The LaGrange College Music Department is set to welcome internationally renowned artists to Callaway Auditorium to kick off the inaugural season of a new performance schedule dubbed the Callaway Concert Series.
Classical guitarist Manuel Barrueco, brass quintet The Empire Brass and string ensemble The Shanghai Quartet are expected to fill the auditorium with an eclectic mix of inspiring and entertaining acoustic selections during performances slated from November through March.
“While we have always had wonderful concerts, we’ve never had the funding base to consistently host artists of international acclaim,” said Dr. Toni Anderson, Chair of the Music Department. “This year, thanks to the generosity of the Callaway Foundation, we are able to welcome artists of the highe
st caliber to Callaway Auditorium, which we believe is one of the finest acoustical concert halls in the Southeast.”
According to Anderson, the Callaway Foundation contributed $30,000 toward the performance series that she says “is a gift to the campus as well as to the entire community.”
“This allows us to expose our students to a variety of professional talents that we just couldn’t provide before,” Anderson said. “It also gives those in the community the opportunity to enjoy world-class performances.”
In 2005, the College unveiled the results of a $5.5 million renovation of Callaway Auditorium that transformed the edifice from a multipurpose venue to a state-of-the-art concert hall. Anderson said the upcoming series would allow the College to showcase the building’s sound quality.
“While Callaway Auditorium can handle amplified music, it was designed for acoustical music,” she said, “and no matter where you sit—in the back seats or in the front row—you’ll be able to hear the fingers moving across the fretboard.”
The series begins Nov. 20 when celebrated Cuban guitarist Manuel Barrueco pays a visit to LaGrange.
Barrueco has spent three decades performing with some of the nation’s and world’s premier symphonies, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony and the Royal Philharmonic.
His recording catalog includes more than a dozen projects for the EMI label. Among them, his rendition of Joaquín Rodrigo's “Concierto de Aranjuez” with tenor Plácido Domingo was hailed by Classic CD Magazine. “Nylon & Steel,” a collection of duos with guitar greats Al Di Meola, Steve Morse of Deep Purple and Andy Summers from The Police, demonstrates his versatility and imaginative programming.
On Feb. 17, the first brass ensemble to win the prestigious Naumberg Chamber Music Award, The Empire Brass, will take the Callaway Auditorium stage.
The group enjoys an international reputation as North America’s finest brass quintet. The five musicians—all of whom have held leading positions with major American orchestras—perform more than 100 concerts a year in cities from New York to Chicago, Zurich to Tokyo.
The ensemble’s best-selling recordings on the Telarc label have introduced an even larger audience to the excitement of brass music that ranges from Bach and Handel to jazz and Broadway.
Originally formed in Shanghai, this ensemble is known for its passionate musicality, virtuosic technique and multicultural innovations. The string quartet blends the delicacy of Eastern music with the power of Western repertoire, from traditional Chinese folk music to the most challenging classical works.
The quartet has appeared frequently at New York’s Carnegie Hall and also performed the soundtrack for Woody Allen’s 2005 film “Melinda and Melinda.”
Tickets for each of the performances are available for $10, $20, $25 and $200 for a box. LaGrange College students get in free, but will still need to reserve a ticket. Other students may purchase a ticket for $5. Tickets can be bought securely online, and starting Nov. 6 they also may be purchased by phone by calling (706) 880-8107.
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On Feb. 17, the first brass ensemble to win the prestigious Naumberg Chamber Music Award,