Lynn University Conservatory of Music Sets 2015-16 Season

Jon Robertson, dean of Lynn University's Conservatory of Music and Philharmonia Guest Conductor, today announced the Conservatory's ambitious 2015-2016 season.

"Our talented students and extraordinary faculty look forward to sharing the beautiful world of music during our sixth season in the Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center, a world-class concert hall that enhances our performing artists' musical offerings," said Robertson. "Our 2015-2016 season will present a variety of musical offerings designed to enrich the artistic spirit and nourish the soul. Please join us for a magnificent season."

Concerts run from September through April in either the Wold or the Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall, two comfortable and acoustically outstanding performance spaces located across from one another on Lynn's Boca Raton campus.

Lynn Philharmonia

The Lynn Philharmonia sets the standard for professional symphonic training. Now in its 23 season as a full symphony, the Philharmonia continues to present high-quality concerts with a wide-ranging repertoire. Under the musical direction of Maestro Guillermo Figueroa, the Lynn Philharmonia attains a professional level of performance, enjoying tremendous public support for its six annual symphonic programs. The Philharmonia distinguishes itself through its orchestral training program and ensures consistent performance opportunities for every instrumentalist.

Oct. 3-4

Lynn Philharmonia No. 1

· Saturday: 7:30 p.m.

Sunday: 4 p.m.

Conductor: Guillermo Figueroa

Strauss: Don Quixote / David Cole, cello

Falla: Suite No. 2 from Three Cornered Hat

Aguila: Conga

Location: Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center

Tickets: Individual tickets are $50 for Box, $40 for Orchestra and $35 for Mezzanine

Oct. 24-25

Lynn Philharmonia No. 2

· Saturday: 7:30 p.m.

Sunday: 4 p.m.

Conductor: Guillermo Figueroa

Beethoven: Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. 93

Puccini: Intermezzo from Manon Lescaut

Tchaikovsky: Francesca da Rimini, Symphonic Fantasy after Dante, Op. 32

Location: Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center

Tickets: Individual tickets are $50 for Box, $40 for Orchestra and $35 for Mezzanine

Sponsors: Arlyne and Myron Weinberg

Nov. 14-15

Lynn Philharmonia No. 3

· Saturday: 7:30 p.m.

Sunday: 4 p.m.

Conductor: Jon Robertson

Dvorak: Othello Overture, Op. 93

Weber: Bassoon Concerto in F Major, Op. 75 / Eric Van der Veer, bassoon

Neilsen: Symphony No. 4, Op. 29

Location: Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center

Tickets: Individual tickets are $50 for Box, $40 for Orchestra and $35 for Mezzanine

Feb. 6-7

Lynn Philharmonia No. 4

· Saturday: 7:30 p.m.

Sunday: 4 p.m.

Conductor: Guillermo Figueroa

Featuring the winners of the Annual Concerto Competition

Location: Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center

Tickets: Individual tickets are $50 for Box, $40 for Orchestra and $35 for Mezzanine

March 19-20

Lynn Philharmonia No. 5

This performance contains a collaboration with the Master Chorale of South Florida and artistic director Brett Karlin.

· Saturday: 7:30 p.m.

Sunday: 4 p.m.

Conductor: Guillermo Figueroa

Berlioz: La damnation de Faust, Marche hongroise

Berlioz: Les Nuits d'Ete

Saint-Saëns: Danse Macabre, Op. 40

Ravel: Daphnis et Chloe, Suite. No. 2

Location: Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center

Tickets: Individual tickets are $50 for Box, $40 for Orchestra and $35 for Mezzanine

April 16-17

Lynn Philharmonia No. 6

· Saturday: 7:30 p.m.

Sunday: 4 p.m.

Conductor: Guillermo Figueroa

Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks

Prokofiev: Suite from Romeo and Juliet

Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra

Location: Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center

Tickets: Individual tickets are $50 for Box, $40 for Orchestra and $35 for Mezzanine

Dean's Showcase Concerts

The Dean's Showcase series features performances by the Conservatory of Music's most promising students who are musicians from around the world. Students selected by faculty perform various solo and chamber works in the intimate setting of the Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall.

Oct. 15

Dean's Showcase No. 1

Thursday: 7:30 p.m.

Location: Count and Countess de Hoernle International Center / Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall

Tickets: $10

Dec. 3

Dean's Showcase No. 2

Thursday: 7:30 p.m.

Location: Count and Countess de Hoernle International Center / Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall

Tickets: $10

March 24

Dean's Showcase No. 3

Thursday: 7:30 p.m.

Location: Count and Countess de Hoernle International Center / Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall

Tickets: $10

April 21

Dean's Showcase No. 4

Thursday: 7:30 p.m.

Location: Count and Countess de Hoernle International Center / Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall

Tickets: $10

Master Classes

Lynn Conservatory is dedicated to bringing world-renowned artists to our campus. These classes feature artists at the top of their respective fields in open coaching sessions with the Conservatory of Music's young artists. Master classes are free and open to the public.

Oct. 10

Oboe Master Class with Nancy Ambrose King

World-renowned performer and pedagogue Nancy Ambrose King works with Lynn Conservatory students in an exciting oboe master class.

Saturday: 7 p.m.

Location: Count and Countess de Hoernle International Center / Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall

Tickets: FREE

Oct. 12

Piano Master Class with James Giles

James Giles regularly performs in the important musical centers of America, Europe and Asia. A native of North Carolina, Giles studied with Byron Janis at the Manhattan School of Music, Jerome Lowenthal at the Juilliard School, Nelita True at the Eastman School of Music, and Robert Shannon at Oberlin College. He was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study in Italy with the legendary pianist Lazar Berman. He won first prizes at the New Orleans International Piano Competition, the Joanna Hodges International Piano Competition, and the Music Teachers National Association Competition. Giles is coordinator of the piano program at Northwestern University and chair of the piano department at the Eastern Music Festival during the summers. Conservatory piano students will perform in this master class.

Monday: 2 p.m.

Location: Count and Countess de Hoernle International Center / Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall

Tickets: FREE

Oct. 12

Cello Master Class with Lynn Harrell

Lynn Harrell's presence is felt throughout the musical world. A consummate soloist, chamber musician, recitalist, conductor and teacher, his work throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia has placed him in the highest echelon of today's performing artists.

Monday: 7 p.m.

Location: Count and Countess de Hoernle International Center / Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall

Tickets: FREE

Dec. 6

Piano Master Classes with Nancy Weems

Nancy Weems was named Outstanding Collegiate Teacher by the Texas Music Teacher's Association. Her students have won top awards in the MTNA Collegiate Artist Competition and the Wideman Competition. She is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory and the University of Texas and currently is professor and coordinator of the piano area at the University of Houston Moores School of Music.

Sunday: 10 a.m.

Location: Count and Countess de Hoernle International Center / Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall

Tickets: FREE

Jan. 13

Piano Master Class with Agustin Anievas

Internationally renowned American pianist Agustín Anievas, whose performances have enriched music lovers all over the world, has appeared in recital and with orchestras in the major music centers of the U.S.A., including New York City's Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, as well as in Europe, North and South America, Australia, and many Middle East and Far East countries. His recordings of Chopin, Schubert, Liszt, Brahms and Rachmaninoff stand as examples of the very best American pianism. Following several decades as chairman of the piano department, and professor of piano at Brooklyn College's Conservatory, as well as offering his vision of romantic music in master class venues and as participant on many international competition juries, Anievas currently serves as chairman of the National Chopin Competition in Miami.

Wednesday: 7 p.m.

Location: Count and Countess de Hoernle International Center / Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall

Tickets: FREE

Jan. 20

Piano Master Class with Margarita Shevchenko

Margarita Shevchenko has been the recipient of the "Special Chopin Prize" at five competitions in addition to seven top prizes at major international piano competitions in Europe, Japan and the U.S.A. Highlights of her many orchestral appearances include performances with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under Sir Simon Rattle, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under Mendi Rodan and Cape Town Symphony under JoAnn Faletta, as well as the Polish National Philharmonic, Russian National Orchestra, and the Hamamatsu Symphony Orchestra Japan. A native of Russia, Shevchenko resides in the U.S. She received her Master of Music degree at Moscow Central Music School, Moscow State Conservatory, and additional training at the Cleveland Institute of Music.

Wednesday: 7 p.m.

Location: Count and Countess de Hoernle International Center / Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall

Tickets: FREE

Feb. 24

Master Class with Ellen Taaffe Zwilich

Ellen Zwilich is the recipient of numerous prizes and honors, including the 1983 Pulitzer Prize in Music, the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Chamber Music Prize, the Arturo Toscanini Music Critics Award, the Ernst von Dohnányi Citation, an Academy Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a Guggenheim Fellowship and four Grammy nominations.

· Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.

Location: Count and Countess de Hoernle International Center / Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall

Tickets: FREE

Feb. 27

Master Class with the Penderecki String Quartet

The members of the Penderecki String Quartet are recognized internationally for teaching, coaching and master classes. As active faculty members for over 20 years at the Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, they have built one of the top string programs in Canada.

Friday: 1 p.m.

Location: Count and Countess de Hoernle International Center / Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall

Tickets: FREE

Mostly Music Series

Mostly Music is a unique concert series that better acquaints audiences with the music, lives and artistic development of the western world's great composers. These concerts feature the conservatory's artist faculty and students. Actor Jay Stuart brings the composers to life through the readings of their letters. Mostly Music is conceived and hosted by Marshall Turkin and Jan McArt.

Nov. 19

Mostly Music: Brahms

Johannes Brahms was considered old-fashioned to many of his contemporaries, for instead of following the popular dramatic Wagnerian path, Brahms had personal humility and believed the legitimate progress to musical mastery and its development was the stud of and respect for the past great composers of Western music.

Thursday: 7:30 p.m.

Location: Count and Countess de Hoernle International Center / Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall

Tickets: $20

Jan. 21

Mostly Music: Ravel and Friends

Regarded as the culmination of musical Impressionism, Ravel's distinctive style, craftsmanship, sophisticated harmonies and orchestrations have established him as one of the giants of the twentieth century.

Thursday: 7:30 p.m.

Location: Count and Countess de Hoernle International Center / Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall

Tickets: $20

March 3

Mostly Music: Bartók

The greatest Hungarian composer of his day and one of the worlds finest, Bela Bartok not only helped awaken serious interest in folk music, but also engaged himself no less profoundly in western art music. This resulted in his compositions taking their place as a cornerstone of twentieth century music.

Thursday: 7:30 p.m.

Location: Count and Countess de Hoernle International Center / Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall

Tickets: $20

New Music Festival

Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Composer-in-Residence

The ninth annual New Music Festival will feature Pulitzer Prize winning composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich and special guest artists The Penderecki String Quartet.

Feb. 23

Spotlight No. 1: Young Composer

Witness the birth of music as it is first performed. This event is the platform for world premieres, boasting more than 60 since the inaugural year, featuring the works of our extraordinary composition majors performed by the composers and their peers.

Tuesday: 7:30 p.m.

Location: Count and Countess de Hoernle International Center / Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall

Tickets: FREE

Feb. 25

Spotlight No. 2: Music of Ellen Taaffe Zwilich

Like the great masters of bygone times, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich produces music "with fingerprints" - music that is immediately recognized as her own. In her compositions, she combines craft and inspiration, reflecting an optimistic and humanistic spirit that gives her a unique musical voice. The program will feature a variety of her instrumental and small chamber works.

Thursday: 7:30 p.m.

Location: Count and Countess de Hoernle International Center / Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall

Tickets: FREE

Feb. 26

Spotlight No. 3: Penderecki String Quartet

With more than 100 world premieres to their credit, the eminent Canadian quartet will present an Informance for the closing event of the festival. Both entertaining and informative, the performance will feature the quartet at work as they explore new music and demonstrate in depth rehearsal techniques.

Friday: 7:30 p.m.

Location: Count and Countess de Hoernle International Center / Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall

Tickets: FREE

Piano Series

The Piano Series features a series of magnificent piano concerts performed by Conservatory of Music faculty, students.

Oct. 29

From the Studio of Lisa Leonard: "Piano and Friends"

Join the pianists of the Instrumental Collaborative Piano studio as they showcase works that were ahead of their time, paving the way to the keyboard's virtuosic role in chamber music. Program will include works by Franz Joseph Haydn, Clara Schumann and more.

Thursday: 7:30 p.m.

Location: Count and Countess de Hoernle International Center / Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall

Tickets: $10

Dec. 5

Guest pianist: Nancy Weems in recital

Guest pianist Nancy Weems performs the Haydn Sonata in E Major, Bach-Busoni Chaconne, Prokofiev Sonata No. 6, and a selection of Mendelssohn's Songs Without Words. Weems has performed extensively in the U.S.A., the former Soviet Union and 14 foreign countries throughout Europe, Asia, and Central America. She won the Artistic Ambassador Competition and top awards in the International Recording Competition. Weems has recorded for Albany and Bay Cities labels and the disc "Classical Hollywood" was nominated for a Grammy Award

Saturday: 7:30 p.m.

Location: Count and Countess de Hoernle International Center / Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall

Tickets: $20

Jan. 7

2015 National Chopin Piano Competition winner

First-place winner of the Ninth National Chopin Piano Competition, Eric Lu, presents an all-Chopin recital.

Thursday: 7:30 p.m.

Location: Count and Countess de Hoernle International Center / Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall

Tickets: $20

Jan. 23

From the Studio of Roberta Rust: "Piano Passion"

Come celebrate the glorious solo piano repertoire with inspired performances by outstanding young pianists from the studio of Roberta Rust. Rust provides commentary throughout the program, which features works by Liszt, Chopin, Ravel and more.

Saturday: 7:30 p.m.

Location: Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center

Tickets: $10

Feb. 20

Roberta Rust in recital

Roberta Rust performs a rich variety of solo piano works including the JS Bach Italian Concerto, Beethoven Sonata Op. 109, Chopin Scherzo No. 2, George Rochberg's Blues, Errol Garner's Misty, and de Falla's Andaluza and Ritual Fire Dance. She will be joined by mezzo-soprano Maria Heslop Ward in de Falla's Seven Popular Spanish Songs.

Saturday: 7:30 p.m.

Location: Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center

Tickets: $20

Special Concerts & Recitals

Sept. 10

Spectrum Winds

Spectrum Winds, a component of the United States Air Force Band of the West, brings the highest standards of musical excellence to its audiences with a passion to honor our past heroes, inspire the present generation, communicate the Air Force story, and recruit future generations of Airmen. Composed of five world-class musicians, Spectrum Winds explores the diverse world of chamber music for winds, exposing audiences to traditional woodwind quintet literature, Latin, jazz, Celtic and more.

Saturday: 7:30 p.m.

Location: Count and Countess de Hoernle International Center / Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall

Tickets: FREE

Sept. 17

Susie Rockett, oboe

Staci Spring, bassoon

Staci Spring, bassoon, and Susie Rockett, oboe, have been performing together since 2007. They are co-founders of the professional chamber ensemble Key City Winds. Spring and Rockett will perform a varied recital of solo and chamber works for double reeds. Included on the program will be Jenni Brandon's Wildflower Trio, and Geoffrey Bush's Trio for Oboe, Bassoon, and Piano. Special guest will include Lynn faculty members Lisa Leonard on piano and Eric Varner on bassoon.

Thursday: 7:30 p.m.

Location: Count and Countess de Hoernle International Center / Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall

Tickets: $20

Oct. 1

Eric Van der Veer Varner, bassoon

Lisa Leonard, piano

Come join recently appointed Lynn faculty member Eric Van der Veer Varner for an evening of bassoon music. Varner's playing has been critically hailed as that of "ineffable liquid beauty", infused with gravity, passion, and a touch of humor. His debut solo recital at Lynn will feature works by Crusell, Dard, Brandon, and Rossini, among others. He will be joined by the head of collaborative piano, Lisa Leonard.

Thursday: 7:30 p.m.

Location: Count and Countess de Hoernle International Center / Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall

Tickets: $20

Oct. 11

2015 Lynn Concerto Competition Final Round

Finalists perform before guest judges Lynn Harrell, cello, (HEARTbeats Foundation), Nancy Ambrose King, oboe (University of Michigan), and James Giles, piano (Northwestern University) in morning and afternoon sessions. Winners perform as soloists with the Lynn Philharmonia on Philharmonia No. 4 (Feb. 6 and Feb. 7) with Maestro Guillermo Figueroa conducting

Sunday: 9:30 a.m.

Location: Count and Countess de Hoernle International Center / Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall

Tickets: FREE

Dec. 13

13th Annual Gingerbread Holiday Concert

This concert gets parents, grandparents and children of all ages into the holiday spirit with a cheerful selection of seasonal classics. This annual event raises much-needed scholarship funds for the Conservatory's most deserving and talented student musicians who hail from around the world.

· Sunday: 3 p.m.

· Presented by the Lynn University Friends of the Conservatory of Music.

Location: Boca Raton Resort and Club - Great Hall (501 E. Camino Real)

Tickets: $35, includes the cost of the valet

Jan. 9

The Syrinx Trio

The Syrinx Trio came together in 2013 through their passion for double reed music with Nermis Mieses, oboe; Susan Nelson, bassoon; and Xavier Suarez, piano. The ensemble performs frequently at double reed events, on the radio, and at the 2014 International Double Reed Society Conference (IDRS). Syrinx strives to explore new repertoire written for this instrumentation. The group premiered Gaze by David Bixler at the IDRS conference in New York, and continues to work with composers for new, dynamic pieces.

Saturday: 7:30 p.m.

Location: Count and Countess de Hoernle International Center / Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall

Tickets: $20

Jan. 14

The Three Violin Sonatas by Béla Bartók

Guillermo Figueroa, violin

Sheng-Yuan Kuan, piano

A recital combining the two early, brilliant violin/piano Sonatas by the twentieth century Hungarian master, with the masterly, late Sonata for Solo Violin, the greatest work of its kind since Bach.

Thursday: 7:30 p.m.

Location: Count and Countess de Hoernle International Center / Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall

Tickets: $20

Jan. 15 (SOLD OUT)

Lynn Wind Ensemble: "Wind Works wit' Wit"

Composers of classical music are revered for their profound, contemplative and sober expressions of the sublime. However, they sometimes reveal a more comedic side of their nature. Come enjoy music imbued with a sophisticated wit and tongue-in-cheek charm as the Lynn Wind Ensemble showcases the jocular side of the classical composer.

Friday: 7:30 p.m.

Location: Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center

Tickets: $20

Feb. 4

Collaborative Spotlight:

Marc Reese and Elisabeth von Trapp

Elisabeth von Trapp, granddaughter of the legendary Maria and Baron von Trapp, whose story inspired The Sound of Music will join our favorite trumpeter Marc Reese in a concert celebrating the marriage of poetry and sound.

Thursday: 7:30 p.m.

Location: Count and Countess de Hoernle International Center / Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall

Tickets: $20

Feb. 27

The Penderecki String Quartet in Concert

Following its earlier Master Class, the Penderecki Quartet will perform some of the most celebrated music in the literature. Recent appearances include performances at Carnegie Hall, Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Disney Hall (Los Angeles), St. Petersburg, Paris, Prague, Berlin,

Saturday: 7:30 p.m.

Location: Count and Countess de Hoernle International Center / Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall

Tickets: $20

Mar. 17

Music of the four great 'B's: Bach, Beethoven, Brahams and Bartók

Carol Cole, violin

Sheng-Yuan Kuan, piano

Esteemed faculty artists, Carol Cole and Sheng-Yuan Kuan present an evening of the most celebrated literature for violin and piano, spanning two centuries. Their program will include: J.S. Bach Sonata in E Major BWV 1016, Beethoven Kreutzer Sonata in A Major Op. 47, Brahms Sonata in D Minor Op. 108, and the Bartok First Rhapsody.

Thursday: 7:30 p.m.

Location: Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Sold Performing Arts Center

Tickets: $20

May 5

Class of 2016 in Concert

A salute to the graduating class as they captivate us one last time with the final serenade to the patrons who have supported them in their pursuit of musical mastery.

Thursday: 7:30 p.m.

Location: Armanick Goldstein Concert Hall

Tickets: $10

How to Purchase Tickets:

Tickets may be purchased in person at the Lynn University box office, located in the Wold at 3601 N. Military Trail, online at events.lynn.edu or by phone at 561-237-9000.

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