FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 23, 2005 - Sylvia Bierschenk

SFA presents 'An Evening of piano quartets'

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - The Stephen F. Austin State University College of Fine Arts and the Department of Music will present "An Evening of Piano Quartets" at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, March 6, in Cole Concert Hall.

SFA faculty members Linda Parr, piano; Jennifer Dalmas, violin; and Evgeni Raychev, cello; together with retired faculty member Isidor Saslav, viola; will peform Amadeus Mozart's "Piano Quartet in G minor," K. 478, and Anton Dvorak's "Piano Quartet in E Flat Major," Op. 87.

Parr said the pieces they have chosen are both beautiful and challenging.

"We are looking forward to sharing them with the audience, particularly the Dvorak which is not heard very often," she said.

Parr is an instructor of piano in the Department of Music, and also teaches in the department's Music Preparatory Division. She is active as a recitalist, chamber music pianist and in a duo-piano team with her husband, Andrew Parr.

Parr has performed in Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio; Pittsburgh, Penn.; Washington, D.C.; and New York City for the Young Artists Series, has appeared with the Harrington String Quartet and collaborated with many artists in the Chamber Music in the Pines summer festivals.

Dalmas has been an assistant professor of music at SFA and concertmaster of the Orchestra of the Pines since 2003. While obtaining her master's and doctoral degrees at Florida State University, she performed with the Tallahassee, Jacksonville and New World symphonies.

Dalmas has performed solo repertoire and various concerti with orchestras in the United States and Europe. As part of the Promising Artists of the 21st Century program, she has given recitals and master classes in the United States and Central America.

Saslav served as the director of string studies at SFA from 1993 until his retirement in 2003 and was instrumental in establishing the Orchestra of the Pines, the Sylvan Chamber Ensemble, the East Texas Honors Orchestra, the Summer String Camp and the Chamber Music in the Pines Festival, said Dr. Ron Anderson, chair of the SFA Department of Music.

Saslav has been a professional musician since he was 17 and has served as concertmaster of orchestras such as the Buffalo Philharmonic; the Baltimore and New Zealand Symphony orchestras; the Dallas, Washington and Indiana University Opera orchestras and the Orchestra of the Pines.

Raychev is an adjunct faculty member in the SFA Department of Music and teaches in the department's Music Preparatory Division. He is also the principal cellist of the Orchestra of the Pines.

While obtaining his master's and doctoral degrees at Florida State University, he was the principal cellist in the University Symphony Orchestra and the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra. He has given recitals and performed with orchestras in Bulgaria, Austria, Czech Republic, Costa Rica and the United States.

Tickets for the event are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $2 for students. For more information, please call (936) 468-6407 or 888-240-ARTS.