Plenty of live weekend music planned for Columbia

COLUMBIA — With the 2009 True/False Film Festival in the rear-view mirror, another weekend of events is approaching. But instead of documentary films, the featured acts will be orchestras and a jazz ensemble.

The Missouri United Methodist Church is set to present “An Evening on Broadway” on Saturday at the Missouri Theatre Center for the Arts as part of its 2008-2009 concert series.

“It’s an evening of songs that everybody knows, and we are trying to do it in a very energetic, light-hearted format with great light design and some choreography," said Alex Innecco, the conductor and artistic director for the event. "We are trying to go much beyond your typical choral concert.”

The concert will feature the 9th Street Philharmonic Orchestra with the Columbia Chorale as they perform pieces from musicals such as “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Sound of Music” and “Showboat.”

Also this weekend, as a part of the “We Always Swing” Jazz Series, flutist Jamie Baum will perform at Stephens College as part of a septet, a seven-person ensemble including a trumpet, alto saxophone, bass clarinet, French horn, piano, bass and drums.

“What’s different about this, or interesting, is that the instrumentation itself is less than common," said executive director Jon Poses. "There are not that many jazz ensembles that use French horns and bass clarinet and flute together on the front line as the horn section.”

A free master class with Baum on Monday at MU is set to focus on the concepts of composition, improvisation and ensemble playing, Poses said.

On Monday evening, the MU School of Music is set to present its annual Chancellor's Concert. It will showcase the school’s top ensembles, including the University Singers, MU Steel, the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, the University Philharmonic and the MU Concert Jazz Band.

Stephanie Berg will receive the Sinquefield Composition Prize, recognizing her efforts as an outstanding student composer in the School of Music. The concert will also feature Berg’s winning composition, played by the University Philharmonic.

Younger students, as part of the Missouri Youth Orchestra and the St. Charles County Youth Orchestra, is set to perform Sunday evening with Grammy award-winning violinist and composer Mark O’Connor. The concert at MU is part of the Missouri Youth Orchestra Music Festival.

Also as part of the festival, O'Connor is set to lead a master class to help members of the two youth orchestra’s with their performance style and technique.

"It's actually a really great opportunity because Mark's music is very unique," said Carrie Turner, conductor for the Missouri Youth Orchestra. "It's from a folk tradition and has a lot of bluegrass- and fiddle-playing techniques that a lot of classical teachers may not have very much experience in."