Aspen Ensemble in Residence at UB, Nov. 3-4
October 13, 2014
Contact: University Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739
The University of Baltimore will welcome the Aspen Spring Trio for its fifth consecutive ensemble-in-residency at UB on Nov. 3-4. The internationally acclaimed group will perform a concert, "Degenerate Composers: Hans Gal, Gideon Klein, and Hans Krasa," as a part of the Spotlight UB Performing Arts Series on Tuesday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. in the UB Student Center's Wright Theater, 21 W. Mt. Royal Ave. Additionally, the Aspen String Trio musicians will provide music, creative writing, acting and other educational opportunities to UB students.
"Our weeks of residency at the University of Baltimore continue to become more meaningful to us," says Victoria Chiang, violist for the trio. "We have always loved playing our concerts in the beautiful hall at the Student Center. For our ensemble, the performances have enabled us to explore interesting programs and push the boundaries of our repertoire."
UB undergraduate and graduate students studying the arts, business, math and other topics will benefit fro the Aspen String trio's presence on campus. This semester's course offerings include Algebra, Arts and Ideas, Performing Monologues, Arts 101, and MFA Creative Writing classes. The concert program will engage students in conversations of narrative.
During the Third Reich, any music written by composers who were known to be Jewish, communist, or influenced by modern musical forms like jazz were considered decadent and degrading to the Nazi idea of racial purity and progress. These artists and their work came to be known as "degenerate." Many artists who were labeled degenerate had their work banned by the government, were forced to flee Germany and Nazi-occupied parts of Europe, or faced deportation to concentration camps. Hans Gal escaped Nazi-occupied Austria and eventually settled in Scotland. Gideon Klein continued to perform piano under an alias before he was arrested and sent to Furstengrube concentration camp, where he died. Hans Krasa produced his subversive opera for children, Brundibar, dozens of times while he lived in the Thereseinstadt ghetto; he was later killed at Auschwitz. Though the livelihoods of each of these composers were shut down by fascism, they continued to create and perform through their subjugation. Their legacies survived Nazism and prove that art cannot be stopped by censorship or event death.
WBJC radio personality Jonathan Palevsky will supply intriguing historical context to the Aspen String Trio's residency at UB. He has partnered with the group for many years to educate audiences and facilitate conversation.
After 20 years of friendship and music-making, Aspen String Trio members David Perry, Victoria Chiang, and Michael Mermagen have joined together as an ensemble with magical synergy. Each of these world-class instrumentalists has a long-time association as artist-faculty with the Aspen Music Festival; combined they have performed across the globe in some of the world's most prestigious venues. Recent and upcoming performances and residencies include Chicago, Arlington and Waco, Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, the University of Delaware, and Baltimore. The trio has a notable recording project coming soon, which includes the string trios and other music of Martinu.
Tickets for the Aspen Trio performance at UB are $15 general admission, $10 for seniors and UB faculty and staff, and $5 for UB students and alumni. Tickets can be purchased at www.etix.com (search for "University of Baltimore).
For more information about Spotlight UB, go here or send an e-mail to spotlightub@ubalt.edu.
The University of Baltimore is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the College of Public Affairs, the Merrick School of Business, the UB School of Law and the Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences.