Author: Mark Laycock

Six student soloists will combine with Wichita State’s Symphony Orchestra for the annual Concerto-Aria Concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22 at Miller Concert Hall. The program includes music by Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Richard Strauss, Kabalevsky, Donizetti, Gounod, Eric Ewazen, and Frank Martin. Director of orchestras Mark Laycock will lead the performance.

Chosen by competitive auditions, the soloists include I-Cheng Che, marimba; Kathryn Ensey, flute; Anne Yap I-Shyuen, piano; Ethan Manlove, tenor; Madison Roths, soprano; and Tyler Tuncy, horn. Graduate student conductor Clem Pearson and guest conductor Dr. Nathaniel Parker from Kennesaw State University will also appear.

WSU students with ID will be admitted free. Tickets are $12 with discounts available. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the WSU Fine Arts Box Office at 316-978-3233 or visit the Fine Arts Box Office website.

The Wichita State University Symphony Orchestra invites the campus community to sing portions of George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 19 at Wiedemann Hall. The concert will be led by Dr. Mark Laycock, College of Fine Arts director of Orchestra and Strings.

An annual tradition in many communities, the “Messiah” sing-along will focus on the Christmas portion of Handel’s beloved oratorio. Concert-goers are encouraged to sit in their vocal section—soprano, alto, tenor or bass—and join in singing choruses such as  “And the Glory of the Lord,” “For unto Us a Child Is Born,” “Glory to God” and “Hallelujah.”

The concert will also feature Dr. Dean Roush, College of Fine Arts director of Musicology-Composition, accompanying the songs on the Marcussen organ. Seven student-soloists, all majoring in voice, will perform arias and recitatives.

Audience members are encouraged to bring copies of vocal scores; however, music for the choruses will be provided. Attendees also have the option of enjoying the concert as observers. Masks are required.

Tickets are $12 for general admission with discounts available and may be purchased at Fine Arts Box Office by contacting 316-978-3233 or by visiting the WSU College of Fine Arts Box Office website. For more, contact 316- 978-6202 or mark.laycock@wichita.edu.

Faculty artist Michael Sylvester, a renowned tenor who has sung leading roles in the major opera houses worldwide, will appear as soloist with the Wichita State Symphony Orchestra at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 26, at the Miller Concert Hall. The program, featuring music by Brahms, Richard Strauss, and Gilbert and Sullivan, will be conducted by Dr. Mark Laycock, College of Fine Arts director of Orchestra and Strings.

Widely considered one of the finest lyric spinto tenors of his generation, Sylvester will sing five selections: “Traum durch die Dämmerung” and “Zueignung,” two Lieder by Richard Strauss; “Besame Mucho” by Consuelo Velázquez; “On the Street Where You Live” from the Lerner and Loewe musical “My Fair Lady;” and “When I Was a Lad” from the Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera “H.M.S. Pinafore.”

The program also features Johannes Brahms’s Symphony “No. 1 in C Minor.” The composer, struggling in the shadow of Beethoven, tried in vain for over a decade to craft his first symphonic effort. The dramatic result displays Brahms’s preferences for dense, soulful lyricism and rhythmic complexity. As in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, the centerpiece of the final movement is a bright, songlike melody

WSU students will valid university ID will not be charged for admission. Tickets for the event are $12, with discounts available. For more information, contact 316-978-3233 or the WSU Fine Arts Box Office.

Aaron Robinson, Wichita State University College of Fine Arts School Of Music adjunct instructor of oboe and Wichita Symphony Orchestra second oboe, will appear as a soloist with the WSU Symphony Orchestra at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 14 at Miller Concert Hall located in the Duerksen Fine Arts Center.

The program, featuring music by Ludwig van Beethoven, Cesar Franck and Vaughan Williams, will be conducted by Mark Laycock, WSU CFA School of Music director of orchestra and strings. Robinson has performed with the Kansas City Symphony, Dearborn Symphony, and Michigan Philharmonic.

Admission is free for students with a valid WSU ID. All other tickets are $12. For more information, contact  the WSU Fine Arts Box Office 316-978-3233.