UAH Constellation Concert Series features new musical satellites

HUNTSVILLE – The Constellation Concert Series has drawn music lovers to the University of Alabama in Huntsville for a decade.

Now the UAH Department of Music, Theatre and Film is set to launch Constellation’s 11th season along with two new musical satellites featuring faculty and students this fall. 

Constellation presents touring artists and other professionals from Huntsville and across  Alabama, and each year it usually features one or two UAH faculty artists, too.

Charger Friends and Charger Sounds, the new offerings, will expand the focus to more faculty members plus student musicians, said Ron Guthrie, UAH performing arts operations coordinator. 

“Constellation has a regular following with our community patrons,” he said. “People are always asking us, ‘What’s Constellation going to be this year?’ There’s always an anticipation of the season to come that’s exciting.” 

This season, Guthrie said, holds even more surprises for audiences. 

“Charger Friends will spotlight our other full-time faculty and part-time instructors as well as their colleagues from across Alabama,” he said. “Charger Sounds features our large student ensembles such as our Wind Ensemble, which is our concert band, and our two university choirs and our Jazz Ensemble.” 

The Constellation season will open with pianist Joseph Fleetwood on Oct. 10, at 7:30  p.m. with Robert Schumann’s “Carnaval,” Alexander Scriabin’s Sonata No. 5 and Franz Liszt’s  iconic masterpiece, Sonata in B minor. 

“We’re so lucky to have him here in Huntsville,” said Guthrie, a pianist himself. “All of the local pianists, we know each other, and we share the work in town. We’re a small town with big town talent.” 

The second Constellation concert will present Three Reeds Duo – the husband-and-wife team of oboist Leah Forsyth and saxophonist Paul Forsyth – on Nov. 8, at 7:30 p.m. They will perform a range of works for this unusual instrumental combination, including a new  commission, “Gauntlet” by Dr. Joshua Burel, chair, UAH Department of Music, Theatre and  Film. The Forsyths will be on campus performing and teaching in collaboration with UAH Rocket City Reed Day, Nov. 8-9.

“In addition to Friday night’s concert, they will join UAH music faculty on Saturday for a whole day of private lessons, ensemble rehearsals and master classes with high school students who sign up,” Guthrie said. “Then the whole event will culminate in a concert, sharing highlights of the weekend.” 

For more information about UAH Rocket City Reed Day, contact UAH faculty member Jennifer Case at j[email protected]. She is organizing the event with fellow faculty member Taylor Barlow. There is no cost to participate in Rocket City Reed Day, and students who sign up receive free admission to the Constellation Concert. 

The Constellation events will be at Roberts Recital Hall, 1510 Ben Graves Drive, on the UAH campus. Admission is $10, general admission; $5 for students and seniors. Debit or credit  card only; no cash is accepted at the door. Live stream access is available for $10. 

Charger Sounds will offer more opportunities for high school students to interact with the UAH music community. The Wind Ensemble will perform in side-by-side concerts with Huntsville High School on Thursday, and with Randolph High School on Nov. 21. The  performances will be held at the high schools at 7:30 p.m. Select members of the high  school bands will be invited to practice and perform with the Wind Ensemble. 

Other Charger Sounds performances include the UAH Choirs on Oct. 1 and Nov.  19, and the UAH Jazz Bands on Nov. 22. These performances will be at 7:30 p.m. in Roberts Recital Hall.  

Admission is free to all Charger Sounds concerts as well as all Charger Friends events. 

The inaugural Charger Friends program will feature organist Jillian Gardner on Nov. 1, at  7 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 120 Greene St. in downtown Huntsville. This post-Halloween recital is a free-admission treat. It will include some scary favorites – J.S. Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor, Camille Saint-Saëns’ “Danse macabre” and Gustav Holst’s  “Mars” from “The Planets,” Op. 32 – among lighter fare. 

For more information about the Constellation Concert Series, Charger Friends and Charger  Sounds, visit uah.edu/music/events.