Miami U musicians return

Hamilton, Ohio – They’re coming for an encore. And then some.

Student musicians from Miami University return to the Fitton Center at 6 p.m. Thursday, October 5, for an eclectic group of chamber performances in the first-floor Monument Gallery.

The hour-long concert is free and open to the public.

Professor Aaron Pergram said guests will hear woodwinds, strings, piano and more, with selections from the Baroque, Classical and Romantic eras.

“Just like there is a diversity of art pieces in a gallery exhibition, we’ll have a diversity in the music,” he said. “Different groups and combinations and solos. Different instruments. Different musical eras. We’re bringing a great amount of variety.”

The October performance serves as the start for an entire series by Miami musicians at the Fitton Center this academic year, with three additional Thursday dates also on the calendar - November 9, March 14 and May 30.

The series grew out of a gallery performance by the student woodwind quintet, Oxford Wind (pictured), back in May. Which itself came about after a faculty chamber performance in the gallery space the previous spring.

“I have talked to so many people on the faculty and in our administration who are excited about this series,” Pergram said. “It’s an important opportunity for our students. This is one of the quintessential cornerstones of all the arts disciplines – art can happen anywhere. It’s adaptive.”

And possibly daunting.

“To go to the center of the county and perform in an unfamiliar venue is a big step,” Pergram said. “Oxford and Hamilton may be very close geographically, but for some of these students, it will be the first time they’re performing outside of that Miami familiarity.

“It elevates their performance. It’s not just playing for other students or their faculty. It’s not just playing for a grade. This is completely elective and they are learning – just the very beginning stages – of what it means to be a professional musician and step out of their comfort zone to perform.”

In addition to the music, Pergram said his students are learning more about the arts in general.

“They’re asking what the Fitton Center is and what the Fitton Center does,” he said. “We’re having conversations about that, but I’m also inviting them to do some research on their own. We want them to have a feel for the place, to learn how to ask their own questions, to get a sense of where they’re playing and why the Fitton Center plays an important role in community, in the region.

“Every performer starts their performance journey somewhere. We glad our students have a chance to start theirs at the Fitton Center.”

The Fitton Center for Creative Arts is located at 101 S. Monument Avenue on the Riverfront in downtown Hamilton, Ohio.

Building Community Excellence through the Arts and Culture