RICHARDSON, Texas (Nov. 7, 2003) — University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) Professor and Composer Robert Xavier Rodríguez will conduct the UTD Musica Nova ensemble in a free concert – December Songs, an Evening of Vocal and Instrumental Chamber Music – on Friday, Dec. 5, at 8 p.m., in the Jonsson Performance Hall (JO 2.604) on campus.

UTD resident pianist Jeff Lankov, UTD students, UTD's Chamber Music Ensemble and guest artists will perform music by Mozart, Fauré, Martinu and Weill. The concert will feature the premiere performances of three transcriptions by Rodríguez of works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Die Zufriedenheit, K. 349 and Komm, Liebe Zither, K. 351, originally for voice and mandolin, plus Sonata in D Major, K. 426, originally for two pianos. The program also will include solo piano music by French composer Gabriel Fauré, the Sonata for Flute and Piano by Rumanian composer Bohuslav Martinu and a Berlin to Broadway review of songs by German composer Kurt Weill. The Weill review will feature excerpts from The Three-Penny Opera and The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, cabaret songs from Weill's early years in Berlin and Paris and selections from his hit Broadway shows.

UTD's Chamber Music Ensemble provides opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students to perform music written for small and larger ensembles, plus multi-media and theater works, of all periods. Students performing in UTD's Musica Nova concert series join professional musicians and members of the community. Musica Nova guest artists have included members of the Dallas Symphony and Dallas Opera Orchestra and singers from the New York City Opera and Metropolitan Opera. Music for past concerts has ranged from Medieval and Renaissance dances and motets to standard repertoire to experimental new works written for and/or developed by the ensemble. Concerts have included an evening of jigs, an evening of tangos, French cabaret and mariachi songs, chamber opera, ballet and, last semester, a fully staged commedia dell'arte pantomime.

For information about the many musical, arts, theatre, dance and other performances and exhibitions held throughout the year at UTD, please call 972-UTD-ARTS (972-883-2787), e-mail utdarts@utdallas.edu or visit the School of Arts and Humanities' web site at http://www.utdallas.edu/ah/. Persons with disabilities needing special accommodations may call 972-883-2982, Texas Relay Operator: 1-800-RELAYVV.

Robert Xavier Rodríguez …
The music of Robert Xavier Rodríguez is regularly performed in American, Latin American and European musical centers, with more than 2,000 professional operatic and orchestral performances in recent seasons. Rodríguez has served as composer-in-residence with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the San Antonio Symphony and the Dallas Symphony. He currently is a Professor of Aesthetic Studies at UTD and is active as a guest lecturer and conductor. His music is published by G. Schirmer and is recorded on the Newport, Crystal, Orion, Urtext, Albany and CRI (1999 Grammy nomination) labels. A full biography is available at: http://www.schirmer.com/composers/rodriguez/bio.html

Jeff Lankov …
As pianist and musical director, Jeff Lankov is an active performer throughout the United States and abroad in solo recitals and with symphony orchestras, musical theatre companies and chamber music ensembles. Recent classical performances have included concertos of Beethoven, Mozart, Grieg and Gershwin and Lankov's own solo-piano transcription of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring. Following the success of his first recording, The Piano Music of George Gershwin, Lankov has begun work on a second volume of Gershwin's Piano Music. Last season, Lankov made his Radio City Music Hall debut as musical director of The Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Lankov performs as the pianist of the Richardson Symphony. He received his formal training from the St. Louis Conservatory of Music and Interlochen Arts Academy.

About UTD

The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor, enrolls about 13,700 students. The school's freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university's web site at www.utdallas.edu.