Brevard Music Center's First Monday Concert Today

April 2, 12:30 PM, held at the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, 22 Fisher Road, Brevard NC.   - Trio Solis.  Franz Joseph Haydn: Presto from Trio in C Major, Hob. XV:27;  Paul Schoenfield: Café Music;  Johannes Brahms: Trio No. 2 in C major, Op. 87.

With a dynamic combination of energy, creativity, and insight, Trio Solis ("of the sun") was founded in 2008 by violinist Corinne Stillwell ( a member of the Brevard Music Center violin faculty), cellist Gregory Sauer, and pianist Read Gainsford. Already distinguished as solo performers, these musicians have embarked on a journey together to explore the piano trio repertoire with a unique synergy of brilliant technique, probing musicianship and a wealth of experience.

Highlights of recent seasons include the Trio's debut on the Seven Days of Opening Nights series in Messiaen's exalted Quartet for the End of Time with internationally acclaimed clarinetist Richard Stoltzman. They were invited to be the featured soloists for the opening of the 2010-11 orchestral season in Florida's capital city, performing Beethoven's Triple Concerto in celebration of the breathtaking renovation of the historic Ruby Diamond Auditorium. Committed to sharing music by living composers, the group included the Piano Trio of Ellen Taaffe Zwilich in their Carnegie Hall debut, and enjoys playing the Pulitzer Prize-winningTempest Fantasy by Paul Moravec. They are also regularly featured artists in the biennial Festival of New Music in Tallahassee, FL.

Beyond their performing activities, the members of Trio Solis are devoted teachers and maintain full studios at Florida State University. Their students have achieved successes in competitions, have won positions as teachers and performers, and have been accepted at some of the top graduate schools in the world. In addition to masterclasses and school residencies, the Trio's newest initiative, Building Bridges, benefits community organizations through collaborative performances with outstanding young musicians on the verge of their own careers.

Brevard Music Center First Monday Concert Series, March-2012

March 5. 12:30 PM, The  Brevard Music Center First Monday Concert Series presented at the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd at 22 Fisher Road in Brevard NC.  The Blair String Quartet.: The Program includes
WEBERN • Langsamer Satz
SCHUBERT • Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D. 810, "Death and the Maiden"

The Blair String Quartet has been praised for combining "technical expertise and emotional fire." The Washington Post calls them simply "a marvelous ensemble." Following a contemporary music concert at Rice University, the Houston Post stated, "The Blair String Quartet is a composer's dream." Widely acclaimed in performances across the country, the Quartet has enhanced its national reputation through appearances at the Library of Congress, the Kennedy Center, New York's 92nd Street Y and Merkin Concert Hall.

In April of 2012 the Blair Quartet will perform at Weill Hall in New York City, which will include a premiere of Michael Hersch's quartet, Images from a Closed Ward. Some of their residencies have been at the Aspen Music Festival, the Sedona Chamber Music Festival, and Dartmouth College, as well as appearances at the Colorado Music Festival, the Meadowmount School of Music, the Sewanee Music Festival, Music Mountain in Connecticut and the Maverick Concert Series in Woodstock, New York. They have been the Quartet-in-Residence for the Classical Fellowship Awards competition of the American Pianists Association, and the Irving S. Gilmore International Keyboard Festival.

The Blair Quartet has received grants and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts , the Southern Arts Federation, the Tennessee Arts Commission and Chamber Music America's C. Michael Paul Residency Program. The Blair String Quartet is in residence at the Blair School of Music of Vanderbilt University. The members of the ensemble are Christian Teal and Cornelia Heard, violins, John Kochanowski, viola, and Felix Wang, cello.  

Get a link for the Brevard Musice Center First Monday Series
and more Brevard NC events HERE

Brevard Music Center First Monday Concert Series - December

December 5, 1:30 PM at the First United Methodist Church of Brevard, 325 N Market Street in Brevard NC  -  The Robert McDuffie Center For Strings performs a program of:

DVOŘÁK String Quartet No. 10 in E flat major, Op. 51  and DVOŘÁK String Quintet No. 2 in G major, Op. 77

Founded as a special institute within Mercer University's Townsend School of Music, the McDuffie Center for Strings' enrollment is limited to 26 students: twelve violinists, six violists, six cellists and two double bassists.

The distinguished artists of the McDuffie Center perform, collaborate and record with the finest orchestras, string ensembles and conductors around the world. They are at the top of their fields. And, each McDuffie Center student interacts with these distinguished artists on a regular basis, which enhances the students' private lessons, master classes, chamber music coaching sessions and orchestral sectionals, all a part of their required curriculum.

Combining this intensive, conservatory experience with the practicality of a specific business-oriented curriculum, the McDuffie Center for Strings prepares the entrepreneurial musician for success in the real world.

Enrichment opportunities abound within the Center for Strings and the Townsend School of Music. Partnerships with the prestigious Rome Chamber Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Brevard Music Festival, Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival and New World Symphony in Miami provide McDuffie Center students with additional performance and learning possibilities.

Brevard Music Center Monday Concert Series

October 3 at 1:30 PM The Brevard Music Center will open the 2011-12 season of its First Mondays concert series featuring artist faculty from the Brevard Music Center.  Concerts are held at the First United Methodist Church of Brevard located at 325 N. Broad Street on the first Monday of each month (except January) through May. The concerts are free and open to the public as a way of sharing music with the community throughout the year.

The concert October 3 features violinist J. Patrick Rafferty and guitarist Stephen Mattingly. The duo will present works by J.S. Bach, Manuel deFalla, Maurice Ravel, and others. J. Patrick Rafferty has been hailed for his "exciting performances" and his "subtle and imaginative ideas about the music." Rafferty's solo credits include concerto performances with the symphony orchestras of Milwaukee, Dallas, Cincinnati, and St. Louis. Mr. Rafferty served as Concertmaster of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Associate Concertmaster of the Dallas Symphony, and Concertmaster of the Dallas Bach and Fine Arts Orchestras. As recitalist and chamber musician, Rafferty has performed in New York, Chicago, Boston, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, and many other cities. Mr. Rafferty is currently Associate Professor of Violin at the University of Louisville and a member of the artist faculty of the Brevard Music Center, where he is concertmaster of the Brevard Music Center Orchestra.

Guitarist Stephen Mattingly has been warmly received by audiences throughout North America and Europe as a soloist and with the Tantalus Quartet. His recording of Franz Schubert’s guitar chamber music was released under the auspices of the Presser Foundation. In addition to his performing career, Stephen is the Director of Classical Guitar Studies at the University of Louisville. Mattingly earned degrees from the Eastman School of Music, the Hochschule für Musik in Dortmund, Germany, and Florida State University, where he completed a Doctorate in Music and was a Visiting Adjunct Professor. Since 2010 Stephen has served as President of the Louisville Guitar Society.

Yo-Yo Ma at the Brevard Music Center

August 7,   3 PM at Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium at Brevard Music Center Campus.  Conductor Keith Lockhart is joined by cellist Yo-Yo Ma in the Brevard Music Center's season finale. Works include Haydn's Cello Concerto No. 1 in C major, Tchaikovsky's Variations on a Rococo Theme, and Dvorak's Symphony No 9 in E minor ("From the New World"). Pre-concert lecture at 2:00pm in Thomas Hall behind the auditorium. Box office telephone: 828-862-2106, 888-384-8682

This event is officially sold out, but seats do occasionally get turned back in and released. You can check to see if any seats have become available by clicking here

Brevard Music Center FREE Concert

On Tuesday, August 2 at 7:30 pm in Straus Auditorium, come listen to a free concert featuring Brevard Music Center's most talented percussion students.

Bach, Mendelssohn, Barber, Chavez and Agostini are just a few of the composers represented on this program. Hear pieces featuring the marimba, timpani, vibraphone and xylophone, as well as pieces for both full percussion ensemble and solo instruments.

Student performers will be:

 Kelsey Bannon - St. Petersburg, FL

John Benton - Lilburn, GA

Charlie Berntsen - Pittsburg, PA

Hunter Brown - Currituck, NC

Blake Edmonson - Cincinnati, OH

Taylor Hampton - Gastonia, NC

Michael Jarrett - Roswell, GA

Ben Kipp - Huntley, IL

Joel Panian - Washington, PA

Daniel Raderman - Columbia, MD

Kelsey Tamayo - Radcliff, KY

Nick Tariello - Schenectady, NY

 

Other FREE events:

Monday, August 1 - BMC@TCL | Student Recital

Tuesday, August 2 - Supersonic

Wednesday, August 3 - Student Piano Recital

Thursday, August 4 - New Music Concert

Friday, August 5 - BMC@TCL | Piccolo Opera

Upcoming Events:

Saturday, July 30 - Alcina | Dvorak Symphony No. 7

Sunday, July 31 - Soloists of Tomorrow | Piano Competition Finals

Monday, August 1 - Michael Feinstein: The Sinatra Project

Wednesday, August 3 - Brevard Live - All Beethoven Program

Thursday, August 4 - L'Elisir d'Amore

Visit the ticketing website to purchase tickets.

Some seats are available for the opera season finale, Donizetti's sparkling comedy The Elixir of Love.  There is an evening performance at 7:30pm on Thursday, August 4, and there are 2pm matinees on Friday, August 5, and Saturday, August 6.  Don't miss out, and don't wait—this is your last chance this year to hear live opera in Brevard, North Carolina.  Future stars of the opera world await you at the Porter Center.

The BMC box office at the Porter Center opens three hours before each show and remains open through the first intermission. You can also purchase your tickets online.  Tickets are $25 and $35 for seating both on the main floor and in the balcony.

Annual Concerto Competition Winners Perform at the Brevard Music Center

July 31, 3 PM, Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium, at The Brevard Music Center, 400 North Broad Street in Brevard NC. "Soloists of Tomorrow".  2011 competition has been completed with 5 winners The final round receiving scholarships to the 2012 Institute and Festival, as well as the opportunity to perform with the Brevard Music Center Orchestra.

The winners include:

Casey Grev is from Upper Arlington, Ohio, and attends Ohio State University, majoring in music education and music performance.  He has been playing the saxophone for 11 years. In addition to playing in Soloists of Tomorrow on July 31 with the BMCO, he will be playing tenor sax in Rhapsody in Blue on July 23 at 7:30PM.

Jeanelle Brierley attends high school in Phoenix, Arizona, where the heat peaked at 115° last week! This is her first summer at Brevard (and her first time to the East Coast) after having attended Aspen last year. She will be Transylvania Symphony Orchestra concertmaster for both July 24 (Dvorak Symphony No. 8) and August 5 (Shostakovich Symphony No. 1). Jeanelle was the only high school orchestral student in the finals this summer.

Peabody student Kelsey Tamayo is earning her Masters in percussion performance and is enjoying her first summer at Brevard.

Bolton Ellenberg, Pensacola, FL - piano

Joseph Kingma, Houston, TX - piano

Get Soloists of Tomorrow Tickets Here

This Week at the Brevard Music Center

If you enjoyed the intimate setting of the Morrison Playhouse for the production of Brevard Music Center's The Threepenny Opera, then you're sure to enjoy the BMC production of Handel's Alcina. Tickets are going fast, and Thursday's performance is already sold out but the two remaining shows on Friday, July 29 and Saturday, July 30 still have tickets available. If you're not familiar with this production, listen to the Finale. Tickets are $25.

This week's schedule:
Friday, July 22 - Lockhart Conducts Mahler 3
Saturday, July 23 - Hansel and Gretel | An Evening of Pops
Sunday, July 24 - Dvorak Symphony No. 8 | Hansel and Gretel
Monday, July 25 - Susan Platts in Recital
Tuesday, July 26 - Chamber Music
Wednesday, July 27 - Brevard Plays Bach
Thursday, July 28 - Alcina

FREE EVENTS:
Monday, July 25 - Student Recital
Tuesday, July 26 - BMC@TCL
Wednesday, July 27 - Student Piano Recital
Thursday, July 28 - New Music Concert, Transylvania Symphonic Band
Friday, July 29 - Program of Song

For tickets visit the ticketing website

Opera's Greatest Hits at Brevard Music Center

If a full length production isn't your style, but you enjoy the more memorable arias and songs from your favorite operas, don't miss Opera's Greatest Hits on Sunday, July 17 at 3:00 PM. Members of the Janiec Opera Company will perform arias, duets and ensembles, accompanied by JOC pianists. The concert will feature songs from such productions as Don Giovanni, La Traviata, Pagliacci, Die Fledermaus, and more. Tickets are $25-$35; Lawn: $15. Brevard Music Center in Brevard NC

Brevard Music Center Event: Vega String Quartet Debut

Tuesday, July 12 at 7:30 PM at the Porter Center on the Brevard College campus The Vega String Quartet will make its debut appearance with the Brevard Music Center. The Quartet in Residence at Emory University was recently reviewed by the New York Times: "The music simply took over and created a space of its own. The musicians played with a deceptive simplicity and fluidity that made difficult passages seem childlike in their straightforwardness. Big, strong playing...excellent ensemble. Crisp, clear precision." - The New York Times

The Vega String Quartet ( click for a preview) will be performing Haydn's Quartet in G major, Bartók's Quartet No. 4, Sz. 91, and Beethoven's Quartet in E minor, Op. 59, No. 2. 

Brevard Music Center 75th Anniversary Season

In 2011 The Brevard Music Center celebrates its 75th anniversary season beginning Friday, June 24 on its campus in Brevard, North Carolina. The June 24 concert is the first of 80 performances to be presented in the 2011 season, including 18 different orchestra programs, five opera productions, wind ensemble, chamber music, new music, recitals, and more.Special performances planned this year include Michael Feinstein (an evening of Sinatra), Yo-Yo Ma and Maestro Keith Lockhart (of the Boston Pops) who is conducting for the summer.
Every summer at The Brevard Music Center more than 400 students, ages 14 through post-college, join professional musicians to eat, breathe and sleep music for seven weeks. In addition to a rigorous schedule of instruction, students collaborate with faculty and guest artists in more than eighty public performances.

Tickets are available by phone, mail, walk-up, and online. The box office is located in the foyer of Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium on the Brevard Music Center campus. The box office phone number is (828) 862-2105 or toll-free (888) 384-8682. Request a brochure by calling (828) 862-2100 or get a performance schedule here.