The popular and celebrated Master Players Chamber Series will bring a pair of exciting concerts to campus this fall, continuing with additional performances later in the academic year.
Under the direction of its artistic director and renowned faculty violinist Xiang Gao, the series’ concerts have become sold-out events on the UD campus. They will continue to be held in Mitchell Hall on Friday evenings. Tickets may be purchased in advance and are generally not available at the door; for information, call (302) 831-2578 or visit [www.music.udel.edu].
Premier seating is reserved at the Master Players concerts for the Delaware Diamonds and Legacy giving societies. Contributions and inquiries should be directed to the director of annual giving at (302) 831-2104.
The 2007-08 series opens Oct. 5 with a concert featuring masterpieces by Johannes Brahms and Carl Reinecke, two of Gao’s favorite German romantic composers, and performances by two visiting artists, oboist Adrian Gnam and pianist Alexandra Mascolo-David, and UD faculty members, cellist Lawrence Stomberg, hornist John David Smith and pianist Christine Delbeau. Gao will perform on the 1699 “Lady Tennant” Stradivarius violin, on loan from the Stradivari Society of Chicago.
A Nov. 9 concert, “The Power of Russian Music,” will include the fiery second piano trio by Dmitri Shostakovich. Performers include visiting artists, cellist Haiye Ni and pianist Zhihua Tang, and faculty members, clarinetist Marianne Gythfeldt and Gao, again playing the Stradivarius.
Final concerts in the Master Players series will be held in the spring, beginning Feb. 22 with “An American Voice,” a memorable vocal recital in celebration of African-American History Month. The concert will feature world-famous tenor Lawrence Brownlee and collaborative pianist Martin Katz, performing opera arias and romantic art songs selected by them.
The series concludes with “iMusic: Xiang Gao and Friends” on April 18, a performance that will be repeated the next evening. The program will encompass work from classical to jazz and will again include Gao playing the Stradivarius.
