Wilkes University’s Division of Performing Arts is excited to present its spring concert series from April 27-30, 2025, at the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center for the Performing Arts and First Presbyterian Church. The concerts, which showcase vocal, orchestral and band performances, are free and open to the public.
Audiences can expect a range of modern composers to classic pieces with dramatic flair and youthful energy, and songs presented by talented students and community members.
“For Living Voices, I’m most excited to share this concert as the composers are not only all living, but many are still in their 20s and 30s. Their music and choice of texts reflect our modern times in ways that brilliant composers of the past just can’t quite connect to,” says Joshua Harper, assistant professor of choral music.
One of the many composers of Living Voices, Rex Isenberg, spoke to the students this past week. “To have the opportunity to speak with the composer and ask questions about the work is a cool experience I’m grateful to share with these students,” says Harper.
Upcoming performances and concerts include:
Chorus & Chamber Singers
Sunday, April 27, at 3 p.m.
First Presbyterian Church, 97 S. Franklin Street, Wilkes-Barre
Tsukasa Waltich, Collaborative Pianist
Joshua Harper, Director
The Wilkes University Chorus and Chamber Singers presents Living Voices, a program of music by living composers. Featuring works by today’s top names in choral composition, we will explore a plethora of harmonic and tonal worlds, all featuring beautiful texts, many also written by living poets. Extended works by Rex Isenberg and Matthew Lyon Hazzard round out a program that includes up-and-coming composers like Jennifer Lucy Cook, Stephen Feigenbaum, Yiran Zhao, Reginal Wright and more.
Chamber Orchestra
Monday, April 28, at 7:30 p.m.
Dorothy Dickson Darte Center for the Performing Arts, 239 S. River Street, Wilkes-Barre
John Vaida, Director
The Wilkes University Chamber Orchestra presents a concert featuring two masterpieces by the French composer Georges Bizet. Experience the youthful energy and lyrical beauty of his Symphony in C, a work that brims with brilliance and charm, followed by the dramatic flair and colorful orchestrations of a suite from Bizet’s beloved opera, Carmen.
Jazz Ensemble
Tuesday, April 29, at 7:30 p.m.
Dorothy Dickson Darte Center for the Performing Arts, 239 S. River Street, Wilkes-Barre
Joel M. Graham, Director
The Wilkes University Jazz Ensemble presents The Music of Quincy Jones, featuring arrangements, originals, hit songs and more by the late music legend, Quincy Jones.
Civic Band
Wednesday, April 30, at 7:30 p.m.
Dorothy Dickson Darte Center for the Performing Arts, 239 S. River Street, Wilkes-Barre
Joel M. Graham , Director
The Wilkes University Civic Band presents Ghost Stories, a program featuring music by Erika Svanoe, Robert Browne Hall, Steven Reineke and Randall Standridge’s Symphony 1: A Ghost Story. This symphony depicts our universal experience of loss and the stages of grief that accompany that loss. “Ghost stories are about the past, life, loss, love, fear and hope…hope that one day, someone will tell our story. Our ghost story.” – Randall Standridge
Learn more about Wilkes University’s Division of Performing Arts or contact the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center for the Performing Arts Box Office with any questions at 570-408-4540.