BGSU 2014-15 Festival Series will wow the crowd

BOWLING GREEN, O. – The Bowling Green State University College of Musical Arts has announced the performers for the 2014-15 Festival Series. Performers range from elite ensembles to rousing soloists.

A cappella ensemble The Thirteen will perform at 8 p.m. Oct. 13 as part of the 2014 Helen McMaster Endowed Professorship in Vocal and Choral Studies. Made up of 12 professional singers and their conductor, the group has toured the Atlantic seaboard, performing historically accurate Baroque and Renaissance music.

Two weeks later, celebrate Halloween visually and aurally at 8 p.m. Oct. 31 in the Thomas B. and Kathleen M. Donnell Theatre inside the Wolfe Center for the Arts. BGSU faculty will perform the musical score during a screening of the 1931 movie classic “Frankenstein.”

On Nov. 22, Project Trio will bring their high-energy chamber music to Kobacker Hall at the Moore Musical Arts Center. The group is made up of double bassist Peter Seymour, flutist Greg Pattillo and cellist Eric Stephenson. The three blend their classical training with eclectic new tastes. Frank Alkyer of Downbeat Magazine said, “Project Trio is packed with musicianship, joy and surprise.”  

The Bowling Green Opera Theater will present “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” a touching Christmas story of a poor shepherd boy’s encounter with the three kings, and the miraculous healing of his crippled leg when he offers his crutch as a gift to the newborn Jesus. The performances are at 7 p.m. Dec. 5, and 4 p.m. Dec. 6 in the Donnell Theatre.

Ukrainian pianist Vadym Kholodenko, 2013 Gold Medalist at the Van Cliburn Piano Competition, will take the stage at Kobacker Hall on Feb. 14, 2015. The Philadelphia Inquirer said about his skills, “The focus of the melodic line, the care with which single notes were placed in the long phrases, and the nuanced color throughout showed a potent mind at work … and brought the audience to its feet.”

Rounding out the Festival Series is esteemed pianist, composer, arranger and producer Jon Cowherd. One of the jazz world’s most accomplished, expressive and in-demand musicians, Cowherd will perform original compositions from his debut album, “Mercy.”

Cowherd is best known for his long-running partnership with bandleader Brian Blade and the Brian Blade Fellowship. When not recording or touring with the Fellowship, Cowherd works with players and singers from jazz, pop and rock influences, including instrumental work for Iggy Pop and Rosanne Cash, and performances with Herbie Hancock and numerous others.

The Festival Series, one of the oldest performance series at BGSU, is made possible by community support. For a limited time, order Festival Series tickets now and save 15 percent. Tickets for each event, or for the entire series, are available online at BGSU.edu/the-arts or by calling the Arts Box Office at 419-372-8171.

Updated: 12/02/2017 12:51AM