Un/Masked: 2022 Symphony of Diversity
Saturday, 30 Apr 2022 at 7:30 pm – CY Stephens Auditorium
The musical energies of the Americas are front and center at the third ISU presentation of the nationally known Symphony of Diversity. Venezuelan violinist Samuel Vargas, winner of the 2021 Sphinx National Competition for Black and Latino talent, will perform Florence Price's Concerto No. 2 for violin and orchestra in a concert that includes Baba Yetu, a setting of the Lord’s Prayer in Swahili and the first piece of music written for a video game to win a Grammy Award. The second half of the program features the choral-orchestral work Illuminare by Des Moines composer Elaine Hagenburg, and Arturo Márquez’s raucous Danzón No. 2. More than half the music on the concert by duration features music by visible minorities, and more than half of the music on the concert by duration features music by women.About Symphony of Diversity: Symphony of Diversity is a nationally noted orchestral performance series that celebrates, illuminates, and commemorates a history of human rights encompassing both of triumphs and tragedies. Conceived and curated by Jonathan Govias, Director of Orchestral Activities at Iowa State University, the concerts are rooted in the ideal that the world itself is a symphony of diversity to be experienced, and unfearingly address current social issues through both contemporary and historical musical lenses. Past guests have included one-handed virtuoso violinist Adrian Anantawan, transgender pianist Sara Davis Buechner, and indigenous rights activist Sarain Fox. The first iteration took place in Charlotte, NC in April 2017, with the sixth and most recent concert presented in April 2021 in Ames, IA. Over the years the concerts have generated unprecedented media interest and publicity for the activities of a university orchestra, for the artistic as much as the social merits of the concerts.
Stay for the entire event, including the brief question-and-answer session that follows the formal presentation. Most events run 75 minutes.
Sign-ins are after the event concludes. For lectures in the Memorial Union, go to the information desk in the Main Lounge. In other academic buildings, look for signage outside the auditorium.
Lecture Etiquette
- Stay for the entire lecture and the brief audience Q&A. If a student needs to leave early, he or she should sit near the back and exit discreetly.
- Do not bring food or uncovered drinks into the lecture.
- Check with Lectures staff before taking photographs or recording any portion of the event. There are often restrictions. Cell phones, tablets and laptops may be used to take notes or for class assignments.
- Keep questions or comments brief and concise to allow as many as possible.