Hasper's 'Urban Symphony' to have world premiere at orchestra concert

Dr. Joseph Hasper

The Grove City College Orchestras will close out their season with a concert featuring the world premiere of “Urban Symphony,” a composition by Professor of Music Dr. Joseph Hasper.

The concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday April 11 in Ketler Auditorium of the Pew Fine Arts Center on campus is free and open to the public. It will be livestreamed at gcc.edu/livemusic.

The Symphony Orchestra will perform Hasper’s composition, which includes electronic dance music (EDM), four movements of varying textures and styles, and several soloists from the orchestra. A noted composer, Hasper wrote “Urban Symphony” during a fall 2024 sabbatical.

The orchestra will also perform Beethoven’s Egmont Overture, Philip Lane’s “Pantomime” for string orchestra, and finish with John Williams’ “Flight to Neverland” from the movie “Hook.” The Chamber Orchestra will be performing the 4th movement of Dvorak’s 9th Symphony “From the New World”, Vaughan-Williams’ Norfolk Suite, and “In the Company of Angels,” which features the strings and harp.

Dr. Jeffrey Tedford ’00, chair of the Department of Music and director of Orchestral Activities, directs both ensembles. It is a busy and exciting time for the symphony musicians, who will be performing at the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Conference the evening before their concert on campus.

During the concert, Tedford will recognize seniors and announce the recipient of the Clifford and Joanne Cox Award for Musical Excellence, awarded to a returning student who embodies musical excellence, dedication to the orchestra, and a positive attitude toward the orchestra program and Music Department.

“The end of the concert season is an exciting time as we celebrate our seniors and the culminating performance of our work that began in August. It is also exciting to bring to life Dr. Hasper’s new symphony and share his composition with our audience,” Tedford said.

Hasper teaches the music theory curriculum, composition courses, and directs the Jazz program. Having a composer on the faculty is a bonus for students, Tedford said. “Dr. Hasper’s work as a living composer gives students access to his actively writing new music for all music genres,” he said.

His compositions run the gamut from jazz to post-modern orchestral. His music has been performed in over 40 countries, and he has won awards in several competitions including the American Prize Competition, Anton Stadler Competition, National Federation of Music Clubs, University of North Carolina 360° Jazz Initiative, and Texas Small School Band Association Competition.

“Composing informs my teaching because in composition I work (if on a larger scale) through the same kinds of musical problems as my students face in their homework and projects, and that gives me insights on how to coach them through it – as well as a bit of empathy for the mental effort they put into it,” Hasper said.

The Orchestra’s performance of “Urban Symphony” will be Hasper’s second world premiere in a month. On March 21, his “Portrait Number 5” was performed for the first time at Penn State University’s New Music Festival. The “virtuosic showcase piece” was one of just 34 compositions selected from 362 submissions for the festival.

“Having my piece selected for the festival feels like a bit of validation, or confirmation,” Hasper said. “I know God put me in this place at this time for a reason and gave me certain work to do. Part of that work is composing music.”

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