UTA musicians join with Levitt Pavilion for free video series
Musicians from The University of Texas at Arlington have teamed up with the Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts for a free weekly video series focused on different genres of music.
Each Thursday in January, faculty members from UT Arlington's Department of Music will lead a discussion about a different genre of music, such as classical, jazz, electronic and hip hop. The series, called Learn with the Levitt, begins at 7:30 p.m. on January 7 and can be seen on the UTA Music Concert and Recital Live Stream website.
“We’re eager to involve UTA Music with the Arlington community and reach beyond our campus,” said Martha Walvoord, interim chair of the Music Department. “This series is an innovative way to continue performing and to serve the community.”
In the absence of live concerts during the COVID-19 pandemic, the collaboration offers a solution to provide unique content that brings music into people’s homes. The music series was developed in partnership with the Levitt.
The first video, airing Thursday, features classical music from American composers Aaron Copland, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich and John Adams. The series host is Laura Bennett Cameron, bassoonist and assistant professor of music at UTA. The instructor for the classical music video is Megan Sarno, musicologist and assistant professor of music.
Other UT Arlington Music Department faculty will be featured in future weeks, including Andrew Eldridge, percussionist and graduate advisor; Tim Ishii, who specializes in jazz studies and saxophone; and Jamar Jones, coordinator of the music industry studies program.
“This is an accessible and fun way to highlight different kinds of music and show how versatile music really is,” Walvoord said. “By continuing to engage with the public during this time, we hope it will bring interest to UTA Music and to our exceptional, world-renowned faculty, who work with students every day to realize their musical potential.”
UTA’s music faculty members said they are enthusiastic to share their knowledge in an open and conversational format.
“We’re all working together to enrich the culture of Arlington in different ways,” Cameron said. “This collaboration is bringing something new, something cultural and something also really approachable to the community. It’s innovative, fascinating and exciting to connect music in new ways. The only rule about listening to music is that you should enjoy it.”