Upcoming Events

Follow us on Facebook to stay informed of all the latest music news. Please be advised that due to the ongoing situation around COVID, that this schedule is subject to change. Please see the Colby Campus Visitor policy for up to date information. All of our concerts are free and open to the public; tickets are not required unless noted otherwise.

J.S. Bach: The Art Of Fugue, BWV 1080

Fr. Sean Duggan, OSB, piano
Sunday, March 5, Noon
Lorimer Chapel

(Funded by the Freda M. Charles Music Fund)

Bach’s last great keyboard masterpiece will be performed by pianist Fr. Sean Duggan, OSB. This gigantic work consists of 14 fugues and four canons, all based on a single theme. Bach was in the midst of preparing it for publication when he died in 1750, leaving the final (14th) fugue incomplete. It has often been referred to not only as a stupendous musical composition but also as “one of the truly great creations of the human mind.” Because of its sheer complexity, it is not often performed live in its entirety, especially by pianists (more often by harpsichordists, organists, or in chamber ensemble arrangements). And yet, this piece is a moving testimony to Bach’s inner spirit as well as to his towering compositional genius—music full of passion and emotional expression. An opportunity to hear it performed in a live concert setting should not be missed.

CANCELLED — 20th and 21st Century

Colby Symphony Orchestra
Director, Jinwook Park
Saturday, March 11, 7:30 p.m.
Lorimer Chapel

This concert features two programmatic works by percussionist and Assistant Professor of Music José Martínez. Florence Price’s Third Symphony, a work that blends the composer’s unique voice with hints of Wagner and Shostakovich will close this dynamic concert.

To America

Colby Wind Ensemble
Director, Brendon Wilkins
Saturday, April 1, 7:30 p.m.
Lorimer Chapel

This program pays homage to America with two major works from the 20th and 21st century. American Hymn Song Suite by Dwayne S. Milburn, a piece for wind band that features four of America’s greatest hymn tunes, and Variations on America, a staple of the wind ensemble repertoire by American composer Charles Ives will close the concert in spectacular fashion. 

Music, She Wrote

Colby Collegium
Director, Néviton Barros
Saturday, April 8, 7:30 p.m.

Greene Block + Studios

The Colby Collegium presents a concert of works by women composers. The program will feature works by Fanny Mendelssohn and others that have been overlooked and under-performed for generations, and also explore exciting new works by living women composers. 

East Coast and West Coast

Colby Jazz Band
Director, Brendon Wilkins
Saturday, April 15, 7:30 p.m.
Given Auditorium

The Colby Jazz Ensemble continues its exploration of musical styles with work from arrangers and composers from coast to coast. Bill Holman’s arrangement of “Stompin’ at the Savoy” will immerse the listener in the sound of the Stan Kenton Big Band, and Toshiko Akiyoshi’s exciting samba “Deracinated Flower” will infuse the night with Latin energy. 

Mexico; A Musical Journey

Cuarteto Latinoamericano
Saturday, April 22, 7:30 p.m.
Lorimer Chapel

(Funded by the Ermanno Comparetti Concert Fund)

In this unique concert, the Latin Grammy Award-winning Cuarteto Latinoamericano and scholar Benjamin Juarez, professor emeritus at Boston University, explore connections in Mexican visual art, history, and culture through the music of six iconic composers alongside a narrated multimedia presentation of paintings ranging from artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera to artists of today.

Choral Masterworks

Colby Symphony Orchestra
Director, Jinwook Park
Choirs at Colby
Néviton Barros, Director
Saturday, April 29, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 30, 3 p.m.
Lorimer Chapel

The final concert of the season will feature two masterworks by Schubert, the Unfinished Symphony and the Stabat Mater in F Minor, D. 383. In the concluding choral work—the heartfelt Stabat Mater—Néviton Barros will lead the Colby Chorale and Colby Kennebec Chorale with the CSO to bring back this wonderful tradition of collaboration between our ensembles.

 

 

All performances begin at noon at referenced locations in the Colby College Museum of Art or the Greene Block + Studios

Welcome Fall 2022: Colby Jazz Collective + Fall Exhibitions

Tues., Sept. 20
Paul J. Schupf Wing for the Works of Alex Katz 

Join the Colby College Museum of Art and the Music Department for a fall celebration of music and art. We’ll kick off our Music in the Museum series with an outdoor performance by the Colby Jazz Collective, featuring Colby music department faculty playing a collection of well-known tunes from the standard Jazz repertoire. Visit the Museum’s special exhibitions—Alex Katz: Theater and Dance, All in One: Selections from the Katz Foundation Collection, Andrew Wyeth: Life and Death, and Sarah Cain: hand in hand. Enjoy food and drink, gallery conversations, self-guided poetry prompts, art-making projects, and more.

BOOM—Baroque Orchestra of Maine

Wed., Oct. 12
Paul J. Schupf Wing for the Works of Alex Katz 

(Funded in part by the Hazel Hoyt Witherell Memorial Concert Fund)

At this program, BOOM-Baroque Orchestra of Maine will perform J.H. Schmeltzer’s Ciaconna in A and violin solo and ensemble works by Nicola Matteis (?-post 1713). Solos for archlute by Piccinini and Galilei round out the program.

From the Shakuhachi to the Modern Flute: a Timeless and Cross-Cultural Tradition

Fri., Nov. 4
Lower Jetté Gallery

The shakuhachi is a relatively obscure end-blown, bamboo flute; yet it produces perhaps the most quintessential sound associated with Japanese traditional music. The shakuhachi has in turn been a great inspiration upon several contemporary composers of works for the modern flute. Sixth-generation shakuhachi grand master Hanzaburo Araki and flutist Nicole Rabata will present both traditional shakuhachi and modern flute works.

Meadowlark Trio at Greene Block + Studios

Fri., March 10
Greene Block + Studios, Downtown Waterville

A program from a Boston-based piano trio that explores three centuries of art music and popular music from America, China, and Germany.

Duo Edelen – Baroque Seminar and Lecture Recital

Wed., April 12
Paul J. Schupf Wing for the Works of Alex Katz 

A seminar presentation in a lecture recital format in which the audience will receive an introduction and demonstration of the essential elements of Baroque performance and interpretation. 

 

Wache

Gaitas y Tambores: Colombian Roots From the Caribbean Coast
Saturday, Oct. 15, 7:30 p.m.
Greene Block + Studios, downtown Waterville

(Funded by the Robert J. Strider Concert Fund)

Wache brings you the ancestral sounds of Gaita flutes, tambores (traditional hand drums), and  call-and-response vocals for a lively trip to the Caribbean coast of Colombia! Join Wache as they explore the roots of Cumbia, Porro, and other traditional Colombian rhythms that celebrate community, love, and life through music.

MasterWorks

Colby Symphony Orchestra
Director, Jinwook Park
Saturday, Oct. 22, 7:30 p.m.
Lorimer Chapel

The Colby Symphony Orchestra performs masterworks from the 19th century. Mendelssohn’s evocative Hebrides Overture begins the program, but Debussy’s delightful Petite Suite is the real amuse-bouche. The program concludes with Dvořák’s Eighth Symphony.

Movements

Colby Wind Ensemble
Director, Brendon Wilkins
Saturday Nov. 5, 7:30 p.m.
Lorimer Chapel

The Colby Wind Ensemble starts the year with an exciting program under the baton of their new director, Brendon Wilkins. This concert will feature a variety of works from the wind band repertoire, including Mark Camphouse’s A Movement for Rosa, a moving work written to honor the contributions of Rosa Parks to the civil rights movement. 

New Beginnings

Choirs at Colby
Director, Néviton Barros
Saturday, Nov. 12, 7:30 p.m.
Lorimer Chapel

Néviton Barros, the new director of the Colby Choral programs, will lead the Chorale and Collegium in a joyous program of music about beginnings. The program concludes with John Leavitt’s stirring Missa Festiva.

Big Band Staples

Colby Jazz Band
Director, Brendon Wilkins
Saturday, Nov. 19, 7:30 p.m.
Given Auditorium

Swing has been a key element of jazz music for many years. Drawing from the swinging big band tradition, this concert features Sammy Nestico’s “A Warm Breeze” and works by Horace Silker and Chuck Sayre. An eclectic selection of works from other musical styles will be sure to appeal to everyone in the audience. 

Movie and Ballet

Colby Symphony Orchestra
Director, Jinwook Park
Saturday, Dec. 3, 7:30 p.m.
Lorimer Chapel

The season continues with a concert of movie and ballet music, beginning with Fauré’s Masques et Bergamasques, a work that hearkens back to the celebratory masques of the 16th and 17th centuries, John Williams’ powerful score from Schindler’s List, and the sweet, delightful wonder of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a.

Celebration of World Music

Director, Tyler Yamin
Saturday, Dec. 10, 7:30 p.m.
Lorimer Chapel

A celebration of musical traditions from around the world, all performed by Colby student ensembles. This concert includes the debut of the Colby Balinese Gamelan, a vibrant orchestra of bronze gongs and xylophones that will present a program of music and dance drawn from the repertoire of Balinese temple festivals. Our concert will also feature the master Balinese dancer Dr. I Nyoman Wenten, whose masked dances portray various characters from Balinese legends.