American Visions, American Voices


Wednesday, February 10, 2016, Chapman University’s
Interplay 2016 Festival
presents
Under the Concord Sky
, an original drama that brings to life Charles Ives, the irascible and completely original American composer whose groundbreaking works forever changed the musical landscape. Memories and musings of the iconoclastic Ives are performed by actor David Prather, while Chapman’s own Louise Thomas performs transcendental excerpts from Ives’ groundbreaking
Concord Sonata
.

The performance begins at 6:30 p.m. in the intimate Salmon Recital Hall, and is free and open to the public.

Interplay 2016 is Chapman’s semester-long collaboration with Pacific Symphony, celebrating the American “voice” through music, theatre and dance. For information about upcoming events in the Festival, visit
chapman.edu/interplay
.

Man smiling.Actor-writer David Prather has worked extensively with musicians and dancers at the Hollywood Bowl, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Pacific Symphony. His play When Harlem was in Vogue was commissioned and presented by the Alley Theatre in Texas. Recent shows include Star Spangled Poetry, The Bully Dudes, and Under the Concord Sky. As an educator and performer he has worked many years with the Music Center of Los Angeles, the San Francisco Symphony, and Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Mr. Prather is a graduate of Princeton University and American Conservatory Theatre.

Woman smiling.Pianist Louise Thomas is Director of Keyboard Collaborative Arts at Chapman University. A native of Ireland, she received her doctorate in piano performance from the University of Southern California. She has concertized extensively throughout Europe, North America and Asia at such notable concert venues as the Tchaikovsky Conservatoire in Moscow, the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing and Carnegie Hall in New York City. In 2007, she performed a program of “California Composers Today” at Carnegie Hall, continuing her commitment to the music of today.