Artist Recital Series
Sunday, October 5, 2008, 3 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Emanuel Ax, piano
“Mr. Welser-Möst gave an admirable and brilliantly played acount of Tchaikovsky … and the orchestra sounded great.”
“[Emanuel Ax] played with generous emotion, warmth, deep spiritualism, exuberance and unering taste, keeping his bravura passages in exquisite proportion.”
Wednesday, October 29, 2008, 8 p.m.
Midori, violin
Robert McDonald, Piano
“Still in control of the dazzling technique that made her a presence on concert stages in her early teens, the 34-year-old artist has gained an interpretive depth to match that virtuosity … Midori floated the quietest and purest of phrases to the upper reaches of the Concert Hall. The finale was a blaze of energy, laced with compact curlicue figures and zesty rhythms.”
Thursday, November 6, 2008, 8 p.m.
Steven Isserlis, cello
Connie Shih, piano
“The music world—and music itself—is infinitely richer for the presence of Steven Isserlis.”
Tuesday, November 11, 2008, 8 p.m.
eighth blackbird
and the Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble
“The sextet eighth blackbird wins extravagant praise everywhere it goes, and the reason was aparent … These are exceptional young musicians with a real flair for performance. Their specialty is making music of our moment come to life.”
“… a hotbed for new music. … In recent years, Oberlin has produced some of the top names in contemporary music.”
Tuesday, February 10, 2009, 8 p.m.
Steven Hough, piano
“[Hough’s] refined brand of virtuosity was expresed in flaw les technique, introspective interpretations , and an imaginati ve choice of repertoire. … The musical language was rigorous, the performance masterly.”
Saturday, February 14, 2009, 8 p.m.
Nathan Gunn, baritone
Julie Gunn, piano
“Mr. Gunn is a lyric baritone with a warm , resonant voice. … [He] represents a new generation of college-trained American vocal artists: top-notch musicians who both sing with honesty and are adventurous actors. …”
Tuesday, March 10, 2009, 8 p.m.
Apollo’s Fire
Alex Klein, oboe
“Energy, discipline, style and pizzazz … [Apollo’s Fire is] one of America’s leading Baroque orchestras, capable of competing with Europe’s muchrecorded bands.”
“[Alex Klein is] one of the most brilliant oboists of his generation.”
Wednesday, April 22, 2009, 8 p.m.
Juilliard String Quartet
“The Juilliard String Quartet, in its more than 50 years, has made it a point of honor to approach contemporary pieces with the same care and respect as it would established classics, and to approach antique masterworks with the sense of excitement and adventure it would the newly minted.”
Bonuses for Subscribers
Friday, September 26, 2008, 8 p.m. and Sunday, September 28, 2008, 2 p.m.
Marilyn Horne Master Classes
Tickets: $5, OCID: free
The legendary Marilyn Horne will be in residence at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music as Distinguished Professor of Voice from September 26-30, 2008. Listen as Oberlin voice majors learn from one of the greatest operatic mezzo-sopranos in history.
the distinguished professorship of voice is made possible with the support of the Danenberg Residency Fund.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009, 6:30 p.m.
Recital by Nicholas Phan, tenor
Jeremy Frank, piano
Tickets: $5, OCID: free
Tenor Nicholas Phan tours this year as part of the Marilyn Horne Foundation’s National Artist Residencies. A recent graduate of the Houston Grand Opera Studio, he is a rising operatic tenor to watch. His recital includes works by Britten, Handel, and Schumann.
Friends of the ARS
Donors help support the longstanding tradition of musical excellence Oberlin College brings to Northeast Ohio. We encourage you to become a Friend of the Artist Recital Series. Friends of the series reaffirm the value placed on music within our communities and allow Oberlin to sustain the elevated level of programming for which it is known. Donations are tax deductible.
About the ARS
Oberlin College’s esteemed Artist Recital Series is one of the oldest continuing concert series in the United States. Since its inception in 1878, more than 1,000 of the most acclaimed and accomplished musicians, conductors, orchestras, chamber ensembles, and composers have graced the stage of historic Finney Chapel. Stars of such international stature as Dave Brubeck, Alicia de Larrocha, Juan Diego Flórez, Glenn Gould, Denyce Graves, Jascha Heifetz, Vladimir Horowitz, Yo-Yo Ma, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Isaac Stern, George Szell, and Eugene Ysaÿe, to name but a few, have performed under the auspices of Oberlin’s Artist Recital Series, enriching the College, the town of Oberlin, and northern Ohio. This growing roster is more than an impressive “Who’s Who.” It is an illumination of the finest of serious music, spanning the late 19th century to the present.