined by the Wind Symphony for a Concert Band Showcase on Feb 28. On May 9 the University Chorus and Northridge Singers combined choirs concert will feature Gabriel Faure’s Requiem, performed with orchestra. Then on May 10, John Roscigno leads the CSUN Symphony in a performance of Amy Beach’s Gaelic Symphony plus works featuring some wonderful student soloists.
John Roscigno conducts the CSUN Symphony Orchestra. Photo by Lee Choo.
And finally, there will be more than 100 student recitals toward the end of the semester. Keep an eye on the Department of Music’s website for more information as dates and times are firmed up. Student recitals are always free!
These are just some of the highlight concerts and performances programmed in coming months. We recommend checking back regularly with the music department’s calendar to see up-to-the-minute info on coming attractions. We can’t wait to see you back in person to celebrate together the special experience that is live music.