(WARRENSBURG, Mo.) – The University of Central Missouri Department of Music, in conjunction with the Performing Arts Series, presents the annual UCM President’s Gala, “A Bernstein Tribute, a celebration of the 95^th  anniversary of Leonard Bernstein’s birth, at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 8, in Hendricks Hall.

Tickets for the President’s Gala, available for $7 for the general public and $3 for students, may be purchased from the Central Tickets box office in Administration 100B, by calling 660-543-8888, or online at ucmpas.com

The Department of Music’s premier ensembles have prepared a program that builds on the outstanding success of the 2013 President’s Gala at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Presenting a program of Bernstein favorites, the UCM Jazz Ensemble 1, under the direction of David Aaberg, will perform “Something’s Coming” and “Maria,” featuring UCM alumnus Jeremy Frazier on the trumpet. The UCM Concert Choir, under the direction of Alan Zabriskie, will perform “Somewhere” and “Make Our Garden Grow.”

Following intermission, the UCM Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of John Rutland, will perform “Overture to West Side Story” and “Variations on a Shaker Melody” from Aaron Copland’s “Appalachian Spring.” The UCM Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Scott Lubaroff, will conclude the program with “Blow It Up, Start Again” by Jonathan Newman and “Conniption” by William Pitts.

The annual concert is presented as part of the PAS Fanfare Series,  which brings the talents of the UCM Department of Music to the stage.