The UConn Marching Band has commissioned a brand new piece of music from composer John B. Hedges in honor of the naming of the Pratt and Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. Written for UConn School of Fine Arts’s own professor and world renowned violinist Solomiya Ivakhiv, this piece, “Spiral,” is inspired by the Pratt and Whitney jet engine. This combination of solo electric violin and the marching band will be performed at halftime of the UConn vs. Villanova football game on Thursday!
Author: Ali Johnson
David Dzubay Wins Sackler Composition Prize
Composer David Dzubay has been named the recipient of the 11th Raymond and Beverly Sackler Music Composition Prize presented by the University of Connecticut, a $25,000 award to compose a new work for a specific area of musical arts that will be performed by UConn students and faculty and recorded.
Dzubay, who is chair of the composition department and director of the New Music Ensemble at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, will be composing a concerto for flute and violin with wind ensemble, with the working title “Rapprochement.” The work will debut with performances in March 2017 in Storrs and at UConn’s Stamford campus.
The competition, organized by the School of Fine Arts, is an international award that supports and promotes composers and the performance of their new musical works. Every second year, entrants are asked to compose a piece for a specific area of the musical arts, chosen by the head and other faculty of the music department.
The prize was established through a gift from Raymond and Beverly Sackler, major philanthropists and generous donors to UConn.
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