Soirée Showcases Students Dec. 7

Student performers in the SDSU Symphony Orchestra and combined choirs in the School of Music and Dance will take to the stage as part of San Diego State University’s “Soirée 2011,” a musical extravaganza held at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 7, in Don Powell Theatre. Matthew Rowe and Patrick Walders lead the ensembles in this inspiring annual performance.

The centerpiece of the concert is Mozart’s “Coronation Mass,” a missa brevis (short mass) that sparkles with bright orchestral colors and driving energy. The first performance of the mass was on Easter Sunday 1779. It was also one of the works that was performed during the coronation festivities for Leopold II in Prague as early as 1791.

Also on the program is “The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra” by Benjamin Britten, one of three popularly used scores in children’s music education, and “Zadok the Priest” by G.F. Handel, a coronation anthem using texts from the King James Bible.

Tickets for A Soirée of Music and Dance are $50 for VIP seating, $20 for adults and $10 students and seniors. Group rates are also available.

Tickets may be purchased online at www.sdsu.edu/musicdancetix. Tickets are also available one hour before performance time at the Don Powell Theatre Box Office.

For further information, please call 619-594-1017.