MSU's 4th annual ‘Stars' concert slated for Lovett
Murray State University will present its fourth annual Night of Stars concert on Nov. 29, featuring world-renowned virtuoso acoustic trio the Kruger Brothers performing with the MSU Symphonic Wind Ensemble. Held in MSU's historic Lovett Auditorium, the 7:30 p.m. concert will also feature the top two finalists of the MSU Idol Contest. Proceeds of the benefit concert will support the MSU Symphonic Wind Ensemble's invitational appearance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. in April 2009.
“It is a unique honor for us to bring these internationally acclaimed musicians to Murray State for this concert,” said Dennis Johnson, MSU director of bands and orchestra. “It will be a rare treat for our audience to hear the Kruger Brothers' rich blend of music and it will be an enriching, memorable experience for our students to play with them.”
The Nov. 29 concert will feature the Kruger Brothers and the MSU Symphonic Wind Ensemble performing the Krugers' composition Music from the Spring: A Romantic Serenade for Banjo, Guitar, Bass & Orchestra. Critical acclaim for Music from the Spring includes a review by Ellen Hathaway of The Ellsworth American who said, “There are passages that are clearly from a bluegrass tradition with a hard driving banjo rhythm and there are sweet melodic passages that only an orchestra can offer. The piece is at its best in Wilkes County Breakdown. Here the Kruger Brothers set off with a gentle melody that builds in tempo, then the orchestra enters and builds until the whole thing becomes one strong pounding rhythm which brought this audience to its feet, clapping, stomping and totally invigorated by the experience.”
The Kruger Brothers have performed together worldwide since the mid 1990s, leaving their native Switzerland to move to the United States in the fall of 2003. Their musical style reflects classical European musical influences and love of the American spirit. Since their first appearances in America in 1997, they have continually performed for enthusiastic audiences throughout the country. Their celebrated CDs include Jens Kruger's solo works, Profile and The Bridge, and the groundbreaking Carolina Scrapbook series. They are active as instructors at music camps, schools and workshops, sharing their passion for music with new generations of musicians and songwriters.
Uwe Kruger, lead vocalist and guitarist, astonishes audiences with his blend of flat and finger picking and resonant baritone voice. Jens Kruger crossed the Atlantic in 1982 where Bill Monroe introduced him to the Grand Ole Opry as the first known European banjo player. In 1986, Jens and Uwe reunited to form the Appalachian Barn Orchestra, the forerunner of the Kruger Brothers. Bassist Joel Landsberg grew up in New York City with a variety of musical influences then moved to Switzerland in 1989 as a bassist throughout Europe, where he met up with the Kruger Brothers and joined the group full time in 1995.
Haley McCuin and Chrissy Renick will perform at Night of the Stars to see who will be named the 2007 Murray State Idol. Both sophomores, the singers emerged as finalists from a recent annual talent competition featuring contestants from each of the university's eight residential colleges. McCuin represents Hester College. She is from Jackson, Tenn. Renick is from Cape Girardeau, Mo., and will represent White College.
Emcees for the Nov. 29 concert will be Erika Johnson Mehta and Paul Radke. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children under 12 and MSU students with an ID. Advance tickets are recommended and are available through Ticketmaster at http://www.ticketmaster.com/; type in Lovett Auditorium and then Night of Stars.
The Murray State Symphonic Wind Ensemble has gained a national and international reputation due to its many invitations to appear at state and national events and most recently, at the famed Carnegie Hall in New York City in spring 2005. The ensemble was also featured at the International Wind Band Conference in Manchester, England. The ensemble was selected to perform for the College Band Director's National Association Convention (CBDNA) in February 2006 and in spring 2009 will appear in a special invitational concert at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
Story created Nov 26, 2007 - 10:33:43 EST.
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