Debra Nagy ‘00/’02 and Les Délices – Special Deal for Obies

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Les Délices presents their concert La Guitarre Royalle, on February 12 & 13. This program highlights the astonishingly beautiful playing of Toronto-based lutenist Lucas Harris, whose poetic approach has been called “a revelation” (Le Devoir). Lucas, who serves on the faculty at Oberlin’s summer Baroque Performance Institute, will be joined by Scott Metcalfe (violin), Emily Walhout ’83 (viola da gamba), and Debra Nagy ’00/’02 (baroque oboe).

Debra has extended a special offer to Oberlin alumni for this concert. Take 10% off on all single tickets bought online at www.lesdelices.org (enter the discount code: delices) or at the door (check or cash only; please mention Oberlin almuni status to receive the discount).

Cleveland folks can get a preview when Lucas and Debra join Dee Perry on Around Noon (WCPN 90.3) this Wednesday Feb 9 about 12:30.

Les Délices’ program features solos and trios by Jean-Féry Rebel and Louis-Nicholas Clérambault, plus a mesmerizing chaconne by Louis XIV’s own guitar master Francesco Corbetta that will tug at listeners’ heart-strings. In a special nod to Valentine’s day, Les Délices will also present François Couperin’s rarely-performed “Portrait of Love” (Ritratto dell’amore). Each movement of the work carries a title paying tribute to love’s many facets - from pure joy to vivacity and sweetness – even its inimitable “je ne sais quoi”! Finally, Joseph Bodin de Boismortier’s rustic Ballets de village will set audience members in the mood to go dancing into the night.

Les Délices performs La Guitarre Royalle inside the galleries of Tregoning & Company on Saturday, February 12, 2011 at 8:00pm, and at Herr Chapel at Plymouth Church on Sunday, February 13, 2011 at 4:00pm. Visit www.lesdelices.org for tickets and more information.

The final concerts in Les Délices' 2010-11 series will be “Myths & Allegories” on May 14 & 15, 2011.

Tregoning & Company

1300 West 78th Street

Cleveland, OH 44102

Herr Chapel

Plymouth Church

2860 Coventry Road

Shaker Heights, OH 44120

Marilyn Horne Master Class

One of the greatest operatic mezzo-sopranos in history, Marilyn Horne will be in residence at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music as Distinguished Professor of Voice from February 18 through 22, 2011. While on campus, she will teach private voice lessons and present two master classes that will be open to the public on Friday, February 18 at 8 p.m., and Sunday, February 20 at 2 p.m.

Both events will be held in Finney Chapel and are free for Artist Recital Series subscribers; general admission tickets are $5 (contact Central Ticket Services at775.8169 or 800.371.0178). These classes will offer a unique opportunity for all to listen and learn as a legend works with Oberlin voice majors.

"Probably the greatest singer in the world" (Opera News), Horne's five-decade career in opera, concert, and recital has been celebrated throughout the world for the power and artistry of her unique and dazzling mezzo-soprano coloratura. Horne's distinguished career has garnered her numerous honors, including a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award and a Lifetime Achievement Award from Gramophone magazine. She was named a Kennedy Center Honoree in 1995; received the National Medal of Arts in 1992; was inducted into the American Classical Music and Hollywood Bowl halls of fame; and was named a National Endowment for the Arts Opera Honors recipient in 2009. In 2001, Horne received a President's Merit Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

Finney Chapel

90 North Professor Street

Oberlin, OH 44074

Artist Recital Series

The Pacifica Quartet

Wednesday, February 16, at 8:00 pm

The Pacifica Quartet, recognized internationally for its virtuosity, exuberant performance style, and often-daring repertory choices, will perform on Oberlin College’s Artist Recital Series. The concert will be held in Finney Chapel, with a program of works by Beethoven, Shostakovich, and Schubert. The quartet features Simin Ganatra ’95, violin; Sibbi Bernhardsson ’95, violin; Masumi Per Rostad, viola; and Brandon Vamos, cello. While on campus, the quartet will also fulfill a two-day residency, during which they will lead master classes and coach chamber ensembles.

Since its formation in 1994, the Pacifica Quartet has carved out a compelling and critically lauded musical path. As a young ensemble, the quartet swept top awards in the U.S. and abroad, including the 2002 Cleveland Quartet Award, the Naumburg Chamber Music Award in 1998, and the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2006, making the Pacifica only the second chamber music ensemble ever to be selected. In 2009, the quartet garnered two highly coveted distinctions including being named “Ensemble of the Year” by Musical America and winning a Grammy Award for their recording of Elliott Carter’s String Quartets Nos. 1 and 5 (Naxos).

For more information about the Pacifica Quartet, please visit www.pacificaquartet.com

The Cleveland Orchestra

Friday, February 25, 2011 at 8:00pm

Returning to Oberlin’s Finney Chapel for its 209th Artist Recital Series performance, the Cleveland Orchestra will once again prove its status as one of the world’s most powerful orchestral ensembles. Under the baton of Andrey Boreyko, the program will feature works by Bartók, Vasks, and Prokofiev.

Oberlin Professor of Oboe and English Horn Robert Walters, featured soloist, will also play with the orchestra, with whom he holds an appointment as oboist and solo English horn player. He has also held appointments at the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Cincinnati Orchestra, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. An avid teacher and performer, Walters has taught and performed at many of the country's top venues and festivals.

Yefim Bronfman, piano

Saturday, March 5, 2011, 8:00 pm

Grammy Award winner and acclaimed pianist Yefim Bronfman is known by critics and listeners alike as one of the most commanding and engaging performers on the circuit today. Since his international debut with Zubin Mehta and the Montreal Symphony in 1975, he has performed diverse repertory “rich in musical feeling” with “technical fireworks.” His rapidly growing discography, diverse tour schedule, and performances of concertos and chamber music feature collaborations with classical music's biggest names: Isaac Stern, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Sir Simon Rattle, and dozens of others. Bronfman's Oberlin performance at Finney Chapel will include pieces by Haydn, Schumann, and Chopin.

For information on Oberlin’s Artist Recital Series, please visit www.oberlin.edu/arseries

Tickets are available for advance purchase by visiting www.oberlin.edu/arseries or calling 800-371-0178. Single tickets are $30; seniors and those with an Oberlin College ID $25; and students $12. Tickets are available at the door, starting one hour before the performance; however, tickets purchased at the door cost $3 more.

Finney Chapel

90 North Professor Street

Oberlin, OH 44074

Ry Russo-Young '03 to screen film "You Won't Miss Me" at Cleveland Museum of Art

Ry Russo-Young '03 will screen her film and host a Q&A at the Cleveland Museum of Art on Friday, February 4 at 7pm and Saturday, February 5 at 1:30pm.

This kaleidoscopic portrait of an emotionally troubled, 23-year-old NYC misfit recently released from a psychiatric hospital won the Gotham Award for Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You. It was co-written and stars Stella Schnabel, daughter of Julian, and directed by Ry Russo-Young, who will answer questions after both shows.

“Powerful, iconoclastic…Could gain a cult following.” –Variety. USA, 2009, color, video, 81 min.

Admission is $9; CMA members, seniors 65 & over, and students $7; or one CMA Film Series voucher. Vouchers, in books of ten, can be purchased at the Ticket Center for $70 (CMA members $60).

Visit http://www.youwontmissme.com/ for more information about the film and to view a trailer.

Lecture Hall
The Cleveland Museum of Art
11150 East Boulevard
Cleveland, OH 44106

Oberlin Opera Theater Winter Term Performances

Oberlin Opera Theater has two fabulous Winter Term productions coming up! In true Oberlin style, it's free admission to both of these fully staged productions.

On February 3rd & 5th The Turn Of The Screw by Benjamin Britten will be performed in Finney Chapel at 8pm.

On February 4th & 6th Exercises de Style by Jose Evangelista will be performed in Warner Concert Hall. Performance times are February 4th at 8pm and 10pm; February 6th at 2pm and 4pm.

Finney Chapel
90 North Professor Street
Oberlin, OH 44074

Warner Concert Hall
Oberlin Conservatory of Music
77 West College Street
Oberlin, OH 44074

Artist Recital Series - Pacifica Quartet

The Pacifica Quartet, recognized internationally for its virtuosity, exuberant performance style, and often-daring repertory choices, will perform on Oberlin College’s Artist Recital Series on Wednesday, February 16, at 8 p.m. The concert will be held in Finney Chapel, with a program of works by Beethoven, Shostakovich, and Schubert. The quartet features Simin Ganatra ’95, violin; Sibbi Bernhardsson ’95, violin; Masumi Per Rostad, viola; and Brandon Vamos, cello. While on campus, the quartet will also fulfill a two-day residency, during which they will lead master classes and coach chamber ensembles.

Since its formation in 1994, the Pacifica Quartet has carved out a compelling and critically lauded musical path. As a young ensemble, the quartet swept top awards in the U.S. and abroad, including the 2002 Cleveland Quartet Award, the Naumburg Chamber Music Award in 1998, and the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2006, making the Pacifica only the second chamber music ensemble ever to be selected. In 2009, the quartet garnered two highly coveted distinctions including being named “Ensemble of the Year” by Musical America and winning a Grammy Award for their recording of Elliott Carter’s String Quartets Nos. 1 and 5 (Naxos).

The quartet has performed to critical acclaim, and has achieved international stature as one of the finest chamber ensembles performing today. The Daily Telegraph of London declared “This was playing of the most sublime kind, utterly absorbing in its subtle expressiveness, polish and ready communication of stylistic character.” In the U.S., the Washington Post lauded the group as possessing “…musical gifts held in ideal balance.”

Since 2004, the quartet has served as the faculty quartet-in-residence at the University of Illinois, and is also a resident performing artist at the University of Chicago and Longy School of Music in Boston. In 2009, the Pacifica Quartet acquired a third residency to become the quartet-in-residence at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, succeeding the Guarneri Quartet.

The Pacifica Quartet tours extensively throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia. For the 2010-11 season, in addition to performing at Oberlin College, the quartet has prepared the monumental Shostakovich cycle to be performed in Chicago and at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Originating on the west coast, the quartet takes its name from the Pacific Ocean.

For more information about the Pacifica Quartet, please visit www.pacificaquartet.com

For information on Oberlin’s Artist Recital Series, please visit www.oberlin.edu/arseries

Ticket information
Tickets are available for advance purchase by visiting www.oberlin.edu/arseries or calling 800-371-0178. Single tickets are $30; seniors and those with an Oberlin College ID $25; and students $12. Tickets are available at the door, starting one hour before the performance; however, tickets purchased at the door cost $3 more.

Debra Nagy ‘00/’02 and Les Délices Present "La Guitarre Royalle"

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Les Délices presents their concert La Guitarre Royalle, on February 12 & 13. This program highlights the astonishingly beautiful playing of Toronto-based lutenist Lucas Harris, whose poetic approach has been called “a revelation” (Le Devoir). Lucas, who serves on the faculty at Oberlin’s summer Baroque Performance Institute, will be joined by Scott Metcalfe (violin), Emily Walhout ’83 (viola da gamba), and Debra Nagy ’00/’02 (baroque oboe).

La Guitarre Royalle is a rare opportunity to hear the baroque guitar up close and personal in both solo and ensemble roles. The sound of the baroque guitar is very different from its modern counterpart owing to the instrument’s small size, construction, stringing, and tuning. The result is a versatile and colorful instrument whose clear sound is rich with overtones. In solo music, the baroque guitar’s palette ranges from sensitive and introspective to extroverted and uplifting. When playing continuo in an ensemble (the baroque practice of improvising chordal accompaniment above the bass line), the guitar can bring a similar intimacy to the group, or act as a percussive, energizing force.

Les Délices’ program features solos and trios by Jean-Féry Rebel and Louis-Nicholas Clérambault, plus a mesmerizing chaconne by Louis XIV’s own guitar master Francesco Corbetta that will tug at listeners’ heart-strings. In a special nod to Valentine’s day, Les Délices will also present François Couperin’s rarely-performed “Portrait of Love” (Ritratto dell’amore). Each movement of the work carries a title paying tribute to love’s many facets - from pure joy to vivacity and sweetness – even its inimitable “je ne sais quoi”! Finally, Joseph Bodin de Boismortier’s rustic Ballets de village will set audience members in the mood to go dancing into the night.

Les Délices performs La Guitarre Royalle inside the galleries of Tregoning & Company on Saturday, February 12, 2011 at 8:00pm, and at Herr Chapel at Plymouth Church on Sunday, February 13, 2011 at 4:00pm. Visit www.lesdelices.org for tickets and more information.

The final concerts in Les Délices' 2010-11 series will be “Myths & Allegories” on May 14 & 15, 2011.

Tregoning & Company
1300 West 78th Street
Cleveland, OH 44102

Herr Chapel
Plymouth Church
2860 Coventry Road
Shaker Heights, OH 44120

Les Délices and Debra Nagy '00/'02

From Debra Nagy '00/'02:

Cleveland-based chamber ensemble Les Délices (pronounced Lay DEH-lease) is committed to making a big impact in Cleveland (and beyond) with entertaining, thought-provoking programs presented in unique and intimate settings. Audiences clearly appreciated Les Délices’ informal, up-close-and-personal programs last season, and ClevelandClassical.com singled out Les Délices’ first season of concerts as among the most memorable of 2009. Les Délices’ director and founder Debra Nagy explained, ”Standing-room only audiences packed our salon-style gallery shows.”

For their second season, Les Délices returns to Cleveland’s William Busta and Tregoning & Co. galleries for their Saturday night concerts, and they’ll continue to present Sunday afternoon programs at Plymouth Church in Shaker Heights, where they’ve been named Artists in Residence for 2010-11.

On Halloween weekend (October 30 & 31, 2010), Les Délices will welcome back Josh Lee (viola da gamba) and Michael Sponseller (harpsichord) plus Julie Andrijeski (violin) for their weird and wonderful program, “Mirages and Monstrosties.” Special guest lutenist Lucas Harris (whose elegant, stylish performances graced Les Délices’s debut CD) will warm our hearts on February 12 & 13, 2011, with “La Guitarre Royalle,” and rising-star soprano Clara Rottsolk will win over audiences when we feature her in cantatas based on tales from The Odyssey in our program “Myths & Allegories” on May 14 & 15, 2011. In addition, Les Délices will embark on its first Northeast tour in April 2011, with performances in Boston and Providence, leading up to the group’s New York debut at the Frick Collection on May 1, 2011.

Les Délices’ 2010-11 season begins at the William Busta Gallery (2731 Prospect Ave., Cleveland) on Saturday, October 30, 2010 at 8pm with a Halloween-inspired program of character pieces ranging from the quirky to the bizarre! Their program, “Mirages and Monstrosities,” includes Marin Marais’ “La Labyrinthe,” and the unusual, narrated “Gall-bladder Operation,” plus Jean-Philippe Rameau’s “Les Cyclopes” and chamber arrangements of incidental music from his opera about a hideous water nymph, Platée. Les Délices will repeat this program on Sunday, October 31, 2010 at 4:00pm inside Herr Chapel at Plymouth Church in Shaker Heights.

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, we’ll highlight the astonishingly beautiful playing of Toronto-based lutenist Lucas Harris, whose poetic approach has been called “a revelation” (Le Devoir). Les Délices regulars Scott Metcalfe (violin) and Emily Walhout (viola da gamba) will return to join Debra Nagy (baroque oboe) and guest Lucas Harris (theorbo & baroque guitar) for “La Guitarre Royalle” featuring works by guitar masters from the court of Louis XIV. Les Délices will perform inside the galleries of Tregoning & Company (1300 W. 78^th St, Cleveland) on Saturday, February 12, 2011 at 8:00pm, and in Herr Chapel at Plymouth Church on Sunday, February 13, 2011 at 4:00pm.

Les Délices closes its season in May with “Myths & Allegories.” Weaving dramatic depictions of tales from Homer’s Odyssey together with instrumental chamber music inspired by Greek mythology, this program features acclaimed soprano and Seattle-native Clara Rottsolk in cantatas by Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre and Thomas-Louis Bourgeois. The fabulous gallery space at Tregoning and Company (1300 W. 78^th St, Cleveland) will host our Saturday concert on May 14, 2011 at 8:00pm. Les Délices will repeat their program at Herr Chapel at Plymouth Church on Sunday, May 15, 2011 at 4:00pm.

Tickets for all concerts in the series are available at www.lesdelices.org by August 15, 2010.

About Les Délices

Les Délices’ (pronounced Lay DEH-lease) performances of French Baroque music have been called “exquisite,” “superb,” and “breathtakingly gorgeous.” In addition to touring performances, Les Délices presents its own annual concert series in modern art galleries, where audiences enjoy intimate, informal performances in venues that celebrate Cleveland’s flourishing arts community. Les Délices are Artists in Residence at Plymouth Church in Shaker Heights. Les Délices’ debut CD “The Tastes Reunited” was named one of the Top Ten Early Music Discoveries of 2009 by NPR’s Harmonia, and their live performances have been featured on WCPN and on WKSU’s In Performance. Visit www.lesdelices.org for more information.

About Debra Nagy

One of the few outstanding baroque oboists in the U.S., Cleveland resident Debra Nagy has been hailed for her "dazzling technique and soulful expressiveness" (Rocky Mountain News) and deemed a ”baroque oboist of consummate taste and expressivity” by the Cleveland Plain Dealer. A graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory, and Case Western Reserve University, she was the First Prize winner of the 2002 American Bach Soloists Young Artists Competition. In addition to maintaining a busy national performing schedule, Debra is currently a Lecturer in Early Music Performance Practice at Case Western Reserve University.