Frostburg State University Presents Senior Recital “Thank You for the Music” Featuring Mezzo-Soprano Erica RecordsThe Frostburg State University Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance proudly presents “Thank You for the Music”, the senior recital of mezzo-soprano Erica Records. The performance will take place on Friday, November 14, at 7:30 p.m. in the Pealer Recital Hall of FSU’s Woodward D. Pealer Performing Arts Center. Admission is free and open to the public; also livestreaming, follow the link at www.frostburg.edu/concerts.Accompanied by Dr. Joseph Yungen on piano, Records will perform a diverse program spanning Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and contemporary works, including selections by J.S. Bach, Franz Schubert, Gabriel Fauré, W.A. Mozart, and G.F. Handel. The recital also features Broadway and modern favorites, including Meredith Willson’s “‘Til There Was You” from “The Music Man”, Sara Bareilles’ “Soft Place to Land,” Stephen Schwartz’s “Meadowlark” and “What is this Feeling?” from “Wicked”, and Dolly Parton’s “Light of a Clear Blue Morning.”The program culminates with Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus’ “Thank You for the Music,” the recital’s title piece, originally recorded by the pop group ABBA in their 1977 album “The Album” and considered a farewell song for the group, reflecting on their musical journey.Records will be joined by guest artists Jelynna Horsey (soprano) and Bella McConnell (alto), as well as the FSU Altissia Treble Choir under the direction of Dr. Scott Rieker.A native of Cresaptown, MD, and a 2021 graduate of Allegany High School, Records is completing her Bachelor of Arts in Music this December 2025. She has studied voice under Mr. Michael Welch and previously with Dr. Colin Johnson, Ms. Bixiao Wang, Mr. Gregory Stuart, and Coty Forno. An active member of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) and the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), Records has earned recognition on the Dean’s List and participation in the FSU Honors Program.Erica is grateful for the support of her parents, Sharon and Ken Bennett (Cresaptown, MD), in making this journey not only successful, but fun and rewarding, and making possible her plans to pursue a career as a choral or general music teacher in middle or high school.

The Frostburg State University Chamber Singers, University Chorale, Troubadours Tenor/Bass Choir, and Altissia Treble Choir present “Sounding Beauty.” The concert features works by Lauridsen, Stanford, Bloch, Mendelssohn, and more, all of which are linked by their exquisite beauty. Is beauty in the ear of the beholder? Join us and find out!This Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance event takes place on Saturday, November 15, at 7:30pm in the Pealer Recital Hall of FSU’s Woodward D. Pealer Performing Arts Center. Purchase tickets online at https://frostburgtix.universitytickets.com/w/event.aspx?id=2241, or through the University Box Office, Lane University Center 203 (Mon-Fri 10am-4pm), phone 301-687-3137. Tickets will also be available at the door the evening of the concert. Price for credit/debit card purchase: $11.73 adult; $6.53 senior, military, FSU employees; and free for students & children. Cash purchase: $11 adult; $6 senior, military, FSU employees; and free for students & children.

Frostburg State University’s Department of Music, Theatre and Dance will present its Piano Studio Recital, directed by Dr. Jay DeWire, on Sunday, Nov. 16, at 3 p.m. in the Pealer Recital Hall of FSU’s Woodward D. Pealer Performing Arts Center. The concert is free and open to the public. This event will also be livestreamed; the link will be posted at www.frostburg.edu/concerts.Students of DeWire’s studio, Samuel Wade, Taylor Bryan and Hao ‘SimBa’ Xiong, will perform solo and four-hand works including music from J.S. Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier and his French Suite in B minor; music from Moszkowski’s 5 Spanish Dances, Op. 12; and Ravel’s beloved Ma mere l’oye (Mother Goose Suite) and more.For more information, contact FSU’s Department of Music, Theatre and Dance at 301-687-4109.

FSU Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance proudly presents “An Evening of Jazz: Celebrating 50 Years of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra.” The FSU Jazz Orchestra, under the direction of Dr. Brent Weber and featuring trumpeter Dr. Donny Albrecht, will perform a vibrant tribute to the iconic big band formed by trumpeter Thad Jones and drummer Mel Lewis in 1965. This concert, showcasing music written and inspired by Thad Jones, takes place on Saturday, November 22, at 7:30 p.m. in the Pealer Recital Hall at FSU’s Woodward D. Pealer Performing Arts Center.In 1965, Jones and Lewis founded the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra in New York City, launching a legendary ensemble that redefined the big band genre. Beginning with three Monday night performances at the Village Vanguard in February 1966, the band’s innovative sound, driven by Jones’ harmonically rich compositions and Lewis’ dynamic leadership, captivated audiences and secured an indefinite engagement that continues today as the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra—the longest-running steady gig in jazz history. Over its thirteen-year initial run, the orchestra produced fifteen albums, toured globally, including a historic 1972 Soviet Union tour, and introduced timeless works like Jones’ “A Child Is Born,” “Fingers,” “Little Pixie,” and “Tiptoe.” Featuring top-tier soloists and a “small group within the big band” approach, the ensemble blended virtuosic improvisation with sophisticated arrangements, setting a new standard for jazz orchestras.The FSU Jazz Orchestra will perform Thad Jones’ classics, including “This Bass Is Made for Walkin’,” “Quietude,” “A Child Is Born,” and “Us,” alongside other notable works such as Michael Brecker’s “Spherical,” Hank Levy’s “Decoupage,” Joey Calderazzo’s “Midnight Voyage,” and Gerry Mulligan’s “Mullenium.”Tickets are available at tickets.frostburg.edu, through the University Box Office in Lane University Center 203 (Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.), 301-687-3137, or at the door on the evening of the performance. Ticket prices are $11.73 for adults, $6.53 for seniors, military, and FSU employees (credit/debit card), and free for students and children. Cash prices are $11 for adults, $6 for seniors, military, and FSU employees, with free admission for students and children.Media Contact: FSU Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance, 301-687-4109, music@frostburg.edu

The Department of Music, Theatre, & Dance presents percussionist Dr. Mackenzie Jacob LaMont in a Faculty Artist Series recital on Monday, November 24, at 7:30 p.m. in the Pealer Recital Hall of FSU's Pealer Performing Arts Center. The recital is free and open to the public. If you cannot attend in-person, the recital will also be livestreamed; click the ‘JOIN STREAM' button on this page to view the live performance.The program will feature the numbers 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1.LaMont is an active composer, performer (percussion), music educator and music industry/audio recording specialist. His recent compositions have been focused on the environment as well as political and philosophical issues, with the sound world inhabiting a space somewhere between minimalism and post-progressive rock (with dashes of polystylism here and there). LaMont has a DMA in music composition with a cognate in percussion from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music where he studied composition with Michael Fiday, Joel Hoffman and Douglas Knehans, and percussion with James Culley and Allen Otte. He holds prior degrees in composition, percussion performance and music technology/recording, and previously studied composition and percussion at the University of Indianapolis with John Berners and Paul Berns, respectively. He is an assistant professor at FSU, where he teaches percussion lessons and ensemble, composition lessons and courses, and various courses within the music industry track.

Frostburg State University Presents Faculty Artist Series: Dr. Mark Gallagher, Dr. Brent Weber, and Dr. Jay DeWire in ConcertThe FSU Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance proudly presents an evening of chamber music as part of its Faculty Artist Series, featuring Dr. Mark Gallagher on clarinet, Dr. Brent Weber on bassoon, and Dr. Jay DeWire on piano. The performance will take place on Monday, December 1, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. in the Pealer Recital Hall of the Woodward D. Pealer Performing Arts Center. Admission is free and open to the public; it will also be llivestreamed, click the red 'Join Stream' button on this page to view the live performance.This captivating program showcases three works that blend classical elegance with early romantic fervor, highlighting the virtuosity and interpretive depth of the performers. Opening the program is “Trio for Clarinet, Bassoon, and Piano in E-flat Major” by Archduke Rudolf. A student and patron of Beethoven, Rudolf crafted this trio with a style reminiscent of early Beethoven, infused with echoes of Mozart’s grace. Composed for clarinetist Count Ferdinand von Troyer, the work’s three completed movements—Allegro moderato, Scherzo, and Larghetto with Variations—offer a balanced interplay among the instruments, showcasing the clarinet while giving the bassoon and piano substantial roles.Next up is “Märchenbilder, Op. 113, and Five Lieder und Gesänge, Op. 127” by Robert Schumann, arranged for clarinet and piano by Dr. Mark Gallagher. Schumann’s “Märchenbilder” (Fairy Tale Pictures) comprises four evocative character studies, with Dr. Gallagher’s arrangement combining the moody, nostalgic first movement and the tender, reflective fourth movement with the expressive “Five Lieder und Gesänge, Op. 127.” This unique arrangement highlights Schumann’s emotional depth, with the clarinet and piano weaving a rich tapestry of shifting moods, from melancholy to serene reverie, reflecting the poetic and fantastic essence of Schumann’s music.The program will conclude with “Grand Trio for Clarinet, Bassoon, and Piano, Op. 36” by Anton Eberl. A contemporary of Mozart, Eberl was a prolific composer whose works were often mistaken for Mozart’s due to their melodic beauty and classical refinement. This late work, composed in 1806, blends classical structure with early romantic stirrings. Its four movements—Allegro con spirito, Adagio non troppo, Scherzo, and Allegretto—feature graceful melodies and innovative writing, particularly for the bassoon, showcasing Eberl’s skill and the trio’s dynamic interplay.This concert promises an evening of musical discovery, bringing together rarely performed gems by composers whose connections to Beethoven and Mozart enrich their works with historical and artistic significance. Dr. Gallagher, Dr. Weber, and Dr. DeWire, esteemed faculty members of Frostburg State University, bring their expertise and passion to this thoughtfully curated program.For more information, contact the FSU Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance at (301) 687-4109, music@frostburg.edu, or visit http://www.frostburg.edu/concerts. Join us in person or online for an unforgettable evening of chamber music.Dr. Mark Gallagher (clarinet) website: http://www.markgallagher.net/Dr. Jay DeWire (piano) bio: https://www.frostburg.edu/academics/colleges-and-departments/music/faculty.php#DeWireDr. Brent Weber (bassoon) bio: https://www.frostburg.edu/academics/colleges-and-departments/music/faculty.php#Weber