Release Date: March 26, 2009
James Ehnes performs in KSU Premiere Series
For media inquiries: Cheryl Anderson Brown, Director of Public Relations,
770-499-3417 or cbrown@kennesaw.edu
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James Ehnes |
KENNESAW, Ga.—Kennesaw State University Premiere Series will present Canadian violinist James Ehnes in performance with pianist Andrew Armstrong at the Dr. Bobbie Bailey & Family Performance Center on April 18 at 8 p.m. Bobby Asher, director of the Premiere Series, says that Ehnes is “one of the finest young violinists performing today. This special event promises to be an evening of outstanding musical talent and virtuosity.”
The performance features the Southern premiere of Two Movements (with Bells) by composer Aaron Jay Kernis. The program also will include Debussy’s Sonata for Violin and Piano in G minor, Respighi’s Sonata for Violin and Piano in B minor, and Edward Elgar’s Violin Sonata in E minor, opus 82. James Ehnes plays the "Ex Marsick" Stradivarius of 1715 and gratefully acknowledges its extended loan from the Fulton Collection.
Ehnes, who grew up in a musical household in Manitoba, says that it was hearing violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman on “Sesame Street” that inspired him to play the violin at age four. By age 10, he had given his first full-length solo recital. For four summers, he studied at the Meadowmount School of Music in Westport, New York, where he developed a rapport with Sally Thomas, whom he followed to the Juilliard School. While at Meadowmount, Ehnes won the coveted $25,000 Ivan Galamian Memorial Award, named after the founder. Galamian was also the famed instructor to Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman.
In 1995, he signed an exclusive contract with Telarc Records and released one CD under the label; he has another project underway with CBS Records. Ehnes wowed classical music lovers by winning a triple crown of awards in 2008. He earned a Grammy award for best classical album of the year for his recording of the Korngold Violin Concerto. After 13 nominations, Ehnes also won a Juno, an award honoring and acknowledging Canadian musicians’ artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. He also won the Gramophone, known as the “Oscar” of the classical music world, for his recording of Elgar's Violin Concert with the Philharmonia Orchestra of London. Ehnes continues to perform in the U.S. and around the world.
Pianist Andrew Armstrong has also performed to international critical acclaim and is known for his passionate expression and dazzling technique. Not only does he work with orchestras around the world, but he has entertained audiences at such prestigious American theaters as Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall and the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. In 2004, Armstrong released his debut CD and followed with his second CD in 2007. His passions lie in playing for children and in his devotion to outreach programs. Listeners can hear him regularly on National Public Radio and WQXR, New York’s classical music station.
Tickets for this event are $40. For ticketing information and directions, contact the KSU box office at 770-423-6650 or online at www.kennesaw.edu/arts.
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A member of the 35-unit University System of Georgia, Kennesaw State University is a comprehensive, residential institution with a growing student population of more than 21,000 from 142 countries. The third-largest university in Georgia, Kennesaw State offers more than 65 graduate and undergraduate degrees, including new doctorates in education and business.
The KSU College of the Arts is one of only four Georgia institutions to have achieved full national accreditation for all of its arts programs.