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The BPO returns to campus on Tuesday, February 3 at 7:30 p.m. This concert is a wonderful opportunity for faculty, staff and students to see and hear the BPO perform in the warm acoustics of the Montante Cultural Center. Tickets are $25 general admission and $12 for students and can be purchased in the Fine Arts Office, LY 406, at the door the night of the concert or online at canisius.edu/artscanisius-tictkes.

This year’s program includes Franz Schubert’s “Overture in the Italian Style,” Bottesini’s “Fantasy on Themes from Bellini’s La Sonnambula” for double bass and orchestra with BPO principal bassist Daniel Pendley as soloist; Tomasi’s “Fanfares Liturgiques for Brass and Percussion;” and Tchaikovsky’s “Serenade for Strings in C Major.” The BPO will be led by its new associate conductor, Stefan Sanders, in this concert.

Stefan Sanders is as an imaginative conductor, devoted educator and ardent champion of many types of music. In addition to his position with the BPO, Sanders is the music director of the Round Rock Symphony (TX) where he is attracting much praise for innovative programming, seeking new venues and collaborations with local arts organizations, attracting broader audiences, and redefining the orchestra’s role in its community. Prior to a career as a conductor, Sanders was an internationally renowned trombonist, having performed as a soloist in the United States, Asia and Europe. His performance of Eric Ewazen’s “Concerto for Bass Trombone and Orchestra,” with the Czech Philharmonic can be heard on the Albany Records label. Sanders was a member of the Buffalo Philharmonic’s trombone section for seven seasons. While he has performed on stage in the Montante Cultural Center as bass trombonist with the BPO, this concert marks his first performance at Canisius in his role as conductor.

Submitted by: Ellen Barnum, director, ArtsCanisius