Military academy chamber series opener

West Point — Staff Sgt. Diana Cassar-Uhl will present a recital of the music of Aaron Copland in the West Point Jewish Chapel at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 1. She will be joined by Dr. Ruthanne Schempf on piano, as well as several musicians from the band and from the surrounding area to perform “Appalachian Spring.” The ensemble performance will be conducted by Master Sgt. Christopher Jones. “Appalachian Spring” is a ballet score by Aaron Copland that premiered in Oct. 1944, achieving widespread popularity as an orchestral suite. The ballet, scored for a thirteen-member chamber orchestra, was created at the request of choreographer and dancer Martha Graham and commissioned by Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge. Copland was awarded the 1945 Pulitzer Prize for Music for the ballet. Cassar-Uhl will also perform Copland’s Concerto for Clarinet. Benny Goodman performed the concerto with the NBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Fritz Reiner, on Nov. 6, 1950. It quickly established itself as a standard piece in every clarinetist’s repertoire. Please allow extra travel time for the vehicle and photo identification inspection at Stony Lonesome and Thayer gates. Due to changing security requirements at West Point, call the Academy Band’s hotline at 845-938-2617 or check www.usma.edu/special prior to attending the concert. For concert information, cancellations and updates, call the hotline or visit www.usma.edu/band/.