Thursday Morning Artist Series Moves to MacPhail Center for Music

Thursday Musical Announces 2014-15 Concert Season

Thursday Musical recently announced its 123rd concert season, including the Thursday Morning Artist Series at MacPhail Center for Music and Mount Olive Luthern Church, and Home Programs hosted by select Thursday Musical members throughout the Twin Cities metro area.

To celebrate the start of Thursday Musical’s concert season, there will be free admittance for the Thursday Morning Artist Series opening concert Oct. 9, 2014 at 10:30 a.m. preceded by a reception at 9:30 a.m. The concert will feature two artists in their Thursday Musical debuts, Will Richardson, cello, and Meghann Schmidt, soprano, in addition to the Kennsonn Trio (Jennifer Kennard, flute, Teresa Richardson, cello, and Mary Jo Gothmann, piano). Also performing is Gabriel Quenneville-Belair, a 2014 Thursday Musical Young Artist Scholarship Competition first place winner in the category of College Piano.

Once again, breaking from the traditional concert experience, the Thursday Morning Artist Series includes two programs that feature Living Concert Notes. MPR announcer Steve Staruch (Jan. 22) and composer Jan Gibert (March 5) will interview performers and offer in-depth commentary on the music being performed.

The Thursday Morning Artist Series also features eight artists in their Thursday Musical debuts.

Oct. 9 – Will Richardson, cello, is an active freelancer in the Twin Cities, and is a member of Il Dolce String Quartet. Mr. Richardson has performed with the Duluth-Superior Symphony, Evansville Philharmonic, Owensboro Symphony, Marion Philharmonic, and the Richmond Symphony, among others. He was assistant principal cellist of the National Orchestral Institute and attended the Indiana University Summer Music Festival. Richardson maintains a studio at St. Joseph's School of Music in Saint Paul, MN, in addition to previous teaching experience at the College of Saint Benedict and Ramsey International Fine Arts Center in Minneapolis.

Oct. 9 - Meghann Schmidt, soprano, has performed with opera and theater companies such as Theater Latte Da, Skylark Opera, Colorado Lyric Opera, CU Opera and Top Hat Theater, and as guest artist with regional orchestras and choirs. She also participated in several concert series performed throughout Graz and Vienna, Austria. She received a BA from the University of St. Thomas and a MA from the University of Colorado.

Nov. 6 – Peter Arnstein, piano, is a pianist and composer. He has appeared as a pianist and harpsichordist with the Minnesota Orchestra, and has accompanied many members of the Twin Cities’ two main orchestras and college music faculties. A winner of international competitions in both composition and piano, he has toured the Midwest as pianist and composer-in-residence for the Sylmar Chamber Ensemble and currently teaches at the St. Paul Conservatory of Music and the Evergreen School for the Arts in Edina. He has also performed several times at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland.

Jan. 22 – Stephanie Thorpe, soprano, is currently a member of the voice faculty in the Department of Music at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Most recently, she performed full-time with the Carnevale di Venezia in Las Vegas, Nevada. She is a winner of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Concerto Competition, and of the Nevada District National Association of Teachers of Singing Artist Awards (NATSAA), and a Regional Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Stephanie received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Feb. 5 – Rolf Haas, violin, has been described as 'fearless' by the Star Tribune. Most recently, Rolf has appeared performing recitals in Germany, Poland, Spain, London, and Chicago. He has been a featured soloist with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Georgian Ballet (GA), and in concerts with Meadowmount (NY), The International Summer String Academy (Czech Republic), and The Sommer-Akademie at the Mozarteum, (Austria). Haas is a prize winner in competitions held by the Music Teachers National Association and American String Teachers Association.

Feb. 19 – Carrie Ann Krause, soprano, is an educator and performer. Most recently, she has performed as a soprano soloist at Salem Convenant Church, New Brightson, and Roseville Lutheran Church. She is in her tenth year of service to Salem Covenant Church as the children's and youth choral director. She is also a board member for Kodaly Chapter of Minnesota and is actively involved in Kodaly workshops regionally and nationally.

March 5 – Susana Pinto & Pinar Basgoze Piano Duo has been receiving significant acclaims since their debut concert in 2009. Pianist and pedagogue Susana Pinto, a native of Portugal, has been on faculty at MacPhail Center for Music for more than 10 years. Pınar Başgőze, born and raised in Turkey, is currently on faculty at MacPhail Center for Music. She has appeared in the Balkan Music Festival at the University of St. Thomas, the Spotlight Series at MacPhail Center for Music, at Steinway Hall in New York City, and as a guest artist with the Bakken Trio and The Baroque Room ensembles.

March 5 – As a Fulbright scholar in Paris, coloratura soprano Laura Hynesspent six years abroad in France and Germany, performing repertoire ranging from baroque opera with Les Arts Florissants to "classical cabaret" on French television and radio. She has performed lead opera roles, solo recitals, and concerts throughout Europe and the US, including New York's Alice Tully Hall, the Barbican in London, and the Châtelet in Paris. Since moving back to the U.S. in 2010, Laura Hynes has performed as a soloist with the Oratorio Society, Vocal Essence, Skylark Opera, and for the Westminster Forum Series. In addition to performing, she is part of a collaborative direction team for a newly emerging baroque opera company in the Twin Cities and she maintains a private voice and coaching studio in St. Paul.

Among several other returning Thursday Musical performing members, select concerts will also feature winners from the 2014 Thursday Musical Young Artist Scholarship Competition.

Thursday Musical members on October 30, 2014 and April 23, 2015 will open their homes for the Home Programs. Thursday Musical is unique in its tradition of presenting concerts in the home for an intimate “salon style” concert experience. Home Programs are only available with a season ticket and membership subscription purchase. For a complete listing, visit thursdaymusical.org.

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Individual Tickets and Membership

Annual Membership for the 2014-15 concert season are now available to renewing and new subscribers. Thursday Musical continues its legacy of providing outstanding concert programming at affordable prices. Subscribers can access 12 Thursday Morning Artist Series concerts and 4 Home Programs for under $5 each ($75 general\$65 seniors). (Note: Home Programs are only accessible to members.) Subscriptions can be purchased online, by phone or in person at any Thursday Morning Artist Series concert.

Individual tickets for the Thursday Morning Artist Series can be purchased at the door for $10. All concerts are open seating. For more information, call (612) 333-0313 or visit thursdaymusical.org/membership.

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More Information

Thursday Morning Artist Series Concert Locations:
All concerts at MacPhail Center for Music with the exception of the Dec. 4, 2014 concert date, which is at Mount Olive Lutheran Church. All concerts at 10:30 AM.

MacPhail Center for Music
501 S. 2^nd St, Minneapolis
macphail.org