The Malmgren Concert Series of Hendricks Chapel has been made possible by a generous gift from Syracuse University alumna Ester Malmgren to Hendricks Chapel in 1991. The concert series offers the Syracuse community the highest quality of arts at no cost. See below for parking and accessibility information.
Many of our concerts are live-streamed and/or recorded. To view a live or recorded show, visit our YouTube page!
Upcoming Shows | Fall 2026
Date: Thursday, Sept. 10
Boston Brass
Thursday | 8 P.M.
Hendricks Chapel
Since 1986 Boston Brass has set out to establish a one-of-a-kind musical experience featuring colorful classical arrangements, burning jazz standards, and the best of original brass repertoire. Boston Brass treats audiences to a unique brand of musical entertainment that bridges the ocean of classical formality, delighting regular concertgoers and newcomers alike with great music and boisterous fun in performances across all 50 U.S. states and over 30 countries to date.
Music education is at the core of Boston Brass’s identity and the quintet conducts sessions around the world in the form of masterclasses, residencies and collaborations, everywhere from your local schools to major music conservatories. The quintet has longstanding relationships at many institutions, most notably Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Singapore and North Dakota State University, both schools having named Boston Brass “Visiting Ensemble in Residence” starting in 2024. Boston Brass is also proud to be a member of the International Artistic Advisory Council to the College of Music at Mahidol University in Bangkok, and in 2023 the group was inducted into the prestigious American Bandmasters Association as associate members.
The quintet’s newest album Blues for Sam features a mix of classical and jazz arrangements alongside old favorites and is dedicated to the late Sam Pilafian who can also be heard on Simple Gifts (2018), Reminiscing (2016), and Rewired (2015). Newly released in 2023 is the album Joe’s Tango, which introduces our world premiere of Jorge Machain’s Five Cities Concerto alongside the UNLV Wind Orchestra. Other ongoing Boston Brass projects include performances of Gordon Goodwin’s composition Perplexing Times, and premiere performances of Arturo Sandoval’s wind dectet written especially for Boston Brass and Imani Winds.
Oct. 25
Clara’s Blumentagebuch (Clara’s Flower Diary)
4 P.M.
The Merz Trio performs chamber music by Beethoven, Clara Schumann, and
Syracuse University faculty composer Loren Loiacono.
This program traces the steps of Clara Wieck Schumann, from 1857-1859, by way of flowers. It reflects sentiments from her Blumentagebuch–her diary of pressed flowers–in which Clara left dedications to meaningful people and moments in her life. Each flower or plant carries a set of meanings, both public, according to the practice of floriography in nineteenth-century Germany, and private, with associated memories and emotions. This precious book accompanied her as she toured throughout Europe and served as a record of friendship, mourning and memory. Moving amongst Clara’s floral meditations, we explore floriography in its romantic heyday and delight in the coded and the unspoken. With Clara, we visit Robert, as well as Beethoven and Schubert, and bring in a musical friend of our own, Loren Loiacono (b. 1989).
In a page dedicated to Robert, Clara dried ivy from his gravesite, a symbol of love and faithfulness.
Our program begins with a set of their early songs: the first, a love song by Clara, is drawn from a shared song cycle of lieder written together by Robert and Clara. We turn next to Schubert’s lied, which revels in the poignancy of this hidden language of flowers. In Loiacono’s Sonatensatz, a work written for Merz in 2022, she employs her own Blumensprache, drawing inspiration for the work from the passionate wildness of Robert Schumann’s trios. The program concludes with a celebration of friendship: Beethoven embodies these ideals in his at times noble, playful and transcendent work dedicated to his great friend, Archduke Rudolph.
Nov. 15
We Hold These Truths
4 P.M.
We Hold These Truths commemorates the 250th anniversary of the United States with an afternoon of music that reflects the nation’s enduring ideals, evolving identity, and shared aspirations. Bringing together the voices of Ensemble Sonora, Syracuse University Vox Salina, the Spirit of Syracuse Chorus, members of Syracuse University Oratorio Society, and choral singers from Nottingham High School and Liverpool High School, the program explores themes of freedom, belonging, resilience, and hope through a rich tapestry of American choral music, beloved folk traditions, spirituals, and contemporary works. Highlights include the world premieres of “American Dream” by Natalie Draper and a new work by Loren Loiacono, made possible with a commissioning grant from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Works by Moira Smiley, Jake Runestad, Susan LaBarr, and others shine a light on the promise and complexity of the American experience.
Ensembles:
- Ensemble Sonora
- Syracuse University Vox Salina
- Spirit of Syracuse Chorus
- Members of Syracuse University Oratorio Society
- Choral singers from Nottingham High School
- Choral singers from Liverpool High School
In addition to new music by contemporary composers, the program will feature familiar patriotic tunes, such as the National Anthem and a chance to sing “America the Beautiful” with the combined choirs. Z. Randall Stroope’s “Homeland” for choir, organ, brass, and percussion rounds out the finale. We Hold These Truths invites listeners to reflect on the values that have inspired the nation for 250 years while looking with hope toward the future we continue to build together.
This event is co-sponsored by the Syracuse Symposium series, “Dreams,” and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Feb. 21
Black History Month Concert
4 P.M.
The Setnor School of Music celebrates the legacy and music of Black composers in this beloved annual concert. Student soloists, chamber groups, and choral ensembles present music from a diversity of eras and styles by leading Black musicians. The program concludes with the audience and performers joining together in the civil rights anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by James Weldon Johnson and J. Rosamond Johnson.
Mar. 21
Fourth Wall Ensemble and Emmy Award-winning composer Jeff Beal
4 P.M.
This acclaimed contemporary vocal group performs Beal’s Beatitudes and The Paper- Lined Shack. Co-sponsored by Kathleen Roland-Silverstein and Merril Silverstein.
Apr. 18
Hans Davidsson on the Harrold Organ
At the SU Catholic Center
4 P.M.
Experience Syracuse’s newest organ played by one of the world’s finest organists.
Part of the Syracuse Pipe Organ Festival.
Apr. 25
Hendricks Chapel Choir Spring Concert
4 P.M.
A favorite annual campus concert featuring diverse and uplifting choral music.
Accessibility:
For accessible parking, please call Hendricks Chapel at 315.443.2901 or email chapel@syr.edu.
CART, ASL and Aira will be offered at this event.
Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART)is the instant translation of the spoken word into English text using a stenotype machine, notebook computer and real-time software. This is useful for English speakers who are hard of hearing or deaf.
An American Sign Language (ASL)interpreter translates a service or program for those who know ASL and are deaf or hard of hearing.
Aira is a visual interpreting service that makes visual information accessible for people who are blind or have low vision, or for any person with a disability who may benefit from verbal descriptions of visual information. Syracuse University is a proud Aira Access Partner. SU makes Aira visual interpreting services available to our community of students, faculty, staff, parents, alumni, and visitors on campus at no cost. Interpreters audibly describe a person’s visual surroundings via a live professionally-trained agent and the Aira Explorer mobile app.
Past Shows
Dedication of the Harrold Organ at SU Catholic
March 29 at 4 pm
St. Thomas More Chapel at the Syracuse University Catholic Center
110 Walnut Place, Syracuse, NY 13244
The Malmgren Concert Series hosts the first public concert featuring the newly installed organ for Syracuse University’s Catholic Center. The 24-stop organ was originally built by California builder Greg Harrold in 1995 for the computer engineer Alan Kay at his home in Los Angeles. When Mr. Kay decided to downsize, he graciously gifted the instrument to Syracuse University so that future generations could learn from it and enjoy it. Modeled on eighteenth-century building practices and sounds, the organ is a visually and aurally stunning complement to the Catholic Center’s new St. Thomas More Chapel.
University Organist Anne Laver performs with the Hendricks Chapel Choir and dancers from the Meagan Woods Collaborative, featuring music by Bach, Buxtehude, Vivaldi, Natalie Draper, and a new work by José “Peppie” Calvar.
This concert is the culminating event in the third annual Syracuse Pipe Organ Festival, co-sponsored by the Syracuse Chapter of the American Guild of Organists and the Setnor School of Music in the College of Visual and Performing Arts.
Black History Month Concert
Feb. 15, 2026 at 4pm
Hendricks Chapel
The Setnor School of Music celebrates the legacy and music of Black composers in this beloved annual concert. Student soloists present music for solo piano and clarinet by Margaret Bonds (pictured above), Ahmed Alabac, and Regina Harris Baiocchi, and chamber music by Florence Price and Ivan Malcolm, G ’26. The Xaden Nishimitsu jazz combo, Black Celestial Choral Ensemble, Hendricks Chapel Choir, and Concert Choir will offer jazz standards, gospel tunes, and African-American spirituals, while Crouse Chorale performs Dorothy Rudd Moore’s “Voices from the Light,” with real-time graphic art by Sean Zhai. The program concludes with the audience and performers joining together in the civil rights anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by James Weldon Johnson and J. Rosamond Johnson.
Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet
Sept. 14, 2025 | 4 PM
Click HERE to see the program!
Latin GRAMMY Award winner Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet represents the evolution of tango, from its roots in the traditional Orquesta típica, then to tango nuevo as epitomized by Astor Piazzolla, and now to a contemporary sound that respects the past and looks to the future. Pedro Giraudo, who has become an active cultural ambassador of this beautiful and passionate music of his native Argentina, brings something new and exciting to the form while retaining all the lushness and beauty of tango.
Denmark’s Rudersdal Chamber Players
Apr. 13, 2025 | 4 PM
Denmark’s acclaimed piano quartet performs music by Nordic composers Carl Nielsen, Poul Ruders, and Amanda Maier-Röntgen. Co-sponsored by the Setnor School of Music.
Click here to see the program!
Immerse yourself in lush sounds of classical and contemporary music of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden under the skilled hands of the Rudersdal Chamber Players. Led by violinist and founder Christine Pryn, this group specializes in premiering new works and shedding light on lesser known composers. Their 2022 recording of contemporary Danish composer Poul Ruders’ chamber music received brilliant international reviews from Fanfare Magazine and five stars in BBC Music Magazine’s review. They will include Ruder’s Piano Quartet on their Malmgren Concert program.
The Duke Ellington Orchestra
Sept. 22, 2024 | 4 PM
Performing worldwide for more than 101 years under the guidance of three generations of Ellington’s family, this Grammy Award-winning supergroup has produced more iconic jazz classics than any other band.
Click here to view the program!
Today, The Duke Ellington Orchestra comprises brilliant musicians who dedicate themselves to performing Duke’s music while adding—just as their predecessors did–their own creative styles. Together they share a history and lineage that goes back to Duke’s original band members.
Each Moment Radiant: Music of Johannes Brahms and Kurt Erickson commemorating the Pan Am Flight 103 Disaster
Oct. 20, 2024 | 4 PM
The Malmgren Concert Series of Hendricks Chapel invites you to a profoundly moving concert on Sunday, October 20th at 4 PM, marking the beginning of Remembrance Week (October 20-26). The event features the world premiere of “Each Moment Radiant,” a newly commissioned chamber work by composer Kurt Erickson and poet Brian Turner commemorating the Pan Am Flight 103 Air Disaster. Setnor School of Music faculty and guest musicians will perform Erickson and Turner’s song cycle “Here, Bullet” and Johannes Brahms’s piano trio in C minor.
Follow us on social media @HendricksChapel to stay up-to-date on announcements and details!
Accessibility:
For accessible parking, please call Hendricks Chapel at 315.443.2901 or email chapel@syr.edu.
CART, ASL and Aira will be offered at this event.
Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART)is the instant translation of the spoken word into English text using a stenotype machine, notebook computer and real-time software. This is useful for English speakers who are hard of hearing or deaf.
An American Sign Language (ASL)interpreter translates a service or program for those who know ASL and are deaf or hard of hearing.
Aira is a visual interpreting service that makes visual information accessible for people who are blind or have low vision, or for any person with a disability who may benefit from verbal descriptions of visual information. Syracuse University is a proud Aira Access Partner. SU makes Aira visual interpreting services available to our community of students, faculty, staff, parents, alumni, and visitors on campus at no cost. Interpreters audibly describe a person’s visual surroundings via a live professionally-trained agent and the Aira Explorer mobile app.