August 4, 2005—Oberlin College's Artist Recital Series, one of the oldest continuing concert series in the United States, launches the 2005-2006 season—its 127 th—with renowned pianist and Beethoven interpreter Richard Goode on Sunday, September 25, at 3 p.m.

Season subscription tickets are now available for the eight-concert series, which includes the Miró String Quartet, the chamber orchestra I Musici de Montréal, the King's Singers, violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, the Wayne Shorter Quartet, the Swedish percussion ensemble Kroumata, and the Cleveland Orchestra conducted by Donald Runnicles. All concert performances for the series take place in Oberlin's historic Finney Chapel. All seats are reserved. Free parking is available throughout the campus.

Two bonus events are available to those who purchase the entire series of eight concerts (Package A): free tickets to a rare public coaching by legendary mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne in Finney Chapel on October 16, and admission to a performance by the Oberlin Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Bridget-Michaele Reischl, at Severance Hall April 18, 2006. Seating for the bonus events is general admission.

In addition, those purchasing either the complete, eight-concert series (Package A) or the six-concert package (Package B) before October 1 will be given the opportunity to purchase a second identical subscription at half price. The six-concert package consists of Richard Goode, the Miró Quartet, I Musici de Montréal, Nadia Salerno-Sonnenberg, Kroumata, and the Cleveland Orchestra.

Prices for Series Package A are as follows:
Student rate: $46
OCID rate (Oberlin College faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and area educators): $125
Senior Citizens: $125
General Public: $139

Prices for Series Package B are as follows:
Student rate: $32
OCID rate (Oberlin College faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and area educators): $85
Senior Citizens: $85
General Public: $93

Please call Oberlin's Central Ticket Service's (CTS) 24-hour reservation line (440-775-8169) for complete ticket information or to request a free brochure. The CTS box office is located in the lobby of Hall Auditorium, 67 N. Main St. (Route 58), between the Oberlin Inn and the Allen Memorial Art Museum. Box office hours are Monday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m.

Single tickets will be available for purchase after September 18. Tickets purchased at the door the day of the performance are an additional $3. Concert artists, programs, and dates are subject to change. Finney Chapel is wheelchair accessible and is located on the southwest corner of Lorain St. (Route 511) and N. Professor St., across from Tappan Square.

Detailed information about the performers, dates, and times for this year's Artist Recital Series is available online, as is a complete program for each performance. For additional information, please call 440-775-8169.

Since the inception of the Artist Recital Series in 1878, more than 1,000 of the most acclaimed and accomplished musicians, conductors, orchestras, chamber ensembles, and composers have graced the stage of Finney Chapel. Stars of such international stature as Dave Brubeck, Alicia de Larrocha, 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 the series. Since 1919, the Cleveland Orchestra has appeared on the series every season for a total of 204 performances under the baton of such illustrious--and varied--conductors as Nikolai Sokoloff (38 times), Artur Rodzinski (25 times), George Szell (60 times), Robert Shaw, Pierre Boulez, Lorin Maazel, Simon Rattle, Yoel Levi, Christoph von Dohnányi, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Jahja Ling, Robert Spano, Franz Welser-Möst, Mitskuko Uchida, and Steven Smith. More than an impressive "Who's Who," the list of artists and ensembles to appear on the series is an illumination of the best of serious music, spanning the late 19th century to the present.

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. There are many benefits to becoming a Friend of the Artist Recital Series, including additional discounts on subscription packages, complimentary recordings, recognition in concert programs, and invitations to receptions with guest artists. Membership fees are tax deductible. For additional information, please call 440-775-8169.

Media sponsorship for the Artist Recital Series is provided by WCLV 104.9-FM, Cleveland's classical music radio station, WVIZ and 90.3-WCPN ideastream, and Northern Ohio Live magazine.