Longwood University Arts Calendar

The Chrysalis Chamber player will perform on October 20th at 7:30pm in Molnar Recital Hall in the Wygal Building.

Classical trumpeter Mary Elizabeth Bowden is a highly in-demand soloist, praised for “splendid, brilliant” playing (Gramophone Magazine) and her “pure, refined, and warm” tone (American Record Guide). A Gold Medal Global Music Award Winner, Opus Klassik Nominee, and Yamaha Performing Artist, Bowden works diligently to establish a new repertoire for the trumpet through creative, collaborative commissioning projects and award-winning albums.
Bowden’s recent highlights include four world premiere concerti with the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, where she performed Clarice Assad’s Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra and Shostakovich’s Concerto in C minor for Piano, Trumpet, and String Orchestra; with the Austin Symphony Orchestra in Reena Esmail’s Rosa de Sal and Assad’s Bohemian Queen; and with Oregon’s Rogue Valley Symphony in Henri Tomasi’s Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra. With the DuPage Symphony, she premiered a new arrangement of Gala Flagello’s Persist and Grace Williams’ Trumpet Concerto. Bowden also toured Vivian Fung and Clarice Assad’s trumpet concertos to the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra, Akron Symphony Orchestra, Lexington Philharmonic, and Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra. She held residencies and masterclasses at The Curtis Institute of Music, Yale University, Oberlin College, Swarthmore College, Domaine Forget, Festival Napa Valley, and Norfolk Chamber Music Festival.
International engagements brought Bowden to the LizBrass Festival in Portugal, Jeju International Wind Ensemble Festival in Korea, Isla Verde Bronces International Brass Festival in Argentina, Festival de Metales del Pacifico in Mexico, and Lieksa Brass Week in Finland. Bowden’s Chrysalis Chamber Players embarked on a U.S. tour of trumpet and string quartet repertoire, presented by Live On Stage, and with Seraph Brass, Bowden released an album of new compositions for brass quintet for Tower Grove Records.
Bowden has released two acclaimed recordings on Summit Records: her debut album, Radiance (featuring new American works), and her second solo album, Rêverie with the Kassia Ensemble. Rêverie was featured as one of the Top Albums of the Year for the Global Music Awards and on Textura Magazine’s Top Ten Classical Albums of the Year. In summer 2024, Bowden released a new solo album with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra made up entirely of trumpet concerti by living composers, out on Cedille Records.
Among her many creative projects, Mary is a founding member and artistic leader of Seraph Brass, an ensemble of America’s top women brass players that was awarded the 2019 American Prize in Chamber Music and has performed around the world. The group’s debut album, Asteria, released on Summit Records, won the Silver Medal Global Music Award.
Mary earned her Bachelor of Music degree from The Curtis Institute of Music, and her Master of Music degree from the Yale School of Music. She is currently Associate Professor of Trumpet at Shenandoah Conservatory.

The performance schedule is as follows:

The Girl with the Flaxen Hair…………………………………Claude Debussy (1862-1917) arr. Rick DeJonge
BWV 972 after Vivaldi’s Violin Concerto RV 230…J.S. Bach (1685-1750) arr. Benjamin Miles/James Stephenson
I. Allegro Moderato
Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout…………………………………………………Gabriela Lena Frank (b.1972)
I. Toyos
IV. Coqueteos
Trumpet Concerto in E-flat Major (Hob. Vlle/1)………………..Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) arr. Benjamin Miles
Intermission
Spitfire…………………..James Stephenson (b. 1969)
Rondo Alla Turca from Piano Sonata no. 11 in A Major, KV 331….W.A. Mozart (1756-1791) arr. DeJonge
String Quartet in G Major…………………………………………………………….Florence Price (1887-1953)
II. Allegro moderato – Allegretto
Variations on Bellini’s Norma………………………………….Jean-Baptiste Arban (1825-1889) arr. DeJonge
Three Browning Songs………………………………………………Amy Beach (1867-1944) arr. Katie Jenkins
I. The Year’s at the Spring
II. Ah, Love, But a Day!
Siete Canciones Populares Españoles……………………….Manuel de Falla (1876-1946) arr. Miles I. El paño moruno V. Nana VII. Polo

Join the Longwood University Chamber Orchestra and Studio Ensemble on October 30^th, 2025 for an evening of musical works by Bach, Shostakovich, Phillips, Holst, and Newbold. From English folk tunes to soaring, Greek-inspired melodies, this concert has something for everyone!

Join us for an unforgettable evening of powerful storytelling and rich musical traditions as our Chamber Orchestra and Studio Ensemble present a dynamic and emotionally charged program that spans centuries and styles.

We open with Soon Hee Newbold’s Perseus, a dramatic and cinematic work that brings ancient Greek mythology to life. With driving rhythms and vivid musical imagery, this piece captures the heroic journey of Perseus—from his fateful encounter with Medusa to his triumphant return.

Following Perseus is the bittersweet elegance of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Waltz No. 2, one of the composer’s most recognizable and beloved melodies. Haunting yet graceful, this waltz offers a moment of reflection and nostalgia, blending beauty with an undercurrent of mystery.

The program continues with a masterpiece of Baroque dialogue: Johann Sebastian Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins in D minor performed by the Longwood University Studio Ensemble. Often referred to as the “Bach Double,” this concerto is a virtuosic and expressive showpiece, highlighting the intricate interplay between two solo violins and the ensemble. Its timeless beauty allows it to serve as a pinnacle of the string repertoire. This piece will showcase violinists Sophia Edwards and Macey Hutto as soloists.

Following Bach is a burst of energy in Bob Phillips’ Impact, a contemporary work that lives up to its name. With its bold rhythms, modern textures, and high-octane drive, Impact brings the concert to a thrilling conclusion—reminding us of the excitement and vitality that music can ignite.

To end the program, we travel to early 20th-century England with Gustav Holst’s St. Paul’s Suite, a charming and energetic homage to English folk tunes. Originally written for the students at St. Paul’s Girls’ School, where Holst taught, this suite radiates joy and showcases the playful elegance of string ensemble writing.

From myth to modernity, this program promises a journey of musical contrast and celebration.

Admission is FREE

The Camerata Singers and Chamber Singers present their first concert of the academic year, and sing myself. The concert, centered around the first poem from Walt Whitman’s great epic Song of Myself, invites the audience to examine the many reasons we sing.

The program includes works by Fanny Hensel, Louis Lewandowski, Heinrich Schütz, and Gwyneth Walker, and closes with the Virginia premiere of Melissa Dunphy’s Ye Winds.

Admission is FREE and the public is invited to attend.

The event will take place on October 22nd beginning at 7:30pm in the Molnar Recital Hall in Wygal Hall on Longwood campus.