While Keith Lockhart is celebrating his 10th year as conductor of the Boston Pops, Tech Night at Pops celebrates its far greater longevity--107 years as an annual tradition. On Thursday, June 3, Lockhart will lead the Pops in a concert that includes a guest appearance by Evan Ziporyn, MIT's Kenan Sahin Distinguished Professor of Music, who will be the soloist in Artie Shaw's "Concerto for Clarinet."
Known for his expertise on the Balinese gamelan and as an innovative composer for combined ensembles of gamelan and western instruments, Ziporyn will swing to a piece originally composed for the Fred Astaire film, "Second Chorus." Ziporyn has performed with singer/songwriter Paul Simon, the Bang on a Can All-Stars and Steve Reich, also directs MIT's Gamelan Galak Tika.
The program will also include Robert Russell Bennett's "The Four Freedoms Symphony" performed with a film produced by Susan Dangel and Dick Bartlett with text and narration by Charles Osgood; John Williams' "Hymn to New England"; a multiple birthday tribute to Count Basie, Glenn Miller and Fats Waller; Irving Berlin's "There's No Business Like Show Business"; "A Billy Joel Triptych"; selections of works by Duke Ellington; and "Hot Honey Rag" from Kander and Ebb's "Chicago."
As tradition demands, the concert will conclude with a singalong version of MIT's alma mater, "In Praise of MIT."
The concert is sold out as tickets were purchased by this year's graduates and alumni returning to campus for reunions and Tech Week.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on June 2, 2004 (download PDF).
