The 2017-2018 Wittenberg Series will continue with Seraph Brass in concert beginning at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 25, in historic Weaver Chapel.
Seraph Brass is a dynamic brass quintet drawing from a roster of America’s top female brass players. Committed to engaging audiences with captivating programming, Seraph Brass presents a diverse repertoire that includes original transcriptions, newly commissioned works and well-known classics.
Recently, Seraph Brass commissioned and premiered “Wolf” for solo soprano and brass quintet from Philadelphia-based composer Joseph Hallman and has had several arrangements made by trumpeter Jeff Luke and composer Thomas Oltarzewski. Seraph Brass will commission and premiere new works by American composers Rene Orth and Catherine McMichael this season.
Current members of Seraph Brass include trumpeters Mary Elizabeth Bowden, Amy McCabe, Raquel Rodriquez, Katie Miller and Jean Laurenz; trombonists Hana Beloglavec and Donna Parkes; tuba players Joanna Ross Hersey and Gretchen Renshaw; and Rachel Velvikis on the horn.
The group has performed with such esteemed ensembles as the New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, Musicians from Marlboro, the Luzern Music Festival in Switzerland, National Symphony, Brass Band of Battle Creek, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Daejeon Philharmonic in Korea, and the Auckland Philharmonia in New Zealand.
Members hold positions in the Richmond Symphony, the Louisville Orchestra, Sarasota Opera Orchestra, the Artosphere Orchestra, New Chicago Brass, Tennessee Tech University, and the University of Virginia.
Enthusiastic about education, Seraph Brass has developed strong relationships with Venezuelan “El Sistema” programs in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., performing fundraising concerts for Play-On Philly! and Bridges: Music Through Harmony. The group often teaches master classes at several esteemed universities. Members of Seraph Brass performed with Adele on her 2016 tour.
Wittenberg brass students will have an opportunity to play pieces for members of Seraph Brass during a master class in Krieg Recital Hall at 3:30 p.m. to receive instruction and critique by group. The class is open to the public.
Now in its 35th year, the Wittenberg Series brings distinguished lecturers and performing artists of national and international prominence to the Wittenberg campus and Springfield community. To make special arrangements, request a Series poster, or become a friend of the Wittenberg Series, contact Lisa Watson at WatsonL4@wittenberg.edu. All Wittenberg Series events are free and open to the public.
Additional 2017-2018 Wittenberg Series Events:
- Wednesday, Oct. 25: Kenneth H. Sauer Luther Symposium, 7:30 p.m., Bayley Auditorium featuring Dr. Joy Schroeder, Trinity Lutheran Seminary. Q & A, 3:30 p.m., Weaver Chapel.
- Sunday, Oct. 29: Reformation Service, 7:30 p.m. in Weaver Chapel (music begins at 7 p.m.).
- Monday, Oct. 30: Fred R. Leventhal Family Lecture, 7:30 p.m., Pam Evans Smith Arena featuring New York Times best-selling author, JD Vance.
- Tuesday, Nov. 14: Allen J. Koppenhaver Literary Lecture, 7:30 p.m., Bayley Auditorium featuring Iraqi poet Dunya Mikhail. Colloquium, 4:30 p.m., Bayley Auditorium.
- Friday, Dec. 8: Lessons and Carols, 7:30 p.m. (Pre-service at 7 p.m.), Weaver Chapel.
- Monday, Jan. 15, 2018: Martin Luther King, Jr. Convocation, 11:15 a.m., Weaver Chapel, featuring Bernadette Evans '89, community activist and author. Q & A, 3:30 p.m., 105 Joseph C. Shouvlin Center for Lifelong Learning.
- Monday & Tuesday, Feb. 5-6, 2018: Visual Arts Residency, 7:30 p.m., Springfield City School District's John Legend Theater at The Dome with documentary filmmaker, Elisabeth Haviland James. In celebration of Black History Month, there will be screenings of the films Althea (Monday) and The Loving Story (Tuesday).
- Wednesday, March 21, 2018: IBM Endowed Lecture in the Sciences, 7:30 p.m., Bayley Auditorium featuring evolutionary biologist Dr. Sean B. Carroll. Colloquium, 4 p.m., Bayley Auditorium.
- Friday, March 26, 2018: William A. Kinnison Endowed Lecture, 7:30 p.m., Weaver Chapel, featuring Annette Gordon-Reed, Charles Warren Professor of American Legal History at Harvard University and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family.
For more information on the Wittenberg Series, click here.
