ALTOONA - The Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State is partnering with the Penn State Altoona Division of Arts and Humanities to present free public programs on Jan. 16, featuring Christopher O'Riley, concert pianist and host of NPR's "From the Top," and Matt Haimovitz, a Grammy Award nominated cellist.
In "An Afternoon with Bach," Haimovitz performs and discusses Johann Sebastian Bach cello suites at 2 p.m. in the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts. Timothy Melbinger, lecturer in music at Penn State Altoona, provides context. Refreshments will be served. A musical surprise will be held at 4 p.m. at the Port Sky Cafe.
"An Evening with Matt Haimovitz and Christopher O'Riley" rounds out the day at 7:30 p.m. in the Paul R. and Margery Wolf Kuhn Theatre of the Misciagna Center. The musicians perform a variety of classical and popular music selections. Each discusses the importance of the works and their contemporary interpretations. Melbinger hosts the event, which includes a question-and-answer session. A reception follows in the Titelman Study.
Free tickets, required for the evening musical event, are available at the Misciagna Box Office, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday or at the door.
For more information, call 949-5452 or visit www.altoona.psu.edu.
The programs are part of the Center for the Performing Arts Classical Music Project. The three-year project, supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, provides opportunities to engage people with classical music artists and programs.
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The Classical Music Project also includes a lecture series at the Palmer Museum of Art's Palmer Lipcon Auditorium (unless otherwise noted), on the Penn State University Park campus.
Free and open to the public, each lecture in the series begins at 2:30 p.m. and lasts approximately 75 minutes. The list of lectures includes:
* "French Court Dancing," Jan. 10, presented by Eric McKee, associate professor of music theory at Penn State;
* "Beethoven in Hollywood," Feb. 5, presented by Michael Broyles, professor of musicology at Florida State University, and distinguished professor of music and professor of American history emeritus at Penn State;
* "Mozart's Minuets," Feb. 12, presented by Eric McKee, associate professor of music theory at Penn State;
* "Habits of the Viennese Ballroom," Feb. 19, presented by Marshall Pynkoski and Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg, founders and artistic directors of Opera Atelier;
* "Mozart and the Brain," March 19, presented by Craig M. Wright, the Henry L. and Lucy G. Moses Professor of Music at Yale University;
* "The Persistence of Minuets in the Music of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert," March 26, presented by Neal Zaslaw, the Herbert Gussman Professor of Music at Cornell University;
* "Could Beethoven Dance?" March 28, presented by Eric McKee;
* "Engaging the Spiritual in Beethoven," April 16. presented by Robert S. Hatten, professor of music theory at the University of Texas, in 122 Music Building II.
