The 13th annual Master Players Concert Series will open on Oct. 1 with the gala presentation “Xiang Gao and Friends.”

Following the completely sold out 12th season, the 2016-17 season, titled “Opus 13,” boasts eight concerts in a variety of formats and featuring higher profile artists than ever before.

“Whatever our academic interests – whether we are engineers or entomologists, nurses or neuroscientists, physicists or physical therapists – we can connect to one another through art,” said UD’s new President Dennis Assanis. “On behalf of the entire UD community – along with Master Players artistic director Xiang Gao and all those who make this spectacular series possible – I invite you to join us for this season’s unforgettable concerts.”

“Last season, our concerts featured many of the world’s top ensembles and soloists in brass, vocal and world music,” said Gao, artistic director and founder of Master Players and Trustees Distinguished Professor of Music. “This year, with new long-term staff and program support kindly provided by the offices of Provost Domenico Grasso and Dean George Watson of the College of Arts and Sciences, coupled with gifts from our generous donors and advisory council members, we will celebrate the spectacular repertoire of strings, percussion and piano performed by many of the world’s leading musicians who are second to none.” 

In keeping with Master Players’ history of creativity and variety, concerts in the 2016-17 season will range from more traditional classical solo and chamber music concerts featuring top quality musicians to more unique presentations such as iMusic X: Encore!, a pops and world music concert celebrating the 10th anniversary of the iMusic series. More information about the season’s concerts can be found below.

Pre-sale subscription available now

Master Players is now offering two pre-sale 2016-17 subscription series for those who want to get guaranteed and priority seating before the box office opens in August. 

The two pre-sale subscription series are now available for purchase from the REP Box Office by mail-in order form only (click here for printable order form). 

Orders will be processed in the order received and checks will be cashed in late August. Subscriptions will not be available after Oct. 7.

Single tickets will go on sale in late August. Patrons are reminded not to call the box office until then.

Save the dates

Following are the Master Players 2016-17 concerts, including times, dates and locations. Note the concert time change to 3 p.m. on weekends for the entire Master Players season to accommodate retirees, family audiences and audiences from afar to have no traffic concerns.

Click here to get timely information about each concert, special announcements, and up-to-date information about guest artists and program offerings.

• Saturday, Oct. 1 – “Xiang Gao and Friends: Season Opening Gala,” 3 p.m., Gore Recital Hall in the Roselle Center for the Arts. In this traditional chamber music concert featuring works by Mozart, Faure, Schumann, and other beloved Romantic composers, Gao will perform alongside internationally renowned guest artists. This concert is co-sponsored by UD’s Institute for Global Studies.

• Saturday, Oct. 22 – “Latin Voyages: The Sphinx Virtuosi,” 3 p.m., Gore Recital Hall in the Roselle Center for the Arts. The Sphinx Virtuosi, led by the Catalyst Quartet, is one of the nation's most dynamic professional chamber orchestras. Comprised of 18 of the nation's elite black and Latino classical soloists, these extraordinary artists come together each fall during their annual concert tour as cultural ambassadors to reach new audiences.

• Saturday, Nov. 5 – “Women in Rhythm,” 3 p.m., Mitchell Hall. Directed and co-produced by UD faculty percussionist Harvey Price, “Women in Rhythm” brings four leading female percussionists from a wide range of backgrounds to Delaware including Angela Zator Nelson, associate principal timpani for the Philadelphia Orchestra; steel pan virtuoso Jeannine Remy from Trinidad and Tobago; Valerie Naranjo, percussionist in the Saturday Night Live band for 20 years; and Ezgi Elkirmis, traditional Turkish drummer.

• Saturday, Dec. 10 – “A Mozart Celebration: The Curtis Chamber Orchestra,” 3 p.m., Mitchell Hall. More than 20 years after the last appearance of the Curtis Orchestra on UD campus, this concert features two selected Curtis soloists performing two of Mozart’s most famous violin concertos, followed by Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante (concerto for violin and viola) featuring Curtis faculty and virtuoso violinist Shmuel Ashkenasi and Curtis president and virtuoso violist Roberto Díaz. 

• Saturday, Feb, 18, 2017 – “Great Musical Families: The Ahn Trio,” 3 p.m., Gore Recital Hall in the Roselle Center for the Arts. Born in Seoul, Korea, and educated at the Juilliard School, the members of the Ahn Trio – sisters Maria, Lucia and Angella – are redefining chamber music, breathing new life into the standard piano trio literature with commissioned works from contemporary visionary composers.

This concert is co-sponsored and co-presented by the Delaware Korean American Association in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Korean School of Delaware. A free of charge pre-concert Korean cultural presentation in the Gore Recital Hall from 1:30-2:30 p.m. is open to the public.

• Saturday, March 4, 2017 – “iMusic X: Encore! A World Music and Family Pops Concert,” 3 p.m., Mitchell Hall. After a successful decade of innovative iMusic concerts conceptualized and performed by creator Gao and featuring creatively mixed musical styles, uniquely blended art forms, multimedia elements and inter-disciplinary collaborations, iMusic X celebrates all that iMusic has stood for with a pops and world music concert that is bigger and better than ever before. A special ticket price of $5 for children ages 14 and under has been made possible by a private gift.

• Sunday, April 9, 2017 – “Rachmaninoff and Beyond: A Piano Recital by Jon Kimura Parker,” 3 p.m., Gore Recital Hall in the Roselle Center for the Arts. Known for his passionate artistry and engaging stage presence, Canadian pianist Jon Kimura Parker, is one of the world’s leading solo pianists,  who  will perform a well-rounded program including two beloved Rachmaninoff preludes, Beethoven’s F minor Piano Sonata, Ravel’s lovely and mysterious Jeux d’Eau, and three contemporary works – William Hirtz’s Bernard Hermann Fantasy and Fantasy on The Wizard of Oz and Alexina Louie’s Scenes from a Jade Terrace. 

• Sunday, April 30, 2017 – “The Art of the String Quartet IV: The Emerson String Quartet,” 3 p.m., Gore Recital Hall in the Roselle Center for the Arts. Formed in 1976 and based in New York City, the Emerson String Quartet has accumulated an unparalleled list of achievements over three decades: more than 30 acclaimed recordings, nine Grammys (including two for Best Classical Album), three Gramophone Awards, the Avery Fisher Prize, Musical America’s "Ensemble of the Year" and collaborations with many of the greatest artists of our time.

The Art of the String Quartet is a special event and is not eligible to be included in any subscription. All tickets will be priced at $50. 

Ticket information

There are two subscription series now available for pre-sale purchase from the REP Box Office by mail-in order form only (click here for printable order form). Orders will be processed in the order received and checks will be cashed in late August. Subscriptions will not be available after Oct. 7.

• A seven-concert subscription with a 15 percent discount is $148.75 for adults; $119 for senior adults, alumni, faculty and staff; and $59.50 for students.

• A six-concert subscription with a 10 percent discount is $135 for adults; $108 for senior adults, alumni, faculty and staff; and $54 for students.

Single tickets for all events will be available for purchase in late August by phone, in person at the REP Box Office, or online through the Master Players website. 

Tickets for events are $25 for adults; $20 for senior adults, alumni, faculty and staff; and $10 for students with ID. Tickets to the Emerson String Quartet special event are $50 and are not eligible to be part of any subscription. To be notified when single ticket sales are available, click here.

Remaining tickets are sold 60 minutes prior to each concert. $5 student rush tickets are sold 20 minutes prior to each concert (for buyers with student ID in the concert hall lobby).

For more information including driving directions, parking, and dining information, visit the Master Players website.

Program support

A representative of the Master Players series said the program is excited to welcome Dennis Assanis, UD’s new president, and his wife Eleni to the University and the local community, and is deeply appreciate of the long-term support granted by the offices of Provost Domenico Grasso and Dean George Watson of the College of Arts and Sciences.

This program is made possible, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. Other sponsors include Vita Nova restaurant at the University of Delaware, and Marriott’s Courtyard Newark-University of Delaware, and Zoroi Media. (See a complete list of sponsors on the Master Players website.)