Minnesota Public Radio, 91.1 FM, will feature the NDSU Concert Choir performing Jocelyn Hagen's "Swimming Into Winter" on Thursday, May 23, around 3:15 p.m.

Under the direction of Director of Bands Warren Olfert and University Distinguished Professor Jo Ann Miller, the piece premiered during the Inaugural Gala Concert at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts on March 12 and was performed again at Festival Concert Hall on March 24.  The performance also will be featured online at classicalmpr.org.

Hagen’s composition was commissioned by the NDSU School of Music and is written for chorus and winds, specifically an ensemble of 13 wind players and three percussionists. In addition, two performing groups collaborate as equal partners throughout the work.

“While composing this work, ‘Swimming Into Winter,’ I found myself fascinated by the ideas of transition and change,” Hagen said. “I found it inspiring to imagine the subtle changes in nature throughout the year and reflect them in the music.”

NDSU’s Department of Music became the School of Music in September 2012, signifying its far-reaching mission encompassing a broad-based curriculum that includes professional doctoral programs in performance and conducting.

NDSU is recognized as one of the nation's top 108 public and private universities by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.