By Ward Sheikh Alard
UNIVERSITY CITY, SHARJAH – With the pandemic suspending live performances for three semesters, in-person music returns to the American University of Sharjah at 7 p.m. Nov. 29 in the Performing Arts Program’s end-of-the-semester “Viva Musicale!” concert.
To be held in the main auditorium, “Viva Musicale!” – Long Live the Music! – represents a welcome change from about two years spent trying to present music online, according to Performing Arts Program faculty member Dr. Sherri Weiler.
Weiler, an associate professor, said that while the program was able to use digital technology to present musical works, the efforts did not represent the quality of what they train students to do live.
The late-November concert will feature solo and duet performances featuring Weiler’s applied voice students, the Arabic Ensemble directed by Dr. Albert Agha, and the AUS Choir led by Dr. Damon Dandridge.
The choir will include a diverse range of choral literature, from the opening movement of Vivaldi’s “Gloria” to the Spanish folk song “Duermete.” The Arabic group’s work will include pieces based on poetry from Andalusian literature in a genre called Muashah with what Weiler described as a light series of Egyptian and Syrian folk music in between.
The students who will perform that night auditioned for the choirs or for applied lessons at the end of last semester, Weiler noted, adding that the Covid-19 situation continues to impact the Performing Arts Program. One of the largest impacts, she said, is that parents and other family members won’t be allowed on campus to see the performance due to access policies and limited seating capacity.
Only current students enrolled in AUS classes and faculty members may attend, she said.
However, Weiler said she’s hoping to see as many students and faculty attend the concert as the space and safety protocols can allow. “I also hope that the students who attend will be interested enough to join us in the next event,” she added.
Auditions for the upcoming spring semester programs will be held in early December and again as the semester begins in January; an email will be sent to all students with the exact dates and timings.
Tickets for Viva Musicale! will be on sale at 25 AED beginning in mid-November.
