This Da Vinci's code is all about variety, music appreciation
Famed string ensemble the DaVinci Quartet is coming to Tufts, and their approach to music is every bit as dynamic and engaging as DaVinci's painting was.
The Colorado-based quartet has been recognized internationally for their instrumental prowess and their dedication to community service through music education programs.
This Wednesday, the group brings their eclectic talent to the Parlour on Professor's Row where they will showcase an eclectic repertoire that ranges from classical to contemporary. The performance pieces will include "Written in the Wind" (String Quartet No. 2) from Tufts' own Associate Professor of Music John McDonald.
Berklee College of Music Professor Andrew List's "String Quartet No. 4" will also be played. List dedicates his piece to the Quartet and explained that his composition is designed in three movements.
It is a piece with a great deal of personal resonance that encompasses the complex emotions that come with what List terms the "discovery of new love."
McDonald, a world-renowned musician and composer whose work has been performed on four continents, offers his composition, written as a gift in honor of Tufts professor emeritus Daniel Abbott in 1997. "My quartet was meant as something for him [Abbott] to play with fellow musician friends in his retirement."
"Nevertheless, it requires some athleticism, especially from the violist," he said.
Visit the Parlour at noon on Wednesday to see if acclaimed Da Vinci violist Leslie Perna is up to the task; light refreshments will be served and admission is free.
Waging wars over water
Captain Planet would be proud! This Thursday, EPIIC (Education for Public Inquiry and International Citizenship) will screen an award-winning film whose focus is one of the most basic components of life: water.
An, extension of Epic's 2004-2005 "Oil and Water" Symposium program, "Thirst" is a hard-hitting inquiry into the ethics of water distribution. From the United States, to Bolivia, to India, "Thirst" looks at regional battles in specific communities where public access to water is threatened by the privatization of water facilities.
Although nuclear warheads and oil seem to have been given more prominence recently as far as hotly contested natural resources go, water still remains a precious commodity that, despite its status as a basic necessity, is tightly controlled by corporations often at the expense of the health of millions.
The film will be shown in the Crane Room at 7:00 p.m. and admission is free.
'Arrivederci, Tufts!' and 'Benvenuto a Italia!'
With Spring Break right around the corner, everybody is busily making travel plans, and the Tufts Chorale and Chamber Singers are no exception. This Sunday, members of the Chorale and Chamber Singers will embark on a one-week trip to Italy that includes stops in Naples, Capri and Pompeii, in addition to three concerts in Sorrento.
This Thursday, the choruses will come together for a special sneak peek of their Spring Break tour, appropriately titled "Arrivederci!" Andrew Clark, a professor in the Music Department and conductor of both groups, describes the collaboration concert as a three-part program that "offers a little bit of everything for everybody," ranging from early Italian pieces to modern American songs to the music for a Mass written by famed Czech composer Anton Dvorak.
"It's a really exciting time to be a member of or in the audience for the Tufts choruses," Clark says. "We're not only bigger [than in past years] but our artistic performance continues to improve to very exciting new levels."
He encourages attendance by adding, "Hopefully, our audience on Thursday will hear something familiar and be introduced to something new at the same time."
"Arrivederci!" beings at 8:00 p.m. in Alumnae Hall and admission is free.
-compiled by Kelly Rizzetta
