April 13: An Evening of Romantic Music
Robert Xavier Rodríguez presents pianist Jeff Lankov and UTD students performing Romantic vocal and instrumental chamber music of the 19th and 20th centuries. Composers include Mendelssohn, Schumann, Chopin, Barber, Rodriguez and Bernstein.

November 18: All-Beethoven Concert
Robert Xavier Rodriguez directs UTD's Musica Nova ensemble in vocal and instrumental chamber music of the master composer. Jeff Lankov, pianist, and UTD students will perform the Piano Sonata in A-Major, Op 2, No. 2; Sonata in G-minor for Cello and Piano, Op. 5, No. 2; Beethoven's own trio arrangement for Clarinet, Cello and Piano (Op. 20) of his popular Septet (Op. 38) and Beethoven songs in new instrumental arrangements written especially for the concert.

UTD's Musica Nova Ensemble performs music written for small ensembles, plus multi-media and theater works, of all periods. Instrumentalists, singers, composers, actors, dancers and video artists from UTD’s Chamber Music Ensemble class join UTD faculty and other professional musicians and members of the community. Musica Nova guest artists have included members of the Dallas Symphony and Dallas Opera Orchestra and singers from the New York City Opera and Metropolitan Opera. Music performed on past Musica Nova concerts has ranged from Medieval and Renaissance dances and motets to standard repertoire to experimental mixed-media works written for and/or developed by the ensemble. Concerts have included an evening of jigs, an evening of tangos, an evening of improvisation, French cabaret and mariachi songs, chamber opera, video art, ballet and a fully staged commedia dell'arte pantomime. Graduate or undergraduate students interested in auditioning, please call 972-883-2766 or 972-238-8703.

Robert Xavier Rodríguez
The music of Robert Xavier Rodríguez is regularly performed in American, Latin American, and European musical centers, with more than 2,000 professional operatic and orchestral performances in recent seasons. Rodríguez has served as composer-in-residence with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the San Antonio Symphony, and the Dallas Symphony. He currently is Professor of Aesthetic Studies at UTD and is active as a guest lecturer and conductor. His music is published by G. Schirmer and has been recorded on the Newport, Crystal, Orion, Urtext, Albany, and CRI (1999 Grammy nomination) labels. A full biography is available at: http://www.robertxavierrodriguez.com/

Jeff Lankov is a pianist and musical director, active in both classical and popular styles. He has performed with conductors such as Anshel Brusilow, Leonard Slatkin and Leonard Bernstein. Recent performances have included solo recitals, chamber music concerts and concertos of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Grieg and Gershwin. Lankov’s solo recitals often feature works by living composers and unusual juxtapositions of repertoire. He has recorded The Piano Music of George Gershwin, with a second volume scheduled for release in 2004. Lankov regularly performs in major entertainment venues throughout the United States, and has appeared with artists such as Phyllis Diller, Joan Rivers, Johnny Mathis, and The Platters. He has recently served as musical director for productions by Radio City Music Hall, Dallas Summer Musicals, Dallas Theater Center and Casa Mañana’s Forever Plaid, the longest-running show in DFW history. Lankov received his formal training at the St. Louis Conservatory of Music and Interlochen Arts Academy.