Viola Virtuoso Gonzalez to Perform Nov. 16 and 17

Violist Andrew Gonzalez will perform on Nov. 16 and Nov. 17 at the University’s Houlihan-McLean Center.
Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present In Recital: The Andrew Gonzalez Trio (with Andrew Gonzalez, viola; Bixby Kennedy, clarinet; and Carlos Avila, piano, on Friday, Nov. 17, at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center. Admission is free. Gonzalez will also perform as a guest soloist at a 7:30 p.m. concert featuring The University of Scranton String Orchestra on Saturday, Nov, 17, at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center. Admission is free to both performances.
Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present In Recital: The Andrew Gonzalez Trio (with Andrew Gonzalez, viola; Bixby Kennedy, clarinet; and Carlos Avila, piano, on Friday, Nov. 17, at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center. Admission is free. Gonzalez will also perform as a guest soloist at a 7:30 p.m. concert featuring The University of Scranton String Orchestra on Saturday, Nov, 17, at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center. Admission is free to both performances.

The weekend of Nov. 16-17, 2018 Performance Music at The University of Scranton will host two programs featuring acclaimed violist Andrew Gonzalez.

On Friday, Nov. 16, the Andrew Gonzalez Trio will perform a recital beginning at 7:30 p.m. Then, on Saturday, Nov. 17, Gonzalez will return to serve as guest soloist at a 7:30 p.m. concert featuring The University of Scranton String Orchestra (who will also perform one piece with Gonzalez at the Friday concert.)

Both performances will take place in the University’s Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.

In addition, at 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 17, Gonzalez will give a free strings masterclass. The class is open to local amateur and professional strings players ages 16 and up. Those interested in taking part should email music@scranton.edu to pre-register and receive further information on the masterclass.

Praised by The Strad magazine for his “warmhearted playing and mellow tone,” the Juilliard-trained Gonzalez has toured the world as a soloist, chamber musician, teacher and entrepreneur, and has collaborated with such music icons as Itzhak Perlman, Gil Shaham and Shmuel Ashkenasi.

Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga said Gonzalez and the other members of his trio, clarinetist Bixby Kennedy and pianist Carlos Avila, are all highly respected world-class musicians.

“Andrew has been here a number of times over the years,” Boga said. “He’s collaborated with a number of the top players in the world and has performed all over the globe.”

As part of Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect, Gonzalez has given multiple chamber music performances at Carnegie Hall, done two residencies at Skidmore College, and participated in their inaugural Paris and Colorado winter and spring residencies.

Gonzalez has performed at numerous venues around the country, including Barge Music in New York, the Clark Arts Center recital series at the Perlman Music Program, the Sundays at Four series in Smithfield, Virginia, and the Beckler Museum recital series in North Carolina.

Clarinetist Bixby Kennedy is also a member of Ensemble Connect and has performed as a soloist with orchestras throughout the U.S. He has played solo recitals, chamber music and orchestral concerts around the world. Avila is one of the most in-demand pianists on the international classical music scene, and also is the pianist in the Boreal Trio.

The Scranton String Orchestra is a 30-member ensemble consisting of members of the University community from majors and departments spanning the curriculum. With no music majors among them, the orchestra has been brought together entirely by their mutual love of performing.

For further information on the shows, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more on Gonzalez, visit www.andrewgonzalezviolist.com.

Clarinetist Bixby Kennedy and pianist Carlos Avilato will perform with Andrew Gonzalez on Friday, Nov. 16.

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