Members of the University of Central Arkansas piano and string faculty will present a program of chamber music by Johannes Brahms and Clara Schumann in two concerts.
The first concert will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Little Rock main library, 100 Rock St. in Little Rock.
The second performance will be held at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Snow Fine Arts Center Recital Hall at the UCA.
Admission is free for both concerts and the public is invited.
The works on the program are Clara Schumann's "Piano Trio in G Minor" and Brahms' "Piano Quintet in F Minor."
Performing will be UCA music faculty members Linda Hsu, violin; Felice Farrell, cello; Joan Huang, piano; Jeffrey Showell, viola; Neil Rutman, piano; and graduate student Markar Mardirossian, violin.
On Tuesday only, the concert will also include a special lecture by Dr. Keith Clifton on "Johannes Brahms and Clara Schumann: A Love Story?" Dr. Clifton is assistant professor of musicology at UCA, where he teaches music history and serves as graduate coordinator. A frequent lecturer and presenter at national and regional conferences, he has published articles and reviews in several scholarly journals.
Felice Farrell has performed chamber concerts in London, Paris, and Dublin. As the principal cellist for the Minnesota Orchestra and the solo cellist with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, she toured extensively in Romania, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, and Poland. Ms. Farrell is a professor and performing artist at UCA.
Linda Hsu is currently assistant professor at UCA and concertmaster of the Conway Symphony Orchestra. Active as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician, she has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan, the Taipei Century Symphony, the Heidelberg Festival Orchestra, the Blue Lake International Chamber Orchestra, and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.
Dr. Joan Huang is lecturer of piano and accompanying at UCA. Dr. Huang has given solo and chamber recitals throughout the United States, Holland, and Asia.
Markar Mardirossian is a graduate student in violin performance at UCA and concertmaster of the UCA Chamber Orchestra. He performs regularly with the Pine Bluff Symphony Orchestra and the Conway Symphony Orchestra.
Neil Rutman has won several international competitions including the Busoni, Kapell, Casadesus, Joanna Hodges, Concert Artist Guild, and the International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition. He has received awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Astral Foundation. He has appeared in Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and Tokyo's Bunka Kaikan.
Jeffrey Showell performed for six years and played in Carnegie Hall as the violist of the Rymour Quartet, and for eight years as the principal violist of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. He was soloist with several orchestras, including the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Dr. Showell is the chair of the UCA music department.
The Sunday performance at the Little Rock Main Library is the third concert of the UCA Music Faculty Showcase Series, sponsored by the Central Arkansas Library System. A catered reception will follow the event. Call 918-3032 for more information.