PRESS RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE

From the Orchestra of Southern Utah

To Be Released: February 15 – February 21, 2008<= /p>
Contact: Laurel Kay Dodgion. 435-865-1492

Photo Cutline: Composers Marshall McDonald and Steven Sharp Nelson will join the Orchestra= of Southern Utah for the World Premier of their suite A= frica.

Musical Wor= ld Premiere in Cedar City

   &nbs= p;        The Orchestra of Southern Utah is pleased to announce the world premiere of an exciting musical journey. Africa, composed by guest artists Marshall McDonald and Steven Sharp Nelson, premieres on Thursday, February = 21^st at 7:30 p.m. in the Heritage Center, Cedar City. This concert is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, the George S. and Dolores Dore’ Eccl= es Foundation, Utah Arts Council, RAP, the Sterling and Shelli Gardner Foundation. Media sponsors are the Daily News/Spectrum Newspaper, Ut= ah Public Radio, and Cherry Creek Radio.

   &nbs= p;        The piece honors Africa has a continent abou= nding with earth’s energy, diversity of life, and beauty. Each portion of the piece has a dance-like quality, in honor of the African culture, which associates dance with every aspect of life.
   &nbs= p;        Africa = takes the listener on an allegorical journey through life. It opens with a solitary marimba, representing the beating of an infant’s heart. It continues on through the playfu= lness of youth and early adventures into the impetuosity of youth. From there, Africa enters the tumultuous time of adulthood: trials, struggles, and disappointments replace the simple joys of youth. As = it wades through the challenges of life, Africa proclaims that life must go on. With this resolution, it travels o= n into later life, finding time to reflect, and eventually discovering the surroun= ding majesty of life and the earth. This is not the ending, however. F= or death is not the end of life. At the completion of later life, the drums’ beat returns, representing the b= irth into the life beyond.   A= ll the instruments and voices come together and sing of life, while the final phra= se seems to suspend in the tale, not telling whether it is the end or the beginning. Perhaps it is mean= t to be both.

   &nbs= p;        Africa = was composed by McDonald and Nelson as a commissioned piece by OSU. McDonald has developed a unique mu= sical style that combines classical, inspirational, film score, and new age genre= s of music all in one. One listene= r from Iowa described his music as “Goosebumps Music.” His album “Christmas Oranges” airs regularly on KSL and KBYU during the Christmas season.<= /p>
   &nbs= p;        McDonald performed his acclaimed arrangement of “If You Could Hie to KolobR= 21; as a guest soloist with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir during their weekly broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word in 2007. In 2006 OSU, in conjunction with t= he National Endowment for the Arts, commissioned McDonald and Nelson to compose the Spanish Trail Suite in honor of the Old Spanish Trail becoming a nation= ally recognized trail by the U.S. Congress.&nbs= p; The suite has recently been performed in Ukraine and China, directed by OSU director Xun Sun.

   &nbs= p;        McDonald has also worked for the WB network television series “Everwood”= as a musician and hand double for the actor Gregory Smith. During its first season, McDonald oversaw all of the music-related scenes, and when the lead character, Ephra= m, played the piano, it was actually Marshall’s hands on the keys.

   &nbs= p;        Nelson began developing his musical talents at an early age, composing his first percussion ensemble before he could even read music. Since then, he has written pieces = for the wide variety of ensembles, including symphony, chorale, and film. His works include “Farewell&= #8221; which was written at age 15 and performed by the Utah Symphony and “Supplication” an A Cappella piece written in memory of the 9/11 victims.

   &nbs= p;        Nelson often performs improvisational cello with several independent artists, including Paul Cardall, Jon Schmidt, and Peter Breinholt. He was named “Best Cellist i= n Utah” by FM100. His recently released = solo album, Sacred Cello, received a= Pearl Award for Best Instrumental Classical Album and was among Billboard’s= Top 20 classical recordings in the nation.

   &nbs= p;        McDonald and Nelson will be on hand to perform with OSU at the Winter Concert. Nelson will perform the cello solo, “Homeward Bound”. McDonald will perform O Creature Del Singor (Fantasy on All Creature= s of Our God and King) on the piano.

   &nbs= p;        OSU will also perform several additional pieces at the Winter Concert, including the jazz standard “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” by Duke Ellington.

   &nbs= p;        “Take the ‘A’ Train”, a signature tune of Duke Ellington’s Band, will be performed by the Jazz Ensemble. “Give Me Jesus”, arran= ged by Keith Hampton, will also be performed, featuring tenor David Hal Campbell a= s a soloist. Two Moses Hogan arrangements will be sung by OPUS Chamber Ensemble directed by Grace St. Pierre: “I’m Gonna Sing ‘til the Spirit” and “= ;We shall walk Through the Valley of Peace”. Hogan wrote many spirituals, inclu= ding “Abide with Me”, “Go Tell It on the Mountain”, R= 20;He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”, and “Swing Low Sweet Chariot.”

   &nbs= p;        OSU will also play selections from “Porgy and Bess” by George Gershwin.&nb= sp; Gershwin based this opera on DuBose Heyward’s novel Porgy. Both works deal with African American life in 1930s Charles= ton, South Carolina. “Summert= ime” is the best-known piece from Porgy = and Bess.

   &nbs= p;        The SUU Percussion Ensemble directed by Patrick Roulet will perform Mbira and Kpanlogo Traditional Drumming from Ghana. Roulet recently spent time studying African percussion in Ghana. The Ensemble will be using authent= ic African instruments for their performance.

   &nbs= p;        The Winter Concert is on Thursday, February 21^st at 7:30 pm at the <= st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Heritage Center in Cedar = City. Tickets are available at the Heritage Center box office: $10 adult, $5 student, and $30for a group of six. The Orchestra requests that children less than six years old and babies not att= end because the concert will be recorded and podcast worldwide at www.orchestraofsouthernutah.org.

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