UMaine Performing Arts Students Presenting End of Semester Finale

Contact: Karen Cole, 581-4704; Ann Schmidt, 669-2523; George Manlove, 581-3756

ORONO — The UMaine School of Performing Arts is winding up the spring semester with a flare — virtually back-to-back student performances over the next few weeks, capping a semester’s work in various performing arts.

Between now and May 6, audiences can see chorus, jazz, orchestra, percussion, dance and comedy performed at Hauck Auditorium, Minsky Recital Hall or at the Maine Center for the Arts. Students are admitted free with a MaineCard; admission is $6 for others.

“The productions represent artistic output from the two divisions of the School of Performing Arts, the Division of Music and the Division of Theater/Dance,” says Stuart Marrs, music department chair. “Most of these productions are the culmination of student work for a course. The public performance is like a final exam for a course, though it is not graded, per se.”

Several student musical ensembles or theatrical performances, like the Maine Steiners vocal group or the annual Maine Masque theater production, are separate from class work, but groups like the jazz ensemble, orchestra or other theater presentations often are associated with a for-credit class.

Those students performing as part of a class have worked over the semester with a performance group and a faculty director. The experience teaches students how to play with a group, how to perform publicly and, through observation, how to lead an ensemble. Marrs says many of the music students will become music teachers and will direct their own ensembles some day.

On April 21-22 at 7:30 p.m., the Music Division of the School of Performing Arts will present the seventh annual “Broadway Nights” production, featuring an evening of comedic favorites and standards from Broadway hits including “Rent,” “Avenue Q,” “Wicked,” “My Fair Lady,” “A Chorus Line,” “Guys and Dolls,” “Gypsy,” “The Last Five Years” and more.

“It’s a cabaret of great pieces,” says Ann Schmidt, assistant director and performer. “We’re also trying something new this year and throwing in some monologues and various pieces of straight acting as well. And for the first time ever, we are going to attempt to add some lighting into the performance.”

This year’s performance features Rebecca Bailey, Matt Bessette, Whitney Blethen, Abby Coulter, Janice Duy, Simon Ferland, Nestor Gonzalez, Kat Johnson, Crystal McArthur, Phaelon Odonnell, Toby Paradis, Jason Poisson, Dominic Sarcia, Anne Schmidt, Tom Sagona, Dominick Varney and Greg Young.

Following Broadway Nights are eight more productions from the music or theater divisions:

April 23, University Singers, Oratorio Society and BSO

University Singers and Oratorio Society will join Bangor Symphony Orchestra for “Inspiration and Consolation,” a performance of “Ein Deutsches Requiem, op. 45” (German requiem) by Johannes Brahms. MCA, 3 p.m.

April 25, Percussion Ensemble

This ensemble draws its literature from a wide variety of styles from transcriptions to contemporary music for percussion. Minsky Recital Hall, 7:30 p.m.

April 27, Jazz Ensemble

Big band at its best! The ensemble is devoted to performing a wide variety of challenging, significant, diversified, and contemporary literature within the genre. Minsky Recital Hall, 7:30 p.m.

April 29, Orchestra Concert

The Orchestra will perform works from a standard repertoire. Minsky Recital Hall, 7:30 p.m.

April 30, Athena Consort/Black Bear Men’s Chorus

Sing into spring with the unique sounds of UMaine’s women’s and men’s choruses. Minsky Recital Hall, 2 p.m.

May 4, Comedy Night – A Wild & Wacky World

Original comedy, written and performed by students, under the direction of Sandra Hardy, associate professor of theater. Minsky Recital Hall, 7:30 p.m.

May 5&6, Dance Concert

A little bit of everything adds up to a lot of excitement on the Hauck stage, 7:30 p.m.

Ticket information for all performances is available by calling the MCA box office at 581-1755.