Oberlin Artist Recital Series

Oberlin’s Artist Recital Series concludes its 131st season with performances by two internationally celebrated ensembles. The Cleveland Orchestra, “the finest in America” (New York Magazine), returns on Friday, April 9, for its 208th Oberlin appearance. Russian-American conductor Semyon Bychkov makes his Cleveland Orchestra podium debut with a program featuring Schumann’s triumphant second symphony. The weekend of stunning musicianship continues on Sunday, April 11, when the American Brass Quintet, the “high priests of brass” (Newsweek), celebrates a half-century as one of the world’s leading brass chamber ensembles. Both concerts take place in the acoustically renowned Finney Chapel. Each concert begins at 8 p.m.

Semyon Bychkov and the Cleveland Orchestra
Since leaving St. Petersburg in 1975, Semyon Bychkov has enjoyed a career that has taken him across the globe, conducting some of the greatest orchestras in the United States, Europe, the Far East, and the former Soviet Union. Bychkov has held the positions of principal guest conductor, music director, or chief conductor with multiple world-famous orchestras including the Buffalo Philharmonic, the Orchestre de Paris, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Maggio Musicale in Florence, the Dresden Semperoper, and, most recently, WDR Sinfonie-Orchester Köln. In addition, he has been a frequent guest with the orchestras of New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Vienna, Berlin, Munich, and London.

The centerpiece of Bychkov’s debut with the Cleveland Orchestra is Schumann’s Symphony No. 2. The all-orchestral program will also highlight works by two 20th-century French composers: Le Tombeau de Couperin by Maurice Ravel (1875-1937), a suite originally composed for solo piano and orchestrated by the composer in 1919, and Métaboles by Henri Dutilleux (b. 1916), one of the most important French composers of the last 50 years, whose works continue to garner international acclaim.

American Brass Quintet
Reigning as the world’s longest continuously performing professional brass quintet, the American Brass Quintet (ABQ) has performed in virtually all of the world’s major cities, concert halls, and festivals, and has amassed the largest brass chamber music discography on record. “A spectacular demonstration of ensemble virtuosity,” writes the New York Times. “The brilliance of their playing is matched by the extraordinary sonics: crystalline definition, airy spaciousness, superb presence, and an overall clarity that is positively breathtaking.” The ABQ’s anniversary tour features performances throughout Asia, Canada, and the United States, including a concert at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in October.

The ABQ’s Oberlin program will highlight a diverse repertoire, ranging from its own definitive editions of Renaissance and Baroque masterpieces to commissioned works by significant contemporary composers, including Gordon Beeferman, David Sampson, Osvaldo Lacerda, and Shafer Mahoney.

ABQ members Raymond Mase, trumpet; Kevin Cobb, trumpet; David Wakefield, horn; Michael Powell, trombone; and John D. Rojak, bass trombone, will also participate in a mini-residency of master classes and workshops with Oberlin students during the days surrounding their concert. “Their commitment as teachers and leaders in the field of brass instruction, and to the advancement of the repertoire for brass quintet, is an inspiration to both faculty and students alike,” says Dean of the Conservatory of Music David Stull.

Ticket Information
Tickets are available through Oberlin College’s Central Ticket Service (CTS). Purchase tickets online at www.oberlin.edu/artsguide; by phone at 440-775-8169 or 800-371-0178; in person at the CTS box office, located in the lobby of Hall Auditorium, 67 North Main St., in Oberlin; or by mail, by submitting the order form available on the Artist Recital Series website. CTS is open Monday through Friday, from noon until 5 p.m.

Finney Chapel is located at 90 North Professor St., and is wheelchair accessible. Free parking is available throughout the Oberlin College campus.