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OBERLIN COLLEGE ANNOUNCES ARTIST RECITAL SERIES FOR 2002-2003
AUGUST 28, 2002--For 124 years, the venerable Artist Recital Series at Oberlin College has brought distinguished, world-renowned musicians to Finney Chapel on Oberlin’s campus. Subscription tickets are now available for the six-concert, 2002-2003 season, featuring the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, pianist Marc-André Hamelin, violinist Hilary Hahn, the Prazak Quartet, The Cleveland Orchestra conducted by David Robertson with pianist Yefim Bronfman, and mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves.
Three bonus concerts are also included in the series: pianist Antonio Pompa-Baldi, violinist William Preucil, and the Vermeer String Quartet. Season subscribers are entitled to one free bonus concert with each six concert, full series subscription purchase. Three-concert packages are also available, as are tickets to individual concerts; prices vary accordingly. Please contact Oberlin’s Central Ticket Service at 440-775-8169 for ticket information and to request a detailed brochure. Concert artists, programs, and dates are subject to change.
All concerts take place in Oberlin’s Finney Chapel, located at the intersection of Lorain (Route 511) and Professor streets, across from Tappan Square.
The Artist Recital Series is sponsored by the Oberlin Conservatory of Music at Oberlin College with additional support from the Friends of the Artist Recital Series. Media sponsorship for the Artist Recital Series is provided by WCLV 104.9-FM, Cleveland’s classical music radio station, and WCPN 90.3-FM, Ideastream.
Antonio Pompa-Baldi,
piano
The
season begins Thursday, September 12, at 8:00 p.m., with acclaimed pianist
Antonio Pompa-Baldi, whose impressive roster of prizes has
not gone unnoticed by The New York Times: "Antonio Pompa-Baldi
possesses 22 prizes and dazzle," wrote Allan Kozinn. "He is
a poised, assured player with a solid technique. He negotiated dense,
contrapuntal textures easily, with speed and clarity . . . [and] closed
the program with a virtuosic flourish." Pompa-Baldi, most recently
a silver medalist in the 11th Van Cliburn International Piano
Competition in 2001 and winner of the first prize at the 1999 Cleveland
International Piano Competition, was a member of Oberlin’s faculty
in 2001-2002. He will perform Mozart’s Sonata in F Major, K332; two
works by Chopin--Sonata No. 2, Op. 35 in B-flat minor and Barcarolle,
Op. 60--Grieg’s Suite ("Aus Holbergs Zeit"); and Ginastera’s
Sonata No. 1, Op. 22 in A minor.
Orpheus
Chamber Ensemble
The second concert of the season takes place Saturday, October 5,
at 8:00 p.m. with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Praised by the
Chicago Tribune--"It’s difficult to imagine a more sublime
performance"--and recognized internationally as one of the world’s
great orchestras, the ensemble, which performs without a conductor, celebrates
its 30th season of concert activity spanning three continents, including
appearances in the major cities of North America, Europe, and Asia. Accompanying
the critical acclaim for Orpheus’s live appearances are numerous
distinctions and awards, including a 2001 Grammy for Shadow Dances:
Stravinsky Miniatures, a 1998 Grammy nomination for its recording
of Mozart piano concertos with Richard Goode, and Musical America’s
1998 Ensemble of the Year award. For its Oberlin appearance Orpheus
will present Haydn’s Symphony No. 73 ("La Chasse"); Mendelssohn’s
Violin Concerto (with soloist Eric Wyrick); and Elliott Carter’s
Symphony No. 1.
Marc-André
Hamelin, piano
This
French-Canadian pianist is renowned for his musicality, unique talent,
and refined pianism--and, according to Alex Ross, classical-music critic
of The New Yorker, for his hands, which Ross counts
"among the wonders of the musical world." Jeremy Eichler, writing
in The New York Times, agrees: "He plays with his upper body
almost motionless while his fingers rampage over the keyboard.
He can dispatch withering accompanimental figures while trumpeting out
melodies with bewildering clarity, spaciousness, and control." Hamelin,
who has made a name for himself as "a maverick champion of music
that has been unfairly overlooked" (The New York Times), will
perform at Oberlin on Tuesday, October 15, at 8:00 p.m.
Hilary
Hahn, violin
Admitted to the Curtis Institute of Music in 1990 at the age of
10, the American violinist Hilary Hahn made her major orchestra debut
a year-and-a-half later with the Baltimore Symphony. Now, at the age of
22, the Grammy nominee has established herself as one of the most accomplished,
compelling, and busiest artists on the international concert circuit.
During the 2001-2002 season, Hahn toured the U.S. as soloist with the
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam; made an extended recital tour
of North America, Europe, and Japan; played Brahms with orchestras in
Asia; and recorded concertos of Shostakovich and Mendelssohn for Sony
Classical. She also found time for return engagements with the Los Angeles
Philharmonic and the Dallas Symphony orchestras, and debuts with the Boulder,
New Mexico, and San Diego symphonies. In Europe, she returned to Vienna
as soloist with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, and appeared for
the first time with the orchestras of Bordeaux, Gothenberg, Stuttgart,
and Santa Caecillia in Rome. She will be joined in Oberlin by pianist
Natalie Zhu on Friday, November 22, at 8:00 p.m. in a concert featuring
Bloch’s Sonata No. 1, Schubert’s Duo in A Major, Bach’s
Solo Partita No. 3 in E Major, and Debussy’s Sonata (for violin and
piano).
The Spring Season
The spring season of the Artist Recital Series begins with a bonus
concert that features violinist William Preucil, renowned concertmaster
of The Cleveland Orchestra, in a rare solo performance on Tuesday, February
18, 2003 at 8:00 p.m.
On Tuesday, February 25, at 8:00 p.m., the Prazak Quartet (Vaclav Remes, violin; Vlastimil Holek, violin; Josef Kluson, viola; and Michal Kanka, cello) performs. The third and final bonus concert takes place Thursday, April 10, at 8 p.m. with the Vermeer String Quartet in a very special program combining the majesty of live music and the wonder of the spoken word: the Vermeer Quartet will present Haydn’s The Seven Last Words of Christ with guest narrators Martin Marty (the Fairfax M. Cone Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus at the University of Chicago Divinity School) and Grover Zinn (William H. Danforth Professor of Religion at Oberlin College). This performance will be broadcast live on WCLV 104.9-FM and simulcast on the station’s web site.
On Sunday, April 27 at 3:00 p.m., The Cleveland Orchestra makes its annual sojourn to Oberlin to perform works by Bartok and Rachmaninoff under the baton of conductor David Robertson and featuring pianist Yefim Bronfman.
The Artist Recital Series concludes with mezzo-soprano (and Oberlin alumna) Denyce Graves on Wednesday, May 7, at 8:00 p.m. Ms. Graves touched the heart of our nation when she sang "America the Beautiful" and "The Lord’s Prayer" at Washington’s National Cathedral on September 14, 2001, the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance following the terrorist attacks. She will be accompanied at Oberlin by pianist Warren Jones.
About the Artist
Recital Series
For
124 years, the Artist Recital Series at Oberlin College has brought distinguished,
world-renowned musicians to Oberlin’s campus. The mission of the
series is to enrich the College, the town of Oberlin, and the surrounding
community through the presentation of artists of the highest caliber,
including virtuoso soloists, chamber ensembles, and orchestras. In addition
to presenting the preeminent musicians of our time, the series engages
performers who can offer master classes or workshops for Oberlin Conservatory
students in conjunction with the scheduled concerts.
Media Contact: Marci Janas
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