NOCCA Jazz Faculty Brings Historic Original Score To The U.S. Mint Theater
March 13, 2015
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Faculty
Composer & Educator Mike Rihner’s “Battle of New Orleans: Score for Unity” special highlight of Navy Week
NOCCA congratulates music faculty Mike Rihner for his recent recognition and selection by National Jazz Historical Park in New Orleans for his work Battle of New Orleans: Score for Unity jazz suite for big band. This original music, composed by music educator Mike Rihner, will be premiered at the U.S. Mint Theater, Thursday-April 23, 3 PM, as part of the official kick-off of U.S. Navy week in New Orleans.
Sponsored by a grant from the National Jazz Historical Park in New Orleans, Battle of New Orleans: Score for Unity centers and provides musical depictions of the historic victory by Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans in 1815. The work will also be performed at NOCCA on April 29, 7 PM in Lupin Hall. The work will be performed by the NOCCA Jazz Big Band, directed by Mike Rihner. All performances are free and open to the public.
Rihner Continues His Orchestral Premiers With The Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra
New Orleans Symphonic Dance Suite
composed by Michael Rihner
New Orleans composer, performer, and music educator Michael Rihner will have his newest orchestral composition, the “New Orleans Symphonic Dance Suite” performed by the Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra in Carnegie Hall, New York on June 28, 2015. Rihner’s “New Orleans Symphonic Dance Suite” was written specifically for GNOYO’s east coast tour in 2015 in celebration of the orchestra’s 20th anniversary.
The diverse melodic themes and rhythms of “New Orleans Symphonic Dance Suite” depict the wide variety of cultural influences that merge in New Orleans to make it one of the world’s most cosmopolitan musical cities. Like a large musical tapestry, there are 9 short sections to the suite, each one featuring a unique melodic and rhythmic statement and yet all connected by New Orleans’ rich and diverse musical traditions.
The GNOYO east coast tour in June 2015, featuring Rihner’s “New Orleans Symphonic Dance Suite” (among other classical works,) will include performances in Charleston, South Carolina on June 23; Williamsburg, Virginia on June 24; Washington, D.C. on June 25; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on June 26; and the culminating performance at world-famous Carnegie Hall in New York on June 28.
About Mike Rihner
Mike Rihner, composer, performer, and music educator from New Orleans. Graduate of both UNO and LSU School of Music. Music teacher at NOCCA since 1997. Former music teacher at Loyola University College of Music and Delgado Community College. Recent adjunct music composition professor at UNO. Winner of several composition awards and grants.
About NOCCA
New Orleans Center for Creative Arts is Louisiana’s arts conservatory for high school students. NOCCA offers students from across the state tuition-free arts instruction in Creative Writing, Culinary Arts, Dance, Media Arts (Filmmaking and Audio Production), Music, Theatre Arts, and Visual Arts. For more information, please visit www.nocca.com.