Music of Samuel Barber Featured on Sheldon Classic Series 4/28

The Sheldon presents Sheldon Classics: Samuel Barber, featuring cellist Bjorn Ranheim, baritone James Ivey, and pianist Peter Henderson, Wednesday, April 28, 2010 at 8 p.m. in the perfect acoustics of the Sheldon Concert Hall. April is Music For Lifelong Achievement month! Bring an instrument to any Sheldon performance or drop off during normal business hours in the month of April and keep the music playing for local students! All donors will receive a coupon for a FREE beignet from Café Ventana. The American composer Samuel Barber was born 100 years ago and is probably best known for his Adagio for Strings. A quartet of symphony musicians will perform the String Quartet, Op. 11 that contains the famous Adagio, and cellist Bjorn Ranheim will perform Barber's Cello Sonata. Baritone James Ivey will sing his Dover Beach for voice and string quartet, and Peter Henderson will play Barber's Excursions for piano.

Cellist Bjorn Ranheim was appointed to the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra in April 2005 and also holds the principal chair of the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder , Colorado . Prior to these appointments, Ranheim served as Associate Principal Cello of the Fort Worth Symphony and is in his fifth season with the Sun Valley Summer Symphony. He has performed and toured with the orchestras of Atlanta, Cleveland, Detroit, and Baltimore and has collaborated with Michael Tilson Thomas, David Robertson, Robert Spano, Bernard Labadie, and Miguel Harth-Bedoya. Ranheim has held principal and assistant principal cello positions with the New World Symphony, National Repertory Orchestra, Aspen Festival Orchestra and, at the invitation of the music director, Quebec City's critically acclaimed Le Violons du Roy.

James Ivey is a doctoral candidate in vocal performance and literature at Indiana University . He has been featured in operatic roles such as Rigoletto, Lescaut (Manon), the title roles of Don Giovanni and Gianni Schicchi, Morales (Carmen), and Maximillian (Candide). Most recently, he performed the roles of Spalanzani (Tales of Hoffmann), The Imperial Commissioner (Madama Butterfly), and Priest (Troilus and Cressida) with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. James has also performed a number of oratorio and chamber works including Brahms' Requiem, Walton's Belshazzar's Feast, and Stravinsky's Pulcinella. He has been a district winner for the Metropolitan National Council auditions, a NATS winner at the state and regional levels, and a finalist in the Mobile Opera competition.

A versatile and inquisitive pianist, Peter Henderson is much in demand as a chamber musician. A member of the St. Louis-based Ilex Piano Trio, Henderson also partners in a duo formed in 1999 with noted German violist Roland Glassl, a member of the Mandelring String Quartet. As a freelance pianist, Henderson performs in collaboration with several members of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra under the auspices of the Orchestra's Community Partnerships Program and in other local settings, such as the innovative Crossings series, radio station KFUO Classic 99's "From the Garden Live," The Sheldon's Classical Series, and the Innsbrook Institute Music Festival.

Don't miss Sheldon Classics: Samuel Barber, Wednesday, April 28, 2010 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30 orchestra / $25 balcony / $15 student (student tickets at the door, night-of-show only) and are available through MetroTix at 314.534.1111 or at www.TheSheldon.org. For more information, call The Sheldon at 314.533.9900 during normal business hours, Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

 

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