This year Wichita Area Sister Cities is celebrating the 50th anniversary of our strong relationship between Wichita and Orléans, France.

 

In August 1944, the Americans including the 137th Infantry from the Kansas 35th Division liberated the people of Orléans, France from the Nazi occupation. Thus began the friendship between our two cities and, in 1973, Wichita and Orléans formally became Sister Cities.

 

Spearheading this 50th anniversary celebration is an international partnership which includes both the Wichita Area Sister Cities and the Orléans-Wichita association, alongside WSU’s School of Music and French Department and their counterparts across the pond, the Orchestre Symphonique d’Orléans.

 

Together, we are producing concerts and masterclasses in both Orléans and Wichita. In honor of this historic anniversary, the concerts will feature music from American and French composers.

 

At the end of the January, Jerry Scholl, WSU Percussion Professor and Wichita Symphony’s principal timpanist, will be traveling to France to perform Raise the Roof, Concerto for Timpani and Orchestra by Michael Daugherty. Daugherty is a world class award winning American composer whose music have been performed by every major orchestra worldwide.

Prior to that, Jerry will be giving a Sneak Peek performance of Raise the Roof and concert talk on January 17th at 7pm in Duerksen (DFA), on the WSU campus.

 

His counterpart, Vincent Mitterrand, principal trumpet of the Orchestre Symphonique d’Orléans will be travelling to perform concerts here in Wichita in mid-February.

 

On February 19th at 3pm in Miller Concert Hall (WSU Campus), we will present the inaugural concert of the WSU Faculty Chamber Music Series. Vincent Mitterrand, Jerry Scholl and other music faculty will be featured performing Stravinsky’s “l’Histoire du Soldat (The Soldiers Tale), and the French libretto will be narrated by WSU’s French Faculty. We will also feature Vincent performing a selection of trumpet duets with Dr. David Hunsicker, WSU’s associate professor of trumpet. Dr Tim Jones, Associate Concertmaster of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra and WSU Assistant Professor of Music, will perform the Brahms Sonata No. 2 for violin accompanied by pianist Gene Philley.

 

Then on February 21st, Vincent will perform the Concerto for Trumpet by French composer Henri Tomasi with the WSU Wind Ensemble under the direction of Dr. Timothy Shade, Director of the School of Music.

 

To purchase tickets to the February 19th concert, click here:

https://wichita.universitytickets.com/w/event.aspx?id=1487&r=d853cb8b530d4e6793ee82175be8008a

 

To purchase tickets to the February 21st concert, click here:

https://wichita.universitytickets.com/w/event.aspx?id=1439&r=1a43c617a6ed43aab77b35f9e9d7b4b7