The New World School of the Arts High School Wind Ensemble, under the direction of music faculty member Brent Mounger, and Camerata String Orchestra and High School Philharmonic, under the direction of Dr. Hyunjee Chung, will perform an array of works by Alfred Reed, Peter Warlock (1894-1930), George Bizet, and others during the first NWSA High School Instrumental Ensemble Concert of the year.
The Capriol Suite for string orchestra (1926) is a set of dances in the renaissance style based on tunes in a manual of Renaissance dances by the French priest Jehan Tabourot (1515-1595). It is made up of six contrasting movements, each in a different dance form. The essence of Warlock’s Capriol Suite is new and innovative; his treatment of the dances is very free and bears little resemblance to the tunes in their original form. Because of this, the work is widely considered more of an original composition than an arrangement of existing material.
Georges Bizet (1838 – 1875) Carmen Suite No. 1 begins with the part of the Prelude to Act I in which trembling strings introduce darkly intone the ominous Fate motif. In the Aragonaise, Bizet presents one of several Spanish-flavored dances laced throughout the opera. It serves as an interlude between the third and fourth acts, right before the climactic bullfight during which the disgraced soldier Don José, now turned stalker, confronts his ex-lover Carmen.
The High School Voice Concert will offer selections of art songs and arias ranging from the 16th century to present day. Students from the NWSA High School Choir will be featured as soloists performing works by Monteverdi, Schubert, Handel and contemporary composers like Ralph Vaughan Williams, John Duke, and Libby Larsen. High School voice students prepare for the voice concert by presenting their pieces in a bi-weekly High School Vocal Forum, led by Dr. Alan Denning (NWSA HS Choir Director) and newest full-time faculty Dr. Megan Barrera. In this course, students collaborate with pianists and receive constructive feedback on technique, musical style, breath control, staging aspects, expression, diction, and much more.
New World School of the Arts fosters creativity and develops musical growth. A faculty comprised of professional working musicians guide the coursework that includes music history, theory, sight singing, elective courses, ensembles and much more. In addition to the instrumental and voice performance tracks, composition majors benefit from having their works performed by live musicians. Annual performances in state-of-the-art venues include a fully staged College Opera Theater production and the NWSA Symphony Orchestra concert. The stellar faculty at NWSA is comprised of the most in-demand professors in their respective fields. Faculty bring diverse educational and performance experiences to the classroom earned from many of the world’s most recognized music centers – Curtis Institute, The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, Indiana University and Tchaikovsky Conservatory, among others – to promote a rigorous and nurturing environment, putting primary focus on student needs.
A Florida center of excellence in the visual and performing arts, New World School of the Arts is an educational partnership of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Miami Dade College, and University of Florida. NWSA provides a comprehensive program of artistic, creative, and academic development through a curriculum that reflects our community and the rich multicultural state of Florida. Through our partners NWSA confers the high school diploma, Associate of Arts degree, and Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Music degrees in programs accredited by the National Association of Schools of Dance, Music, Theater and Art & Design. NWSA’s rigorous eight-year curriculum and conservatory-style teaching has empowered students in our community and our nation to become leaders in the arts for more three decades.
Information about New World School of the Arts at 305-237-3135 or nwsa.mdc.edu.