The Sunday Recital Series at Mary Baldwin University will continue on Sunday, February 5 with cellist Elizabeth Cantrell and pianist Lise Keiter. They will perform works of Bach, Schumann, Saint-Saens, Bloch, and Villa-Lobos. The concert is at 3 p.m. in Francis Auditorium.
Cantrell and Keiter will open with J.S. Bach’s Sonata No. 2 in D Major, a cheerful work that was originally written for viola da gamba and harpsichord. Also on the program is Saint-Saens’s beautiful and well-known The Swan, along with Song of the Black Swan, an appealing piece which features Impressionistic sonorities and a mysterious melody.
“Saint-Saens’ The Swan and its lesser-known counterpart, The Black Swan, by Brazilian composer Heitor Villa Lobos, are both works I enjoy very much,” Cantrell said.
The duo will also perform Robert Schumann’s Five Pieces in Folk Style. These works exhibit many of Schumann’s most characteristic style traits, including Romantic lyricism, humor, and moments of tenderness, along with plenty of drama. To close the program in a fun way, Cantrell will be joined by six additional cellists in her own arrangement of Molendinar by William Jackson.
“The cello ensemble piece really showcases the sounds of the instruments,” Cantrell said.
The principal cellist with the Waynesboro Symphony, Cantrell has also played with the Richmond Symphony, Opera on the James, the Roanoke Symphony, and the Wintergreen Festival. She maintains a large teaching studio at Crozet Arts and has degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory, Florida State University, and the University of Georgia. Pianist Keiter performs regularly as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States and has also performed recently with the Heifetz Institute and the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival. She is chair of the music department at Mary Baldwin and holds degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory and Indiana University.
Tickets for February 5 may be purchased at the door and are $5 for the general public and $4 for students and seniors (free for MBU students). For more information, visit Music at MBU or call 540-887-7294.