HAZLETON, Pa. — Penn State Hazleton will host a chamber music concert beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 11. The performance by the Helton-Thomas Duo will be held in the Slusser/Bayzick Black Box Theater and is free and open to the public.
The Helton-Thomas Duo has presented concerts, master classes, workshops and lectures to diverse audiences in the United States, Canada, Japan, Thailand, China, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, England, Greece and France. The unexpected combination of the saxophone and the cello creates a unique soundscape that can reach audiences of all kinds through new, moving, musical experiences.
The artists’ program at Penn State Hazleton will include “Walk on Water” by Dorothy Chang; “Field Music: Ash” by Jonathan Elliott; “Four Short Songs: a certain sadness” by Mark Engebretson; and “Sonate pour saxophone alto et violoncelle” with three movements: allegro risoluto, tranquillo and moderato by Edison Denisov.
Saxophonist Jonathan Helton is an active solo recitalist and chamber musician appearing in concerts worldwide. He has been featured on programs of the North American Saxophone Alliance, the World Saxophone Congress, the College Music Society, Wisconsin Composers' Alliance, Chicago Consortium of Composers and the New Music Chicago Festival. His performances have been heard in national and international radio syndication. He is featured on compact discs from Centaur, Navona, Elf, Innova, Mark Records, and Music from Northwestern. Helton previously was a faculty member at Northwestern University and is currently on the faculty of the School of Music of the University of Florida, where he teaches saxophone, chamber music. Helton is a Selmer artist/clinician and a past president of the North American Saxophone Alliance.
Cellist Steven Thomas was appointed to the University of Florida’s School of Music in 2007 following a 13-year tenure at the Hartt School, where he had chaired both the String and Chamber Music departments. A top prize-winner in the Villa-Lobos (Rio) and Bach (Washington) International Cello Competitions, as well as the Hudson Valley and Charleston Competitions, Thomas has appeared as soloist with orchestras in North and South America and throughout Europe. As a member of the Cantilena Piano Quartet, he toured and performed in most of the major concert halls of Europe and the U.S. As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with such renowned artists as Yehudi Menuhin, Erick Friedman, Donald MacInnes, Jesse Levine, Joseph Robinson, David Shifrin, Peter Frankl, Boris Berman and the Miami String Quartet.
The concert at Penn State Hazleton is co-sponsored by Academic Affairs and Student Affairs. Refreshments will be served after the concert.