Juilliard returns to Texas State for a Common Experience in the Arts

Posted by Jayme Blaschke
University News Service
February 24, 2009

The Common Experience program and the School of Music at Texas State University-San Marcos are hosting the third annual “Juilliard Rejoins Texas State for a Common Experience in the Arts” event, this year under the main title A Time to Break Silence.

The Juilliard School, located in New York City, is among the most prestigious art schools that draws some of the most talented students from all over the world. Welcoming twelve of these talents to San Marcos to collaborate with Texas State’s music students, this art event will present theatrical scenes, monologues, original dance choreography, and music by well-known composers such as Isaac Albéniz, György Ligeti, Iannis Xenakis, Dmitri Shostakovich, Wayne Oquin and James Dillon.

All performances on the program relate to this year’s Common Experience theme of “Civic Responsibility and the Legacy of LBJ.” In addition to monologues based on texts by President Lyndon Baines Johnson--the most famous graduate of Texas State--and on texts by Martin Luther King, Wayne Oquin’s A Time to Break Silence: Songs Inspired by the Words and Writings of Martin Luther King, Jr. for baritone and piano (2007) will be performed.

The Texas State Chorale, under the direction of Joey Martin, professor of choral conducting in the School of Music, will be performing the highlight of the evening: Ave Maria (2001) by Wayne Oquin for chorus with an original dance choreography by Juilliard dancers. The composer, Texas State alumnus Wayne Oquin, recently earned a doctoral degree from the Juilliard School and is now a member of the Juilliard faculty.

For more information, call the University Honors Program at (512) 245-2266 or the University Seminar Office at (512) 245-7952 or visit the Common Experience website at www.txstate.edu/commonexperience.