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Eye on UMSL: Performance Hall

Eye on UMSL: Performance Hall

Middle school orchestra students from across the region made use of whatever space they could find for practice during the packed 2018 Des Lee Fine Arts Festival.

Eye on UMSL: Moving

Eye on UMSL: Moving

UMSL dance students brought the audience to their feet Monday during the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Observance at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center.

A tribute to Paris

A tribute to Paris

After the tragic terrorists attacks in Paris on Nov. 13, which killed 129 and wounded 352 others, Barbara Harbach and Charles and Liz Schmitz wanted to express their sorrows through music and images.

14 UMSL photos from 2014

14 UMSL photos from 2014

When looking back over the course of a year, August Jennewein remembers moments, including 14 photos he took in 2014.

Eye on UMSL: Acappellooza

Eye on UMSL: Acappellooza

Jim Henry, director of choral studies at UMSL, leads the Acappellooza Summer men’s chorus in a rehearsal before the main concert.

Eye on UMSL: Be Inspired

Eye on UMSL: Be Inspired

The Afro-Cuban Ensemble preformed Thursday on North Campus at the victory celebration for UMSL Be Inspired, the faculty and staff giving campaign.

Eye on UMSL: Happy New Year!

Eye on UMSL: Happy New Year!

Melissa Schwartz, a junior music major at UMSL, plays “St. Louis Blues” by W.C. Handy at the Wind Ensemble Concert held in the Lee Theater at the Touhill. She was part of 10-student trumpet ensemble.

St. Louis Jazz Orchestra to pay tribute to Maynard Ferguson

St. Louis Jazz Orchestra to pay tribute to Maynard Ferguson

The St. Louis Jazz Orchestra, led by Jim Widner, director of jazz studies at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, will showcase the music of Maynard Ferguson and feature the artistry of St. Louis’ own Maynard “disciple” Jim Manley. “St. Louis Jazz Orchestra: A Tribute to Maynard Ferguson” will begin at 7 p.m. Sept. 24 at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center at UMSL.

Arianna String Quartet to revisit South Africa for season opener

Arianna String Quartet to revisit South Africa for season opener

This summer, the Arianna String Quartet spent three weeks teaching and performing in South Africa. Now back in the States, the University of Missouri–St. Louis’ resident quartet will revisit their trip to open its 2013-2014 season at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center at UMSL.

UMSL resident artists Arianna String Quartet announce 2013-14 repertoire

UMSL resident artists Arianna String Quartet announce 2013-14 repertoire

The acclaimed St. Louis-based Arianna String Quartet, resident artists at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, has announced its 2013-14 St. Louis concert series. The quartet will perform four concerts – “Out of Africa” featuring Alex Klein, oboe; “An Evening with Johannes Brahms” with pianist Johannes Brahms, “A Night at the Opera” with special guest soprano Stella Markou and “High Five” – in the E. Desmond and Mary Ann Lee Theater at the Touhill Performing Arts Center. Subscriptions are on sale now at Touhill.org and by calling 314-516-4949. Single tickets go on sale early August.

Eye on UMSL: Improvisation

Eye on UMSL: Improvisation

John Harner leads his charges through a trumpet master class on the second day of the weeklong UMSL Jazz Camp, which is now part of the Jim Widner Big Band Jazz Camp series. The musicians added an extra level of improvisation that day, moving class up to the naturally illuminated J.C. Penney Building/Conference Center lobby due to a power outage that hit North Campus.

Summer camp to immerse students in singing

Summer camp to immerse students in singing

The College of Fine Arts and Communication at the University of Missouri–St. Louis announces Acappellooza Summer Camp, an a cappella music camp for students in grades 9–12. For four days, from July 16–19 students will be immersed in singing led by some of the world’s most prominent names in a cappella music, including members of the internationally famous Ambassadors of Harmony and Jim Henry, director of choral studies at UMSL.

Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival celebrates 10 years

Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival celebrates 10 years

Over the last ten years, the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival has grown to be one of the most significant jazz festivals in the Midwest. Produced by the University of Missouri–St. Louis, the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center and Jazz St. Louis, the 2013 festival will run April 18-20 and feature Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour, Doc Severinsen and His Big Band and Anat Cohen and Matt Wilson.

Earn a Certificate in Audio Recording from UMSL

Earn a Certificate in Audio Recording from UMSL

The College of Fine Arts & Communication at the University of Missouri–St. Louis announced their new program for students to earn a Certificate in Audio Recording. The college is collaborating with Ira DeWitt, president and founder of Notifi Records; the UMSL Department of Music; and the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center, to offer this certificate program that provides participants with the necessary technical skills needed for the production of high-quality sound recordings.

Jazz orchestra to pay tribute to Count Basie

Jazz orchestra to pay tribute to Count Basie

The St. Louis Jazz Orchestra will pay tribute to one of the leading bands of the swing era, the Count Basie Orchestra, with a concert at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. “A Night of Count Basie” will begin at 7 p.m. Feb. 26 at the Blanch M. Touhill Performing Arts Center at UMSL.

Festive holiday concert to feature UMSL’s choral ensembles

Festive holiday concert to feature UMSL’s choral ensembles

Are the mild temperatures and lack of snow making it hard to get into the holiday spirit? The University of Missouri–St. Louis’s annual holiday concert could be just the cure. The Classic Holiday Concert is one of the most popular of the holiday season. The performance will be held at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 10 in the Anheuser-Busch Performance Hall at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center at UMSL.

Ambassadors of Harmony to sing sounds of season at Touhill

Ambassadors of Harmony to sing sounds of season at Touhill

The Ambassadors of Harmony fills the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center each December with the joy and magic of the holidays in a way only achieved by a 160-voice chorus. The choral group will perform it’s annual “Sounds of the Season” concert at 8 p.m. Dec. 7, 2 and 8 p.m. Dec. 8 and 2 and 7 p.m. Dec. 9 at the Touhill at the University of Missouri–St. Louis.

Jazz Orchestra to pay tribute to Ellington, Basie

Jazz Orchestra to pay tribute to Ellington, Basie

When speaking of jazz visionaries and musical trailblazers, Duke Ellington and Count Basie are typically mentioned in the same sentence. And while their music falls clearly into the same category, their styles were drastically different.

Wind Ensemble to start season with Touhill performance

Wind Ensemble to start season with Touhill performance

The University Wind Ensemble will perform its first concert of the season at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 10 in the Anheuser-Busch Performance Hall at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center at the University of Missouri–St. Louis.

Center injects culture into mundane Mondays

Center injects culture into mundane Mondays

Got a case of the Mondays? Suffer no more. Violin and piano duets, narratives of Mound Bayou, Miss., and chess discourse are some of the many cultural events that make Monday Noon Series a cure for the blues.

Ambassadors of Harmony to celebrate 50 years with Touhill show

Celebrated choral groups to converge at Touhill

Many of the world’s best a cappella voices will fill the Anheuser-Busch Performance Hall during a pair of performance June 23 at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center at the University of Missouri–St. Louis.

Musicians learn from best at UMSL’s Jazz Camp

Musicians learn from best at UMSL’s Jazz Camp

Student and adult musicians interesting in studying with some of the finest and most talented jazz musicians in the county need look no farther than the University of Missouri–St. Louis. The Division of Continuing Education at UMSL will present the Jazz Combo/Improv Camp June 10-15. It includes musical instruction from beginner to advanced, jazz improvisation and combo playing, instrument master classes, ear training and daily concerts.

Grammy winner headlines 2012 Jazz Festival

Grammy winner headlines 2012 Jazz Festival

As a sideman with more than 20 years experience, bassist Christian McBride is no stranger to winning Grammy Awards. But never has he basked in Grammy glory as a bandleader – at least not until the most recent awards were handed out.