Rhapsodies in Blue at Eisemann Center

Shades of blue representing Earth and one of Gershwin’s most iconic works are celebrated as the Lone Star Wind Orchestra (LSWO) rings in the new year with Rhapsodies in Blue on Sunday, Jan. 29, at 3 p.m. at the Eisemann Center (2351 Performance Dr, Richardson, TX 75082). Under the direction of LSWO Music Director Eugene Migliaro Corporon, the three-part concert will feature a new multimedia experience of Julie Giroux’s Symphony No. 6 The Blue Marble, George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue featuring North Texas native and internationally renowned pianist Aaron Kurz, plus a performance of American composer Frank Ticheli’s work, Blue Shades. GERSHWIN’S RHAPSODY IN BLUE. Nearly 100 years after Gershwin composed Rhapsody in Blue in 1924, the LSWO and Dallas’ own lauded pianist Aaron Kurz will perform the classic masterpiece. Known for his charismatic and moving performances, Kurz, who attended Greenhill School in Addison, has captivated audiences around the world, from Carnegie Hall in New York to the Palace of Peace and Harmony in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. Kurz’s playing has also garnered acclaim in competitions, winning top prizes in the New York International Piano Competition and Los Angeles International Piano Competition, to name a few. With a belief that artists have an obligation to use their craft to improve the world, he has worked significantly in this capacity, including two years with the Van Cliburn Foundation’s “Cliburn in the Classroom,” a program that teaches classical music principles to children in underprivileged school districts. (See Kurz’s full bio at end of release.) THE BLUE MARBLE. Already cementing itself as a groundbreaking composition, Giroux’s Symphony No. 6 The Blue Marble – in collaboration with ION Concert Media – is a brand-new and innovative work which will be performed alongside awe-inspiring video and pictorials of Earth taken by Apollo 17 in 1972. Considered among the most reproduced images in history, “Blue Marble” is said to be the first full picture of the planet Earth. Inspired by the image, Giroux’s movement depicts how painstakingly small and vulnerable humanity is, yet celebrates the spirit of Earth in a variety of ways through music. BLUE SHADES. Frank Ticheli, who graduated from Berkner High School in Richardson and attended SMU, is one of America’s biggest names in composing orchestral, choral, chamber and concert band works. An award-winning composer, he lives in Los Angeles, where he is a Professor of Composition at the University of Southern California. Many of his works – including Blue Shades – are particularly notable and have become standards in concert band repertoire. The Lone Star Wind Orchestra is supported by the City of Richardson, Moody Fund for the Arts, Texas Commission on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts and TACA. For more information, go to lswo.com. ABOUT THE LONE STAR WIND ORCHESTRA The Lone Star Wind Orchestra is a non-profit arts organization founded in 2006 as a creative collaboration to further the wind orchestra as an artistic medium. The group’s mission is “music changing lives in North Texas and beyond through inspired collaborations, exceptional mentoring of musicians, unforgettable performances, and inclusive community engagement.” The nonprofit also operates the Lone Star Youth Winds, made up of 60 of the most outstanding woodwind, brass and percussion players in grades 9-12, selected from across North Texas. The Lone Star Wind Orchestra’s education and outreach programs include the St. Philip’s Percussion Ensemble, an after-school program where children in southern Dallas explore music and technique through the lens of the African Diaspora, and Lone Star Kids, which bring students face to face and behind the scenes with top musicians, composers and conductors. In response to COVID-19, Lone Star Conversations was created to give young people virtual access to leading composers and conductors. Learn more at lswo.com.