UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Philharmonic Orchestra will present its first concert of the 2015-16 academic year at 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 16, in Eisenhower Auditorium. The program includes music by Wagner, Tchaikovsky, and Ernest Bloch's "Schelomo" with graduate student cellist Pai Lui, a winner of the Philharmonic's 2014-15 Concerto Competition. The orchestra is conducted by Gerardo Edelstein.
Tickets are $12 general admission and $4 for students. Patrons can save 40 percent by purchasing tickets for School of Music concerts in Eisenhower Auditorium in advance. There is no limit on the number of tickets that may be purchased. Purchases made the day of the concert are not eligible for the discounted price. Tickets are available at any Arts Ticket Center location, by phone at 814-863-0255 or 1-800-ARTS-TIX, or online at Penn State Arts Ticket Center.
This concert will also be available via livestream video on the Penn State School of Music's website.
ProgramPrelude to Die Meistersinger — Richard WagnerSchelomo: Rhapsodie Hébraïque for Violoncello and Orchestra — Ernest Bloch (with Pai Liu, violincello)Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 36 — Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pai Liu is a second-year graduate student studying with cello Professor Kim Cook. From China, he is the son of Qiong and Lie Liu. At Penn State, Pai serves as a graduate teaching assistant and is the cellist of the Rivendell Quartet. He received his undergraduate degree in cello performance from the University of South Carolina. After obtaining his master's degree, he intends to pursue a career as an orchestral cellist.
The 90-member Philharmonic presents five to six full concerts per academic year. Off campus, the Philharmonic has performed throughout the northeastern United States, including concerts at New York City's Carnegie Hall, Pittsburgh’s Heinz Hall, Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center, and the MENC Eastern Division Conference in Baltimore. In March 2006, the orchestra participated by invitation in the Sixth International Orchestra Festival in Zaragoza, Spain. The Philharmonic’s repertoire from recent years has included works by Brahms, Debussy, Dvorak, Stravinsky, Beethoven, Mahler, Vaughan Williams, Rachmaninoff, and Wagner. Enrollment, open to all University Park students, is by audition at the beginning of each semester.