COD celebrates composer Benjamin Britten
The music department at College of DuPage will celebrate the life and centennial anniversary of the birth of renowned English composer Benjamin Britten this fall with a series of performances and lectures by faculty and students.
Born in 1913 in Lowestoft, England, Britten was a composer, conductor and pianist who composed across a broad range of genres, including opera, chamber music, symphonic music, religious works, vocal music and music for film. He is best known for his operas and vocal music that include “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Billy Budd,” “Death in Venice,” “The Turn of the Screw” and the “War Requiem.”
In 1948, Britten, along with singer Peter Pears and librettist Eric Crozier, cofounded the Aldenburgh Festival, an arts and music festival devoted primarily to classical music that continues today.
During his lifetime, Britten was appointed a Companion of Honour, received the Order of Merit and was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Philharmonic Society. Additionally, he won the Robert O. Anderson Aspen Award in the Humanities and received the Ravel Award from the French government. In 1976, the year of his death, he became the first musician to be made a life peer in the United Kingdom.
Upcoming events at COD celebrating his music are listed below. Except where noted, the events are on the COD campus, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. For information, visit AtTheMAC.org or call (630) 942-4000.
Ÿ “Song and Proverbs of William Blake,” recital featuring COD alumni David Govertsen, at noon Friday, Sept. 20, in the Open Campus Center, Room 130M.
Ÿ “Benjamin Britten’s Musical Language — A Guided Analysis,” faculty talk featuring COD music professor Ken Paoli, at noon Friday, Sept. 27, in Building K, Room 107.
Ÿ College of DuPage faculty recital featuring selected instrumental and vocal works at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11, at the Open Campus Center, Room 130M.
Ÿ College of DuPage student recital featuring chamber singers, concert choir and chamber orchestra at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11, at Student Resource Center, Room 2000.
Ÿ “Rejoice in the Lamb” and other choral works at 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 27, at Grace United Methodist Church, 300 E. Gartner Road, Naperville.
Ÿ “The Poet’s Echo,” recital featuring soprano Lindsay Kesselman, at noon Friday, Nov. 8, at the Open Campus Center, Room 130M.
Ÿ “Winter Words,” recital featuring vocalist Steven Stolen, at noon Friday, Dec. 6, at Open Campus Center, Room 130M.
Ÿ “Saint Nicolas,” featuring the DuPage Chorale, at 8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, at North Central College’s Wentz Concert Hall, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville.
Ÿ Concert featuring chamber singers and concert choir at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 12, in the Student Resource Center, Room 2000.