By AMANDA ARNOLD
UNK Communications
KEARNEY – The holiday season is approaching and the University of Nebraska at Kearney aims to get in the spirit of the season with a musical event.
The Violin/Viola Studio Recital, directed by associate professor Ting-Lan Chen, will perform a String Winter Concert at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 7 at the Frank House. The concert is free and open to the public.
Students will perform music written for violin and viola, mainly from the Romantic period in the 19th century.
“Also, to celebrate the upcoming holiday season, there will be a piece performed by UNK’s Thornton String Quartet, which consists of three famous Christmas carols,” said Chen.
This composition, which will end the concert, was written by the famous English composer Rebecca Clarke. “She gave the piece this humorous title ‘Combined Carols: Get ‘Em All Over at Once,’” Chen said. “This performance probably will be the first ever for the Kearney audience to hear this joyous work.”
It takes the performers approximately two months to prepare for these types of concerts. “They learned to perform the piece by memory, which is equally as challenging as playing the piece well,” she said.
According to Chen, most people enjoy the variety of the music and versatility of the string instruments. “Anyone who likes to celebrate the holiday season through music will love this concert.”
Chen said that the concert tradition started about seven years ago to give string students more opportunities to play. Her goal for the concert is to have the audience experience “the wonderful and comforting string music that can lighten up your day and spirit.”
Student performers include: Marcie Bebout, Bryce Carlson, Erich Gebers, Natalie Hall, Eric Jensen, Megan Krueger, Qianyi Li, Gina Lieb, Xiaojun Liu and Caleb Rohrer. Staff pianists are Nancy Curry and Marilyn Musick.
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Source: Ting-Lan Chen, 308.865.8041, chent1@unk.edu
Writer: Amanda Arnold, unknews3@unk.edu
