Concert Captures Local Composer's Thankful Spirit for USC Aiken's Music Program

Aiken, SC (03/04/2020) — Members of the University of South Carolina Aiken community will present local composer Dr. Richard Maltz's Songs of Gratitude: An Aiken Celebration, April 18, at 4 p.m., at Aiken's First Baptist Church.

While the event is free and open to the public, donations for Area Churches Together Serving, or ACTS, will be collected.

"This project allows me to give back to the university and community which has given so much to me," says Maltz.

"Songs of Gratitude is a gesture of appreciation based on the work of seven USC Aiken faculty poets with whom I have worked and artistically collaborated over my 27-year tenure."

The large-scale work for orchestra, chorus, and vocal soloists will be performed by the Aiken Civic Orchestra conducted by Adam DePriest. The concert features local vocal soloists, including Dr. Keely Rhodes -- a USC Aiken music professor -- and a 300-voice choral ensemble.

"I am a composer. Every artist faces the stark reality of having to find a way to make a living. For me, it was as a university professor.

"I shared countless meaningful and enriching musical experiences with students and am proud to be a member of the USC Aiken family," he adds.

"Songs of Gratitude reinforces and pays homage to the solid bond between university and community that was a constant during my tenure at USC Aiken."

Maltz, distinguished professor emeritus, composed the entire concert, putting the literary works of USC Aiken's English faculty to music. He says it's important to him to dedicate the unique performance to USC Aiken and the greater local community.

"I retired from my position as USC Aiken professor of music in 2018" said Maltz.

"I am indebted to the university and its surrounding community for providing me with the opportunity to make a living as a professor and practicing composer."

The collaborative project is steeped in USC Aiken talent from across campus, starting with the works of Maltz's colleagues from the English department. USC Aiken poets David Bruzina, Vicki Collins, Phebe Davidson, Stephen Gardner, Linda Lee Harper, Roy Seeger, and Amanda Warren have all written poems that have been transformed by Maltz into music.

"I have previously collaborated with Linda Lee Harper and Roy Seeger" said Maltz.

"Linda Lee wrote the libretti for two of my operas, Bambino and Fable Beach. I set Roy's poem The Grapes in Orvieto for choir, which received performances by the USC Aiken Concert Choir in the United States and Italy."

"Collaborating with artists in other disciplines is an especially exciting undertaking. We all get to see and hear our work in a new light."

Songs of Gratitude features the talent of other USC Aiken faculty, staff and students as well as artists from the Aiken area. DePriest is a music instructor at USC Aiken, conductor of the Aiken Youth Orchestra, and founder and director of the Aiken Civic Orchestra.

"Aiken is very fortunate to have such a tremendous sense of community" says DePriest. "It is a marvelous thing to see how supportive we can be of one another.

"This collaboration certainly embodies this spirit of a tremendous community and it is a perfect microcosm of the wonderful things we can accomplish in our corner of the world."

Other music faculty, including percussionist Dr. Hayes Bunch and trombonist Matt Henderson will take part in the performance.

Diane Haslam has overseen the planning and coordination of 13 Aiken-area choirs involved in the production. She is the founder and musical director of Aiken Singers, Belles Canto, and Bellini. Haslam also directs South Boundary.

The participating choirs run the gamut from children to senior citizens, including Aiken Choral Society, Aiken Kinderchoir, Aiken Singers, Belles Canto, Bellini, Bound to Sing, South Boundary, USC Aiken Concert Choir, Aiken's First Baptist Church, First Presbyterian Church, St. Augustine Episcopal Church, St. Mary Help of Christians Church and St. Paul Lutheran Church.

In addition to Rhodes, the vocal soloists will include soprano Melissa Larkin Shultz, tenor Michael T. Brown, and baritone Washington Isaac Holmes.

"A project like this takes the support of an awful lot of people" Maltz says. "I am grateful to all who are involved.

"It took about a year and a half to compose the music. I started it just after retiring from USC Aiken in May 2018. With all the planning, organization, and rehearsal, it's an awful lot of preparation for a performance that will last about an hour. But it's worth it.

"It's what a composer lives for, and I am so eager to present this gift to the community."

The concert will be presented in partnership with Area Churches Together Serving. Admission is free. The community is invited to donate non-perishable food items to benefit the less fortunate in Aiken County.

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