CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Halloween weekend will feature a mix of musical tricks and treats for students and fans of cello music attending the University of Illinois School of Music’s Cellofest, Oct. 31 through Nov. 2.
Cellofest organizer Laurien Laufman, a cellist and professor of music at Illinois, said the event, which includes activities at various campus venues, was planned as “a unique tribute to Aldo Parisot and Janos Starker.” The pair, she said, are among “the cello world’s most revered figures.”
Among the treats at Cellofest will be opportunities to attend master classes by Parisot and Starker, who will share principles of cello technique and musicianship with students selected competitively by tape from around the country.
Parisot, who is known as one of the world’s great cello pedagogues, is the Samuel Sanford Professor of Music at Yale University; he also is on the faculty at the Juilliard School in New York City. Parisot has toured has extensively throughout the world as a concert soloist, chamber musician and recitalist, and also is known as conductor of the Grammy Award-nominated Yale Cellos.
Starker, Distinguished Professor of Cello at Indiana University, is regarded as one of the world’s top cello soloists. He has performed as recitalist and concerto soloist with virtually every major symphony orchestra. Starker also has held the positions of first cello chair in the Budapest Opera and Philharmonic orchestras, Dallas Symphony, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chicago Symphony.
“The University of Illinois School of Music is proud to have this opportunity to host and honor two such prestigious and internationally recognized dignitaries,” Laufman said.
The master class with Starker will take place at 8 p.m. Nov. 1 in the Music Building auditorium, 909 W. Oregon St., Urbana; the class with Parisot is scheduled for 10 a.m. Nov. 2 in the same location. Both classes are open to the public and cost $15 for non-registered audience members; tickets may be purchased at the door.
In addition to master classes with Parisot and Starker, Cellofest activities will include cello competitions for pre-college students and college undergraduate students from all over the country, and Taiwan; three talks by guest speakers; demonstrations by cello makers and dealers from the United States and Canada; and a concert featuring competition winners and cello choirs.
The concert will take place at 2 p.m. Nov. 2 in Krannert Center’s Foellinger Great Hall, 500 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana. For ticket information, contact the Krannert Center ticket office, 217-333-6280.
More information about Cellofest is available by contacting Laufman, 217-244-2668.
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