Katie Lansdale: Master Class & Performance

The world of classical music is an expanding universe, incorporating repertoire from increasingly more voices and places. String instruments, in particular, have capabilities and flexibilities that open the door to a wide expanse of voices, styles, and textures.

Concert violinist Dr. Katie Lansdale loves how our repertoire can change, cross-fertilize, and entwine, thanks to the riveting visions of current new composers. Join us as Katie visits Levine Music on October 20 to explore a marvelous array of pieces for solo violin. Students and teachers are invited to interact with the pieces during this performance/discussion.

Along with a few unjustly forgotten works by well-known composers (who knew Elgar wrote Concert Etudes for solo violin?!), Katie presents a global expanse of repertoire. Entranced by Mountain Scenery by Li Shangqian paints an unforgettable musical landscape of China. Fazil Say’s Cleopatra whirls us through percussive, asymmetrical sounds from Turkey. Reena Esmail’s heartrending Darshan draws soulful sounds of lament from East Indian melody. Next, we are drawn into the inexorable climb of Rhapsody No.1 by Jessie Montgomery, an acclaimed young Black composer in residence with the Chicago Symphony. As we close, the group takes on challenges with Latin cross-rhythms before exploring Vanacek’s Spanish Rhapsody.

Master Class: 10:30 AM
Performance: 11:30 AM
Workshop for Teachers: 1 PM