Posted September 28, 2016
DAYTON, OH (September 28, 2016) – On Sunday, October 16, 2016 at 3 p.m. in the Mead Theatre of the Schuster Center, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra (DPO) will present Gandolfi’s Cosmic Garden, the first concert in the Dr. Charles and Patricia Demirjian 2016–2017 Classical Connections Season. In the unique Connections format of first-half description and explanation and second-half performance, DPO Artistic Director Neal Gittleman gives the audience unique insight into the composer, the music, and the interpretation. Supporting Sponsor for the Classical Connections Series is Graeter’s.
For the fourth year in a row, Dayton Performing Arts Alliance is pleased to partner with the University of Dayton and its unique and innovative Arts Immersion initiative. Sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences, the Office of the Provost and the Office of the President, all first-year students at the University of Dayton enrolled in a Humanities Commons course will attend this performance of Gandolfi’s Cosmic Garden as their Arts Immersion Experience for the 2016-2017 academic year. To further enhance learning and engage students, University faculty teaching Humanities Commons courses will incorporate aspects of the performance through the lens of their disciplines and into their courses.
“Working with the University allows our performances to have an impact that goes well beyond a single weekend, as the academic collaboration provides context for and connections to the chosen work that would not otherwise be possible,” said Paul Helfrich, President and CEO of Dayton Performing Arts Alliance. “In this way, the entire community will have a richer, deeper experience, including existing audiences of the performing arts, as well as the entire first-year class at the University.”
The partnership between Dayton Performing Arts Alliance (DPAA) and the University of Dayton is now in its fourth year. The collaboration of these two organizations was inspired in 2013 by the 100th anniversary of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring and the compelling challenges of advancing global human rights in the 21st century. The Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra performed Stravinsky’s work on its 2013-2014 Premier Health Classical Concert Series in September 2013, and more than 1,200 first-year University of Dayton students attended the concert as their First-Year Arts Immersion Experience.
In DPAA’s 2014-2015 Signature Season, University students examined the many social issues involved in Dayton Opera’s groundbreaking and thought-provoking production of Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking, presented in February 2015. DPAA’s 2015-2016 Ascend Season welcomed University of Dayton students to Dayton Ballet’s April 2016 performance of Romeo and Juliet, through which students were given the opportunity to reflect on the many topics inherent in the story and the history of Sergei Prokofiev’s famous story ballet. This season, University of Dayton Students will take a unique journey through Gandolfi’s Garden of Cosmic Speculation, where they are invited to make their own connections between the worlds of art, nature, science, and music.
A casual Question-and-Answer session follows the concert. Concertgoers are invited to enjoy a free scoop of ice-cream from Graeter’s following the performance.
Although much of the Mead theatre will be filled with students from the University of Dayton, there are still a limited number of tickets in limited price points available for this performance. Tickets for Gandolfi’s Cosmic Garden can be ordered by calling Ticket Center Stage (937) 228-3630 or online at www.daytonperformingarts.org. Senior, teacher and military discounts are available at the box office. For more information or to order subscriptions, including flexible subscription types that include performances by Dayton Philharmonic, Dayton Opera and Dayton Ballet, visit www.daytonperformingarts.org.