Russian pianist Ilya Yakushev will be featured with the Hunterdon Symphony on Sunday, Nov. 1, in a performance of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1. The opening chords of this concerto are among the most famous in all classical music, and a recording made by Van Cliburn in 1958 was the first piece of classical music to sell a million copies.
The concert will take place at 3 p.m., at Hunterdon Central High School, Route 31, Flemington and opens the Hunterdon Musical Arts 2015-2016 season. The program will also include Vaughan Williams' Overture to The Wasps, the premiere of Timothy Keyes' A Woodland Walk, and "Fields and Meadows" from Smetana's Ma Vlast.
Yakushev has appeared at major venues on three continents, including performances with orchestras in St. Petersburg, Singapore, New York, San Francisco, and Seoul, Korea.
A year ago, Yakushev became a member of the St. Petersburg Piano Quartet, which performs extensively throughout the United States. He also tours with the Accordion Virtuosi of Russia and will be appearing with the group on Nov. 9 at the Stanton Reformed Church in Stanton.
Tickets prices for the concert are $20 general, $10 for seniors and students. Advance sales are available through the group's website, www.hunterdonmusicalarts.org, or the following local merchants (cash or check only): Califon Book Shop, Clinton Book Shop, Teaberry's Tea Room in Flemington, Minette's Candies or The Book Garden in Frenchtown.
Tickets will also be available at the door on the evening of the concert. For more information or to request an accommodation for a disability, visit the website or call 908-995-7977. Hunterdon Musical Arts may also be found on Facebook.
The season will continue on Sunday, Dec. 13, with the Hunterdon Choral Union joining the Symphony for a performance of Parts II and III of Berlioz's L'Enfance du Christ The Symphony's annual Concert for Young People will take place on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016 and will include the popular "Instrument Petting Zoo." A concert on Saturday, April 25, will include chorus and orchestra performing Orff's Carmina Burana.
Conductor Lawrence Kursar, who is in his 25th year with the Hunterdon Symphony, holds degrees in conducting, in French horn performance and in music education from New England Conservatory and the College of New Jersey. In addition to his role as conductor of the Symphony, Kursar teaches instrumental music at Woodglen School in Lebanon Township and performs with the Crosswinds Trio, Mainstreet Brass Quintet, and regional orchestras.
The concerts are sponsored by Hunterdon Musical Arts, which is funded in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/ Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, administered by the Hunterdon County Cultural & Heritage Commission.