Pirrman named Vice President for Finance and Operations
Aug. 6, 2009

The internationally renowned Vienna Boys Choir will be in concert as part of the Callaway Concert Series at LaGrange College, highlighting a second season filled with musicians from around the world.

Georgia Guitar Quarte“We were delighted with the artists featured in our inaugural season last year,” said Dr. Toni Anderson, chair of the music department. “All were superb musicians and entertainers who met our highest expectations. This year's line-up promises to be equally exciting - diverse talents with international stature.”

This year’s season kicks off Sept. 10 with the Georgia Guitar Quartet. The ensemble has gained national attention through appearances on American Public Media’s “Performance Today,” as well as an endorsement from world-renowned classical guitar virtuoso Christopher Parkening. The group includes Phil Snyder and Brian Smith, two adjunct faculty members of the LaGrange College music department.

Pianist Christopher Taylor Pianist Christopher Taylor will be in concert on Nov. 3. He was the first American since 1981 to reach the finals in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (bronze medalist, 1993). He is also the first-prize winner in the William Kapell International Piano Competition.

Taylor has appeared with major American orchestra, including the New York Philharmonic, the Detroit Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the National Symphony, the Houston Symphony, and the Atlanta Symphony. While pursuing his musical career he also attended Harvard University, graduating summa cum laude with a degree in mathematics in 1992. Taylor has won several awards for his compositions, and is on the faculty at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

For more than 500 years, the Vienna Boys Choir has been synonymous with outstanding choral music. On Feb. 5, the famed musicians will take the stage at Callaway Auditorium.

The choir’s origin can be traced back to 1498, when Emperor Maximilian I moved from Innsbruck to Vienna and ordered six boys to be among his court musicians. There are about 100 choristers between the ages of 10 and 14 who board at the school. The group is divided into four touring choirs, which give about 300 performances each. Each group spends between nine and 11 weeks of the school year on tour internationally. The Boys Choir also boasts multiple recordings, television appearances, video clips, and film score recordings.

Violinist Sergiu SchwartzViolinist Sergiu Schwartz will close the series with a performance March 22. Schwartz’s international career includes performances through Europe, Israel, and Asia and across North America. Among his many recital appearances are multiple concerts in New York, the Kennedy Center, the Library of Congress, and in many of London’s concert halls.
“Following in the footsteps of his fellow countrymen Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman, he is a product of the best of European romantic interpretative style and 20th-Century American technical acuity,” says New York’s Newsday. Schwartz is on the faculty of Columbus State University.

Anderson said she is proud of the musicians who will be appearing in the Callaway Concert Series.

“Some of our guests are relative newcomers to the concert circuit, while others such as the Vienna Boys Choir extend a long history of presenting excellent music to audiences worldwide,” she said. “Our community is fortunate to have access to this caliber of artistry.”