Guest artist joins jazz ensemble for Nov. 13 concert

The Cornell University Jazz Ensemble I, under the direction of Paul Merrill, will perform music by Thad Jones, Horace Silver, Frank Foster, Chick Corea, Fred Sturm and John Coltrane Saturday, Nov. 13, at 8 p.m. in Barnes Hall for a free concert. Also featured on the second half of the program will be guest artist Stefon Harris, vibraphone, who will perform several of his compositions with the Jazz Ensemble, arranged by Merrill and student drummer Kevin Lowe.

Harris

Harris is heralded as "one of the most important young artists in jazz" (Los Angeles Times). A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, he received a B.A. in classical music and an M.A. in jazz performance. Harris has performed at many of the world's most distinguished concert halls, including Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, the Kennedy Center, San Francisco's Herbst Theater, UCLA's Royce Hall, Chicago's Symphony Center, Detroit's Orchestra Hall and the Sydney Opera House. As an active educator, he conducts more than 100 clinics and lectures annually at schools and universities throughout the country. His premiere as a band leader, "A Cloud of Red Dust," was voted Best Debut Recording at the 1999 New York Jazz Awards. The 2003 release of "The Grand Unification Theory," an 11-movement piece featuring Latin, classical, African and jazz influences, earned a Grammy nomination, as did his recordings "Kindred" (2001) and "Black Action Figure" (1999). Harris has recorded and toured with many of music's greatest artists, including Joe Henderson, Wynton Marsalis, Cassandra Wilson, Buster Williams, Kenny Barron, Charlie Hunter, Kurt Elling, Cyrus Chestnut, Steve Coleman and Steve Turre, among many others. Since 2000 he has been voted Best Mallet Player by the Jazz Journalist Association for four years in a row.

Soloists lend voices to chamber orchestra

Pergolesi completed his "Stabat Mater" in 1736 while dying of tuberculosis at the age of 26. The text tells the story of Christ's crucifixion from the Virgin Mary's point of view; the music, highly varied and dramatic, perfectly complements the emotions of the text. Stravinsky's "Pulcinella Suite," written almost two centuries later, is based on excerpts from Pergolesi's work that Stravinsky arranged and modified, modernizing the orchestration and harmonies to make it a recognizably 20th-century piece. First begun in 1917, the version heard on this program was completed by Stravinsky in 1949.

Widely praised for the power of her interpretations, mezzo-soprano Vargas can be heard in opera, orchestral, concert, chamber music and recital settings. A native New Yorker, she studied voice with Lucy Shelton, Jan DeGaetani and Helen Hodam. Highlights from recent seasons include Copland's "The Tender Land" at the Cabrillo Music Festival and the world premiere of Stephen Jaffe's "Homage to the Breath" with the 20th Century Consort. Vargas' 2004-05 season includes the world premiere of David Schiff's "All About Love" at Chamber Music Northwest and Mahler's "Rückert Lieder" with the Eugene Symphony. Vargas teaches at the University of Oregon School of Music.

Cornell Associate Professor Judith Kellock has been described by critics as "a singer of rare intelligence and vocal splendor, with a voice of indescribable beauty." She has been featured with such orchestras as the St. Louis Symphony, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Honolulu Symphony, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group and the Aspen Festival Orchestra, and she has made several recordings on the Koch International label.