July 12, 2025

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

UMW Philharmonic 50th Anniversary Concert, April 16

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UMW Philharmonic Orchestra

UMW Philharmonic Orchestra

The UMW Philharmonic will present its season finale concert on Saturday, April 16 at 8 p.m., with special guest pianist and Steinway Artist Thomas Pandolfi, performing George Gershwin’s timeless Rhapsody in Blue. The Philharmonic will also present the world premiere of Brian Balmages’s Through Waterless Places, commissioned by the Friends of the UMW Philharmonic to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the orchestra. Other works will include Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture. Join us for our fourth and final performance!

The concert will take place on Saturday, April 16, from 8 to 10 p.m, in Dodd Auditorium.

Face masks are strongly encouraged for audience members, but not required.

Learn more about the performance from this story in The Free Lance-Star’s Weekender section.

UMW Presents a Palette of Pandemic-Era Arts

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Soon after the University of Mary Washington Chamber Choir performed live in the James Farmer Hall atrium last March, UMW went totally online, and singing was deemed a “super-spreader” activity. Last fall, UMW Choirs sang together again – virtually – performing In Te Domine Speravi. The new piece by composer Sarah McDonald focuses on isolation, […]

UMW Chamber Orchestra Premiere Performance, Feb. 16

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Premiere Performance of the UMW Chamber Orchestra, featuring Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Director

Sunday, February 16, 2020 at 1:00 p.m., Dodd Auditorium

The UMW Philharmonic is pleased to announce Mary Washington’s new artist-in-residence, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg! Nadja made such a positive impact on our musicians last season that we created a chamber orchestra to showcase our players. Who is going to lead this annual chamber performance? Nadja herself! An added treat: the first half will feature one of the finest high school orchestras in the nation, W. T. Woodson High School from Fairfax, Virginia.

Purchase tickets: https://umwphilharmonic.tix.com/Schedule.aspx?OrgNum=3813

Itzhak Perlman Opens UMW Philharmonic’s 2019-20 Season

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Legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman returns to perform with the UMW Philharmonic on Oct. 26. Photo by Lisa Marie Mazzucco.

Legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman returns to perform with the UMW Philharmonic on Oct. 26. Photo by Lisa Marie Mazzucco.

Legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman kicks off the UMW Philharmonic’s 49th season this fall. Concerts continue through the spring with an appearance by Mary Washington’s new artist-in-residence, as well as a tribute to American icon Norman Rockwell and an actor-led celebration of national treasures from Abraham Lincoln to America’s pastime. The series runs October through April in Dodd Auditorium.

The first artist to return to campus in the 15 years of UMW’s Celebrity Concert Series, Perlman will join the Philharmonic to perform Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto on Saturday, October 26. The program also includes Elgar’s Enigma Variations.

Read more. 

UMW Philharmonic with Violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, April 26

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The UMW Philharmonic, conducted by Kevin P. Bartram, joins violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg for a Masterworks performance of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons this Friday, April 26 at 7:30 p.m. in Dodd Auditorium. Passion, excitement and innovation are the hallmarks of this internationally acclaimed violinist’s artistry. Praised for her compelling performances, daring interpretations and electric stage presence, Salerno-Sonnenberg is renowned for her work on stage and in the recording studio. Tickets are $20-$85 and can be purchased at umwphilharmonic.com or by calling (540) 654-1324. Four Seasons flyer

UMW Philharmonic Presents “The Planets” with LeVar Burton on March 23

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UMW Philharmonic presents Gustav Holst's "The Planets" with guest narrator LeVar Burton.

UMW Philharmonic presents Gustav Holst’s “The Planets” with guest narrator LeVar Burton.

Tickets are still available for the UMW Philharmonic’s performance with guest narrator LeVar Burton on Saturday, March 23 at 7:30 p.m. in Dodd Auditorium. Star Trek‘s legendary Geordi La Forge, Mr. Burton will join Maestro Kevin Bartram at the helm in this intergalactic concert featuring Gustav Holst’s “The Planets.” Together they will go where Fredericksburg has not gone before with this and other Sci-Fi classics, including music from John Williams’ E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial score and Star Trek. Tickets are $30-$60 and can be purchased at the ticket window in Dodd Auditorium on Saturday evening.

Visit umwphilharmonic.com or call (540) 654-1324 for more information.

Bartram Leads Argentine Festival

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UMW Philharmonic Director Dr. Kevin Bartram has just returned from Argentina where he conducted a prestigious music festival. The festival, held in Isla Verde, Argentina, attracted top student and professional musicians from South America.

There were four ensembles in the festival, and Bartram directed the top group and also directed the ensemble composed of the festival professors. This was the 10th anniversary of the festival, and it received special attention and drew large local crowds.

Students, ranging from college to professional musicians, took classes each morning on their instrument, and participated in large ensemble rehearsals during the afternoon. Concerts were held each evening. “The quality of players was very high,” Bartram said. “They worked tremendously hard, and seemed to appreciate my efforts. Everyone was very friendly and dedicated to learning. Audiences for each concert demanded encores. They were so enthusiastic!”

The professional ensemble that Bartram led was composed of the festival professors who hailed from some of the top orchestras in Europe and the U.S., including the Chicago Symphony and orchestras from Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Hungary, England and more. “What an outstanding group. I was honored to lead them,” said Bartram.

Bartram’s appearance in Argentina was part of a cultural exchange program titled Ibermusicas, which brings American conductors to South America and South American conductors to the U.S. The program is organized through the College Orchestra Directors Association, which Bartram leads as National President. Argentine conductor Lucia Zicos will conduct the UMW Philharmonic in April as part of that podium exchange.

Media Contact: Rita Snyder, 540-654-1324, philharmonic@umw.edu

 

 

 

 

UMW to Host Pianist Michael Feinstein, March 14

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Legendary crooner and pianist Michael Feinstein will perform for the University of Mary Washington Philharmonic’s annual Celebrity Concert Series on Saturday, March 14 in George Washington Hall’s Dodd Auditorium. Tickets are still on sale.

 

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A multiplatinum-selling, two-time Emmy and five-time Grammy Award-nominated entertainer, Feinstein is one of the premier interpreters of American standards. Performing more than 200 shows a year, his most notable concerts have included Carnegie Hall, the Sydney Opera House and Buckingham Palace.

The Celebrity Series was established in 2002 as a vehicle for attracting major artists to UMW to perform with the orchestra. Past artists in the series have included Marvin Hamlisch, Kenny Rogers, Sir James Galway, and Itzhak Perlman.

The Philharmonic will celebrate Frank Sinatra’s 100th birthday with Feinstein by performing a Sinatra show.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit philharmonic.umw.edu or call 540-654-1324.

UMW Philharmonic Launches New Children’s Concert Series

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The University of Mary Washington Philharmonic Orchestra is launching a new major concert series for children, the “Fiddlestix Summer Concert Series.” The series will bring world-class children’s entertainment to Fredericksburg each summer as a part of Fiddlestix, the Philharmonic’s outreach program dedicated to enriching the musical lives and education of children.

The Fiddlestix Summer Concert Series will kick off with a performance by the Laurie Berkner Band.

The Fiddlestix Summer Concert Series will kick off with a performance by the Laurie Berkner Band.

The series will kick off on Saturday, August 9 in the William M. Anderson Center with a performance by the Laurie Berkner Band.  The Laurie Berkner Band has become one of the leading groups in the world of children’s entertainment. Tickets for the Laurie Berkner Band concert will go on sale at 9 a.m. on Monday, May 26 at philharmonic.umw.edu.

“With young children of my own, I have been frustrated with having to travel long distances for great kid’s entertainment,” said Kevin Bartram, director of the Philharmonic. “Since the Philharmonic has experience with concert production with our annual Celebrity Series, we wanted to offer similar opportunities for area children and their families.”

Critics widely acknowledge the band’s major contribution toward launching what is now dubbed the progressive “kiddie rock” movement. Laurie Berkner was the first recording artist ever to perform in music videos on Nick Jr., and appeared regularly on the network’s series “Jack’s Big Music Show.”  Her latest television project is a new short-form animated musical preschool series, “Sing It, Laurie!” which debuted in the spring of 2103 on 24-hour preschool television channel, Sprout.  “Sing It, Laurie!” stars Berkner’s voice and features her original music written for the series.

The series will continue in the summer of 2015 with concerts by Nickelodeon’s The Fresh Beat Band and Disney’s Imagination Movers, as well as events for older children from middle school through high school.

The UMW Philharmonic is partnering with Fredericksburg Parent & Family Magazine to promote the series. The concert promoters are currently seeking corporate sponsors as well as dedicated volunteers who are able to assist with production.

The UMW Philharmonic, conducted by Dr. Kevin Bartram, is comprised of both UMW students as well as talented community musicians. The group achieved national acclaim in 2009 with the American Prize, an award given to the top nine collegiate orchestras in the nation. In 2012, the group was featured on a national PBS fundraising show, “A Fiddler’s Holiday.”

For more information about the Fiddlestix Summer Concert Series, contact (540) 654-1324 or email philharmonic@umw.edu.