International Cello Festival Oct. 5-8 features renowned cellists, classes

The International Cello Festival will take place from Oct. 5 through 8 on the Fresno State Campus, taking the final gala concert into the community at the Paul Shaghoian Concert Hall. The festival focuses on talent from the Central Valley taking part in three days of intense master classes, cello ensemble rehearsals, two concerts and more.

Fresno State music professor Dr. Thomas Loewenheim and Emilio Colón of Indiana University are the artistic directors. Guest faculty will include:

• Clive Greensmith, of the Tokyo String Quartet
• Uri Vardi, University of Wisconsin – Madison
• Thomas Landschoot, Arizona State University
• Bongshin Ko, CSU Fullerton
• Valerie Walden, College of the Sequoias
• Brian Schuldt, Felici Piano Trio, Mammoth Lakes
• Cara Elise Colón, cello pedagogy specialist

The festival features several performances:

• 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 6, Concert Hall – Fresno State Symphony Orchestra will perform with all of this year’s guest artists, conducted by Dr. Loewenheim. The program will include Brahms’ “Academic Festival Overture,” Von Suppe’s “Poet and Peasant Overture,” and works for cello and orchestra by Bragato, Bruch, Dvorak, Elgar, Offenbach, Popper and Saint-Saens. Tickets are $15 general, $10 for employees and seniors, $5 for students.
• A concerto competition will take place at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6, in the Concert Hall. Admission is free.
• 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 8, Paul Shaghoian Concert Hall, Clovis North High School – Dr. Loewenheim will perform Hans Pfitzner’s lost cello concerto, written in 1888. The concerto was found several years ago and has been recorded in recent years.  It is known as the first cello concerto to feature three trombones. Clive Greensmith will perform the world premiere of the first movement from the recently reconstructed Cello Concerto by the Hungarian cellist and composer Pal Hermann, written in the 1920s.  Hermann died in the Holocaust and never got the opportunity to complete his work.  His family in Italy and Los-Angeles got the work reconstructed and will attend the concert for the world premiere. Admission to this concert is free.

The festival is sponsored by Fresno State, Youth Orchestras of Fresno, Associated Students Inc., Granville Homes, Gottschalk Music Center, United Conservatory of Music, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and D’Addario.