Arts and Entertainment

Faculty cellist Kim Cook to perform recital Nov. 10

Penn State faculty saxophonist David Stambler will present a recital at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 13, in Esber Recital Hall. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State faculty member Kim Cook, joined by guest pianist Svetlana Rodionova, will present the first concert of the 2013-14 music series sponsored by the United Universalist Fellowship of Centre County at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 10. She will perform a recital of cello sonatas by Marcello, Valentini and Martinu, as well as Robert Schumann's cello concerto.

The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Centre County is located at 780 Waupelani Drive, State College. Tickets are $10 for the general public and free for students and children.

Program

Sonata V in C Major for Violoncello and Cembalo -- Benedetto Marcello

Concerto in A minor for Cello and Piano, Opus 129 -- Robert Schumann

Sonata in E Major for Cello and Piano -- Guiseppe Valentini

Sonata No. 2 -- Bohuslav Martinu

Hailed as "the superb American cellist" (Die Rheinpfalz, Frankfurt), Cook has been acclaimed for her "truly glorious tone" (Musical Opinion, London), "ravishing colors and textures" (New York Concert Review, Carnegie Hall) and "keen awareness of line and style" (The Strad). Cook has performed as a soloist in the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, China, Israel, Jordan, Latin America and throughout the United States. She has toured extensively as an International Artistic Ambassador for the U.S. State Department, presenting concerts and master classes throughout the world. Television and radio broadcasts of Cook's performances have been heard in Brazil, China and the United States. She has recorded concertos by Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, and Haydn as well as the solo sonatas of Kodaly, Crumb and Hindemith. A graduate of Yale and the University of Illinois, Cook studied with Gabriel Magyar, Aldo Parisot, Alan Harris and Janos Starker. Prior to Penn State, she was principal cellist of the Sao Paulo Symphony under the direction of Eleazar de Carvalho, and professor of cello at New Mexico State. At Penn State, Cook has developed one of the important cello studios in the Northeast, attracting talented cellists from Europe and throughout the United States. The 26-member Penn State Cello Choir has been recognized for its performances and for the Penn State Cello Festivals. Cook's students have won many prestigious awards and have received assistantships and scholarships to attend graduate programs. Former students currently occupy positions in orchestras and music schools in the United States, Germany, Brazil and Taiwan.

Cook is a roster artist for the Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour. Funding is available to support performance engagements with presenters in Washington, D.C., Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virgina and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Cook was Penn State's inaugural laureate for the 2008-09 academic year, which allowed her to appear as a highly visible representative of Penn State, appearing regularly at events University-wide, and throughout the Commonwealth at community and state events.

Kim Cook, cello Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

Last Updated October 31, 2013