March 1, 1996

   EVANSTON, Ill. --- A grand celebration commemorating a century of excellence at
   Northwestern University School of Music takes place at 8 p.m. Friday, March 1 at
   Orchestra Hall, 220 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago.

   The program includes a gala evening of music heralding the School of Music's glorious
   past as well as its commitment to an even brighter future.

   During the first half of the concert, a multimedia presentation, entitled "100 Years and
   Counting,"and narrated by Northwestern alum Bruce Duffie, of radio station
   WNIB-FM, will take the audience on a journey through the last century at the School
   of Music. It will include a collage of slides, narration and brief performances by the
   Millar Brass conducted by Vincent Cichowicz, the Chapel Choir conducted by
   Stephen Alltop and renowned faculty members. Featured in the performance are
   William Warfield, Frederick Hemke, Sunny Joy Langton, Karen Brunssen, Kurt
   Hansen, Bruce Hall, Sylvia Wang, Richard Alderson, Elizabeth Fischer and Michael
   Kocour. Seven children of faculty members will also perform.

   These compositions will honor the School's past deans --- Peter Christian Lutkin,
   George Howerton and John Beattie. Dean Howerton, now living in Salida, Colo., plans
   to be present for the celebration.

   Due to illness, baritone Sherrill Milnes will not be able to perform at the Centennial
   concert, as originally planned. Northwestern University faculty member Mignon Dunn
   will replace Mr. Milnes during the second half of the concert. The two arias she will
   sing are "Amour! viens aider ma faiblesse!" from Saint-Saens' "Samson et Dalila" and
   "Ah! que j'aime les militaries!" from Offenbach's "The Grand-Duchess of Gerolstein."

   The second half of the festival will also include brass fanfares and flourishes, Berlioz's
   "Roman Carnival" Overture and Kodaly's monumental Budapest Te Deum performed
   by a 300-member combined orchestra and chorus. Faculty members include Langton,
   Brunssen, Hansen and Hall. Victor Yampolsky will conduct the orchestra and Robert
   A. Harris will lead the chorus. Mitchell Arnold will conduct the Brass Ensemble as they
   perform a Centennial fanfare that Stanley Ryberg composed just after the
   announcement that the 1995-96 Wildcat football team would be Rose Bowl bound.

   Conductors Yampolsky and Harris are both School of Music professors of music
   performance. Each has directed and conducted orchestral and choral ensembles,
   respectively, throughout the United States and abroad. Yampolsky founded the
   Storioni Ensemble, Northwestern's resident chamber ensemble. He is also music
   director of the Peninsula Music Festival in Wisconsin, music director of the Omaha
   Symphony Orchestra and the honorary director of the Scotia Festival of Music in Nova
   Scotia. Harris is active as a choral conductor, clinician and adjudicator through the
   United States and abroad.

   In addition to commemorating a century of excellence at the Northwestern University
   School of Music, the concert will also honor the memory and life of John P. Paynter,
   Northwestern's director of bands since 1953, who died Feb. 4 at the age of 67.

   There is limited availability for the post-concert reception in the Grainger Ballroom of
   Orchestra Hall. Tickets for this portion of the celebration are $25.

   Tickets to the gala concert are $6 to $35 with limited seating in some price categories.
   Northwestern faculty and staff will receive $5 off $15 or $35 tickets.

   Students have a special ticket option. Phi Mu Alpha and Sigma Alpha Iota will be
   selling $6 student vouchers on the Evanston campus for the Orchestra Hall concert
   which will entitle the bearer to the best available seat. Selections from box seats to
   lower balcony will be assigned when vouchers are turned in the night of the concert.
   Voucher proceeds will benefit fund raising efforts by Phi Mu Alpha and Sigma Alpha
   Iota.

   To order tickets call (847) 467-4000. For more information regarding Northwestern
   University School of Music events call (847) 491-5441.

   2/28/96