Oberlin Announces 2014-15 Artist Recital Series Season

Visits by pianist Garrick Ohlsson and the Bang on a Can All-Stars are among the highlights of a spectacular lineup for the 2014-15 Artist Recital Series at Oberlin College & Conservatory.

An Oberlin tradition since 1878, the Artist Recital Series is one of the oldest continuing concert series in the United States and a cornerstone of Oberlin’s annual arts programming. Since the series’ inception, more than 1,000 of the world’s most accomplished musicians, conductors, orchestras, and chamber ensembles have graced the stage of historic Finney Chapel.

The upcoming season opens September 30 with a performance by the Calder Quartet (pictured, top), Oberlin’s quartet in residence for the 2014-16 academic years. The season also includes a visit by the world-renowned Cleveland Orchestra in April, featuring celebrated Oberlin pianist Jeremy Denk in a performance of Bartók’s Piano Concerto No. 3.

The complete 2014-15 season is as follows:

Tue. Sep. 30: Calder Quartet. Called “superb” by the New York Times and “one of America’s great string quartets” by the Los Angeles Times, the quartet was awarded the 2014 Avery Fisher Career Grant.

Tue. Feb. 10: Garrick Ohlsson, piano. A leading exponent of the music of Chopin, Ohlsson boasts an astonishing range of
repertoire. He was awarded the 2014 Jean Gimbel Lane Prize in Piano Performance.

Fri. Feb. 20: St. Lawrence String Quartet. Celebrating 25 years together, the prolific ensemble performs more than 120 concerts each year, specializing in both traditional quartet repertoire and adventuresome modern compositions.

Sat. Feb. 28: Bang on a Can All-Stars. An amplified amalgam of sounds spanning a world of influences, Bang on a Can delights in shattering boundaries and exploring new sonic frontiers. They’ve collaborated with everyone from Ornette Coleman to DJ Spooky.

Thu. Apr. 2: John Relyea, bass-baritone and Warren Jones, piano. Winner of the 2009 Beverly Sills Award and the 2003 Richard Tucker Award, Relyea is a celebrated vocalist with credits in the world’s top opera houses and in concert with orchestras around the country. Jones, named 2010 Collaborative Pianist of the Year by Musical America, is the principal pianist for Camerata Pacifica.

Sun. Apr. 12: Jennifer Koh. Called “a superbly gifted violinist” by the New York Times, the Oberlin alumna has performed with the world’s finest orchestras and in classrooms through her innovative “Music Messenger” outreach program.

Fri. Apr. 24: The Cleveland Orchestra. The orchestra’s rich history with Oberlin spans 95 years and more than 200 performances. Conducted by Susanna Mälkki, the orchestra will be joined for the first time by Oberlin’s own Jeremy Denk, piano.

Tickets for all Artist Recital Series concerts—including discounted season-ticket packages—go on sale in August. For more information about the Artist Recital Series at Oberlin, please visit oberlin.edu.