The Department of Music is excited to announce a concert coordinated by Missouri State University’s Choral Union, Symphony Orchestra and dance students from the Department of Theatre and Dance.

Featuring Johannes Brahms’ “Liebeslieder Walzer, Op. 52,” the collaborative effort is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Dec. 4 in the Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts. It is free and open to the public.

Before and after the concert, members of Mu Phi, Missouri State’s music fraternity, will be on hand to collect canned good donations.

“Universally adored” music

Brahms originally composed the waltzes for choir and piano four hands, explained Associate Director of Choral Studies Dr. Erin Plisco. Later, however, he transcribed several of the movements for choir and orchestra.

“Brahms is accessible for both choir and orchestra, and the music is charming and universally adored,” she said.

Plisco and Missouri State’s Orchestra Director, Dr. Yi-Ping Chen, will share conducting duties for the Liebeslieder. In addition, some of the music department’s graduate conducting students will conduct a few of the movements.

Meanwhile, Assistant Professor Dr. Perry Mears and Artist-in-Residence Parker Payne will perform the movements written for just piano and choir.

The concert will also feature additional selections from the orchestra and choir performing separately, Plisco said.

Collaboration in the making

Plisco said she and Chen have wanted to collaborate for a long time.

“I remember that we both loved the Brahms Liebeslieder waltzes, so it was natural we both agreed to do that together,” Chen said. “You can say we inspired each other when we shared the love of the same piece of music.”

Chen created the concert’s “Hear and See Brahms” theme, while Plisco came up with the idea to collaborate with the dance program.

“We wanted another element to help bring this music to life, and dance was the natural choice,” Plisco said. “Music and movement are so interconnected, and we are hoping this is just the first of more future collaborations between our departments. It’s a unique experience for all of our students to experience a collaboration like this with live music and dance.”

Dance choreographed by senior Noah Johnson

Several members from Missouri State’s dance program are set to perform in the concert. They are Ella Fleshman, Shealey Hannigan, Charlee Nadler, Peyton Nicholson, Ainsley Rankin, Kate Walker and Caroline Wolfe.

Senior dance major Noah Johnson choreographed all of the concert’s dance segments. For the project, he mixed Romantic era ballet influences with contemporary movement to focus on themes of connection.

“The waltzes are set to different poems written by Georg Friedrich Daumer, and I tried to stay true to the content of those poems,” Johnson said. “They explore themes of love, longing and the need for connection. I took these themes and arranged them in a way that made sense to me.”

The results, he said, were three stories of connection: “connection to self, connection to others and connection to spirit.”

Johnson and his dance team have been working on their choreography every week since mid-September.

“These dancers have committed to this project on top of their already packed schedules,” he noted. “I think that is a testament to the kind of work ethic and dedication we have here at the university.”

Despite the heavy workload, Johnson is happy for the opportunity to participate in the collaborative concert.

“This piece has been a joy to work on,” he said.

Mark your calendar