Highland Park Strings Announces DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE Holiday Concert

Highland Park Strings, under the direction of Principal Conductor Dr. Robert G. Hasty, is pleased to continue its 40th anniversary season with DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE, a free holiday concert on Sunday, December 2, 2018 at 3 pm at Highland Park High School, 433 Vine Ave. in Highland Park. The concert will feature husband and wife soloists David Cunliffe and Desiree Ruhstrat. Comprising two-thirds of the Grammy-nominated Lincoln Trio (which this summer made its 11th appearance at Ravinia), David and Desiree will perform The Muse and the Poet by Saint-Saens for violin and cello. Additionally, Strings Founder and General Manager Lawrence Block and Lucy Colman (his stand partner for 40 years) will perform the Concerto for Two Cellos by Vivaldi - a reprise of their first performance 28 years ago. Admission is free. For additional information, visit hpstrings.org.

The full line up for DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE includes:

BACH

Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major (BWV 1048)

VIVALDI

Concerto for Two Cellos in G Minor, RV 531 Lucy Colman, Larry Block, Cellos

SAINT-SAENS

La Muse et le Poete for Violin and Cello.Op. 132 Desiree Ruhstrat, Violin, David Cunliffe, Cello

SCHUBERT

Symphony No. 3 in D Major, D. 200

Sponsored by YEA! Highland Park

For its 2018-19 season, the Strings proudly joins HP150, Highland Park's year-long sesquicentennial (150th anniversary) celebration. In honor of the City's milestone, all of the soloists featured in the Strings' 40th anniversary concerts are Highland Park residents.

About the Artists

Dr. Robert G. Hasty (Principal Conductor) begins his second full year as Principal Conductor of the Strings, having quickly become beloved by the orchestra and the audience. Dr. Hasty is the conductor of the Chamber Orchestra and the Philharmonia of the Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University where he also serves as the Associate Director of Orchestras. He is also the Music Director of the Kenosha and the Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestras and Artistic Director of the International Schools Choral Music Society. Dr. Hasty began his career teaching music in the public schools in Southern California. A noted researcher in music cognition, Dr. Hasty is the author of two publications delivered at the 7th International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition in Sydney, Australia. As a conductor, Dr. Hasty has appeared with the All-American College Orchestra at Walt Disney World, Beijing Youth Orchestra and the Elmhurst and Grant Park Symphonies, among many others. He also continues to perform as a freelance violinist and violist. These days, you will find him fiddling in several Chicagoland clubs and venues with various local bands, most notably performing and recording with his wife, singer-songwriter Christina Trullio.

David Cunliffe (Soloist, Cello) has performed with the BBC Philharmonic, BBC Scottish and Royal Scottish Symphony Orchestras and the Balancscu Quartet, with whom he toured extensively in Australia, Europe and the United States. Cunliffe is currently on the faculty of the Music Institute of Chicago. As founding members of the Grammy nominated Lincoln Trio (which this past summer performed for the 11th time at Ravinia), Cunliffe and his wife Desiree Ruhstart have performed throughout the United States including appearances at Carnegie's Weill Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Bryant Park Festival, Barge Music, Poisson Rouge and in Springfield, Illinois, where the Trio was chosen to celebrate the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial with President Barack Obama.

Desiree Ruhstrat (Soloist, Violin) made her professional debut at age 12 with Lukas Foss and the Milwaukee Symphony and at age 16, she was invited by Sir Georg Solti to perform Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in Chicago's Orchestra Hall. Ruhstrat has appeared as soloist with orchestras throughout the world, including the Berlin Radio Symphony, Radio Suisse Romande, Gottingen Symphony and the Colorado, Oregon and Utah Symphonies, among many others. A highly regarded teacher, Ruhstrat is currently on the faculty at Northwestern University.

About Highland Park Strings

Founded by co-principal cellist Lawrence Block in 1979, the Highland Park Strings is an ensemble composed primarily of accomplished amateur chamber musicians (now supplemented by young professionals) who relish the joy of making music together. From its inception, the mission of the Strings was and remains to provide concerts FREE of charge for the community, a unique arrangement made possible through the sponsorship of the Park District of Highland Park, YEA! Highland Park, the Negaunee Foundation and the generous philanthropy of individual donors and businesses. This "little miracle" in Highland Park, so aptly described by the Chicago Tribune, has become core to the cultural fabric of the community, playing to capacity audiences for each performance.

To post a comment, you must register and login.