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Musicians celebrate 100 years of Copland

left-right:  Violinists Kirsty Barnett and Amanda Gates, and pianist Lee Jordan- Anders celebrate Aaron Copland’s music during a concert in the Hofheimer Theater.

By Kim Cuneo

The lively spirit of Aaron Copland’s music was captured by the musicians who performed his works in the Hofheimer Theater on Saturday, October 2. Lee Jordan-Anders, Wesleyan’s Artist-in-Residence and associate professor of music, was joined by members of the Virginia Symphony, and dancers from the Virginia Ballet Theater in presenting a "Copland Celebration."

The audience of approximately 100 people was given the opportunity to hear some of Copland’s more well-known music, as well as some less-performed music. Jordan-Anders first performed "Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo," which are for solo piano. On the third episode, she was joined by five dancers from the Virginia Ballet Theater: Beth Blachman, Elyse Cardon, Liz Smith, Camilo Rodriguez, and Todd Rosenlieb. Rosenlieb choreographed the piece, entitled "Saturday-Night Waltz." The dancers were a spirited addition, and more than appropriate, since Rodeo was originally a ballet.

The final episode from this work was "Hoe-Down," a lively, boisterous piece of music. Its folk-like melodies are characteristic of Copland, who incorporated American folk-song material into his music, creating "music for the people." Jordan-Anders captured the energetic rhythm and mood of Copland’s music in these four piano pieces. In the next piece of music, Jordan-Anders was joined by two violinists, Kirsty Barnett and Amanda Gates, cellist Michael Daniels, violist Beverly Baker, and clarinetist Beverly Baker. They performed a "Sextet" in three movements. The music was a beautiful stream of melody explored by each instrument.

The final piece of music was a "Piano Quartet," played by Jordan-Anders, Barnett, Gates and Daniels. The pieces all varied in content and style, and provided the listeners with an enjoyable selection of Copland’s repetoir. When Jordan-Anders was asked which piece she enjoyed playing the most, she responded with, "The one I’m working on at the moment." She expressed a love of Copland’s music, and simply could not decide which piece was her favorite. "It’s like choosing your favorite child... How do you know which one to pick!"
Artist-in-Residence Lee Jordan-Anders