Artist Recital Series tickets on sale now

Oberlin College will launch the 131st season of its Artist Recital Series, America's longest-running classical concert series, with a performance by the Sphinx Chamber Orchestra and Harlem String Quartet on Sept. 20, at 3 p.m.

Part of the Sphinx Organization, the Detroit-based group is dedicated to increasing black and Latino participation in classical music. The concert of music by Mozart and Piazzolla, Bach and Wynton Marsalis will launch a season of exciting, diverse programming.

The season continues on Sunday, Oct. 11, at 4 p.m., with a special recital by operatic superstar Denyce Graves '85, hon. '98. Graves studied at Oberlin with voice teacher Helen Hodam, who died in 2008. Her concert is a dedication event for the Helen Hodam Merit Scholarship in Voice, established with a $1.7 million gift from Hodam's estate. During her visit to Oberlin, Graves will lead a master class for conservatory singers, on Monday, Oct. 12, from noon to 2 p.m. in Kulas Recital Hall. In addition to playing in the recital, pianist Warren Jones will teach a master class for singers and collaborative pianists on Oct. 10.

Grammy-nominated violinist Jennifer Koh '97 returns to the Finney Chapel stage on Oct. 29, at 8 p.m., in a program of works for unaccompanied violin. The recital pairs two partitas by Bach and a sonata by Ysaÿe with a multimedia premiere by former LA Phil conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen. The new work, Lachen verlernt, will feature a video by artist Tal Rosner, which will be projected during Koh's live performance of the Salonen score. The new work was co-commissioned by Jennifer Koh, Cedille Records, and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

The series continues into 2010 with a performance by violinist Joshua Bell and pianist Jeremy Denk '90 on Feb. 3, 2010, at 8 p.m.

Next, the Takács String Quartet will perform on March 18, at 8 p.m. The program features Beethoven's sixth and seventh string quartets and a new work by John Psathas, a New Zealand-based composer. The quartet will give master classes and work with Oberlin string students in several sessions on March 17, 2010.

On April 9, 2010, at 8 p.m., the Cleveland Orchestra will give its 208th performance on the Oberlin campus, playing music by Schumann, Ravel, and Dutilleux under the baton of Russian conductor Semyon Bychkov, who makes his debut with the orchestra.

The series concludes on Sunday, April 11, at 8 p.m., with a celebratory concert by the American Brass Quintet, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary season. As part of a mini-residency at the conservatory, the quintet will also coach brass students.

Now on sale, subscriptions to the Artist Recital Series include reserved seating for all seven concerts plus free admission to three bonus events: two master classes led by operatic mezzo Marilyn Horne, on Oct. 30 and Nov. 1, and a recital on Dec. 2, by Elyria native Lester Lynch, a Verdi baritone known for his rich, commanding voice, presented under the auspices of the Marilyn Horne Foundation's National Artist Residencies. (Admission to bonus events is $5 for non-subscribers.)

Season subscriptions, including all seven concerts and three bonus events, cost $140, with discounted prices for seniors 55 years of age and older ($120), Oberlin College ID holders (faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and area educators) ($120), and students ($47). The renewal deadline for returning subscribers who wish to keep their seats is Aug. 28.

Single tickets go on sale on Sept. 7. All single tickets cost $28 for the general public, $22 for seniors and OCID, and $10 for students. Tickets are available at the door, starting one hour before the performance; however, tickets purchased at the door cost $3 more.