The Shippensburg University Community Orchestra will perform with the Brazilian jazz group Minas to perform songs from its latest album, “Symphony in Bossa,” at the H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center on April 14 at 3 p.m.
Orchestra director Mark Hartman will conduct the show, and will be accompanied by Minas, the husband-and-wife duo of Orlando Haddad and Patricia King.
Haddad and King met while they were students at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA). They started performing around campus as a duo before forming Minas and adding band members.
Over the years the other members of the group left, leaving Haddad and King to now perform as a duo.
Based in Philadelphia, Minas has released six studio albums as a group. “Symphony in Bossa,” is notable for having been nominated for four Grammys in 2015. Haddad and King will be on the guitar and piano, respectively, while both will be on vocals.
Minas has performed “Symphony in Bossa” about 10 times with other orchestras along the East Coast, including Moravian College as well as Haddad and King’s alma mater, UNCSA. Minas has performed at SU twice over the last eight years, but this will be the first time they perform with the orchestra.
“Symphony in Bossa” was originally a music program created in 2004 by Minas and jazz arranger Bill Zaccagni. That collaboration turned out to be successful despite Zaccagni’s passing in 2007.
Minas is known locally for its contributions to the Philadelphia music scene. They opened a samba school to help fellow musicians. They opened a samba school to help fellow musicians.
They also started an education program called “Brazilian Adventure” which teaches students about Bossa Nova, a combination of samba and jazz.
In addition to “Symphony in Bossa,” the SU Community Orchestra will also perform “Estampas Mexicanas,” a piece that incorporates Mexican folk elements, by José Elizondo and “Danzón No. 2,” a piece that earned the Mexican composer worldwide recognition, by Arturo Márquez.
The orchestra’s last concert was last November when they performed Handel’s “Messiah.” However, this will not be the first time Hartman and the orchestra will be performing with musicians like Minas. Christian Howes, a jazz violinist, played a classical concerto and then a variety of jazz pieces with the orchestra back in 2010. While Steve Rudolph and Jonathan Ragonese brought an improvisational sound to perform with the orchestra in 2014.
Minas’ energetic and experienced sound will blend with the orchestra’s local talent that is made of students, SU staff and residents of local communities. The event is free and open to the public.
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