Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Wilmington, N.C. - The Department of Music at the University of North Carolina Wilmington opens its fall 2007 performance season on Sunday, Sept. 9 at 4 p.m. with "Made in America," works by American composers, performed by the Oleander Chamber Orchestra. Tickets are $5 general admission, and are free to students with a valid UNCW ID.

The concert features UNCW department of music chair and professor Frank Bongiorno performing on saxophone in the North Carolina premiere of Edward Green's Concerto for Saxophone and Strings. The concert also includes Charles Ives: The Unanswered Question; and two works by Aaron Copland: Three Latin-American Sketches and Music for the Theatre.

The Oleander Chamber Orchestra is conducted by Joseph Brunjes, a Wilmington native and member of UNCW's string faculty since 2004. He is a member of the Long Bay Symphony, violinist of the Atlantean Trio and founder of the Oleander Chamber Orchestra. Brunjes is an active recitalist, who has performed solo with the Wilmington Symphony, Opera House Theater Company and Carolina Vocal Arts Ensemble.

Frank Bongiorno is professor of jazz and saxophone at UNC Wilmington. He is an active recitalist, orchestral soloist, jazz artist and clinician, throughout the United States and abroad. During Bongiorno's tenure at UNCW, his saxophone and jazz students, have received national and international recognition by such organizations as DownBeat magazine and Jazzfest USA, among others.

Tickets are available at the Cultural Arts Building box office one hour prior to the performance. More information is available online at www.uncw.edu/events or by calling the department of music events hotline at 910.962.7416 or 910.962.3415.

Media contact:

Ann Seymour, UNCW department of music, 910.962.3415 or seymoura@uncw.edu.

Photos of Joseph Brunjes (violin) and Frank Bongiorno (soloist) are available for download. Photo credit: UNCW/Jamie Moncrief