UpDate - Vol. 15, No. 24, Page 4
March 14, 1996
Performing Arts Series to feature brass concerts

     Several renowned horn players will be perform Friday and
Saturday, March 22-23 at the University.
     The Chestnut Brass Company, a quintet based in Philadelphia, will
perform at 8 p.m., Friday, March 22, in the Loudis Recital Hall of the
Amy E. du Pont Music Building. The following evening, March 23, horn
players Michael Thompson and David Wetherill will present a program at
8 p.m. in the Loudis Recital Hall.
     Both concerts, open to the public, are sponsored by the UD
Performing Arts Series, in conjunction with the 19th annual Southeast
Horn Workshop being held at the University March 22-24.
     The Chestnut Brass Company has earned international acclaim for
brilliant performances on modern and historical brass instruments. The
group serves as ensemble in residence at the New School Institute of
Performance Studies in Temple University's Boyer College of Music.
     The group's program includes brass music from bygone eras played
on period instruments, mixed with an informative and humorous
discussion of the history of brass instruments.
     The quintet has recorded several CDs on the Crystal label and has
been featured on National Public Radio's All Things Considered, Fresh
Air and Performance Today programs.
     Michael Thompson is a soloist of distinction at the forefront of
the world's horn players. He first commanded attention at the age of
21 when he was chosen by Riccardo Muti to be principal horn of the
Philharmonia Orchestra in London.
     In 1985, Thompson left the Philharmonia to concentrate on a
rapidly developing solo career. He has since recorded for the Decca,
Nimbus, Hyperion and Chandros labels and on the recently released
British Virtuosi for EMI.
     David Wetherill is coprincipal horn for the Philadelphia
Orchestra and recently appeared as soloist for the orchestra's
performance of Mozart's Concerto No. 2. A graduate of the Curtis
Institute of Music, he previously served as principal horn at Teatro
alla Scalla in Milan, Italy, and with the Ensemble Intercontemporain
in Paris.
     Sponsored by the UD Department of Music and the International
Horn Society, the annual Southeast Horn Workshop attracts horn players
and enthusiasts to the UD campus. In addition to the public concerts,
the workshop offers musicians seminars on all aspects of horn playing.
     Ticket prices for each night's concert are $8 for the general
public, $5 for University faculty, staff and senior citizens and $2
for students. For ticket information, call 831-2204.
                                                          -Beth Thomas