The Wichita State University Summer Symphony Orchestra will perform at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 18, in Miller Concert Hall.

The performance will include soloist Phillip Black, assistant professor in the WSU School of Music and principal tuba for the Wichita Symphony Orchestra, and will be conducted by Mark Laycock, associate professor of music.

Tickets for the event can be purchased at the Fine Arts Box Office in the lobby of the Duerksen Fine Arts Center or online. General admission is $7, with discount tickets available. WSU students are eligible for one free ticket (not available online, details here).

Black will perform the Tuba Concerto of British composer Edward Gregson. Originally composed for a soloist with brass band accompaniment, the concerto is cast in standard three-movement form. With performances worldwide and at least six commercial recordings, the work has grown to become one of the most popular concertos for the instrument.

The orchestra will also play Symphony No. 2 in B Minor by Alexander Borodin. A member of the “Russian Five” or “Might Handful,” Borodin sought to establish a distinctly Russian school of composition. His “Second Symphony” features rich sonorities, arching melodies and idiomatic rhythms in a style that evokes the character of indigenous music.

The concert also features “Made in America,” a dramatic overture by contemporary composer Joan Tower, professor of music at Bard College. Created through a commission shared by orchestras in all 50 states, the work was performed throughout the country during the 2005-2006 concert season. The colorful writing offers subtle variations on the song “America, the Beautiful.” The orchestra will also perform Anatol Liadov’s “Mazurka.”

For ticketing assistance, please contact the Fine Arts Box Office 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, at 316-978-3233 or fastickets@wichita.edu. For more information about the performance, contact Laycock at 978-6202 or mark.laycock@wichita.edu.