The Playground, artists-in-residence at the Lamont School of Music, will begin this season’s Lamont Community Concert Series with a performance featuring the music of the French composer Oliver Messiaen.
The free concert will take place Oct. 24 at noon in Hamilton Recital Hall.
Starting in 2004, the Playground emerged as a chamber ensemble devoted to performing music from the 20th and 21st century. Last year, the 12-member ensemble implemented the Lamont Community Concert Series, offering the public three free concerts each season.
This season, the chosen theme is “spiritual renewal.” During each quarter of the academic year, the Playground will perform the music of a composer whose spirituality has been their prime creative inspiration.
According to Robert von Foerster, program director and performer for the Playground, Messiaen was the impetus for this season’s theme.
“We knew we wanted to include a concert of Messiaen in celebration of the 100th anniversary of his birth,” von Foerster says, “then we chose composers who also have a very strong spiritual orientation to their music.”
Upcoming concerts will feature the music of Sofia Gubaidulina on Feb. 13 and Arvo Part on May 8.