Trio Mezzklarno performing March 30 at WSC

WAYNE — Trio Mezzklarno will perform works written or reworked specifically for the ensemble at 7:30 p.m,. March 30, in Ley Theatre, on the second floor of Wayne State College’s Brandenburg Building.

The performance is free and open to the public. To view a livestream, visit www.wsc.edu/watch-live. The program is accessible by selecting the event from the Upcoming Music Events list at www.wsc.edu/music-department.

Trio Mezzklarno is a faculty chamber ensemble in residence at Wayne State. Members include Dr. Sarah Farr, mezzo-soprano; Dr. Karl Kolbeck, clarinet; and Dr. Angela Miller-Niles, piano. The musicians are equal partners in the musical landscape, creating tight discourse among the three instruments.

Concert repertoire emphasizes the virtuosic skills of each faculty member. “Where Now Rusts the Iron?” by Howard J. Buss is a tribute to the ironworkers of the past and the loss of the shuttered factories.

“I believe her voice quality is perfect to enhance the wide range of emotions conveyed by the poem’s words set to music,” explains Buss.

Several selections are composed by Rick Sowash. “The Clarinet Song,” written for the ensemble, is a unique and comical tribute to the clarinet, featuring the virtuosity of Kolbeck. The allegorical delight “Two Musical Myths” tells the tale of musical transformation. “Kindness Will Be Our Way” is a powerful hymn-like tune featuring poignant lyrics.

“The message is an antidote to the casual cruelty that characterizes many events making the news today,” says Sowash. “Yet the lyrics are not ‘preachy.’ They are humble, confessing that ‘we’ have made a mess of things.”