Category: Performances

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.

Wichita State’s Opera Theater, under the direction of Alan Held, College of Fine Arts director of opera studies, will present its annual Opera Scenes program at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 11 and at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 13 at Wiedemann Hall. This annual, one-hour program features WSU students in various scenes from the operatic canon. Selections will be heard from “Lucia di Lammermoor,” “La Boheme,” “Das Rheingold,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Don Carlo,” “Le Nozze di Figaro,” “Carmen,” “Der Rosenkavalier,” “Susannah” and “Orpheus in the Underworld.”

For tickets or discounted tickets, contact the WSU College of Fine Arts Box Office at at 316-978-3233 or visit the online tick office.

Lynne Davis, who suffered a hand injury in October 2021, will perform again on the Marcussen organ at 5:15 p.m. today, March 2 at Wiedemann Hall. The event is free and open to the campus community with live-streaming also available on the Wichita State School of Music Facebook page.

Wichita State Choral Activities will host its last Candlelight Concert at 7:30 p.m. tonight, Nov. 30 at Wiedemann Hall. The event features traditional sounds of the holiday season and audience sing-a-longs presented by the Concert Chorale, Madrigal Singers, Shocker Choir and Wu Choir. 

The Nov. 30 concert will also air on the Smoky Hills PBS at 5 p.m. Dec. 25. Streaming access to the performance will also be available on the Smoky Hills PBS YouTube channel beginning Dec. 25.

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.

Wichita State University’s School of Performing Arts presents “Love’s Labor’s Lost.” Showtimes for performance will be 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 18-20 and 2 p.m. Sunday Nov. 21.

“Love’s Labor’s Lost” is a lighthearted comedy by William Shakespeare. In the story, the King of Navarre and his three companions commit to a life of study and self-improvement for three years. To help them keep their oath, the king demands that all women must remain at least a mile from the court. As the king and his men are settling down to a life of study, the princess of France and her three ladies-in-waiting arrive. The women are forced to camp a mile away, but it isn’t long before the king and his men find themselves falling for the charms of the ladies, and their carefully laid plans are soon abandoned.

To reserve a seat, contact the WSU Box Office at 316-978-3233 or visit the WSU College of Fine Arts Box Office.

The great Hungarian organist, Balint Karosi, will be performing for the Rie Bloomfield Organ Series as its Distinguished Guest Artist at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 9 in Wiedemann Hall on the great Marcussen pipe organ. His program includes Bach, Liszt, Reger and Karosi and a unique Improvisation by the artist. A live audience is expected, and masks will be required.

The event will also be live-streamed on the WSU School of Music Facebook page.

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.

The brothers of Chi Sigma Tau will host their seventh annual philanthropic event, Stroll for Tomorrow, 7-9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13 Campus Activities Center Theater. All proceeds from the event will be donated to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Strolling is a traditional, synchronized line dance performed by members of Greek organizations. National Panhellenic Council and Multicultural Greek Council teams from Wichita State and other universities will compete for a grand prize of $500 and the title of best strolling team in the Midwest.

Tickets can be purchased in advance for $8 from a Chi Sigma Tau brother, at the Rhatigan Student Center Shocker Store or online. Tickets can also be purchased the day of at the door for $10.

The WuChoir and ShockerChoir concert, originally scheduled for Oct. 7, has been rescheduled to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 14 at Wiedemann Hall.

Tickets for the Oct. 7 concert will be honored Oct. 14. Wichita State students can receive one free ticket with their WSU ID, or purchase tickets 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the College of Fine Arts Box Office located in the Duerksen Fine Arts Center. Tickets can also be purchased online.