Contemporary groups close 2015-2016 music season

Three university ensembles will perform on Thursday, April 28

If you missed this year’s Contemporary Music Festival, or are wondering where you can see your campus ensembles perform more of your modern favorites, the Department of Music will be hosting one final performance of the University Jazz Bands, Maverick Elision and Maverick Fusion Vocal Groups, and instrumental combos on Thursday, April 28 at 7:30 p.m. in Halling Recital Hall of the Earley Center for the Performing Arts.

Dr. Douglas Snapp, Director of Jazz Studies, and undergraduate Mr. Adam Maurer direct the groups. This end of the academic school year concert will feature a variety of popular and contemporary music.

The Jazz Mavericks Big Band will perform Pat Methany’s Minuano, a high energy Latin flavored piece along with Stevie Wonder’s Superstition and the Herbie Hancock fusion piece, Chameleon.
The competitive acapella ensemble, Maverick Elision, will be performing Carrie Underwood’s Blown Away. Maverick Elision recently performed in the SingStrongDC vocal festival in Washington, D.C. on April 1. Recognized as one of the top groups of the evening, the team received critiques from three professionals in the field, who talked about its great blend, outstanding soloists and fine choice of repertoire that highlighted the many talented vocalists in the group.

The vocal ensemble, Maverick Fusion, will perform Imagine Dragons’ Radioactive and David Guetta’s Titanium. This academic year, Maverick Fusion has explored a great variety of contemporary music, along with throwback favorites such as September by Earth, Wind, and Fire, and Toto’s Africa.

“I’m incredibly grateful to have been able to be a part of this group,” says Maverick Fusion member Ally Christiansen. “It has taught me a lot about music and how to function as a part of a different kind of group other than choral. It’s been so much fun getting to know the wonderful people in this group and being able to make music with them. It’s a very special feeling.”

“Being in this acappella group has been a completely new experience for me, since I had never participated in one before,” says Ana Levya, who is also a member of Maverick Fusion. “What I enjoy the most is the incredibly talented people I’ve met through this group who are there to make music and have a good time just like me. It’s sad to know we’re nearing the end of this year since many of our members will be leaving us. However, we’ve had many incredible moments that I believe we will all cherish even as time passes by and we all go our separate ways.”

Levya and Christiansen will be featured soloists in the upcoming concert, and say the ensembles are just as excited about the music as the audience will be.

“The music we’re singing at this concert is so much fun and the exact kind of music that I think most people can jump right into and have fun,” said Christiansen. “I think that it’s going to be so much fun to get up on stage and show the audience what we’ve got and how hard we’ve all worked!”

Be sure to come out and support your campus ensembles for their final concert of the academic year, and if you are interested in auditioning for any of MNSU’s ensembles for the 2016-2017 academic year, visit mnsu.edu/music to view a list of ensembles and get into contact with the correct faculty!

Concert admission is $9 for community members and $7 for students with a valid MavCARD. Discount tickets are available online for University students. Advance purchase is strongly encouraged. Those who wish to purchase tickets online should go to www.mnsu.edu/music. For more information, call the Performance Series office, (507) 389-5549.