Community Concert Series begins this fall at EOU
Contact: Laura Hancock | University Advancement
lhancock@eou.edu
La Grande, Oregon – A new community concert series sponsored by the Community School of the Arts starts at Eastern Oregon University this fall. Three concerts from November through March will showcase local, regional, and international talent in an effort to bring diverse musical presentations to the region.
The Community Concert Series will feature
performances by
the Columbia Trio, Straight to
Kong, and Petar Jankovic.
Some of the concerts will feature an educational component through the use of master classes or lectures given by the performers. All three concerts will be open to the public.
"We hope to make this series an annual event and look forward to bringing in additional talented performers from the Pacific Northwest,” said John Winn, director of the Community School of the Arts. "Each concert is in its own right a great value featuring talented musicians. This is an exceptional entertainment value and a musical experience that is a wonderful addition to our community."
The Columbia Trio will perform for the first concert in the series on Nov. 20. The trio is one of the few resident piano trios in the inland northwest and was formed in 1999 by violinist Lisa Robertson, cellist Edward Dixon, and pianist and Matt Cooper. Each member lives in a different city – Enterprise, Walla Walla, and La Grande respectively.
Each town is situated by a different river, so the trio was named for the river into which all three rivers flow, symbolizing the unity of chamber music. Their repertoire includes trios by Brahms, Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, Dvorak, Mendelssohn, Shostakovich, and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich.
The Columbia Trio has performed for the Camerata Musica series, the Grande Ronde Symphony chamber series, the Walla Walla Symphony chamber series, and has played at Whitman College and at EOU. They have been the featured performers for the state conventions of the Washington State Music Teachers Association and the Oregon Music Teachers Association. Dixon is a music faculty member at Whitman College. Robertson and Cooper teach at EOU.
The second concert of the series will be on January 20, featuring the acoustic pop group, Straight To Kong. Band members Sam Vore and Todd Tschida both have backgrounds in music, theater and musical theatre. Their bond as friends, their unique brand of humor and their talent for entertaining have been a strong drawing force for their fans.
The final concert of the season will be on March 7, when CSA welcomes internationally renowned classical guitarist, Petar Jankovic. Jankovic is native to Yugoslavia. His CD releases include, “Romantico,” (1998), and “Bogdanovic, Brouwer, Dyens,” (2002). He is currently a member of the music faculty at the Indiana University School of Music, the University of Indianapolis and Franklin College.
"The Community Concert Series is designed to enhance our community's artist heritage through participation, listening and learning by providing public concerts and master classes with varied artists representing different musical genres,” said Winn.
“Not only will the Community Concert series provide high quality concerts for the eastern Oregon population, it will connect students of all ages with professional performers in education workshops and master classes. The Community School of the Arts believes strongly that every program should have cultural, aesthetic and educational components to encourage lifelong participation and learning in the arts.”
The tickets for the concerts may be purchased individually or as a series pass. Passes for the entire series are available for $25 each for adults, or $15 each for students. Passes are available at the EOU bookstore, Sunflower Books and the CSA office at EOU. For more information call CSA at (541) 962-3629 or visit their Web site at www.eou.edu/csa.
Contact Information for Admissions
Eastern Oregon University
University Advancement
One University Boulevard
Ackerman Hall, Room 209
La Grande, OR 97850
Phone: 541-962-3740
Fax: 541-962-3680
Email: advancement@eou.edu