Music Performances
Day In, Day Out: Lincoln Civic Orchestra
Sunday, February 25 at 4 p.m.
O’Donnell Auditorium, Vance D. Rogers Center for Fine Arts
FREE – no reservation required
NWU music student Concerto Competition winners Stephanie Catton (mezzo-soprano) and Sophia Chavanu (piano) will be featured on this program. In addition, Rob Salistean will lead the orchestra as they perform Carl Nielsen’s overture to Helios, Haydn’s Symphony 101 “The Clock,” and selections from Les Misérables.
Tour of the Twin Cities: Symphonic Band Spring 2024 Tour
Wednesday March 6 – Saturday March 9
The Nebraska Wesleyan Symphonic Band travels to Minnesota. Performances will include visits to public school programs along the way to and within the Twin Cities. Other explorations will include visits to cultural and art museums of Minneapolis, and attendance to a performance by the Minnesota Orchestra. On this trip, the band will play musical works inspired by poetry, history, and visual art. Kimberly Archer’s Tides draws from a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Lore of the Pony Express is the subject of William Owens’ Across The Great Plains. In Mosaic, Stephen Paulus translates into sound the visual concept of fragments coming together to form a larger image. The repertoire is completed by Gestures, a musical homage that Randall Standridge composed for his former college band directors at the University of Northern Colorado.
Symphonic Band “Coming Home” Concert, Joined by Jazz and World Music Drumming
Wednesday, March 13 at 7 p.m.
O’Donnell Auditorium, Vance D. Rogers Center for Fine Arts
FREE – no reservation required
After returning from its tour, the Symphonic Band will perform their “coming home” concert in O’Donnell. They will be joined by the NWU Jazz Ensemble and Dr. Amy Spears’ World Music Drumming Ensemble.
NWU Liana Sandin Opera Series Presents: Gian-Carlo Menotti's "The Telephone"
Friday, March 22 at 7 p.m.
O’Donnell Auditorium, Vance D. Rogers Center for Fine Arts
FREE – no reservation required
Two young lovers, Lucy and Ben, are caught in a classic love triangle – except that Ben’s competition is not another man, it is the relentless ringing of Lucy’s telephone. He considers cutting the telephone line so he can propose to her, but finally hits on a more creative solution. Please join us for Menotti’s delightful comedic one-act opera, sung in English.
Lecture by Artist-in-Residence Ms. Antoinette Adwoa Kudoto, Ghanian Drumming Master
Friday, April 5 1-2 p.m., Rogers Fine Arts Room 300 (Choir Room)
Ms. Kudoto will discuss her experience as a female drumming master in Ghana. There will be time for a Q&A with the audience. Other activities may include leading a drum circle and/or doing a performance. This event is free and open to the public.
Ghanaian Drumming Workshop with Ms. Antoinette Adwoa Kudoto, Ghanian Drumming Master
Sunday, April 7, 2-5 p.m., Rogers Fine Arts Room 300 (Choir Room)
This will be a hands-on drumming workshop where participants will learn how to play traditional Ghanaian drums. There is a $40 fee for this workshop, which can be paid at the door. No reservation is needed and all are welcome. Drums will be provided, or participants can bring their own.
Lecture by Ms. Antoinette Adwoa Kudoto, Ghanian Drumming Master
Tuesday April 9, 7-8 p.m., Rogers Fine Arts Room 126 (Emerson Recital Hall)
Ms. Kudoto will discuss her experience as a female drumming master in Ghana. There will be time for a Q&A with the audience. Other activities may include leading a drum circle and/or doing a performance. This event is free and open to the public.
Spain, Adjacent: Lincoln Civic Orchestra
Sunday, April 14 at 4 p.m.
O’Donnell Auditorium, Vance D. Rogers Center for Fine Arts
FREE – no reservation required
The Lincoln Civic Orchestra concludes their season with music mostly from Spain and Latin America. Manuel De Falla’s suite El sombrero de tres picos comes from the 1919 ballet of the same name. Those who have heard The Girl from Ipanema will be familiar with the style of Brazil’s Antonio Carlos Jobim when the orchestra performs a setting of his Surfboard. The orchestra will also play an arrangement of the famous tango Por una Cabeza by Argentinian composer Carlos Gardel. Last on the program will be a rousing rendition of music from John Williams’ score to Jurassic Park.
NWU Symphonic Band Spring Celebration
Wednesday, April 17 at 7 p.m.
O’Donnell Auditorium, Vance D. Rogers Center for Fine Arts
FREE – no reservation required
The Symphonic Band completes the season with their Spring Concert.
NWU's Big Sing!
Sunday, April 21 at 7 p.m.
O’Donnell Auditorium, Vance D. Rogers Center for Fine Arts
FREE – no reservation required
NWU's Jazz Choir, Chamber Singers, University Choir and Unity Choir will be joined by the Norris High School Titan Singers, the Omaha Westside High School Warrior Choir, and the Lincoln Choral Artists in this year's Big Sing! You are also invited to lift your voice in a community sing sure to lift your spirit! The concert is free, though donations will be collected to benefit a local non-profit.
NWU Jazz Ensemble & Jazz Choir
Monday, April 22 at 7 p.m.
O’Donnell Auditorium, Vance D. Rogers Center for Fine Arts
FREE – no reservation required
The Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Choir team up to entertain friends and families with varied repertoire.
NWU Commencement
Saturday, May 4
The Department joins the rest of the University in celebrating the achievement of our graduates! The University Choir will sing for the Baccalaureate service at First United Methodist Church, and the Symphonic Band will play before and during the Commencement Ceremony in Abel Stadium.
More information about Commencement can be found on the Commencement 2024 page.
Lead Us on to the Light – Nebraska Wesleyan University Choir Tour
May 5 at 7 p.m. Sacred Heart Cathedral, Salina, KS
May 6 at 7 p.m. First Presbyterian Church, Kirkwood, MO
May 7 at 7 p.m. Idlewild Presbyterian Church, Memphis, TN
May 9 at 7 p.m. St. Andrew Lutheran Church, Franklin, TN
May 10 at 7 p.m. Manchester United Methodist Church, Manchester, MO
May 11 at 7:30 p.m. First-Plymouth Church, Lincoln, NE
As they travel to visit the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, the Nebraska Wesleyan University Choir and Jazz Choir bring a message of hope to audiences in Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri and Tennessee. Inspired by a phrase from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s favorite hymn ("...lead me on to the light"), this eclectic and engaging program features music by Rosephanye Powell, Moses Hogan, Maurice Duruflé, Heinrich Schütz, and Dolly Parton. Tom Trenney's arrangement of "We Shall Overcome" and U2's haunting "MLK" are sure to be highlights of this powerful program.
Please check this page often for updates, or follow "Nebraska Wesleyan University Music Department" on Facebook and Instagram or use #nwuintune.