January 17, 2006—Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born 250 years ago, on Jan. 27. To honor the occasion, faculty members and students from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music will engage in a marathon presentation of four concerts on that date, Friday, Jan. 27, beginning at 1:30 p.m. in Warner Concert Hall. All events are free and open to the public.

Concert I is expected to last until 3 p.m., and will feature a four-hand sonata, three violin sonatas, two piano concertos, and a trio.   

Concert II begins at 4 p.m., and includes the Coronation Mass in C, K. 317, a concert aria, a piano and wind quintet, a divertimento, a sonata for two pianos, and a piano concerto. Concert II also includes an intermission.

Concert III, at 7:30 p.m., features the Quartet in B-flat, K. 458, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, K. 525, and another divertimento. A reception in the Warner lobby will follow this concert.

At 9:15 Concert IV will begin, featuring the Piano Concerto in A, K. 414 and the Symphony in D, K. 385 ("Haffner").

A chamber choir, formed for this event, features faculty and staff from the Conservatory and College as well as students.

At 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 3 and Saturday, Feb. 4, a student-directed production of Mozart's comedic opera Cosi fan Tutte will be presented in Finney Chapel. The opera performances are free and open to the public.

These musical events are the culmination of a month-long Winter Term symposium, The Mozart Experience, that includes lectures, discussions, and a film series featuring movies of Mozart operas, Amadeus, and films whose scores include works by Mozart. The project has attracted more than 90 participants from the College and the conservatory.

"By offering activities that immerse students in the critical analysis of Mozart's music, we are creating an opportunity for students to rethink Mozart's music and experience it anew," says Professor of Music Theory Brian Alegant, chair of Oberlin's Winter Term committee.

More information about the symposium is available at www.oberlin.edu .