Area concert-goers have enjoyed another rich summer of music, thanks to many wonderful performances by the Heifetz International Music Institute and the Staunton Music Festival. But audiences won’t have to wait long to hear more classical music, as Mary Baldwin University launches another fine season of concerts with the first Sunday Recital. At 3 p.m. on September 15 in Francis Auditorium, violinist David Sariti joins pianist Lise Keiter for a delightful program featuring well-known masterpieces alongside works which may be less familiar. They will perform Beethoven’s powerful Sonata in C Minor, along with the romantic Character Pieces of American composer Arthur Foote. Sariti will also treat the audience to J.S. Bach’s monumental D Minor Partita, and Keiter will play some solo works by the talented Impressionist composer Lili Boulanger.
Sariti is on the faculty at the University of Virginia, where he teaches violin and directs the Baroque Orchestra. He performs frequently as a soloist and with the Rivanna Quartet and other chamber ensembles. Also acclaimed as a Baroque violinist, he recently joined members of the Baltimore Consort and Harmonious Blacksmith to form Mr. Jefferson’s Music. Keiter appears regularly on the Sunday Recital Series and is on the faculty at Mary Baldwin University. Like Sariti, she performs widely, both as soloist and chamber musician. This season, she will also join the Waynesboro Symphony as a concerto soloist.
“I’m delighted to be performing with David Sariti,” Keiter said. “We’ve enjoyed preparing this program and are eager to share it.”
The Mary Baldwin Music Department has planned a wonderful season of concerts. The Sunday Recital Series also includes performances by soprano Melissa Sumner and Lynne Mackey (October 27), guest clarinetist Mark Gallagher (November 17), pianist Lacey Johnson (February 2), violinist Elise Blake and pianist Sheng-Yuan Kuan (March 30), and tenor Donald George with pianist Lucy Mauro (April 13).
The first Carl Broman Concert is not far away, as the sensational young Korean pianist Ji-Yong will take the stage on September 30. The Broman Series continues on February 27 with a much-anticipated performance by Israeli cellist Amit Peled. Hailed both for his profound artistry and charismatic stage presence, Peled performs world-wide and is already well-known to the Staunton community as a faculty member at the Heifetz Institute. And on April 1, the award-winning Japanese marimbist Naoko Takada will captivate the audience with her impeccable technique and wide-ranging style.
Single tickets for September 15 may be purchased at the door and are $5 for the General Public and $4 for students and seniors (free for Mary Baldwin students). Season tickets are also available. To purchase tickets online or find more information, visit go.marybaldwin.edu/arts/musicatmbc/ or call 540-887-7294.