On Saturday, February 25 at 8 pm in Market Square Church the innovative Lark Quartet and critically acclaimed baritone, Stephen Salters will perform an all-American program of works by George Gershwin, William Bolcom, Elena Ruehr and Theodore Wiprud. There will be a pre-concert talk by Dr. Richard Strawser at 7:15 pm.
Tickets are $30, $25 for seniors and $5 for college students. Tickets are free for school students and $5 for the accompanying parent or sibling. For tickets call 717 214-ARTS; information is available at 717 221-9599. Remaining tickets will be available at the door.
The Lark Quartet continues to delight audiences with its energy, passionate commitment and imaginative artistry. The members, all soloists in their own right, have come together to form a “polished and warmly communicative ensemble”, that delivers “a performance of grace, proportion and burnished brilliance,” (Washington Post). Performing with a unique blend of excitement, individuality, and an unusually sonorous quartet sound, the Lark has won the acclaim of critics and audiences alike.
Stephen Salters’ passionate and impeccably articulated performances have won him acclaim throughout Europe, the UK, Asia and the United States. He works regularly with leading conductors including Christoph Eschenbach, Seiji Ozawa, Keith Lockhart, Bobby McFerrin and Martin Haselboeck.
On the opera stage with over 30 roles, he excels equally in contemporary works and standard repertory. He received superlative praise in the role of the Minotaur in the world premiere of Philippe Fenelon’s Les Rois for Opera National in Bordeaux, and when he created the title role in Elena Ruehr’s Toussaint Before the Spirits for Opera Boston, The Boston Globe called his performance “astounding”.
Some of the season’s greatest highlights included Mr. Salters singing the lead role of Kovalyov in rare performances of Shostakovich’s opera The Nose and sold-out standing ovation concerts in France with Orchestre de la Loire and in Africa and a recital and week-long masterclass in Hawaii. This summer, he will be singing the fantastic role of Paulus in Montreal as well as a new opera called Invisible Cities at Yale University. Next season, he will be singing in Chicago in conjunction with the Ravinia Festival and the dance company Luna Negra, Don Pasquale in Spain, recitals at the Kennedy Center and other locations in the US and Europe including Spain, France and Belgium as well as several world premieres including a world premiere of William Bolcom for Mr. Salters and The Lark String Quartet.
The concert is sponsored by McNees, Wallace & Nurick LLC and Lehman Mediation Service LLC. The season sponsor is Capital BlueCross. A resident company of Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts, Market Square Concerts also receives support from the Cultural Enrichment Fund and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Complete information on Market Square Concerts’ for 2011-12 season.
