WMU

Western Michigan University hopes to recoup a badge of environmental honor: the distinction of being a Tree Campus, as defined by the nonprofit Arbor Day Foundation.

A concert of works for two pianos is set for 7:30 pm Wednesday, Jan 15 in the Dalton Center Recital Hall at WMU. School of Music professors Lori Sims and Yu-Lien The will play Ravel's Rhapsodie espagnole, Debussy's En blanc et noir, and Bernstein's Symphonic Dances from West Side Story (arr. John Musto). They talk to Cara Lieurance about the ease of their chemistry and their choice to situate the pianos side-by-side, rather than facing the other. 

Picture this: You walk into a room and lie down on a yoga mat. Musical instruments sit at the front of the room. You close your eyes and hear a sound that's somewhere between a gong and a bell. Then a few rings of an actual bell, like the “all aboard” on a trolley if the conductor wanted you to focus on your own consciousness. Then a chime like a grandfather clock with an intriguing resonance. By this time, if all is going well, you’re in a bit of trance.

Alex Hayashi, Western Michigan University's oboe instructor, and Bruce Uchimura, director of the WMU Symphony Orchestra, join Cara Lieurance to preview a concert in which Hayashi will perform Bohuslav Martinu's Oboe Concerto with the orchestra. It's set for 4 pm on Sunday, Nov 10 in the Dalton Center Recital Hall.