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By PHILIP E. REHARD

Published: October 1, 2008

The Department of Music and the Robert and Carol Morris Center for 21st century Music will celebrate the 70th birthday of renowned composer Charles Wuorinen with a special concert at 8 p.m. Oct. 21 in Lippes Concert Hall in Slee Hall, North Campus.

The Slee Sinfonietta, UB’s professional chamber orchestra, will perform three pieces by Wuorinen—“The Haroun Piano Book, Stage I”; “Heart Shadow”; and “Spin 5”—as well as “Inner Sky” by David Felder, the orchestra’s founder and Birge-Cary Chair at UB.

Joining the Sinfonietta will be conductor Jeffrey Milarsky; pianist Alan Feinberg, UB visiting professor of music; flutist Tara Helen O’Connor; and violinist Yuki Numata.

Other concerts to be presented by the Department of Music in October include a performance by the Ying String Quartet to open the 53rd edition of UB’s annual Slee/Beethoven String Quartet Cycle and a recital by UB faculty member Roland Martin.

The Department of Music is the only concert presenter in the world that annually programs the complete string quartets of Ludwig van Beethoven, often referred to as “the cycle.” The Ying String Quartet will open the cycle with a performance at 8 p.m. Oct. 24 in Lippes Concert Hall.

The other string quartets performing the six concerts that comprise the cycle are the Lydian String Quartet (Nov. 14 and April 24), Ives String Quartet (Dec. 5), Penderecki String Quartet (Feb. 6) and the Formosa String Quartet (March 27).

UB organist, pianist and composer Roland E. Martin premiere his song cycle “A Rose Beside the Water,” based on poems of Pablo Neruda and featuring paintings by local artist Catherine Parker, at 8 p.m. Oct. 10 in Lippes Concert Hall.

Joining Martin will be soprano Cristen Gregory, mezzo-soprano Denise Blackmore, tenor Jeffrey Porter and violist Janz Castelo.

Advanced tickets for the Ying String Quartet and the Slee Sinfonietta are $12 for general admission, $9 for UB faculty and staff and senior citizens, and $5 for students; tickets at the door are $20, $15 and $8. Tickets for the Martin recital are $5 for general admission and free for UB students.

Advanced tickets may be obtained at the Slee Hall box office, the Center for the Arts box office and at all Ticketmaster outlets.